#haven’t drawn em properly together in a while*

[zealous-whispers-of-us-redux]

a different kind of song

(A/N: no one ever asked for this, but there isn't enough merman!Bucky/reader fics out there, lol. Also, her song is basically "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood)

Warning- allusions to sexual assault. Do NOT read if that bothers you!

Summary: The sea swallowed her whole, and she was reborn with saltwater on her tongue and webs between her fingers.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

She did not remember her life as a human. All she remembered was the war, and the hunger, and the men raiding her village. She remembered the sweat-soaked skin of a warrior snatching her up as she cried out for help. She felt the slide of his body, his blade against her throat. Then when he had finished, she remembered being thrown away into the deepest part of the sea, left to die. But she was blessed by the primordial sea god Phorcys, a child of Artemis, and was allowed to live again. Her new body was formed from misery and blood, and the reward for her suffering was eternal life with the chance to kill as many humans as she wished with no divine interference. The killing of human men, for men were the chosen victims of any siren. Women were not drawn in by their song, and if, by chance, a woman stumbled across a siren, that siren would leave her alone.

Slowly, she began to forget the trappings of humanity, the sound of her mother's voice, and the taste of human food. She aged with the world, hidden deep beneath the waves. Countless men fell prey to her beautiful song, and she learned how to kill quickly. She grew to love the taste of flesh, the sound of someone drowning. She forgot what it was like to be lonely. 

Now, she only knew starvation.

An all-encompassing hunger clawing at her belly made her whine with pain. Humans had avoided this part of the sea for a few years, and she last ate three months ago. She'd had to survive solely on fish, which, while technically food, were not filling nor even tasty. She was beginning to hate fish.

There were no boats; she checked three times in the past hour. It was dangerous for her to be so close to the surface because the air outside was toxic. There was also a very likely chance that she would be spotted by anyone who could harm her. But she was so hungry that she forgot herself. She floated just beneath the surface and sang, letting her voice ring out through the water, enticing any man into approaching. The setting sun shined down on the outcrop of rocks above her.

And there! A flash of something!

She sang louder, opening her eyes underwater. There was a man with darker hair than she had ever seen lying on a gigantic rock. He was acceptable, she guessed. She barely knew what that meant.

He had yet to notice her, dumb as he was. She could see her song was affecting him as his eyes started to close, and his hand inched unconsciously closer to the water. His finger just barely skimmed the surface before she lunged, yanking him into the sea with her. He began to fight back as she dragged him down to the sandy bottom. Thrashing against her hold, he scrabbled to gain purchase on her body, but to no avail. Her skin was as hard as stony coral and difficult to cut. She sang her trumph, mocking him as she brought him up to break the surface, only to bring him right back down.

But this man had a tail, and she did not realize it until it hit her in the face. She squawked in surprise, her song cutting off. The merman twisted out of her slackened grip. She snarled, baring her teeth as she swam at him. Sirens were stronger than mer, especially in deeper waters, so it did not take much to grab him again. They wrestled, flipping over each other. She sliced his side with one of her nails; his tail knocked the wind out of her. He pulled her lure too hard, and she made a pained sound, biting at his hand. He cried out as she ate clean through one of his webs. Blood leaked into the water, making her ravenous.

"This is the one song everyone would like to learn: the song that is irresistible," she began, "The song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons, even though they see the beached skulls!"

The merman ceased struggling. He stared at her, his eyes growing vast and dreamy. She grinned toothily. She had only had mer meat once before. It was harder to draw in mermen than human men, so because of that, she was only able to entice a single merman. But that was years ago, and he wasn't nearly as delicious to look at as this mer.

She dropped the tone of her voice to a seductive curl. "This is the song that nobody knows because anyone who has heard it is dead, and others can't remember. Shall I tell you a secret? And if I promise to, will you come nearer? I will tell my secret to you, to you, only to you. Come closer, closer to me."

She lifted her finger, tempting him to come over so that she could take a bite. The merman swam closer until their chests were pressed together. He said something in a language that she had never heard before.

"This song is a cry for help, my dear. Help me! Only you, only you can, for you are unique!" she cried sadly.

His tail curled around hers, and she frightened at the gentle touch broken out of her song. She spat and gnashed her teeth, but still, his tail stayed where it was. He opened his mouth and said something, but she still could not understand. She went to bite his nose off, but he leaned forward and pressed his mouth to hers so plainly that she stilled. She was not sure what was happening. She was not sure what she was supposed to be doing. She floated there, letting him mash his mouth against hers. His mouth tasted bizarre.

Finally, the merman stopped. He pulled away only minutely, still looking spellbound. Strange. Her song had ended. Why did he continue to look at her like that? He reached out and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. His own were darting back and forth across her face, searching for something. He spoke more things that she didn't understand.

"Uhh-h- hello," the merman said in a language she could understand. "Hi."

"Why were you crushing your mouth onto mine?" she asked.

"What, never heard of kissin' before?"

His smile was much too pleasant. That was unacceptable. Food was never supposed to look nice. She wanted to claw the smile right off of his face.

"Kissing?"

"Yeah, touchin' lips. Usually done as a sign of love or, you know, desire."

"Desire?"

"Sweet Thetis, you're fuckin' gorgeous," said the merman, ignoring her confusion.

His hand shot out to touch her lure, but he thought better of it and withdrew.

"What does that mean?" she asked.

His smile grew bigger, how funny: "Beautiful. Pretty."

"Pretty? What's that?"

"You know, like when you find a shiny thing, an' you wanna keep it forever?"

"I do not know," she grumbled (How dare this mer make her feel unintelligent!). "I have never had shiny things."

"Never had… Hold on, my pretty one."

Mystified, she waited just as he'd asked as he ruffled through a pouch that she had not noticed before. She had never seen anything like it and wondered where she could acquire one. Of course, she never had a reason to have a bag since she had no use for possessions. Perhaps it could hold weapons! Or bones to snack on!

"Ah-ha!" the merman said, thrusting something in her direction.

She stared at the thing in his hand.

"Looks even prettier underneath your lights," he said, avoiding her eyes.

"What is it?" she replied, her hand darting out nervously to touch it.

She pulled back almost instantly, but the merman grabbed her wrist.

"It's called gold," he explained, tipping it into her hands. "The humans use it to get other shiny things. D'you like it?"

"I am not sure. I do not know what I like."

"You can keep it."

"What kind of trickery is this?"

"No tricks. As I said, you're beautiful, and beautiful things should have beautiful things."

"No tricks, certainly, but what do you want in exchange?"

For the first time tonight, he looked sheepish. She noticed that his stomach was turning pink, but for what reason, she was unsure. She wondered what he was trying to work up the nerve to say.

"Well, er, matin' season is comin' up," he began.

"Not yet."

"Right, it isn't for a few months yet, but I was taught to woo the mer, er, the creature that I choose with shiny things. It's my first matin' season, you see."

"Mhm."

"An' the wooin' part takes a while. An' then there's the courtin' stage, which takes even longer."

"If you need a mate, there are mer all around this area during this time."

"Well- heh." The merman rubbed the back of his neck. "I-I'd like it to be you."

"Why?"

"Because you're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Ah."

"I have more shiny things if you want 'em," the mer said, reaching for his pouch.

She shrugged. "I have no use for them."

"You don't gotta have a use for 'em. Where's your home cave? I can bring 'em there."

"I do not have a home cave," she said.

"Oh, right, where is your family's cave, then?"

"I have no family."

"No family? You mean, you're out here all by yourself?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you lonely?"

"What is lonely?" she asked.

"Sad, because you have no one with ya."

"What is sad?"

"Whaddya mean, 'what is sad?' It's sad! Don't you know what that is?" the merman twisted his face up like he was in distress, though what kind she was not sure.

"I only know hunger," she told him.

His eyes lost some of their shine. "Oh, yeah, right. How long's it been since you ate properly anyway? You don't look so good."

"I have not caught a human in months."

"D'you need help huntin'?"

"Can you ensnare a human with your singing?"

"No, but I know some good spots for fish."

"I am not in the mood for fish," she said.

"You just haven't found the right kind," the merman replied, closing his left eye.

He turned tail, swimming away from her before glancing back to see if she would follow him. The hunger in her belly was making her act quite strange in that she was willing to go along with this merman. She felt, oh, what's the word, she knew this, like mer, she was curious. She decided to follow him, keeping a bit of distance between them until the merman flipped around in an impressive display of tailfins and long dark hair, and decided they would swim side by side. His hand kept brushing hers, trying to grab onto her fingers for some reason. She tugged away, unsure of what he was trying to do. She still had not yet decided if she wanted to mate with him anyway. Sirens did not mate in the same way that mer did, that much she knew. They called it breeding, and it was over in a frenzy of teeth and claws. There were no gifts of shiny things or "kisses."

"What's yer name?" the merman asked.

The question stunned her. She could not remember her name before the sea took her in, and she had no use for a name now. No one else called to her. Her name was simply another memory, another casualty to add to her list.

"I do not know," she said.

"You know what a name is, right? Like, I'm Bucky, for example."

Her fingers drifted up to her lips, searching for her name. If she remembered the shape of her mouth as she spoke it aloud, perhaps she could remember the correct sounds. She thought back as far as she could, to the feeling of water filling her lungs, to the sounds of screams, to the smell of a fire burning down her village, to her blood staining her tongue. She wanted to remember her name. She had not even realized this was something she had lost until she needed it.

Then there was a flash of memory, jagged and cutting. Her heart began to race. In her mind, she heard it. Her mother had been crying. Her mother had been screaming at the men to stop. Her mother had been shrieking to let go of her, let go of my daughter. Her mother yelling at her to be brave, hold her breath, be strong, my love, my dear. Her mother. She remembered her mother.

Her lips parted, and she whispered the name into the water. The merman, Bucky, repeated it.

"Again," she said.

He did, and oh, she felt something new, something besides hunger. A hole opened in her chest. Her lower lip wobbled, and then she was singing a new song, never before heard from a siren. It echoed around her and Bucky, reaching out to the farthest depths of the sea. It was filled with desperation, isolation, and salvation, but it was hope and home too.

"Is this what sad is?" she asked Bucky once her song was over.

"Yeah, it is," he answered, curling his tail around hers.

When he went to wrap her up in his arms, she let him, falling into his embrace.

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #mermaid au #angst #fluff #merman!bucky #siren!reader

[elysiadjarin]

Sword and Shield 7

Tags: Bad Batch x reader (you), fem!coded, poly!relationship, multi-part series, nonhuman!reader, Echo later on

Part 6: https://elysiadjarin.tumblr.com/post/655814128564355072/sword-and-shield-6

Warnings: not really much, some mentions of fights etc.

Notes: Well, after this chapter y’all... I think. You know. Where this about to go...

7: Tumbling

Tipoca greeted you the way it always did: a bustle of commotion as soon as you stepped foot off of the ship. You’d dressed in the standard gear that the Kaminoans had given you: a modified pair of blacks that essentially fit you like a jumpsuit.

Following Hunter, you and the rest of the team let him lead the way down the halls. Clones moved through the hallways as well, some of them giving you looks but the majority just ignoring you. By the time Hunter had opened the door to the Bad Batch’s usual barracks, you’d begun to brace yourself for the usual checkups and procedures you knew would follow.

“Hey Shiv, looks like they’ve moved your stuff in already,” Wrecker said, bounding into the room and over to his bunk.

You went over to the singular trunk that had been set in the middle of the floor, labeled with your designation number Unit 526934. Opening the trunk, you found your extra few changes of clothes and the random odds and ends that you’d left behind. Most of your favored possessions you’d either left with the 501st or taken with you onto the ship already, so the little you’d left in your quarters on Tipoca held little to no value.

Digging through the trunk, you grabbed the one item you’d hoped they hadn’t forgot, relieved it was still there. You let out a breath as you closed the trunk and turned to the table. Turning over the small holoprojector, you placed it down on the table and flicked it on, watching the images flicker into view. You smiled as you flipped through the couple of pictures of you with the 501st when you’d first been taken to Tipoca.

Pictures of you, soaking wet from the rain, laughing with the 501st. Fives, splashing you as Kix chased after you both with a towel. Your smile faded a little as you came across a picture of Echo, his grinning face fixed on you and Fives as he watched you both slip on puddles and slick durasteel.

Flicking it off, you stuck it into your bag and looked around. Apparently you were required to stay with the Bad Batch now, not that you’d protest.

“Uh, Shiv— looks like they didn’t bother to put another bunk in here.” Hunter turned to you.

You shrugged. “That’s okay. I can go on the floor or something.”

“You could share with me.” Tech adjusted his goggles. “Mine can extend a little further.”

You turned to glance at his bunk. “Oh... are you sure?”

“Awww, no fair Tech! I wanna sleep with Shiv!” Wrecker leaped up from his bunk, promptly cracking his skull against the top of it and letting out a yelp.

You could have sworn your entire face flushed at the double entendre of the words, but you tried to swallow and push it away. “Um- if you’re alright with it....”

Tech’s face looked a little colored. “If you want.”

You gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you, Tech. You sure I won’t make you uncomfortable? I tend to gravitate toward heat... I’ve been told I’m a little cold-blooded.”

He opened his mouth to reply when Crosshair snorted. “Really Shiv, do you think any of us would complain about that?” he asked, sending you a dark smirk from the other side of the room.

You swallowed thickly as Wrecker laughed and Tech sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Hunter chuckled.

“Well, it’s not as if you haven’t all fondled me already,” you said smartly, turning on your heel to go back to your trunk.

A dead silence filled the room for a moment as you bent over the trunk and started rummaging again, trying to search for the pair of night clothes you’d left behind last time. They’d been comfortable, and you didn’t want to give them up.

Then Wrecker burst into hearty laughter again. He walked up to you, grabbing you and hoisting you up as you squeaked a startled protest. “That’s the way, Shiv! Give it to him!” He swung you around as you squealed, grabbing onto his shoulders.

“Wrecker— Maker, wait—“ you tried to say through laughs, the world spinning.

He playfully tossed you down onto his own bunk as you shrieked, hair falling into your face. Grinning, he bent over you and handed you something.

“I want you to meet Lula,” he presented with a flourish. “Made ‘er myself!”

You brushed hair out of your eyes and took the little stuffed bunny, smiling at the stitched-on smile. Leaning forward, you had to bury your face into the plush tummy and breathe in Wrecker’s unmistakable scent. It smelled like the sizzle after a rain of blaster fire, the plume of smoke from an explosion barely wafting through the air, all underscored by a hint of sweat and a warm, thick scent that you just knew was wholly him.

“Lula is really warm, and soft,” you said softly, fingers squeezing the arms as you smiled up at Wrecker.

He hovered over you, face lighting up as you approved. “You like it? It’s coming apart a little, though. I gotta get ‘er fixed.”

You looked back down at it curiously, then turned it over. A seam had started to unravel at the back. “Oh— I can fix that, if you have the materials,” you offered, tugging carefully at the thread to see how loose it had gotten. Frowning, you tied a knot in the thread to keep it from further unraveling.

“You can?” Wrecker leaped up, managing to avoid hitting his head that time, and went to go rummage in all the miscellaneous parts.

“Here, Wrecker,” Hunter said, tossing him something from the other side of the room.

Wrecker caught it, squinting down at it. “Oh goody, it’s the thread.” Then he resumed looking for what you hoped would be a needle.

“Do you need anything, Shiv?” Hunter asked, turning to you briefly from his bunk.

You shook your head, scooting to the edge of Wrecker’s bunk and carefully holding Lula. “No, thank you. My trunk is here, and I guess I’m sharing with Tech, so... I should be good. Besides,” you sighed, rolling your eyes, “the Kaminoans will give me whatever they see fit anyway.”

“Oh, right.” Hunter walked over to you, handing you a datapad. “You’re being called into the medbay at 1800 Standard. I assume for a checkup.”

You glanced at it, then nodded and scrunched your nose. “Yeah, it’s going to be a long one,” you sighed, shoulders slumping. “Especially since that stupid stunt I pulled on that first mission.” You absently reached up and rubbed your arm, feeling the phantom pain of melting flesh tearing away.

Hunter glanced at your arm with a frown. “I thought it healed?”

“It did,” you said, “but now they’re going to poke and prod at it for a while to figure out the cellular regeneration most likely. Plus, they never have figured out why bacta patches tend to do more harm than good on me.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.” He walked back to his bunk just as Wrecker returned triumphantly.

“Found ‘em, Shiv!” He presented them, sitting back down next to you.

You set Lula down in your lap in order to take the materials, threading the needle with the thick, dark thread. Trying the knot, you turned Lula to the nearest light source and carefully inserted the needle.

“How’d you learn to sew, Shiv?” Wrecker asked, watching you start to mend the split seam.

You tucked in a bit of the stuffing. “Slave days.” You shrugged slightly, focused on getting the seam pushed together properly so it wouldn’t unravel as easily. “Gotta sit still and look like a useful and pretty ornament, y’know. Whims of the rich and whatever.”

“I still don’t understand,” Hunter spoke up, a growl in his voice. “Why would a Separatist choose to make you an ornamental slave instead of a weapon partner?”

You took a moment to tie the knots and snap the thread, then started re-threading the needle to do another tight layer. You finally answered with a sigh. “Bragging rights. Besides, I wasn’t a person to them. I was just a biological weapon, nothing more. What’s the point in treating me like an independent being? It’s one of the biggest reasons I found family in the Clones.”

The thoughtful silence told you that your point had hit home, and you started the second layer carefully. “I’m going to do another layer just so that it won’t tear as easily next time, Wrecker,” you explained, watching the needle push through the fabric and the stitches crisscross over each other.

“Oh, yeah! Thanks, Shiv.” Wrecker nodded, still apparently finding the process interesting.

You hummed, double-knotting the last stitch and snapping the thread again. Turning, you handed him the newly-mended Lula.

He cheered, taking her back excitedly and beginning to babble about it.

You had to watch him with a smile even as you pushed the needle through the spool of thread. Wrecker’s innocent joy in the simple things had always drawn you, the way he let himself be unapologetically enthusiastic about what he cared about. You had to fondly smile as you watched him toss Lula about and razz Crosshair.

Standing after a moment, you went and put the needle and thread back on the table and resumed your interrupted search in your trunk. Thankfully, you’d found the sleepwear and set it on top. Standing, you ran a hand through your hair and glanced at the wall chrono. It read 1730, so you grimaced and grabbed your ankle monitor.

“I have to go to the medbay,” you called over your shoulder, hopping as you slapped the monitor on your ankle. “I should be back around 2100, hopefully before.”

“Good luck, Shiv,” Hunter said with a nod.

You threw them a wave as you rushed out the door, headed for the medbay. They usually wanted you to be early so you could take a quick sonic shower and change into the proper clothes. As you’d expected, you found a droid waiting for you as soon as you entered.

“Greetings, Unit 526934,” the droid bleeped. “Please make your way to the showers. You’ll find clothes waiting for you when you’re done.”

You nodded, biting back a sigh as you made your way over to the shower cubicles. Getting clean, you clambered out of the shower and changed into the loose-fitting robes that they’d provided. Picking at the hem of the shirt, you walked out into the attached room.

The droid waited by an examination table. “Please lie here.”

Without a word, you climbed onto the table and laid down, staring up at the ceiling. The monochrome color swirled in front of you, making you grimace and close your eyes against the brightness. A few minutes later, the doors opened just as the wall chrono chimed. You didn’t even bother opening your eyes.

“Hello, Unit 526934. Welcome back.” The smooth tones of the female Kaminoan washed over your ears. She started to move through the room, her silent footsteps only marked by the rattling of tools. “I trust your missions have been successful.”

“Depends on your definition, but sure,” you said flatly.

“You seem distressed,” she noted.

“Tired,” you corrected. It wasn’t a lie. You were definitely tired of these checkups, the way they always insisted on poking and prodding at you, picking you apart, shoving things into your bones and veins. Taking things from you. You hated it. But this, as you knew, was the price you’d chosen to pay.

To stay with the Bad Batch? You’d be the most cooperative patient they’d ever seen.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Would you like a tranquilizer while we do this checkup?” She offered.

“No thanks.” You kept your eyes closed, not protesting when her long fingers rested against your wrist.

The rest of the preparations took place silently as you forced every other thought out of your mind. You’d have to make sure you weren’t projecting too much so you didn’t bother the others. Sometimes, the way the Kaminoans experimented left you with an aching jaw as you grit your teeth against the pain.

Hooked up to an IV for a blood sampling and a medley of other liquids that they regularly drained into you, you felt the table jolt as you were pushed to the other side of the room. You opened your eyes, staring blankly above at the top of the machine that now hovered over you. It hummed to life, a soft light glowing at the edges of the smooth metal.

“According to your most recent report, you received a substantial injury on a mission,” the Kaminoan remarked smoothly. “Did you sustain any damage?”

“No,” you answered blankly, voice expressionless. “It healed over in two days. I had to cover it.”

The machine beeped, the droid puttering around the room coming over to check your IV. The blood sample had been taken, so it unhooked that line and instead gave you a small injection. Your arm numbed almost immediately, and you closed your eyes in resigned exhaustion.

“It looks like your scans show that you’ve completely regenerated sixty percent of the tissue in your arm recently,” the Kaminoan reported. “I will have to take samples to test. Did the injury reach your bone?”

“No.”

“Did you sustain any broken bones?”

“No.”

The Kaminoan tapped at the screen controlling the machine, readjusting the table so your head was mostly covered by it. You closed your eyes again, ignoring the other metallic clinks of instruments being prepared.

The Kaminoan returned. “It seems as though the removal of the inhibitor chips has continued to prove successful. Your brain functions have seemed to recover well,” she remarked clinically. “In time, you may have regained enough stability to consider a new one.”

You sourly hoped not.

The Kaminoan pulled the table back out, then settled you against the wall. The droid kept the fluids steadily dripping into your veins, and you felt the cold start to creep its way into your bones. Despairingly, you hoped that Tech wouldn’t mind if you ended up clinging to him like a leech by the time morning rolled around. It always came as a side-effect of the fluids. Though you knew that they boosted a lot of your internal functions, it still demanded a price.

“I will start taking samples.”

You grit your teeth, jaw ticking as you felt the cold needle press against your arm. It pushed, entering your skin without a sting thanks to the numbing agent, but you knew it wouldn’t last the deeper it went. And it continued to push. The pain started welling, and while you were used to pain, there was something about the cold metal point burrowing further down that always took you off guard.

The needle hit bone.

It took every ounce of willpower you had to shove back the scream that tore through your chest, welling in your throat. Ruthlessly, you shoved the pain away from the Bonds and down deep into yourself, willing yourself to stay quiet.

Your eyes nearly rolled back up into your skull with sheer relief when the needle pulled back out. The deep-tissue sample was usually the worst part. You could feel the light sheen of sweat that had broken out on your body start to cool even further, adding to the way your temperature dropped.

The ankle monitor beeped, warning about your plummeting temperature, and the droid instantly began to dial the fluid drip back. The Kaminoan nurse swiftly pulled a heat lamp down over the table, letting the artificial heat wash over you. Your muscles had started to tense with the cold, your eyes still stubbornly screwed shut against the pain.

“Your temperature should start rising soon,” the Kaminoan tried to soothe, adjusting the heat lamp.

Darkness plucked at the edges of your consciousness, and you blacked out.

~

Exhausted and still cold, you limped back into the Bad Batch’s quarters with the ankle monitor still on and a medbay blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

“Shiv?” Hunter sounded incredulous.

You looked up and waved them off. “This is normal, don’t worry about it,” you sighed, going to your trunk.

“What do you mean, normal? None of us have every come back from medbay looking worse than when we went in,” he demanded.

“Lemme get changed and I’ll explain,” you promised, grabbing your night clothes and heading for the bathroom. Changing into the comfortable pair of shorts and tank top, you wrapped the blanket around your shoulders again and shuffled back out into the room.

Tech was already sitting on his bed, so you went to go sit next to him, pulling the blanket to cover your feet. With a groan, you reached up to rub at your eye.

“Are you alright, Shiv?” Tech turned to you with concern, eyebrows furrowing.

“No, I’m freezing cold,” you said miserably.

“What did they do to you?” Hunter asked again with a frown.

You sighed, leaning into Tech’s shoulder. “Normal procedure for me is going in and getting a blood check, physical, and brain scan. I also have to get a bag of fluids that’s made to boost some of my biological functions, kind of like how you’re modified to be enhanced. It helps with my physical upkeep, but the side-effect is brutal. I’m going to freeze like an icicle for the rest of the night,” you grumbled. “And since I had to regenerate sixty percent of the tissue in my arm, they took a deep tissue sample.”

“A what?” Wrecker asked, tilting his head from his bunk. He held Lula up, craning his neck toward you quizzically.

“A deep tissue sample is when an injection has to be made in order to obtain cells from a section of a patient’s body,” Tech answered for you. “Oftentimes I’ve heard it can be very painful when it reaches bone.”

“They’ve got that right,” you said, eyes drooping closed with a heavy sigh. “They even had to turn on the heat lamp this time to get my temp back up. Oh, Tech,” you added as an afterthought, “I hope my ankle monitor won’t bother you. I have to keep it on tonight to monitor my vital functions. Like I said, the fluids tend to drain me of any and all heat.”

“It’s not a problem, Shiv,” Tech reassured. “If it goes off, what should I be prepared to do?”

“The only reason it’ll probably go off is if my body temp drops too low,” you sighed. “If I can’t, tap the monitor for me and it’ll manually send a burst of heat to regulate me.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be alright? You said the process was painful.” Hunter checked.

You shrugged. “Nothing I’m not used to,” you said. “If anything, I hope I don’t bother Tech. I’m going to become an ice-cold leech.”

“I suppose it’s a good thing I volunteered, then,” Tech said dryly, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “I’ll have to take advantage of whatever chances I get.”

You let out a laugh despite yourself. “Be careful what you wish for. You might regret it in the morning.”

“Nah, if Tech doesn’t want ya I’ll take ya, Shiv!” Wrecker grinned. “Lula and I can make room.”

“Thanks, Wrecker.” You smiled, feeling the sleepiness descend. Yawning, you leaned your head against Tech’s shoulder.

The cold dragged you into sleep.

~

“Shiv. Shiv, it’s time to get up.”

You let out a groan, pulled out of blessed sleep. You didn’t want to move. You felt perfectly, comfortably warm, and something heavy was draped across your waist. Instead, you whined petulantly and buried your head into the source of warmth you were so tightly pressed against.

A sharp inhale of breath hissed against your ear, but you were already falling back asleep-

“Shiv.” Someone’s mouth had pressed against your ear. “We have to get ready for the conditioning in an hour.”

Slowly, the words bled into your sluggish mind. Conditioning... an hour. Tipoca. Kaminoa. Right. Training exercises. An hour-?

With a yelp, you jolted awake and found yourself flailing. Your entire body went off the edge of the bed, slamming against the unforgiving floor. Grimacing, you reached up to rub the spot where your hip had landed.

“Ow, ow— don’t scare me like that, Maker—“ You opened your eyes to see Tech peering over the edge of the bunk at you.

“You alright, Shiv? Sorry I didn’t catch you, you startled me,” he said.

You stared up at him for a minute, your brain starting to put pieces together. You’d... probably been pressed against him. And that weight: his arm on your waist. The soft murmur and his kiss to your ear. You flushed.

“Oh, Tech— I’m sorry, I told you I’d probably end up being a leech,” you groaned.

“I wasn’t complaining, Shiv,” Tech said, swinging himself to a sitting up position.

You sat up, still rubbing at your sore hip. “Well there’s another bruise,” you muttered. “Thank you, Tech. I feel back to normal, I think.” You stood gingerly, patting at yourself. Your body temperature felt pretty normal, a bit chilly from waking up but nothing unusual.

“As much as I’d like to continue seeing you walk around in that, I think you might want to get ready for the conditioning,” Hunter remarked, walking past.

You blinked, then flushed as you remembered the shorts and tank top. Shaking your head, you grabbed your outfit from your trunk and went to go change.

By the time everyone was geared up and ready to go, you were starting to feel a little less sore from the needles. While the numbing agent had worked, it sill left a bit of an ache deep in your arm where it had hit bone. You walked down the hall following Hunter and absently rubbed your arm.

“Is your arm still hurting?” Crosshair asked sharply.

You started a bit. “Oh... I mean, it’s more of an ache. The needle hit my bone, so it feels weird,” you said, shaking your head. “It’ll go away.”

You arrived at the training deck on time. Taking in a deep breath, you tried to mentally prepare yourself. You didn’t know exactly what they’d throw at you this time around. You had to be prepared.

The Kaminoans watched from the observation deck above as you walked in, the doors sliding shut with a hiss behind you. The Prime Minister was there as well, to no one’s surprise.

Force 99, please prepare yourselves for a standard simulation. Unit 526934, please prepare to engage yourself as a non-lethal training weapon only.

You simply turned to Hunter, waiting for directions. He nodded to everyone as they started pulling their helmets on. “You guys know the drill. We’re used to Shiv by now. Just act like you would any other mission. Shiv.” He turned to you, holding out his hand. “Permission to Transfer.”

You sucked in a breath and grasped his hand. “Transfer Granted.” As soon as you’d Shifted, you didn’t even bother projecting an astral form as the simulation began. You’d already defaulted to Hunter’s preferred modifications, though you carefully made sure that your fire was stun-only.

The combat droids started to swarm, causing Hunter to duck and weave through the barriers and start firing. A pattern soon presented itself, and you picked up on it as soon as Hunter did.

“Tech!” Hunter yelled, tossing you.

You guided the weapon into Tech’s outstretched hand, instantly splitting into two. You whispered across the Bond. Pattern of four, flanking both sides and driving a wedge down the middle.

Tech nodded as he continued to fire and make his way closer to Hunter. “So it’s trying to funnel us toward the center and get us trapped,” he deduced.

“Wrecker, clear a path down the middle, Tech and I will cover you!” Hunter shouted.

“Wrecker, catch!” Tech called.

Wrecker whooped and caught you easily, charging straight into the middle of the arena. You formed yourself into a stun grenade launcher, and he eagerly fired a few into the swarm. Manually charging in as Hunter and Tech picked off the ones that got too close, Wrecker used you to both shoot as well as physically bat away some of the droids.

From a vantage point, Crosshair had already started sniping down the towers and picking off droids that threatened any of his other teammates.

Droids started swarming you and Wrecker even more, and you were pressed to focus on both keeping a second eye out for him as well as making sure your shots were still stun-only instead of live fire. They swarmed towards the center, and you quietly murmured across the Bonds.

Wrecker laughed heartily, elated by the action and the promise Hunter’s conveyed plan presented. “Let’s do it!” He roared, swinging you in a circle and firing gleefully. “Come and get it!”

It only took another moment before Hunter yelled “Now!”

Wrecker barely hesitated, pushing himself off the ground in a mighty leap to the side. He fired unerringly toward the mass of droids, a stun-grenade arcing through the air. A bolt from Crosshair hit the grenade dead-center, and it went off in a mighty pulse as you dragged Wrecker down to the ground to avoid the shockwave of the blast.

All the droids hovering in the air instantly dropped, sparking.

Slowly, Wrecker looked up. A moment of silence, then a bell chimed from above.

Simulation complete. Prepare for phase 2.

Wrecker scrambled to his feet. “What? Phase 2? What’s that?”

Hunter, Crosshair, and Tech quickly came up.

You materialized over Wrecker’s shoulder. “Phase 2 is my fault,” you said quickly. “It’s meant to be a test of how well I can switch between all of you as need be. There’s going to be most likely a set of obstacles of some sort that will lean on your individual strengths and see how well and quickly I can adapt.”

Hunter nodded. “Everyone keep as close as possible and support Shiv. Keep sharp and listen to the Bonds and each other.”

Everyone nodded and scattered to nearby barriers. For the time being, you stayed with Wrecker.

As soon as you caught sight of a droid staring to rise from a panel in the floor, you sent a pulse over the Bond. Wrecker barely paused before turning and chucking you clear across three barriers.

Hunter caught you as you Shifted into his modified blaster. “Any ideas, Shiv?” he asked tightly.

It’s a heavy fire unit, You guessed by its build. I don’t know what mods it might have, but I think treating it like an armored assassin droid would be best.

He nodded, then leapt over the barrier and started to run towards the droid. He weaved and dodged the bolts, and you Shifted into an energy shield to help block any stray blasts. Hunter dropped and skidded across the floor as you Shifted back into a blaster. Leaping up, he shoved the blaster into the crack between the two chinks of chest armor and fired.

Dodging out of the way, Hunter instantly turned and kicked at the droid’s legs. You Shifted into a vibro-shiv, and he slashed instantly at the droid’s back plate. The droid fell to its knees, and Hunter sank the shiv into its head plate, carving it open. You Shifted into a blaster again, and he fired instantly into the now-open head.

The droid crumpled, and Hunter whirled around to look for the source of the faint buzzing he’d heard. As soon as he caught sight of the tiny, round droid speeding around the edges of the room, he whipped his arm back.

“Cross!” He shouted in warning.

You Shifted midair, guiding yourself into Crosshair’s hands, already complete as his preferred modified sniper rifle. He smirked, then sprinted over to one of the towers in the room. You positioned your astral form in the usual place to his left. He climbed the tower, taking up a spot and propping you up on the railing.

Peering through your sight, Crosshair let out a quiet breath. You took the moment of complete silence in his head to gather yourself, preparing for his next order. His warning came a split second before the shot itself, but you were prepared. His shot hit the tiny droid almost dead-on, and a moment later you’d deflected a last ditch-effort shot made by the now-useless droid.

Crosshair turned his head to catch sight of the tower’s control panel flickering on. “Tech,” he hollered down, dropping you.

Tech looked up, catching both blasters you’d Shifted into flawlessly. Crawling around his barrier, he started into a dead-sprint toward the nearest tower. He lifted you as you Shifted into another shield, holding you above his head just in case. You took a single shot thanks to his weaving and dodging, so you were ready when he reached the tower.

He instantly propped you up and began slicing into the tower’s controls. It took him all of a minute while you braced yourself. You kept Shifting sizes of the shield depending on the shots aimed toward you. If you concentrated on a shot, it was much easier to conserve energy, maybe even absorb it and use it to refuel yourself. But the larger the shield, the more the shots would take out of you.

It didn’t take long for Tech to finish slicing and recoding the tower. Its turret rotated and started firing at the others until they were all down.

Tech grabbed you, letting you Shift back into his twin blasters. He sent you the schematics for a set of weapons, then shouted “Wrecker!” You automatically became an IWS as Wrecker caught you, but you studied the schematics Tech had given you with interest. A pair of armored gloves?

You started to copy the weapon, figuring why not? Wrecker looked down in surprise as you covered his hands, forming into the heavy gloves.

“Whoa, what are these?” Wrecker’s eyes lit up with interest as he turned his hands over.

Why don’t we find out? You asked with a smile. So far, this had been the most successful Phase 2 you’d ever experienced, and while you could feel the stress, it didn’t debilitate you like it had before.

Wrecker looked up just in time to see the center floor panel open up to reveal a giant droid ambling forwards. He grinned, then slammed his fists together in front of himself. The gloves started sparking, and you quickly made them stun instead of live energy.

With a whoop, Wrecker leapt forwards toward the heavy-duty droid. His first punch with the gloves made the droid shudder, sparking; but after a moment, it recovered itself and pressed forward again. You kept half a mind on Wrecker and continued studying the schematics of the gloves, refining the gloves and streamlining it as you familiarized yourself with it.

“Hey Shiv,” Wrecker grunted, still punching away at the droid, “what else do these do?”

You absently flicked on a button, and faintly heard Wrecker whoop as energy coils started threading between the gloves. Wrecker knocked the droid’s legs out from under it and started to wrap the energy coils around its head and neck joints. Still, you only half paid attention as you continued to study the schematics. They had aspects that made you wonder if Tech had been modifying it himself. There were mods that clearly hadn’t been made for a standardized weapon.

“Gimme a last good punch, Shiv!” Wrecker hollered.

You looked up from the schematics, shifting your attention, and powered up the gloves to as high of a safe extent as you could. Wrecker let out a shout and slammed his full weight into the chest of the droid. The entire chest plate caved in, and you winced as the stun energy rippled though the entire rest of the droid, reducing it to a heap of smoking parts.

Wrecker stood, nodding in satisfaction and smacking the gloves together. “These are awesome!” He cheered, shaking his fists in the air. “Hey Shiv, can we use these more often?”

You materialized over his shoulder, staring at them yourself. “I haven’t figured out all of it yet, so it might take me some time to make it better. But yes, if you’d like,” you agreed.

He turned his head to you in surprise. “You haven’t?” he asked as the rest of the team approached, the finish bell ringing.

You shook your head. “Tech gave me the schematics before he passed me to you.”

“You mean you made it functional on the fly?” Hunter asked, surprised.

You nodded. “Yes. I’ve studied weapons for most of my life, so it’s not as difficult anymore. But this schematic has modifications that weren’t meant for this weapon originally, so I’ll have to further study it to make it as practical as possible without compromising the rest of the weapon’s functions and overall integrity.”

Tech adjusted his goggles. “I didn’t expect you to try it right away. It was a weapon I’d found base schematics for on a mission. I thought I’d try to make some mods to accommodate Wrecker’s particular preferences. I figured I’d share what I had with you for the time being, since you’re now our partner and weapon.”

You disengaged, staggering a little as you dropped to the ground. Catching yourself, you shook your head from the giddiness that bled over from Wrecker.

“I like it,” Wrecker said with an adamant nod.

You smiled dizzily. “G-good.”

Hunter caught your arm. “You good?” His eyebrows furrowed for a moment.

“I’m fine, just-“ you squinted, balancing yourself. Taking a breath, you re-centered and shook your head. “I’m a little... that was the best I think I’ve ever done for a Phase 2,” you admitted breathlessly.

“You did great.” Hunter gave you an encouraging nod.

“I believe that was also one of the quickest battle sims we’ve managed to complete,” Tech noted, scrolling on his wrist unit. “We took a total of eight minutes and fifteen seconds for the first one. During Phase 2, Shiv Shifted weapons a total of 12 times in the span of twelve minutes and twenty seconds.”

Battle Simulations Complete. Performance Satisfactory. Prepare for mission assignment within forty-eight chrons.

You flushed as your stomach let out a loud growl. You hadn’t really eaten since lunch the day before, and you were now feeling it.

Wrecker laughed. “Let’s go get food!” He clapped your shoulder and started toward the doors.

Tech fell into step beside you as you all walked towards the now-open doors. “You did very well,” he offered. “I saved the footage in case you wanted to review it.”

You gave him an appreciative smile. “I’d love that, thanks, Tech. I’m glad I did well.” You let out a sigh of pure relief. “It was really stressful.”

As soon as the Bad Batch walked into the canteen, you mentally braced yourself for snide comments. It was always the same no matter who you were with, and worse if you were alone. Still, you hoped that the others wouldn’t be too effected by it.

Grabbing a tray, you felt your shoulders hunch a little. You just... wished others would simply ignore you. Their comments didn’t even matter, but it always felt so awkward. And sometimes, you’d found, ignoring them only earned you more trouble. Putting the bland food on your tray, you wished for a moment that you could just cook something yourself on the ship.

You followed behind Wrecker’s bulk as he confidently made his way to an empty table. Feeling a presence behind you, you glanced back with wide eyes to see Crosshair following behind you.

“Sit on my side of the table, Shiv,” Cross said coolly. “Wrecker always starts something in the canteen when others make comments.”

Though you didn’t really mind either way, you nodded and slid into the spot next to Crosshair on the bench. Hunter slid in on your other side, while Tech and Wrecker sat across from the three of you.

You just silently tucked into your food, grateful for the nutrition at the very least. Wrinkling your nose at the dubious soup, you decided to dunk your bread into it instead to avoid the taste as much as possible.

“The soup never is good,” Hunter said with a roll of his eyes as he copied you.

You nodded with a soft hum, spooning the other food into your mouth.

A group of troopers passed by your table, chuckling and nudging each other. “Well if the outcasts don’t find each other,” one of them sneered in your direction.

Another snorted. “Yeah, looks like the Sad Batch found the flimsi-opener.”

You were fully prepared to ignore it all when Wrecker leapt up from his seat.

“Leave Shiv alone,” Wrecker fairly growled, glaring at the group of troopers.

Choking on a spoonful, you pounded at your chest at the unexpected rush of heat that traveled down your body at the sound of Wrecker’s voice dropping that low and raking down your spine. It was the sound of his voice as much as the abrupt defense that took you off guard, and the way your body reacted to it completely unbalanced you. You could feel color burst in your cheeks as you stared wide-eyed up at Wrecker still glaring balefully at the troopers.

“Sit down, Wrecker,” Hunter said, waving his hand. “They don’t know what they’re talking about anyway.”

Wrecker huffed. “They don’t deserve to talk to Shiv like that,” he complained.

You shook your head wordlessly, trying desperately to shove the memory of Wrecker’s face contorted in a feral snarl, his growl rolling through your mind. You weren’t even sure why it had effected you so heavily, but... You shifted a little in your seat, realizing with despair that Hunter would probably be able to smell your reaction at this rate.

“You okay, Shiv?” Wrecker turned to you, back to his normal husk as he frowned.

You coughed, shaking your head and then nodding. Swallowing thickly, you pressed your thighs together and desperately tried to refocus on your food.

Beside you, Crosshair let out a low, knowing chuckle. His hand under the table briefly brushed up your leg, and you let out a squeak, instantly clapping your hand over your mouth.

“You look flushed, Shiv, are you alright?” Tech frowned, observing your face.

“No- ye- no-“ you choked out, pointedly trying to look down at your tray. Biting your lip hard, you picked up your spoon again. Why was everything suddenly so... sensitive?

“If they say anything again, I’m throwing this table,” Wrecker said darkly, glaring around the canteen.

You couldn’t take anymore. You needed out. Standing abruptly, you grabbed your tray. “Excuse me, I’ll- I’ll be in the room-“ You fled, choking on your own words. Fairly throwing the tray at the return, you started running down the hallway and out of the canteen.

You barely made it to the barracks before your knees gave out. Leaning against the table, you sucked in a burning breath and closed your eyes, shivering. You didn’t even know why, but something about the way Wrecker had instantly stood to his full 6 foot 6 inches and growled at the person who had insulted you just... did something. It was like someone had flipped a dusty switch in your mind and broken a dam in the process.

Sucking in a breath, you grabbed your sleep clothes and went to go change in the fresher. You needed out of your blacks as soon as possible. The heat that spread through your whole body was the polar opposite of what you’d felt the night before.

Still, even after you’d changed into the tank top and shorts, your body still felt like it was on fire. The heat puddled in your lower belly, making you press your hand against it. Your skin felt so hypersensitive, the comfortable clothes rasping against you in a way that made you squeeze your eyes shut.

Grabbing a datapad, you shakily tried to scroll to the report of your last medbay visit hooked to the ankle monitor you’d shed that morning. Scrolling through it, you pulled up the list of the fluids you’d been injected with. A particular side effect listed on one of them made you let out a broken groan and sink down onto the nearest bunk.

The door flew open. “Shiv?”

Tag list:

@subbing-for-clones

@darkangel4121

@mo-i-ra

@dolphincommander

@ladydiomede

@alis-gore

@spp2011

If you’d like to be added to the tag list, please message me! Thank you guys for the support!

#sw tbb #star wars #the bad batch #x reader #my writing #bad batch #clones #tech #wrecker #hunter #tbb x reader #tbb fanfiction #Crosshair #sword and shield #clonesimp #star wars x y/n #star wars x reader #y/n #Star Wars

[monaownsmyass]

It’s Complicated/Uncomplicated - Part 2/2

Requested fic by @ineedskyecrandall (if you have any fic ideas or requests you’d like me to write, you can leave me an ask!)

Book: My Two First Loves, (after) Chapter 38

Pairing: Ava Lawrence x MC (Emma Price)

Genre: Fluff

Rating: G, none

Word count: 4,152 (she’s a long one)

A/N: Continuation of Part 1! Ava and MC go on their first date. QUESTION: do you guys prefer shorter or longer fics? Pls lmk. Also I’m pretty sure I chipped my nail polish while writing this so I hope y’all enjoy 😂

Tag list: @ineedskyecrandall @kamilahsayeet2063 @avalawrencefl @lovekamilahsayeed @thequeenkamilahsayeed @midnitesteph (lmk if anyone would like to be included or removed in my next fics.)

I woke up to a text from Ava.

'Rise and shine, you sleepy sloth! I hope you had a good night, here's something to brighten your morning! Xoxo'

She attached a cute cat gif stretching its paws and yawning as it wakes up from it's sleep.

I shot her back a quick reply. 'Morning, babe! Thanks for the adorable cat gif, I can't wait to see your gorgeous face later today <3'.

I may have just woken up but I just knew that today was gonna be an amazing day.

The hours leading up to my date with Ava was a blur. I was wrecked with excitement and anticipation. Mackenzie noticed me on edge and I explained my dilemma to her. She didn't seem that surprised when I came out to her as bi and told her I had a date with Ava.

She just rolled her eyes and said, 'Finally!'.

Two hours before our date, I begged Mack to help me find the perfect outfit. I paced up and down my room, trying on my entire wardrobe and still not being able to settle on anything.

"Oh my god, Em, calm down!" Mack exclaimed in frustration. "It's just Ava! She's seen you at your absolute trash bottom!"

"I know! But it's different!" I defended. "It's like an actual date this time, y'know?"

"You went out for dates with Noah and Mason recently and you weren't walking up and down your room like an agitated child that just shat their pants and is too afraid to tell their parents." She squinted at me. "You like her a lot more than the both of them, don't you?"

"I- what? Mack, no. I mean, I'm not sure. I haven't figured it out yet."

She sighed and stared at me dead in the eyes. "Look, I know you like both boys but I think even you have noticed that you're more drawn to Ava. Shit, you just told me an hour or so ago that you liked her and I can already tell just by looking at you now." She waited for me to process her words before speaking again. "You aren't gonna destroy Mason's or Noah's life if you chose to be with Ava. They're big boys, they can handle the rejection."

Her words struck a chord in me. I have noticed that ever since Ava kissed me I haven't been able to think about either Mason or Noah. When I kissed both of them, I was constantly worrying about the other but with Ava, it was only her that occupied my mind.

I looked away then back at my sister. "I... I think you're right. But I'm just gonna have this date with her before I come to a conclusion."

She waved her hand at me. "Yeah yeah, you do that, but I bet you fifty that you'll agree with me."

"No way am I agreeing to that bet," I scoffed.

"And why not?"

"...'Cuz I'm pretty sure I'll lose."

~•~•~

After over an hour, I finally decided on a cute outfit and waited for Ava in my living room. I was fidgeting with my fingers while Mack made fun of me, teasing me about how nervous I was but I couldn't even focus because it was true; I was mortified.

Ding Dong!

"Ahh!" I shouted in surprise.

My sister just laughed at me and moved to answer the door. "Chill, your girlfriend's here."

"She's not my girl-" I started but stopped mid-sentence when I saw her walk into our hallway.

She may have not been my girlfriend just yet but god, I wish she were.

"Ava," I whispered, speechless. "H-hey!"

"Hey yourself, babe!" She came up to me and wrapped me in a hug. The pet name caused a rush of heat to my cheeks which I was sure she felt when she kissed it. We've always called each other by pet names, 'baby', 'babe', 'darling', 'sweetheart', 'jerk' or 'weirdo' even but this time, it felt different. Different in a good way.

She pulled back slightly as her eyes traveled up and down my figure. Her gaze set my body on fire. "You look amazing!" she complimented. "You're so pretty."

I blushed. "Thanks." I gave her a once over and felt my breath hitch. "You look really hot," I blurted out without thinking and immediately slapped my palm against my mouth.

She burst out laughing, the sound filling me with delight despite my embarrassment. "Thank you, Em." She lifted an arm and it was only then that I noticed that she was holding a bouquet of flowers. "Um, these are for you."

She knew I loved flowers. I accepted it, starting to get a little teary eyed. This was ridiculous! We haven't even stepped out of the house and I was already overwhelmed with emotions. It was a gorgeous bunch of yellow roses with red petal tips. I immediately recognised the meaning behind the colour and the tears started to trickle down my face.

"Ava," I lunged at her, wrapped my arms around her neck and burying my face in the crook of it. "You seriously didn't have to."

"But I wanted to, I wanted to do this right," she laughed and hugged me back.

This moment would've been perfect if it weren't for Mackenzie clearing her throat from the living room couch.

"Okayyyy, I guess this is my cue to leave," she awkwardly excused herself and made her way upstairs. "Bye, lovebirds! Stay safe! Don't do anything stupid and don't forget to practice safe se-!"

"Mack!" I exclaimed, cutting her off but hurling a pillow from the couch at her.

My face was flushed with heat once again from Mack's comment but Ava just let out a good-natured laugh, obviously finding the whole ordeal amusing.

"C'mon, Em. Let's go," she said.

I excused myself to place the bouquet into a vase before walking to her sedan. She opened the door of the passenger seat for me before closing it and entering the driver's side. This girl was too sweet, I swear she'd be the death of me.

She started the engine and started driving away from my house.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"And why should I tell you?" she teased.

"Uh, because I'm in your car and I don't know where you're taking me? That's basically kidnapping!"

"It's not if you entered on your own free will!" she giggled and I couldn't help but laugh along with her. Her laugh was contagious and it made my heart flutter.

I didn't have to wait long to find out our destination. It was a small, quaint ice cream parlour. The same ice cream parlour we went to on our first hang out together. We hadn't been back here since and the sight of the shop made me nostalgic.

We entered the shop and it was just as I remembered. It was quite and calm. A much different ambience from the outside world. We walked up to the display freezer and stared at all the different options.

Ava turned to me. "Okay, so here's how we make things interesting, we order a random ice cream we haven't tried before, no trying the flavours beforehand."

I gave her a look. Leave it to Ava to find a way to spice things up. One thing I can say for sure was that my life would definitely be boring without her.

"So, what would you like?"

"Um, I'm not sure." One particular ice cream stood out to me though I wasn't sure it'd be my cup of tea. "I kinda want to try the Maple Bacon Ice Cream but I don't know if I'll like it."

"First of all, that's the whole point of this! We won't know, it's a game of luck. Second of all, you haven't tried Maple Bacon before?" she asked incredulously.

"And you have?"

"Of course! Who hasn't?"

"Ava, that's not a regular ice cream flavour, weirdo."

"It is in my house...," she muttered as she pouted, eyebrows furrowing. I couldn't help but giggle at how cute she was being. "What if we share it? Since you're too chicken to actually get a whole scoop for yourself."

"Hey! That's not true!" I protested but she was right on some regards. I didn't want to waste it if I didn't like it. "But since you insisted, sure, I guess."

"Don't pretend you're not relieved that I offered to share," she smiled teasingly at me.

After much persuasion, I finally let Ava pay for the ice cream and we found an empty booth in the corner. It was far away and secluded enough from the other patrons to give us some privacy.

We sat across from each other with the cup of ice cream in between us. I noticed that they only gave us one spoon. We've shared food and cutlery before but this time, it made me nervous.

"They only gave us one spoon," I pointed out.

"So?" Ava questioned. "We've shared before, here!"

She scooped up some ice cream and brought it up to my lips. I looked at her and cautiously leaned forward to let her feed me. I saw her gulp as I accepted the ice cream.

She shook herself out of her daze and asked, "How is it?"

I licked my lips and gave her a smile. "It's actually really good!"

"See? You should listen to me more often," she bragged.

"Yeah, yeah, now let me feed you instead, it's only fair."

We continued to feed each other, giggling and laughing every time we smudged ice cream against the other's cheek. At first I did it by accident but Ava wasn't having it so she did it back to me on purpose.

We were attacking each other with ice cream, almost screaming at one point and only stopped when we noticed the ice cream server glaring at us.

We quiet down, trying to hold in our giggles and I couldn't help but get distracted by Ava. I saw her mouth moving, saying something but I wasn't listening. Last night was the first time I really got to look at her but right now, in the daylight, I could see every detail of her face that I missed under the dim streetlight. And now that I know my feeling weren't entirely platonic, I could properly appreciate them.

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows, her almond eyes that were a beautiful shade of chestnut brown, accentuated by her eyeliner and mascara and her soft lips that were painted in a darker shade of red today, perfectly complimenting her features. Her gorgeous hair, her high cheekbones, her strong jaw, her freckles. God, her freckles. They scattered all over her cheeks and nose making her look absolutely adorable. All these combined together to make the absolute masterpiece that was Ava.

I've always liked her freckles. I liked how prominent they were in the summer and I knew sometimes she was insecure about how obvious they were but I've always thought that that was ridiculous. If anything I thought it made her look extremely pretty. Not that she isn't without them but there was something about them that caught my attention.

I was broken out of my reverie when I say Ava waving a hand in front of my eyes.

"Hellooo? Earth to Emma?" she said, laughing. "You completely blanked out, what are you thinking about?"

"About you," I replied without a second thought.

I saw her looking a bit flustered and blush a little but she countered back. "Oh? And what about me?"

"I was just thinking about how stunning you look," I admitted.

She bit her lip. "We've known each other for years, you know how I look like, dork."

"Yeah, but I've never gotten a chance to properly look at you and appreciate your face. You're so breath-taking."

I moved to slowly cup her face in my hands and I felt the warmth from her cheeks. I saw her let out a shaky breath and close her eyes for a while before looking back at me. My own heart was doing flips. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Okay, you flirt," she joked.

We talked as we finished up our ice cream. Well, I ate most of eat but on our way out I bought one for Ava since I felt bad for stealing most of it. We walked out of the shop, passing the cone of ice cream back and forth to share.

"Where to next?" I asked her while licking the ice cream.

"Just keep walking, we'll be there soon," she replied while reaching out to take the ice cream from me.

I shook my head at her refusal to tell me but I complied. We walked down the sidewalk, shoulders brushing ever so slightly every now and then. I felt her hand ghost over mine a couple of times before I looked up at her. I could almost sense the conflict going on in her head. I silently giggled to myself before grabbing her hand, interlocking our fingers together.

Just like she did the night before, she looked at our hands and then into my eyes. I saw a twinkle in them as she gave me a shy smile.

"Thank you," she spoke softly.

I gave her hand a squeeze in response as we continued to walk down the street, hand-in-hand and sharing the ice cream.

I loved the way her hand fit in mine. It felt different from Mason's and Noah's hand. Their's were slightly calloused, maybe from playing football, and much bigger than mine. I liked the way their's made me feel protected and secured.

However, Ava's hand, while just as strong, was smooth and smaller. It felt comforting and familiar, like someone you've known for a long time who'd always be there even on your worse days. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer this over their's.

"I like holding your hand," Ava spoke out. "It's nice."

I let out a small chuckle and nodded. "I was just thinking the same."

We walked a few more steps before Ava announced, "We're here."

She brought me to a park that was filled with trees and flowers. The park wasn't too crowded but there were a decent amount of people minding their own business. Being autumn, most leaves on the trees were a fiery yet serene combination of red, orange and amber. We walked down a pathway lined with the trees and covered with fallen leaves.

"The scenery is amazing!" I stated in awe. I looked around to take in the view and turned back to Ava to only see her gazing at me.

"So are you," she added. I don't know how many more times she was going to make me blush but I wasn't complaining.

After walking a little more, we spotted a bench. We finished up the ice cream and threw the wrapper and tissue into the trash can nearby before I pulled her by the hand to sit.

She sat a few spaces away but I scooted closer to her. I took her hand in both of mine and placed it on my lap, caressing it. We've always been physically affectionate with each other and I'm not going to allow that to change now. I still wanted her to be comfortable around me despite our recent revelation about our relationship.

Once I saw her relax a bit, I placed my head on her shoulder. I could tell her heart started to race and I had to admit that her nearness was making my heart do the same. The smell of her perfume wafted up to my nose and made my mind hazy. I was finding it hard to focus on anything else with her so close to me. But the again, why would I want to focus on anything else?

I closed my eyes and heard her speak. "I don't think you know how painful it was seeing you with Noah yesterday at homecoming. I kept trying to tell myself that it wasn't my place to be jealous but I couldn't help it. I'm sorry."

"If it makes you feel any better, even though I was with Noah, I couldn't stop myself from staring at you," I confessed. "When I saw you, I thought I was looking at an ethereal being, you didn't look like you belonged on earth, let alone at some crappy high school gym."

She lets out a radiant giggle and I felt her shoulders shake in laughter as I continued, "I realised last night that it's been like this for some time now. I hope you know that this has been long time coming, it's not just some fluke thing that happened last night."

She wraps an arm around my waist, letting it rest against my hip. "I get it, I feel the same way. I've liked you for some time now but it was time I finally admitted it to myself."

I swallowed, holding back the tears that were threatening to spill. Hearing her speak like that made me indescribably happy. "Yesterday, at the dance, I was secretly hoping you'd cut in and ask me for a dance," I confessed.

"I was hoping you'd ask me!" she revealed and we both laughed.

Ava gently nudged me off of her and stood from the bench. I looked up at her, puzzled. She stretched out an arm, offering it to me. "Since I didn't get to ask you for a dance yesterday, I'm doing it now. Would you like to share a dance with me, darling?"

I giggled at her antics. "Ava, we're in the middle of the park! People will think we're mad!"

"I don't care about them, only you. Do you care?" she challenged back.

I didn't have to think twice about my answer. "When I'm with you? Never have and never will."

I placed my hand in hers and she brought it up to her lips kissing it before pulling me up to her feet. I crashed into her, laughing and holding onto her to stabilise myself. She chuckled along with me and guided us a few paces away from the bench. She positioned a hand on my hip and the other still clutching mine. Instinctively, I brought one hand to rest on her shoulder.

"There's no music," I stated.

"Looks like we'll just have to make our own."

Ava began humming a random tune and we started spinning around as if we were ballroom dancing. We stepped onto the grassy area as my laughter and Ava's humming increased in volume.

She twirled and dipped me. She placed both her hands on my waist and lifted me, spinning me in circles as I giggled uncontrollably. If anyone was staring, I didn't notice or bother. All I cared about was that I was in Ava's arms and I felt like I was flying.

She set me down and we both just looked at each other, smiling wider than we've seen each other grin before. I pulled her into me to hug her, resting my cheek against hers. Our heavy breathing and racing hearts began to subside. I moved back slightly in her arms to still see her smiling at me.

She looked back at me and seeing her so happy made me ecstatic in return. It made my heart sing to know I'm the reason for her happiness. The way she was looking at me made me feel important. It made me feel as if I was the best thing that's ever happened to her and it was then that I knew that the feeling was mutual.

Her mesmerising eyes gazed into mine and I thought back to last night, right before we kissed. I really wanted to kiss her then and I wanted it again now.

As if she could read my thoughts, she leaned in closer to me. Inches before her lips met mine, she stopped, hesitating if she should close the gap between us. I could feel her heart start pounding in her chest again against mine.

"Kiss me, Ava," I whispered, quietly enough so only she could hear.

She placed a hand behind my neck and tugged me into a kiss. Our lips met and it felt just as spectacular as last night's. I grabbed onto her harder, not wanting to let her go in case she pulls away but by the way she was clutching onto me made it clear she wouldn't dare dream of it.

Kissing Ava felt like the most wonderful thing in the universe. Mason and Noah were great kisser but even they couldn't even begin to compete with Ava. The small fluttering feeling in my tummy whenever I kissed them was nothing compared to the overwhelming sensation I was experiencing right now. Electricity was surging through my body, energising my entire being. It was entirely intoxicating. It was other-worldly.

I've never understood why people referred to their significant others as their weaknesses because right now, kissing Ava, I felt more alive than I ever did. She wasn't my weakness, she was my strength and...

Did I just refer to Ava as my significant other?

Like all good things, it had to come to an end. But it wasn't by choice, though. So enraptured in the kiss, I leaned further forward, causing Ava to lean back until she stumbled backwards and tripped over a rock. She crashed to the ground, taking me with her.

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

We looked at each other and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" I asked her in between giggles.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied in a similar manner.

Ava was flat on her back and I was still on top of her as I buried my face in the crook to muffle my laughter. Ava tossed her head back, still laughing.

After a while, the laughter died down and I lifted myself to look at her once again. We couldn't help it. We started giggling madly, so much so that I let out a snort that only made us more hysterical.

"Oh god, I can't breathe," Ava wheezed.

It took us at least a good three minutes to fully calm down. I rolled off Ava and laid beside her.

"C'mere," she said and pulled me closer.

I rested my head on her shoulder and draped an arm over her torso. She wrapped an arm around me while our legs intertwined. She was staring at the sky as I closed my eyes. It's amazing to think that just the day before yesterday I was worried about choosing between Mason and Noah but now, it's never been clearer that there was only one person for me. And ironically, it was neither of them.

Being here with Ava made me recognise that the reason I couldn't choose between either of them was because my heart already belonged to someone else without me even realising.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's  presence when I finally broke the quite.

"It's crazy how so much can change in a day." I said softly. "I admit, ever since day one, I would catch myself looking at you. I thought I was staring at you because that's just what people do when they find beauty in something. I know now that while that's true, there's more to it. And it's because I like you, Ava. I really like you. It might have taken us years for us to get here but I wouldn't have had it any other way."

I felt her hold her breath for a while before slowly exhaling.

I spoke again, "I think I'm gonna call it quits with Noah and Mason."

"Are you sure? That's pretty fast."

"I've never been more sure. I can't help but compare how much better everything feels with you. I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend yet, we don't have to rush it, but why lead them on when I already know you're the best for me. You, Ava Lawrence, are my first choice."

I opened my eyes. I still couldn't see Ava's face but I felt her inhaled deeply before gently, tenderly uttering, "You are my first choice too, Emma Price."

I felt the joy bubbling in me at her words. I smiled and let out a contented sigh.

I gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered, "My feelings were never complicated, I was just to blind to see them for what they actually were." And it was true.

I couldn't help but think how glad I was that I didn't take on Mackenzie's bet. She was right. It always was and always will be Ava.

She may not have been my first love but she was my soulmate.

(More fics!)

#ava lawrence #ava x mc #mtfl: ava #ava mtfl #mtfl #my two first loves #noah harris #mason jennings #choices: mtfl #mtfl choices #choices #choices: stories you play #pb #pixelberry #mtfl fanfiction #choices fanfiction #the amount of googling i had to do for this fic lol

[darks-ink]

Commission for @kaiofficialdp, featuring Dan and their OC Kai. Thank you Tumblr for eating the linebreak, please don’t do it again when I go to post this please

---

Kai slowed his already casual flight as his eye caught on a speck of sharply contrasting white and black. Neither of those colors were rare in the wastelands around Amity Park, but together? Together, they were most commonly found on Dan.

He steered towards the speck. And, as he had expected, found Dan. The ghost was sitting on the edge of some ruins that Kai didn’t care to identify. Dan’s posture, slumped forward and leaning his elbows on his knees, with his face down-turned, suggested that he was moping.

Or so Kai thought, at least, until he came closer. Now he could more clearly see the set of Dan’s shoulders, the tenseness in his muscles, the emotional flickering of his hair. Even with his face hidden from Kai, it was clear that Dan wasn’t just moping. No, he was genuinely distressed.

Well, he can’t let that lie, can he? If something was serious enough to distress Dan, maybe Kai could help.

Touching down on the same crumbling ruins as Dan was sitting on, Kai landed almost silently, bar the quiet patter of debris stirred by his boots. Dan didn’t respond in the least, but this was not particularly surprising, as very little in the wastelands was a threat to him.

“Dan,” Kai greeted him, crouching down next to Dan. He only got a grunt in response.

“You look…” Kai paused, digging for the right word, “…troubled. You look troubled, Dan.”

A black gloved hand flapped vaguely in his direction. “It’s nothing,” Dan hissed back, but it felt dispassionate, without heat.

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Kai countered, narrowing his eyes. “Tell me what happened. Was it Valerie? Something in Amity?”

Dan snarled, his lip curling, then shook his head. Remained quiet.

Kai sighed, placed his own gloved hands on the edge of the ruins, and kicked his feet out in front of him, sitting down next to Dan. The dust would doubtlessly stain his black coat, but that was easy enough to fix later.

“What can I do to help?” he prodded, since Dan still hadn’t answered his prior question. What could possibly stop that ghost from answering?

Dan just sighed, deeply and heavily, before flapping his hand at Kai again. “Go away.”

Now that was just weirdly out of character for Dan. Kai wavered for a moment before setting his shoulders and, unable to meet Dan’s eye, settled for staring at him earnestly. “No. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing,” Dan said, after a long pause. “Nothing new.”

Kai clenched his jaw, but Dan still didn’t look up at him, and likely didn’t even realize. “So it’s something old?” He wasn’t sure what to do with that information. If something had just happened, he could help, could maybe fix it or something. But something in the past? That had never bothered Dan before.

Or had he just kept it hidden from Kai?

Dan sniffed, twisting his head towards Kai, finally. His red eyes were narrowed, his mouth drawn in a grimace, fangs glinting in the low light. “You’re still not leaving?”

“I wanted to help,” Kai countered, shifting slightly to sit more comfortably. “And that’s still true. If it’s something in the past I probably can’t change it, but talking about it might help.”

He got a skeptical snort in return for that. “It happened a decade ago,” Dan said, faux casually. “I highly doubt that you could change that.”

Well, fair enough. “Talk about it, then,” Kai insisted. Even if he wasn’t the best at emotional stuff, he could at least sit down and listen. That alone might help some.

“It’s stupid.” Dan grunted, as if displeased with himself. “It happened so long ago. What’s the point of all this if I’m feeling emotional about it now?”

“Sometimes it takes a little time for something to settle in,” Kai offered, but it felt silly even to himself. That usually meant hours, or perhaps days. He couldn’t imagine it taking years, but, well, he wasn’t exactly an expert, was he?

Dan snorted, clearly just as convinced as Kai himself was.

“I thought I had gotten away from it all,” Dan finally said, voice so soft it was almost a whisper. “I had pushed it all away, gone through all that just to get away from this stuff. And now…” He made a sharp, derisive noise. “Now this.”

Kai cast around for the right words to use, to comfort his partner. “You can’t heal from the past just by ignoring it,” he finally settled on, fiddling with his fingers and wondering if touching Dan would help. “Tell me, Dan. Let me help.”

“All the stuff that happened years ago finally caught up to me,” Dan said, his black-clad fingers combing through his flaming hair. “Everything that I pushed away, that I thought I’d gotten over… It’s finally hitting me.”

Dan shook his head suddenly, jerkily, then snarled, “It’s hitting me again.”

---

It was stupid, was all it was. After all he’d done to separate his weak, pathetic human side, to get rid of those hindering emotions, they just came back? Absolutely ridiculous. What was the point of becoming an all-powering full ghost if he could still be haunted by his memories, by emotions he had left behind a long time ago?

Just obscene. That’s what it really was. Horrifically stupid. He was supposed to be beyond this! He had moved past it all years ago, when he split his human side away and merged with Vlad’s ghost instead. So why did it come back now? Why was he suddenly overwhelmed by events that transpired a decade ago?

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see the fireball that took out the Nasty Burger, and his loved ones with it. Every moment of silence was filled with the phantoms of their screams, the pressing silence that followed the explosion.

Whenever he approached Amity, his eyes were inevitably drawn back to the place where it had all happened, to the charred place that, to this day, remained untouched by Amity’s survivors.

To the statues that rested in front of it. The permanent marks of his friends, his family. Set in stone, forever the same. Unchanged and unchanging.

He made a sharp noise, aware of Kai watching him. Keen vermilion eyes were set on him, impossible to dismiss. Despite his earlier attempts at getting his partner to leave him alone, Kai insisted on being here.

Well, if he wanted to hear it so badly, why not?

“A decade ago, my family and my friends died,” Dan said, his voice low and rough. He stared ahead of himself, not meeting Kai’s eyes. “My father, my mother. My elder sister. My two closest…” He scoffed, harshly, then corrected, “My only friends.”

Kai didn’t speak, so Dan continued on. “They were at the Nasty Burger, all five of them, because of me. Do you know how much extremely flammable and explosive material they keep there?” A sharp humorless cackle. “Let me tell you, they had a lot of it! And most of it not particularly ghost-proof either! So if a ghost fight ever happened there, like for example, if amazingly heroic Danny Phantom shot a few ecto-blasts while chasing a ghost…”

Dan snapped his fingers. “Whoosh, just like that. Just one spark, and then everything goes. Like a big chain of fire and explosions.”

They sat in silence for a moment, as Dan’s mind relentlessly replayed his memories of that day. Sometimes he wished he could reach into his core and just rip out those pesky thoughts, the recordings of the whole chain of events. Why would he ever need that information, anyway? It had happened. It had led to this, to the here and now. That was all he needed to know, wasn’t it? What good was it for him to remember all of it to such a degree? To get caught up in emotions over it?

No good, that was the answer. It was absolutely pointless. If anything, it was actively harmful, a distraction and a bother.

“It’s not your fault that Nasty Burger didn’t properly secure their material,” Kai pointed out, finally, breaking Dan out of his chain of thoughts. “If they possessed material that so easily caught on fire when exposed to ecto-rays, they should have guarded it better, especially in a town such as Amity Park.”

Dan scoffed, unconvinced. “Yeah, right. The other ghost didn’t fire any rays. It was only me, and only because I was so focused on chasing ‘em. If I had held off until we were away from the restaurant, from the people… Or if I had behaved better, and none of them had come to the Nasty Burger in the first place!”

He forcibly snapped his mouth shut, teeth loudly clacking. What on Earth was he doing? Spilling emotional garbage all over his partner? Ugh. Bad enough that he was feeling these dumb emotions that he should’ve been over, but now he was spewing them at Kai as well? What was next, telling Valerie? Yikes.

“There’s no point in blaming yourself,” Kai told him, posture stiff, clearly uncomfortable with the task of making Dan feel better. “Perhaps you could have prevented it, but you can’t take the entire blame for it. And you have learned from it, haven’t you? It was a mistake, but one you won’t make again.”

“Hard to repeat it when I only had the one family to get killed,” Dan scoffed, shaking his head.

“You have me,” Kai pointed out, raising a challenging eyebrow at Dan. “Or do I not count as a loved one?”

Dan hummed at that. Well, Kai wasn’t wrong, was he? Instead of acknowledging that, however, Dan changed the topic entirely. “It’s not like I can repeat what happened afterwards, anyway. Hard to split off my ghost half when I am already full ghost.”

Kai made an agreeing sound at that. “And even if you could, where would you find a second half to stabilize yourself with?”

“Hm.” Looking back, it was rather stupid of Vlad to not have considered that. Dan hadn’t even needed to overpower the older half-ghost, as the element of surprise had been enough, both to split Vlad and to merge with the separated ghost half. “Once was enough.”

“Are you feeling better, then?” Kai leaned forward to catch Dan’s eye, but he looked away. “Now that you’ve talked?”

Dan harrumphed, unwilling to admit that it had helped at least a little. He still felt terrible, still felt haunted by the past, but… talking about it had eased the strain some. “I could’ve managed,” he retorted instead.

Kai caught his eye, staring at him intently, like he was trying to find the words to tell Dan in Dan’s own eyes. Clearly Kai didn’t know what he was doing either, struggling to find the right things to say, to find a way to comfort Dan. “You’re allowed to miss them, you know?” Kai settled on. “Even if you’ve been around so long without them, there’s nothing wrong with missing them. Acknowledging it, being willing to process the pain instead of shoving it away, that might help.”

“Oh, how would you know?” Dan dismissed with a flap of his hand. “I’ve been fine so far, and I’ll be fine for longer.”

“Will you?” Kai countered, leaning back slightly. “What do you want me to tell you instead, then? That at least your parents and friends aren’t suffering? That they would be proud of how strong you’ve become?” Kai scoffed. “That you’re better off without them holding you back?”

Dan huffed, squinting at his partner. “You’re not the type to tell me things you don’t sincerely believe.”

“Fine.” Kai shifted suddenly, standing up next to Dan. With a few short movements he dusted off his black jacket, then with a jerk, offered his gloved hand to Dan. “Come on. Moping around here clearly isn’t going to fix it.”

“And what do you plan to do instead?” Dan asked, raising an eyebrow but already extending his own hand to grasp Kai’s.

“I’m sure we could find something to do that would make you feel better,” Kai said, pulling Dan up. “Shall we?”

Dan looked at the navy fingers tangled with his own. “Yes,” he agreed. “Let’s.”

#danny phantom #commission #dark writes #dan phantom #writing commission #I don't think I've ever actually written Dan/Dark Danny before... wild

[sevenstarsinning]

Kinktober

Day 13: Pegging Cucking

Night time was home to many things. The moon, the stars shining in all of their glory, and sleep if you’re lucky enough to get it. But there was also something sinister that crept around in the dark.

The first time Em saw him standing at the foot of her bed, she thought it was Goku from the silhouette. That hair was unmistakable. However, when Goku showed up the following morning with zero knowledge of having visited her, she knew something was off.

The next night he came back and again, Goku said he wasn’t there. She thought the solution was simple, ask Goku to move in with her. She’d wanted to ask him for a while anyway, what better time than when he apparently had a doppelganger lurking in her bedroom.

With Goku out cold and snoring softly next to her, she thought whatever the hallucination was would go away. There were two problems with that. One, Goku was a heavy ass sleeper. And two, she severely underestimated the being that eventually revealed himself as Goku Black.

“Goku…” Em shook him but he didn’t budge, “wake up…” she tried again but still no luck.

“It’s no use, poor saiyan’s exhausted.” Black grinned slyly, his face shadowed by the moonlight that streamed through the window.

“Why do you keep coming back?” She asked, scooting back towards Goku.

“I have several reasons for that but I’m not sure you deserve to know just yet. But don’t worry, little saiyan, they’ll all come out eventually.” He grinned and remained still, not the least bit worried about her waking Goku up.

“When he wakes up-”

“What? He’ll tear me in two? Rip my beating heart from my chest? Dear saiyan, we both know he’s far too docile to do anything.”

Em knew Goku wouldn’t immediately jump up to fight, but at least having him awake if Black tried anything would’ve been nice. She nudged Goku again but all he did was roll over and fall back asleep.

“If you manage to wake him up, I’m still going to do exactly what I came here to do. And I’ll let you in on a little secret,” he whispered, leaning across the bed towards Em, “you’ll want it and he’ll sit back and watch it happen.”

Her heart leapt into her throat and her breath hitched, “and what did you come here to do?" 

Black slid his hand up the bed between her legs over the blanket, "I came here to take what I want, little saiyan.”

“Goku, wake the fuck up,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You’re already accepting your inevitable submission to me. You haven’t told me no yet and I don’t think you can,” he teased, pressing his hand against the blanket to her soaked panties.

“Oh, feels like you really don’t want to fight this.” He pressed his fingers down harder, making her buck her hips and moan slightly.

“Em?” Goku stirred, saying her name still half asleep.

“Go ahead, tell me to stop,” Black smirked, keeping his attention solely on her.

Goku turned towards Em and slowly opened his eyes.

Black brought his hand up to Em’s face and moved his thumb over her bottom lip, tugging before releasing it. “It’s a very simple word, little saiyan.”

Her eyes met Goku’s in the brief moment before she spoke.

Em opened her mouth, “don’t stop." 

The words came out before she could fully comprehend what she was asking for and Black smiled with the most mischievous grin.

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "tell Goku you want him to watch.”

Em’s eyes widened. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Goku in any way and she wasn’t sure how he would take that request.

“Em? What’s going on?” Goku asked, still disoriented from waking up.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he yawned and shifted next to her.

“Goku, I-” she spoke, her voice was small.

“Say it. Tell him you want me and not him.” Black urged her on.

“Goku, I want him.” The words left her conflicted and as much as she wanted to take them back, she couldn’t. Not with Black so close and offering exactly what she had dreamt about for weeks.

“What do you mean?” Goku asked, finally shaking off the haze.

“Who is that- is… is that me?” His eyes adjusted to the dark as he looked at the strange man touching her.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m nothing like you, filthy saiyan.” Black sneered.

Goku sat up and stared back at the man that looked just like him.

“Then… who are you?”

“His name is Goku Black. He’s the one I mistook for you at first,” Em said, watching Black’s hand dip under the blanket

“But I’m right here? Why did you say you wanted him?” Goku stared blankly, noticing his hand.

“Because you can’t provide her with what I can.” Black answered before she could.

His hand skimmed over the waistband of her panties, slipping down into the front of them and letting his fingers skate along her slick cunt.

“Em? Is.. is that true?” Goku asked. He was so close to giving her that sad face she couldn’t handle.

“Not-yes but,” she paused, struggling to find the right words while Black’s fingers teased her pussy.

“Be honest, little saiyan,” he warned.

“You know how… fuck, you know how I’ve asked you to be rough with me and not worry about my safety because I can handle it?” Em said in a rush.

“Yeah,” Goku said, still confused by what was happening.

“That’s what he can give me so you don’t have to worry about losing control.” She explained quickly as his fingers continued to tease and toy with her.

“But I thought you only wanted that with me?” He cocked his head to the side, smelling her arousal in the air.

“Goku, he looks just like you, can you really blame me for wanting him?”

“I don’t know,” he said, scratching his head in confusion.

Black rubbed her clit just enough to elicit a breathy moan that caught Goku’s attention.

Goku moved closer and Black stopped everything, “any closer and I’ll stop completely." 

Em looked at Black and then to Goku, "please, Goku?" 

Goku was utterly confused as he sat back. Black returned to his task of rubbing her clit until she squeezed her thighs together around his hand and moaned loudly.

Each moan he drew out made Goku try to get closer and every time he was forced to move back.

Black slid two of his long fingers into her cunt.

Goku looked down at the bulge pressed against his pants.

He palmed over his bulge, just hearing her moans and smelling her arousal was making him hard. 

Black halted his movements again, "I didn’t give you permission for that." 

Em whined, "Goku, do what he says, please." 

She was struggling, clenching around his fingers and trying to get the release she desperately wanted.

Goku pouted but moved his hand away from his cock anyway.

Black thrust his fingers hard into Em and paused again.

"Don’t stop… please don’t stop,” she pleaded, bucking her hips against his hand.

“Look at you, already a pathetic little mess,” Black chided.

Em gripped his forearm, trying to get him to move his fingers, “please,?”

He eased his fingers out and slammed them back into her, leaving her breathless and gasping.

“Does your cunt get this wet for the fool?” He asked.

Em knew what he wanted her to say but she didn’t want to hurt Goku.

Black didn’t move his fingers while he waited for an answer and desperation got the better of her.

“No, it doesn’t.”

“Hey, that’s not fair, you get really wet for me.” Goku whined.

“Clearly not as much.” Black pulled his fingers from Em completely, holding them up into the stream of moonlight.

Her wetness glistened on his hand and fingers, dripping as he held them up.

He reached out and Goku didn’t hesitate to move closer, drawn in by her scent like a moth to a flame.

“Foolish saiyan,” he chided, pulling his hand away before Goku could taste, “if you can’t stay back, you don’t get to watch me give her everything you wish you could.”

“I just wanna taste.” Goku whined and leaned back.

Black brought his fingers up to his mouth and flicked his tongue over the digits, “mmm, I can see why you’re so eager to taste her.”

Goku whimpered next to Em but kept his distance while Black brought his fingers to her mouth.

Em sucked and licked them clean while Goku watched, fighting the urge to touch himself to relieve some of the frustration.

“Good, little saiyan.” Black praised Em.

She felt bad for Goku, but Black said and did the things that she’d been wanting for so long.

Goku squirmed, “please let me touch myself?” He asked permission.

“If you stay quiet for 5 minutes, you can touch yourself,” Black said with a heavy sigh.

“I can do that!” Goku exclaimed.

“Apparently you can’t. The 5 minutes started when I finished speaking.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” Goku protested, annoying Black even more.

“Still struggling with the simplest instructions. No wonder you’re so unsatisfied.” Black sighed.

Goku looked as confused as ever but stayed silent.

Black grabbed the blanket and pulled it off of Em, “undress. Now.”

She quickly pulled off her shirt and panties and tossed them towards the floor but Black snatched them in midair.

He grabbed the panties and gave them back to Em. “Stuff those in his mouth.”

Em turned to Goku who already had his mouth opened. She stuffed her panties into his mouth and could tell he was trying to lick her wetness from them.

“Spread your legs for me.” Black ordered.

She did as she was told without hesitation, fully exposing herself to him.

“Tell me how deprived you’ve been,” he said, sliding his fingers up and down her cunt.

She glanced at Goku, seeing his wide eyes as he waited for her answer.

“Tell me.” Black lifted his hand and smacked her inner thigh.

“Really deprived.” She whined, bucking her hips.

“It must be frustrating having a mate that doesn’t know how to properly satisfy you,” Black mused, rubbing her thigh with the back of his hand. He was so close to touching her where she wanted it the most.

“Just so desperate for a decent fuck.” Black said with complete condescension.

Goku mumbled something but her panties muffled anything that came from his mouth.

“Does the little saiyan want what I can offer?” He asked, letting his fingers trail up and down her inner thigh.

“Yes, please?” She all but whined.

“Oh, I’ll need more than that. If you really, really, want what I can give you, then I think you can beg a little better than that.” He continued his torturous touch, but avoided her cunt.

“Please, I need what you can give me,” Em begged.

He moved his fingers a little closer but still didn’t touch. “Be more specific.”

“Fuck…I need what only you can give me,” she pleaded with him.

Black smirked and leaned down, his face hovering over her pussy, “good girl.” He let a single string of spit drip down onto her cunt, making her almost lose it at the slight contact she’d been deprived of.

Goku whined as he watched Em squirm for Black, having no way of touching her or himself.

“So perfectly wet for me, ready for my… fingers? Tongue? Or is it my cock you’re craving?” He glanced up at Em.

“Tongue and cock,” she answered quickly.

“Greedy little saiyan. I’m afraid you have to choose. I’m not promising both until I’m sure you’re worth it and he can stay quiet.”

“T-Tongue.” Em peered over to Goku who was just as hard as before if not more.

“I must admit I’ve been eager to taste you again and of course, show the imbecile how to actually devour such a perfect little cunt.” Black grinned.

He leaned close to her soaked pussy, his breath hot against her. It was taking everything she had not to beg and plead for him to fuck her, but she knew he’d only make her wait longer. 

Goku watched, his eyes flitting from Em to Black, his thighs squeezing together to get some kind of friction where he needed it desperately.

“Stop that or neither of you will get what your pathetic mortal bodies crave.” Black shot a warning glance at Goku.

His hands spread across her thighs, pushing her further open for him as he leaned down and flicked his tongue over her clit. She moaned immediately at the feeling, her need even more apparent now.

Black was torturous with his movements, keeping the pressure just light enough to have Em whimpering in no time along with her mate, who could only sit and watch.

Em looked over at Goku, seeing him struggling and needing some kind of relief. She glanced at Black who was focused solely on her clit, his tongue moving faster with each swipe. She reached towards Goku and slid her hand up his thigh to feel the head of his cock straining against his pants.

He let out the softest muffled whimper at the touch of her fingertips.

Black’s head shot up immediately, looking at the two of them. He grabbed Em’s arms and pinned them above her head harshly.

“Seems you’re both even more pathetic than I thought.” He sneered.

A sly grin spread across his face as he released Em’s arms and sat back, “if you want his cock so badly, then fuck him." 

Em hesitated, looking back and forth between Black and Goku. She scooted up in the bed with Black still sitting between her legs.

"But, if you touch him, even a fingertip, you won’t get that sweet release you’ve been dying for from me.” He warned.

Em knew Goku could fuck her, hell, with the way he was pent up right now he could probably fuck her through the mattress. But there was still something about Black, something she still craved and wanted more than anything.

When she didn’t immediately go to Goku, he sighed a little, her panties soaked by the mixture of her come and his saliva. He was helpless, only able to watch Black toy with his mate.

Black grabbed Em by the back of her hair and jerked her forward, his lips almost touching hers.

“Tell him you don’t want his cock, tell him how bad your pussy is aching for mine.” He said through gritted teeth, his hand pulling roughly on her hair.

“I- I…” she hesitated, glancing over at Goku.

Black yanked her hair harder to get her attention, “tell him and I’ll finally let you feel my cock sliding in and out of your messy little cunt.”

“I want-”

“Ah, look at him.” Black forced her to turn her head.

“I want his cock.” She muttered.

Black used his free hand to tap the side of her cheek, “better. More pathetic, like I know you can be.”

“G-Goku, I want his cock. I want to feel him stretching me out only the way he can and to show you how to use me.” Em felt her cheeks blush as she stared at Goku.

“Good little saiyan.” Black released her hair.

Before Em could mouth an apology to Goku, Black had her pulled off of the bed and bent over the edge, facing Goku.

His hand splayed across her lower back as he pulled his hard cock free, “you’re going to scream for me like a good pet and maybe, maybe, I’ll let the imbecile touch himself.”

Black pressed the tip of his cock to Em’s cunt and eased into her. Em gasped and let out a soft moan as he filled her, stretching her pussy just right.

He didn’t hold back once every inch of his cock was deep within her. He pulled back and slammed into her hard enough to make the mattress jerk forward.

“I want you to keep your eyes on him so he can see just how much you’re enjoying this,” Black growled as he drove into her harder and harder.

She tried to hide her face but Black grabbed the back of her hair and jerked her head back, forcing her to look up at Goku. Black continued to slam into her hard, each thrust making her breath hitch in her throat.

“Look at her, Goku, see how much she’s enjoying a decent fuck?” Black taunted him.

Goku shifted again, trying to keep still while Black fucked his mate the way she wanted. 

“Since you’ve managed to stay quiet for the most part, I’ll allow you to remove the panties and stroke your cock.” Black addressed Goku while stilling deep inside of Em.

Goku immediately pulled her panties from his mouth and shoved his hand down the front of his pants.

“Let her see.” Black ordered.

Goku complied quickly and pulled his thick cock free, his hand pumping up and down it as if he couldn’t get the relief fast enough.

Black kept a handful of her hair and forced her to watch Goku chase his release. 

“See how pathetic he is? Stroking his cock while his mate gets fucked properly by another.” Black continued to taunt Goku, and it was only making Em wetter by the second.

Seeing Em get fucked by what appeared to be an evil version of himself brought Goku to the edge of coming faster than ever before.  The look of complete ecstasy on her face was enough to drive him insane with need.

“Neither of you are allowed to come without my permission,” Black informed them.

“What? But that’s not fair.” Goku whined, his eyes going wide as he slowed his movements.

“Did I say I was going to be fair? What about this arrangement gives you that inclination?” Black laughed and slammed into Em harder.

She was all sensation and small squeaks between harsh thrusts. She was barely able to form a coherent thought as his cock drove deeper within her.

“But I wanna watch her come. It’ll help me come,” Goku whimpered and stroked his cock a little faster.

“Keep pestering me about it and neither of you will come. Would that make you happy, pesky saiyan?” Black shot back.

“No.” Goku looked almost too sad while stroking his cock.

“Please… let me… come.” She pleaded finally.

“Have words returned to your feeble little mind?” He teased as he jerked her head back towards him.

“Please?” Em begged again.

“Since Goku keeps interrupting, you have to wait,” he said, pulling her back far enough to arch her back, “and you won’t like what happens if you disobey me.”

Em knew not to push him any further, but she was quickly losing the grasp she had on controlling her orgasm. Goku looked just as desperate as he stroked his cock.

Black’s hips snapped against Em roughly as he moved his hand down to her throat, keeping her back arched while he choked her. She whimpered and panted for more with each torturous thrust.

Black was relentless and rough, harshly fucking Em just the way she wanted and forcing Goku to watch was a perk. She loved him but he just didn’t let go like she needed him to. 

“I can feel how close you are.” Black growled in her ear.

“Black… please… I can’t…” Em whined.

Goku’s hand moved faster as he watched Em mewl and whimper for Black.

A harsh smack landed on Em’s thigh, “you will or you’ll regret it." 

Goku reached for Em, softly caressing her cheek in an attempt to soothe her. She leaned into his touch and let out her moans and gasps into the palm of his hand.

Black squeezed Em’s throat, "tongue out." 

She complied and slipped her tongue out between her lips, still panting and writhing against him.

"Come on her tongue.” He ordered Goku as he continued to fuck Em relentlessly. 

Goku shuffled closer on his knees, still stroking his cock as he slid the tip of it over her tongue.

Em flicked her tongue over the tip of his cock and strained to try and slip the tip into her mouth.

Black popped the side of her cheek sharply, “did I say you could suck his cock?" 

"No.” Em whimpered and stared up at Goku.

“Follow directions or you won’t know what an orgasm feels like for the next week.” He growled.

Em opened her mouth and returned to just letting her tongue graze the tip of Goku’s cock while Black slammed into her.

Goku’s hand pumped up and down his thick length until he was muttering soft grunts and groans as he neared his release. As if by instinct, he glanced up at Black for permission, which was given in the form of a nod. 

Goku leaned closer as he finally let go, his cum coating Em’s tongue and the inside of her mouth.

“Don’t swallow it. Hold it.” Black commanded and stilled within Em.

“Have you bred her?” He asked Goku.

Goku barely registered his words as he was still panting, “not yet.” He admitted.

A devious grin spread across his face, “this really was the perfect opportunity for me to show up." 

He eased out of Em slowly and thrust back into her hard, making her gasp and some of Goku’s cum drip down her chin.

Black wasted no time in building his release again, making it harder for Em to keep her mouth closed between harsh thrusts. He finally let go, filling her with his cum with his hips snapping against hers harder than before. 

"Come for me.” He growled as he pushed his cum deeper inside of her.

Em whimpered and tried to hold her mouth closed, but it was too much. She was too sensitive and overwhelmed to hold back and let out a loud moan of Black’s name.

She collapsed on the bed with barely any of Goku’s cum remaining in her mouth as her legs trembled and shook from the intense waves of her orgasm still rolling through her body.

Black kept his cock buried inside of her as he released her neck, his hand trailing down her spine.

“Are you okay?” Goku asked, tilting her chin up towards him.

“Y-Yeah.” She managed to mutter, her body exhausted and worn out.

“I must say, for mortals, you kept up fairly well. I’ll have to really test your limits next time.” He finally pulled out of Em and stuffed his cock back into his pants.

“Next time?” Goku looked up at him.

“Oh, you didn’t think this was just a one time thing, did you?” Black said with a faint smirk.

#goku black x oc #goku black #goku x oc #goku #oc: em #lynn #supremeleadershitlord

[asgardianthot]

New Firsts (Sam Wilson x Bucky Barnes)

Summary: There’s many things Bucky hasn’t done since the last century, and many others he hasn’t done in the new one.

Words: 3988

Warnings: smut (PowerBottom!Sam)

The vegan place was only half-crowded, allowing the heroes to enjoy a peaceful meal with only one request for a picture. Sam and Bucky had been on a long spree of trying things Bucky hadn’t had the opportunity of doing since he woke up from the Winter Soldier, and it was going too well for Sam’s taste.

You’re only trying things you know you’ll like, he insisted before Bucky finally agreed to blindly follow Sam to a place he didn’t necessarily want to visit.

Only through that method did Sam accomplished his need of getting Bucky to try vegan meat, because Sam Wilson was a health freak, as Bucky put it, and he was a sucker for vegan places altogether. So he dragged the supersoldier downtown, no matter if Bucky didn’t get the point of eating meat that's not meat if you can eat meat. He even teased Sam for being a fake vegetarian, but when the order of a falafel mix patty with a side of fries landed in front of him, he stopped complaining. It did look like a fine burger, which was a point in Sam’s favor regarding his enthusiasm for spreading the word: plant-based food is just as good, Bucky, and it’s healthier.

A few silent bites from both of them, and Bucky had already decided he liked the blessed fake hamburger, but he was more focused on the spectacle that was contemplating Sam eat.

He was sloppy, and concentrated, and when he got ketchup all over his chin, Bucky couldn’t help but stare with cherishing eyes.

"Told you I loved these, stop judging." Sam said, his wording muffled by the food in his mouth.

A smile claimed Bucky’s features, "I'm not judging."

Sam took a bite, still pretending to ignore Bucky’s intense sight, "Ah-huh?" he swallowed in order to speak properly. "Then what is it?"

Sam’s reaction only made Bucky feel more aggressive butterflies in his stomach, because Sam had such a diverse spectrum of charm. He was charming in the morning, sleepy and forcing himself to be active because nobody dare say I’m not a morning person. He was charming in his fight gear, the goggles and everything, he was extra charming in a suit and tie, and he was charming when he wasn’t allowed to enjoy his meal in peace, all cranky and stuffing his face. The fact that Bucky was utterly and dangerously in love with him had never been so loud.

He raised his eyebrows like he couldn’t believe himself, "Fuck, I really love you."

The words had Sam choking on his burger. Bucky laughed to himself while Sam coughed, going back to his lunch with exceptional carefreeness. Meanwhile, Sam cleaned his mouth with a napkin and sat back on his chair as he finished chewing.

"You mean that?" he finally looked up at the man.

"Yeah, of course." Bucky replied like it was no big deal.

One of the many things roaming Sam’s cloudy mind was that this was the least romantic setup possible, and so of course Bucky would just spill the words right there. His internal reactions varied from ‘fuck this guy’ to ‘fuck, I love him too’. And although his insides churned with giddiness, he managed to focus back on eating with a huge grin on his face.

"So, better than real meat?" he returned to the original teasing.

Bucky acted as if he’d already forgotten about the former subject and followed along.

He narrowed his eyes in indecision, "I wouldn't go that far."

"Well, it's better for you."

The pair continued arguing over food and heath, and it was a discussion Sam was bound to win, but Bucky refused to give Sam so much credit because in his eyes, he was too perfect already, so he didn’t need another win.

-

"I'm not doing social media." Bucky snapped back at Sam.

As they sat on the couch, legs crossed and facing each other, Sam kept bothering him and asking for his phone with an obnoxious hand gesture.

“Just admit you don’t know how to use it.” He chuckled.

“Sam, I can hack a computer mainframe.” Barnes lowered his head with seriousness, “I think I can manage a phone.”

“You can plug in a pendrive the right way and let it to the hacking for you, that’s not the same thing.” Sam taunted about something that wasn’t entirely false, then asked for the phone until Bucky handed it to him with an exaggerated eye roll, “What do you use this for?”

Barnes shrugged, “I call you. That’s pretty much it.” He confessed before going back to his offended part, “See? I don’t need social media.”

“So you could be using a senior citizen phone.”

“That’s rude.”

“You’re old.”

With that being said, Sam broke the joking with a kiss he planted on Bucky’s lips. Bucky laughed into it a little, kind of breaking character, and gave into the way Sam slipped his tongue in. they only realized their bodies were drawing closer and their breaths were getting heavier when Sam’s hand travelled to Bucky’s thigh in a way it hadn’t before. The Falcon stopped himself abruptly.

"I need to ask something."

Bucky sat back, giving him the physical room to be open, "Shoot."

"Have you ever, uh...?"

"I'm not a virgin, Samuel." He interrupted with offense.

Wilson let the low laugh claim him as he faced down, "That's not what I'm asking."

"It sounds like you are." Bucky relied on that offended tone like he was being accused of something that was actually bad.

Sam looked up and pressed his lips together to ease his amused smile, but eventually, he had to force himself to look serious, "I mean with a man. Have you?"

"Oh." Barnes scratched the back of his neck, "I've- I uh, I've had my fair share of... experiences." He stared into Sam’s eyes, waiting for a response.

Sam frowned, "What does that mean?"

Bucky couldn’t deny anymore the fact that he was struggling with the subject. He didn’t want to seem inexperienced, but the truth is, he was. And if Sam needed him to be experienced then he would disappoint, and he wanted nothing more than treating Sam like he deserved to be treated, when the timing was right.

"That I've never... you know.” He looked away, “Not 'cause I don't wanna, I've never really thought about it? I dunno if I'd be into it. But I'm willing to try-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there.” Sam cut his rambling short, “I don't wanna fuck you like you think I want you to… I was sort of hoping you'd top me."

"Oh. Okay." The response settling him a lot more, Bucky shrugged nonetheless, "Well, I haven't done that either. I wouldn't... I mean, I don't know-"

"I can show you. So long as you really want to do it. We don't have to."

Bucky thought that that was probably how it’s supposed to feel. When you’re with someone you really love and they really love you back, it feels comfortable and it feels safe. With Sam, he was willing to try anything.

He licked his lips with concealed nervousness before replying truthfully, "I'd like that. Soon."

-

The next time the twist in their bellies caught them, they were cuddling to a Star Wars marathon. They’d run out of snacks hours ago, and were now just lying in each other’s embrace, in their pajamas. Although Bucky was really enjoying the saga, the sci-fi nerd that he was, they were both starting to believe a whole marathon hadn’t been the best idea.

"How many more of these?" Bucky asked, mildly complaining.

"Like...” Sam counted in his head, “Four."

"How do they keep making so many Star Wars? You'd think they'd run out of plots eventually."

"There're full decades between each trilogy." Sam defended the franchise.

"I wouldn't come up with these new storylines if you gave me half a century.” Bucky reckoned, and it was a matter of seconds before he realized something that would add some terribly dark humor to the sentence, “And I had half a century on ice to come up with 'em."

Unfortunately, the bad joke didn’t receive much praise. In fact, Sam remained silent, trying to think of a good response as he tensed up a little.

"Sorry.” Bucky looked down, a small grin of regret appearing, “No joking about it, I know."

"No, it's fine.” Sam intended to prevent Bucky from feeling bad about it; he had every right to process his trauma in any way that he wished, so in an attempt to ease some of that sour feeling he knew Bucky had in his stomach, he kissed the man’s knuckles with care, “It's your bruise to pick at. So long as it's funny to you."

Barnes felt safe enough to be honest with Sam at all costs. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel wrong from time to time.

That’s how he felt, an awkward smile drawn on his lips as he shook his head lightly, "It wasn't.” He let out a nervous chuckle, “Don’t know why I said that."

Sam gave him some mental space by refraining from any further comment. He proceeded to concentrate on the movie in order to drop the subject, but after a few seconds of bothering silence, he was pretty sure the sour feeling in Bucky’s gut wasn’t dissipating. When he turned to face him, he saw clear discomfort, which is why he turned off the TV. Bucky didn’t take his eyes off the now black screen.

"Hey." Wilson practically purred as he placed a finger under Bucky’s chin.

It was almost instant, Bucky’s distressed look turning into a much calmer one when his eyes met Sam’s.

"You breathe through it, 'member?"

Barnes nodded and took a breath, before grabbing a gentle hold of Sam’s face and kissing him on the cheek; a deep and grateful kiss.

"You're not feeling okay?" Wilson asked.

“No, I am. I'm good.” Barnes said truthfully, “Thank you."

They both returned to a cuddling position, Bucky holding Sam tight to his chest and running a thumb up and down Sam’s temple. The latter didn’t want to shut his eyes, no matter how much he was enjoying that simple yet perfect moment. He wanted to take everything in for a second. If he could stay like that for days without the need of food or drink, he would. Feeling far too content and cherished, Wilson wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist in a rush of adoration, then buried his face in Bucky’s chest to plant his lips against his clothed torso.

"I love you."

Shivers ran down Bucky’s spine, before a joyful smile escaped him as he shut his eyes to enjoy the way Sam dropped childish little kisses on his chest and pec. It wasn’t long until something took over his body, something powerful that had him accommodating into a position where he could kiss Sam.

He slipped his tongue in and let it twirl against Sam’s, seizing the opportunity to drag up Sam’s body with an embrace that helped him pin the man down to the bed. Sam hummed in content, receiving Bucky’s coddling and the way he seemed to have lost his thoughts in the kiss. Suddenly, Sam felt the expected lump in Bucky’s pants grow hard, yet he thought it was best not to mention it, in order to keep the whole situation pressure-free. That was until Bucky decided to drag up his legs and straddle Sam’s waist rather enthusiastically, for the way he started moaning into the kiss after the smallest friction informed Sam of his lover’s intentions.

Sam withdrew his face so he could break the kiss, earning a much focused and very lustful look from Bucky.

"You, uh...?" Sam mumbled the half-assed question.

As a response, Bucky kissed his neck and hummed in absolute approval. He knew he wasn’t coming off too dignified, but too desperate instead, but he didn’t mind. As long as he had Sam’s skin against his. His hands roamed Sam’s neck and shoulders and jaw and face, exploring every bit of exposed skin that could provide Sam with some amount of pleasure. When Bucky’s hips sunk down on Sam’s, the latter let out a censured moan.

It suddenly came to Bucky that he hadn’t verbally confirmed Sam’s willingness, and although he was pretty damn sure Sam wanted to do this more than he allowed himself to display –so he wouldn’t make Bucky feel bad if he decided to change his mind-, he thought to himself that he still had to ask. When he sat back on his calves and placed a tentative finger above the string of Sam’s sweatpants, he gave him the prettiest look Sam had ever seen.

“Do you... want to?” Bucky found himself pretty ignorant when it came to phrasing, which kicked some insecurity back into his pounding head.

Sam offered him a sweet smile, “Yes, of course. I’m just making sure you’re not getting carried away, ‘s all. I want you to be comfortable.”

Bucky planted another kiss onto Sam’s lips before going back into frantic mode.

“I am.” He panted into his mouth, reaching down to undo the knot holding Sam’s pants up.

He only sat back again when he had total freedom to lower the hems and free the painful erection that had grown inside Sam’s underwear. He could tell Sam was holding back, by the look of the trapped member, and when he lowered the boxers as well, nothing could stop Bucky from grabbing a desperate hold of Sam’s groin.

Sam sat straighter, propping himself up on his elbows and gestured for Bucky to come closer. As he kissed the latter tenderly, the man who hadn’t had sex in a while slid his hand up and down Sam’s shaft, using his pre-cum as some sort of lube. He’d definitely had a fair share of experiences, Wilson thought.

With the slow pace Bucky followed to stroke him, Sam found his breath picking up his own pace. He laid back and let the pleasure seep through him, but a few seconds later, he was caught up by the movement of Bucky shifting own lower on the bed. he lifted Sam’s shirt to gain access to his stomach, which he began kissing.

"Oh.” Sam was vocal about his surprise when realizing how fast Bucky was going, “Okay."

Barnes’ kisses drifted from Sam’s belly to his hipbones in the blink of an eye, and that’s when Sam noticed the lack of spontaneity and natural progression in his lover’s acts.

"Okay.” He made him stop, “Dude."

Bucky looked up, wondering.

"You trying to prove something?" Sam asked with no inhibitions whatsoever.

Bucky’s expression made it seem like he was shocked that Sam would even ask, "Yeah, that I'm not a virgin." He explained, as if it was obvious.

Wilson let out a laugh, not intending to be mean, but genuinely amused by the fact Bucky would think about that.

"I believe you. You can stop the demonstration."

The positive affirmation soothed Bucky’s concerns about not being smooth enough, and so he nodded with a grin right before launching back onto Sam’s lips.

"I, uh, I wanna do it." He confessed in a low tone.

Sam's tummy did a flip, "Alright then." He did his best to hide his excitement.

"I mean it.”

“I know.” Sam grabbed Bucky’s chin with softness and forced him to look directly into his eyes, "Double check?"

Barnes was unable to hide the big eye roll that took over him. Sam had to know by now how desperate he was to get laid. It had been almost a century –not really, but in sexual abstinence time, it felt like it had been the full seventy years- since he’d had sex and he violently needed it. but not with anyone, of course, with the man he loved. With Sam, who knew exactly how to make him feel safe, who knew when to mess with him and when to simply exist by his side, who Bucky adored like he never had before. He had never felt more at home than with him, so yes, having him there, his cock out and still wondering if Bucky wanted to go to town sounded ridiculous.

"Yeah, fucking triple check.” He let out as he held Sam’s face with both hands, “I want you."

That’s all Sam needed, really. Bucky continued to take the initiative because, well, sexual abstinence, and he helped Sam out of his pants before removing his own shirt swiftly, while Sam mimicked him. Their mouths collided angrily as Sam positioned himself to straddle Bucky, and the latter gripped his hips and pushed his weigh down on his own agonizing erection.

"Oh, god." He shut his eyes without processing the words coming out of him.

Sam let himself be manhandled and enjoyed it. He bit his lip as he propped himself up, both palms down on each side of Bucky's resting head. It was when he reached for the lube in the nightstand that Bucky’s confidence began straying away, realizing he didn’t really know what to do next. Luckily, he felt a heavy weight be lifted off his chest when he saw Sam taking the initiative now. The more experienced man stood up and removed his boxers, and Bucky wanted to admire his lover’s body as a whole, yet he was too worried about what he was supposed to be doing to gawk at it; instead, he took off his own underwear at the speed of light and sat on the bed while Sam got the bottle of lube open.

As Sam went back to his former position, Bucky stared up at him with absolute uncertainty, "What do I...?" he swallowed hard before he could even finish the sentence.

"I'll show you." Sam hushed him.

He proceeded with squirting lube on his palm as he distracted Bucky with a deep, long kiss, and although it blurred Bucky’s vision, he understood that Sam was prepping himself when a lubed finger guided his metal hand to Sam’s behind. Without any words, Sam showed Bucky how to push in, and when Barnes separated his bionic fingers and Sam’s hole gave in, the moan that came out of Sam's lips made Bucky think he wasn’t so lost after all. He was doing it right. So he worked his lover open, causing him to start panting and rest his mouth against Bucky's cheekbone, toning sweet little noises and hitting the inexperienced man with his hot breath.

"Fuck, Sammy, you feel so good." Bucky admitted, pleasantly surprised.

After a minute or two, Sam sit up and got the same hand lubed up again, this time to coat Bucky's dick. The feeling made him shiver, but he managed to sit straight for Sam to tease his own entrance with Bucky’s tip. Bucky felt the butterflies in his tummy, and that was when Sam began slowly sliding down Bucky's length, until he could fully sit down; Bucky held him tight, his arm wrapped entirely around Sam’s torso, and a groan escaped him from the amazing feeling of having him like that. Being inside him but also being able to embrace him completely was almost too much.

"God." He trembled slightly.

"God, Bucky." Sam mimicked him unintentionally, feeling whole.

Wilson rested his head on Bucky's shoulder while Bucky's rested back in the air, his hands keeping a tender grip on Sam's nape. They both submerged into the stillness, enjoying the intense moment until Bucky’s head was less dizzy and his head lulled closer to Sam’s. The latter’s eyes were still closed, and the slightest movement of their hips made him gasp.

"I love you." He moaned out.

He didn’t even give Bucky enough time to say it back, because he immediately started riding his dick up and down.

The lightheaded sensation returned to Bucky as he felt completely taken by Sam. He was claiming him, getting himself off on his cock, pushing him back on the bed with care until his head hit the pillow. And Bucky allowed Sam to take him, he just watched the man prop himself up by planting his palms on Bucky’s chest.

Sam was riding him like it was too easy, and it let him mesmerized and amazed, all the while the lower half of his body felt under both a rough pressure and a devious release.

“Is this- agh.” Sam groaned, unable to focus on his words when he moved his hips so intensly, “This good?”

“Yeah, Sammy, it’s good.” Bucky spoke in barely a breath, taking one of Sam’s hands and kissing it.

Then Sam took that hand of his and drew a finger across Bucky’s temple to his cheek, dragged them along his chin and mouth until Bucky’s lips gaped, which he didn’t know if it was because of Sam's fingertips or his incapacity to say anything, given how immersed in pleasure he was. When Sam withdrew his hand from his features, he knew the answer, because his mouth was still gaped open, and the smallest moan came out with special effort.

Still taking what he needed from Bucky, Sam intertwined his fingers with the bionic ones, pinning Bucky’s to the mattress right above his head. It helped Sam push himself forward and ride him faster, before placing a sloppy and breathy kiss on Bucky’s half open mouth. When the latter emitted something entirely incomprehensible, Sam drew back to let him talk.

"Fuck. Sam, I'm gonna-"

"Wait." The man acting as the ultimate power bottom cut him off.

He slowed down, sat straighter and stroked himself out, made himself cum with a few drawn moans.

That, was the icing in the cake. Bucky felt him tighten around his dick, he felt the hot liquid on his chest and he knew he couldn’t hold it back anymore. He lost it, chest heaving up as he came and his sounds choked back too deep into his throat to even go past his parted mouth. It wasn’t until he heard Sam breathe out in recovery that he let out a noise that sounded more like he was in pain than in pleasure. But it was pleasure, good god it was pleasure.

Both men rode down with heavy breathing, but Barnes was in a state of shock. The instant that Sam found his face, though, Bucky grinned. He had just shown Bucky a goddamn millennial treasure.

Sam kissed his collarbone, still breathless, "All good?"

Bucky ran a hand down his face while he regained his breath.

"Shit, yeah. Great."

"Better than your fair share of experiences?" Sam teased.

It drew a dumb smile on Bucky’s face, his eyes still closed as if he worried that if he opened them, it would all have been a dream. He hugged Sam tight to his chest until they were both lying down.

He shook his head with amusement, "I can't even remember those, suddenly."

Sam would eventually pat himself on the shoulder for teaching Bucky how to top him, for it seemed like it was now Bucky's favorite hobby. He'd hop in the shower and smother Sam with neck kisses until he became jelly under his touch. He'd stroke him, suck him off before dinner. Sometimes he'd start prepping Sam only to realize he just wanted to finger him to oblivion and get his cock to cum untouched. That turned out to be his favorite.

But sometimes he just wanted to do him from behind and smother him. He'd relish Sam's shoulders, his nape, his back, kiss every inch of skin he could reach while doing him slowly and never forgetting to let him know how loved he was. Sam felt like he'd cracked the Da Vinci code by showing Bucky the wonders of having sex with the man you love. And Sam, he worshipped his man right back.

#sambucky #sam wilson x bucky barnes #sambucky smut #sambucky fluff #bottom!sam #top!bucky #sambucky fanfic #sam wilson/bucky barnes #marvel fanfiction #Sam x Bucky #smut

[drcrushers]

so this was meant to be the next installment of the ‘wait for me’ series, but i never finished it and it’s honestly still a rough draft. it was a plot point i didn’t end up using but i also might in the future in a different setting. so enjoy this little nugget!

"I don't like it."

Persephone glanced at the reflection of her husband as she looped one of the studded gems into her earlobe. Simple diamonds - well, simple compared to the variety of gemstones and beautiful colors offered by the unlimited stock in the mines. Simple was better for that particular evening - an evening that already had her stomach turning into knots. 

"I know." She said quietly, admiring herself before she twisted in the chair to her vanity so she could see her husband properly. Hades was leaned against one of the bedposts, arms crossed with a darker than normal expression. "I don't like it either, but it's better this way."

"Don't see how." He scowled, brows knitting together in the center of his forehead. Persephone stood and crossed to him, taking his face between her hands. Her mighty man, who’d been doom and gloom all afternoon, didn’t pull away. Just gave a huffy little rumble deep in his chest.

"Because you need to be here." She said slowly. "Because if you go up that mountain you'll cause a war with one wrong expression. You ain't as subtle as you think, husband." She fiddled with his rolled up sleeves, fingers tracing the arm bands woven with the fine silver thread. He gave a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. 

"And you won't? You got a temper to rival your momma's." Hades replied after a moment. She tugged hard on the armband and let the elastic snap against his bicep in warning. He caught her hand in his, bringing her knuckles to his lips fondly and the expression on his face softened briefly. "I worry."

"I know. Were it for any other reason, I wouldn't go at all. Don't trust 'em. And after this - well, they'll be lucky if we don't turn them away at the gates now." Persephone glanced over to the bedsheets, where she'd tossed the letter sealed with the damn lightning bolt seal and her name and Hades' written in her daddy's own hand. "But I gotta face my music. And you know I ain't goin' unarmed. He wants to play hardball, he'll find out how much better I play. Especially given the circumstances."

"It ain't his business." Hades snarled. And he was right, Persephone knew. The underworld and it's inhabitants were not his realm. Nor any of the others. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last that the king of the gods stuck his nose where it didn't belong. To demand their appearance to answer about the songbird and Persephone's choice of temporary successor - well, things were working out just fine. Granted it had only been a few months since, but she hadn't heard bad things (except from her momma, who had already ripped her a new one - but then Persephone had used Melinoe as a bargaining chip and had immediately won that argument). 

"No. Ain't his business. But you know him - can't stand it if somethin' happens under his nose and he didn't condone it."

"He touches you at all and -"

"Hades." She warned gently. "Thanatos is comin' up with me. Momma will be there too, and she'd rip Zeus in half if he even thought of it and send you the remains in a box of ashes. Hera will deal directly to me." She leaned up to kiss the frown from his lips. "Now tell me I'm pretty."

"You're stunning, as always." He murmured, and reached up to brush an errant curl from her face. "Haven't seen you like this in a while."

She'd donned a black dress not unlike her usual underworld wardrobe, but this dress was laced with silver accents that gleamed like the diamonds Hades was so fond of comparing her to. Nothing terribly fancy, but enough to make a statement - which was half the battle up on the mountain. They all lived in damned black tie wardrobes most of the time and while Persephone was not to be outdone, she was sure as hell not gonna follow their rules. 

"I'm queen of the underworld. Gotta look the part." She smiled. "Just need my crown."

With a flick, a wreath of silver and gemstones appeared in Hades' hand. Old as their marriage, that crown. She hadn't worn it since they stopped doing official trials and having audiences and the factories had started rising up. Hades had made it for her within the first week of their marriage, a crown of silver leaves and asphodels immortalized in delicate gemstones. He nestled it atop her head in a soft gesture, sealing it with a kiss to her forehead. 

"You be careful up there." He whispered and she nodded. 

"And you take care of our girl." Persephone smiled softly, which was accompanied by the soft noise of their daughter in her bassinet by the bed - neurotic as they both were, they had yet to move her to her own nursery. Persephone turned to gather Melinoe into her arms, pressing a kiss to her nose. "Was wonderin' if you were gonna wake up to tell momma bye, chickadee." 

Melinoe blinked, and lurched forward to try and grab at the shining gems that decorated her mother. Persephone chuckled and caught a flailing hand in her own, pretending to nibble on it to the delightful squeals of laughter of her little one. Her whole world, her girl and her man. Melinoe wasn't even close to her first birthday and already she had the look of her daddy, those dark eyes all brightened with curious energy. Their winter's child. A miracle, if Persephone believed in such. 

"He'll be expecting you to bring her." Hades crossed the space between them, reaching out instinctively to catch Melinoe's other hand. “He wasn’t subtle in the invitation. As if he had the right."

"Which is why I ain't. He's expectin' you, too. But I'll handle it. One of us needs to stay with our little sprout. I'll see to our girl up top."

With a kiss to her daughter's forehead and a parting kiss from her husband, Persephone headed off for the train. The underworld was quiet and while she smiled at the shades she passed, there was a tension in her expression and her stance building the closer she got to the platform. She hadn't been up top in a while now with the new arrangement; she had imagined this trip would have been introducing Melinoe to real sunlight for the first time. Not going up the damned mountain on her daddy's whim because he was feeling bitter that she'd circumvented his original contract. Not to mention it was the first time spending any length of time away from Melinoe, which didn't sit right in her gut either. But her little girl had Hades, and would be safe in the underworld. Untouchable. One of the good things about the shadowed realm - the other gods couldn't cross the boundaries without permission, not even Zeus himself. If anything happened to her up on Olympus, Hades and Melinoe would be safe.

The train was waiting when she arrived, and so was Thanatos. Persephone was perfectly fine going up the mountain on her own, but Hades had insisted and she wasn’t about to argue. If things went sideways - well, it would be useful to have someone else on her side. Quite frankly Persephone didn’t trust her momma to pick her side over Zeus’. Much as she hated the king of the gods, Demeter could be easily swayed into doing what was best for Persephone - or what she thought was best. Especially since Demeter was unaware of why Persephone had refused for so long to go up the mountain, why Hades had forbade it. That was about to be out in the open, too.

The great machine let out a hissing billow of steam as she hopped up onto the platform. Thanatos tilted his head, eying her sharply with those endless black eyes. Her lips quirked and she gave a mock curtsy. 

“Let’s get this over with.” He murmured in a voice nearly low as Hades’, and offered out a hand to help her onto the train. Persephone snorted, but took his hand and stepped onto the train for the first time in a real long while. 

It felt strange, really. Somewhat empty. Granted she’d done plenty of runs up top without Hades, and plenty back down. The train had just been a mode of transport, nothing more or nothing less, taking her from one prison to another while she wore gilded handcuffs and drank herself half blind. The bar was still there, untouched, and Persephone briefly considered making herself something to get a bit of liquid courage to deal with her relatives. Deciding against it, she flopped unceremoniously into one of the seats and tried to lose herself in the gentle thrumming of the train beneath her feet. It lurched, and began the slow pull away from the station. 

Persephone tried not to consider worst case situations. Quite frankly she hadn’t considered consequences to her and Eurydice’s little switch - not that there was any. Not important ones. The only thing lost seemed to be her daddy’s ego, which was nothing unusual. Only annoying as hell, and the fact that he had put thinly veiled threats to her in the invitation made her all the more angry. She only worried - Eurydice now spent half the year up top, which was very much fair ground for Zeus or any of his demi-god bastards he usually got to do his bidding. Which meant she was vulnerable. She had faith that Eurydice could hold her own with the share of ancient magic Persephone had gifted her, but the idea all the same made her stomach sour more than what it had. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to swallow the bile in the back of her throat.

Maybe she should have let Hades come. Or made him go without her. But no - she’d caused the mess. Made her bed. Now she had to lie in it. Hades didn’t need to take the blame; didn’t need to be made out to more of the villain all of Olympus seemed to think he was. 

She knew when they passed from the underworld to the mortal realm, a chill running up her spine and causing the hair on her arms to stand on end. She looked away from the slowly brightening landscape beyond the window to Thanatos, but he had leaned back on another bench and drawn a hat over his face; for all appearances, he seemed asleep. She knew better of course, but didn’t bother in disturbing him. 

The train began to slow as they approached the platform she had gotten on and off at since the beginning of time. She watched it come into view, the train coming to a full stop just a few moments to allow other passengers to board. It felt strange not to be getting off. They'd barely stopped before they were off again, and the door to her private compartment opened. Persephone smiled. 

"Hey there, songbird." Persephone greeted as Eurydice stepped through, wearing her usual garments - except the red bandana at her neck. Eurydice hugged her fiercely and Persephone could smell the sunshine that radiated from her, like an inner light. It suited her; seeing the smile and the color in her face was even more of a delight. Songbirds were far better alive than dead.

"Its good to see you." She murmured. "You holding up alright?"

"Alright as ever." Persephone promised. "Though I should be askin' you."

"More than. Demeter's helped and I think I'm doing okay. I mean - everyone is happy. No one is hungry. The harvests look good - great even." Persephone noted the brightness in her face did not fade. "I'm happy."

"Good. As long as you're happy, I am too. Poet alright?"

"He is. Sends his love. Already writing a new song."

Hopefully Orpheus would still hold up, when Eurydice came back down below for those required six months. But knowing she was coming back - that was the aid. Eurydice would always come home to him. Doubt would and could not cloud Orpheus as it had Hades. Not after everything. 

Bickering tore Persephone's attention from Eurydice to the two others that had boarded and were now coming into the private car with quiet words hissing between them like two angry snakes. 

"What in hell are you two on about now?" Persephone asked. Demeter and Hermes both looked up, Hermes sweeping forward first with a bright grin. 

"Never you mind, sister. A'ight?"

"A'ight." Persephone echoed, and moved to embrace Demeter. "Hello, momma."

"Hey, girl." Demeter smoothed a few flyaways from Persephone's unruly curls, and took her face in both her hands. "Missed you."

"Missed you. Wish we were meetin' under better circumstances."

"Never you mind. Your daddy is a bag of hot gas and nothin' more. I'm on your side, and your girl's here. Much as I hated it - she's good. And you got the little one. She ain't here, is she?"

"No. I figured she's safer back below, with Hades. Just in case." Persephone murmured. "Just in case."

From there, quiet conversation filled the car. Persephone listened as Eurydice and Demeter filled her in in the things up top, and Hermes toured on about the things even further up top. No one made mention of where and why they were going, but she could feel the tension grow thicker than molasses the closer they got to the mountain. Goosebumps pimpled across her arms as they passed another barrier into the true realm of the gods. She swallowed back the bile in her throat and stared out the window.

Worst case, she'd end up dead. Hypothetically. Or stripped of her abilities. Memories erased. There were too many possibilities. Eurydice could be hurt, too. Or Orpheus. Persephone had inadvertently dragged quite a few people into her mess - but they had come willingly. And they were there as a figurative army at her back as the train once more began to slow. 

The platform at Olympus was only a part of a great train station. One gilded in gold and paintings and statues from the classical era, when the mortals had gotten how the gods had looked all wrong. Curiously, she watched Eurydice take it all in with a slightly awed expression as they disembarked. Scenes from long ago eras were portrayed in murals, paintings, and frescoes that hadn't aged a day. 

The marble statues were hidden in little alcoves along the walls between the artwork - beautiful but not at all accurate. Hades had a massive beard in his, her mother was carved far older than she should have been. Persephone had one as well, but they'd given her so much youth. Artemis looked fierce and Athena and Ares both wore matching expressions in theirs. Eurydice paused at some of them as they threaded through the grand hall of the station. Tunnels that were not labeled branched off, leading to what she knew were other platforms that led to either other realms, or other places on the mountain of Olympus. It felt strange to Persephone - there was usually at least a few demigods or muses roaming about the station to head here or there. 

Now it was empty. Nary a soul. 

"I'd give you a grand tour if I could." Hermes was saying to Eurydice, his arm around her shoulders as they walked toward a wall that instead of a tunnel, held a gleaming golden elevator. The doors opened at their approach with no prompting - Eurydice balked. 

"Tacky as hell. Used to be this was just one lush field." Persephone muttered. "Olympus used to be more green than gold. Heph's done nice work on the tile inlays, though."

Demeter snorted as they stepped into the elevator. There was no panel of buttons - the elevator doors closed once they were all piled in. Thanatos looked almost out of place, his dark aura contrasted sharply against the gold interior that reflected everything right back. Persephone studied her tinted reflection, her own dark clothes and gleaming silver crown a direct disobeyment of everything Olympus was. Demeter had not dressed up, and neither had Eurydice - good. The bitter part of her hoped it offended at least some of them. 

The elevator climbed with no noise, rising higher in a way that made Persephone's stomach swoop uncomfortably. No. Melinoe did not belong up there in such a gilded cage. A gilded hell. 

"Should we have a game plan?" Eurydice asked after a moment. Persephone reached out to grasp her hand and squeeze it. 

"Game plan is on me, chickadee." She murmured. "Whatever happens, go along as you can. If things go south, Thanatos is tasked with gettin' you right on outta here."

"And you." Thanatos rumbled lowly, which she ignored. Eurydice frowned. 

"South?"

"Gods have tempers and they get all riled up. If they do, it'd be too dangerous. You got half my magic girl, but it wouldn't be enough to keep you safe against the whole panthenon."

Eurydice opened her mouth to likely protest, but the elevator stopped quite suddenly without even a hint of warning. The doors slid open and cool air swept into the container as they stepped off. A set of double doors greeted them in a grand, gilded lobby with more stupid art - place looked more museum than anything. Displays of wealth and power that Persephone curled her nose at. The great set of wooden doors was ancient as time itself, carved with a tree of a myriad of branches. Beautiful and worn, Persephone recalled the one time she had seen it before it had looked the very same. She'd traced the inches of it with lithe fingers while Hades had held tight to her hand, the pair of them about to face her momma and Zeus in regards to their hasty marriage and Demeter's fit of ire. 

Now, she took hold of Eurydice's hand and squeezed it tightly. If Eurydice was afraid, she certainly didn't show it. With no further hesitation, she shoved open the heavy doors and stepped through.

The room itself had not changed largely since her last visit to Olympus. In mortal terms it was akin to a ballroom, but the ceiling didn’t exist; instead, it was open to the cosmos above in a beautiful array of stars - for now. As she recalled, it had a tendency to change with her daddy’s moods. On a raised half dias around the room there were gilded thrones, identical in color but carved with unique inlays to their owners. For all the modernity that the gods had, Zeus had kept the core foundations of the mountain the same. The room could be anything it wanted - a lounge, an intimate club, whatever they wanted. Clearly it was a power move being pulled; make her feel like an outsider. Nothing new.

Arranged on the thrones were, as expected, the pantheon. Her daddy in the center, perched like the king he thought he was. Hera was to his left, her face an impressive neutral mask - Persephone’s nails dug into her palms at the sight of the so called queen of the gods, and didn’t relax even as Demeter took hold of her free hand. Poseidon, Artemis, Apollo, Ares, and Athena fanned out on either side of Zeus and Hera, with Aphrodite and Hephesatus rounding things out. Three of the tacky chairs were empty - Demeter and Hermes both moved from her side then to take up two of the empty chairs. The remaining one belonged to Hades - and thus, as his wife, it also belonged to her. 

But Persephone did not sit. She stood with Eurydice, the pair of them alone in the center of the room. 

“Full regalia for this really necessary?” Persephone remarked to the otherwise silent room. “Figured we’d settle this in your back office and be done with it.”

“Your actions deserve full council.” Hera drawled, painted lips drawing into a sharp, deadly smile. “I should think you’d be happy to have a fair trial.”

“Trial?” Persephone arched a brow. “Nothin’ in that damn note of yours said trial. I’m here to say my piece, that’s all. Ain’t a reason for a trial. I’ve done nothin’ wrong. And before you open your mouth again will some utter bullshit, point me to whatever trumped up rule book you’ve invented tellin’ me I’ve done wrong by the universe.”

“Persephone.” Zeus’ voice rumbled in a way not unlike Hades’. He was older than she remembered, grayer at the temples. Nearly fully white as Hades, but not quite. Whereas her husband took after his mother, Zeus and Poseidon took after their daddy in a way that made her stomach twist itself back into knots. “You’re here as a guest. Not on trial. But you understand we naturally have . . . questions about your decision to give this human -”

“I have a name.”

Zeus’ gaze slid cooly over to Eurydice, who had spoken quite sharply. 

“A name. My name is Eurydice. And Lady Persephone saved my life.”

“No, she didn’t.” It was Hera who spoke again. Gods, Persephone wanted to rip her perfect fucking face off. “She broke the law of the underworld and returned a soul to the living without permission. Souls are not permitted to return to the aboveground in the way you have, mortal.”

“Last I checked my husband was in charge of the law of the underworld, not you.” Persephone remarked. “And he ain’t got a problem with it.”

“I can’t help but notice Hades isn’t here.” Poseidon added. “Will he be joining us at all?”

“No. He willingly remained behind to see to the realm. That a problem?”

“You mean to babysit?” Hera mused. Persephone’s vision went vaguely red.

“Forgive me, I didn’t want to expose our daughter to the bullshit on this mountain at such an early age. She’s fine, by the way. Thanks for askin’.”

Hera’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s not like I asked for this!” Eurydice added. “I want it, more than anything. I love what Lady Persephone has given me. And - the promise of the contract is still there. I only bring the spring for six months. Then I spend winters down below. It’s the same thing as her, isn’t it? I just . . . took over her contract.”

Bold, Persephone thought. She’d expect nothing less from Eurydice and that fire burning in her. Hera looked positively livid that Eurydice had spoken without being spoken to - again - but to Persephone’s relief, Zeus looked at least amused. A decent sign. 

“Hades has given his permission.” Persephone repeated, then glanced to her momma. “And so has Demeter.”

“I have.” Demeter added. “As a firm believer in a child havin’ both her parents, I granted the contract amendment.” She gave a long side-eye to Zeus, who pretended clearly not to notice. 

“If both parties agreed, I see no true issue.” Athena’s voice was clearly flat; one of the many who seemed bored by the whole ordeal. Who thought it was a waste of time. 

“I did not give my permission.” Zeus said evenly. 

“Hades was the holder of the contract, with respect.” Hermes drawled. 

“And if you look at that contract close enough, it never mentions me by name.” Persephone pointed out. 

“It says Kore - “

“Which ain’t my name.” She cut across her father. Her hair was standing on end again - like the way it did just before a real bad thunderstorm. When lightning was in the air. Shit. “My name, as granted and given by you, is Persephone. Other than that, the contract states the seasons gotta be brought. And far as I can tell, Eurydice’s doin’ a damn fine job of it. Haven’t heard a single complaint.”

“She’s right. I looked over it myself.” Hermes spoke again. “She technically ain’t broke a single thing in that contract. And Eurydice’s doin’ a fine job as it is.”

“I did what I did for the sake of my marriage, and my daughter. I ain’t gonna abandon my girl. Eurydice and Orpheus helped repair damage done. If it weren’t for them, pretty sure you wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation. Instead you’d have mortal riots on your hands cause they’re all starvin’.” Persephone flexed her fingers, but they returned to the balled up fists at her side. It was difficult, trying to keep her temper under some normal range. The entire situation was foolish, the council a joke. Just because everyone else in the room seemed to be a shit parent, didn’t mean Persephone would ever be. 

“Are we going to really discuss the logistics of this?” Hera snapped. “She broke the laws. You cannot just decide to name someone a god because you felt sorry for them. Otherwise half the mortal realm would be gods by now!”

“As opposed to the bastard demi-gods runnin’ about?” Persephone snarled. “Not much difference. I had every right. It’s my power, and mine to do with what I damned well please.”

“Then clearly you need stripped of them because you don’t know how to handle them.”

“Like you stripped me of my children?” 

There was a quiet, tense silence that settled. Persephone was staring at Hera with every ounce of fury in her, watching as the queen of the gods seemed to internally debate how best to handle the situation presented. Perfect.

“You’ve gone delusional as well. I’ve done nothing to your child.”

“Ain’t for lack of tryin’.” Persephone continued. Without breaking her glare to Hera she fished in the front of her dress and pulled out a small, folded few notes that had certainly yellowed with age. She brandished them with a flourish. “And you did. Try. Succeeded before, too. I always thought it funny why my babies never survived in my womb. I’m the goddess of fucking life. Except where it mattered - or so I thought.” She stepped forward toward Hera’s throne, and no one made an immediate move to stop her. 

“And then I found the letters. Half a dozen. Written to lackeys in your hand. Dates line up real nice and neat. Every little life crushed before it could even thrive because the goddess of childbirth and fertility deemed it so.”

She had grown closer to Hera, enough to throw the letters at her feet. Hera had the decency to look slightly appalled. 

“You murdered my children. I ain’t got proof of it yet, but I’m pretty sure you nearly cost me my marriage, too. And for what?” Persephone could feel the anger radiating from her in waves; if anything remotely green and living within her vicinity had existed, it would surely be brown and ashen by now. Dead. “You’re a monster. And you’re lucky I don’t make you eat the ground beneath me and grind your face into the mountain from here to the bottom.”

Her gaze went sharply to Zeus, who was watching with a mixed expression. 

“Deny Eurydice, reverse my choice. Strip me of my powers. And I’ll consider these letters as a threat of war. Hades agrees. You came for us, our family, our realm. Whether you were in on it or not.” Persephone’s teeth grit together as she glared at her father. “Go against this - or even think of laying harm to her or Orpheus or anyone else I love, and consider the underworld borders closed. No one in or out. Mortals will riot as their loved ones rot and their souls wander your realm. And they’ll go from worshipping you to cursing your temples near and far.” 

Her smile was dark, wicked, an expression learned from her husband. 

“And in case you decide it’s worth the cost - just remember. Hades and I are the only protection you have from the monsters in Tartarus. I can’t promise one or two might not somehow get out should there be any sort of war. So by all means. Try. Us.”

#( writing ) #wait for me au

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #354

“swimming through the void, we hear the word  /  we lose ourselves, but we find it all”

The last time you washed your hair, did you use conditioner? I never do. My hair is naturally pretty oily, and conditioner just adds oil to it. Do you prefer light or dark jeans? Dark. I never liked light-hued jeans. When you listen to music, do you generally sing along, or just listen? I almost always just listen. Do you have any of your exes as friends on Facebook? Yes. Who was your first love? Do you ever miss that person? My first "real" boyfriend. I always do to varying degrees. How many cars are parked at your house right now? Just one. Do you have any Italian ancestry? No. Do you prefer water to be ice cold or at room temperature? The colder, the absolute better. I can barely stomach drinking water that isn't cold, like literally. Has anyone ever told you you’re a control freak? No. Do you know anyone who has gone missing? If so, were they ever found? I don't think so, anyway. What was the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten? A certain hot sauce on the wings I used to get at Buffalo Wild Wings. It was close to the top of their little heat rating thing. It made me feel awful, and yet I enjoyed it still?? I think it was an adrenaline thing. I only get medium sauce now; I'm more interested in enjoying my food than feeling like I'm eating fire. Do you need to talk to someone? I'm ready for my therapy appointment honestly, but it's not 'til the start of June. Mom and I both don't want to go through the process of finding a new one, so I've chosen to just suck it up and wait. Is something confusing you at the moment? I'm always confused with myself and my feelings. When was the last time you had a real deep chat? Real deep, I'm sure that would've been during PHP. Who did you last see on webcam? My former group therapist. I miss him a lot and really wish he could treat me outside of the program, but he doesn't do that. :/ What’s your best friend’s pet’s name(s)? Doris, Martha, Crowley, Little Dot, Jane Marie, Buster, Beesly, Winter, and I believe only one of the fish is named: Raisha. Have you ever taken a picture while laying in the grass? No. Who’s your favorite Disney character? Dory, probably. Have you ever deliberately tried to get someone drunk? What the fuck, no. When was the last time you used a pay phone and who were you calling? I've never used one. Do you like being kissed on the neck? Whoa now buddy, we better be kind of serious by then for you to do that because it doesn't end "well" lmao. Have you ever had sex with someone you weren’t dating (but had feelings for) in the hopes that they would ask you out later? I almost deleted this question because I didn't want to answer it, but I try to leave more unique ones in, so... whatever. I haven't. But I would for "somebody." What’s the most you would be willing to spend on a good bra? Ugh, my relationship with bras is a hellish one because NONE FUCKING FIT ME CORRECTLY. Mom's tried so, so many places, so many different stores online and in-person, and even if the bra fits in the front, it won't go around my back comfortably. I guess my body is shaped weird, I don't fucking know, because I have literally ZERO bras that don't aggravate me. At some point, I'm going to some woman Mom knows who can size me properly and therefore buy some that don't piss me off. All that to say I'd actually pay more than the usual, but not a ridiculous price. Do you have any of your teachers’ personal cell phone numbers saved in your contacts list? My old Physical Science teacher, who is actually now a very close family friend and our landlord, is in my phone. Do you ever stalk peoples’ personal blogs, even if you don’t know them very well? No. What’s one thing about today’s generation that you just can’t stand? How ungrateful they can be. Be honest: how do you feel about abortion? I am pro-choice. Is there anyone you currently want to reach out to? There's a lot of people, actually. Old friends I miss. What is your favorite piece of art you own? It... sounds cocky, but it's probably the drawing I did in high school of Pyramid Head and the Halo of the Sun intertwined. I worked my fucking ass off and I'm extremely proud of it. What’s the one thing you apologized for this month? Hm. Probably just something minor, like bumping into Mom or something when passing her. My favorite color is ______? Pink, specifically pastel pink. I wish I had _____? A job. What did you buy today? Nothing. What has challenged your morals? Life, my dude. Live and learn. What made you pick up the last book you started reading? It's the sequel to the last book I read. What about your life concerns you the most? Concerns me, my physical health, especially just how weak my legs are. I'm terrified of them continuing to deteriorate. What do you find particularly offensive? Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? I cannot fucking stand the misuse of the word "retarded." Like just keep your damn mouth sewn shut if you have the audacity to say things like "hurr hurr this driver is retarded." ANY mental illness/condition is NOT to be mocked. Onto the next question, I'd say I'm more towards difficult to offend. It really depends on the topic. What was the last series you finished watching? Do you have any plans to begin another? I re-watched Fullmetal Alchemist w/ Sara. We're working on Avatar: The Last Airbender too, but I won't resume watching it again until we can do it together. What is one way in which you are different from a year ago? What is one way in which you are still the same? Well, I weigh a lot more. .-. I gained back almost all the weight I shed since quarantine started, and I'm forever fucking furious about it. I'm the same in most other ways. If you could learn about anything without the stress of grades or cost, what kind of classes would you take? Uhhhhh meerkat behavior? Idk. Name a song you’ve listened to today? I've got Halocene, Lauren Babic, and Violet Orlandi's cover of "Aerials" by System of a Down on loop right now. It's fucking gorgeous and so mesmerizing. When you were younger, did you have a swing set or a playhouse in your backyard? We had a small playhouse with swings and a slide. Is your mall nice? GOD no. You better accept the possibility of getting shot before you walk in there. There's nothing that cool at all there. Do you have a Sonic near you? If so, what’s your favorite drink from there? Yeah. I love the strawberry slushy, and the Reese's Blast thing if KILLER. Will you be voting in the presidential elections next time around? Yes. How do you feel about chocolate-covered strawberries? GOOD. STUFF. Did you ever stop having feelings for someone and then started having those feelings again for them? I think so. Do you hate the last guy you had a thing with? No, he's my closest guy friend. To whom did you last give the finger? Probably some idiot that ran a red light. I'm sure it happened in the car, whenever it happened What was the last musical instrument played in your presence? I've got no clue. Do you like sprinkles on your ice cream? No, I hate the texture difference. And just sprinkles in general. Honestly, have you ever crashed a party before? No. Do you know how to do the moon walk? No. Has anybody ever told you that you have a good singing voice? Yeah, but I beg to differ. Onion rings or french fries? French fries. I'm not a big fan of the other. Has anybody ever described you as a heart breaker? Nope. Has anybody ever told you that you talk too fast? When I'm excited, yes, it happens sometimes. Who is the best cook that you know? Uhhhhh idk. Which meal throughout the day do you skip the most? I don't really skip meals. What’s the largest amount that you can juggle at one time? I can’t juggle at all. What was your favorite thing to go on at the playground as a kid? Swings. I'd dash to those at recess to try to actually get one. Do you know how much you weighed at birth? How much? All I know is six pounds, no clue on the ounces. Which aspect of your daily routine takes the most time? What do you do? Sitting my ass at the computer, really... I don't exactly do much. Do you enjoy buying gifts for others, or could you do without this? It feels sucky of me considering whenever I do get someone a gift, it's because Mom is letting me use her money with me being without an income, BUT I still do LOVE the process of thinking of something meaningful for those important to me and hopefully seeing them love whatever I got them. I cannot wait until I actually can do that regularly. What is one thing you are expected to do, if anything? Take care of my pets. How do you tend to view driving? Monotonous or entertaining? I hate driving because you're in a speeding box of death, man. I do really want to start working towards my license though; I've long since reached the "enough is enough" point. But first I need new glasses so I can actually see five feet in front of me. Do you enjoy talking about music with others? Yeah! Is acting something you enjoy? No. I'm too awkward about it. When do you feel most accomplished? When I finish a big art pierce. Do you think Manwich is amazing or completely gross? I like 'em. Just messy, which I'm not a fan of. How many best friends do you have? One. Are you a smoker, drinker, pothead or none of the above? None of the above. If you have your ears pierced, when did you get them pierced? I don't remember exactly, but I was a kid. Do you own any exercise machines? No. I wish. On Facebook, do you have people listed as your siblings who aren’t really your siblings? Nah, but I used to do that. Have you ever drawn or painted a self-portrait? Painted, but only because it was a school assignment. Who was your last voicemail from? I don't get voicemails because mine isn't even set up. Have you ever been falsely accused of something serious? No. Did you ever set up a lemonade stand when you were a kid? No. When was the last time you spoke to someone in a different language? Not since I was taking a test in high school for my German course. My teacher was a Germany native, so she was a total pro and fun to learn from. Have you ever received an anonymous gift? No. Have you ever camped out somewhere for an event the next day? No. That's always sounded miserable to me. When were you the saddest in your life? 2016 was fucking miserable. Do you know anyone, personally, who is in an abusive relationship? Are you? I don't know if it's abusive, but it's toxic and dysfunctional as HELL. I don't know WHY she keeps going back to him, I feel awful for the woman. I'm definitely not, 'cuz I wouldn't tolerate that shit for half a second. If you have siblings, have they moved out or do they still live with you? They've both moved out by now. Have you ever gotten searched by the cops? Yes, as a safety protocol with mental illness stuff. Do you like fried rice? Yes. What was the last thing you drank? Would you believe me if I told you I have water right now?

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''aerials'' by system of a down

[broken-clover]

AU-gust Day 1- Fantasy

With the new announcement, I nearly forgot about this! I didn’t get a response form anyone on if I should post these here or not, so I’m gonna do it because this is my blog and I do what I want.

I guess this ended up being more low-fantasy than high-fantasy, I will freely admit I mostly just wanted an AU based on those cute halloween charms from last year. What can I say, demon Axl is adorable.

Small warning for a bit of sexual humor, I can totally understand that it isn’t some people’s kind of thing

He’s not sure why he hadn’t cleaned up the chalk outline earlier. A few of the lines had already been smudged by feet walking across it- though he knew the damage had already been done. Maybe using chalk for a summoning circle had been a bad idea in the first place. There were so many little details that needed to be drawn in for it to work properly. At the very least, it made it easy to clean up. A damp sponge did a perfectly good job in his basement-

“Chiieeeeef, we’re out of booze!”

Sol dropped the bucket with an irritated grumble, splashing more water onto the stone. “There’s a six-pack on the top shelf, I just bought it yesterday.”

He reached for the sponge, only to be immediately interrupted again. “But I can’t find iiit!”

“Y’ve got fucking wings, fly up if you can’t reach it!”

“I tried! I still can’t find it!”

“Can you just- !” Sol cut himself off, resigning himself to the idea that he’d have to finish later. Rolling his eyes, he abandoned the cleaning supplies and trudged back towards the rickety stairs. He found a hand drifting to one of the bandages on his arm to tug on the exposed tail of it. He’d noticed it was a stress habit he had picked up recently, but he just knew that there was going to be another headache waiting for him. Knowing him, his roommate hadn’t looked at all, and was just too lazy to do it himself.

Sure enough, Axl wasn’t even in the kitchen, instead draped across the couch like a lazy housecat. He arched his back upon seeing Sol, stretching out and letting his little batlike wings flap.

“‘Ello, chief! Took you forever, thought you wouldn’t come!”

Sol didn’t respond, even as he watched the man roll over into a deliberately seductive pose on his side that just-so-happened to involve his arrow-tipped tail pointing conveniently at his ass. He’d dealt with Axl enough times that he knew the best option was to just walk away and ignore him.

“Chiiiiief-!”

When he entered the kitchen, he found another annoyance waiting for him. “Ah! Just the man I did not want to see!” The frustrated tone was accompanied by a fluffy blue tail that swished back and forth. “How can you waltz in here so shamelessly!?”

“And hello to you too, wolfy.” Sol proceeded to ignore the dog-eared man as well, pulling the fridge door open. “We got any beer still?”

“For the last time, my name is Ky, you slovenly oaf!” In his frustration, he dropped the forks he’d been carrying onto the counter, along with what had to be most of the contents of his silverware drawer. “I don’t understand how anyone can live in these conditions!”

Sol rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll bite, what the hell did I do wrong this time?”

“These aren’t even organized!” Ky sounded appalled at the mere concept. “You have an organizer, but you still manage to have your forks and spoons and knives all mixed together! It’s absolute chaos! How do you know where anything is?!”

“I pull what I need out of the pile.” Even after pushing everything around, Sol couldn’t find any sight of the beer. “Where’s the Pilsner I just bought?”

The wolf-man scoffed in disgust. “The incubus drank it all last night, don’t you remember? Neither of you bothered to fold up the packaging and put it in the proper recycling bin, either!”

He let the door swing shut, and banged his head against it. This was going to drive him absolutely batshit. How did they both manage to be so insufferable in their own special ways? Ky wandered around the place constantly, criticizing how he cleaned and organized things as he attempted to make them more ‘palatable’ with his large clumsy paws. Axl, on the other hand, was an absolute good-for-nothing- well, he was good for a couple of things. Like making a godawful mess and drinking all his beer. It was just like having roommates, except they didn’t pay rent, and no matter what he did they wouldn’t fucking leave.

“Chiii-iief, did you find it?” The faint flap of wings came from the doorway, where Axl was hovering, horns nearly scraping the ceiling.

Sol felt his anger bubbling up. “Fuckin- how did you drink it all already?!”

Axl looked nonchalant. “I was thirsty.”

“So you decided to quench it with alcohol!?” Though Ky looked equally infuriated, the man found it more irritating than reassuring. “Demon or not, we need to have manners! Set an example!”

“Pfff. Settin’ an example?” In the blink of an eye, Axl had flapped over to hang off of Ky, and let his hands rest on the flesh exposed by his low-cut uniform. “Gonna tell me how the skintight leather and hooker boots are ‘classy,’ pretty-boy?”

“-eep!” The man squeaked as he was touched. His ears flattened against his head. “Get your hands off of me!”

“Both of you need to shut the fuck up.” Sol grabbed Axl by the tail and yanked him to the ground. “Well, now we gotta go to the store again and get more alcohol. And Axl, I swear to fuck if I have to go out again tomorrow, I’m sending you back to hell with my bare hands.”

He couldn’t, and they both knew it. If he had some way to banish them, he would have done it already.

Still, Axl threw his hands up in defeat. “Okay, okay, yeesh. I’ll be good.”

“Sure you will.”

“I can only do so much!” He insisted. “Two of us haven’t finished your contract yet. Until we finish what you summoned us for, we haven’t paid off the debt, so we can’t fuck around too much. Literally and metaphorically.”

Sol pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the tense muscles begin to unravel his bandages again. “Not for lack of trying.”

“Must you two be so crude?!” Protested Ky. “Perhaps I shouldn’t expect much from an incubus, but Sol, you- !” He cut off. “Um...actually, what are you? You’ve obviously not a demon like us, but…”

“He’s a hom- homon- homo- one a’ those artificial humans!” Offered Axl. He pointed to Sol’s arm, where the bandages had unraveled to reveal zigzagging stitches. “See! Never heard of ‘em drinking so much, though.”

He immediately bristled. “I’m human.” The man snarled, ignorant of how his eyes began to glow. “No matter what That Man did to me, I’m still human.”

Maybe he’d been drinking too much lately anyway, but he needed to keep his mind off of things. If he had a clearer head, it probably would have been easier to find Asuka and smash his head in for turning him into this…thing, but his mind was still reeling back from the fact that it had happened in the first place. It was the main reason why he’d ended up trying that reckless summon, when the now-permanent stitches in his skin itched and the sight of his own patchwork body made him want to puke, having a demon summoned to help him seemed like a good idea, even if it was only a lesser summon, with a few drops of blood cast onto the circle. If all lesser demons were like these two, he was definitely never trying it again. But first, he had to get rid of the ones he already had.

Sol didn’t realize he’d startled Ky, who skittered off under the nearest counter. Beastman demons still had some animal instincts, so his anger must have registered him as a predator. Hiding under the counter wasn’t the best strategy for safety, but since he’d summoned them himself, he had to deal with the soul thread tied between the three of them. Even if they didn’t cling to him like needy puppies on a regular basis, they couldn’t be more than fifty feet from each other.

“Aw geez…” When he turned in the other direction, he found that Axl had also slipped away, cramming his body into the space between the top shelf and the ceiling, all the while cradling his tail. “Some demons you two are…”

Well, now he really needed a drink. However, he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to get any further than the living room before he slammed into an invisible wall. So if he wanted to get anywhere anytime soon, it seemed like he had to play nice for now.

Sol reluctantly sighed, and managed a halfhearted smile. He approached Ky’s counter and knelt down. “C’mon. I know you like the sun. It’s good for all of us. Why don’t we go for a walk?”

His large ears were still lowered in submission. “Now you’re patronizing me.”

The smile strained into a thin line. The man tried to remain calm. “I don’t mean it like that. I’m just saying we could use a bit of exercise, and I know you like going out.”

Ky didn’t say anything, but Sol could see the way his ears twitched, trying to decide on how to position themselves. Sol tried to help him decide by placing a warm hand on his head and itching the base of his ears.

He caught the demon looking at him a moment before his expression melted into bliss, tail wagging back and forth. For all his noble composure, Ky had no trouble letting out a contented whine as he was pet. “So are we gonna go for a walk?”

“Alright, I suppose I can forgive you- ahh, right there-”

At least Ky was the difficult one when it came to compromising. The incubus tended to be much easier to deal with.

“Get down, Axl. Can’t get booze with you sulking.”

That alone already won him over, though Axl tried to look serious and unflappable as he peered down. “Y’know, I’d be less sulky with some Danny Missiles…”

Sol grit his teeth behind his smile. “Sure. Why not. I didn’t want to cook anyway.”

“Aww, I knew you loved me, chief!” In one smooth motion, Axl was already snuggling his torso affectionately, although not at all subtle about the way he mashed his face into Sol’s chest. “Promise I won’t drink everything again!”

He doubted that, but Sol could let it slide just this once. At least everyone was getting along. That was a nice feeling. He could get used to-

“Axl!” Ky shouted. “Get your filthy hand off my butt!”

...aaaaand there it went.

#writing #AU-gust #guilty gear #sol badguy #Axl Low #Ky Kiske

[fics-not-tragedies]

In a Week: Chapter 18 🌲

I think this is the most funny chapter I’ve ever written in my entire life and I think it’s the only one fully funny and sweet in this piece of fanfiction.

Words: 2122; Warnings: none; Summary: Chilling in a hot tub with Flo Andrew decides to make a little fun of them both.

Hozier tag list:

@letoursilencebreaktonight​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @angelpeachamber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @sgt-morgan​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​; @julessbrown​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​;

Tuesday, 5:25pm

“You reminded me that I should send my Mum some flowers” he declared.

Flo smiled.

“Do you get on with her?”

“My Mum? Yes, we’re quite close…” he considered his next words, approached them with caution then decided to say them anyway, despite the potential damage they could cause, “And she’d like you, Flo. She’d really like you…”

He tried to picture it, allowed himself the daydream as she smiled back at him softly. In a different world, back home. Bringing Flo to meet his parents knowing he was so sure of her. She’d be worrying about what dress she was wearing, would worry she overdone it with the flowers and the dessert she spent all week practicing, but his Mum would love it, bring her in for one of her killer hugs straight away. Dad would give her the same, would want to know all about her instantly, would love her stories about their adventures. Andrew was sure she’d tell it all better than he could anyway.

“Is your Mum a control freak like me then?” Flo sighed, frustrated by the lack of reality in the conversation now. As incredible as it was to imagine it all, being the girl he decided he wanted to bring home, she didn’t allow herself to wallow in it, for too long it was too cruel.

“Hmm… maybe a little…” he nodded, still beaming from the vision he’d created for himself, “And you were right about the flowers… I just finished another tour, em, that’s why I’m here for the week.”

Flo thought about asking what he was planning to do next, but part of her didn’t want to know, didn’t want to be subconsciously tracking his every move. What if she’d turn up to one of his gigs in the future, if there still was one for her, bustle her way to front row, get pushed against the barriers by the huge crowd, nod her head to the tracks she knew, hope he’d make his way down to the front and spot her. But what if he didn’t look at her in the same soft way he did now? What if there was someone else waiting for him at the side of the stage? Or worse yet, what if he’d ignored her or didn’t even recognize her?

No, she decided. It’d be better not to know, to avoid it as much as she could.

“Do you like performing?” She asked instead.

“Well, yes. I feel like I’m only myself on stage, but, em, it’s really exciting when I see all those faces screaming my words back at me. Is fantastic. Sometimes they know them better than I do.”

“Must be overwhelming in front of all those people” she shuddered and added: “I’d hate it.”

Andrew chuckled in delight at her wittiness, preparing himself for the next question he could already see twitching in her smile.

“Got a pre-show ritual? Couple of prostitutes? A bottle of absinthe?”

“Not quite” he mumbled, “We’d fancy a goat slaughter, but no venue can pull that off. We only do a small chant…”

“Slaughtering a goat sounds quite eccentric…” she teased and he screwed his nose up at her.

Tuesday, 5:30pm

There was a sudden, loud click at the door and both Andrew and Flo turned their heads towards the sound, so accustomed to being alone with each other. Another couple entered the small room in their bathing suits, both smiling until they realized it was partly occupied. She was tall and thin, had a pointy nose and dark eyes and he was shorter, a little rounder in the middle, had a face that looked permanently unamused. From the way they were clinging onto each other, they were clearly on some kind of romantic getaway. Though Flo couldn’t draw much from them straight away, the disappointment on their faces was stark. They were clearly unhappy to find another ‘couple’ in the tub, but were far too British to simply walk back out.

“Sorry, mind if we…” the woman began, “… join you…”

Flo turned her gaze to Andrew and watched him smile up at the couple just as a bright, brilliant idea, so clear on his face, occurred to him.

“It’s alright” he drawled then turned back to Flo, “We can get cozier with Hozier, can’t we, love?”

After a moment of speechlessness, her body rigid, questioning what the correct response was, Flo shot Andrew a glare like she hadn’t before.

Bastard.

She couldn’t deny that the opportunity excited her a little. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be near to him or ‘get cozier with Hozier’, rather that she knew she would have trouble resisting the temptation again with him that close to her. He looked so good and she caught onto his distinctive scent as he shifted around to make room for her. She clearly had no choice.

With an awkward shuffle she moved through the middle of the jacuzzi and sat down next to Andrew, instantly aware of him pressed close to her and how much she hated the outfit she was wearing. Not waiting for long, the couple sunk into the tub opposite them and there was an awkward stare off for a while, the four of them nodding awkwardly back and forth.

“Nice hotel, right?” Andrew said at last, cutting through the looming silence. He couldn’t resist chatting with them a little.

“Oh, yes, it’s lovely” the woman replied, her partner doing his best to relax and ignore them, his eyes closed.

Then, without warning, Andrew’s arm snaked around Flo’s body and he cupped her waist tightly with his hand. His fingertips pressed into the skin there and she almost squealed. Even under the water, his touch overwhelmed her and she felt drawn into him again, like she hadn’t learned a single thing from the last time. Despite it all, despite his face inches from hers, his neck adjacent to her lips, she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Her face was deeply flushed with embarrassment, though if anyone would have asked, she’d have blamed it on the heat. It took everything she had not to react and to play along with his game as best she could.

“We’re celebrating our fifteen year anniversary this week aren’t we, honeybee?…”

Flo stared blankly ahead, couldn’t believe he was really doing this, but then again of course she could. Honeybee? When she didn’t respond he gave her waist a quick squeeze and she moaned quietly to herself before muttering a quick “mhmmmm” out loud.

The couple were clearly uninterested, didn’t care about her response, probably hadn’t even noticed the strange body language of the couple in front of them but Andrew was persistent. “We were childhood sweethearts” he proclaimed. He was showing no signs of stopping, only just able to hide how badly he wanted to laugh. His face twitched as he fought the urge, “Stole my heart right after the first round of ‘spin the bottle’, haven’t you, honeybee?”

“Awh, that’s lovely” the woman cooed, though she was mostly engrossed on the massive glittering rock on her finger, “We just got engaged” she announced, just to better Andrew’s tale, as if the wafting and waving of her hand in the last minute or so hadn’t made that clear.

“Oh, congratulations!” Flo chimed, though she could barely focus. Andrew’s fingers began to draw lazy circles into her skin. It could have soothed her in the right time and place, but right now, with so much of her exposed, with the ridiculous game he was playing, with the stupid look on his face  she could catch from the corner of her eye all because he was winning, it was too much.

“Thank you!” The woman chimed, settling against her partner.

A few minutes passed, and though he wouldn’t have admitted it, Andrew was struggling too. He cursed himself for being so stupid. He couldn’t focus properly either, especially when Flo pressed herself into his side, rolled her knee up against his, moved her thigh against his just to make things more difficult for him.

“You staying here for long?” The man asked, clearly agitated by how competitive Andrew was with their fake relationship. Flo questioned whether he was asking about how long they’d be staying at the hotel or merely in the tub, desperate for peace and quiet.

“No, no. Got the kids waiting for us at home…” when neither of them responded, it just fueled him further: “Yes, little Jackie and Wilson. And he’s only three, bet he’s missing his Mummy, eh?” Another squeeze of her waist.

“Ahh, that’s lovely” the woman replied, though her responses were becoming more and more repetitive.

When the next silence came, Flo shook her head at him in constant disbelief, too dumbstruck to even come back at him with something as a challenge. Her hand suddenly on his knee made him jump, but he was still holding the happy couple facade together. With little fight from her, his own hand wandered down to her thigh. Aware of her heart beat and the wideness of his eyes, she was shaking, holding on to her control with everything she had and she turned to him in exasperation.

The quick movement of her head knocked a strand of hair into her eyes and without even questioning it, not part of his plan at all, Andrew moved it from her face with his free hand and tucked it neatly behind her ear. His touch was so delicate that she stared at him for longer than she should have and he stared right back at her. She watched him inhale deeply, his lips parting again as the breath left him.

“My little cinnamon bun…” he mumbled almost incoherently, barely blinking, “…we should go. I’m wrinkling like a prune in here…”

Flo could tell Andrew was struggling too, knew that they had to break apart now before it all came crashing down again and she took the opportunity to shimmy out of his touch and stand, forgetting the need to cover her body like she had before.

“Nice to meet you…” she mumbled to the couple, before darting out of the door, her legs like jelly, barely able to hold herself up. Behind her, Andrew said a goodbye Flo couldn’t hear then he quickly caught up to her.

Tuesday, 5:45pm

Surrounded by the noise of the pool water splashing and the cheerful chatter of the guests around them, they walked a couple of steps together in silence, strolling past the still water. Flo tried to gather her thoughts, tried to think of something to say. She was frustrated in more ways than one and needed him to know that. Her heart still pounding in her chest she suddenly turned to him, a clear intention in her eyes. Andrew was already laughing.

“Are you fucking for real?” Flo said, raising her voice as much as she was comfortable with, her teeth gritted.

“You bet I am, babe” he giggled, mocking his innocence.

“Don’t ‘babe’’ me, Andrew…” she warned, her finger jabbing him in the chest and he pouted back at her. “Oh god I could fucking…” she stopped moving, stomped her foot on the ground in frustration.

“Don’t swear, love” Andrew giggled, tears forming in his eyes at the hilarity. “It’s a fucking bad habit. What if the kids heard you?”

“Jackie and Wilson?” Flo grunted. “You have some nerve, Andrew…”

“It was funny, love…”

There it was again, love, each letter dragged out mercilessly.

Flo couldn’t take it anymore. She felt something snap inside of her and without processing it fully, she pushed Andrew backwards with all her strength towards the pool. Her hand met his chest and though he was excited at first, that wild flash of promise so clear, he soon lost his control. She wasn’t stronger than him but the element of surprise aided her and she watched as he shuffled over the edge and fell backwards, flailing pathetically until he hit the water.

Flo panicked for a split second, but Andrew resurfaced with some coughing and spluttering, his eyes trying to find Flo again. His hair was in his face, mouth agape, his eyes wide with shock.

And at that sight, Flo was satisfied, smiling and bending down slightly as she spoke to him.

“I’ll be in reception” she stated, then turned on her heel walking away from him. She made sure to wiggle her hips so that he had the perfect view of her overexposed ass as she left him and even though he couldn’t see her face, he knew the exact powerful smirk she was wearing.

Okay, Andrew decided, he deserved it.

#In a Week #hozier fanfiction #hozier fanfic #hozier fic #hozier series #hozier chaptered fic #andrew hozier byrne fanfiction #andrew hozier byrne fanfic #andrew hozier byrne fic #andrew hozier byrne series #andrew hozier byrne chaptered fic #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #series #chaptered fic #hozier/flo #hozier x flo #andrew hozier byrne/flo #andrew hozier byrne x flo #ahb:chaptered_fic

[primedirection]

Gray Area- Part 2

Warnings: Angst Drama & a maybe a hint of fluff...

AN:

I had too much fun writing this and it's gonna show. I'm so sorry😅 Enjoy!

To the untrained eye dinner was going on without a hitch. The chatter was buzzing and lighthearted around the table. Attendees were in the best of spirits for camaraderie while drinks were poured before receiving great food. Yet, under the surface, Harry wondered why he even bothered to come at all.

For starters he'd forgotten why he was so excited about it in the first place, its couples night and watching his friends so lovey dovey when going through his own turmoil was a form of exceptional torture he could hardly stand. Which was odd given that he himself was usually a lover of love and absolutely lived for cheek kisses, stolen kisses, full on kisses, hand holding, and meaningful glances between people because he found it so endearing. Especially with you and yet here he was totally miserable inside.

Second, everyone is paired up with the exception of himself and his infamous ex, who's partner also happened to be away for work. So what better way for his friends to rectify their 'loneliness' than by seating them together!

As if on cue at the thought she leaned in close just to mention, "So H, I took a consensus but I'm still waiting for your vote." A mischievous smile painting her lips.

"Ehm, that's great." He had to force himself not to smile awkwardly tight lipped, "Don't think you really need it anyway, m'not really in any place to say." As he immediately dived into the menu, he missed seeing the fallen look on her face. Now it would be even better he couldn't sense it.

Despite feeling completely uncomfortable, Harry made the best effort to remain neutral. Fearing he'd draw unnecessary attention and ruin their nights as well on one hand. Then again on the other he meant what he had said to you, when he'd said that he'd done nothing wrong. So he shouldn't even be feeling any guilt towards her at all.

As far as he was concerned the pictures you 'found' not that they were hidden to begin with, were out of his control. Yes, not all of his friends dressed modestly but it surely wasn't his place to tell them how to live their lives. Everyone should be free to do as they please if it makes them happy and as long as it's not hurting anyone. And yes some old photos were still there only because that's exactly what they were, old. He wasn't trying to keep them as a memento he literally saw them once and never thought about it again. So he honestly felt like there was no point in purposely digging it up and deleting it unless he actually had something to hide.

More importantly, he thought that he'd been astoundingly clear you were the only one that he had eyes for. That there wasn't a single soul on earth, whether fully clothed or completely nude that could break the tether he had to yours. Sometimes like now, it scared and infuriated him to no end when you couldn't see it.

Harry would delete the pictures and block every single contact that you wanted if necessary, but he also had to be realistic. Once irrevocable boundary lines are crossed there is no turning back. He's learned firsthand how unhealthy it is to be a prisoner in your own relationship. When insecurity becomes doubt and doubt becomes paranoia. Worst of all when paranoia delves into control. No one is happy, trust is an insincere joke, love is completely lost, and all that really remains is either becoming or owning an object of property.

Surely this case wasn't that extreme, but he wasn't oblivious to how it starts. However it also wasn't lost on him that you both needed to come to terms of agreement in order to move forward. As long as you were within reason, he'd be able to deal with it and vice versa.

With that being said his urge to be social diminished drastically in comparison to his urge to make things right. Thus why he stopped engaging in everything around him altogether and directed his attention towards finishing up cleaning out the useless junk in his phone. Ensuring that if he ever lost you, it'd never be over something as ridiculous as an outdated picture.

As time went on Harry hadn't even discovered the conversation being drawn to him. He jumped suddenly at the realization Clare had been calling out to him. A soft question finally coming through the loudness of his thoughts. "You good, Har?"

It was also then he noticed that everyone had been watching him pointedly now. Tucking his phone away he forced a strained smile and pushed his fingers through the knots in his hair, feigning nonchalance, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Y/N is here and you still haven't noticed." Mitch deadpans.

Frowning unsure he heard correctly, Harry's gaze briefly swept the room and his heart almost launched right out of his chest upon laying eyes on you. Approaching stoically, arms crossed even from across the room he could easily tell you are unimpressed by tonight's seating arrangement. He also knew better than anyone that you'd be too polite to bother protesting about it. Eventually he stood and offered you his chair while he quickly found himself another, so stunned by your presence he'd forgotten to greet you properly altogether.

"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late, got a little side tracked on the way here," You openly admit accepting his offer, not in the slightest surprised to see his ex's visible disappointment. All the while everyone else greeted you with heartwarming enthusiasm.

"Glad you're here love," Harry finally spoke with a sincere and appreciative smile, unable to help himself from leaning in and planting a quick kiss on your cheek.

"Is anyone even really surprised? I mean, you're practically attached at the hip these days. No offense." His snotty ex snickered bitterly into a sip of wine.

That. That right there is exactly what brought you here tonight. You couldn't ignore Harry's point of having no control of everything he receives, because he was right everyone gets spam one way or another. But there is one common variable that separated the innocent from the inappropriate, and that's the intention behind it.

To be quite honest, after seeing her pictures you went on a downward spiral for a bit. Beating yourself up and asking all the wrong questions. Like why weren't you enough for him? What did you have to do to make him see? And so on and so forth. But with just a little more time alone, albeit a ride home and a mini Instagram stalking session, you were able to think more rationally and even form a different perspective from a few hard facts. Eventually revealing the real answer to your problem had less to do with either of you individually and everything to do with her ill will towards you two being together.

She was literally, a first class attention seeker. Plain and simple. Born into it whether she aimed to be or not. To the extent that whenever she or anyone else she's related to so much as hint at gracing a controversial cover, it became top news worldwide overnight. This one 'cover' should be no different but alas it is, because it doesn't exist.

"Of course we are he's my best friend," You retort genuinely cool calm and collected. Earning a round of admiring 'aws' from around the table bringing up another point, your announcement, "Speaking of friends... Did everyone here get a chance to see your little outtakes? Dying to know which one you picked for the cover."

Her complexion noticeably pales almost instantly, "I- no it's still in editing nobody is supposed to see until it's finished...how did you—" she rambles suddenly nervous.

"Harry showed em to me." You lied happily with a smile just to get under her skin and it worked, seeing as she tosses him a skeptical glance but he's already looking her way with a disappointed frown, "Thought you said you asked everyone?"

"I-I-I was," She stuttered, "I just didn't want to risk it getting leaked...you know I get hacked all the time."

"Oh c'mon, Harry? He's got the worst taste here," Nick teases and receives a pointed glare from him and laughs, "Can we at least get a tip on which cover?"

If you hadn't known better, then you'd be like everyone else and maybe even a little concerned watching her become visibly uncomfortable. But currently you're all too happy to watch her struggle to come up with a believable lie. "Well... its still in the works right now too so I can't really say."

It's kind of funny how you haven't had a sip to drink and yet you felt drunk with power. Well not even necessarily power but it felt damn good to reclaim all the shitty energy she caused you in that short period of time. People like her deserved to be exposed as the malicious fraudulent snakes that they truly were. Cut out root and stem, defanged and hung out to dry.

At the moment you were thrilled and petty enough to do it with a smile, "From what I saw my first guess was honestly Pornhub." Mid swallow on a rather large gulp of wine the self proclaimed supermodel began to choke loudly. Eyes wide while unceremoniously sputtering it up through both her nose and mouth onto the fancy table setting in front of her. You laughed completely unabashed, running on a high of her karma but politely pat her back in aid quietly adding, "No offense."

Fortunately for her, her coughing fit didn't last long as she angrily pulled away from your touch.

"It's a nude piece?" Nick gasped with his hand pressed to his cheek shocked and intrigued all at once, the journalist coming out of him.

"According to what she sent to him. Then again I find it super strange that someone like her would do a shoot of that type of...nature, get it done, and still not know where it's being published." You cheerily answer for her.

However everyone else seemed to be in a battle of mixed emotions as all the clues came together. Sitting back watching silently. You dully noted the disdain and unease directed at she and Harry. Who currently had a deep frown set in place, upset at how things just unfolded.

"Unless you know, there was no intention for them except to go straight to his phone? And yet then again you and your family like to keep it saucy so." Shrugging you grab Harry's glass and take a sip from it. "Mmm, wish this was tea."

"Okay, can you shut the fuck up!" She snarls irritably, passing her hands over her flustered face. "You're seriously annoying!"

Bringing a full fledged smile to your face, "Oh honey, if you're that upset then why don't you come make me? I promise you'll get everything you deserve and more."

"You think you're so tough. I'll kick your fucking ass right now dude and you won't even see me coming!" She snaps pushing away from the table and onto her feet. Causing you to flat out laugh at her attempt of intimidation as well as gain the attention of poor unsuspecting patrons just trying eat their meals in peace.

"Uh oh, someone better fetch security for miss John Cena over here."

"Alright, that's enough let's go." Harry suddenly commands rising to stand in front of you as if he were some type of bodyguard. Wanting to leave now on your own while you could, instead of being removed disgracefully. "Already? I just got here and things are really getting interesting." You playfully tease pouting but get up anyway.

"I'll say." Nick laughs thoroughly amused waving goodbye.

"This is why people like you don't belong in our world, you're scum bitch!"

Again you laugh as Harry begins to usher you towards the exit by the waist calling back, "Sweetheart, you're the one pursuing taken men with staged nudes. You are bacteria! Keep your filthy world and choke!"

In your side peripheral you're able to catch glimpses of people's phones going up to start filming the discourse. The official cue to shut up and get out before an even bigger spectacle was created. You'd apologize to everyone else for the drama later if and when given the chance.

Your more immediate focus right now was Harry, tense and silent stalking off ahead of you in the parking lot. Bee lining for his black SUV. He hasn't asked and probably didn't care to know, but you Ubered here. Regardless he most likely would have made you ride with him anyways.

It's only after climbing inside and shutting the door that he speaks, "Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on with you?"

"You asked me to come to dinner and I showed up. What's the problem?"

His expression became incredulous, "You made a scene."

"Actually she did that. I only called her bluff and ruined her scheme of potentially ruining your honor. You're welcome by the way! From now on, to prevent shit like this from happening I need you not to be passive when they're making passes." You glare at him pointedly.

Harry frowns hard at that suddenly angry, "Fair enough, but I didn't need you to defend my honor Y/N. It was never at stake, and you'd know that if you took my word for it in the first place. Bloody hell woman, do you really think that I don't know how lucky I am to have someone like you in my life? That I'd throw this all away that easily for nothing? I'm not an idiot!"

You sigh heavily from a strong wave of guilt hitting you in the gut at the reminder but manage to fold your arms across your chest stubbornly, "Yeah well it would have been so much easier to believe without all the evidence against you,"

"S'not evidence it's stupid and childish and completely ridiculous!" He argues scratching the bridge of his nose with his index.

"If it's all that then why keep it?" You shrug.

"I'm not, it's gone. Got rid of it all after you left." He honestly admits passing over the item in question itself and with a quick awakening of the screen you instantly find out just like before the pass code is still deactivated. Leaving all accessibility at your fingertips. "Before you go through it though, I need to know something." He turns to fully face you in his seat.

"Okay?" You encourage a little uneasy but mirror his action.

"Do you trust me? And I mean genuinely trust me Y/N. Harry the human that loves sleeping in with you on Sundays, and Harry the same human that has to tour around the world 6 to 8 months at a time and might not have as much access to you as he'd like?"

You practically feel insulted by his need to ask at all but answer him anyway, "Of course I do!"

But he's dead serious, taking ahold of both your hands in his massive ones. Staring deep into your eyes with electric intensity. "Are you sure? Coz' he's the same bloke in charge of that inbox, and those dms, and that browser history! If we're gonna have any chance at all, I need you to understand that."

For a brief moment his sharp liquid green eyes flit back and forth searching for any and all doubt. Though you genuinely have none. "I do Harry, I promise."

Emotion floods in his eyes before he shuts them and shakes his head slowly but surely getting vulnerable, "I only ask this of you because love I can't- I literally can't even stomach the thought of us ever being toxic.. Losing you that way— losing you at all..." You take it upon yourself to free one of your hands just to cradle his warm cheek. In turn he tried to smile in appreciation but his eyes have already begun to burn from the prick and swell of tears, his chest and throat tightening. "You're my everything." He professes softly, "My world, my sun, my stars, my moon, my entire universe. I love you."

You smile in admiration completely smitten getting a little emotional yourself, "I love you too Harry." Pulling him close to kiss him once, twice, thrice, and then just hold on to him a little longer with his face buried in your neck.

"M'sorry for being a crybaby," he mumbles into your skin and you laugh. Then and only then does he come up for air leaving a trail of follow up kisses before putting the previous space back between you. He reaches down on the floor of the driver's seat and retrieves the long forgotten phone. Placing it back in your hand, "S' all yours lovie."

Insanely relieved and extremely giddy at the moment. You simply roll your eyes toss the damned device in the cupholder without hesitation, "Never needed it."

AN: First of all thank you all so much for the support and feedback it was truly inspiring. Hope this turned out alright! Let me know. More blurbs are coming soon so keep an eye out!

#Harry styles angst #Harry styles imagines #Harry x reader #Harry styles #one direction imagines #Harry Styles one shot #One direction one shot #harry styles drabble #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction

[awkward-cocopuff]

Still Into You: Bakugou x Reader

"Can't count the years on one hand that we've been together.

I need the other one to hold you"

You and Bakugou had been dating since you two were 2nd years high school students. You happily hummed to yourself as the both of you walked hand in hand down the busy sidewalk. "Heyy~ Bakugou our anniversary is coming up in 2 months~~", you singsonged to him. "Yeah, yeah", rolling his eyes with a half smile. "Its kind of early to be worried about that weirdo. Anyway, how long have I been putting up with you again Y/N?", he grinned down at you. There went those damn butterflies in your stomach. You would think those would go away after a few months of dating but they still came back every so often. Especially when he smiled or showed his softer side. You tapped your chin and held up you freehand wiggly all 5 fingers, "This many". Bakugou stopped mid stride and glared at you. Now he found alot of things not worth wasting his brain cells on but knowing how many years you two had been dating was not a waste of him knowing. "I think you're forgetting a year Y/N". You giggled and said, "Nope! But my other hand is busy holding yours". You tapped your pinky finger on his knuckle, "There, six!".

"But when our fingers interlock, can't deny, can't deny, you're the worth it

'Cause after all this time

I should be over all the butterflies but I'm into you, I'm into you

You two had your share of fights in the past. The boy was a walking grenade. And you didn't take any shit. Usually they were drawn out by your stubbornness or his pride. But everytime one of you would come to you senses and try to rectify the situation. After one fight Bakugou slinked into bed next to you and grabbed your hand. He interlaced his fingers with your and pressed your hand to his forehead. "Y/N....I'm sorry...I shouldn't have blown up on you like that....you're my everything." And there they were again making your stomach light.

I'm still into you"

"And even baby our worst nights

I'm into you, I'm into you"

It was night before you and Bakugou's anniversary and he had just dropped the bomb that his agency was making him work the next night. "WHAT? I THOUGHT YOU REQUESTED TOMORROW OFF?!", you questioned him. Bakugou only winced at your raised voice and averted his eyes. "I'm sorry Y/N I can't just work though". You groaned, "Yaknow we haven't actually properly celebrated our anniversary for 3 years". It was true, you and Bakugou hadn't actually gone out to celebrate your relationship since he started at his agency and not to mention you barely saw him the past 3 weeks expect for at 2 a.m. through sleepy eyes when he flopped into bed after overtime. You were starting to feel neglected. It even crossed your mind that he just wasn't as interested in you as he use to be at one point. "I just want you home", you muttered. "Look y/n I sorry but I can't do anything about it", he said rubbing his temple. "You never do anything about it...". Bakugou knitted his brows together, "What?" "You never fight it! The only time is see you nowadays is when I wake up early in the morning for work! You're not even awake! We've barely talked to eachother lately because of all your damned over time!!" "FUCKING DAMN IT Y/N! I'VE BEEN WORKING MY ASS OFF FOR A FUCKING REASON!" You clenched your fist and fought back tears as he roared at you. You turned on your heel and B-lined toward the bedroom. You didnt feel like crying in front of him. "Whatever Katsuki", you hissed and slammed the door. Bakugou's heart ached at how bitterly you used his name. "Fuck...". He trudged over to his coat, pulled out his cellphone and dialed his long time friend Kirishima. After telling Kiri what had just transpired l, all his friend left him with was, "Well it sounds like now or never man...you better do everything to keep her. Took you too long to get her!". Yeah, it took Katsuki a while before he would admit to liking you much less getting to asking you out. You didn't go to U.A. and weren't planning on becoming a hero but, you still caught his eye. Everytime he saw you at the cafe or in the arcade he had butterflies in the pit of his stomach and even now when he heard you laugh, hum or just catch the sunlight the right way they would come back full force. Bakugou reached down and shifted things around until his hand brushed up against a small velvet box. Pulling it out he whispered, "It's now or never".

"Let 'em wonder how we got this far,

'Cause I don't really need to wonder at all

Yeah, after all this time

I'm still into you"

The next day, you sat with Uraraka and Asui at a cafe to play catch up. You two may how not gone to the same school together but you three had made fast friends as you frequented the same bookstore quite often. "What's wrong y/n? you look pretty down today, ribbit". "Yeah" Uraraka interjected but paused, "What did Bakugou do...". You flinched and looked up at the sheepishly from your latte. Your eyes were still a bit puffy from crying the night before. You sighed, "We....we had a fight last night. I was just made that he wasn't home alot recently. But I didnt want it to escalate the way it did". Asui tapped her chin, "Maybe he had a good reason as to why? I can't imagine him not having one. He's been hellbent on you ever since high school". "A good rea-", you were caught off by your phone vibrating and lighting up with a txt notification from Bakugou. "Y/N, I know you are still upset with me but please let me make it up to you. Be ready to go out by 6❤". You blinked hard at your phone, you weren't sure what was more confusing a text this early from Bakugou or the fact he used a heart emoji. Uraraka leaned in to peak at your phone and beamed, "WELL LOOKS LIKE YOU GOT YOUR WISH!"

You heard the front door open at 5:50 PM as you finished getting ready. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Bakugou appeared in the frame. He was wearing black slacks and loafers with a white dress shirt and a red tween blazer. His heart caught in his throat looking you over. Butterflies. Your dl/dc dress fight you perfectly. And your e/c orbs glowed. "I thought you couldn't get the day off!", you exclaimed wrapping his arms around his neck. He kissed your forehead, "I had to pull a few strings. Now let's go I made dinner reservations." After dinner Bakugou pulled you along to the park. The cherry blossoms were and full bloom and the sun was setting giving everything a beautiful glow. You two arrived at the base of a rather large cherry tree and stopped. You could recognize the carved lettering of the two of your initials in a heart in the bark. You brushed your fingers and against it and smiled. Remembering this is where Bakugou confessed to you. Bakugou stepped close to you and whispered your name. "Y/n...I know the past couple of weeks have been difficult. I know that you felt lonely", he bit his lip and reached in his pocket. "But I for sure know that every moment I've spent with you has counted towards the greatest moments of my life", he said getting down on one knee taking your hand. Your stomach started flapping and a blush enveloped your cheeks as your eyes grew wide, small tears forming in the corners. "I'm just as much in love with you now as I was years ago, if not even more. I can't even stomach the thought of you not being by my side. So y/n l/n", he flicked the box open releasing a dazzling ring with rubies as intense red as his eyes around the band, "Will you marry me?". You dropped to your knees and wrapped your arms tightly around him and sobbed, "Yes, Katsuki! A millions times yes!!". He slipped the ring over you finger and pulled you into a deep kiss.

"I'm still into you"

Author's note: I've been listening to this song on repeat for several days. And soft Bakugou is one of my favorite Bakugous. I hope I did them both a bit of justice 💜💜. Ignore the typos if any.

#mha #bnha #bnha bakugou #katsuki bakugou #mha bakugou #katsuki bakugō #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo imagine #bakugou katsuki #first fanfic #mha x reader #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha imagines #mha imagines #cocopuffwrites

[coffee-obsessed-writer]

Forever in Vancouver

Summary: Six months into their relationship, it was hard finding time together. But when they finally do, will it be everything they hoped?

Part 1: Fated in Lynchburg

Part 2: Found in Nashville

Pairing: Jensen x Reader; Jared x Jensen; Reader x Jill (OFC bffs) x Filip (Jill’s husband)

Words: 10K - Ok, I know its long. I DID NOT intend for this to happen. But it did, so I apologize. I sorta hate myself for it but, it is what it is. I hope you enjoy! (just leaving this here from last time)

Warnings: Smut, Fluff, Anxiety, language, 18+ only

Square filled: Free Space

A/N: Written for @spngenrebingo . PART 3 OF 3. A huge thank you to my writing partner in crime @kazosa for not only helping me but also listening to me gripe and checking over everything I was unsure of. I hope you enjoyed it because it was as much for you as it was for myself <3

Everything Tags: @his-paradox  //  @sorenmarie87  // @lefthologramdeer  //  @grace-for-sale  //  @redm81  // @becs-bunker  //  @docharleythegeekqueen //  @moonchild-shoshanna // @geeksareunique

SPN Tags: @soythedemonqueen  // @kazosa  // @lucifer-in-leather // @perseusandmedusa // @tiquismiquis // @mrsbarnes-rogers  // @yorkeylover // @through-thesilver-lining // @illysamorgan // @fictionalabyss // @gettinjoyful // @auntsalgal // @stuckupstucky // @miss-spnm0mma // @teller258316 // @spnhollis // @sweet-things-4-life // @hobby27 // @sweetlythoughtfulbird // @theoriginalvicki // @dreamchester67 // @xxwarhawk // @assassinofmasyaf // @babykalika2001 // @negans-wife // @superwhovianfangirl81 // @toobusynerdfighting // @vickyfarley // @missihart23  // @letsby // @ravenangel33​

@thewinchesterchronicles // @wayward-gypsy   // @closetspngirl // @fatestemptress // @rebelminxy  // @22sarah08

The plane bounced roughly down the tarmac and while that normally would have been enough to set your nerves on fire, today it didn’t bother you one bit. It didn’t, because it meant you were home.

Sort of.

It wasn’t your home, but you would be back in Vancouver where Jensen was, and for you, that was even better. It had only been about six months since Nashville and in that time you and Jensen tried to spend as much time together as possible. Stolen weekends here and there. Long nights of driving to meet up with him at a con, or him buying you a ticket to fly out to Vancouver for one night, then back the next day.

It was fun and exciting, and very exhausting. You could see the toll all the traveling was taking on him. You meet him whenever you could, but you had your own career and life to keep up with. Finding a way to make it successful had been trying, but when you had time together, it was easy to remember why it was worth it.

This was the longest stretch you’d gone without seeing each other. He was on the tail end of a three week stretch of a tight filming schedule, two separate interviews and one con weekend was thrown into the mix. When he had a schedule like that, those were the weeks when there was barely a phone call to be had between you and you found yourself missing him more than usual.

Jill’s book was finished and edited, so she kept her promise and booked a five-day vacation at one of the most beautiful resorts that the Maldives had to offer. Jensen was going to be knee-deep in filming again as they neared closer to finishing the season, so you gathered up your vacation time and decided to take a nice long trip. Start off the first part with your best friend and wrap it up in Vancouver with Jensen.

He just didn’t know about it.

You told him you’d be gone for two weeks, to which he pouted like a child, but he wanted you to go and have a good time. Knowing you were headed to him after a couple of days, you started to worry that surprising him wouldn’t be a good idea. In a complete panic, you texted Jared and ran the idea by him. He, however, thought it was a perfect idea.

Jill’s connecting flight wasn’t until late the following day so she would spend the time with you and Jensen, then you’d have him all to yourself for a full week; a notion that both excited and scared you. As the plane finally rolled to a stop, you whipped out your phone and immediately texted Jared.

            Just landed. Did you spill the beans yet?

Where’s the trust? I know how to keep a secret.

           Lol, just checking. Deplaning soon, gonna grab a cab and head to J’s

Already done. Driver should be there waiting. Text me when you find em.

           You’re the best! Thanks, Jar 😊

Just don’t answer the door wrapped in cellophane or anything, I’ll be coming back with him.

           Fine. But there go my plans…

….I’m already regretting this.

           Cya soon!

 Giggling to yourself, you put your phone away and turned to wake Jill to let her know you’d arrived.

After getting off the plane and grabbing your luggage, you easily found the driver Jared had sent and were on your way to Jensen’s apartment. The ride was longer than usual getting through traffic, so you and Jill were flipping through the pictures you took on your trip.

“You gotta text me that one now, I wanna send it to Filip,” Jill said and took the phone out of your hand, taking it upon herself to do so. When she opened your texts, she saw the ones from Jared.

“You told Jared you were coming?”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if I should surprise him or not. I know his schedule’s been crazy and didn’t want to get in the way.”

“Get in the way?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter in her seat. “Why would you be in the way? Has he ever made you—”

“No… easy tiger. I just meant that because it’s last minute and I am surprising him… the man keeps a schedule. He’s got a lot going on and I didn’t want him to feel pressured to have to cancel anything or rearrange anything. That’s why I checked with Jared.”

Jill settled back into her seat and went back to sending the photo to herself, then returned your phone. “Sorry, didn’t mean to jump ugly, but you know, you are family to me and I have to make sure this man is worth all the trouble and traveling to see each other.”

“He’s worth it,” you smiled and felt your heart fill at knowing you were going to see him soon.

“So, things are good?”

“Yeah, things are good.”

“Is it getting serious?”

You scowled at her. “What’s with the interrogation all of a sudden?”

She shrugged. “I can see how you feel about him just as the sheer mention of his name. What I wanna know is, does he feel the same way about you?”

You shifted uncomfortably in your seat. The truth was, you didn’t know how to answer her. Your feelings for Jensen were both exhilarating and confusing, with a big ole side of scary as hell. You couldn’t imagine what his feelings may be for you, and immediately pushed the thoughts away whenever you asked yourself the same thing. The answer was too uncertain to face.

“I don’t know and that’s the truth. We have fun when we’re together, he calls me when we’re not. Texts me a lot… nice messages, cute selfies, leaves me voicemails. But, there’s been no declarations of love. Which, let me just say before you jump to assumptions, I am fine with. I like how things are. I’m just rolling with it for as long as it lasts.” You were half lying to yourself, and you were pretty sure she picked up on it.

“Do you want it to last?”

“Oh, look! We’re here,” you exclaimed, exaggerating your excitement to hopefully change the subject.

“Did you start watching the show yet?” she asked, ignoring your attempt to wrap it up.

You sighed and took a moment before responding. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked and certainly wouldn’t be the last time. “No. Not yet.”

“How come?”

“Because…”

“Because why?”

“I feel like I am in the Principal’s office here, will you stop?”

“I just want to know why you haven’t watched it yet. One, its damn good. Two, he’s your guy. Don’t you want to see him in action?”

“I did. The day I watched it in the hotel room, remember? Then again at the convention, it was everywhere.”

Jill pursed her lips and exhaled deeply. “That’s not the same thing and you know it. So, why not spare us both the long, drawn-out process of me painfully extracting an answer, and just tell me about the real, deep down rationalization you’ve convinced yourself of?”

“Fine. Because… it means that I’m invested. It means that I will have more imagery of him, hear his voice more than I already do. Then when it ends—”

“When it ends? I now repeat my earlier question… do you want it to last? Or are you just riding out a good time?”

You snorted a frustrated sigh and felt a bit of relief when the car came to a stop in front of his apartment building. “I don’t know,” you said quietly with your hand hovering over the door handle. “I don’t know yet.” Opening the door, you climbed out and walked around to get your bags from the trunk. Jill followed and didn’t bring it up again for the time being.

    “All I want to do is go home and sleep,” Jensen groaned and rubbed a hand across his eyes and down his stubble. He laid his head against the headrest and settled into the seat. “This week cannot end soon enough.”

“Almost over, brother,” Jared tried to reassure him with a slap on the knee and without looking up from his phone.

“Thank God. You headed home this week?”

“Yeah, for a few days. You?”

“Nah. Might as well stay here. My folks are on vacation, Y/N’s off somewhere with Jill. Probably just going to find my sweatpants and Netflix some stuff.”

“How is Y/N? Things going alright?”

“Yeah, great. Why?”

Jared shrugged and finally tucked his phone away. “Curious. Don’t hear too much about her these days. Wondering if there was trouble in paradise.”

Jensen chuckled wearily. “No, no trouble, just been tough trying to get some time together. You know?”

Jared nodded sympathetically. “I do. But when Y'all are together, things are good, right?”

“Yeah man, I have zero complaints. Except that she lives two thousand miles away.”

“That’s a tough break, man. But you guys will figure it out. I mean, she seems pretty into you. God only knows why…”

Jensen was too tired to even glare at him properly and just shook his head before resting it against the window. “Wake me up when we’re home.”

A little while later, the car pulled up to the curb and Jared backhanded Jensen’s chest. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty, we’re here.”

Groggily pulling himself from the car, Jensen and Jared went inside and rode the elevator up to his apartment on the top floor. As they approached the door, Jensen heard the music from inside. He stopped outside the door, his hand hovering over the knob.

“You hear that?” he asked, slowly turning to Jared. “Sounds like… Zeppelin.”

Jared frowned and shrugged, trying to hide the grin that wanted to spread out. “I dunno man, let’s check it out.”

Jensen narrowed his eyes at his best friend and realized that whatever was going on, Jared was one hundred percent apart of it. Thinking that his folks, or even his sister, had come for a surprise visit, he opened the door expecting to be bombarded with a barrage of affection and questions from a family member.

“Hello?” Jensen called out when he walked through the foyer and no one was there to greet him. “Mom? Dad?”

“Nope, sorry Cowboy, just me,” he heard from the staircase beside him. There, descending the stairs, tanned and gorgeous, wearing a long flowing yellow sundress covered in small green petals, was Y/N.

The unexpected sight of her gave him a rush of adrenaline that he would’ve previously denied existed. Feelings of exhaustion and hunger faded as he bolted towards her. She bounced down the last few steps and flung herself into his arms, laughing.

Jensen wrapped his arms around her, drawing in a deep breath of her skin, the familiar notes of her lotion tickling his nostrils and instantaneously causing him to want her.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, his face still buried in her neck. Slowly, he let her slide to the floor and held her at arm’s length so he could prove to himself she was really there.

“We were only going to the resort for a week, then I figured I’d surprise you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? Seriously? This is the best ever…” Jensen turned and pointed a finger at Jared, “and you knew, didn’t you?”

“I did,” he beamed, proud of himself for keeping the secret.

“I’m here too, by the way,” Jill’s voice called from the living room as she made her way towards the stairs.

“My favorite author in the whole wide world!” Jensen exclaimed and pulled her into a fierce embrace. Once he finally let her go, Jared extended a warm welcome and noticed the intense looks being passed between Y/N and his best friend.

“Jill whatcha say we give these crazy kids a few minutes, while you and I go through all Jay’s takeout menus, find the most expensive things to have delivered. Then charge it all to his accounts,” Jared offered his elbow out for her to take and she did so with a chuckle.

“Oh, Jared, you sure do know the way to this woman’s heart,” she cooed as they took their leave towards the living room.

Once they were gone, Jensen didn’t hesitate, he grabbed Y/N’s face gently, but kissed her ferociously. “Three weeks is way too long,” he whined between coming up for air and kissing her. “Way too fucking long.”

She draped her arms loosely on his shoulders and started doing that thing with her nails on the back of his neck, sending a course of goosebumps across his skin. He took advantage of the others out of sight and left her mouth, letting his lips find their way across her jaw and down to her neck. He wasn’t tired anymore, nor hungry. He just wanted to carry her upstairs and reenact the first night they had met in Lynchburg until the sun came up the next day.

“Whoa there,” she purred and lifted his head from the oral assault he was committing on her. “There are two other people in the next room that may not want to walk in on this.”

He growled lowly within his chest, then sighed. “You’re right. But its hard to control myself when I haven’t seen you in a while, then you show up looking like you do… what do you expect?”

“You can do whatever you want to me later. In fact, I’ll be here all week, so, you have plenty of time to do what you wish.”

“A week? Seriously?” his heart fluttered at the notion. They’d never spent that much time together in one shot, and he was suddenly thrilled and anxious at the thought. A week was a long time. A million worries wanted to trudge through his mind… would they get along, would she tire of his ridiculous schedule, would they grow tired of being together? He shook them off and just concentrated on the fact that she was right there in front of him, not just a voice on the other end of the line.

“I know you have to work, and I don’t want you to change anything because of me, but yeah, as long as you don’t mind, I planned on staying through the week.”

“Jill, too?”

“No, she flies home tomorrow night. Just a little layover to take a break in traveling. Plus, she’s never seen Vancouver, so, I figured I’d take her out tomorrow before heading to the airport.”

“Well, I’m glad she’s here, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to have you to myself for the week.”

“Me too,” Y/N whispered, caressed his stubbled cheek, smiling softly before kissing him again. “Me too.”

  Jill and Jared kept their word, and within the hour three different take-out restaurants delivered a ridiculous amount of food. Jokes were made how little Jensen kept in the house, so at least the two of you would have something to live off of for a couple days.

The four of you sat around for hours, chatting about your vacation, their days on set, your plans for sightseeing the next day, and of course, bouts of teasing any time Jensen showed you affection.

Jensen was sitting normally on the couch, and you were curled up against his side, his arm tucked firmly around your shoulders. You could feel his rhythmic breathing and the faint echo of his heart beating. He still felt as good to you as that first night you danced together.

Everyone was feeling the late hour and decided to turn in. Jared made up a place on the couch, Jill took to the guest room, and Jensen took your hand, leading you upstairs to his room.

He closed the door softly behind him and secured it with a lock. When he turned around, he started to approach you, slowly, his gaze drinking you in with each step closer. There was very little moonlight seeping through the window, only enough to highlight the slope of his nose and the moisture of his lips.

When he was close enough, he casually moved the strap of your sundress to fall down your arm; then did the same on the other side. The top fell and exposed your breasts to the cool air. His eyes were locked with yours, as he helped the dress fall to the floor, leaving you there only in your panties.

He lifted you up, so your legs wrapped around his waist and his face was eye level with your chest, but he didn’t yet touch you there. His eyes never left yours. Laying you down gently on the bed, he held your gaze and removed the panties, before quietly removing his own clothes. Once he was free of them, he lifted your leg up in the air and left a kiss on the inner part of your ankle. The slow, methodical way he worked his way up your calf, then to your thigh as he hovered over you, was driving you seven different kinds of crazy. The fact that he purposely bypassed your most sensitive spots, further incited your ache for him.

“Jensen, please…” you quietly pleaded with him and ran your fingers through his hair, gripping his head and guiding it up to yours.

“Shhhh. I’m finding my way around again, its been a while,” he whispered roughly and left a soft kiss on your lips.

He ran his hands up the length of your body, to your arms, and with one hand pinned them over your head. His free hand reached between your thighs and slowly began to slip into the depths of your sex, first brushing against your clit, then plunging up into you.

You inhaled sharply, and your body responded to him immediately. He pressed more of his weight on top of you as his fingers expertly worked their way around until your orgasm hit, quickly and with an explosive rush. He released your hands and you dug into his shoulders, muffling the scream under your breath and stayed that way until your body stopped shaking.

Jensen brushed his nose softly against your cheek and his lips against your ear. “Come here,” he commanded softly, and helped you sit up on the bed, “I wanna watch you.”

He pulled the down the covers, leaned back against the pillows and guided you to straddle his lap. Taking control of your hips, he positioned you over his cock but moved you up and down along the shaft slowly at first. The sensation it triggered against your overstimulated clit was maddening, but you didn’t want him to stop. His eyes were on you so intensely you thought he’d make you cum again just by his gaze

When he couldn’t seem to stand it anymore, he slipped up into you. He watched you leisurely grind against him, fighting the urge you had to move faster. Jensen was completely controlling you, his need for it was written all over his face. After a few moments, he reached up behind you, grabbed a fist full of hair and pushed your forehead to his.

“Fuuck,” he growled lowly and dug his fingers into your hair and hip deeper, forcing you to grind into him harder. His control was wavering, and with every thrust upward, he moaned deeper, your name fell from his lips in mere breaths. Jensen’s eyes squeezed shut and before he could pull out or force you up and off of him, he came inside you.

There was a slight panic at what that could mean, but it passed faster than it had manifested. As Jensen wrapped his arms around you and rested his head against your breasts, you ran your nails through his hair and just caught your breath. In that moment, nothing mattered but being there with him.

You climbed off him, pulled the covers up and lay beside him on the bed. He nestled into his pillow, sleep creeping into his expression. “I missed you,” he rasped and pulled you into him. “I’m really glad you’re here.” He kissed the top of your head, and you felt him finally give in to the exhaustion.

  Morning broke earlier than he would have liked, but regardless, Jensen got up and dressed as quietly as possible. He stood there, watching her sleep for a moment, and longed to just crawl back into bed beside her. She rolled over, now facing his empty side of the bed. He watched long enough to see her reach out for where he should be. Even in slumber, she realized he wasn’t there, but smiled as she wrapped her arms around his pillow.

He thought back to the night before, and how different that time had felt. The sex had been great as usual, but there was a lot more to what happened. He loved watching her, especially when they had sex, but not only then. He’d watch her read a book, drink coffee, even watch a movie. Everything she did was intoxicating to him. As he continued dressing, Jensen paused while fixing the collar of his white Oxford shirt when he was struck with a realization and slight feeling of nauseous panic.

Oh shit, he thought as he gazed down at her, I’m in love with this girl.

Y/N groaned softly as she rolled back the other way and moved an arm to rest above her head. She stretched out her neck to the side, and Jensen smiled wistfully. It was his favorite part of her body to kiss, because every time he did, she made the tiniest little gasp that drove him wild.

There were so many little things like that he found he loved about her… Yes, he told himself, more assuredly this time, love. You LOVE her, dummy. Now, he just had to find a way to tell her and pray that she felt the same way.

He finished getting dressed and carefully climbed back on the bed, so as not to disturb her. Leaving a soft kiss on her shoulder, he quietly left the room and headed downstairs.

A note from Jared said that he was up earlier and went home to shower then head to set. Jensen noticed coffee was already made and he heard the balcony door closing gently from the other room. Jill came in, steaming mug in hand and wrapped up in the throw blanket from the couch.

“Morning,” she smiled and raised her cup. “Sleep well?”

“Fantastic. You? Room comfy?”

“Incredibly, thank you. Hope you don’t mind, I got the coffee going and went out to watch the sunrise. It’s really beautiful here.”

“Don’t mind at all. How is it?” he asked and nodded towards the cup.

“Oh, this is hot chocolate. I hate coffee. But I made it for Jared before and knew you and Y/N would want some.”

Jensen laughed a grabbed a to-go cup from the cabinet. “You are hands down the best houseguest, ever.”

“I try,” she said and sipped at her cocoa while watching Jensen move about the kitchen. He could feel her watching him and gave her a curious glance from the corner of his eye.

“So, what’s Y/N got you doing today?” he asked as he fixed his coffee.

“Who knows, she’s rattled off so many places she wants to drag me too. Then we have to be at the airport around five.”

“Shame you can’t stay longer. Last night was a lot of fun. Maybe Y/N and I can take a trip down to visit you soon. I’d love to meet your husband, I’ve heard a lot about him from Y/N. She says he’s the big brother she never had. Dying to finally meet the guy,” he smirked and secured the lid to his mug.

“Oh, honey, no,” Jill laughed, shook her head and patted his arm. “You’re adorable. No, see, you’re more than welcome to visit when he’s out of town or on a run with the Club, but, we don’t bring the good time home to meet Filip, only serious investors.”

Jensen chuckled unsurely, “What does that mean?”

“Just that, Y/N is family… not just my best friend. My husband looks to her as a little sister and is fiercely protective of anyone he considers family. Fiercely protective. Family is everything to him. So, we have found that its best if he doesn’t meet everyone who comes into her life until we’re sure he’s sticking around.”

“Oh,” he said, slightly taken aback at her proclamation. “Just curious, has Filip met a lot of, uh, serious investors?” Jensen was fidgeting with his cup which didn’t go unnoticed by Jill.

“Only two. He disapproved of both. I’m not saying that he’s got the power of persuasion over Y/N, where he would tell her to dump someone. Buuut, let’s just say he’s an immaculate judge of character and his instincts are primally on point.”

His expression was wary, but also thoughtful. When he didn’t respond, she worried that maybe she gave him the wrong impression. “I just mean that you guys are having fun, it's not serious or anything, right? You see each other when you can. Hell, maybe even see other people between—”

“No, there’s no one else,” he said firmly.

“Good to know,” she said and smiled with mild relief. “All I am saying is, you’re having a good time for now. Until you know what it is—”

“I’m in love with her, Jill,” he interjected abruptly, as if he didn’t say it out loud then, he wouldn’t be able too. “I’m in love with her and it's definitely just not a good time. It’s so much more than that.”

“Then you need to tell her. Show her, make sure she hears you. I love that girl but she’s a tough sonofabitch to get through to sometimes. She gets caught up in her own head and gets lost in there sometimes. So, you may have to repeat it before she believes you.”

Jensen smiled, the soft crinkles forming around his eyes. He gave her a slight nod and replied, “Yes ma’am.”

“I want to like you, Jensen. You seem like a genuinely good person, and I know she really enjoys being with you. It's been years since I’ve seen her like this and I so want this to work out. And I’m sure you will get to meet Filip one day. One way or another. Let’s just hope it’s the friendly kind of visit.”

Jill smiled at him sweetly before finishing her cocoa. She placed the mug in the sink and turned back towards Jensen. He seemed mildly panicked, but when you held out your arms for an embrace, he placed his mug on the counter and returned it happily.

“Now, I am going to go shower so as soon as that woman of yours wakes up, we can go get breakfast. Thanks for having me, you have a great place here. Would definitely love to come and visit again sometime.”

“Thanks, uh, for the chat—” his phone vibrated in his pocket and when he retrieved it, he scowled and shoved it back into his pocket. “That’s my ride. I gotta run, but I want you to know, I heard you. Loud and clear. Have a safe flight home, and I promise you, she’s in good hands with me.”

“Oh, I bet she is,” Jill laughed, shaking her head as she walked turned towards the spare room. “See ya sometime soon and have a good day on set.”

Jensen glanced upstairs at the door to his room. As he grabbed his coat off the hook and double checked for his wallet and keys, he thought about her still wrapped up in his sheets and how they’d be rich with her scent now. Knowing that when he got home, he could lay down on them and she would be right there, pulled at the place in his heart he’d kept reserved and closed off for so long. It scared the shit out of him, but since he’d met her, he knew it was time to open it again. 

 Exploring with Vancouver with Jill was both fun and exhausting. Returning once to the apartment to rest for a few and gather her things, within a couple hours you were back out on the curb hailing a cab to take you both to the airport.

“You don’t have to come. I can get there and get on the plane, no reason you should leave and have to come all the way back.”

“It’s fine. I want to go with you. Jensen won’t be home for a few more hours at least and I don’t want to sit up there all by myself.”

“Alright, but I still say you’re a glutton for punishment,” she teased and handed the cab driver her bags for the trunk.

On the way, you chatted casually and again thanked her for the resort trip. It was rare that you got to spend this quality time with her, and suddenly found yourself anxious that it was ending regardless that it meant you’d be alone with Jensen for the whole week.

“What’s up with you?” she asked, able to read your expression easily.

“Would you laugh if I told you I was nervous?”

“About what?”

“Being alone with him… for a week. Last night, that got intense—”

“Bup bup,” she interrupted and held up her hand. “I’ve heard plenty of sexcapade stories from you about him in the last six months, I don’t need another right now.”

You rolled your eyes and continued, ignoring her teasing grin, “—he got intense. He was just… different and I can’t tell why. I don’t know. I’m being stupid.”

“You’re not. You’re stressing and overthinking, but you’re not being stupid. Look, don’t get inside your head too much, ok? He likes you, he wants you here, he was excited you showed up. By the end of the week, I’m sure you’ll be so at ease with each other, he won’t want you to leave.”

“I just wish you could stay longer,” you pouted.

“Me too, but I miss my old man and I honestly can’t watch you make out with Jensen anymore. It's gross. You should know that.”

“You forget I’ve watched you and Filip for all these years. Girl, I’ve seen things…. Things these eyes will never recover from thanks to you two. So, don’t give me shit.”

With that, the cab pulled up to the drop-off zone and popped the trunk. After exiting the cab, she told him to wait and told you to go back to Jensen’s.

“I got it from here. Go back, enjoy time with him and just have fun. Ok? Text me if you need me, but do not call for at least two days. I plan on doing very dirty things to Filip when I get home and unless the house catches fire, don’t plan on engaging with anyone else.”

You laughed and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Got it. Travel safe.”

“I’ll let you know when I get home though, and seriously, just relax and have fun!”

Jill grabbed her luggage and headed towards the terminal, pausing only once to turn and wave goodbye.

  In the days after Jill left, things took a weird turn between you and Jensen. He wasn’t distant, exactly, but he didn’t have much in him by the time he got home at the end of the day. Which was something you understood completely given the schedule he’d been keeping. You began to worry that his lifestyle wasn’t something you could keep up with.

The conversations you had with Jill echoed loudly in your head, and you kept asking yourself all the questions she had… what was it you wanted from this, where was it going, was it serious, would it last… ?

Several days after saying goodbye to Jill, you were lying in bed trying to read with Jensen snoring softly beside you. The book was open on your lap, but you were blankly staring ahead reliving the day you’d had and trying not to be overly emotional about a whole lot of nothing.

Work had been especially grinding trying to wrap early so he could take a long weekend to spend time with you. He had fifteen-hour days on set, and each night came home completely exhausted, barely able to finish a meal and shower before he fell asleep.

Each morning he left a small note on the coffee pot, which was always brewed and waiting for you when you came downstairs. Passing the time, you went to see a movie, tidied up around the apartment, and finally cleaned out all the leftovers before heading to the market to fill the house with all his favorites.

The ones you knew of, anyway.

Browsing the aisles of the store, you were struck with the realization that there was so much you didn’t know about him. Most of the time you had together, was spent on the go, so that meant a lot of restaurants, take out or room service. Only once did you get to cook for him and that was on a layover he spent at your place a couple weeks after the convention.

You tried to brush it off, but the thought spiraled into more of the same ilk, and it left you feeling slightly spun out, unsure about why you were even trying so hard when it would probably never last. Walking through the produce section, you chose a few types of each before doing the same thing with everything else. By the time you finally reached the check out with a cart full of groceries, you were near tears with doubt.

What is wrong with you? You asked yourself as you sat there, taking in deep breaths of air. You’re panicking… why?

The inner banter you had with your anxious self, went on that way for a while… what about food allergies? Does he have any? What if he hates mushrooms or peppers? What if he can’t eat eggs? Then you’d immediately berate yourself for questioning everything… You’ve seen him eat eggs, you idiot. You’ve seen him eat just about everything…

It took all your strength to make both sides shut up so you could proceed with getting the haul home. Bringing it all up to the apartment was a task, too, and by the time it was all put away, you were mentally exhausted and feeling completely out of whack.

The sound of his key in the door prompted you to quickly swipe any leftover tears from your eyes and busied yourself in the kitchen.

“Hey,” he smiled wearily and hung his keys on the hook. “How was your day?”

Your back was still facing him, but you could feel his eyes on you. “It was good.”

“Just good?”

“Yeah, you know, uneventful,” you half lied and tried to compose yourself before turning around to greet him properly.

The moment you locked eyes with him, you saw he recognized that you weren’t alright. Jensen gingerly took your hand, cast his eyes down as he played with your fingers.

“You wanna talk about it or continue to feed me bullshit?” He looked up, exhaustion set into his features, and the last thing you wanted to do was add to it.

“I—I’m fine, Jay, honest. Let me make you some dinner while you relax. Looks like it was a long day.”

You noticed how intensely he was scrutinizing your face and did your best to hold up to the silent interrogation. “Alright,” he said and brought your hand to his lips. “If you say so. But, if you change your mind and wanna talk about whatever’s bothering you, I’m right here.”

“I know,” you replied, forcing a smile, “I’m fine. Go rest. Dinner should be up soon.”

His brow furrowed as you shewed him from the kitchen, but he did as you asked.

Sometime later, when you went out to tell him that it was ready, you found him fast asleep on the couch. Despite everything, you’d felt that day and all the doubts you had, you were still happy to be there with him. Even though your mind was still muddled with tons of self-doubt and worry where the relationship was headed, an overwhelming rush of love crashed into you.

Dammit, you thought as you gazed down at him sleeping peacefully, I’m falling in love with him and that’s the last thing I wanted.

You gently shook him awake and convinced him to go upstairs to go to bed. He was out almost instantly, but now you were laying beside him back to where you were before. The inner palaver was firing up again, so you grabbed your book to try and stave it off, but even the words of your favorite author couldn’t stop the internal argument brewing.

Everything that you felt for him, versus everything you felt you were not, battled it out until you were as mentally exhausted as Jensen had been physically spent. You finally gave up on reading, put the book on the table and slunk down into the bed. As your eyes closed, your mind let one more thought linger before finally shutting down… Maybe this visit was too long… maybe it really isn’t meant to last.

  Jensen wasn’t an idiot. He could tell she was upset the minute he got home and walked into the kitchen. Her shoulders were slumped, the curve of her spine more pronounced because of it. There was something in her voice, too. Something that dampened the natural radiance he usually heard in it.

She was faking her mood and he didn’t know why. He asked if everything was alright, but her answer felt forced and false. Knowing her the way he did, he knew it had to be more than just the rigidness of his schedule. Whenever it had come up in the previous days, she was sincerely fine with it and he really believed that. He lied for a living after all, and he could spot a liar a hundred miles away. Y/N wasn’t a liar.

That’s how he knew, he had to get to the bottom of this because it wasn’t like her to lie or be this upset and try to hide it.

Y/N ushered him away from the kitchen while she got dinner going, so Jensen took respite on the couch. He flicked on the television and grabbed the phone from his pocket. Realizing the time, he didn’t want to chance to call her, so he brought Jill’s contact info up and messaged her instead.

           Hey, how’s my favorite author doing?

It only took about a minute for her to respond.

                       Sleeping. She was sleeping.

           Sorry about that. Can I pick your brain for a minute?

                       Sure. What’s up?

           Y/N’s upset and won’t say why.

                       Crying?

           Not anymore. She was before I got home I think. Fake smile, too.

                       Did you tell her yet? You didn’t, did you?

           I’m waiting for the right time.

                       Men… you’re an idiot. Tell her. Now.

           Not like that. I don’t want to say it to fix something. I wanna tell her in            a special way. Tell me what Willow Bainbridge would do.

                       I have no words for you right now…

           I know, I’m an ass.

                       Won’t deny that. Just tell her how you feel, dummy. She’s                         probably stuck in her own head just doubting everything.                         Doesn’t need to be elaborate. Make it special, sure. But doesn’t                         have to be a big spectacle. You know?

Jensen sighed. He knew she was right, but he wanted it to be. He wanted to show Y/N just how much he felt for her, but he didn’t know how. She stepped up at the convention in a big way, he just wanted to match it; do something that really proved to her that he loved her.

           You’re the expert here, I’ll follow your lead.

                       Smart boy. Take care of her, ok?

                       Btw, Filip says hello and not to make her cry anymore. Niighhtt!

 Shaking his head, he tucked the phone away, laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes. He must have started dozing off, because the next thing he knew, Y/N was gingerly rubbing his arm and calling his name.

“Jensen…” her voice was soft and sweet despite whatever that was before. “Baby, wake up, let’s go upstairs. You need to get some real sleep.”

He woke enough to hear her and smile when she called him baby. He liked that, a lot. She helped guide him up the stairs and into bed, removing his jeans and shirt and putting them to the side. Jensen fell into bed and wanted to wrap himself up in her, but before she could even climb in beside him, he was fast asleep.              

    You woke the next morning, and as usual, Jensen was gone. You pulled yourself up and out of bed put on your robe and headed down to the kitchen. The coffee pot was on and his note stuck to the cup beside it.

           Fix your cup and go out to the balcony.

You did as the note commanded and froze in place once you realized he was still home and waiting for you out there.

“Well, hey stranger,” you said as you came through the balcony door. “Running late or playing hooky?”

He kissed your cheek, letting his lips linger there softly. “Both.”

The corner of your mouth twitched into a curious smile. “Both?”

“Yes, ma’am. I am playing hooky. All the way through Sunday. But, we are also running late.”

“We?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions,” he teased, his eyes were gazing upon you softly. “I have some plans for us today, and they require us to be leaving very soon. Was just about to come up and wake you.”

“I can be ready in less than an hour, is that ok?”

“Perfect.”

You took your cup upstairs and went about taking a shower to get ready for a day out with Jensen. In record time, you were showered, dressed, downstairs and ready to go. Though you were still feeling a little off from the day before, your spirit had lifted a bit and you felt a little less anxious. No matter what the day had in store, you were going to just try and enjoy the time you had with him.

The day started out with breakfast at a small café he loved, then a trip to the Vancouver Aquarium where he arranged for you to go and feed the penguins. You walked hand in hand with him all day, admiring all the creatures there and found yourself laughing a lot. He was stopped only a few times by fans, and you watched as he treated them all with nothing but kindness and appreciation.

You didn’t think it was anything you could get used to but seeing him interact with them only reinforced what you already knew. This was his life, and he was so, very good at what he did. Being with him, really being with him meant that your perfect days would be interrupted, plans would get canceled and time would sometimes be short.

Just as you were exiting the aquarium, a little boy about ten years old and his mom were walking in. Despite his baseball cap, the boy noticed Jensen and you both heard him scream, “Mom! It’s Dean!”

Jensen immediately went over to him, gave him a high five, and knelt to talk to him. You watched how the little boy’s mom watched them, her face just beaming with happiness. She turned to you, her hand over her heart, “Your husband is absolutely wonderful to do this. My son loves Dean so much, the show too, crazy how they can get so much out of it at this age, isn’t it?”

All you could do is simply nod. The emotion caught up in your throat and rendered you speechless. Their interaction was brief, but it impacted you in a way you didn’t see coming. You suddenly felt remorseful for not having watched the show, for not engaging him more with his career, and the other projects he’s been a part of. You’d become so afraid of falling in love with him, that you purposely ignored the biggest part of his life. No wonder he may want to let you go…

This character he played, that seemed to touch so many people, was a mystery to you and it made you feel terribly guilty. When he said goodbye and came back to you, it was hard to look him in the eye.

From there, you walked around Gastown to explore some shops and galleries. He did most of the talking, pointing out things of interest and sharing his exceptional knowledge of the city’s history. You tried to follow along and listen to everything, but the earlier encounter had brought back the familiar feeling of the day before. You just didn’t feel like you were good enough to be with him.

Though you enjoyed the day, there was something that just felt wrong, and you knew it was because you were letting your fears take over.

Jensen suggested getting dinner and hailed a cab to take you to a restaurant called Chambar. He told the driver where to go and settled into the seat beside you.

“You’ve been quiet. You alright?”

“Yeah, just taking in the day.”

“Sure? If something’s on your mind…” he shrugged slightly and wrapped his hand around your knee, “I want you to know you can talk to me.”

You should have said more, but at that moment all you could muster was, “I know.” You hooked your arm around his elbow, rested your head on his shoulder and rode in silence to the restaurant.

 Jensen must have called ahead because you were sat right away at a large corner booth in the back of the restaurant. As you walked towards the table, it struck you how similar the place looked to the restaurant in Lynchburg. You slid into the rounded booth, and Jensen followed, leaving very little distance between you.

The hostess placed down menus and left with a smile. The waitress arrived shortly after and took care of the drinks and appetizers, leaving you with your menus a while longer. Once you decided what you wanted to have, you really began to look around the place and enjoyed how familiar it felt.

“This place really looks—”

“Just like Lynchburg, right?” he said, his smile encapsulating his entire face. “It’s why I wanted to come here.”

“It's beautiful, and the food smells great,” you said, trying to make small talk but you could see something more serious brewing behind his eyes.

The drinks were dropped off, and after he sampled his bourbon, he finally broached the subject that he had been mulling over. “I know that these past couple days have been crappy, and you’ve had a lot on your mind. But, there’s a weird thing going on here. I don’t know what it is, but I know that I’m not crazy about it.”

You felt your heart start to sink. Had you read the day completely wrong? Was this really it? The final nail in a coffin signifying the end you were so scared of?

“Wh—What do you mean?”

“Just that, you’ve been quiet, not really yourself. You don’t want to talk about it, and I can’t force you, but I also don’t want you to be unhappy.”

You swallowed a good portion of your Jack and Coke, hoping the bite of the whiskey would help quell the panic rising, to go back down. “I’m not, unhappy, Jensen.”

“Then what is it?” he asked, the lines of his forehead creasing with worry. “Because you’ve definitely not been happy. You were crying last night before I got home and hid it. Why?”

You inhaled sharply, taken aback by his accusation. He wasn’t wrong, but you thought you’d covered that so well. He seemed frustrated by it though, and you immediately assumed this was the beginning of the end. You felt instantly defensive. This wasn’t how this was supposed to be. This is how things were with the other people that had been in your life. But not Jensen, he was supposed to be different…

“Look, if you want to end things—”

Jensen was suddenly panicked. “What? No!”

“It’s ok, I mean, I never expected it to last forever,” you mumbled through a buildup of thick emotion. You could feel yourself starting to spiral. “I don’t know if I will ever be comfortable with the public side of your life, I know I don’t watch the show, and you must feel like I don’t support you—"

He took your hands tightly in his and slid you closer to him on the bench. “Y/N. Stop. Just shut up for a minute. When I first met you, we had the most amazing, best night of my life. The next day, you didn’t want to hear me out. When there’s no communication, things get messy. You ran away, and we missed out on a month together. I’m asking you now to listen to me. Alright? Just really listen.”

You drew in a shaky breath and nodded. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” you rasped.

“Good. Last thing I want is for anything to end. I realized something the other day and I’ve been waiting, looking for the perfect moment to tell you. Work has been crazy, and I didn’t want it to be said in passing or off hand. And with how quiet you’ve been, I didn’t want to say it solely try and make you feel better. I need you to know I’m sincere. Maybe I should’ve just said it right then, but when it comes to you, I’m not always thinking straight. I wanted to be in a special place, look you in the eye and be able to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“That I am crazy, head over heels in love with you.”

The words spilled from his lips all in one breath as he sat there, anxiously awaiting your response. He squeezed your hands, as his tongue darted nervously out across his bottom lip. “Honestly, just saying it, it’s not enough, because I don’t just want to be in love with you, Y/N. I want you to be with me, forever. I don’t want you to go home. I want you to stay here in Vancouver. I know that changes everything for you, and it’s a big step, but I know that we are good together. I am the best I’ve ever been, in these last six months. That’s because of you. I may be tired when I get home, and there’s not always a whole lot of me left then. But what is left, I want to give to you. I have loved coming home this week, knowing you were there and I’m sorry if I haven’t made that abundantly clear.”

You swallowed thickly and could feel your chest rising and falling, but the air expelling was thin at best. Your bottom lip was shaking with so many things you wanted to say back, but the look in his eyes was enough to render you silent. Slowly, you withdrew your hands from his and ran them nervously through your hair. It was then you were struck by how funny it all was.

“This whole week, I’ve been petrified that you were tired of me and that I shouldn’t have surprised you. I was so scared that you were just being kind, tolerating me being there. I went shopping for you and panicked. Bought everything under the sun because I didn’t remember what you liked.”

“Is that why there’s like, ten boxes of different pastas in the pantry?” he asked, a vague smirk touching his lips.

You nodded and wiped the stray tear that started falling. “I realized how little I thought I knew about you. Then, it spiraled… maybe it was too much, I was too much. That I wasn’t what you’d need or want in any concept of forever. So, I tried to step back a little bit emotionally; detach myself from you so when it did end, I wouldn’t get too hurt. Problem was, I couldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I had already fallen in love with you but was really scared to admit it to myself.”

His expression changed. Gone were the lines of worry across his brow, the crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes as his perfect lips curled into a smile. “You love me, huh?” he teased.

“Yeeaah,” you said shakily, drawing out the word as you leaned in closer. “Against my better judgment, I do.”

Jensen’s hand lovingly caressed your check and guided your mouth to meet his. Reminiscent of your first kiss in the elevator, it was slow and sweet; tiny flashes of energy sparking every time your lips came together. It was the first real kiss you had shared with him in a few days and it felt long overdue.

He pulled back but kept his eyes locked with yours. He appeared like he wanted to say something more, but hesitated. You didn’t want to pressure him, so you let him work it out on his own. He reached down into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, laying it face down on the table.

“I have something I need to ask you…”

  Jensen knew it was now or never. She loved him, that was all he needed to be sure and brave. The small piece of jewelry felt heavy in his hands. He’d gone over this a million times in the last two days and was still unsure of what he wanted to say. Since the day that Jill left, he’d been trying to find the right words to ask Y/N, but nothing felt just right. The only thing that did, is him finally coming to realize he wanted to be with her forever.

He stopped and bought the ring the next day. Why wait? He knew he loved her and always wanted to be with her. He didn’t tell a single soul, though. Not even Jared. He was afraid someone would try and talk him out of it, and right now, getting Y/N to marry him was the only thing in the world he really wanted.

Jensen took a deep breath and leap that he never thought would come.

“I have something I need to ask you… Nothing about us has been conventional. I know that I’m in love with you, and I want to spend my life with you. Whether that forever is here in Vancouver, in Austin, or in Timbuctoo… I don’t care, Y/N. All that matters to me, is that I found my perfect girl and I’m tired of waiting for forever to start.”

Jensen unfurled his fingers to reveal the petite silver ring garnished with a three-carat opal cut diamond in his palm. He picked up and held it towards her. “Marry me.”

There was no wavering or uncertainty in his voice. He knew what he wanted, and he was determined to get it. Her expression morphed from adoration to shock in the course of two words. Her eyes grew large and her mouth fell slack.

“M—Marry you?” The way she said it made his stomach drop. Maybe it was too soon, he thought and fought down the internal panic. Then he really looked in her eyes and noticed her own panic.

“I know my life isn’t exactly normal. Sometimes it's overwhelming and exhausting. But, its part of who I am, and I don’t want to give it up. That being said, I am not going to expect you to take part if you can’t. If you’re worried—”

“Will you shut up?” she interjected, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. “Just shut up, Jay, and put the ring on my finger.”

Jensen expelled a rush of anxious air and slipped the ring onto her finger. “So, that’s a yes?”

She admired it for a moment, then took his cheeks into her hands and kissed him deeply despite being in a very crowded restaurant. When the kiss cooled down, she smiled, just like she did that night in Lynchburg when they were out on the patio and agreed to go upstairs with him.

“Yes,” her bright eyes sparkled with a thousand new promises. “I will marry you… anytime, anywhere.”

Jensen felt overwhelmed, happy, scared and relieved. But as he sat with his now fiancé, as she leaned into him, watching her ring dance in the ambient lighting of the room, he knew that he did the right thing. She was the one. The one he was fated to meet and found again in the most unlikely of places. Now, she’d be with him forever.

Six Months Later…

The Autumn air was unnaturally warm for October in Tennessee, not that you minded. It made having an outdoor wedding more bearable. The barn was all decked out in various flower arrangements and soft lighting, tables set up both inside and out, depending on how the weather was going to cooperate. The sun was about two hours from setting, and you knew you’d have an amazing sunset for the big day. Sunsets in this part of the world never ceased to disappoint.

Jill was fidgeting with the bottom of your dress, while Filip watched from the corner of the room. He had his arms crossed over his chest, one boot kicked over the other.

“Why you makin’ me stay in here for lass, I’ll be on me best behavior out there. I just wanna talk to the boy, shite.”

“You, sit,” Jill commanded her husband, to which he woefully obeyed but not without a rueful glance. “You will not scare him off thirty minutes before they’re supposed to get married.

“Pffft,” Filip said and waved her off. “I ain’t gonna do nothin’, love. Cross me heart.”

“You heard the woman, you best stay,” you teased and adjusted a rogue strand of hair. “Instead, tell me if I look alright. Don’t wanna look a mess walking out there.”

Filip got up, walked over to you and Jill, and draped his arm across her shoulders while giving you a firm once over. A soft smile fell to his face, causing the infamous dimples to appear. “Absolutely beautiful. I mean, no one could touch this one’s beauty on the day we said ‘I do’, but you’re a damn close second sweetheart.”

“Dayum Filip, even after all these years, you still know how to get your old lady to smile,” you teased once you saw Jill’s face blush.

“It’s a gift,” he whispered with a wink. “Now, ladies, I am gonna take me leave of ya, ‘n go find the bar. Maybe I’ll run into this groom of yours. We need to be havin’ a quick chat anyway.”

“Filip!” you warned, “Don’t you be mean!”

“Me? Come on now, you know me better than that…”

“Best behavior old man,” Jill warned and narrowed her eyes at him. Filip sauntered out of the room and flipped out the tails of his suit jacket as he walked out the door. “Boy he’s got a flair for the dramatic,” she mumbled after he left.

Standing up from fixing one more spot on the hem, she stepped back and took a long look at you. “Alright, I think you are ready to go.” Her face beamed, and you turned to take one more look at yourself in the mirror.

“Is this really going to happen today? How the Hell did I get here?” you asked, more to your reflection than to Jill. But she nonetheless stood behind you and spoke to both of your reflections. “This time last year I was newly single and planning a vacation… now…”

“Now you are marrying a really great guy who loves you like crazy and has the world’s coolest job. It’s going to be beautiful and you two are going to have the best, craziest sort of life together.”

“You think?”

“I know.”

Jill squeezed your shoulders and smiled again through the reflection. “Come on, let’s go get you married.”

  Outside, Jensen paced nervously while trying to listen to the calming words of his brother and father about the wonders of marriage. Jared stood off to the side relishing in watching how anxious his best friend was getting. After a few minutes, he found a way to get Jensen alone, if for no other reason than to give the man a moment to breathe.

“You alright?” Jared asked, picking a piece of lint from Jensen’s tux.

“If you count wanting to puke as alright, sure. I’m dandy.”

“Wanna call it off?” Jared asked sarcastically, earning a look of death from Jensen.

“What do you think?”

“Alright, then chill. It’s going to be fine. You’ll get up there, she’ll get up there, Y’all will be married and then… we’ll drink and party. Right?”

“Yeah, man. Thanks. You sure you’re good to do this?”

Jared pulled the index cards from his jacket and nodded. “I am so ready to do this. I’m honored you’d even ask me.”

“No one else in the world I’d want to have been a part of this,” Jensen clapped Jared’s shoulder and brought him into a hug.

Approaching from behind, Filip cleared his throat. “Excuse me, boys, may I have a moment with the groom?”

Jared and Jensen passed a nervous look. Jensen’s mouth frowned and he nodded, his way of telling Jared it was ok to go on ahead. “I’ll meet you up there.”

Once Jared was gone Filip got a little closer and looked out over the area set up for the wedding.

“Gorgeous, huh?” Filip asked gesturing towards it. “Really pretty place you choose here.”

“Yeah, it’s beautiful.”

Filip maintained his silence for a moment. Surveying the farm before him, he turned slowly and caught Jensen’s gaze. “So’s she, ya know. Me little sis down there. Not just her face I mean. She’s a good one.”

“I know. Trust me.”

“She best stay that way.”

“She will as long as she’s with me,” Jensen said assuredly, though resisted the urge to add “sir,” and glanced at Filip from the corner of his eye.

“Y/N ever tell ya ‘bout the time she brought this one lad ‘round the house?” Filip asked, ignoring Jensen’s comment. “He was a lazy shite, didn’t like him at all. Walked in on ‘em fightin’ once, poor fella.”

“Poor fella?” Jensen asked with an edgy grin. “What, uh, happened to him?”

Filip was quiet for a moment longer than was comfortable for Jensen. A wicked smile unfurled on his lips, enhancing the Glasgow smile etched into his face. “Let’s hope you never have to find out, aye?”

The older man in the dapper gray suit chuckled darkly and smacked Jensen on the back. “Sun’s getting low boyo, best be getting the bride ready for a walk down the aisle to ya.”

He turned and sauntered back down the hill towards where Y/N would be getting ready. Jensen took a moment to compose himself and found the whole thing slightly humorous. Y/N was like no one he’d ever known. Even her closest family and friends were characters, and even though they may be slightly frightening, he was looking forward to the day they called him family, too.

  The music started playing, and Jill appeared at the end of the aisle wearing an off the shoulder, plum colored dress. As the Maid of Honor, she walked slowly, smiling at the smattering of guests. Keeping it to close friends and family, there were less than fifty people in attendance, which provided a wonderfully intimate setting. When she arrived at the end, everyone stood up and reacted to seeing Y/N standing there on Filip’s arm.

Jensen’s breath stopped. He tried to swallow the swell of emotion that build up, but his throat had gone completely dry. She was breathtaking. He didn’t notice the details of her dress, or exactly how she had her hair done. All he could see were how her eyes were locked with his, and twinkled with the future that waited for him there.

Traveling, holidays, quiet nights… kids. All of it. Everything he’d wanted with a girl that was meant to be his.

She arrived at the altar, and Jared cleared his throat. Standing in as the Officiant of the Ceremony, he asked who gave this woman to this man.

Filip cleared his throat, and cast a look over to Jill, who warned with her eyes that he’s to answer and move on; no shenanigans.

“I do,” he replied and clapped Jensen on the shoulder and grinned, “I give her, happily.”

Once Filip was sat in the front row, Jared continued on with the ceremony.

“When Jensen first told me about meeting Y/N, he said that she was the kind of girl that made you question your future. He thought of her as his Cinderella. The perfect girl who got away, never to be seen again. But she proved him wrong. That’s when I knew I approved. Anyone that can prove this man wrong, is a superstar in my book.”

Jared raised his brows in jest and Jensen sighed loudly, hanging his head in mock shame. A ripple of laughs worked its way through the guests, and once it was quiet again, Jared placed a hand on both Jensen’s and Y/N’s shoulders.

“In all seriousness, you two have found an amazing connection of love that most people only dream of. I am honored to be a small part of this and cannot wait to watch you both grow in love from now until the end of days. Thankfully, you’ve written your own vows, so I will now shut up and let you have at it.”

Jensen may have been comfortable on con stages, in front of cameras and even behind them, but right then, his nerves were maxed out. Before him, stood not only the most beautiful woman he’d ever known but the only one who had ever made him feel complete. He didn’t remember what life was like before knowing her, and he never wanted to again. Now, he finally had her right where he wanted her and planned on telling her just how much he was going to love her for the rest of his life.

He drew in a deep breath and began…

Part 4: Best. Christmas. Ever. (Christmas Fic)

#spngenrebingo #jensen ackles x you #jensen ackles x reader #jensen ackles x reader insert #jensen ackles rpf

[thecoroutfitters]

In the right-hand model, it’s in the identical plane. When an object can’t be superimposed onto its mirror image, then it’s a chiral object. Just take the next simple example.

This graphic looks at a range of the most usual easy derivatives that can be obtained within this manner. So as to conserve space, structural formulas will frequently be written out in 1 line. Here is a more complicated example with numerous alkenes.

What You Must Know About Iso Organic Chemistry

Every lab is anticipated to keep up a strict grip over the quality together with suitable documentation. https://expert-writers.net/thesis-help/ Benchmarking Benefits ISO 17025 certification makes it possible for the labs to make sure they’re performing the testing properly and keeping up the apt standard. Organic products are verified to create sure organic integrity was maintained via the packaging practice.

How to Get Started with Iso Organic Chemistry?

Acetone is extremely flammable. A hydroxy naphthalene like naphthol needs to be regarded as a phenol. Hydrocarbons can be categorized into two categories depending on the presence of a benzene ring, a circular kind of hydrocarbon.

While I write benzene ring, it’s important to realize that other aromatic systems like naphthalene exist. Carbon-hydrogen molecules are known https://school.wakehealth.edu/Research/Institutes-and-Centers/Clinical-and-Translational-Science-Institute/Maya-Angelou-Center-for-Health-Equality/Health-Equity-Education-and-Training as hydrocarbons. For molecules aside from hydrocarbons, still other types of isomers are possible.

The Secret to Iso Organic Chemistry

Inorganic chemistry compounds find a good deal of use in medicine and wellness care. The nursery is a wonderful place to get started! In case the leaving and adding happens at the very same time, it is known as an S2 reaction.

The average quantity of acetone an adult in america gets from food isn’t known. Taking a look at the qualification is the very first thing with which the selection procedure ought to be started. He was employed as a chemist at Dupont for 42 decades.

If you haven’t already done so, you ought to read my prior post and make sure that you are conversant with the chemical tests listed here. A number of the reactions are cross-referenced for more information. This summary is designed to help in the right use of italic in preparing manuscript material.

The phenomenal development of organic chemistry during the last ten years buy essays and the switch by the indexes of Chemical Abstracts to use a lot more systematic nomenclature implies that the proper time is now. The significance of organic chemistry has been lately recognized owing to its comparison with normal chemistry. It’s helpful to understand what’s organic chemistry in order to understand which books or sections to use if researching chemistry questions, e.g. looking-up info in textbooks and via other sources and media.

Because pre-med students come from quite a few different undergraduate programs and regions of the nation, it’s understandable why there was the maturation of a standardized means to compare individual students wishing to obtain entrance into medical school. Just bookmark the video at the right time of learning so that you’re able to have easy access to it at the right time of revision. Since the training course is self-paced, you might finish the course in fewer than 16 weeks.

Dr. Pryor is a specialist on oxidative stress and the usage of the antioxidant vitamins in human well-being. For example, if you have a construction company but your consultants don’t have any earlier experience of working with the building industry, they might not be in a position to do justice with your ambitious project. A reputable consulting firm will walk together with you throughout the implementation practice.

Alkanes aren’t very reactive compared with other chemical species. The character of alcohol oxidation is dependent greatly on the molecules reactivity and the essence of the oxidizing reagent. Loss of small molecules like water is normal in condensation reactions.

It’s also essential to note that symmetrical vibrations do not lead to absorption of IR radiation. Make because many correlations as you are able to. This sort of electron displacements results in polarization of the bond.

Lies You’ve Been Told About Iso Organic Chemistry

To acquire pure ethanol from the fermentation mixture, the procedure for fractional distillation has to be carried out on the consequent solution. Lab results have demonstrated that parabens are easily absorbed via the epidermis and are observed in 90% of breast cancer tumors removed from patients. If a reaction demands the supply of a specific sum of heat it’s endothermic (H is positive).

The Basics of Iso Organic Chemistry

The synthetic organic chemist examines the molecule they would like to make to observe how it may be constructed. The vinyl group is like the allyl group. The interesting issue is that not all chemical bonds are made equal.

Do recognize, there ought to be a regulator to assure you have the suitable mix. The displayed structural formula indicates all the atoms and all the bonds. Unlike inorganic compounds, there are a few thousands of organic compounds in the present moment.

The simplest approach to understand any organization is to realize the processes used to run the enterprise. Find more details on the Altmetric Attention Score and the way the score is figured. Qualifications whenever you’re going through the screening process for hiring a consulting firm or consultant, you shouldn’t forget to think about the qualification of the group members that are likely to control your EMS.

Using Iso Organic Chemistry

Now the 2 layers can be separated into their various beakers. It follows that, in case there are two unique atoms, or groups of atoms, attached to every carbon of the carbon carbon double bond, they are sometimes arranged in various approaches to provide distinctive molecules. Attached groups are often drawn at the surface of the ring, but you can occasionally find them drawn in different places with the ring rotated.

Sometimes there’s more than one possible selection of parent chains. When you wish to indicate that a chain is intended to be a side chain, it’s written in parentheses. The parent chain is going to have the best number of carbon atoms.

For instance, the hydrocarbon methane, that is the key part of natural gas, has just a single carbon and four hydrogen atoms. If for some reason there aren’t any crystals visible, a gravity filtration can be carried out. Following this mixture cools slowly there needs to be large crystals present.

from Patriot Prepper Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. Are you ready for any situation? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

[lizthefangirl]

This is the first fanfic I’ve ever written. And it’s about Clarke’s wait.

Now on Ao3!

You have The 100 season four finale to thank for this. 

I go through many of Clarke’s daily logs, with an ending that I hope will be a welcome twist. Shoutout to the calculator on my phone for helping me count the days. 

Enjoy, my loves. Feedback is welcome. 

56 DAYS

“Bellamy, if you could see me right now…” 

Clarke huffed a laugh, and winced. Her face was still grotesque, even after nearly two months of healing. She’d taken to doing some research in the lab, studying the chemicals on hand and eventually testing a salve, which had come out a sticky green and currently coated her features. She had caught her reflection in one of the computers and immediately grabbed the radio. 

Her smile faded as she studied the other screens, the feed showing the ravaged terrain outside the sealed doors. 

“I don’t know how anyone could still be alive,” she whispered. “I don’t know how I’m still alive. But you are. All of you. Because you have to be, or I’ll kill you.”

100 DAYS

“I really need to go outside, Bellamy. I think I’ve memorized every inch of this fucking place.” She grimaced at the sterile walls. “Even hoped there might’ve been a spare rocket tucked away someplace.” 

She chewed on her lip, eying the mezzanine where they’d stood—where she’d warned him. She still felt the heat of his chest beneath her palm. “If I could get up there to you, I would. I’d do anything.”

365 DAYS

“So I thought last year was the longest of my life,” Clarke began, slightly winded after working out. “You know, the one where we fell out of the sky, were taken captive by a mountain and all that. But this has been… Not gonna lie, it’s been shit.” 

Her fingers brushed the little book in her lap. “I, uh. I started drawing again.” She held her breath, as if he would finally respond with some snarky remark. 

Static answered her.

She went on, eyes drifting closed. “I haven’t told you before, because… I dunno. I’ve drawn all seven of you—even Echo. You’re hard to draw, did you know that? Not because you’re too handsome to be properly rendered on paper. Don’t flatter yourself, Blake. I think it’s the hair. Or maybe the eyes…” She continued listing his features until sleep washed over her, and he met her in her dreams, beckoning her to continue with a crooked grin.

521 DAYS

“I went outside today,” she said into the receiver with a breathless giggle. “I went outside and I didn’t die!” 

Granted, it had been in her botched-up hazmat suit, but she had seen trees—trees.

And burst into tears.

“Things aren’t as yellow anymore. They’re not normal, though—you can probably tell as much from where you are. But they’re… there. Mostly. Maybe someone else is alive, after all.” She sighed wistfully, tipping her head back and letting her mind wander, giddy with hope. “Maybe they’re even cute.” She imagined him rolling his eyes.

You wish, Princess.

704 DAYS

“Bellamy. Your rover is trying to kill me.” 

She had located it in an alcove obscured by a fallen tree, which she had spent the past few days hacking away at with some equipment she’d found until she was left with a roughly rover-sized gap in the trunk. She also found fuel stashed away with it. Relief flooded her senses, and she wondered which of them had thought to do it. Probably Monty.

But the vehicle wasn’t without damage: When she first tried to start the engine, it had snarled and spat and she worried it might combust. She’d repeated her efforts multiple times, until she’d finally hopped out and slammed her fists on the hood with all her strength, aghast as the rover gave a final outraged hiss before evening into its normal rumble. 

“I have conquered the beast,” she reported, sweating profusely in her suit as she climbed behind the wheel. “Raven will be so proud.”

902 DAYS

“I found some guns on the opposite end of the island. They were tucked away in a barrel, just like the ones we found that first year on the ground. Only, these were in pieces.” She smiled absently, hands stained with grease. “You remember that, Bellamy? That was… quite a trip.”

She paused a while later, surveying her work. On a leather strap she’d been saving, she’d taken the point of her knife and had started carving names—their names. All the ones that were dead. The ones she’d killed. 

Her fingers had felt like lead when she’d finished the largest one: LEXA. She fought tears as she lifted the blade one more time, hand shaking as she remembered another list of names, almost three years before. The same person that made her hesitate then did so now.

“Bellamy, I… I hope you’re alive. I hope you all are. But if you aren’t…” 

Her words choked off in a sob. She dropped the radio on the table, gripping the handle of the knife with white knuckles as she tried to catch her breath. At last, she looked down at the leather, nodding to herself. “I’ll see you again,” she said. 

She added his name last. 

1,109 DAYS

“So you will never believe what happened today,” she said under her breath. “I found another person. A little nightblood girl named Madi.” She glanced at the blanketed figure beside her, eyes catching on the rise and fall of her chest. “She’s Trikru. She was only six when Praimfaya happened, and she’s survived all this time. She found this island on her own—came on a raft a few months ago because her mother told her to ‘follow the water.’” Clarke shook her head, awed.

“Bellamy, I’ve never had a… Someone younger than me. You had Octavia, and I… I know I just found her, but I don’t want anything to happen to her. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

1,481 DAYS

“We’ve hit the mainland,” she announced. “The rafts worked. Even the one for the rover.”

Madi was whooping like a wild thing around the fire, and Clarke grinned. “I can’t believe we pulled it off, after all those tests—”

“I want to talk to him,” Madi chirped, her accent less thick. 

Clarke pressed her lips together, handing her the radio. “Hold that button,” she instructed, fingers covering the girl’s. 

“Bell-amy,” Madi said formally. “Clarke says you are tall.”

She went on to tell him about the weather, how she knew her hair was a little lighter than his, and finally, through a yawn, said, “I want to see the ship, please.”

With that, she returned the radio to Clarke and curled onto her lap to sleep. “Me too,” she whispered, stroking the girl’s hair.

1,623 DAYS

“Bellamy, the temple collapsed. The bunker is sealed underneath. I’ve tried to reach them on the radio, but it still isn’t working.” She scrubbed her hands on her face, ash filling her nose. “I am so sorry, Bellamy. I thought… I thought…” 

 1,833 DAYS

“I don’t understand. I don’t—it’s been five years and a week. It’s been five years.” She had been hissing into the radio for hours, then days, now past nightfall.

“Clarke?”

She started at the small voice behind her. “I told you to go to sleep, Madi,” she croaked, watching the girl’s eyes go cold at her brusque tone. “I’m sorry, please just—go to sleep.” 

Her eyes and voice were raw with tears. Madi didn’t move, just looked at her with that sharp gaze, and something snapped in her chest. “Please! I can’t talk to you right now, I can’t—it’s been five years. It’s been five years, and he’s not—” She looked at the radio in her trembling fingers, realizing that’s all it was. “Oh, God. Bellamy.”

She crumpled to the ground. Thin, determined arms snaked around her shoulders, tight as a vice. “They can’t be dead,” she sobbed. “He can’t be dead. He can’t be dead.”

“Belomi ste kom skai,” Madi whispered, cheek pressed to her golden head. “Em nou na frag em op, gon em ste houm.”

Bellamy is from the sky. It will not kill him, because it is home.

2,040 DAYS

“There were other nightblood children in Polis, hiding. Madi explained who we were, and we gave them a choice to come with us. All eight of them said yes after the eldest agreed.” Clarke smiled to herself as Madi worked the red dye into her freshly cropped hair. “And I needed a new look, apparently.” 

Her child hummed in agreement.

The new kids were huddled, speaking to one another in Trigedasleng . They ranged from ages five to thirteen, the oldest boy nearly Madi’s age. Though based on the measured glares they shot at one another, she doubted that would go anywhere.

Then again, she and Bellamy had started the same way. 

2,059 DAYS

“We can’t get to the bunker, Bellamy. We’ve tried everything. They haven’t tried to come out, either. But if I know your sister, there’s no way she isn’t still fighting.” 

2,061 DAYS

“Madi found this spot for us the other day, overlooking Azgeda territory. The mountains.” She inhaled the scent of the pines, the earth, now green and lush. “It’s so beautiful. She told me she wants us to come here everyday so that I can talk to you, and she can have her lessons in peace.” Clarke glanced behind her at where the girl was draped over the hood of the rover, arms perched under her head. “Her English is so good. You can barely hear the accent anymore. I’ve said it before, but you really would love her, Bellamy. All of the kids, I think.”

2,199 DAYS

“Bellamy, if you can hear me—if you’re alive—it’s been 2,199 days since Priamfaya. I don’t know why I still do this everyday, maybe it’s my way of staying sane, not forgetting who I am—who I was. It’s been safe for you to come down for over a year now, why haven’t you? The bunker’s gone silent too, we tried to get them out for a while but… there was too much rubble, I haven’t made contact with them either. Anyway, I still have hope. Tell Raven to aim for the one spot of green and you’ll find me. The rest of the planet from what I’ve seen basically sucks. So—”

The ship twisted through the atmosphere and snatched the air from her lungs. She slowly rose from her crouch.

“Never mind,” she breathed. “I see you.”

2,199 DAYS

Bellamy squinted at the mountains in the distance, a salty breeze ruffling his curls.

The rest of the crew bustled behind him on the beach, murmuring quietly as they had the past few weeks since they’d landed, when the freak storm had nearly thrown them off course. 

She hadn’t been in the lab. 

She hadn’t been on the island at all.

And yet, the rover was gone from where he’d left it. Equipment had been moved in the room where he’d left her, six years and one week ago. 

Life, it said. 

It had to be her. She was alive—for some time, at least. The uncertainty of her whereabouts made his stomach lurch. As he faced the mainland, he could still hear the word through the static—the single word their damaged satellite picked up a couple days upon landing.

Bellamy, she said, no more than a breath.

They’d traced the signal to the mainland. But they were not on the mainland. They were capsized on this fucking island. 

Clarke Griffin was only miles away from him—alive. Alive, alive. And he couldn’t get to her. Each day passing day cut him deeper.

He almost didn’t notice it—the speck falling from the sky. 

“Raven,” he rasped, nearly stumbling backwards. “Raven.”  

The others fell into stunned silence as they joined him on the shore. The speck was—hovering. It was changing—

“We have to go,” he roared, legs plunging into the icy sea. “Now.”

#the 100 #bellarke #t100 #bellamy blake #fanfic

[the-redhead-who-writes]

Musically Inclined

“James asks Sam to run into town and pick up some music for him, and this ‘dumb errand’ turns into a trip he won’t soon forget.” Music Store AU that is fluffiness to the max. This fic was inspired by the single 'Chained the Monster’, which is the opening theme for Seduce Me the Otome! I highly recommend you take a listen to it if you haven’t already; it’s an awesome song!

I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to @the-sassy-sister as a late birthday present! Thank you so much for all of your help with editing and for just being there for me.

Rated T for language, ‘cause Sam.

Link: FF.net               Link: AO3

Sam didn’t get the Human World.

Sure, there were some sweets perks to living in it: he had way more freedom than when he was living in the Abyssal Plains, for one. Yeah, he’d pretty much slacked off that whole time, but at least here, he could slack off and not have his douchebag Dad breathing down his neck.

Video games were pretty cool, too. Matthew had dug up some old human gaming console from the mansion’s basement the first week after they’d arrived, and since then, handing his ass to him never got old.

But the rest was kind of a shitshow.

Sam didn’t know much about Human World history either. Unlike James, who for some reason actually liked studying every aspect of human life. Their traditions and cultures were fascinating to him, and he seemed to start on a new research topic every other week. This time it was music. More specifically, a bunch of long-dead musicians.

“Sam, I’d appreciate if you could simply do me this favour,” James yelled tiredly through the open window. Sam didn’t have to see him to know he was pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation.

“Why the hell do I gotta go out and get your stupid music? Whaddaya even want it for anyway?” Sam groused, not bothering to open his eyes. Cushioning his arm beneath his head, he shifted onto his side, enjoying how the afternoon sun warmed the roof.

He heard James sigh.

“I’ve already told you. If we are to stay in this world, we must learn all that we can about the people who occupy it. The research I’m compiling highlights the men and women that greatly affected humanity; explorers, theorists, musicians and scientists alike. Beethoven, Bach and Mozart for example - seen as geniuses for the prominent pieces of music they’d composed in their lifetimes, and whom are still considered to be the most brilliant minds of the age in modern-”

“Ok, ok, I got it. Geez… But why me? Isn’t this Damien’s kinda thing? He loves all that stuff about humans: just get him to do it.”

“Damien and Matthew are out shopping for this week’s groceries, and before you ask, Erik is gone as well. He’s picking up some books that I need from the library.”

“So why don’t you go and get the CD’s then?” Sam retorted, adding under his breath, “You’re the one who actually wants to waste his time listening to ‘em.”

“I heard that,” James snapped, “And for your information, I’m still in the process of finalizing our Citizenship documents. Fake as they may be, blending in with the humans and their routines is crucial to the start of our new lives. Unless you’d rather spend the duration of our time here confined to the mansion.”

How the hell did his stupid research have anything to do with that last part?

Sam didn’t respond, rolling over onto his back.

Their freedom depended on some old dead guys who could write music? That logic made zero sense. But even the idea of not being able to leave the mansion for the rest of his life really sucked.

Before he had a chance to finish his internal debate though, James took his lapse of silence as a ‘yes’.

“Be sure to take some money with you, as well as one of the disposable cell phones I bought, just in case. And you can take the bus into town to get to the record shop.”

“Oh, one last thing,” James called over his shoulder, voice growing fainter as he walked away. “I’ll leave you a note with directions and a list of several composers and song titles on the dining table. It should make finding the materials simpler.”

And with that, he left, his footsteps echoing softly off the marble floors.

Once he was sure James was gone, Sam opened his eyes, squinting up at the sky. Freakin’ perfect. Reluctantly, he braced himself up on his left hand, rubbing his other palm into his eye.

All this for some stupid music…

While on his brothers’ dumb errand, Sam discovered something else he didn’t understand about humans.

Why the hell they ever took the bus.

Hot and cramped, with fifty other people crowding around him, it reeked like sweat and the ‘gasoline’ James had told him powered the thing. It was loud as shit too. People talking, some kid was crying, and there was a guy playing a game on his phone and screaming at it.

If the humans thought it was bad, it was a thousand times worse for Sam. With his enhanced senses, the smell and noise were practically choking him, and getting jostled every two minutes by the old lady knitting in the seat beside him wasn’t helping.

Agitated, he tried to adjust his hold on the safety pole but felt the steel crumple in his grasp. He quickly loosened his grip, only to find a perfect imprint of his hand dented into the metal. Sam groaned and resigned himself to leaning against the damn thing instead. That was precisely the moment that the old lady finished her row, and jabbed him squarely in the ribs again. Startled, he fell to the dirty bus floor, landing on his ass with a thud. The guy on his phone snickered, and Sam’s blood boiled.

Fucking awesome.

When the bus finally stopped, he vaulted over the seats, dashed out the sliding doors with inhuman speed, and skidded to a stop on the sidewalk. Bent over with his hands on his knees, he gasped for air, taking several deep breaths.

He was walking back to the mansion, no fucking question.

Once the horrible smell was out of his nose and the ringing had faded from his ears, Sam straightened. Breathing hard and pissed beyond belief, he pulled the paper James had left him out of his vest pocket. The faster he got this done, the better, and according to the crudely drawn map sketched on the note, the record store was a just a little further down the road - the fifth on the left.

He heard it before he saw it. Muffled laughter and music floated down the street, coming from a run-down looking shop.

It was definitely old, crammed between an arcade and a bookstore. The bricks were chipped and worn. Cobwebs blew gently in the corners of windows that were littered with faded posters, and a stained welcome mat sat in front of a tarnished brass door. In short, it looked like shit, but Sam couldn’t have cared less; it wasn’t like he planned on taking his time.

Pushing the door open, a bell chimed above Sam’s head and scattered voices mixed with the music playing in the background.

It was bigger than it looked outside, but just as messy. Boxes were stacked everywhere, while different instruments hung on the walls. A busted light cast shadows over the back of the store while the sections of CD’s were brightly lit. Rows of shelves held hundreds of discs for people to browse, but thankfully it was nowhere near as cramped as the bus.

Now that he was here, all he had to do was find James’s shit. Then he could get back to the mansion. Sam wandered to the nearest shelf and unfolded the list again. Ruffling his hair, he started scanning the names, already bored. After the first couple lines, though, he furrowed his brow and brought the paper closer to his face.

Looking over the titles a little more closely, his eyes widened. 

Shit…

He couldn’t recognize one damn word on the page.

It was no big secret that Sam couldn’t read, not extensively anyway. He knew the basics, kinda, but James and Erik were the ones who’d been taught properly, being the prospective heirs and all. Matthew had picked up some reading and writing from his mom, and Damien… Well, he had actually tried to learn once they’d ended up in the Human World, combing through the mansion’s library for practice. Sam had meant to join him once or twice, he just… hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

He could read some smaller words, and he’d been kind of betting on that to get him through the stupid trip. But the names and titles James had written were long and complicated, completely foreign to him. If he couldn’t pick out any familiar words, how the hell was he supposed to find the right CD’s?

Gripping the paper tighter, Sam tried to focus on the letters of James’s handwriting, but they melted and blurred together.

Fuck. Now what was he gonna do?

Growling under his breath, he picked a random case off the shelf and scrutinized it, trying to match the title cover to something on his list. …No, this one didn’t start with the right letter. He dropped it back in its slot and picked up another. The font was curly and intricate, which made reading it even harder. …Was that one long word or two really short ones…?

“Hi there! Can I help you with anything?”

Sam stiffened at the sudden, perky voice behind him, his fingers gripping the case in his hands hard enough to audibly crack the plastic. He was not in the mood for this shit right now…

With a grim set of his jaw and a biting “No, I’m fine, leave me alone” on his lips, he whirled around, but the words promptly died in his throat.

A girl was standing with her thumbs hooked casually in the front pockets of her jeans. Long, dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders, shining even in the dim light. Contrasting sharply against her fair skin, it brought out her wide, emerald green eyes; eyes that were watching him closely.

She tilted her head to the side, concern dimming her cheerful smile as she stared up at him. “Hey, are you alright?” she asked, noticing how white his knuckles had gone around the CD case.

“What?” Sam replied thickly, his thoughts buzzing as he tried not to swallow his own tongue.

Her expression softened, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “Can I help you?” she repeated patiently. “Are you looking for something?”

His brain froze; he couldn’t help it. Her voice was so soft that if he’d been another foot away, he might’ve missed it. And yet, it held such tenderness, something Sam had no experience with at all. He was utterly stunned; the deadly combination of both shock and awe rendering him baffled.

Blinked owlishly, he nodded, handing her the crushed note robotically. When her fingers brushed his, more warmth seeped through his already flustered body.

“It’s nice you have a list. A lot of the time, people just come in here with a general idea of what they’re looking for, and they end up wandering around for hours.” 

She laughed nostalgically at her own memory, before smoothing the paper over her leg and reading through it. “Alright, let’s see… Oh! ‘Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart..’. You’re interested in Classical music?” she presumed.

“Uh, well, yeah. I guess?” Sam muttered, cursing himself for stammering like an idiot. She was just some girl - a human girl - and yet he could barely string together a proper sentence. 

What the hell was wrong with him?

“Cool! It’s been too long since someone showed an interest in something other than the usual Top 40’s.” Nodding thoughtfully, she refolded his list and peered down at the CD he was still clutching. “But you know, I think you’re gonna have a little trouble finding what you’re looking for here…" she said matter-of-factly, and Sam’s breath hitched.

Shit. She’d made him. What the hell did he do now? Explain why he couldn’t read the labels? 

He blanked, her sudden appearance and the panic now flooding his veins leaving him incapable of responding, let alone defending himself.

But instead of scrutiny, her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she chewed her bottom lip. “…Because the Country section is a really bad place to start.”

The blood drained from Sam’s face, and she snorted, bursting into a fit of laughter. Light and happy, it rang clear as a bell, and even as he sagged against the shelf in relief, warmth flooded his chest. Who had a laugh like that? Dumbfounded, he listened as she continued to giggle softly, nose scrunched.

Then indignation had him scowling half-heartedly. She was laughing at him. That girl nearly gave him a heart attack, and she thought it was funny? What the hell?!

Still trying to smother her laughter with her hand, she looked back up at him with the sweetest smile Sam had ever seen. His scowl faltered.

Well, she was… actually… kinda cute. She had to work here, right? Why else would she ask him if he needed help? Maybe he could get her name… No way, she’d probably freak out or something. Worse, she might figure out what he was, and then James would kick his-

Wait. Country?

Realizing his mistake, Sam’s face burned, and he quickly returned the disc. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he awkwardly cleared his throat, “So, um, w-where can I find those uh-”

“I can show you!” she offered, maybe a little too quickly, and her face flushed a warm pink. Sam gawked at her eager response and, embarrassed, she looked down at her shoes. “S-sorry. It’s just… been awhile since someone came in looking for Classical music, that’s all…”

The pink tint to her cheeks proved to be incredibly distracting, and since he still wasn’t all there, Sam just continued to stare like a dumbass.

It got uncomfortably quiet for a second; Sam standing like a statue while the girl shifted her weight from foot to foot. His brain was screaming at him to say something - anything - but she beat him to it.

“You know what, you-you brought a list, so you obviously know what you need.” She smiled sheepishly, and Sam’s heart lurched into his throat. “I should probably just leave you to-”

“No!” he cut her off sharply. Taken aback, she stared up at him with wide eyes, and he shook his head vigorously. Without her, he had no goddamn hope of finding the stuff for James. And for some stupid reason… he didn’t want to see her go. “Uh, no,” he said again, a little more put together. “You can help… If you want.”

His mumbled words were almost indistinguishable, but she caught them anyway, and another beautiful smile lit up her face, effectively taking his breath away for the third time.

“Ok then! Just follow me.” 

Beaming, she turned on her heel, and Sam couldn’t help but admire her figure as she walked away. Slim, but curvy, she held herself with the same grace he remembered from the higher ups in the Abyssal Plains. But that was where the similarities ended. There was something else - it wasn’t the same ‘holier-than-thou’, 'walks-with-a-stick-up-their-ass’ kind of attitude. The way she folded her hands, the light behind her smile. She was just… warm.

“Are you coming?” Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he quickly jogged to catch up to her. Together, they breezed past row after row of music, and at every turn, she was recognized by someone; asking how she was, or if school was going well.

“You’re pretty popular,” Sam commented as they wormed their way through the store.

She scoffed, which still somehow managed to sound endearing.

“Thanks, but I’m really not. I’ve only been working here part-time for about 6 months, just until I finish up my last year of high school. Most of our customers are regulars anyway; not many people actually go out to buy their music anymore, ya know?”

No, he didn’t. But Sam chose not to mention that in fear of looking even more stupid than he already felt.

Finally reaching an aisle around the far end of the shop, she spread the list out beside her and set to work, skimming her fingers lightly across the tops of the albums. Stacking CD after CD, she worked diligently with a determined smile, expressing how genuinely happy she was with the task of helping him.

Sam watched the pile steadily grow until there were about two dozen cases, at least.

Geez, how much music did James need?

Every so often, she’d lean over and check the paper before setting back to work, but the motion kept untucking a lock of hair from behind her ear. And seeing her run her small fingers through it, attempting to pin it back into place over and over again, was driving Sam crazy. So were the soft sounds she made, the little hmm’s and oh’s when she got frustrated, or the uh-huh’s and ah-ha’s when she found the correct album.

After a few minutes she finally finished, and Sam could breathe properly again. Adding one last case to the pile with a loud clack!, she turned back to rest against the shelf.

“Phew! That should be all of them! Quite the collection you’re starting; I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone buy so many CD’s at once.” Her bubbly enthusiasm was infectious, and slowly, Sam found himself relaxing.

“Thanks,” he said, scratching at his jaw absently.

“No problem. By the way, my name is Mika. Probably should’ve said that awhile ago but…” Trailing off, and once again brushing back that piece of hair, she looked at him expectantly.

“Sam,” he introduced stiffly, “I’m Sam.”

She must’ve smiled at him more than a half a dozen times now, but it didn’t stop her from sending another his way, just as dazzling as the others. “It’s nice to meet you, Sam.”

Fifteen minutes later, his CD’s were packed into shopping bags - three to be precise - and Sam was ready to head back to the mansion. Mika had offered to check him out, and she’d been incredibly patient as he floundered with the currency James had left him. Seeing his distress, she’d taken his money and counted out exactly how much he owed, despite the growing line behind them.

“Thanks… again,” he muttered lamely, collecting his change off the counter.

“It’s ok. You did have quite the bill,” she laughed brightly, scribbling something down on the last CD before dropping it into one of the bags. “I hope your friend enjoys the music, by the way.”

“Whaddaya mean?” Sam questioned, and she arched a brow.

“The music. It’s not for you, is it?” She drummed her fingers against the wood tabletop.

“I mean I don’t want to assume but…” He swallowed as she appraised his appearance with gentle curiosity - his vest, ripped shirt, and silver dog tags - before meeting his gaze with keen eyes, “You don’t look like you’re into Classical.”

Sam felt heat crawl up his neck and into his face. He dragged a hand through his hair in what he hoped seemed like a controlled action, awkwardly trying to regain a grasp on the situation.

It would be easier if she’d just stop looking at him like that.

She waved off his stuttered attempt at an explanation with a shake of her head. “It’s fine. I hope you’ll come back again soon, though. Maybe then I’ll get a chance to find out what kind of music you like to listen to.” The invitation to return had his heart sputtering wildly in his chest.

“Hey, lovebirds! Can we hurry it up please?” an aggravated voice shouted behind him in line, and Sam choked.

He whipped his head around. “We’re not-!” he began hoarsely - mainly because all the air in his lungs seemed to have disappeared - but Mika cut him off.

“Tony, be nice. We’re not going to have a repeat of last month’s karaoke night, are we?”

Laughter erupted in the line, and the man -Tony? - grumbled angrily.

Mika leaned on her forearms against the countertop, shielding the side of her mouth with her hand. “Had to be ‘removed from the premises’ when he flipped over a patio table,” she whispered under her breath, amusement dancing in her green eyes, and Sam smirked. Mika bit her lip to keep from giggling, hoping to maintain some form of professionalism as he picked up his bags and headed for the door.

“Thanks for stopping by!” Mika called from behind the counter with a little wave, and Sam’s heart gave one last loud thump at her brilliant smile. He nodded with a hesitant grin, and suddenly he was out on the sidewalk.

Sam blinked, turning to look back in through the large window, and saw Mika was already helping the next customer. It was the man who’d interrupted them, and by the way he was hanging his head and her stern finger wagging, she was letting him have it.

Chuckling, he walked back to the bus stop and was right on time to catch the next one out. He was lucky enough to score a seat this time around too, and gratefully dropped the bags of CD’s on the floor underneath him.

Sam quickly craned his neck to get one last look at the store. Mika was partially blocked by the angle, but he could tell she was talking animatedly to someone, and smiling just as warmly as she had before. Then she was gone, enveloped in a cloud of black fumes as the bus pulled away.

Sam shifted in his chair, trying to get comfortable, but while the smell wasn’t as bad this time around, the noise was still insufferable. With a groan, he gave up. Desperate to distract himself, Sam noted the bags on the floor and shrugged, leaning down and yanking one open.

Shuffling through the contents, he examined the cover art and odd titles until he finally came across a case at the bottom of the bag that made him pause. The artwork appeared to be graphics of chain link over a black background with bold, white text. That wasn’t what caught his eye, though.

Sam’s brows rose as he read one of the only English words he knew: his human name. Written on a piece of tape stuck to the front, it pointed with a little arrow, indicating he should open the case. He did so, and found a small, handwritten note scrawled on a fold of paper that had his ears burning:

Sam: “You seem like a rock kind of guy. Here’s an album by Rise of the Phoenix. I think you’ll like them! Let me know, ok? ♪ (XXX) XXX-XXXX ♫” - Mika

He couldn’t quite make out all of the text, but he sure as hell could recognize a phone number. Grinning to himself like an idiot, Sam let the bag of CD’s drop back to the ground below his seat but held tight to the one Mika had left especially for him.

He’d meet up with Damien in the library to start practicing first thing tomorrow. After he listened to a certain album.

#seduce me otome #seducemeotome #seduce me the otome #fanfiction #samisthebest #my writing #lol i dont know if this is good or not #please tell me #music store au #sam anderson #mika anderson #my bae