#i was a nervous WRECK when posting the last chapter. and the other chapters too but last chapter especially. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

eddiemunsons80sbaby · 5 months

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Never Say Never

Chapter 2

Pairing: SingleDad!StevexReader

Summary: You are a 32 year old single mother, raising your seven year old son on your own. After being widowed at 30 and going out on awful dates with disgusting men for the past month, you have decided that you're giving up. You already had your great love. One person can't possibly get lucky enough to have two in their lifetime. But then your son starts playing baseball and the coach might just change your mind about that.

No posting schedule.

18+ only for eventual smut

Word Count: 7.3K

“It seems to be just a case of the common cold,” you told the worried mother. “Dr. Wilson said she just needs rest and to make sure she drinks lots of fluids. She should be back to herself within a few days.”

“Thanks. I know I’m probably being silly rushing her in here but she kept waking up last night, crying, and I’m all alone. I’ve just been exhausted having to do everything on my own. It’s been so hard. And with her not feeling well, neither of us have gotten much sleep the last few days. My husband’s in the Air Force and he’s currently deployed and we don’t know when he’s going to get to come back home and my parents live three hundred miles away.”

Deep breath in, deep breath out. Let the feeling come. Acknowledge the feeling and then move forward. You closed your eyes for a moment, centering yourself, not letting this one burrow too far in before you forced it back. Maybe you weren't supposed to push them away but sometimes it was necessary. Like now. You couldn’t be the nurse who assured the nervous mother if you were busy trying to find three things to look at, smell, and move. It wasn’t reassuring to have your medical professional falling apart in front of you.

Pressing your index finger to your thumb, you allowed yourself to feel the sensation, to know you were here. You weren't back there. No one was waiting on the other side of the door to give you the news that would send a wrecking ball through the middle of your life, destroying and altering it forever. You were strong. You were handling it. You were moving forward. Opening your eyes, you put on your best smile.

“Of course. I can’t imagine how challenging that must be for you.” Actually, you could, but this was not the time or place to share your own story. This was the time to be an empathetic ear, to listen to your patient. It was not the time to unpack your own trauma or make this about yourself. “Please, no need to apologize. You call us whenever you need to. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.”

The mother thanked you, lifting her three year old into her arms. You directed her which way to go. Parents often got a bit turned around in this place, the hallways like a maze to the various exam rooms, like a figure eight. This practice was a thriving one, one that kept you very busy, your days packed with back-to-back appointments. But you preferred it that way. It made your days go faster.

After you finished college with your Bachelor’s of Science in nursing, you had immediately gotten a job at the local hospital. You'd loved it. The hours were long and you were exhausted all the time but it had been fast-paced and so rewarding. However, it had also been heartbreaking as some children who came into the hospital were there to stay and would never again leave. They would never get tucked into their own bed again, never run through their own backyard again, never sit on the floor of their living room on a Saturday morning eating cereal while watching cartoons again. The job had not just been physically exhausting but mentally and emotionally exhausting as well.

After you'd found out you were expecting Eli, Justin had suggested that maybe you needed something a bit more predictable. It would be hard for you to work twelve hour shifts with a baby at home. It would be even harder to watch children suffer, watch parents in the darkest moments of their lives, when you had a little one at home. You weren't sure how you could face that kind of heartbreak and then go home to your own child, hoping it never happened to you.

Still, you wouldn’t have given it up if it weren’t for Justin being in the military. With his job, he would often be gone for months at a time, leaving you alone. It hadn’t been a problem before but with your parents living across the country and his parents more than three hours away, you were limited when it came to help. So, you'd applied to the new local pediatrician's office, delighted when you got a call that same week, inviting you in for an interview.

You'd been there ever since, watching as Dr. Wilson’s practice grew. He was young, just a bit older than you, and new to the job but his warm demeanor and empathetic ear quickly had every mom in town bringing their child to him. It probably didn’t hurt that he was pretty damn good looking too.

“Hey Rita, I’m going to take my lunch if I don’t have any more patients for a bit,” you told your receptionist as you placed the child’s file into the cabinet.

“That’s fine. Your next appointment isn’t for an hour so you’re good. I’ll have Sarah handle anything that pops up while you’re out.”

“Thanks.”

You grabbed your lunch bag from the fridge and made your way out of the office, heading for the pond. When it was nice out, you always chose to eat your lunch out here, a little escape from the fluorescent lights and germs of the office. Finding a bench, you sat down, pulling out your bologna sandwich. It wasn’t your usual choice but it had simply felt easier to make two this morning instead of trying to come up with something else for yourself.

You pulled out your phone, dialing the number of the one person you'd been desperate to talk to after the events of yesterday. Janice was a photographer. She did great business and had multiple clients who came back to her again and again for family portraits, baby pictures, and senior photos. She worked from home, which also meant her hours were flexible and she was almost always available to take your calls. Sure enough, your best friend picked up after two rings.

“Are you sitting under your tree?”

You laughed, “How did you know?”

“Because it’s your lunchtime and that’s what you always do when the sun is shining. Are the geese around?”

“Yep. The five little babies are swimming with mom and dad. They’re so cute. Little brown fluffballs that look so soft and sweet. I just want to cuddle them.”

“I wouldn’t try it. Geese can be nasty.”

“You don’t have to tell me. Remember when Eli was two and he wanted to feed them and those two geese hissed and opened their wings wide when he got too close. We didn’t know they had a nest right there. I know they were just protecting their babies but that scared the shit out of me.”

“Well, Eli’s your baby. Of course you were scared,” Janice laughed. “Oh my god. That poor kid. He won’t go anywhere near them now. It cemented itself into his brain and gave him a complex. He’ll probably hate those feathered fiends for the rest of his life. So, how was his first baseball practice? Did he love it? Matt can’t wait to talk to him about it.”

“He did. He talked my ear off the whole way home. His best friend is on his team and his coach is the kid’s dad. He loves him and said he was so nice and fun. He’s really patient with the kids. When Eli missed the ball for the third time, he was so upset with himself. The coach was so sweet, giving him some pointers, and assuring him he could do it.”

“Oh…okay, hold on. Wait a minute. Why do you sound like that when you’re talking about his coach?”

“Like what?” you demanded.

“Like you did in high school when you used to talk about Josh.”

“What? No I don’t.”

“Yeah you do! You’re all gushy. You sound like a Disney princess about to break into song among the forest animals who are going to help you clean your home about the guy you just met in the woods.”

You snorted, “Oh please. No I don’t. I’m just glad that his coach is so kind since Eli is new at this.”

“Uh-huh…so, this coach isn’t cute?”

“I mean, yeah, he is…objectively speaking, most women would say he was very attractive.”

“Most women, huh? And what about you?”

“Yes, okay? Yes, I think he’s very attractive. Anyone with eyes would see that he is good-looking. You should have heard the moms at practice going on about his ass. Married moms basically saying they would cheat on their husbands for this guy. I swear, the housewives club is scary. But it’s just…he’s just Eli’s coach. His son is coming over to our house later today to play with Eli.”

Steve was attractive. Hell, he was possibly the most attractive man you'd ever laid eyes on and that made the guilt just twist in your stomach even harder. Justin had been the love of your life. How could you be so turned around by some guy you barely even knew? You'd spoken for all of three minutes. You didn’t know anything about him besides the fact that he coached kids baseball.

“Oh, is he now?”

“Janice, stop. Eli and Jeremiah have become best friends this year and Eli asked forever ago if he could come over and I completely forgot about it and it never happened. He asked again yesterday so I promised him I would set it up. That’s all it is.”

“And is his dad coming over to play too?”

You groaned, your hand coming to y our forehead, “Do you have to say it like that? And no he’s not. He has a work meeting. So, I’m kind of helping him out, I guess, but not really because I was going to invite the kid over anyway.”

“So, he’s just dropping him off and picking him up?”

“Well, he may have offered to grab a pizza on his way back to thank me for watching his kid. Which is completely unnecessary because I asked for him to come over before he ever told me about his meeting. I wouldn’t even have known I was babysitting for him if he wouldn’t have told me about it. I never would have expected him to hang around while our kids hung out.”

“Hmm, so you’re going to be having dinner with him, then?”

“And our kids,” you reminded her.

Janice had this all wrong. Of course she did. He was just being friendly. Your kids were friends and they wanted to spend time together. He’d said it himself, you were helping him out of a bind with childcare issues. That was all. He was just being nice and buying everybody dinner. Your sons were going to be there. It wasn’t like it was a date.

“Still. You know, I said maybe you could find a hot, single dad at practice and look at you, finding one on the first go! He is single, right?”

“I think so. He said his best friend was busy and he had no one else to watch Jeremiah. That would make me think the mom isn’t in the picture but I honestly have no idea. We barely talked because he had to start the practice.”

“Well, you should have plenty of time to talk tonight and get clarification on his status.”

“I don’t need clarification on his status. I told you, I’m done with all of that. I had Justin. There is no way I will ever find anything that can begin to compare with what we had.”

“You definitely won’t if you just throw in the towel. Come on, Aly. Would it really be so bad to just talk to him a bit? I’m not saying you have to jump his bones tonight. I mean, probably wouldn’t hurt. You haven’t been laid in two years, my friend. Your vagina could use some airing out. Clear all the cobwebs that have settled, you know?”

“Jesus, you are so foul,” you sighed, catching sight of a young family heading into the office. The dad had a little boy on his shoulders. He said something to the mom and she grinned, leaning up onto her toes to kiss him. The sight sent familiar pangs of the loss of what could have been, what should have been, through you.

“Maybe but you know I’m right. Anyway, if you’re going to be such a prude, then just talk to him. Be his friend. If your kids like each other that much, chances are this won’t be the only time you’re around each other. And then who knows?”

“Yeah…who knows…” you sighed, thinking you did know. The universe was never going to let you get that lucky twice. Something had to be wrong with this guy.

___________________________________________________________

You folded the towel from the dryer as you watched Jeremiah and Eli race around the backyard, dressed up in Eli’s superhero costumes. Your son had an entire bin of them. He was obsessed. Comic books and action figures covered the shelves in his bedroom. Eli had always loved superheroes but Matt, who was a self-proclaimed, very proud nerd, had gotten him into comics. Most of the items Eli now had came from Matt himself, stuff he’d kept since he was a kid.

You'd survived the drop-off, being cordial and friendly without giving off any signals that you were interested in anything more. At least, you thought you were. It was hard to concentrate when that man looked so damn good, standing there in gray slacks and a yellow sweater. When his cologne hit your olfactory nerves, a woodsy scent of sandalwood and pine, you had gripped the door frame, fighting back the swoon that was quickly coming on. But no, you were sure you kept things professional, just two parents in the midst of an exchange for a playdate.

Besides, you weren't even sure you were interested in anything more. You didn’t even know how to do more at this point. It had been so long since you'd spent real time with any man that wasn’t Justin or Matt. And even if Janice kept pushing you to move on, even if it had been two years, you weren't sure you were ready.

And you weren't sure if Eli would be ready. His therapist said he was doing well. He had adjusted as best as you could expect a child who’d lost his father to adjust. But did that mean he was ready to see his mom with a new guy? Was it fair to bring someone new into his life that could just disappear? What if you started something with someone and it ended badly and he lost another male figure and his best friend at the same time? Would he be so well adjusted then? He had settled into their routine, him and you against the world. You weren't sure you could change that on him.

He’d only been five when it happened but you had made sure that he’d never forgotten his daddy. A picture of him and Justin sat on his nightstand by his bed. It was one of your favorites, taken at the pumpkin farm when Eli was four. He held a giant pumpkin, looking so proud, when really Justin was holding the bottom of it for him, both of them beaming their matching smiles.

The two of you talked about him often, you sharing stories with him of you and Justin and him and Justin. Reminded him how much his daddy had loved him. You couldn’t allow him to forget. You couldn’t do that to Justin whose smile could have lit up the entire planet the first time he laid eyes on his son.

“Mommy! We’re hungry!” Eli yelled as he and Jeremiah came racing in the back door.

You glanced over at the clock, “Well, Jeremiah’s dad is bringing pizza and he should be here any minute. Do you think Superman and Batman can wait just a few minutes to eat?”

Eli groaned, dramatically tumbling down to the floor, “But fighting crime and saving the world is hard work. It makes us so hungry, mommy.”

“Okay…how about you two have some strawberries?” you offered, thinking it wouldn’t be too filling and it would get something good in their system before they loaded up on carbs and cheese.

“Strawberries!” Jeremiah’s eyes lit up. “They’re my favorite fruit. Daddy takes me strawberry picking every single year and we get a ton. My daddy makes strawberry jam and it’s so good on my toast.” His eyes went wide, shooting over to Eli. “Hey! I’ll ask my dad if you guys can come this year! It’s super fun. They have goats, cows, chickens, and ponies that you can ride!”

“Can we mommy?” Eli asked, turning those sweet blue eyes up at you.

“I…uh…I mean, strawberry picking around here isn’t for another month or so. But, maybe, I guess? I mean, if Eli’s daddy wants to take you too, that would be fine.”

“You can come too!” Jeremiah told you. “They have other stuff there like fancy soaps and stuff that they make. My mommy used to like those.”

“Oh, well, maybe…” you muttered as you busied yourself with getting out the strawberries. You ran them under water before working at slicing them onto a plate for the boys to share.

His mommy used to like those? So, she’d been around during his life, obviously. Enough for him to remember going strawberry picking with them. Unless, like Eli, he was repeating stories his dad had shared with him. Where was she now? Had she left? Had she died? You couldn’t very well ask a little boy. What if she had passed? You couldn’t bring up that pain for him.

“Did we ever go strawberry picking with daddy?” asked Eli as the boys sat down at the table, the plate of strawberries between them.

You swallowed, “No. We didn’t go strawberry picking but we used to go to the apple orchard every fall and daddy would put you up on his shoulders so you could get the apples. And we always went to the pumpkin farm too.”

“We still do that!”

“Yes we do,” you smiled as you washed your hands. You worked so hard to keep the traditions that you and Justin started alive. It was another way for you to remind your son how incredible the five short years he had with his dad was. You looked up when there was a knock at the door, drying your hands on a kitchen towel. “I bet that’s Jeremiah’s daddy with the pizza.”

Smoothing your hands over your hair, you inhaled deeply, reminding yourself that this was just two parents whose kids had become best friends getting to know each other. No pressure. No reason to be nervous. You were simply trying to be good parents.

Grabbing onto the door, you swung it open, only to feel like the entire world had turned upside down at the sight of Steve. There he stood in those slacks and that yellow sweater that looked so damn good on him. Not many people could pull off yellow but boy, he could. His right arm was raised, two pizza boxes balancing on his hand and a smile that could have outshone the sun on his face.

“Pizza, as promised,” he announced.

Gathering yourself, you returned his smile, “The boys will be very relieved. Superman and Batman have been battling the forces of evil all afternoon and they are wasting away to nothing.”

Steve’s cheeks hollowed out as he released a long, audible breath, “Can’t have that. How will they ever keep the city safe if we don’t recharge them with greasy pizza? But seriously, I hope he was good for you.”

“He was great,” you assured him. “Seriously.”

“Good. Thanks again. You were a real lifesaver.”

“No problem. I…”

“Daddy! Where’s the pizza!?” came Jeremiah’s whine from the kitchen, loud and impatient.

“Sorry. It’s right here.” Steve grinned, tossing you a wink that had you dazed, before making his way into the kitchen, plopping the boxes down in the middle of the table. “We can’t have Superman and Batman losing their strength. Have to keep them fed so they can keep the city safe. Are we currently in Gotham or Metropolis?”

“Daddy,” Jeremiah sighed, looking exasperated with his father. “Everyone knows both of those places are based on New York City. Then we can be there together.”

“Oh, sorry,” snorted Steve, sharing an amused look with you. “I am not as well versed in superhero lore as you.”

“I know. Uncle Dusty knows way more than you.”

“Of course he does because Uncle Dusty is so much cooler than your boring, old dad.” Steve rolled his eyes, pulling out the chair next to Jeremiah and having a seat.

“You have a brother?” you asked as you stretched your arm up to retrieve the plastic paper plate holders from the top shelf. Turning, your breath caught in your throat. Steve’s eyes were watching you, focused on your midsection, right where your sweater had ridden up when you'd reached for the plates. He quickly looked down at his son as you cleared your throat and set the holders and plates on the table.

“Uhh…no. I mean, not really,” he laughed. “Dustin isn’t actually my brother. I used to babysit him actually. I helped him out one day. There were some older kids picking on him and his friends at the park and I stepped in. Anyway, he went home and told his mom about this cool teenager and she tracked me down and asked if I’d be interested in babysitting. I think she really just wanted him to have a guy in his life. His dad died when he was young and he was an only child. Anyway, he was ten and I was sixteen and he just latched on like a leech and stuck. So…” He balanced his elbows on the table, hands facing up. “I guess he’s mine now. Him and Jere, here, are really close. Jere is into all the nerdy stuff that Dustin likes so Dustin is like his hero.”

“Uncle Dusty is amazing! He taught me how to make a homemade rocket,” Jeremiah told you, his smile so like his dad’s.

But his eyes were different, a beautiful blue like the color of the ocean on a sunny day. And his nose was rounded, a cute little button, the complete opposite of Steve’s which was longer and pointed, almost Romanesque. He must have gotten those features from his mom, which left you wondering where she was again.

“Yeah, and you almost burned the garage down. That thing singed the walls. I had to pull out the fire extinguisher,” Steve reminded his son, grabbing plates and placing them into the holders.

Eli’s eyes went wide, “You almost started a fire?”

“Only a little one but you should have seen the rocket. It zoomed around the garage and then flew out and went bang! It was so cool.”

“Yeah, real cool,” Steve rolled his eyes.

“Daddy, did you get just cheese?” asked Jeremiah as Steve moved to open one of the boxes.

“Of course, kid. Do you think I’m new here?” He reached over, ruffling his son’s hair, causing Jeremiah to giggle and that familiar pain, the pain that reminded you of everything your son was missing out on, tightened around you once again. Steve looked up at you. “I got one cheese and one pepperoni. I figured those were safe bets since I don’t know what either of you like. Hope that’s okay?”

“I love cheese too!” Eli told him eagerly, grinning over at Steve. “And mommy usually gets bacon and pineapple for herself but she likes all pizza. Pizza is our favorite food. We have it every Friday and watch a movie.”

“Pineapple on pizza?” Steve questioned skeptically, that beautiful nose crinkling.

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it,” you teased with a laugh, pouring milk for the kids. “My husb…” You paused, swallowing hard before taking the seat between Steve and Eli. But why shouldn’t you talk about Justin? Steve had to know Eli didn’t arrive by immaculate conception. “My husband thought I was crazy too. He was more of a pepperoni and green onions kind of guy. But my roommate in college is the one who got me into it. She ordered it one night and I was skeptical too but the combination of sweet and savory is delicious.”

“I think I’ll just have to take your word on that one,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “Fruit on pizza.” He looked over at the boys, one of those long, thick fingers swirling around by his ear. “Can you believe that? She’s nuts.”

Eli giggled as Steve plopped a piece of cheese on his plate, “My mommy can be crazy. Sometimes we do backward dinner.”

Steve’s lips pursed, head tilted, “Backward dinner? What’s that?”

“It’s where we have dessert first. So, we’ll have hot fudge sundaes and then we’ll have chicken nuggets and vegetables. It’s my favorite kind of dinner because I don’t have to eat all my vegetables before I get my dessert.”

“Oh, that does sound like a good deal because dessert is the best part of the meal,” Steve agreed with a nod.

“I mean, it’s only done sometimes as a special treat.” You didn’t know why you felt the need to justify yourself but you did. “I do make sure he eats healthy.”

Steve laughed, “I’m sure you do. Sometimes Jere Bear and I like to have ice cream for dinner, don’t we?”

“Yeah! My daddy used to work at Scoops Ahoy and they have the best ice cream! I always get a banana split and daddy gets the U.S.S. Butterscotch.”

“Mmm, the U.S.S. Butterscotch is my favorite,” you grinned. “Eli always gets the hot fudge sundae.”

“With extra fudge!” he added.

“Obviously,” Steve scoffed. “You can never have too much fudge.”

“So, how long ago was this when you worked at Scoops Ahoy?” you asked, picturing him in their little sailor outfit. You couldn’t deny that it gave you a little thrill of pleasure.

“Oh god, it’s been years now. I worked there right out of high school. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and when I couldn’t even get into community college, my father forced me to get a job. Said I needed to know what it was like to earn a working man’s wage.” He snorted harshly, leaving you with the impression that his relationship with his father wasn’t a particularly good one. “Anyway, I worked there for a couple years. That’s actually how I met my best friend, Robin.”

“And I assume you did figure out what you wanted to do with your life since you had a work meeting tonight?”

Steve took a large bite of his pizza, the slice folded up in his hand, “I’m a project manager for a construction company.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that job. What exactly do you do?”

“I oversee the building process, make sure everything is completed on time and within budget. I work with the architects and the engineers to develop plans, establish timelines for different phases to be complete, and calculate what labor and materials are going to cost. That’s what my meeting was about tonight actually. We just got a contract for a new subdivision they’re putting in off of Cherry. It’s a big job. We’re thinking it’s going to take about two years.”

“Wow, that’s a long time.”

“Not really when you consider we’re building around sixty new houses. It’s a good thing really, means my team will have plenty of work to do for a while. Steady income, you know? Nothing’s worse than having to lay someone off, knowing you’re possibly making their life impossible.”

“What’s laying off?” asked Eli.

“Well, when we don’t have enough work to do, then we don’t have the money to pay people. So, I have to tell them that we’re letting them go for a while. It’s not really getting fired because you hope you can call them back when there’s more work. They can apply to get money from the government but it’s not nearly as much as they make when they’re working. That can make it hard for them to feed their families and pay their bills.”

“That seems mean,” Eli commented. “Why do you do it?”

“I don’t want to do it. But when the money’s not there, we have no way to pay them. It happens a lot in the wintertime because there’s not as much building when the weather’s bad. That’s why this job is such a good thing because it will be steady work for the next two winters. I won’t have to worry and neither will my guys.”

“Well, that’s good. Did you have to go to school for that or like a trade school?” you inquired.

“No college. I don’t think I was ever made for college. I struggled through high school. Of course, that could have been because I was interested in everything else but high school. That’s why I’m so glad my kiddo here got his mom’s brains. She was an overachiever, still is. I actually started just like my guys, doing the construction part. I got interested in how the job runs and wound up getting my certification. And about four years ago, they promoted me to project manager.”

So Mom definitely wasn’t gone but then why did he need a babysitter? Maybe she was busy too? Or maybe she lived out of town and they shared custody? And this was none of your business. Why were you so interested in what the situation was with mom?

“Wow, that’s amazing. You must have really impressed them then. Going to college isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, anyway. I’ve told Eli, it all depends on what you want to do with your life. Some jobs don’t require college and they’re just as important. I mean, you build homes. You provide a space for families to start their lives and make memories. I think that’s pretty important work.”

A flush rose up along his neck, bright red against the yellow of his sweater. A small smile curved his lips as he tapped the table before looking up at you. The boys had long given up on your conversation, deeply entrenched in one of their own about the latest episode of X-men: Evolution.

“I mean, you work in a pediatrician’s office, right? You help sick kids. I think that might be just a bit more important than what I do. But thanks. What do you do in the office, anyway? Are you the doctor?”

You laughed, “No. That was far more schooling than I was interested in doing. I’m a nurse but honestly, we know just as much as they do. Experience is way more educational than sitting in some class, listening to someone talk about stuff. Sometimes, I think we might know more than the doctors do. But Dr. Wilson is great to work with. He’s not one of those guys that talks down to his nurses or acts like he’s superior because he’s got that M.D. after his name. I worked with plenty of misogynist ego-driven jerks when I worked at the hospital. They act like they’re royalty or something. Dr. Wilson actually trusts us and values our input. He makes us feel like a part of a team instead of a dictatorship.”

The conversation flowed easily, the boys jumping in here and there, all four of you laughing and smiling as you enjoyed your pizza. You could not deny the feeling of rightness in this moment, this moment that was everything you had ever wanted for your son. It was a picture perfect moment in time, this little dinner at your kitchen table full of warmth and laughter.

And no, you weren't insane. It wasn’t that you were looking at this as a family or that you were jumping ten steps ahead of just this pleasant evening. It was just nice to have a full table, to have it not be just you and Eli, to watch your son enjoying himself. He loved when Matt and Janice came for dinner but this was different. He had his best friend with him, the two boys sending each other into hysterics every thirty seconds.

For just this moment, this little slice of time, the weight had been lifted from your shoulders. The constant guilt that you weren't enough, that you could never be enough for your son. You could never be all of the things that he needed you to be. For just this moment, you thought maybe you didn’t have to be if you could surround him with people who provided everything he needed.

“Alright, kiddo, we should probably get heading home so you can take a shower before bed,” Steve announced around seven thirty, pushing back from the table and standing up. He gathered the paper plates, tossing them in the trash. “Did you want help cleaning up before we head out?”

You waved your hand dismissively, “Oh no. That’s not necessary. Just a quick wipe down of the holders and popping the cups in the dishwasher. It will only take a couple minutes.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, seriously. No big deal. Besides, you bought the dinner so the least I can do is the clean up.”

“Yes, but I brought the dinner to thank you for watching my kid.”

“Please. I offered to take him and having Jeremiah here saved me from having to wear the Superman cape and run around with Eli all evening. It was nice to just be an average human instead of a superhero tonight.”

“You’re a nurse,” Steve said with a soft smile, leaning into you, causing your heart to skip a beat. “Pretty sure you’re a superhero all the time.”

“Daddy, can Eli come to our house this weekend? Please? He really wants to meet Miles.”

“Miles?” you asked.

“It’s his dog!” Eli told you excitedly. “He wears capes too! Jeremiah said he can be my sidekick, Robin.”

"Which is silly because that's my Aunt Robin's name," Jeremiah added, "but the cape doesn't fit her so good so she's usually Catwoman because it's a mask and a tail."

Steve laughed, “Sure kid. He can come over. If it’s okay with his mom.”

“Fine with me,” you shrugged. Seeing the joy on your son’s face to get to spend time with his friend was all the reason you needed to readily agree. It definitely did not have to do with having the chance to see his dad again. No. That didn’t factor in at all.

“Okay, well, how about this?” Steve knelt down to his son’s level. “We’ve got baseball practice on Saturday until two. Why don’t we all go get ice cream afterward and then Jeremiah and his mom can come meet Miles afterward?”

“All of us?” you questioned, wondering if you'd heard him correctly.

He rose, head tilting forward, those eyes as warm as a chocolate chip cookie coming right out of the oven, and just as delicious. “Why not? I mean, if you have something else to do…”

“No. No, I don’t. I mean, that would be nice. We haven’t gotten ice cream yet since they opened. And I love dogs. Who doesn’t love dogs? Crazy people, right? So obviously meeting your dog would be fun. I just…I mean…yeah, okay.”

He appeared amused with you once again and you wished you could just pull the foot out of your mouth. It appeared to be permanently wedged there whenever he was around.

“Good. Maybe we can even have a sleepover.” Your breath caught as his mouth dropped open, eyes going wide, one of those hands running nervously through his hair, sweeping it to the side. “I mean the boys. The boys could have a sleepover. At my house. If you’re okay with that?”

Had he meant what you thought he meant? Had that just been an innocent mistake or was he as attracted to you as you were to him? Trying to let your son hang out with his friend was proving to be far more complicated than you thought it would be when you'd approached him on the baseball field.

“Yeah.” You weren't sure why. You hadn’t even let Eli stay the night anywhere before but there was just something about Steve that you trusted. “Eli would love that, honestly.”

“You’re gonna sleep at my house!” Jeremiah yelled, grabbing Eli’s hands, the two boys jumping around the kitchen.

“Obviously, they’re both okay with it,” Steve chuckled, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “So, we’ll see you Saturday at practice?”

“Yeah. Saturday.”

You said your goodbyes, the boys both still screeching, talking about how it was only two more sleeps until their sleepover. Steve gave you one last smile and a little finger wave before turning and taking his son’s hand, leading him to his Ford Explorer that was parked just behind your Prius.

“Mommy, are you and Jeremiah’s dad friends now too?”

“Kind of, I guess,” you shrugged.

“Cool because if you’re friends and want to play with each other all the time then me and Eli can play with each other all the time too!”

You gripped the door, closing it slowly behind you. Your son had no idea the implications of what he’d just said but you definitely did. Your entire body was vibrating with the implications of what he’d just said.

___________________________________________________________

“Daddy, when Eli spends the night can we make a fort like the one we made that one time where it was the whole living room? Remember? And we put up the Christmas lights inside and we put in our sleeping bags and pillows.”

Steve blinked, glancing up at his son in the rearview mirror. He’d completely missed everything that his kid had just said. The boy had been rambling from the moment they’d gotten in the car and he was having trouble focusing, his thoughts completely focused on the last hour of his day.

You had been consuming all of his brain space since you'd approached him yesterday on the baseball field. Yeah, you were gorgeous. He’d noticed that instantly. Who wouldn’t? But there was something else about you, something that wouldn’t let his brain rest, something that kept poking at him, telling him to do something about these feelings you were stirring up inside him.

And it had been so long since he’d had anything stirring inside of him. After him and Nancy had split four years ago, Steve had jumped right into another relationship. He struggled with being alone. According to Robin, it was his dysfunctional childhood. The little boy inside of him who never got the love he needed from his parents, constantly seeking it out in someone else.

According to Robin, that was why he’d married Nancy even though the two of them had been all wrong for each other. He clung to the first solid thing that had come along and refused to see any of the millions of little signs that it wasn’t working. Of course, that was according to Robin, his best friend who thought she knew more about the internal workings of his mind than he did.

He’d dated Stacy for a year, convinced himself that she was the one, told Robin he was thinking of proposing and his obnoxious friend had slapped him upside the head. To be fair, he probably needed a good jarring, something to knock some sense into him. Marrying Stacy would have led to him being twice divorced. She had been even worse for him than Nancy.

Not that there was anything wrong with Nance. No, she was amazing. She was smart, beautiful, kind, and an absolutely wonderful mother. Neither of them had ever cheated or hurt the other. They simply just weren’t a good fit. It seemed so obvious now when he could see how well her and Jonathan slid together, like two puzzle pieces locking into place perfectly.

He’d dated a few other women after Stacy, most recently Janet, a single mother that he met at the park last summer. They’d made it about four months before he saw it was going nowhere. She was clingy, pushing for them to move in together, and it was in that moment that he realized he could not see a future with her. The idea of waking up next to her every day was exhausting. He’d ended it and she had not taken it well, calling him every name in the book, very loudly, in the middle of the restaurant he’d taken her to to try to soften the blow.

Steve didn’t lack for options. It felt like the moms of this town were throwing themselves at him constantly, some of them not even single. But none of them fit. None of them made him feel that thing, that thing that Robin said was like the Big Bang, everything exploding and then rearranging into this perfect arrangement. She kept telling him it was called falling in love, not forcing in love. He needed to stop trying to make it happen and just let it come to him. Yeah, well, that was easy for her to see, the girl who’d found the right person in high school.

Was that what he was doing right now? Was he just trying to force something to be what he wanted? Your kids were friends. You'd approached him because you wanted to set up a time for your sons to be able to play. It could be that simple. You might not even be interested in him or in anything.

He knew your husband had died. Jere had told him that Eli’s dad was in heaven. But he didn’t know how and he didn’t know how long ago. Maybe you were still freshly grieving. You'd definitely struggled when you were talking about him tonight. If you were still in the midst of your grief, the last thing you needed was some guy trying to push you to go out with him sometime.

No, he probably needed to just take a step back. Cool it off. Yeah, you were beautiful and you seemed far more real than most of the women in this town who were interested in him. But if he tried to force something that wasn’t there, he wouldn’t be the only one to suffer. Jere would too because he would inevitably lose his best friend when things went south. He couldn’t do that to him.

“Daddy, are you even listening to me?” Jeremiah huffed from the backseat, breaking through Steve’s thoughts.

“I’m sorry buddy. What did you say?”

“I said can we make a big fort when Eli comes with the lights and our sleeping bags and stuff?”

“Oh yeah. Of course, bud. We can definitely do that. You want to make some s’mores too?”

“Yeah! And can we have popcorn and watch the new Scooby Doo movie too?”

“Absolutely!” Steve replied, grinning in the mirror. “And I can grill some hamburgers and hot dogs. We’ll make it the best sleepover ever, kid.”

His son’s smile stretched from ear to ear, reminding Steve why he very much needed to focus on his son’s happiness instead of his loneliness. No, he didn’t need to jump into another relationship with some woman he’d just met. He was just seeing things he wanted to see, trying to rearrange the pieces into the image he was so desperate for.

“Is Eli's mommy gonna sleepover too? Our fort will be big enough.”

“Uh, no buddy,” Steve answered. “She’s gonna come over and see Miles but she’s not staying.”

“Why not? Don’t you want a friend, daddy?”

Yeah, he did. More than his son could possibly know.

Chapter 3

Taglist: @katethetank

If you wanted to be added to the taglist, just let me know. 😊

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fuckyeahdindjarin · 11 months

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Behind the Seams: Part III

Welcome to the first instalment of Behind the Seams! Thank you everyone who has responded so positively to this slightly self-indulgent idea I had. I know I take so long in between chapters, this seems like a fun way to keep you guys in the loop, and also to keep myself motivated and productive while I work by sharing my thoughts as I go.

This time, I'll be rambling about focusing on the characters as I'm still in the thick of developing personalities and interpretations in the Seams universe, and I'd love to put all the thoughts that have been rattling around my brain into words to help me process it.

I will be tagging these posts as 'behind the seams' together with the chapter number 'seams iii' so you can filter this out if you don't want to see them! For those who are interested, let's dive in below the cut!

Current status: 3.2k written, fully outlined rough draft with most of the dialogue drafted.

Initial thoughts: This chapter wrote far more easily than I expected to so far. Each story is different, but I tend to find the 3rd to 5th chapters hardest to write, when you're building up the shape of the arc of the whole series.

I'm still keeping my options open with regards to what Seams is or can be, but I'm still thinking 'loose fit series' i.e. there won't be a solid, overarching story arc or ending to the series since it's not a plot-driven story. It will be interesting to see if my approach changes after a couple more chapters!

The challenge: The first two instalments were so hyper-zoomed in on Joel and Pin, I knew that the challenge for this chapter is pulling back the camera and seeing how they interact with each other outside the safety of the Outfitters, and how they fit into the wider community.

Joel and Pin: I was re-reading Threads in preparation for writing Part III, and what strikes me is that these two really don't know a lot about one another. They've barely had a fully formed conversation despite the forced proximity and some very charged moments in the last two chapters. I've tentatively written most of their dialogue in this chapter, and it's interesting that a couple of times, I've stopped myself and thought - is this too playful for a shy person like Pin? Is it too familiar with two people who are practically strangers, despite their chemistry? It's a balance that I'll have to find as I edit, and I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Tommy: For some reason, Tommy comes fairly easily to me, a testament to Pedro and Gabriel’s chemistry on screen. Without giving too much away, I'm really happy with the angle I found for Joel and Tommy in this chapter. There's a lot to unpack between the two brothers, but the happy occasion means that I can focus on the good part of their relationship for now. However, I am keeping the tensions in their history in my back pocket because I don't want to gloss over the very real and three-dimensional relationship we saw in the series.

Ellie: I've talked about how I'm nervous about writing Ellie. My Pedro boys are all lone wolves - sure they have their best friends (Teak to Palomino!Jack, Santi to Grays!Frankie, Pete/Rebecca to Consent!Dieter), but Ellie is Joel's kid, and she's part of his life more than any BFF is to my other Pedro boys. Luckily, I have found an in with Ellie that I think works well with the story in Part III, and also fits in with the broader direction of the fic. It's going to be nerve-wrecking, but I'm ready to write her into Seams!

Tess: I'm not in a place to say too much yet about Tess, but it's so important to me that she isn't erased from the Seams universe despite her not being there. I've been thinking a lot about Tess lately, about how she will fit into the story, how Joel will fit Pin into his and in relation to Tess. There are no easy answers, and it will be something to mull over in the next few chapters.

Something fun: Ok, all this character stuff is pretty heavy, so I want to end on a light-hearted note - Joel's tummy makes a cameo in a white undervest 😌

And that's it for Behind the Seams: Part III! I feel a lot lighter having found a space for all the things I have been thinking about while drafting the chapter. I hope this was a fun deep dive for you guys as well, I'll be hitting Google Docs hard this weekend to try to get all of the writing done for Part III so that I can start editing next week. My askbox is always open if anyone wants to chat 🥰

#fuckyeahseams #behind the seams #seams iii

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justjensenandhisalteregos · 2 months

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Chapter 4 One Handsome SOB

(2024 cover, pic from Pinterest, cover made using Canva)

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Marie, Dawn x Marie (besties)

Warnings: Lots of HSP crap poor Marie has to deal with, fluff for Dean and Marie, and the best bestie in Dawn. Chapter Four was not beta-ed, mistakes are mine. Also, reading cuts are still not showing up when I post, sorry. 😢 Just realized the cuts are there, my app just doesn’t like to show them for some reason🙄

A/N: I’m finally back doing what I love after about a year hiatus. Thanks to everyone that reads, hearts, and reblogs my stories. HSP does suck royally, I’m glad I found a way to write the things I deal with into this story. If ya’ll are curious about Hereditary Spasticity Paraplegia, give my other blog @HeavenlyHopeful0 a look, and give me some love there too if you want! X 🤍 Chelsey

WC 2,077

***

Dean’s POV

Walking into the war room I found Dawn doing something on her lap top. We had just got home from Wyoming late last night, I figured she and James were in the Family Business now.

“Marie is my best friend and she deserves the world, so I’ve got some ideas for you to ask her to be your girlfriend; hopefully more down the line. I know as hunters we are not awarded many good things in life but from the way Sam told me the story of Marie being the first thing you saw after waking up from the djinn coma, she deserves a special way of ya’ll starting a relationship. Let me know what I can pick up from the store.”

Dawn was showing me her Pinterest. It was a bunch of different easy meals to make for two.

I felt the corner of my lips tug into a smile as I replayed seeing Marie right after waking up from the lifelike dream.

“Dean Winchester. I swear to all things holy, you damn near gave me a heart attack,” Marie started as she was balancing with her right crutch and cutting the ropes with her left hand…

“That lazy lasagna sounds easy enough. Will you also get some of the red wine she likes and ingredients to make her Dutch apple pie that I love?” I ask looking at Dawn’s lap top once more. Dawn nodded smiling writing a note in her phone before closing her laptop.

With that, Dawn stood up to go find James.

***

Marie’s POV

Placing my air pods in my ears, I scroll through my Spotify music looking for some workout music. Country or 80’s rock I wasn’t sure. I was eager to workout some of my current frustrations.

My previous pt, Dr. Calvert had recently moved back to California with his wife to start his final retirement. He had been the head doctor of the neurology physical therapy department at UCSF back in the day, but had left the hospital to pursue working at a small clinic in Lebanon to be closer to his kids. So I had been sans physical therapy for a month.

Aunt Lynn ended up telling me of a therapist she had gone to see that she thought could be of some help, Tom Erheart. He wasn’t a neuro pt, but I figured I may as well see if Tom could help.

Boy, did he help!

He believed therapy was, “30% science and 70% art.” He practiced a massage technique called myofascial release.

I couldn’t begin to figure out the proper way to explain to Sam, Dean, or anyone what or how exactly Tom did it, but the way he worked his hands over my plagued muscles and quieted my overactive nervous system, was nothing short of a damn miracle.

All that came to an abrupt stop when his office called and cancelled not one, but a month’s worth of pt appointments because he had surprisingly had to undergo open heart surgery. My body craved to be at Tom’s for pt.

With another heavy breath I pressed play and Ain’t That Some by Morgan Wallen began playing into my ears. I was a bit worried because lately I had become more sedentary than I should be and it was wrecking havoc on my body, plus my right wrist had gotten carpal tunnel from the pressure I put on my wrists from using my rollator; but I took a deep breath and put my big girl panties on. I knew I needed to keep frighting, keep moving my body or my body would become even more brittle and weak.

After managing to get a measly 5 minutes on the elliptical, I breathed deeply and told myself, I’d try again on Friday. I carefully step off the machine and went to lay on one of the yoga mats Sam had recently purchased. I needed to stretch my hip flexors. After laying for three minutes, I realized my back had spasmed and locked up leaving me stuck on my stomach.

Doing my diaphragm breathing like Tom had taught me from before, it calmed my nervous system enough to grab my phone from the fanny pack I wore when working out, to text Dean.

***

Dean’s POV

Worry etching my thoughts from Marie’s text, I hurried to the gym that was next door to the war room to find Ree on her stomach. I could hear her doing he breathing exercises and closed the space between us in a few steps. I knelt down and began to rub her back in slow but firm circles to help her back muscles release their vice like grip. After a few minutes, Marie released a breath I hadn’t realized she was holding.

“Ahhh…. Thanks Dean, that was a nasty spasm.” Marie sighed out after rolling over on her back looking up at me.

I glanced at what she was wearing. A Victoria’s Secret sports bra that didn’t leave much to the imagination, spandex short shorts like volleyball players wear, her fanny pack, and a cheap pair of sneakers she had recently bought online. Her long chocolate brown tendrils pulled on top of her head in a messy, but oh so sexy bun. Her big emerald eyes, that my own rivaled, looked right into my soul.

“Dean…. What do you think?”

I blinked coming out of the daze I had just been in. I saw Ree had her arm out.

“Dean, can you please help me up off the floor?” She asked expectantly.

“Oh, sorry Sweetheart.” With ease I pulled Ree up and helped her to her walker.

Giving my cheek a kiss, she told me she was going to shower and get ready for the day.

***

From the gym, I ran into Dawn as I reached the kitchen.

“Hey, Dean, I just got back from the store and they have everything you need to make lazy lasagna and Ree’s Dutch apple pie.” She smiled at her job well done as I helped her put away the food.

“I also picked up lunch for everyone so once Marie is ready we can all eat together then we will be out of your hair til tonight to give y’all some much needed alone time.” Dawn smiled. I had quickly began to see why Dawn and Marie were so close, they loved each other like sisters.

“Before I forget, I wanted to tell you something else,” Dawn added.

“You know that amethyst Claddagh ring Marie wears on her right ring finger?”

“Yeah the one I always told her she shouldn’t wear hunting.” I smirk rolling my eyes playfully.

“Yeah, make sure to take it off her finger and replace it so that the amethyst heart’s point is pointing at her. It’s means that she’s in a relationship. That’s always been a dream of hers, to have you turn the ring on her finger. “ Dawn smiles sweetly after sharing that information.

“So how does she wear the ring now?” I ask genuinely curious.

Dawn smiled as she answered.

“The heart pointing outwards means she’s open to the world, single.” She smiled again.

Just then Marie came into the kitchen freshly showered and smelling wonderful. I looked at her and smiled.

“Hey Ree, I ran to the store to pick up some food to stock the fridge and brought back some stuff to make sandwiches.” Dawn started.

“I need to actually take a seat, my spasticity has been giving me the hardest time today. If someone brings some of the sandwich stuff to the table, I can make my own.” Marie said with a smile.

“Also, before I forget, James and I are taking Franklin out to a movie and dinner tonight. Sam said he wanted to come so it’ll just be you two after lunch.” Dawn said hiding her smile.

“Oh, hmm. Alright, I’m sure Dean and I will find something to do. Thanks for doing the food run this morning, I was going to put in an order for pick up after lunch today.” Marie thanked Dawn.

With that Sam, James, growing little Franklin, and Little Foot all found their way to the kitchen for lunch. Sam, Dean, and Marie all shared a smile at having such a full, lively home filled with love.

***

Dean’s POV

After the other’s had left for their day out, it was just Marie and I.

“Wanna go stream Prime in the Dean Cave?” I asked her.

“Sure what are you in the mood for?” Ree replied.

“Oh, I’ve got a couple things I have to do around the bunker.” I saw Marie’s face fall.

“Oh, okay. Maybe I’ll start that show called The Boys. I’ve been meaning to see what that’s all about. I’ve seen that one Supe, Solider Boy, all over the internet, he certainly is one handsome SOB.” Marie smirks when I look at her, knowing she’s teasing me.

I playfully roll my eyes as she turns and heads for the Dean Cave to watch tv. Once she was out of the kitchen, I started taking out the ingredients to make Ree’s famous Dutch apple pie. I searched through my phone for the file I had Ree send me of the recipe.

Once I had the pie assembled, I stuck it in the oven to bake. I went to the fridge and saw Dawn had also bought more beer, she was a Godsend. I cracked one open and pulled up the lazy lasagna recipe that she had sent me earlier while getting out everything I needed for that.

I made quick work of putting the dish together, I knew, Marie would soon smell the pie so I wanted to make sure all I had left to do was put the lasagna into the oven along with the garlic bread and broccolini that Dawn had picked up. I wasn’t sure of the green stuff, not being used to much vegetables in my hunter diet.

“Oh my goodness, is that Dutch apple pie I smell?”

I could hear Marie’s feet sliding behind her rolling walker into the kitchen.

I laughed.

“That would be correct.” I smiled looking at Ree.

“Awh, I could have came and helped you.” She walked over to me as I pulled out the pie and replaced it with what we were having for dinner.

“Oh, what’s this?” Marie asked pointing to the oven.

After shutting the oven I closed the distance between us placing a kiss to her temple as I pulled her in carefully by the waist.

“That, Sweetheart, is our dinner. I’m finished with what I needed to do so I wanted to talk to you.” I said, my body facing her and leading her to sit across from me at the table.

“After you kissed me, that’s all I could think about. I needed to kill that jinni so I could come home to you.” I started noticing Ree was attentively listening so I continued.

…“Sure Sweetheart.” I replied grabbing your face. I kissed you long and hard, more than ready to kiss the real you and make you mine. Thinking quickly, I go out to the garage and shut the door. Opening your SUV, I pressed the engine start button, knowing the only way out of this wishful dream was to commit suicide so I could get back to reality to kill the damn djinn.

“I’m coming home to you, Sweetheart.”

I finished rehashing the dream the Djinn had given me only a few days ago.

“So, we’ve lov- liked each other all this time?” Marie asked gently. Taking her right hand, I slid her Claddagh ring off and turned it, replacing it for the heart to point towards her.

“Marie Wilson. You are the woman of my dreams, and I love you.” I smile pulling her in to capture her lips in a searing kiss.

#dean winchester x original character #supernatural #spn fanfiction

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gubes-sweaters · 2 years

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Unexpected Turns: Chapter 13

Author’s Note: I was going to post this about two weeks ago, but Roe V Wade was very sadly overturned. Since I’m pro-choice, it felt a bit insensitive to post something like this. So if this isn’t your cup of tea because of everything going on currently, I completely understand.

Content Warning(s): Pregnancy, childbirth (if you want to skip that section it's after the third banner and it ends right before the fourth banner), small mention of amniotic fluid

Word Count: 3.8k

Chapter 13: My Little Love

The contractions started late into the night. Spencer was already fast asleep, and you couldn’t get comfortable for the life of you. You were finally asleep when you felt the contractions. At first, they were brushed off as Braxton-Hicks just like last week when you had thought you were going into labor. You were currently a week from your due date, and you couldn’t wait to not be pregnant anymore. You were done with your swollen feet that you could no longer see, and you were finally excited to meet your baby.

When another wave of contractions crashed into you, they felt different from before. You decided to get up and walk around a bit, but when you stood up gravity took hold. You stood for a second in shock thinking “Did my water just break?” You sit on the foot of the bed trying to catch your breath before you lean over and slightly squeeze Spencer’s calf muscle. You try to shake his leg slightly and call out to him to wake him up. Once he wakes up, he shoots up and realizes you were at the bottom of the bed.

“Is everything alright?” He asks before rubbing his eyes and reaching for his glasses.

“I think I’m going into labor, like for real this time,” you say, your voice wobbling for a bit.

“Okay, okay, uhhh-” he mutters to himself before getting up and turning on the bedroom light.

You try to breathe through the aftermath of your contractions as Spencer rushes back over to you.

“How about we count the length of the contractions and the time in between to determine how quickly we need to go to the hospital,” Spencer says, sitting down next to you before he begins rubbing your back.

You rock back and forth as he tries to relieve some lower back pain you’re having. The both of you end up sitting on the edge of the bed working out your plans for an hour as Spencer times your contractions and the time in between them.

“You have fifteen minutes between your contractions. We can take more time if you want,” he says, obviously nervous. He laces his fingers into yours, and you lean your head on his shoulder, thinking about your options.

“I’m going to take a shower, and we’ll go. I should probably call JJ and my mom.”

“Okay, I’m going to grab our hospital bags out of the nursery. If you need me, just shout,” he says, giving you a kiss before helping you up off the bed.

On the way to the hospital, Spencer is clearly more shaken up than you. For some reason, as you had stepped out of the shower, you felt completely calm, which you never had anticipated before. Your mom, JJ, and other people in your life who had a baby said that once they had gone into labor they were pretty calm. You thought you’d be too stressed, but you weren’t. Other than the unnerving pain you felt, cloud your brain a bit, your head was completely clear. Once you got cleaned up, you checked in the nursery to make sure everything was ready for when everyone came home from the hospital. Looking around at the gorgeous nursery that you and Spencer worked so hard to complete, it gave you a sense of peace. Almost as if it was the physical embodiment of all the love and dedication the both of you had already poured into a baby who wasn’t even here yet.

Spencer, on the other hand, was a bit of a wreck. Logically, he knew everything was fine. Based on your contractions and the time it would take to get to the hospital, you guys would get there in plenty of time. All of that information and statistics he had retained throughout your pregnancy, also made him think about all the rare chances of things that could go wrong. He never wanted to think of the absolute worst, so instead, he would peek over his book, that he was pretending to be engrossed in, from the living room. He was staring straight into the nursery from the couch as you folded a few of the newborn baby clothes and stacked diapers and wipes in the drawers beneath the changing table. You weren’t privy to the fact that Spencer was a nervous wreck, you had just thought he was reading a bit while waiting for you.

When you finally walked into the living room he felt a bit more relieved. He got you down to the car which already had the car seat sitting in the back ready. You couldn’t tell if he was shaky and nervous because he barely ever drives or if it’s because you’re in labor, most likely a mix of both.

You just had ended your phone call with JJ and you had already called your mom. JJ is stopping by your apartment to make sure everything is put together one last time because you’re a bit nervous. Your mom had to quickly rebook her flight, and you feel a bit bad because she’s been going back and forth so often to see you. You assume it’s in attempts to fix the broken relationship the two of you had when you moved out here, and you do appreciate the effort.

“While we're waiting in traffic why don’t we finalize our favorite baby names. I have a feeling we won’t know for sure until they’re finally here, and I can see them though,” you said.

“I've been thinking about Atlas for a boy, and for a girl I really like the name Hazel,” Spencer says with a wholesome grin painted on his face, almost as if he was recalling a memory. You tried thinking of where either name had come from that would elicit a reaction like that, but you couldn’t quite remember.

“I love the name, Lillian. I feel like the nickname Lilly is so cute, but Lillian could fit the baby later in life,” you said, reading through a long list of names you were trying to shorten.

“What about a boy's name or a more gender-neutral name?” He asks, looking over at you quickly.

“Well, I like the name Oliver for a boy, but I think it’s a bit overused. I really like the name, Channing. It makes me think of a girl who I went to school with who was super sweet, but it also makes me think of the actor,” you say.

“Who?” Spencer asks.

You take a moment to laugh to yourself because how do you explain the movie ‘Magic Mike’ to Spencer right now. You quickly think of a movie that he may have possibly seen.

“Have I ever had you watch ‘She’s the Man’ with me?”

“No,” he says, thinking for a second.

“Okay, we can watch it when we get home,” you say with a small laugh.

Once you get settled into your hospital room, you are already seven centimeters dilated. Nurses bounced back and forth, coming to check up on you often. With your baby coming only a week early there wasn’t much to worry about, but with the recent stress that has just now dissipated your blood pressure was a bit too high for their liking. You got an epidural and when the pain was finally relieved, all you could feel was the pressure and the baby's movement, and you were so thankful. Even though the epidural gave you the jitters, which apparently was more common than you thought. Spencer sits beside you and rubs your shoulders as you eat ice chips early in the morning.

It’s around ten am by the time you are fully dilated and ready to deliver. At this point, you’re so thankful for getting an epidural. Spencer was able to hold your hand and help you the entire way. He helped brush your hair out of your face and told you how good you were doing.

The nurses and the obstetrician helping to deliver your baby were also super encouraging. You were glad that earlier on in your pregnancy Spencer had pushed for you to find what hospital you wanted to have your baby at. You can see how it’s now to your benefit, even though it wasn’t the closest hospital to you.

When the doctor tells you one last push, you’re out of breath and exhausted. When you stop, you can feel a little movement. For a split second, the entire world feels like it’s come to a halt and anticipation builds, before a tiny cry erupts into the room.

“It’s a boy!” You hear a small shout from one of the nurses just before she sets the crying little baby on your chest.

Spencer was beside you with a wide grin. They swiftly whisk your baby away to clean him up. Spencer looked over at you, and you shooed insisting that you were okay, and you were concerned for your baby. He walked over and peered at the tiny baby who was being swaddled in a pastel blue and white striped blanket.

It was late into the afternoon when JJ came into the hospital room with Will and Henry, who was holding her hand, trotting alongside her. Your little boy who still was missing a name was just now waking up from another nap. Spencer set the book he was reading down when he saw them walking into the room.

Your little boy opens his eyes before scrunching his face up a bit. He gives a big yawn, and you fall in love just a little more. JJ walked up to you very gently with eyes as big as saucers.

“Hi,” she drags out the ‘hi’ in a hushed tone as if she were approaching a wild animal. Too afraid to be too loud or sudden.

“Hey guys,” you respond while slightly maneuvering your son, so he could be better seen, but still comfortable and supported.

“Wow, he looks just like you,” Will chimes in, his southern drawl coming through.

“I know that’s what the nurses said,” you say, smiling proudly at your baby. Spencer comes by your side to admire the little one along with everyone else.

“Can I see?” Henry states, not being quite tall enough. In response, you scoot over slightly and pat the hospital bed. Will then helps Henry up, so he can get a good look at the newborn. Henry just ‘oohs’ and “ahhs” at your son, but he refrains from touching him, almost as if he knows how delicate and precious the newborn is.

After Henry gets a good look and everyone else makes small talk, like most children, he gets bored somewhat fast. Henry proceeds to ask for a snack and since Spencer was the only one who had money for the vending machine, Spencer, Will, and Henry all took off down the hall.

“So, I want to ask you a question,” you state.

“What is it?” JJ responds inquisitively.

“Do you want to be his godmother? You always know if anything ever happened to Henry, Spencer, and I as his godparents would always watch after him. I trust you just the same,” you say with confidence.

“Of course I do! Who's going to be his godfather?” JJ asks.

“Spencer and I talked about it and we're going to ask Morgan when he stops by later,” you respond.

The afternoon was filled with visitors, balloons, teddy bears, and bright smiles. After JJ left, Garcia and Morgan came soon after. Garcia came strutting into the room with a huge smile and a huge teddy bear and Morgan with a big smile and food. You had forgotten how late in the day it was, and you hadn’t eaten much of anything yet. Garcia was more than ready to hold the little baby and while she was occupied Morgan clapped Spencer on the back before giving you the best hug he could. That’s when you and Spencer asked whether he would be his godfather, of course, he said yes.

After Morgan held the baby for a bit, it was just about time for your son to take a nap once again. You also wanted to take a nap, but the baby was just starting to fall asleep on your chest. So you could take a nap without feeling a bit odd leaving him in the cramped bassinet next to your bed, Spencer elected to read to him. It was heartwarming to see your boys lay together. The tiny newborn curled up on his chest while Spencer got comfortable before cracking open a book.

When you woke up from a nap it was very dark outside, but Spencer was still awake with the tiny baby curled up on his chest, but instead of reading, he was admiring your son with a wholesome smile.

“This is a sight I could get used to,” you say, slightly startling him.

“I was thinking. I really like the name Atlas,” you state, smiling at the tiny baby. You glance over and see that he is reading Homer's Odyssey and that’s when the memory hits you.

Rain was slapping against the jet. With every small bump or odd movement of the jet you shivered. You never liked flying and being on a large jet like this for the first time was a bit scary. Of course, it would be your luck that in your first case you had to leave for was across the country. You were already anxious. After all, your phone was blowing up from your boyfriend because you didn’t come home yesterday. You were supposed to, but the weather was even more treacherous last night than it is right now. You were curled up in a seat while most of the team was fast asleep. The only other person awake was Spencer, who had multiple papers sprawled out on the couch.

You peak over at Spencer and his conglomeration of papers. You get up and scoot past JJ, who was fast asleep with a bag of Cheetos resting in her lap.

“Hey,” you say, sitting down next to him. He glances up at you with a shy smile. You two haven’t known each other for long, but he was always sweet from the few interactions the two of you had.

“Sorry I don’t mean to be nosy I’m just a little stressed with flying and my flying companion bailed on me,” you say with a sad laugh, in reference to JJ.

“Oh yeah, I didn’t like flying the first time either. You get used to it. If it’s the turbulence you’re worried about, we’ll be just fine. It’s very rare for a place to crash through turbulence. You know, through 1980 and 2008, the FAA reported only 234 plane crashes, public or otherwise. It’s not common enough to worry about,” he says, gathering a few of his papers before shoving them into the highly worn satchel. He pulls out a book.

“This is The Odyssey in Homeric Greek, but I’d be more than happy to translate it for you. I mean if that’s okay with you. You look like you could use a distraction,” he states.

“That would be nice,” you say with a small smile.

“Did you get that from The Odyssey?” you ask, scooting yourself back up in the bed.

“Yeah,” he says with a small smile. When he smiles at you, you know some things would never change, his smile that makes your heart soar is one of them.

“That sounds perfect,” you respond while mentally recalling the memory of when he read The Odyssey to you.

The next day, you face-timed your mom before her flight out. After breakfast, Hotch stopped by with Jack. Wanting to congratulate you and asking if there was anything either of you needed. Jack was very similar to Henry in that he was very intrigued by the baby at first, but then after a bit, he became bored. After they took off, you took the time to quickly email your dad on your phone, with pictures of your son, who finally had a name after last night.

Emily stopped by with doughnuts for you two. She had said that you were going to give everyone in the BAU baby fever because he was so adorable. She wanted to see him before she took off for a small vacation with her girlfriend Fiona. You wished her a good trip and told her to tell Fiona she said hi.

Finally, your mother arrived, and it was safe to say she was enamored with the tiny baby. She got excited to hold her grandchild.

“Ohh I can’t wait to see you all the time!” She says while rocking the infant.

“What do you mean?” You ask her with a frown on your face.

“Marcus got a job offer in Maryland, and I was looking at this beautiful house in Montgomery County,” she says with pride. You immediately want to throw yourself out the nearest window. Montgomery County, Maryland borders Virginia, and that’s a bit too close for your liking

“Mom the houses out there… I mean it’s pretty pricey,” you say.

“I know, but we’ll go half on the house. Plus, I’m not looking to live in a mansion, so what’s the harm,” she says, making faces at your baby. You just give her a silent nod before moving on to the conversation.

If you could roll your eyes anymore, you would. This was one of the biggest problems the two of you had when you were a child. She had to be the center of attention or at least take all the credit when you were the center of attention. You couldn’t tell if she was living vicariously through you or if she was just jealous. She also lived beyond her means so often, dipping into the savings account your father and her used to share. You hope she isn’t rushing with this boyfriend and moving in quickly just so she could move closer to you.

You were comfortable with her being here often or even going back home to visit her, but living so close to Virginia makes you want to roll your eyes until they fall out of your head. You just try to placate her for the time being since you don’t need an argument when she’s holding your newborn baby.

After a bit, she drops the conversation, now steering it towards more mundane and easy conversations. She does that until the baby inevitably gets hungry and when he does, she finally hands him back to you. You feed him and burp him before finding a way to politely get her to leave. You just use nap time as an excuse.

Soon after, a nurse came in and checked on you. Stating she came by earlier, but didn’t want to intrude with visitors. After she checked up on you and saw Atlas sound asleep, she said everything was fine, and you could go home tomorrow. Afterward, Spencer got in the hospital bed with you. The both of you tried watching a movie on your laptop, but you weren’t able to focus.

“What’s wrong?” Spencer says, pausing the movie.

“My mom,” you say with a huge huff. He gives you a small inquisitive expression, silently asking you to elaborate further.

“She’s just always had this thing where she butts herself into everything I do. To be honest, the only time I’ve ever had any piece was when I dated Jo because she hated him. Everything I’ve ever done is because she wanted me to do like pageants, competition dance, softball, soccer… which was only because JJ played soccer. She was all about appearances and moving to Virginia was my escape I guess,” you say with a tired look on your face.

“I’m sorry sweetheart,” he says before he kisses your temple.

The two of you sit in silence as you look over at the small baby. Spencer follows your gaze over to the infant who was sound asleep in the bassinet next to the hospital bed.

“I just want to go home,” you say.

“Me too,” he says before turning more towards you and wraps his arms snugly around you, burying your face in his chest.

In the morning you diligently signed papers as Spencer packed your bags up. He dashed down to the car to put everything in quickly. It was fair to say the both of you were antsy to get home and spend the next couple of weeks together. You feed your son as you look out the window admiring the cloudy sky as it starts to drizzle. You sit back in the hospital bed one last time and relax. You look up at the TV that was across the room, squinting your eyes to see the news coverage. When you see a familiar face, you quickly turn the sound up. It was the chief of police making a small statement about four officers being fired in relation to the “recent string of murders” as he called it, but it was so much more than that. Not wanting to upset yourself, you decided to turn it off.

After your son was finished eating, you clipped the strap back to the nursing bra and threw a hoodie you had packed on. Soon after, Spencer came back, albeit slightly out of breath, but he was back nonetheless. He helped you put Atlas into the baby carrier and put a small hat on him that Garcia crocheted herself. Two of the nurses who helped look after you guys the past two days came to quickly say goodbye and coo over the cute baby one last time.

When the two of you stepped out into the chilly air, you tucked the baby blanket from the hospital a little closer to his tiny body. You lifted your baby out of his carrier and Spencer went around to the other side of the car to put it in the back seat. You strap him into his car seat, making sure to be delicate. After you’re finished, you ask Spencer if everything looks secure, and he agrees before walking over to the driver's seat. You offered to drive, but he insisted.

You place a gentle kiss on his cheek. You were trying to say so much with a simple kiss. You were trying to convey how much you appreciate him and all of your love for him. Judging by the way he turns to look at you with wide eyes that mirror your adoration for him, he understood.

Taglist: @striving4averagegirl @measure-in-pain @tvandfanfic @haylaansmi @rexorangecouny @sophiario

#crimnal minds #criminalminds #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fanfiction #dr spencer reid #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid angst #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid imagine #mgg #mgg x reader #matthew gray gubler #unexpected turns series #stellas writing

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ratboyrecall · 2 years

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Third post - At last, after days of waiting, I give to you the first chapter of a Dallas Winston x Male Reader! I'll warn those wanting it now, I'll have random updates for this story and forwarning right now, it is a sloooow burn. But good news is once they finally acknowledge each others existence and feelings, the story won't suddenly stop and you'll have floofy feelings with a caring Dally.

Without further ado, I give you 5/20/22's newest fanfic to add to the already massive list;

Worlds Apart Will Soon Collide

The day was nice and a cool breeze was running through the trees as me and the other Socs drove down the road in the convertible that Michael owned. James sat next to them while I was sitting in the seat closest to the door, Rebecca and Laura giggling away right next to me. I didn't mind it though. I was more focused on the stores that passed by almost nauseously fast, trying to remember the names of them all.

Harvey's Hardware Store.

Julica's Salon.

Mayard Bar.

Everyone who was anyone went to those places to hang out because it was cool, even if some that went to the bar were under age and could only get a coke. We passed all those places because we were going to a proper place for Socs to keep up our appearance. To look smart and stuff. The park.

We usually just sit upon the bench and watch others but when you have a group to talk to, it's still fun and all.

When we pulled into the parking lot nearby and Jamie helped Michael and me put the cover over it, Rebecca and Laura were already off to the green-covered reserves. The two other boys walked off, being the protective men they were over their girlfriends. After a bit of me standing aside near the entrance, they seemed to finally notice me and called me over.

"Hey, Y/N, what are you doing standing around? You look like you're trying to be a greaser! You know we can't have that if you're part of the better group!" Michael yelled from a tree he was currently plucking leaves from.

I was about to go towards them before hearing someone on my right.

"You're a pretty feisty one aren't you? Well, that's alright, I like mine fiery and fierce."

A tall male with a noticeable hairstyle was leaning over a girl. Though it was a question what one of them was doing on this side of town.

Laura, I thought, as she shrunk underneath the man's stature. Immediately, I yelled back to the boys.

"Give me a minute! Need some water!"

And with that, I started to run towards the girls and the greaser. Maybe if Michael and Jamie saw how brave I was, I wouldn't get teased so much for looking like a nervous wreck most of the time. It wasn't my fault god decided to make people so hard to communicate with.

When I got there, Laura was trying to push him off while Rebecca was attempting to pull this towering statue off her, only to be brushed aside like flies on a horse.

Up close, he was more intimidating than he originally looked from where I was originally standing. Good build, not too skinny, grown-out messy blonde-ish hair. It was almost like looking at an angel on one of those church ceilings.

But I wasn't about to let that stop me.

After a few seconds of hesitation, I spoke up, stammering a bit to my dismay.

"L-let her go already! She told you to stop!"

The moment I spoke those words, I regretted it in an instant. Because next thing I knew, he was leaning over me, still holdin' on to Laura. A cocky smirk rested on his face.

"And who says I gotta listen huh? You act real tuff when you're hardly as big as her."

He pointed to Rebecca, who was the shortest of the two girls, and I felt my face get warm. Even if both girls were older and tall for their age, it felt embarrassing to be considered short by an outsider. Especially one like this person. His hair was wild, just like his personality, and he grinned like the Cheshire Cat. He stood tall, probably around 6'2", almost leaning over me like a tower. And his eyes burned into my memory and soul. Those blue eyes that had mystery and danger written on them. Seas even the most experienced sailor could get lost in. And soon, I felt my face heating for an entirely different reason.

"I am. I-it is not gentleman-like to do this to a woman. Don't you have manners?"

I felt proud of the fact I barely stuttered but my achievement was soon covered by the shadow of a man standing over me that made me quake in my shoes.

"You think you're a real smarty-pants and brave man trying to go against me, don't ya? Just like all the other Socs around here, ain't that right?"

Suddenly, my embarrassment and hesitation broke away from me as he said that last sentence.

"Just like all the other Socs around here, ain't that right?"

This bothered me as I knew the stories. Rumbles and fights, deaths and jokes that went too far. But those weren't who I was. Far from it. Sure, I might come from a well set family where I was considered smart but it just wasn't like me to maim and kill like a wild creature. It annoyed me that people got grouped to social-constructed classes as if they were just bullet points being organized under a T-chart.

The man in front of me must've noticed my blood boiling because he snickered before teasing me.

"What's wrong shortcake, you upset I'm right?"

Suddenly, he was taken aback as I slapped him across the face, a scowl on mine as I pushed him back and pulled Laura next to me in order to get her out of the way. Rebecca joined us, hugging Laura to make sure she was okay.

It annoyed me how he acted but he really crossed a line there, especially the way he said it.

When he wiped his face while still hunched over, he looked back at us, those blue eyes showing anger that swam in the stormy sea. Standing up-right, he turned us.

"Why you little-"

Thankfully, for my life and the girls', someone interrupted.

"Hey Dally! What'cha doin' over there? Me and Ponyboy were looking all over for ya!"

Two boys came jogging up, one seeming like he was around 18 while the other looked like 14. Maybe older, but I could be wrong about both. Once over, the older of the two seemed to examine us.

"Say, what's with the Socs?... You ain't lookin' at trying to pick up another, are you?"

The boy from earlier, now known to me as Dally, huffed before standing up straight and dusting himself off.

"I was until this one came along. But Socs girls are always so noisy or defiant. I think I'll stick with our girls for good…"

He looked at me and gave me a glare that would've made me fear my life had it not been for the frustration in me.

"Come on Dallas, let's just go. Two-bit and I wanted to go to the burger place for food."

Dally just hummed in annoyance before lighting a cigarette and taking the lead out the park, the other two leaving. I wished they would have apologized but it was two late now.

James and Michael finally ran up to us, silly grins on their faces.

"Hey, y'all scared the crap outta us (YN)! We thought you were behind us being all quiet like you normally are after you got your drink but it was too quiet so we turned around but you were there! We've been lookin' all over the park for you three!"

Me and the girls all looked at each other before Laura laughed a bit.

"Well, you boys sure didn't think to look here! We had a run in with this Greaser! (YN) stood up for us. He was super brave. The boy who was trying to mess with me is gone now thanks to him!"

Immediately, I got a smack on the head before a pat on the back.

"Bravely stupid I'll say," stated James with a smirk.

I let out a whine as they laughed, rubbing the back of my head.

"So who wants to go to Pattie's Diner for some dinner?"

The mention of food made my stomach rumble a bit too loudly and the whole group laughed again, my face flushing a noticeable red on my (SC) skin.

"I suppose we should since (YN)'s stomach is putting its own yes in!"

And with that, we left the park, my mind wondering subconsciously about the stranger we met named Dally.

#dallas #dally #dally x reader #dallas winston #dallas winston x reader #the outsiders #fanfic #reader insert #x male reader #dally x male reader #dallas x male reader

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snowdice · 1 year

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Creased Hoodies (Chapter 10: Dinner and a Movie) [Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sander Sides

Relationships: Logan/Virgil, Janus/Patton (background), Remus & Roman (background)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Virgil

Appear: Patton, Roman

Mentioned: Janus, Remus

Summary: Virgil just wanted to go on his planned summer research trip to do an anthropological study in 2005 America. However, when he is taken off course by an unknown enemy, he ends up stranded in the summer of 2018 with no way to get back the the 44rd century. Luckily, 2018 happens to be where a certain illegal time agency is based, and he might have an in with one of its agents.

This is the intermission for the story Folds in Paper. It takes place between Folds in Paper Book 1 and Book 2. It also takes place after the first 5 chapter of “Messages for a Hacker” which are side stories in the universe. Check all of this and more out on my Folds in Time Master Post.

Chapter Summary: Virgil and Logan have a date night.

Notes: Time travel AU

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

Patton left in the morning and almost immediately sent a confirmation text to Logan saying that he’d made it to the correct time and place with no issue. From there it was just a waiting game for Patton and for those left in the apartment.

That was Virgil’s least favorite type of game.

Even with Patton checking in every so often, Virgil couldn’t help but be nervous. This was why he was a professor and not an employee of the TPI. So many things could go wrong with trips like these!

Virgil did his best to keep his anxiety on the down low. It was, after all, Logan and Roman’s lifelong friend who was running around some other century at the location of a time distortion. They were both obviously nervous since Patton’s last trip had ended in disaster.

…

This trip was going to end in disaster a little bit too, Virgil knew, but for his sanity, he was going to ignore that fact.

The point was, Roman was constantly going to the gym which was reportedly not normal behavior, and Logan spent his days re-checking calculations that were far too late to correct even if Patton hadn’t already confirmed they were perfect by arriving when he should have.

Yet, despite being an anxious wreck, Logan eventually forced himself to put his lined notebook paper away. Roman was out once again when he finally shoved it in a drawer to get it away from himself.

Virgil looked up from doom scrolling on his phone.

“We should go out to dinner,” he suggested suddenly.

Virgil glanced at the pile of take-out containers stacked near the kitchen trashcan. They hadn’t left the apartment in days. “Sure,” he agreed.

They got changed and exited the apartment with no plans in mind. Logan asked him if he wanted anything in particular but Virgil didn’t know many places in this time, so he decided to trust Logan to pick something.

He should not have trusted him.

He glared at Logan from where they stood awkwardly in the middle of a mall. Logan appeared to only be entertained by his ire.

“Really?” Virgil asked.

“I wanted to see for myself if you were really that bad with chopsticks,” he said with a grin.

“I’m not,” Virgil said, crossing his arms. “The anxiety had gotten to me. I resent this experiment.”

Logan just laughed, knowing well enough that Virgil wasn’t actually irritated. In fact, Virgil couldn’t help but feel a fond squeeze in his chest. It was almost an inside joke, just between the two of them.

“It is actually decent sushi,” Logan said.

“Ah yes, 21st century American Midwest sushi,” Virgil drawled. “I’m simply quivering with anticipation for the authenticity we are about to enjoy.”

“It’s unanimously considered the best sushi in town by my friend group,” Logan said as if the fact that Mr. Asiago-Cheese-Bread-For-French-Toast and Mr.-Went-Along-With-Cooking-Asiago-Cheese-Bread-French-Toast’s endorsement would inspire any confidence in Virgil. Patton may have Japanese blood, but he’d grown up in the Appalachians. Don’t even get Virgil started on Roman.

“It’s in. A. Mall.”

“So?” Logan asked.

“It’s a sushi stand in a mall,” Virgil said. “There isn’t even seating.”

“There’s seating,” Logan argued, nodding at the five chairs sitting in front of the counter.

The seating was completely empty, which could be because their eating schedule was off and they were trying to eat dinner at 3pm, but more likely had to do with everyone else having more sense than the man standing in front of Virgil.

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Logan asked. “Are you not an anthropologist? Do you not wish to experience the culture of the time first-hand.”

Virgil glared at him.

“Please try it,” Logan said, still amused. “It really is good.”

“If I get food poisoning, I’m blaming you,” Virgil warned.

“Noted,” Logan replied with a nod. Then, Virgil reluctantly allowed himself to be led over to the sushi stand.

The man behind the sushi stand greeted them jovially as they approached. He obviously knew Logan and even asked about Patton and Roman as they took a seat.

Virgil did have to admit, despite his instinctual misgivings about mall sushi, what he could glimpse of the man’s set up seemed legit. It looked like a real sushi bar if a bit on the small size.

They’d sat down in front of a glass case filled with chilled fish, and Virgil could see a large rice cooker behind the man and a normal refrigerator for non-fish ingredients.

Laminated menus were handed to them. It was only one page and didn’t even have a back, but honestly that was probably a good thing. If this place served a bunch of complicated or fancy dishes, Virgil would have been worried.

…

Well, he was still worried (it was mall sushi), but he wasn’t running screaming. The place looked like it wouldn’t give him food poisoning at the very least.

Logan suggested they get a “rainbow” and “snake” roll to split as well as a few different types of nigiri and Virgil didn’t argue.

The chef was kind, and he assembled all of the sushi fully in Virgil’s view which made him a lot less leery about the meal. The man seemed to know what he was doing. The fish wouldn’t be as fresh as it would have been in a coastal area, but it was clearly properly handled. When he finished making their order, he handed it to them all on one big plate.

They ate and talked with each other and the chef. Virgil was ribbed gently about his chopstick anxiety and the chef apparently decided to be on Virgil’s side of the conflict because as soon as he heard Logan talking about it, he pipped in with a story about Logan mistaking wasabi for avocado once.

By the end of their dinner, Virgil had to admit, when correcting for ingredient availability, it was pretty good sushi. He would not say it was the best sushi he’d ever had, but it was worlds better than what he’d expected.

Logan could obviously tell what his opinion was as they thanked the chef and paid, because he looked overly smug about it.

“Yeah, yeah,” Virgil said as they left the mall. “You’re good at picking restaurants.”

“I’m sure you are also when you’re in a more familiar location,” Logan said, still smiling smugly.

“I’m not actually,” Virgil said with a laugh. “I consistently panic choose the worst option every time.”

“Well, I’m usually the opposite,” Logan said. “So, I guess we balance each other out in that regard.”

“Yeah,” Virgil said with a grin. He shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. “Uh, what are we going to do when we get back to the apartment?” he asked. “Because sitting there drowning in anxiety like we’ve been for the last few days isn’t the best for my mental health.”

“I’m not sure,” Logan said. “Did you have anything in mind that you wanted to do?”

“Hmm,” Virgil said. “You guys still have Blockbuster?”

“No,” Logan said, “but we do still have a Family Video store nearby.”

“Is it close enough to walk there?” Virgil asked.

“It is,” Logan said, “though if you wish to watch a movie, we could use a streaming service or my… library of movies.” Virgil doubted the legality of that ‘library’ both with the current authorities and the TPI.

Virgil shrugged. “It’s the charm of it,” he said.

“The charm of going to a business already made obsolete and on the brink of collapse?” Logan asked.

“Exactly,” said Virgil with a smile.

“Very well,” Logan said, turning to head in a slightly different direction. “If that’s what you want, we can go there.”

They were in a building that would look abandoned if there wasn’t a light on inside within 15 minutes.

The video rental store had clearly seen better days. Its carpet pattern was clearly from another decade and had been trampled over so often they might as well be walking on the linoleum underneath. A sign asked patrons to close the door behind them when entering as the spring that was supposed to make it close on its own had long since worn down to nothing. Virgil doubted anyone planned to replace it.

There was only one person working, a guy in his 30s who glanced at them briefly before returning to looking at his phone. Ah yes, Virgil’s favorite type of employee.

“What movie would you like to watch?” Logan asked. He glanced at one small, but still surprisingly present section filled with VHS tapes.

“I don’t know,” Virgil said. “Isn’t that the exciting part? Stop by a movie rental place on a Friday night, grab a more than likely crappy movie and some Milk Duds and proceed to sit and watch the stupid thing anyway because you already paid for it.

“Virgil, I grew up in the 90s. This is nowhere near exciting for me. There is a reason streaming sites have taken over the market,” Logan replied. “Also, it is Tuesday.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Just panic choose a movie with me nerd.”

“I don’t ‘panic choose’ anything,” Logan said. “I-”

“You do today,” Virgil interrupted.

“But…”

“Choose a letter, Logan.”

“…S?”

“Great!” Virgil dragged him off in the direction of the movies that started with ‘S.’

~~~

“This is just… gross,” Virgil declared a little under an hour and a half later and about an hour into the film.

“It’s a random romantic comedy from 2002,” Logan responded. “What did you expect?”

“Yeah, but on one hand there’s weird sex jokes and actors that might as well be from mars for all they know about human behavior… then on the other there’s actual on-screen physical abuse between the leads in a romance.

“I will concede that point,” Logan said, “but I will remind you that this could have been avoided if you had allowed me to do proper investigation of the movie choices before renting.”

“Ugh, yeah, yeah,” Virgil replied, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. “Just turn it off.”

Logan complied, reaching over to eject the DVD from his computer. The three roommates didn’t have an actual DVD player connected to their TV, so he and Virgil had chosen to use the desktop computer in the bedroom Virgil had been using during his stay.

Virgil was currently laying on Logan’s bed with Logan sat propped up against the headboard. Logan leaned over to hover over him, interrupting his staring contest with the ceiling.

“Thank you for helping distract me,” he said. “Despite the fact that we now know more about what we’re doing, I still worry about sending Patton through time. His last trip did not improve my confidence. I have been… rather nervous.”

“Well, I’m glad I could help,” Virgil said. “At least a little.”

“You helped a lot,” Logan replied. His hand reached down to pat Virgil’s shoulder, but then lingered there for a moment too long.

Virgil found himself sitting up suddenly. Logan had to jerk back to keep their heads from colliding. “I…” Virgil choked out once he was sitting up. “Um…”

Logan’s mouth curled into a half smile. He offered a hand and Virgil took it.

Virgil glanced at their now entwined hands. “I, uh, I’m an anthropologist.”

“I am aware,” Logan said.

“And, uh, you were born in this time, so technically, I’m studying you…”

“I’m a time traveler, Virgil,” he said, sounding amused. “I doubt I’m a pure specimen for any studies you may wish to run.”

“Right,” Virgil said. “That’s a, uh, good point. You’re right.”

Virgil paused and Logan waited for a long moment.

“So, then,” Virgil said slowly. “No moral quandaries. Just two people sharing a bed and watching a romance movie.”

“It was a bad one,” Logan said.

“It really, really was,” Virgil agreed with a laugh, and then Logan was leaning forward towards him, and Virgil was putting his hand on his shoulder.

The door flung open. “I’m home!” Roman declared as Virgil scrambled back, hitting his head on the headboard in his haste to put distance between himself and Logan.

“Fuck,” Virgil hissed, the sharp pain almost distracting him from his mortification. Almost.

“Roman! You need to knock!” Logan yelled.

“Since when?” Roman asked, plopping down on Logan’s bed between them.

“Since we have a guest,” Logan said meaningfully. Virgil hid his reddening face in his hands, curling into as tight of a ball as possible.

“You were both in here. It’s not like one of you was going to be naked,” Roman said flippantly.

Virgil debated the merits of staying curled up in a ball for the rest of his life.

There was a second of silence, and Virgil was glad he couldn’t see the expressions on the other two’s faces from his ball when Roman said, “Oh my god!”

Want to read more? Click below!

Folds in Time Universe Master Post

My Main Masterpost

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #analogical #logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #mentioned moceit #mentioned janus sanders #mentioned remus sanders #time travel au #folds in time universe #creased hoodies

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write-r-die · 1 year

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Fear of the Water - Chapter 1

Chunks of this were originally posted on my Hunger Games blog but I didn't keep up with posting and I figured I should keep all my writing in one place

Masterlist

(ANNIE)

“Annie,” a voice says. There’s something pressing on my shoulder. “Annie, wake up.”

I try to hide my face behind my hair. “Nooooo,” I moan, drawing out the word.

“Come on. It’s reaping day.”

I crack my eyes open. My twin brother Bosun is standing over me. He’s bathed and dressed already. Must have been awake for hours. His strawberry hair is combed for once, but bags and purple shadows hang under his blue-green eyes. I wonder if he slept at all.

He forces a smile. “I don’t know how you sleep so late. I can never sleep at all before the Reaping.”

The only reason I’m able to is because I stole a sleeping draught from our aunt’s medicine cabinet. She doesn’t know, of course – she’d have one of her episodes. Probably threaten to send Bosun and me back to the community home. But we’re seventeen now, and we can work full time now that we’ve finished school, and I doubt she’d be willing to part with our salaries. But it also means we can live on our own. Bosun and I constantly promise ourselves that day will come soon, but people usually only move out of their family homes when they get married.

My cousins and I help each other into our dresses and comb one another’s hair. One must look their absolute best on Reaping Day in case one gets called up. Don’t want the sponsors’ first impression of you to be in swimming clothes.

Adrie ties my hair up in a ribbon as I braid Coraline’s hair from behind. Coraline is nearly eighteen; Adrie is fifteen. We all qualify for the reaping, and even though a girl named Coastia Is set to volunteer, we’re still nervous wrecks. Everybody is.

My aunt Chelsea looks us all over one more time to be sure we’re presentable.

We don’t bother with breakfast since none of us will be able to eat anything anyway. We walk toward the pavilion where the reaping is held in relative silence. I give Bosun’s hand a quick squeeze before he joins his friends on the boys’ side of the crowd.

“Dodge got his hands on a bottle of rum,” Bosun says to me. “When all this is over, we’ll get drunk and go for a swim. Okay?”

I lower my voice and try not to move my lips too much as I speak. “Do we have to bring the cousins?”

“God, no. They’d ruin it.” Bosun gives me a quick squeeze. “It’ll be you, me, Dodge, and Ondine. And Gill, I think. And maybe a couple of Dodge’s cousins, but they’ll bring their own liquor.”

“I hate most of Dodge’s cousins.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be drunk.” He goes off toward the boys’ side and I look around for Ondine. She’ll need somebody to hold her hand through all this, the awful memories it will drag up.

Ondine, who’s been with Bosun for as long as anybody can remember, is my best friend. Maybe my only proper friend – except for Dodge, I guess. Bosun’s the social one; as his twin, I can just insert myself into whatever relationships he has without putting in the work of getting to know someone and then his friends become mine.

Ondine’s sister Liffey was my proper best friend until she died of an infected cut on her arm in the arena last year. Ondine, already an orphan, is now totally alone except for Bosun, who she’ll probably marry in a few years.

“Annie!”

I turn at the sound of my name. “Ondine.”

Lithe, lovely Ondine rushes toward me and grabs my hands so hard that my knuckles crack. “Oh, I’m so glad I found you. I couldn’t stand to be alone for this.”

“Me neither.”

She talks when she’s anxious, so I’m prepared when she starts speaking a mile a minute. “We just have to remember that we’re nearly done. This is my last reaping, and you and Bosun will be done next year. And then we’ll all be safe.” Her throat bounces as she swallows back tears. “Right?”

I smile. “Right.”

She catches sight of a few of her friends and drags me over to them.

(FINNICK)

I sit with the other victors on the platform in the shade. Everybody else stands on the ground facing the stage, the sun shining directly into their eyes. They’ve probably all ruined their clothes with sweat by now.

An attendant comes around to us and offers to powder our faces so we don’t look “too damp.” Mags is the only one polite enough to say no; the rest of us just ignore the attendant altogether. I let her give me a light dusting.

Eefa is half-asleep, Mags has her hands folded in her lap, and Broadsea keeps itching his beard and occasionally baring his teeth at people who stare too long. Proteus hasn’t taken his seat yet; he’s chatting with the mayor and the harbormaster about spatchcocking, which I guess is a cooking thing since that’s his passion. Maybe ‘passion’ is too strong a word; Proteus is too apathetic to experience any strong urge or emotion. His hobby, perhaps, is a better description.

We sit in order of victory, which means that as the most recent victor, I’m at the end of the line. I’m stuck next to damn Broadsea, and, since I sit on his left, I’m stuck looking at the mangled side of his face from the corner of my eye.

Mags is the only one I get along with. She’s the only one I like and she’s one of the only people in the world who genuinely likes me. As our district’s first victor, she’s seated at the other end of the line.

The microphone at the front of the stage shrieks as our Capitol escort adjusts it. She’s gotten even more surgery done to disguise her age since last summer, but instead of looking younger she just looks strange. She gives the introductory speech reminding us why the Hunger Games exist and what an honor it is to be chosen.

Piers Brewre volunteers for the boys.

The Career is about average height, maybe a little taller, and well-built. His muscles don’t bulge out of his body the way other Careers’ sometimes do, but they’re just big enough to see that they’re there.

Most of our tributes are Careers; regular kids get called up about a third of the time. We don’t have as many Careers as 1 and 2, but it’s practical to have a few. Careers have a real shot at winning and they save someone else’s life by volunteering to compete. I’ve always wondered why other districts don’t have this practice. It would save them a lot of heartache.

Piers takes his spot on the stage and crosses his arms over his chest as he waits for his partner to be called.

Brae clears her throat. “Now for the girls!”

There’s confusion in the crowd. An eighteen-year-old girl named Coastia was set to volunteer this year. Most people don’t change their minds about volunteering, and those who do aren’t usually allowed to withdraw. Coastia must’ve bribed somebody to get out of it.

Someone angrily shouts “Coastia! What did you do?” and a girl of about eighteen that must be her shrinks to the back of the crowd. The other girls begin to cluster into little pockets, all holding hands and whispering to each other. Other people start to scream out all sorts of horrible things, and most of the girls begin to panic. They thought, at least this year, they were safe. Now the odds are their only protection.

Brae, our escort, prances over to the other bowl and reaches in. She accidentally grabs two, and takes her sweet time choosing which to keep and which to toss back with the others. She opens the slip of paper and clears her throat before reading, “Annie Cresta!”

After a few seconds, a girl emerges from the crowd. Flowing hair. Wide eyes. Maybe sixteen or seventeen. Visibly trembling. She stumbles a few times as she climbs the steps to the stage, anxiously wiping her sweaty palms on her blue dress. Her chin quivers from the strain of holding back tears. She’s going to lose the battle.

There’s a commotion near the front of the boys’ group. A boy says something and surges forward, but another boy, who I know to be the grandson of one of our other victors, catches him by the arm and pulls him back.

Brae smiles brightly. “Ladies and gentlemen of District Four, I present to you – your tributes!”

There’s plenty of mandatory clapping, then the tributes are led into the Justice Building. The Head Peacekeeper steps to the front of the stage and starts barking instructions. “Those of you wishing to bid farewell to the tributes, line up here in order of closest relation.”

Broadsea pulls a large bottle of liquor from a hidden pocket in his coat and takes a large drink. He wakes Eefa up to offer her some.

It’s the same every year. Eefa will stay in her rooms and avoid other people at all costs, Broadsea will be drunk or high or both, Proteus will be charming and ass-kissing Capitol citizens whenever possible, and Mags and I will try to keep a pair of children alive for as long as possible.

But I've already watched eight children die in pain and fear. Why should this year be any different?

#the hunger games #finnick #annie #annie cresta #finnick odair #mockingjay #ballad of songbirds and snakes #katniss #peeta #coriolanus #president snow #lucy gray beard

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ultramagicalternate · 4 months

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ULTRAMagic Interlude Chapter 15

Previous | First | Next

Master Post

Blood-Wraith was ready to take on Dunja… until he fell over on the ground. “Can I… have… a second?” He struggled to ask as he tried to catch his breath. Everyone was shocked by this.

Dunja nervously glanced side to side, then sheathed her blades. “Blood, you need to be ready if you’re going to challenge fate like this…” She remarked as she got down beside him.

“One… second…”

Englehart approached the two. “Blood, my boy, what happened? You look like you just ran several marathons.”

“I… ran as fast as I could…” he replied as he propped up his body. “... I’m not going to let another one of my friends die.”

“A friend?” Englehart questioned.

“Yeah, Dunja’s my friend now…”

The king looked over to his former queen. “Mind if I ask what’s going on here?”

Dunja looked even more nervous. “Er, yeah… we had a bit of a talk last night.”

“She gave her… agh, I accepted her soul fragment in what she said was remembrance of her… yeah, like I’m going to let someone jump off a cliff like that…” Blood-Wraith added as he got to his feet.

“Wait! YOU DID WHAT!?” Radovan exclaimed from the crowd, startling everyone. “Good lord, do we need to supervise you every hour of the day?! Blood, I appreciate your diplomatic attitude, but this entire conflict is beyond you!”

Blood-Wraith sighed. “She’s being earnest with her actions, father. When I accept a fragment, I can see into that person’s thoughts and feelings, their soul if you will…”

Radovan was beside himself. “Well… I suppose that does change things a bit…” The crowd was beginning to mutter amongst themselves.

“...and furthermore, DAD, I’m not going to turn into another Lich of Old, destroying everything in sight to achieve his goals.”

“Ah… fair enough. Better to have standards then no standards at all…”

“How do we know we can trust his weird, sixth sense of sorts?” Octavius put forth. “Can anyone vouch for this?”

“I can, councilor,” Dragoslava said with a raised hand. “Blood revealed at Aqua World that he had read my mind a bit while we were fighting the Lich at the Metal Oasis.”

Octavius was still a bit skeptical, but things were seeming more plausible at this point. “I see… I have no reason to doubt you, Ms. Raynot. Do you trust your brother?”

“With my life, Councilor.”

Seeing the crowd continuing to mutter, Drazhan spoke up. “Ey, Englehart, Blood? How about all of you rest up and move this to the colosseum? I just figured there’s no sense in doing this on an empty stomach and potentially wrecking the city in the process.”

“Hmm, that would be a bit better than what’s going on now…” Englehart then groaned and faced the crowd. “My citizens, I have a confession to make: I have NO plans to end Dunja’s life!” Many gasped at this, while others knew their king all too well. “Look: In truth, I want everything to return to the way they were. All of you want things to return to the way they were. Dunja clearly wants everything to return to the way it was. Therefore, I have a better idea: I propose a new kind of duel. This will be a proper duel with no death. Dunja will fight Blood-Wraith and I. If we win, this conflict ends here and now…”

“And… what if I win?” Dunja inquired with dread.

“Simple: I shall abdicate the throne to you and go into exile.” Everyone was terrified and horrified by this. Englehart could see this in the faces of his subjects. “If I can’t overcome my past and end up getting bested by my significant other in addition to that, then I am not fit to be a king. It’s as simple as that. Besides, we haven’t had a truly gripping contest in a very long time…” He turned to his royal court. “Radovan!”

“Your majesty!”

“Let’s start getting everything ready. Prepare the colosseum for maximum capacity.”

“Yes Sir! You heard his majesty, let’s get moving!”

The crowd dispersed as the King and his court went to get the event on the way. Naturally certain councilors were losing their minds over all of this. As for Dunja, she just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Everything had flown completely off the rails for her. She barely reacted as Blood-Wraith took her by the hand, led her to his house, and sat her down on the couch. Trying to process everything left her speechless. She was eventually snapped out of this funk when Desislav set a warm plate of food on the coffee table for her. Blood-Wraith was next to her with his own plate.

“Hey, Dunja? Hungry?” Desislav asked.

“Oh, yes. Thank you… Wait a second, this is Milosh’s old house…”

Blood-Wraith nodded. “Yup, but now it’s my house. Corentin and Aureolus cleared it out for me so I’d have a place to work on my studies in peace.”

Dragoslava was leaning up against a wall across from the couch. She let out a heavy sigh. “Dunja? I got a lot of thoughts and feelings right now, being completely honest. It’s odd seeing you sit there like that… BUT, if Blood trusts you, then I guess I’ll just have to bite the bullet.”

“Well to ease your concern Drago: If my plans had come to fruition, Dunja would have been one of my first recruits… not before Torunn and Andelin though” Vexation pointed out.

“Huh, well there you go. Vex trusts you too.”

Dunja looked over at Vexation. “It’s surreal, I guess… to be here with you...”

Vexation chuckled. “Well Dunja, It looks like fate still has more in store for us.”

She nodded, ate some food, and looked over to her right only to be startled by Arueolus. “Goodness! Wait a second, are you Aureolus?”

“Yup. I’m that one result of that one experiment Milosh did…”

Blood-Wraith ate some more of his food. “I gave him that name. He’s pursuing ULTRAMagic, like I was. He just needs 2 more fragments, I think…”

“Actually I got that fragment from her grace while you were gone...”

Aureolus was interrupted by Valentina bursting through the doorway. “Blood! Sorry I’m late! I had Englehart get me all caught up on what’s happening.”

“Val!” he replied with a mouth full of food, then swallowed. “We’re finishing this issue today.”

“I see… are you sure about this? Your parents and I are incredibly worried.”

He nodded. “Yup. This is Dunja, by the way.”

This caught Valentina’s interest. She studied Dunja for what felt like an eternity, her angelic gaze feeling like it was piercing her soul. “Indeed. What a fascinating turn of events this has been… Now Dunja, you realize that you have a lot to answer for, right? The past can be forgiven, but not forgotten.”

She sighed. “Yup… I’d apologize in full, but we’d probably be here for an eternity…” Everyone else laughed in sympathy for her.

“To somewhat echo what Drago said, I have a lot of feelings towards my existence” Aureolus stated. “I didn’t want to exist in the first place, but I forgive you, aunt Dunja.”

“Aunt? I beg your pardon?”

“Yeah. Barna adopted me, so now you’re my aunt.”

Dunja took a second to process that. “Huh… you want me as your aunt?”

“Why not? I sensed there was nothing truly bad about you back in the day. You beings of light underestimate how perceptive us beings of darkness are… wait a second, descendants are… no, that’s right; you’re from Shadowland. Sorry about that, Unlight denizens always throw me for a loop. Anyways, don’t beat yourself up. Milosh is the real bad guy here.”

“Oh, thank you… ne-nephew…” Dunja felt strange saying that. “Desislav, this food is fantastic.”

“Thanks. I figured I’d put a bit of elbow grease into it this time since you and Blood got that big showdown today.”

Dunja was surprised. “You’d do that even for me?”

“I don’t see why not… I mean, yeah, my current state of affairs does have your name written on it… but I take pride in my work. Plus you two should be ready to go when the time comes. I’m not the kind of guy to sabotage someone like that. If I didn’t sense good coming out of this, I wouldn’t be this hospitable.”

Valentina gave him a pat on the back. “You’re so sweet. I wish our universe had more people like you.”

“Ha, thanks, Val.”

“He’s one in a million,” Dragoslava pointed out. “Now Dunja, I have an important question before things start firing up…”

She swallowed her food. “Sure, go ahead…”

“Did you have any hand in The Lich’s commanders? The Tar Man in particular?”

She nodded. “Yes. Him specifically as I was the one who procured the power.”

Dragoslava inhaled and exhaled. “Do you know who that power originally belonged to? Because it had an interesting interaction with Desislav here…”

“It originally belonged to Ethor Kovarik.”

That sent Dragoslava into orbit internally. She looked at her boyfriend, seeing him for who he truly was. “ETHOR!” She exclaimed as she went and hugged him with all of her strength.

“AGH! DRAGO, EASY! TIGHT, TOO TIGHT…” Desislav panicked as he was squeezed.

“Aiyee! Careful, Drago! You’re going to crush him at this rate!” Blood-Wraith called out as he started to get up.

She relented. “We are getting married soon after Kresimira’s wedding. No two ways about it!”

“Ow, jeez… Not even going to let me buy you a ring first?”

“No back sass, goat boy. Ahem, Dunja, why did you use Ethor’s power?”

“Um, well… I was kind of on the spot and didn’t want his power to get taken by something else and… hold up, are we sure he’s really Ethor?”

Aureolus nodded. “Yeah. I’m surprised you guys didn’t pick up on it sooner. It was clear as day as soon as I met him. Truth be told, I was a little confused as to why he kept calling himself Desislav…”

Dragoslava facepalmed. “Oh of course…” She looked at Valentina. “Don’t tell me you knew too…” She nodded. “DAMN IT! Why did I never ask?”

“Well to be fair, you were incredibly distracted given everything that has recently transpired” Vexation pointed out. Dragoslava groaned in response.

Dunja felt guilty again. “Dragoslava, I am so sorry for what happened…”

She raised her hand. “Don’t worry about it. We’re all here now and that’s what matters. And call me Drago.”

Before she could respond, an alarm clock went off. “Oh hey, it’s time,” Blood-Wraith calmly pointed out.

The contest that would determine the fate of Dunja and Englehart was officially upon everyone. The former queen was incredibly nervous, but Blood-Wraith had ungodly vigor knowing that the stakes were no longer as high as they were. He had set out to save Dunja’s life and succeeded in doing that. Now they had a thrilling fight to look forward to. He was so stoked to get to the colosseum that he took on the form of Golden Dragon and took Dunja there on his back. She felt unworthy of the privilege, but Blood-Wraith insisted.

The excited Dragon flew around the giant, magnificent colosseum a few times. He gave triumphant roars here and there as he did his laps. The crowd cheered, despite Dunja being with him. Below them was an orchestra playing a victorious symphony while the royal mages shot firework spells up into the air. Blood-Wraith would shoot fireballs at some of these, making the explosions even more spectacular. Everyone that could see them loved it.

A confidant Blood-Wraith eventually landed in the arena with a thud, giving one last energetic roar before letting Dunja down and reverting back to normal. “See, Dunja? That wasn’t so bad.”

She was somewhat frazzled, but nodded even if a bit shaken. “Haha, indeed…”

The orchestra swelled as Englehart made his way to the center. This elicited massive applause and cheering from the audience. He smiled proudly before raising his hand to quiet everyone so he could speak. “Citizens, subjects, workers, nobles, councilors, generals, knights, mages, and all those that bear witness: Today is a momentous occasion! An event that shall go down is history! Today, we decide the fate of The Iron City!” The crowd was in suspense, but applauded regardless. “Queen Dunja has expressed the desire to return to us and restore her honor!” To her surprise, the crowd cheered. This brought a tear to her eye. Englehart noticed this and stood aside to give her a chance to speak.

“I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to all of you! I’ve hurt you all dearly and it will take a long time to earn your respect and forgiveness, but I am honored and humbled that all of you are willing to give me a second chance!” The audience cheered once again.

“Of course, we cannot let this go without a challenge. What would life be if everything was handed to us on a silver platter?” Englehart proposed. “In order to restore her honor, Dunja will have to face Sir Blood-Wraith and I. If she loses to Blood, the contest ends. Likewise if she loses to myself. Her honor shall be fully restored and she will rejoin me on the throne if either outcome occurs. There is a catch to all of this, however. If she defeats both of us, then I shall step down as king, hand the throne to her, and go into exile.” The audience was shocked by this declaration. “...As I stated previously: If I can’t overcome my past, then I am not fit to be your king!”

“Englehart? May I have one last word before we get started?”

“By all means, Dunja. The floor is yours. Speak your mind.”

Dunja stepped forward, getting out what looked like a strange orb the size of a skull. “Ladies and gentlemen? I know some of you still don’t trust me and you are fully justified in that mistrust. Since actions speak louder than words, allow me to prove my intent right here and now…” She held up the orb for everyone to see. It was a crimson, crystalline skull with black veins all over it. “This is the shadow orb, a vile mistake of my own making! It is the source of those disgusting Shadow Constructs. If I smash it right now, that worm Milosh will never be able to make another one ever again!”

The audience was given a moment to take it all in. Once she was sure they were all ready, Dunja summoned all of her strength and violently crushed the orb in her hand. The shards fell to the ground as a dark vortex of screaming spirits erupted in the air. It rapidly settled, with the spirits becoming engulfed in radiant light. Being freed from their prison, they sang a melodic melody in thanks as they flew around the colosseum. A truly beautiful rainbow was left in the wake as they took off into the great beyond. Once they were gone, the audience cheered and applauded as loud as they could.

Englehart laughed triumphantly as he hugged and swung his queen around. “HAHA! I KNEW THAT HEART OF GOLD OF YOURS WAS STILL IN THERE! YOU STILL GOT IT, DUNJA!”

Blood-Wraith was a bit smug (in an innocent way), pointing at his father. “And I officially rest my case.” Radovan promptly stood up, gave him a big thumbs up, and applauded him.

“Ahem! With all of that out of the way, let’s begin this bout!” Englehart announced, followed by the audience cheering with anticipation. “Dunja, blood; proceed to opposite ends of the field and prepare yourselves.”

“Right, my king,” Dunja said with energy.

“Yes Sir!” Blood-Wraith replied proudly.

Next: Chapter 16

#chaotictempleknight #ultramagic alternate #fantasy #sciencefiction #sciencefictionfantasy #literature #fiction #writing #writers on tumblr #story #chapter

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xpeachesncream · 3 years

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lowkey (jjk) | 02.

⦿ boo’d up in the daytime

⦿ mackin’ & hangin’ in the nighttime

↳ series masterlist

summary: in order to pass organic chemistry and pay off your car damages from an accident, all you have to do is help the nerd, jeon jungkook, with a few things: pretend to be his girlfriend and teach him the ways of dating.

pairing: popular!reader x nerd!jjk

genre: college au, fake dating au, friends (with benefits?) to lovers au | fluff, angst, smut

words: 3.2k

warnings: cussing, implied sexual content/mature language, kissy-kissy koo, mentions of a boner, mention of sex and cum, seokjin’s still toxic

note: posting this chapter a little early since it’s butter weekend, plus the last part of liquid courage should be up sat/sun. still sticking to my schedule in my faq though, srry loves! i’ll do my best to update as soon as i can. 💗

tags: @taegularities @jimidol @miinoongi @bluesharksandfish @ggukkieland @unicornbabylover @thebeebi @preciouschimine @ladyartemesia @moonchild1 @jikookiekosmos @marcoazz2 @kootaes @wearenot7withu @codeinebelle @bigbootyjoonie @thisartemisnevermisses @maichiverse @ppeachyttae @fairysunooo @secretlycrazyhummingbird @yukiehyukie

"I heard you were in an accident last night, babe. Are you okay? I'm so sorry I got mad at you yesterday." Seokjin comes towards you, cupping your face to look at every inch, every detail. You move away from his hold, backing up to give yourself some space.

"Seokjin, I told you to stop calling me that. Jesus. I'm fine. Don't need you to check up on me."

"Are you really gonna keep that up? I said I was sorry."

"Okay, and? I heard you."

"Really, that's it? Y/N, why are you being like this? What's the real reason?" He follows after you as you make your way to the library. To say Seokjin was persistent is an understatement— he was persistent for the wrong reasons. Like, keeping you close so he had you to fall on when things went wrong with another chick, his safety net.

"Because this is done, I don't know how many times I have to tell you. I'm tired of you doing this so, please. Just go." You slightly turn towards him as you climb up the stairs.

"I wanna work this out with you. Don't push me away. Let me help." You don't respond. He watches as you adjust your bag strap and wave at Jungkook. Seokjin chuckles and grabs your wrist gently, making Jungkook suddenly hop on defense as he balls his fists. Like he could do shit. Seokjin would probably wreck his ass with those broad shoulders.

Still. He hated how much of an asshole he was to you.

"Wait, what the fuck?" Seokjin laughs his rare, deep laugh that he uses when he's caught off guard. "You're hanging out with nerds, now?"

"And if I was, that would be none of your business." You snatch your arm away while glaring at him. You shake your head and continue walking towards Jungkook, relieved Seokjin finally left you alone today. Probably off to tell Namjoon, Yoongi and his friends how much of a bitch you've been and that you actually left him to hang out with a nerd.

Sunmi knows you're being tutored. However if that wasn't the case, she would question you, but she never take their side on shit. She remained loyal to you, and always supported you through whatever. That's why she's remained your bestfriend until this day. The senior chicks Seokjin and them hung around with though? Questionable. As long as Sunmi was by your side and you by hers, you both didn't care much for getting close to them.

"Hey, sorry you had to see that." You say as you sigh and set your bag down alongside of you on the long table.

"It's alright." Jungkook replies softly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thanks." You give him a tiny, tightlipped smile. "So, should we get right into tutoring, or should we talk about the details of our deal? I have all afternoon." Luckily, it was quite loud in the loud section of the library. No one cared much to listen in to your secret deal with Jungkook, nor did anyone care because it was Jungkook.

"I do too. I guess, whatever works for you?"

"Let's get this tutoring over with first then iron out the rest." He nods.

"Sure." He pulls out his notebook. "Tell me, what are you struggling with?"

"Everything." He does a small head tilt.

"I doubt that. I'm sure you understand some things."

"No, you don't understand Jungkook. I'm legit drowning. I don't know what I'm doing wrong or where I'm lacking." Jungkook simply looks at you, lips pressed together before he nods. You're not lacking anywhere, he thinks. You're really not. The subject is just shitty and the spawn of the devil.

"That's okay. Well, can I go over some basics? Throw in some tips?"

"Yes, please. Lead the way. I need you." You chuckled, but it makes the heat rush to his cheeks. He hopes you don't catch the rosy tint creeping up on them, so he instantly grabs at the whiteboard near your table and starts to go over the very beginning, the very basics of this semester's OChem class. Maybe a bit from last semester, but last semester wasn't entirely that bad compared to this one.

He didn't expect you to be all that engaged for some reason, but he should have known you'd ask questions left and right, taking the black whiteboard marker from his hand to practice what you've learned with him watching and guiding you from your side. You were always focused, always so determined. You were incredibly smart. Incredibly beautiful.

Honestly, Jungkook go on for days.

The both of you hadn't realized it was nearing close to 5PM and neither of you had really eaten much since lunch. You sit, feeling pretty good about your first session with Jungkook. You feel a little bad having kept him for so long over OChem, realizing you still had things to iron out with him.

[sunmi] 4:34pm: hey babe, not gonna be leaving for a bit. i forgot i had to work on this psych project with jennie. you okay with leaving around 6/7?

"Crap."

"What's the matter?" Jungkook glances at you as you continue to stare at your phone and scroll away.

"Sunmi isn't leaving until later. I'll probably be stuck here for a little longer after you leave." You put your phone down, now resting your chin against your palm, nails slightly digging into your cheek.

"I-I can give you a ride, if you'd like? Plus, we still need to talk.. about stuff." He shyly says.

"Jungkook, that's too much to ask for."

"It's really not a big deal. How far do you live from campus?"

"Maybe a 10 minute drive, the next exit off the freeway." He shrugs.

"I'm going in that direction too."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. We can just talk on the way home."

"Would you be willing to stop by for dinner? We can talk then. Maybe it can be considered our 'first date.'" You joke with a small giggle.

"Oh, sure. Yeah." He gives off a tiny, nervous laugh. "Where did you have in mind?"

"Can we get.. hm—" You hum. "Fire Wings? Down the street?" He almost feels intoxicated watching how your eyes gleam under the light, how they brighten and widen when you mention food. You were cute, and you didn't even know it.

"Only if you tell me what flavors you get." He tries to get smart, which makes you laugh. He made you laugh.

"Is this judgment day? Gonna see if you should call quits on our deal before it even starts?"

"Maybe." He goes along with it.

"Okay. Garlic Parmesan and Dragon." You pack up your things before shooting him a look.

"Okay, solid flavors." He nods. "I guess we can continue on."

"You're funny." You giggle as you both throw your bags onto your backs. You stay in your position until Jungkook comes to your side so you can walk by him. You don't know much about him, but he has a soft demeanor and he makes you feel comfortable. You had only seen him a couple of times across campus, not really noticing him much in class either. You feel a little bad knowing you didn't even try being that he sat behind you, but better late than never I guess? Maybe there was a reason for all of this happening. The way he tutored you today was insane, too— he was super smart, but broke it down perfectly, was patient. He was patient.

No wonder Dr. K loved his ass.

"What about you?" You picked up the conversation.

"I usually go for a dry rub and Garlic Parmesan."

"I haven't tried any dry rubs."

"You can try one of mine later."

"Okay." You suddenly remember to shoot Sunmi a text before she comes looking for you everywhere on campus. Jungkook stays silent beside you, allowing you to do your thing without being too overbearing or nosy.

But, he honestly can't help but glance a few times.

[y/n] 5:11pm: sorry just saw this, hitching a ride with my tutor. don't worry about me! ty ily, have fun working on your project.

[sunmi] 5:13pm: tutor, as in jeon jungkook?

[y/n] 5:15pm: yeah, he offered.

[sunmi] 5:16pm: okay, that was nice of him. if he tries anything tho i'll beat his ass. text me when u get home?

[y/n] 5:17pm: don't worry about him, he won't lol i will.

[sunmi] 5:18pm: kk love u b

"Sorry." You say, tucking your phone into your pocket. "Had to text Sunmi."

"That's okay. You two are really close, right?"

"Yeah, since high school."

"Cool." At this point, Jimin, Taehyung and Hoseok are coming out of the café at the same you two are passing.

"What about you, where are your friends?"

"Um." He sighs, trying to avoid his friends obnoxiously waving and calling him from the distance. You glance over from behind his figure, chuckling a little bit. "That's them."

"Cute. You all are really close, too?"

"Ya, I've known Jimin the longest though." You smile and wave at them, causing them to gasp and whisper amongst each other with huge smiles on their faces.

"I'll need to meet them if we're gonna do this thing for real. Do they know?"

"Yeah kinda."

"That's okay. We should probably work on keeping it between us though." He nods.

"Okay, but. Can we save meeting them for later? They're a bit.. much." You smile.

"Sure."

"D-do I have to meet Sunmi?" You nod.

"If you wanna make this believable, yeah."

"She's kinda scary."

"Jungkook, she's not gonna bite your head off. She just has that look, but I promise she's sweet." That look, that resting bitch face. Really, you could be biased because it's Sunmi. She really only had issues if she felt disrespected. Other than that, she meant well. Same with you— you've been accused of being intimidating and having the same look but you don't mean any harm by it.

"Okay." Jungkook unlocks his black 2016 Honda Civic and pops his bag in the trunk. You do the same, while Jungkook goes to open the passenger door for you.

"Thanks." You smile sweetly at him. He climbs into his seat, hitting the button to start the car and sighs. The music in the background starts to play, and it sounds mellow, soothing— like it came straight out of a fairytale. His eyes widen as he rushes to lower the volume before shyly looking at you.

"Sorry."

"What, no. Don't be. What is this?"

"A Final Fantasy lofi mix." He begins to drive off as you turn the volume back up.

"It's nice. Pretty relaxing."

"Ya, it's nice to listen to after a long day." He pushes his glasses up at the light.

"Do you have family here?" He nods.

"I do. My mom and dad live about an hour away. I'm the only child. What about you?"

"Same. They're probably 30 minutes up north."

"Do you live alone?"

"Yeah, I live in a studio. It's actually my coworker's. She bought the space to rent it out. She lets me rent it for pretty cheap though."

"That's nice."

"You?"

"I live with Jimin. Our parents are close."

"What about your other friends?"

"Hoseok is dorming, and Taehyung would rather live back home with his family and commute. He's close to them. He'll crash at ours or Hoseok's from time to time."

"Are you close to your family?" He nods as he turns into the plaza lot.

"I suppose, yes. I'm just really quiet overall, so they think it's hard to read me sometimes." He parks and you watch as he shuts the car off with the same button. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm really close to my mom. Dad, a little questionable."

"Why, if I may ask?" He comes to open your door again, causing you to give him a small smile.

"He, um. Just got into some stuff." He watches as your body tenses while you fiddle with your fingers waiting in line.

"It's okay, don't think about it. I won't ask again."

"It's okay, Jungkook. Really. Maybe another time?" You look up at him and he nods. He stands way taller than you, almost at Seokjin's height, if not the same. He likes to wear baggy, dark clothing and doesn't do much to fix or style his hair.

He's simple, but in a good way.

You both order your food with Jungkook going first so he can grab a table afterwards. Before he could pay though, you offer to cover him for dinner as your way of thanking him for driving you home. You make your way over to the table he snags, Jungkook silently sitting at the high table with his legs pressed together and his hands clasped tightly on his lap.

"You okay?"

"Ya, why?"

"You look tense."

"Sorry. It's not everyday I have dinner with Y/N." You smile.

"Stop, relax." You watch as he slightly eases up. "So, this deal." He nods. "A month?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"We have to convince people it's real or else people will know something weird is going on." You look at his hand, now resting on the table. "You're gonna have to hold my hand and kiss me, you know?" He swallows the lump in his throat. Shit, he thinks. Don't know if I can actually pull this off?

A kiss?! Fuck.

"Y-yeah."

"When was your last relationship, Jungkook?"

"8th grade." Your eyes widen.

"O-oh, now I see."

"What's that supposed to mean? It's terrible, I know but I—"

"No, no, no. You're good. It's totally okay, it doesn't matter. I'll just have to teach you to make it look realistic and not.. awkward." You perk up again. "Not saying that you are though, okay."

"I know."

"So, are you.."

"Am I..?" He cocks hid head to the side in confusion.

"Like.."

"Just ask Y/N."

"Are you a virgin?"

"I don't know." You furrow your brows.

"Huh?"

"Look, this is gonna sound really embarrassing and I don't know if I'm even ready to tell my fake girlfriend about it."

"Just say it. We have to know things about each other." He sighs.

"I— ugh." He groans. "I did it with my girlfriend at the time. Or I guess my ex because we had broken up and this was sometime during freshmen year in high school and she came onto me out of nowhere at a mutual friend's pool party. But it was weird because we were just hormonal kids and I was just curious so I slipped myself into her only to slip back out right after because—" He's rambling, but you're doing your best to keep up.

"Because?"

"I-I, ugh. Y/N." He shuts his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Are you really gonna make me say it?"

"Jungkook." You lean a bit to try and catch eye contact.

"I came right away." He says just as the worker puts down your food and takes the number from your table.

"Ohhhhhhh." You say as you nod slowly. "Okay."

"You can just run now." His head hangs low as he slowly slides his chicken over in front of him, causing you to chuckle.

"I'm not going anywhere. It's okay. Stop that."

"It's pathetic."

"No. Besides, I know you'll get better overall, and you'll find someone who will rock with you till the end. We'll work on this."

"Thanks." He says, feeling comfortable around you. You were quick to reassure him and smile at him, he felt himself melting in his seat. Yeah, you were too good for Seokjin.

"You'll have to come to parties with me. Club events. Events in general. It won't look right if I'm always going without you."

"Okay. Can I bring my friends?"

"Sure." He nods. "What do you do in your free time?"

"Play video games and listen to music. Read comics, manga. Build lego sets with the guys."

"Cute." You smile.

"You?"

"Hang out with Sunmi, or just watch movies on my own at my place. Read. Eat by myself. Explore by myself. I value my alone time."

"It's nice." Jungkook's familiar with it. Even if he had his friends around, he truly liked being in his own peace when allowed. "What about outside of the public eye?"

"Hm?" You hum.

"Do we hang out?"

"Yeah we can." You nod.

"Cool." He smiles.

"Is my car gonna be a lot of work for you?"

"Don't worry about it, it'll be good soon. Just might take a bit cause I need some parts to make it look brand new again."

"I really can't thank you enough." He shrugs.

"Only trying to help my girlfriend out." He boldly says, causing you to laugh.

"Confidence is peeking through already, are you sure you need me?" You joke. The rest of the evening, you continue to talk to Jungkook about pretty surface level shit— what you like, dislike, overall experience in high school and college so far. It was a nice, harmless conversation, one where you were starting to see how warmhearted Jungkook really was. How real and laid back.

None of the shit in Seokjin's group. It was refreshing, a breath of fresh air.

Once dinner had finally finished, Jungkook was on his way to drop you off. He had parked in an empty guest spot, offering to walk you up just to be sure. At the door, he took a peek at how clean your studio was, mainly soft colors of white and cream taking over, with plants scattered around your living room area. The hallway in was sandwiched between your kitchen area and another wall, Jungkook assuming your bed was on the opposite side of it. He awkwardly stands at the door, afraid of overstepping.

"Well, goodnight Y/N. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Hey, wait." You smile and come close to him. He swallows, his mouth suddenly feeling dry when he feels your breasts press against his chest. "First lesson— give me a kiss."

"Right now?"

"Jeon Jungkook, we're doing this tomorrow. People are gonna have to see this at least once while we're together." He nods and presses a quick kiss against your cheek. "Not bad, but a little longer?" He complies and presses another kiss, leaving his pillowy lips against your cheek for a little longer before pulling away. "Perfect. Now here." You point at your lips before crossing your arms.

"Y/N, I—"

"Don't be afraid, just do it. I won't kick you in the balls or anything."

"It's not that. I just don't think I'm a great at this stuff."

"Okay." You tippytoe and gently grab his jaw while you lean towards his face. "Just relax, okay? Don't think too much of it." He stays silent, doe eyes constantly on you as you continue to inch forward.

Sparks. Just sparks everywhere for Jungkook.

He feels your soft lips against his and he relaxes, moreso because he feels like he's lost all senses being this close to you. Taking in your scent. Kissing you.

"There." He stands still, still trying to process the kiss. "Not bad. We'll get better over time, but at least that looks believable. Just—" You put his hands down as they were about to fall onto your hips during the kiss, but they fell short. "Let it happen and hold me, okay?" You smile. "Night Jungkook."

"N-night." He stutters as he watches you close the door. "Fuck." He whispers to himself when he realizes he's now sporting a boner. "Jungkook, what the fuck is this?!" He continues to whisper to himself as he waddles down your hallway.

838 notes · View notes

lokislastlove · 2 years

Text

Rural Rivalry (Clark Kent x Reader x Bucky Barnes) p4

Summary: Moving back home is made tolerable when you start dating you old grade school crush, but tensions build between him and your childhood best friend.

Warnings: NONCON/DUBCON, smut, fingering, rough sex, spanking, (some others but ya know… spoilers 🤫)

Note: This was the first thing I ever wrote, and I decided to go back and edit the hell out of it because it was BAD 😬. I feel a bit better about it now so I figured I’d post it. Fuck it. THIS IS A DARK FIC! Mind the warnings y’all. 😘

🍂

Chapter 4:

It’s been three days since you last talked to Bucky. You’ve fill his inbox with voicemails in a full rainbow of emotions and no one has seen him since he stormed out of the Festival. After the first day of radio silence, you try to understand that maybe he just needs time to calm down before he can face you. By the second day, your patience breaks and you visit his apartment, but he isn’t home and his car is gone.

“Maybe he went to stay with his sister in the city? Can you call her?” Wanda offers, stirring her tea as she settles next to you on your bed.

“Yeah, maybe. I don’t have her number though,” you bemoan, hugging your own hot mug to your chest.

“He’ll be back, honey. Don’t worry,” she pats your knee.

“But what if he got in an accident somewhere? He could be hurt. H-he was angry and had been drinking,” you fret, trying to hold back the tears.

“Officer Stark said he’s been checking all the highways. If they find anything, they will tell us.”

You nod, though not entirely convinced. You just can’t shake this growing sense of dread. The longer he ignores you, the more menacing the fear becomes.

“Have you talked to Clark since…ya know?” Wanda asked breaking you from your thoughts.

“No, and I don’t really want to,” you sniff. “He was so different, Wanda. He scared me. I’ve never been scared of Clark before.”

Wanda shifts in her seat, avoiding eye contact as she bites her lips in thought, her brows furrowing slightly. You look at her curiously before she finally looks up, guilt written all over her face.

“I’ve seen him like that,” Wanda mutters, voice small. “After the bonfire. I didn’t tell you because I had been drinking and he’s always been so nice... honestly, I don’t think I believed myself for a while.”

You stay silent, waiting for her to explain, as she takes a calming breath and continues.

“He was upset, I could tell. He asked me what you saw in a guy like Bucky. I was drunk and so I said ‘what’s not to like’,” she scoffs at herself. “. . . Then it gets a bit fuzzy but I remember I tried to kiss him and he pushed me away and . . .” Wandas pauses, voice catching in her throat and her eye water.

“What?” You press gently.

“I don’t remember his exact words but he basically called me a whore and he could never like someone like me,” a tear slips down her cheek and she brushes it away quickly as she takes a deep breath. “There was something about his eyes that scared me, he looked… dangerous. And when I saw him looking at you on the dance floor, I felt that same ice run through my veins as I did that night.”

—

It’s Friday, day five, and still nothing. An entire work week of Wanda trying her best to distract you, attempting to keep things light and cheery. Despite her valiant efforts it does little to lift your mood. Sleep resists you, and when you do fall asleep your dreams often turn to nightmares of Bucky never returning or coming home with a new girlfriend. You’re a nervous wreck, heart rate skyrocketing with every new call or text.

Wanda grabs the bucket from your hand before you reach the bathroom. “Hey, let me do that. Why don’t you go home, have a glass of wine, take a bath and try to get some sleep.”

Too exhausted to argue, you nod, “thanks, Wanda.”

“Call me if you need anything, ok?” She rubs your shoulder ushering you toward the front door, grabbing your purse and coat on the way.

“Stop worrying about me, go have fun on your date tonight. I promise, I will be ok,” you assure her with the best smile you can muster.

“Ok, I’m just saying. Family comes first.”.

“Yeah, I’ll go home and hang out with my parents and try to get some sleep. Thank you for letting me stay with you for the past couple nights, but I suppose I can’t avoid home forever,” sigh and give her a hug before waving goodbye as you walk to your car.

The drive home is quick, your mind on autopilot as you pull up to the detached garage. You avoided coming home, the idea of talking about everything with your parents sounds awful. and you aren’t particularly keen on being so close to Clark. You don’t notice that the house is abnormally quiet and dark until you step through the back door and into the kitchen.

“Hello?” Your voice drifts through the still air.

A single bulb over the sink casts a dull yellow glow to the normally bright and comforting space. The kitchen is spotless with the exception of a slip of paper on the counter.

Hey honey,

We would have called but didn’t want to bother you at work. Martha’s new boyfriend got tickets to a show in the city, and you seem to need some space right now. We will be back by Sunday night at the latest. Call if you need anything.

Love you,

Mom and Dad

PS. Clark has the hotel information in case of any emergencies.

With a sigh you drop the note back on the counter and look around the quiet room. So much for family time. You toss your purse on the counter and decided to unwind with a hot bath. Leaving your shoes and coat by the front door, you trudge upstairs, slowly removing your work clothes.

The bathroom door squeaks as you push it open with your bare foot and you blindly flick on the light. The row of exposed lightbulbs above the sink glare harshly in your eyes, giving you an instant headache. So you decide to grab some candles instead, satisfied with their calming glow.

The pipes in the wall groan and the tub fills with hot steaming water, bubbles building as you toss the rest of your clothes in the hamper. You test the water with your toe and sink in, letting the heat envelope your tired body.

You reach over to the window sill to the tiny old radio and scan for some calming music. The smell of the bubbles, the heat of the water, and the soft drone of the radio help to quiet your brain. Maybe some time alone at home is exactly what you need after all.

Your mind drifts back to the note from your parents, if they were invited by Martha then that means… Clark is alone at his house too. Fuck. Maybe you’ll invite Wanda to come over tomorrow, she can keep you entertained by recounting her date with Loki. A part of you gets the urge to text her now, but after all she’s done for you, she deserves some fun. You resign yourself to hiding away in your room for the night and attempt to block out the world.

The bath lasts a solid hour before the water became too cold to tolerate.You grab the thin robe from the back of the door and make your way downstairs to grab a snack and glass of wine. You tie the robe tight and tap your lip while you ponder what to eat. With all the stress, you don’t much of an appetite, but you know the wine won’t sit well on an empty stomach.

A half empty bottle of white wine sits on the counter and you decide to finish it off, the countertops cold against your thighs as you sit there sipping slowly. You grimace at the bitter taste, mom always goes for the cheap stuff.

The microwave hums as you swing your legs and wait for the popcorn to finish. At the sound of the first pop, something startles you. The hair on the back of your neck stands on end and your breath stills as you swear you see a shadow pass by the living room window. Too afraid to move, you watch through the archway into the dark living room, listening for any further disturbance. The house is quiet save for the popping and the tick of the old grandfather clock in the hall.

The microwave beeps and stops, the silence thick and tense. After another minute of waiting with no signs of life you take a shaky deep breath in and slowly lower yourself to the floor. You toss back the wine quickly to help settle your nerves, and leave the glass in the sink.

With a bowl tucked under one arm, you lock the kitchen door and cross the dark living room into the hall. You take a quick peek out the small window on the door before snapping the deadbolt closed. After a second of deliberation you decide to leave the porch light on, and continue up the stairs. The sound of your bare feet on the wood floor echo down the hall as you make it to your bedroom.

You only just close the door when the small light in the corner of the room flickers to life. You scream in shock and drop the bowl with a loud crash, popcorn flying everywhere.

Clark sits there in your oversized reading chair next to the window, dirty flannel sleeves rolled up to his elbows and some light bruising around one eye. He watches you, expression unreadable, legs open wide, one arm hanging loosely over the arm while the other supports his chin.

“Evening, sugar” his deep voice floats across the room.

Despite your distance, you press your back against the wall. Your breathing escalates, feet frozen as if buried under in foot of cement. You watch as his eyes flicker down your body, lingering on your exposed legs and heaving chest.

“Clark! Jesus, you scared the hell out of me,” you squeak and bring your hands to your chest, pinching your robe closed.

His gaze slowly drifts back up to face, the darkness behind his smirk causing you to shiver.

“It’s not the first time I’ve snuck through your window,” he teases, quirking a brow.

“Why didn’t you just use the front door? You know our parents are gone.”

“That’s no fun,” Clark pushes himself out of the chair and steps toward you.

You press yourself further into the wall and hold your hand out instinctively. “Clark,” you warn softly as you watch him near.

“You afraid of me, Sugar?” Clark mocks, placing a hand over his heart, feigning offense.

“You haven’t exactly seemed like yourself, lately,” you argue, your hands shaking as he takes another step closer. Your vision blurs slightly and you shake your head as you blink rapidly.

“How would you know? You’ve been avoiding me for months,” he returns, menacingly calm.

“Clark, please. We talked about this. I told you I was going to try to fix it. But what you did at the auction was not ok,” you chide bitterly.

“What? You’ve always wanted that movie date and it seemed like the perfect way to spend time together and make up for the time you spent ignoring me,” he takes another large step closer.

“Clark, I have a boyfriend. At least, I hope I do,” your eyes drop and your voice trails off as Bucky’s face flashes in your head.

Clark’s jaw clenches, grimacing as tilts his head as though your words burned him. He closes his eyes briefly and his nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath in through his nose, stopping right in front of you.

“A boyfriend who doesn’t return your calls and runs out on you is hardly worth your time.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Oh sweetheart, it’s a small town. You know news travels fast. He didn’t even send you a text?” He raises an eyebrow.

Your heart aches at his words, you can’t even try to defend Bucky’s actions. What Clark did was petty, but for Bucky to just walk off and ghost you like this? That’s not how you treat someone you love. Your eyes burn as you try to fight the tears, hands grow heavy and fall to your sides in defeat. Finally, someone puts words to the fear you’ve been smothering.

“Oh, sugar. I’m sorry,” he pulls you into a hug, his familiar scent and the feel of his arms break your resolve.

It feels good to be held. You don’t put up a fight, that fear you felt only a moment ago fizzles out, replaced by a craving for comfort. You sigh as the heat of him warms and relaxes you, needing the relief after the long week of stress. You don’t have the energy to stay mad at him. At least he is here for you, unlike Bucky.

You weakly wrap your arms around Clark’s waist and he hums his approval into your hair, gently swaying you side to side until you sniff and tilt your head up to look at him.

“What happened to your face?” You ask, tracing the fading half circle bruise around his eye delicately.

Clark shakes his head with a smile, “It’s not important right now,” he assures you.

He catches your hand and pulls it to his lips, kissing it softly. You blink and pull it away, unnerved by how easily he slips across the line from comforting to intimate.

“Ok,” You stiffen, suddenly aware of how little is covering you as embarrassment heats your face.

“Um, maybe I should put on some clothes,” you laugh, waiting for Clark to step away.

But he doesn’t, he stands there looking down at your chest, the blue of his eyes disappearing as his pupils dilate.

“Clark,” you swallow, suddenly feeling vulnerable as the tension builds. You cross your arms and try to push past him to get to your closet.

“Don’t. You look beautiful, besides it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he flirts with a grin.

“When we were kids doesn’t count, Clark. Besides, I’m getting cold,” you shiver and adjust your arms to cover your hard nipples clearly noticeable through the thin satin.

“I can keep you warm,” his eyes twinkle as he run his large hands down your arms. The sensation makes your skin tingle and you notice a heaviness settle in your limbs.

“Ha-ha. Very funny, Clark,” you roll your eyes and try to brush him off, but your muscles ache as if your strength is slipping from you. He grips your biceps firmly and you gasp.

“What are you doing?” You tremble.

He’s quiet, as he stares at you. A cruel smile growing as he watches you try and fail to fight against him.

“Clark,” you cry, barely able to reach his abdomen in your attempt to push him away.

“How do you do it?” He hisses, through his teeth.

“What?” You ask, confused, the world blurring around you.

“Pretend like we are just friends?”

“We are friends, Clark. You are like a brother –,” he cuts you off as he shakes you harshly, your head spinning.

“No! I don’t want to hear that bullshit. It’s always been more and you know it,” he growls, bordering on yelling.

“Clark, stop. Somethings wrong, I feel weird,” you struggle to stay upright, hissing at his tight grip on your arms.

He lets you go and you fall back into the door behind you. Your hand fumbling blindly for the handle, desperate to get away while you can still move your legs.

“Drink a little too much tonight, sugar?” He smirks as you find the knob.

Using all your strength you spin, pull open the door and try to flee the room. Clark watches in amusement as your foot slips awkwardly on the spilled popcorn bowl and you stumble into the hallway. Your heart thumps loudly against your chest, legs wobbling after only a few steps before giving out all together. Your head collides with the floor hard and you close your eyes, listening to his heavy footsteps near as he stands over you.

“What’s happening?” You mutter, unable to move even though your skin feels like it might combust from all the stimulation.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” he chuckles darkly as the world fades to black.

You awake to the sound of grunting, broken and echoing, as if you were in a long tunnel. A small groan escapes you as you try to move your head, your forehead dragging along a rough dirty surface. The smell of dirt, manure and something sweet fill your nose. Your eyes flutter open but everything is out of focus.

You feel the shards of dry hay between your fingers, which explains the smells, you you spot a blurry blob wiggling several feet away. The grunts become more urgent, a familiarity behind the tone. You hiss as you go to push yourself up and your arm tingles painfully, trapped under your body awkwardly for who knows how long.

“Mmmf,” the voice persists and you squint at the wiggling blob, rubbing your eyes with your non-numb hand.

“Bucky?” You gasp, his long greasy hair dangling messily in front of his face.

Your heart drops as you finally take in the full picture. He sits bound and gagged, tied to a wooden support beam inside a large barn. His eyes are pleading as he shimmies his shoulders and shakes his head desperately. Your mind is fuzzy and your body is weak, but you have enough sense to know where you are, you grew up playing in here, this is Clark’s barn.

Bucky’s pained moans light a fire in you and you drag yourself over to him. Your thin robe slips open with your effort, exposing your nudity but you don’t care. Brushing his dirty hair aside, you notice the blood and bruises marring his face.

“Oh my god, Bucky. What happened to you,” you cry.

Some of his cuts are already healing while others look fresh enough to still bleed, making him hiss when you accidentally brush over them. You tug on his restraints but you’re still weak and your numb hand pricks painfully as the blood rushes down to your fingers.

Bucky let’s his head fall against yours with a soft sob as you hug him against you. Relief washes over you to find him alive, not dead in a ditch somewhere or hiding out with some new girl as you had feared. Tears flow down your face and you manage to slip the gag down below his chin.

“Oh, darlin. I’m so glad you’re ok. Did he hurt you?” He asks, voice raw and strained.

“Me?!” You scoff. If only he could see himself, muddied, bloody, his new navy suit torn, exposing even more cuts and bruises along his torso. “Jesus. Bucky how long have you been here?”

He shakes his head and looks up at you, a mixture of regret, shame, sorrow, relief and adoration all pouring out of him at the sight of you. You return his small smile until his eyes flick over your shoulder, his face suddenly paling with fear.

“Oh don’t mind me. I’d hate to break up this adorable reunion,” a deep voice slithers from behind you.

Your head snaps around and you spot Loki leaning casually against the open barn door. He takes a quick peek out the door and shuts it, slowly strolling over to you with his hands clasped behind his back. You shift your body in front of Bucky’s defensively.

“Leave her alone. Don’t you dare touch her, you fucking creep,” Bucky spits over your shoulder, fighting his bonds.

“Now now, Barnes. That hostility of yours has done you no favors thus far. Let’s try to remember our manners,” Loki smirks.

His heeled footsteps have you shaking with fear, there is a grace and a malice in the way he moves. He comes to a stop, towering over you as he lets his eyes drift down your scantily clad body. You cringe and adjust your robe, unconsciously leaning backward into Bucky.

“Mmm,” Loki hums. “I can see now why you have so many admirers, my dear,” he drawls, eyes twinkling at your discomfort.

“Fuck you,” you snarl.

Loki may be thin, but you know you are no match for him and that fear in Bucky’s eyes when he saw him makes you wonder how dangerous he really is.

“Did you do this to him?” You demand, that flicker of anger sparking inside you as you imagine all the time he probably spent torturing the man you love.

“Don’t. Just run. Please,” Bucky whispers behind you.

“Shut up,” you growl back, still glaring at Loki.

Loki chuckles and reaches down without warning, dragging you to your feet and away from Bucky. You yelp in surprise and reach for your boyfriend, as he yells back for you.

“Let her go!” Bucky shouts angrily.

Loki turns you to face Bucky, one hand tight around your neck and the other wrapped around your middle, pining your arms to your sides. You whimper and struggle against his hold.

“Mmm. Yes, right there,” Loki purrs, pushing his pelvis harder into your wiggling backside.

“Loki!” Roars another voice.

Lokis laughter softens but his grip doesn’t as he turns to face Clark, standing in the doorway looking furious.

“Clark,” You choke out desperately.

Loki loosens his hold, hands tickling across your exposed breast before dropping away completely. You run toward Clark, his arms open wide in welcome for you.

“No! Don’t!” Bucky calls, voice breaking.

You spare a quick glance at Bucky, his face twisted in fear and the memory of Clark waiting for you in your bedroom, standing over you as you try to escape gifs you like a ton of bricks.

“You,” you breath as you look at Clark, eyes widening in understanding. “You did all of this?…How could you?”

Clark stands there stoically, the subtle tick of his jaw and the raise of his chin telling you all you need to make your heart shatter to pieces.

“I told you, darlin’. He’s not your friend,” Bucky asserts, glaring at Clark while a small sob escapes you.

“Sugar,” Clark coos, taking a large step forward, hands outstretched placatingly.

“Don’t. Don’t touch me,” you cry, overwhelmed by all the red flags you had ignored so stubbornly. Everyone had tried to tell you, but you ignored them. How could someone you love do something like this?

“I trusted you,” you accuse Clark sadly, while Loki snickers and circles around closer to Bucky.

“So naïve,” Loki smirks, brandishing a knife from some hidden pocket as he squats down next to a squirming Bucky.

Your breath hitches and you rush toward Bucky protectively, ready to tear that scrawny bastard to pieces. You almost make it to him before you are caught by Clark’s bulging arms, as they lock around your stomach.

“Stop!” You shriek, flailing helplessly.

“Do you know what your little boy toy did?” Clark hisses in your ear. “After the auction?”

Your struggles cease as Clark tightens his hold around you, making it hard to breathe. You go quiet as you watch Bucky’s brow curve in shame, that familiar puppy dog expression he does when he knows he fucked up.

“He stormed off in a fit of jealousy, didn’t even have the decency to talk to you first.” Clark tuts, “then where does he go? He drives here, to my house.”

You shake your head in denial.

“Oh yes. He sat here in the dark and when I got home he pulled that knife on me,” Clark nods towards Loki, who drags the tip of the blade down Bucky’s cheek and chuckles cruelly.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted him to leave you alone,” Bucky laments, barely noticing the new scratch down his face.

“Naturally, I had to defend myself. It probably would have been a more even fight, had he not been such a sloppy drunk,” Clark scoffs smugly. “But really, I did it for you, sugar. I could only imagine how he’d take his anger out on you… again.”

Your blood runs cold and you go stiff in his arms. You never told anyone except Wanda.“What?” You wheeze in dismay.

“It’s ok. I won’t let him hurt you anymore,” he whispers darkly into your neck.

#dark fic #clark kent #clark kent x reader #Bucky Barnes #Bucky Barnes x reader #crossover AU #MCU #DC #Rural Rivalry

92 notes · View notes

meltwonu · 3 years

Text

| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 | [CHAPTER 20] FINAL

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, sex toys, shibari, dom!seungcheol, dirty talk, overstimulation/forced orgasms, squirting, degradation, name calling, daddy!kink, gags! 😍💕 ✨HAPPY NEW YEAR!!✨ Here’s to more fun fics in 2021! I can’t believe this is our last chapter though omg 😭 It’s been suuuuch a journey and a privilege to write this little series out! I’ve honestly thought about a camgirl/boy series for like, over a year now, and I’m glad I finally did it! I completed one of my goals! 🥺💕 2020 was definitely a wild one, but I want to thank you all so fuckin’ much for supporting me and stickin’ it out with me all year! Here’s to more in the coming year!💕 Also I was proofreading this at the dining table last night thinking my roommate wouldn’t come out of their room but they did(while I was making dinner and my hands were dirty so I couldnt close my laptop ☠️) and they walked past my laptop and now I’m convinced they saw my fucking smut fic right in the open so yes my little mini-break next week is MUCH needed cause I am ✨embarrassed✨ 🤣 I’ll still do my inbox roundup tomorrow and probably answer a bunch of small thirst posts ‘n stuff throughout the week but there won’t be any drabbles! For now, enjoy chapter 20 🥺, have a safe weekend, and remember that I love you~ ❤️🍒💕

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 COMPLETE

Seungcheol wakes up much earlier than you do the next morning; pressing a kiss to your forehead as you groan and snuggle deeper into your pillow.

“Baby, I need to go run some errands for a little bit, okay? Just keep sleeping, you don’t need to get up yet. But, I made breakfast and put it in the microwave for you when you decide to get up later.”

His voice is muffled and you can barely understand what he’s saying but you nod; a soft sigh on your lips when you drift back into dreamland. He takes his time getting ready, checking his phone notifications as he gets dressed and places a note on the nightstand knowing that you didn’t catch a single word he said.

‘Hey, did you get everything I asked for?’

Jimin🧍🏻: of course, who do you think I am? Jeongguk?

Jimin🧍🏻: and btw, i’m just giving you a crash course okay? We don’t really have a ton of time

Jimin🧍🏻: did you watch those tutorial videos I sent you?

‘Yeah, I did some practice on my breaks, but I guess you can tell me if I’m doing anything wrong.’

Jimin🧍🏻: okee, i’ll be waiting. Don’t get here too late!

‘I’ll be otw soon. Thanks again, Jimin.’

“Ow--damn, okay, you don’t need to tug on it so much!”

“Sorry, I’ll be careful! And why are we practicing on you anyway?! Couldn’t you just have shown me pictures or something?”

“How else will you learn if not on an actual body? It doesn’t work the same way, Seungcheol.” Jimin pauses, checking himself in the mirror. “Also, keep in mind she does have boobs so just… go slow, okay? It’s not gonna sit like this on her.”

Seungcheol blushes a crimson red; biting the inside of his cheek at how amateur he was at this.

“Okay…”

Seungcheol is gone for a lot longer than you anticipate and although he replies quickly to your texts, you can’t help but be curious about where he’d gone and what he was doing.

Especially knowing that the two of you had to film tonight and knowing that everything was up to Seungcheol.

A shiver rolls down your body at the thought and you quickly try to shake off the nerves that seem to slowly invade your body when your mind starts to wander.

“It’ll be fine, I’m sure…”

“I’m home!”

“Where have you--oh, that’s… a b-big box? Um, should I be concerned...”

Seungcheol grins, shrugging as he sets it onto the kitchen counter. “Just some supplies for tonight. I had to go pick them up from a friend but I had to make sure everything was right.” He notices the way you can’t seem to take your eyes off of the box; eyes twinkling when he makes his way towards you.

He tilts your head up to meet his in a searing kiss, lips easing into a smile when you wrap your arms around his neck and melt under his touch. You moan against his lips just before he pulls away; staring dreamily at him while his hands start to roam over your clothed body.

“We have a long night ahead of us, sweetheart. Let’s pamper you a little before then, hmm?”

j__min: ??? where’s the loverboy

j__min has donated $200

angelhan has donated $75

therealchan99 has donated $50

xcaliburDK has donated $75

xcaliburDK: is that the sybian? Haven’t seen that in a looong while

You bite your lip and nod, somewhat shy as you sit alone in front of the camera. “Seungcheol’s still… setting up but he told me to start! I’m a little nervous, to be honest…” Your eyes flit to Seungcheol who rummages through the box in the kitchen and from the angle you’re sat in, you can’t see a single thing he takes out.

Earlier, he’d cooked you your favorite meal and even took the time to give you a full body massage before the two of you cuddled on the sofa and watched a movie. To you, it seemed a little too suspiciously tame and you only found yourself more nervous when he made you drink two glasses of water and ever so quietly announced it was time to start getting ready for the camshow.

“He’s being so suspicious! He was even gone for a few hours earlier today…” You mumble; brows furrowed at the camera before checking the comments.

It still amazed you every time with how much money you and Seungcheol made from the camshows and videos and it made you feel even better knowing that everyone loved the chemistry the two of you had together. There were a lot of video requests and ideas mixed in with the comments at any given time and you were definitely ready to pitch some to Seungcheol now that you’d rebranded your channel to be a couple’s channel instead.

“Almost done, sweetheart!”

gc__koo: he told me to watch cuz he was being suspicious with me too

gc__koo has donated $50

alphagyu97: what is he even plotting

alphagyu97: i am excited to see the sybian again tho ngl

artist8hao: pretty baby gonna squirt for us again?

universe_WZ: hell fuckin yea let us see how fuckin wrecked you get on that machine

You feel your pussy clench around emptiness at their comments; already feeling yourself getting wetter and wetter with the anticipation.

Movement out of the corner of your eye catches your attention and Seungcheol walks towards the bed with a wide smile and the same box in hand. “Ready?” You can only nod back slowly, watching as he dumps the contents of the box right next to your body.

gc__koo: oy

chwenon: oh shit

sleepy_wonu: oh baby, you’re in for it now

sleepy_wonu has donated $100

Your entire body fills with warmth as you look over the various objects; unsure of where to really look first. “I, um--”

A stack of red ropes sits next to a small bullet vibrator that sits next to a ball gag that sits next to a pair of EMT shears and your eyes immediately flit up to Seungcheol who only smirks back at your shocked expression. “I had some other toys I wanted to use but I figured I should go easy on you, y’know? Since you showed me some mercy last night.”

Nodding, you reach out towards the ropes, touching them shyly. “Why red?”

“Thought they’d be on theme for you, babygirl.”

Seungcheol takes his time; remembering Jimin’s words when he tugs the ropes around your wrists.

“Colour, babygirl?”

“G-green… daddy…”

He nods, sitting up on his knees behind you as you sit on the sybian and face the camera. You bite your lip, somewhat embarrassed that you were already soaking the toy underneath you as Seungcheol worked to bind your arms behind you.

“D--daddy, where did you l-learn this?” You whisper, somewhat curious if this had anything to do with why he was gone for so long earlier in the day.

“Mm, daddy’s friend Jimin was kind enough to help me get the tools and teach me a few tricks to make sure I kept my babygirl safe. Wasn’t that kind of him?” You nod gently, gulping when you shift atop the machine slightly in hopes of relieving some of the growing sexual tension in your body. “Why don’t you thank him properly, sweetheart?”

Your hazy eyes make eye contact with the camera, head tilted slightly. “T-thank you, J-Jimin… for--for helping daddy…”

j__min: omg a shoutout ive made it

kitty_junjun: we never thought we’d see the day

tangerine_kwan: and here we all thought you were gonna be the bad guy huh

hoshi_tiger_xx: like when u only see previews of the book online but the rest of it is different ykwim

Seungcheol makes sure your arms are bound snug enough but not too tight; leaning away slightly to admire his rope work. “Feeling okay so far, babygirl?”

Nodding, you whine back slightly. “Y-yes, daddy… But… my--my pussy wants s-something…” He laughs in return, readjusting so that he’s sitting on your side this time to give himself easier access to start the rest of the bindings.

“Is that so? You’re gonna have to be a little more patient this time ‘cause daddy’s not done yet.” He starts working on the rest of the harness; going slow and checking in with you often to make sure none of the ropes were digging into your skin or making you uncomfortable. “You’ll have to forgive me a little though, I’m admittedly a ‘lil inexperienced so our pretty babygirl is only going to be tied up in this pretty harness for tonight.”

gentleman_josh95: the fact u even took the time to learn just for her

gentleman_josh95 has donated $100

artist8hao: seriously, the dedication

kitty_junjun: we stan a man who knows safety and etiquette

Comments of reassurance and donations flood in at Seungcheol’s small apology and although the two of you are in your own world; you can tell from just the amount of pings coming from your laptop that they all seemed to be encouraging him.

The two of you fall into a comfortable silence as Seungcheol continues to move around you on the bed to finish the harness and a smile graces his lips when he starts to secure the last knots in the back. He can’t help but mentally pat himself on the back at how neatly he’d done it for his first time.

“There. All done, baby.”

Your eyes flit to the laptop’s screen to see yourself; cheeks hot when you see how fucked out you already look and he hadn’t even touched you properly or turned on the machine.

The star harness Seungcheol had tied looks pretty with red ropes and you can’t hide your smile at how good it looks on you too either. “Ah, daddy made it really p-pretty… Thank you.”

This time, Seungcheol nods, letting you admire yourself as he silently reaches for the small remote for the sybian, switching it on.

Your entire body lurches forward as soon as the vibrations attack your clit and you immediately find yourself moaning and grinding down onto the machine as he gives you some relief.

“You’re welcome, babygirl. Now let’s really have some fun, huh?”

You need to cum.

Badly.

“Awww, is my pretty baby drooling? Does it feel that good on your sensitive ‘lil clit?” He teases, smoothing down your hair as you cry around the ball gag in your mouth; drool seeping out from the side of your lips when he raises the vibrations a setting higher.

You don’t know how many times he’d played with the settings and edged you by now, but all you do know is that the urge to cum only grows stronger as you grind against the machine, soaking it with your wetness as you chase the pleasure building up in your body again.

Surely cumming was okay, right? He never said you couldn’t.

You whimper around the ball gag, eyes fluttering shut when the tension in your body snaps in the blink of an eye and your thighs clamp down onto the sides of the machine. Throwing your head back, you moan against the gag and ride out your high as Seungcheol watches you from the side.

“Mm, bet that felt good, huh? But I know you want something in that greedy ‘lil cunt of yours, don’t you? You want daddy’s cock slamming into your tight ‘lil hole ‘til it’s full of my cum, right, sweetheart?” He licks his lips, turning off the sybian as you slump forward.

universe_WZ: shit shes so sensitive

chwenon: especially with her arms bound like that i bet she’s on cloud nine rn

gentleman_josh95: her cute lil head is probably all fuzzy already from all the sensations

therealchan99 has donated $100

gc__koo has donated $75

j__min has donated $150

All you can do is whimper and nod; teary eyes blinking back at Seungcheol as he smirks and leans in towards you.

“Mmm, you’ll get what you want eventually. But for now, you’re gonna cum again.”

He turns the sybian back on, licking his lips when he sees your body tensing again. It was always easier to get you to cum a second time and his point is proven when you mewl around the ball gag a few minutes later; chest heaving in stuttered breaths as you try to shy away from the toy still vibrating against your overly sensitive clit when you’re quickly thrown into another orgasm.

“You always cum for daddy so easily, don’t you, babygirl?”

Your head feels fuzzy after already cumming twice in such a short span of time but you nod, head lolling to the side as Seungcheol finally turns the sybian off for good.

Seungcheol gives you a second to catch your breath before he’s scooting in and fiddling with the clasps at the back of your head to take the ball gag off.

A thread of saliva connects your lips to the gag and you whimper at how good it feels to be able to actually speak again. “D-daddy…” Drool drips from your mouth as your lead lolls forward and Seungcheol is quick to bring a hand up to keep your head up as he looks into your lust filled eyes.

“Colour, sweetheart?”

“Still g-green…” He nods back, checking to make sure none of the ropes had shifted. “Would you like some water before we continue, baby?”

“Yes, daddy…”

He fetches you a glass of water, tilting it against your lips as you down the entire glass and you find yourself a little surprised at how needed it was. “Thank you, d-daddy…”

“You’re welcome, babygirl. Ready to keep going?”

You nod, a little bit more energized. “I hope everyone, mmh, l-likes the show so f-far~” Your teary vision prevents you from reading the comments and before you can even make an effort to, Seungcheol is already helping you off of the machine and helping you sit on the bed across from him.

alphagyu97: ugh she looks so fucking good in that harness

angelhan: right? That shade of red looks so good against her skin too

angelhan: so fuckin pretty

tangerine_kwan: pics for the private room later? Plz i beg

Seungcheol takes this time to take off his boxer briefs, cock curving up against his abdomen when he’s fully naked across from you. He wraps a hand around his cock, moaning and spreading the precum down his shaft as you watch. “D’you want this, baby?”

Your lips fall open in a silent moan as you watch Seungcheol jerk himself off and you can’t help but squirm. “Y-yes…”

“Tell me exactly what you want then. Let them hear what a filthy little slut you are for me.” You can’t help but feel miserably empty watching him and despite having already cum twice, you want his cock fucking you open and making you cum again.

“I--I--”

“Yes, babygirl?”

“I, ngh, I want d-daddy’s cock… Please? Ah, I--I wanna feel you fucking my--my pussy into the, mmh, s-shape of your c-cock… And I w-want you to c-cum inside my--my slutty little h-hole…”

Seungcheol scoffs, hips shallowly thrusting up into his enclosed fist. “That’s right. You’re just my slutty ‘lil babygirl that lets me use all her tight holes how I please, right? You like it when I cum down your throat and in your pretty ‘lil ass. But we all know you like it best when I cum in your hot ‘lil cunt. Makes you feel all warm and full, doesn’t it? You like it when my cum is dripping out of your spent cunt and sliding down your shaky thighs.” This time you nod furiously as you whine back in response.

“P-please… Can’t wait any--anymore!”

This time, the impatience takes over as you slightly tug on the ropes; whining when they don’t give. “Daddy!”

And this time, he gives in quicker than he anticipates, growling as he reaches for the EMT shears to cut you from the harness. “Don’t let your arms down, no matter how much you want to. You’re going to strain your arms if you move too fast so let me handle it, okay, sweetheart?”

The sudden gentleness in his voice has a giddy warmth pouring over you as you nod and sit still while he cuts at various points of the harness to make the ropes fall loose around your arms and chest. You keep your arms in the same position like he requested and you soon feel his hands roaming your skin and massaging your arms to get the blood flowing again.

“You’re so good for me, baby.” He whispers against your hair, leaning down to kiss your shoulder before he slowly easing your arms down from being folded behind your back.

He continues to massage your arms for a few more minutes before it’s you that’s getting impatient. “Daddy… Can you fuck me now?” Whispering, you slightly turn your body to the side to meet his gentle stare.

Seungcheol laughs under his breath, nodding. “Lay on your back for me, legs spread.”

You follow his orders as you quickly scramble to get into position; legs spread wide for him to situate himself between.

“Mm, your pussy is still so fuckin’ wet. I wanna taste you on my tongue, baby.” Whines spill from your lips as you shake your head ‘no.’

“No! My p-pussy feels empty, I need y-your cock, daddy… ‘n I’m so wet, you can probably, ah, just s-slide your cock in…”

He wraps a hand around his cock just as you wrap your legs around his waist and he guides himself until the head of his cock is right at your entrance.

Neither of you say a word as he slowly starts to sink his cock in; guttural moans on his lips when he meets no resistance and bottoms out in a singular thrust. “Holy fuck, your cunt is so fuckin’ wet. Shit, and so t-tight!” You clench around him, already feeling good with his cock inside of you as you beg him to fuck you hard and fast.

“Ngh, p-please fuck me like--like I’m your, hah, c-cocksleeve… I want it f-fast, daddy!”

He grits his teeth at your words; drawing his hips back before snapping them into you just how you wanted. “Fast, hmm? All you think about in that pretty head of yours is my cock pounding you open, huh? Slamming into you so fuckin’ good, it makes your toes curl when you cum.”

Seungcheol starts a quick pace, already feeling the pleasure building up for himself when you’re reduced to garbled noises and broken cries of his name. The heels of your feet dig into the small of his back as you try to press him in closer and he’s quick to reach for the small bullet vibrator left on the bed next to your body.

“Your body is so fuckin’ sensitive, I can already feel how tight you’re getting around me. So fuckin’ greedy to cum too. Already came twice and you still want more. You’re not satisfied until your whole body is shaking underneath me, huh, sweetheart?” He turns the small toy on, pressing it to your clit as you yelp and let out choked sobs.

“Ah, ngh, d-daddy, my--my clit’s t-too sen--sensitive! I--I can’t--!” Squirming, you feel the pressure building up obscenely quick; bottom lip quivering when he takes one of your free hands and makes you hold the toy to your swollen clit.

“Just a little more, sweetheart. Don’t you wanna cum?”

He angles his thrusts to graze against your g-spot and loud cries of his name leave your lips in a hurried, jumbled mess when he only doubles his pace.

The sound of donations and comments pour in like water and get lost within the ringing in your ears; unable to even warn Seungcheol that you’re about to cum when you feel your entire body starting to lock up underneath him.

Your lips part in a silent scream and your back bows off of the bed, thighs shaking uncontrollably as you cum for the third time. Seungcheol growls, fucking you through it as you squirt all over his lower half. He finds it harder and harder to thrust into you as you cum, but he feels himself quickly following suit with your warm walls fluttering around his cock.

“Fuck, baby, that’s right. Squirt for me, get me fuckin’ soaked while you cum.” He uses a free hand to make sure you keep the toy pressed to your clit, growling when he starts to unload his cum inside of you. “Mmh, gonna fill your cunt up with what you want, baby.”

A shaky moan leaves your lips as you feel him throbbing inside your pussy; walls clamped down onto him in a vice grip as you ride out the remnants of your orgasm.

“Ah, d-daddy’s cumming suh--so much inside of my p-pussy…”

Whining, you feel Seungcheol’s grip on your hand give way as he rides out his pleasure and you take the opportunity to turn off the small bullet vibrator while he doesn’t notice.

You watch his face contort in pleasure, hips still shallowly thrusting into you as his entire body shivers above you.

“D-daddy’s so h-handsome...” You mumble, cheeks hot when he cracks a smile through the pleasure wracking his body and chuckles under his breath.

“Thank you, babygirl.”

After you end the show, Seungcheol makes sure to cuddle with you on the bed for a little while longer.

“One more glass of water, baby.” You whine in response, pouting up at him before he gets up from the soaked sheets.

“But I already had a glass! If you have a piss kink just say so, ‘Cheol!”

He lets out a boisterous laugh at your comment, trudging back to the bed from the kitchen with another glass of water for you. “You need to be hydrated, sweetheart. You came three times and we played a little more rough today. I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

“Fine, but you didn’t deny my comment.” You snarkily reply, taking the glass from him as you down the water.

“Don’t make me have to punish you again! I’ll have you know I still need to get you all washed up and change the bed--”

A faint pinging has the two of you turning to the laptop; still on your camming homepage from where you’d checked the revenues from tonight’s show.

A small [1] sits above your inbox and Seungcheol is quick to turn to you with an eyebrow raised. “I thought you turned off the messaging system on your profile?”

You tilt your head in confusion, handing him the emptied glass. “I did. The only messages I should get are from, like, the actual system admins or other creator accounts which, I haven’t received any ‘til... now, I guess?”

Seungcheol sets the glass down onto the nightstand before he takes a seat next to you, dragging the laptop closer as you go to check the notification.

“’Love&Letter Films’? Aren’t they one of the biggest adult film companies?” Mumbling, you click on the message, giving yourself and Seungcheol a second to process the message that stares back at you; a shocked smile on your lips.

‘Hello!

I hope this message finds Cherry and Seungcheol well.

We, at ‘Love&Letter Films’, have really enjoyed the shows and videos from your channel throughout the years and we really have enjoyed watching the growth of your channel and the addition of Seungcheol to it. The dynamics between the two of you are rare in this industry and we’ve yet to see anyone like the two of you in this market.

The shows from the last two nights have proven that the two of you have the right kind of chemistry to film together for bigger productions and we would love to hire you for a few film productions we have planned in the upcoming weeks as a feeler. Of course, all expenses paid by us if you would kindly take our offer.

We love the various scenes and roles that the two of you take on with ease and we would love to help propel your careers forward, should you pursue a career in the adult entertainment industry.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me as I’ve listed my contact information below. I’m excited to hear from the two of you and hope to work with you in the future on many projects.

Respectfully,

Kwon Soonyoung, L&L FILMS CEO’

#cherrybomb!cheol #seungcheol smut #scoups smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #scoups scenarios #scoups imagines #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios #svt scenarios #svt imagines #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #scoups fic #seungcheol fic #scoups #seungcheol #svt fic #seventeen fic

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paper-n-ashes · 3 years

Text

sparks and embers - chapter 1

Characters: Poe Dameron x Original Female Character, Kylo Ren x Original Female Character

Story Tags: Explicit (18+), Canon Compliant/Divergent (Set after TLJ), First Person POV, Love Triangle, Slow Burn, Enemies to Lovers, Porn with Plot, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren hates Poe Dameron

Summary: Alexys is a doctor living a life of exclusivity on Raxus, hoping to survive through a peaceful existence, concealing herself from those she believes would use her, or kill her. When fate intervenes and instigates a perilous journey she'd been desperately trying to avoid, Alex finds herself caught in the middle of two sides in both war and love.

Preface: Let me say, I am immensely nervous about this. After months of back and forth inside my mind, I’ve decided to go for it and begin the long process of moving my long running series to Tumblr, along with changing the name (something I’ve wanted to do for a long time). I hit a big emotional road block after over a year of writing and posting, so I’m hoping this move will eventually get me back into the swing. But for now, I’m looking forward to revisiting the beginning of this space love triangle.

If you’ve already read the saga, absolutely NO pressure to read again. Each chapter will be edited a little, but no major plot points will change. To any newcomers who find themselves interested, the story is already posted on AO3 if you are desperate to continue. Otherwise if you prefer reading on Tumblr, or simply like the forced breaks between chapters, I’ll be posting a new chapter every couple of days. I know it’s not written as reader insert, but I just couldn’t make the story work out in any other fashion. I poured a lot of love and heart into Alexys so I hope you’ll give her a chance.

Chapter 1 - Crash Landing

Words: 3.4k

Chapter Tags/Warnings: descriptions of severe injury including blood and bone, medical procedures

Read on AO3

I felt it before I heard it.

A booming crash of metal and glass, sending a shattering vibration through the walls and furniture around me. After the years of mostly silence I’d become accustomed to, the noise that came pummelling into my ears almost made me shriek in surprise. It was short lived, coming and going in a flicker so quick I had to wonder if it was real at all.

Lights began to flash, blinking rapidly in uneven time. The mixture of harsh beeps indicated something was faulting my electricity circuits, plunging me into the darkness of night over and over.

I could only question myself again at the plausibility of this being a dream, but the slow, increasing creak emanating from beyond the walls of this building brought me to a certainty.

Something had crashed outside.

Fear radiated through my limbs, leaving me stuck where I was standing for a few moments, before an uncontrollable urge of selflessness and honestly, curiosity, forced me to move and exit the safety of my clinic.

There wasn’t really a way to prepare for what I saw not metres away from my front entrance. A ship, an X-wing of some variety, was wrecked into itself, varying metals twisted and curled over each other, flames beginning to billow out from the creases. I could feel the heat of them rise as I cautiously stepped forward, taking in the scene with wide eyes. Only seconds had passed when I saw it – the movement of something – no, a person, demanding my attention. The pilot of this battered machine had been thrown just beyond the edge of its hull, broken transparisteel smattering the ground around them.

Hm, the Resistance should probably investigate their flight safety measures.

That thought quickly flittered away when the pilot moved again, this time with a painful moan echoing into the atmosphere. The switch inside quickly flipped, and an all too familiar feeling of conviction flooded through.

This is your cue Alexys.

I raced quickly to the pilot and knelt on the ground before them, fingers carefully removing the black and red helmet with both urgency and restraint as to not cause any more possible damage to their head or neck. The moan I'd heard just moments before let me know this person had some kind of airway, but it was pertinent I assess further. With the helmet gone I noticed the short, lightly waved black hair of a man, his eyes pulled closed, a few bruises and smudges of grey soot smattered over his face. His chest was moving, laboured breathing with the occasional heave on inhale.

At least he’s breathing.

“It’s alright,” I insisted. “I’m here to help you.”

There wasn’t any discernible response from the pilot other than a groan that withered away slowly, and that in itself was worrying. Kneeling over his body, I placed two fingers under the line of his jaw, halfway down, trying to feel for a pulse. I could sense the thump of blood under my fingertips, but it was too slow, too faint, too uneven.

Not great, but it was enough for now.

I began to scan over his body, knowing it was time to assess what was giving him reason to cry out in pain. There were severe burns on his left arm which had caused some of his flight suit to stick to the skin, with more scalds reaching down to his torso and abdomen. His right arm was almost definitely broken with the limb morphed into an irregular angle almost halfway along.

Without being able to look at them directly to ascertain whether I was going to be able to move him, I pressed on his hips gently, silently praying he hadn’t broken his pelvis. He muffled softly, but anyone who had actually shattered the bone would have screamed. As my eyes continued to scan down, it became obvious all too suddenly the shattered edge of his right femur bone poking out of the orange flight suit.

Kriff, this is not ideal.

I wanted to kick myself for not noticing it before, but there was no time, not with the very real possibility of him bleeding out in front of my eyes. My feet moved under me, racing back to the clinic room, knowing where the bandage and splint lay waiting, along with the anaesthetic injections I had stocked in the pharmacy cupboard.

He was certainly going to need them.

Within minutes I was back to the ground with the pilot, clicking together the injector handle and vial, piercing the needle straight into his thigh above the fracture site. I wouldn’t be able to wait for it to dull most of the pain, so internally, I braced myself for the scream I was about to elicit from this poor human's chest. The second I started to wrap the bandage around the splint, a piercing wail echoed through the air, almost causing me to hesitate. Still, my hands continued to haphazardly wrap the white material around his leg, pushing through the guilt it ignited.

Suddenly, the noise stopped.

My eyes darted to his face as his head slumped over on its side. “Hey!” I shouted into his face as I scrambled back to the top end of his limp body. “Hey can you hear me? Open your eyes if you can hear me!”

There was no response.

I pinched at the muscle on his shoulder, harder and harder to elicit any kind of reaction. Nothing. My hand pulled into a closed fist and grinded against his sternum. “Come on, open those eyes if you can feel this!”

Still nothing.

Again I took check of his breathing, chest still rising and falling, yet shallow and with little power. His heartbeat had begun to race, but through my fingertips I could feel the strain in the muscle. Something was seriously wrong, even more so than his other injuries. Something internally. If I didn’t get him into the clinic, he was going to die.

In a snap decision, I chose to forgo an attempt to run back and locate the hover-stretcher. It would take too much time to set up and power on, time this man didn’t have. I would have to move him myself.

How the hell am I going to do this?

With my arms hooked and locked under his armpits I began to drag the pilots hefty body backwards towards the clinic behind me, thankfully only a few meters away, barely making it past the entryway when a roar of flames overtook the X-wing. I looked up to see the blaze almost completely engulfing the ship, a ferocious heat searing into my eyes and face. With even more urgency I heaved the body into the large clinic room, getting up and slamming the door just in time. Just before a house rattling explosion sent shockwaves into the atmosphere.

Lucky didn’t seem to be an appropriate feeling considering the situation I was in, but at least no one had died. Yet. With my last bit of brute strength, I hoisted the pilots limp body onto the closest hospital bed, noticing then the trail of red liquid I’d brought along with me.

Oh no no no.

With him still lifeless, I tugged at his body and limbs to lie flat on the bed, scurrying to my medical trolley and hauling it back to where the pilot laid, ragged breaths still thankfully escaping into the air. Snatching the heavy shears from the top drawer, I began to tear through the thick fabric of the flight suit, unclipping and removing as much of the life support vest and belt as I could. I had to be careful not to rip away the fabric that melted into the burns scattered all over his body, the number of them increasing as I peeled away the suit, starting from his legs, up to his abdomen and chest over to his upper arms. His torso was in full view now, a smattering of dark hair over his pectorals, underneath which showed the bruises of his crash’s impact.

Oh he’s definitely got some broken ribs.

As my gaze scanned over his skin, I could finally isolate where all that blood had escaped from. A deep penetrating wound just below the last rib on his left flank. As I registered his quick shallow breaths and the uneven rise in his chest, it became obvious.

Collapsed lung.

Whatever had pierced through his chest had poked an extremely damaging hole in his lung, the pleural space now filling with air, leaving no room for his lung to expand. My following movements were swift and calculated, almost automatic. A pointed scalpel was soon in my hand, poised to cut. But I couldn’t help but hesitate. It had been so long since I’d had to do this. And yet, somehow, concern for this stranger’s life was quick to weave it’s way through, dissolving my fear into pure resolve.

I made my incision in between the 4th and 5th ribs, using a clamp to push into the underlying tissue and past the pleural cavity, a gloved hand then entering to check I’d made it through. With an instinctive confidence, I guided the chest tube between the layers of tissue, undoing the ratchet of the clamp to an immediate rush of air. The pilot’s chest heaved in relief, along with my own.

One crisis averted.

But there was more to do. Connecting a drain to the tube, I haphazardly sutured it in place, before flying to the pharmacy cupboard. My stock of bacta was limited, returning with an already prepared vial into the pressurised injector, reminding myself I would need to use it sparingly if this stranger was going to make it through the full extend of his injuries. I had cursed at myself only a few times in the years past at being so far removed from a higher level medical centre that would be overflowing with bacta and medical droids that could help in exactly this kind of situation, but the thought had never burned me so badly. There was no way to know if I could keep this man alive with the resources that yesterday I had been more than comfortable with. I would just have to try.

I injected some of the bacta solution throughout the surrounding area of the wound and covered it with heavy dressing, knowing the bleeding would quickly be curbed. Unfortunately, the wound itself would take a few days to fully close, only ever being able to afford lower quality bacta. Before moving on to the burns, I placed some basic monitoring, lines extending from electrical dots over his chest, wrist and neck to the data monitor above the bed. As the numbers lit up on the holo screen, I felt myself breathe a small sigh of relief, having prepared for a much worse result. His heart rate was better, oxygen levels returning to normal, blood pressure not optimal by any means but high enough to sustain his life, for now.

After securing an oxygen filter over his battered face, I continued to inspect and clean as many of the small and more sizeable burns dotting his body. Even with the many I had uncovered, the one extending from his shoulder past his elbow was the one of most concern. Third degree and extremely unhappy looking. If I wasn’t quick to treat this, it could leak even more fluid from his already compromised circulatory system. I was thankful he still remained unconscious when I began to slowly shed the charred material melted into the skin layer. I couldn’t help but shudder as I remembered the initial scream this man had let out, knowing I would be hearing it now if not for his comatose state.

Covering the immense scald in as much salve as I could spare, I began to wrap it in protective antibacterial bandage, soon moving on to protect his many blisters and deeper burns with dressings. Glancing at the monitor screen, he was still stable, and swallowed hard. Now it was time to attempt possibly the most daunting part of this patient’s treatment.

His femur was still sticking through the tissue of his thigh, slightly dried dark red blood creating lightning strike looking lines extending from the wound.

I need to get some blood into him before moving this.

I quickly got to work on an IV cannula, his poor blood pressure making it significantly more difficult than it should have been. Two bags of O- blood were all I had, and a wave of dread coursed through me with the thought of that not being enough if this all went wrong. My fist squeezed the fast flow pump of the IV line, pushing fresh blood urgently into his system, making his blood pressure rise only slightly. With the last of the red liquid trickling through the line I wheeled over the portable X-Ray. It was so old the mechanical arm screeched at me as I positioned it into place over the pilot’s leg. The bone had to be at least somewhat in place before getting the bacta to work its magic or this guy might walk with two uneven legs for the rest of his life.

If he actually made it through the rest of his injuries, that is.

Shaking my arms out at my side, I sucked in a few deep breaths to build my stamina. Unfortunately, this stranger was stuck with a small framed female to attempt reducing his severe fracture. With one last inhale, I drew the courage to pull as hard as I could horizontally at the knee joint, digging my fingers into a vice grip around the limb and yanking it towards me. To my relief, the fractured edge of the femur to slipped back into the hole it was peeking out from, settling back under the skin.

Thank all the stars in the galaxy he’s not awake for this.

I quickly pressed the image button on the X-ray to assess the progress I’d made. The faint white lines of bone edges were stark enough on the grey background of the image. The fracture wasn’t reduced even nearly enough. I prepared myself again, with another deep breath I pulled hard. This time my efforts were forced into angling the lower portion of bone to try and lock it back into place. The grinding of bone edges could be felt through my fingers, pushing myself to pull even harder, creating more space between the fracture in the hope of giving a fighting chance of lining up the splintered edges. My muscles were whining, begging for this to be over, tears of exhaustion soon stinging at the edges of my eyes.

With one final twisting motion there was a sudden click.

Finally.

My relief was short lived.

It was slow at first, before racing faster. A stream of dark red blood pooling at the wound the broken bone had made.

Oh maker no.

Within moments the pace of the blood quickened. I shot my hands to the open flesh site, pressing down hard in an attempt to disturb the flow. The liquid quickly covered my gloved hands, already sure I’d sliced into the femoral artery. The pressure of my hands into the area made the blood spurt out onto my arms, my clothes, my face, everywhere. The monitor was screaming, blood pressure falling quickly. Wiping some of the hot coppery fluid away from my left eye, I slid my fingers back into the gash, moving desperately to stop the overflow before the man lying in front of me bled out, knowing it would all be my fault.

You have to do it Alexys. He will die if you don’t.

The voice nagged at me, pleading to do what it wanted.

He’s with the Resistance! If he survives, if he contacts them, they’ll find me. And they’ll know.

It is time to decide. His life. Or yours.

Seconds ticked by fleetingly, numbers flashing on the monitor trickling down, the speed of blood flow from the pilot’s leg stubbornly keeping it’s intensity.

Everything I’d done to get here, to isolate myself so no one could find me. It would all amount to nothing. My easy, albeit lonely life, would be gone. All because of this stranger.

But I couldn’t let him die. Not like this.

In one flash, I removed my hands from inside the wound, ripping off my gloves and placing two palms at either side of the leg. With closed eyes, I willed the energy out of the depths of its slumber. From the darkened corner of my mind I pulled it back into existence, opening the gate I’d locked it inside for so long, letting it finally burst through and fill up my brain. From there it down through my neck, through my chest and down my arms, right to the end of my fingertips. Its warming glow was almost comforting, friendly. I would have basked in it for a while if not for the life that hung in the balance before me.

Through the pads of my fingerprints I pushed the stream outwards, connecting past the skin of this innocent human being, and felt the overwhelming heat of pain and dimming of energy.

Hurry, he’s dying.

I began to map out the tissue of his leg, frustratingly slowly, starting at the smallest of capillaries, weaving and winding through the flesh, connecting them through the maze of fat and muscle. I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead, my breathing forced and harsh. The vessels grew bigger as I pushed the energy through, skipping past broken points of other smaller injuries. I could fix them later.

Finally, I felt a molten warmth radiating close to where the maze had guided me. Racing to it, I sensed something pushing me back, the pressure of escaping fluid holding my efforts. I’d found the cut, but now I had to somehow knit it back together.

You’re taking too long.

The alarms of the monitor started to echo with a hollow ring inside my ear, fading until I could hear almost nothing. The world around me was blurry, only the image of vessel tissue and all-consuming redness visible in my minds eye. The energy I was expending began to burn me - I wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer. I reached out with it, what felt like many hands grasping desperately at the severed edge of the vessel, frantic yet delicate, pulling whatever tissue I could hold back into place.

Several fringes connected, the pressure pushing forcefully against me, making it harder to hold. I couldn’t help but begin to shake at the strain, the sound of my own heart pounding over the slowing heartbeat of the pilot. My grip was already beginning to fade before I started to sew the pieces of artery back together, an ache growing behind my eyes as I pierced an invisible needle through the tissue, over and over, still clawing at the unsewn edges as I made my way around the tube.

I was so close, the tension of the fluid still being driven out of the broken seal almost overcoming me. The unseen thread had almost made its way full circle. I was almost there.

My entire body rattled with exhaustion and pain. One final thread wove itself around the artery, its abrupt closure alleviating the strain on invisible fingers that had been clutching it all together.

You did it.

The energy dissipated quickly in a rolling wave, letting it retreat back into my mind, scampering to the secluded area of my brain, hidden once more. I felt light suddenly, dizzy, the world coming back into focus, screaming alarms growing louder. It was too much, all at once.

A sharp pang of fatigue enveloped every part of my senses and I faltered back, knees giving way, slumping to the floor.

Then, there was only darkness.

Next Chapter

Tag list: @tlcwrites @roanniom @foxilayde @blackberries45 @hopeamarsu @caillea @princessxkenobi @direnightshade @mariesackler @leatherboundbirate @blowthatpieceofjunk @mylifeisactuallyamess @poedameronloverx @millenialcatlady @jynz-andtonic @lightsinthedistancee @star-killer-md @morby @modernpaw @cornmousequeen @paterson-blue

Just let me know if you would like to be removed or added, no judgement!

#poe dameron #poe dameron x original female character #kylo ren #kylo ren x original female character #star wars #star wars fanfiction #adcu #adcu fanfiction

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boltwrites · 3 years

Text

Misfits - Chapter 2

Fandom: Star Wars - Clone Wars / The Bad Batch Pairing: The Bad Batch / Reader (Polyamorous) Rating: M (Rating May Change) Tags: Polyamorous Relationship, Force-Sensitive Reader, Slow Burn

Work Summary: After a year working with the 501st, you've been assigned a new post - Clone Force 99, aka the Bad Batch. You're concerned about the transition - you found it hard enough to fit in with the 501st, and now you had to acclimate to an entirely new squad. As it turns out, the Bad Batch is very accommodating.

Chapter Summary: You're started to settle in with the Bad Batch. Introductions are in order, but one in particular leads down a path you never expected.

read it on ao3 | or read more below

You had said goodbye to Rex only a few minutes prior. He had wrapped you in a tight hug and told you not to get into too much trouble, and you had to try really, really hard not to start crying in front of your new squad. He’d waved as you entered their transport, and instead of dwelling on those emotions – loss, sadness, anxiety – you’d pushed them to the back of your mind. You learned long ago that acting as if they didn’t exist wouldn’t help anything, but right now, you needed to compartmentalize. You hardly knew these men, and you didn’t want to freak them out by sobbing about leaving your best friend behind.

The men in question had since been introduced to you by Hunter. The tall, slender clone who liked to lean against the side of the ship like some half-baked deathstick dealer was Crosshair, a sharpshooter and sniper. You probably should have figured that, judging by the tattoo that encircled his eye. When Hunter introduced you, he had made a noncommittal noise, looked you up and down, and then decided you weren’t very interesting, instead walking his way back to the cockpit. You hoped he was just antisocial, and didn’t hate nat borns, or women, or something.

The big burly one was Wrecker, who had wasted no time in offering you a big smile and a firm clap on the back. Honestly, you thought he was going to hug you – and maybe he was, and then he thought better of it.

“You’re our new Jedi, huh?” he had asked with a broad smile? You offered him a somewhat hesitant one back – he was intimidating, after all. He was broad and muscular like you had never seen on a clone before, and the large scar that encompassed half of his forehead and a good portion of his scalp was distracting. It made him look hardened and dangerous, but with his jovial tone, you soon found out he was anything but menacing.

“Yeah, guess I am?” you answered with a nervous laugh.

“She’s a force-sensitive, Wreck, not a Jedi. She doesn’t answer to the Council.” Hunter had clarified. You were somewhat shocked that he cared about the difference – but, then again, he had seemed pleased that you weren’t a part of the Order, likely because it meant you had less rules to follow.

“Oh, yeah!” Wrecker had grinned, clapping you on both shoulders now, as he leaned down to grin at you. You had laughed a little harder, because you were starting to see now, by both his force signature and in his voice, that he was really just a big goofball. “I never liked the Jedi anyway!”

“Weren’t you just expressing how excited you were for ‘our new Jedi?’”

That had come from the one with the glasses – er, goggles? You weren’t exactly sure what they were, or if he needed them for his bad eyesight or just tactical reasons. Either way, he adjusted him on his face as Hunter introduced him as Tech. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what his specialty was – much like it was easy to deduce that Wrecker liked to punch things in addition to blowing things up. Tech, of course, handled a lot of technical issues and data – but you were actually shocked at the fact that he wasn’t, well… tiny.

Tech was taller than Hunter, and even Rex, as he peered down at you through his glasses. He took your hand and shook it – you could tell just by his grip that he was used to intricate work – robotics, droid work, rewiring datapads – fiddly things that required a steady hand. You had nodded politely to him as he greeted you.

The last member of the team, and perhaps the most elusive, was Echo. He was paler than the others, and studded with prosthetics – most prominently, the jack that his hand had been substituted with. He had an aura about him in the force that spoke of pain – not the pain of war that the rest of the squad exuded, no. This was a deeper pain, something profound and lasting, and you had a feeling it had to do with that arm, and the bolts in his skull, and the way his cheekbones still looked sharper than that of even Crosshair.

“You’re from the 501st?” he had asked, after Hunter had led you to the cockpit and left to look at something in Tech’s travel plans for the route to their next mission. You were alone, but Echo still gazed out the front of the transport into hyperspace, his flesh hand fiddling with the textured armrest of the captain’s chair.

“Yeah – I’ve worked with them for the past year, most of the time. I get contracted out from the unit to do a lot of stealth work that the Jedi obviously can’t be pulled for. Stuff like this, I guess,” you shrugged. Echo had hummed in acknowledgement, glancing at you, almost curious.

“Were you with the 501st when Captain Rex last worked with… Clone Force 99?”

The wording was strange. Rex had mentioned to your that this squad usually referred to themselves as “the Bad Batch” due to their mutations. But Echo was more cautious – he almost hesitated on the name. His force signature didn’t give away much more – it only told you that he was being careful with his words, that he didn’t trust you quite yet. Which, honestly, was to be expected.

“No. Anaxes, right?” Echo nodded, and you shook your head. “No – I was on a stealth mission. Well, I guess it couldn’t really be called a stealth mission… I was working with a pirate named Hondo Onaka. Think I might have rather been on Anaxes.”

You chuckled, trying to make light of it. You knew Anaxes has been a mess, and honestly you had felt horrible leaving behind the 501st in order to take on what you considered a useless political mission. You knew the campaign had been long, grueling, and complicated, and you always felt guilty when you weren’t by Rex and Anakin’s side to help with something so important.

“Ah,” Echo made a soft noise, picking at some scoring marks on his socket arm. You bit your lip at the awkwardness that permeated the room, the conversation stagnating at Echo dwelled on… something.

“I used to be a part of the 501st,” he finally admitted, glancing up at you. His eyes said more than his lips – there was sadness, there. It was hidden behind his soldier’s veneer of indifference, but you could tell by the way he looked at you that his transfer to Bad Batch hadn’t been as straightforward as your own.

“Yeah?” you asked, sitting down in the co-pilot’s chair next to him. He nodded, sighing, relaxing into the chair before shooting you a glance.

“Yeah. Made ARC trooper at one point. Me and Fives – me and Fives.”

His eyes had gleamed the first time he said it – but as he repeated Fives, his face fell, and your own did as well, your first clenching.

“Oh,” you breathed, and he glanced at you, ducking down to try to make out your expression.

“You knew him?”

“He talked about you – I had – I’m stupid,” you laughed, trying not to think about Fives. You hadn’t known him or Tup long before the incident, but Fives had showed you the ropes, along with Rex. You got along with him easily – he had been funny, and kind, and if he tried to flirt with you a few times you just put it up to you being the only woman available.

You remembered him talking briefly about Echo – he had only mentioned Echo once, with gritted teeth and a set jaw, mumbling something about a previous mission, and how he and a fellow ARC trooper had handled the situation. You could tell that it pained him to mention his comrade – that this Echo had likely died – and you didn’t press the subject. You knew, even then, that Fives didn’t deal well with loss. Ironic, then, how he was the one to cause so die, to cause the grief himself.

“I worked with him, before…” you gestured vaguely, and Echo nodded, not wanting you to mention Fives’s death himself.

“He thought I died at the Citadel. Everyone did,” Echo sighed, staring out at the hyperspace lane. “Maybe I did.”

You stared at him. In the force, his emotions were a tangled mess – grief, both for Fives and himself. Pain – not only physical, but emotional, spiritual. You couldn’t fathom what happened to him – you could look at this physical evidence of his cybernetic appendages, more similar to those of a droid than any prosthetics you had seen before. You could see the pallor in his face, the way his cheekbones jut from his face, how he had squinted far too severely in the light of the Coruscanti sun. He had been through something that you couldn’t fathom, something you would never truly understand, even if he did wish to explain it to you.

But despite that, you could still feel him in the force. When he spoke of Fives – the way his signature sparked let you know that he didn’t just know Fives. You could tell they had worked together for years, that they had likely grown up together. The rest of the Batch – their signatures sang in harmony because they had grown up together, because they had known each other for many years. And you initially hadn’t caught onto Echo’s dissonance – the way that he was trying to fit in with them, but how he didn’t fit in quite as easily as the other men. And now you knew why. It was because, while he had changed, he still held onto those bonds. Rex, Fives, the rest of the 501st – even though whatever Echo had endured, those were still his brothers.

“Not completely,” you mumbled, looking down. You could feel Echo’s eyes on you, so you sighed and continued. “You – you still care about them. Those men. They may not be your men anymore – and I guess they aren’t mine, either – but you care for them. That has to count for something.”

When you looked up, Echo caught your eye. His expression was unreadable, and his signature betrayed nothing. He was hard to read already – the cybernetics clouded your judgement – but you could tell that he didn’t exactly know what he thought of your statement.

“Yeah. Maybe it does,” Echo mumbled to himself, staring out across hyperspace, as stars flew by, exploding behind his eyes as he contemplated his place among them.

After that, the silence wasn’t quite so awkward. It was comforting, almost. You knew that it wasn’t the same – that although you and Echo were both former members of the 501st, that the circumstances were wildly different. But you still felt a kinship with him. Because he still knew Anakin, and Rex, and Fives, and Jesse, and Kix, and all the others. Because he probably played the same drinking games you had with the men, he had fought beside them as you did, and he had watched them die, as you had. You knew he wasn’t ready to talk, and perhaps he never would be. But if he ever was, you would be ready to listen.

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taglist (get added!)

@killtherandomness @pastelpanda19

#the bad batch x reader #the bad batch x you #echo x reader #hunter x reader #tech x reader #crosshair x reader #wrecker x reader #misfits #mine

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momentofch-aos · 2 years

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momentofchaos masterlist

hey there! I thought I'd make a masterlist of my kind of top fics and things, so i have something to pin to the top of my blog and so I (or others) can find my stuff easily!

most are posted on my ao3

Series

the big ones

Brought Me to You - my coffee shop au (frequently referred to as my first born) - Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa

The original AU - To Live for the Hope of It All - A run of the mill Coffee Shop AU with the Man Out of Time and Quake. Daniel is an author, Daisy is a barista/computer expert. The Coffee Shop is the Lighthouse.

The One-Shot collection - Never Needed Anything More - The continuation of their lives through their relationship. Now with added bonus chapters (!)

The Separate One-Shot - In These Flashing Lights - The pair attend a movie premiere, set a few years on from many of the first one-shots. Part of DousyWeek2020.

The Prequel - I've Seen This Film Before (and I Didn't Like the Ending) - The ongoing (sort of) prequel of how Daisy came to find the Lighthouse and in turn found her home.

The Grace of Belonging - a series of alternate timelines

You Belong - Daisy and Sousa are living a happily married life with their daughter, but when a Shield experiment goes wrong, someone arrives from another timeline and throws a curveball into their life.

To Belong - A look into the other timeline from You Belong. In this timeline, Peggy Carter and Daniel Sousa lived their life together. This is what it looked like. An Agent Carter continuation fic charting the course of their relationship post Season 2 finale. [still in progress - now has a series of linked chapters here]

Dousy Week 2020 - my contribution

Tumblr Prompts - a collection

Agent Carter Bingo 2022 - a collection (masterlist here)

Standalone Multi-chapter Fics

Return of the Astro Ambassadors - After nine months in space, the 'Astro Ambassadors' (better known as SWORD) are heading back to Earth and reuniting with their family. That's basically it. It's all fluff. [Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa]

I'll Be Right Here (when you wake up) - Sousa has some amnesia and Daisy is a worried wife. Fluff and slight angst ensues. Then a second part where Sousa gets to be a worried husband, well more than you would normally expect being married to a superhero. [Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa]

Oh Christmas Lights, Keep Shining On - A Christmas Theatre AU. The team is gearing up to put on their annual christmas play, at the Coulson-owned Hub theatre. But there is a problem.. after an abrupt departure left them in the lurch last year, they're missing a leading man.It's just cute Christmas fluff. All fluff. small angst in the final chapter. [Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa]

My Favourite One-Shots

The Trouble with Time Travel - Everything is exactly as it should be when more time travel hijinks bring some familiar faces back into Daniel Sousa's life. Certain people he thought he'd never get to see again jump back into his life, just as he takes the next step forward in his relationship.[Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers]

Found Among the Stars - The team reunion after the events of 7x13. Alya meeting the team. [mainly Fitzsimmons]

Trying to Control Change - Daisy gets nervous about everything changing and retreats to old coping mechanisms of changing her appearance ever so slightly. Daniel Sousa reacts.

Wreck My Plans - Post-saving the world again, Daisy deals with her feelings after watching Disney Movies. And Daniel is there to pick her back up. As is her family. TW : Panic Attack - not too graphic

It's the Way They Love - A bit of a different one, but I just really love this. [Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa]

Can I Ask You A Question? - A direct continuation of AoS where late night talks cover past lives and time loops [Daisy Johnson/Daniel Sousa]

more on ao3

If you got this far, congrats! I'll update this as I go.

I hope you enjoy the little worlds I've been creating.

Thank you for all the support I've had so far! 💜

#masterlist #fanfic #dousy #marvel #agents of shield #daniel sousa #daisy johnson #agent carter #peggy carter #peggysous #aos #fanfiction #ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #fanfic writing #momentofch-aos

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snowdice · 2 years

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Finding the Time to Study Fic 2 [Day 133]

Here is my starting post for today’s study break stories session. I will reblog this post with the story as I write them today. Feel free to send in asks about anything at any point, even if it’s not for the part of the story I’m currently on.

If you aren’t interested and don’t want all of these posts clogging your dash, please feel free to block the tag “study break stories” as all posts and voting about it will go there. You can still see the finished product of the story even if you are blocking that tag as I will not tag the edited chapters with “study break stories” but with the tag “folds in paper.”

See the Folds in Time Universe Master Post for edited chapters. Not yet edited chapters are under the cut. I also have a playlist on youtube for this story.

I am going to get so interrupted. I’m not sure if I should even start this lmao.

Chapter 49 (Dinner and a Movie)