#expect my half soon so sorry for the delay

[harrysloveboat]

John B’s Girl | PT. 2

Read Part 1 here.

Summary: John B comes face to face with the ugly truth and reacts in the most expected way. JJ can’t hold back anymore, willing to risk it all for one person. All the while (Y/N) deals with the consequences of her choices.

Word Count: 27.5K, (18+, Minors DNI, Mature Audience)

Warnings: Angst, heartbreak, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it up), rough sex, soft!dom JJ, DARK!JJ, fluff, choking, subspace, clit play, degrading, slight daddy kink, slight mention of anal, physical fight, very minor mention of abuse, blood play, biting (just once), a little thigh riding, JJxCameron!Reader, JohnBxCameron!Reader etc.

A/N: I’m so sorry this took so long, I accidentally took this one shot farther than intended and my life got in the way while writing so it was delayed😭

I hope you guys enjoy it and that it was worth the wait! I was also listening to Chris Briney’s playlist while writing parts of it so feel free to play that while reading🙈 pt.3 coming soon, comment on the taglist if you’d like to know when it comes out❤️

JJ’s mind was reeling as he departed the van with a quick tug of his shorts and a clasp of the button.

He had stepped on his red hat when jumping out, mindlessly dusting the sand off of it without a care as his legs led him back to the fire pit. JJ was simply going through the motions, doing his best to ignore the way the fabric of his boxers dragged against his softening member. He flicked his tongue across his bottom lip, tasting the remnants of her sweet peak. The hat was placed on backwards to cover his tousled hair from view. He could still feel her on every indention and arch of his toned body. Believing one time would truly satiate his need for (Y/N) was a complete joke.

It was a cruel and ridiculous notion.

If anything, that’s all he could think about now. A small taste wasn’t enough, he wanted to suffocate between her legs and leave her quaking. Fuck her mouth until she had pretty tears streaming down her cheeks and saliva dribbling down her chin. Make her scream his name until she went mute. JJ had half a mind to turn around and act on impulse before Kie’s curly hair popped into his frame and refrained him from completing his body’s request. She was wearing a frown, brown eyes searching behind JJ while speaking. “Hey J. John B’s been looking for (Y/N) for a while apparently. You seen her?”

Yeah, I was fucking her in the van.

JJ let out a small breath at his thoughts, shaking his head innocently. “Nope. No clue,” he lied knowing she was probably still recuperating in the van. But he played the part so perfectly, feigning worry to mirror her state. His ocean blue eyes aimlessly flickered through the crowd without actually zoning in on anyone. “Does JB have any clue where she is?” It was hard to contain the mixture of emotions he felt for his best friend at the moment.

On one hand, John B taken it too far involving an unwilling JJ into his cruel game. Using him to get his revenge on (Y/N) and getting off on forcing him to watch something he was forbidden from claiming. On the other hand, John B’s initial reservations about their behavior was proven more than accurate by the fact that his girlfriend was most likely getting dressed in the Twinkie after JJ had just gotten done railing into her.

“You guys find her yet?” Pope’s intrusion at his right side brought him back to the conversation at hand. Kie sighed, genuinely growing more worried as time passed. “No.. I mean, it’s not like she could’ve went far? She came with us and I doubt she’d leave with Rafe without telling us,” Kie crossed her arms over her chest faintly recalling the oldest Cameron hanging out with Topper a while ago but (Y/N) wouldn’t have just left with him. Things between the two siblings had been tense for a while now with her dating a Pogue. “Well I just saw him flirting with some poor Touron so that’s not even an option,” Pope’s confirmation was layered with disgust not able to imagine what poor girl would fall for his antics.

John B appearing out of thin air from the crowd was what really made JJ zone in fully.

Neither of them had to say a word for the air to grow tense. John B hadn’t really taken the time to watch JJ’s reaction when (Y/N) unraveled in front of him, but it was easy to guess that his best friend had caught on. The fact that JJ didn’t seem as worried as the others fed into the foreboding dread he was trying to pretend wasn’t there. They turned into two alpha males fighting over territory the second they made eye contact. Standing proud with chests puffed up, oozing testosterone into a suddenly hostile setting.

“Lost your girl JB?”

He didn’t have to poke the bear but JJ is simply a victim of his true nature.

After all, it was John B who chose to start this. How could he be blamed?

The smirk that played on his otherwise innocent features sent John B into a spiral. His hand would form a fist and then loosen, only to repeat. The unspoken words JJ was attempting to convey were being understood perfectly. Kie looked between them, becoming aware of the undeniable tension swelling in the air. A lid was about to blow off and Kie wasn’t sure if it would be John B or JJ to lose it first. Pope was as oblivious as ever, checking his phone to send (Y/N) another text.

“I saw her for a little bit.”

John B’s teeth gritted as he took a step forward. The implications the blonde haired boy was making was only triggering the residual jealousy inside of him. He would be a fool to not notice the sparkle in his girlfriends eyes when JJ demanded her attention. It was like a punch to the kidney remembering the pause she took when being introduced to him. John B wasn’t one to normally struggle with his worth, but it was too easy to assume that things might’ve turned out different if JJ had been the one who got the job with Ward Cameron instead of him.

“I’m picking up some weird vibes..,” Kie interrupted with a tentative tone, eyes flickering between the two.

John B was a giddy kid on Christmas morning watching the two girls mingle on the boat. (Y/N) Cameron was actually sitting on the H.M.S. Pogue in a sexy little one piece bikini talking to his friends. And she was dating him.

“JJ’s not gonna like her.”

“JJ has to like her.”

“Yeah but he’s not going to.”

“You’re killing my mood Pope.”

“She’s the Kook Princess for fucks sake.”

“If you’re cussing that means you’re really mad,” John B was partially teasing. Pope was hitting too close to home without realizing it. JJ’s been his best friend since the third grade. Everything significant that ever happened to JB always made its way back to JJ. Anytime he skipped school, JJ was the one who led the charge. Any idea or scheme, good or bad, was brought up between the two before anyone else. Hell even the grinded herbs spilled on the floor of his guest bedroom belonged to none other than his partner in crime.

JJ not liking his girlfriend because she was a Kook just wasn’t an option.

Pope rolled his eyes while carrying the cooler (Y/N) and Kie had packed off the deck. “I get ignored but I’m always right,” he mistook his friend’s carefree attitude for confidence. There was just no way Pope wasn’t going to be right about this. There wasn’t a walking Kook on Outer Banks that didn’t receive the bad end of one of JJ’s stink eyes or his colorful language. The Kook Princess and her knight and shining armor at the time, Topper, were the main topic of many drunk rants about social inequality.

John B pensively knocked against the wooden railing with his beer can, accepting Pope’s prediction. “Okay well- we can always leave them stranded so they can work their shit out,” John B threw up a solution to the mix. Pope dropped the cooler before giving him a pointed look. “It’s truly scary how quickly you came up with that,” he was a little impressed and frightened at the same time.

Pope’s gaze moved behind him, heavy footsteps giving way to the queasiness that came with jitters. “Fishin’ for some drum today boys?” JJ’s chipper voice put an end to their discussion and forced fake smiles. Pope began undoing the rope tying them to the dock with a quick nod. John B didn’t have time to react with his special guest already making her way towards the cooler that Pope had brought on board. The time he thought he had to come up with a plan disappeared. Kie scrambled up at his arrival to help diffuse any situation that might unfold while John B shifted to face his girlfriend and best friend. “(Y/N) this is the last member of the Pogues, JJ Maybank. JJ, this is my girlfriend, (Y/N) Cameron. Thought she could come with us today,” he introduced them formally.

The rest just seemed to happen in slow motion.

His blue eyes landed on her, hair at the end of her ponytail drifting towards her left shoulder with the gust of wind. Cheeks flushed with a light shade of pink that JJ didn’t know the name of, but found himself suddenly wanting to. She reached up to lift her designer sunglasses from the brim of her nose to the top of her head. He swallowed hard, caught off guard by the gleam in her eyes that matched the magnitude of the suns’. Her glossy lips were moisturized by some chapstick JJ needed to know the flavor of. The bikini was black, with two openings at the side and simple spaghetti straps that only put emphasis on her chest. Every alluring inch of tanned skin was prompting him towards her.

The only time she ever really crossed his path was during a tussle with Topper or Rafe. He never really had the time or interest in concentrating on the Kook Princess.

Which in reality made a lot of sense to JJ.

Because he felt like he was actually seeing her for the first time. Like he didn’t even know who she was until now.

“Nice to properly meet you JJ, I- uhm..- I brought some beer over,” and it was the pause in her sweet voice that really sealed the deal.

(Y/N)’s field of vision was consumed by JJ. His muscular arms in the sleeveless gray t-shirt were shimmering with sweat. The cotton fabric hung low exposing the defined lines of his collarbones. The sun lit up the sapphire color in his eyes and sharpness of his jawline. And normally, normally, (Y/N) had a hatred for baseball caps. The way they ruined your hair after wearing them for too long. Or how the little hole in the back never sat just right with her ponytail. But today? Her entire perspective changed on them as she caught sight of the singular loose strand of hair falling onto JJ’s forehead. The red hat was facing the opposite way, blonde locks poking out under the sides of it. For heaven sakes JJ had a damn toothpick snug between his lips.

How could she not be thrown off by him? He was the epitome of a bad boy that would probably be haunting her dark dreams in the upcoming future.

“I didn’t know Kook Princesses knew that beers existed.”

With his playfulness, the stress in their surroundings dissolved.

A quiet snort on her end and his boots landing on the boat was the end of it. The big explosion they’d prepared for amounted to nothing more than a shared beverage and banter that was borderline flirtatious.

“Well… that could’ve gone way worse,” Pope noted from John B’s side.

In retrospect, it did go way worse.

“Everything okay?” (Y/N) called out to them from where she was making her way up to the huddled group preventing the storm that was brewing from unleashing. Her breathing was still uneven, fingers fiddling nervously with the shiny cross necklace at her neck. The vibrator still made it difficult to walk with the way it would slide inside of her restricting her from forgetting about the incident in the van but she was satiated for now. Able to process other thoughts than just JJ. Guilt was at the forefront of her conflicted emotions. Everybody but John B and JJ looked at her. They heard her but they hadn’t even broken their stand-off to acknowledge her presence.

Kie shot her head around to (Y/N) exhaling a sigh of relief since she appeared uninjured. But at a second glance, she noted the tangled mess of hair that had been miserably patted down and ran through. The subtle rise and fall of her chest to finish catching her breath. The crimson color painted on her cheeks that ran down her neck to her shoulders.

“Everything’s great now. JB was lookin’ for ya and I was just telling him that I’d ran into you,” JJ’s smirk widened. He was just having too much fun playing into the obvious suspicion that danced in John B’s brown eyes. It was hard to not want to blurt it out right then and there, that his little game hadn’t worked out the way he intended it to. The bittersweet moment that would eventually come when John B pulls the vibrator out was enough motivation to keep his mouth shut. A side of JJ he wasn’t aware of was coming out for vengeance.

(Y/N) had to physically stop herself from jabbing her elbow into JJ’s side. She wanted to come clean, tell John B the truth even if it would be devastatingly difficult to remedy. She owed him that now. “Yeah, by the fire pit. When I wasn’t feeling well. I had to get some fresh air,” it was sort of the truth. (Y/N) couldn’t pick this moment in front of everyone to be honest. She just wanted to make sure that he found out through her and not by opening JJ’s present.

“Mhm,” JJ hummed digging his fists into his pockets. It was her lie that bled false hope into John B as he finally broke with a peek her way. She was staring at him, silently pleading to back off with her big doe eyes. JJ couldn’t blame him for relaxing with one look her way, she had the same affect on him.

Pope adjusted his flannel with a heavy breath. “Well I don’t know about you guys, but that was a lot for one night. I’m ready to go to bed. And Pops ran me down dry today,” his body was still sore from all the deliveries and inventory he had done at the shop earlier. It was indeed getting a little late for all of them now. There was a good amount of liquor in their systems so calling it a night wasn’t a bad idea. Kie was still feeling unconvinced though. Nothing that was being said was wrong but it was the way it was being said. The heavy emotion that weighed the trio down. And of course, JJ was acting far too odd and smug.

“It was a lot for one night, huh?” JJ’s head whipped around to her then. He was so obviously referring to the fact he had busted a weeks load, who was he kidding, a months load of frustration into her. (Y/N)’s knuckles turned white around the chain feeling the way JJ peered down the front of her body and stopped at the end of her dress. Her body would be undeniably hot if anyone was to touch it at this very instant. “Yeah, we should get home,” her voice was shaky as she stepped toward John B, outstretching her free hand to him and rewarding JJ’s audacity without a glance over.

He wound his fingers around hers, letting her be the one to calm him down and wash the anger away. He didn’t bother looking at JJ again as they began walking because he’s afraid he might punch the stupid smirk off his face if he does. (Y/N) had accidentally already done that for him by taking John B’s hand.

“I tried-,” John B squeezed her hand lowering his voice as they walked a few steps ahead of their friends, “getting your attention.”

The vibrating noise the toy made against the metal flooring of the van echoed in her ears.

“Do you hear that? John B’s turning up the vibrator while you’re getting stuffed with his best friends cock.”

(Y/N) jumped out of her skin at the mention of the device. She cursed whatever higher power had led John B to making this purchase. Her skin crawled with the flashback it brought on. She was even angrier at herself for still being turned on by the way JJ had fucked her into utter submission. If she’d been in her right mind, she would’ve taken it out and wiped herself clean. But JJ had left her dazed. Perplexed by the intensity of pleasure and shame from not feeling guiltier than she should.

“I turned it off.”

“You.. turned it off?” John B repeated, shock evident on his features. There was never an actual contract between them with a set list of rules or anything but they were dabbling in punishment and handing over control so it didn’t make any sense to him. Why would she do that knowing what would ensue? It crossed his mind that it could’ve been because he took it too far moments before she vanished. He wasn’t dumb enough to ignore that it had been careless of him to push her like that in front of JJ. He felt a little bad about how inconsiderate it had been to do that as they reached the van. John B didn’t say another word as he furrowed his eyebrows and looked ahead.

There was an odd white tint on the windows leftover from their indiscretion. Like the kind caused by fog that dried up. The smell inside wasn’t any better. Some of it escaped with all the doors opening but it was still present when the engine switched on. Kie and Pope were scrunching up their noses as (Y/N) sunk into her seat, head resting against the window wishing she could become one with the car door. Her heart beat a little quicker as she inhaled the sweat and aroma of sex.

If anybody deciphered exactly what it was, they chose not to mention it.

But it enveloped (Y/N). Hugged her tight and flooded her with what were now sinful memories. Shutting her eyes, her fingertips skimmed across the top of her thigh timidly, the one where JJ had left a hand impression on the side. It sent chills through her body to relive the way his face dug into her. Her thighs retreating into one another as she pictured the almost black eyes watching her come apart under him. If anything served as the biggest reminder, it was the vibrator neatly tucking in JJ’s cum into her squirming body. Her hand moved upwards to pull her hair to one side and squeeze the back of her neck in an effort to calm herself. It was a mistake, a huge mistake to tilt her head back. Because the tormentor of her daydream was already burning holes into her.

JJ could see the lust flash through her eyes. Even from the backseat he could feel the heat emanating towards him. Watching her felt different now. He wasn’t getting a glimpse of her inappropriate thoughts, he was reading them. Observing how they popped up with every touch of her hand. Seeing the sweaty skin displayed by her bare shoulder firsthand and the hint of a darkening bruise that would be visible to those in the backseat if she moved her hair another inch. His fingers itched to replace hers. Going mad with the realization that she was thinking about him. It was his name she had been screaming earlier. The cause of her affliction was JJ this time. His chest was moving a little quicker now that her eyes were confirming what JJ suspected. His hand shifted downwards to tug on his shorts and fix them before his hardening dick became obvious.

“Guys I know this is technically John B’s van, but can you minimize the intimacy in the van. It reeks,” Pope waved his hand in front of his nose dramatically while requesting that one of the two in the front rolled the window down. They had almost managed to get away with it when Pope just had to go and open his mouth about it.

The curve of JJ’s lip tilted upwards as Kie delivered a detrimental blow to Pope’s arm. She was already suspecting something and with the silence in the van intriguing her further, Pope making this type of comment was just unnecessary. (Y/N) couldn’t look at JJ’s triumphant expression for another second longer though.

John B gave a very short and curt, half hearted laugh, hands tightening around the wheel. His chest felt a little tight. For the life of him, he couldn’t remember when the last time they’d had sex in the Twinkie was. It definitely wasn’t recent enough for it to linger this way and it definitely hadn’t been present earlier. Anger flared within him while trying to remain blissfully ignorant as to the obvious signs in front of him.

The eerie quietness for the rest of the ride was only made bearable by the music playing on the radio. Everyone was too distracted in their own thoughts, exchanging wary glances back and forth. Even JJ found John B scowling over at him quite often, but he simply kept his eyes on (Y/N).

The van coming to a stop awoken everyone out of their distractions. John B was the first one out, walking with purpose to get to (Y/N)’s door and reaching it before she could even lift her hand to the handle. Pope left the back first, talking about the leftover cereal from (Y/N)’s little shopping trip he just needed to eat before bed. Kie began to exit, slowing down when she noticed that JJ wasn’t moving at all from where he was sat. If she took her time, she’d be able to catch him by himself and ask him what the fuck was going on.

Her plan seemed to work pretty well considering John B gripped onto (Y/N)’s wrist to pull her inside not paying any mind to the others. The constant loop of emotions was only infuriating him more. The car ride felt hours long, giving him time to envision several scenarios of what might’ve happened. Trying to get rid of those images was proving to be more difficult. He didn’t even realize how upset he actually was until they reached the front door and (Y/N) wiggled her wrist in his grasp. “It hurts,” she was nervous, not because of him but because of the conversation that awaited.

John B eased up on her a fraction of a second after she spoke. He didn’t bother looking back though, boosting (Y/N)’s nerves. “John B,” she tried quietly as he urged them through the living room, through the hallway, and into his bedroom. She could faintly hear Pope rummaging through the cabinets before his bedroom door was opening. Her pulse quickened, the panic bubbling inside of her. But he was unwavering. Setting off an attack of anxiety-fueled nausea through her. Every rushed movement was beckoning her closer to her confession. He wasn’t letting her get a word out, shutting the door behind them. “John B,” he ignored her, urging them over to sit (Y/N) down on the bed.

“Why’d you turn it off?.. When did you turn it off? Where?.. It’s still inside you though, right?” He didn’t actually expect a response to the extensive questions he was throwing her way. He was moving too rapidly to give her time to answer them. John B didn’t even know if he actually wanted to hear what she had to say. He grabbed the hem of his shirt to rip it off. His lips were set in a fine line, overlooking the tears swelling in her eyes as his knees met the wooden floorboards.

(Y/N) made a steadfast attempt to keep herself covered but his hand boldly flung the dress up. There was both anger and lust etched in his expression. His hands grabbed onto her knees, lunging them to opposite sides with eyes glued to one place and one place only. A choked noise left her lips at the direction he was going towards.

“We need to talk,” the dreaded words every man loathed hearing. He focused in on the sight of the red lace that had a slight bump over it where the vibrator was located. The discussion she wanted to have was the last thing on his mind right now. He chose to exist in the expectation of how this night was supposed to go rather than the reality.

“I don’t want to talk right (Y/N),” he insisted. Her cheeks felt wet and palms clammy. Lungs constricting in a frightening way with a heavy chest as she stumbled through finding the courage to spit it out. All the while he moved at too rapid of a pace for her to process. Attempting to close her thighs went horribly wrong, his hand flying over to keep them from closing.

It was purely on instinct. But unbeknownst to John B, his hand covered up the bruise left by his best friend. She winced from the pain, fingers twisting around the edge of the bed. His hand moved from there to the hem of her panties, snapping them to the side.

“John B stop,” her pleading went unheard due to the ringing in his ears. His fingers latched onto the end of it and began to pull it out.

The air escaped her lungs.

Her hand flung out to swat at his hand but his brawn was no match.

“John B- JJ and I-,” despite her cry, it was too late.

It felt like everything in the planet and beyond became deadly silent.

A pin could drop and you’d hear it in Australia.

He only managed to get it out halfway before the milky white substance was seeping out from the sides.

The next millisecond was the longest John B had ever experienced. His face went pale. There was no way for her to explain herself out of this one. The sight was so distinct. It was so obviously cum that didn’t belong to him. Every stress-filled interaction crashed together inside him in a long-awaited train wreck. The way his throat would dry when JJ would go silent into a trance upon (Y/N)’s bubbly entrance. His blue eyes would get just a little brighter at her goofiness and matching banter. Her laugh would be just a smidgen higher when he did his very JJ things. She’d melt whenever he would sweetly request something of her, in a way that was supposed to have been a joke from both sides. However, the punchline to the joke seemed to be him.

In the millisecond that followed, John B lurched away from her like she had caught fire. The feeling of disgust was a harsh contrast to what he was feeling before. The woman before him was one he didn’t recognize any longer. It couldn’t be his (Y/N) sitting on the edge of his bed. No. That girl loved him. That girl would’ve never done something like this. A sound was made as the sex toy fell out the rest of the way reminding him that she indeed had. His blood boiled with rage. The edge of the panty line snapping back and startling her out of her anguish.

“John B I’m so sorry-,”

“Are you fucking serious?” He seethed watching as she jumped up from the bed, tears falling down her cheeks while struggling to catch a breath. But he pulled back from her letting his anger fuel the desire to see her vanish from his vicinity. “Don’t fucking touch me,” his voice boomed out, making her flinch away from him. She’d never seen him this furious before. It was her fault though. She deserved his reaction.

John B didn’t need to ask who was to blame because he already knew the answer to that question. Even with his name falling from her lips moments as he took it out, the clear image of a smirking JJ from the Boneyard asking if he had lost her made him lose it. His best friend was to be held just as responsible. Before he could properly process what he was doing, the door swung open with determination. The sound it made as it hit the wall echoed throughout the house alarming everyone and undoubtedly leaving a doorknob sized hole in its wake.

(Y/N) chased after him, knowing exactly who he was looking for. “No John B,” she called out after him, sprinting to catch up to him. Even though he just looked like he was walking, his speed was astonishing. His head scanned around the empty kitchen and then the living room where Kie was bouncing up from the couch with wide eyes. “What’s wrong? What’re you looking for?” she asked exasperatedly, quickly reaching the conclusion that John B was fuming. There would be steam coming out of his ears if that was actually possible.

“Where’s JJ- I’m gonna kill him,” John B stated without hesitation as the toilet flushed from down the hallway. Before John B could get to it, (Y/N)’s palms were pushing back at his rock hard chest, muscles tight from rage.

“John B stop- this is my fault. It’s mine, nobody else’s but mine,” (Y/N) could barely keep in the sob as John B reacted quickly, moving away from her once again. His eyes were dark and empty, face completely emotionless except for the red hot anger. The sight of him becoming physically ill from her touch shattered her into pieces. Her body was shaking. She knew this is what would happen but nothing could’ve actually prepared her for it. Nobody warned her about what it would feel like to watch the love someone has for you drain from their face.

“I said don’t fucking touch me. Why are you even here, huh? Thought it would be fun to slum your way through Pogues?” John B’s hurled accusation was meant to hurt, meant to be offensive. He wanted her to really feel the same pain he was. He thought one day she might leave him for his best friend. Had pretended like it was his mind playing tricks on him. Never in a million years did he think this would happen. He was unable to breathe properly as he stared intently towards the opening bathroom door. He stretched his neck out to see who it was, only relaxing it back when Pope emerged from the bathroom. “What’s going on?” he gazed around at everyone having heard the door and shouting from where he was, eyes eventually honing in on the state (Y/N) was in.

John B laughed with no humor behind it and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ll tell you what’s going on. JJ fucked my slut of a girlfriend. My best friend fucking creampied her,” his head shook in disbelief, “He fucked her in the van while we were all looking for her,” John B’s voice was laced with venom watching as she curled in on herself without caring about how she felt. He put two and two together easily. The way she recoiled at the accusation only confirmed it, setting him off further as he took a step forward. “He did didn’t he? You opened your legs for him in the fucking Twinkie.” This was different from when he called her dirty names in the safety behind closed doors. He meant these humiliating words. Her crying was the only thing heard in the momentary silence. (Y/N) covered her chest with her arms as if to protect the imaginary physical wound that he inflicted. “Woah dude- wait, you’ve gotta chill out,” Pope moved with caution between him and (Y/N), holding his hand out to stop John B from moving any further. Not because he’d do anything, because the situation was getting too heated. He was hearing a bit too much information than needed, but if any of it was true he knew John B was on a unstoppable war path.

“Where’s JJ?” He was steady in his pursuit, unbothered by his friend who was trying to settle the situation at hand. “Jesus- He left! I talked to him outside and he left, alright?!” Kie yelled out at him, pulling his attention to the girl. “You’ve gotta calm down. Fighting him and hurting her isn’t gonna solve anything,” Kie reasoned in a slightly lower volume, but nonetheless still loud, while laying an attentive hand on his shoulder. Usually it was (Y/N) doing this. Asking him to cool off without speaking, just looking. It was a harsh reality to accept that she wasn’t. The disappointment to find out JJ hadn’t even made it past the front door was clear in the way his hand jerked. He swirled around on his feet to face (Y/N) again, looking past Pope.

“Get out.”

“John B, please let me talk to you.” Her voice was horse from all the crying. It was without a doubt asking for too much to have a civil conversation with John B right now. But her heart was squeezing in her chest and she couldn’t bare the thought of leaving things like this. Her mind struggled to find any words that would bring him peace. There was probably none that would. She had tried to avoid this… hadn’t she? Didn’t she keep asking him to stop? Or couldn’t she have just pulled away from his hold? The fact that was even a question in her mind made her chest swell with oncoming tears.

John B stiffened up taking another step forward that landed Pope’s hand onto his chest this time. “(Y/N) get the fuck out!” The conviction in his voice made her bottom lip quiver. Kie was angry at her but it was also difficult to watch (Y/N) break down like this. Since she’d joined them, they’d been inseparable. It was nice of course to have all the boys around but there was things she could talk to (Y/N) about that she couldn’t with them. A sense of trust and friendship that had formed during girl talk. She knew there was no excuse for her friends actions, but it was still difficult to watch the fallout unfold. “I’ll take her home and then I’ll be right back,” Kie offered as she went to the couch searching for her keys figuring that would be a way she could help them both. “Kie get her out of here right fucking now,” John B’s nostrils flared not having the capacity to continue looking at (Y/N).

“She’s going man, she’s going. Let’s just go outside,” Pope tried leading him out the back while Kie smacked a pillow in frustration, wondering where she set her keys down before they left.

But it was all too much for (Y/N).

The pure disdain from John B was appropriate. The way they were referring to her in third person now, as if she’d never been a Pogue, was also fitting but it all pierced her heart. She’d lost him and the rest of her true family over what? A hook-up? Another notch on JJ’s belt? She didn’t even have a clue.

“Don’t worry,” (Y/N) grabbed her phone making her way to the door as Kie moved to stop her, “I’ll get home. Just stay with him.”

Kie called out for her in an effort to get her to rethink and wait just a few more minutes for her. But either she didn’t hear it or she chose not to.

The way the screen door slammed behind her seemed to signify the end to a lot more than what she could yet imagine or even handle.

Her legs were wobbly as she made her way down the beaten path. It took her a few minutes to gather her strength before she was able to walk away from the house without tripping over nothing. The adrenaline racing from the intensity of the fight urged her legs to move faster. She couldn’t help but punish herself by reliving every second of it. The look on John B’s face when he removed the toy made her insides churn. The image would be scarred into her memory. It seemed like every other special, beautiful moment they shared was erased from existence. She wanted to turn back time, find a million different ways to come clean that didn’t include a stupid fucking vibrator. Without even noticing, her sprint gradually tripled in speed until it turned into full fledged running and weeping down his neighborhood. A car past her by at some point but she didn’t even see it through the haze of her tears.

With time passing by faster than she noticed, she felt her chest slowing to a calmer state and cheeks drying. It was only then, when every heightened sense took an undeserved respite, that her speed lowered. Things were more visible now that it felt like she had cried every drop she physically could. It only felt like minutes in the middle of her attack, but she’d managed to make it quite a distance. The convenience store John B normally drove to when he picked up some late night cravings during her periods came into view and almost made her collapse in the process. Walking to her house from here would most likely take the whole night and (Y/N) probably could make it if she was feeling extra ballsy. But as she eyed the dimly lit street ahead and the little twenty-four hour mini-mart that threatened the shaky stability she had found, she knew tonight was not that night.

Her phone screen lit up her face, swiping up to open the device when it recognized her. (Y/N) let out a trembling breath as she made her way to her Uber app, ordering one to her current location so that she could be dropped off in Figure Eight. Once it was charged to the card her dad had opened for her, she crossed her arms over her chest. Her dad really only checked her account to re-up her money so there wasn’t a high chance of him questioning her on a late night Uber drive when she was supposed to be sleeping over at Kie’s, but even if he did see it, the argument that would ensue seemed vastly unimportant compared to everything else.

A wave of emotions risked another waterfall. In contrary to her previous belief, apparently she might never stop crying. Waiting there for the driver, all she could think about was John B. The coldness he aimed her way. He had meant every single belittling word and (Y/N) felt like it was well-deserved. She wanted to blame JJ. It would be so easy to do it considering the predicament she had been in when he followed after her. One that he had been very well aware of.

But as much as she wanted to do that, the truth was she wanted JJ in that moment. Not John B, but JJ. The look in his blue eyes when they were sitting in front of the bonfire had ignited a buried desire for him. There was actually way too many instances where she had craved JJ in the way she had him tonight. Odd moments where they were left alone for one reason or another, creating tension amongst themselves with inappropriate thoughts and stolen glances of the other. It was really her fault for not admitting it to herself sooner. All of this could’ve been avoided if she had stopped lying to herself.

The honk of the horn brought her back from her zoned out state. (Y/N) made her way into the vehicle that matched the one in the app, giving the man a weak smile. He asked her something, but her brain didn’t make sense of it. She curled up into the door similar to the way she had in the van earlier, choosing to get lost in the palm trees rather than hold a meaningless conversation with someone she’d never meet again. The silence he was met with was a clear indication that she wanted to opt out of the friendly chatter and arrive at her destination.

The driver picked up the hint, starting his drive to the address given without another hitch. Even blessing her with the grace of ignoring the faint weeping in the backseat. She was torn up inside, grieving the loss of her boyfriend while also struggling with whether she actually regretted it or not. Saying she did would just be a distasteful lie. Confronting John B over this had sent her headfirst into the veracity of her feelings.

The rest of the drive felt empty. There wasn’t a living soul out when they rode down her street. Her own house had all the lights off, it gave off an eerie looking vibe at this time of night. The driver came to a stop at her gate, letting her get off there so she could enter through the gate door next to the car entrance. Her mumbled thank you was politely acknowledged with a small wave and head bow before she exited.

The walk from the warm car through the freezing temperature of the night to the coziness of her bedroom was exhausting in her numb state. She was beyond glad no one was awake because she didn’t have the energy to deal with her dad who would pester her with questions. Or Wheezie who would try to get all up in her business for nothing other than the sake of living up to the stereotype of nosy little sisters. Rose would just put on her motherly act that seemed to bother her too much to play well so it would just end up sucking more energy from (Y/N).

And Rafe- well Rafe might be the only one that could cross her path. He wouldn’t care enough to even notice her presence. But he was most likely still at the Boneyard with the other Kooks anyways inhaling too much coke.

A relaxing bath sounded perfect right now, with some bubbles and candles. She could play one of her mellow playlists in the background. Something relaxing, not sad, because she’d be right back where she started. She didn’t know if she’d actually retrieve the candles from the second floor linen closet or even have the energy to search for her speaker but at least the bubbles she could reach from inside the bathtub. The rest she could leave up to her imagination.

Her feet dragged all the way up to the third floor, past the expensive paintings and family portraits, and to her bedroom. All of the lights in the hallway made it hard for her to see in the pitch black of her bedroom. (Y/N) preferred it that way anyways. Her back rested against the door once it shut, one hand on the doorknob still feeling like she couldn’t get a decent amount of oxygen into her lungs. Her head lifted just to bang back on the door delivering a sting to the back of her head that didn’t actually quell the emotional pain.

She was about to go into her bathroom when she saw the infamous red baseball cap on the grey chair, lined with silver around the edges, that sat in front of the window. The moonlight pouring in from the window was shining down on it like a spotlight, alerting her to the presence of the boy that seemed to be everywhere lately.

The fact that it was in such perfect view made her tilt her head slightly, not looking away from it. It was almost like he had made sure to leave it in sight so that they could bypass the obvious jump scare that would’ve occurred otherwise. Her back stood a little straighter, heart caving just the tiniest bit at the gesture.

And that’s exactly why JJ had done it. Her bloodshot eyes and lifeless expression were proof he’d been right in doing so. He had wanted to be there for her when they got out of the van, gut still twisting with the way John B had grabbed onto (Y/N). But he was aware now that he was just a coward. With no clue as to how to make it up to her. After the conversation with Kie, he’d gotten on his bike and rode away. He was supposed to go home, face Luke’s wrath about his week long disappearance since the Chateau would obviously be off limits for the foreseeable future. But the pull he felt was strong, as powerful as gravity.

That’s how JJ had ended up pacing on the other side of the wall that separated Ward Cameron and the rest of his Kook family from the outside world. He was drawn to a place he’d never stepped foot in. He’d only gotten as far as the driveway the one time he road with John B to surprise (Y/N) and pick her up for a rowdy night. They had watched her slip out of her bedroom window and proceed to climb down the enormous tree next to the roof. He’d been enamored by her that night like he was all the time, thrown off by her spontaneity. Every corner JJ turned, he found another reason to fall for this girl. It hadn’t taken him long to decide to hop it once the image of her pretty face remained too long in his imagination. The possibility that she might be a little… hostile about his intrusion didn’t dissuade him.

He’d already been there for a long time, enough to wonder if he’d made the right decision in coming. He started off with sitting down on the same seat the hat was resting on before moving towards the edge of the bed. When time kept passing, he laid down on the comfortable king sized mattress. Then he discarded his articles of clothing until he was in his boxers, not wanting to dirty the comforter. He knows she’d wave off the silliness in that but he didn’t want to taint the pristine state of her bedroom. The ridiculous amount of pillows around his body tempted him into a deep slumber but the concern at how late it was getting and her not arriving put a hold on that. JJ was even getting close to calling Kie when the door had finally opened.

The sight of her hitting her head tugged at the strings of his heart. He was appalled with himself. Feeling unworthy of even being here knowing that he had left her to handle the fallout on her own. No amount of persuading from Kie to give John B a couple of days should of been enough to stop him from greeting her at the door with his outstretched arms when she walked out. But in all honesty, it was his own decision to put off the confrontation with John B and reencounter with (Y/N) after such a heavy revelation. He wouldn’t even blame her if she never wanted to see him again.

But when her shoulders slouched as she turned towards the bed and her weary eyes acclimated to the darkness, JJ didn’t see an ounce of malice hidden in them.

“You know breaking and entering is an arrest-able offense?”

She sounded defeated as her arms found sanctuary in the slot of her back between the door. JJ sat up slightly, resting his back against the cushioned headrest. The fanciest thing he’s probably ever laid on. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in. JJ had expected to be yelled at, maybe thrown an object or two, then kicked out the window or through the door depending on her generosity. Instead of accusations or bitterness, he was met with a thinly veiled playful threat. And that was a million times better than being on her bad side.

“Call the cops on me then.” It was just as much to test out the waters as it was to avoid the topic at hand. It was so painfully obvious to him that things had gone considerably worse than JJ expected when (Y/N) was choosing to engage in some light-hearted banter before he could even bring it up. Which she pretended to contemplate for a moment from where she stayed put against the door. She knew that what he said wasn’t by any means considered lewd language but just because it was JJ and JJ’s voice saying it while fully displaying his six pack under the gleam of the moonlight, her mind went a little off track.

“I knew I probably couldn’t crash at the Chateau and home just..” he didn’t have to continue it. (Y/N) had bought a full sized First Aid kit to keep on hand for whenever JJ would need to be patched up. It was safely stashed away in the bathroom closet at JB’s so that she could tend to his wounds.

(Y/N) pursed her lips fully aware that she hadn’t actually been planning on kicking him out but just the fact that his only option was going to Luke’s if she did left her with a queasy stomach. They watched one another in silence, JJ hanging on to the anticipation of waiting for her reply. When his fingers ran through his hair in an attempt to ease the stress, (Y/N) finally pushed off from the door.

“The left side of the bed is mine,” her eyes flickered to the empty right side and JJ got the hint, “I will be building a Wall of China that you cannot cross. Lock the bathroom door when you use it. The rest of the house is off limits because my dad might have a heart attack if he sees you and Wheezie’s a snitch or a blackmailer depending on her mood and what day of the week it is,” with a lock of the door, she was making her way towards the front of the bed, “Rafe would just be unpleasant to run into, and this is the most important rule so listen very closely Maybank.. If you turn my fan off, I will make sure you suffer,” bringing attention to the hum of the fan that JJ remembered had indeed been turned on this whole time.

A small amused smile played on JJ’s lips at the list of rules she gave him. He was so engrossed in her every move, still finding her beautiful even in the midst of chaos. It was easier to play this game of pretend, like nothing had happened. As if his presence in her home was somewhat normal. It certainly felt more normal than it should. “Anything else warden?” JJ teased as he scooted over on the bed. (Y/N) rolled her eyes as she came around the corner to lay her phone on the nightstand.

“I’m gonna take a bath so… leave me alone,” she smiled unenthusiastically hooking the phone up to her charger that was awaiting and keeping a cool demeanor. It was becoming increasingly harder to ignore his playful mood, JJ held an unmatched power to distract her from the reality of the situation.

“A bath, huh?”

“Yes a bath.”

“I think you should go to bed like that.”

(Y/N) paused, all too familiar with what it felt like to have his eyes digging into her by now. She knew what he was insinuating, that she should lay down with her cum soaked panties. She didn’t move her gaze away from the nightstand, legs shifting as she felt the wave of heat washing over her. She couldn’t help but curse herself internally, mad at herself for having no control over her reactions.

“I think a bath is what I need.”

“I think sleeping would be much better.”

“I think I’m right.”

“I think you’re wrong.”

Air puffed out from her lips as she turned to face him, meeting his eyes like she had expected to. He was so annoying that (Y/N) could smother him in his sleep with one of her pillows. But the mischief in his eyes was beckoning her over. Seeing as he was unwilling to back down, she figured she could wait until he fell asleep to wash off the remainder of tonight. There was no way to get past JJ when he got this stubborn, not a single word would persuade him otherwise and she knew it.

JJ smiled jubilantly when she puffed up pillows in the middle of the bed to separate them instead of continuing the back and forth. He wouldn’t deny he was mostly eager to have her close again, especially seeing as she was actually letting him stay. Every second next to her felt counted, like his minutes were almost up and he had to soak in every detail. He slid down in the bed again while she moved to the dresser, pulling out a plain, worn out t-shirt. His eyes were on her every move, being able to observe her more than he was normally able to.

(Y/N) wanted to grab a pair of pajamas, or at least pajama shorts since JJ would be sleeping over. But if there was one thing she despised, it was wearing anything other than a simple raggedy t-shirt and panties to bed. She could grab a pair of pajama shorts but she knew if he ended up staying for anything longer than a couple days she’d eventually give in to her irritating body heat and remove them. And considering the fact that JJ had already had the privilege of getting a very clear picture of her lower half naked, there was nothing left to hide.

Still though, as she approached the bed, she twirled her fingers in a circle. Just because she’d be laying down in underwear didn’t mean he needed to see her change.

“Really?” JJ asked like it was stupid to even make him turn around. His eyes moved to her chest then, becoming all too aware of the fact that he hadn’t gotten the chance to see her properly when he bent her over in the Twinkie.

“Seriously.” She didn’t move an inch until JJ, very begrudgingly might she add, faced away from her. Her hand moved to the back of her neck once she was sure that JJ couldn’t see her, undoing the straps with a quick pull. Once the dress was off her body, (Y/N) slipped on the t-shirt. She hadn’t bothered to ruin a fresh pair of panties when she knew she’d be escaping to bathe as soon as he was snoring at her side.

The bed dipped next to him when (Y/N) laid down, but he couldn’t catch a single glimpse of her past the wall of pillows. JJ sighed, glancing upwards at the glow in the dark stars that littered the ceiling. They were cute. It felt like he was getting an insight to her private life. One that he wanted to be a part of. The sleep that had fought him earlier was nowhere to be found. Not when he was in (Y/N)’s house. In her perfectly decorated room. Incapable of falling asleep in her comfy bed with a mountain of pillows when she was laying only a couple of feet from him, with a t-shirt on and his cum inside her.

“Would you stop huffing and puffing over there and just sleep already?” (Y/N) would be lying if she said that was the only thing keeping her up. She had been worried that once her head hit the pillows she would be too exhausted to stay up for a bath. Yet now that she was actually here, she couldn’t stop tossing and turning. The air felt thick enough to the point that she’d even be willing to smoke a blunt to relax. But the weed wouldn’t extinguish this tension, it would probably only heighten it.

“My bad. You’ve just got a stupid amount of pillows here and I can’t seem to catch my breath,” he shrugged his shoulders to himself, tilting back to the pesky wall. JJ found warmth under the covers but craved to get it from her body instead. He knew it was a bad idea but the temptation kept unwinding and growing. The opportunity was there, just how it had been earlier. An idea crept into his mind as he heard her shuffle around. (Y/N) rolled her eyes at the comment, landing on her side that wasn’t in his direction. “And? They’re comfortable,” she explained, even though she really didn’t have to. She bent her elbow to place it under the pillow trying to find the perfect spot to relax in although it seemed to be impossible to accomplish.

JJ’s arm reached out to play with one of tags on the pillow, running it between his fingers. “It’s suffocating is what it is. And there can’t be anything comfortable about living in the North Pole,” referring to the fan hitting them directly at full blast. JJ didn’t actually mind it, he was just enjoying the teasing that was always awarded with some form of response. His fingers started tugging on the tag, focused on dismantling the first obstacle and allowing her hair to become visible.

“Well-,” (Y/N)’s witty response was halted by the small noise that suspiciously sounded like her barrier was being broken through. Her fingers lazily played with the satin sheets acting like she was unaffected. She knew exactly what he wanted but refused to give in. “I’ll make sure to remind them to tidy up your five star room in prison if you keep complaining.”

JJ chuckled, removing the second pillow with more ease now that the one above it had been tossed behind him. Her backside was in sight now, hair loose and sprawled messily above the white of her bedsheets. The t-shirt had settled into the dip of her hips, making his tongue poke out to wet his bottom lip. There was something different about being here. Something that was charging his body with electricity. “You’d never turn me in.”

“It’s never too late,” (Y/N) breathed out in a hurry as the ruffling behind her increased. Her pulse jumped anticipating JJ’s next move. It was bewildering how much he disrupted her system on a cellular level. He hadn’t even touched her and she was finding it hard to inhale normally knowing that he’d be upon her soon. It should’ve been easy to reach behind her and chastise him for breaking her rules not even 20 minutes in, but it was actually aggravatingly challenging to do so.

“You want me to-,” suddenly, without warning, his defined chest was pressing into her back, evoking a loud hitch in her breath, “grab your phone for you to call?” JJ’s fingers crawled onto the tip of her curve, softly dipping a pointer finger under the lacy fabric. Her skin felt so soft and pliant. Her body quivered under him, only invigorating him. JJ’s lowered voice was much closer to her making her ankles lock together tightly. He was attempting to distract her with his words, very well knowing that she’d never be capable of such a thing.

“JJ you can’t do that,” she completely disregarded the question now, her entire mind faltering from the way his solid chest felt against her back. Despite her protest, she didn’t lift a feather to stop him. Not even her voice was convincing. Her own heart was beating rapidly against her rib cage. They had already done this dance earlier and it had led to a huge fallout. Possibly irreparable damage. Except he was some sort of magician, that made her lose her sanity with the flick of a wand. There was no mistaking the way she got lost in the waves of blue in his eyes on the ride back to the Chateau. She had almost gotten on her knees right then and there with no care on Earth for those around them.

JJ caught on to the affect he had on her like the true devil he was. “Why?” His body flawlessly molded into the crook of her back like he’s always belonged there. Hand taking its time moving around the arch of her hip and downward to knead into the flesh in an achingly cruel way that had her head spinning. A pitiful whine was held back so that it wouldn’t fuel the desire swirling between them. But it was hard to do so when he was consuming her senses. His masculine smell bear-hugging her, his touch sending shivers down her spine.

“Because- Because John-,”

“John B isn’t here (Y/N),” JJ knew that was his best friend, but damn if he heard John B’s name one more time, “he’s already mad. What’s a second time gonna hurt?” His hand proceeded to move upwards, making a straight line up the side of her body and inching her shirt off along with it. She didn’t think her heart could palpate with anymore vigor than it was. (Y/N) was struggling to keep up the façade, JJ had already slithered his way past her pillow barrier and was doing the same to the imaginary one surrounding her. She must’ve fully warped under his spell because something logical coming from JJ couldn’t be right. “Then stop because it’s wrong,” her voice was higher pitched, waiting for the arrival of JJ’s unforgiving fingers on her breasts.

But JJ was villainous. Intent on unraveling her. He only managed to get one of her breasts to pop out, the other half of her chest still covered while his hand lifted up slightly so only the pad of his finger was tracing the outline of her side boob. There was a familiar neediness spreading inside that plagued her. She went from wanting to off him to reeling from his teasing. He refused to give in to her because she was obviously yearning for him in a similar fashion. And he’d make her admit it. Make her beg for it as many times as he pleased. “That’s not how this game works Princess,” he tsked into the space between her neck and her ear, fanning his hot breath down her heaving cleavage.

His tone was disapproving, like she should know better than that now. “The only way I’m stopping (Y/N), is if you tell me to. Tell me it would’ve made no difference which one of us found you first. Tell me right now you aren’t soaking between your legs.” JJ needed to hear it almost as much as he needed oxygen to survive. If she didn’t want him to abandon whatever was erupting between them, she needed to say it. If she didn’t want him in the same way he desperately needed, he’d get dressed, leave, and stay far away from her and John B. But he doesn’t know if he’d be able to handle that form of banishment from her life.

Luckily for him, her resolve weakened with the swipe of his tongue against her earlobe and the hidden fear making its way into his voice. She pushed the side of her face into the fluffiness of her pillow in a last ditch effort to remain passive while her body went headfirst into the sinful pleasure, pressing her bottom into his hardening length. Her breathing stuttered hearing the deep groan it illicited from him. It was instant relief for the both of them, her pussy clenching at the feel of his erection digging into her. JJ couldn’t explain how hot it was to see her fight her own bodily desire for him. “I can’t tell you that,” she barely got out. The sensual touches and intentional build up had her thighs sliding together. Breathing around him was something her body forgot how to do.

JJ’s forehead fell onto her shoulder, matching her heavy breaths now that she was confirming what he so badly wanted to hear. He grasped her exposed tit, tugging until her back was arching along with it. Incapable of refraining himself with her submitting to him. “JJ,” she gasped out feeling a pull on the back of her shirt where it was stuck under her side. “Tell me what you need then,” he commanded in the very same tone from earlier that made her vision hazy and brain foggy.

“I need you J,” her body relinquished control with a small whine, obeying his orders by lifting up slightly from the bed to remove the t-shirt. She moved to face him, wanting nothing more than to run her fingers over the surface of his toned physique, but JJ used the grip on her breast to return her to her previous position. They weren’t in a rush this time. There was no boyfriend expecting her to return. No one to answer to in the dead of night. JJ had the advantage of time and he didn’t want to waste the opportunity.

His crotch rutting into her once in tandem with the flick of his finger over her nipple caused her mouth to drop open and a shudder to overtake her. “That’s how much I need you (Y/N),” he moaned, making her keen while his teeth grazed her shoulder blade. Every bit of her was intoxicating, like an addicting drug he was handing over his willpower to. The temptation was too much to handle. His fingers finally skimmed to the top of her panties, sliding under the thin material with ease and urgency. (Y/N) tilted her knee upwards so that he had more space at his disposal, fully letting herself succumb to JJ.

The second his hand connected with her slick mound her long eyelashes fluttered, a deep groan paving its way out. His index and middle finger slid around her clit, putting pressure on it by pressing into the sides. His semen mixing with her arousal allowed JJ to glide his fingers up and down with ease. “Oh f-fuck,” she sputtered out arm hastily wrapping around his. JJ was more vocal this time, moaning again from the feel of her sodden pussy. It urged him to grind up against her again finding relief in the contour of her body.

JJ’s free arm snuck it’s way under her neck, curving enough to be able to reach her hardened nipple. He twisted and squeezed relentlessly until he heard her cry out from the stimulation. His lips laid open mouthed kisses around her shoulders, sucking slightly with every pause. JJ didn’t falter though, he pulled on her nipple while adding extra pressure to her clit as he continued to stroke his fingers through her velvety folds. Her strangled moans were making his hard on throb from how wrecked she already sounded. (Y/N) couldn’t put together a single thought in her head, only feel the pleasure exploding inside her like fireworks.

“Fuck you feel so good, dripping again for me. Still leaking my cum,” JJ could no longer hold back as he sunk his teeth into the same spot of her upper body that he had been abusing, biting down until there was a metallic flavor soothing his tastebuds. His tongue licked up the wound, a carnal instinct forcing him to do something he never had even imagined would turn him on. However, the action sent him onto cloud nine, a high like no other. A groan vibrating against the broken skin.

Never had somebody bit her before and yet there was an embarrassing amount of slickness added to the mess between her legs. Her mouth gaped, opening with a high pitched, “Ah”. His muscles flexed under her grip as his fingers moved with more urgency feeling the result of what his action did to her. He couldn’t explain the feeling bursting inside his chest at the fact that she glowed under his barbaric behavior. (Y/N)’s head tilted to the side where JJ met her cheek with his nose. Face contorted from the waves of pain jolting through her that were mixing in with the ones of pleasure crashing into her mercilessly.

Her legs intertwined with his, tightening around his calves in order to receive some sort of grounding through the ferocity of his actions. “You like that? Like when I use my fingers to make you feel good?” JJ purred through hooded blue eyes watching her bottom lip tremble from the pleasure. He was vicious in his assaults, having to stop her thighs from shutting with a knee into the crease of her ass. As much as he wanted to shove his fingers into her hungry cunt, he wanted to make her fall apart by just playing with the sensitive nub. “Yes, love it J, I-,” her mouth paused while open, hips jutting out as JJ quickened his pace. She wanted to tell him she wouldn’t last long but he wasn’t letting her breathe.

“Is this what you were imagining in the van? My fingers inside of you, my tongue licking every inch of your pussy?” JJ murmured making her back straighten out and hearing her wheeze when he switched to a circular motion and back. Her previous orgasms had already been so intense that she was at risk of slipping away in the ecstasy. Her toes curled around the edge of the bedsheet panting into the air. (Y/N) was fully immersed in the vehement drag of his fingers and the hot puffs of air that electrified her skin. “Stay here f’me,” it was JJ’s dominating tone mixing with one of uneasiness that lulled her out of the fog, “that’s it pretty girl. Answer my question.”

He coerced a response out of her before she could drift away from him. JJ’s fingers switching to figure eight motions as she arched her back with a particularly loud yelp of his name then returning to the previous movement before she had time to adjust. Watching her so worked up had his cock aching to find its way back into her. His precum was forming a new stain in his boxers from the intensity of their hushed words and the symphony of her fluctuating breaths and resounding moans. He wanted to sheathe himself with her cunt until she become too stupid to speak almost as much as he enjoyed watching her surrender her satisfaction to him. “All I.. All I could think about was you.”

“Fuck,” JJ cracked, steadily building up the momentum so that he was rubbing his clothed dick against her. “Bet you would’ve let me rail you in front of them- let me clean your soaked pussy and then fuck your throat dry,” he grunted finding the release he was desperate for as he slid in the slit of her ass. The sensation flooded every fiber of her being, words bringing out her kinks as confirmed by the tightening of her pussy around him. “Yes,” she admitted with watering eyes. JJ’s control was slipping, acting like a teenage boy with raging hormones as he dry humped her desperately spurred on by her confession. She was open just the perfect amount for his hard tip to probe against her tight back entrance. The fabric of the boxers between them being the only thing stopping him. Her eyes were the only thing that moved to find his darkened ones in a wary haste. By the quick lock of their gaze, her wide eyes told JJ those were uncharted waters. “I’m gonna destroy your ass next.”

All it took was the exquisite combination of an adjustment of his finger and a brush of his nose against her cheek. The lively movements of his rutting alongside the lewd promise of exploring more of her body. Another meaningful jab at her bundle of nerves and she was seeing white hot fury littered with black specks behind her eyes. “Holy fuck JJ,” she panted with a whine, losing any thought process in the climax that made her nerve endings burst. The unexpected strength she had to close her legs forced JJ’s knee from its place but his fingers didn’t lose the relentless pace. She rode out her high with sharp breathing, crying his name out through the ripples of her orgasm. Her entire body squirming during his softening pace to ease her back.

He issued an uncanny amount of praises into her ear that she was only able to hear the end of. Gulping air in chunks to feed her lungs. JJ was absolutely gone for her, his insides doing cartwheels at the sound of his name during her apex. The way her face twisted, body turning into a writhing mess, it was all thanks to his doing. (Y/N) didn’t notice him all-consumed by her, absorbing every ounce of her undoing. Her hand that wasn’t wrapped in his arm, reached over to grip his hair that had sweaty ends matted to his forehead. “Doing so. fucking. well. f’me, such a good girl,” he praised with repeated eskimo kisses to her cheek. The neglected emotions seeping out through the affectionate action were far too much to handle in the daze. She wanted to scream from the overpowering feeling.

JJ slowed his movements to give her a moment to calm down. His lips took advantage of her tilted head to curve around her jawline and press gentle kisses that made seemingly soft impressions on her skin. He had initially intended on making this an entire night thing, but it has been almost an entire night. His greediness couldn’t ignore that she almost rode off into a space he couldn’t reach her at. And that his cock was in dire risk of ceasing to exist.

When her eyes became more focused and face met his, their heads tilted to clash together. Any instructions JJ had for her became mute as she read his mind and flipped her body over without breaking the kiss. A lip-numbing, teeth clashing with need, tongue fighting kiss that took away any breath she had managed to catch. It recharged her drained energy to full power.

His hand moved to brutally squeeze at her other boob. Their bodies pushing one another back with every frenzied attempt to be closer. His head would force her to bend her neck backwards as he lifted up into her before she was leaning forward and putting him in the same position. Retreating only to catch a second of air before going back to the same. It was in the middle of the disorder that JJ was able to dislodge his boxers from his body. (Y/N) maneuvered out of the last piece of clothing that was now being unjustly held accountable for the fact that she just couldn’t get close enough. He flipped her onto her back, bleeding into the slot between her legs that he would swear was made for him.

JJ propped up onto his elbows to break the kiss, lungs in need of taking in air. She moved to chase him with her lips but he rose up higher making her head plop back down. (Y/N) let out a disgruntled noise, about to break out into hives if he didn’t get inside her. Her body was sore, close to surpassing her limit but she wanted to feel full of him. Wanted to him to use her to reach levels of pleasure that he hadn’t experienced yet. But his eyes did a soft lulling once over of her naked body, halting her pleas. Months of playful prodding at the other, lingering glances, and shyly stealing innocent touches at random times had all progressed to this day. To the moment that he could take in all of her, in every way possible.

Then he repeated it. Analyzing. Memorizing. Mulling over every detail that might seem insignificant to someone else but it was everything to him.

Now that he was above her, the only thing he was capable of doing was concentrate on every detail of her body. The curvature of her perky boobs, the dampness pooling at her core, the glossy look in her eyes. His hand moved flat down her stomach, leaving a trail of tingles behind. The way she let her body be conquered by his touch left him speechless. After spending what felt like a lifetime living in the shadow of her presence, his chest was close to caving in under the reciprocation of his emotions. “You’re gorgeous,” he spoke in disbelief that someone like her would ever let someone like him taint her innocence, but she was anything except that. (Y/N) was his sweet, filthy girl. His thumb grazed against her pelvic bone before spreading her legs onto the surface of the bed to look further down. He caught sight of her pluckered nub poking past her folds, entire vagina slippery with the arousal and cum that was everywhere from the stained sheets to her inner thighs. JJ had to physically hold back a guttural noise stopping himself before he leaned down and stuffed his entire face into her.

She gnawed on her reddened bottom lip, overwhelmed with the admiration and desire in his eyes. “J,” she pleaded softly, close to liquefying under the fortitude of his stare. It was only JJ that had her mewling, entrapping her in a bubble of fantasies and a four letter word dangerously close to spilling from her lips with just a glance. The intensity of the raw emotion was close to suffocating her. (Y/N) couldn’t take it any longer, lifting her bottom from the bed to grab his attention attempting to sway him back to the task at hand. The pressing of his knuckles on her bruised inner thigh let her know it worked. His eyes seemed to refocus on her glistening center. JJ’s hand wrapped around the hilt of his length, pumping his length over her pelvic bone. “Look at that baby- that’s how deep I’m gonna be,” he taunted, the end of solid member close to her belly button. Before she had time to react, he was swiping up her vagina to collect his cum and her juices on his head before smearing it with a downward swipe and strangled, “fuck.”

“Oh,” (Y/N)’s shaky voice spoke over his, an iron grip forming on the bed sheets at her sides. Her back arched as a breathless moan escaped her when he didn’t stop. Every swipe just barely teased her with the tip sliding past her folds, giving her a minuscule taste only to move away. Her hips moved to meet his but he didn’t show mercy. “So fucking messy. Look so pretty when you’re so dirty,” the corner of his lip tugged up, relishing in her undoing. Inflicting as much torture as he had felt from not being able to just grab her when he wanted to. The sloshing sound was so fowl, so lewd and vicious that it was the only thing they could hear. “Please JJ, need your cock. Need it, I need it so bad, please-.”

“Do you? Never knew you were such a cockslut (Y/N),” he cut her off, one particular swipe against her bundle of nerves tightened the muscles in her belly. The unappeasable JJ was back, the one that knew what spots to hit inside of her. Even though he was close to cracking as evident by the way his pace lapsed, he still kept himself in check to drive her mad. And it worked. It sent her into a rant of incomprehensible pleas. (Y/N) was teary-eyed, turning into a puddle under his attack. JJ’s dirtiness had her leaking, mind fuzzy in an unexplainable way. She wanted nothing more than to please him again. (Y/N) doesn’t think she’s ever felt like this before. Like she would cry and beg and offer anything she could to get JJ’s cock inside of her.

“So fucking greedy for more even though I fucked you already. Guess I didn’t do a good enough job, huh? Should I just stop then?” JJ taunted her in a coo that made her shake her head frantically. If he hadn’t already been rock hard, the desperation in her eyes would’ve done the job in a matter of seconds. “Yes- wait… no- JJ,” (Y/N) whined unable to put the words together. She wanted to say he was crazy. That of course he’d done a fucking phenomenal job. That she feels floaty and would wail if he stopped right now. There was just no way she could use so many words at once. That stupid smirk on his face proved he was just trying to be a complete menace right now. “Just a dumb Princess for me now,” he sounded like he’d won a prize, like he was awarded some major accomplishment.

JJ laid his body over hers like a blanket, shielding every part of it and effortlessly snuffing out her panic. His composure was rapidly deteriorating, matching her need for their bodies to fuse together. His tip slipped between her puffy folds, hearing her stutter. “There?” JJ’s hot breath tingled her lips at the new proximity. (Y/N) nodded, hands suddenly coming to life from next to her to feel over his honey tinted pecks. “There,” that was definitely a word she could formulate as he paused to capture her eyes. The rest of the world stilled around them.

JJ buried himself past her resistance, stretching her open until the front of his thighs connected with the inside of hers and ripped a groan out of himself. He was convinced the ethereal feeling of her walls confining him was the same one people felt upon arriving to heaven. Before he could even move, her ankles met above his butt. She was a mess of pleas and whimpers, only trying to get JJ deeper into her as if his head wasn’t already pushing against her cervix and turning her into mush. He moaned against her lips, both touching but wide open against the other from the intensity. She was so wet and easy to slide slip into without prep. Still tight and constricting around him even after their encounter. No matter how hard it was to do, JJ’s blue swirls prompted her to keep her eyes open. He refused to look away as his hips pulled away gradually only to thrust forward again. And then again.

“Fuck,” JJ grunted, this time setting a slower yet unimaginably rough pace. He rocked into her with every ounce of strength he had left. Her fingernails found refuge in the indent between his collarbone and shoulder, digging in so harshly there’d be crescent moon impressions left over. While his found refuge in the roots of her hair, tangling into the long wavy strands. JJ used that grip to strengthen his thrusts. He could see it in her fragile features, the cloudiness in her eyes, and the airy moans that left her. She was almost gone and he’d barely even gotten started with her. “Guess what (Y/N)? You’re just taking it at this point, letting me do whatever the hell I want and fuck my cum back into your cunt like such a good little whore.”

(Y/N) keened at his vulgarity, soaking it in, the hand that wasn’t on his shoulder came to life. Roaming every inch of his body from the defined lines of his torso to the tensed muscles on his shoulders. She hadn’t gotten the chance to do that properly, to get drunk on the smooth skin that she’d been aching to wander for months. He was worth painting in this moment, sweat beading on his skin, building at the tip of his nose, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, perfectly shaped lips slightly parted, darkened blue eyes refusing to look anywhere but her. She could’ve came just from the sight.

He was becoming more and more vocal at her unabashed discovery of his body and the new emotion swirling in her eyes, moaning deeply against her lips. This wasn’t the same as their raunchy quickie in the Twinkie, here he could dig into her until his head was visible at her stomach and repeat the motion for hours. Pull out when they got close and then start right back up as soon as they came down if he pleased. It would be such a fat lie to say that he wasn’t getting off on her wandering touch and dreamy look, the way it seemed like she’d been longing to have him near. JJ adjusted the tiniest bit to increase the torturously deep thrusting while still maintaining a calculated speed that had her seeing stars. “Yes, yes,” (Y/N) whimpered out trembling as her fingers paused at his hips to squeeze. Her hypersensitive center was clamping down on his throbbing dick welcoming the new depth.

JJ was jabbing at her cervix ruthlessly, sliding against her velvet walls, reaching crevices she hadn’t known existed. Hitting the spot inside of her that sent her heels digging into the bed and toes curling. And like the criminal he was, JJ’s hand found the crook of her left knee forcing her leg up to reach even deeper. His balls constricted, all too close to finishing. “That’s it, yeah- yes- right there,” JJ was deaf to everything except the obscene sloshing sounds coming from between them and the impure filth intertwining with their muffled words. It was the only thing that could be heard from her room.

“JJ I-,” her high pitched whine fell off, not able to recall what she had intended to say. The heat in her core was seconds away from snapping like a rubber band. He was clouding every inch of her mind and every corner of her body. (Y/N)’s senses were experiencing a dramatic overload that left her repeating one single name in her mind. JJ. “I know- I know pretty girl,” he soothed patronizingly, walls tightening around him at the use of a pet name. He couldn’t help the grunt and snap of his hips upwards. “You’re so close (Y/N). Squeezing- fuck- my cock. Want me to fill your pretty little pussy again?”

Her hands shot out to grab at his muscular back, clawing lines down the smooth, fresh skin that had him hissing. JJ lost it, the sensually deep pace he had maintained turning into sloppier thrusts as she marked him this time. His shark necklace knocked into her chin with every upwards slam into her. The sight of it dangling down his neck was a turn on by itself. “Answer me,” JJ’s tone was dominant, the hand in her hair yanked at it as he made her glazed over eyes focus on him and not the necklace. His face was almost red, eyes dark and demanding as his hair tickled her forehead. “You need my cock and cum Princess, but do you want it?” JJ slammed into her, emphasizing every choice word, “You want me? I’ll make you cum right now, if you tell me who you want (Y/N).” JJ didn’t have (or want) to say his name since they both knew who he was referring to. Who the two choices were. His entire mind, body, and soul ached to know the answer and the devil on his shoulder used this moment to get it.

(Y/N)’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. The endorphins washing over her through his cruelly delicious attack made it hard to string a sentence. But the response was all too easy. He owned her. Even if karma was righteous and she never got the chance to give her whole self to him sexually and emotionally, JJ still held claim to her heart and pleasure no matter how much he doubted it. “Yo-,” she didn’t have to finish it. JJ’s arms wrapped under her shoulders, holding his body against hers until they could feel their hearts pounding inside. He jerked his hips into her, surpassing the rhythm he had set for himself. He was barely pulling out at this point, only an inch or two escaping before he was plunging back into her. That was all it took for both of them to fall apart.

His pelvic bone pressured her clit in just the right way for her eyes to roll to the back of her head. (Y/N)’s jaw went limp, hands finding JJ’s blonde locks and clinging for dear life as every single muscle in her body clenched. Her fifth orgasm of the night hit her like a car crashing into a brick wall at two hundred miles per hour, lifting her into a blissed out state with the wracking waves of pleasure. She shook in his grasp, reaching a high like no other as everything went silent around her. A broken high pitched noise and his loud moan vibrating against her is the last thing she heard.

JJ felt his cock squeezed by her spasming pussy, sending him over his own edge a second later. His mind fully warped around the sensation, eyes squeezing shut. “Holy.. fuck,” he exclaimed in a raspy voice while bulldozing into her in sync with his knee moving upwards and holding her lifted leg against the bed harshly. Their peaks magnified by the rawness of their feelings that had boiled over. Thick spurts of JJ’s cum coating her insides as he nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck. Bright dots littered his vision from the vigorous orgasm that claimed every part of him from the bottoms of his feet to the vein protruding in his neck.

Neither one of them even realized when JJ’s thrusts became lazier, losing energy as he came down. His pants coming out short and heavy onto her skin. The arms that had wrapped around her weakened their hold from the exhaustion setting in. He stilled at some point, breathing in the sweat of their sins and the scent of her floral perfume that lingered on the sheets around them consuming JJ’s senses. Laying with her in his arms still felt like a fever dream. If not for the mess they had made, JJ would’ve let them fall asleep right there. Kept himself snug and warm with her cunt. But he sluggishly lifted himself up instead having a promise to keep, his eyes finding their way to her face.

She was looking straight through everything in her line of sight like she was in a dreamlike state. That’s when he noticed how relaxed her body was beneath him, the shallow breathing. She’d been too quiet and hadn’t even lifted a finger to touch him. “Hey (Y/N)?” JJ murmured bringing his hand up to cup her cheek gently, caressing it with his thumb. He scanned over her face in confusion. It took a moment to realize it only because he couldn’t really believe it. More so doubting his capabilities. But seeing how far away she looked, JJ had to know he had fucked her into subspace. “(Y/N)?” JJ repeated a little louder realizing if he had, he certainly didn’t know how to pull her out of it. Panic began to settle in as his other hand went to her hair again, stroking through it with care and tenderness. “Hey Princess come back for me? It’s JJ,” the thought of having to call the one person who might know made him want to bury his fist in the closest wall.

She blinked once.

The hands offering solace and comfort were the first things she felt.

Then she blinked twice.

His honey-like voice urging her to return to him right before the glowing stars stuck to her ceiling began to look brighter.

Then finally her unfocused eyes were looking back at him. The fingers tangling through strands of her hair with a sense of uneasiness and his gentle voice asking for her was the only thing that managed to reach her. (Y/N) had never felt like that before, like she was transcending elsewhere. An out of body experience that she’d be unable to describe if asked. “JJ?” she mumbled, breathing a little heavier now. “What happened?” she questioned as he looked at her with sudden bewilderment which made her a little nervous. “You don’t know what happened? You’ve never reached subspace before?” She could hear it in his voice. The surprise that she’d done it with him and the boost of ego that came with not having done it with John B. The blush on her cheeks spread quickly, eyes closing as she buckled under his intense stare. (Y/N) was still basking in the glow from their shared orgasm which made it harder to think but she knew the answer.

She truthfully never had. There was times with John B she thought she might, but she’d been laced with uncertainty. (Y/N) would slow them down before her mind could wander off. It was always what she considered to be an irrational fear since John B would realistically never let something happen to her, but with JJ she had willingly let it happen. No, subconsciously, let it happen. Her body hadn’t fought it at all. “I’ve- no. I’ve never done that,” she admitted in a whisper looking anywhere but him. But his fingers found her chin, tilting her head back to him so their eyes could meet. The lust was replaced with something that (Y/N) had never seen in them before. Something she would call love if it didn’t sound absolutely insane. JJ Maybank in love with her. “S’not a big deal,” she tried to act like it wasn’t but it certainly felt like it.

JJ nodded carefully, acting with caution as she retreated back into her thoughts. He knew her too well by now. When things scared (Y/N), she’d pull away from them. She’d let her overthinking do the work before risking herself getting hurt. He didn’t want to push her back into her shell now. Not now that he had gotten a taste of her. That he had managed to open her up more than. Usually it was him running from any form of commitment, yet here he was practically salivating for it. “Yeah,” he sounded unconvinced but (Y/N) was glad he didn’t dwell on it. He winced as she shifted, his softening member grazing against her walls making her eyes flutter and plump lips part. “Tired?” JJ’s softness wasn’t easy to ignore considering she was used to his hard exterior hiding his emotions. They hadn’t actually gotten to this part earlier. JJ had to rush back before John B suspected anything while she had given herself the mercy of a couple of minutes to gather herself.

“Yeah,” (Y/N) breathed out letting her eyes close softly, still feeling the aftershocks of her intense orgasm and hopelessly attempting to run away from the thoughts in her mind. JJ did know her too well. Her eyes squeezed tighter as she felt JJ pull out, another round of their juices sneaking down between her crack and onto the bed. She might have to change the whole mattress honestly. JJ had to bite back an audible noise that wanted to spill out from the sight of it. His shiny, slick dick twitched below him. After cumming twice, he doesn’t understand how she holds enough power over him to illicit a response like this. JJ was capable of fucking her again if given the opportunity. But her sleepy eyes gave her away. They were both exhausted.

He moved farther away, only to pick her up bridal style from where she lay earning a low gasp. “What’re you doing?” (Y/N) mumbled, lacking the strength to fight him off at this present time. Her arms wound around his neck quickly in fear of diving headfirst into her oak wood floor but she had a feeling he wouldn’t let that happen. The muscles in his arms flexed as he walked her into the bathroom, only confusing her more. “I owe you a bath,” JJ stated like it was obvious when he saw her bewildered expression, leaning down to sit her onto the bathtub gently. Her heart felt tight in her chest having completely forgotten about her bath. All in all, it would’ve been pointless had she taken it earlier with JJ always getting his way.

She watched as he leaned down to switch the warm water on, closing the drain when it was at a nice temperature. The water crept through her toes first before touching the underside of her thigh. (Y/N) sighed at the way it soothed her aching skin and throbbing mound. He went to push the lid down on the toilet, eyeing it and lifting an eyebrow when it lowered gently. Kooks, he thought instantly. JJ turned to face her and take a seat. “You’re not getting in?” The question startled him, like that’s not what he’d been planning on doing whatsoever. “Uhm- I can… Figured I’d just give you one so you could get to bed and I’ll go after,” there he went again, tugging on emotions that she’d spent months hiding under a rug. She couldn’t get it through her head, why JJ was evoking a reaction from her that she didn’t know existed, one that didn’t compare to John B. If she thought she had loved JB then what was this? Fooling herself into believing that words during sex were simply just that was becoming impossible.

“I mean- s’a bit silly? I’m already in here.. You need sleep too. Might as well get in,” she tilted her head slightly, glancing at him with such fondness that could take his breath away. JJ swallowed as he stood up and slid inside behind her, finding the same relief in his joints that she had. She scooted backwards until their bodies were touching, laying back onto his solid chest with closed eyes. His body relaxed as she decided what boundaries they could cross outside of sex. They let the running water fill the comfortable silence as they nestled into each other. A conversation about where this was leading was probably in order, but it was easier to remain ignorant. To stay quiet in hopes of stretching out the moment in case it didn’t last.

JJ’s fingers danced on the edge of her thigh until they gradually spread for him. He traced around the bruise he’d left her close to apologizing for the purple emerging but also finding pride in being the one that left it on her. It dawned on him that John B could’ve seen it earlier if he had found out the way JJ had intended him to. His eyes peered over her features curiously, wondering if she had actually listened to his sex induced demand. He felt guilty now that it was John B’s girlfriend he had done that to. (Y/N) who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it had messed with her own. His long-time best friend who he had betrayed in a way he wouldn’t wish upon his worst enemy. But his feelings for her made him act out in the moment instead of apologize. Made him want to rub it in JB’s face that her pleasure belonged to him. He let out a soft sigh, wanting to ask but lacking the courage. Her body was rising and falling in rhythm with his breathing, being covered by the water as it continued to rise. The bathroom fell quiet again as she peeked her eyes open to extend her foot and turn the handle off.

Once she did, her eyes fell on the place JJ’s fingers were making her skin shiver. With his other hand, he reached for her expensive looking body wash on the edge of the tub and the washcloth dangling close to their heads. She watched inquisitively as he dipped the rag in water squeezing the excess away and poured an ungracious amount of soap which made her giggle. He finally cracked a smile at that, leaving the bottle open as he set it back down. If JJ could get her to make that noise every day, it might just all be worth it in the end.

He began to lather her upper body first, feeling her jump slightly against him when his fingers grazed over her abused nipples. It felt nice though, domestic even. Him washing off the remnants of their day from her body. If only it was as easy to erase the memories. “I have to talk to him tomorrow,” she was the first to interrupt the silence making his smile falter and disappear like it’d never been there in the first place. He didn’t respond for a minute, just continuing to glide the washcloth over her thigh then down. He wiped meticulously between her legs knowing she was overly sensitive there now which was confirmed by the way her thighs went to shut but he stopped them.

“‘Bout what?” he didn’t mean it to be such a broad question but the snort she responded with made him aware of it. JJ knew what she wanted to discuss, he just didn’t know how to ask whether it’ll end with them breaking up officially or attempting to reconcile. (Y/N) wanted to pretend like he was being oblivious on purpose and not like she was reading into what was really going on. (Y/N)’s mind was muddled by the delicate way he was cleaning her off and the zero control she showed around him. Truthfully, she’d been inwardly swaying between the two boys for too long now.

(Y/N) shrugged her shoulders half-heartedly, watching his hand move down her tilted leg. The air felt heavy with the words spoken during intimacy. After being so forthcoming about who she’d choose, JJ still had an unwarranted fear that she would retract. Blame everything on the fact that she was lost chasing her high. He’d obviously excelled in that department, granting her with several orgasms but who she needed emotionally was still poking at him. It was an unintentionally loaded question that left her feeling anxious inside. “Don’t know yet.”

JJ didn’t speak again after that, he simply kept up his goal of bathing her. The washcloth smoothed over the bite on her shoulder making her whimper and throb at the same time. JJ was astonished with himself, finding it hard to believe he’d been capable of doing actual damage. But (Y/N)’s breathing was a tiny bit heavier, eyes opened halfway as she attempted to conceal how she felt about it. He had picked up on enough of her cues to know she had thrived off of it, during sex and now. JJ inhaled through his nose, free hand moving to tug at his cock slightly that had twitched. He wanted to do more, bite her thighs until his teeth tore through the flesh and tinted her tan with crimson red. Then soothe the skin with his tongue before repeating the act on her other thigh. Now that he had her, his possessiveness had gone into hyperdrive. Satiated only by the idea of his bite mark on her delicate skin.

Once she was covered in suds and the passion fruit smell filled his senses, he used the same washcloth on himself trying to distract and recollect himself before his animalistic kink was mentioned. (Y/N) had lifted up slightly allowing him to clean his front section too lost in her own mind to notice his revelation. She wanted to be the one to wash him, travel his body in the same way but by the time she got done overthinking, he seemed about done. She tugged on her bottom lip softly, opening the drain again to let out the dirty water. JJ sat up behind her and poured shampoo onto his hand before slipping his fingers through her wet hair unexpectedly. His fingers scratched softly at the scalp hearing a content hum from the girl in front of him. This was out of the norm for him, putting so much effort into aftercare. Girls would leave his room before he put any thought into them needing even a shower or rest. He was a dick and a player. He was well aware of that. JJ was also well aware that he wasn’t a dick and a player when it came to her.

He repeated the steps with the conditioner after washing her hair out with the clean water she was filling the bathtub up with. Before JJ could do it for himself, (Y/N) was turning around in between his legs and taking the shampoo from his grasp. She wouldn’t let the chance slip through her fingers. “You’ll smell like me,” she warned with a teasing smile softening the worry etched in their faces. JJ just stared at her. The lines on her forehead, the curve of her button nose, the undeserving kindness she showed him. Then he shrugged in the same manner she had. “Good,” he replied without a second thought to it making her blush reappear on her cheeks and down her neck.

(Y/N)’s soft hands ran shampoo through the blonde forcing his eyes to shut and an embarrassing moan to escape. But she giggled again. An onslaught of butterflies in his abdomen making him feel queasy. How could he really feel bad for his actions when everything inside of him turned into mush around her. “Never had someone wash your hair before?” It was supposed to be a joke but JJ gave her a small nod as he let his body relax from her touch. “Guess it’s a night of firsts,” he murmured reminding her that he’d been the first to drop her. She let out a shaky breath as he sunk into the water to wash off the shampoo.

He lifted out from the water, barely having a chance to rub the water out of his eyes before soft lips were finding his. There was no delay as he kissed her back, arms wrapping around her loosely to pull her closer. He straightened out his legs so that she could slide onto his lap with ease. Her fingers tangled in his hair that now looked a little darker from the water. They tugged tentatively, willing him to open his mouth for her. Her chest pressed against his just a little tighter as they deepened the kiss. He relinquished control under her, letting her continue to guide the pace they were moving at. Her tongue slid against his, tasting him.

The kiss grew lazy, mouths moving against one another for the sole purpose of being able to in the private confines of her bathroom. His hands found the curves of her waist, sliding over them to her back and then down to grab handfuls of her ass. He lifted her closer to him centers aligning as she gasped into the kiss. She moved slightly but one of JJ’s hands found sanctuary wound around her throat. He pulled (Y/N) back to him, lips melting into a more meticulous kiss. He licked between her lips once, then twice with a particularly jarring squeeze to her ass cheek. She complied more willing than she gave away. JJ’s tongue circled hers, groaning as she began to pull away. (Y/N) kept their forehead and noses connected. “J?” she mumbled resting her palms on his torso and digging her fingers in softly.

“Yeah?” he breathed out reaching forward slightly in attempt to catch her lips again but she didn’t let him. “Conditioner?” she asked which made him chuckle and shake his head slightly without pulling away. JJ kept his hands in place and used them to stand up with her, water pouring down from both their bodies while she scrambled to find a grip on his shoulders. “You think my dad buys shampoo and conditioner? Think I’m good with shampoo,” he didn’t mean it like that, but the pang of guilt and sadness hit her nonetheless. JJ didn’t even bother to empty out the bath water just to check that no more was falling in, ignoring her chirps of protest once he led them out of the bathroom.

“JJ- my bed. I swear-.”

“Swear what?”

He hovered her above the clean side of the mattress, a mischievous smirk finding its way. “I-I..,” she couldn’t come up with a rebuttal fast enough before he was dropping onto the bed with her and laying them down. (Y/N) wanted to be mad but a laugh is what came out instead as he tugged her close against him, facing one another. “Too slow,” he deemed letting the pillows pave a way to the drowsiness kicking in. He didn’t expect it to happen so quickly but he really was worn out. JJ’s blue eyes began to flutter in front of her and she laid her hand on his cheek gently. All it took was that for them to close completely.

(Y/N) took in this freshly washed version of JJ getting comfy in her bed. She’d be in so much trouble if her dad caught them. He was used to John B. Accepting of his daughter dating a Pogue because they’d become well aquatinted together while working on The Druthers. But JJ Maybank? Son of the town drunk who was notorious for stealing and picking fights with anyone in his life including JJ? He’d have a heart attack from his hatred toward Luke and JJ, who he had already had a couple of run ins with at the Island Club. Although, no matter how much trouble she could get into, he still looked unbearably cute releasing soft puffs of air her way.

“Look whose tired now,” she teased as he fought to keep himself awake through the rubbing of her thumb and the welcoming satin feel of the pillowcase. JJ mumbled incoherently switching between the comfort her hand offered and the darkness looming. He slipped further into the vulnerable limbo of sleep when he spoke next. “It’s not just sex to me (Y/N).”

The words hung in the air as he finally drifted off, snores interrupting the thudding off her heart in her throat. It was bittersweet to hear him utter the words her body craved from him. What she felt for John B didn’t come close to this. She would be in denial if she didn’t face it. (Y/N) didn’t see any plausible way to make this work though, even if she wanted it to. John B and JJ were as thick as thieves. Best friends for life. She had already come between that and caused enough damage. If she chose one of them now, their friendships would never be the same. Between any of them, not just the three that were now stuck in a love triangle.

With the weight of the world on her shoulders and the peace offered by the warmth he radiated, she let herself be taken over by the same darkness. After a long, perplexing day, both of them were drained mentally and physically. Any apprehension she felt could wait till tomorrow. Not even her overthinking could keep her up tonight. And if JJ fell asleep remembering that he hadn’t mentioned John B’s name again the whole night, well. He kept it to himself.

*****

“(Y/N)?” she heard faintly making her snuggle further into the damp sheets and comforters that were colder now without the presence of body heat at her side.

“Five more minutes,” she urged in the haze not wanting to awaken just yet but the voice was persistent and annoying on the other side of her door. Her doorknob rattled as the intruder attempted to open it which is what made her stir finally. “Five more- (Y/N) get up,” Rafe’s frustrated voice rang from the outside of her bedroom which made her eyes peek at last. Instead of being met with an empty room though, JJ was standing in front of her bathroom with wide eyes, her toothbrush hanging from his mouth, and low-hanging boxers. “Dad said you were supposed to come to the country club with us. Hurry up,” Rafe rushed her assuming she’d been in the process of getting ready when she had completely forgotten.

(Y/N) had promised she’d go to dinner with them Saturday afternoon since she’d been spending so much time with John B and her friends on The Cut. She had never slept into the afternoon though. With a quick flicker of her eyes to the clock that read 4:56 P.M. and back to a half naked JJ, memories of yesterday flooded her. Any tiredness that remained was long gone now as she shot up from the bed, holding the comforter to her naked chest. “Uhm- yeah,” (Y/N)’s called out more firmly now that she was fully awake. “Tell dad I’m not feeling well- I’ll go to dinner tomorrow.” There was a pause on the other side of the door as JJ took the toothbrush out of his mouth.

“Is John B in there with you?” Rafe accused which made JJ’s fingers twitch with jealousy. He had to refrain himself from calling out to him and making it clear that it was him and not John B who had the privilege of waking up at her side this morning. “God Rafe no,” (Y/N) claimed in exasperation, irritated with the way this conversation with going. She shouldn’t feel guilty about the flash of anger in JJ’s blue eyes but she did. “I was just out late at The Boneyard. Got a massive hangover. Tell him I’m sick,” (Y/N) lied but it was the only thing that she knew would convince him. They had seen each other in passing last night so there was no reason Rafe wouldn’t believe her. It seemed to work though as he huffed from the other side.

“And you’re still the favorite?” He asked rhetorically and bitterly as heavy footsteps began making their way away from her door hinting at his departure. They both waited another minute before visibly relaxing now that they weren’t caught. She moved her attention back to JJ who made his way into the restroom to spit out the toothpaste and rinse his mouth out. There were bright, red gashes down his back making her breath hitch as she realized she was the blame. She tried to shake the thought away, ignoring the stirring in her pit. Like she had enjoyed staking her own claim. (Y/N) paid attention to what she should be disgusted in instead. JJ was using her toothbrush, the one she’d been using daily for the last month. But it warmed her heart a little that JJ hadn’t minded using it. He was so calm, walking around her room and using her things like he belonged there. Yesterday she had woken beside John B in the Chateau and today she had JJ in her bedroom on Figure Eight. Oh how the tables had turned.

It’s not just sex to me (Y/N).

The words made their way to the forefront of her mind as she chewed on her bottom lip watching him. He turned to her with a nonchalant, unreadable expression on his face. “So round 3?” He joked as he threw the hand towel he used to dry his face across his shoulder and crossed his arms in front of her. The way his eyes scanned her body hidden by the covers made her question whether it was indeed a joke or not though. The area between her legs reawakened from the way he hungrily looked her over like she’d been served to him on a silver platter. It became obvious rather quickly that they couldn’t be alone anymore without succumbing to the temptation.

“No,” (Y/N) said adamantly as she stood up dragging the covers behind her and retrieving a matching lavender lace bra and panty set to wear. She moved to the closet after a quick slam of the drawer and found jean shorts with a simple white t-shirt to wear. “You’d look better in mine,” JJ hummed from where he stood checking her out as she bit back a snarky remark and evaded the idea of herself in his clothing. It seemed as though they were back to normal, pushing until the other broke. Clearly last nights words were lost to the night. (Y/N) turned to make her way towards the bathroom acting unbothered with the tips of ear feeling a little hot and heart skipping a beat in her chest. He made no effort to move out of her way, just grinned with entertainment. His favorite past time was pushing her buttons until she snapped. This time pushing her buttons held a new type of reward that he wanted to relive a dozen times over.

(Y/N) scoffed at him though, squinting her eyes in mock anger to see if he would budge. But he simply peered down towards the sheet covering her chest and leaned closer to her. “I said-,” his thumb running across her bottom lip made her falter. The want in his eyes was pouring into her all too quickly. She was trying to make sense of this situation she had landed herself into but JJ made it easy to lose track of everything. Her heart and body yearned for things that she wasn’t allowed to have. She couldn’t explain how she had let herself be roped into the mess that is JJ. He was too good at reminding her though, lowering his hand down her jaw to her throat. He closed the space, tightening his fingers and feeling the jump in her pulse.

It was that small detail that made him act. “I know what you said,” he murmured before whirling them around so that her back hit the wall next to the door. His hand rested above her head, effectively trapping her against his body. “You said no… But you’re just so reactive,” he claimed as his leg slid between hers. The position mirrored the one from last night lighting the flame of arousal with memories and nothing but the thin sheet covering her as his bare thigh rubbed against her core. JJ felt it immediately, the wetness seeping through and making him groan quietly. Her breathing was already picking up, cheeks becoming flushed in a matter of seconds. “See Princess? I know what you like,” he did. In a matter of twenty four hours he had picked up on every cue that gave away what made her tick. “Like when your dad woke me up knocking on the door. I was so hard,” he pressed against her harder, “I know you would’ve liked me waking you up by stuffing you full of my cock.”

“JJ..,” she moaned his name without thinking moving her hand to grip at his wrist in a warning. Her knees wanted to give out under her from the indecency he was spewing. He leaned down to feather his lips across her ear feeling her tremble against his body. “Should’ve made you scream daddy so he knew who owned his daughter now,” JJ whispered with a menacing squeeze that made her whimper, breaths coming out short. She would’ve been on the floor now had it not been for his grip on her neck. He almost devoured her the second he felt the damp spot on the sheet grow at his words. His boxers were constricting at a rapid pace now that he discovered a new kink as his lips latched onto her shoulder close to where his bite mark was. “You like that? Like imagining daddy shoving his cock into his sleeping girl?” JJ groaned sending vibrations through her skin that made her body arch into him.

“Fuck- J,” (Y/N) gasped out catching him off guard and shoving him abruptly from where he stood. JJ’s eyes were darker now, taking one step forward ready to pounce before he noticed the fiery look she held. His chest was rising and falling now fighting himself from reaching out and taking her again. “I’m serious. Last night was sex. That’s all it was, okay? We spent months playing this little game and it was bound to happen. Now it’s out of our system,” it was a lie when she said it, they both knew it, “and it doesn’t have to happen again. I have to go apologize to John B.” She moved to the bathroom and closed the door behind herself with a loud thud before he had the chance to rebuttal. She leaned back into it closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

(Y/N) hadn’t intended to be so mean with her words but he wasn’t listening to her and she needed him to remember why he hated her before they met. It was easier to have JJ hate her. If he did, she wouldn’t be going through all these conflicting thoughts in her head. She suddenly wished her mom was still here. She would have had the best advice for her. It probably would’ve gone something along the lines of follow your heart but her mom hadn’t met JJ yet, the culprit of her swaying heart. (Y/N) sighed rubbing her entire face as if that would somehow wake her up from her nightmare.

After a moment of alone time to calm her unfurling heat, she got dressed with the clothes she had brought into the bathroom. Her hair was a mess from where she had fallen asleep with it wet so she most definitely had to brush it. The memory of them in the bathtub made her pause in the mirror. She could still feel his fingers tracing the bruise he had left and the adoring way he had cleaned every corner of her body. He didn’t deserve her attitude yet she had given it to him anyways. No matter how much John B was probably blaming JJ, it was ultimately her fault for giving into the desire. It was such a frustrating notion to her that she wanted to punch the mirror in front of her but she’d end up hurting herself more than accomplishing anything.

Her moment of alone time turned into twenty minutes of stress-filled pacing. JJ’s wary knock at the door is what snapped her out of it. She ran a hand through her wavy hair before opening it and finding JJ wearing his outfit from the night before with concern written all over his face. JJ knew he had gotten caught up in the heat of the moment when she strutted around with nothing but a sheet on. She had that power over him, to rile him up without actively doing anything. JJ still wanted to give her any necessary space before trying to speak to her but she was taking too long and he was frightened by how often she fell victim to her doubts. “You okay?” he checked in with her, scanning her face which was devoid of any clues as to how she was feeling. His hand tentatively reached up to brush some hair behind her ear gently making her heart do somersaults. “Yeah,” she mumbled unable to resist nudging against his hand to melt into it as a small peace offering, bathing in the warmth his body offered her.

She was supposed to be angry, shoving him away. But the whirlwind going on inside of her tugged her from one side to the other. JJ kept his hand there, soothingly rubbing circles into her cheek. He was still cautious as he stepped closer to her, to wrap an arm around her delicate waist and better angle his hand. Her eyes never left his as she allowed him to bring her into his embrace. (Y/N) wanted to fight against it inside but her body melted into his without letting her second guess it. “I’ll go talk to JB with you,” he finally told her after a minute or two of calming her down. He already behaved like a coward leaving the Chateau before things got out of hand. Which meant JJ had to go and at least try to apologize and own up to the fact that he just should’ve gone about things a different way. He didn’t know how well that’d fare over or how he’d handle John B’s valid attitude towards them, especially her, but he would try nonetheless. At least that’s what he also told Kie last night. But he kept that conversation to himself for now.

Him joining her was shocking, enough for her eyes to swirl with uncertainty. “JJ- I don’t know. What if it’s not a good idea?” she mumbled then, her hand fisting his shirt as the anxiety of what was about to occur began to eat her up. If there was something she struggled to keep within, it would be the tell-tale sign of her nerves. Her heartbeat would run amuck and the nausea would hit her in a way she could barely keep her balance. This time instead of needing a Zofran it was JJ who helped keep her breathing steady and panic attack at bay. His fingers slipped under her shirt in the back, tracing his hand to her hip and offering her a gentle squeeze.

“I don’t care honestly. I’ve got some things I have to apologize for too,” he sighed hoping this could’ve been pushed back maybe just a week. That would give him enough time to settle into whatever this was and break her cement walls down. But she couldn’t live another day knowing how mad John B had been yesterday. It hurt her because she’d been the one to cause so much agony. And no matter what happened, John B still held a place in her heart which complicated things further in her mind. There was a war between her heart and brain that she just wanted to end one way or another. “And I messed up last night. Not with John B but with you. Takes two to tango and I shouldn’t have left you alone,” he added then assuaging her guilt. His fingers ran over her hip bone, circling there for a minute before pressing in slightly.

The look on her face when she walked into her room last night would be engrained into his hippocampus forever. The wet puffy cheeks, bloodshot eyes, broken exterior. He blamed himself for that. For causing her so much turmoil. But he was selfish at the same time, glad that he’d been the one to find her. The back of her mind made it a point to notice that he regretted not being there for her, not the actual sin they committed. This new side of him was frightening yet everything she wanted at the same time. (Y/N) nodded wordlessly as her hip nudged out slightly into his palm, comforted by the soft caressing while also conflicted. Not knowing how to respond to him when she couldn’t process the change in their dynamic. She also knew there’d be no stopping him even if she wanted to.

“We can take my bike, stashed it in some bushes,” the casual words summoned an unexpected laugh from her. She hadn’t thought about how he had gotten to her house last night, too distracted by his unholy mouth and skilled hands. It made sense that he would’ve had to hide the green worn down bike so that nobody called the cops with stupid accusations. A small smile danced on her lips as she pulled away to lead them out of her bedroom. “I’ve never ridden on your bike,” the comment made him return the same mischievous grin while glancing at the hallway.

“Never had a girl besides Kie on my bike,” it shouldn’t have made her feel jealous but God, it was like an accidental flip of a switch, there were so many times she had thought they liked each other. Hearing that she was the only girl to ride with him made her miss a step on the way down the staircase to which JJ’s hand jumped out to grab her arm quickly. A small embarrassed smile shot his way before he let go with a small squeeze to her forearm and she continued down the steps hastily. He noticed it, noticed the unintended affect his words had. But before he could add something else in, a younger girl was walking out of a bedroom at the same time they were approaching the second floor.

Wheezie’s eyes bulged out of her head behind her glasses, looking from (Y/N)’s widened eyes to the frozen stranger behind her. “That’s not John B,” her sister stated the obvious lowering her phone with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. She had also been informed by Rafe that their sister was supposedly bed-ridden with a gnarly hangover which didn’t seem to be the case at all. “Nope, JJ,” he introduced himself with a half-assed smile not intending to come across as rude but seriously. Did people have to keep mentioning him? She crossed her arms over her chest with such a wicked smile.

“Okay Wheezie. John B knows so you can’t use that against me,” (Y/N) blurted out immediately recognizing the intentions behind her sisters stance. But the younger girl just smiled wider, taking a pause to come up with something else. “Well dad doesn’t know. He doesn’t let guys spend the night remember?” she reminded her of Ward’s rules to let her know she had them by the balls. (Y/N) cursed under her breath looking down the steps to the first floor before meeting Wheezie’s eyes and running her fingers through her hair. Normally they always got along with minimal issues. But if Wheezie caught a scent of wrongdoing, she was like a dog with a bone.

“Fine. I’ll do whatever you want. Just tell me later because we’ve really got to go,” (Y/N) gave in as she stepped down the last step with JJ following suit now that the situation was handled. Wheezie let out an excited squeal running back into her room to surely make a whole list of things that she would make (Y/N) do. The girl couldn’t even help the chuckle that escaped her lips as they walked the rest of the way to the main floor. She had to give it to her sister. Wheezie was indeed too smart for her own good. “I like her. She’s a hustler,” JJ nodded with a serious tone that made (Y/N) laugh a bit too loudly and shake her head. He cracked a big grin, teeth showing and eyes crinkling at the sound that had his heart swelling.

With one last glance up the stairs where her sister resided, (Y/N) headed out the door with a happy smile feeling a little more airy than before. It felt odd to have JJ walking through her house, meeting one of her family members. Her life with the Pogues this summer had been an adventure of a lifetime and she didn’t tend to mix it too much with her home life. Even John B had only come over a handful of times for dinner in the short couple months of them dating. And he really only slept over once or twice. Kie was the exception. They had plenty of sleepovers at both houses. It’s not that she was ashamed of the guys, it was more like she was ashamed of her life. The pointless knick knacks that rich people bought, the amount of empty bedrooms, the sense of entitlement that the people in her life had. Money would always come and go, as long as she had her real family, the Pogues, with her then everything would be alright.

“She’s like my sister though so it doesn’t count,” JJ spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts as they walked down the lawn. (Y/N) glanced over at him with a puzzled look on her face which made him pause at the side gate they were coming up to. She pulled the gate door open until she realized he wasn’t walking through. “Kie?.. She’s like my sister so it doesn’t count… You’re the first girl to ride my bike,” he put emphasis on the word by stepping closer to her, using his knuckle to brush against the back of hers before feathering his fingertips up her arm and shoulder. (Y/N)’s heart began to pound in her chest when she picked up on what he was saying. His fingers continued until he cupped her chin, thumb pulling her bottom lip softly before releasing it and watching it bounce back. JJ was enthralled by the sight and she him.

No matter how much she wanted to release herself from the guilt and kiss him until their lips were sore and raw, (Y/N) also wanted to tell him to quit it. To stop making this more difficult than needed but somehow the world slips away when he’s near. Her bottom lip was lit on fire where the pad of his thumb touched, she was drawn to him like a magnet. His head inched forward almost as if waiting for her to push him away. “J..,” she mumbled reaching her hand up onto his chest, running her palm across it until she arrived at his shark tooth necklace and tugged slightly. She did nothing to pull away from him as the memory of it hitting her chin surfaced and weakened her with the tingles it provoked. “Tell me to stop,” he whispered as his lips ghosted over hers. His tongue slipped out to lick his bottom lip, purposefully smoothing over hers. (Y/N) tugged hard on the necklace not even a second later unable to refrain herself. Their lips connected, JJ’s hand molding into the curve of her neck while the other got lost in her hair. Kissing JJ felt like the first time every time. It was passionate, breath-taking.

Her knees wanted to buckle in his hold, sensing the adoration mixed in. It was like JJ read her mind, the way he walked her back into the gate. (Y/N)’s back met the searing metal that only added to the heat escalating the temperature of her body. But he didn’t let his hand roam. Instead he deepened the kiss, putting spotlight attention on taking the breath out of her lungs. He explored every corner, tasted the mint of her toothpaste, memorized the way her tongue slid against his. JJ could only focus on the moment, shoving every worry aside with ease. It was the way her fingers brushed the bare skin under his shirt that had him pressing her body into the fence.

(Y/N) gasped, tilting her head to the side away from him slightly to pant for air. JJ just saw the opportunity to kiss up the curve of her jaw, causing her eyes to flutter. Her nails dug into the crook of his v-line just as he reached the spot on her neck that twisted knots in her belly. JJ had to stifle a groan, sucking on the sensitive skin possessively and with fervor as his hand gripped her hair straining her neck as forced it up. He moved with gentle yet frantic urgency, swiping his tongue every so often to hear the mewl that escaped her lips. The pleasure and stinging sensation blinding her from how careless leaving yet another mark on her was. It wasn’t until he was satisfied and she was whining from the discomfort evolving that he pulled back to admire his work ignoring the temptation to see red. His lips parted, short harsh breaths washing over the darkened spot on her neck. (Y/N) let out an involuntary whimper at the feeling, meeting his forehead with hers to sway his attention.

JJ’s hold loosened at the same time a car engine roared through the street. Had cars been passing by the whole time? Neither one had been able to hear a thing besides the person in front of them. He still preferred to focus on the lines and dips of her face over the Kooks driving by. It felt like they were in their own bubble, rid of consequences. But some thought would always creep into the front of her mind as the oxygen seemed to reach her head again. It was only a name. But a name that held enough weight to get her to drop her hand from his shirt. JJ’s eyes flashed with something unreadable as he witnessed the moment she slipped away again.

“So I take it that means you only have one helmet?” It was meant to show indifference and lighten the magnitude of the moment but (Y/N)’s voice wobbled. She would’ve looked away the second she said it but the hand on her chin kept her where JJ wanted. The other one fell to his side aching in a similar way her body did. “It’s yours Princess,” JJ spoke with deeper meaning behind the hint of playfulness. The helmet wasn’t the only thing that was hers, his mouth was, his body, his thoughts, the stupid red baseball cap, especially his heart. Most definitely his heart. She could see it in blue of his irises. The intensity behind his words left her speechless once again. As much as she wanted to read between the lines, there were too many obstacles between them.

It was JJ who finally had to muster the strength to pull apart, his fingers tightening just briefly before letting go of her chin completely. He masked his own disappointment with the only way they knew how to communicate. A devious little smirk emerged at the prominent hickey forming on her neck and he rubbed at his jaw contemplating his work. “Damn, there’s no missin’ that,” JJ chuckled snapping her out of it as her hand flew up to her neck to touch the sore area. She cursed under breath, shoving at his arm slightly with her free hand as she lifted away from the fence.

“I think you’ve marked me enough,” (Y/N) huffed not even wanting to imagine what John B’s reaction would be. The bite on her shoulder and the other hickey was covered by the t-shirt, but this one would take more effort to hide. She flipped some of her hair forward which was temporarily successful. It irked JJ to see her covering up the evidence of his touch. He wanted to behave but his jealousy was ravenous. With a mind of it’s own that didn’t think about anybody else. “Don’t think it’s enough if you can still cover them,” he noted, the smirk disappearing into a thin line on his lips. She rolled her eyes at the comment biting back the urge to remind him she wasn’t his. As much as she wanted to wear it proudly, show all the girls on both sides of the island that JJ had been the one to do this, she couldn’t. (Y/N) simply had to ignore how hot his possessive tendencies were.

“Whatever,” she exclaimed, too flustered to find a witty response. She opened the gate again, not waiting for JJ this time around as she slipped through and began walking to the side of her house where JJ had presumably left the bike. He took just another second before following after her, taking the lead since he was the only one who knew where the bike was actually hidden. They glanced at each other for a meager second before (Y/N) was turning her attention to the oncoming car. JJ looked away, clicking his tongue against the rooftop of his mouth as they came up to one particularly big bush. He disappeared behind it before re-emerging pushing the handles out. (Y/N) swallowed the lump in her throat now that they were actually about to leave. She felt frozen as JJ casually hopped onto the bike and turned the key. The sound made her jump in JJ’s peripheral view. He turned his head towards her, reading the hesitance on her expression.

JJ reached his arm back to grab the helmet, nudging it into her stomach gently. “Hey it’ll be fine,” he meant both the bike ride and the conversation with John. But he couldn’t really know if it would be so the attempt at easing her was pointless.. She exhaled for a moment, taking in the tenderness that he spoke with and the affection swimming in the oceans of his eyes before nodding. She took the helmet from his grasp to put it on. Her nervous fingers fiddled with the clasp to close it once it was on. It’s not like she really knew how to do it anyways so the jitters kicking in didn’t help. Her inexperience was so obvious that it was embarrassing. But JJ’s rough fingers snuck past hers, pushing them out of the way to clasp it shut with one easy motion. “There,” his voice was kind, devoid of any judgement or ridicule. The stirring in his chest at the sight of her in his helmet further restricted his ability to breathe.

She slipped onto the bike with a shade of soft pink traveling up her neck. (Y/N) made sure to scoot closer, wrapping her arms around JJ’s torso and holding her hands there in preparation for her first ride. The heat of his body was soothing as the apphrension grew. JJ just always seemed to read her perfectly though, giving her hands a small squeeze before putting both of his on the handles and beginning to ride out onto the street. She let out a small gasp at the wind blowing past them when he really started down the road. It was more exhilarating than she could’ve imagined it being. Her senses were hyper alert, aware of every turn and increase of speed.

He was a pro at it though, weaving through cars and traffic with no issue. JJ could feel her tighten her grip every time they got close to another car. Normally he’d tease Kie, riding as close as he could to it just to hear her yell at him. But with her he sped farther away, not wanting to scare her during her right off the bat. This side of himself was just as surprising to him as it has been to her. The boys would prod and tease him until his grave if they found out. JJ had spent so long trying to convince himself that what he felt was just lust and taboo desire. But now these pent up emotions were finally loose and swirling inside of him he struggled to refrain from from acting normally.

(Y/N) did end up raising her head up very slowly at one point to take in the ocean view at their side. The sun was still out, shining down on the water below and giving it a yellow tint behind the clear blue. The rush she got from the wind hitting every part of her body only heightened the beauty of it. It was enough for her to forget the wave of nausea that had been hitting a few minutes ago and the fear that had kept her glued to his back. JJ had caught sight of her in his mirror, admiring the serenity in her features. (Y/N) looked breathtaking with her freshly washed hair flowing back, her eyes filled with peace. He thinks he understood in that moment that what he felt was called love. There was no other word for it but that. There was no tip-toeing around the way his heart felt like imploding in his chest and his lungs felt like evaporating into thin air when she was near.

Just as quick as it happened though, the semi speeding past them in the lane snapped her out of it. She was back into the curve of his back, helmet smushed into the space between his shoulder blades. Hands wound tightly around him.

They continued the rest of the way in silence. The further they got from Figure Eight, the more her body became rigid against his back. It hit her then that it was an extremely bad idea to show up with JJ but it was too late to turn around now. The familiar streets of the Cut came into view reinforcing her panic. Her grip had cemented so much JJ thought she would actually leave a few bruises or wounds behind. “Nothing’s gonna happen (Y/N),” he tried, lacing his fingers with hers for just a quick second and squeezing before having to grab the handle to turn into the Chateau.

The familiar sound of the dirt bike alerted everyone inside to their presence. John B was darting up from his spot on the couch faster than Kie and Pope could even process it. The front door was propelled open against the siding of the house, John B’s eyes narrowing on JJ who was helping his girlfriend off the dirt bike and then unclasping the helmet for her. “You’re fucking joking right now,” John B saw red, anger etched in his entire soul from head to toe. If looks could kill, they’d be dead and buried deep underground. (Y/N) had the thought to at least cover her neck with her hair and then turn away from JJ to confront the fiery brown eyes shooting daggers their way.

“Hey, it’s not what you think JB please. I just came to apologize. We both did,” (Y/N) spoke in a soft tone to relay just how much she meant it. She hadn’t intended for John B to end up as casualty in the process. She truly hadn’t thought at all in the moment. Kie and Pope came out through the front door to stand behind the fuming man next to them as she took a couple of uncertain steps forward. “Yesterday- that’s not what should’ve happened and I’m so sorry,” (Y/N) pleaded with him but the words couldn’t heal a wound of this nature. Especially not with his best friend standing behind her with crossed arms leaning his bum against the bike looking like a pompous asshole. Her words had stung JJ hard after the revelations they had whispered into the dead of the night. It wasn’t intended to come off as regretful but he couldn’t help but take it as that. Lashing out from the burn of her words, he smirked at John B to provoke him instead of keeping a level head.

“Not what I think? Seriously?” John B seethed not even wanting to voice his deplorable thoughts because they’d be too severe and permanent. He took steps forward to be face to face with (Y/N) but still keeping his distance. His blood was sizzling, eyes pitch-black and somehow losing light by the second. If (Y/N) had thought he was furious yesterday, it had nothing on the anger John B felt with the pair in his sight. “I think you’re just a spoiled Kook that came to experiment with us Pogues. Had fun yet? Whoring around?” John B spat as he kept his focus on her. If he dared to look JJ’s way again he might not be able to restrain himself.

(Y/N)’s eyes watered, taking a step back as Kie tried to rest her hand on the tense muscle of John B’s shoulder to diffuse the tension. Maybe in some way she had come to hear his demeaning words. She felt worthy of them. JJ, however, was the complete opposite. He had managed to keep quiet until know, acting on impulse as he sprung up to shield her from the livid man in front of her. He could accept that John B was more than just resentful, but throwing insults (Y/N)’s way was a line he wouldn’t let JB cross. “Watch your fucking mouth John B. You’re just mad that your little game didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to,” JJ bellowed at him matching his rage with an icy glare, knowing exactly what buttons to press before Kie could set out to cool him off.

JB’s arms ripped out of Kie’s grip in a split second decision, thrusting out to shove at his best friends hard chest with flat palms. It sent him falling back but only provoked him more. JJ looked like the devil. His lips curving into a wicked smile, hair tousled by the wind. Blue eyes were dripping with venom. Quicker than JJ could retaliate, (Y/N)’s small, gentle hands caught the back of his arms before he could stumble into her. “J Please,” (Y/N) begged under her breath into the privacy of his muscular back sounding distraught as she grounded him, “this isn’t why we came here.” He did his best to inhale deeply through a clenched jaw, visibly taking breaths from within to calm himself. It was rare to get him to pull away from the blinding fury once he was absorbed by it but he was helpless, in the mercy of her soft heart. Focusing on the delicate way she tried to soothe him by rubbing small circles into his side. It might’ve almost been enough to end the fight but it only set John B into a spiral witnessing the affectionate exchange. It was now the second time he was reminded of the fact that (Y/N) wasn’t the one winding him down.

“You’re worse than me JJ you know that? Luke Maybank’s kid,” John B landed a low blow that visibly made JJ falter, jaw flexing in rage, “Just another delinquent in the works... ,” he drawled out with a closed fist shove of JJ’s shoulder, the tension skyrocketing around them and pricking the hairs on everyone’s skin. “C’mon John B- this is pointless nothing is getting resolved- we can wait till everyone is ready,” Pope was practically begging as he attempted to tug at John B’s arm. But he was strong-willed and unflinching as he stepped forward to be almost chest to chest to JJ. Blue met brown as their eyes locked, everything eerily quiet. “You think she’s gonna want you?” The vindictive words crashed into him. JJ couldn’t stand being compared to Luke. His dad beat his mom and beat him too and JJ swore that would never be him. And knowing that he wasn’t worthy of (Y/N) was one thing, being reminded of it was another.

Except JJ knew exactly how to retaliate.

His muscles loosened as all the tension was released from his body. A lazy, horrific smile appeared on JJ’s face with cold eyes staring him down. It was a look unlike he’d ever given anyone. Kie was almost quivering just from witnessing it, much less did she want to be on the receiving end of it. He’d spent months pining after her, dealing with with his conflicting emotions, watching his best friend be happy and ignoring his own needs for John B’s sake. But JJ wasn’t going to do that anymore, not when it came to her.

So he knew exactly what to say.

And the color in (Y/N)’s face drained as JJ crept a couple of measured steps until he was standing beside her. She knew what he was going to say before it came out of his mouth.

JJ’s fingers trailed over to her hair, flicking it back as he bit his lip to contain the sinister smile. Everyone’s eyes falling on the darkening hickey as (Y/N) felt her cheeks hot, head spinning and eyes blurry with embarrassment and anger.

“Well JB that’s not what she was saying in her bedroom last night. She wanted me a lot..,” JJ chuckled criminally while maintaining a look of pure satisfaction. Making it clear that (Y/N) had not just wanted him, but begged for it. He practically ate up the shock piercing John B’s features. Just to make sure there was no miscommunication, JJ sunk the knife in further for good measure.

“You know.. her bedroom… with those cute glow in the dark stars stuck to the ceiling?”

It was Kie that gasped before John B reacted. She’d been in (Y/N)’s room plenty of times to know exactly what he was talking about.

Less than a second later, JJ’s jaw made a worrisome cracking noise as John B connected his balled up fist to it. Despite the metallic taste in his mouth, JJ didn’t hesitate to lunge forward and tackle John B to the ground. Both of them snapped, yelling profanities and taking their rage out on the other. He swung blindly, rings jabbing into John B’s abdomen. The taller man winced, before thrusting his knee upwards and digging it into JJ’s chest.

“JJ!”

“John B!”

Both girls kept yelling and risking a hit by trying to get in the middle of them. But it was next to impossible. Pope jumped up to try to intercept but they were both pushed over the edge now. He couldn’t get a single chance through the flying limbs. They had both been stewing in their rage for too long now. John B had been waiting to do this since last night and seeing as he hadn’t been able to because JJ was on Figure Eight, he was only further enraged. “You were my best fucking friend!” John B shouted as he managed to flip JJ onto his back, punching him coldly without measure. (Y/N) cried out and screamed at them, pleading as she watched JJ close his blue eyes. His body went limp, John B holding him up by the grip on his shirt. She recognized what he was doing because she had done the same thing by coming here. They were both looking to assuage their guilt by looking for punishment from the person they had betrayed.

“John B, he isn’t fighting back!” (Y/N) pleaded loudly with a tear-stricken face, catching his wrist before he could swing again. But he was stronger than her, especially fueled by the burning jealousy and wrath at their infidelity. She was no match for him as he landed another hard blow at JJ. “Fight back!” John B yelled into his face but JJ just gave him a lopsided grin, blood snaking it’s way down his chin to his throat and staining the hem of his colar line. He let out a heart-wrenching yell as his fist landed on the grass next to JJ’s head.

Everyone paused.

John B’s heavy breathing broke through the sounds of the crickets.

They just stared at each other while the other looked on. Almost as if they were communicating without saying a word.

Pope decided to use this momentary pause and separate them, latching on to John B’s shoulders to drag him away. It was relatively easy to do considering JB was no longer fighting back. His eyes were swelling with frustration and fury, tears that he was trying to keep in making their way out at an unstoppable pace. Beating JJ to a pulp would be too easy and he wasn’t even getting the satisfaction of the blonde haired guy pushing back. “You were my best friend and you fucked my girlfriend,” he spoke loudly, but more disheartened towards him watching as (Y/N) knelt at his side to check on the bruising eye.

“I’m sorry- I’m so sorry,” (Y/N) sobbed to both of them, feeling like this was all her fault. Her fingers swiped softly at the blood pooling under JJ’s busted lip making him wince and her heart tighten. “It’s fine Princess. Takes two to tango remember?” JJ’s voice came out raspy, strained by the pain creeping through his body. His eye squinted, groaning at the uncomfortable throbbing coming from his side. John B had managed to get him quite good but she was right, he wanted to get hit. He wanted to be numb, his guilt could subside knowing that his best friend was able to take out the heartbreak and anger he felt on him.

(Y/N) shook her head though, standing up with the weight of her actions crushing her shoulders. If there was any remedy to this situation, it was to cut herself out of the equation completely. How would they be able to fix anything when just her presence caused these emotions to rupture out of them? She would always be a lingering reminder of their infidelity. Her head tilted to the side, watching Pope and Kie attempt to calm John B. She hadn’t even noticed until now that Kie’s cheeks were as wet as hers. It was just as agonizing to her to see their unit be torn apart. Pope was rattled, feeling powerless to stop them. They had had arguments and fist fights before about nonsense, but nothing this serious. He hadn’t even been able to get in the middle without being injured himself. It was all too much to take in. They were all perfectly fine before she arrived, and now they were more shattered than ever.

JJ observed her features the whole time, was privy to the way she detached herself emotionally to save the rest of them. But he didn’t want her to. He was selfish and greedy, willing to beg John B for forgiveness the rest of his life if it meant that (Y/N) didn’t run away. “(Y/N), hey,” his voice was still rough, but there was an edge of distress. She couldn’t take sole blame for the eruption their behavior had caused. But nothing he could say would really change her mind. There was a distant look in her eye when she focused on him.

He couldn’t even get another word out before she was turning her back to him walking away from them, from her life. Her shoulders were shaking, the reality of her consequences settling in. Her hand moved to cover her silent choked sob, free arm wrapping around herself to grace herself with some comfort. JJ wouldn’t give up on her without putting forth effort though. A beating he could take. Letting her slip through his fingers was something he couldn’t afford. Not when he finally had her.

Had her smiling and laughing at his stupid jokes. He could still hear her sweet giggling in his ear. See the heart-melting smile taking over her alluring features. Had seen her sleeping serenely in the coziness of her insanely overpriced California king, lips parted with a little bit of drool sneaking out. He’d had the privilege of bathing with her, exploring every luxurious inch of skin while quelling the ache in her bones. She had washed his damn hair. The feeling of her careful fingers on him in such an innocent yet intimate moment still drove him mad. The scent of her fruity cshampoo resided, mixing in with the dirt covering his backside as an encouragement to follow her.

“(Y/N), stop,” JJ managed to get out as he stood up at the same time holding his side with one hand where it seemed to hurt the most. The girl didn’t listen to him though, she kept walking with more intent to distance herself. The others were looking on but nothing else was said. John B turned around, refusing to watch any longer as he went back into his home to bitterly find the First Aid Kit. Kie wanted to step toward JJ to check on him but he rushed off, walking as fast he could to reach (Y/N). Pope placed a hand on Kie’s shoulder sighing before nudging her inside. Nothing would be resolved within two days.

(Y/N) ignores his voice calling out to her, shutting out every emotion related to JJ possible. She could return to her ice queen status, embody it once more to bury the agony and enter a state of desolation. But he was persistent, walking after her even as she got further and further away from the house. “(Y/N),” JJ’s voice was calm from behind her but she shook her head trying to will away the oncoming rampage of tears. They had started from the moment the boys started throwing fists and now they had a life of their own. “Hey- I.. I can take you home, you don’t have to walk or get a ride,” JJ tried to pull her back to him by any means but she stopped dead in her tracks. He hadn’t even realizing he was gaining on her until almost running into her when she came to a halt.

“No JJ. Don’t you get it?” she asked without hesitancy as she shifted to face him. JJ saw nothing in her eyes, no glint or glimmer, no hope for their possible future. “We can’t see each other anymore. We hurt people when we’re together JJ,” (Y/N) was stoic, refusing to instill JJ with any false hope. There was no world where they could be an item. Where they could cuddle in front of their friends. Go on double dates. Marry with a best man if it came down to that. As much as she wanted to let go of everything and melt into his stupidly perfect lips, she remained passive. Refusing to acknowledge the love she so obviously felt for him and choosing to endure the pain that would no doubt find a permanent home within her. (Y/N) locked it all away, tucking it deep into a place where it couldn’t reach her.

JJ’s Adam’s apple bobbed while his nose scrunched up, shaking his head in refusal. He looked off into the distance before meeting her stare. His throat felt dry, constricting from the fear accumulating the more she pulled away. “It’s not just sex to me (Y/N),” JJ repeated the words from last night, watching as something flashed through her eyes. “I meant that. And you meant what you said. About you wanting me,” JJ reminded taking a shaky step forward before saying fuck all and reaching his hands up to cradle (Y/N)’s cheeks in his hand. He gave her a torturously sad smile, fingers tracing the lines of her cheekbone. “You remember, last night in the bathtub too. I know you do,” he whispered, coming in closer to her, enveloping her senses.

He almost had her for a moment, (Y/N)’s brain cells mushing when he admitted that he did remember his late night confession. JJ’s pure vulnerability and the slightly forceful grip on her cheeks allowed her to rethink for a moment, consider the possibility that they could somehow fix this together. Her own admission had been a forthcoming revelation. More than JJ could’ve imagined when he brought it up. His blue eyes pierced through her, shaky hand gripping at his wrist. It was overwhelming, almost suffocating to be tempted in such a way. Her eyes closed. Knowing the way he was silently begging her every way possible would make her cave.

“It was sex… I was horny and you were too,” (Y/N) didn’t feel like she was in her body as the words came out. Her voice monotone and quiet. He was close enough for her to not have to yell it out. “This was nothing,” she continued even as she felt his hands drop from her face. It was daunting, so much so that she refused to see the destruction she was surely executing. Her heart was close to vanishing, entire body going numb. Not only was she losing a second person in the span of twenty four hours, but she was also losing her person. The one person she thinks might’ve been meant for her.

But JJ needed her to face it. He needed her to take in every single aspect of what this meant. (Y/N) wasn’t just taking a break from them, she was leaving. Closing the chapter on their summer together and ending something that had just barely gotten started. “Nothing? I think you’re a liar,” JJ’s temper was rising with her, loathing how she could let her overthinking take control of her life. “I think we’ve both known it since the moment we met. This is real and you’re just fucking scared,” his voice raised, finally showing his disdain for her choices.

(Y/N) dared to open her eyes which was something she’d regret till the end of time. JJ’s face had completely fallen. Her insides twisted, knotting and curling until she wanted to turn around and let out all the contents in her stomach. Which were actually none but eating right now sounded like a joke. The light in his blue irises that attracted (Y/N) to him in the first place had dimmed now. Disrupted by her hasty disregard. His lips were in a thin line, hands balled at his sides, chest rising and falling with every excruciating breath. It took everything inside of her to turn her heart to stone. Telling herself it was for the best.

“I’m sorry JJ,” she finalized the conversation.

Turning away from him and putting this singular moment behind herself.

Allowing herself to believe that they would be better off without her meddling.

The flood resumed down her cheeks now that he couldn’t see her disappearing into the following street. In the very back of (Y/N)’s mind, the little spot reserved for JJ, she still wished he’d chase her once more. Nudge her his way with his electrifying touch, kiss her until it felt like there was a volcano erupting inside of her. She’d say yes to the ride this time. She’d allow him to hold her in bed and soak his shirt with her tears. Even stay the night and every night after for as long as he needed to.

But none of that happened.

There were no footsteps besides her rapidly paced ones. (Y/N) wanted to say she was relieved, but it felt more like the entire universe had disintegrated. Her lungs felt like they were tied and knotted with rope, only able to take shallow breaths. A choice that took her all of two seconds before she was regretting had transformed everything.

If (Y/N) had thought any of this would be easy, the red baseball cap perched on top of her grey chair sent her into another meltdown, knees buckling to the ground with no one to catch her this time.

She’d lost them all.

*****

Read Part 1 here

Feedback/Thoughts welcomed in my inbox! x

If you’d like to be tagged in future posts of this mini-series please join my taglist here🫶🏼

A/N: I’ve literally never written blood play or subspace so I hope I did it justice😭 Don’t know what got into me but possessive JJ is just everything😩

I have another work in my drafts but it’s an anon request so part 3 will be coming later on❤️

Thank you so much for reading whether you came for the smut or plot😭😂! Please like, reblog, and comment if you enjoyed it!💕

John B’s Mini Series Tags: @fishingirl12 @sweetlikerockcandy @imtired0811

General Tags: @dropperyourhnd @leclercch16 @kys4-20

#jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x cameron #jj maybank x kook!reader #john b routledge x reader #john b x reader #john b routledge x kook #john b routledge #john b x kook!reader #outer banks smut #outer banks #obx fanfiction #obx #jj obx #obx fic #jj maybank smut #outer banks fluff #outer banks fic #jj maybank dark smut #soft!dom jj maybank #jj maybank x y/n #john b routledge x you #outer banks angst #jj x reader #jj smut

[randomshyperson]

Five Times You Go Through Wanda Maximoff's Window - [HS Challenge]

Summary: A clumsy spider and a grumpy witch are roommates in Avengers Tower. And it takes you five missed windows to finally get things right. [Prompt]

Warning: None, fluff and funny, spider!reader and emo!wanda, avengers being a family, happy ending | Words: 2.937k

A/N-> This was such a funny one to write because I always wanted to try the Five Times Prompt! I hope you guys liked it.

General Masterlist | Wattpad | AO3 | Holiday Season Masterlist

-&-

The first time you missed a window in Avengers Tower, you still didn't know the place properly. 

You had just come out of a fight and your costume was still smoldering. You stumbled between one window and another and thought you had counted the floors correctly when you balanced yourself inside, and almost fell out again when something pushed you.

Your spidey sense acted immediately, of course. It was a disastrous situation, to be honest. You jumped like a frightened animal away from the magical energy of the witch, the true owner of that room and window, while instinctively hitting her right in the face with your webs.

Wanda yelled angrily, and you, hanging from the wall, only had time to fall straight to the floor before she hit you in the chest this time.

Of course, the confusion attracted the attention of the other Avengers - Vision, and Steve appeared just before Nat, the men confused by the whole thing, but the widow, as soon as she saw the younger witch trying to untangle the webs from her face, burst into laughter.

You were blushing a lot when you went to apologize.

"I'm really sorry Wanda, I thought it was my room."

"It's fine." She retorted between her teeth, and it didn't look like it was fine at all. You rubbed your shoulder, the magical blow left your skin sore and Wanda sighed. "Sorry about the hit. I thought it was an intruder."

Natasha interrupted the whole thing with another chuckle, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes that threatened to return every time she looked at Wanda's grumpy expression over the webs. "You two are clearly an example of attention. You've just earned some extra training."

You and Wanda grumbled in unison. Of course, Natasha was just tormenting you and the training was going to happen anyway, because Wanda escaped as many of them as she could and was already getting sloppy, and you well, in the routine of neighborhood friend and university, it was difficult to attend all the Avenger commitments.

Wanda had no trouble hitting you in training, and you almost thought she was doing it with a certain satisfaction. You couldn't blame her, she would certainly have got away with it if it hadn't been for your disastrous encounter earlier.

You just hoped that future interactions between you would be friendlier from then on.

-&-

The second time you missed a window in the Tower, your intention was not to be late.

This was because Natasha had asked - or politely threatened - you to organize your spider routine, if that was possible, and be present at the introduction of the New Avengers.

Well, that was rather unfair. In addition to your full-time job as a New York superhero, you also had college and your job as a Daily Bugle Photographer, so it should be understandable that delays would occur. But maybe that was your fault, for missing three birthdays in a row, and not even making it to Captain America's shield ceremony last month after Steve retired and assigned the job to Sam Wilson.

In any case, you tried to get to the tower for Kate Bishop's introduction to the team and ended up in the wrong room again. 

Only this time it was worse, as you ended up bumping into the owner of the bedroom who certainly wasn't expecting to see anyone.

Wanda didn't fall to the floor with the impact only because you acted quickly and held her by the waist, turning your bodies so that the entire collision was on your back. Half the items in your backpack made a cracking sound behind you, but you didn't have a chance to check.

You were still grunting in pain when she pushed you away, and the action caused her towel to fall to the floor.

"I-I..."

"Don't look, you pervert!" She demanded infuriatedly, her face as red as yours. You turned away immediately, but the bedroom mirror allowed you to see her bending down to pick up the towel and you thought it best to close your eyes tightly.

"I swear to God I didn't mean to-"

"Zip it." She cut in, holding the towel tight against her body. "Out." She ordered, and you didn't need to be told twice.

You stumbled out with your eyes closed until you found the door, and Wanda had to look away and bite her lip to hide her smile for all the times you hit your head on something before leaving.

You didn't find her again until half an hour later when you had already met Kate Bishop and discovered that she would probably be a friend. She was a very funny girl, and your close age made it easy to get friendly with her. 

She had just commented that it was amazing to have another Avenger going to NYU, and how you could go to classes together and have coffee when Wanda reappeared in the room and dropped something in your lap.

You stared wide-eyed at the red spider's underwear, clutching the item as if you expected it to disappear.

"You forgot it in my room." Said the witch with an indecipherable expression, but with eyes sparkling with mischief. Of course, she left out the part about the item falling out of your backpack during the disastrous encounter earlier, and that was enough for Sam to chuckle knowingly with Clint and Natasha from the kitchen counter when they whistled at the comment.

You turned as red as the colored garment. "I dropped it in her room." You tried to clarify in embarrassment, but Clint added.

"Oh, yes, that happens." He taunted, and you huffed in embarrassment as you got up to find your backpack and remove that outfit from their sight. 

You only missed Wanda's satisfied look when Kate didn't invite you to take her to university again and the subject was forgotten.

-&-

The third time was intentional.

The Avengers were going through a very difficult time since the whole Winter Soldier thing became public, and even with Steve retired, Mr. Stark still wanted closure on the murder of his parents with Mr. Barnes. 

It wasn't your business, but at the same time, it was because the Avengers were one big family and anything that happened to one had an impact on the whole team.

The atmosphere was rather miserable because it seemed that everyone was going through heartbreaking situations at the moment. Natasha and the Red Room, Bucky, Tony and Steve's drama, and Kate with her mother's arrest. Then there was Vision and the Space Stone that had been giving him nightmares, and well, Wanda, who was celebrating her first birthday alone since the death of her twin brother.

So the third time was intentional, because you had cupcakes in your backpack that were a bit of a mess, and you only came in after knocking.

Wanda still had to get used to the image of you hanging at that height.

"Hi." She greeted, not hiding her own discontent about that day. You continued to sit on the edge.

"Hey." You said with a small smile, twirling your bag in front of you. " I won't be bothering you, I just came to bring you something."

She grimaced, biting her lip. She wanted to say that you're rarely a nuisance, but instead, she remained silent.

You take out a closed box from your backpack, a little crumpled, but the contents are safe. There are several colorful, well-filled cupcakes from your favorite place in the center. All with little birthday decorations.

"I didn't know your favorite flavor, so I brought you one of each. If you're allergic to anything, we can throw it away." 

Wanda doesn't take the box held out to her. "Hm, I don't... celebrate today." She says clumsily, looking away. You swallow dry, nodding.

"I didn't think so, but I wanted to... I don't even know what I wanted. I'm sorry, that was stupid of me. I'll take these away and leave you alone."

But Wanda grabbed you before you could leave the room, and instead of pulling away, she hugged you. Quickly, as a thank you, but it warmed your cheeks.

"That was sweet of you, okay? Thank you." She murmured just as embarrassed, busying herself with grabbing the box of cupcakes because she didn't know what to do with her hands.

You smiled. "No problem, Wanda." You say, and before you lose your nerve, you add. "To be honest, the cupcakes are just an excuse. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to tell you that I'm here if you need a friend. I know how hard days like these are, and being alone is sometimes not a choice, it's the only option. I wanted you to know that there are people with whom you can share this pain. Or if you don't want to talk about it, these cupcakes."

The next hug is longer and makes you wish you'd missed the window more often, even if this time it was on purpose. Maybe when all the drama has passed, and Wanda trusts you to become friends, the window will stay open for you.

For now, she lets you stay to watch sitcoms with her and grimaces when you stumble out the window to answer a spider's call. 

It's stupidly dangerous, she texts you that afternoon.

You respond with spider and web emojis.

-&-

The fourth time, you were bleeding.

Almost unconscious, and struggling to crawl through the windows. Fearing that the exhaustion and injuries would be enough for your powers to fail, and inevitably cause you to fall from the tower. 

Perhaps it would have been better to take the front door.

You felt yourself losing consciousness, and your right hand detached from the glass. Before gravity could do its job, a familiar prickling sensation covered your entire body and you were pulled into Wanda Maximoff's room.

"What happened?"

She looked worried, almost desperate to be honest. Your appearance was probably not the best. Well, who could blame you? You've just guaranteed New York's safety for a while longer after one of the most intense fights in months. Why do villains dressed as animals always land such hard punches?

You try to smile at Wanda, to make a "You should have seen the other guy" joke, even though Rhino wasn't badly hurt and the victory was more thanks to your new electric friend and his tricks that knocked the big guy out, than to you. Maybe you're losing your grip.

Wanda didn't laugh, her powers put you against the soft cushions and the next thing that left your mouth was a grunt of pain when she touched your ribs.

"I'm gonna call Bruce-"

"No, I'm fine." You tried to move, but your body hated the idea. So did Wanda, because her magic became harder to ignore. "Please, Wands, I shouldn't be out there."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

And you have to ignore the pain to keep talking and try to look casual about it with a shrug that makes you wince. "I was still recovering from the last fight. I thought I could handle it."

"You're unbelievable." She grumbles, seeming to remember beyond her own busy routine, the image of your bandaged arm after the last villain you encountered. Clearly, it had been against the advice of the rest of the team that you had joined another fight, and obviously, the consequence of your stubbornness was swinging yourself utterly wrecked into her window at dawn. "You need an x-ray."

You groan but are unable to resist her magical efforts that force you to your feet and drag you into Bruce's lab.

The whole thing becomes a blur in your injured head. But you know that you've been given a hard time by at least half the team, until the medication kicks in and you feel better enough to realize that you're already lying on a bed, with Wanda Maximoff beside you.

"Sorry about the scare." You mumble, and you don't need to clarify any further for her to understand exactly what you mean. You know you'll probably have to work harder than that to remove your nearly dead figure from her memory, but that's a start.

Wanda doesn't take her eyes off the book but sighs. "It's okay." 

You know that's not true. So you try to be honest with her.

"Today is one year since Aunt May died." You say quietly, just loud enough for the two of you in the Avengers' infirmary room to hear. Wanda immediately raises uncertain eyes. It's your turn to sigh and look away. "I just... couldn't keep myself from doing anything. When Miles' suit warned me about Rhino, it was the perfect distraction."

Wanda absorbs your words for a few seconds until she puts the book aside. She leaves the armchair and approaches the bed to sit down next to you. 

"Next time, ask me to distract you." She says, one of her hands going up to your face and caressing some of your bandages. "We could watch a movie, or go out to eat. Or even..."

But she doesn't finish, her cheeks suddenly reddening. You give her a lopsided smile. "What?"

"I don't know, anything you want." Says the witch, turning her face away. 

Mentally thanking Bruce for the painkillers that allow you to move, you sit up properly to lean toward her. "All right, I have a suggestion." You whisper, and it's the first kiss between you as you break the distance.

Wanda's lips are soft against yours, shy as she never is. Only with this kind of thing, of course. The goth girl who won't let anyone give her a bad look and has a punk attitude all the time, but can't keep her gaze if you wink at her from across the room. And always blushes when you text her that she looks pretty when she's concentrating on the Avengers meetings.

She's the one who separates, although just as breathlessly, she warns: "I'm still mad at you."

You bite back a smile, absorbing for a second the image of her swollen lips and flushed face. "Well, I suppose I should distract you from your anger then." 

She snorts good-naturedly at the statement, but you kiss her before she can comment. The two of you keep smiling throughout.

-&-

The fifth time, it's a new window.

Well, actually it's a whole new place because Wanda Maximoff has left Avengers Tower and moved to suburban New Jersey. And you were late.

The whole team had already helped with the move and left after an afternoon snack at Wanda's new house. For the first time in a long time, New York had no villain after Spidey, and you were stuck in university bureaucracy.

You apologized dozens of times by text message for not being able to help with the move, and in fact, the whole team laughed at the situation. It was just bad luck that you missed such a fun afternoon.

It was late evening when you arrived on the dark balcony. Through the windows, the lower floor was empty and perhaps you had strange habits because you didn't even consider just ringing the bell. One tug of the webs and you were at the second-floor window, tapping on the glass for Wanda to let you in.

"We have a door, you know." It was the first thing she said. And you smiled, slightly distracted by the figure fresh out of the shower, still with damp hair.

"We?"

She scrunched her nose, her hands working to remove your backpack and jacket. "It's just semantics." She retorts, but you keep smiling. You let the jacket fall into the backpack on the floor before sliding your hands around her waist. 

"Oh, of course. For a second I thought you had found a roommate." 

She rolls her eyes bemusedly. "You know the invitation still stands."

You smile, your anxious fingers drawing patterns across the exposed skin at her waist. "Well, Captain Rogers' influence is making me a bit old-fashioned but before I move I'd like to do a few things first."

"Hm, is that right? Like what?"

Shrugging as if your heart wasn't racing in your chest, you retort. "Like... marrying you, for example."

Wanda hesitates, surprised more than anything. She looks at you as if she's trying to decide if it was a joke, but you don't feel her magic in your mind. 

"Do you really mean that?" She asks almost unsurely, and you sigh before letting go. You duck down to pick up your backpack again and reveal the real reason for the extra half hour of your journey from the university.

A little velvet box hidden in the front pocket. 

"I was saving it for our anniversary, but I don't think there's such a thing as the right moment. Every day I'm ready to marry you, and I don't need a dinner party for that." You declare nervously and swallow dryly when you meet your girlfriend's watery eyes. "B-but I can totally ask you next week-"

She breaks into a tearful laugh, pulling you close again. "Shut up, you fool."  She says practically against your lips before kissing you hard.

It's only later in the evening, after you've laughed and kissed and lost yourselves in hours of pleasure exploring each other's bodies, for the first time holding hands with golden rings on your fingers, that you, still breathless with Wanda almost asleep against your chest, ask:

"That means yes, right?"

She uses magic to throw a pillow in your face.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda maximoff fics #marvel fics #holiday season fics

[bree-cheesy]

I have a request :

Schlatt x fem!reader and he comes home from a solo trip and reader is at his place taking care of the cats and it’s super fluffy and lovey and cute and leads to something? Idk. I crave fluffy Schlatt. 🥹

Again, I'm so sorry with how long this took. I have no excuses.

Little short, but I hope it meets expectations.

I've had some mental health struggles lately so I haven't been too motivated to write, but hopefully this little spurt will get me out of it.

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Schlatt had only been gone a week and a half, but it felt like years. You were staying at his place while he was gone so you could take care of the cats. Originally, you were supposed to just come over when it was time to feed them and make sure they were okay, but you ended up just packing a bag and staying at his place.

You weren't sure when he was coming home because he was having a bunch of flight delays so you were at his place longer then expected. You were lounging on the couch, in his clothes while your stuff was in the wash. You were petting the cats and scrolling through your phone when you heard the front door open and a string of curses filled the comfortable silence. The cats ran over to see who was there and soon you heard Jay talking very sweet to the both of them.

You peeked over the back of the couch with a smile and saw a very tired looking Schlatt walking in, dropping his bags on the floor. "Wow, thought you'd be a least a little excited to see me." He looked up and smiled, immediately walking over to you. You giggled as he picked you up and crushed you in a tight embrace, his face tucking into your neck, sighing softly. "Bad flights?"

"Mhm." He sat down on the couch and still held on to you, lazily rubbing your back. "I missed you." His voice was gruff and tired. You snuggled into his chest and pulled the blanket you were using over the both of you.

"I missed you, too." You gently ran your fingers up and down his arm and he lazily kissed your shoulder and neck.

"You should wear my clothes more often.... I like it." You took his hat off and gently ran your fingers through his hair, ignoring that it was a little sweaty. "Did you sleep here last night?"

"I've been sleeping here since you left." He looked up at you with a slight frown. You shrugged and kissed his forehead, noting the blush that spread across cheeks. "I missed you. Plus, it was just easier with the cats."

He nodded and gently pressed his lips against yours. You sighed softly and kissed him back, wrapping your arms softly around his neck. His hands went up the back of your shirt and he stood up, picking you up and walking towards his room. "Gotta make up for lost time..." You giggled and he shut the bedroom door behind the two of you.

-- Bree <3

#jschlatt x reader #schlatt x reader #jschlatt #schlatt #schlatt fluff #jschlatt smut #schlatt smut #jschlatt x you #bree <3 #Bree-Cheesy

[yuis-art]

🏋🏼‍♀️ Gym Trainer: Abby Anderson x Fem!Plus size Reader🏋🏼‍♀️

Part 3!

<Hey GUYSS sorry for the delay! I got so nervous dude 💀, I thought my writing was gonna be bad so I felt self conscious! But I wrote part 3!! And part 4 will be soon I promise! <3 BUT I WANNA MAKE FANART FOR THIS CHAPTER, and I’m gonna post it on Twitter! <33>

This Chapter does contain smut! SO MINORS DNI WITH THIS POST! Please!

C/W: Fingering (r receiving), clit play, Praising (good girl, pretty girl), heavy making out, reader squirts , breast play

Word count: 3k!

Proof read: yes

Enjoy!

“Should I wear Make-up? No she’ll think it’s a date.” You look at yourself for a minute. “What if it is tho?” You say as you grab a little bit of foundation and then do your hair in your go-to hairstyle.

You try to find a cute outfit. Or not really cute, but something she’ll like. You wear some jeans and a black casual shirt, one that really shows off your breast. “I swear half my clothes are so basic. But this will do I guess.” You put on some lipgloss and a strawberry shortcake perfume.

As you’re about to leave you grab your purse and your phone and lock your apartment. You’re standing outside and you’re checking yourself every minute in your mini mirror. “Why am I so nervous, I literally took a class with her not too long ago.” You start texting Nora.

You: Noraaaa

Nora: yes girl

You: I think Abby is taking me on a date.

Nora: WHAT. She’s never this bold. She must really like you.

You: girl I’m so nervous.

Nora: don’t be lol, I bet she’s more nervous than you don’t worry.

As you’re about to text Nora back you get a text from Abby.

Abby: I’m here :)

You’re looking around and you adjust your hair.

Abby pulls up in her light blue beetle, you never expected her to be in a car like that honestly, it’s so small compared to her stature.

You wave and Abby ducks her head a little and waves at you. She gets out her car. She’s wearing a black tank that’s showing off her body again, with green cargo pants and a light jacket.

‘Oh my ggoooodddd’ you think, literally just by looking at her you feel your heart ache, and your sweating. You never realized how tall she was either.

“Hi!” She ducks down to your height and smiles. “H-hi Abby.” You say as you advert your eye contact again.

She’s walking back to her car and she opens the door for you. “After you pretty.” You’re going crazy, she’s using so many names on you and it’s making you go nuts. You already know your face is heated.

You get into the car and she shuts the door lightly but hard enough that it doesn’t slip open. She’s racing to the other side and she jumps in. She puts on her seatbelt and puts her keys in the ignition. “Oh wait hold on.” She reaches over and grabs your seat belt and puts it on for you. She smells so good. She’s so close to you. Face by your neck, hand on your arm. You wish you could stay like this. I know you barely know her but oh my god, if you could, you would kiss her right now. She pulls back and starts driving. You’re just staring at her. Starstucked. She’s smiling and playing her playlist again. Her eyes are on the road. “You’re staring, did. I do something?” She says as she glances over at you for a second and her eyes keep on the road. “O-oh sorry!” You say as you put your purse close to your stomach, clenching on it out of nervousness. “Where are.. we going by the way?” You say, head on the seat staring at her again. “I wanted to take you to this one realllyyy good place. Like they have the best protein filled stuff; I usually go here after my workouts.” She says as you both wait at a stop light. “I’m excited, honestly after our workout today I had no idea what to eat, like I have no idea how to meal prep and, I don’t know where to start.” You look at the road with her. “…I could.. cook for you, I could do meal preps with you.” She glances over again and her cheeks are a little flushed. “Ms Anderson are you gonna cook for me?” You say jokingly and she chuckles deeply. “Yeah of course, I don’t mind and I promise my food is good! Trust me on this.” She says as she stops at another stop light.

You both sit in a comfortable silence again. Until,

“Actually.. ok.” She pulls over, she turns to face you and her cheeks are still flushed. “If you want.. we could go back to my place actually and I could… maybe.. cook for you?” Your eyes widened. ‘Oh my god I’m going to her place.’ “I-I uh.” You start stuttering. “Sorry, never mind it was a dumb idea-“ You stop her mid sentence. “I.. wouldn’t mind at all Abby.” You say with a genuine smile on your face. Her eyes widened. “Ok! Um, let’s see, I may have to pick up a few things. Do you mind grocery shopping with me?” “Abbyyy I thought you’d never ask.” You say with a goofy smile appearing on your face. She rolls her eyes jokingly and she pulls off into the road again.

You both stop at convenience store. She gets out and runs to open your door for you. “Thank you pretty.” You say smiling. She grabs a cart and she waits for you. You’re grabbing your purse out her car and you shut the door. As you look at her. You notice her hand holding out and she looks at you. You give her a ‘?’ Look and she starts smiling at you and she giggles. “Give me your hand cutie.” She says. Your face gets heated again. You grab her hand and she locks it with you.

She’s acting so nonchalant but you’re literally so in love with this girl. You both walk in and your hand starts sweating so much; she keeps adjusting your hands together as she makes it to the meat section looking at all the chicken. “You’re not vegetarian or vegan are you?” She looks over at you and you shake your head no. She adds the chicken to the cart. As you guys keep walking around the store you look at your hand size difference. Her hand is so big; at least 2 inches bigger than yours. You’re daydreaming again, and your thumb rubs over the back of her hand. ‘Oh my god. I Wonder what these would feel like..’ you loose your train of thought as she looks at you. “Do you wanna get winneeee?” She says holding the bottle by her face and tilting it. “Y-yeah! Sure.” You say as you advert your eyes again. “Are you ok? I’m sorry was the hand holding to much?” Abby’s hand slips away. You grip it tightly. “N-no! Please. I like This.” You say to her as you rub her hand again. “Ok, eager girl.” She says playfully. Your face heats up again.

She finished grabbing everything and you both check out. You head back to the car and she opens the door once again for you. The car is silent, she’s driving to her place, her playlist echos in the background. “Abby.. can I ask you something.” She says a light “Yeah?” As she focuses on the road. “Would this count as a date?” You glance at her and focus on the road with a heat coming to your face, I don’t know why you felt so bold all of a sudden, she makes you so nervous but you figured. “And if I say yes?” She looks over at you again and back at the road. You smile and get all giggly. “WHY DIDNT YOU TELL MEEE.” You say, your face getting even more hot. “I-I’m sorry!” Abby says. “Nora told me.. to ask you in a smooth way but to not be forward?” She smiles still focusing. “I-I was gonna ask, but-“ “Abby.” You grab her bicep. “You’re ok! Im completely fine with it.” Your brain gets to thinking. ‘Noraaaa..no wonder she said Abby’s probably more nervous than me.’ you’re wondering why she didn’t just ask you straight up, like you would say no. Abby is too pretty for you to say no. “I wish I would’ve wore something better then.” You laugh. “You look good to me.” Abby says, she glances at your chest for a moment. “I like the shirt on you.” You punch her softly jokingly, and she laughs.

You make it to a nice neighborhood, it’s so pretty, so much trees. She lives in a small house community, almost like apartments. She arrives and it’s a one floor house, she has a lot of plants, mainly sunflowers/daisy’s. She parks in the drive way. “Sorry for the first date being at my house.” She says taking the keys out the ignition. “It’s fine you’re ok.” You say to her. You unbuckle your seat belt.

You both make it in the house. It’s very small but very cozy. She places her gym equipment on the floor by her couch.

It’s so warm in here, her wallpaper is a nice tan color, and her furniture is a mix of a lot of beige and dark grays. She also has ALOOOTTT of books, like a whole library in her house. “Wow, this is nice.” “Thank you.” She says quietly setting the food on her counter top. She takes off her jacket and hangs it up. She looks so good right now. Her arms are showing, her skin looks so soft, yet so sculpted. “If you want you can watch something while I get started.” She puts on a tight white apron with a pink hem at the bottom. “D-do you want me to help.” You say, the way she looks right now oh my god you’re drooling, she’s making you so wet without even trying too. “No pretty you don’t have to.” She says holding your chin and rubbing it. You almost drop to your knees. She rubs your lower lip softly, glancing at your eyes and your lips. “Don’t worry, yeah?” She lets go of your face with a smirk and she head towards the kitchen. Your thighs clench. She’s gonna drive you crazy.

You sit on the couch and flip through channels. The way she living room is set up, it’s an open kitchen so you can see her, but she can’t really see you, all she sees is your head.

You start texting Nora.

You: IM AT HER HOUSE, she’s cooking for me

Nora: DAMN? She must really like you dude, cause that girl never brings anyone to the crib 💀💀💀

You: LMFAO, WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME IT WAS A DATE

Nora: SHE WAS NERVOUS SO I TOLD HER TO ACT LIKE IT WASNT IM SORRY

You: it’s ok 💀, but I’m so nervous I’m just sitting here on the couch and I’m trying to find something to watch, she caressed my lips, MY LIPS NORA

Nora: OMMGGG DUDE GOOD LUCK, let me know how it GOESSS HAHA, you were in her class for one day only and now your at her house 😭

Abby breaks your head up from your phone. “I don’t hearrr anything on the tvvv.” She says as she’s turning on the rice cooker. “S-sorry! Haha I’m a little nervous, I don’t know what you like.” “Whatever you turn on I’m sure I’ll like it.” She says glancing at you. You end up turning on an early 2000s movie. One of those goofy teen movies. They’ve always been your favorite. Hopefully she’ll feel the same. “Oh my god not this.” She says as she comes over to you and leans on the couch staring at the tv. “I haven’t seen this in so long.” She laughs and looks at you. You advert your eyes from her, your face is getting so heated again. “I could change it!” You grab the remote and Abby snatches it. “No no, don’t change it haha, I use to watch this with my dad all the time. So I kinda grown to like it.” She says putting the remote on the counter top. She walks back to the kitchen and you stand up. “Is it ok, if I watch you. I mean, I know you told me you could cook for me, but just in case I wanna meal prep later on in the future.” You say smiling. “Sure I don’t mind.” She looks nervous. “Uhhh, here let me show you.” She holds out her hand and she guides you. She brings you near the counter top and by the cutting board. “I’m gonna show you how I cut my chicken. Usually I do it in squares.” She stands behind you, extremely close, she grabs your hand gently. Knife in one hand gently holding it in yours guiding your hands. Her waist is so close to your back you can feel her breathing softly. She leans over you. “Is this ok.” You’re getting so wet, this is ridiculous. You haven’t had any action in so long and this girl is literally driving you off the rails. “U-uh y-yeah. It’s fine.” You say. She chops the chicken with you and you look at your hand difference again. Her hands are so big over yours, her rough callus hands. You almost feel dizzy, she’s so warm. Is she teasing you? Does she wanna see how heated you can get, how nervous she can make you. It’s almost like she’s edging you, without even going anything.

“Then I cut in squares like this, you see.” We could prep the vegetables next if you want too. She backs away and goes to the sink to wash her hands and you follow after her. You both wash your hands. “Grab the vegetables out the fridge for me yeah?” You nod, trying not to fall over. The tension is so thick, you lean over looking into the fridge trying to find them. She leans over you again, whispering to you. “Did you find them?” “Y-yeah!” You shoot up and hit your head on the freezer door and fall back a little. “Oh my god! Are you ok? Wait let me get something hold on.” Abby grabs you by your arms and lifts you effortlessly on the counter top. Your thighs clench again. She moved you like you were nothing, and you never had anyone pick you up like that. “I think I got an ice pack in here.” She finds it and hands it to you. You place it on your head and kick your feet gently. Abby walks up to you, getting her waist in-between your legs, she comes so close to your face but she ends up tilting your head down so she can she the top. “Ok it doesn’t look that bad, I’m sorry for startling you.” She says as she rest her hands on your hips softly. She’s been close but oh my god she’s so close. Her lashes are fluttering, you feel how warm her face is. You start breathing heavier, you’re getting so wet. She’s all that’s in your mind. “Abby…” You say breathlessly, practically moaning her name. She looks at your face. Her face gets a little red when she sees her position. “Oh I’m sorry!” She says she’s beginning to back up but you try to hold her. She looks at you for a moment. Up and down at your face; and then your chest.

“Abby..” you say again softly. “..Yeah?” She says looking at your lips. “C-can I.. kiss you?” You say. Scared she’ll say no, you let go of her for a second, but instead she leans into you kissing you softly on your lips. You don’t know what to do with your arms so you move them around her neck. Her hands start gripping at your love handles, she messages them and then she uses the other one to grip your thighs. You let out a soft moan, and her tongue roughly slips into your mouth. She begins moving her hands up the back of your shirt, grabbing your bra strap, flicking with the handles. She stops. “Wait.” She looks at you, your hair is already a mess, your breathing so heavy. She’s got you so wet and so dizzy with lust. Your pupils are blown so wide. “Do you.. want this.. I know we barely, know each other. We only know each other through Nora but. We can stop and-“ You kiss her cheek. “I-I do. I promise. Abby, I never met any one like you before. I haven’t really been into dating recently ever since I’ve gained a little extra weight. I felt self conscious to get back out there. That’s why I wanted to start loosing weight, but I realized that I wanted to do it for myself instead down the line, but I didn’t expect the gym trainer to be so hot… and into me.” Abby giggles and caresses your face. “Ever since Nora showed me a pic of you back in college I knew I had to get my hands on you, I just got a little nervous.” She rubs your thigh again and kisses you softly this time. You both end up sitting there just making out on her counter top, her hands on your waist, your fingers in her hair tangling her braid. She pauses again. You whimper a little at the loss of her lips. “I-I’m sorry, did you wanna eat first?”

“Oh! Yeah. Yeah of course!” She kisses your forehead and lifts you off the counter again setting you down. “Go sit on the couch pretty girl. I’ll be done in a sec.” She says kissing your cheek and then your lips.

A hour passes you and Abby are on her couch, watching this cheesy 2000s movie drinking wine, eating the delicious food she made. She made chicken with vegetables and rice. She calls it a very “high protein meal?” But you don’t even care you just really enjoy being in her company. She’s talking about how Nora use to be in college, and how she almost failed half her classes but Nora helped her out so much that she ended up passing. She also talks about her first college boyfriend Owen and how he got a girl pregnant and left her for the girl; which was reasonable, he still cheated on her, but she said they still remain friends tho. You tell about your dating experiences also, and your college dorm mates, and Highschool bullies throughout the years.

You and Abby are laughing so much your stomach hurts, she keeps bringing up her friend group and experiences she’s had.

You’re almost completely buzzed. You forgot how much of a light weight you are when it comes to alcohol, but you still remain completely alert. You both finish eating and you’re snuggling up to her, your back on her chest and her hands are wrapped around your stomach, she keeps gripping it and messaging your muffin top. “What are you doiiinggg.” You say. “Nothing, just admiring you.” She rubs your thigh and your inner thigh, moving your legs open a little. You’re focusing on the movie a little bit, but you can’t cause you feel her hands on your body again, which is making you heat up. She begins kissing the back of your neck, and you tilt your head. You let out a little whimper again as you feel her hands in button your jeans. “Abby..” you whimper. “Yeahh..” she whispers into your ear kissing your cheek. Your thighs clench feeling her breath on your ear. “Hehe, what are you doing?” You giggle. “Does it bother you?” She says rubbing your thigh up and down, smirking. You whimper. “N-no.” You say stuttering. “Focus on the movie, yeah?” She unzips your pants as your eyes are focused on the movie. Her fingers explore your underwear. She jolts a little. “Someone’s soaked. All for me?” She whispers in your ear again, making you clench at nothing. “Th-the way you’ve been teasing me all night, I-i.” “Shhh shh, I said focus on the movie.” She says softly. Her fingers circle your clit and your back arches. “Abby.. fuck.” She begins exploring your shirt and she lifts it up in one quick swoop, she caresses your bra and slips her hand in the cup and rubs your nipples. “O-oh my g-god.” Your eyes are still on the movie. “That’s right. Focus on the movie pretty girl.” She says rubbing your clit faster. She begins moving one finger down to your entrance. She circles her movement a little. “One.. or you think you can take two?” She whispers in your ear and begins kissing your neck a bit harsh, sucking on your skin. You can barely breathe, it’s so much already and all she’s doing is rubbing your clit. “…t-two..” you say as you try to keep your eyes open. Your chest is heaving so much, she’s pinching your nipple. Two of her fingers slip into you and you let out a moan. “You like that don’t you pretty?” She says pulling your hair around your shoulder to kiss more of your neck, “Y-yeah.” She’s continues sucking on your neck and her fingers are moving so slow, it’s killing you, she’s hitting your spot so perfect tho, you think you’re gonna cum soon. “Abby..” “Yeah..” She says chucking softly. All you have is her on your mind. Her breathe on your neck, your hand gripping her forearm as she fingers you slowly. “I think I’m gonna..c-cum.” “Already?” She says.

Her movements speed up a little. “Are you gonna cum for me?” “Yyyeaahhhh.” You say moaning, you almost sound like a porn star. Her fingers are speeding up so fast, and her movements on your clit speed up also. She’s whispering so many praises in your ear it’s driving you crazy. “You’re such a good girl, Who’s my pretty girl? Are you gonna cum for me baby?” She’s whispering so softly, buts it’s so loud in your ear. Her fingers are hitting your g-spot so perfectly, your hips are moving so much, you’re chasing your high. You’re clenching around her finger so much. “Cum for me pretty.” You let go. Squirting all over her fingers, your jeans are soaked. Her fingers and still moving so fast in and out of you, but she slows down. Your chest is heaving so much. Your head collapses into her chest and you look up at her. Forehead sweating. The grip you have on her arm untightens. “S-sorry was that to much?” She says. “N-no i liked it.” You say waving your hands up. “…Abby that was amazing.” You flip over and straddle her hips with your thighs and kiss her lips softly. You’re completely dazed. “Let’s get you cleaned up.” She says giggling and pressing her forehead against yours.

She gets you cleaned up. You’re wearing her shirt and a couple of her boxers, luckily she has some over sized ones that’s she’s stretched out I’ve the years a little. They are still a bit tight tho, but you didn’t bring any underwear; cause you never thought it would get to this. Abby comes out wearing her own black boxers and the same black tank.

You’re in her bed with her and she’s cuddling you. Rubbing circles into your back. “Might be too late, but did you wanna spend the night? Cause I could drive you home?” You look up at her. “Abby you just fingered me on your couch, and you’re asking if I wanna spend the night?” She pushes the pillow in your face. “Shut up.” You both laugh and the laughs turn into deep convos and sleepy convos. You spend the night at her place. You can’t wait to see where this leads.

Thank you guys for reading!! Chapter 4 will be soon! <3

🩷 Tags! @marvelwomen-simp @ccinnamongrl @t3bbyb3ar 🩷

#abby anderson #abby tlou #the last of us #abby anderson the last of us 2 #abby anderson x reader #abby x fem!reader #abbytlou #muscle mommy abby #abby the last of us

[hamiltonaf]

Tickles | Kylian Mbappé

Pairing: Kylian Mbappé x Female Reader

Requested: @megannandrewss

Word Count: 467

Warnings: Tickle kink but cute

A/N: Just a heads up to the anons or whoever else requested - currently working on requests and they will be up soon. Apologies for the delay as something came up last minute. Anywho, enjoy .xx

The season was finally over, and I’ve never been happier. Not only will Kylian be on a break, but so will I, a much-needed one from juggling between work and studying.

 

Nothing beats the feeling of doing things that you usually do when you’re procrastinating, except in this case, it’s guilt-free. I was currently lying back on the couch with my feet propped up as I continued watching a series I started a while back.

 

Kylian had gone out for the day with some teammates and was expected to come home later. I was shocked, to say the least, when he came home earlier than expected. "Hey you," I said with a smile. "Hey babe," he smiled and greeted me with a short, sweet kiss before sitting down on the couch beside me and placing my legs on his lap.

 

"What brings you home so early?" I asked as I traced shapes on his arm. "Well, we just went out, spoke for some time, and wrapped it up early because we thought we should go out on another day," he said as he laid his head back against the couch and turned to face me. "Ahh, okay." I gave him a half smile. "Besides that, I wanted to spend some quality time with you," he said as he traced shapes on my calves all the way to my feet.

 

"Hmm, is that so?" I raised a brow playfully. "Of course I don’t get enough of you," he pouted. "Awww!" I cooed. His fingers then traced shapes at the back of my feet. My whole body stiffened as I stifled a laugh. "Are you okay?" He half laughed. "Please don’t do that," I tried to say calmly. He repeated his actions, and I burst out laughing. "Is someone ticklish?" He teased as he continued and got more aggressive.

 

"Ky stop!" I whined. He then laughed at my reaction, saying, "Your laugh is so cute." "You know what’s not cute? You're making me laugh to death," I said back. "Sorry, sorry," he said in between laughs. "You can continue," I said after taking a deep breath. "You want me to continue tickling you?" He raised a brow to confirm. "Yes, but not as aggressive if you don’t mind. It’s quite soothing, actually, and it’s making me fall off to sleep." I sighed with a smile and closed my eyes while laying my head back. "If I’m going to make you fall asleep, then our quality time is down the drain," he pouted.

 

"Okay, okay, if you insist, I’ll stay awake in that case," I huffed. "Do you not need a massage?" He asked. "You know what? I wouldn’t mind a back mass." He cut me off as he lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder. "Say less."

#football #football fanfic #football fanfics #football imagine #football fluff #football smut #football angst #football x reader #football x you #football blurb #football drabble #kylian mbappe #kylian mbappe fanfic #kylian mbappe fluff #kylian mbappe smut #kylian mbappe angst #kylian mbappe blurb #kylian mbappe x reader #kylian mbappe x you #kylian mbappe imagine #kylian mbappe imagines #kylian x reader #kylian imagines #kylian mbappe oneshots #ricciardoaf oneshots

[redhairedwolfwitch]

Loving Her Goalie - Clàudia Pina x Reader

A/n: Bonus scenes from Won The Goalie, a continuation of Score A Goalie.

This is part of the Christmas Challenge with a squad of absolutely amazing writers, with @nytb being the absolute dream and organising this fun time, thank you! Check out @putellas11 for the previous fic in the line-up, whilst you can find the next fic with @footygirl114 coming up soon!

🎄🎁 Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! 🎁🎄

///

The flight from New York to Barcelona was long, especially with the delays and cold weather. You ended up spending a long chunk of time staring out the window through half-open eyes, clad in one of Clàudia’s hoodies, pining for her. Leaving the arrivals section of the airport, rolling your suitcase behind you as you glanced around, eventually spotting Patri holding up a sign with a smirk, whilst Clàudia snuck up on you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“Hi, bebé.” You cooed, melting in exhaustion but full of love as you snuggled into your girlfriend outside the airport.

With you having arrived back in Spain in the middle of the night, Patri retired to her room quickly, ready to go to sleep again, whilst you followed Clàudia to her room, curling up under the bed sheets with her.

Patri didn’t expect to end up sitting on your spine as she plopped down on the couch the next morning, wondering why the couch was so uncomfortable until she heard muffled Spanish for ‘get off my back!’

“¿Qué? Why are you on the couch?”

“Clàudia’s on a work call… and I’m jetlagged… can you get off me, por favor?” You grumbled, rolling off the couch onto the floor as Patri stood up.

“Now you’re up, your girlfriend mentioned you make good… pancakes?” Patri tried out the word on her tongue, watching as you frowned for a moment before nodding.

“Sure, I can make pancakes. Where’s your frying pan?” You enquired as Patri led you to the kitchen, not realising that Clàudia had finished her call and was now watching you and Patri make breakfast.

“Buenos días mi amor.” You smiled as you spotted Clàudia eventually, the forward/midfielder revealing herself once the test pancake was over and done with, but she kept her phone out as Patri made gagging noises to tease you both.

Your Atleti teammates ended up seeing two different tiktoks later on in the day, one on Clàudia’s account of you and Patri making pancakes, before you ended up spotting her and the video ended with Patri getting a pancake to the face after teasing you and Clàudia. However your tiktok was a little bit different, turning into a pancake tutorial whilst Patri danced to music that didn’t fit what you picked for the tiktok, and Clàudia hugged you from behind, watching you watch the pancake. The caption of your video made your Atleti teammates chuckle though. Carmen had even texted you, asking if pancakes were the only thing you knew how to cook.

‘How many Barça players does it take to make breakfast? None, you need an Atleti player.’

“Hey, babe, where’s your- found it! You might want to put whoever’s sock in the laundry, it’s covered in dust, just like your games console… you sure you’re okay with me playing Spider-Man on it?” You double-checked as Clàudia grimaced at the sock, flicking it towards Patri’s face, as the midfielder was laying on the couch, watching you both.

Patri let out a laugh as the sock hit her in the face, removing it to spot how Clàudia had curled up in your lap like a cat as you got the games console working. You were staring at your instagram for a moment as you waited, spotting the uploads from Atleti which included Lola, Merel and Carmen in Atleti festive jumpers, with Merel between Lola and Carmen. You chuckled into Clàudia’s shoulder at the tinsel around Carmen’s and Lola’s necks, before you glanced up, seeing the console was up and running.

“Sorry but I’m changing the system language for now, I don’t know enough Spanish to save New York as your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man.” You announced, but Patri and Clàudia were too busy watching the video game introduction cutscene, and how you slowly figured out the controls and started web-slinging around New York by yourself.

“Underestimate me. That'll be fun. In fact, I dare you, underestimate me, you'll regret it.” You murmured to yourself, not realising how much Patri was trying to hold back her laughter as Clàudia shifted in your lap, blocking the TV as her nose brushed yours.

“Bebé, you are threatening the TV.”

“I’m threatening Kingpin, but yeah… I’m threatening the TV…” Quickly hitting pause on the videogame, you pressed your lips to Clàudia’s, her hands around your shoulders before a sock hit you in the back of the head.

“Rude, Guijarro!” 

You ended up playing Spider-Man for a little longer until a knock at the door had Patri getting up to go answer it, since Clàudia was more than happy not to move, snuggled into you. You had missed Clàudia whilst in New York, and she had missed you when she had stayed in Spain, later admitting she wished you two could have been together on New Year’s Eve at least.

“I wish I could have been kissing you at midnight, as the fireworks were going off, lighting up the New York skyline…” you were cut off as Clàudia whispered a countdown in Spanish, pressing her lips to yours after uno, the two of you so distracted in each other that the sound of the door shutting went unheard, and so did the footsteps of two of your girlfriend’s teammates walking in with Patri.

“Hey! Not on the living room floor!” Patri exclaimed, making Clàudia jump whilst you fell backwards, almost hitting your head on the coffee table but Clàudia cupped the back of your head with her hands, leaning over you as you let out a breath, gazing up at her.

You were so distracted by Patri that you almost misheard the Spanish that came out of Aitana’s mouth about Patri being a third wheel in her own home. Clàudia was busy playfully glaring at her and Laia when your girlfriend realised you knew what Aitana had said, and watched as your face fell.

There were many reasons that when you stayed over in Barcelona in your free time that you didn’t try to impose within the home that Patri and Clàudia shared, which explained why Clàudia had stayed in Madrid with you post-Euros. You lived alone, you had no roommates to make uncomfortable with any public displays of affection, although Patri just loved to tease you both instead.

“I got you something, whilst I was in New York…” you whispered into the darkness later that night, Clàudia shifting slightly to look at you in sleepy intrigue.

“I’ll show you in the morning, mi amor. By the way, did you see that social media post, trying to rumour me leaving Atleti for Gotham. I’m happy in Spain. I just don’t know where I’m going on loan yet. Will it bother you? If I’m further away, or end up at Real Madrid or something?” You enquired, but Clàudia kissed your forehead.

“Te amo, wherever you are in Spain, bebé.”

Waking up the next morning, Clàudia was using you as a pillow with her arms wrapped around you, the Barcelona player still asleep whilst you laid there, staring up at the ceiling. Your thoughts kept their hold on you until Clàudia’s fingers running over your bare skin caught your attention, her eyes on you with a smirk as her fingers located the raised skin of your tattoo that you got in New York.

Your mornings in Barcelona stayed this way, spending time with Clàudia, and by extension, Clàudia’s teammates when they were around, the first match back for Barcelona being on the 7th after all. A match against Sevilla, which you thought was a little ironic, since it was when Clàudia was loaned to Sevilla that you first saw her. Atleti’s first match was the day after, but you wouldn’t be present at the away game, a fact you found out about when your phone began to ring, interrupting your conversation with Clàudia and Patri as you flicked the latest pancake from the pan onto the plate and picked up the phone.

Clàudia and Patri watched as you paced up and down the kitchen, unknownst to them at first but you were on the phone with your management, asking questions as the two Barcelona players watched.

Clàudia didn’t expect you to cover your speaker, leaning forwards to kiss her on the forehead before continuing your conversation, flustering the striker as Patri began to tease her.

Luckily for you both, Patri had not seen the gift that you had brought Clàudia back from New York, because if the midfielder did see it, you knew that both of your entire teams would never stop the teasing that would follow. Clàudia didn’t care, she loved the gift you got her, and she loves you.

She was in love with a goalie. Her goalie, you were her goalie.

#woso x reader #woso imagine #claudia pina x reader #claudia pina imagine #woso imagines #atletico madrid x reader #barcelona femeni x reader #atletico madrid imagine #barcelona femeni imagine #atletico madrid imagines #barcelona femeni imagines

[soracities]

mim, my mum has had a difficult time coming to terms with the fact (and even comprehending what it /means/) that i am nonbinary/genderfluid. we had a very difficult time this last year and a half bc i had very serious medical issues, but i'm finally better, and today i tried on my new uniform (a really nice suit) for my first new job post-recovery, and while she and my dad and grandma kept gushing about what a pretty girl i was, i whispered very quietly, "i'm handsome", half expecting it to be brushed off or gently ignored. and for the first time since i came out five years ago, my mother (the person i love most in the world) beamed at me like she wouldn't change a thing about me and said, entirely heartfelt, "a very handsome boy". i feel so full of love i have no words for it. it's already one am and i should be asleep, i have an early day soon! and yet here i am, once again tearing up and laughing.

very sorry for the delay in responding to this, but i am, truly anon, utterly beyond happy for you 🤍 what a beautiful, beautiful moment and i'm so touched you chose to share it with me. i hope you and your mother's relationship can continue to grow and flourish and deepen with this renewed care, acceptance and understanding 🤍

#ask #Anonymous #this is so precious anon. truly bless your heart. #the topography of love

[spaceisout]

𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 // 𝙠𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙖𝙢𝙞

Words: 2.100

Summary: being married young was never in either of your plans, more or less being married to a hero and a quirkless human. still, it made an interesting switch to your lives, one you might not regret.

Warning(s): angst, fluff,

A/n: I apologize for the delayed update, my week became a lot more busier than I had expected. Also taglist is available to anyone who would like to be updated. Any donations are appreciated it is a way I can help contribute to pay bills while I'm able to get a job <;3

Links: donate to the author, masterlist (coming soon), current series list

Taglist: @alligator-person @bakugosgirl01 @deathkat657 @justanerd1 @multilingual-birb @urdecentartist09

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4 ◁ II ▷ 6

"Woah what is going on?" Keigo asked bewildered.

You quickly walked passed him to your room, "I have stuff to prepare for today's school event!"

He scratched the side of his head watching as you walked from one room to the other. "Well... is everything okay? Do you need a hand?"

"I have most things done." You calmly said grabbing two bags from your room and settling it down beside the living room couch.

"Today's..." Keigo mumbled knowing today was an important day. You had mentioned it to him a few days prior to today's big date. "Oh!" He snapped his fingers together, remembering. "The sport's festival!"

"Yeah!" You exclaimed going into the kitchen and taking out some ingredients from the fridge.

"Do you need a hand?" He walked over, standing in front of the counter watching as you started to make small balls of rice in your hand.

"Um can you get me out the filling? I forgot to take it out." You answered, making a small curved spot in the rice to put in the filling.

"Sure!" Taking the container out labeled with "rice ball filling" he placed it next to you down on the marbled counter. "Can I help make some of them?"

A smile rested on your lips, nodding. "Make sure you wet your hands in the water so the rice doesn't stick to your hands."

"Got it."

"Have you made some before?" You asked grabbing a spoon and scooping some of the filling to put in the middle.

"I used to make them plain when I was a kid." He answered as he recalled his childhood being difficult for a kid his age. "We were poor... sometimes it was hard to make any money to bring home and put food on the table. My father was a criminal who stole, my mom didn't have the guts to leave him. So I had to be creative with the food we did have."

Your eyes began to water. You knew very little about his past life, he only said bits and pieces assuming it wasn't something he was comfortable talking about. You couldn't picture a child his age going through such trauma and violence. Keigo was the sweetest person you had ever met, realizing he went through something like that made your heart ache for him.

Keigo noticed you had become quiet, the half made rice ball sat on the empty plate. He placed his own down and turned to look at you, silent tears ran down your cheeks with your hands clenched tightly.

"(name)... are you―?"

You shook your head, "I―I'm fine..." Sniffling you wiped away your tears. "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, why are you crying?" He softly spoke, placing both hands on each of your cheeks and wiped the tears that escaped gently with his thumbs.

"It's just―" you sniffled trying to speak but became difficult to say anything when you kept remembering what he had told you. "You're an incredible human being... so honest and kind. Someone who doesn't hesitate to save an innocent bystander or lend a hand to someone in need. Knowing you went through something so traumatizing... it breaks my heart because you don't deserve that."

His eyes softened, pulling you into a tight embrace. Gently he caressed the back of your head, smiling with such fondness knowing you cared.

"It happened a long time ago―"

"S―still... I never pictured your past to be so harsh to you." You shut your eyes tightly trying to stop the tears. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to lend a hand o―or even be there to console you when you were just a child."

"(name)." he kissed the side of your head, "I'm okay... actually the day that Endeavor caught my father and put him away in jail was something I never expected to feel good about."

You slightly pulled away to look at him. "R―really?"

Keigo nodded holding the side of your face. "It gave me the ability to take that weight off of my chest. He wasn't a good person and knowing he was gone made me feel reassured that my mom would be safe."

"Have you seen her... at all?"

"I went to go see her after I was out of the hospital when everything happened but she wasn't there anymore."

"I'm sorry... I―I did not know..."

Smiling small he rubbed both sides of your arms comforting you, "Don't apologize, maybe for time being it's best if she's away from the city for awhile. I want her to be safe, who knows maybe in the future I'll take you to go meet her."

"I would like to meet her someday." His wings slightly opened wide hearing you. "I want to... understand where you came from and learn more about you."

There was no clear answer as to what it was about you or the way you talked that brought him comfort. A feeling he had long forgotten about since he was a kid, the longer he stayed around with you the more he was starting to see what it meant to care about someone else.

The sound of your phone ringing broke the moment apart, you pulled away to answer the call. Meanwhile, a smiling Keigo went back to making the small rice balls for your students.

"(name)! Are you almost here?" Mio asked as she started to set up the tables while holding her phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Y―yeah, I am currently finishing getting everything else that I need." You said, "How's the set up going?"

'We are currently half way, the students are doing some last minute practice for the event."

"Are the parents starting to arrive as well?" You asked.

"Um some... but there's still a lot more left for them to arrive." She explained, "Do you need any help?"

"No it's alright I should be leaving in a couple of minutes." Walking over to the counter you started to pack what was already done.

"Great! I kinda need a hand with some last minute things―" Mio looked over at two of her students playing with the water. "Rei! Chi! I told you both to place the water balloons not to throw them around." She sighed, "I have to go before these two end up soaking wet, I'll see you soon."

Chuckling you nodded, even though she couldn't see you. "Okay, good luck with those two."

"These rice balls are done." Keigo proudly smiled as they were individually wrapped tightly in seran wrap.

"Keigo, they look amazing!" You smiled at him, "Thank you for helping me out."

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" He leaned over the counter to look at you.

"Thank you for the the offer, but everything else is already handled."

He slightly pouted, "Okay."

Walking over to him you held the side of his face gently. Keigo leaned in to your touch feeling goosebumps rise on his body.

"It sucks you can't be there to meet my students." You half smiled, "They would have loved to see you."

"Trust me it would have been an honor to meet the kids who are being taught by an amazing teacher."

Leaning in, you kissed his cheek softly. "I should get going."

Keigo nodded letting you go. He ended up calling a taxi for you to take you to school along with helping you to carry your belongings and food.

Resting his forearm against the doorway, "Let me know when you arrived?"

"I will." You said and waved at him goodbye.

He waited for you until he made sure you left safely to school and quickly got ready to leave.

Upon arriving at school you thanked the driver and did your best to juggle all the things you had to bring.

"Woah." A chuckle was heard, coming from behind you. "How much stuff did you bring?"

Looking over your shoulder you saw it was Hizashi. "Care to lend a hand though?"

"Sorry," smiling he walked over and grabbed the bags off of your shoulders. "I did not expect you to bring these many things."

"I saw how hard everyone was working and wanted to make some food, or well treats for them." You explained walking beside him.

"Did your husband lend you a hand?"

"He did," you smiled walking inside the building. "I hope everyone likes the rice balls."

"You did the same filling?"

"Yup!"

"Then everything will be fine." Hizashi assured you, "All the kids are excited to begin soon."

"Hizashi!" Rapid footsteps could be heard getting louder as they approached you both. "We need your help setting up the last of the tables outside please."

He sighed, "I thought Rei was helping you Mio."

"He was called in to the principal's office, there's only one more table left to set up... I promise!" Mio clasped her hands together, begging. "Please?..."

"Alright." Placing the things down he motioned for her to lead the way, "I'll be back to help you (name)."

You waved him off, "I got this, there's no need to."

"Thank you!" Mio exclaimed, relief she quickly walked down the hallway and out to the open field.

As you were putting your things away and leading the food onto your small cart you got a message from your sister.

Himiko | 8:05 AM

I wanted to let you know that I talked with mom and dad about your situation.

"You're kidding right?..." you cursed under your breath immediately replying to her back.

You | 8:06 AM

Why did you even think that was going to be okay? They know about it, I agreed to do this.

Your phone then started to loudly ring in the empty classroom, with your sister's name flashing on the screen.

"I am not going to stand by and let you stay with him!" Himiko expressed, "This isn't the life you should be living."

"And I told you HImiko to stop questioning everything I do." You continued without even taking a moment to breathe, you were livid. "Why do you insist on resolving an issue when there isn't one?!"

"Because there is! Do you know how fucked up it is for you to have been part of the bargain in order for dad to get financial help?!"

You tried your very hardest to calm down the pulsing feeling in your head by breathing in and out deeply. "Look, Himiko this marriage isn't yours to butt into."

"What happened to my sister who wanted to pick out her special partner?" She questioned, "The one who couldn't wait to find the one and be happy with someone who actually cares about you? Are you seriously telling me that you do not care about that stuff anymore?"

"I have always dreamed of having someone special in my life but things sometimes don't go the way you want them to okay-"

"I know right now you're too new at your marriage and you do not fully understand what it means t be tied down to one person."

"Yes I do!" You retorted but of course it wasn't enough for your sister.

"No you do not, (name). The further you stay in this arranged marriage the more miserable you'll be." She ran her fingers through her hair, sighing deeply. "I've seen it first hand myself... people change and not for the better. Being in secret and locked up in a foreign place does things to you. I don't want my sister to go through that not if I can help it."

"I'm sorry you think that way... but my situation isn't the same. Keigo is the sweetest person I have met, he's attentive and caring." You said trying to open her eyes to how your marriage really was. "He always makes sure that I am okay and looks out for me. We wait up for each other when the other gets home late a-and we stay up talking about our day." A smile formed on your lips as you recalled each moment with him. "I may still not know what marriage is... but this is the best relationship I ever been in Himiko. And I am not going to let your insinuations and judgement ruin something that might evolve."

Himiko's voice faltered, "You're going to regret it, (name). And I won't hesitate to tell you I told you so."

"Maybe I will... or maybe I won't. That doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and listen to you. So you can try all you want... but I'm not going to give up on Keigo."

You ended the call before you let her get in another word. It pained you to fight with the only sibling you had in your life, but you were going to stand your ground no matter what.

Blinking away the loose tears you grabbed your full cart and made your way to where your students were waiting for you. This day was about them and you weren't about to ruin it with your problems or negative emotions.

"Miss, (last name)!" Sato exclaimed running over to you. Her little arms wrapping around your waist as he bend down to hug her with one arm as well. "It's about to start!"

"I know," you smiled. "Are you excited to have some fun?"

She confidently smiled looking up at you. "I'm ready to win."

"I can tell you won't be one to give up without a fight."

Sato nodded, "Do you need help Miss?"

"It's actually not a lot but thank you for offering to help out." You said, "You should get warmed up in the meanwhile."

"I'm waiting for Sayo and Tadashi too!" She mentioned, "Suzuki is with his parents."

"I see, did yours arrive yet?"

"Yup! They promised to cheer me on and watch me from the stands!"

"I'm glad to hear that-"

"Hana! Let's go take a picture before the events starts sweetie." Her mom yelled.

Sato nodded at her direction and turned back to look at you. "I promise I'll make you proud!" She waved at you as she ran back to her parents.

You smiled back waving at her as well.

Sometimes it was crazy to see that one day your students will end up graduating soon. All hope you is that they end up continuing with their lives, happy without any worry or caring about anyone else's opinion about themselves. You wish you could shield them from harmful things, but you knew those lessons are some they need to learn as well.

A little over an hour later and the event was finally beginning. All the classes from different grades were already sorted into different groups for the events. The teachers stood on the sidelines waiting for it to start.

"Miss (Last Name) would you do us the honors and start the event?" The principle asked as she handed you the microphone.

"Of course." Taking the microphone you walked over to the small podium where one of the students stood on. Turning on the mic you then spoke, "Hello, everyone! I'm very happy to see so many parents joining us for this special fun event. I know all of our kiddos have practiced non stop to make this a memorable day. We hope you enjoy yourselves and cheer them on as loudly as you can. Now we will be listening to one of our top students, Haru Shiota."

You gave the student and encouraging smile as you handed him the microphone. "You've got this."

They nodded and took it with shaky hands. His eyes roamed the huge crowd of unknown adults and students.

"T―thank you... f―for joining us today!" Shiota stuttered, "We hope to make you p―proud!"

Everyone clapped, you ruffled his hair a bit trying to comfort him. Luckily he was able to breathe again, with a bounce in his step he got off the podium and made his way back to his group.

"The first event will be an obstacle course!" You announced, "Ready?" There was a pause, everyone eagerly waiting for you to say the final word. "Go!"

As soon as the students began to run, the parents started to scream loudly to make sure they heard them. Some of them even ran along with them to get pictures of their child running. It was honestly such a heart warming event to see.

"They're getting close aren't they?" Mio spoke as she walked over to stand by your side.

"Yeah, it's going to be such a close call." You said watching intently as one of your kids was getting closer to third place.

"Do you think your husband would like these type of events?"

"Hm... most likely yeah." A smile lifted on the corner of your lips. "His childhood was very different I'm sure he would have loved to even be part of it."

Mio smiled, "I'm glad to see he's making you happy."

You cheered on your students on as they got closer to the end of the obstacle course.

"Go, Sato!" You yelled, clapping. "You're so close!"

In a moments notice, she was able to take over second and first place in the end. The first win officially went over to your class.

"Yeah!" Mio yelled cheering her own students for winning second place.

Grabbing the mic you spoke into it again, "Congrats to Sato for grabbing first place along with the other two students, Tanaka and Yoshida for winning second and third! Everyone did such an amazing job. Please make sure to get ready for the second event."

"Ooh did you make the rice balls?!" Mio exclaimed as she saw some of the students and staff walking over to the tables filled with food.

"Actually my husband did..." You shyly spoke trying to get used to referring him as your husband.

"I need to try them then! Do you want me to bring you one?"

You shook your head, "I had one earlier, go and enjoy them!"

Mio did not waste another second and quickly headed over to the food section.

A sigh escaped your lips as you closed your eyes then opened them again. Your body started to feel tired, it was mostly mental exhaustion from earlier. Still, it sucked that the people you thought would support you the most were the ones hurting you.

"Miss (Last Name)!" The principal exclaimed, "I forgot to tell you that we have a few guests today!"

You looked at her with a puzzled look, "Guests?..."

She nodded eagerly, smiling from ear to ear. "I was able to talk to some of the heroes and they accepted our invitation―"

A sudden force of wind then grabbed everyone's attention. Hizashi tried to hold onto the tables steady in case they fell over. Mio did her best to hold on to the shade covers as well.

You lifted your arms up to cover yourself form the dust that was picked up because of the wind.

"I apologize for arriving late, I hope the fun hasn't ended yet."

Immediately you recognized that voice, your eyes widened in shock not believing who was standing a few feet away from you.

Keigo smiled at everyone, the kids were shocked seeing he was there in person. But it warmed his heart knowing that he was able to brighten up their day. His eyes scanned the crowd searching for you. A frown started to form on his face until he finally found you.

His eyes glowing brighter than before, he waved at everyone but his eyes pointed at your direction. You couldn't help but smile seeing him, a slight blush covering your cheeks.

It wasn't only him who had arrived, there was also Endeavor and Best Jeanist along with other future heroes who had accompanied them.

The principal quickly grabbed the mic, "Everyone, we have some special guests! Let me introduce you to some of the top heroes of Japan, Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist! Along with some of Japan's future heroes from U.A High!"

It was unbelievable.

Your students ran eagerly over to them, Endeavor was smiling at them while Best Jeanist crouched down to ruffle their hair.

"Wow, I did not think you'd be able to convince them to come (name)!" Mio said, watching in the same shocked smiled expression as you.

"I―I didn't..." You explained, "The principle was actually the one who made it possible."

"Well it was your suggestion," Hizashi said standing beside you, "I'm glad it worked out in the end."

Keigo smiled, waving at everyone.

"I can't believe you didn't come through the main door." Best Jeanist said.

"Well I do have wings you know, why not make an epic entrance?" He smirked.

"Because we came together? It would have been best for all of us to show up." Endeavor added.

Best Jeanist shook his head and walked over to the students that were waiting to talk to him.

The students from U.A also interacted with them, some of the teachers even asked them questions.

But the certain golden brown eyes couldn't keep himself from looking at your direction. You had to tell him with your eyes to stop looking over at you and to focus on them.

"Is Hawks, checking you out?" Mio said.

"W―what no!" You retorted quickly looking away.

"He's curious about you, damn even though you're married you are still getting hit on." She whined, "No fair!"

"Don't be jealous there's guys who check you out too Mio." Hizashi said.

"Yeah but what good does it do if none of them ask me out?!"

Unbeknownst to you, Keigo started to walk over to you three with such confidence in hopes of getting a reaction out of you. There was immediate silence as he looked at you guys. His eyes going from Hizashi to Mio and finally landing on you.

He stretched out his hand, "You must be the teacher the kids keep talking about am I right? Miss (Last Name)?"

You wanted to physically fan yourself to calm down but you knew it would be too obvious. With a calm smile, you shook his hand not being able to ignore how perfectly it molded together with his own.

"I―It is very nice to meet you, Hawks."

#― <3 secret world #keigo takami #keigo takami x reader #bnha hawks #mha hawks #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha angst #bnha fluff #mha fluff #mha angst #bnha fanfiction #mha fanfiction #bnha masterlist #mha masterlist #anime fandom #anime fanfic #bnha #mha

[marc-spectorr]

Callie, my looooooove, are you still doing the blurbs??? If so, can I have this line: "I can't pretend anymore" + Marc Spector?? 🥺🥺🥺

pairing: marc spector x reader

warnings: slight angst with a happy end :)

a/n: sorry for the delay!! writing has been so difficult to do lately but hopefully i can work through the rest of these prompts 😭

It's such a cliché, Marc thinks. Him standing outside your flat in the middle of the night, waiting for you to answer the door with his clothes drenched from the pouring rain, but he couldn't bring himself to care. 

He knows better. He knows that if he doesn't do this now, he may never work up the courage to do so again.

The sound of the locks undoing on the other side fills the silent air. Marc's heart pounds in his chest. All the words he's rehearsed over and over start fading to the back of his mind.

It takes you maybe ten seconds to open the door, but the moment seems to last longer than that. 

And when he finally sees you, he's suddenly rendered mute.

"Marc? It's one in the morning, and you're soaked to the bone," you say through a thick haze of exhaustion, your eyes barely open.

He feels guilty for disturbing you.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Marc breathes out too quickly and too low. "But I-I couldn't sleep."

Your brows knit together as you look up at Marc, confused. He half-expects you not to care. Hell, he seemingly didn't care about your feelings when he decided to ignore you for the past month and a half. It wouldn't surprise him if you told him to leave you alone and shut the door in his face. He deserves it.

"Why not? And why come over all the way here? I thought you were mad at me."

That tears a hole in Marc's heart. He could never be mad at you, yet it's the impression he had left when he began pushing you away with no explanation. 

He wholly regrets it now.

Marc swallows, the question not lost to him, but he doesn't say anything out loud despite the answer already sitting on his tongue. He mulls over it again and again, the reason why he's here. What has caused him to be distant to you— caused him many restless nights. 

Why couldn't he sleep? Simply put, it's because of you. 

He loves you, and it scared the hell out of him. 

So Marc ran. He ran as far away as he could, thinking that the distance would help. Hoping that these feelings would fade in time but all it did was make things worse.

He ended up hurting you— leaving you in the dark and putting the blame on yourself as the reason why he had gone.

God, he hated himself for that the most.

"I didn’t mean it. I-I didn’t mean to make you feel that way," Marc replies solemnly. His voice is soft and tender, almost like the way your gaze takes him in. "I'm sorry for everything."

"I-I don't understand… what–"

Marc strains away from the last bit of cowardice holding him back. With a shaky exhale, he steps forward, his hand reaching out to cup your cheek, warmth immediately spreading throughout his palm.

Your gentle eyes graze over his features; he could see traces of worry in them.

"Marc…" You whisper his name, and only then does he realize how close you are— how close your lips almost touch.

"I can't pretend anymore," he confesses, his breaths mingling with yours. 

Marc slowly closes what little gap there is between you with a chaste kiss, one that is as soft and sweet as you are.

When you start kissing him back not too long after, relief loosens his tense muscles, replaced by something so warm and delicate. Something familiar, something that is just you.

The kiss deepens until you soon break away for air. Marc forgets how sopping wet he is still— dripping curls sticking to his forehead as his sodden clothes cling onto him uncomfortably.

But none of that matters. 

Nothing does, except for you.

"You never have to pretend with me," you murmur into his skin, gentle like a comforting caress. 

Marc can't help the slip of a smile on his lips as he holds your hand in his.

He’s there now.

And he’s there to stay.

#marc spector #marc spector x reader #marc spector drabble #moon knight #oscar isaac

[love-and-monsters]

The Warlord and His Lady pt. 2

M dragonkin X F human, first person, 11,831 words

Happy Halloween! This story is, uh. Getting longer than I expected, so this chapter took me a while to write. I’ve always been one for longer stories, I suppose. Let me know what you all think! I’ve had fun writing it, and all your comments are really fueling me. Enjoy!

Part 1 is here.

Rastek keeps tracing his thumb back and forth over my knuckles absently. I’m not sure he even realizes he’s doing it. I’m… not sure how I feel about it. The touch is nice but it’s making my stomach do some weird flips and I can’t stop looking sideways at him. He looks less exhausted, with a healthy color back in his skin and the tiredness in his face less obvious. But his gaze is still sharp, piercing. I feel like if he looks at me, he can see right through me. I can’t help but worry about what exactly he sees.

“You’re staring at me.” Rastek cuts his gaze sideways at me and I quail under the weight of it. “Something wrong?”

“No, I just- I was just… trying to remember.” It’s not exactly true, but it’s not a lie, either. Whenever I look at his face, I feel like I should remember something. Like if I look long enough, it’ll come back to me. But it never does.

Rastek’s expression shifts a little. “Hm.” He turns his gaze to look ahead again. “You really can’t remember anything.”

“No.” My stomach twists. There’s no accusation in his voice, but I can’t help but feel worried he doesn’t believe me. I don’t know how to prove my ignorance to him. If he suddenly decides I’m lying- or decides he doesn’t want to bother with me since I can’t remember- I’m screwed. So, so screwed.

“What’s the matter?” Rastek tugs at my arm and I realize he’s stopped moving. He’s staring down at me. “Are you not feeling well? You seem…” He gestures vaguely toward my face. “…Unsettled.”

“It’s just- hard to remember,” I mutter.

“Don’t push yourself. You’re still recovering and you need to rest. The memories will return in time.”

Or they won’t, I think, but I don’t say it. He looks like he’s trying to convince himself more than me. “Sorry, my head’s just… weird right now. I’m all right.”

“Hmm.” I can’t tell if he believes me or not. His face is pretty unexpressive. After a moment of staring, he turns and continues down the hallway. It let out a breath and follow him.

The kitchen is small and warm. There are a few people milling around, but all of them snap to attention as soon as Rastek and I enter the room. There’s an older woman holding a fire poker and a younger man with his hair wrapped up into a bun. The third person looks about my age, but with about twenty pounds of muscle on me and with her hair done in an undercut style.

“Mona.” Rastek dips his head at her. “Any news?”

“Haven’t heard anything from one group. The other one reported in early this morning. There was rain heading toward their group, so it may have delayed them.”

Rastek sighs. “The instant you get news, alert me. If they’ve been waylaid, I want to know.”

“Of course.” Mona gives a salute and marches out of the room, snagging a handful of pastries on the way out. Even when she’s just walking, she looks graceful as a big cat. It’s kind of impressive.

The older woman turns back to the fire and fusses with it for a moment before turning to the younger man. “Ethan. You gonna stand around all day?”

He jumps a little and yanks himself into a weird little half-bow. “My lord, my lady! Welcome. What can I do for you?”

“Breakfast,” Rastek says.

“Ahh.” Ethan glances over at the woman before hurriedly looking back at us. “Of course! We just might need a few minutes to-”

The older woman straightens up, cutting him off. “We’ve been trying to feed the people who’ve been up overnight, so we’re a bit behind at the moment. I can try to make you something quick, but it’ll still take a few minutes.”

“Oh, that’s fine!” I say hurriedly. I remember spending one summer working at a breakfast and lunch café. The only thing worse than having to get up at the ass-crack of dawn was how crabby people got when their food or coffee was late. I don’t expect trying to serve a bunch of sleep-deprived people here is much easier, nor do I want to piss off the person who’s cooking my food. “I can wait, it’s no problem.” The older woman gives me a look that seems slightly surprised, but pleased. Was I less considerate when I remembered everything? I hope not.

“That’s why Mona was here, I assume. Trying to get some of her lot fed,” Rastek says.

“Yes. Though I told her, yelling at us won’t make the fire burn any hotter or the food cook any quicker. She took it all right. But we’ll need more food soon, my lord. Can’t keep this place running with empty stomachs.”

“Of course. We have a transport schedule set up from home- ask Jacobs about it, he can tell you when it’s coming. Should be by the end of the day. We’re trying not to risk too many big transports, lest the magic signature give us away, but a handful of smaller ones should be relatively unnoticeable. And hopefully we won’t be out here long anyway.”

“I’ll talk to him later, then,” the older woman says. “In the meantime, we’ve got some leftover bread, cheese, pastries and fruit. You can have some of that while I cook up an actual breakfast.”

Fruit and pastries sound like an actual breakfast to me, but I nod anyway. I’m hardly going to say no to more food. Rastek and I both grab pastries and, with a quick word of thanks, we head out to the dining room.

The dining room is small, with a fireplace inset on one of the walls and a dark, wooden dinner table taking up most of the space. I sit down, wincing when my muscles protest. I didn’t feel great when I woke up, but it seems to be getting steadily worse. Both my legs and back are protesting strenuously.

Rastek’s enormous yawn draws me out of my malaise. He barely manages to cover it with his wrist and blinks blearily a few times. “Mn. My apologies. My sleep last night wasn’t particularly restful.”

“I’m sorry you slept on the floor,” I say.

“It isn’t your fault. I suppose they were expecting us to sleep together, and didn’t bother to prepare other beds. But as I said, I have slept under far worse conditions.” He yawns again. “Eat, dear one.”

I pick up the pastry. It’s very buttery, almost too much. The jam in the middle helps a little, though. It’s good, if not very filling. Rastek both of his in two bites each and makes eyes at my second one.

“Do you want it?” I ask, nudging it toward him. He turns his head away, though his eyes flicker to it a couple times.

“You still need to eat,” he says. “Go on.” He nudges the plate with his knuckles. “You’ll be nauseous if you don’t.”

I pick up the pastry, rotating it in my hands for a moment. “What am I taking the medicine for?”

Rastek blinks a few times before understanding crosses his face. “Ah. You don’t remember.” He rubs his forehead. “I know you can’t remember anything, but it still surprises me sometimes.”

His voice catches a little oddly, but his expression is stiff enough that I can’t read it. He’s continuing too quickly for me to dwell on it anyway. “It’s a muscular condition. I can’t quite remember what you call it- it has a different name where I come from. Serchen’s Disease. It’s a muscular condition. It causes progressive degeneration of the muscles.” He pauses. I can see his throat bob when he swallows. “You’ve had it since you were young.”

I worry my lower lip in my teeth, pastry forgotten in my hand. “The medicine is to prevent the atrophy?”

“A combination of medicine and magic,” Rastek says. “I wish medicinal magic was more effective, but it’s never been good for conditions like yours.”

“Can magic not heal?”

“It… can. Cuts, broken bones, those such things. But a progressive condition like yours, well. All magic has a price. Theoretically, magic could be used to prevent your condition getting worse. But it can’t be maintained forever, and once the spell wears off, your condition would worsen quickly. A combination of medications, enhanced by small amounts of magic is safer and more effective in the long-term.” Rastek draws a finger along the table, his claw scraping delicately against the wood. “Not that it doesn’t have its own side effects. You’re often tired, weaker than you should be. Your immune system is often poor, so you catch colds easily. It can suppress your appetite at times. But it should hold off the degradation, at least for a long time.”

I stare down at the pasty. I don’t feel particularly hungry anymore. “It’s not fatal, then.”

Rastek is silent for just a little too long. “It shouldn’t be. Not for a long time, anyway.”

We don’t speak. Rastek shifts his weight a little, adjusting his sleeves. I’m not sure what to say to that. I’m not even sure I understood most of his explanation- he was speaking sort of fast. My head throbs and I knead at my forehead with the heel of my hand.

Fortunately, Ethan walks into the serving room, balancing a couple of plates of eggs, sausage, and what appeared to be a combination between a tortilla and a pancake. He sets them in front of Rastek and me with a hasty bow, then hurries back out of the room. I watch him go. I’ve never seen anyone so blatantly anxious about interacting with me.

“Sooner than I expected,” Rastek says. I think he’s pleased, though it’s hard to tell. He digs in at speed, practically inhaling his food. How long has it been since he’s eaten, I wonder. I can’t remember seeing him eat since… well, since we’ve met. Which was yesterday. God, that’s sort of dizzying. It feels a lot longer than that.

Rastek looks up and very nearly catches me staring at him before I hurriedly lower my head, pretending to be interested in my plate. It does smell good, and I can use the pancake-tortilla-crepe thing to eat the eggs and sausage in a sort of breakfast taco. The whole thing is a little under seasoned (I would really like some hot sauce) but not bad.

Rastek finishes his breakfast with time to spare before I’m even a third of my way through mine. He settles back in his seat, eyes partially closed. Even though I can’t see where he’s looking under his lashes, I can feel his gaze on me. It makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle, though it’s not entirely unpleasant.

I wouldn’t consider the portion of food I received to be that big (it’s certainly smaller than what Rastek got) but I can’t finish the last quarter of it. The food’s sort of unappetizing by the midway point, but I keep eating until my stomach is actually starting to protest. No one in my family’s fond of wasting food. I’m not used to leaving stuff on my plate but, I can’t quite bring myself to eat it. I push a few mouthfuls around with my fork, wondering if I can get another bite down.

“Are you done?” Rastek asks, leaning a little toward me. I hesitate, then nod, slouching back in my seat. I’m half expecting irritation, but he just nods and stands up. “Good job.” One of his hands rests on my head for a second, petting my hair. “Your medication should be in your room. But first…” He shifts around me, hands casually resting on my shoulders for just a moment before he slides behind my chair and heads into the kitchen. I wait for a moment, but I don’t like sitting alone in the dining room, so I just pick up my plate and follow him.

He’s taking something wrapped in cloth from the older woman when I enter. I’m pretty quiet, but Rastek’s head snaps around as soon as I take a step past the threshold.

“You could have left it,” he says as I move across the kitchen to place my plate in the sink.

“It’s no trouble to bring it in here. I needed to wait for you anyway.” Rastek seems to consider that, but he has no apparent complaints, because he just thanks the woman for whatever she handed over, grabs a flask from the counter and heads over to me.

We head back to my room, where Rastek ushers me over to the bed. He picks up the suitcase he took from my room at the manor, before we left, and flips it open. From inside it, he withdraws a box cushioned in paper. There’s something delicate about the way he cradles it to his chest, like he’s holding a baby. I can hear the gentle clinking of glass vials rattling against each other.

Rastek sits next to me and carefully opens the box. The lid slides off, then he lifts the upper portion of the box to reveal a second container hidden underneath. The upper box is full of vials while the lower box has a few vials and a whole bunch of plants, berries, and rocks wrapped in cloth. The bottles aren’t labeled, but they have little markings on the caps. I can’t tell what they are, but Rastek clearly understands it, because he picks out all the bottles with circles on them.

I’m sort of expecting them to be liquid, but the bottles have little capsules in them, albeit all various shades of unappealing brown or green. Rastek shakes out one or two of each, replacing the bottles in the box once he’s done with them. Once he’s done, he has a substantial handful of pills.

“Take them slowly,” he says, tipping them into my hand. There’s a disapproving note to his voice that makes me think he’s saying this from experience- to be fair, attempting to take a handful of pills in one gulp does seem like something I would do.

The pills aren’t as pleasant as some of the drugs I’ve taken back home. They dissolve the instant they touch water and they taste, at best, like chalk, and at worst, like acidic dirt. Mixing them together makes me feel like I’m drinking swamp water. I get them all down, but my stomach turns dangerously and I swallow hard against a gag.

“Keep drinking.” Rastek nudges the cup of water toward me again. I manage a couple of swallows before my stomach rolls again. I heave a little, a sour taste building in the back of my throat. “You need to keep it down.” Rastek rubs my back in a downward motion. “Breathe through your nose and swallow hard.”

The deep breaths help, and swallowing is at least enough to keep the bile from rising. I take another cautious sip of water. This time, despite another flip from my stomach, everything seems to be staying where it’s supposed to. My mouth still tastes like I just licked a swamp rock, though.

“Here.” Rastek nudges something into my hand. It’s the cloth-covered thing that he was taking from the kitchen earlier. “Take a bit.”

I unwrap it, half-expecting to see another pastry. Instead, there’s a dark brown candy, a bit smaller than my palm and shaped into a crown. I break off a part and place it on my tongue. It starts to melt immediately, filling my mouth with maple flavor, like hardened maple syrup.

Rastek re-wraps the treat and slides it into the medicine box before closing and putting the box away. “Feel better?”

“Yes.” The last of the maple candy melts, leaving only a lingering sweetness in my mouth. At the very least, it helped to settle my stomach. “I hate medicine.”

Rastek’s mouth squishes sideways and a little bit up before falling back into its neutral position. “Hm. So you’ve said.” Something like a shadow crosses his expression, but it’s gone so fast I can’t be sure if I’m imagining it or not. He clears his throat and busies himself with tidying away the medicine box, fussing over tucking it away in just the right spot. I feel vaguely awkward, like I’m intruding, even though this is supposed to be my room. Then again, I aways feel like I’ve somehow intruded here. Like whatever relationship he had with me before, or the person I was, or whoever inhabited this body before me is gone and I’m just in its place, intruding on a life that isn’t mine and isn’t supposed to be.

I want, very much, to go home.

I don’t start crying so much as I realize that there are warm tears on my cheeks and my breath is doing the pathetic little hiccupping catches that happen when you’re upset. There’s no slow build to it- suddenly I’m just silently melting down, shaking all over and dripping a mess of snot and tears down my face. I’m not even entirely sure what I’m crying about- missing home? Begin lonely? Being sick? All of the above? Maybe it’s just the crawling sense of unease here- everyone’s being nice to me because of who they think I am, but I can’t even remember being that person. How long until they get sick of pretending the person I was is still around? I don’t even know how to survive here- I don’t even know if it’s possible. I don’t want to survive here. I want to go home, where at least things made sense.

Rastek makes a strange noise, like a strangled, ‘oh.’ I hear him move closet to me, feel the mattress shift as he leans over the bed. “Are you all right?” I feel his hand come within an inch of my shoulder, then rapidly retreat. “Tell me what’s wrong. I’ll fix it.”

I press my lips together and try to stop crying. It doesn’t help. My entire body shakes and tiny noises sputter from me no matter how much I try to stop them. I curl on my side, trying to cover my face and hide myself away as much as possible, as if maybe if I can shrink myself small enough, he’ll forget about me and leave me alone.

The bed sinks a little as Rastek sits down next to me. His hand touches my back for just a moment, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake. For a moment, he just sits there while I bury my face in my hands and try to stifle the sobs. Then his hand comes out again and he rests it lightly on the top of my head. He doesn’t say anything. His hand just traces lightly along my scalp, petting me as I cry.

Finally, the sobs fade to whimpers, then peter out altogether so I’m just lying on the bed, shaking. Rastek’s hand rests on my head, unmoving except for the slightest twitching of his fingers. I snuffle a little, scrub at my face with the back of my hand. Hot humiliation washes over me- now that I’m not actively crying, it seems stupid that I ever did so in the first place. Rastek’s hand slips off my head and the bed groans as he stands up. I track his movements by hearing as he walks around the bed so he’s in front of me again.

“Sit up a little.” One of his hands nudges lightly at me, coaxing me into a half-sitting position. “Drink.” He offers me the water glass and I sip at it. “Good.” He shifts so he’s kneeling in front of me. “I’m going to touch your face. Are you okay with that?”

I can’t quite look him in the eyes, but I manage a nod. His fingers gently touch under my chin, raising my head. I keep my eyes downcast, but he doesn’t comment. He just carefully fists a piece of cloth and starts to wipe my face off.

The touch is so gentle it triggers a fresh wave of tears. Rastek doesn’t comment on them. He just dabs them away as they fall. The tears taper off quickly, leaving me sniffling and shaking again as he finishes cleaning me off.

“I’m sorry,” I say as soon as my voice is clear enough. Rastek lifts a brow. “For… everything."

“I’m not certain what you’re apologizing for,” he says, climbing to his feet. “You’re ill, you’re completely exhausted, and your mind is…” He stumbles over his word for a second. “Your mind is struggling, at the moment. You don’t need to apologize for crying. I should think it’s a normal reaction in these circumstances.”

“You’ve been doing all right,” I say.

“Hmph,” Rastek says. He bends to scrub at my face a little more before sitting on the bed next to me. “Is it all right if I touch you?”

I give him a cautious look, but nod. He rests a hand on my back, running his fingers along my spine. The touch is feather light, but when I don’t move away, it deepens. He pauses the stroking occasionally to dig his thumb into my back, kneading gently. There’s one particular spot that’s been tense since I’ve come here and when he presses on that spot, I groan. Loudly. He pauses and I have the opportunity to feel extremely embarrassed. “Did that hurt too much?”

“No, it was, um, nice. My back’s been sore.” My thighs are also sore, but the idea of him touching me there makes me feel like I’m on fire.

“I tell you not to lean over your desk,” Rastek says, “but you never listen.” There’s fond exasperation in his voice, but beneath that, he sounds… mournful. Sometimes it’s hard to remember that as much as I’ve lost, he’s lost something too. His wife can’t remember him.

My stomach hurts in a way that has nothing to do with the medicine I took. I want to say something, but what am I supposed to say? Everything I can think of feels like it would make things worse. Rastek folds his hands in his lap, staring fixedly at a spot on the floor.

Finally, I open my mouth to say something (I’m not sure what, but anything would be better than the awkward silence), but my jaw creaks with a massive yawn. Right. I barely slept. It all seems to be catching up to me at once.

“You can’t fall asleep,” Rastek says. I focus on him blearily. “Remember what the thaumatist said? You must stay awake until he can get you the charm.”

“Oh, right.” I blink a few times, trying to clear the sleep. It doesn’t help. My head is swimming. I feel like I’ve been running on fumes and now I’ve crapped out. Another yawn hits me and I have to muffle it into my sleeve.

Rastek stands up, brushing absently at his front. “This place has a lovely garden. We should go for a walk.”

My legs are protesting just the thought of walking around, but if I sit here any longer, I’m going to fall asleep. I stand, doing my best to shake the sleep from my head. Rastek offers me his elbow. I slip my hand into it, trying not to feel the strange fluttering in my chest.

We head out of my room together and Rastek tugs me along toward the back of the house. A few people cross our paths, bowing or nodding respectfully when they see us. It’s a weird sensation, especially because I can feel people looking at me curiously. I’m not sure what to do in response; I just sort of awkwardly nod my head when they address me. It’s mostly well-wishing, anyway, and they seem pleased that I’m showing any kind of gratitude.

Rastek either notices my discomfort or he just wants to get outside already, because he dismisses them with a wave and pulls me along with him toward the back door. “I’ve told them to let you get your rest, but they are curious,” he murmurs once we’re out of earshot.

“How much do they know?” I ask.

Rastek hesitates. “They know you were attacked with magic, and we came here so you could be safe while you recover.”

“Do they know about the memory loss?” I press.

“A few know. Obviously, the thaumatist and the physician know. And a couple of the head servants. But most of them… no. We’ve been deliberately vague. The less information that gets out, the better.” He glances down at me, and our eyes meet. My stomach does a weird little flip at the intensity in his golden eyes. “And I thought it might be better for your recovery if your condition wasn’t widely known. Just to avoid any questions or poking around.”

“Thank you.” Though I suppose I’ll have to be careful what I say in front of others now.

“Don’t trouble yourself over it,” Rastek says. He places his hand over mine where it’s still resting on his arm. “You just need to rest and heal.”

He opens the door to the outside and we step into the sunlight. It’s warm, and there’s a faintly sweet scent in the air, like honey. Stretching out beyond the doorway is a stone path that splits into three concentric circles. Small trees and flowering plants sprout between each of the circles.

“It’s not quite as impressive as the gardens back home,” Rastek says in a tone I can only describe as apologetic. “It’s a bit overgrown, and there aren’t as many exotic plants, but it’s charming in its own way.”

“That’s all right. I can’t remember it anyway,” I say, only half listening. “Those are lilies.”

Rastek follows my gaze to a patch of nearby white lilies. “Yes.” He pauses, giving me a cautious look. “You like lilies.” He says it like he’s trying to remind me, not like he’s stating a fact.

“I do,” I say. “And those are violets, right?”

“I’m not sure. You were always better at identifying plants than I am,” Rastek says. He allows me to tug on him as I move to examine more flowers.

“They’ve got cherry trees over here… And I think these are poppies. And those… are…” I squint, trying to pry the memory loose. “Sage?” I pluck a leaf and bit down on it. Rastek makes a startled noise. “Yeah, that’s sage.”

“Please,” Rastek says in a tone of weary exasperation. “Stop putting random leaves in your mouth.”

“I don’t always do that. Anyway, I knew they were edible.” I sweep my gaze around the garden. “Huh. There’s sage and chamomile and feverfew here… but there’s some over there, too.” At least, there was chamomile and sage- I wasn’t sure about the feverfew.

“They’re probably growing their medicinal plants and edible plants separately, so they can infuse the magic differently,” Rastek says. “Your garden back home separated them, too. That’s why- are you all right?”

At the mention of my garden, my head throbs like someone’s driven an icepick into it. I sway, pressing my palms to my temples. “Headache. It just started.” I blink my eyes, trying to focus on the garden. There’s a weird sense of déjà vu. I know these plants- I’ve worked with them before. I’ve worked with them doing… doing… what?

“Do you want to see the physician?” Rastek presses a hand to my back and the déjà vu retreats, leaving nothing helpful in its wake. I have a feeling I was on the edge of something. I’m just not sure what it was.

“I think I’m okay. Just a headache.” Already, the pain is fading away, growing less intense with each throb. I shake my head, which helps clear it. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” Rastek huffs. “It’s not something you need to be sorry for.” He holds onto my arm as I straighten up, though I don’t think I really need the help. It seems to be reassuring him more than anything else.

We walk slowly around the garden, with Rastek occasionally noting a particularly interesting plant. That itching sense of déjà vu comes back a few times. It’s like seeing something out of the corner of your eye- I can feel the familiarity creeping up on me, but when I try to face it head-on, it vanishes. The sensation is disorienting and frustrating, and it leaves me more exhausted and annoyed than ever. Rastek must have noticed, because he steers me back toward the house before we’ve seen even half of the garden.

“Sir!” As soon as we exit the garden, a couple of lightly armored guards start jogging in our direction. They both stop and salute before one of them continues speaking. “News from the westernmost border. A spy was located in the Amaranth encampment sending messages to the opposing warlord. They’ve been captured, but we’re waiting on orders for interrogation and they indicated they might have some news related to-” The speaker cuts herself off, glancing in my direction. “To, um. What happened.”

Rastek draws himself up stiff. He wasn’t exactly relaxed earlier, but the difference is striking. It’s like very muscle in his body goes rigid at once. “Give me a moment,” he murmurs to me, then he ushers the guards a short distance away so they can begin talking in hushed voices.

I’m a little miffed he’s not willing to let me at least listen. I’d like to know who tried to assassinate me. If that’s actually what happened- there’s a least a part of me that thinks, or maybe hopes, that this is all a very weird dream and I’m going to wake up sooner or later. I assume he’s trying not to stress me out more, but I’m not sure that locking me out is going to help with that.

Their whispering carries, Rastek’s voice more than the others. I can’t make out words, but I can get his tone. He doesn’t sound happy. He sounds annoyed, verging on being pissed off. I try to pick out words, but it’s hard to focus on it and my mind starts wandering after a couple of tries.

I’m calm right now, which feels… weird? Or maybe wrong. I think I should still be freaking out, but I’m… not. It’s like I’ve found a temporary island of calm. I’m going to panic later. But right now, I’m okay. Maybe I should be more upset. But I’m at least temporarily safe and fed and will be for the foreseeable future. I’m too exhausted to bother with being upset right now.

My mind feels floaty. I’m tired. Everything feels distant. The heaviness of my body, the swirling mass of my emotions, even the sound of Rastek’s voice. It all seems to be floating away. I feel like I’m falling asleep standing up, except my eyes are open. It’s a weird feeling. I’m still seeing things and hearing things, but they don’t make sense. Just a blur of colors and nonsensical noises. My head is swimming. I’m floating in the sea, buffeted by currents. It’s pleasant. The tide is carrying me and I’m just resting-

“Come back. I need you to wake up. Wake up!” My body shakes, a rattling feeling that sends my head lolling and my pleasant floatiness dissolving. I blink rapidly. The world is just shapes and colors until something in my brain clicks and they resolve into meaning. Rastek is bending to look into my face, golden eyes blazing and intense. His hands are on my shoulders so tight my fingers are digging in. He gives me another shake. “Can you hear me?”

It takes me a second to find my tongue. “Y-yes! I can-”

I don’t get to finish the sentence before Rastek is turning away from me. “Get the thaumatist! Now!” His voice is a roar and the two soldiers trip over themselves in their haste to obey. As soon as he sees them moving, he whips back to me. I freeze. His eyes are blazing over the stern set of his mouth and jaw. I thought he looked stern before. Now his expression is made of stone.

“Sit.” He half drags me over to the nearest bench and pushes me down onto it. I don’t protest. Part of it is that that I still feel a little out of it, but the other fact is that I can’t imagine disobeying him. His presence itself demands obedience, like a force coming from his very soul. “Can you hear me?”

“I can hear you.” The words come out a bit jumbled. Rastek watches me like a hawk, eyes quickly and clinically darting over my form. “I feel a little weird, but I’m okay.” These words are clearer. I feel like I just woke up and I need a little bit to relearn my body. I watch Rastek’s tail swish violently back and forth. “Are you okay?”

He doesn’t answer, just turns back toward the building. A second later, one of the guards reemerges, followed by the thaumatist. He’s actually running instead of just sort of dreamily drifting about, though the urgency doesn’t seem to have spread to his face. He just looks sort of mildly concerned.

“You called?” the thaumatist says as he approaches. Aside from the panting from the run, he still sounds unconcerned.

“Something happened.” Rastek’s voice is tight in his throat, almost a growl. “She was standing and her eyes were open but she wasn’t responding- she was barely breathing.”

“Hm.” The thaumatist bends to look into my eyes. “Give me a moment.” His hands come to either side of his face and I feel the slight tingle of his magic.

“She drifted,” he says eventually. His fingers come away from my face and he rocks back on his heels. “I did say it would likely happen.”

“Her soul drifted, you mean,” Rastek says. His entire body is a line of tension, arms folded, tail lashing like an angry cat’s.

“That’s what I said,” the thaumatist agrees. “Her soul’s settled back in by now. You woke her up, I assume?”

“I yelled and grabbed her and she seemed to come back after a few moments,” Rastek says. The tension is maybe a little less now, and there’s maybe a hint of shame in his voice.

“Mm. Yes, a bit of a shock will do it. Though the more it drifts, the more difficult it can get to bring the soul back right away.” The thaumatist shrugs. “She is fine. I will be finished with the detector by the end of the day. If you will excuse me.” He rises and drifts back toward the house.

Rastek pinches his brow. “If he wasn’t one of the most skilled…” He trails off, tension pulling his shoulders up toward his ears. The guard looks at him, uncertain, until he waves her off. She takes the excuse and hightails it out of there.

We remain in silence for a bit. Rastek doesn’t say anything, and I’m not sure what to say. He’s upset, clearly. But I don’t know how to make it better. The intensity of his expression keeps burning its way into my mind. It feels like it did when I first woke up here- like the little distance we’d closed between us is looming like a great cavern.

“We should go back inside,” Rastek says. He gestures for me to follow him. “Come on.”

I follow him as he silently leads me back to his room. His expression his neutral, his posture rigid and unrelenting. I can’t tell what he’s thinking at all, and it’s freaking me out. Is he upset at me? Angry? Am I supposed to be doing something? My stomach roils with anxiety.

“I need to take care of a few things,” Rastek says as we approach the doorway. “Feel free to look around the house, and ask the servants if you need anything. And don’t sleep.” I nod, though I can’t tell if he notices. He’s not looking at me. He just gives his own little nod and sets off down the hallway. Within a moment, he turns a corner and vanishes.

My room’s still pretty small, but it feels cavernous and empty now. I cautiously sit on my bed. What now? My hand automatically goes to my pocket, but, obviously, there’s no phone. I just hold my hand awkwardly in my lap. What did people do in awkward moments before phones?

Bereft of anything else to do, I wander around the room. There’s not much to explore. There’s not even a window. The bathroom is similarly boring- just the tub, toilet, and the soap I used last night. It definitely gives hotel room vibes- that impersonal, utilitarian feel of a place that exists to supply the bare essentials needed for living. No books, no knickknacks. No way to learn about who I used to be- who Rastek thinks I am.

I want to know about that, at least. How different was this person? Are they- were they- like me? Rastek and the thaumatist seem to think that we’re the same, but I don’t feel the same- how can we be the same if we have different memories? But if I’m not the same, then why should Rastek bother to keep me around? I’m not his wife. I’m like a stranger who’s taken her place. I don’t want him to toss me out- but isn’t it wrong if I’m stringing him along, like I am actually his wife? Am I his wife? Should I want my memories, if they are my memories, to come back? What would that mean for the memories I have now? Would this person I am, with these memories, survive regaining other memories? If I don’t regain them, is it immoral to keep going along with what Rastek is doing?

My head throbs and I drop my face into my hands. I wish I could sleep. Then again, given the thoughts whirling around my head, I might not be able to, even if I wanted to try.

As I move to sit on my bed, my foot catches on my suitcase. I manage to catch myself on the bed, instead of falling. “God dammit!” I throw a kick at the suitcase, glad for something to take out my frustrations on. I end up with a sore foot for my trouble, but the suitcase pops fully open. It’s been partially unpacked, but there are still some clothes at the bottom. And half-buried beneath the clothes is a brown book.

I pick it up. My first hope is that it’s a history book or a nature guide, or something that will give me a better understanding of the world. But once I pick it up, I realize that it’s clearly a journal- there’s no title and the pages stick out wonkily in some areas where extra notes or pictures have been jammed in. I flip open the first few pages and am struck with an intense sense of déjà vu. Because it’s my journal.

Not a journal I remember writing, of course. But even just skimming, I recognize the handwriting and writing style. Even the drawings in the margins look familiar. It’s a weird sensation, reading something that’s clearly my writing, but not something I remember writing.

I sink back onto the bed, flipping through pages at random. It’s a little hard to read- nothing is dated, there isn’t a lot of explanation going on, and several of the entries seem to be recipes, as far as I can tell, but they’re just numbers written next to ingredients with no measurements. It’s definitely written more as a series of notes-to-self, where the reader is expected to have a lot of context, instead of one of the more properly written journals in fiction.

As confusing as it is, there’s something comforting about it. It’s familiar. This is how I journal. No full sentences, no clear notations, entries written in at random with the expectation that I’ll know what it means when I come back to it. I understand the style, if not the actual content.

Most of the journal means nothing to me, but I can pick up on a few similar themes- recipes litter the book, often with several items crossed off and replaced or numbers scribbled out and changed. There are short lists in some areas, detailed drawings of plants, and even some pretty, though abstract, patterns. It’s more like taking a glance into someone’s brain rather than reading a linear journal, but the familiarity of it is comforting. I would write something like this. This person who wrote it, even if I can’t remember them, is like me.

It’s a bit overwhelming all at once, and I’m so absorbing in thinking about it that I only notice Rastek opening the door when it hits the wall with a loud BANG!

I scream and the book jolts out of my hands and lands somewhere among the bedsheets. Rastek stares at me as I scramble after it. “Are you all right?”

“You scared me,” I pant, seizing the journal and tucking it against my chest.

“I did not mean to.” He shifts his gaze to the journal. “What’s that?”

“It’s a journal,” I say, unfolding my arms so the journal lays in them. “I think it’s… my journal?”

Rastek crosses the room and holds out a hand. I place the journal in it. He flips through a few pages, then hands it back to me. “Yes.” He stands there for a moment longer. “Do you remember anything?”

“I mean…” I flip idly through the journal. What do I say to that? “I don’t really remember any of these. Some of them, I’m not even sure what they mean. I pause over a particularly esoteric list- I can’t tell if it’s written in code or if my handwriting was just unusually bad that day. “But it looks like something I would write.”

“That’s something,” Rastek decides. “How are you feeling?”

I muse over the answer for a little bit, then shrug. “I’m… not sure. Fine, I guess.” For an adjusted measure of fine, anyway. “My legs still hurt.”

Rastek perks up a little, like I’ve given him something concrete that he can finally focus on. “Where?”

“Uh. Just muscle aches. I think from riding the horse.” I gesture broadly at my legs and Rastek lifts one of them, moving his hands gingerly along my calf and squeezing every now and then. When one area makes me hiss in pain, he pauses and takes his time there, rubbing his thumb in slow circles.

“Your condition makes it hard to develop strength in your muscles,” he says. “We’ll need to start your regimen again. You haven’t been keeping up with it while I was-” He stops himself abruptly and presses his lips together. “I can have the physician teach it to you. He’s the one who came up with it in the first place.”

My chest constricts strangely. “Okay.” Rastek glances at me briefly, then returns to the leg massage with twice the intensity.

I’m just starting to relax when his hands move up past my knee and onto my thigh, underneath my dress. I freeze. “Does it hurt here?” Rastek asks, hands stopping. He presses down a little and it does hurt, but there is also the fact that his hands are at my thighs, his thumb rubbing almost against my skin- there’s some fabric in the way, thank goodness for the underwear-pants thing, but his hands are still under my skirt. He squeezes a little, testing the muscle. “Is it sore? You’re very tense-” He glances up at that moment and makes eye contact with me. Actually looks at my mortified face. His hands go very still.

And then they’re gone and he’s recoiling, standing up in one smooth motion. His jaw twitches and sets strangely, like he wants to say something but isn’t sure how. Finally, he manages, “I apologize. Profusely.”

“It’s okay,” I say automatically. I can still feel the phantom touch of his hand. I sort of want to pat it away, but I feel like that would make things more awkward. Rastek looks either mortified or ashamed or angry or some combination of all three. He’s not quite looking at me and his tail is swishing back and forth.

“I wasn’t thinking,” he says. “When you did your exercises, I would help. I suppose I just forgot myself.”

“You’re not the only one who’s forgotten yourself,” I joke. I’m trying to make the mood lighter, but Rastek just stares at me. “S-sorry. But I’m okay! You didn’t hurt me or anything. I know it was a mistake.”

“As long as you’re not uncomfortable,” Rastek says. He looks scrutinizingly at me for a moment. “I came to see if you were feeling hungry. It’s lunchtime.”

“I guess I could eat,” I say. I’m not feeling hungry, which is a little unusual for me, but if I miss lunch, I’ll be starving later. Rastek looks… pleased? His expression doesn’t change much, but his tail stops twitching.

“Good.” He waits for me to get up, then leads me out into the hall. This time, I mostly remember the way to the kitchen and there’s already food on the table when we arrive. It’s what I would consider a slightly extravagant lunch, with a game hen, a basket of rolls, several plates of assorted vegetables, and a few other side dishes that I can’t identify at first glance. Usually, I consider having a subway sandwich to be a bit of a treat.

“Are we supposed to eat all this?” I ask. It certainly can’t manage all of it.            “No. We eat first, then the soldiers will come in and eat second. The servants have separate mealtimes.”

“Oh.” I feel sort of awkward getting to eat first- why not just all eat together? Or make separate meals for us, if we really can’t eat with the soldiers or servants for whatever reason? Having other people getting my leftovers feels… weird.

“Are you not going to eat?” Rastek’s voice jolts me a little. He’s looking at me with a little furrow between his brows.

“Um.” I don’t feel confident enough to mention what I’m thinking, so I just sit a little awkwardly in my seat. “Yes, I’ll eat.”

Rastek gives me a bit of a peculiar look when I start serving myself, but he waits until I’m done before he takes anything for himself. The food’s good, but I find myself picking at it pretty quickly. Maybe I was ambitious when I served myself, because I’ve only gotten through about a third of my plate.

“Not hungry?” Rastek asks. His plate is mostly full of meat, but he’s gotten a pretty decent portion of vegetables along with it. He’s also made far more of a dent in it than I have.”

“I don’t know. The food’s good.” I chew on another bite, but swallowing it is difficult. I wasn’t really hungry before the meal started, but now I’ve moved into ‘definitely not hungry’ territory. If I keep going, I’m going to end up in ‘way too full’ land.

“If it’s making you feel sick, you can stop,” Rastek says. “Or take some of it back to your room to eat later- maybe you’ll feel better then?”

“Maybe.” I glare at the remainder of food on my plate. “You mentioned earlier that the medicine can suppress my appetite?”

Rastek twists his fork in his fingers. “Yes. Several of the enhanced ones that slow the atrophy also affect certain metabolic processes and act as appetite suppressants. And the atrophy itself can affect your digestion, which can make it harder to eat.”

It feels like I have rocks sitting in my stomach. I set my utensils down and breathe slowly. Rastek watches me keenly, though his expression is unreadable. “It usually helps if you eat more slowly. And take smaller portions.”

“Good to know.” My stomach rolls and I swallow thickly.

“I would have mentioned,” Rastek says. “I forget that you don’t know what you usually know.” He peers carefully into my face. “You have an anti-nauseant. I can go get it for you.”

“I’m okay.” I take another deep breath, trying to get my stomach to settle. My eyes are starting to prickle with tears again (I hate feeling sick to my stomach), but I fight them back. I’m so sick and tired of crying. I feel like I’ve done nothing but since I came here. Maybe it’s understandable, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying.

I stand up before I realize I’ve decided to do it. Rastek pauses in his eating. “I’m going for a walk,” I say. “It might help.”

Rastek starts to stand. “I can come with you-”

“No, I can go by myself. I think it’ll be a good opportunity for me to get to know the place,” I say, not quite looking at him. He stares at me for a moment. I can see the tension along his shoulders, but he sinks back into his seat.

“If you need anything, you can ask the servants,” he says. I can’t tell what he’s feeling- his face is giving absolutely nothing away. “Don’t strain yourself.”

“I won’t,” I say, and I turn and leave the dining room.

For the first few minutes, I wander aimlessly down the halls, trying to look like I know where I’m going. A few servants give me looks as I walk past them, but I try not to pay it too much mind. It’s not easy when I can feel their lingering stares on my back until I turn the corner of the hall.

It’s not the biggest house I’ve ever been in, but it’s bigger than mine- or, at least, bigger than mine was. Based on the outside view I got of the house that Rastek and I left, the one we currently own is bordering on castle size. It’s impressive, I suppose. It’s also a lot of space for me to get lost in. I’ve never been all that good with directions.

This house, in fact, is sufficient size for me to get lost. It’s at least partially not my fault- there are a lot of hallways with a lot of branching paths that all turn corners at random intervals. Nothing is particularly decorated, either, so there aren’t any distinguishing features. Still, it’s nice to wander around. Most rooms are kind of dusty, but I find some interesting places. Like a small room where basically every flat surface is covered in books, a room that seems to be just for strange, metallic sculptures, and another that’s covered in swords, knives, and other interesting weaponry.

There's no one really around, so when I push open the door to another room and find someone sitting inside it, I startle. He’s sitting with his back to me, golden hair tied up in a tight knot at the back of his head, bent over something on a desk. The room itself is kind of dim and cluttered- like someone walked in, cleared off a surface as quickly as possible and just got to work. There are several partially unpacked bags strewn around the room.

“Hello, my lady,” he says without taking his eyes away from the table in front of him. The voice, I can recognize.

“Hello, um.” I don’t know how to address him. Rastek always just said ‘the thaumatist.’

“You may refer to me as thaumatist, as your husband does,” he says, picking right up on my discomfort. “I rarely give away my name. Powerfully magic, you know.”

“Er. Okay. Thaumatist.” I hesitate for a moment. “I don’t want to bother you, so please, if you need to concentrate, you can tell me to go away, but what exactly is a thaumatist?”

He turns to look at me over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t dare tell my lady to go away. Not only would it be horrifically rude to my employer, but I shudder to think what your husband would do if he found I was rude to you. He’s quite a fearsome warlord, after all.”

My expression must be quite a sight, because the thaumatist only manages to keep a straight face for a moment before he bursts into breathy laughter. “I am teasing. His bark, or perhaps his roar, is more fearsome to me than his bite. I am not bothered by your question.” He turns back to the table. “Thaumatists work with the energy of thaumaturgy- magic, to a layperson. The force that makes up the soul, the life energy, the intangible fabric of the living universe. I am currently working thaumatic energy into an armor and container, of sorts, one that will keep your soul firmly in your body.” He reaches across the table and grabs something that looks like a flat white rock with strange, circular drawing on it. It’s attached to a chain, like a necklace, though the pendant is a bit too clunky to be fashionable. “This one detects if your soul is drifting.”

“The alarm system you said you were going to make.” I reach for it, hesitant, and he allows me to take it in my palm.

“It is incomplete. The actual alarm part is still not functional. Currently, it can detect your soul drifting away, but the only person who would know is me, since I laid the spell.” The thaumatist removes the pendant from my hand. “Your husband would prefer a spell that can alert him, as well. Which I think would be best. Some of my work is delicate, and I would hate to have to leave to alert you every time you drift.”

I fidget with my fingers. “My, uh. My husband. What’s he like?”

“I’m not a good person to ask that. Our relationship is strictly professional.” Makes sense. I’m not sure why I asked. I’m not sure who else I have to ask, though. The thaumatist glances up from his work. “In my estimation, he’s a good boss. Lots of creative freedom. Generally not too much oversight. Treats his workers well. But I suspect it’s not the sort of information you’re looking for in regard to your husband.”

“Not really.” I hesitate for another moment. “You don’t happen to know anything about what our relationship was like, do you?”

The thaumatist makes several marks on a piece of paper and squints at them. “No. I was hired after you met, and when we spoke, we had more interesting things to discuss than your relationship.”

I perk up with interest. “We spoke? What did we speak about?”

“Experimental magical properties with plants, potioneering, poisons. You had a keen interest in cutting a person off from magic using natural properties at once point- an interesting idea, though every time we spoke, it was strictly theoretical.”

I don’t really understand what he’s saying, but the words sound familiar nonetheless. “But nothing personal.”

“No.” The thaumatist glances over his shoulder at me. “If you are looking for more information about your relationship, why not ask your husband? He would know more than anyone else."

The suggestion is logical, but I can’t imagine how unbearably awkward the conversation would be. It’s probably one we’ll have to have sooner or later, but I’m going to put it off as much as I possibly can. “Well, thank you anyway, for telling me a little about myself. I’ll leave you alone.”

The thaumatist gives a vague wave and mumbles something about shutting the door after I leave. I do so, closing him back inside his little workshop.

I end up wandering back to the room jam-packed with books. Some of them (like A Natural Study of Avians) seem pretty similar to books I’d find at home, while others (like The History and Government of Ethoria) are completely unrecognizable. Eventually, a select one of the more slender and generalist history books (A Brief History of the Western Continent) and sit down on the floor to read.

The book’s mostly a long, tedious description of battles and rulers and people either being conquered or conquering. There are maps, but they’re all pretty much unhelpful, considering that I have no idea where I am. The political stuff is intriguing, at least, and gives me some context. Rastek is a warlord, granted a portion of the army by the Lord Ruler to command on the battlefield. He’s required to both manage his section of the army as well as care for any lands under his control. More lands means more power, though I’m not sure which of the mapped territories Rastek owns, nor if the map is even accurate. The only reason I even know I’m looking at the right country is because I remember briefly seeing Rastek looking at a similar map when we were traveling.

My next investigation of the books leads me to several on the topic of magic. I flip through a few of them, but the results are comparable to trying to understand chemistry through reading academic papers- clearly, you’re expected to have a lot of background knowledge that I just don’t. I give up around the point where the book suggests using the warp and weft method of combining energy to reduce friction in the spectral grid.

I’m skimming the titles looking for something that would be both informative and understandable when a green and gold volume catches my eye. The title’s pretty simple: Draconids, written in an elegant gold script.

I slip the book from the shelf and sit back down, flipping through the first few pages. There are sketches, mostly anatomical ones, of people who look a lot like Rastek. Mostly humanoid, with a tail, though closeups of their skulls show sharper canines than humans have. And judging by some of the other anatomical sketches, they’ve got patches of scales along their backs and legs- I’ve never seen Rastek show enough skin to confirm that. And there are some… interesting differences in their reproductive organs. I skip most of that part- though it does raise some questions about our married life.

The book answers some questions- apparently, draconids are supposed to be distantly related to dragons (which used to be real and are now extinct), shifting into more human forms through careful magic. They seem, otherwise, pretty similar to humans, but more carnivorous and, on average, a little bigger.

I skim most of it, trying to find something useful. There are a few sections that mention cultural norms, but they still seem pretty close to humans. A couple of interesting facts catch my eye- marriage proposals are supposed to incorporate scales from both parties, and there are several species of snakes that are considered common pets. But there’s not a lot of information about how humans and draconids interact. In fact, Rastek is the only draconid I can remember seeing in since I got here. Do humans and draconids not live together? Then why is Rastek here? And how did we end up together?

Unfortunately, I don’t think most of my questions are going to be answered by books. The solution is boiling down more and more to the one thing I was trying to avoid: Ask Rastek.

I heave myself off the ground and my legs instantly give out. I can’t quite manage to catch myself with my arms, which leads to me being awkwardly sprawled on the floor. My chin bounces off the ground, making my jaw click. “Ow, shit!” I push myself awkwardly back up, trying to stretch some feeling back into my legs. I’m starving. How long have I been sitting on the floor? Long enough to lose feeling in my legs, at least. There’s no window, and I have no other way to tell the time. God, I miss my phone.

It takes me a few minutes of wandering, but I do come across a window. The light is the deep orange color of a sunset. I’ve been in there all afternoon. No wonder I’m hungry.

I retrace my steps as best I can, trying to work my way back to the kitchen. It takes a few missteps along the way, but I manage it eventually. There’s a warm fire rolling in the oven, ingredients piled on one of the counters, and a servant, Ethan, frantically attempting to chop up what I think is a shallot.

He glances up and nearly jumps out of his skin when he sees me standing there. “My lady!” He attempts a bow, still holding the knife, and realizes that might be a bad idea. “His lordship was here a few minutes ago, looking for you.”

“Oh.” Right. Rastek didn’t know where I’d been, and I’d been gone for hours. He was probably worried. “Did you see which way he went? I should probably go after him.”

“No, no, I can grab him. Just sit here for a minute, I’ll be right back!” Ethan tugs off his apron and all but flees from the room. I watch him go, feeling slightly bemused. Was I scary? Were people just going to be uncomfortable with me now, because I was married to a warlord? That was kind of depressing.

I meander over to the ingredients- There are quite a few neatly-arranged vegetables, but there’s also some heavily-salted meat, a container of bread dough, and a freezing cold container of ice cream. Next to that are a few bundles of herbs. Some of them are cooking herbs, but some of them… looking at them makes my brain itch. A weird, tingling feeling like an idea unfurling in my skull. Without thinking, I pick up the three-pointed leaves and bite down.

There’s a peppermint-like flavor that leaves a trail of numbness in its wake- an analgesic. Not as effective as opium, but with more applications- if consumed in high amounts, it causes temporary nerve dysfunction and when concentrated, it can create paralysis and sleep, sometimes beneficial for surgeries-

I spit the leaf back out. The numbness remains in my mouth. It won’t hurt me, but this is a strong bunch. I know that, but I don’t know how I know it. I don’t even know the name of the plant. I’ve never seen it before.

There’s a bundle of berries next to the three-pointed leaves. Dark blue, with brownish-green stems. Those are interesting- another paralytic. Combined with the first one, that’s a peaceful, dreamless sleep that gradually transitions into a peaceful, dreamless death. You have to crush the berries finely first, and it needs to be concentrated for hours to-

“My lady, I brought him.” I look up in time to see Ethan jogging back into the room, Rastek right behind him.

“There you are,” Rastek breathes when he sees me. There’s a slight tension to his facial features that fades when he looks at me. Then his gaze drops a little more to the counter and the tension returns. “Did you eat the velaris?” Alarm crosses his face. “Did you swallow any?”

“I wouldn’t swallow that,” I say automatically. “It wouldn’t kill me, but the interactions with my meds would suck, and it’s not generally good to ingest any-”

I stop. Rastek stares at me. I stare back at him. My head feels weird and floaty, like I’ve been shoved underwater. “I’m not sure where that came from,” I say.

“You knew that before.” Rastek puts one hand on the counter, as if to steady himself. He keeps looking at me, eyes fixed. “What do you remember?”

That swimming feeling is getting worse. “If I mix these-” I tap the leaves and berries in turn “-and concentrate it, it makes a poison. But they’re good for medicine on their own and they, um. Can…” Everything is swaying now. “Rastek, I feel weird.”

He jolts forward, reaching a hand out to steady me. I fist my fingers in his shirt to keep myself upright as one of his arms rests around my shoulders. “Here, there’s a chair if you can back up just a little.” He guides me to the seat and crouches next to me as I sit. One of his hands rests alongside my face, fingers brushing over my skin. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’re feeling."

"Dizzy.” Sitting helps. The swimming feeling fades, though my limbs are leaden with tiredness. “I think it’s passing. I’m okay.”

Rastek’s hand remains on my shoulder as he peers carefully into my face. I life my head a little to meet his gaze. His eyes are piercing gold, a rich color that warms me to look at. “Just lightheadedness?”

“Yeah. It was weird.”

“Do you want me to call the physician?” Rastek asks. He’s still looking at me in that searching, careful way again. A weird tingling feeling runs up the length of my spine. I take a deep breath.

“I don’t think so. I’m just tired.” I rub my forehead. “If it keeps happening, maybe.”

Rastek nods. “All right.” He pauses, then hesitantly adds, “You remembered those plants.”

“I did.” I can’t quite meet his eyes, but I can still make out the unasked question written all over his face. “I don’t… remember anything else. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s not your fault. It’s good that you remembered anything at all. That’s a good sign.” Rastek’s voice is hopeful. Almost painfully so. I just feel strange, tired, and like I want to go to bed for a very long time. The exhaustion comes over me in a wave and I slouch forward.

“Oh.” Rastek takes hold of my shoulders, pushing me back upright. I blink blearily at him. “I know you’re tired. Do you want to take dinner in your room?”

I shake my head. “No. If I lie down right now, I’m going to fall asleep.”

“You look as though you’re about to fall asleep sitting up,” Rastek says.

“Well, at least if I fall forward, the shock will wake me up.” I smother a yawn.

“After dinner, we’ll go see the thaumatist and see if the pendant is done. You need a rest,” Rastek says. He rubs my shoulder. “Do you need help getting into the dining room?”

“No, I’m fine.” The world tilts a little when I stand, but I manage to walk in a more or less straight line. Rastek keeps a hand hovering just above my back, ready to catch me if I tilt backward.

I sit down and Rastek slides into the seat next to me. “Where have you been all day?” he asks. “I know you stated you wanted to go for a walk, but I was concerned when I couldn’t find you.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.” I smother another yawn. “I was reading.”

Rastek gives me an odd look. “I checked the reading room. You weren’t there.”

“No, it wasn’t there. It was in this sort of little closet that had a bunch of different books. I was trying to read about…” I wave my hand vaguely. “This world, I guess.”

Rastek nods slowly. “That must be an old storage area. Did it help? The reading?” He perks up a little. “Perhaps it was what jogged your memory.”

“Maybe,” I say. I suppose it’s possible. “I didn’t realize how much time had passed.”

“Be careful wandering off. If your soul’s still detached, it’s not safe for you to be on your own for a long time.” He drags a claw over the tablecloth. “I don’t want a repeat of what happened this morning.”

His face is stoic and unexpressive, but there’s a slightly choked quality to his voice. “I’ll try to be safer,” I say.

That makes him crack a tiny half smile. “You always say that. You’ve never been very good at it.” His gaze is fond and my stomach does a weird fluttery tingling thing. I swallow.

Fortunately, Ethan takes that minute to show up with some food- it’s some kind of meat pie. It’s delicious, but heavy enough that I can only manage a few bites. It sits in my stomach like a rock, and I can already feel the food coma coming on.

“Stay awake,” Rastek says. He shakes me until my eyes drift fully open again. “You need to stay awake. I know you’re tired, but-”

He’s cut off by the sudden arrival of the thaumatist. “It’s complete,” he says, drifting into the room with the same unhurried gait as always. His gaze wanders over to me and he gives a faint smile. “Lovely to see you again, my lady.”

Rastek stands. “Is it done?”

The thaumatist’s gaze drifts over to him. “Oh. Yes, it’s complete.” He holds out the oversized white pendant I saw with him earlier. “It will whine at an increasing pitch the further her soul drifts from her body. A shock to bring her back to attention should be sufficient. However, should that be insufficient, pressing on the indent in the center will force her soul back into her body. It can be strenuous, however, so I would suggest not doing so unless it is necessary.”

I take the pendant in my hands as the thaumatist offers it. It’s cool to the touch, and doesn’t warm even after holding it for a bit. “Thank you.”

“Yes. We are greatly indebted to you,” Rastek says. The thaumatist waves him off.

“It was an interesting challenge. I will continue to work on the stabilizing mechanism.” He spins on his heel and walks off without another word.

“He’s not great at ending conversations, is he?” I ask, fighting off another yawn.

“He’s not good at conversations in general,” Rastek says. “Put it on.” I slide the pendant over my neck.

“It feels different.” There’s a crackling feeling in the air for a moment, like static.

“A magic field,” Rastek says. “I assume if your soul starts to drift beyond it, that will trigger the alarm.” I stand up and wobble a little, leaning against the table. “All right. Now let’s get you to bed.”

Before I can process what he’s doing, he’s scooped me up in his arms. His touch is gentle and warm and enveloping me and I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. I nestle my head into his shoulder. I can’t open my eyes. They’re basically sealed shut. I can feel Rastek’s chest shift under me with his breath.

“It’s all right. Get some rest.” I try to reply, but my mouth won’t move. Just before I drift off, I think I hear, “I love you,” but I can’t tell if I’ve started dreaming or not.

Part 3 

#exophilia #dragon husband #dragon boyfriend #dragon lover #male monster #monster romance #monster lover #male dragon #Rastek #the warlord and his lady

[tathrin]

Roughly what would a Mirkwood Ghost AU be?

From this prompt-meme.

EDIT: now with slightly longer more polished version on AO3 here.

Sorry for the delay in answering this one, I had so many ideas that I could not sort-out what I actually wanted to do with it, and I for the longest time thought it was going to be something where Legolas was an Unhoused Spirit trapped around Dol Guldur, or even one where all of Mirkwood had been dead for generations, but Gimli strayed into the forest one day and came out with an elvish ghost as his side etc etc...but what I actually ended up not being able to get out of my head was this thing, where it's not so much a Mirkwood Ghost AU but rather the opposite (sorry; I hope you like it anyway).

All the dwarves of Moria were dead—all save one, a bright-bearded dwarf who introduced himself to the Company as Gimli son of Glóin, at your service and that of your family. He helped lead them through the dark, and warned them as best he could (for he could not speak its name, of course; one of the rules of death is that one cannot name that which killed him) of the danger of fire that waited below; and when at last they broke past the last enemy and made to run out into the sun, Gimli stopped. Legolas turned back, his sharp elvish ears hearing the sudden silence where dwarven boots no longer rang upon the stone. "Gimli, come!" he cried. "The orcs will be on us soon, we must hurry!"

Gimli only smiled sadly and shook his head. "I cannot, Legolas. This is as far as was given to me to help the Fellowship, when I begged a boon of my Maker before I go to lay my head down in Dwarven Dreaming forever. You must go on from here without me; I am sorry."

"No," said Legolas. "No, Gimli, you are one of us now, and I will not leave you in this tomb; your kin are dead, and I am sorry for it, but you cannot help them now."

"I am dead too, Legolas. I am dead, and so in this tomb I must remain."

"No," the elf insisted stubbornly, a flare of anger kindling hot within him through the cold weight of grief. If he was surprised to learn that Gimli had been dead even before they met, he did not show it; but he was an elf of Mirkwood, and so perhaps he alone among the surviving Fellowship was not surprised. "No, Gimli, come away with us," he said, and his sad eyes were fierce. "Did you not pledge to aid the Fellowship when first we met you in the dark?" he challenged. "Would you be proved faithless now, when the road lightens?"

For a long time they stood there, living elf and dead dwarf, staring at one another across the dark threshold of Khazad-dûm. Legolas reached back into the shadows of the ancient dwarven halls and held his hand out: steady, waiting. His star-bright eyes did not flicker as he stared at the ghost before him.

Eventually, Gimli met that long hand with his own, and let the elf pull him forward into the light.

He had more than half-expected to dissolve the moment his feet left the stones of Khazad-dûm and his head stood out beneath the sun, able to endure the light even less than living orcs; but Legolas held firm, and Gimli endured his first breathless walk beneath the sun. When he looked into the Mirrormere, he could see the stars shining through the shadow of his face; but by the time they reached the trees of Lothlórien, he was solid enough to cast shadows of his own upon the ground, even if his feet made no footprint in the leaves.

The elves of Lórien were not keen to let a dead thing walk into their woods, but the Lady's power did not bar such a noble spirit from her lands, and so they could do naught to stop him; and so the ghost of Gimli walked forward with the Fellowship of the Ring beneath the golden leaves of Caras Galadhon. He bowed to the Lady there, and she wrapped a charm braided of her own gleaming hair around his wrist before he left—three strands of Tree-lit silvered-gold to anchor his dead spirit to the world so that his ghost might endure in places that were less forgiving to spirits than the Golden Wood.

Thus bound to the living world by the locks of the Lady Galadriel, the ghost of Gimli son of Glóin floated down the Anduin and soared across the plains of Rohan and dragged living orcs to their deaths on the cold stones of Helm's Deep; he shivered through the Paths of the Dead, the one dead-thing there not bound to Isildur's Oath, seeking refuge from the ancient spirits that saw him far too clearly in the warm and living hands of the elf that led him; joined the oath-bound dead as they assailed the living enemy at Pelargir and caught and bolstered the faltering steps of a living elf when the cry of white seagulls lashed the longing for distant shores like whips across his trembling ears; took the fields outside of Gondor alongside Isildur's Heir and marched with the living towards their doom outside the Black Gates.

And when the war was done, and the Dark Lord cast down, and the One Ring unmade, Gimli son of Glóin took the hands of the elf that had drawn him out of the black pit of Moria one last time and whispered his farewells at last, and—

And Legolas caught his dead face between his hands and pressed his living lips to the ghost of Gimli in a kiss, and whispered, "Stay."

And faithful Gimli, who could not bear to let even death break his promises to the living, lingered as he was bid; as he was begged.

He bound dwarven charms to the crystals of the Glittering Caves, creating in their gleaming beauty a space on the edge of life and death alike where a half-housed spirit could wander safely; he fashioned bands of mithril to hold the Locks of the Lady around his spectral wrists until the ghosts of his bones settled solidly into his spirit, as steady as the heartbeat of any living dwarf within his silent, breathless chest. And he walked, dead and devoted, at the side of his living elf, and if fearful superstitious whispers followed them wherever they want, Legolas did not seem to mind them—and so Gimli would not falter to them either.

And indeed, what cared Legolas for the whispers of fear that followed the spectral steps of his dead lover? Legolas was an elf of Mirkwood. He had ever lived among Shadow and Death, his people standing brave and doomed against the Necromancer, defiant to their last breaths and beyond. What cared he when people whispered about the ghost of Gimli now? They had ever whispered such things of Mirkwood, too, and Legolas had ever loved his dark and deadly forest.

Why not love a dead dwarf, too?

And when all of Legolas's mortal friends were dead at last, and only the ghost remained yet by his side, he built a grey ship and sailed for the Straight Road at last, following the call of the gulls to the elven-home that he had never seen. And when the ship crossed the rain-curtain between the mortal and immortal planes of the circles of the world, the shimmering ghost of a dwarf sailed with him, and none in Aman could stop them; for Aman was a place barred to living mortals, yes, but Gimli was no living mortal.

And so they walked onto those white shores together, and Gimli's dead feet made less impression in the sands than the light elvish tread of Legolas, but the grip of their hands entwined was as solid and firm as any living bond.

Mahal wept to see one of his dwarves so twined to an elvish soul that even death would not free him to seek the Dreams of the Dwarves that waited for all his kin beneath the stone—but Gimli held his dead head high in the face of his Maker's tears, and did not falter. He held Legolas's warm living hand within his dead one, and did not falter.

And the Lady of Lothlórien saw her golden locks still gleaming bright around his spectral wrists where he stood there translucent on the sands, and she smiled at them both, and Gimli was content. His Maker would understand someday, and see the love that bound Gimli's dead spirit to the world, and sorrow for him then no more; for was it not Mahal who had first forged his dwarves to be so stalwart in faith and in endurance?

And the heart of Gimli son of Glóin was ever faithful. Even in his death.

#gimleaf #gigolas #gimli #legolas #lotr #lotr fanfiction #my writing #alphabet au meme #lotr au

[belethlegwen]

The Rescue - Chp 54 - That Dark Old Friend [+ Life Update]

Hey there everyone!

So sorry about the delay in updates since the Christmas season, there's a lot of shit to blame for it and I'll get into it in more detail, but in short this was a wildly busy Christmas season where I had 0 time to write between work and family stuff from like, November-end of December, and then a whole lot of house shit started happening and I've been unbelievably stressed since just before New Years.

Longer details and stuff below the cut for people who are interested, but in short the important details are:

Updates to works on AO3 may be at random times with long delays between for the coming year. Can't be sure, but for now that's how things are looking while I have way too much shit going on IRL.

Please enjoy this little chapter for now, and if you're up for a long winding journey about why it felt like all of my hair has been falling out for two weeks, meet me below <3

So the Christmas season at my job was wildly busy, on top of that there's some issues going on there between the business owner I rent space from and the person who owns the building. It's a mess, for a while it looked like/still kinda looks like we're going to have some major issues with the lot clearing what with winter being a major issue where I live in the Frozen Nor'Atlantic. That was all bad enough.

I had been told back in the fall by my landlord, who I've been renting from for 10 years now, that her mortgage was up for renewal in January and that it looked like it was going to go up a hot amount. Rates are super fucking high in Canada right now, shit's bad, the mortgage specialist at the bank I was talking to yesterday said that it's bad enough they legitimately expect the government to be stepping in soon to do something about it before it's a crisis (or more of a crisis because personally, it's already a fucking crisis and has been, but I digress). She warned me the rent was going to have to go up, I told her I expected it, I knew it was going to happen, she's been amazing to me for 10 years, if it's gotta go up it's gotta go up, I get it.

This past fall is when my partner Zip came to visit for 6 weeks and we got engaged, and when we started to plan to move them up here so we could start immigration and the like, which we were aiming to do for the beginning of this summer.

So as we're gearing up to New Year's and everything, I am expecting to deal with the start of immigration application readying, and expecting rent to increase. December 27th, I got a message from the landlord that uh, someone wants to buy the house (as an investment property and keep the renters) and despite her best efforts to try and bounce around and get a lower mortgage rate, it didn't work out and she's going to have to sell either way. So we suddenly had to get the house ready to be listed and viewed.

Viewings were fucking hell, by the way. While priority for accepting the offer was going to someone who wanted to take the property over and keep the renters in place, Real Estate agents just want the fucking sale, so being in my home while people are wandering around it scaring my cats and talking about how my bedroom was going to be the kid's room and my office was going to be turned into something else? Shit time, don't recommend. Not to mention the agents that were showing up half-hour not just away of their own scheduled appointment but a half hour outside of when viewings were actually permitted to happen.

I'm glad we have such high paying careers available for people who are, apparently, fucking illiterate, but I was getting extremely rude to agents and their desperation for a sale by the end of it. Someone tried to show up yesterday after a offer was accepted literally the night before and we sent them packing fine enough, but now anytime the rain hits the gutters too hard I think someone is walking into my home so that's fun.

We have signs all over the house about keeping doors closed to keep the cats inside, including one on the back door (where it isn't an enclosed porch) that says in extremely large lettering Access To Patio From Outside ONLY, and there were still at least two agents that opened the back door, so. Nightmares all around.

An offering has been accepted, the person who is hopefully going to buy wants to keep us as tenants, and I'm locked in a lease until later this year anyway. Things are at least, as of yesterday when I got the confirmation that an offer was in that stage, stable now that I didn't throw up this morning. Hooray! It's been hell. I can not stress enough that this has been hell.

It still leaves the later part of the year up in the air a lot, because new landlord may still want us out at the end of the lease of whathaveyou, and between now and then I am flying down to America to drive across that wild country with a car full of stuff to move my fiancee here, then we gonna get immigration rolling and the employment switchover and everything else. My Dad has been a massive rock for me during this time in terms of trying to keep me level, and as he says: "this is all just one-step-at-a-time things. You're just keeping ducks in a row".

And as I keep saying: "Yeah but I've got a lot of fuckin' ducks, man."

So that's the kind of thing that's in the air right now for me. Lots and lots of stuff going on. I'm still picking away at writing but to make things easier on myself, I'm going to not stress about any kind of schedule or the like right now and just play with whatever flows come when I have them and have the time/ability to focus on them in the few quiet moments I have between all of the other stuff.

Much love to all of you, thank you all again as always for the wonderful comments you've all left, the kudos, the people who reached out, all of it. You're wonderful <3

Take care of yourselves out there,

~ Belle

#The Rescue #AO3 Update #g/t #giant/tiny #giant tiny #gentle giantess #gt #g/t author #g/t writing #gtauthor #author thoughts #big little thoughts #IRL update #life nonsense #real estate agents have no fucking respect for your time #the one that lied to my face THREE TIMES IN A ROW in just a matter of minutes still fucking gets me #And she drove a fucking Tesla so #that says more than I'd want it to to me #'I have a written confirmation for the time' No you don't #'I wasn't expecting anyone to be home' you pulled up in front of my house while I shoveling and salting the driveway and saw me come inside #'I'm gonna step outside and call the listing agent to clear this up' she did no such thing #fucking hell man

[mslanna]

First Day of the Rest of Their Lives

Gentle, mushy softness for soppy hearts like mine. Chapter 28 of Be My Guest now up on AO3

Tav wakes and it is morning somewhere. They are buried under devil arm and wing, engulfed in the heavy musk of the night and soft overtones of cherry lingering. Their body hums content with satisfaction and exertion. A few crescent marks pulse on their skin, familiar and comforting. It is almost as if they never left.

Almost.

They are free. There is no contract binding their soul. Free to come and go as they please. Free to stay for however long they long to. Tav snuggles closer to Raphael, infernal heat washing over them.

The devil tightens his grip in return, nuzzling Tav's ear softly. "A penny for your thoughts."

"Cheapsake." Tav turns their head slightly to intercept his mouth. When they pull apart, they run their fingers through his hair. "Does your tight schedule allow for such delays?"

"I am Archdevil of Five Hells," he replies in mock offence. "I make my own schedule. People wait for me, not the other way round."

"Then let's make them wait." Tav pulls him against their comfortably sore body and Raphael follows back into a deep kiss.

Whoever has appointments waits for a long time indeed. Raphael has no hurry and indulges any of Tav's desires. He hums under the care of their hands on his horns. A comfort he missed dearly. When the human finishes, he turns around and places a soft kiss on their forehead.

"Find me when you are ready." His hands trail down their sides as his eyes rake over the thin red lines marking them clearly as his once again. He leaves and Tav notes that a slight swing remains in his tail.

Tav smiles to themself and looks around their retrieved home. They will have to return to Baldur's gate soon and explain their sudden disappearance to Karlach and Wyll. But first, their eyes settle on the huge tub, ready for a sweltering bath abounding with scented salts and luxurious oils.

They barely moved from the bed, when the door opens again, and Raphael strides in, tail dancing in agitation. "You have – visitors. I managed to sit them down in the Feast Hall, but they are unhappy and demand to see you. Now."

Tav's jaw drops. This is way faster than they expected. Any thought of a slothful bath is discarded unhappily. "Tell them I'll be there in five and a half minutes. I need to wash at least. Fuck. I was – doesn't matter. Bath's not going anywhere. Pleas ask them to leave you in once piece because I still need you."

Raphael raises a brow but Tav shoos him away, ready to speed-run a cleaning routine. After washing and brushing their teeth perfunctory, they grab one of their shirts that smells of disuse and dust. When they see the teeth marks on their throat, Tav hesitates for a moment, fingers feathering over the angry red crusts on their skin.

They shake it off. This is who they are and they will not be ashamed. If a devil can give up a soul, they can give up some of their dignity. Tav ends up running through the House of Hope, hair still damp to keep to their time. When they reach the Feast Hall, Tav runs into the disapproving stares of their friends like into a brick wall.

Still, their heart jumps at the sight of Karlach, Wyll and Astarion, lined up like birds on a branch at the table, plates laden with untouched food. Tav grins, and bounces to them, ready to hug them, come what may.

Their excitement smooths over some of the resentment, though Tav feels the glances hitch on the marks on their skin. They slip onto a chair next to their friends and help themself to buns, butter and bacon. "I am sorry for slipping away. I couldn't sleep. I tried, I promise."

"And so you decided to gallivant off to the hells without letting us know?" Hurt is clear in Wyll's words.

"I didn't think I'd stay this long," Tav admits sheepishly. "I just wanted to say thanks and be back by breakfast. I swear."

"That did not go as planned, did it now?" Astarion inquires.

"Heh." Tav blushes. "Not all the way, no. But it went better."

Incredulous stares make them drop the knife, bun still stuck on it. "Firstly, the problem with people hunting me down as part of a bargain with Raphael is dealt with. So I should not find myself in such a – predicament again."

"You worried the hells out of us, soldier," Karlach reaches for Tav's arm and grasps it tightly. "You could have left a note."

"I could and I'm sorry." Tav looks at their plate for a moment. "I'd say 'next time' but there won't be one. Raphael burnt my contract."

Silence falls over the group.

"He did?" Karlach finally asks.

"Yes." Tav looks at their hands. "I didn't even ask for it, he just -" Tav saps their fingers. "Like that."

"I have not heard of a devil forsaking a soul they own before," Wyll raises a suspicious brow. "You are certain it was your contract?"

"You feel it, don't you, when it is yours and then it is gone." They look Wyll in the eye. "You know what I mean, don't you?"

Reluctantly he nods. "I am happy for you."

"So am I, but where does it leave you?" Astarion wants to know.

"Here." Tav shrugs. "I never left because I didn't want to be here. It was the circumstances. And with those changed." Their cheeks burn even hotter. "I like it here. It is – home. And now that I can come and go as I please." They grin and look at Astarion. "I hear we have quite an adventure ahead of us."

"That's it?" Wyll asks. "He burns your contract and you stay?"

"In broad strokes, yes. Of course I still need a way to come and go easily. Can't rely on poor Helsik for that forever. But once I have my own door, this is home base."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Karlach shakes her head. But there is only so much she can do, considering who get her heart repaired and what negligible price she paid for that. "Well, that back door of yours will come in very handy if things get out of control," Astarion smirks. "The Sunburst Solace has been lost for centuries. We will not be without competition once word gets around."

"It will be such fun." Tav beams and picks up their bun again. "Tell me all the new intel you got."

The chance to shift to another topic is accepted eagerly and Tav spends a happy breakfast with their friends planning to retrieve an artefact that hopefully allows Astarion to walk under the sun again. When the three leave through the portal Tav feels light and elated in a way they haven't for a long time. Maybe since before the nautiloid snatched them up. But that is nothing to dwell on now. A long hot bath is waiting.

Tav skips down the stairs back into their suite. They emerge much later, their skin red from hot water and perfumed with bathing salts. Every muscle in their body feels soft and relaxed and the door to Raphael's study stands open. For a moment Tav wonders if he has means to watch every place in his house. The idea paints a mischievous grin over their lips. There are ways to test that. Some day soon.

For now, all they want is to be close to their devil. Raphael beckons them in and shuts the door with a wave of his hands. "I assume your friends left the house placated?"

"As much as possible." Tav leans against his shoulder over the armrest. "Which leaves the question of how I will get in and out on my own. I don't see Helsik approving of me breaking into her place every other day."

"Oh, so you think you will be leaving?" Raphael pulls them onto his lap and warps an arm around Tav to continue working. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Tav snuggles against his chest with a snort. "Just try to keep me taped down. You won't get anything done but me."

Raphael laughs and Tav shakes on his lap, holding on to him. They missed his laughter, to know he can be carefree around them – his true self.

"I see where that may pose a problem to ruling five hells." He tilts Tav back to look at their face and the lines of mirth edged into it. "Delightful as the image is, I there are other things that will occupy my time."

"My thoughts exactly." Tav traces his jaw. "But with an insta-portal or something similar, I can be back home from wherever, whenever. Sleep in my own bed without chancing the diabolists ire each time."

"I am certain a solution will present itself within the day." Raphael puts down his quill. "Where will you go?"

"Uncertain. Astarion has leads on an item that will protect him from the sun. We will find it. Though," Tav smirks, "I worry. It seems unlikely nobody has ever heard of the Sunburst Solace. Such powerful magic. Even if it was lost for a long time."

Raphael rumbles non-committal. "There will be reasons and you will find them."

"Depending on where we are, I may just stay in camp, though. I missed the companionship of that. Being miserable and cold and wet together." Tav closes their eyes and leans their head back against the devil's chest. "You should try it some time."

"In your wildest dreams." He drops a kiss on their hair.

It's beneath Tav to reply to that. For a while the scratching of the quill on parchment is the only sound in the room.

"And what are your plans for now, pray tell?" Raphael asks as he reaches for another parchment, movement slightly encumbered by the human on his lap.

"Now?" Tav murmurs drowsily. "I just want to sit here and listen to the beat of your heart."

Raphael stills, hand frozen in its tight grip around Tav's waist. "For now," he finally says. "But know that later you won't be able to avoid a clandestine dinner."

"I shall arm myself for the ordeal with a book," Tav hums. "And an emergency plan of seduction."

"Is this how you plan to win your arguments?"

"As long as it works." They reach up and pull his head down for a gentle kiss. "Nobody stopping you from adopting the same strategy."

"Hmm." Raphael hums onto the kiss before resting his chin on Tav's head.

Maybe it's not perfect. Evening will come with clandestine dinner and heated words leading to burning desire. Morning will come and they will leave to help their friend. But right here, right now, the world balances on the tip of perfection, wrapped up against Raphael's heart. And that is enough.

#bg3 #bg3 raphael #raphael x tav #bg3 fanfiction #mel writes fanfic #be my guest #chapter 28

[spicywhenspeaking]

The second to last touch-starved prompt with anyone in Bad Omens please 🙏 I love your writing so much!

Sorry this took me forever!!! Tbh I STRUGGLED! Lmaooo couldn’t decide if I wanted to get sad with it or fluffy. I decided fluffy because thinking about sad stuff was depressing….😵‍💫❤️

Prompt was Leaning onto each other, just being close, was enough and I did Nicholas x Reader

Anywhooooo! Hope you like it!!

Requests are open :)

I was all set to leave and join Nicholas on tour. I fit more clothes than physically possible in my bag and then the next day I woke up with a 103 fever and the worst body aches I’ve ever had.

I took a Covid test and when it came out positive I called Nicholas right away and it was probably a mistake because as soon as I heard his “hey baby, I’m so excited to see you tomorrow night. All packed up?” I busted out crying. “Baby, what’s wrong?” His voice was rushed and panicked.

“I’m sick!” I broke out in between quiet sobs, “I have Covid.” The both of us were devastated about not getting to see each other.

My life as a private chef takes me all over the place so we haven’t seen each other in over a month and a half because of our conflicting schedules. We talk on the phone and facetime, but it’s not the same and I miss being with him. Being immuno compromised I was sick for a long time, almost three and a half weeks with a nasty cough and body aches that made it difficult to get out of bed some days. By the time I finally recovered they only had two weeks of the tour left.

By some miracle the retreat I was supposed to cater was rescheduled at the last minute so I went straight into planning mode and repacked my bag to prepare for my surprise. I told Matt and the other guys about it so they all knew to expect me and knew not to say anything to Nicholas. I was hoping I’d be able to be awake when I saw him after all this time but after several flight delays I’m a day later than expected and haven’t slept in over 24 hours so when my head hits the pillow in his bunk and I’m surrounded by his familiar scent I am immediately out.

I don’t know how much later it is but I’m lightly awoken when I hear clanking and shuffling outside of the bus followed by the door opening and feet filling inside. “I’m exhausted dude, I’m just going to climb in my bunk and try to call y/n” I can hear my boyfriend’s muffled voice. “Why is my curtain closed? I definitely left it open” I hear him again before he pulls it back and he startles me at first with his initial reaction. “What the fuck?!” He yelps and I jump, my head flies up and hits the roof of his bunk “ow!” I cry out and he must immediately recognize that it’s me. “Baby!” He says and climbs in the bunk and tackles me back into the covers. “Oh my god, baby. You’re here.” He mumbles into my neck. I can hear him take a long breath, “god I missed how good you smell, these guys smell like ass.” I chuckle and hear Folio say “hey!” From his bunk on the other side of the bus.

Nicholas moves to quickly pull the curtain back to closed. “I thought you weren’t able to come” he continues to mumble his words into my neck, unwilling to let me go. I smooth my hand down his head and play with his hair. “The retreat was rescheduled so I got a last minute flight to see you” I say and he finally looks up and I see his eyes are glossy. “I missed you so much baby” he says and leans up to me to kiss me and it’s perfect. I feel everything that we want to say, all of the “ I love yous” and the “I miss yous” all reflected in the kiss. When we finally part he rests his forehead against mine and we just lay in comfortable silence. “How was the show? I’m sorry I missed it, I’m exhausted. Fighting to stay awake right now actually” I laugh out honestly. Smiling, he shifts us into a more comfortable position with me resting my head on his chest and his arms wrapped around me. “The show was great, but I think this is the highlight of my night. I’m so happy you’re here.” I rest my hand on his chest and feel the steady beat of his heart, “I’m happy I’m here too Nicholas” I say and as much as my body craves to be closer in every way leaning onto each other, just being close was enough.

#bad omens fanfiction #bad omens #badomenscult #nicholas ruffilo #nicholas ruffilo fanfiction #nicholas ruffilo fic #Nicholas Ruffilo fluff #fluff #asks #writing requests #author : spicywhenspeaking

[fluffyprettykitty]

Middle

Pairing: Joaquin Torres x gn! reader (no other specifications)

Word Count: 1000 words

Outline: Joaquin has a surprise for you. One you truly didn't expect.

Warnings: a lil' swearing.

Author’s Note: Rumor has it local author is obsessed with half-birthdays. :)

P.S: dividers by @firefly-graphics ​//​ banners by @maysdigitalarts​

Main Masterlist ・❥・Joaquin Torres Masterlist

‘Hey, I got a surprise for you. Can't wait for tonight.’

You read your boyfriend's Joaquin text again and again throughout the day, getting all sorts of thoughts in your head during the day. And once your shift is over you fly like the wind back home. Of course, that wasn't easy one bus derailed and the other was delayed. One million things went through your head but Joaquin kept telling you it was alright and no need for stress things happen. Ever since you and Joaquin had met you were constantly texting. 

Joaquin and you met five months ago. Some twenty-odd days after your birthday which you had unfortunately passed on your own due to unforeseen circumstances. You had recited that story to Joaquin one night at a bar a couple of weeks ago and so he had made plans in his mind. To make sure you'd be celebrated on your half birthday. You deserved to be celebrated. That was clear. He started counting the days and quickly realized your half birthday would be coming up soon, a concept he was very familiar with from his childhood days.

Joaquin was in the military, and his job didn't allow him too much time off but thankfully you lived closed approximately to his base so it was good the timing was perfect. He often stayed at your place while you were working to fix your food or help you with some chores since he was kind and doting like that and he liked that chance of a different pace of life. 

So he had made plans. Simple plans really. To treat you to a homemade dinner with wine, and to give you a gift. Nothing extravagant, but thoroughly intimate and loving. And invite your closest friends over afterward. It was Saturday afternoon after all and everyone was available. 

When you got home you were greeted by him wearing black pressed jeans and a white t-shirt. The warmth of his smile and his endearing nature always changed your mood instantly. He had a golden chain buried inside his chest as he usually did. 

"I made you dinner just for us two." 

"Thank you very much, you know you didn't have to, we can always order pizza, I don't mind." You say placing your coat and bag at their designated place and locking the door behind you. 

"Hm, but I couldn’t because you see." You walk further inside the tiny apartment to look at the balloon-adorned living room complete with birthday decorations. Confused you turn to look at him. There’s no way you had forgotten his birthday, was there?

"Is it your birthday, oh my god I'm sorry, did I forget?" 

"No, no, Carino, is yours." 

"What?" 

"I couldn't wait till then, till the winter, you know I'm leaving on a tour soon and I have no idea when I will be back. It could potentially be after that and I-” He shrugs his shoulders and takes a deep breath, momentarily wondering if you’d hate surprises. 

"See, I invited your closest friends and I hope I invited the right people and I wanted to tell you first in case you didn't like surprises or you know don't like one of your friends or something." 

You look at him as he speaks, noticing how both nervous and confident he seems to be, swoon at his words and laugh. 

“I am sure you have invited the right people. I don’t know that much anyway.” You continue laughing walking closer to him. “And I can’t believe you would do such a sweet thing for me. This incredible. Truly incredible. I am almost speechless.”

“Very please to hear that, mi princessa.” He breathes a sigh of relief and shakes his head. “I was worried a little.”

“You had me worried a little as well.”

“Guess that makes two of us.” You both chuckle and then connect your lips as a thank you and a greeting altogether.

“Fuck, it smells so good.” You sniff the air the minute you disconnect from his lips, the warm smell filling the room. 

"Yeah we should get to it before is too late. I had the food reheated unfortunately I couldn’t time things perfectly." You take his hand in yours and smile at him. 

"Don’t you worry about that all, I’m sure it’s great and yeah, I'm starving like a wolf." 

The dinner was incredible. He had even made his very own bread. He always loved paying attention to details like that. Served it drenched in olive oil and tomato slices with oregano on top. He had made it all, entrees, main course but the dessert was reserved for the party. He had a beautiful chocolate cake in the fridge, had made half of it, as he told you, and didn’t want to jinx himself by screwing up the basic thing for one party. 

Joaquin ended the dinner by handing you the gift. A beautiful silver cherished trinket of an airplane so it would always remind you of him. Joaquin placed it in the palm of your hand and closed it, kissing you delicately. He held your hand and made promises for even better days from now on. 

Pleased that everything now had gone according to plan, you begin to collect the plates but Joaquin stops you. Your friends would be arriving soon so off you went to take a shower and get ready. In less than thirty minutes you were almost ready and that’s when your friends started arriving.  Thankfully your friends helped you with your dressing choice and the party was on the go. They even got you small gifts themselves. So far this was meant to be one of your favorite birthday celebrations ever.

The party was beautiful, you danced the night away with your friends and boyfriend and thought how lucky you were to meet that man at the bus station that fateful morning. 

And many more fateful mornings and nights were to come. 

And you couldn’t wait. 

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#joaquin torres #joaquin torres x reader #joaquin torres x you #joaquin torres fic #joaquin torres fluff #joaquin torres x y/n #joaquin torres imagine #joaquín torres x reader #joaquín torres fic #joaquín torres x you #joaquín torres #joaquín torres x y/n #joaquín torres fluff #danny ramirez x reader #danny ramirez #selenewrites

[anonymusbosch]

hngbhbtbbhbjnhbllll

car crash happened in front of me (I am fine and people involved are not hurt)

guy completely speeding and weaving thru traffic, I slow down cause I'm like "oh shit this is gonna go bad," and sure he spins out and crosses all the lanes and hits the side of the bridge seconds later

I'm just a few seconds behind. my partner calls 911 and I pull over to check if the driver's okay and see if there are any passengers, give first aid until the EMTs get there

airbags all blown. guy extracts himself. he's able to walk but really staggering and i try to get him to sit down. sometimes people are stumbling like that and they're super injured and they're running on adrenaline, in shock, no idea how injured they are. a previous accident I responded to there was a guy with head trauma bleeding down his face with no idea he was hurt. so I try to get him to sit down so I can check on him but he's not mentally there, he's stumbling so much he tips onto the guardrail and then I'm like "jesus" so I sit down and get him to sit and give me his info (entirely to get him off his feet) and he's just so intoxicated that he can't walk. he was walking like his leg was broken but he's just that smashed. and there's shrapnel all over the bridge. he hit two other cars, they're pulled over, the police are there holding back all the traffic behind us. Everyone in front of us kept going and everyone behind us is blocked by the police. and I try to start to leave because there's real first responders and this guy isn't bleeding and he tries to stop me - he's polite but he wants me to be a witness and I say "dude I saw you screaming down the right lane and weaving in traffic and totally spinning out" and he says "that guy cut me off!" and I say "listen, I didn't get hit, you're not hurt, I'm leaving" and he says some more stuff, he's not belligerent but he's drunk and scared and I want to leave, my legs are shaking and the sirens are loud, and I say I'll make sure the cops have my info, and I drive on and the cop ahead of me waves me down and I realize that oh fuck I left my wallet in the house. but I have a photo of my license and that's good enough and I give the cop my name and phone number and license number and drive off the empty bridge with nothing but the crashed cars and the flashing lights and my arms shaking just a little and I get off the bridge as soon as I can and pull over and stop the car and half start crying. and I dictate what happened in a voice memo and hold my partner's hand and sit there and shake for a minute until I can get my breath and legs beneath me and feel ok to drive the rest of the way home. and I just. this is the... fifth? time? I've responded to a crash that happened but it's the only one that happened while I was also driving. and I sometimes wonder what I would do in some emergency situation and I've learned that I don't necessarily keep my head on straight or pay attention to the right things but I *try* and I do respond. and this is just the first one where I've fully felt my body going haywire even when I'm keeping a cool head, felt my legs shaking like that, felt the bloodrush and the need to go cool off after.... blllaksjfbakla I am home safe and able to just shower and lie down. and I am very glad no one was seriously injured and I am very glad I saw what was about to happen and braked and I am very glad I wasn't 10 seconds further along the road. and I am just. glad to be home

also like last night i got a drink at the bar planning to dance for a while and then pick up my partner to go home and it was wayyyyy stronger than expected so I had to be like "sorry babe I'm gonna need to wait this one out" and ended up taking like an extra full hour (on top of the planned amt of time) and then some before I was 100% good. and so we didn't get enough sleep and were going home early today and I roped us into an extra. 45 mins of delay. with the responding to the crash. and so i am not good at getting partner home early these last couple days. but for. reasons

#what should i tag this #uh #alcohol #car crash #blood #(mention) #injury