#I hate the morning shifts. Especially right after the late shift

[piers-wifey]

Current mood

#Piers talks #I hate the morning shifts. Especially right after the late shift

[spider-stark]

INFINITELY YOU

part two // crullers & constants

SUMMARY - In every universe, Peter Parker seems destined to fall in love with you. And, in every universe, he realizes it too late. When universes collide and two of them are granted a second chance at rectifying their biggest mistake, neither of them are willing to let the opportunity go to waste–even if you end up not being the person they thought you were.

WARNINGS - 18+, story will contain mentions of blood, broken bones, weapons, suggestive language, and more. I will try to update warnings accordingly for each chapter, but please read at your own discretion

WORD COUNT - 4.2k

// masterlist // series masterlist // send me your thoughts // no way home fan fiction // rewrite

name key: tom!peter = peter // andrew!peter = parker

Peter Pan Donuts is a sacred place. 

Or, rather, it was a sacred place—and walking back into the shop now felt awfully strange. 

Back when you and Peter first started high school, it had become a tradition to end every Friday with one of the renowned pastry shop’s legendary frosted crullers. You considered it a well-deserved reward for surviving another week of more drama than either of you could stomach, thankful that the weekend was finally upon you and that you could finally breathe without inhaling the reek of the unwashed teenage boys that lined the halls of Midtown. 

Peter Pan’s quickly became a haven. A safe place where the two of you could tuck yourselves away at the end of the bar, talking for hours about the teachers you hated and the bullies you hoped would fall from the face of the Earth. There was nothing that you couldn’t talk about, no secrets kept between you and Peter. 

Or, at least, none that mattered. 

But things changed as time passed, as they so often do. 

It started with the inclusion of Ned. You didn’t particularly mind his presence, even if the conversations had begun to shift towards less intimate topics, focusing instead on movies that you all wanted to see or upcoming video games that you would all try to play. 

Then came the inclusion of Mj a few months later, after she landed a job at the shop. That was when everything truly changed—when it was no longer you and Peter tucked away at the bar, but you and Ned, left to pick at your food and watch as Peter leaned across the front counter and talked to Mj over her shift. 

After a few months of testing every donut on the menu with Ned, you stopped going altogether. 

And Peter never even asked why. 

“I was surprised to see you texted me,” you quip as you slid onto the free barstool, “what happened to not wanting me to get involved?” 

Peter exhales sharply through his nose, and even though his eyes are glued to his phone, you can tell that he was already regretting asking you to meet him here. “I already told you that what I want doesn’t matter.” 

And how true that must have been. 

There had been nothing kind about his text to you this morning, although there was nothing inherently rude about it either, you supposed. It was simple—meet me at Peter Pan’s asap, need 2 talk—but you could almost sense the begrudging nature with which he had typed it. And, sitting next to him now, you could almost feel it, too. 

He didn’t want you here, even if he had been the one to invite you, and you couldn’t help but wonder why he had decided to involve you at all—especially so soon. What had changed in a single night? 

Sitting on the barstool to your left, Parker pops his lips. “Well this is fun. I’m not at all uncomfortable right now.” 

You turned towards him, acknowledging just how different he looked in the civilian clothes that he donned in place of his suit—black jeans that certainly looked worse for wear and an old Ramone’s t-shirt that you immediately recognized as yours. Oversized on you, the short sleeves clung rather tightly to his well-muscled arms. Did he seriously go through your stuff?! 

 “Why are you even here?” You ask, perhaps a little sharper than necessary. You weren’t angry that he had gone sifting through the armoire in the spare bedroom, especially since he couldn’t just parade around as Spider-Man all of the time. But he could’ve at least asked. “Shouldn’t one of you be busy patrolling?” 

It was hard to tell if the offense on his face was real or feigned, but you didn’t care much either way. “Peter wanted answers about my world, I wanted food,” he shrugs, gesturing at the crème-filled donut in front of him. “And Peter 2’s handling patrol.” 

Peter 2—you had almost forgotten about him, the version of Peter that hadn’t wanted to come with Ned and Mj to your apartment last night. As far as you could tell when you woke up this morning, he hadn’t shown up in the middle of the night, either—no trace of Parker or anyone else when you had finally stumbled out of your room to get ready after reading the text from Peter. 

You didn’t figure it was really your business where the mystery Peter was, but you were a little surprised to hear that he was still out patrolling. Was he not exhausted?  

“Ametaur move getting crème-filled,” you tell him, ignoring everything he said. “Should’ve gone with the frosted vanilla cruller, it’s way better.” 

“No way,” he gapes, grabbing the half-eaten pastry and shaking it for emphasis as he said, “this is god-tier, alright? No way anything’s topping it.” 

The expression on his face was actually hilarious, his brown doe eyes alight with pure euphoria as he took another bite of the donut. An exaggerated moan slipped his lips, coated with bits of sugar and crème. It was hard not to laugh at him, especially when you knew that was probably his goal—to combat the evident tension between you and Peter. 

Chuckling, you lift your hands in mock defense. “Suit yourself, Parker. But if you ever wanna experience true pleasure, then you know what to order.” 

Parker looks as if he's about to continue his borderline-lustful tangent about the donut, but Peter spoke up instead, his attention snagging on the name you used. 

“Parker?” He echoes in disbelief, letting his phone clatter against the bar. 

Peter’s sudden resurgence to the real world left Parker silent, sinking back against his stool and taking another bite. 

“What?” Your brow arches, your voice laced with incredulity. “Did you really think I’d keep calling him Peter 2? No offense to Ned, but everything about that feels stupid.” 

Peter’s eyes narrow, coupled with a subtle shake of his head that indicates he doesn't care nearly enough to have this conversation right now. 

You didn’t care much either, and so you steered the conversation in a more productive direction. “So what is this grand plan of yours?” You ask with a somewhat sarcastic lilt. “And where do I fit into it?” 

Another huff of breath escaped his nostrils. “We don’t even have a plan. Not yet,” he reluctantly admits. “But I tried talking to Doctor Strange last night, to see if he had some sort of magical spell or something that would let us go back and fix all of this.” 

Your lips press together, nibbling on the skin and pretending you didn’t notice the hidden meaning behind his words. He hadn’t just gone to Doctor Strange to find a way to get rid of the villains now lurking in your world, because if he had, then he wouldn’t have gone specifically seeking out a spell that would let him go back—not just to stop the villains from ever coming here, but to save May, too. 

“Did he?” 

Peter reached for his cup of iced coffee, if only to occupy his now-fidgeting fingers. “No,” he murmurs, the sound of sloshing ice nearly overpowering him as he swirled the cup. “He didn’t.” 

You frown at the tinge of disappointment that snuck through his otherwise even tone, your chest aching. You had to fight against the urge to say I’m sorry, remembering what he had said to you last night—he didn’t want your apologies, nor did he seem to want anyone else's. 

In truth, you weren’t sure what Peter wanted; or what you could do to help him. 

“Well did he have anything useful?” 

He shook his head, lifting the cup to his mouth. “Define useful,” he scoffed, sounding uncharacteristically sharp. He took a sip of his drink, his nose scrunching as soon as the coffee hit his tongue—too bitter. 

Despite the coffee’s pale color that indicated it was more cream than coffee, you weren’t surprised that it was still too strong for him. Peter had never truly developed a taste for coffee, only pursuing a caffeine addiction for the sake of combating the exhaustion that came with being Spider-Man. That didn’t mean he had ever grown to like it though, masking the taste with copious amounts of sugar and syrups. 

“Something that will keep multiversal villains from tearing our world apart?” You venture half-heartedly, guided by pure instinct and muscle memory as you reached over to take his cup from him, snagging a few packs of sugar from the plastic canister on the bar to0. 

“He has a theory,” Peter gives you a tight-lipped smile, born of pure frustration. 

“A theory? And he expects us to save the world with this theory?” You ask, a bit more derisive than you would have been if Doctor Strange were around to hear. 

Peter scoots closer to you, his voice purposefully low. “Do you remember when I told you about him using the Time Stone before Mr. Stark died? To look through all the different outcomes with Thanos?” 

Ripping open the sugar packets and dumping them in his cup, you managed to mask a wince at the mention of Peter’s dead mentor. You only nodded, not trusting your voice to stay steady if you tried for any sort of verbal affirmation. 

“Well… when he did that, he thinks that he might have actually seen through the multiverse—he just didn’t know for sure at the time.” 

Your forehead creased as you popped the lid back onto his cup, sliding it back towards him. Given his advantage of Spidey-sense, he easily caught it before it could slide too far and end up on the floor—which is what would have definitely happened pre-Spider bite. 

“And you don’t consider that to be useful to our current situation?” 

“No. I don’t.” Peter answers firmly. “Because at the center of it all—in every universe the Stone showed him—all he saw was you.” 

You nearly laugh, your lips curving as you rose a brow at him. “Me?” 

Peter gave a nod as he took another sip of his drink. This time, his nose didn’t scrunch. 

“But it’s been almost a year since the Avengers took down Thanos,” you reminded him, your stunned amusement beginning to fade into confusion. “If he saw.. Me, when he used the Stone, then why didn’t he say anything until now?” 

By no means would you consider yourself to be close with New York’s resident Sorcerer, and so you wouldn’t have expected him to come to you with this knowledge. But Peter—he knew Peter, and he knew that you were Peter’s best friend, and so it didn’t make any sense to you why Doctor Strange chose to wait until now to mention what the Stone had shown him. 

Given the aggravated expression Peter wore, it was clear that he was thinking the same. “I don’t know, and trying to get answers out of Doctor Strange that he clearly doesn’t want to give is like pulling teeth.” 

“But what does that mean?” You couldn’t stop yourself from pressing further, concern starting to bubble up inside of you. Regardless of his answer—if he had one—you had a feeling you wouldn’t like it. “I don’t get how I’m at the center of every universe.” 

Peter blew out a breath, his fingers going back to tapping against the sides of his plastic cup. “Alright, so there are probably well-over a hundred thousand different parallel universes, okay? Some of them are probably super similar to ours, and then there are others that are the complete opposite.” 

“O-kay,” you drone, your brows drawing together. You felt the start of a headache coming on as you prepared yourself for the confusing science-talk that was surely about to start pouring out of his mouth. 

Perhaps noticing your pained expression, Peter tries to find a way to simplify whatever explanation he was about to use. “Try and look at it like this,” he started, “think of the multiverse as some giant, cosmic loom, alright? Now imagine that each thread on the loom signifies a person. As the loom weaves all of these different threads together, different decisions get made and different actions are taken—and with every choice, a new thread is spun, branching off and creating a variation of the original tapestry.” 

“So it’s like you and Parker, right?” You interrupt him, rubbing at your temples. “Same thread, different reality?” 

“Exactly! And, technically speaking, that’s how it’s supposed to be. As the loom weaves and alters reality, each thread continuously evolves into something different.” He paused, his fingers finally falling still. “But now imagine that—in the center of all of these branching tapestries—there exists one thread, entirely unbroken and unaltered by this ever-weaving tapestry of existence, okay? A glitch in the cosmic fabric, a constant that’s woven into infinite realities and yet, somehow, remains fundamentally unchanged. How does that work?” 

You couldn’t ignore the sense of dread creeping up your spine, nor could you escape the slight wobble in your voice as you said, “It doesn’t sound like it should.” 

“You’re right, it shouldn’t work.” Peter confirmed, his expression nearly impossible to read. “But according to Doctor Strange, you are that thread. A constant anomaly that defies every potential law of the multiverse.” 

Nausea bubbled in your gut. God, you did not want to deal with this right now! 

“And let me guess,” a bitter laugh follows your words, “that’s as much information as he was willing to give, wasn’t it?” 

“Yep,” Peter pops his lips, leaning back into his stool. His brows raise slightly in a silent I told you so before he says, “Hey, you’re the one that wanted to be involved, right? Now you’re at the center of everything-” 

“I said I wanted to help you,” you correct him sharply. “Not that I wanted to be at the center of Doctor Strange’s weird Time Stones fantasies!” 

He only shrugs, barely acknowledging the dirty look you gave him as he plucks his phone off of the counter, clicking on a notification. “Same thing, isn’t it? Either way, you get what you want.” 

“What I want?” You echoed, your mouth hung open in disbelief. 

“Doctor Strange seems to think that whatever is wrong with you might help us solve all of this. That you might be connected to the multiverse somehow, or that you’re at least immune to it. So yeah, you get what you want. You get to help,” he spat the word out like an insult, too focused on typing something to even notice how rude he sounded. 

If it weren’t for the feeling that stomach acid was about to come crawling up your throat, then you might have taken some time to unpack the bitterness in his tone or be hurt by the claim that something was wrong with you—but you didn’t. Even if you had, you weren’t sure that it would have gotten you anywhere. 

You weren’t stupid. Peter was wielding his insolence like a shield, purposefully trying to hurt you as an effort to keep you at arms length—and, if you had to guess, Mj and Ned were probably receiving the same treatment right now. 

“Well this isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted to help,” you admitted, one hand going to rest against your cramping stomach. At least the throbbing in your temples had died down… 

Peter only shrugged at you, shoving his phone in his back pocket and rising to his feet. “Too bad,” he told you, offering a smile that most definitely wasn’t genuine. “I’ve gotta go, but make him walk you home, alright? I’ll text you if I hear anything else from Doctor Strange.” 

Parker frowned beside you, and whether it was because Peter was speaking about him like he wasn’t here or because of his attitude in general, you couldn’t tell. 

“Whoa, hold up! You didn’t even tell me what your plan is until you hear from him!” You argue, reaching for his wrist to keep him from walking past you until he answered. 

He pulls his hand back from your grip, but not before your stare snags on the reddish hue that stains his nails—blood. Noticing it only served to make you feel sicker, and to make your concern for Peter grow larger. Was he really still walking around with May’s blood caked under his nails? Has he rested at all since last night? 

“Same plan as always,” he told you, your eyes snapping up to meet his, suddenly noticing how rimmed with exhaustion they were. “Stop the bad guys.” 

He didn’t leave any time for protests or further questions before turning his back to you and heading straight for the exit. When the little bell on the door chimed as he shoved his way back out onto the streets, you couldn’t stop the worried sigh that escaped your lips. 

Peter was an Avenger by every right. He had battled alongside a Norse God and helped take down a literal Titan, and so knew that you shouldn’t have any reason to doubt his capability when it came to taking down whatever villains had crossed into your world. 

But it wasn’t that you doubted his ability to survive against them, or even his ability to stop them—you were worried about whether he could handle the weight of it all. 

The weight of him placing yet another thing on his shoulders. Another villain, another fight, another burden, another chance to lose someone. 

Thinking of that, it suddenly dawned on you that maybe Mj and Ned weren’t getting the same treatment as you. Maybe you were getting the worst of it, if only because now whatever connection you had to the multiverse was just another weight he thought he had to bear, another person he had to worry about protecting. 

Guilt flooded your veins, and even as you tried to remind yourself that you hadn’t caused this, you still couldn’t shake the anxious feeling that it was somehow your fault anyway. 

“Y’know, I get that this probably isn’t the right time for this,” Parker starts. When you look at him, your attention immediately snags on the dozen donuts that he had ordered while you were talking to Peter. “But I think it’s so cool that you guys have magic in your world!” 

He takes another bite of the donut in his hand, powdered sugar falling from his lips as he says, “And these donuts! It’s a tough call, but they might be even better than magic!” 

You didn’t know him well enough to be able to tell if he was intentionally trying to lighten the mood or if it was just incidental, but it worked all the same. Laughter poured from your mouth, and it wasn’t until it died down that he said anything else. 

“Sooo… That was tense, wasn’t it? Like, it wasn’t just me, right?” 

You groan, propping your elbows against the counter and placing your cheeks in your palms. “Was it that noticeable?” 

Parker snorts a laugh, stretching an arm past you to reach for Peter’s abandoned coffee. “Oh, yeah. It’s actually painful to be in a room with you two.” 

His playful tone made it clear that it was just a joke, but it still made you feel bad. You already didn’t like how hostile things felt between you and Peter, even if it was only one-sided, and to know that others felt it too just made it that much worse. 

“Things are just.. Difficult, right now.” You tell him, choosing your words carefully. 

“So it hasn’t always been like that with you guys?” He asks, and the delicate arch of his brow made it seem as though he were shocked by the possibility that things had ever been civil between you and Peter. 

There was a chance that you had misread his expression though, as it was very quickly wiped away once he took a sip of Peter’s half-drank coffee, gagging as soon as it hit his tongue. “Holy shi-” he started coughing, cutting off the vulgarities that threatened to spill out. “How does he drink this?!” Parker yelped as soon as he could take a full breath, looking utterly disgusted as he shoved the cup back across the bar. “It’s literally just liquid sugar!” 

You found it hard to stifle your amusement at his suffering, even as he shot you a teasing scowl for it. “No,” you answer his previous question, trying to ignore his melodramatic display, “believe it or not, things between us actually used to be really… I don’t know—easy, I guess.” 

Parker was still smacking his lips to try and rid himself of the cloying aftertaste. “What changed?” 

In retrospect, you realized that it probably would have been smarter for you to bite your tongue. To offer him some cheap, cop-out excuse rather than tell him the truth. After all, you already had experience in hiding from the truth and it wasn’t like you really knew Parker, and so lying to him shouldn’t have been a hard task. 

Yet, for some reason, you told him the truth anyway. 

“Mj happened.” 

Parker’s brows furrows. “The girl from last night, right?” 

“Yep. That’s the one.” 

“Y’know, I don’t really like her all that much,” his words were spoken like a balm, seeking to ease the dejected look etched upon your face, but tinged with enough playful sarcasm for you to know he didn’t actually mean them. “She threw a bread roll at me. A few of them, actually.” 

It was hard not to laugh at the thought considering that it was such an Mj thing to do. “Sounds about right,” you crack a smile, although you don't feel particularly happy. “She’s always been slow to trust, especially complete strangers.” 

In an odd sort of way, the statement felt like a lie. Not because it actually wasn’t true—because Mj was wary of strangers—but because Parker didn’t quite feel like a stranger in your mind. While last night had been a bit awkward, you now felt like talking to him was effortless, each sentence rolling off your tongue with unnatural ease. 

“But she trusts you?” Parker asks, picking a crumb off another one of the pastries and popping it into his mouth. 

You sucked in a breath. 

“I don’t know,” you answer him, with a bit more honesty than you're comfortable with. “I mean, I know that she used to trust me. But now… I’m not even sure if she likes me anymore.” 

His brow snapped up. “What changed?” 

Suddenly the truth no longer felt so easy, and you found yourself wishing that you could change the subject altogether. You didn’t want to talk about this—especially not with him, some boy that you had known for less than twenty-four hours. 

But you had backed yourself into a corner, and so in an effort to try and satiate whatever interest he had developed in the story you had told, you settled on offering a vague half-truth. 

“She started dating Peter,” you tell him simply, putting effort into looking disinterested. “They got together a few months ago and things just… It just got weird, y’know? It’s always awkward when two of your friends get together, I guess. Creates too much drama.” 

“Yeah, for sure,” Parker hums, agreeing with you. “Especially when you have feelings for him, right?” 

An incomprehensible noise escaped your throat, best categorized as something between a laugh and a cough. Your mouth fell open to try and defend yourself, to try and deny his claim—but he didn’t even give you a chance. 

“Oh c’mon!” Parker groans, grinning when he notices the now rosy complexion of your cheeks. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice? I mean, let’s be real here, alright? That whole sugar thing earlier?” He jutted a finger towards Peter’s abandoned iced coffee, “Was a dead giveaway.” 

“You’re insane,” You declare, shaking your head and masking your embarrassment with uncomfortable laughter. “I don’t have feelings for Peter—and even if I did, it wouldn’t matter! Regardless of what it’s done to our friendship, Mj is literally perfect for him and-” 

“I think it’s cute,” he interrupts, a delicate smile gracing his lips. Noticing the way your brows furrow, he elaborated, “How much you care about him. And how much you care about her, too, since you’re so willing to pretend like you don’t like him.” 

“I’m not pretending-” 

Parker jokingly cut his eyes. “Yeah, sureee.” 

Blowing a frustrated breath, you push yourself up from the barstool. “Alright, I think it’s time to go home.” You tell him, far too flustered to try and come up with a good defense to his teasing. “You can take the rest of your donuts to go, Bug-boy.” 

There was a subtle shift in his demeanor as the taunting nickname fell from your lips, and he almost felt as though his heart had stopped dead in his chest. 

“Fine,” Parker yields, rising to his feet and snagging the box of donuts from the bar. “But I really hope that you have your wallet—cause I definitely don’t have a way to pay for these.” He flashed a crooked smile before continuing, “Or we can just run really fast and hope they don’t call the police on us for stealing pastries.” 

“I can’t imagine that robbery would be very good for your reputation as a hero,” you chide sarcastically, your own lips curling into a half-smile, “so I’ll pay—but only if you give me every cruller in that box. Deal?” 

Parker spares a quick glance down at the dozen box of donuts in his hands. Half of them were already gone, but through the small cellophane window he could see that there were three frosted crullers left. “Deal.”

series masterlist

a/n - for those who read IY before the rewrite, you may already be able to note some rather major changes going on lmao. i genuinely can't describe how much i actually enjoy rewriting this story, as i'm finally able to collect my thoughts enough to write the plot the way i originally wanted to.

as always, please leave any feedback, opinions, etc.! any and all comments/reblogs definitely encourage me to write/edit faster! and, if you'd like to be added to the tag list, just let me know!

part three, titled "spitfire", to be released april 15th

#peter parker fanfiction #peter parker fic #no way home imagine #no way home fanfiction #no way home #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagines #spiderman imagines #tom!peter imagine #andrew!peter imagine #tobey!peter imagine #tom!peter x reader #andrew!peter x reader #tobey!peter x reader #marvel imagine #mcu imagine #mcu x reader #marvel x reader #marvel imagines #marvel headcanons #spiderman imagine #spiderman fic #spiderman fan fiction #dark spiderman #mcu #spiderman #spiderverse #tobey maguire #andrew garfield

[imaginesmai]

Hiii I absolutely adore your fics! Especially the angst 😭😭

I was wondering if you could you write something super angsty about when Az comes back from the dungeons after torture and he just looks so... broken.

Y/n (his mate) first comforts him, ofc, but then she's so pissed at Rhys for making Azzy do this that she goes to pick a fight with him. Maybe even the others have to step in after the fight starts to get physical...

You asked for angst and you shall recieve! I kind of imagine Azriel being quite closed off about his missions, so I hope I made this right! Feel free to make more requests, and thank you for your kind words!

Warnings: mentions of violence against children and their death, kind of mean!Rhys but not cruel nor hateful, just a bit dumb. Not a hate Rhysand fic.

Breaking point - Azriel

The fire had already died down, and the dinner was cold. You had spent half of your afternoon cooking, and the other half choosing your best dress. The one that kept Azriel’s eyes captured all night, that seemed to be a magnet for his hands.

It was rare to have a night for the two of you, between his work and yours as an emissary. It was rare to have him accept that night without responsibilities, but lately you always found some excuse to be together. Not mated for too long, Azriel found himself drifting away from his work to your presence.

That wasn’t the case that night.

You stared at the last candle as the fire consumed it, minutes away from turning off. Azriel had closed his side of the bond early in the morning, before you started your shift, but you tugged at it once more. Briefly, softly, tired of hours of waiting with no result.

Part of you wondered if dating the shadowsinger would be always like that. You had never complained about him his work before you, but that night was starting to feel too long.

The brief rush of air from the door being opened turned the candle off, and you turned around with a scowl ready. Your high-heels laid forgotten next to the door, and that would have been enough other times to make Azriel feel bad.

But you watched as Azriel left his own shoes next to yours without saying anything, his shoulders tense and his wings dropped.

“Az” you stared, squinting your eyes to see in the darkness of the night. “Is that blood?”

“Not mine”

His answer was harsh, like the edges of his body. Once your eyesight accommodated to the dark, your discovered that there was indeed blood. Not only the smudge on his neck that you had seen, but also on his clothes. On his wings, dripping to the floor. Dried on his shoes, that had left a few prints on the wooden floor. His hands seemed too crusted with it.

You rose from the chair and he looked at you. His face already looked crestfallen, but after noticing your dress and the dinner table, slumped more. Azriel must have forgotten about the dinner, the date and everything else. You didn’t usually talk about the details of his job, yet you gathered it took a stroll on him most of the days.

Going against every fiber of your body that had been angry minutes ago, you walked towards him barefoot.

“I’m sorry” he sighed, turning around to hang his coat. “Lost track of the time down there. I… forgot”

“It’s fine, I wasn’t sure food was edible. It did smell weird” you tried to change the mood, but he didn’t look at you. “Everything okay? That’s a lot of blood”

“Not mine” he repeated. “It’s been… complicated. Do you mind if I take a shower? We can reheat dinner and eat in the couch. I’m sure we can savage something”

“Sure. There are some leftovers from yesterday”

Azriel was a tough male, and hated to talk about his feelings. You had learned that through hard years of friendship where he didn’t let on any feelings towards you, just cold indifference. Being mated changed some things, but other stayed the same.

It would have been a mistake to try and drag answer out of him, so you let him get away to the shower. He gave you a tense smile and walked out, ignoring the worried glance you casted.

Sounds of clothes hitting the floor filled the silent apartment. You doubted what would be best, if talk to him or leave him alone. Maybe he wanted to be alone, you tried, because he hadn’t asked for your presence. Shared showers were common in your household, but not that time. Biting your lip, you considered what to do until you heard the soft brush of his wings against the tiles of the bathroom.

Azriel wouldn’t be dragging his wings through the floor if he wasn’t devastated.

Fae hearing and smell weren’t a good ally to surprising people, so he didn’t say anything when you closed the bathroom door behind you and undressed. His bulky form took almost all the space, shadows gathering close to the sink and on every corner of the small bathroom.

They brushed against your feet when you pushed the curtain aside and squeezed yourself between him and the wall. There was no way of knowing if those were tears or drops of water on his cheeks, but he still smiled at you.

“Maybe we should wait until tomorrow” he tried, his voice sounding vacant. “I’m not feeling like it right now”

“It’s the first and last time you’ll hear me say this, but I’m not thinking about that right now. Do you want to talk about it?”

“About me not wanting – “

“About today, love. I’m right here if you want to talk” you wrapped your arms around his chest, staring up at him. “Maybe it’ll feel better if you let it out”

“Doubt it”

Azriel was a head taller than you, bigger in every aspect, but your eyes still bored into him. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and his left wing twitched. It was unusual for you to have his naked form so close and do nothing about it, for him to have his favorite parts of you within reach and do nothing.

But that night you weren’t thinking about any of it as his breath shuddered for the first time since you had known him, as composure seemed to crack a little.

His face was pure anguish for a moment, all pain, devastation and sorrow. Every feeling he had comforted you through broke through his face at once. Drops of water fell from his soaked hair, that covered most of his forehead. There was no way of knowing if those were tears of just water, but there was a suspicious salty scent on the air.

“I want to be here for you, but you have to let me” you assured him, squeezing him tighter in your arms. A primal need was born in you to keep him whole, to be the glue to his broken pieces.

“It’s not something you want to hear”

“Nothing you can tell me will make me love you less, or see you different. I already love every part of you”

“Not this part” his voice sounded tight, desperate, as he made eye-contact with you.

“That’s for me to decide, Az, and I’ve already decided. What’s the matter?”

Azriel still seemed to doubt for a second. His hand searched for the back of your hair and he tugged at it aimlessly. He tangled his fingers, now clean of blood, between your soaked locks. As if the words he was about to say would break him in two, he was steadying himself against the wall with his free hand.

Maybe they were, you thought. Azriel never shared his feelings with you. He was a closed person that barely let you inside his heart as his own mate, but you were okay with that. You would give him time, every minute and second he needed, until he was comfortable with giving you his heart.

That moment seemed important enough to deserve a short pause. Azriel’s throat worked around the words, his heart speeding.

“There is a man, in the mountains. He owns a cabin deep in the forest, at least ten miles away from the nearest civilization post. Rhysand has been keeping tabs on him for a while, for some… suspicious activities”

“What activities?”

“Children. Going missing” he explained briefly, avoiding the further explanation. Him sharing something about his life outside you and your family was enough though. “It’s been going on for a while. Devlon’s daughter was between the missing ones, so the camp lord finally demanded something to be done about it”

“And you were the one to do it”

You kept your annoyance to yourself, your thoughts about Rhysand using your mate as his personal guard dog. You might love Rhysand as your High Lord and friend, but the things he made Azriel do were enough to keep your distance from him sometimes.

That time, you braced yourself for Azriel’s information and tried to be as open as possible.

“Yeah”

Azriel took another pause, and that time you were sure those were tears filling his eyes. For any answer, you leaned a bit forward and got on your tiptoes to press your lips to his jaw. It was a soft, brief kiss against his stubble that had him shuddering once more. His head fell even lower after that.

“So that’s where you’ve been all afternoon. That’s fine, no different from any other day” you contemplated when he didn’t continue. “What really happen, Az?”

“You don’t want to know”

He made his intention, his thoughts, clear for a second time. Yet there was a hidden urge on his voice that pressed you to keep asking. The bond was still closed off, but through the cracks of his part, you could feel the need to share it. It was clear that he didn’t want you to be the person to share it with, and you would have normally respected his choice.

But there were tears on his eyes, actual tears on your precious mate’s eyes that were shattering your own heart into pieces. Your strong, brave shadowsinger was breaking in that tiny shower and you were dying to be there for him.

“Azriel”

You just needed his name. It was like a prayer, like an order or a command, like a petition. He used to tell you that you saying his name was enough to put him to his knees, that buckled at the sound. Azriel’s face broke into a grimace and he suck a breath before he finally broke down.

“He kept those children in cells in his own basement. They were so skinny, so small, he wasn’t feeding them” Azriel’s breath sped up, as his words stumbled down his throat. He broke eye-contact and stared at a spot in your collarbone. “I couldn’t tell one apart from another, because he heard I was coming and burned them all down. There was no one left alive”

It took you a moment to separate the horror of the story of his own horror. The one that marked his hands that held you so lovingly, that made you coffee each morning and ticked you in the early mornings. His stepbrothers had burned his hands down, and since then, Azriel hadn’t been near an uncontrolled fire.

“I tried to save them, so save any of them. But they were all ashes”

When Azriel leaned down so he could rest his head against your shoulder, you only held him tighter. When the water turned cold and he started shivering, you just turned it off in silence and guided him to bed.

You dried him with soft touches, stopping to touch every inch of his scarred hands. Helped him get into comfortable clothes and laid with him in silence, letting him knowing you weren’t going anywhere – at least yet. You stared at him with a small smile until his eyes closed and his body relaxed, his breathing finally becoming even.

For good measure, you brushed his hair out of his face. There was no need for him to happen what had happened next. The blood on his clothes, the stains on the wooden floor. You were sure there were specks of blood in his wings, where he couldn’t reach.

Nothing Azriel told you would drag you away from him. He could become a monster and you would destroy the world with him. But that night, after hours of staying awake just staring at him safe from the horrors of the world, you got up and put back your clothes.

Then, you winnowed away.

-

Rhysand had been finishing reports when he noticed the breach in his home. Cassian was sitting on the couch, half-asleep with un-done reports on his own desks.

He had been waiting for Azriel’s that night, but he guessed he would receive it the next morning. When he noticed the breach, he guessed it was his spymaster bringing back information from his latest task.

Rhysand didn’t expect you appearing out of thin air on his office, with a murderous look on your face. He raised his brows lightly, and got up from his chair. He didn’t miss the way you were clenching your fists, so he decided not to cross the barrier between you and him.

“Y/N” he called your name carefully. “It’s late, shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Azriel just came home. Destroyed. And I’m supposed to be asleep?”

“What happened?”

The mean, sarcastic laugh you barked at his question wasn’t the ‘you’ Rhysand knew. The kind emissary that settled political relationships between courts, that lighted up his brother’s darkness. You snorted again when you looked at his expecting face.

“You mean besides completing yet another cruel mission for you, one he was clearly too attached to? Why do you always send him for the worse ones? What makes your sanity more worthy than his?” you extended an arm and pointed vaguely around the room. “You’ve been here, sitting so comfortably, while my mate was getting his hands dirty on your name. And you dare to ask about – “

“I don’t sit here comfortably, I don’t value my sanity over his. Where is this coming from?”

It wasn’t the first time you had that argument, more common during the last few years. Even when Azriel was just your friend, you had always spoken against his role in Rhysand’s court. You had seen the bags under his eyes, the weight of his actions that he didn’t share with his family.

Cassian perked up from his spot at your argument and raised voices, and noticed the hostile atmosphere immediately. It was hard not to, when your own power was making the lights tremble and your eyes spark.

“Because you are draining him! He’s not a weapon you can yield against your court, he’s part of your family and your brother. And you’re gonna end up hurting him”

“You’re not the person to talk about my court or how I handle those matters. You’re not High Lord and certainly not around enough to question my rulership”

“I am his mate, the one who picks up the pieces. What you do with him isn’t family or brotherhood, is extortion and manipulation” you busted out, taking a step closer. “You saved him, good for you! That was centuries ago! And now he feels like he owns you his life and you just throw him around!”

“Careful there, Y/N. I don’t appreciate how you’re talking right now” the high lord growled under his breath, his own power waking up.

“We should talk about this in the morning”

Cassian tried to interfere, but you didn’t pay attention to him when Rhysand stepped away from the table and towards you. It wasn’t your friend who stood before you, the man you had laughed with and worked for during many years. It was the responsible of your mate’s pain and all you saw was read and hate and Azriel’s first tear rolling down.

You bared your teeth at him like a wild animal, you guessed. You were coming at him with everything you had kept through the years, and maybe it was rushed and mean, but it wasn’t unfair.

“Azriel is my brother, and he’s a valuable resource for our court that I carefully blade against – “

Rhysand’s words died down when your fist collided with the side of his mouth. He stumbled against the table, a pen rolling off. Cassian finally rose from his seat and opened his mouth to warm Rhysand, to stop you or to do something. But he didn’t move as your hand lowered again against your High Lord. You pushed him away from you, and any answer or complain Rhysand had died down when he finally focused on your face.

There were tear tracks down cheeks, and you didn’t look angry anymore. You looked desperate, broken, so sad that it robbed Rhysand’s breath.

He kept still as you pushed him once more, now his body rigid against your touch. You chocked on a sob when he didn’t flinch, your fist hitting the side of his chest. He didn’t stop you when you kept hitting him, pushing him, as you cried down every truth in that room.

You’re hurting my mate

You’re going to kill my mate

Please just leave him alone

It was your begging that made him realize that his mistakes. The sorrows that you poured in them that he saw himself in, when Feyre was hurt. It made him wonder what kind of brother he was for driving Azriel’s mate to that state.

Rhysand took everything you gave him and ordered Cassian with a silent look to leave. The male obeyed with a sharp look, disappearing minutes before your knees finally gave out and you crumbled after a weak punch. You hid your face in your hands as Rhysand tried to keep you straight. Your body shook with sobs and you didn’t have it in you to feel bad when shadows caressed your shoulders as Azriel winnowed behind you.

Your mate gently grabbed you in his arms and helped you get up. Not once he looked at Rhysand, not once he acknowledged his brother’s desperate tries to meet his eyes and speak into his mind. Azriel just held you together as he winnowed back to your bed, where he had noticed you had left him to do what he was too afraid to say himself.

“Just let him be happy” you whined one last time as shadows covered you both. His arms pulled you farther against his embrace. “You fucking prick, let me be happy”

Rhysand watched you two disappear without catching his brother’s eyes once. Azriel only looked at you with a mix of adoration and gratitude, and kept Rhysand off his mind. The High Lord stared at the empty spot you had left for a while, caressing his already bruised jaw.

Then, he fell to his chair and let the doubts and mistakes crowd his mind.

Want to read more? Check out my side blog @imaginesmaimasterlists, where I keep all the masterlists! Feedback is always appreciated

Let me know if you want me to do an Azriel taglist!

Azriel taglist:

@boygeniuses10 , @tothestarsandwhateverend

#imaginemai #imaginesmai #one shot #angst #imagine #x reader #fic #imagine mai #imagines mai #acotar #azriel x you #azriel acotar #azriel x reader #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel imagine #azriel shadowsinger x reader #acotar imagine #acotar one shot #request #acotar request #azriel request #azriel fanfic

[pigcowboys]

secret santa !

pairing: percy jackson x female!reader

summary: camp half-blood decides to do secret santa this year.

warning(s): pre-established relationship and kissing but, none, mostly!

a/n: merry (late) christmas to everyone who celebrates it!! this was supposed to be out on christmas day but.. uh yeah. this is slightly self-indulgent.

“you’re doing it right?” you asked, adjusting your position on your bunk bed as you tried your best to scrub out the nasty maroon stain you’d spilled onto the fabric.

it was almost christmas day and with that important birthday coming up, it meant only one thing for you, gift shopping. not that you hated it — honestly. it was just the idea of somehow disappointing your friends.

the stakes were higher this year considering the fact chiron had brought up the idea of doing a secret santa with the rest of the camp. everyone voted in agreement the idea — well, except for clovis but, to be fair he wasn’t conscious when the announcement was made.

soon after it was set in stone that the camp would be hosting its very first secret santa and then following that, everyone was assigned a partner.

piper got annabeth, annabeth got leo, leo got piper and somehow travis stoll had gotten clarisse. that last part was going to be interesting. you even got someone as well, too. not that it made you anxious at all, you loved gifting people presents — great at it, dare you say.

well, it was a bit easier to gift people presents when you didn’t have to worry about whether or not your gift would somehow make the person hate you and question why they even started dating you in the first place.

so, it was safe to say you weren’t especially overjoyed when you got percy as your secret santa. your mind went blank as you shifted to the side, allowing percy to slide past you to reach for his paper with his santa.

you eyed him curiously as he stared at the words on the paper indifferently before a smile flashed onto his face. he turned the paper so your eyes had access to it clearly, completely missing the moment when your heart dropped.

"we got each other," percy said, tucking the paper into his pocket. "that's lucky, right?" you merely laughed nervously in response.

"yeah, totally." not lucky, not lucky at all.

“everyone is,” annabeth started “why? are you changing your mind?” annabeth asked, causing you to frown slightly.

“well, no..i think.” you trailed off, eyebrows furrowing as you flung your sponge to the side. gods, you seriously hoped this would wash out after a while.

“i wouldn’t wanna spoil the fun.”

“plus, you’re curious about what your secret santa might’ve gotten you.” annabeth chimed in.

“that too.” you replied. "any idea what percy might have in mind?"

annabeth merely hummed in response leaving you even more conflicted than before. what if he gets you an amazing gift and all you get him is some crap that he'll say he loves, a fake smile on his face before dumping it somewhere in his cabin 'till the next secret santa.

you didn't want to be that girlfriend. you actively rebuke any allegations that may have even brought that idea up.

“i am so screwed.” you sobbed out, pressing your fingers against your face as you sighed dramatically.

“you have time, use it.” annabeth reminded you. she was right, it was only 2 days till christmas day and even then, secret santa wasn’t going to happen till later into the evening.

“just don’t use too much, shopping places are never open for late minute gifts.”

“right, okay..” you murmured out. "i have time."

those 2 days came and went sooner than you expected it to and by christmas day morning, you were frantically wrapping up percy’s gift, thoughts racing as you tried to not think about whether or not the gift would be cool enough for him.

he’s be happy with anything you got him, you knew that. didn’t make ease your mind any less, though. you stumbled out of your cabin as you rushed towards the decorated tree that was out near the forest, courtesy of the demeter kids.

to be honest, even if you liked christmas or disliked it, everyone could appreciate the effort put into decorating the tree. especially with all the presents stacked under - it added to the scene. you bent down, carefully placing it underneath the tree, not too close so that it would obviously stick out, but not too far that people would forget it was there.

this was a big camp, after all.

you'd made your way over the mess hall, scanning over it for any signs of percy before taking a plate and shoving food onto it. you spared a part for your godly parent and then made your way toward the table to sit with everyone else.

even with percy missing, the mess hall was still lively - believe it or not. everyone seemed to be talking lively about their gifts and what they were expecting, something that didn't ease your anxieties about your own gift.

it didn't help at all when your eyes finally settled on percy's own across the room, a small smile pulling on his face as he tended to his plate. your mind had been so zeroed in on worrying you hadn't even clued in on the fact he was walking over to you, taking a seat beside you.

"thanks for saving me a seat." you fought back a smile at the sound of his tired voice. he must've been knocked out sometime after sword practice. you hummed in response, fiddling with your food as your mind raced.

your eyes drifted towards percy as you watched him silently from the corner of your eyes. between the bed hair and the disheveled state of his clothes, it was safe to say that he had just woken up. despite the anxieties that swirled in your mind and the ansty fidgeting of your legs, you couldn't deny that percy was gorgeous.

though, it just brought your mind back to your dilemma. secret santa would happen right after dinner and then would be campfire time. how could you sit and sing songs at the campfire knowing percy had hated your gift?

"you're being stranger than usual, y'know."

"hm?" you turned to look at percy who gave you a quizzical look. "i'm acting completely normal."

"you've barely touched your food."

you stared down at your plate, it looked like a ghost had gently floated over it - devoid of human ingestion.

"i'm not hungry." you lied, slapping yourself mentally when your stomach growled deeply.

"mhm.." percy nodded along, trying to suppress the smile on his face. "what's wrong?" he asked, pushing his plate aside as he turned his whole body to face you, something that didn't go unnoticed by you as you locked eyes with him.

"just..thinking."

"about?"

you narrowed your eyes at him, ignoring the tingling in your chest as you watched him carefully. you really hoped he hadn't caught onto the fact you were just checking him out at this point, turning your face away in embarrassment as you rested your head on your elbows,

"stuff."

"what kind of stuff?"

"important stuff."

"like what?"

"percy, will you leave me alone!" a laugh, followed by his hand brushing against your back soothingly. you titled your head up to look at him as your head rested on your elbows.

"sorry, sorry." he smiled. "just hang in there, okay?" was all he whispered in your ear before moving back to press a sloppy kiss to your head that made your face scrunch in disgust.

"gross...you're so disgusting, percy.." you murmur, wiping the wet blotch of spit that was left on your forehead from the kiss.

"i love you too."

"what'd you think you got?" piper asked, shifting in her seat slightly as she waited for annabeth to respond.

"you're asking me like you don't know what i got." annabeth replied with a small smile.

"can't hurt to imagine."

you zoned out the rest of the conversation as you suppressed the urge to scream out of frustration. the camp chatted lively around you, cueing you in on the fact that you'd been cuddled up beside percy without once offering a word to him.

not that he minded, he was aware you wanted to be with your thoughts and he respected it. just..didn't feel very..couple appropriate. it felt like you'd been talking to yourself way more than the guy who was supposed to be your boyfriend.

"quiet down," chiron's voice rang through all the chatter, reducing the crowd to silence. he'd somehow managed to shimmy matching ugly christmas sweaters onto him and mr. d respectively. the image alone made you want to pull out your phone and snap a picture.

though, you decided against it, taking notice of the death glares mr.d had sent your way.

chiron announced that secret santa would be happening in a bit, receiving a series of cheers from some campers in the crowd. you shifted slightly in percy's hold, prompting him to look at you - a curious look on his face.

"you okay?"

"yeah, it's just kind of cold, i guess."

percy hummed in response before pulling you into him so you were resting against his chest. he rested his chin on your head with a small smile.

“is this better?” he whispered, to which you merely hummed in response, snuggling yourself against him as you tried to get comfortable. now, you weren’t a fan of those overly lovely couples that couldn’t keep their hands off each other in public but, you had to admit that being in percy’s arms felt more than good with the day you’ve had.

chiron continued on with his announcements, listing out the series of activities tomorrow and also stating as well that the stables would be closed on account of an “accident” that had happened in there. that part was received with a small shiver.

“that’s all i’d like to say, furthermore, I’d like to wish everyone a merry christmas.” then, chiron and mr.d stepped to the side as the festivities continued on.

it was time.

“wonder what everyone got.” you murmured, watching quietly as the rest of the campers hurried towards the tree decked out with over the top presents. percy stood up, offering you his hand as he locked them.

“me too.” percy agreed, sighing slightly. “gods, all i hope is that someone doesn’t make the mistake of gifting travis firecrackers ever again.”

“or a megaphone.”

“oh, yeah, i totally remember that year.”

“I’m sure everyone else does too..”

percy cracked a grin, one that cause your stomach to flutter slightly as you smiled back at him. he squeezed your hand before making short strides towards the rest of the campers.

you should’ve been anxious — you were anxious. though, your concerns seemed to slip away the longer you stayed with percy. the way he looked at you, it made you realize just one thing that you were sure a crummy present wasn’t going to change.

he loved you.

camp activities were fun and all but, extremely loud.

you’d figured it’d only been amplified by the fact that everyone was opening their christmas gifts and comparing what they’d gotten from each of their respective partners.

you could respect that, secret santa was no joke.

yet, you’d still managed to slip away with percy while none of the adults were watching in favorite of opening your gifts in the company of one another rather than the rest of the camp. and judging by the sputters of stars in the night sky illuminating percy and your faces, it was a good call.

“you think they’ll be mad at us for ditching everyone else?” you asked, clutching your present to your chest as you adjusted your winter coat.

“we’ll be back before they know it,” percy replied, turning to face you with a smile. he was always smiling. “and anyways, everyone else would be too busy with their presents to care.”

you sighed, taking a seat next to percy as you rested his gift in-front of you. percy turned to look at you with an anxious look on his face as he cleared his throat, holing his hand out as he waited for you to take the gift from him.

you looked back at him, nerves set ablaze as well as you exchanged your gifts, resting the wrapped present in your lap as you ogled the festive paper.

“so, truth be told — i’m pretty nervous.” percy blurred out of the blue.

“gods, i’m so glad you said that cause, i so was too.” you sighed softly, your heartbeat stilling for the first time this night as you shifted your body so you were turned towards percy. “i really wanted my gift to special and.. i feel like if it isn’t you’d like hate me or something.”

“i could never hate you.”

you paused for a moment. it’d only be a few years since you’d started to date percy, you should’ve been more used to his personality. yet, it never seemed to catch you off guard when he said these kind of sentimental things.

“even if i got you like..a smelly sock for christmas?”

percy laughed before shaking his head. you bite the inside of your mouth, frowning slightly as your face grew hot.

“sorry, i’ve been so quiet tonight.” you averted percy’s gaze, picking at the clear taping of your present. “it’s just — I don’t know, i guess i was lost in my own head.”

percy watched you quietly, leaning forward to cup your cheek as he planted a soft kiss to your lips, pulling back to stare you head on in your eyes.

“don’t apologize for something like that, it’s fine — really.” percy replied, his voice soft and careful. it made your body feel warm.

“if you want, you could open my gift first,” he added, moving his hand to rest atop yours. “that way you won’t be so nervous.”

you smiled, a genuine one. “that or your gift will be so amazing that it makes mine look horrible.” percy grinned back at you.

“let’s see.”

you nodded, turning to stare down the gift in your lap before you started to unravel it. it wasn’t a particularly big present, not that you minded at all. anything from percy was something to treasure. you moved the packaging to the side carefully as you stared at the small box that hit behind it.

it wasn’t cardboard, more like.. leather? or silk. and it was blue — percy’s trademark. you looked to him with a curious look on your face before turning back to gaze at the small box. you let your finger glide over the material once more before you opened it.

“percy..?” you mumbled out, voice barely a whisper.

inside the box contained a small ring that looked to be just about the size of your ring finger. your heart dropped at the sight of it — in a good way. it was pretty, careful patterns etched into that showed that it was finely crafted. and at the center of it, a small gem that was the same shade of your favorite color.

the cherry on top.

your eyes started to water involuntarily as your lips trembled. you were at a loss for words, how could you say anything? you stared at percy in shock as you tried to grasp the right words to say, eventually coming up with the idea to not say any words at all, leaning forward as you pulled him into a tight hug.

percy hugged back immediately, burying his head into your shoulder as he wrapped his arms around you gently.

you pulled back to look at him, tears pooling down your face as he wiped them away with his thumb, pressing a kiss to your tear stained cheeks.

“you’re..you’re totally insane for being nervous.” you managed out, laughing slightly as you choked back a sob. “how did you get the money to pay for this?”

“i saved up!” he replied brightly, a proud smile flashing on his face. your shoulders trembled as a warm laugh broke through your lips, causing percy to flush slightly in your hold.

“thank you so much percy.” you whispered, moving your hand to rest on his cheek as you spoke. “you really didn’t have to get me something like this.”

“it’s all fine.” he replied calmly. “it’s you were talking about, y’know.” your face burned with embarrassment as you smiled uncontrollably, pulling percy in for a deeper kiss.

you pulled away from him, watching quietly as percy took the small blue box you’d placed on the floor beside you and opening it. he held the promise ring in his hand, gently taking your own as he slid the ring on carefully. you watched him quietly before press another kiss to his face.

then another, and another.

and before you knew it, you were peppering kisses all over his face, taking the small giggles he emitted from his lips as a sign to do even more than before. percy managed your name out though his giggles, fingers digging into your winter coat as he tried to pry you off of him.

“the — gift!” he giggled, shutting his eyes tightly as you pressed another kiss to the bridge of his nose. “what about — your gift?”

“another time.” was all you whispered as you slid the gift away, focusing in on making sure you’d filled every single spot off percy’s with the feeling of your lips.

safe to say percy hadn’t gotten to see what you’d gotten him till a little later into the night.

#percy jackson #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson fluff #percy jackson x reader #percy jackson x y/n #percy jackson x you #x reader #x reader fluff #pjo fluff

[matrixbearer2024]

Hi!!! I love your Get Off My Screen series so much! I was wondering if I could do a request for that?

Basically the idea is that Vox and the reader are just texting at night maybe and he lets something slip about something he misses from his old life on earth and because of that the reader remembers that the person they’ve been talking to for like over a year by now probably used to be alive and just spends the whole night learning everything they can about vox when he was alive (I imagine this would happen whilst vox was asleep and we’re just googling him) and then maybe I feel like we’d also google Alastor as a joke to see what all the fuss is about and then we find out that the person vox is ~~crushing~~ hating on is a serial killer and then just telling everything we learned when he wakes up.

Sorry if that’s really long I just fell like this is 100% what I would do in this situation

Old Times Gone By

Vox x CollegeStudent!Reader

A/N: I'm so glad you guys are requesting scenarios within the series, heck- I'm glad y'all enjoy it this much already hahaha! This is somewhat of an aftermath to the "You Could Do Better(With Me)" which is why it's not as cheery as the other chapters- but it's definitely not straight up angst. Just vulnerability and late night chatting between friends. Haha "friends"- And as always, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and happy reading!

A/N: Again, I kind of deviated from the prompt a little to better fit the narrative but Reader does know about Alastor and who he is because of Vox's ranting. They're aware that her demonic crush has a weird obsession with a cannibalistic radio serial killer deer dude and it's still not the weirdest thing he's done so far HAHAHAHA

If there was one thing Vox had to say he hated about drinking-

It had to be dealing with the hellish hangovers come morning.

Especially when he'd been wasted the night before.

A sharp jab in his side caused him to wake up this time.

He grunted, nearly falling off his chair when he shifted ever so slightly.

Huh-

Wait, why was he in here???

He could feel the migraine start to pound in his head.

Vox wasn't looking forward to today already.

When he tried to stand up, a clink of a bottle made him look down by his feet.

Picking it up to give the darn thing a once over, he scoffed.

He must have been absolutely hammered to have finished this yesterday.

It was a brand he despised the taste of too.

"Vox-? Oh, you're up."

His head whipped around so quickly once he heard your voice.

When had he even connected to your TV?

Not that he complained, he managed to see you sat up on the couch and stretching.

Your hair stuck up in odd positions and you even looked to be half-awake.

Why was that fucking cute???

"I- mhm. I guess I am. Was I... drinking yesterday?"

"I don't really know, I just knew you were drunk out of your mind last night. I can only see your face remember?"

"Ah... right."

Vox couldn't really bring himself to say much this time, not while he was still trying to grab the bits and pieces of his memory on yesterday's events.

Did he really wander into the monitor room just because he missed you?

That was low, even for him.

"Good morning anyhow, not that I think it would be if you're dealing with a hangover."

Vox just chuckled, watching you get up and disappear from the TV's view.

He wasn't in any mood to work at all, especially when he had a shitty headache to deal with too.

Eh, his empire could last a day without him.

He notified his secretary to just cancel all his duties and appointments for today, just ignoring their panic as you returned back into view.

"What are you holding?"

"Coffee."

"I thought you said you hated coffee?"

"Not hate, I just don't prefer it. But I need the caffeine to function today and I'd rather drink this bean juice than those energy drinks."

Vox wouldn't admit it, but talking to you again was already starting to make him feel a little better.

Especially after your noticeable absence.

He'd rather die again that outright say he missed you, his pride wouldn't allow it.

Cracking his joints, he just watched you sleepily stare up at him from where you sat on the couch.

Granted, it was probably because your TV was probably perched higher or on a shelf.

But Vox still thought you were kind of short.

Not that he had the right to say anything-

He was a 7ft tall giant compared to you.

"Again with the bean juice thing, and what's wrong with energy drinks?"

"They taste like straight up chemicals."

Vox just gave you a weird look when you rolled your eyes at him.

Still you just kept talking to him inbetween taking sips of your hot beverage.

"I'm not surprised you enjoy them, but your palate is probably shit."

"Oh you do not wanna go there-"

"What if I do huh? Watcha gonna do about it?"

Vox just grinned, you getting up to move closer to the screen as you challenged him.

The wide mischievous grin on your face mirrored his own and you both quickly devolved into just either bragging about exotic foods you've eaten-

Or straight up going for the jugular about each other.

"You eat McDonald's daily? I can't believe you'd feed yourself garbage Vox-"

"It's not garbage, and don't act like you've never eaten fast food."

"You are what you eat, I guess!"

"Ohoho! You bitch!"

Vox didn't seem to mind the numbing headache he felt when you were back to being your animated rambunctious self.

He wondered if it was because of the caffeine that made you all hyped up but he couldn't really bring himself to give a shit.

Not when he was still pretty tired.

It seems you noticed his retorts weren't making their usual mark though, and you crossed your arms over your chest while leaning towards the TV screen.

Vox just narrowed his eyes at you in confusion, what were you doing?

"You my good sir, need a hot cup of coffee more than I do. And freshen up while you're at it, I need to go take a shower too anyways."

You-

You did not just do what he think you did.

Were you actually mothering him??

Vox just rolled his eyes at your words, not really intending to go until he realized you weren't budging an inch either.

"Didn't you just say you needed to go clean up?"

"Not leaving till you are."

"Stubborn much?"

"Not that different from you, no."

The tech overlord laughed at your insistence, eventually relenting and disconnecting himself from your devices.

He stretched again when he got up from his chair, picking up the empty alcohol bottle near his feet not intending to clutter up or dirty his workspace.

Vox perked up when his phone buzzed though.

The darn thing catching his attention before he forgot it was there.

He checked on it with his free hand, chuckling when he realized it was just a message from you.

"Go and freshen yourself up, get a cup of coffee too while you're at it. I'll be back soon, kisses!"

You almost caused him to break his phone from the grip he had on it.

Kisses???

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?!

Vox seriously stood there staring at his phone for a good ten minutes just buffering and rebooting-

Dude is actually broken the second you do literally anything with vaguely romantic undertones.

Still he stomps all over his own hopes and feelings in fear of misinterpreting your friendliness.

Yeah, both of you were fucking clueless.

You stayed true to your word and did eventually come back after you'd cleaned yourself up.

Vox had just been waiting on your TV again and the screen brightened slightly upon noticing you.

It was a subconscious reaction, don't bring it up or he'll definitely throw a hissy fit.

So that's what you both did the whole day, talking and just catching up.

While Vox did mention you skipped classes for the day, you just shot back that he threw his work to the backburner as well.

Not that he bothered to refute it, instead just moving on with the conversation like normal.

Hours passed and time flew.

Before you knew it, the both of you were talking well into the evening.

"And that's kind of the reason why I think spaghetti is superior to penne."

"Doll, they're straight up just different kinds of pasta."

"The fact there's different kinds of pasta mean that people clearly can't decide on a superior noodle shape."

Yeaaah... your conversations kind of stopped making sense an hour ago.

Not that either of you minded, even laughing about some stupid thing way into the AM.

"So like- he thought he was really some hot shit taking on the leader of the exorcists but he got his ass absolutely handed to him!"

"Bro almost got turned into demonic venison HAHAHAHA!"

Though of course, late night conversations always went deeper than those normally held within the day.

"Say... Vox?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss being alive? With, ya know- talking to me and all."

Vox paused slightly, it's been a long time since he reminisced of his living days.

When was the last time he even did?

"Not necessarily, I miss some things but not a whole lot."

"Like what? When did you die???"

"Hm... I don't remember the exact date, but sometime in the fifties?"

Vox recoiled when you just gawked at his screen, why did you react like that?

"Holy shit! You're fucking ancient!"

"Haha... very funny doll, I'm not that old! I died in my thirties."

"Ehhhh? You're not much older than I am then. How??"

"Don't remember, it was a long long time ago."

You made a weird face at him, to which Vox just smiled and chuckled.

It was the same expression you wore when trying to figure things out.

As... weird and cute as it may be.

Then you suddenly yawned, causing the tech overlord to consequently do the same.

Something you poked fun at him for since when did TVs yawn apparently.

Rolling his eyes, Vox took a glance at his internal clock.

It was four in the morning?!

How long had you both been talking????

"Vox? You good?"

Apparently his bewilderment was evident on the screen, so he just switched his attention back to you.

Vox's screen glitched slightly when he was caught off guard by how close you got to the TV.

Almost all up in his face even.

"Y-Yeah, just zZst- fine. Say... Doll, do you know what time it is?"

"Uhhhh- no, not really- why?"

"It's four in the morning."

"And?"

"You need to sleep?"

You rolled your eyes and turned your back to the TV, plopping down on the couch with a pout.

"Hey."

You ignored him.

"Heeeeeey-"

Vox couldn't help but chortle from your antics, you really seemed like a grumpy child right now.

"Look dollface, I don't want the fun to end either but we've still got tomorrow."

"I don't wanna say goodnight. You're just going to disconnect when I do."

"What, you can't expect me to fall asleep hooked up to all your stuff again can you? My chair isn't the most comfortable place to fall asleep."

"Still!"

Vox rubbed his face with a sigh, he felt the inexplicable urge to just pinch your cheeks.

He would if he could but he didn't exactly have hands as a TV.

Why did you have to be so cute?

"How about this? I'll stick around until you pass out. You won't even notice I'm gone come morning."

"Fineeeeeee."

It didn't take too long for you to fall asleep on the couch.

Similarly to yesterday, you were just haphazardly sprawled across the furniture with a thin blanket to cover you.

Despite his words, Vox still stuck around for a while to make sure you were asleep.

You looked so serene while you rested, like you didn't have any worries.

The overlord let out a tired sigh, he'll just stick around for another five minutes.

Just a little longer in this peaceful moment with you.

Vox totally fell asleep in his chair again, he woke up that morning in an awkward position feeling more sore than ever too.

"Oh for fuck's sake-"

"MORNING VOXYYY!!!"

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin vox #vox #vox x reader #hazbin hotel vox x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin vox x reader #vox x you #Get Off My Screen Series

[keikikait]

ɴɪɢʜᴛ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛ (ʙɪᴋᴇʀ!ᴍᴇɢᴜᴍɪ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

this is part two. for part one, click here!

pairing: biker!megumi x f!reader (au, both are early to mid 20's)

word count: 2k

summary: after a rude encounter with your next door neighbour, you decide to spend distance yourself from him, spending most of your nights at a friends house.

warnings: SMUT (masturbation, f & m), MINORS DNI 18+, suggestive flirting, not proofread (oops), jealous megumi, slight self deprecation talk (so ig a slight angst warning)

a note: i promise part 3 won't be delayed as much!

please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

Things have gotten worse since you last spoke.

Each day begins with the jarring sound of his motorcycle revving right outside your window, shattering the tranquility of the morning. The noise reverberates through your whole apartment, making it impossible to ignore. And to make matters worse, he started blasting the worst rap music you’ve ever heard from a portable speaker while he works on his bike on Saturday afternoons. The cacophony of noise fills the air, making it impossible to concentrate or find any semblance of peace within your own home. 

Even though you’ve been trying to avoid him, checking outside your window a few too many times before leaving so you don’t run into him, he’s still been plaguing your mind. You had caught him like a cold or the flu, and now you’re praying that you’ll one day be immune. Sleeping was practically impossible, even the strongest earplugs and the loudest white noise couldn’t block out the sound of his, frankly, stupid fucking bike. You go to work irritable and exhausted, having to hype yourself up in the bathroom before clocking in. You dread going home, begging your manager to let you work late, trying to find every excuse to hang back and avoid your inevitable negative interaction with Megumi.

After days of sleepless nights and endless worry, you had finally reached your breaking point. With a heavy heart, you had mustered up the courage to do something you'd been dreading — ask a friend for a favor. With trembling hands, you dialed your friend Yuji’s number, hoping that he would understand. To your immense relief, he listened patiently and without judgment. You poured out your heart, sharing the sleepless nights and the constant fear that had become your reality.

To your surprise, Yuji didn't hesitate, offering you a place to stay for the days Megumi would wake up early to head to work, a sanctuary where you could finally rest and recharge. You accepted his offer, overwhelmed with gratitude, knowing it would give you the solace you desperately needed. The nights before Megumi's shifts became a routine. You would gather your belongings and head to Yuji's place, seeking refuge from the darkness that seemed to engulf your apartment. 

Each night, you would lie awake in your friend's spare bedroom, listening to the sounds of the outside world. The gentle hum of traffic, the distant laughter of passersby — these were the sounds of a life that seemed so far removed from your own. Part of you loved your time spent away from Megumi. Part of you didn’t. Even though he was annoying, stuck up, and frankly a bitch, he was so pretty to look at. You couldn’t help yourself sometimes, sneakily taking glances at him through your window while he worked on his bike, shirtless and sweating under the Japanese summer sun.

You felt guilty in a way. He hated you, yet you didn’t hate him. Why are you hanging on so tight? You wanted to hate him so badly, especially while you were laying propped up on your bed, had between your soft thighs as you thrust two fingers in and out of your cunt. You couldn’t help yourself, biting your duvet cover to keep yourself from moaning his name too loudly while you came, hips bucking into your hand while you imagined the ways he would talk you through it. You couldn’t help but imagine how handsome he would look with you all over his mouth, grinning at you as you beg to cum. Would he let you? Sometimes you would get carried away, sliding your fingers over your clit to draw out another orgasm, one that would leave you silent curled in a ball on your bed. Megumi seemed like the type to overstimulate you just for fun, after all. He clouded your mind, engulfing you with visions of him encased in smoke. He was beautiful, finite, a shining white light you had a hard time looking at. You were, quite frankly, down bad. 

Suffer does the wolf, crawling to thee.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

On the other side of the plaster wall, Megumi was having a similar experience. He couldn’t stop thinking about you, hoping if he revved his engine loud enough in the mornings you would come outside, all cute and grumpy with bedhead, yelling at him to quiet down. Maybe you would only be wearing a T-shirt too. He wondered what panties you would be wearing. Cotton? Lace? None at all?

He noticed your glances while he was working on his bike. After all, he did it shirtless hoping you would stare. All he wants is your attention, and can you blame him? You’re so soft and pretty, and all he wants to do is scoop you up and kiss you before bending you over his desk, his hand gripping your hair at the root as he fucks you dumb. He thinks about what you would sound like while he fucks you as he jerks off, one hand playing with his balls while the other strokes his cock up and down, teasing the tip with his fingers. He wonders what you would look like on your knees next to his bed, his cock draped across your face as you suck on his balls. He moans quietly when he cums, the liquid splattering onto his chest and abs and he wishes you were around to lick it up. Maybe after he would tug on your hair and have you thank him.

Megumi noticed a lot of things. He couldn't help but notice certain the frequent absences from your usual routine. With each passing day, Megumi's curiosity grew, and he started to pay closer attention to your whereabouts. That’s when he saw it, a dark blue car consistently parked at the entrance of the alleyway leading to your apartment building, the one you would climb in and out of on the days you were gone, the days you were away from him. Of course he took a note of the car, writing down the make and the model and the license plate, just in case.

Something else Megumi started noticing was your moans. You got braver and louder each time, and soon he noticed the way you would gasp and whimper and the little noise you made before you came. Megumi soon started feeling something he hadn’t felt in a while, jealousy. You had a boyfriend or a fuck-buddy, and whoever they are was able to make you cum. That part irritated him, he wanted to be the only one that could make you cum and shake on his cock or his tongue. The semantics of your relationship didn’t matter to him, but you were with someone who wasn’t him. So he waited for you to return, leaning against the railing of his small porch. He knew your schedule now, and you should be home any second. 

As the car pulls up, its headlights shine directly onto him, causing Megumi to avert his eyes. He watches as you step out of the car, bidding the driver, whom he can see now is a guy, farewell before making your way toward your door. The gravel crunched as the car reversed and smoothly drove away, leaving you and him standing alone in the tranquil evening. With a nimble hop, he crossed the railing and approached you, a faint smile playing across his lips. The world seemed to pause for a moment, as if time itself stood still, as you locked eyes with each other.

“Hey.” He says, climbing up onto your porch, swinging his legs over the barrier, and landing on his feet.

You don’t look up as you search for your keys. “You could’ve used the stairs.”

He grins. “Maybe I wanted to impress you.” The comment makes your cheeks warm, but you don’t reply as you continue to search through your seemingly endless tote bag. He sighs, “Listen, I have a question.”

You look up at him, and gods he is so pretty. You feel your blush deepen, trying not to gawk at the way his shoulders and arms look in that fucking black compression shirt. “Ask away.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “So, you got a boyfriend?”

Your eyebrows furrow. “No. Why?” You finally find your keys, pulling them out as they jingle loudly from all of your keychains.

Megumi scoffs, keeping his arms crossed. “Come on. I’m not an idiot. I hear you moaning through the wall, you know.”

Your stomach lurches, your throat constricting. “Tha-that doesn’t mean anything.”

Megumi laughs, letting his arms drop to his side. “What about that guy that drives you everywhere?”

You put your key into the lock, swallowing hard. “He’s just my friend. I’ve been staying at his place recently-”

Megumi suddenly reaches out and grabs your hand, pulling the key out. “Don’t walk away. We’re having a conversation.” You gulp, holding onto your keys. He was right, that was kind of rude. “Continue.”

You take a shaky breath, unable to look him in the eyes, your gaze flicking around from the ground to the sunset behind him. “He’s just my friend. Nothing more.”

“Why aren’t you looking at me?” Megumi asks, trying to get in your line of sight. “Don’t look over there. Look at me.” You nod, looking at him, muttering an apology. Megumi smirks. “Good girl.”

Your throat dries up. This man is driving you crazy, and you can feel your thighs getting slick under your skirt. You subconsciously squeeze them together. “He-he isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just my friend.”

Megumi nods. “But you sleep together, right?”

“No.”

Megumi hums in response, getting closer to you. You instinctively back up until you hit the other railing. He towers over you, and you’re greeted with the smell of his cologne and shampoo as he smirks down at you. “Then what has you moaning so prettily, hmm? Is there another guy in your life?”

You shake your head. “N-no, I’m doing it, you know…solo.”

Megumi’s shoulders drop in relief. You don’t have anyone else. Does that mean he can have you all to himself? “What do you think about? When you touch yourself?” His voice is deep and smooth, right in your ear, causing your knees to buckle.

You gulp. “Nothing in particular.” He smirks. He doesn’t believe you. He reaches out to brush some hair out of your face but you move away, clutching your keys in your hands. He tries again, reaching for your arm this time, but you move away again.

You feel weird. He’s making an advance, one you aren’t opposed to, but you can’t seem to let your guard down and let him approach you. You sweat, shakily putting your key into the lock. You wanted to turn around, to throw your arms around him and let him take control of you, but you felt the familiar feeling of dread eating at your insides, sliding up your throat like bile. This almost felt too good to be true. You had spent weeks wishing for this exact moment, but now that it’s unraveling in front of you it’s hard to believe it’s happening and isn’t some sick, twisted joke. Had you stretched your self-worth too thin? Were you foolish for thinking Megumi would actually want you?

Megumi says your name so softly you almost didn’t hear it, concern etched on his face and laced in his voice. You ignore him, quickly unlocking your door and sliding inside your apartment, shutting the door in his face.

Megumi stands there, both confused and concerned. Had he come on too strong? Did he waste his one and only chance by scaring you? He reaches out to knock on your door before hesitating. He wanted a second chance, an opportunity to tell you that he didn’t mean it, that he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or scared, but he couldn’t bring himself to press his knuckles onto the wood. He drops his hand and walks away, back to his apartment, feeling like he just ruined everything he could’ve had with you.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

part three is here

★taglist: @whereflowerswenttodie, @rosieandthethorns (reply to this post if you want to be included in the taglist!)

#keikiwrites #f!reader #jjk smut #megumi fushiguro x reader #fushiguro megumi #megumi smut #megumi x reader #megumi fushiguro #✿: megumi!

[nezuscribe]

so...bakugo has a problem with spoiling you. and at first, bakugo thinks that sort of thing is outrageous. he’s not a fan of pda, gifts, or anniversaries. that could probably be partial because he never had a good enough girlfriend that lasted long enough to celebrate these things with, so he just never saw the need for them.

all of his friends would gush about how much they looked forward to the cards from their significant other, the flowers, and the shower of compliments, but he didn’t seem to affect by it that much.

and, sure, maybe sometimes he wanted to spend it with somebody. sometimes he longed to hold somebody’s hand when he was working late into the early hours of the morning, a comfort he had longed for ever since he outgrew the childish need for touch. but, he was a busy man. he couldn’t outwardly look for something like that until it fell right into his lap.

yeah, well, that was until you.

and when you literally bumped into him on an early morning jog, looking off somewhere else to notice the 6’5 foot brute coming your way. he wasn’t sure how he managed to work his way through the awkward small talk, especially when you were such a cheerful person (at five in the morning, no less), and he had a date with you the following night. it turned into frequent meetings at each other's apartments, you spending some nights at his office, sprawled over the couch in the corner as you ranted about the annoying women at your work who kept piling shifts on you. and, much to katsuki's chagrin, he fell for you. in the way he promised himself he’d never fall for anybody. but it's fine, he'll be there to catch himself until it gets too much.

until he couldn't and you became his only lifeline. falling didn't seem to be so bad if somebody was gonna be there to catch him - undeniably cheesy, he's well aware - and he finally understood why kiri was raging on and on about his girlfriend. finally.

"for you," he said one night, a black velvet sitting on his palm, open-faced as he looked up at you eagerly, a tad bit of worry in his eyes as he was terrified you weren't going to like it.

and he was suddenly becoming a little nauseous because you weren't saying anything and although the pearl necklace was really light it was sinking into his hand.

"um, babe...." you pause, your fingers dancing over the chain of the necklace as you worriedly look up into his red eyes, "am i forgetting something?"

and he shook his head, taking the initiative as he moves behind you, taking the pieces of delicate jewelry out from its box as he gets to work with his fingers, surprisingly nimble as he latches the lock together, his hands shaking a bit as he tries to catch a glimpse of your view in mirror adjacent to the two of you.

"nah," he presses a hot kiss to the place where your neck meets your collarbone, snuggling deep into it, almost feeling feral at the smell of your perfume as his arms pull you closer to his chest, "just a little somethin' i thought ya'd like."

so after that, he's dead set on gifts, after all, he's just got so much money and nothing to spend it on, so you've become the prime focus of his bank account.

and every time you tell him you don't want gifts, that you try to push them off, he doesn't listen, saying that it's the least he could do since he can't actually give you the world (no matter how much he wants to). he knows you're not materialistic, far from it, but he doubts there's somebody in the world that actively hates receiving gifts.

if your eyes linger on a channel coat or burberry perfume he's quick to put it in the cart. he'll observe you, see what things you secretly try to fawn over, and makes sure to surprise it with it the next time you come to his office. pulling it out of his desk drawer, wrapped in a bow as he winks with his signature, "for you."

because the thing is, bakugo doesn't really know how to show his love. he's not good with his words or emotions because he's still working on those, but even if your scowl is lined with an all-grateful smile whenever he gifts you something, he knows he must be doing something right.

just give him some time, and he'll figure everything else out. he just needs to learn how you show affection, and learn other ways of expressing it (minus the gifts, he's not giving that up).

so, for now, take those prada boots without complaint. 'cause there's a pair of versace pumps waiting for you next to your nightstand. all wrapped and pretty, just for you, from your loving 'ki.

#bakugo x reader #katsuki x reader #bakugou headcanons #bakugo headcanons #katsuki bakugo x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #bakugo fluff #bakugo drabble #bakugou drabble #bakugo x you #katsuki x you #katsuki bakugou #mha drabble

[btsgotjams27]

things you don't know (2) | jjk

summary: the aftermath of jimin's party is weighing on your mind and you wonder if you have the courage to face jeon jungkook again.

✨ title: things you don't know (part 2) ✨ pairing: jungkook x f!reader | ✨ rating: PG-13 ✨ genre/au: angst | ex best friends!au | ✨ word count: 3.8k ✨ warnings: pov switch, we get to find out what happened to reader's panties, jimin's a menace, but overall a good friend :'), minor language, reader loves to threaten her friends (in a loving way ofc), jk & reader talk (properly), not really a warning but a mint mojito is a iced coffee drink not alcohol lol ✨ a/n: hi??? we're back with these two :') I didn't think anyone would like the first part that I wrote bc it was so angsty! lol but I'm so happy it was well received. i hope this gives everyone some closure. also, i'm scared of this flopping bc so many people asked for another part. i was so close to not writing it, but alas here it is. as always, i'd love to hear your thoughts. don't be afraid to drop any questions or comments. gonna go hide now, byeeee!

✨ mini-series masterlist ✨

~ JK POV ~

A haze of darkness loomed in the early hours of the morning. The night sky should've been clear according to the weather icons on Jungkook's phone. Could it be that his eyes are deceiving him? Were they hazy and cloudy? If he rubbed them, would the sky finally be clear? Or maybe you have blurred his vision, distorted his mind.

As if you weren’t already on his mind 24/7, 365 days for the last seven years. Your prodigal return has made him want to be close to you again, see how you were doing, and see if you had somehow found a way to forgive him. Your appearance at tonight’s party confirmed you must’ve hated him and could never find it in your heart to forgive him. At least, that’s what he thought.

On his late-night drive after dropping off Josie, he went the long way home through the city streets. He ended up at the park where you used to stargaze when you needed to clear your mind, and it was one of those nights for him.

You had taken over every fiber of his being, capturing his heart and holding him hostage. You’ve haunted him every day of his life since you left. At least when the two of you were in school, he could see you in class and the hallways, but once you left, there was no way to keep track of you, that is, until you started posting your college adventures on Instagram. He’d see your stories and how you’d come home to visit your parents and old friends, but of course, you wouldn’t see him. Why would you? He hurt you.

He replays tonight’s events—studying every word, every facial expression, your body language. He’s looking for a way to make it right, a way back into your heart. He doesn’t like it when you’re hurting, doesn’t like it when you’re mad at him, and especially doesn’t like it when you hate him.

He wished he could redo the last seven years and the moment when he decided to kiss Josie. He should've just left Jimin’s and come to yours, confessed his feelings, said how much he’d missed you, maybe even been brave enough to ask if he should go with you to college. Maybe he could’ve saved a lot of heartache for you, himself, and even Josie.

He took a deep breath, exhaling the unease lingering throughout his body. Opening his eyes, he realized the sky finally cleared out. He tucked one hand behind his head, and with the other, his finger traced constellations into the shape of animals—a little game you used to play together.

Thoughts raced through his mind: Do you still have a love for stargazing? Did you find a new spot? Did you have someone to accompany you? Or did you go by yourself? He guessed he’d never find out the answers to his questions.

“You’re coming in late. Or early. Were you with Josie?” Jimin’s sitting at the dining table, sipping on his coffee.

Jungkook shook his head. “Just out.”

“Man, it was good to see ____, right? I haven’t seen her since we graduated. Did you catch up with her?” He shifted in his seat, his foot pushing against the table’s leg, causing his chair to lean back. He licked his lips, suppressing a smile.

“Kind of.” Jungkook shrugged.

The chair made a loud thump when Jimin leaned forward. He set his coffee aside, his eyes narrowed, hands folded. “What happened between you guys, anyway? You were so close in high school, and whenever I ask you, you always change the topic.”

Jungkook looked at his friend, hoping he’d get the drift and move on from this conversation. He wasn’t keen on being bombarded with questions this early in the morning. He pulled out a chair, the legs screeching against the floor as he buried his face in his arms on the table.

“Or you quiet down whenever I bring her up. Well, whatever happened, you should just make out—I mean makeup with her since she’s back,” Jimin suggested, grinning at his mistake.

Jungkook looked up. “I don’t think she wants to see me.”

“See her anyway.”

Jungkook raised his eyebrows.

“What? You’ll either sit here and keep wondering what could’ve been, or you can talk to her like an adult and hash things out—get everything out in the open.”

“I hurt her, Jimin.”

“So? Go and apologize.”

“I don’t think she’ll accept it.”

“It’ll be up to her to decide, but at least she’ll hear it from you.” Jimin sipped his coffee again. “And don’t think I haven’t seen you lurking on her Instagram throughout these years.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Your Instagram handle is the alphabet without ‘JK’ in it—so obvious.”

Jungkook's eyes widened. He thought he was careful all these years, hardly posting anything but random food dishes he’s cooked.

Jimin let out a hearty laugh. “Oh—you thought you were slick, huh? I’m quite the detective myself, Jeon.” Jimin pushed his chair out to stand, massaging his friend’s shoulder, shaking his head at him. “It’s time, my friend. Don’t let the past continue to haunt you.”

He lightly tapped his fingers on the table, debating his next move. He knew he had to break things off with Josie once and for all. No more letting her hover, giving into her, or letting her manipulate him. He let her have too many years of him–it was finally time to cut off the head of the snake.

~ reader pov ~

The early morning sun peeked through your curtains, beaming rays of light reflecting off of your mirror, making you sneak a glimpse of the time on your phone.

7:30 AM. It’s too early for anyone to function like an average person.

Propping yourself against your pillows, you begin scrolling through Instagram. You were tagged in one of Jimin’s photos.

The caption read: Look who’s back.

You were tipsy when the photo was taken. You had let Jimin wrap his arm around you, kissing your cheek, as you made a kissy face at Lana, who snapped the picture.

You looked at the amount of likes and comments. Jimin was still popular after high school. Your finger tapped on ‘view all 90 comments’, and then you realized it was just Jimin and Josie arguing back and forth in the comments about you.

Rolling your eyes, you were ready to exit the app, but then you couldn’t help but notice the username of ‘abcdefghi_lmnopqrstuvwxyz’ in the comment section, also telling Josie to ‘stop.’ You recognized the username because they liked a few of your posts and had seen your stories but never interacted.

You never bothered to look at everyone who followed you, but this username was too creative not to have a look.

When you clicked on the username, their profile picture was a sunset; their bio only had an emoji of a cookie and photos of food dishes. You guessed this person was an aspiring chef. Everything they posted looked scrumptious.

A series of knocks on your door interrupted your train of thought. It’s so early. Who could be here at this hour?

You peered through the peephole, your hand ready to unlock it, until you saw it was none other than Lana. There was a burning feeling in your chest, and your jaw clenched as you debated whether you wanted to let her in. She claimed not to know who Jimin’s roommates were, and you so happened to come to the party where Jeon Jungkook lived? Coincidence? Yeah, right.

“I can hear you breathing on the other side of the door,” she said, moving back to show you she had brought coffee from one of your favorite places.

You unlocked the door knob but left the chain lock intact. Opening the door, you peeked through, staring at the coffee in her hand.

“Leave the coffee, and I shall let you live to see another day.”

Lana rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking–I set you up, but I swear on my mother’s grave that I did not know Jimin and Jungkook were living together.”

You tilted your head and crossed your arms. “You are correct. I believe you set me up, and I won’t be forgiving you.”

Lana sighed, digging through her bag. “I have something else for you too.” She pulled out the very thing you were looking for last night–your blush-pink panties.

You reach out to grab them, but she withdraws, clutching them in her hand. “I did you a favor by swiping them, washing them, and getting your favorite coffee. You’re still not going to open the door for me?”

You huffed, closing the door and unlocking the chain. Crossing your arms, you stood in the way, unwilling to let her in.

She showed off her biggest grin, holding up the tray of coffee and your panties.

You grabbed the coffee before grabbing your panties, leaving the door open if she willingly wanted this to be her last day on earth.

Lana follows you, closing the door and plopping beside you on the couch.

“Anything else you need to get off your chest before you breathe your last breath?” you ask before sipping the mint mojito iced coffee. You forgot how much you loved this drink.

“Yeah. How did the conversation with Jungkook go?”

“I swear to god, you’re addicted to drama.”

“As long as it doesn’t involve me, then I’m all ears,” she beamed from ear to ear, sipping her coffee. “And I also want to make sure you’re okay.” She elbows you before laying her head on your shoulder.

You couldn’t be upset with Lana. You knew she just wanted you to heal from what happened with Jungkook.

Last night felt like a fever dream, bumping into Jungkook. He sprang up on you with no warning. You had no time to prepare yourself—your heart, for what you’d say.

It’s like you had traveled back to that 18-year-old girl watching her best friend repeatedly hurt her. The scene replayed in your mind like an endless film reel–Jungkook and Josie holding hands, finding a letter in your locker, tearfully reading it in your room, and realizing you didn’t have a friend anymore after that day.

“So?”

“He blames me for everything that happened.”

Lana’s eyes widened, and jaw dropped. She put down her coffee, got up, and pulled her hair back. “You better hold me down before I beat his ass.”

You dragged her back beside you. “Stop being so dramatic.”

“How was it your fault?”

“He said he was upset that I was leaving for college and didn’t care to include him in the conversation. Then he went to one of Jimin's parties and kissed Josie, and they started dating.”

Lana’s upper lip raised in annoyance, glancing up at the ceiling. “I'm gonna punch him and his little girlfriend in the face the next time I see them.”

“And apparently, he says they’re not together or whatever.”

She gasped in disbelief. “Not together? She was practically all over him! And he was letting her do it!”

“That’s what I said, but he says it's complicated.”

“What are you gonna do?”

“What am I going to do? Nothing? Absolutely nothing. Avoid them like the plague. What else am I supposed to do?”

“What if he comes looking for you?”

The thought crossed your mind, but you had nothing to say to him. What more did he want from you? Since he blamed you, it’s not like he’d come asking for forgiveness.

“I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t have moved back.”

“Stop. I'm so happy you’re back. This place is so fucking lame without you.” Lana curled herself into your couch, hooking her arm in yours.

“Yeah, I didn’t think I had to endure all this drama with Jungkook the week I returned.”

“Maybe you should just talk to him and clear the air once and for all,” Lana suggested.

“I don’t know if I can do that without strangling him.”

“I’ll bail you out of jail, don’t worry, or I can help you. We can be cellmates.”

You loved how at least one of your best friends would go to such lengths for you. “God–I don’t wanna be an adult. I don’t want to talk to him.”

“I know, but I bet you’ll feel a million times better if you do.”

You didn’t want to hear the truth but you knew it was what you needed to do. You and Jungkook had unfinished business. Maybe it’s better to just talk to him and close that chapter of your life and finally be able to move on.

You Jiminie 🦗

JAMAN Oh, are you sliding into my DMs?

You 🙄 In your dreams

JAMAN 😂 I’m kidding. What’s up?

You Can I ask you for a favor?

JAMAN Anything for you

You Can I get Jungkook’s number?

JAMAN Huhuhu…the plot thickens

You Oh, stop it. Will you give it to me or not?

JAMAN Idk it depends.

You On?

JAMAN If I get to see more of you

You Jiminie…

JAMAN 😞😞

You You saw me once, that’s not good enough?

JAMAN Let me take you out to dinner. I want to catch up with you.

You Then I’ll never have to see you again? 🙂

JAMAN Sure…

You Fine fine fine Give me his number

You waited a few days to call Jungkook in case Jimin told him he gave you his number. You didn’t want to seem desperate; at least, it would be at your discretion. You’d be more prepared with your heart and your mind.

You sat there, staring at his name, tapping on the screen, and before you knew it, the line began ringing. Ah, fuck.

There’s no going back now.

Hello?

“Hey, Kook. It’s ___.” You can hear him shifting through the line.

Oh, hey. Jungkook cleared his throat. What’s up?

“I wanted to see if you’d be up for coffee or something. If you’re not busy, that is.”

Like today?

You hummed.

Just tell me where and what time.

“Philz Coffee at 2?”

Yeah! I’ll see you then.

You quickly ended the call. Well, the easy part was done. Now, onto the rest.

Even for a Thursday afternoon, the street where the coffee shop was located was rather crowded. You blamed the increased remote jobs and everyone flocking to work from there instead of their homes.

Walking toward the shop, you looked up to see Jungkook sitting outside with two coffees on the table.

He gave a small wave and stood when you approached him. “Hey!” His voice was enthusiastic as he flashed a warm smile, dimple on display. Jungkook gestured for you to sit.

“Do you still like mint mojito iced coffees?”

You chuckled to yourself. You didn’t think he would still remember your coffee order. “Yeah, I do.”

“Cool, figured you still did.”

You gave a half-smile.

Jungkook leaned forward in his seat, eyes on you. “So, why did you want to meet up?”

Your lips thinned before you cleared your throat. “I guess we have some unfinished business.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

You sighed, pulling yourself together to turn to him, looking him in the eye finally. Never in a million years did you think you would be sitting here, talking. His doe eyes sparkled, his boyish charm lingered, and that sweet smile made you swoon.

“I’m gonna say my piece, and then if you have anything to add, go for it.”

He nodded, listening intently to your following words.

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath. “When you stopped talking to me—it hurt, fucked me up for a long time. I convinced myself for years I was over it, but that wasn’t the case at Jimin’s.”

It felt weird to finally say everything that had been building up aloud in front of him.

“It was hard going through college without you. I couldn't talk to you when I wanted, come over when I was bored, and experience new things with you. It was like this big piece of my life was missing, and no one could fill it. Sometimes, a song would come on shuffle that reminded me of you; then I'd get sad because I didn't know your new favorite songs or if you had seen the new Marvel movie.”

Most of all, you missed his presence and how he’d light up when he was excited to show you something or how he’d put a smile on your face when you were down.

“You were my best friend, Kook. I shared everything with you. So it hurt when you felt like you couldn’t talk to me. I would’ve understood if you couldn’t be friends with me because of Josie—I mean, it would’ve sucked big time, but I would never want you to feel like you can’t be honest with me.”

Jungkook stayed quiet for a bit before responding. “I’m sorry about what happened. I was hurting too, and I guess I wanted you to hurt too.”

“Well, it worked.” You let out a sad chuckle; your hand began playing nervously with the coffee cup before you.

He looks at you, scanning your face. “This might not mean anything now, but I know you. I know what songs you like, movies you watched, what made you sad and happy.”

Your gaze slowly flicked to his, your eyebrows knitted in confusion.

“I don’t want to sound like a creep or anything, but I’ve been following you on Instagram.”

“You have an Instagram account?”

“Uh, yeah. I just don’t post my face or anything.” He pulled out his phone to show you.

Your jaw dropped. “Oh my god. You’re alphabet boy?”

“Alphabet boy?” Jungkook’s forehead furrowed.

As soon as he said that, you began to piece everything together. So he was on social media. He was just good at hiding it.

“So, you’ve been keeping up with everything I’ve been doing?”

“You were my best friend. I missed you and wanted to know what your life was like.”

You didn’t know how to process this information. You had been lurking on Instagram, trying to get a glimpse of Jungkook, but after all these years, he was trying to keep a part of you with him.

“Just because you’ve liked my posts or watched my stories doesn’t mean you know me.”

He nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I don’t, but I would like to get to know you again.”

“What about Josie? What is she going to think?” You didn’t want to get in the way of whatever they had going on.

“I’ve tried breaking up with her multiple times, and she keeps on coming back, and I’m pretty dumb for letting her back in. I think we’ve just gotten into that rhythm where we’ve been comfortable with each other that it’s hard to let it go, you know?”

You chuckled to yourself. He was never really good at speaking up, was he?

He looks at you. “Do you think we can start over?”

You take a deep breath. “I don’t know. I—I don’t think I can lose you as a friend again.”

“You won’t,” he responded immediately.

You liked how sure he was of himself. That nothing or no one could get in the way of a new friendship again. But with Josie still in the picture, you didn’t think it would be as easy as he was making it seem.

A car drives by, music playing loudly from their speakers. It stopped the conversation, giving you time to think.

A part of you would love to be friends again, and the other part was ready to let go and start fresh. You weren’t the same person you were in high school. You had grown up, lived, and loved a little, and after finally getting to speak everything you’ve held onto—you were ready to close that chapter you had kept open for so long.

Jungkook waved his hand, calling out to you.

“Hmm?”

“What happens now?”

You shrugged, and your mouth twisted to the side. “I don’t know, Kook. How about we just take it one day at a time? And I don’t mean like we talk every day or something, but if we see each other, we’ll be able to say ‘hi.’”

Jungkook nodded. “Baby steps.”

“Right. Baby steps.”

“I can do that.”

JAMAN Dinner. Friday. 6 PM.

You Why, hello, Jimin.

JAMAN Right, hi. Dinner. Friday. 6 PM. Be there.

You You didn’t tell me where.

JAMAN My place.

You Is Jungkook going to be there?

JAMAN No, he’s outta town. Going somewhere with Josie.

You tut. Of course, he hasn’t broken it off with Josie. Why would he? No one changes within a week, right?

You Okay, fine. See you on Friday. Can I bring anything?

JAMAN Just yourself 😘

Friday.

JAMAN Hey, I’m running late from work. But make yourself at home! I’m going to grab some food on the way back, too.

You Am I supposed to break in?

JAMAN Oh, you silly girl. The code is 0613.

You ‘Kay, see you soon.

You couldn’t believe you agreed to come to Jimin’s place for dinner. Meeting up somewhere would’ve been safer if you bumped into Jungkook again. But you two did decide to take baby steps.

Keying in the code, you stepped in, eyes wandering around the house. Surprisingly, it was well-kept. No throw pillow or blanket is out of place. All the coasters were neatly lined up. Even the house plants were flourishing.

You closed the door, then heard a shatter of glass hitting the ground along with a ‘fuck’. You didn’t see any cars outside when you arrived. Maybe Jimin was dropped off.

“Hello? Jimin?”

You walked into the kitchen, peering around the corner, and saw someone’s head bobbing up and down.

“Kook?”

He looked up with doe eyes, and his jaw opened. “Oh—hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows. “I live here,” he said slowly, sweeping the glass in a dustpan.

“Yes, I know that. But where’s Jimin?”

“Jimin’s at work. He asked me to make dinner.”

You huffed, throwing your head back. “Did you plan this?”

“Plan what?”

“This. Us. Dinner.”

“What? No. I didn’t know you were coming over.”

Your phone buzzed in your back pocket.

JAMAN Oh, hey, friend. I can’t make it to dinner. Guess you’ll just have to eat with Kook. 😘😘

You I’M GONNA BLOCK YOU PARK JIMIN

JAMAN 😘 I love you.

“I’m—just going to go. See you later, Kook,” you said, turning around to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Home. Bye, Kook.”

“Why don’t you stay? I already made dinner and don’t want it to go to waste.”

You stopped in your tracks. Whatever he made smelled good.

He set down the dustpan and walked over to you. “Come on. It’s just dinner.”

You turned back to him, scanning him from head to toe. Why did he have to look so boyfriend in his all-black outfit and matching baseball hat?

You pointed your chin to the ground, staring at him. “Just dinner.”

✨ read part three ✨

#jungkook fanfic #jungkook fic #jungkook angst #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts x reader #bts x you

[backwzzds]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ thinking about…

ex husband!zoro who’d do anything for you even without you having to ask.

ex husband!zoro who’d just finished his shift for the night constructing the block’s new set of apartment buildings. ironically, it was just a few away from your own.

ex husband!zoro who’d drive his pickup truck with sleep nearing on him no matter how many times you warned him to stop driving when he was exhausted. you even always offered to pick him up from his late shifts but he didn’t like you being outside alone after a certain time

ex husband!zoro who’d sigh in relief the moment he’d hit the hard rock of his air mattress. you two’d been separated for merely a year and he still didn’t find the urge to go out and buy real furniture. his air mattress was begging to be put down at this point.

ex husband!zoro who’d groan at the sound of his phone ringing. it was almost four in the morning, who the fuck would be calling him at this terrible time?

ex husband!zoro who’d squint his eyes down at the contact wondering who the fuck would be buzzing him at four in the morning. of course it had to be no one other than you.

ex husband!zoro who’d answer the ring and remain silent waiting to hear your excuse, you both knowing how much he valued his sleep, especially after a long day at work.

“heyyy, papa,” you’d giggle into the receiver. he instantly knew you were drunk because you always called him by your usual sweet names when you had liquor in your system. any other time, you’d refer to him as mosshead and asshole.

“it’s four in the morning, mama. this better be good,” zoro groaned lowly, rubbing his eyes. “you alright?”

you yawn. “i’m okay. just at a party right now. was wondering if you can pick me up. i was gonna take the train home but—“

“don’t,” zoro immediately sat up. god, his vision was nearly blurry from his lack of sleep, but he was always put you before anything. husband or not.

you frown and sway side to side, feeling the alcohol course your veins. “you sure, baby? i feel like i woke you.”

“of course you did,” zoro shook his head with a small smile on his face as he slipped on a random pair of pants from his laundry basket. “but what’s new. what’s your twenty?”

ex husband!zoro who’d grab the keys to his rusty old pickup truck you hated (but loved) so much and instantly make his way to you.

ex husband!zoro who’d pull up to find you sitting on a curb smoking a cigarette and looking up at the beautiful night sky

ex husband!zoro who’d get out his truck and stand before you with his hand out. you’d look over at him and have a shit eating grin on your face.

ex husband!zoro who’d pull you into a tight hug from not seeing you for nearly three weeks. you’d both been so busy working, even though you were separated, it was strange for you not to see each other for more than a week

ex husband!zoro who’d guide your drunk self to his truck and strap you in, to which you’d thank him with a casual peck to his lips

ex husband!zoro who’d blush fire red at your affection before kissing your forehead and heading back over to the driver’s seat

ex husband!zoro who’d kiss his teeth once he realized how far the party actually was from your house

“tch you always have to pick the far places, don’t you?” he shook his head at you.

you mirrored his actions and crossed your arms. “it looked fun.”

the mosshead rolled his eyes at your childish words. “i’m starting to think you like bothering me out my sleep to come get your drunk ass.”

“so what if i do,” the mutter of your words bring a smile to his face. “for better or worse, right?”

you’re surprised when his large hand grabs your own and rubs his callous thumb over the smooth of your skin. “it’s always for worse with you.”

“whatever. take me home.”

zoro knew that you meant his place. you always referred to it as home because it’s where he was. but to zoro, home was wherever you were.

ex husband!zoro who’d do anything for you without you even having to ask

#lora’s fics! ೄྀ࿐ #zoro x black reader #zoro x chubby reader #ex husband zoro #ex husband!zoro #roronoa zoro x black reader #roronoa zoro x chubby reader #zoro x reader #zoro headcanons #zoro one piece #one piece x black reader #one piece zoro #one piece x black!reader #one piece x chubby reader #roronoa zoro

[willalove75]

Alcina's New Maid Pt. 20 Lady Dimitrescu x Reader

Summary: After recovering from the chaos of the meeting, Alcina shows you the dungeon and distillery. Honoring the agreement the two of you made of not keeping secrets, she also shows you the thing she fears the most.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI.

Tags: Pure unadulterated fluff

Notes: Part 20! So sorry this is late! To make up for it it's extra long at over 8k words! Enjoy💕

Click here for the rest of the series

Image source

For the first time since the meeting you woke up alone. Reaching over to the other side of the bed you were a little surprised to find it empty and the sheets cold. Technically, you woke up alone one other time, but the sheets were still warm and as you woke up Alcina was walking out of the bathroom making her way back to bed. She promptly crawled under the covers and pulled you into her arms and the two of you fell back asleep for a few more hours. Feeling how cold the sheets next to you were was a good indication that Alcina left the bed a few hours ago and hasn’t returned yet. You can’t help but feel a little sad, but you push the feeling aside knowing that she probably has a lot of work to catch up on since she was keeping such a close eye on you for the last week.

As you were getting dressed the breakfast bell rang. The second one rang just as you were finishing getting ready so you hurried downstairs so you weren’t too late.

“Good morning draga mea.” Alcina says as you walk into the dining room. “How did you sleep?”

“I slept like a rock. How about you?”

“I slept wonderfully.” She says with a smile.

Looking around the table, you notice Cassandra’s chair is empty.

“Where’s Cass?” You ask.

The mood around the table shifts and you immediately regret asking. She’s probably still mad at Alcina for what happened at the meeting.

“She hasn’t been to a meal all week.” Bela says, looking at Alcina out of the corner of her eye.

You look over at Alcina and see that her eyes are downturned towards her plate. Right away you notice the sadness in them and the somber mood she was put in.

“Oh. I’m sorry, I had no idea.” 

Alcina reaches across and places her large hand over yours. “Don’t fret about it draga, you didn’t know.”

“Where is she? I can try and talk to her after breakfast.”

“The dungeon.” Bela and Daniela say in unison.

“Oh.”

“I can bring you down there this afternoon.” Alcina says. Bela and Daniela’s heads snap towards their mother in surprise.

“But mom-” Daniela says.

“I know, draga. It’s time we stop keeping secrets. It’s unfair to not give her the whole picture.” She says before turning towards you. “If you want to, that is. You are not obligated to go down there if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay, we can go down there later. I already know there’s going to be things I don’t want to see. But it’s important to know.”

“There certainly will be. Girls, can you please go down after breakfast to see if your sister has gone on a cleaning rampage or a destruction one? I would hate for y/n to go down there to see it in a worse state than it is normally in.”

“Of course, mother.” Bela says.

“If Cass destroyed it or if there’s guts everywhere we’ll clean it up before you go down!”

“Wonderful, thank you dragele mele.”

(My darlings.)

The rest of breakfast was relatively quiet with some small talk sprinkled in throughout. When the girls were finished they swarmed off to the basement and Alcina sat back in her chair and dabbed at the corners of her lips with her napkin.

“Do you have plans for the day, draga mea?” Alcina asks.

“Not really, how about you? I’m guessing you have work to catch up on, right?”

“Actually I was able to catch up with most of it last night, which was why you awoke alone this morning. Which I apologize for, I tried to finish up before the breakfast bell rang but I wasn’t quite able to make it happen.”

“It’s okay, I get it. I figured you were working, especially since you’ve been keeping such a close eye on me this week. I had a feeling you had a lot to catch up on.”

“Yes, luckily it wasn’t as much as I anticipated but I wanted to get as much done as possible when you were asleep so I could spend the day with you, if that’s alright with you that is.”

“Alcina, if I ever say no to that, take me to the hospital because I’m probably having a stroke.”

Alcina laughs and cups your jaw, her thumb caressing your skin. “Of course, my love.”

She stands from her seat and as she does, a few maids emerge from the shadows and begin to clear the table. “Come, my love. We have much to discuss.” She says, extending a gloved hand out to you.

Taking her hand in yours, you stand up and let Alcina lead you outside towards the courtyard.

“What do we have to talk about?” You ask.

“I believe I owe you answers to any questions you may have. I promised you when Karl was here that after the meeting I would answer any and every question you have for me, regarding anything.”

“Oh right, I totally forgot about that.”

“Yes. So tell me, draga, what is it you want to know?” She asks as she takes a seat on one of the benches and you sit next to her.

“I don’t know, what else haven’t you told me?” Alcina gives you a look and you chuckle and shake your head at her. “Okay, okay. Let’s start with the basement. What really goes on down there?”

“The basement is rather large. The dungeon and distillery are where your questions lie, I’m sure. The dungeon is where the cells are, where maids who have misbehaved or those who have trespassed are held.”

“How many cells are there?”

“Roughly a dozen.”

“Are all of them filled with people right now?”

“No, there are only a few that are holding some maids. We haven’t had any trespassers in a few months so there’s none in there.”

“So the other cells are just empty?”

Alcina’s eyes shift away from you and she takes a hesitant breath before answering.

“No.”

“What’s in there?” You ask and her eyes meet yours for a moment. Guilt fills her eyes and she looks away again. “Alcina, what is it?”

“Before I answer I need to say that what I am about to tell you is something you are not going to like or approve of. It’s one of those things that makes me fearful it will be the last straw for you and you will leave.”

You take her hand in both of yours and squeeze it. “Whatever it is, I won’t leave. I promise.” She nods and takes a deep breath,

“As I’m sure you’ve heard, when maids misbehave they are punished. There are several instruments and devices that are used in punishments, but they are quite brutal.”

“So they’re torture devices?”

Alcina hesitates for a moment before breathing a “yes.”

“Why do you seem so ashamed? I thought it was something you enjoyed?”

“Because I am, talking about these things with you makes me feel ashamed because I know you don’t approve. And I do enjoy it, the screams, the blood, the terror in their eyes, it’s exhilarating. I’ve never felt ashamed of it, at least not in decades, until you came to the castle.”

“I don’t want you to feel ashamed. Of course I don’t approve, and it feels so wrong for me to tell you not to be ashamed, but I love you so much that no matter what it is, I never want you to feel ashamed of it.”

Alcina smiles at you and wraps her arm around your shoulder and pulls you into her.

“The distillery is in the other part of the basement. That is where maids and trespassers are bled into barrels for the Sanguis Virginis.”

“So it’s not just ‘maidens blood’ in the wine? It’s anyones?”

“Precisely. Decades ago it was only the blood of virgin women because it was said to be more pure, but that was a fallacy. Your blood does not in fact change in any way after the loss of virginity.” She says and smirks down at you.

“Well thank god. I would have been screwed if that were the case.” You joke.

Alcina laughs and kisses you on the head. Placing a finger underneath your chin, she lifts your gaze to meet hers. “Even if it were the case, I was not letting you anywhere near the dungeon. I had much better plans for you, my dear.” She says before leaning down and placing a kiss on your lips.

“Well that’s good.” You say after your lips part. “Anything else about down there?”

“Yes, there is one more thing. I believe I’ve told you of the Moroaică, the maidens that turn after receiving the cadou? They live in the dungeons and distillery. But they will not come near you, especially if the girls or myself are accompanying you. Usually when we are around they migrate to different areas of the basement,”

“What if you’re not with me?”

“You should smell enough like us for them to leave you alone, but still I would prefer if you didn’t venture down there alone.”

“I don’t think I want to, honestly.”

“Good.” She says with a smile. “What other questions do you have?”

“Well I’m guessing one of the secrets you were keeping from me was the dragon, right?”

“Yes, that was certainly one of the bigger ones.”

“Will you ever show me its full form?”

“Not until I am certain I can control it without harming you. It is massive and it is difficult enough to control just when I am partially transformed, when I am fully transformed it’s even more difficult. I don’t want to risk it - I can’t.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to if you don’t feel comfortable. I just want you to know that no matter what it looks like, it’s not going to scare me away.”

‘It’s quite horrid.”

“You’re about to show me a fully-functioning torture room. I can’t imagine the dragon is that much worse.”

“I don’t know about that draga mea. But thank you for always reassuring me anyway.”

“Of course, it’s part of my job.” You say as you lean your head against her. “Oh!” You say, popping back up. “I remember what I wanted to ask you a few weeks ago. You had said that Mother Miranda wasn’t the only thing you were afraid of, what else is there?”

“That I feel is best if I show you.”

“Okay.” You say with an unsure tone in your voice.

“Don’t fret, it’s not a creature or something that can hurt you. Well, it can, but it's more of a weapon.”

“There’s a weapon that can hurt you?”

“Yes. I will explain everything when I show you. But first, let's see if the girls have cleaned up the basement. There is something in one of the rooms I need to get before I show you what it is I’m truly afraid of, anyway.”

You nod and Alcina calls for the girls. Bela and Daniela arrive in a swarm and emerge in front of the both of you.

“How are things in the dungeon?”

“Not as bad as I would have thought.” Bela says.

“Cass went on a cleaning rampage but then caught a maid trying to sneak into her bedroom so you wouldn’t have known she cleaned down there.”

Alcina shakes her head. “They never learn, do they?”

“Well that one certainly isn’t going to do that ever again.” Bela says.

“Or anything ever again for that matter.” Daniela adds.

“Thank you girls, I appreciate your help.”

“Of course, Mamă.” Daniela says before kissing Alcina on the cheek.

“Anytime, mother.” Bela says, kissing Alcina on her other cheek.

The girls swarm off and Alcina stands up and you follow her inside. She leads you to a door you’re unfamiliar with and unlocks it. Immediately the musty smell hits you and your anxiety starts to kick in.

“Quiet your heart, draga. I will be with you the entire time, there is nothing to fear.” She kneels down to your height and runs her gloved fingers through your hair. “I won’t leave your side, or let go of your hand the entire time we’re down there if you don’t want me to, okay? And I promise I won’t leave you in here.” She says with a smirk.

“Okay.” You say. She nods and leans in and kisses you before standing back up.

“Pull the door closed behind you, please. The last thing I need is for a Moroaică to get loose in my castle. I will lead the way down.” You nod at her and she starts to descend the stairs. Closing the door behind you, you follow Alcina down the spiral steps into the basement.

“These stairs will lead us down to where the storage rooms are, I will lead you through the safer areas first before taking you to the dungeon and distillery.”

The winding staircase is dark despite the torches that line the walls. The lower you descend, the cooler and damper the air around you gets. Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Alcina reaches out her hand and you take it in yours as you climb down the last few steps. She takes you through some of the storage rooms. Where extra dried goods and spices are kept for the kitchen, where extra fabrics are stored for the seamstress that takes care of the maids' uniforms. As you walk further into the basement you notice just how damp and gross it is.

“I apologize for the environment. The full basement is nearly the size of the castle and it is impossible to keep every area dry.”

“It’s okay, I get it.”

Walking up to a wooden door, Alcina knocks before opening it.

“Cassandra? Are you in here?”

“What do you want?” An aggravated voice calls from somewhere in the room.

Alcina’s eyes fill with sadness and she closes them before taking a breath and grounding herself.

“I am showing Y/N the dungeon and distillery. May we come in?”

“Whatever.”

She nods at you to follow her and she ducks through the door. The second you enter the room you’re hit in the face with the smell of blood and death. It’s a horrible smell and you instinctively cover your mouth and nose.

“I’m sorry, I forgot how unpleasant the smell can be.”

“It’s okay.”

“This is the dungeon.”

Looking around, you see cells lining the brick walls. The iron bars are rusted and some are jagged. As you walk closer it looks like there are slash marks against the cells and you examine them for a moment.

“The Moroaică don’t have the best eyesight, but they have a phenomenal sense of hearing and smell. When they smell people in the cells they try to attack the cages with their swords and sickles. Obviously, they don’t do nearly enough damage to break in but they do a wonderful job at keeping the prisoners in line and frightened. They also act as a deterrent so whoever is in the cells think twice about trying to escape.” She says as she walks past a cell and stops and stares into it. “Isn’t that right?” She asks into the cell and a wicked smile crosses her face.

Walking up to the cell you see a maid cowering in the corner. She must have been down here for weeks. Her dress and skin are filthy and she’s covered in cuts, bite marks and blood.

“Y-y-yes, m-m-mistress.” She stammers as she trembles.

“Now, now,  what have you done to land yourself here, little one?” Alcina asks in almost a sweet voice but the edge she has makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

“I-I accidentally made the bath water too c-cold for Miss Daniela. It was an accident, I swear. B-but Miss Daniela was angry - a-as she s-should be. I-I know the cold c-can be painful for the l-l-ladies of the castle. S-so she b-brought me down here. She said i-if s-she can’t enjoy a bath, neither can I. I-I fully a-accept my punishment, m-my Lady. I-I am at the mercy of y-you and y-your daughters.”

Alcina stares at the girl for a moment before tilting her head at her.

“Pity.” She says as she shrugs her shoulders and continues her tour.

Looking back at the girl once more, you can see the fear in her eyes. She’s been down here for a very long time. It’s not often that maids who are kept down in the dungeon for a long period of time like that are ever let out. At first you were surprised that Daniela had brought the girl down to the dungeon for something so small but then again when you first met her, she was almost too eager to take a bite out of you. So maybe it wasn’t that surprising at all. She’s pretty sadistic, not as sadistic as Cassandra, but still.

Alcina stops in front of one of the open cells and you hear something inside of it. When you look in you see Cassandra cleaning what looks like a medieval torture device. It was a large plank of wood with metal spikes sticking out of it. There were five leather straps hanging from it, you could only imagine that their purpose was for keeping the head, arms and legs of whatever unfortunate soul that was strapped to that still.

The sight made your stomach churn as you looked around the cell. There were buckets of gore and blood scattered about, one was knocked over and whatever spilled out of it was some kind of internal organ you couldn’t pinpoint. Alcina puts her arm around your shoulder to reassure you and you lean into her a little.

“What are you doing, bug?” She asks Cassandra.

“I’m not talking to you.” She says.

“Cassandra-”

“Just finish giving her the tour and leave.”

Alcina sighs and you can tell she feels defeated. It’s been a week since the meeting and Cassandra is still angry at her. You understand why she was angry, but her anger is misplaced.

“Come, draga. Let's continue.” Alcina says, gently tugging at your hand.

Alcina ducks through another door and the smell of blood only gets stronger. Right away you notice multiple, things, wrapped in tarps hanging from the ceiling. You can only imagine what was wrapped in them given what Alcina had said earlier and because there were gigantic barrels of blood underneath each strung-up tarp.

“This is the distillery. I’m sure you can imagine what goes on in here.”

As she walks further into the room you hear a moan and turn around to see something walking out of the shadows in the corner. Freezing, you watch as the creature comes into the light. It’s scraggly with gray-purple skin. It was covered in scraps of cloth and a hood. A Moroaicǎ. Its head turns towards you and it hisses. Inside its mouth you see rotted teeth and it begins to limp in your direction. The Moroaicǎ is dragging a massive sword behind it. As it walks closer it begins to raise its sword as if it’s going to attack you. You feel your nerves picking up and you think to yourself “it won’t hurt me. Alcina said it won’t.”  It gets closer and closer and it looks like it’s about to swing.

Alcina growls and you hear her claws unsheath before she steps in front of you and slashes at it. The Moroaicǎ falls to the floor into pieces.

“Absolutely useless.” She mumbles. “I apologize draga, they are not supposed to come after you but not all of them are as intelligent. This is precisely why I don’t want you coming down here by yourself.”

“That thing is terrifying.”

“They are rather unpleasant. But they are good guards. That is what happens when the maids don’t react well with the cadou but don’t outright die.”

“So if I got it and didn’t react well…”

Alcina sighs and places her arm on your shoulder.

“Yes. You could turn into that. Or worse.”

“What’s worse?”

“It doesn’t happen often, but the cadou can cause maids to uncontrollably mutate. The ones that are unfortunate enough to experience that are quickly euthanized.”

Alcina brings you around the distillery for a little longer before you’ve seen enough and ask to head back. Making your way back to the dungeon, Cassandra is mopping the blood-stained floor. As you walk past, Cassandra looks up and sees the scar on your neck and her eyes grow wide.

“Where are we going next?” You ask Alcina.

“I need to grab something from one of the nearby rooms, the Room of Sorrow.”

“Room of Sorrow?”

“Yes, there’s something I have to get in there before I take you to our next stop.”

“Okay, can I stay here and talk to Cass?”

“Of course, draga.” She says, cupping your face with her hand. “Cassandra, can you please lead her back upstairs?”

“Whatever.”

Alcina nods at you and walks out. You take a seat on one of the stools near Cassandra as she mops.

“What do you want?” She asks.

“I wanted to see how you are. I heard you haven’t been to a meal all week.”

“So what?”

“I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”

“Peachy.”

“Cass.”

“What? Why do you even care?”

“Because I care about you, stupid! What’s going on? Why are you giving your mom the third degree?”

“Because she almost killed you! I can’t believe you’re walking around with her as if she didn’t almost fucking kill you a week ago.”

“Cass, it wasn’t her fault.”

“Bullshit.”

“It really wasn’t. She’s not in control when she’s in that state. She told me that she was screaming, trying to get the dragon to stop but she couldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t stop.”

“I don’t believe that she can’t control it and I don’t believe that she can’t say no to Mother Miranda.”

“Why? What makes you so sure that she’s doing all of this on purpose?”

“Because I can control my flies, I can say no to Mother Miranda. If I can there’s no reason she can’t!”

“Cass, I don’t think any of it works like that. Her dragon and your flies are so different. You’ve seen her wings, according to her that’s not even a quarter of her full transformation. Your flies are a part of you, your mother’s dragon is an entirely different being that coexists within her. And the relationship between you and Miranda is so much different than your mom and Miranda. Miranda saved your moms life. You know she was dying before she met Miranda, right? That she promised her eternal life, power and beauty?”

“Yeah, and Miranda fucking lied to her and she still went along with it.”

“She didn’t have a choice! Miranda put a cognition control device into her once she realized your mom didn’t immediately die.”

“What?”

“She never told you?”

“No?”

“Oh, shit. I didn’t know she never told you. Please don’t repeat this, but yes. She did. When your mom first turned it was really hard for her to disobey Miranda’s control. But luckily your mother retained enough of her own cognition so after some time she was able to control how much influence Miranda really had over her. But in the beginning it was really difficult.”

“So she shouldn’t have an excuse now!”

“That’s not how that works and you know it. Listen, yes, your mother can disobey the influence Miranda has over her, but that doesn’t mean she can tell her to go to hell. She’s still a Lord of the village and Miranda still has full control of it. Even though she doesn’t want to, she still has to obey her to a certain extent.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“But it’s reality. She can’t, and I think deep down you know she can’t but you don’t want to imagine Miranda having that much control over your mother. And listen, I get it. I hate it that she does. And yes, I’m sure your mom was blind to a lot of the abuse Miranda subjected her to, hell she still might be, but I think now she’s seeing more clearly than ever. You just need to be patient Cass. Give her some slack, she’s trying. And it’s really upsetting her that you haven’t spoken to her or been at dinner.”

“She told you that?”

“She didn’t have to. Just look at her when you speak to her the way you have been, it’s breaking her heart. She doesn’t want to push you because you’re not as forthcoming with your emotions as Dani is, but she loves you and it’s making her sad.”

Cass looks down at her feet and you can tell that it upset her knowing that she was the cause of her mother’s sadness.

“I didn’t want to make her sad.”

“I know. But you need to give her more slack. I get that you’re angry about what happened at the meeting but she really wasn’t in control. Miranda coaxed the dragon out to take control because Miranda wanted your mom to kill me in her arms while she knew your mother was helpless and couldn’t do anything to stop it. She wanted your mom to watch me die as her dragon killed me. It was Miranda’s fault, not your moms. And it really upset and pissed your mom off that Miranda did that. She’s not as happy and smitten with her as you think, Cass. Your mom is sick of Miranda. But you said it yourself, Miranda is strong, crazy strong, so your mom can’t just go after her. She has to be careful and strategic.”

“Miranda really wanted to torture mother that badly? To make the dragon kill you in mother’s arms so mother couldn’t do anything about it?”

“Yes.”

“She’s fucking evil.”

“She definitely is. But you understand, at least more now, right? That it wasn’t all your moms fault? She really did try to save me and I was able to get the dragon to stop.”

“How? How did you get it to stop?”

“I remembered you said that blood tastes sweeter when the person you’re feeding from is frightened, so I relaxed and gently asked it to stop. I had no idea if it was going to work but I got lucky. According to your mother, the dragon only ever responded to Miranda before. But when it noticed what it did to me, it rejected Miranda. It growled and snarled at her and protected me from her.”

“Did it really?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. Mom doesn’t talk much about her dragon, she fucking hates it honestly.”

“I know, and I’m working on getting her to be kinder to it. It’s going to take some time, but I think it’s possible.”

“You’re fucking insane.”

“Probably. So, are you still angry with your mom?”

“Not as much, I didn’t realize Miranda brainwashed her for so long. I’m still mad that it happened, but I guess I’m not as mad at mom anymore.”

“Well, that’s a good start. Wanna head back upstairs? I can’t go by myself, one of the Moroaicǎ tried to come after me in the distillery so your mom really doesn't want me walking around here alone.”

Cassandra shakes her head and chuckles. “Man, they are the dumbest creatures. They’re worse than lycans.”

“I believe it.” You say with a laugh.

Cassandra leads you through the basement and up a different set of stairs than the ones you and Alcina came down. When she opens the door, you realize you’re near the main hall.

“I’m in here, girls.” You hear Alcina call from the main hall.

You and Cassandra walk into the hall to find Alcina sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace with a glass of wine in her hand.

Cassandra sits next to her mother and leans her head on her arm. Alcina looks down at her daughter with a warm smile on her face.

“I’m sorry mom.” Cassandra mumbles.

“It’s alright, draga mea. Just please, next time you’re upset, please come and speak with me. Okay?”

“I will. I promise. Te iubesc, mamă.”

(I love you, mom.)

“Și eu te iubesc, fiica mea.” Alcina says as she wraps her arm around Cassandra and kisses her on the head.

(I love you too, my daughter.)

The two of them sit like that for a minute before Cassandra wiggles out of her mothers grasp. She kisses her on the cheek and swarms back down into the basement. Alcina watches Cassandra until she’s out of sight and her gaze lingers there for a few more moments. Her eyes shift towards you and she smiles.

“I don’t know how you do it, draga mea. No one has ever been able to get through to her the way you are able to.”

“I don’t know, I just talk to her. I meet her where she’s at and try not to push her too much.She’s a good kid. She’s so fiercely protective of you Alcina. She loves you so much.” You say as you sit next to her.

“I know, I know.” Alcina says with a sigh as she wraps her around you and kisses you on the top of your head. She sighs into you and you cuddle into her. When you open your eyes, you see masks sitting on the end table next to the couch.

“What are those?”

“Ah,” Alcina says, reaching for the masks. “These are the keys to get into the Tower of Worship.”

“The Tower of Worship?”

“Yes, there’s something in there I want to show you. Shall we?”

“Sure!”

Alcina stands up and leads you through a set of double doors and you enter the Hall of Four. She walks around the faceless statues, placing a mask on each one. When she places the last mask on the final statue you hear gears turning and the door behind the statues swings open. Alcina takes your hand in hers and the two of you walk through the short hall and through the second door.

The second set of doors opens up to the outside, a large stone bridge leading to a set of stairs that takes you up to what you can only assume is the Tower of Worship. The view from the bridge is stunning. On either side you can see the vast, mountainous Romanian landscape. Walking up to the ledge, you take in your surroundings with Alcina at your side. The two of you sit in a comfortable silence as you admire the scenery around you.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it’s absolutely stunning.”

“One day I will show you the view from the castle roof. If you think this is beautiful, that will truly take your breath away.” She says before smiling down at you.

“I’d love to see it.” You say as you smile back up at her.

“Then it shall be done. Come, my love. We mustn't dawdle any longer.”

You give her a nod and walk with Alcina up the stairs. When the two of you reach the top she opens the doors to the tower and you walk in. The inside of the Tower of Worship looks like what was once a small church, now abandoned. The pews are scattered and covered in a thick layer of dust. The altar is pushed to the side and the stained glass windows are filthy but the sunlight still manages to peek through the dirt. In the back of the room against the three main window’s sits a coffin.

The closer the two of you get to the coffin, the tighter Alcina holds your hand. She’s nervous in a way you’ve never seen before, it’s like she grows more frightened with each step you take.

When you finally get up to it you notice the Dimitrescu coat of arms decorating the lid. Alcina traces her fingers over the emblem before taking a deep breath and looking down at you.

“Who’s in there?” You ask.

“I don’t know his name, truthfully, I never cared to learn it. But this man entered the castle decades ago with a weapon, the only weapon of its kind and the only weapon that could really hurt or kill me. It was his goal, like many others before and after him, to rid the village and the world of a monster like me.”

“What was the weapon?”

Alcina looks down at the coffin and her breath shakes. In one swift motion she turns the lid of the stone coffin, revealing a rotting corpse inside. The smell of rotting flesh immediately hits you and you turn away for a second, trying to waft the rancid scent away. When you turned back you noticed that Alcina had taken a few steps back, as if she’s afraid to get too close to it. Looking down into the coffin, you see the corpse clutching a curved dagger.

“It’s called the Dagger of Death’s Flowers.” She says behind you. “It was forged in the Middle Ages, roughly a thousand years ago. It’s said the dagger has been infused with poisons and toxins found throughout Europe. It was created to kill monsters and demons like myself.”

You look down at the dagger in awe and caution, you don’t dare to reach out and touch it. Leaning over the coffin, you try and get a closer look at it.

“Is that, is that your coat of arms on the hilt?”

“Yes. I believe each symbol carved into it belongs to each demon or monster that was killed by the dagger. This man, the one who tried to kill me with it, engraved the Dimitrescu coat of arms prematurely.”

“Is it true? The rumors that it was laced with poison?”

“Yes.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I was stupid and curious and pricked my finger with the tip of the blade after I killed the man. The pain that spread through my body felt like lightning. It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life, only second to when Miranda implanted the cadou inside of me. And the blade just barely pierced my skin. If I were to be stabbed with it I cannot imagine what would happen.”

“Why do you still have it? Why didn’t you destroy it?”

“Because it is still a threat to me. I wasn’t able to destroy it without interacting with it in some way and just pressing the blade against my skin without piercing it is incredibly painful. I couldn’t hide it in the mountain or throw it away without risking someone else finding it and using it against me. So I locked it up in here, with the man both brave and ignorant enough to think he was able to use it against me.”

“Who else knows about its existence?”

“Only myself, the girls, Mother Miranda and the Duke, I believe.”

“The Duke?” You ask, turning to face her.

“Yes.”

“Who is that?”

“Oh, that’s right. He was here when you,” Alcina pauses and looks to the side before looking back at you with guilt in her eyes. “A few weeks ago.”

“When I locked myself in my room?”

“Precisely. He is a merchant, one of the, if not the best, that comes through town every few weeks. He’s actually due for a visit soon. Anyway,” she says, shaking her head. “The dagger is what I am truly afraid of. May I close it up?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely.”

Alcina strides towards the casket and slides the lid back into place. She makes it look effortless but you know if you tried to move that by yourself there’s a good chance you wouldn’t even be able to get it to budge.

“So what would happen if you were to actually get stabbed with it? Would it instantly kill you?”

“I don’t believe so. But it will halt my regeneration abilities, making me susceptible to any attacks. When I pricked my finger with the tip of it it took days for my regeneration abilities to return to normal. They didn’t cease, but they were significantly slowed. It also affected my ability to control the dragon inside of me. The dagger not only hurt myself but hurt it as well and I felt it thrashing against its cage trying to get out. I needed a significant amount of blood to restore myself. If I were to be penetrated with the full blade, or perhaps even half of it, it would be devastating to me and render me extremely vulnerable.”

“So if your regeneration abilities stopped, you could die?”

“Exactly. Essentially, the reason for my immortality is my regeneration abilities. If it was stopped or hindered in any way, I could die from an attack. I would still be able to take more damage than an average human would due to my size, but yes, enough stab wounds, gunshots or other attacks could certainly kill me.”

A shiver runs up your spine and you shake it off. You hate the fact that Alcina isn’t as immortal as you really thought. It terrifies you knowing that something so simple could be her downfall.

“I hate that that thing exists.” You say as you look away from the casket.

“So do I, draga. But it is locked away and is safe.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I promise.” She says, running her gloved fingers through your hair. “Some have tried to get the dagger but only one person out of the near dozen was able to collect just one of the masks to unlock the door before being caught.” She tucks a strand behind your ear and cups your face, guiding it up towards her.

“Okay.”

Alcina smiles and bends down to your level. 

“It is locked away and I am safe from it, iubirea mea.”

With your face still in your hand, she pulls you in for a kiss. The moment your lips meet hers all of the anxiety you had melts away. Sighing into her touch, you wrap your arms around her neck and deepen the kiss. Her tongue brushes across your lips and you part them, allowing her entrance into your mouth. As your tongues intertwine a small moan emerges from the back of your throat and into her mouth. Alcina lowers herself to the ground more so both of her knees are on the stone floor. With her free hand she pulls at the back of your leg and you follow her lead, wrapping your legs around her waist. Her hand leaves your leg and cups your ass, holding you tightly against her.

The kiss grows more passionate, more intense and Alcina bites down on your bottom lip. She doesn’t draw blood but you still let out a moan as she pulls your lip between her teeth. You dive back into the kiss, tangling your fingers into her hair and you give the hair on the back of her head a small pull. Alcina growls into your mouth and she tightens her grip on you.

The two of you break apart to catch your breath and your lips trail down her jaw and to her neck. You start kissing and sucking the column of her neck, biting down at her pulse point. To your pleasant surprise, Alcina lets out a moan when you do that and you continue to suck and kiss at the spot.

Alcina throws her head back as you mark up her neck, she can feel her chest heaving and an ache in her core begins to grow. When you bite down on her pulse point again she lets out a louder moan and her eyes roll into the back of her head. She’s about to push you to the ground and take you here and now until she opens her eyes and remembers the two of you are still in the Tower of Worship. Rolling her eyes, she lifts her head and cups your face, guiding you away from her neck to face her.

You follow Alcina’s hands as they guide you back up and your kiss-swollen lips meet hers once more. This kiss was softer, still passionate, but less intense. She pulls away a bit but stays close enough where her lips are still brushing against your as she speaks.

“I would want nothing more than to take you right here on this floor, draga mea. However I feel this tower is less than ideal to do so in.”

You didn’t even realize you were clenching around nothing until this minute. You can feel the wetness in between your legs and you too would want nothing more than to have her fuck you here and now, but she’s right. You nod your head in agreement and Alcina takes in a breath through her nose and slowly exhales. Her warm breath on your face is soothing but also just makes you want her more.

“Mmm, you smell delightful iubirea mea.” She whispers.

You smile in response and rub your nose against hers. She rests her forehead against yours and the two of you sit in a comfortable silence for a minute, just enjoying being in each other's arms.

“I missed you.” You whisper, breaking the silence.

“I missed you so much, iubirea mea. I am so sorry you keep getting hurt and we keep losing time together. I will make it up to you, I promise.”

“It’s not your fault, Alcina. It’s okay. But I would love to spend some time with you.” You say.

With one last kiss the two of you part and stare into each other’s eyes. Her gold irises are sparkling in the afternoon sun as if they were made with glitter. What you wouldn’t give to be able to spend the rest of your life looking into them.

Alcina bites her bottom lip and looks away. She has a bashful look on her face and you can’t help but chuckle.

“What?”

She doesn’t look up at you as she chews on her bottom lip for a moment. You can see the wheels turning in her head. She releases her lip from her teeth and she takes a breath before adjusting her posture and sitting up straight. Her eyes meet yours once more. There’s a vulnerable look in her eyes that you don’t get to see all that often but it makes your heart melt every time.

“Would you,” she begins to say before her eyes flicker down and back up to yours. “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

The small smile you were sporting grows into a full grin.

“I would love to.”

Alcina releases a breath as if she was relieved and smiles back at you. You don’t dare to point it out, even though you want to. It’s not easy for her to be vulnerable with you and you know how hard it can be, even still, for her to express her vulnerability. If anything, you find it absolutely adorable that she thought for even a second you would say no. There’s a part of you that worries that maybe she doubted it because you haven’t shown her enough love, but the more realistic side of you knows she’s just traumatized from her past and hasn’t done something like this - and wasn’t rejected by someone - in a long, long time.

“Wonderful. I shall plan a lovely evening for us.”

“I am very excited. Have we been on a proper date before?”

Alcina thinks for a moment before furrowing her brows and tilting her head.

“Truthfully, draga. I’m not sure. But whatever happened, or didn’t happen then, was then. This date will mark a new chapter of our newly rekindled love.”

“That sounds perfect.” You say before kissing her.

When the kiss ends she lets go of you and your feet slide back down to the ground. Alcina stands up, brushes off her dress and reaches out for your hand. Taking her large hand in yours, the two of you walk out of the Tower of Worship and back into the castle.

Alcina closes the doors and begins to remove the masks from the statues.

“So when are we going to go on this date?” You ask.

“Hm, well, I would like some time to plan something perfect, which shouldn’t take very long. And tomorrow night I have to go out and search for the hunters. I’ve put it off for long enough and it cannot wait any longer.”

A knot forms in the pit of your stomach and Alcina notices the worried look plastered across your face.

“Do not fret, draga mea. I will not engage with any hunters I come across unless I absolutely have to.”

“What if they have weapons that are made of the same thing as that dagger?”

“Oh, iubirea mea.” She says before walking over to you and bending down to your height. “I promise you, that dagger is the only one of its kind in existence. If it weren’t, nearly every intruder who has come here to try and kill me would have one.” She cups your face and caresses your cheek with her thumb. “I promise, none of their weapons can harm me. Even if a grenade were to go off in my hands, it would certainly hurt and do damage, but not nearly enough to stop me. Please don’t fret about it.”

“Okay.” You say as you nod your head.

Alcina kisses your forehead and stands back up. She walks over to the final statue and removes the mask. You can hear the gears shift in the door behind you and after a few seconds you hear it lock.

“So how about two nights from now?”

“Sure, that would be perfect. As long as you’re okay with doing it the night after you go out.”

“That will not be an issue, iubirea mea. Then it’s set. Two nights from now you and I will go on a date.”

“I’m excited to see what you come up with.”

“I have a few ideas I believe you will be more than pleased with.” She says with a smirk and a wink. “I am going to return the masks to their places. I believe lunch will be served soon, I should be back by the time the bells ring.”

“Okay!”

“Te iubesc.” She whispers before bending down to kiss you.

“I love you too.” You whisper back.

“Now please try and keep yourself out of trouble while I’m gone.” She says, shooting you a wink as she walks away.

“I make no promises.” You quip.

Alcina playfully rolls her eyes and tries her best to hide the smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.

Not long after the lunch bell rings. You make your way into the dining room and are met by two swarms. Bela and Daniela appear and sit in their seats. Looking over at Cassandra’s empty chair, you can’t help but feel your heart sink a little. Maybe you didn’t get through to her as much as you thought you did after all.

A minute later Alcina ducks through the door and greets you and the girls. She sees Cassandra’s empty chair and you see a sadness glaze over her eyes before she masks it. Alcina sits in her chair and elegantly places her napkin over her lap. She takes a sip of her wine and just as she’s about to speak, the doors open and a swarm of flies enters the dining room.

Cassandra emerges from it and takes her seat. You look over at Alcina and you see her eyes light up with happiness. Bela and Daniela also have smiles on their faces when they see their sister enter the dining room. For the first time in a while, your whole family is together again. Your heart feels so full it might burst.

“Sorry I’m late, the bells are hard to hear in the dungeon.” Cassandra says.

“It’s alright, draga, no need to fret.” Alcina says with a smile.

Lunch is served and all of you dig into your meals. Bela, Cassandra and Daniela laugh and joke and bother each other as they usually do. Alcina halfheartedly scolds them while trying to hide her smile or her laughter behind her drink. It was the first family meal in a long time where everything finally felt normal and you couldn’t be more grateful for it.

#willalove75 #lady dimitrescu #wlw fanfic #alcina dimitres #lady dimitrescu fanfic #re8 lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #lady alcina #alcina x female reader #alcina x reader #alcina dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #re8 fanfiction #re8 alcina #re8 village #re8 cassandra

[joekeeryswife]

Hi girl!!

I had an idea for a while now and I thought you might want to hear

It’s kind of a two paragraph thing

Reader and Joel are married and she is Sarah’s mother and also pregnant and she planned to tell Joel the day after the outbreak but doesn’t get to it. The day of the outbreak she was working late and never got home. Joel is sure he lost his entire family but reader (and the baby) made it through.

Twenty years later in Jackson a woman in her early fifties and a twenty year old young man/ woman (your call). After confirming they are not infected and have no bad intentions they meet Tommy , that leads to a beautiful and emotional family reunion.

Thank you🫶🏼🫶🏼

Apocalypse - J.M

hey honeys! first Joel imagine.. changed it slightly to instead of y/n being Sarah’s bio mum to her step mum but been with her practically her whole life🫶 i kinda made this like y/n’s friends where trying to protect her from hearing what was going on and ive also kinda not specified how y/n got lost until the end. i love a good angsty imagine!!! I ACTUALLY HATE THIS SORRY! I PROMISE MY NEXT JOEL IMAGINE WILL BE BETTER! enjoy reading xx (Joel is 36 and reader is 27 at the beginning)

(join my taglist🫶)

September 26th 2003

“i promise i’ll be home early today. i’m only on a half day so try not to be late as well yeah? i have something to tell you” it was 6:30 in the morning and Joel didn’t have to get up for another two hours. you felt him nod and with you both sharing ‘i love you’s’ and a quick kiss on his cheek you were gone.

being a midwife was hard, especially when it pulled you away from your family. today was Joel’s 36th birthday and every year you would usually all spend the day together but this year, you and Joel had been pulled into work. you were meant to both be off but someone had called in sick and you had been persuaded into going in.

you had been excited for this day, you had found out last month that you were pregnant, 12 weeks when you found out, and you wanted to wait for his birthday to tell him. you had planned to tell him at dinner with Sarah. you had been in Sarah’s life since she was 5, she was 12 now and ever since she had met you she begged you and Joel for a brother or sister.

honestly you were excited, you had been with Joel for seven years and now was finally the right time for you and him to become parents. you had discussed it a few times in the past and one thing led to another and you both decided to start trying and as luck would have it, third time lucky you got pregnant. you had your first scan at work and decided to keep the gender a secret for now but being a midwife meant you could possibility find out the gender just by looking at the ultrasound picture so you hadn’t looked too closely.

-♡-

when you finally clocked in at work you already felt tired. being pregnant, nauseous with a headache did not help you whatsoever but money was money and you needed to start saving for your baby. “hey mama, how are you?” your co-worker and best friend Julia said as you entered the staff room. you sighed at set your bag and coat down on the table before sitting down.

your shift hadn’t even started yet and you were already ready to go home “hey, i’m alright. you been on the floor yet?” you tucked your hair behind your ear and rubbed a hand over your face. “no not yet but i’m sure when we go on we will be dealing with most of it” what she said was true, most of the staff here didn’t listen to instructions so it was up to you, Julia and a few other staff members to clean up their mess.

there were a few other co workers in the staff room with you, most of them eating their breakfast but it was practically silent except the two of you talking. “let’s go, i just want to get this day over with” and with a nod you both stood up to go to the delivery floor.

“you finally telling him tonight?” Julia asked you as she looked through a patient file “yeah, him and Sarah. she’s been begging for years so it’ll be nice to tell them at the same time. i was going to pick her up from school and tell her before but you know, duty calls” you joked. the two of you laughed and started making your way to a patients bedroom.

-♡-

you had been at work for eight hours before you finally got a break and sat down. it had been hectic and all you wanted to do was go home but your head of department had let you know that you would be staying at work way past the time you were meant to go home. three more people had called in sick and he thought because you were here you were supposed to stay.

you got your phone out of your scrubs pocket and dialled Joel’s number. it took a few rings before he finally answered. “hey sweetheart” he said in his thick Texan accent. “hey honey, happy birthday” you replied as you smiled, all you wanted to do right now was go home and cuddle with Joel. “thank you baby, how’s work?” you scoffed.

“that’s what i wanted to talk to you about. David is making me work till late, says there’s too many people calling in sick so i have to stay on” you heard him sigh

“you booked this day off months ago and they make you come in and they can’t let you leave at the time you’re meant to? that’s bullshit baby” you could sense that he was rolling his eyes.

“i know, i’m sorry. i begged him to let me come home but he wouldn’t budge.” you felt awful, letting him down on his birthday because of your stupid job.

“i’m gonna try my best to get home before 9 i promise, i want to spend at least an hour of your birthday with you” you said, trying to lighten the mood.

“don’t stress yourself too much baby okay? we always have tomorrow to celebrate. you said about telling me something this morning, is everything alright?” you opened your mouth to answer but Julia came into the staff room looking for you, a panicked expression on her face.

“y/n i’m so sorry but i need your help” you sighed, feeling deflated. you couldn’t even have a full break. your whole body was aching and you wanted a moment to just sit down and talk to your husband.

“i’m guessing you’ve got to go” Joel said making you laugh and roll you eyes. “i’m sorry, yeah i do. i’m okay though Joel, i’ll talk to you when i’m home okay? i love you” before he could answer you quickly hung up and followed Julia.

-♡-

“that was a weird conversation” Tommy said as he peered over at Joel who looked confused. “she sounds stressed. ain’t had a fucking day off in three weeks. barely see her now” he knew you loved your job but he also knew how much it stressed you out.

“maybe there’s a reason she’s been working so much?” Joel scoffed “she’s been tryna get a day off for ages and her boss is a fucking asshole, don’t give two shits about anyone except for himself”

“she’s gonna try get home a bit earlier but i doubt it, gonna do something together tomorrow if they allow her the time off” Joel wanted to have one day where you could all spend the day together, or even just a day that you and Joel could be together without worrying about anyone else.

“hey, old man, turn up that radio for a second” Joel chuckled and rolled his eyes, Tommy wasn’t even listening to a word he said but nevertheless he turned up the radio.

‘there has been suspicious activity in Indonesia, people are acting strange which has spread through many different countries. the government is advising that people stay indoors-’

“what a load of bullshit that is, turn it back down” Tommy scoffed and got back to work and Joel turned down the radio, what had that been all about?

“why don’t you finish early today? i know you told Sarah you’d be back late but you should go home”

“i gotta get this job finished, i told her latest ill be back is 9 now shut up so we can maybe get this finished quicker” with that, the two of them got on with the job.

-♡-

it was now 12:30am and there was no way you were leaving work yet. everything was just going wrong, so many people coming into the hospital to give birth (which was a given) but the amount of times the alarm had went off in the main hospital ward was ridiculous.

every 20 minutes like clockwork the alarm meant off meaning something violent was happening or a lot of people were not responding.

“i just want to go home” you said to Amy, the front desk worker as you stood in front of her, your head falling on the desk carefully. “go home, seriously” you looked up at her and saw her with an expression you’d never seen on her face before, pure panic and seriousness.

“are you kidding? David would fire me if i went home, besides there’s too many people off sick and i need to-" she shook her head and cut you off “y/n. go home. there’s been some weird shit on the radio, people going crazy, you’re pregnant and you need to be safe so go home”

your body filled with anxiety, you’d never seen her like this ever. you nodded “yeah uh, okay, i’ll go home now. you stay safe Amy yeah?” with that you quickly rushed to find Julia to let her know you were going.

you didn’t know why but the way Amy spoke sent a shiver down your spine. was Joel and Sarah okay? was your parents okay? were your family okay? you felt nervous and worried.

you quickly ran to the staff room and grabbed your stuff before searching for Julia. “Emma, have you seen Julia?” Emma was another midwife who worked with you. “yeah she’s at front desk, why have you got your stuff, did David say you could go home?” you ignored her and ran back to the front desk.

“y/n go home, what are you still doing here?” Julia asked as she saw you jogging towards her “i came to find you to tell you i’m leaving. Amy said there’s something going on but i didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye to you”

you didn’t know why the two of them were being a little secretive. Julia felt her eyes water slightly and she hugged you “i’ll see you soon okay? get home safely and look after that baby” you hugged her back. “i will, i promise” with that she let go of you and with that you left the hospital.

as you were driving home all you could hear on the radio was ‘an outbreak has happened, get home and lock your doors’

you felt sick, what type of outbreak? you quickly got your phone and called Joel, you were scared, terrified even and you needed to know he was okay.

“Joel, i’m 20 minutes from home, what the fuck is happening? they look like they’re blocking the highway off, i’m just pulling into town now” you could hear Tommy in the background telling Joel what to say “baby listen carefully okay? don’t go home, go to straight to town, don’t talk to anyone, don’t stop the car for anyone just try get there” his voice was filled with panic “Joel what-”

he cut you off “i’m going to get Sarah and we will meet you there as quickly as we can, i will find you there i promise. i love you okay? if i don’t get-”

you looked at your phone which had abruptly cut the call. “Joel?” you dialled his number again but the call went straight to answer phone.

you hoped whatever was happening that Joel, Sarah and Tommy would make it out safe and you prayed that you found them before whatever this virus was destroyed everything.

-♡-

“get in the truck, right now” Joel shouted as he got out of the truck with a wrench in his hand. Joel pushed Sarah to the truck but stopped when he saw Mrs Adler.

Joel froze in fear as he saw the usually quiet old lady who sits in her chair run toward them, screeches coming from her. in the time he had lived in that house he had never heard a single sound from that lady yet here she was running.

“what are we doing Joel?” Tommy lifted the gun up, fear laced his voice. Mrs Adler was coming closer and closer by the second and without thinking Joel hit her over the head with the wrench.

she fell to the ground and stopped moving. what the fuck had he just done? he dropped the wrench and quickly turned to look at Sarah who looked terrified.

he put his hands on her cheeks carefully “you killed her” Sarah said, her voice breaking slightly. “baby i’m so sorry” he pulled her in for a hug, his hand cradling the back of her head.

“Joel, we gotta go” Joel pulled away from Sarah “it’s not just the Adlers okay? but we are gonna be brave and we are gonna get out of this” the three of them got into the truck and drove off.

“they’re saying it’s some kind of virus, a parasite” Tommy said as he drove quickly down the road toward the town. “are we sick?” Sarah asked, her eyes filled with tears as fear overtook her body.

“no, course not” Joel quickly said, trying his best to reassure her. “how do you know we are not sick?” Joel turned to look at Sarah then back at Tommy.

“they said it’s mostly people in the city. that’s why they’ve got most of the highway blocked off” Tommy glanced over at Joel then focused back on the road.

“what about mum? she works in the city? is she sick? where is she?” she asked, her eyes darting between the two men.

“mum is fine, i spoke to her before i got you. she’s not sick, she’s in town and we are going there right now okay? she’s fine” to be honest Joel didn’t know if you were okay. it had been thirty minutes since he last spoke to you and he had no idea where you were. he just hoped you were somewhere safe until he could find you.

-♡-

November 12th 2023

20 years. it had been 20 years since Joel had last saw you and he was sure you were dead. he had promised you he would find you, keep you safe and he failed to do that. he felt like he had failed you and failed Sarah and he wanted nothing more then to be with you.

when they got to town is was destroyed, fires everywhere, cars flipped over, people dead in the road and there was absolutely no way he would have been able to find you.

he would have nightmares every night. the nightmare of Sarah dying in his arms the same way over and over again but with you, he had no idea how you died. he had dreamed every way imaginable that you died and it was awful. he felt disgusted with himself every single day for not being with you.

he would think about how different life would be if the outbreak didn’t happen. the two of you would have had two kids, both girls, moved into a bigger house more in the countryside and lived together forever, but then he’d realise what had happened and images of that night came crashing back.

Joel had decided to move to Jackson after the whole ordeal with Ellie realising that that was what was best for her. Jackson was safe, secure, nothing could happen to her and he felt somewhat free from the world outside those walls.

they had been in Jackson for six months at this point and life had finally started to feel somewhat normal again. he was grateful Maria gave him a chance to turn his life around after feeling his stopped because of what happened to you and Sarah. he wanted to be better for Ellie now, she was his main priority.

it was a Sunday and usually the whole of Jackson would have a day off (except from patrols) and Joel and Ellie had decided to take a walk through Jackson. it was snowing but it was nice to walk through the streets and see families be happy together.

Tommy had been helping the builders by the front gates when they opened meaning the patrollers had come back from their shift. he looked up briefly and saw two new people on the backs of Maria’s and Michael’s horses.

he didn’t know why but he felt the need to go over there and greet them, coming into somewhere like this could be scary for some who hadn’t been in this sort of environment for a while so he wanted them to feel welcomed.

the patrollers stopped and everyone got off their horses. Tommy had a warm smile on his face as he saw the younger woman out of the two lace her arm around the older woman’s.

as he got a closer look he couldn’t believe what he saw. a woman who he thought he’d never see in his life again was standing right in front of him. his heart swelled with joy and he didn’t know why but he felt his eyes fill with tears.

“Tommy?” before he could even talk the woman spoke making his assumption correct, it was you. you looked a little older, you had a few scars littered around your face and your hair which used to be quite long was now shoulder length but suited you so much.

“y/n, it is you oh my god” he rushed toward you and wrapped his arms around you. you couldn’t believe it, Tommy was here.

your brother in law who you thought had died was here, did that mean Sarah and Joel were here too?

“i thought you had died, i didn’t think id ever see you again-” Tommy was cut off quickly when he heard his brothers voice behind him.

“Tommy who the hell are you hugging?” Joel and Ellie had walked toward the gate when they realised there were a few new people. you pulled away from Tommy and your eyes immediately made eye contact with the ones you used to love staring into.

Joel’s heart felt like time had stopped. there was no way he was staring at the woman he loved right now, there was no way, it had been 20 years and he thought you were dead. “Joel” he heard you whisper.

you quickly made your way toward him and wrapped your arms around his shoulders. “y/n” he pulled you in closer and kissed your forehead. “my god i thought you were dead” his voice cracked as he spoke, both of you had tears in your eyes.

“i promise i tried to find you but there were people everywhere-” you pulled away slightly, shook your head and kissed him passionately. he hadn’t felt anything like this since the outbreak, happiness. you were here, you weren’t dead, he hadn’t failed you. 

“you would have never of found me. don’t beat yourself up over it Joel” his eyes scanned your face, you still looked as beautiful as ever. you noticed the young girl stood next to him confused, where was Sarah?

“where’s Sarah Joel? is she here? i bet she’s gotten so much taller” his face softened “she died on the day of the outbreak” you felt your heart drop, you sweet Sarah was gone.

“oh Joel, i’m so sorry” your hands went to his cheeks, stroking it softly. “it’s okay, i think i’ve finally come to terms with it” he turned to look at Ellie who was just watching the two of you.

“Ellie this is y/n, my wife that i told you about” you turned your head to look at her too. “i realised with all the kissing and hugging the two of you did” her voice was filled with sarcasm which actually made you giggle quietly.

“it’s nice to meet you Ellie” she just gave you a small smile and a nod. “i, uh Joel” you pulled away and turned around to see Margot stood awkwardly behind you. “this is Margot” he looked at the young girl, she looked about 20 years old.

dark hair, dark eyes but her face looked almost identical to yours. Margot walked closer to the two of you “she’s your daughter” he frowned “what?” he unwrapped his arms from around you “i know it’s a lot to take in-”

he quickly made his way to Margot and hugged her close “hi dad” he heard her say, voice filled with anxiety. he was just as anxious as her “hi baby girl”

you watched the two of them with teary eyes, you never thought that this was where you would be 20 years into the pandemic. in a safe haven with your daughter and your husband finally happy once again.

#fanfiction #imagines #joel miller x female reader #joel miller #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x you #joel miller imagines #joel miller imagine #joel miller x reader #joel miller tlou #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character #pedro pascal

[awkwardchaosposts]

Scrubs

Chishiya x gn!reader [hospital au] part 3

TW!: mentions of casualties,slight swearing

/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\

Another long day. Working overtime was a common thing. Especially for a workaholic like Chishiya.

He raised an eyebrow when seeing you. It's 8am,you should've clicked out an hour ago. Then again the same went for him.

But it was different. It just was.

"What're you still doing here?"

"Waiting"

"For who?"

"You"

Your answer caught him off guard. He was even more confused when you offered him half of your sandwich.

"You shouldn't work overtime. As your colleague and superior I prohibit it"

His answer to your kind gesture was just weird to you

"You prohibit it? What are you? my dad?"

He smirked at your amusement,shaking his head. "Do what you want I don't care"

You smirked,taking hold of his arm as you walked alongside him. "Hmm sure you don't"

A silence fell over the room and he couldn't help but stare at you. You looked like an absolute wreck. Everyone did after a 12 hour shift.

But...something about you was still quite pretty to him. Even with your dark underbags and messy hair.

He sighed,supporting your back. You didn't have the best sense of direction, especially when you were tired

"Don't sleep too late"

"I thought you said you didn't care"

"Shut up"

~*~*~*~*~*

A regular morning presented itself on your next shift. Things were actually going quite slow at the hospital but you'd never say it out loud.

You sipped your caramel frappuccino when a familiar voice spoke.

"You know that's very unhealthy right? I heard it contains 420 calories."

"You know where you can shove that info?" You smiled,glancing at him only to be met with an unamused stare as he crossed his arms. "Haha very funny"

"I'm hilarious I know" you grinned,glancing at him before noticing something.

"You drink black coffee?"

Chishiya was confused why you stared at him as if he's just committed a crime.

"Yes. Why?"

"Do you hate yourself?"

He has to surpress a chuckle,shaking his head. "I like enjoying coffee how it's supposed to be. Black" he then glanced at your drink. "At this point you're consuming more sugar than caffeine"

You rolled your eyes at his comment but got an idea. "Wanna swap? We'll see who's right here"

Chishiya was never one to pass up a challenge. "Sure"

And so the cups exchanged and you both took a sip,silent for a moment.

You hated to admit it but he wasn't wrong. The taste was bitter but oddly sweet at the end. It confused you.

The man to your right looked equally as confused. This sweet drink. It was...delicious.

"It tastes like crap" you both said at the same time,glancing at each other.

~*~*~*~*~

The doctor was happy to finally go on his break without having to worry about an unstable patient although his relief turned into confusion when he saw you arguing with someone.

"Shh don't say that!"

Idiots. That's what you were in his eyes.

He sighed,approaching both of you. "Don't say what?"

You turned to him in disbelief. "A person should never say that it's a slow day in a hospital. It's bad luck" you explained

This only made him scoff. How ridiculous. "You don't actually believe that do you? How gullible are you?"

He teased with a slight smirk. "Trust me,nothing's going to go wro-"

"Code orange,code orange,code orange"

The intercom went off,cutting the doctors and med students' break short as they had new patients to attend to. Lots of them

(Code orange: Mass Casualty/CBRNE)

/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\/⁠ᐠ⁠｡⁠ꞈ⁠｡⁠ᐟ⁠\

#aib chishiya #chishiya alice in borderland #chishiya shuntaro #aib fluff #alice in borderland #chishiya x reader #chishiya x y/n #chishiya x you #chishiya x oc #hospital au #hospital #doctor au #hot doctor #alice in boderland x reader #aib x reader #med student #gn reader #gender neutral reader #gender neutral y/n

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for not telling my boyfriend when I got home so I could hear him sing?

My (22m) boyfriend (23m) have been together for a few years, living together for the past 4 months. He's a singer, and an absolutely incredible one at that. He doesn't perform for a living, but doing so has definetly been a dream of his from a young age.

I tend to work later in the day than him, (he's a morning person… takes opening shifts a lot. I could never) so on the nights he does the dishes, I get home to see him washing the dishes with his headphones on, usually singing along to whatever he's listening to. He doesn't tend to hear me come in the door, so I almost always either give him a tap on the shoulder or a hug to let him know I'm home.

The thing is- he really doesn't like when people hear him practice. Vocals especially. He's talked about times he would be working on learning a new song as a young teen and one of his parents would pop their head in to ask him about something, and he would be suppressing tears for a while after. His anxiety around it has gotten a lot better than it used to be, he knows in such a small apartment I'll hear him practicing, but it's still something he usually prefers to be alone for. If he's particularly stressed I'll go out for a walk or put my own headphones in to give him a chance to work without that added anxiety. Either way, I'll usually leave the room so he can repeat whatever line keeps tripping him up without apologizing.

We both see "singing to himself while doing the dishes" and "practicing a new complex song for his band/an audition/for fun" as very different, he'll often even keep singing even if i hang out in the kitchen, (something he's mentioned not being comfortable doing around most- nearly made me cry.) but it changes. I know it does. He sings with so much more freedom when he doesn't think anyone is paying attention, switching between random harmonies and not worrying about his voice cracking if he tries to sing a note a bit too high. Once he realizes I'm home he always quiets down a little bit, or keeps his headphones on one ear so he can pay attention to his vocals with the other. He doesn't realize how much I love hearing his unpolished work. He's never been against performance, I don't think the words "stage fright" have ever been a part of his vocabulary. If I ask him to sing for me, he'll pick up his guitar or put on a backtrack and sing whatever he thinks is polished enough to perform. Onstage his voice is just heavenly, and he fucking knows it. But he just- hates letting people hear him when it's not perfect.

Cut to yesterday- I got home late, and he was washing the dishes, singing to himself, headphones covering both of his ears. He wasn't all that loud, but was so clearly just getting into what he was singing. I can't remember exactly what it was he was singing along to right as I got home, but I just- really wanted to listen. I didn't want to hear his voice get all quiet when he realized I'm there, so I just- sat down on the couch for once. I let him get through another few songs before I got up and hugged him as if I had only just gotten home. He hadn't noticed anything. I didn't tell him. Once he knew I was there, he stopped singing.

I don't think he'd be mad if he found out I waited to let him know I was home, but that doesn't stop a small part of me from worrying. Does he not want to sing around me for a reason? I know logically it's something he's always struggled with, but… I just don't want him to have to censor himself around me. I want him to feel comfortable enough to just keep singing when I get home. But since he's not- I just got home and let him sing without knowing I was there. And I could be an asshole for kind of knowingly breaking the unspoken boundary he's put up- He doesn't want to imperfectly sing around me. And since I always come let him know as soon as I'm home, he can stop himself from singing once I'm there. Maybe I'm overthinking it- but I'm really worried I broke a boundary somehow. AITA?

TL,DR: My boyfriend usually sings while doing the dishes, but always stops singing (or gets a lot quieter) as soon as he knows I'm home. I usually let him know as soon as I'm there, but yesterday I just sat on the couch and listened to him sing for a few extra minutes when I first got home without him noticing, and now I'm worried I broke a boundary.

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[tired-biscuit]

we need more angst with stepbrother kiba 🙏🏼 the jealous and the fear to tell the truth ughhhh i need more

imagine that after the awkward encounter of him knocking on your door and you giving him the cold shoulder, you end up spiralling into some kind of rebellion phase.

i mean, if he can do it, why can’t you? so you start partying more often rather than hanging out with him in the living room, and dress yourself in those pretty but short clothes that have been gathering dust in the back of your closet, and stop calling him to pick you up, and basically completely shut him out of your life in the process.

he watches from the sidelines for a couple of weeks as you let yourself go wild, walking on thin ice and trying to initiate contact again just to be brushed off each time in response and outright ignored. it drives him crazy. drives him mad. he hates being ignored, especially by you.

and kiba being kiba, he just can’t keep his mouth shut, you know? so it’s no wonder that he throws a backhanded comment your way when you bump into each other in the kitchen one late night after you come back from yet another party and he’s left his room to rummage through the fridge for a midnight snack.

he doesn’t talk to you at first, but he stares. your make up is smudged under your eyes and you smell like overly sweet perfume and sweat. the first couple of buttons of your top are undone and the skirt you’ve got on is so short that he can see the back of your thighs when you walk past him to grab yourself a glass of water. you’ve clearly been having some fun with someone that definitely isn’t him, he doesn’t need to ask to know that.

and that makes his chest tighten, painfully so. he knows he’s got no right, he knows, but he just can’t help but turn snarky and mean because of the jealousy that sears his heart and causes his jaw to clench so harshly that he’s gritting his teeth. like, really mean.

he mutters something disrespectful about your messy appearance. for some reason, you also can’t help yourself, so you throw a rude remark right back instead of simply continuing to pretend like he doesn’t exist. as is expected, it goes back and forth like this; with both of you refusing to relent, the tension quickly rises and already hot blood begins to simmer within your veins.

blind anger turns you both terribly inconsiderate. by the time he calls you a slut and you tell him that you wish he just straight up died, you’re nearly at each other’s throats. your voices grow in volume and it gets so bad that your father has to rush out of bed and down the stairs to see what all the commotion is about, only to end up having to hold you back because you’re seconds away from clawing your stepbrother’s eyes out.

doors are slammed shut when you both go to bed that night and neither of you sleeps well. but when morning comes and you venture back downstairs, you’re relieved to find out that he’s already out of the house. the only time you see him again in the following days is during family dinners in the evenings and if you sometimes cross paths on your way to your respective bedrooms, but even then it’s fucking awful.

you even go as far as to switch seats at the table. you sit next to your dad and he sits next to his mom, and neither of you talks or looks at each other during the entire meal. your parents think this is just a hurdle you’ll get over eventually, a mere bump in the road — most siblings have fights, don’t they? — but they don’t know the reason as to why that bump is there in the first place. they don’t know that it’s way more complicated than simple bickering between a brother and sister. they don’t know shit.

and neither do you. you don’t know that your shift in attitude stems from attraction yet, while he’s pretty positive that he’s got the hots for his little stepsister, but refuses to admit it to himself. so you’re both frustrated as hell.

but hey, maybe it’s better this way. after all, if you’re on bad terms and not speaking to each other, he can stop fooling himself with the idea of actually having a chance to find out what the inside of your mouth tastes like.

come to think of it, he’s just being a good big brother; protecting you like he always does.

only this time he’s protecting you from himself.

#cw stepcest #biscuit mail

[creatchie8]

Yellow Soul: Chapter Five

Marmalade

Chapter Summary: With Wabang in your rearview mirror you can finally breathe again.

Pairing: Rhett Abbott/Fem!Reader

Warnings: Minors DNI, ANGST!!, Cheating

Word Count: 3,000ish

A/N: Wow it's like embarrassing updating after not doing so for a while. This chapter is short because I just had to finish that little timeline so I can start on what I am most excited for. This is like the fastest I have ever wrote a chapter. Happy March!

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - Masterlist

A sharp bang! echoes through the barn and a string of curses follow it. The ringing noise causes you to jump, the wood bench creaking under your sudden shift of weight. Looking up from your phone you see Rhett clutching his hand tightly, his freckled nose wrinkled up as he looks at his injured fist. 

“What happened?” You ask as you get up, boots shuffling through the dirt to get to him. Rhett was reluctant to give his hand to you as you reached for it, shooting him an annoyed look before he let you. 

“Was tryna loosen that bolt right there on the alternator, someone didn’t want that thing comin’ off-'' He gestured to the jumble of parts that sits under your hood, “The bolt finally broke loose and I hit m’hand on the block.” He winced as you looked his hand over, satisfied to find nothing of severe damage. 

“Sorry.” You offer him a sympathetic smile before letting him retract his hand from your grip, “It'll just bruise probably. You can be done, I’m stuck here for another few days so we really don’t have to fix it now.” You explain, grateful for his help but not wanting to take him for granted or overwork him when you knew he had other things planned today. 

“No it's okay. I'm almost done, promise.” He smiles and brushes his hand over the top of your head, careful not to mess up the two french braids you plaited this morning and pecked you on the forehead. Smiling, you chase his lips and steal a kiss before sitting back down on the bench to the side of him. 

Happily, you snuggled tighter into your jacket, warmed by the heat lamp Rhett had set up by you. Even though you had protested because of how ridiculous and frivolous it had seemed, you were secretly thankful he had turned it on. You felt like a little chicken, huddled close and waiting for Rhett to finish. 

Originally, the plan was to have your dad work on your truck. He was the one that came with you when you were a teenager to buy the vehicle, he had helped you fix it before. But this morning when you got in and tried to start it, nothing. Just that awful high pitched whirring sound it made as it tried its best to start. Perry had already gone to work, or else you would have him help you. But, you were thankful that Rhett was helping you instead. He knew the most about vehicles, especially compared to Perry. 

Rhett helped you push your truck into the barn, insisting that having it under the protective cover of wood would help him work better. Conveniently ensuring the two of you were alone while he worked. You wanted to stay with him anyways, you would have felt guilty if he was stuck in the barn by himself. 

The two of you had been texting more. Nothing spectacular or intense, but probably now the same amount normal people text. Asking each other where you were when you left the house, asking how the other one was. The occasional, ‘You up?’ late at night when everyone else was asleep. 

You were leaving to go back to college in a few days, and that's when you would break up with Perry. Over the phone, where you had the power to hang up if he started yelling at you. The guilt was there. It was not like you were this heartless monster of a woman who loved cheating on her boyfriend. The hate you felt inside was immeasurable, something you don't think you will ever be able to shake. 

So many things happened at once, it was like the universe finally telling you what to do after so many years of waiting for a sign. You had not told Rhett of your plan, not explicitly that is. When you did talk about leaving to go back, he got the hint. But were you guys going to get together after you and Perry broke up? That was a whole other complicated… thing. 

The two of you talk about so many things. Family, horses, rodeo, school. But never what was planned to happen after.

Surprisingly, you had a lot in common. Rhett was funny and sweet, affectionate when he could be, and even when there was nothing to talk about the silence was never awkward. He made you laugh with your whole chest, and sometimes it wasn't even on purpose. He had this habit of making little remarks about his surroundings, muttering to himself like you couldn't hear him. 

And you liked him, a lot. 

You were sure no one noticed. You were far too paranoid to leave any hint that something could be going on between the two of you. It was not easy to pretend, but you had been doing it for what seemed like an eternity, so knowing that there was a light at the end of the tunnel made the rest of the week bearable. 

“I can hear you thinking, what is it?” Rhett’s voice snaps you from your thoughts, drawing your eyes from the ground to meet his. He was wiping his dirty hands with a rag, cocking his head to the side as he looked at you. 

“Nothing. Just…” You inhaled and sighed, slowly standing up and stretching your arms above your head, “Just nervous. Lots of stress going back to school.” You muttered, slowly making your way over to Rhett. He had his arms outstretched when you got close enough, pulling you into a tight hug while he kissed the top of your head. 

“It’s gonna be okay.” You pull back and look up at him doubtfully, your lips pulling down in a slight frown, “I don't know how I know, I just do. So trust me.” Rhett insisted, his eyes flicking down to your lips before meeting your eyes again. 

“What? Are you like some fortune teller, hmm?” You tease, planting your hands on his chest, playing with the frayed fibers there.

“Somethin’ like that.” Rhett chuckled, one hand trailing up your back to tug on one of your braids jokingly. With your head tipped back, he took a chance to steal a kiss from you, smiling as you let out a small noise of protest against his lips. 

Letting go of your braid, his hand trailed back down to your waist, slipping his fingers into your back pocket. You deepened the kiss, chasing his warm mouth against the cold air of the barn. His jacket was gripped tightly in your fists, afraid to let him go. A snort escaped his nose, drawing back so just your foreheads were brushing.

“I aint goin’ anywhere.” Rhett whispers against your lips, his eyes half-lidded. 

It was a promise you knew he couldn't keep. Maybe he thought he could keep it, that everything would work itself out. You kept kissing him, spreading your fingers wide over the large expanse of his broad chest as you ignored his words.   

He turned your bodies, now pressing your back into the front of your truck. You felt warmth in your chest, drunk on his scent that surrounded you, the kisses getting messy. You could taste his breath, minty from his gum he spit out earlier. Forcefully, he nudged a leg in between yours, pinning you right where you were. He slipped his tongue inside your mouth as you gasped from where his thigh was.    

Cold hands framed your face, palms on your cheeks and you could smell the metallic-dirty scent of your truck. His thumbs brushed your cheekbones, your heart beating out of your chest. 

Suddenly, you were pushed away. Stumbling away from the truck and from Rhett. You blinked rapidly, dizzy as you tried to figure out what was going on. Your vision cleared up, and your blood ran ice cold. A loud clanging could be heard through your daze. 

Royal was standing in the doorway of the barn, the scenery behind him like a blank wasteland. It was a sharp contrast to his looming, dark figure. He stared at the two of you for what seemed like ages, in slow motion his eyes went between the two of you, expression vacant of any emotion. 

You hadn't even heard the door open, and it seemed like Rhett barely did before shoving you away. Tears welled up in your eyes, stinging while you felt your bottom lip quiver. It was like every emotion crashed into you at once, not letting you process what was going on. 

“A cow died in the west pasture. I’m thinkin’ last night.” Royal started, pulling off a glove to scratch at his brow. Rhett clenched his fists, his back completely turned to you, unable to see his expression. 

Pain blossomed on your ear, your senses coming back to you. Slowly, you lifted your hand to touch where it hurt, finding one of your earrings gone. When pushing you back his hand must've caught on it and pulled it out. You looked at your hand and found no blood, determining that it had just fallen out. Standing still, you looked at the ground, trying to find the glint of metal. 

“Her tongue and legs were all swollen. I’m thinkin’ it could be Blackleg… and in that case we need to move the rest of ‘em.” Royal says as you look for your earring, clenching your jaw at the description he just gave. You were paralyzed in fear. 

“Yeah, lemme just finish up here.” The sound of your hood closing startled you out of trying to be busy, looking at Rhett who paid you no mind. Your brow furrowed, looking back to Royal.

He tipped his head back towards the house, “Let’s get you inside.” Royal states and you nod, turning back to unplug the heat lamp. 

Following Royal out and towards the house, you keep your eyes down. You wait for him to turn around and scold you but he doesn't, just quietly walking to the house. It was like you were in a daze. Just blindly stumbling over the frozen dirt and almost tripping on the wooden stairs up to the house. 

Inside was like a tropical heatwave, prompting you to pull off your jacket. Royal leaves you at the foyer, and you can hear him explaining what he just found to Cecilia. You wait for him to tell her what he saw you doing in the barn, but it never comes. Just about that poor cow, how he suspects a few of them may have it too. Cecilia suggests going to the tractor supply, and that's when you stop listening. 

Wandering into the living room, you let your body go limp on one of the chairs. Tears returned in your eyes. It was too hot here, your sweater was choking you with its high neck. You felt like you were dying, quietly gasping for breath as you lay completely still on the chair. 

Rhett walks in from outside, knocking off his boots at the door. You could see him from where you were sitting, not making a move when he glanced over at you. Your stomach flipped before he walked away towards the voices of his parents and out of your sight. 

Closing your eyes, you swear you black out for a second. The next thing you know Cecilia is gently shaking your shoulder and your eyes fly open, inhaling sharply through your nose.

“I’m sorry you heard that honey. Royal said you looked pretty pale after he took you in, are you okay?” She asks and it's like your response is just words swirling around in your head like soup. She raises her eyebrows, awaiting your response. 

Clearing your throat, you sit up from your slouched position, “Yeah, um.” You rub your eyes, “Just sad, ya know.” You say weakly and Cecilia offers you a sympathetic smile, nodding. 

“He's worried it’s Blackleg. We have had it a few times, so I’m trustin’ his instinct.” She explains, “Could you come with me into town? I called the Tractor Supply while you were sleepin’ and it looks like they have some penicillin available still.” Running your tongue over your teeth you nod. Sleeping? You couldn't have been sleeping. You heard Rhett and Royal leave, you just shut your eyes for a second. 

“Yeah, I just need to go upstairs then I'll be right down.” You start to get up, steadying yourself on the back of the chair. Cecilia followed you close behind but split off when you got to the stairs, continuing to the kitchen. Walking up took all of your strength, still confused and absolutely oblivious to what was going on. It was like you were in some fucked up dream. 

The pain on your ear subsided, now just hot to the touch from the incident. You felt silly with just one earring in, deciding while looking in the floor-length mirror beside Perry’s bed to just take the other out. Hands shaking, you pulled on the back and front simultaneously, grimacing as it wouldn't budge. Dropping your hands, you shook them out before trying again, turning your face away from the mirror to try another angle. 

It finally gave way, the soft scraping of metal and it flew out. The front slipped from between your thumb and pointer, falling to the ground and out of your sight. 

Cursing, you set the metal back on Perry’s dresser, crouching down to look for the stupid earring. On your hands and knees, you searched for the stud. You found nothing but dust bunnies behind his mirror and under the dresser. Turning on your phone light, you looked under the bed. You sighed in relief as you saw the tiniest metal glint on the floor near the middle of the bed. 

Dropping your phone, you laid on your stomach and shimmied a little under the bed, outstretching your arm as far as it could go. The floor creaked under your weight. While you shifted closer, the top of your head bonked something sturdy shoved at the very head of the bed. 

Looking up, you sneezed suddenly, the dust getting to you. Swiftly, you grabbed the stud and slid out from under the bed, grabbing what you hit your head on as well. It was a blue sports bag, something you hadn't seen before. Sitting up, you brushed the dust off and set your earring on the edge of the bed. 

Curiosity took over and you unzipped the duffle bag. There were a few miscellaneous books, random pieces of clothing, and a pair of sneakers. All very common, normal things to be in a bag. You felt silly for even going through it. Cecilia was probably already dressed and waiting for you. 

As you were putting the things back into place you noticed one shoe was heavier than the other. Reaching inside, you felt an object shoved to the very top of the sneaker. You grabbed the sole of the shoe and hit the heel on the ground a few times before the object tumbled out and hit the floor. 

Your hands trembled as you reached for it. All you could hear was blood rushing in your ears as you turned the little black box over in your hands. You knew what it was. It was easy to tell even without opening it. 

Without thinking, you exposed what was inside. 

Against the black fabric lining the inside of the box shone a ring. Its metal glinting just how your earring did when you were looking for it under the bed. You sat there, head empty, staring at it while it glimmered up at you. 

Cecelia called your name, spooking you so you dropped the box. Quickly, you grabbed it from the floor and snapped it shut. Shoving everything back into the bag, you pushed it under the bed. Like a whirlwind, you were out of the room and bounding down the stairs to her. 

-

The living room was dark and quiet, save for the sound of your breath. You had just sent Rhett a text, telling him you were in the living room. Your thumb still hovered over the send arrow, waiting for him to reply back. 

The day went by in a second. While driving to town you replayed everything in your head over and over again. Did Royal see you? He must've, especially Rhett shoving you away from him. Everything changed in a second, just a singular second of stupidity. And you are afraid of what could happen. So afraid of who could know. 

Your family would be disappointed in you, and you couldn't handle that. Gossip spreads like wildfire in a small town, and you were sure to get burned at the stake for your crime of sleeping with your boyfriend’s brother. God, your boyfriend’s brother. What a horrible mistake you've made. 

Before you see the three bubbles pop up you hear the floor creak above your head, signaling that he is coming down. You lock your phone and sit it on the couch cushion beside you. It doesn't take long for you to hear him walking down the steps to where you are. 

Looking up from your hands, you see him rounding the corner to you. Offering him a small smile, you extend a hand in his direction. Rhett grasps it and kneels beside you on the floor, a hand coming up to rest on your naked calf. He stroked the skin there, cocking his head in question as you sat in silence. 

“I found a ring.” You murmured almost silently. 

Rhett rested his chin on your knee, looking up at you through his thick eyelashes, “What do ya mean?”

“I mean-” Your voice cracked, “I found a bag under Perry’s bed and inside was an engagement ring.” His eyes widened and his hand on your shin stilled. “I’m afraid he’ll know I messed with it. After I found it I just threw everything back and didn't fix it.” You all but whined, your voice getting squeaky. 

“Well I don't think he will be anything right now. He would have told me.” Rhett tried to reassure you, his hand wrapping around your ankle. He was chewing on the inside of his cheek now, worrying the skin. 

“I have to go. I can't stay.” You start to run your fingers through his hair, but he jerks back, the hand on your ankle tightening. 

“Go? Go where?” He whispers, bewildered, “It’s the middle of the night.” 

“What did your dad say after he found us in the barn?” You ask, ignoring his question.

“It’s the middle of the night.” Rhett repeats, his tone serious. 

You sigh, exasperated, “I don't want to be here anymore. I don't care that it's the middle of the night, I am scared and I just can’t stay.” Your brow furrowed as you explained, swallowing the lump in your throat. “What did your dad say?’ You repeated.

“Nothing. He said nothing to me.” 

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” 

You exchanged stares, the back of his head illuminated like a halo. 

“Please wait till mornin’ for me. I know you're scared-” But you are already shaking your head ‘no’ before he can finish. Rhett stops himself and gives you a look, his jaw tensing. 

You let go of his hand and rub it down the top of your thigh, “I already have everything packed. I just need to change and get my things.” Rhett opens his mouth to protest but you are already standing up, stepping back from him. His hand falls from your ankle and he is left kneeling on the ground looking up at you. 

Rhett nods and gets up, ignoring the hand you offer to help him up. 

After grabbing your things, you take one last look at Perry before shutting his door for the last time. You felt nothing for him. Maybe because you felt so numb already. But you thought you would tear up a bit, but it was easy to be silent, grab your things, and leave. 

Rhett was waiting for you at the door, taking your bag out to your truck while you changed. It was like you were running on autopilot. No emotions, just wanting to get out. 

Your soul ached as you stepped out of the house and found that Rhett had started your truck for you, letting it warm up before you drove off. It was quiet outside. For once no wind was assaulting your face, no white flakes embedding themselves into your hair. The snow crunched under your boots as you walked over to Rhett. 

It was reminiscent of meeting in the church parking lot. 

He was waiting outside your driver’s door, arms crossed over his extensive chest covered by his Carhart hoodie. The second you got within arm’s reach, Rhett pulled you into a hug, burying his nose into your hair. Your cheek was pressed against the logo, closing your eyes sharply as you hugged him as tight as you could. 

“Be safe for me, hm?” He muttered into your head, the vibrations from his chest tickling your ear. You nodded, planting a kiss to the center. 

Pulling back, you kiss his cold lips. It lacked the fiery passion every other time had. But what it lacked in that was replaced with… sadness? It was weak, soft, and lacked depth. 

Like you were kissing someone lifeless. 

Rhett stepped back and opened the truck door for you, gesturing inside. You stepped forward and the heat hit you in the face. Your bag was already in the passenger seat and you looked back at Rhett. He tipped his head towards the open door as he held it  for you. 

You slid inside and Rhett shut the door for you, walking backwards a few steps as you buckled and put your car into drive. 

Then you drove away. Leaving Rhett behind to stand alone in the cold. 

You watched him in the rearview mirror, arms crossed like they always are. 

It took everything in you to not turn around and beg him to come with. 

See me on AO3 as Creatchie8 too for a full list of tags & more!

#lewis pullman #outer range #rhett abbott #rhett abbott outer range #rhett abbott smut #rhett abbott fanfiction #rhett abbott x reader #rhett abbott fic #rhett abbott imagine #lewis pullman characters #rhett abbott x you #rhett abbot x reader #outer range imagine #outer range fanfiction #outer range fic

[whereianonymouslypostfics]

Growing Pains Part 4

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x reader

Word count: ~9.2k

Summary: Little Nat is almost 13 and school’s a bitch. Retired mob boss turned stay-at-home mom Wanda has to figure out how to deal with bullies at her daughter’s school. 

A/N: Credit to @rianncreates for this fic idea. Sorry for not writing much. I've been very unmotivated and kinda depressed, but I'm working on it!

Warnings: Fluff, teen angst, injury, reference to previous injury/trauma, bullies, and pranks

It’s almost 1 in the morning and sleep isn’t coming easily for you tonight. The usual culprit, your chronic pain, isn’t to blame tonight for once. You are thinking about what Natalya had asked tonight, and how you suspect that she was unintentionally, possibly coming out to you. Despite your claim of not caring one way or another, you’d love to know if she liked someone. Especially if that someone was a friend.

After considering this for too long you start to worry that your daughter was being bullied. It seemed like a stretch just going off of what she’d mentioned tonight, but as you rolled it around in your brain it didn’t seem unreasonable. She was shy and a bit awkward when she wanted to be, and you and Wanda loved her for it. That said, if someone found out that she had a crush especially on a friend you could see them taunting her about it. 

You hate to think that your daughter could be targeted like this, but you blame your restlessness for the current spiral. Nat would tell you if she was having trouble. Wouldn’t she?

“You’re tense, detka. What’s wrong? Are you hurting?”

You’d failed to realize as you got more anxious, that your body was starting to reflect this without your consent. Given that Wanda’s in her usual spot right snug up against your side, she can feel how you grow stiff beside her. She shifts carefully in case you’re in pain, so she can see your face. Or at least try to. She sees that you’re looking down at her with a caught expression, and given that it’s late you don’t waste precious time trying to deceive your too smart wife.

When you don’t respond immediately Wanda frowns as she starts to sit up. You don’t let her go far as you tighten your hold on her with a shake of your head. 

“No, Wands I’m fine. I was just thinking about Little Nat.”

This surprises Wanda for a couple of reasons. Usually, you can’t sleep because of your pain or you had caffeine too close to bed. She hadn’t guessed that you were worrying about their daughter and she wonders if she missed something earlier tonight.

You don’t let her fret too much as you kiss her head and take a deep breath before shifting to get more comfortable. You’re a little cold and pull the covers up higher as you shiver beneath them.

“She seemed concerned about facing more people like that woman today, and I just can’t help but think she was trying to tell me something.” 

Wanda doesn’t say anything at first, and the silence leaves you time to continue thinking about what you might be missing. Wanda’s mind is working in a similar way, and she frowns at the thought that she’s missed something important with her daughter. She’d believed Natalya when she said she didn’t like any of her friends, but she allowed her faith in her daughter to blind her to the simple fact that Nat may have just been scared. Wanda hated to think that her daughter could fear her in any capacity. If she wasn’t being truthful because she feared her reaction then Wanda had failed as a mother. 

She feels you squeeze her arm and she turns to see you with a knowing look. You shake your head before leaning in to kiss your wife’s hair with a smile. 

“You’re a wonderful mother, Wanda. Anyone with eyes can see how good you are to all of our children.”

Wanda sighs in defeat and she shifts so she’s facing you as she tangles your legs together. 

“You’re a little biased, detka.”

You don’t get to refute this before Wanda’s voicing her fears, stopping you short from responding with a joke. You frown at the thought of Wanda thinking of herself as inadequate when she’s no such thing. You never thought you could love Wanda more than when you’d married her, but then seeing her become a kind, fair, and loving mom had proved you wrong. 

“If I’m such a good mother, why doesn’t Natalya trust me?”

Your heart sinks and you’re twisting in Wanda’s grasp so you can be face to face. Despite struggling with this question a little  yourself, you really just had to remember how you’d first felt when you had a crush on someone. Regardless of who it was, you’d been terrified to consider the truth and you’d lied to multiple people just to keep your secret. You don’t know if Natalya’s doing the same, or if she even has a secret, but you have to believe that she’s just scared like a teen tends to be when something seems daunting. You know that Wanda has experienced similar fear, but now she’s also contending with her desire to have Nat tell her everything, and it’s making things complicated. 

Wanda grumbles in annoyance as you move out of her arms, but you continue to sit up so you’re hovering over her. She can’t see your face anymore because it’s obscured by darkness but she hears the smile in your voice as you offer her reassurance that she’s not a shitty parent.

“My love, it’s not about trust. You know Natalya trusts you with her life, but she’s a teenager, and things were scary back then if you recall.” 

The memory of one of her most terrifying high school experiences makes her practically recoil. You have a point. Everything at Natalya’s age seemed too daunting to commit to. It was a time that was supposed to be exciting and new, but for some it was overwhelming and terrifying. Trying to figure out who you were and what you wanted from life was a task that couldn’t be taken too seriously. It was a sure-fire way to psych yourself out and become totally apathetic. 

Wanda realizes that her daughter has a lot on her plate, and that she shouldn’t take this personally. Knowing that and accepting it however are two different things. She sighs heavily before she reaches out for you wordlessly. You take her hand in yours but she just shakes her head as she pulls you closer until you’re almost face to face again. You hover over her feeling her breath against your cheek as she speaks up. 

“That was a long time ago, Y/n.”

Wanda’s tone tells you that she’s accepting what you’ve said and that she doesn’t want to dwell on it. She’s changing the subject and you’re more than willing to go along with it if it means you can go to sleep soon. You shake your head before leaning in to kiss your wife chastely. You pull back just enough to respond and you feel Wanda’s hands fall to your waist. 

“Not so long, beautiful. That was what? 20 years ago?”

You don’t need to be able to see your wife to know that she’s rolling her eyes as she huffs in disbelief. She squeezes your sides which makes you flinch and laugh from the ticklish feeling. The sound makes her heart swell and she kisses your cheek in thanks before urging you closer. 

“You’re either really bad at math or you’re full of shit.”

“Why not both?”

Instead of responding and continuing the banter, Wanda decides she’d like to do something else. It’s late and you have work tomorrow, but it’s been a while since the two of you had done more than kiss and cuddle. Most of their time at home together was spent with their daughter which they loved, but it was nice to have time alone occasionally. You can tell what your wife is after as she pulls you close and then flush against her front as she captures your bottom lip between hers. You groan as you deepen the kiss and shift so you’re settled more comfortably on Wanda’s lap.

“I love you.”

Your hands begin to wander to your wife’s soft stomach, and you run your fingers along the faint stretch marks that you committed to memory long ago. You wish you could see your beautiful wife, but for now you’ll settle for touching her and holding her close as you make her writhe and gasp in pleasure. By the time you’re satisfied and Wanda’s left feeling boneless, it’s almost 3 in the morning. You’re exhausted and you’re pretty sure that Wanda’s already asleep where she clings to you. You sigh quietly as you lay your head on your pillow and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow you’ll figure out what you’re going to do for Natalya.

The next morning, Nat’s bruise has darkened and looks a little purple when she comes downstairs for breakfast. You watch as Wanda sets her coffee down and grabs the plate of food she’d made for Nat. The younger Maximoff yawns before she walks up to you and then Wanda for a hug. 

“Hi moms.”

When your daughter pulls back, you take a moment to look at her face and you can’t help but frown slightly. You gently brush her cheek before setting her off to get her breakfast. 

“How’s it feeling?”

She shrugs as she walks back around the counter to where her other mom is, and she has to resist the urge to grab her food and immediately start eating. She looks up at her redheaded mom because she’s certain she’d like to look at her eye as well. Natalya lets her mom fuss for a bit before she hugs her while taking her plate with a grateful smile. 

“I’m really fine, Moms. It’s just another reminder to pay attention.” 

Wanda frowns at this and you can’t help but roll your eyes as you watch your daughter sit down at the table. She’s already dressed for school and Wanda double checks to make sure Nat’s lunch is all set before joining the two of you at the table. You’re grateful for the cup of coffee Wanda brings you with a knowing smile, and you just shoot her one of your own before you turn to Natalya who’s practically scarfing down her breakfast. 

“Slow down, kiddo. You’re going to choke.” 

“You have plenty of time before we need to leave.” 

This comment from Wanda makes Little Nat pause and her fork stops halfway to her mouth as she realizes she’s caught. She tries to resume eating like nothing is amiss, but her parents had been watching her closely and it was impossible for them to miss her reaction. You raise an eyebrow at your daughter who’s failing to look nonchalant, and Wanda decides to broach the subject before you head out to work soon.

“What is it?” 

Natalya pauses as she considers how to tell her parents that she’d come home and immediately texted Taylor about coming up with a plan to get Stacy off her back. She had agreed to come to school a little early, but she didn’t want to tell her parents about this. She tries to come up with a believable lie on the spot. Something she’s never successfully done. 

“I just might need to go to school a little early.” 

The vague answer makes both of her moms frown, but Nat focuses on her breakfast and tries to buy herself time. 

“I forgot about a science project that I was supposed to work on with Taylor, but we’re meeting before school to do it.” 

Wanda immediately checks the time and sees that there is less than an hour before the first bell rings. She’s not sure how Nat thought this would work out, but she’s already worried for her. You’re a little more focused on the fact that Natalya hadn’t mentioned anything about this last night. You’d asked her twice once she was finished with her work if there was anything else that she had to do. You knew that your daughter could be forgetful, so you just try to ignore your nagging suspicion and try to believe that she’d simply forgotten. 

“When’s it due? Are you going to have enough time to work on it? What is the project about?” 

Natalya quickly finishes the rest of the breakfast before addressing her mom who was already stressing out. She shakes her head before realizing that she should have come up with a different lie, but it was a little late for that. She smiles at the duo before she shrugs and mentions that it’s not a big deal. 

“It’s due today, but at the end of the day. It’s just a presentation about an element from the periodic table. It’s a little dumb honestly. We just have to list different things that are made from silver.” 

This does sound a little pointless to you, but Wanda’s more focused on the fact that their daughter apparently completely forgot about an assignment. This hasn’t happened in a while because Wanda made a point of getting Natalya a planner that helps her keep track of all of her assignments. She takes it to school every day and she’s gotten in the habit of taking it out for each class and writing anything she’d need to do for it. 

It helped her organize her sometimes jumbled thoughts, and both you and Wanda started to notice that she was forgetting fewer things. 

“Have you started on it at all, milaya?” 

Wanda was a little anxious about this, but her daughter, just like you, smiles at her and insists that it was fine. She had it covered. 

“Yeah, it’s easy! A lot of things are made of silver. Jewelry, knives, swords, bullets…” 

Wanda’s frown deepens at the fact that Natalya basically just named all weapons for some reason, but you just shake your head as you set down your empty mug. You’ll need more coffee given your late night, but you’re going to take it to-go at this point. You stifle a yawn as you sit back in your chair and look to your daughter with a small smile. 

“Bullets aren’t made of silver, Little Nat. Unless you’re a vampire hunter.”

Wanda rolls her eyes at this comment and is about to make one of her own about your priorities, but Natalya beats her to it. You don’t seem particularly thrown by her question, but Wanda holds her breath as she waits to hear what your response is. She tries not to think about the dozens of guns in the basement that she needed to get to her brother asap. 

“How do you know that, Mom?” 

You realize your mistake fairly quickly but luckily you have an easy answer for this question that doesn’t include bringing up Wanda’s past. You had learned a lot about guns during your years with Wanda, but it had been a very long time since you touched one with the intent to shoot it. 

“When dogs are accidentally shot while hunting, they’re brought in for lead poisoning. Not silver.” 

Natalya stops short of petting Boone and thinks about this with a frown. She supposes it makes sense that her mom would see a couple of these cases at work. They live in the mountains, of course people are going to hunt. Her frown quickly turns to a smile as she scratches her panting dog’s head. He’d come up to check and see if she has any leftovers, but unfortunately for him she’d eaten everything. Nat’s distracted by Rogue coming around too, so she misses the quick exchange between her parents before Wanda decides to get things moving. If Natalya really needs to be at school early, she might as well get ready now. 

“Okay, Natalya. Go on and clean up so we can get ready to go.” 

Little Nat nods before she goes off to do as her mom says. She hugs her vet mom bye in case you leave before she comes back, and you wish her good luck on her project before watching her retreat to the kitchen. You turn your attention to the furry head nudging your leg before smiling at your wife. 

“What do you have planned for today, Wands?” 

Your wife has to think about this because she hadn’t really gotten any further than taking Natalya to school. She doesn’t have too many errands to run today. She just went to the store, but she supposes she could run by the pharmacy and the dispensary for both yours and her medications. She shrugs before finishing off her coffee with a smile as she thinks of one more thing she can do. 

“Just a couple of errands. Might stop by Piet’s to give him some boxes.” 

You immediately know what she’s talking about, and you smile as you steal a glance at the basement door that you made sure had a lock on it years ago. Although it was mostly an out of sight, out mind type deal, occasionally you or Wanda would think about the guns down there and worry about Nat finding them. Despite the fact that she used to have nightmares about the basement, Natalya wouldn’t avoid it forever, and you’d rather not have to explain what was in the heavy, locked boxes that certainly were covered in dust and spiders. 

You stand up to get more coffee and you grab Wanda’s cup as well with a questioning look. She smiles in thanks and you plant a quick kiss on her lips before going to see how Nat’s doing. She’s finishing up with her dish as you arrive, and you laugh as she hugs you one more time before running upstairs to get ready. Regardless of what they’d be doing, she’d promised Taylor she would be there in about 20 minutes, and she had to leave soon if she didn’t want to be late. 

“Bye Mom! See you tonight. I’ll be right back!” 

When you return to the table, Rogue is trying to climb in Wanda’s lap and Fletcher has jumped up on your chair. You shoot her a glare, but you don’t move her because you’re about to head to work anyway. Still you give her a hard time before you set Wanda’s cup in front of her with a sigh. 

“Fletcher, you’re the worst.” 

Wanda shoots you a look that you just smile at before you bend over to kiss her goodbye. You need to head to work soon, and you forgot that you’d agreed to have someone shadow your appointments today. You need to be slightly more prepared than usual, and this would require a little extra time this morning. Wanda catches your chin as you try to pull away and gives you one more kiss before smiling at you. 

“If you’re not too busy for lunch today, let me know?” 

You nod in agreement before you head upstairs to finish getting ready. You walk past Natalya’s room and she nearly barrels you over as she comes running out with her backpack slung over her shoulder. You cringe as she slams into you and the sound catches Wanda’s attention from where she’s petting Fletcher who’s still sitting in your spot. She sees you stumble slightly before you hold up your arms to steady your overly enthusiastic daughter. 

“Oh, sorry Mom!” 

You shake your head as you offer your daughter a stern look that is softened by your small smile. You take a deep breath and pushed away the soreness you feel before waving Little Nat downstairs and heading to your bedroom. 

“Slow down, kid. You’re going to hurt yourself.” 

Natalya just nods before hugging you quickly and hurrying down the stairs, only a little slower than what she’d originally intended. You just roll your eyes before retreating to your room, and Wanda stands up at the sight of her daughter ready to go. 

“Ready?”

Taylor arrives at school before Nat, and she heads to their meeting spot on the hill outside of school. It’s nice out and she can tell it’s going to be cooler than it was yesterday. She’s glad because she doesn’t want to sweat too much at practice when she’s barely able to bend over. She’d taken something when she’d gotten home from the game last night, and she’d iced the largest bruise on her side before going to bed. However, she woke up stiff and angry all over again at the fact that she’d been body slammed with zero consequence to the other player. 

She took another pain reliever and tried to forget about it as she got ready for school early this morning. She’d agreed to meet Natalya to talk about what she wanted to do regarding Stacy’s continued bullying. Taylor was ecstatic that her friend was going to do something about it, and it took a lot of self-control to not tell Luke and Alyssa too. She wonders what the other brunette had come up with. Or maybe this would be a brainstorming session. 

When it’s almost time for Nat to get here, Taylor decides to go wait for her at the car circle. She’s a little antsy and wants to get started on plotting Nat’s revenge. She finds herself pacing as she waits for her friend, and at the sound of a car pulling up she’s immediately turning to see who it is. 

“Taylor!” 

She smiles at the sound of her friend’s voice and she hurries to greet the brunette who’s practically out of the car before it’s stopped.

“Hey, Nat. Mrs. Maximoff. How are you?”

Nat resists the urge to roll her eyes as Taylor smiles at her mom. She grabs her backpack before closing the door behind her and getting out of the way so the two can chat. 

“Hi Taylor, I’m well, how are you? Ready for your presentation today?” 

Nat stiffens and Taylor looks a little confused before she turns to Nat for a split second. She realizes she’s missing something and she decides to try to cover this up as best as possible. She offers the older Maximoff an awkward smile before her gaze shifts back to Natalya. 

“Umm, I thought this was a paper?” 

Nat just sighs in defeat and she doesn’t have to turn around to see her mom’s suspicion. She instead groans under her breath and opts to take advantage of her friend’s comment. She shoots her mom a sheepish smile before grabbing Taylor’s arm and leading her away. 

“Clearly, we have a lot of work to do. See you later, Mama!”

Wanda is still frowning as she watches Nat lead her friend toward school. She notices that Taylor’s hunched over slightly so she can listen to whatever Nat’s saying, but Wanda definitely can’t hear it. She decides to just let it be and check in later. For now, she’s going back home to sit with her cat for a bit before figuring out what to do with her day. She’d like to get around to planting the few vegetables she’d bought for her garden. It was supposed to be a nice day, and given that she’d put this off for a bit, she had at least a dozen vegetables to plant. 

She thinks about what she’ll be able to harvest, if anything, on the way home. She yawns before getting out of the car to greet Rogue who as usual was waiting for her return. He wags his tail, and Wanda scratches his head before she steps into the house. She looks around at the kitchen and the living room, and she heads toward the couch when she sees Fletcher sitting on one of the pillows. She sits down beside her and pats her lap with a smile. Her cat gracefully makes her way over and plops down in her lap with a loud purr. Wanda pets her for a while and scratches Rogue where he sits at her feet. 

She grabs her phone and texts her brother while she’s still thinking about it. If she remembers correctly, he’s busy for most of the day, but she’s in no rush to get this done. She considers what she could do with the basement after it’s cleaned out. Their house already has everything they could want, and far more than they could need. What could they put downstairs in a dark room? 

This thought makes Wanda realize that she can change this if she wanted to. She shakes the thought away for the moment because she wants to get outside before it gets too hot. She decides to go upstairs and get changed and then take Rogue with her to the garden. She would let Fletcher go, but she’s sure to just run off and Wanda was too high anxiety to let her cat just wander the woods. 

When she’s dressed and ready to go, she opens the back door and waits for Rogue to follow her out before she heads toward the shed. The very large backyard that basically extended toward the woods was empty for a long time. You and Wanda just enjoyed the natural beauty of the place when you first moved here. You loved seeing how the grass stretched out to the trees, and you hadn’t wanted to change that. Five years ago, Wanda had brought up the idea of having a garden where she could grow flowers and food. You’d mostly been interested in the food and after Wanda had told you her plans to grow a bunch of vegetables, you’d been game. You and Steve had built the garden according to Wanda’s carefully laid plans, and over the years you’ve only had to make a few modifications. 

Wanda had grown a majority of the vegetables you ate, and the extras went to their friends. During late summer, she’d grow pumpkins that are ready for Halloween so Little Nat would have them for her pumpkin carving contest. First it was a thing between the family, but she’d since introduced the idea to her friends and given her creativity she usually won.

When Wanda arrives to the garden, she’s smiling as she opens the gate and lets Rogue amble through first. He’s been in here many times and he knows that there are only three rules. Don’t step on the plants, eat the plants or pee on them. One of the modifications you’d made includes a small area for Rogue to sit comfortably while still watching his mom closely. He loved spending time here with her, and despite the temptation of the food grown, he was well behaved. Although he couldn’t eat any of the plants, Wanda sometimes fed him some of the veggies, mostly carrots after she washed them. Boone was less interested in the view of the garden and more interested in the food, and after trying to eat one of the tomato plants, he wasn’t allowed in for long and without direct supervision. 

“What should we do first, bud? Plant or pick?” 

After receiving no answer from the shepherd, Wanda decides to plant the tomato plants she’d bought recently along with some flowers. She’s almost finished when she hears her phone beep from her pocket. She takes off her gloves and wipes her sweaty forehead with a sigh before she reaches for her phone. She’s surprised to see a text from her brother already, but she’s quick to text back when he suggests stopping by this afternoon to pick up the guns. Wanda sends him a smile and agrees to 3pm before she puts her phone up and checks on her dog. He’s napping beside some lettuce and Wanda can’t help but smile widely at him. 

She picks up her trowel before adjusting her hat with a frown. It’s predictably gotten sunnier, but it’s still pretty nice out so she decides to keep going. After the last plant is in place in the bed, she grabs one of the baskets and decides to start picking some of the ripe vegetables. 

“Rogue, are you ready for the fun part?” 

He stands up excitedly and pants as he follows her lead along the paths. This was his favorite part because he got to follow her to each bed and sniff the food that she picked. She grew things all year round, but honestly summer was her favorite season because of the food she grew. She knew you liked it too, and she fills an entire basket with kale and okra. She’s going to need to grab some more soon, but she stops to take a break when she gets another text message. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed and it’s nearly 11 when you text her. 

I’ll be free for lunch, if you’re still interested?

Wanda considers this carefully as she looks around her garden. She still has a lot to do, but she supposes it can wait until tomorrow. She’d rather have lunch with you, and if she can bring you something that she’s made from the garden that will just be a bonus. She starts to text you before she has to scold Rogue for pawing at the basket she left at her feet. He knows that anything on the plant is off-limits, but once it’s in the basket or on the ground, he thinks of it as fair game. 

“No, bud. You’ll get some later, okay?” 

He only whines and lays his head on the ground before Wanda turns back to her phone. She smiles as she types out a response before getting to her feet. She’ll go find another basket and finish up with the tomatoes and green beans before leaving the rest for later. 

I’ve been in the garden all morning, so I’ll bring lunch.

When you see this a little later you can’t help but be excited. You loved when your wife brought you lunch, but when it was something she made you knew it would be amazing. You text her back before returning to your last couple of appointments before lunch. You’re certain that your mind will be on food until your wife comes to visit, but luckily these last two appointments should be pretty straightforward. 

Thanks, Wands. I’m already excited. 

Once Wanda’s finished gathering the ingredients for lunch, she washes just what she’ll need before she puts it in the fridge for a few minutes as she jumps in the shower. She only does it so it will be out of Rogue’s reach, but she’d cut up a carrot for him and put it in his bowl, so hopefully that will keep him happy. She doesn’t wash her hair, but she makes sure to get rid of any dirt and sweat from her time outside before she gets ready to cook. 

Rogue sits outside of the kitchen watching her carefully as she prepares a salad and a few things to go with it. Wanda has to shoo Fletcher away a couple of times, and when she bats at a carrot on the counter, she has to banish her to the living room. It’s 12 when Wanda finishes up packing everything for lunch, and she checks her appearance in the mirror briefly before she kisses her pets goodbye. 

“I’ll be back soon, kids. Be good.” 

She supposes she could take Rogue, but he’d spent a lot of time out in the sun this morning, and she wanted him to relax. She also didn’t want you to have to leave him alone anywhere in the office because he undoubtedly would complain. He could always hang out with Boone but that required their supervision and maybe they could save that for next time. 

When lunchtime rolls around at school, Nat’s smiling as she meets Taylor, Luke, and Alyssa at their normal spot. She and Taylor had discussed their plan at length, and after getting everything set for phase one before the first bell Nat was near giddy in anticipation. Taylor had to remind her to tone it down or else she’d risk tipping someone off. The brunette knew her friend was a shit liar and would probably spill everything. She loved her for her inability to keep a straight face, but it would not help in this situation. She’d done a lot of things like this, which is why she had the necessary supplies in her locker already, and Taylor was used to just watching and waiting. 

“You know, this is the first time that you’ve done something like this, isn’t it?” 

Taylor was mostly musing to herself, but when she thinks about it a little more she can’t help but smile. Her friend has always been one to abide by the rules which is something she respected, but didn’t concern herself with nearly as much. She got in trouble more, but it was never for serious things. The worst had been when she’d been accused of fighting. Both of her moms had shown up, as well as the parents of the boy she’s smacked and they’d all had it out before it was decided that she acted in self-defense. Either way, Natalya had only ever gotten in trouble for forgetting an assignment, but nothing that was really noteworthy. If everything went according to plan, she also wouldn’t get in trouble for this, but they’d just have to see. 

Surprisingly, Natalya just smiles widely before nodding in agreement. She was a little terrified, but also, she feels eager to see how this all plays out. It’s only the first step of several, but with her friends’ support and her newfound albeit tenuous confidence, she was going to get Stacy to leave her alone. 

“It is! It might sound dumb, but I am really looking forward to this.” 

The trio all shake their heads at the thought. They’re still a little surprised by how long Nat’s gone without putting her foot down or seeking help. They felt guilty for not stepping in earlier, or convincing her to do something, but they were making up for that now. They would have the brunette’s back, and they were also looking forward to what happened next. 

Luke’s smiling the widest because he’s imagining how Stacy will react to what Taylor and Nat had done. She was always a bit of a drama queen, and he knew that he was going to flee and encourage Nat to do the same if it came down to it. 

Alyssa had been against the idea because it seemed like they were asking for trouble. She knew that Nat was against going to anyone for help, but this was just going to cause a confrontation that she probably wasn’t ready for. If she was lucky, it wouldn’t involve her parents, but if she was particularly unlucky, she’d have Stacy’s there too. Still, she decided to keep her objections to herself because she really hadn’t seen Nat like this in a while. At the risk of losing their sleepover privileges this weekend, she was going through with this. 

“When do you think she’ll go to her locker?” 

It was almost as if Alyssa had summoned her by asking this, and the group sees an irate Stacy burst through the cafeteria doors at the bottom of the hill. They can hear the faint sound of muffled laughter as the door closes behind her and she immediately searches for them. Nat has to stifle her laughter at the sight of the blonde’s face. Her anger was less amusing than the fact that she was covered in silver and gold glitter. 

She and Taylor had gone back and forth with the idea of a while before she’d decided to go for it. She hated glitter because it never went away, and she refused to open gifts that were wrapped in glitter paper if she didn’t get gloves. You found it ridiculous, but Wanda seemed to understand and avoided the decoration like the plague. She mostly realized how much of a pain it was to get out of the carpet, and she didn’t want to worry about it. The one year that Fletcher had been covered in it made her reluctant to cuddle with her until she got a bath which neither of them enjoyed. 

“You little shit!” 

Nat was already standing up to avoid getting any glitter on her, and her friends followed suit as the brunette started to back away. 

“Hey, Stace, I love what you did with the…” 

She gestures vaguely to the blonde’s face, but she continues to back away from the glitter that she did not want to get on her. She watches her friends back up as Stacy comes storming up the stairs leaving glitter in her wake. She starts to run at Nat and the brunette quickly turns tail and runs. She has a destination in mind and she hopes that she makes it there scot-free. 

“Get back here, bitch!” 

Wanda arrives to your work a little after noon with a bag of food to find you waiting at the front desk. You are talking with one of the receptionists, but as soon as you see her you trail off with a smile. You move forward to greet her with a kiss on the cheek before you look toward the bag curiously. 

“Hey, Wands. Glad you could make it.” 

Wanda just rolls her eyes before she’s kissing your cheek and grabbing your hand. She’s reaching out to hand you the bag so she can fix your hair that’s a little all over the place. She doesn’t have time to ask before you put an arm around her waist and lead her back toward your office. Wanda smiles as you attempt to explain your appearance, but she honestly doesn’t mind. She feels like she looks a little rough too.

“Follow me, my love. Yeah, sorry, I had a puppy in my hair earlier.” 

Wanda doesn’t even have time to ask as she follows you up the stairs and past a few assistants that she just offers a smile. She visits a couple times a month probably. She is free to do it more often, but she doesn’t want to get in the way or disturb you while you work. She knows it’s important for you to have your time at work without her, and she wants you to have that. That said, sometimes when days are hard or you’re freer than usual, you’ll ask her to lunch like you did today. 

“That’s adorable. You’ve had a good day so far?” 

You hold the door to your office open for your wife before following her in with a nod. You shut the door behind you and quickly clear a spot on your desk for the bag of food that Wanda brought. You resist the urge to dig in immediately as you explain how most of your day had been very good so far. You were glad that Wanda was visiting too, and you move over to the small couch along the wall that you’d bought after Wanda mentioned that having a place to sit together would be nice. The first couple of times, Wanda had just sat in your lap or you’d borrowed a chair, but this was so much better. You hold your arms out for your wife and she obediently grabs the bag and sets in at the end of the couch before sitting beside you. 

“It’s been great. Nobody’s been sick yet which is nice. What about you? Did Rogue behave while you worked?”

Wanda smiles at this as she nods and curls up beside you with a sigh. She’s glad to take the time to relax after being on her knees in the dirt for so long, and she stretches out before offering you a response. She doesn’t notice that you’re just smiling at her as she thinks about her dog that she left at home. 

“He was very good. Only tried to eat out of my basket a couple of times.” 

You laugh at this and the image of Rogue scrounging for food in the garden. Boone was banned from it for a while since he dug up nearly a whole row of carrots. You sit up when Wanda reaches for the bag she brought because she knows you’re hungry. You probably have been for most of the day. She takes out the first container that has your lunch and then a smaller one that contained dressing. You smile and accept it with a kiss and a thank you as you take a peek at what’s inside. 

“Wow, this looks so good. Thank you.”

Wanda just nods as she takes out her own lunch which is basically the same as yours, but with chicken instead of salmon. You open the container and have to hold back a moan at how good the salad looked. You loved that your wife enjoyed growing food. It was your favorite thing, and you swore if you had the time and patience for it, you’d join her. 

“Of course, detka.” 

You two eat in silence for a minute and you hum happily as you spear another green bean through a leaf of kale. The excited noise you release as you realize you’ve snagged a tomato too makes Wanda smile widely at you. You’re so adorable she can’t stand it sometimes. 

“So is everything else looking good?” 

Wanda smiles at your predictable question, and she tells you about how the other vegetables are growing. You didn’t help much in the garden, that was Wanda’s thing, but sometimes when it was time to change crops you would pick up seeds or dirt for her. One time when the fence had been destroyed by something looking for easy food, you’d had to rebuild it, but beyond this you mostly just benefited from Wanda’s hard work. 

“It’s all looking great. We’re going to make Nat a fan of cauliflower in no time.” 

You laugh at this because despite your daughter liking a lot of different foods, this is the one vegetable that she couldn’t stand. She could tell if it was in a dish even in the smallest amounts and she wouldn’t eat it. It was almost a game to you sometimes. You were trying to get her to like one of your favorite vegetables by exposing her to it more, but so far, you’ve failed. 

You’re still eating and plotting how to make this happen when Wanda’s mind wanders to the only other thing she had to do today. She’ll go home and finish in the garden before organizing the boxes in the basement to help Pietro out. She doesn’t worry about that now though because she wants to run something by you. 

“How’s the rest of your day look, doc?” 

You smile before shrugging and only glancing at your computer for a second.  Your afternoon will be a little busier than this morning, but that’s fine you’ll be ready now that you’re well-fed and motivated by the fun appointment you get to see at the end of the day. You tell Wanda this and she smiles before setting her mostly finished lunch aside for a minute. She wants to ask your opinion on something, and she waits until you’re in between bites. 

“What about you, Wands? Any plans?” 

This is the perfect opening and Wanda nods before telling you her plan to have Pietro come over and remove hopefully all of the guns that they had down in the basement. You’re happy to hear this and you wonder what Pietro’s going to do with them. You and your friends didn’t go into details about how they were going to leave their mob lives behind. The general consensus though was that they would lay low and not walk around armed anymore once the dust settled and they seemed to be in the clear. You and Wanda had packed all of your guns away and you are pretty sure Steve and Bucky did too, but you couldn’t but sure about Nat and Yelena. That said, you and Wanda were the only ones who really had to hide your guns from anyone, namely Nat. Although she sometimes visited her relatives, she never stayed long enough to find any of the guns they might have lying around. 

Wanda would make sure that these stayed locked up or at least out of reach of her daughter if she ever visited Pietro in the future. 

“Now that it’s cleared out, I was thinking about doing something with it.” 

This catches your attention, and after you finish chewing you shoot your wife a curious look that she only sees out of the corner of her eye as she looks down at her hands. 

“What were you thinking?” 

Wanda hadn’t really come up with anything yet. She thought that it could be a work out room, or a movie room, although that’s what the den was for, so she wanted to ask you if you had an opinion. Maybe it could be a game room, or another bedroom. 

Wanda shrugs as she mentions her plans, or rather lack of plans, and you just nod before trying to think of something that could be done. The house had anything that any of you could need, and you’re not sure what would be worth doing. 

“If the dogs handled stairs better, I’d suggest giving them a floor of their own. Confine the dog hair to one place.” 

Wanda rolls her eyes at this because even if the dogs were younger and spryer, you would never try to keep them tucked away downstairs. Sure you would consider giving them extra space, but you wouldn’t want the door closed so they could come and go as they pleased. Still, Wanda imagines what this room would look like and she’s sure you would like it as much as the dogs. 

“Maybe 5 years ago. We could have built them a pool.” 

You freeze with your fork halfway to your mouth and Wanda frowns as she considers what she just said. You’re smiling by the time she looks at you and she can’t help but return it as she quickly wonders what all of this would involve. 

“A pool?”

“A pool.”

Natalya curses as she turns down the hallway back toward the main office where the principal spent most of her time. She hadn’t been to the office except maybe once in her first year here, and she hopes it’s still in the same place. She doesn’t have time to think much about it before she hears Stacy at the end of the hall accompanied by her friends’ voices. Natalya barely waits after she knocks on the principal’s door before she’s opening it and apologizing. Her heart is thundering inside her chest from the run here and her nerves now that she’s arrived at her destination. 

“Sorry, Ms. Lewis! I just had to tell you before she--.” 

Natalya’s cut off and she mutters a curse in Sokovian under her breath as she’s tackled from behind. She puts her hands out to stop herself from falling on her face, but she still feels the carpet rub uncomfortably on her cheek as Stacy pins her down.

“You’re dead, Maximoff!” 

“Ms. Jenkins!” 

As Nat continues to struggle beneath the blonde, she hears new voices and she’s lifted off the ground slightly as someone tries to get Stacy off her. Nat’s trying not to think about the glitter that she sees falling on the carpet and her clothes. She squeezes her eyes shut as she waits to be freed from underneath the irate teen. She could get her off if she really wanted to, but she was trying to appear like the passive party, and it only took a few seconds for Luke and Taylor to yank Stacy off. 

“Get off of me!”

“Chill, Stace. You’re getting glitter everywhere!”

Luke backed away from the copious amounts of glitter flying everywhere, and he’s almost out the door when their principal speaks up again. She’s a little bewildered by the sight in front of her. She wouldn’t have expected to have the daughter of the PTA president and quite possibly the quietest student in school in her office together, and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. 

“Everyone sit down now! Explain to me what’s going on, please.” 

Wanda’s back at home and in her garden again when her brother arrives. She’d taken Rogue back outside and with her sunhat, and his umbrella, they both got to work. Well, she did most of the work, but Rogue supervised her and sniffed every basket she laid nearby him. 

The sound of a car coming up the road catches the shepherd’s attention, and Wanda hears the sound of a car door slamming. Rogue starts to get up to investigate, but Wanda shakes her head before telling him to stay put. She texts her brother that she’s in the garden, and less than a minute later, the older Maximoff is appearing from over the fence. 

“Hey there, sestra. Looking good.” 

Wanda rolls her eyes but says nothing as Rogue stands up as soon as Pietro walks through the gate. He sniffs him before huffing and turning back to his mom who had three baskets full of vegetables that she’s picked. 

“I didn’t realize how late it was. I just have to finish this section, and then I can help you.” 

Pietro shakes his head as she watches his sister cuts a few stalks of asparagus before tossing them in a basket. He’s always found his sister’s interest in gardening fascinating. He was mostly interested in the food, but he knew that his sister had it down to a science after all these years. He walks over to where one of the baskets is and glances at Rogue before he starts to pick it up. 

“It’s fine. I can take these in and then meet you there?” 

Wanda just nods before she finishes up and wipes her gloved hands on her already dirty pants. She’d changed again after getting back from lunch with you, and she would need another shower before she made dinner tonight. She watches Rogue follow her brother who’d grabbed two baskets before she collects her tools and goes to put them in the shed. She walks back into the garden as her brother’s returning and she hands him a basket before grabbing the last one and shutting the gate behind her. 

“Thanks for coming by, Piet. This is definitely overdue.” 

Pietro smiles at his sister’s visible relief at getting all, or at least most, of the guns out of her house. They’ve been in the basement for years and he knew that this was an important thing that kept his sister from being comfortable with guests. Sure there were other reasons, but the two dozen guns definitely stressed her out and would require an explanation if anyone stumbled upon them. 

“Of course. I hope you know they’re just going in my basement.” 

Wanda laughs at this as she follows him into the house. She takes off her shoes and shakes her head at the idea of them being so similar. She’s seen his basement and it’s more of a man cave, but there’s a huge vault down there as well behind the water heater that holds his guns and other illegal, valuable things. Wanda sets her hat down on a nearby table before she runs a hand through her hair and heads for the stairs. 

“I’m going to get the key. I’ll be right back. I made some chicken earlier if you want some. It’s in the fridge.” 

Pietro barely waits until his sister’s finished speaking before he’s searching for the leftovers from lunch. He’d eaten already, but he can always eat more and he’s on his second piece by the time Wanda reappears with some keys on a chain. In addition to the basement key, she has keys to several cars that she’s kept but not used often, in the safe. She knows she’ll probably have to part with them at some point because she pays more for the maintenance than she should, but she can’t help but be a little nostalgic.

“It’s six boxes, right?” 

Wanda nods as she unlocks the door and flips on the light with a sigh. She hasn’t been in here in a while so she’s not surprised by how dusty it is and she hides a grimace before she starts to walk down the stairs. 

“Yeah, did you bring the truck?” 

Pietro nods even though she can’t see it but she figures that he wouldn’t bring his sportscar to move all this. She was a little surprised when he’d arrived at her house one day with a giant pickup. She had wanted to give him grief about it, but apparently, he’d gotten it to go camping with Natalya. They’d done it a couple of times and it was always a struggle to pack everything that Pietro wanted including a list of nearly 40 items. Natalya had been so young she could barely get in the truck without help and Wanda couldn’t help but imagine her daughter just disappearing under it. 

One time you’d gone with them and brought the dogs and it was apparently a lot of fun. This is what Natalya claimed anyway, but you and Pietro were less vocal about your opinions to the point that Wanda had to ask you later what had happened.

Apparently the two of you had been surprised by a bear the last night and your two dogs had chased after it leaving you to chase after them. You haven’t gone camping since, but Pietro tried to take Little Nat out a couple times a year. 

“It’s filthy down here, Wanda.” 

Wanda just nods in agreement because she’s sure there are plenty of things living down here that she doesn’t want to know anything about. She knows she’s going to have to deal with it if she really wants to build a pool down here, but that’s a task for another day. 

“I’d be surprised if it wasn’t, Piet. Let’s get these upstairs.” 

It only takes a few minutes with the two of them working together before the boxes are stacked in the foyer ready to be taken outside. Wanda wanted to clean them off first, but Pietro argued that there was really no point. They were just going to another dusty house and she eventually acquiesced when she heard her phone ring as she stepped out of the house with their third box. 

“Shit, I should get that sorry.” 

Pietro sighed dramatically, but he lifted it just fine on his own and headed to the truck while Wanda went back inside. It stopped ringing as soon as she got there, but she only got to see the number of the caller before they were calling again. 

It was Natalya’s school. 

Wanda didn’t hesitate to answer and she completely ignored her brother as she listened to the woman on the other end of the line. Her jaw continues to drop with each thing this woman, her daughter’s principal says and she’s already looking for her keys when she’s told what is needed of her. 

“Mrs. Maximoff, if you and your wife could come at dismissal for a meeting, I’m hoping we can resolve this issue.” 

Wanda’s so stunned by what Natalya apparently did today at school that she can’t answer immediately. It’s not until she sees her brother shooting her a confused look that she gathers her wits and nods in understanding. 

“Of course. We’ll – I’ll call her and we’ll both try to be there.” 

Wanda honestly doesn’t hear the woman say anything in response before she just stares at her phone after the call’s ended. What the hell was going on?

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