#jake kiszka AU

[streamingcolors-gvf]

Skin Deep - Part 10.3

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!freader x male OC, f!reader x Jake Kiszka

Word Count: 9.4k

***A/N: After a bit of a hiatus from the app and writing, this chapter has been a long time coming. It’s been hanging in my docs for quite a while, but I’m stoked to have it finally posted for everyone. This part might be a bit polarizing and intense for some readers, so I strongly encourage you read the warnings before diving right in. I’m quite nervous about this update***

As always, I appreciate all the love, support and feedback y’all give me ❤️

Warnings: cursing, brief mentions of marijuana use and alcohol consumption, angst/toxic themes and behavior (jealousy, extreme anger, allusions to cheating, and manipulation), physical aggression, sexually explicit content - MINORS DNI 18+ (unprotected penetrative sex, rough sex, degradation, dacryphilia - arousal from tears or sobbing, spit kink, spanking, mentions of blood, choking if you squint a lot, and please feel free to message me if I have missed anything on this list!)

Masterpost, Part 10.2

You must’ve fallen asleep the second you closed your eyes because the next thing you feel is a hand nudging your arm, waking you up. You go to stretch out the tightness locking your tired muscles, but the weight of Josh passed out on your chest keeps you pinned to the bed. 

You try to rub the sleepy glaze from your eyes with the heels of your palms, mumbling, “Hmm…what?”

Kai stands, causing the mattress to bounce and creak with the loss of weight. “I need a shower,” He whispers. “Will you take one with me?”

“Sure,” you groan through the stiffness. It takes a little coaxing, but you still manage to slide out from under Josh without waking him. By the time you can swing your bare feet onto the hardwood floor, Kai has already walked out of the room. 

You stumble your way into the bathroom, wincing at the bright lighting. “I gotta pee…” you trail off, walking past him, but when he doesn’t take the hint, you turn to give him a look. 

He lets out an airy laugh and starts to rummage through the vanity drawers. “Oh, kitten…you act like I wasn’t just inside you an hour ago.” He turns his head to you, emphasizing the remark with a teasing wink. “And you wouldn’t believe the money I’ve made off of women pissing on me… So yeah, that’s kind of the least of my worries, wouldn’t you think?” You grimace in disgust, causing him to flash a grin at you before continuing his search, unbothered by you completely. He then asks over his shoulder, “You’re on birth control, right?”

You push out a heavy sigh into your hands as you settle onto the toilet seat, “Yes, Kai. I am sleeping with both of them, remember?”

He huffs, finally finding what he’s looking for — a spare, cheap toothbrush from the bottom drawer, and starts ripping open the packaging and points it at you. “Which reminds me, I should stop by the clinic this week.” While you’re sure it’s only teasing, you shoot a death glare at him anyway, making him chuckle.   

“I’m kidding! Kind of…” He trails off as he pipes out a line of toothpaste across the pristine bristles. “But in all seriousness, what’s up with you and Jake anyway?”

You scoff, “What’s up with you and Jake?”

“I asked first,” he mumbles around the head of the toothbrush tucked inside his cheek.

You remain glued to the toilet seat, pondering over the question in silence as he continues brushing his perfect teeth. A part of you is hopeful that he'll drop the topic altogether, but the curious raise of his brows says otherwise. You wish you knew the right answer — the perfect explanation for what you were. In reality, you don’t have a clue of what the label would be. You haven’t created the space for it in your life yet. “Fine,” you sigh. “I honestly don’t know what’s up with us. Weeks ago I got a tattoo done by him and by the end of that night, I ended up fucking both of them.”

A few seconds pass, making you look up to see Kai’s eyes widen in the mirror until he breaks away to stare at you. 

You laugh nervously, “I know. It’s kind of crazy to think about, but it’s been going on like that — with both of them since then.”

He spits a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink before following up. “Are you guys like…dating?”

The question takes you back, but you can’t say you didn’t see it coming. “I don’t think so. Not like…conventionally in any way.” Saying the words not only to yourself but in front of Kai fills you with a sense of dread and growing shame. You can’t hide behind your ignorance or delusions. Not being able to hold eye contact, your focus drops to your hands as you anxiously pick at your nail beds. “He always gives me mixed signals and I never know what he’s thinking most of the time. When I feel like I get close, he kind of shuts me out almost. Sometimes I get the feeling like we’re a couple…and then sometimes it’s like I’m just a friend with benefits to him.” Your head falls, and finally spit out the fear that's been lingering in the back of your throat. “…I think he’s been sleeping with other girls though.”

He huffs a dry laugh, missing the shift in your tone, “That’s Jake for you.” It was a poor attempt at bringing some levity back, but when he realizes that is failing, sincerity washes over his sharp features. “I’m sorry, kitten.”

Your voice breaks when you ask, “Is that really how he is?”

He shrugs, taking another washcloth from the stack to wipe the corners of his mouth. “He’s always been closed off and to himself, but I can’t say he’ll be opening up to me any time soon.”

You finally get up to turn on the shower, “Yeah, I guess. But what’s the deal with you and him? Why does he hate you so much?”

Kai watches you work the handles to find the right temperature before stepping in. He winces, sucking in a breath through his teeth. “Oh…well. I’m pretty sure he hates me because I may or may not have unknowingly slept with his ex.”

That wasn’t the answer you were expecting from him. It stuns you, taking you by surprise as warm water sprays over you. “You what?!”

He shushes you dramatically with a finger to his lips as he follows you inside the shower. “Let me explain,” he starts with a weak laugh, but the smile accompanying it doesn’t reach his eyes. “So at the time, his girl, Roxi, was at this random house party that I went to. She approached me that night and we hit it off, but she somehow conveniently skipped around divulging the fact that she was with, or had very recently broken up with him. One thing led to another —yada, yada, yada— we ended up hooking up that night. The next morning I woke up to a frightening amount of angry and wildly alarming texts and voicemails from Jake. Come to find out, someone saw us together and had told him. To me, she was a hot girl that wanted to have some fun. But to him, I ruined his fucking world and he hasn’t forgiven me since.”

Your mouth drops open but you don’t bother catching it. You stand before him, blindsided by the bombshell dropped in your hands. “Oh my god. You didn’t know?”

He shrugs, reaching for Jake’s shampoo bottle off the tile ledge. “No, I had no clue. I know you’ve never met her, but if you do, you will see that she has a certain way about her.” He chuckles, but it sounds more like a warning. “I should’ve known it was a bad decision from the jump, but c’est la vie I guess.”

Processing everything he has just told you proves to be a nearly impossible feat, but it’s able to bring some clarity to his behavior while leaving you wanting more. “Does Jake know that you didn’t know?”

He scoffs at the notion, “You honestly think Jake gives a fuck about that? He probably assumes I have some fucked up motive to steal you away from him too. Which I can’t say I blame him for.” He pauses, massaging the high-end shampoo into a rich lather through his raven-black locks.  “So it’s looking like I don’t know how to learn my lesson…but where’s the fun in that?”

You reach for the same bottle, throwing him a disappointed glare. “No wonder he’s so pissed at me. I’m such an asshole, Kai.” 

He places his soapy hands on your shoulders, grounding you to him and reassuring you with an affectionate touch. “And how were you supposed to know that, hmm? His hatred for me goes way back… way before you ever came into the picture, trust me.”

He’s trying. You’ll give him that, but the words don’t help ease the guilt you’re feeling. “I certainly didn’t make it better. He’s going to be so upset.”

Kai’s fingers knead away the tightness in your neck. He’s trying to distract you now, and you don’t fight him on it. “I can hold my own and so can he.”

“Does Josh know?”

He hesitates, even if it’s only for a few seconds.“Yeah, but he kind of went Switzerland on the whole thing. He stuck his head down and minded his business, which was probably for the best. Josh learned early on not to insert himself between Roxi and Jake.” 

You try not to let the truth leave a stain on your evening, but it bleeds through regardless.“Why didn’t he say anything to me about her?”

“Probably didn’t think she was important enough to.” Kai isn’t oblivious to how this is affecting you either. He closes the remaining distance between you, tipping your chin up with a careful nudge of his finger, drawing your drifting attention back to him. His piercing green eyes appear darker than before — softer even. The game you found yourselves in has ended, and the intentions behind them have shifted, making you feel comfortable in his embrace. “Listen, don’t let this shit get in the way. If Jake is out here holding grudges, that’s on him.”

You look up and stare into his haunting irises,  muttering, “Okay…yeah. You’re right.” 

Just as you take in his details —the fans of dark lashes framing his eyes, the water rolling off the bridge of his nose, the heavy droplets falling from the ends of his hair— he studies yours.  “You love him, don’t you?”

“H-Huh? What?”

“Josh.” A smirk plays on his lips just as his fingers snake up your neck and skate across your scalp. “I can see it in your eyes when you look at him.”

Him calling you out like that flusters you, and you begin to stammer over yourself. His expression softens at the sight of your anxiety, and he leans in to place a gentle kiss on your open lips. 

It’s chaste and sweet, verging on platonic rather than sexual. “Relax, kitten. I get it. Your secret is safe with me.”

You think of him sleeping peacefully stretched across his bed. You’re blushing, still high of the euphoria and weed from earlier. You've been convincing yourself that it’s puppy love, or at least textbook infatuation, so you take his observation with a grain of salt. Deciding to change the subject, you ask with a quirked brow,  “So what if I met you first?”

His facial expression shows he’s a little surprised by your question, but doesn’t stumble over it for long. “If you met me first? …Well, I would have wooed like I did tonight.” He grins, pausing to capture your lips in another kiss, one that lingers this time. “Fucked your pretty brains out for a few weeks and string you along before slowly distancing myself. Probably tell you that I’m not looking for anything serious because I’m horrendously emotionally unavailable.”

You huff a tired laugh, rolling your eyes before dipping your head under the stream of water. “At least you’re honest.”

“Always.”

Sadness starts to settle when you realize how fleeting this is with him, weighing down on your heart. “So what’s gonna happen tomorrow?”

He hums, mirroring a similar feeling. It pulls his lips into a frown before he hides it with a shallow smile. “We’ll wake up a little hungover, maybe have some more fun. Then we’ll have breakfast and say our goodbyes and I’ll keep being his friend just the same as I did before.”

Your eyes fall from his as you nod along to the rose and fall of his voice. You’re starting to grow attached, and trying your best not to let the reality of this being the last time you’ll see him upset you. 

“Hey, stay with me, okay?”

Your shoulders fall but you mask your emotions with a brave face.“Okay.”

“He feels the same way you do, you know?”

“I dunno about that. You both seem pretty similar in that regard.”

“I’m serious. I can tell. Even if he’s totally being “Josh” about his feelings. I know him well enough to know that they’re there.”

You startle awake. flying into a sitting position to find that you’re alone in Josh’s bed. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you guess it's late morning with how bright the sunlight is shining through the blinds. Worried that you’ve slept too long, you scramble across the mattress to snatch your phone from the nightstand.

10:37 

You hear voices coming from the kitchen, and even through the bedroom walls, you can tell it’s Josh and Kai. You slide off the bed, shuffle over to the dresser, and pull out a band tee from the drawer before stepping out of the room. 

“So you like this girl, huh?” Kai asks. It makes you stop in the middle of the hallway and your heart begins to race. You inch closer, stepping quietly enough not to be detected.

You hear Josh let out a slow, deep sigh, “Yeah. I like her a lot.” 

Your chest cinches a few notches tighter, sending your heart up into the back of your throat. A part of you feels terrible for eavesdropping on a private conversation, but your curiosity keeps your feet planted on the floor. 

“Are you just fucking or is there more to this one?”

You stop breathing, bracing yourself for his honesty. Despite what Kai had told you hours ago, you had your doubts about his true feelings.

“I like to think there’s more than just sex. Fuck, Kai. I think about her all the time. I just want to spend every moment of the day with her. Every day. I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. I’ve never been this crazy about anyone before…which fucking scares the shit out of me. And you know me.” 

“I do. And she’s got feelings for Jake?”

“Probably. Every time I feel like we’re getting a little bit closer, she pulls away and runs to him.”

There’s a pause before Kai hums to himself. “Do you think he has feelings for her?”

“Maybe? It’s hard to tell with him sometimes.”

“Has he dated anyone since her?”

“Roxi?” He pauses for a few seconds. “No, not really. He’s slept with a few, but none of them hung around long enough for me to remember their name.”

“He’s really still holding a grudge about that, huh?”

“Have you met Jake?” Josh snorts a laugh.

“Do you think he’s still hung up on her?”

“For a moment I thought he wasn’t, but sometimes I just don’t know. They were together for five years, Kai.”

Five years. 

“Fuck.” Kai seems to share the same thought. “She certainly didn’t act like it.”

Josh lets out a light chuckle, sounding like he’s moving farther away from you. “She never did. But hey, I’m just glad she’s finally out of his life. Last I heard she was living with some tattoo artist guy in Vegas.”

“…You ever?”

“Fuck no! Are you kidding me?!” Josh scoffs, nearly wrenching at the thought. “Besides the obvious fact that he would’ve murdered me in my sleep, there was a higher chance of her Lorena Bobbit’ing my ass than me having any semblance of a good time.”

Kai laughs, causing his cackle to echo throughout the house. “The crazier the better in my opinion.”

“You would say that.” Josh’s voice and his footsteps grow distant from you, making it sound as though he’s making his way toward the kitchen.

“Sounds like you got quite the mess to sort through.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m just worried about it. I did tell her that I would be okay if she wanted to only be with him though.”

Hearing him say those feelings out loud to Kai brings you back to that moment in the car and the guilt you felt, how you both reassured each other the best way you knew how. 

“Do you honestly believe that you would?”

“I’d have to be, right?” The disappointment and sadness in his voice is palpable. 

“Do you think she would do that?”

“I don’t know…” You fight the urge to rush in there and reassure him in some way. 

Kai sighs, pausing for a minute before speaking, “I don’t know about what’s going with Jake, but she fucking adores you, Josh. It’s not much coming from me because I don’t get all lovey-dovey and shit, but I see it. The way she looks at you, she cares about you. That much I do know.”

“Fuck. I dunno…maybe you’re right. I get the feeling she’s holding back something from me…” he trails off. “What about you? Do you adore me, Kai?”

“I always will, pretty boy. If there’s a day that you’re single and I’m finally ready to settle down, You’ll be the one I’ll call.”

“Oh, I’m so flattered,” Josh giggles.

“Shut the fuck up. You know I’m a mess and a walking red flag. You’re too good for me anyway.”

“What can I say? I’m drawn to toxic like a moth to a flame, baby.”

“No, that’s your fucking twin.”

You decide it’s time to make your presence known and walk into the living room. They are both leaning against opposite ends of the kitchen counter when Josh hears you enter. You make your way across the room, catching a knowing look from Kai — one that you’ll choose to ignore for now. Josh perks up, giving you that beaming smile of his. “Hey, baby. How’d you sleep?”

Once you’re close enough, he sets his coffee mug down and pulls you in for a warm embrace, an action so domestic it makes your heart flutter. Knowing what you heard moments ago threatens to overwhelm you, but you try your best to keep yourself calm. You hold his slender waist, giving him a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. “Pretty good. Didn’t like waking up in an empty bed.”

He frowns as he plays with the hem of your shirt, but it spreads into a grin when he sees that it’s one of his own. Looking down at you with a playful glint in his eye, he bites down at his bottom lip while his hands roam freely up and down your body. “I’m sorry, sweet girl. I just couldn’t bring myself to wake you, and I thought you should sleep in a little longer.” 

He then reaches over and grabs his mug to take another sip. Curious, you tip it down to see what’s inside, asking, “What’s this?”

“Oh! Kai was able to figure out how to use Jake’s ridiculously expensive espresso machine,” he explains, gesturing with the tip of his chin to Kai behind you. “I know we aren’t fancy baristas like you.”

You turn to look at Kai, who is taking a massive bite out of the center of a piece of buttered toast. “You made this?”

Kai nods with a confident smirk, brushing the crumbs off his fingers, and mumbling, “I did. Want one?”

“I would love one,” you reply, pleasantly surprised. While Josh keeps his hands busy massaging your shoulders, you watch Kai start setting up the machine for your shot of espresso. “Don’t you have to be at the shop this morning?”

Josh lets out a whimsical sigh, but it’s obvious he’s less than thrilled. “Sam opened for me, but I gotta head over there at noon.”

The deadbolt of the front door unlocks, throwing you all into a standstill of silence as the ominous clack of boot heels hits the wooden floor. Your eyes glue themselves to the threshold of the living room, waiting for him to step into view. 

Anxiety and guilt send your heart racing into a panic state. You haven’t had the time to pull together a decent explanation to defend yourself. It doesn’t matter, because the second you see him, the words you could’ve prepared would’ve vanished. 

Jake pauses in the entryway, scanning over the scene of the three of you before him. His eyes are covered with a pair of dark wire-rimmed sunglasses that hide his expression from you. You brace for an explosive reaction and fight back the nausea bubbling in the pit of your belly. 

If there were a record playing, the needle would be sent across the vinyl with a theatrical scratch. 

You watch the tightly wound muscles of his jaw clench as he sets his guitar case down on the floor with a heavy thud. His movements are slow, but calculated. There’s no doubt he’s angry. He’s practically seething with disgust. You look over to Josh, desperate for a sense of direction but the worry in his eyes gives you little to no hope.

He removes his sunglasses and hooks them over the collar of his t-shirt, giving you the sight of the tired circles framing his hollow eyes.  “You know, Kai… I thought I made it extremely clear to you that I never wanted to see your face ever again. And yet, you come into my place of business anyway. Which, I let slide because I love my brother. But the fact you’re in my fucking house—“

“I’m not one to turn down an invitation,” Kai interrupts, baiting Jake.   

“Get. Out,” Jake snarls through gritted teeth, letting himself slip. The tension in the room feels like a disease, infecting every inch of your body with each passing second. 

Kai lets the silence stale as his eyes pan across the room, locking on yours for a few seconds longer than they should. “Well, everyone, it seems as though I’ve overstayed my welcome,” he sings with a sleepy lilt, setting down his half-empty coffee mug on the counter. He steps toward Josh at a leisurely pace, pulling him in for an affectionate and gentle kiss to mumble against his lips, “It’s been wonderful. I hope to do this again sometime.” Josh relaxes enough to smile from the touch, but the stiffness returns as soon as Kai separates from him. 

Kai makes his way around the island and leans down to you to place a dramatic kiss on your lips. Knowing that Jake is watching, he makes sure to slip his tongue enough for him to see. He breaks away to breathe you in, humming in satisfaction, “It’s been a true pleasure, kitten.” 

“That’s enough.” Jake’s voice cuts through the air with a razor’s edge. 

Your face flames hot with a feeling of shame. There’s no denying what happened. There’s no backtracking the events of last night in an attempt to smooth things over. Not only has Jake caught you, but you’re rubbing the very idea of it in his face. Keeping his jade-colored eyes locked on yours, Kai straightens upright. The shit-eating grin and the wink he gives you is a tell-all. He’s not intimidated by him in the slightest — it’s all just another play of the game. With the cocky smile fixed on Kai’s face, he turns to face him. “Don’t tell me you’re threatened by me, Jake.”

Exhibiting an unwavering ego, Kai takes confident strides in the face of danger. There’s an unbridled rage tearing at the weakened seams of Jake’s composure, and you’re within seconds of witnessing it. Kai steps between him and the wall, towering over him by those crucial inches. You’ve seen this type of display before — that standoff between Josh and Jake in the tiny office. However, this feels very different to you. This goes beyond petty sibling rivalry. The glimmer in Kai’s eyes tells you he’s nowhere close to laying down and showing his belly for mercy. 

He should just pass by Jake and walk right out that door, but he doesn’t. He gives in to the temptation and decides to toss out a final taunt. “She was a real treat last night.” The way the words slip so effortlessly from his quick-witted tongue leaves a bitterness on yours. “Which isn’t a surprise. I’ve always admired your taste. Although I will say I like her a lot better than Roxi.”

Jake suddenly lunges forward with the same ferocity of a rabid dog, grabbing fistfuls of Kai’s button-up. “Get her name out of your fucking mouth, you piece of shit!” 

Being arguably stronger, roughly forty pounds heavier, and a couple of inches taller, Kai reacts quicker than your brain can process, making it seem as though it’s a frenzied blur of motion. He shoves Jake backward by the scruff of his shirt, throwing him into the opposite wall with enough force to make the picture frames rattle from the impact. Jake’s pinned, having all the air knocked from his chest. As calm as Kai seems to be, you’re not ignorant of the pacified aggression lying just beneath the surface. Through Jake’s grunts, he makes his threat clear as they stare into the darkest corners of their minds through each other’s eyes, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Jake.” 

Afraid of the worst, your head snaps back to Josh, silently begging him to do anything to diffuse the situation. Fear has cast over his features as well, leaving you both frozen in place to watch it all unfold in front of your very eyes.  

“Get the fuck off me!” Jake spits, ripping Kai’s hands from his clothing with a frustrated throw of his arms. 

There’s so much more that he wishes to do. He wants to tear Kai to shreds — to throw a well-deserved punch into that chiseled jaw, to break that perfect nose, to leave him bloody and bruised, but he knows that the odds are stacked against him. It’s an unfair fight with far more disadvantages than he wants to admit. This is a match between a man with everything to lose and one wagering absolutely nothing.

While Jake blows the violent plumes of his anger through flared nostrils, Kai irons out the new wrinkles of his shirt with an unbothered pass of his palm. “And with that, I bid you all adieu.” Aware that the stakes are rising by the second, he doesn’t wait for the responses that are stuck in your throat and goes to leave. Before he takes the final step out of the door, he looks over his shoulder. “And Jake? That temper is going to get the best of you one day. Don’t let it get away from you.” 

Jake throws up a middle finger, a gesture to which Kai responds with a dry, humorless laugh before closing the door behind him. Josh hears the door latch into place and steps toward his brother, calling out to him, “Jake—“ 

“Fuck you!” The words shot out of his mouth as a verbal strike — meant only to hurt. He hasn’t bothered looking at you until now, but when those eyes find you, you deeply wish they hadn’t. He glares at you with black, wounded eyes basted in pure, undiluted disappointment. You hate that look. It makes you feel sick and riddled with shame.

He picks up his guitar case, breaking eye contact to shoot Josh a hateful look of his own. He jabs a finger in the air, pointing directly at his brother. “You’re a fucking prick.” 

Josh recoils but doesn’t say another word in defense. Pissed and not wanting to stay another second, Jake takes off down the hall toward the bedrooms. 

You leap off the barstool, sending the chair skidding across the floor as you call after him, “Jake, wait! Let me explain!” 

“Jake!” You bolt down the hall after him, but he doesn’t stop or at the very least, slow down for you. He doesn’t even bother glancing back at you to give you a hateful look. The only thing you’re given in return for your efforts is a slammed door in your face.  You can only stare at the painted wood, contemplating whether you should knock or barge right in. 

He’s shut you out — figuratively and literally. 

Deflated, you walk aimlessly into Josh’s bedroom. Your feet are working separately from your mind, carrying you to his bed. You crawl on top of the disheveled duvet and breathe in the dissipating scent of Kai’s cologne. All you want to do is disappear, to take away the feeling that’s closing the walls of your chest. 

You curl into the fetal position, making yourself as small as you possibly can. Lying there, you have a hard time telling how much time has passed when you hear Josh walking into the room and feel his weight shift across the mattress. 

“Hey,” he says quietly, carefully reaching out to touch the back of your arm to comfort you. Feeling as though you don’t deserve it, you flinch from the gentle contact, shrugging his hand from your body. He sighs, “I know you’re mad at me, baby.” He then clears his throat, but the defeat coats every word like a sickness, “You have every right to be, honestly. I…I probably wasn’t in my right frame of mind last night. I mean don’t regret it… but shit… I wasn’t thinking that clearly either. I saw how the two of you were at the bar and saw the chance. I was so blinded by this fantasy I’ve had to sleep with him that I forgot about your feelings in all this. I didn’t care about Jake either. I knew he would be pissed but I didn’t care.” You can hear how painful the last sentence is to his heart.  “I’m sorry I pulled you into this.”

You stare at the collection of vintage posters on his wall, letting the apology brew in your thoughts as you study the images. You aren’t angry with him. You never were, but you don’t have the energy to correct him on it now. You can’t even say you regret what happened with Kai, but you need answers to the questions assaulting the forefront of your mind. “Tell me about Roxi.”

Some time passes before he cuts through the looming silence. “Ah…shit. I don’t even know where to start with that,” he begins as he stretches across the bed next to you. You listen quietly, keeping your back to him. “I guess they met when they were about twenty or twenty-one. We were all fresh out of our apprenticeships when he started tattooing her and didn’t take long for them to become a thing. A will-they-won’t-they, on-again-off-again thing for five fucking years, babe. One minute they would be the sweetest lovebirds in front of you and then the next they were going at each other’s throats. I don’t want to say it was just her that was the problem, but she put him through a lot of bullshit for a long time.”

You can’t ignore the hints of anger in his voice. “He was in love with her?”

“In love with the idea of her. A version of her that will never, ever exist. I don’t care what anyone says to me about it. That’s what I believe. For years he chased after what he thought she could be. He was so convinced she was ‘the one’  that he bought a ring and everything. But there was no telling him that. It was one of those things you just had to let play out and let him learn for himself.”

You’re not sure why the truth he’s been hiding from you hurts, but it does. You lay silent, repeating Josh’s words over in your mind. 

Josh isn’t oblivious to your broken breathing pattern — how hard you’re holding back from crying. He risks another touch by brushing his fingertips across your back. “Roxi has been out of the picture for a while, baby. Please don’t hold that weight on your shoulders. His issues with Kai don’t have anything to do with you and I, okay?”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

He stammers over his words, “I-I don’t know…I was selfish about you. I guess that it was easier to stuff his skeletons back in the closet. Maybe I thought it would be bad to put his business out there like that. Or maybe I thought she was in the past and it didn’t matter anymore.”

“He doesn’t even want to talk to me,” your voice croaks, broken from our hitched breath. “You saw it. He didn’t even want to look at me, Josh.”

He sighs, turning to nuzzle into the nape of your neck while wrapping a loose arm around your midsection.  “He’ll come around, babe. He always does.” It’s hard to believe him, especially from what you heard about Jake holding grudges, 

You feel the vibration of his phone against your ass. He lets out an annoyed groan, shifting to dig it out from his front pocket. “Shit! Today of all fucking days…” His sigh might as well have the weight of the world. He rests his forehead against your back, mumbling into the worn cotton, “I gotta head to the shop. Would you like to stay here or do you want me to drive you home?”

The thought of packing your stuff and leaving to be home by yourself nearly crushes you. You feel embarrassed, but ask anyway, “Is it okay if I just lay here for a while?”

“Of course, baby,” he coos reassuringly, placing a kiss on your cheek before crawling off the bed. He knows you need the space, so he doesn’t push any more affection onto you yet. “Text or call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

It’s been hours since Josh left for work, and you spent most of that time rotting in the duvet cocoon feeling sorry for yourself. There was a nap or two, but nothing to make you feel well-rested in any sense. If anything, you feel more exhausted, but with dusk finally falling, you’re forced to crack open the door. You hear the ominous sounds of someone shuffling around in the kitchen. The hallway is cast in darkness, but you can see that Jake’s door is open. 

You’re going to have to face him. 

There’s no avoiding it. 

It looks as though he’s cooking dinner, prepping the pile of vegetables stacked on the center of the counter. He’s chopping away but doesn’t lift his head as you step closer. You know he hears you, so you stand on the opposite side of the island and wait for him to finally acknowledge you. 

Even though he’s changed his clothing to a different band t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, he’s never seemed more uncomfortable. His long hair is tied back in a messy, low bun with loose strands falling around his face. You make the first move to break the silence. “Are we gonna talk or what?”

The muscles of his jaw tighten, but he keeps his lips sealed together in an expressionless, thin line. “Jake, come on,” you prod, your impatience growing with every second he chooses to ignore you. He continues chopping, keeping his focus on the large onion pressed beneath his fingertips. His behavior ignites a flash of anger inside you like a struck match. “Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment right now?!” Nothing. Just the repetitive sound of the blade thumping against the cutting board. “Can you just tell me you’re mad?”

Your incessant pestering distracts him, causing the butcher knife to escape from his stranglehold grasp, cutting his finger which makes him drop the blade and hiss a curse under his breath. Instead of breaking away to tend to the fresh wound, he goes back to chopping the rest of the onion. 

“You’re bleeding, Jake,” you mutter, thinking that he would’ve noticed the trail of blood running down the side of his palm and smearing across the vegetable. “Can you please just look at me? Talk to me.” You don’t care that you’re unwelcome. You won’t leave until you get a reaction out of him. “Just fucking say something. Anything. I know you’re pissed at me. Just tell me I’m fucking horrible. Tell me you hate me. Just say something.”

The fraying line that’s been keeping his composure finally snaps within seconds. He snatches the glass bowl full of diced onions sitting on the counter and hurls it into the wall to your right, screaming with rage as it flies through the air. 

The small bowl shatters on impact, sending an explosion of glass shards and tiny bits of onion everywhere. 

“FUCK!” 

You recoil from the sound and the rise of his voice, staring blankly at the scene before you after being stunned into silence. This is the first real, raw emotion he’s shown you, and you’re not sure what to do with it. Several seconds of silence pass before you can finally breathe, “What the fuck is the matter with you?!”

He’s gripping the edge of the countertop with his head hung low, mumbling, “You just don’t understand.” 

“What don’t I understand?”

He reaches for the crumpled tea towel beside him and wraps it around his bleeding finger, muttering in a low, calculated voice, “Kai is a fucking drifter and a player.” He clenches his fist around the soiled cloth, causing his knuckles to turn a ghostly shade of white. “He goes from one person to the next whenever he gets bored with them. It’s always been about an easy fuck for him. He fucking used you like he does everyone else. Don’t you see that?! He doesn’t care about you, dove.” The muscles tighten over his jaw while his darkened, sunken eyes rise to meet yours, giving you an icy scowl that threatens to make the blood run cold in your veins. “Never has, never will.”

Defensiveness comes as a visceral reaction for you. He’s dead wrong, and the last thing you’re about to do is let him barrel over you to prove it. You firmly stand your ground, spitting back harsh words of your own, “Sounds like someone I know.”

“Excuse me?!” He scoffs, chucking the ruined towel off to the side. That one hurt, and the pained look on his face is one you won’t forget. 

You dig your heels in, throwing your arms in frustration as you double down, “Oh, so you can fuck all the girls you want but it’s suddenly a problem when I sleep with Kai?!”

Your thrown-in confession causes him to flinch, but confusion becomes layered deep within his anger. “Other girls? What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“The girls you’re texting, Jake! The women that pop up on your phone all the time!” You scream out, pointing to his phone resting on the counter. “Don’t think I don’t see it.”

“Wait a minute…Are you talking about my clients?!” He snaps, fraying apart while staying oblivious to the droplets of blood that are about to drip onto the floor. 

“Oh please, Jake,” you huff, rolling your eyes as you cross your arms over your chest, which brings his attention to the fact you’re wearing Josh’s shirt. “Don’t treat me like I’m an idiot. I may be naive, but I’m not that fucking stupid.”

He laughs and inhales deeply, reigning in the anger enough to say the following words slowly, as if to spoon-feed you what he’s about to say, “I’m not fucking anyone else. I don’t know how else to explain that to you.”

A shred of doubt reveals itself. You want to trust him but your wounded pride forces you to mask it by deflecting. “And you really expect me to believe that? I saw how you flirted with those girls in the front row last night.”

His eyes widen in disbelief. “Are you fucking kidding me?! You had your tongue shoved halfway down Kai’s throat!”

“What does it matter?! You acted like I didn’t exist, Jake! That I was a nobody to you. Now you’re trying to pin some kind of blame on me for what happened in the past between you and him. But guess what? I’m not Roxi.”

That flipped a massive switch, and for a split second, you almost regret letting her name leave your mouth. You’ll admit that it was immature of you, but you don’t care. The anger that's been kept at a steady simmer between you boils over into a seething rage, popping and bursting onto anything that stands too close. He points a threatening finger at you, spitting the venom-dipped words, “Don’t you fucking dare act like you know anything about her, because you don’t. But you’re right. I expected you to have higher standards for who you fucked than she did.”

“Well, I slept with you, didn’t I?!” You sneer, throwing his insult back in his face. He becomes unrecognizable from the tears glazing over your tired eyes, pooling at your lashes before they have the chance to spill over. You’re just out to hurt each other now, throwing verbal punches to see who can cause the most damage.

It seems as though you got the last shot in because he doesn’t strike out at you again. There are no smartass remarks for him to come back with. His eyes break away from yours, and his gaze falls to the bloody cutting board resting on the counter in front of him. “This was a fucking mistake.”

Moments ago you were shouting at each other from across the granite countertop, but now the house is deathly quiet after hearing those five words, so quiet that the air becomes too thick for you to breathe. The way his voice cracked ever so slightly makes your heart plummet into the pit of your stomach. You wait, hoping that it’s not what you think it means, or perhaps you’re just anticipating the worst. 

Your voice catches from trying not to cry, “What’s a mistake?” 

This feeling terrifies you. You’ve been betting against the odds this whole time, risking it all on the chance you wouldn’t care for him this way. You’ve been ignorant, determined to convince yourself that you weren’t falling in love. 

Love. 

How could you fall in love with both of them like this?

This should be a euphoric moment for anyone— something to be celebrated and cherished. Most would be confessing it under far different circumstances, instead you’re staring at that same man with hurt welling in his eyes. You run away from it like a coward, forced to bury it deep and shove it away before it has a chance to break you. 

His shoulders fall as if all life has been drained from him. He waves an outstretched hand to nothing in particular, but there’s no life in the movement. “This.”

Uncomfortable silence stales between you, and his eyes flicker up to meet yours. You see his brother’s softness in his face — a vulnerability he makes sure to keep from you. The look paired with the answer he gave crushes you. There’s a real possibility that you could lose him now that you’ve done an expert job of pushing him away. The need to be closer compels you to take a step, and you start to circle your way around the island.  “So this is it then?” 

Your hand follows the hard edge of the counter as you round the corner, sliding across its smooth surface. You grip onto it, using it as the only thing to ground yourself until you’re standing beside him. He doesn’t say a single word, move an inch, or even make an attempt to look at you. If anything, he stiffens from your presence. Feeling like he’s giving up on you, you challenge in a low voice,  “Are you really done because you got jealous?”

“I’m not fucking jealous!” he shouts, slamming his hand down onto the counter through the resurgence of that rage.  You jump back hearing the cutting board rattle beneath his palm, but it doesn’t scare you away. He’s just as scared, breathing heavily, watching you reach a hand out from the corner of his eye. He flinches when you touch his arm, but he doesn’t move away from you. In a weaker, pained voice, he says, “Do you actually think I don’t care about you?” 

“Jake?” You whisper meekly, just barely grazing over his splayed fingers out of sheer desperation to connect with him in some way. Your heart aches when you see him pull his hand from yours, leaving behind a red stain across the wooden board. “Jake, please.”

You step into the heat and scent of his body, bringing yourself inches from him. Your broken pleas are the only thing you can offer, begging your way in despite his rejection to keep you out. He warns with your name pushing past his lips through a tired sigh.

You ignore it. With only a breath between you, you nudge your nose into the side of his neck, brushing your lips across the warm skin so faintly he might question if the feeling is real. He shudders through a harsh swallow but doesn’t push you away. You abandon your morals, kissing his throat with much more intent. A soft groan echoes in his throat as your tongue flicks across him and in the blink of an eye, he snatches your wrist, pulling you back. 

You suck in a sharp breath, startled by his movements. While the hold he has on you isn’t painful, it’s firm, keeping you pinned between him and the island’s granite edge. 

His other hand finds the nape of your neck, and he knots his fingers in your hair, forcing you to look up at him. You watch, dumbfounded as his bloodshot eyes scan over your face until they lock with yours. You accept your vulnerable state, submitting to him without a single word of protest. 

“Oh, dove,” he hums, clicking his tongue. “Look at you…whimpering and crawling your way back to me like this. Do I need to lick your wounds for you, too?” He mocks in that gravelly voice of his, sending the words across your lips, each one bathed in whiskey as if he had recently taken a sip. You know he’s far from drunk, remembering the half-filled rocks glass sitting on the counter. “It’s pathetic. Did he even make you cum? Or did he need Josh’s help for that too?” 

It should piss you off—the way he’s speaking to you like this. If you had any sense or dignity left, you would shove him off you and storm back into Josh’s room to gather your belongings.

Knowing you don’t have a response, he continues, “My sweet, beautiful dove. Is that name even fitting for you anymore? Or are you a cuckoo — tricking your way into my nest pretending to be something you’re not? I trusted you, yet here I am with betrayal finding me once again.”

“I’m sorry,” you squeak out, your strength cracking beneath him.  

“Why should I let you back in? Do you think you’ve earned my forgiveness?” He hisses, his hurt seeping into the hushed sound. You don’t blame him. You’re not even confident that you could convince yourself that you deserve it. Left speechless, you’re only able to look up at him, glassy and doe-eyed with your tears falling freely down your flushed cheeks. 

The sight of you changes something within him. He curses to himself before his lips collide with yours, angry and needy. He ruts himself against you, letting go of your wrist to brace himself on the counter. The kiss is heady— desperate with hunger as if he has been starving for this. He pants your name in a bated breath, confessing, “Don’t you see my weakness for you?”

It makes you throb to hear it. You need him. God, you need him and you don’t care what it’ll cost you. He devours you, licking into your mouth to consume everything he can. The smokey taste of him, the feeling of his dominant tongue running along yours, the nipping of his teeth on your lips. With your hand free, you search across his thigh, quickly finding his erection through his sweatpants. The thin fabric does nothing to hide it, letting you feel how hard he truly is. 

You stroke your fingers over his covered length, but he stops you from dipping them beneath his waistband. Breaking away from the kiss, he warns, “I’m not going to be gentle with you.” 

“I don’t care,” you whine into his mouth, fighting the grasp he has around your arm.

He squeezes your hand, emphasizing again, “I’m serious. I’m not going to be careful, dove.” 

You glare into his eyes, staying in his darkened irises — perhaps to call his bluff or maybe to bait him further. “I want this.” 

“Fine,” he huffs, releasing your hand. He then steps back, flipping you around to face away from him. Before you can react, he places a hand flat between your shoulder blades, pushing you down until your chest is flush with the counter’s surface. You shiver the chill of the stone against your hardening nipples through your shirt. “Is this really what you want?”

You swallow to wet your tongue, answering, “Yes.”

Without another warning, his open palm connects with your ass, cracking against the flesh with a powerful slap. You cry out as the sting radiates, prickling the skin with its heat. 

“I turn my back for one second and I catch you giving your perfect pussy away to him.” His fingertips skim across the raised mark he left, tracing along the edge of your panties before hooking the band and pulling the cotton down your legs. You hear the threads of it rip on the way to the floor, then feel his fingers ghost over your bare cunt. He spits, and you imagine how it looks as he starts stroking himself before pressing the head of his cock to your entrance. “Don’t forget your color.” 

There’s no foreplay to get you ready for him this time because he buries himself inside you in a single powerful thrust. The moan that heaves from your chest is guttural. You welcome the pain of him stretching you out so quickly, groaning as it melts into pleasure when he slowly withdraws. 

He doesn’t allow you to bask in it for long, snapping his hips forward to ram himself back into your cervix. His hand grips around your waist, balling the material of your shirt between his fingers. 

He lives up to his word, fucking you harder than he ever has before. There’s no doubt that this is fueled by his anger or possibly a newfound hatred for you, but you take it all in, biting back your muffled cries. While your teeth create a row of indents into the flesh of your forearm, his fingers dig deeper into your hip. He doesn’t talk you through like he has in the past, giving you the sounds of his ragged breathing instead.

The rhythm he uses is unrelenting. The power behind his thrusts is unprecedented. He’s rough with you, just as he promised, pressing you against the cold, hard granite, left with nothing to brace yourself. You’re lost in it, overwhelmed by the fact that this might be the very last time you have him. 

Fearful that you won’t be able to handle much more, you whimper out, “Jake.”

He suddenly freezes at the sound of his name and takes a minute for the both of you to catch your breath before pulling completely out of you. You panic thinking that it might be over, and plead over your shoulder. “No, don’t stop!”

“Color?”

“Green.”

He waits for a second before spinning you around to lift you onto the countertop. He slips himself back in, and after seeing how much you’ve been crying, tucks the hair stuck to your temple behind your ear and cradles your face to kiss you. 

“Close your eyes for me,” he instructs calmly, effectively shushing you. You clutch onto his shoulders and wrap your legs about the small of his back, locking him inside you as you allow your eyelids to flutter closed. He holds you still, sending the warmth of his fluttering breath until his tongue passes over your cheek in a delicate flick. He licks up the trails of tears across your skin, cleaning the dried salt as he makes his way to your soaked lashes. He’s breaking you apart only to put you back together again. 

A choked sob escapes you, “I’m so sorry, Jake.” 

He groans in response to the sounds of your weeping, biting at your swelling cheek before burying his face in the crook of your neck. He breathes you in, and finds a new pace, gliding into you with a controlled ease. 

“Say it again,” he growls against your ear with a deliberate thrust. “I need to hear you beg for it.”

“I’m sorry,” you whine, but absentmindedly. You’re more than distracted, using most of your focus on the way his cock hits your g-spot from the change in angle. 

“Sorry for what?”

“For Kai,” you blurt out. 

His hand wraps around your throat, tight enough to grab your attention and redirect it to him. “Use your words.” 

You look at him, blinking away the cloudiness from your vision to see the sweat glistening across his forehead and his heavy-lidded eyes covering his blown pupils. You can be upset at him later, but for now, you give him the apology he wants. “I’m sorry for fucking Kai.” 

He brings his lips to the shell of your ear — his exhale blowing from his nostrils like air from a pair of bellows. “I thought I told you I don’t fucking share, dove,” he scolds with the words searing off his tongue. “I let you fuck Josh.” A chill runs down your spine because he knows your feelings for his twin. Before tonight, this was all a role, an act that he knew turned you on. That line between it and the real him is becoming more and more blurred, with the phrase ringing in your ears, echoing around in your mind. “Don’t forget that.”

“Jake—“

He interrupts by swiping his wet fingers across your lips, painting them in a sticky, crimson smear. You lick across them, but there’s no denying the metallic taste of blood on your tongue. “Your pussy is mine,” he snarls, letting his jealousy possess him entirely. 

He pulls away slightly and guides you to lean back, creating space between you. You’re able to see the soiled state of Josh’s white t-shirt that you’re wearing. It’s stained in a spattering of bloody prints and wrinkled beyond recognition. You can’t dwell on it for long because Jake’s pace has quickened again, and when he realizes you haven’t responded, he snaps, “Say it!”

There’s ferality in his gaze, and you’re running off the adrenaline of it all — blinded by poisonous lust and raw emotion. “It’s yours.”

“Now touch it. Make yourself cum for me.”

You do as you’re told without hesitation, bringing your shaky fingers to your clit. He holds onto your hips as his line of sight floats from your face down to your pussy, watching you pleasure yourself while he continues to fuck you. 

You notice that his hair has fallen free from the hair elastic, draping most of his face in the curtain of chestnut locks. He’s held onto full control until this point, but now even he can’t hold back, grunting, “Fuck, I’ve missed this.”

Making eye contact with you, he tips his head and spits aggressively onto your swollen cunt — giving you an image you will never forget. He doesn’t even have to tell you what to do next. With slick fingers, you slip them effortlessly across yourself, using your favorite technique. 

You’re close. 

He’s beginning to falter as well, revealing to you that he’s not going to last much longer. You race to the finish line, frantic in your movements to make yourself orgasm. Fighting the temptation to cum, his strokes are a combination of deep and shallow, making sure to hit every spot inside you perfectly. He’s learned you well enough, after all. 

“Be a good girl and make it up to me,” he pants desperately.

It doesn’t take much more for you to fall apart. Within seconds, it all comes crashing down around you. You claw for him to be as close as possible, tightening your shaky legs around his waist to keep him inside you. What would normally be euphoric moans sung into the air, are broken cries and muffled curses. It might’ve been the release you were craving the most, but not the one you needed. 

Because you know when the dust begins to settle, you’ll be left with the truth of it all — those feelings without the sex to disguise them. 

TAGLIST:

@gretavanbitches @dannyandthekiszkas @asparrowofthedawn96 @ageofnations @garbagevanfleet @pennylanefics @alexxavicry @gvfficrecs @jakeyboiiiiiii @doodle417 @richjaaasss @pr41sethemoon @gretavanflowerpowerrr @joshskittytickler @tripthelightfatality @maddie-van-fleet @sarakay-gvf @josiee-gvf @milkgemini @sammiejane22 @gretavanbear @capturethechaos @welllauragvf @averagemisfit03 @myownparadise96 @givemeyourtots2 @gretavangroove @objectsinspvce @myownparadise96 @feilores @josh-iamyour-mama @givemeyourtots2 @joshkiszkasbigtoe @mydarlingdanny @shutupdevvie @twinszka @busybeingtrash @carlybubs @demonrat444 @high-fidelity1 @jake-kiszkas-smirk @sunandthemoontwinflames @klarxtr @sacredthethreadgvf @gracev0609

#skin deep fic #skin deep update #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet smut #greta van fleet fanfic #josh kiszka smut #jake kiszka smut #gvf smut fic #gvf series #josh kiszka series #jake kiszka series #greta van fleet au fic #josh kiszka au #jake kiszka au #gvf twin fic series #gvf twin fic #josh kiszka fanfic #josh kiszka x y/n #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka angst #skin deep #greta van fleet fanfiction #gvf smut #gvf fic #josh kiszka fanfiction #gvf tattoo fic #gvf tattoo au #gvf tattoo!au

[writingcold]

Celebratory Drinks & Fleeting Embraces Master List

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7.1 & 7.2, 7.3 & Epilogue

Completed April 2024!

18+ Series Fiction Jake X fem reader (reader insert) My first full length fic for reader insert. Yikes.

Summary: A night of celebration has you crossing paths with Jake during the era of the Black Smoke Rising EP release. You have just graduated with your Masters and you are officially on your way. Jake helps you to celebrate that night with an endearing one night stand. What should have ended on that special night turns into a winding path that crosses decades, relationships and fleeting embraces with the man that haunts your dreams.

Content Warnings: Adult situations, adult relationships, all sorts of sexual encounters, both protected and unprotected sex. Warnings will be present on each posting. Silver Fox Jake (just putting it out there!)

A huge thank you to @edgingthedarkness and @takenbythemadness for weeks and weeks of listening to me whine about this, for their big bad assed beta skills, and their input. Love and kisses to you both. 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

I have a lovely playlist that is by no means in order of events in the story, but does kind of - it's just how my brain works:

I do have a tag list - here

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @gretavanbitches @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatcherc @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit @sinarainbows @thetroublegetssoloud71 @gracev0609 @gretavangroupie @fleet-of-fiction @edgingthedarkness @itsafullmoon @anythingforjtk @seenoversundown @klarxtr

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #cd&fe #greta van fleet fan fiction #gvf fanfiction #jake kiszka smut #jake kiszka fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet AU #jake kiszka AU #Spotify

[thewritingbeforesunrise]

BALLERINA - Masterlist.

A Jake Kiszka AU.

Pairing: Physiotherapist!Jake x Original Female Character

Summary: Dancing had always been like breathing for Iris, so when a terrible accident occurs, she doesn't know if she would be able to get her life as a professional ballerina back. In these darkest times, a light comes to her rescue. Doctor Jacob Kiszka, a young and charming physiotherapist, will do everything in his power to help her dance, and breathe, again.

A/N: This is a little project I have been working on for quite some time now. I absolutely love AUs, so I decided to try and write something like this. This is a mini-fic, so it is going to be posted in chapters. I hope Physiotherapist!Jake steals your heart as he did mine.

Warnings: slowburn, talking of bad injuries, talking of depression and suicide (only hinted at), fluff, graphic sexual content (properly indicated if present in each chapter), Jake is a sweetheart, Jake in sweats.

Don't hesitate to let me know what you think about this!

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen (Epilogue)

This story is completed.

If you are interested, you can join my general taglist here.

#greta van fleet #greta van fic #greta van smut #jake kiszka #gvf fic #fanfic #jake kiszka smut #jake gvf #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka AU

[sacredjake]

Carpe Noctem

pairing: Jake Kiszka x Siren!Reader

warnings: MDNI 18+!!! blood, death, killing, angst, cursing, supernatural elements, brief mention of weapons and minor assault, guilt, talk of dying, smut, fluff, soulmate au

word count: 13.8k

This fic will display themes of death and killing, and i will do my best to tag every warning, but if i miss one please, please, please bring it to my attention.

As Nympha Legatus of your pod you must do what it takes to complete the duty bestowed upon you and your sisters. Even if it means killing the man you love. Will fate continue to haunt you or will you give in to what you truly desire?

a/n: this fic has been almost a month in the making and even longer in the brainstorming stage and i am so excited to share it with everyone! thank you @malany-gvf for always helping me talk out the ideas i have. huge, massive thank you to @gold-mines-melting for giving endless feedback, support and suggestions and taking time to read this and edit it. i appreciate and love you both so much, thank you from the bottom of my heart <33333

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Light from the full moon overhead illuminated your already glistening skin every so often as clouds passed by. The silver rays that shone upon you reflected a scene like the ocean you had emerged from, like moonlight glittering off the waves. The night was misty, rain falling lightly as your pod walked through the streets towards the closest club or bar. Forgoing the need for a coat, raindrops dotted the exposed areas and rolled off seamlessly disguising the naturally dewy texture of your skin. 

The rain was purposeful, a product of your magic to blend in better with the humans. If not for that you would look even more out of place with the way your skin looked wet even when dry. It was also a way to ensure everyone was hydrated and avoided drying out. While a quarter of you would not return tonight, at least it would not be from lack of water. 

Scuffing from shoes on gravel and rocks being kicked were the only sounds echoing through the dark streets. Some of your sisters were still getting their bearings, it being their first night on legs and all, stumbles were to be expected. Wearing shoes was a major adjustment, but to fit in, shoes were a necessity. 

Oh how you missed the days when the humans walked around barefoot. Things were so much simpler then. Before him. 

You shook the memory out of your head before it snowballed any further. Now was not the time for that. Focus. 

Red light caught your eye as it reflected off puddles and the shiny black gravel. Your eyes followed the trail, landing on multiple different neon signs lighting up the club your pod approached. Like you had expected there to be, a long line formed outside the bar of humans waiting to get inside. At the front stood a tall, large man wearing a tight black shirt and jeans with his arms crossed looking over the line. 

Sarenya stopped beside you, and your sisters who followed closely behind mirrored both your actions. She turned to face the pod as you eyed the bouncer a bit longer, sizing him up. When she began to speak you turned around and met the faintly glowing eyes of your younger sisters. 

Another distinguishing trait that showed you were not human. 

Nymph’s eyes were usually different from the humans’. The color of one’s eyes determined their age and their status. While a siren’s eyes were green in the early stages of their life, red during their middle age and silver in their later years, a mermaid’s eyes were blue, purple and then gold in their respective life stages. The commonality between the two? Every nymph’s iris sparkled. No, not like that disgusting glitter humans loved so much that stuck to everything. Within each iris lay a million tiny flecks of their color in a lighter shade, reflective and bright. And definitely not human. 

And yes, mermaids and sirens were both sea nymphs. Humans always tried to make different categories for everything they knew little about, but it was not that complex. Although the technical terms back home were oceanids and naiads, you had learned long ago that people on land had left their original names behind. It didn’t matter much to you honestly, you were all children of the sea, and there wasn’t much difference between a mermaid and a siren anyways beside your eye color and abilities. 

Everyone knew sirens had beautiful voices, but this was merely an amplification of their compulsion. While sirens couldn’t compel any other sea nymph, it worked on every other living being. But that’s just the most well known ability. Sirens can also manipulate water, and alter the way something may appear to others. Illusion was the most useful ability a siren could use on a night like tonight.

A mermaid’s abilities were different of course. While sirens could manipulate water, mermaids could control the state of water turning it from liquid to gas to solid. Hence the rain, a combination of both your powers working together. Their most useful power for tonight, however, was their ability to control the emotions of others. 

“Alright, we have a few fleshlings with us tonight so we’re going to go over how this works.” Sarenya addressed the pod since she was tonight’s leader. “Use your abilities, rule number one. We are here for one purpose and we must do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Rule number two, do not leave any damning evidence behind. We do not need a repeat of 1986 where a scale was left behind for a human to find and cause a frenzy. Rule number three, the humans can be quite attractive, but do not forget that they are not one of us. They are food, not mates. Kill them and move on. Fail and you will die. We can not survive on land.” 

At the end of her rules she caught your eye, speaking the last one almost directly to you. Like a reminder. As if you needed one. It made your chest hurt, your heart being squeezed torturously by an invisible vice. 

She was right though. You only got one night on land, one night to quench the insatiable thirst and gather enough blood for the members of your pod who were not allowed to join the hunt. 

Sea nymphs didn’t rely on blood to survive, it’s not the main source of food. Proteins and sea veggies like kelp and seaweed were a big part of an everyday diet. But human blood was a delicacy, and the key to immortality for a nymph. Just a drop of their blood, and a few ingredients, and you had the key to another ten years of youth. 

“We only have nine hours until sunrise. I do not care what you do in that time as long as all of your vials are full when you return and you follow those rules. Remember, when the sun comes up this is finished. If you do not make it back to the ocean by then… Well you get it by now.” For a mermaid Sarenya was quite blunt and cold, but when so many of your sisters fail to return over the years you kind of have to be. 

“Fleshlings stick by me until I say otherwise, everyone else, you know what to do.” Her golden eyes landed on yours once more with a reassuring glint to them before she strode off towards the bouncer, fleshlings in tow.

The two of you had been overseeing your pod’s hunt since 1693 when you were both promoted to Nympha Legatus, or Nymph Lieutenant. Rising in rank isn’t an easy thing to do, and it was rarely heard of especially since they usually lived forever, but that was an unusual circumstance. The hunt had started out as it usually did with the Nympha Legatus, Nymerian and Tessaya, leading your pod on the shore before breaking off for the night. As the night progressed things went horribly wrong. It had been a year since anyone had been on land and no one was aware of the witch mania that had overtaken the town of Salem. Along with a few others, Nymerian and Tessaya were captured, accused of being witches and thrown in jail to which they never made it back to the sea. Upon returning to the Nympha Ducem, Nymph Commander, you and Sarenya were the only two old enough within the pod to assume the position which required one mermaid and one siren. Since then she has been by your side through everything. You looked out for one another and always made sure the other made it back to the sea even if they had wavering thoughts. 

“Alright everyone, you heard Sarenya, you do what you need to and get back to the beach before sunrise. This isn’t your first Hunt. You know what to expect and how to handle it and we expect you to do just that. Enjoy yourselves, but don’t return home empty handed. Good luck…” Your silver eyes flitted to each of theirs briefly before continuing on the last note before separating. 

“Carpe Noctem.” Their voices mingled with your own as they recited the phrase with you. Sharing smiles, you and the pod turned towards the bar and made your way to the big guy in front of the door. 

Convincing him to let you in was easy. There was no need to use compulsion on him, your beauty taking care of that all on its own. When he asked for an I.D. however, you knew you had to turn it on. Pretending to look for the nonexistent item you pat down your pockets before giving him a sad, doe-eyed look. 

“Oh no… It seems like I left it at home. If I tell you a secret will you let me in?” You could feel the power roll off your tongue, sweet and thick like honey coating each word. The bouncer’s eyes glazed over and he leaned forwards at your request. 

“You don’t need to see my I.D. or any of the girls behind me. You know us.” He straightened back up, his eyes still in a haze. 

“Oh I didn’t realize that was you! Go on in ladies, I don’t need an I.D. for my best girls.” 

There was muttering from the line of humans behind you. Most of them were women expressing their displeasure and jealousy and some were men who were fawning over you and your sisters. Human men were so simple, each one of them the same as the last, year after year. All but one had ever shown you any difference. 

The bouncer opened the door and stepped aside letting you walk past him into the crowded bar. Cigarette smoke lingered in the air and blurred your vision slightly as you push through people to find an empty spot to sit. In your experience the hunt always worked better when you let the humans come to you. It was nice to sit and enjoy your time on land, appreciating the music, observing the humans and their strange behaviors, and savoring the cocktails they made. There was work to be done, sure, but you had the time. 

After an hour had come and gone of observing and accepting drinks from different men you had found yourself in conversation with one. And by Zeus was he the most obnoxious human you had ever met. Ethan, or so you think you heard right, went on and on and on about how much money his family had and how nice his house was and how he just got back from Italy- blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Pfft. Italy, big freaking whoop you had been there more times than you could count, and you really could not give less of a fuck about his money either. So trivial. 

Ethan, or was it Evan, who cares honestly he was about to be dead, kept talking even though you had zoned out long ago. For the last few minutes while what’s his face rambled on you were thinking how exactly you wanted to end his life. Would you promise him sex if he walked out of the club with you only to die in the alley? Or would you use your illusion and kill him right here without anyone noticing? You could also ask him to show you his ‘sick new lambo’ and bleed him dry all over the white leather seats he was raving about. New ideas kept popping into your head, each one better than the last, but your train of thought came to a screeching halt when you caught his eyes. 

He looked the same as he did every damn time. Long, slightly wavy chestnut brown hair, a soft yet strong jawline, plush soft lips, and gentle brown eyes lined with subtle dark circles underneath. No matter how many times you saw him he always seemed to steal the air from your lungs. 

Once his eyes were set on you they didn’t move. It was like he was trying to piece together where he recognized you from although you knew he never would. Your eyes bore into his own taking you back to when you first met. 

June 1713

Dover, England

Twenty years. It had only been twenty years since you were appointed Nympha Legatus which seems like a long time, but in the life of an immortal that’s nothing. Barely scratching the surface. 

The first ten years were rough. You and Sarenya had lost every single fleshling each year, none of them returning to the sea. Some were killed in random accidents, and the others just never made it back. On the eleventh year the first fleshling from your pod survived, finally giving you both hope that maybe you could do this. Maybe everything would be okay. Each year after more and more survived until only one or two didn’t return. That in itself was a success. 

Sarenya led the speech this year warning your sisters about pirates in the area, and human officers in the streets. Men were not so kind to women, especially pirates, and on land nymphs were at their most vulnerable, the Nympha Ducem deeming it illegal to use your abilities during the hunt in fear of causing suspicion amongst the humans. Deciding to hunt in a well populated port was dangerous, but it also offered a safety that desolate towns could not. More people meant you were less likely to be looked upon for being strangers, the sea was close by and there was safety in large crowds. 

“Carpe Noctem.” Everyone spoke the phrase in unison just as they had for centuries before, beginning the hunt. 

You wandered the streets for some time before finding a small pub to begin your night. Drunk men were always easy prey. But they were also unpredictable. A man who went by Billy had approached you shortly after entering the rickety establishment and offered his rum to you. The rum should have been the first indicator of who you were dealing with. The cutlass at his hip should’ve been the second. 

Between sips of the dark liquor and hollow flirting you had ended up in a back alley with Billy trying to execute your plan for killing him. You had sorely underestimated how aware, sober and strong he was. When he caught on that you were not going to do him any sexual favors the cutlass at his hip had been drawn to your neck with his other forearm laid across your chest, pressing your back into the rough brick. You squeezed your eyes shut and waited for whatever Billy was about to do, but nothing happened. 

The pressure against your chest lifted, and the cold metal of the blade at your throat was gone. When you opened your eyes Billy stood in front of you, his hands up in defense, shock and terror written all over his face, dagger pressed to his jugular. 

“Drop the cutlass. Now.” A male voice spoke from behind him, commanding but smooth. Billy did as the disembodied voice said, the sword clattering loudly, the metal banging and scraping against gravel. 

“Apologize to the lady.” 

“I- I‘m sorry miss. Won’t ha- happen again.” Billy stuttered, his legs shaking and hands trembling in the air. 

“Leave and don’t come back. If I see your face in Dover again I can’t promise I’ll be as kind a second time.” 

The man behind your attacker lifted the blade off his throat, nicking the skin ever so slightly drawing the smallest amount of blood. Finally free, Billy bolted down the street not staying to try and fight. You swore you saw his brown trousers darken as he ran away, streams of piss flowing down his legs. Coward. 

When the man straightened up from retrieving the cutlass off the ground you were able to see his face. His brown wavy hair was illuminated by moonlight, plush lips upturned at the corners into a gentle smile, and brown eyes twinkling in the silver beams from above. He was the most gorgeous human you had ever seen. 

His smile dropped a fraction when you made no movement, continuing to stare at him with wide eyes. He took a step back thinking he must have frightened you even more and mentally cursed himself. Instead you took a step forward wanting to not be any further from him than you already were. 

“It was not my intention to frighten you, my lady.” He hung his head in disappointment and shame, unable to meet your eyes again. 

“You did not frighten me, sir. I am just in awe of your beauty.” 

You wanted nothing more than to reach out for him. To touch him, and feel his smooth skin under your fingers. You kept your hands to yourself begrudgingly. 

The man’s head snapped up so quickly it looked like it hurt. Brown eyes were back on your own, a pink tint flushed onto his cheeks. 

“My beauty?” It was incredulous to him that a woman so fair, so breathtaking, was in awe of his beauty. 

“Yes.” You took another step closer to him as you spoke. 

“The most devine creature I have ever seen is calling me beautiful.” 

Your entire body froze. Every muscle and ligament locked in place and rigid. Creature. Did he know what you were? 

“Creature?” The word rolled off your tongue with disgust. A word you had always despised. 

“Well you certainly can not be human and possess the features of a goddess.” 

Just as your body had locked up in mere seconds, it relaxed hearing that what he had called you was a compliment. This was the first time you had actually liked the word creature. It was filled with endearment not disgust. 

“What is your name?” 

“Jacob.” 

“Thank you for stepping in, Jacob. I can only imagine what could have occurred had you not. Would you allow me to buy you a pint as a show of my appreciation and gratitude?” 

“Only if you’ll stay and enjoy one with me.” He beamed brighter than the moon overhead, eyes and smile wide. 

“I shall join you then.” 

The two of you walked down the cobblestone street back towards the small ale house you had come from with Billy. He had asked your name in which you told him earning yet another compliment. 

“A name just as beautiful as the woman who bears it.” 

You couldn’t describe what he was making you feel. There was never another time during your long life that you had ever felt so giddy and nervous around a human. Jacob was something special indeed. 

Time was lost on you once the two of you entered the pub and sat to enjoy a drink. Various conversations about either of you followed naturally, careful to think about your answers. You were not like him after all and one wrong thing could raise questions. 

“That’s a pretty blade.” You pointed to the dagger Jacob had set on the table, it had been the same one held to Billy’s neck. The weapon was fairly simple, a straight cross-guard that downturned slightly at the end and thinned out, the grip looked to be wrapped in leather leading to a round pommel with an atocha coin in the middle. 

“Thank you, I actually made it. I’m a silversmith.” 

Jacob was quite talented. Every piece of weaponry aside from Billy’s he had made himself. A few of the patrons in the tavern had also been carrying around his creations, all of them beautiful. He had taught himself how to fight with a sword, and how to play the guitar. He was the most intriguing human you had ever met. 

And yet he would die that night by your hand. 

Things had finally been going right for your pod in the last nine years, and you had almost thrown all of it down a trench because of some human. Wasting the night away talking to a human because he saved your life? Because he was a wonder to look at? No, that was not important. What was important was gathering the blood you needed and getting home. You had a mission. 

At least that’s what you told yourself when you drained the blood from Jacob, unable to stop. What you had to remind yourself when you saw his body limp and lifeless at your hands. It was what played in a loop in your head any time you thought of how you would never see his beauty again, how you would never admire another human in that way again. 

But you were wrong. Fate was cruel and twisted. 

You finally tore your eyes away from his and turned back to whatever his name was. He will come just as he always did, but this time you will be prepared. Finally taking a breath from speaking, Erik allowed for a lull in the conversation giving the opportunity for you to suggest the two of you find somewhere more private. Of course he was more than happy to oblige. Naïve human. 

Once Edwin was taken care of and you had your vile of blood, you cleaned the mess in the dirty alleyway as best as you could. The door you walked out of had been propped open from the cardboard box you wedged in the doorframe and you slipped back inside easily. Women filled the tiny bathroom, drunk and stumbling as you cleaned yourself up making sure there was no evidence left behind. Satisfied, you left the bathroom and made your way back to where you had been originally sitting. 

You sat there for some time watching the humans dance, talk and laugh trying to keep your eyes off of him. A truly fruitless distraction, your eyes trained on his form unable to look away. A part of you knew that you had to cherish this before it was too late. Not knowing how much time would pass before you did see him again. 

After what seemed like hours, although you’re sure it could’ve only been thirty minutes, he pushed off the table he was leaning against and made his way over to you. Trying to seem like you had not been staring at him all night, your eyes wandered elsewhere looking for anything remotely interesting. It wasn’t until he was basically right in front of you that you allowed your eyes to shift onto him. He stared down at you, the corners of his lips pulled into the smallest smile. 

“Alright if I join you?” His hand was outstretched, palm facing upwards and motioning to the empty seat next to you. 

“Not at all.” You smiled back at him and scooted over slightly on the small cushioned bench to make more room. 

“I wasn’t going to come over here since you were with someone earlier, but it appears that he left.” 

“Yeah,” You chuckled, “Honestly I’m glad I was able to ditch him. He was a bore. Had I known you’d come over sooner I would’ve gotten rid of him a long time ago.” 

“Is that so?” His eyebrows raised, the smile on his face only growing in size. You hummed a short “Mmm,” your eyes meeting his for the first time since he sat down.  

“I’m Jake by the way.” 

Jake extended his hand out to you and you took it, shaking his hand with a firm, but still soft grip. Neither of you could keep your eyes off the other. 

“Y/n.” 

“Fitting. A name just as beautiful as the woman bearing it.” You could feel your heart skip before it sank. You knew he would say it, but that didn’t make the pain any easier. He dropped your hand and lifted his glass up to his lips taking a sip. 

“Not much of a dancer I presume?” 

April 1865

Boston, Massachusetts  

People were everywhere. In the streets, in the bars, cheering, drinking, celebrating. The perfect time to begin the hunt. 

After separating from the pod you found yourself observing the humans while they celebrated victory. The civil war had just ended and their side won. It was fascinating to watch them dance and sing and drink to their hearts desire without any care in the world. 

So caught up in watching the humans, you hadn’t even noticed him in the crowd. But he had noticed you, of course he had. Not only were you the only person in all of Boston to not be celebrating in some way, but you were also stunning. 

“Not much of a dancer I presume?” 

The accent was much different, but the voice was the same. Your head snapped to where he was standing just left of you, shock wracking your entire body. How was it possible? He was dead. You had killed him over a hundred years ago. 

“Um… Uh- n-no. Not really.” You stumbled through the shock that had taken hold of you, mind racing. 

“I see… C’mon,” He held his hand out to you as an offering. When you didn’t take it he whispered, “If you don’t celebrate in some way they might think you’re a sympathizer. Take my hand.” 

You did as he asked and slid your hand into his. He pulled you up from the stoop you were occupying and led you into the street with all the other humans. Musicians were playing loudly out in the open, the songs always fast and upbeat keeping everyone moving. He dropped your hand once comfortable with where you were standing and began a dance you had never seen before. When you didn’t move an inch he stopped. 

“Do you not know how it goes?” 

“No.” Your teeth sunk into your bottom lip as you shook your head. 

“I’ll teach you. Follow my lead.” 

“Okay…” 

“Jacob. You can call me Jacob.” 

Song after song, dance after dance, Jacob leads you into each one. He taught you all the steps, keeping patience the entire time which would not have been an easy thing to do. While you were no fleshling, you definitely looked like it was your first time on legs with how uncoordinated you were. 

You talked as you danced the night away. Jacob was just as intriguing the second time you met him as he was the first. He was the same man you had met in 1713, but more modernized. Everything about him drew you in. 

Eventually the music died, the streets cleared and it was just you and Jacob left out in the night. The two of you were sitting on the steps of his porch talking under the stars and enjoying each other's company. At some point you were no longer looking at the empty street or the starry night sky, but looking at one another instead. Jacob’s eyes traversed every part of your face like he was trying to memorize even the smallest details. After a few moments of this he sighed dreamily. 

“May I kiss you?” 

“You want to kiss me?” 

“More than anything.” 

“Then yes, Jacob, you may.” 

You had kissed plenty of humans in your lifetime, none of them ever meaning anything significant. But when Jacob’s lips touched yours for the first time you had finally realized why humans liked to do this. Your entire body felt… alive. The feeling was the strangest, yet most blissful experience that you wished would never end. When he pulled away from you sadness ran through every fiber of your being, instantly missing the warmth of his soft lips.  

You would never forget the way Jacob looked at you after the kiss. His eyes were soft, a gentle smile gracing his pretty face, every bit of him glowing with something other than the light from the moon. You would’ve done anything to see him like this for the rest of your life. To feel like he had just made you feel for eternity. 

When the blissful haze cleared however, the longing vanished and panic quickly set in. What was he doing to you? This wasn’t right. You have a purpose and it is not to fall in love with a human. Get it together. Do your duty. 

Every other thought bounced back and forth, your heart and brain fighting for dominance. Your heart told you to let him live, you didn’t need to kill him, but your brain knew better. You needed to do it or you would come back year after year just to see him. Risk the safety of you and the pod for a human you could never be with. 

You had to kill him. 

“Thank you for tonight Jacob.” 

“The pleasure was all mine.” 

He had insisted on walking you home to which you didn’t fight. If he walked you home you could lead him to a quiet place to take his life. Maybe even somewhere beautiful. Jacob deserved more than to just be drained and dumped in some filthy alley. 

When he took you through the public garden you knew that was the place. So you led him down close to the pond underneath a willow tree, rays of light breaking through the wispy leaves that lay in drooping branches.

“Jacob?” You turned to him and gently grabbed both his hands. 

“Hmm?” 

“Kiss me again… Please?” There was the possibility that he would not come back like he had this time. A possibility that you would never feel his lips on yours again and you needed to experience it one last time. 

“Okay.” It was soft and breathy, and had the night been any more lively you weren’t sure you would’ve heard it. 

Jacob did as you asked, his lips pressed to yours like they had the first time. Tingles rolled through your body from head to toe crashing over you like waves. When you thought he would pull away and end the kiss he did something that surprised you. His tongue swept across your lower lip sending new vibrations along your spine, your body shivering slightly. Your own mouth acted without volition and opened against his lips. 

The feeling of his tongue gliding along yours like velvet was euphoric. Noises bubbled from your throat in sighs of pleasure to be swallowed by Jacob. His hands gripped your waist, fingertips pressing into the meat with desperate longing. You liked the way his hands felt on you, almost as intoxicating as his mouth. 

The kiss calmed and turned into short, slow kisses until your foreheads were resting against one another. You watched both of your chests rise and fall rapidly as you tried to regain your breath and slow your racing hearts. Neither of you said a word, just simply enjoying the moment. 

Do it now. Get it over with, the longer you delay the worse it’ll be. Do it. 

“May the flames of our souls dance together endlessly, Jacob.” You didn’t dare look at his face when you spoke your last words to him knowing you wouldn’t have it in you to do what needed to be done. 

As your teeth sank into the delicate skin of his neck you prayed for it to be over quickly. Each desperate gasp of breath was a stab to your already fragile heart, and you were thankful you couldn’t see his face. 

When he finally fell unconscious you filled the vile with his blood quickly before returning to finish what you started. Each pull of your mouth was a physical battle within yourself knowing that if you left now, before it was too late, he’d live. You could save him if you stopped. But that wasn’t an option anymore. You had to see it through. 

You laid him down gently beneath the willow, teardrops dotting his skin, and cried harder at the sight of them. Had you been crying the whole time, you weren’t sure, but deep down you knew you had been. Brushing his hair from his face you looked at him one last time and pressed a shaky kiss to his forehead. 

You had never run faster or sobbed harder in your life than you had that night.

“Something like that. I’m not one for this type of dancing or music if I’m honest.” You shrugged looking out at the people jumping and grinding to the music the DJ played. 

“I’m not either, but my younger brothers wanted to check it out so I appeased them,” His eyes were trained on the crowd as he spoke, “I was starting to regret coming, and was just telling my brother I was going to leave.” 

You peeled your eyes away from the people dancing on the floor and looked at Jake. He did the same, turning his focus back to you. 

“Oh really? What made you change your mind?” 

“Well I saw the most gorgeous woman looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here.” A cheeky smile formed on his lips. You’d forgotten how smooth he always was, your own lips breaking into a small smile. 

“Would you wanna get out of here?” 

“And go where?” 

“I know a place.” Jake stood from his spot on the bench and set his drink on the table. When he turned to you he had his arm extended for you to take. His face gave a look of ‘what do you say?’ 

“Better be a good place.” You smiled and took his hand letting him lead you out of the noisy club. When the two of you stepped outside onto the street his hand dropped yours, the warmth he brought quickly dissipating. The action made you sad, wanting nothing more than to touch him again. 

You weren’t sure where he was taking you, but you trusted him and let him lead you down the wet streets. The two of you talked, and just as you had expected he was the same as each time before just with slight differences. He was a musician now, self made of course, and in a band with his brothers. It was almost relieving to hear that there was finally a version of him in which he played music. You knew he was destined for this profession, his love and devotion for the art always remaining throughout the decades. 

Eventually you came to the entrance of a park shrouded with hundreds of trees and flowers. He continued to walk down the pathway, a destination clear in mind. You couldn’t help but look in awe at the breathtaking scenery around you, all the trees and flowers, the moonlight bouncing off the large pond that sat in the middle of the park. You wondered what it might look like in the daytime. 

Since you had left the club there had not been a moment of silence. Comfortable, casual conversation flowed easily between you, talking about anything and everything you could think of. Jake was well read in human history and literature, things you knew much about having lived through most of them. While you only came upon the shore for one night each year you liked to keep tabs on what was happening with the humans as it usually impacted the lives of the nymphs greatly. Especially as technology advanced. 

The two of you came to a bench surrounded by large drooping trees that overlooked the pond, and your chest tightened. The scene before you looked strikingly similar to the public garden in Boston where you had taken Jake’s life almost two hundred years ago. Images of his lifeless state came flooding back to you, tears pricking your eyes. You took a deep breath and closed your eyes, willing the tears back down. When you opened your eyes again and looked at the trees more closely you breathed a small sigh of relief. They were not willows, but instead oak trees covered in spanish moss that were still living. And they were hauntingly beautiful.

“I like to come here at night when I’m stuck on a melody or riff I can’t quite work out. There’s something about this place that’s so peaceful and reminiscent. Which sounds ridiculous since I don't even know what I could possibly reminisce about in a place like this.” He sat on the bench and looked out over the water as he spoke, like he truly was thinking back to something. You tried to deny that maybe in some way he remembered that night in Boston as you sat beside him. It was easier to lie to yourself than accept that old pieces of his lives that involved you lingered.

The night had grown somewhat cold and a chill ran through your body as wind swept through the trees. Jake noticed the way your arms wrapped tightly around your body and wordlessly took off his light jacket, placing it around your shoulders. 

“Thank you, but you didn’t-“ 

“I wanted to.” 

The skin of your cheeks burned, heat creeping along your face and down your neck. You were thankful for the thickly coated trees overhead as they blocked out most of the moonlight and hid your growing blush. With the wind dying, you could smell his natural musk that wafted from the jacket, woodsy and clean like driftwood that sat on the beach. The smell flooded your senses, reminding you of the last time you had seen him. 

September 1923

Charleston, South Carolina 

Prohibition made hunting harder. Without the effect of alcohol humans tended not to hang around in large groups and were more difficult to subdue, but thankfully speakeasies existed. Sure finding a human who knew where one was could be a challenge, but once you did find one who could point you in the right direction they would do so of their own free will. 

Bourbon and Branch was where you had found yourself this night for the hunt. The darkly lit underground club was congested with smoke from cigarettes and cigars, the sound of jazz filled the space. There couldn't have been a better place to prey on humans and you certainly took advantage of it, your body count for the evening rising higher and higher. Were you out of control? No, not yet, but hey it was the roaring twenties, everyone was on the verge of losing what little grip they had on self control. It didn’t help that you had been nursing your self loathing and pain since 1865.

Every waking moment that fateful night played on a loop in your mind. Over and over. You would do anything to get through the day without thinking about him, and human blood helped take your mind off of everything. The more you drank, the better you felt, the less you thought of him, but the more you drank, the more you pushed yourself further to the edge. You were quickly becoming a liability to the pod with each hunt that took place. It’s not that you didn’t care that you were endangering the pod, you just couldn’t see past your own misery to realize that what you were doing was dangerous.

You had lost track of just how many bodies you had left in the alley behind the speakeasy that night. It was nearing double digits, but you didn’t care and instead headed back inside the small club to find your next meal. When you slipped back inside though the image of the next human you had intended on targeting vanished instantly. 

Sitting in a booth with a drink in hand looking at home was the man who haunted you. His eyes seemed to be scanning the room, like he was looking for something in particular when they landed on you. You didn’t dare take your eyes off of him, fearing that maybe the blood had gotten to your head. You watched as he said something to one of the men who sat by his side, identical to him in some ways, before sliding out of the booth and walking towards you. Not once did his eyes leave yours. 

It felt like catching up with an old friend in some weird way. You know the person down to their core, but aspects of their life have changed, and small parts of them have too. Most of the night was spent in the Bourbon and Branch just talking with Jacob and getting to know what he was like in this life. There were plenty of smiles, laughs and flirting, and you were floating on air. And when he kissed you that night it was as if no time had passed, like you were back in 1865 sitting on his porch steps under the stars. 

When the bar had finally closed for the night, neither of you could bring yourselves to say goodbye. Jacob invited you back to his house with his brothers and their partners as a proper way to wind down after a night out. More secret booze and music. The lot of you danced and drank for what seemed like hours before everyone either left or went to bed leaving you and Jacob out to enjoy the night alone. The two of you talked and talked until talking led to gentle touches, those touches turned to kissing, and the kissing led to something you had never done.  

While painful at first, the feeling that came after was truly unlike anything you had ever experienced. Nothing would compare to the overwhelming euphoria you and Jacob had shared that night. Images of him above you, bare and glistening with sweat while his light brown eyes bore into your own were seared in your brain. The scent of driftwood and sea salt was all around you, enveloping you wholly. His whispers of praise, encouragement, and adoration echoed forever in your head. How beautiful you were and how good you felt. How utterly perfect you were. If you thought you liked the way his hands felt on you once long ago, you loved how they felt on you tonight. You loved the pleasure he could bring you with just a drag of his finger, and how gentle he was. So gentle like he was afraid he would break you. When you reached your peak you felt nothing but pure pleasure, every thought and memory erased from your mind that wasn’t him. He invaded every part of your being.

Afterwards the two of you laid in his bed, bare and pressed against one another. No words were spoken, but none needed to be. You were both content to exist in the moment listening to each breath the other took while his fingers traced mindless shapes and paths across your skin. The only noise that could be heard was Jacob humming softly, a tune that had no real body like it was something he made up as it came to him. 

When he finally fell asleep you slipped out from underneath his arm carefully to not wake him and redressed. You had decided you would not repeat history this time. You wouldn’t be the cause of his death, you couldn’t do it again. You knew had you taken his life a third time you would come apart at the seams completely. While you were unsure if he would ever come back to you since you had let him live, it was a chance you were willing to take. For one last time you admired him in the faint glow of the candles by his bed, and this time as you looked upon him you didn’t have to tell yourself he was sleeping. 

“May the flames of our souls dance together endlessly, my love.” Your hand caressed his cheek and you bent down to place a gentle kiss to his forehead before you made your exit. You had barely made it to the ocean when the sun rose that morning, your first true close call. To you though it was well worth it.

“So you’re in a band? Do you enjoy it?” You pulled his jacket tighter around your frame hoping to trap in more heat and cocoon yourself in his smell. 

“I love it. It’s been my dream for so long to be a musician and I don’t think I would trade anything in the world for it.” When he spoke you could feel the excitement pour off of him. He truly loved what he was doing and that made you happy- knowing that he was happy. 

“I’m sure it's not easy though being in a band with your brothers.”

“Everyone thinks that, but it’s not always difficult. Sure tempers fly, and things get smashed or broken, but nothing will ever come between us that we can’t overcome. We’re family, we’ll always have each other’s backs.” 

You could understand where he was coming from. Your pod was your family, each member was a sister to you biological or not, and the hunt was your job. Things get dicey every now and then, but for the most part you just tried to do what was best for your family and looked out for one another.

Another hour had passed just sitting under the trees talking about everything and nothing at all. It had taken all the strength you had to not shiver uncontrollably from head to toe till now, Jake’s jacket not doing much anymore. You were positively freezing. The cold finally won, and violent shakes wracked your body. 

“I have this beautiful hand-made dagger from the 1700s, absolutely exquis-“ His sentence stopped abruptly on the count of way your body jolted continuously and he began to rub his hands up and down the length of your biceps, “C’mon let’s get you somewhere warm, you’re shaking like a leaf.” 

Jake stood from the bench, his hands falling away from your arms for a moment to help you stand. When the two of you began to walk he was next to you, his arm wrapped around the back of your body so both of his hands were back on your upper arms. The friction from his hands did heat your body slightly, but not enough to subdue the intense shivering. 

“My place isn’t far from here, is that alright?” When you turned to answer him you came practically nose to nose with him. He was so close that the only thing you could see in front of you were his honey brown irises. 

“Um, yeah that’s fine. How far away are we?”  

“About seven minutes, think you’ll make it that far?” The smallest hint of a smile drew the corner of his mouth upwards, his top lip curling the tiniest bit. 

While you didn’t spend most of your time around humans you knew when one was making a joke. Or in this case, poking fun at you. Instead of finding it offensive the jest was rather endearing. Nonetheless you rolled your eyes playfully.

“Yes I can make it that far.” You finally willed yourself to look away from his mesmerizing face and stare out ahead of you. A part of you feared that if you didn’t look away now, you never would. 

Shortly after leaving the park you had stopped shivering and Jake’s hands stopped their vigorous movements on your arms to rest at his sides. It seemed silly, but you mourned his touch as soon as it left your body and you decided to ask him about the dagger from earlier to distract yourself. 

“You were telling me earlier about a dagger that you have?” 

“Oh yeah, I forgot I was nerding out a little.” A breathy laugh escaped from between his lips. It was more of a huff of air than an actual laugh. His focus was on his boots as he walked beside you on the concrete sidewalk. 

“Tell me about it? I would love to know more.” 

“Yeah, uh,” He looked up to you with an expression that looked something similar to disbelief mixed with excitement. “It’s a beautiful handcrafted dagger from the early 18th century I believe. It’s a family heirloom, been passed down to the Kiszka men when they turn twenty-five. That’s how old my ancestor was when he made it.” 

His hands waved about and fidgeted as he spoke like it was something he did out of nervous habit, but you think he just liked to keep his hands busy. You knew exactly which blade he had been referring to, there was no doubt in your mind. The weapon had to be the same blade used to strike fear into the heart of Billy back in Dover, England. The same blade which you complimented later on in the night. 

“This is me.” Jake stopped in front of a large house, very modern and elegant looking, but simple, and dug his keys out from the depths of his pockets. While he fidgeted with the keys you took the opportunity to slide the vial of blood you had collected from earlied out of your pocket and drop it gently in one of his bushes by door to grab in the morning.

He opened the door and walked inside, holding the door open for you to follow behind him. As soon as you stepped through the threshold of his home, warmth flooded over your entire body.

Jake’s home on the inside reflected the outside, modern and sleek, but it still had a cozy and comfortable element to it. In a way it somewhat reminded you of his home in the 1920’s. 

You followed him deeper into the house through a hallway that led into a living room and kitchen. The areas were separated by a black granite bar top that had bar stools lined along the wall facing into the kitchen. Jake walked around the bar into the kitchen and you decided to stay on the other side, standing next to a stool. He looked at you from the other side, his hands on top of the black surface and his upper body leaning towards you.

“Would you like anything to drink? Water, tea, booze?” 

“Hmm, tea sounds quite nice. Would you by any chance happen to have any peppermint tea?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do.” He smiled at you fondly before turning around and walking to a cabinet on the wall behind him. He opened the cabinet and pulled two mugs off the shelf before closing it and opening another one to rummage through it. When he found the proper tea he filled the kettle up with water and set it on the stove to bring to a boil. 

“You can sit, you know, make yourself comfortable.” He was facing you now, back pressed against the island in the center of the kitchen, his hands resting on the countertop behind him and his legs cross at the ankle. You knew with the tone of his voice and the soft smile on his face that he was just trying to make you feel more welcome.

“Thank you, although I’m content standing for now.” You smiled back at him gently with your upper body leaned into the cool black stone. Jake only offered an amused hum in response, continuing to stare at you with fond eyes. 

“What?”

“Nothing… You’re just so beautiful,” His focus shifted to the ground and he shook his head, a giddy smile still splayed across his lips. “When I saw you at the club tonight I almost couldn’t muster up the courage to speak to you, and now you’re in my house and I’m making tea for you, and…” He looked up from the ground and met your eyes again. “You’re just so beautiful.” 

You pushed off of the counter and made your way into the kitchen where he was standing. Neither of you looked away from the other the closer you got. 

“I think,” You stopped in front of him and lightly draped your arms around his shoulders. His hands lifted from the countertop behind him and rested on your hips. “That you are quite beautiful.” 

He was quiet for a moment, your compliment stunning him. He continued to stare at you in wonder and your eyes stayed locked on his.

“Me? Beautiful?” 

“Breathtaking.”

His hand left your waist, his palm coming to rest on your jaw with his thumb splayed across your cheek, and his fingers laid against your neck just under your ear. 

“C’mere.”

Jake pulled you closer to him, his fingers curling gently around the back of your neck, his lips pressing to yours. Just like each time before your skin felt tingly, spreading from your head all the way down your toes. You could feel his lips still curled upwards into the smile he was wearing as he kissed you. After a beat or two he pulled away from you. 

The second his lips lifted from your own you felt the immediate longing of wanting to feel their warmth and softness again. It felt like sand slipping through your fingers. 

However, his mouth was back on yours continuously pressing quick, tender kisses upon your lips over and over. With each time he pulled away, the amount of time between the kisses grew shorter like he couldn’t bring himself to pull away from you entirely. Not only did they become shorter, but they quickly became more heated and needy. Jake’s tongue ran the length of your bottom lip and you welcomed it happily, parting your lips with a low hum. You didn’t fight him for dominance and instead let his tongue explore your mouth as he pleased. The tip of his tongue teased the roof of your mouth slowly from the back to the front before he met your lips again and his tongue brushed against your own. 

He walked forward a few steps and used the hand placed on your hip to turn the two of you in an one-eighty, and then walked you backwards. Your back pressed into the edge of the island countertop, Jake’s chest and hips pressed flush against your own, his hand moving to tangle into the soft tresses of your hair. Everything he did was gentle, careful not to push too far. Even with his body pressed into yours there was no overwhelming force. 

Your hands wound into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer to you and earning a groan from Jake in return. He grabbed both your hips in his hands and grinded his growing erection into your core. You couldn’t help the way your head lulled back, breaking the kiss. Taking advantage of your exposed neck, he trailed kisses down the column of the soft skin. His mouth worked slowly, dragging out each open mouthed, hot kiss with his tongue licking over the area before moving to place the next one.

“Jake.” His name rolled off your tongue in a whisper, broken and whiny. You hadn’t meant to say his name out loud, but the reaction you pulled from him was worth it. The tips of his fingers dug into your hips harder and vibrations rumbled from his mouth through your neck with the low moan he released. 

“Sounds so pretty when you say it like that, darling.” His teeth scraped across your skin with the next kiss just barely applying any pressure. 

“Fuck, Jake.” 

His teeth grazed the delicate skin once again, adding in another roll of his hips into yours. He was much harder now and the friction he supplied was making your head dizzy. You wanted more of him, so much more of him. In the background you could hear the kettle whistle loudly on the stove signifying it was ready. 

“Water’s ready for tea.” Jake’s voice was low and husky while still moving his mouth down your throat. 

“Forget the tea. I need you, please.” Your hand traveled between your bodies to palm his clothed length. His lips finally ceased their assault, his forehead resting on your clavicle with a sharp breath pulled into his lungs.

“Oh darling,” He lifted his head from your chest to look into your eyes. There was a fire in his eyes this time that you had never seen before, dark and swirling beneath the surface. “Have me you shall.” 

He stepped away from you and grabbed your hand, pulling you behind him. He walked over to the stove quickly turning off the burner and setting the kettle aside. Once the fire hazard was taken care of he pulled you into him again and reconnected your lips. You were walking backwards, unsure of where exactly he was directing the two of you, but you couldn’t care less. Your fingers fumbled with the buttons on his shirt popping them open one by one. In return, Jake was working to unbutton your pants. When the last button was undone on his shirt you pushed the light material away from his shoulders and let your hands roam his warm skin. He was solid under your hands, yet still delicate. You loved the way his chest and stomach felt, obsessed with how sturdy and soft he was at the same time. 

He moved on to your shirt once the button on your pants was undone and the zipper had been pulled down. You could feel the material slipping lower on your hips ever so slightly with each step you took. Jake pulled your shirt up over your head by the hem and dropped it to the floor, and you took one more step backwards before your back hit what you assumed was a door. His hand flew out and twisted the knob opening the door. He continued to walk you backwards into his room until the back of your knees came into contact with his bed. 

You let out a shocked gasp, your knees buckling underneath you and falling rather ungracefully onto the bed while pulling Jake with you. He was able to stop himself from crushing you fully, his arms on either side of your head. When the initial surprise subsided the two of you broke into a fit of giggles unable to contain them. 

“Sorry, I should’ve stopped.” He pushed himself up from the bed to stand still chuckling slightly.

“It’s okay.” One last giggle escaped from your lips as he made to stand. He was wedged between your legs while he looked down at you. 

The look in his eyes from before had returned, quickly stirring the heat in your core again. While you were still wearing your bottoms, the top you had been wearing was long gone revealing your bare chest to him for the first time. He leaned forward and placed his hands on both sides of your hips. His fingers gripped the tops of the waistbands on your pants and underwear. 

“Can I?” There was a gruff tone to his voice now when he spoke. 

“Please.” 

Jake didn’t waste anymore time and tugged the clothing from your body. There was no rush, taking his time undressing your lower half, and you propped yourself up on your elbows to have a better view of him. He dropped your bottoms to the ground and stood up straight to have a better view of your naked body. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more stunning.” His eyes trailed along your body, drinking in every inch. You sat up fully, your face level with his toned abdomen and your hands toying with the waistband of his trousers. 

“I have.” 

The sight of you below him made his dick twitch. You were looking up at him almost innocently with your hands and mouth mere inches away from his aching cock. The very thought of having your mouth so close to him made him almost cum right there. 

You started to undo the button and fly on his pants while placing sweet kisses to his stomach just above his navel, never breaking eye contact. Once the button was taken care of and you moved onto the zipper you trailed the light kisses lower and lower until your bottom lip brushed the top of his underwear. You drew your lips from the heated skin of his torso and hooked your fingers into his pants like he had just done to you. 

“May I?” You were still so close to him that your breath fanned over his skin and sent shivers through his body. 

“Oh god, yes.” The words were filled with air and flew out in a hushed whisper. 

You pulled the fabric down his legs taking the boxers down with his pants. His hardened length sprang free, the tip slapping his lower belly gently. You were mesmerized with how gorgeous every part of him was, and while it had been over a hundred years since you had seen him bare, he was the same as before. When you got the top of his pants past his sturdy thighs they dropped freely the rest of the way down his legs. 

Jake stepped out of the trousers carefully before bending down to cup your cheek and bring his lips back to yours. He laid you back slowly as he kissed you, kneeling on the bed with one knee between your legs. His other hand rested on your hip and pressed into you guiding you to move further up the bed. 

Satisfied with where you were, Jake laid into you more fully. His forearm was braced into the mattress next to your head, his chest brushing yours with each heaving breath, and his heavy cock nestled in the crevice where your thigh met your groin. 

His fingers skirted from your hip down the outside of your thigh just barely touching the heated skin. With the same pressure his hand crossed over the top of your thigh and slowly inched its way up to your core. Every touch his fingers made on your skin left behind a trail of raised skin in their wake. A breathy moan was pulled from your lips as he ran his middle and index fingers up your slit slowly. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet.” Jake groaned against your lips. 

Your hips bucked into his hand involuntarily as his fingers swept over your clit for the first time. You writhed under his touch earning a smile from his lips that you could feel against your own before he began kissing his way down your neck towards your chest. Even as he moved down your body you could still feel the smile he wore. His fingers swirled your clit in tight, slow, figure eights while his tongue gave an experimental flick to your perked nipple. Your back arched from the bed, pushing your chest into him silently begging for more. He loved how responsive you were, and you could tell. Each time you reacted to his touches, you felt his hard length twitch and pulse against your hip. 

His lips wrapped around your nipple fully, sucking and licking the bud, earning the sweetest sounds from your open mouth. Not once did his fingers stop moving against your clit and you were quickly being brought to the edge of ecstasy. He pulled his mouth from your breast with a soft pop and kissed lower down your belly. A soft giggle bubbled in your throat as his lips passed over a sensitive area of your stomach, his lips tickling you. He huffed a laugh at the way your muscles contracted and you squirmed under his touch only making the tickling sensation worse. 

“Sorry.” He laughed with you, his eyes catching yours. 

“S’okay.” 

You reach a hand down into his hair encouraging him to continue where he left off. Jake did as you implied and kissed further down your abdomen to your core, looping his arms around your hips and thighs. He kept eye contact as he placed one last kiss to your center right on your clit. When his tongue licked a stripe through your folds his eyes fluttered shut. He hummed against your soaked heat, the vibrations flowing through your entire body. Your fingers wound tighter into his hair and your hips begged for him to be closer. 

He slid his tongue back up your slit, collecting your arousal and wrapped his lips around your clit once at the top. He sucked the sensitive bundle into his mouth, flicking his tongue against it rapidly. Your entire body felt like it was on fire and your head was becoming more fuzzy with each roll of the wet, velvet muscle. Whines and moans of pleasure rolled out from your throat, his name mixed in along with them sweetly. Just when you were about to be sent over the edge you pulled his mouth from your core and back up to your own. His chest and torso were pressed to yours, now propped up on his knees between your spread legs. 

You could taste yourself on his lips and tongue. Sweet with a hint of saltiness. Like watermelon lightly sprinkled with salt on a summer’s day. You wanted more.

“Jake, please,” You whispered against his lips between feverish kisses trying desperately to get the words out. “I need you. I need all of you. Please, please.” 

“Say it again.” His hand pressed down between your sticky bodies, gripping his length.

“I need all of you.” 

“Say my name again.” He ran his swollen head through your wet lips, and coated himself in your slick. 

“Please Jake.” He pressed into you slowly, the tip just inside as you spoke his name causing it to hitch in your throat. Your walls fluttered around him trying desperately to adjust to his size while he continued to push the rest of the way inside you. Your arms wrapped around the underside of his arms holding him close to you with your hands resting on the tops of his shoulders. The sound of his heavy breaths cascaded into your ear, his head dropped with his chin resting on your shoulder between your cheek and his hand. 

“Oh fuck, you’re so tight.” He took a few ragged breaths. “Are you alright if I move?”

“Yeah, I-I’m okay.” Your voice cracked in a whisper already sounding fucked out.  

Jake withdrew his hips from yours slowly, his thick length gliding out easily until just the tip of his head remained inside at your entrance. He pushed back in faster than before, but still at a steady pace. His other hand that was placed next to your head shifted so that he was cradling your head in his hand and gently pushing your opposite cheek into his. 

With each push and pull of his hips to yours, both of your breathing became heavier, filled with moans and whispers of praise. He brushed your cervix upon every re-entry and grazed a spot that made your entire body explode in pleasure. 

There was no doubt how good he was making you feel, and while you knew you were making him feel the same pleasures, you wanted to physically be responsible. 

“Jake.” You tapped his shoulder lightly to get his attention. He quickly stopped all movement and lifted his face, looking at you with worry etched onto his features. 

“Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?” 

Your heart practically melted at his sincerity, and you couldn’t help but smile up at him. Worry changed to confusion at the sight of you smiling.

“Yes, I’m okay. I just, um,” You weren’t sure how to tell him exactly what you wanted. Mainly because you didn’t know what exactly it was that you wanted. “I want to… You’re just making me feel so good, and I… I want to make you feel good.” 

“Baby,” A breathy chuckle left his lips, and his head fell, shaking lightly, “You’re already making me feel good. So unbelievably good.” He looked back up at you, the corner of his mouth pulled upwards showing off the smallest portion of his top teeth. 

“I just want to… actively make you feel good.” You tried to reiterate to him what you meant. 

“Are you trying to tell me that you want to be on top?” 

You nodded your head slowly and watched the adoring smile on his face grow. Without much warning, his arm hooked around the back of your knee securing it closer to his body as he started to roll onto his back. He was seated fully inside you as he changed your positions, making you feel much more full once you were sat on him completely. 

You wiggled your arms out from under his shoulders and sat up using his chest to stabilize yourself. He looked even more gorgeous below you than above with his skin shiny from sweat and his hair falling in waves around where his head rested. You stared at him for a moment longer taking in the way he looked and feeling how firm his chest and tummy felt. 

You also weren’t sure what you were supposed to do, so you were sort of stalling. 

“I, um, I’ve never really done this before…” Your gaze fell to watch your fingers dance along his tanned, smooth skin. 

Jake didn’t respond. Instead his hands found your waist and gave you a reassuring squeeze making you look back to his face. 

“I’ll show you.” 

His hands lifted your hips ever so slightly before angling them forward gently. He continued to guide you upwards at this angle until you reached the end of his length. Just before he slipped out completely, you rolled your hips backwards again with the guidance of his hands and took him down to his base. He repeated the motion a few times to help you get a feel for it, each time speeding up just a little. 

“If something feels good, follow it. Don’t think too much about what you want to do. Just let your body be the guide.” Not once did his hands stop guiding you while he spoke.

You started to take more control by lifting your hips on your own and changing the angle to take him down deeper. His hands stayed on your hips with his fingers extending to your ass. The more comfortable you got, the more you rolled your hips and sped up causing Jake’s fingertips to dig into the meat of your backside. 

“That’s it. Doing so good.” 

You did what he told you and just let your body do what it wanted to naturally. Carefully, you leaned back placing your hands on the outsides of his shins and kept moving your hips forward. With the new angle you could feel a searing hot tightness form in your lower belly with each thrust. You could see his cock, glistening in your juices, disappear in and out of you which only spurred you on more. You looked up to Jake to see him watching you slide along his length, his lips parted and his chest heaving. He caught your eyes and his hands traveled up your back. 

“C’mere.” 

He pulled you back to him, his lips crashing into yours and his hips bucking up into you. A loud moan ripped from your throat and was sent straight into his mouth. You could do nothing for a moment, but lay on top of him and let his hips do all the work, his thrusts disabling your mind and body. When you did finally push back onto him, his breath hitched before a deep groan tore from his chest and his hands gripped you harder. It took you a few tries to find the right rhythm, but after a few moments his hips were thrusting up to meet your own on their descent. Curses and praises tumbled freely from him, air filled and raspy. The movements were perfectly timed and you could feel yourself on the edge of the cliff once again. His kisses became sloppy, filled mostly with grunts and breathy moans against your lips. 

“I’m close. A-are you, shit, are you almost there?” He sighed, his breath fanning over your face.

“Yeah, I’m- I’m about to- Oh fuck, Jake.” Your orgasm hit you before you could even finish your sentence. Intense pleasure ignited every inch of your body as your muscles contracted, squeezing his cock like a vice. His name slipped off your tongue over and over as he helped you ride out the high while chasing his own. 

It was his name falling from your lips continuously like a mantra while you came that had him reaching his own climax. Soft whimpers, moans and gasps spilling from his lips and swirled around your head. He pulled you into his chest further, hugging you tight to his chest and kissed you harder until his hips slowed to a stop inside you. 

Neither of you made to move for a few minutes, both of you entirely spent. Your entire body weight was being supported by him as you laid on top of his chest and stomach trying to come down. Jake was the first to move. He helped you up and gently guided you to lay on your back before making his way off the bed with a promise to return. When he came back he was holding a wet cloth and a glass of water. He cleaned your mixed release up from between your legs tenderly, and then disposed of the cloth in his dirty laundry basket. You gulped down the water while you waited for him to return again. A few moments later he came back and crawled back into his bed laying next to you. As soon as Jake laid down you started to get out of his bed to leave for the night needing to return back to the sea. 

“Hey, you don’t have to go. You can stay- If you want to, I mean-” He fumbled over his words trying to get across what he wanted to say properly. You couldn’t get over how cute he looked, his cheeks getting pink from being flustered. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I would like for you to stay.” 

“I can stay for a little bit longer.” 

You smiled at him softly and eased back into the bed beside him. He pulled you closer to him and wrapped his arm around your shoulder. You rested your head on his chest, his skin warming your cheek, and laid your arm across his stomach. The two of you stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms until you drifted off to sleep, the slow rise and fall of his chest soothing you. Just before sleep took you under you heard him mutter something in his sleepy haze. 

“I’ve waited for you.” You could barely register what he said, already half asleep and in a dreamy haze yourself. 

A faint yellow glow woke you from your dreamless sleep. Sunlight beamed into your eyes when you finally got up the courage to pry them open, and your heart sank to your stomach. It was daytime and you hadn’t made it back to the ocean. You frantically threw the covers off of your still naked body, jolting Jake awake in the process. You began searching all around the room for your clothes having no luck in locating a single item of clothing. Jake’s hand around your wrist finally stopped you. You hadn’t realized that he had been talking to you the entire time.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” His eyes searched your face, his soft voice trying to calm you down while his thumb rubbed circles on your wrist.

“I can’t find any of my clothes, and I have to leave. I can’t believe I missed sunrise, I-” You stopped talking immediately, the words dying in your throat. You had missed sunrise, by hours, and yet you were still alive. How the hell were you still alive? 

You felt disoriented and nauseous, the edges of your vision blurring and your hearing starting to muffle. The pounding of your heartbeat thundered in your ears completely blocked out whatever Jake had said to you. Your mind raced trying to make sense of what was happening. There was only one possibility that could explain it. 

“It was all a lie…” You muttered to yourself still in shock, forgetting that Jake was still there. 

“What was a lie?”

“Um,” You shook your head, trying desperately to clear the fog from your mind. When you shifted your focus back onto his face, you instantly felt at ease. The nausea subsided, and your hearing came back in full. The black edges around your vision faded away allowing you to focus on his face, seeing clearly the lines of worry between his furrowed brows. 

“Nothing. I- I think I was having a bad dream… I’m okay now.” 

“Are you sure? You had me stressed out there for a second.” His thumb was still rubbing against your skin in soothing motions. 

“Yeah, I’m good now.” You gave him a reassuring smile and tried your best to make him believe it.

It was the truth though. You felt better and it was because of him. With just a look of his face you knew this was your destiny all along. For centuries you pondered over why the universe had always brought him back to you, and now you knew. You were always meant to be with Jake. 

“Okay, good… So you don’t have any plans for today?” 

“No, I have nothing planned.” He smiled at you then, and you had never felt better in your entire life. 

“Would you wanna grab some breakfast then? I’d like to spend more time with you.” 

“I would absolutely love that.” 

———————————————————————

Your bare feet sunk into the warm, white sand with each step you took along the beach. Carrying your shoes in one hand and the other intertwined with Jake’s you looked out to the open water of the sea. The sun was setting over the water creating beautiful orange glitters across the top of the small waves. While the blinding light burned your eyes you couldn’t turn away. Sunset was your favorite time of day and the scenic view of your old home had you somewhat reminiscent. 

Roughly eight months had passed since the night of the hunt. In that time you’ve been adjusting to living life as a human which was quite different than living as a nymph. The biggest adjustment was probably the loss of your powers. Or getting a job, that was pretty difficult. Throughout the whole process Jake was there though. The two of you had started dating and eventually you had to come clean about your true nature, especially when you didn’t understand the simple things that came with human life. Cell phones, bills, cars, rent, social media. It was all very foreign to you and Jake never understood. 

When you did finally tell him about being a nymph and coming from the sea he truly didn’t believe you. He thought you had made the whole thing up which you understood. After a while and some very confusing conversations about the aforementioned topics, he finally believed that you were not originally human. The most convincing aspect for him were your eyes. You were able to hide them for a few months before your powers faded completely, but when your abilities were gone he finally was able to see your glittery silver irises. Now though, your eyes too have since faded and changed color allowing you to look fully human. 

He asked a lot of questions, all of which you welcomed and answered freely. You decided to omit the whole truth from him when it came to your previous meetings in his previous lives. How were you supposed to admit to the man you love that you had killed him not once, but twice centuries ago? He knew your paths had crossed before and in a few instances the two of you had become close in a sense, but you mostly told him how and where you met unless he asked for specific details. When he learned that the two of you had had sex before in the 1920s his only response was, ‘I was better this time.’ Mostly he would ask which version of him you liked better.

As you continued to look out at the sea you thought of Sarenya and your sisters. You wondered who would’ve taken your place as Nympha Legatus and where they would be this time around. Ciree would make a great siren leader if she could focus on- 

“You’re doing it again.” Your thoughts faded away as Jake spoke beside you, squeezing your hand gently. Instantly you knew what he was referring to, you gazed down at your feet that we’re almost touching the water now. Every time the two of you walked along the beach you would absentmindedly walk towards the water until the salty liquid lapped at your toes or Jake made you aware. Usually he would say nothing and just watch in amusement while you led him closer.  

“Sorry.” You laughed under your breath and turned to face him. He was smiling warmly at you, his honey brown eyes sparkling in the orange hue of the sun. 

“Nothing to be sorry about…” You both started walking down the shore again still hand in hand letting comfortable silence take over. Your thoughts continued to wander, thinking about what life would be like for your pod now. 

“Do you miss it? Your old life and your sisters?” 

This was the first time he had asked you if you missed any part of what you used to be. You were sure he never asked because he didn’t want to make you upset. While it didn’t make you upset, you did think about it for a moment before responding. 

“Sometimes... I miss Sarenya mostly. I mean she was my best friend and sister and she probably thinks I’m dead, so it makes me sad to think she’s grieving me and that I probably won’t see her again.” He nodded in response, showing that he could understand what you meant, your arms swaying between your bodies while you walked.

“But I’m happy here. I think this was always supposed to be my destiny… to be human and be with you. Live our lives with one another and grow old together. Even if I could go back somehow I wouldn’t because this feels right. This is right, and I don’t ever want to not be with you. I’d rather have this lifetime and the afterlife with you and remain human than have only fleeting moments together and be a nymph.” 

He was beaming at you now with a smile that could only be described as soft, warm and giddy. The amount of love in his eyes as he looked at you was unmistakable and you were happily drowning in it, letting it lay like a heavy blanket over your entire body. Jake used the hold he had on your hand to swing you forward in front of him and maneuver your body to where he twirled you around a few times before bringing you into his chest tightly and pressed his lips to yours sweetly. He shifted his weight from foot to foot creating a small swaying motion as he held and kissed you.

“May the flames of our souls dance endlessly together, my love.” He repeated the phrase you had spoken to him years and years ago against your lips, smiling the whole way through it against your own smiling lips.

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[littlemisslipbalm]

Demonology

Part 3: I Think There's Something You Should Know

Series Summary: A new demon has come to Nashville. Josh and Jake's ways of life have been thrown off by her arrival. The angel and demon have lived with an understanding of one another, but with Y/N stirring up trouble and asking questions, they're forced to work out a new normal. And why is she so powerful for a human turned demon anyway, that's unusual, right?

A/N: Hiiiii! Part 3 is here. Keep adding yourself to the taglist or catch up on the rest of the parts from the masterpost. I think this story is looking like maybe 6 parts...we'll see. oh boy lots of plot in this lol enjoy hopefully and lmk what you think :)

Chapter Summary: Two demons walk into a bar and an angel greets them. What on Earth could they be talking about? There's actually no good punchline to this.

Word Count: 4.0 k | Warnings: Swearing, alcohol consumption, horny demons and angel, 18+ maybe some brief descriptions/mentions of sex - still no explicit smut (next chapter tho...), dubious understanding of demonology in reality

Taglist | Series Masterpost

Part 3: I Think There's Something You Should Know

The wind rustling her drapes woke her up in the middle of one evening when she hadn’t gone out or seen anyone beside Rori all day. It had been a good day.

The moon was almost full and was one of two lights illuminating the street below the window behind her bed. She didn’t have to sleep anymore, but she still liked to. She stared out hazily for a moment and hurriedly closed the window, feeling a human sense of nerves and dread before calming down, remembering that the things that went bump in the night were now scared of her. 

Jake had been teaching her ways to skirt Hell’s system. How to get the job done without doing much. Which she was thankful for. And she’d finally run into Josh briefly a few times, but not as many as she’d like. Not for as long as she’d like. She knew he was keeping his distance. ‘Avoiding temptation.’ That’s what Jake always said when she asked after Josh.

Tonight, she was annoyed the wind had woken her. Her dream had been extra sweet tonight. Josh had sought her out, giving her sweet gifts and feather kisses all with the backdrop of the Sunset Strip. The warm sheets were kind of like his warm chest beneath his clothes. 

The next night, the night of the true full moon, Jake was at her door. He knocked when the moon had reached its peak for the evening. 

Jake had also kept his distance in the way that mattered since that first night together. He had deemed it a moment of drunken vulnerable weakness not to be repeated. It only happened because she’d whispered his favorite fucking poem in his ear—how weak was he? Practically human in that moment. He didn’t bring it up and she felt the heaviness of his silence when she had joked about the hook up the next time she’d seen him. He was to be her mentor only.

Leaning against the doorframe, an arm on his hip and his wide-brimmed hat on his head, he spoke lowly. “Come out with me.”

She can’t see his eyes, just his lips and jaw moving. 

“I’m not at your beck and call,” She rolled her eyes, a defiant crossed arm look staring back at him. A black tank top and sleep shorts sat low on her hips, she was happy to get wine drunk in her home now that she knew she didn’t need to go out all the time. 

He leveled his head with her, making eye contact now. “Come.” 

“I’m not a dog.” She remained unmoved. Rori slinked around her legs, sniffing at Jake unamusedly. The actual dog had had to warm up to Jake these last few weeks and Rori was begrudgingly okay with him since he could feel the power the demon exuded. 

Jake rolled his eyes and greeted the dog. “Don’t growl at me. I didn’t even bring my familiar…” 

Rori had not been a fan of Jake’s crow that he kept around. Y/N wouldn’t even deem it a familiar since he was really only around so Jake could shapeshift into a bird if he really wanted but Jake insisted they were close. Sure.

After a minute of heavy silence, Jake got the final word. The stare down not really going anywhere. He flashed his yellow eyes and she hated how it made her fall in line. Jake’s true nature was malevolent despite his serene facade he often operated under. She didn’t want to ever see him truly angry with her. She’d seen glimpses of it during some of their outings together. It wasn’t anything like the man she had seen inside his mind. 

“I’m your mentor. Be a good mentee. Go get dressed.”

She got dressed, grumbling the whole time to Rori and forcing Jake to wait outside as she blasted Fleetwood Mac—for some reason, Jake’s least favorite band from her time. He rolled his eyes as he heard Stevie Nicks’ voice turned up to a fever-pitch. 

“Jake.” Y/N sniffed as she pushed past him out of her door. “Altar boy name, by the way.” 

He chuckled under his breath and shook his head, falling in step with her and locking her door with a flick of his hand when he noticed she had forgotten. 

When they arrived at this unfamiliar almost empty room that Jake refused to give her information on, her eyes cast around taking it all in with a vigilance she’d never applied as a human. Now she liked to know her exits, note any potential men who might try and cause her trouble, potential targets, etc. 

It was an old dark and gloomy bar, lined with wood that had been worn down by glasses and hands over many years. It seemed it had been loved once, now a shell of its former self. Maybe 10 people in total in the entire tired place. 

A bright light cast in the corner that caught her eye after a moment. Josh. He was perched on a chair at a four-top, patiently tapping his fingers along the table, nodding his head to the live music from a lone guitarist. 

He glowed like anything but no one else seemed to notice. Maybe it was just for her. She thought about asking Jake if he could see the glow. His bright white long sleeve tonight fell over him, perfectly fitted and pushed up to his elbows. The same blue jeans on his legs that she dreamed about feeling beneath her thighs every other night or so. 

She wet her lips, watching his angelic face, eyes shut nodding to the melodies. His lips slightly parted and she missed them. How soft and sweet they’d been when she’d licked into his mouth, giving him the show of his life. Forget that. She needed to be cool. She straightened her posture, looking like a killer about to pounce on her prey. 

Jake cleared his throat, watching Sal watching Josh, looking jealous that she looked at his brother with more desire than she did with himself. Not that he actually cared. She was his mentee. 

She rolled her eyes at him and followed him over to the table.

“Brother,” Jake spoke first, hands leaving his pockets to grip the back of one of the chairs. 

Josh smiled, standing, and touched his brother gently on the shoulder, “Jake.” 

Then a silence fell between the three of them. Who was going to be the first to acknowledge her? She stood exactly between the angel and the demon and she wished that Hell’s mouth would open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole. Rori could stay on Earth if he wanted, she didn’t even care so long as whatever the tension was passing between them stopped right this instant. 

She widened her eyes and opened her mouth to greet Josh before losing her nerve. “I’m gonna go get a drink!” 

“You don’t have to do–” Jake starts, but she’s already disappeared in a flash of crimson and black. 

Jake raised his brows at Josh while blush crept up the angel’s face and ears, the two men sat. Y/N knocked back two shots on her own at the bar while waiting for three beers. She didn’t know what they wanted and she didn’t care. Beer would have to do. 

“So,” She drawled, attempting a more cool and collected approach now that she was back. Afterall, she was a demon who was meant to thrive in situations with sexual partners. She knew how to be cool around people she was attracted to–except, what didn’t come easy to her was behaving normally around someone she actually might potentially teensy weensy care about. She didn’t even want to think that it might be two someones. Especially when her heart was supposedly dead. 

She huffs a slick smile onto her lips, slinking into her chair evilly placed between them with the beers. “What are we all doing here? A Celestial+ Committee meeting? Immortals anonymous…bit of a problem, though,” She leans forward and whispers. “I think we all know each other?” 

“Sal,” Josh starts, his tone measured. He was trying to be kind, but she felt the tightness in his throat. 

Jake flashed his eyes to the angel, a warning. He set his hat on the table, making it crowded with the three glasses.

She settled into the uncomfortable chair, widening her legs and taking a gulp of the beer. Her top might as well have been nonexistent, the deep red lace sheer and showing off her torso and breasts. The black tight vinyl pants caused both beings to flicker their eyes to her movement as she pushed her hips towards them. Josh cleared his throat and averted his eyes, taking a grounding sip of the pale ale she’d gotten for him. 

“We’re here,” Jake starts, giving an unamused look to her as she wiggled her hips and smirked in triumph. “Cut it out, sometimes the slut schtick isn’t cute. We have something real to talk about, Sal.” He widened his glowing yellow eyes at her and she sat up, immediately shrinking again. Just as she was feeling more confident, his accusatory eyes scared the absolute shit out of her. 

Josh shot a look at his demon counterpart, unhappy with the word he had just used, even if it was to describe the demon who had led him into temptation. He had been repenting for the last three months, bathing in holy water twice as often, and an extra time whenever his mind wandered to Y/N and what she’d shown him. 

“We need to find out why you’re so powerful. Who you are.” Josh says calmly. 

“I told you already.” She insisted. “Why does it matter anyway?” 

“Okay, well maybe you don’t realize this but the way you’re treated down in Hell is not normal,” Jake sneers condescendingly. 

“What he means,” Josh intervenes again. “Is that, perhaps, you don’t know who you really are either. We’re worried…” 

“No!” She immediately shoots forward, eyes blazing with hellfire. 

“C’mon Sal, you know how fucking powerful you are. That’s not normal! You’re not normal!” Jake doesn’t sound smug anymore, he sounds a little…scared. He didn’t like not knowing. 

Josh reaches a hand out to Jake’s shoulder, his touch somehow calming even though an angel’s touch should’ve been repulsive to a demon.  

“Listen, Sal,” Josh smiles, trying to bring peace to this strange situation. “Nothing is going to change. It’s okay to be scared, but Jake is right. You are far too powerful for even a run-of-the-mill average demon and you believe you were a human turned demon. You’d have even less powers then.” 

She gulps at her beer, more than half-way through it. “Why does it matter? Why do you two care?” 

Another silence falls between them. The tension returns and she can tell there’s something they’re not telling her. 

“Fucking tell me,” She spits. “Or I’ll…I’ll, fucking…I don’t know, I’ll fucking kill everyone in here. Since I’m so fucking powerful.” 

“There’s not that many people in here, Sal. You wouldn’t really be making much of a point…” Jake shrugs. “Also, why would I care?” 

“Because I know you, Jacob,” She seethes, staring darkly into his eyes. Her eyes had been black since the hellfire had left them, she was in defense mode. “Should I share with Josh what I found in your mind the other night?” 

Jake sat up straight and instantly Y/N’s mouth was shut. Not by a look, but by Jake’s powers. It felt like he was crushing her windpipe. His voice was in her head. ‘Do not say another fucking word. How dare you. You promised.’ She immediately felt meek and her humanity seeped back into her. Regular eyes flickering back to life, she slumped in on herself, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. She was scared too. 

Josh watched the interaction, only seeing the physicality of their two bodies change. He looked up to the ceiling, lord give him strength and please don’t let anyone die tonight. “We think you might be a cambion.” He rushes it out before he loses the nerve or before Jake stops him. 

She stays silent, staring up at the angel with red-rimmed eyes–not technically demonic, simply because she had begun to cry and she wasn’t allowing the tears to fall. Jake grunts unhappily and finishes off his beer, getting up to get a refill and pointedly telling them not to discuss further until he returned. 

He came back five minutes later, silent and nodded his head gruffly for them to continue. She stares between the angel and demon again, confused and upset with both of them.

“What does that mean?” She asks, her voice soft and child-like, shaking slightly. Had her whole life been a lie? It couldn’t be possible. Why did they want to flip her life upside down or sideways or something? This second life was already confusing enough without an identity crisis.

“It means you were half-human, half-demon in your first life.” Josh speaks softly, barely strong enough to keep himself from pulling her fragile body into his own just to attempt to comfort her. He knew how scared she must be, he’d seen people crumble through history at the realization of their lives being built on lies. “Usually cambion are offspring of an incubus or a succubus and a human.” 

“That would explain your special treatment in Hell,” Jake interjects, feeling more subdued after walking it off and two shots of ‘Jamo’ himself. “But it doesn’t explain the powers. At least, not fully. It’d have to be an ancient–older than us–and powerful one to have been one of your parents and that’s just almost unheard of, even 70 years ago.” 

“Okay….” She tries to absorb the information, eyes still flitting between the two figures before her, feeling a weird sense of unreality that had never happened to her. Given all the weird shit that had happened to her since dying, it was surprising this was so hard. 

“That’s why we wanted to talk to you about it. See if you knew anything or could think about anything abnormal about, maybe, your upbringing or parents.” Josh tries, even gently soothing his hand over the one Y/N had shakily rested on the tabletop. “Anything at all.” 

Jake’s eyes watched them. The way her body relaxed at Josh’s touch. How her eyes sparkled as she looked from their touching skin to Josh’s face. Even her smile was softer with Josh. Josh’s eyes were aglow as well, an angelic white instead of a black pupil.

“Okay,” She says, looking between Jake and Josh again, feeling calmer but also, admittedly, terrified for the first time since she’d been back. “Can I think about it for a few days? I don’t think I’ll come up with anything with you two staring me down right now.” 

She didn’t understand why it mattered to Jake and Josh still but the amount of energy and emotion running through her had made her forget momentarily. Her mind was like static, the thoughts running into one another and jumbling until nothing was coherent. 

“Yeah, of course,” Josh moves his hand to rub over her back. He couldn’t help himself, he was a healer and a helper. Even with her. Especially with her. “Write things down as they come to you. It might help.” 

“Whatever,” Jake rolled his eyes, downing his beer and heading for a third. He needed to be drunk and as a demon it took a lot more work. He thought that was unfair but there wasn’t really anyone he could complain to. Maybe the big one Upstairs, but his key card didn’t work anymore. 

This night had gone about exactly as he expected when Josh had continued to pester him about it. When he returned, Josh had disappeared and Jake hoped he’d left for the night. “Can we get plastered now?” 

“Please,” She sighed, taking the second beer from Jake’s hands. “I need to dance and drink off this stress. Fuck you for this by the way.” 

“Did Josh leave?” Jake ignores her complaint about the night, looking around. It wasn’t like he’d wanted to be here either. 

She shakes her head while gulping at the beer, already moving to the dance floor that was scuffed up and empty. The live musician had left during their conversation so Jake wasn’t surprised when the old stereo turned from 2000s indie rock to 1970s hard rock. “Said he was coming back. Bathroom or something…You gonna dance with me, cowboy?” 

She grinned at Jake, already pushing the anxiety of the evening away, utilizing her favorite coping mechanism: drunken debauchery. 

He shook his head at her and sauntered closer, abandoning his beer and allowing her arms to rope him closer, pressing her hips into his. He hummed with mild satisfaction, staring at her down the tip of his nose. She stared up at him, thinking back to when he had tumbled in the sheets with her. How surprisingly kind and tender he had been to her and how she’d never seen it again. She wanted to see it again. She’d do anything to see it again. 

She ran her hand up and down his torso, taking inventory of his warmth with teasing fingers, “You owe me. That was worse than Hell on Earth.”

Jake leans his head down, lips heavy on her ear. “I don’t owe you shit, Sal.” 

She threw her head back in laughter and Jake’s arms held her waist more firmly, just to keep her from falling. Returning upright to stare into his eyes, she spoke with a saddened sort of lust. “You love talking rough to me don’t you, Jake? Just admit it.” 

“It’d be a big help if you could remember your real name while you’re writing down all your feelings later.” Jake ignores her again, allowing himself to drift his hands over the curves of her ass as she sways against him. He indulges in how the press of her breasts into his chest feels and the intoxicating scent of her perfume as he traces his nose up her throat and over her jaw. 

She whines against him. “Just shut up and kiss me if you won’t fuck me right now. I need a distraction.” 

Jake chuckles darkly, his eyes casting around the room as he tightens his grip again making her hum with a grin on her face. “You’d like that wouldn’t you, little one? In front of an audience? Sick little freak.” 

She looks down for a moment, a flicker of shame at Jake’s condescending voice before she feels the energy seeping off of him. He desired it too. She wasn’t the only sick freak. 

Jake makes eye contact with Josh at the edge of the dancefloor. The angel had been watching for the last few moments after returning from wherever he had disappeared to. He shifts his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. 

Jake decides to lean down as Y/N leans up with parted lips, awaiting his touch. He teases her, licking his tongue out past his lips but not quite touching hers. She breathes out a whine and pulls his head closer by the back of his neck and he obliges, sinking his tongue into her mouth. She melts into him. 

Josh watches on still. He can’t tear his eyes away, how their bodies snake around one another so perfectly. How she fits into him, how Jake has no problem claiming her body, touching her and alighting her skin with desire. Josh shuts his eyes for a moment. He wants to leave, he knows he should’ve walked out the door and not come back, but he can’t. She’s still here and he hasn’t seen her in so long. He knew it was a sin to be consorting with her, but, Jesus, he was already there, what was another hour or two of it? 

She pulled back from Jake’s lips, chest heaving for air that Jake didn’t seem to need. He smirked and licked his lips, moving his hand away from the back of her delicate neck. 

“C’mon, let’s go back to my place.” She tries. Her hand tightens in the collar of his shirt, needing this to make her forget her distress.

Jake shakes his head. “I’ll dance with you and I’ll kiss you till you drop, but we’re not doing that again. Never again.” 

She twirled a piece of his hair that had come free from his low bun. “Why not? We had a lot of fun.” 

“Too much fun.” He removes her hands from himself, beginning to step away. It wasn’t the fun he was worried about, it was the feeling. “I’ll see you soon, kid.” 

“Fuck you, Jake.” Anger masks the painful stab to her heart, or whatever it was that felt inside her still, at his rejection. Kid. 

“Keep dreaming,” He winks, turning on his heel and patting Josh’s chest as he goes to make his exit. “She’s all yours. Nice and fired up. Good fucking luck, brother.” He plucked his hat from the abandoned table, strutting out of the bar and disappearing instantly, as if he’d never been there in the first place. Except he had and she was pissed.  

“Thanks,” Josh murmurs under his breath, eyes downcast. He stops Y/N from running after Jake with a hand around her waist when she went to move past him, knowing that whatever fight she tried to start wouldn’t end well. 

“Hey, hey, hey,” He gets her attention, the fury fading from her eyes with one look at Josh. “It’s okay. You don’t want to fight him tonight. You’ve got a lot on your mind and it’ll only come to no good.” 

“No good is what I’m supposed to do,” She stomps her foot, petulantly but resigning to Josh’s hold. The drunken debauchery wasn’t going well and she was starting to feel depleted and depressed. An identity crisis, one rejection and likely another on the horizon with the way Josh was looking at her. 

She felt herself beginning to cry again. This time she couldn’t stop the tears. 

“Oh, god,” Josh whispered quickly, ushering himself and the demon to the sidewalk outside of the bar. The darkness of the night would cover up the sight that would raise human eyebrows. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. Please.” His voice is soft, feathery and concerned. Pleading. 

“What’s the point? Why’d they even send me here? Who am I?” She wailed, her eyes streaming tears of blood. “Why the fuck do I cry blood? This is so unfair!” 

Josh wanted to curse Jake, but he knew he was already eternally damned so it really wouldn’t do anything. He shushed the crying demon who really just looked like a young drunk girl except for the red tears. Josh held her as she sobbed, blood staining his white shirt. It didn’t matter to him. He offered soothing words to her and eventually, after back rubs and deep breath exercises, she pulled it together. 

“You can come see me whenever you need, Sal. How’s that?” Josh offers as he rubs soothing patterns across her clammy back. 

She wiped at her face and her hair that was now all over the place. “Thanks, Josh. Thank you for being kind to me. Even though…I am who I am.” 

“Of course,” Josh’s voice is full of emotion. He couldn’t help it. She needed him. “Take care. I’ll see you soon.” 

She nodded and sniffed, holding her head high again, the bloody tracks on her face looking horrifying in the dark light but Josh tried for a hopeful smile. She waved and then she was gone, disappearing into the dark and empty night. Jake must have taught her his trick.

She’s not sure what made her decide what she did next. But she was a little drunk and confused and dejected and needy for attention. Rori was asleep on her hardwood floor when she walked in the door, dead to the world till the sun came up hours from now. So after 30 seconds in the empty silent apartment she turned back around, leaving again.

-

to be continued

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[pennylanefics]

Promise - Prince!Jake Kiska

a/n: i've had this written since november, but i never posted it bc i went on to take a break from tumblr, and i literally remembered i wrote it the other night and i really wanted to post it so here :)

warnings: mentions of/slight descriptions of wounds/cuts, a couple references to sex

word count: ~ 3k

It was a rather gloomy night, rain was heavily falling down onto the world, and you were stuck staring out the window of your room, though you were unable to see anything. It was pitch black out, however, you enjoyed the way the raindrops fell on the glass.

You were hoping Jake would be arriving soon, as he said he would in his letter that you received two days ago. He has been so busy with his father and keeping up with things, being the son of the King and all, the Prince to inherit the land when the time comes.

But things weren’t exactly looking up for the kingdom. Tensions were high and everyone in town was talking about being on the brink of war. You hoped that wasn’t true, but you knew your parents were prepared for anything, as they are allies of the royal family.

Just as you had hoped, a knock came on your door, your handmaiden letting you know Jake was here to see you. In an instant, you ran out of your room, politely running past her, and down the massive stairs that you two have spent so many nights talking on.

Your parents adored Jake. They knew it would be better to marry someone more like an aristocrat, but they could see how much the man cared for you and how much effort he made to just visit you; they obviously know of all the letters he sends you any time he can.

It was only a matter of time before your parents got together with the king’s people to talk of a marriage between you two. Sure, it wasn’t entirely viable, but allies are allies; the king knows your family are good people, what’s the hurt in letting their son marry their daughter?

As you finally make your way to the grand entrance of the castle, you see Jake pacing back and forth in front of the door. He appeared to be soaked, but you were sure that he owns horse-drawn carriages that are covered.

He spots you and races towards you a little. You crash into his arms and his wrap tightly around you.

“Oh, how I’ve missed you,” he whispers into your neck, his eyes shut tightly as he takes in everything. The feel of you in his arms, the scent of his favorite perfume you always wear just for him, how your skin feels under his fingertips, and the way your hair brushes against his face.

“I’ve missed you too, Jake. You stay away for far too long, it’s starting to feel like you don’t want to visit anymore,” you try and lightly joke, but when you pull away, you notice Jake’s expression has fallen.

“Um, I fear I come with bad news, my dear.” Jake rubs his hands together nervously after letting you go, stepping back to continue pacing. “War has finally broken out and we need every set of hands we can get.”

“Oh,” you mumble, toying with your hands. Your heart starts to race as he tries and gets the courage to get his words out. He messes with the sword on his hip, one of his many nervous habits you’ve picked up on over the year.

“And I’m going to fight with them,” he says turning to you. There were clearly tears in his eyes, this was just as hard for him as it was for you.

“But Jake, what about-”

“I have no choice, and frankly, there is no other choice I would make, even if I wasn’t being practically forced to. This is the kingdom that I am going to rule one day. The people should see that their future king is going to fight to protect them.”

He storms out of the castle and into the rain. That’s when you notice his beautiful white horse standing, tied to the fence, waiting for Jake to return. You follow him like a lost puppy, terrified of what was to come in the future.

“You can’t…I’ve heard the stories of what happens to men at war, I don’t want you going through that, and what if you are injured, what if you are killed?!”

“Then I die for my people! I have served them well and they will know that their prince fought for them the very last second, up until my last breath.”

Your own tears had finally fallen from your eyes and they were mixing with the rain dropping onto your face. Both yours and Jake’s hair started to stick to your skin, and your dress was soaked within just a few seconds of being outside.

“But what about me? What am I supposed to do without the man I love? The man I was going to marry?!” You were screaming at him, but you didn’t care. You needed to direct your anger somewhere, and Jake just happened to be that person.

“You’ll find someone else. If I’m destined to die on this battlefield, you are destined to find a man who will provide you with a life as good as I lived. I promise you that.” You shake your head at his last comment.

“Promise me you’ll come back to me? Promise me you’ll keep yourself safe, for you, your family, your people, and especially for me?”

Jake grabs you once more, his hands wrapping around your waist, bringing you as close to his body as he can.

“I promise that if I make it out alive, you are the first person I am going to see. Forget my family, my father, everyone. If I somehow survive, I am going to be on your doorstep, with you in my arms.”

A choked sob makes its way past your lips, and Jake attempts to wipe your tears away, but it’s no use, as he can’t really tell what are tear drops versus rain drops. He moves his hands up to hold your face in his hands, and kisses you as passionately as he can.

He was just as much of a mess as you were. He didn’t want to do this, he wanted to marry you, more than anything in the world; this is just the absolute most unfortunate timing. But this was something he had to do.

Pulling back, he makes a quick getaway and mounts the horse, but before he rides off into the dark and stormy night, you run right over to him, resting your hands on his thigh.

“Please don’t go, Jake,” you whimper, sniffling a little, in part of the chilly weather the rain has brought. Jake sighs softly and caresses your cheek once more.

He leans down and kisses you again, softly this time, his lips ghosting over yours after it ends.

“I have to, my love. But just know, you are the one that’s going to be getting me through this battle.”

He grabs onto your hand, and slowly, the horse rides away, and soon, he drops your hand, and you already miss the warmth of his skin. Jake rides off, disappearing very quickly, and everything finally sets in

That could have been the last time you saw Jake. Or rather his regular self.

A voice calls for you from behind, and as you turn around, you see your handmaiden, Alice, standing at the large entrance doors. You trudge back slowly, the weight of your dress dragging you down a little.

Stepping inside, Alice is asking you tons of questions, but you don’t answer any of them, too numb from the idea that Jake is gone, and has the possibility of never returning.

As the weeks go by, every day, you wonder what Jake is doing. If he’s okay, if he’s gotten hurt, how many battles he’s partaken in, or worse, if he’s dead somewhere; that was a frequent nightmare of yours ever since he left.

You waited every day to see if you got a letter from him, and nothing came. Most of your days were spent alone, in your room, journaling your thoughts and dreams, or even little thoughts you had for Jake, even addressing some entries to him directly, like you were writing him a letter.

It helped you some days, living in the alternate reality that everything was okay, and you were writing him like normal. But this circumstance was horrifying. And you were ready for it to be over.

Your parents tried inviting you to events like dinners and balls to get your mind off of things, but you were never up for it. You knew they were wanting you to find a husband at these events, and you were not going to even look at another man until you knew what Jake’s status was.

An agonizing two months later, you are sitting in the spot you sit in every day, in the drawing room, staring out the window to the garden. However, it had turned to night by now, and you had been staring out the window, not really focusing on anything but your thoughts.

A soft knock sounds on the door, interrupting you, and making you jump.

“Someone is here for you,” Alice says softly, trying to hide the smile on her face. Though you don’t notice it, keeping your eyes glued to the floor as you head out of the room and down the staircase.

You are slow with your movements, as there wasn’t a ton of energy in your body recently. Every day felt like a year, wondering if Jake was going to return or if someone was going to show up with a letter informing you of his death.

But as you get to the bottom of the stairs, prepared to deal with the worst news possible, a familiar laugh echos in the entryway.

“I figured you’d be much more excited to see me,” Jake’s usually cheerful voice was now slightly dull, filled with exhaustion.

Your head shoots up and a gasp leaves your body, and within seconds, you are hurling yourself to Jake and into his arms. He catches you with ease, laughing loudly, a huge smile on his face.

You sob loudly into his neck, and he just holds you tight, beginning to weep as well.

“I thought about you every single day,” he cries out, his hand coming up to hold the back of your head. “You got me through this war. I love you.”

“I l-love you too, Jake,” you manage to get out through your sobs. Lifting your head, you crash your lips against his, your hands holding his face as he’s set you back down, so you are grounded a little bit better.

The kiss lasts for what seems to be forever, neither one of you ready to pull away just yet. Eventually, though, your knees buckle and you start to fall to the floor, and Jake just laughs, taking a seat with you in his lap.

You straddle his lap and rest your hands on his chest to stabilize yourself some. You go back to kissing him and his hands never leave your body. He keeps them on your waist for a bit before trailing them up and down your back, feeling your curves, taking the feel of you in again after being deprived for two months.

When you finally break away to catch your breath, you take a moment to admire Jake, who has changed some. His hair was longer, and way more tangled that it used to be when he was able to keep up with it.

A mustache had grown on his upper lip, as well as a small patch of hair on his chin. It suited him well, and you planned on telling him you didn’t want him to shave just yet. But one thing catches your eye.

A scar adorns the apple of his right cheek, and a frown appears on your face. He notices this, especially when you reach up to run your finger along the permanently raised skin.

“I’m alright, love,” he whispers, grabbing your hand and bringing it away from his face. You figured it was difficult for him to relive that, and your face heats up with embarrassment.

“Are you?” You whisper. The look in his eyes tells you he’s seen some horrible things, but you didn’t want to push that out of him if he wasn’t ready to talk.

“I…I will be,” he replies, gulping. You nod and drop the topic, moving your hands down to rest on his neck.

“But you’re alive,” you say, mainly to yourself. Jake smiles, a sight that you’ve longed to see, and your heart flutters.

“I am. And I am for good. My father says my duties as a soldier are over, and I should focus on my duties as Prince and helping with the logistics rather than physical aspect of war.”

“I’m so glad,” you sigh out in relief. He wraps his arms around you again, very tightly, nuzzling his nose in your neck.

“You are staying with me for the next few days, right?” You ask. He nods against your shoulder, a few more tears spilling out.

“I’m not leaving, I promise. I’m never leaving you again.”

After sitting there for a little while longer, you two finally move up to your bedroom, but you have other ideas. You ask Alice to draw a bath, and thankfully she does, especially after seeing how dirty Jake appeared and the look on your face of just wanting to care for him.

You carefully help him into the tub and he settles into the lukewarm water. He didn’t care if it was hot or cold, he was glad to finally get and feel clean.

You help scrub his body, ridding the dirt that was caked on in some places. But you are gentle with him, noticing some cuts and scrapes were still healing, making sure to not scrub at those with the sponge.

You also take notice of the scars covering his body, some rather large and red, others faded but still visible due to it being so raised.

Neither of you say anything as you continue, moving on to wash his hair, and attempting to comb through the knots. Thankfully, Jake was hard-headed, so you tugging in some spots wasn’t the worst, but you still felt bad, given his condition.

However, he told you silently that you weren’t doing anything wrong, with the hums of approval sounding from his throat and the fond look in his eyes every time you made eye contact.

Once you finished, you allowed him to dry off and get dressed in the items of clothing that were secretly left over for him a year ago, when you first started seeing one another.

It was a rather funny story. You two had met in town, when he was trying to escape some women chasing him. He ran into you and pulled you into some stables to throw the women off, and since then, you began sneaking around. He would come visit you late at night, and with the help of Alice, a relationship began to blossom early on.

But that was until your parents and his parents threw a ball and ‘introduced’ you to each other. So, through laughter, you and Jake had to act like you didn’t know one another, that you hadn’t kissed many times, and that he hasn’t seen you naked, on top of him.

In that moment, under the eyes of your parents, he placed a kiss on the back of your hand ever so delicately, so innocently compared to the previous night, where he fucked you so hard you were seeing stars; though the look in his eyes when he gazed up at you, your gloved hand in his as he kissed the material, said everything, and you had to keep yourself from breaking into a smile.

Neither of your parents have yet to know that you met each other prior to that, but it’s not really something they needed to know to begin with. You were just glad with how things worked out, and now, you were going to be marrying your lover.

After combing through his hair one final time, you settle into your bed, Jake holding you as close as he can to his body, your bare skin pressed against one another, a request from him, which you didn’t mind one bit.

There was nothing sexual about it, at all. You were simply relishing in the fact that he was alive, and he was right here beside you, as well as him basking in your touch, something he dreamed about every day for the past two months.

He didn’t think he would live to see you again, so this was far more intense than he was expecting. But he wouldn’t trade it for anything.

He ends up curling up into your side, and just like you did in the bathroom, you have a clear view of his back, where most of the scars lined, you assume from sword fights and grazes of the blade.

You carefully and softly caress every inch of his body, telling him with your touch how loved he is, and that he’s safe now. You even write out ‘I love you’ with your fingertips along his skin, and he senses this almost immediately.

“I love you, (Y/N), and even though it’s not official, I cannot wait to marry you. The way you care for me, the way you have been so patient with me tonight, how you have consumed my mind for the past year and a half, you are the woman I am meant to be with.”

He raises his head to gaze up at you, a small grin on his lips.

“I love you too, Jake. I don’t know what you saw or went through these past couple months, and you don’t have to tell me, but I am going to be here for you every step of the way. You are my love, and I’m not leaving your side. That’s my promise to you.”

“I kept my promise, now it’s on you to keep yours,” he giggles. You laugh with him and cradle his cheek, your thumb running along his skin, along the scar. This time, he doesn’t shy away.

“I plan on keeping my promise until my last breath, my darling,” you whisper.

taglist: @sacredthethread @doodle417 @digitalcalamity @rocknrolls-child @fan-girl-97 @writingcold @thecoldwind @allieisacrybaby @ourlovegrows @jordierama @streamingcolors-gvf @stardustcatcher @stardustchxrds @sacredthefran @gvfungi @gretavankleep37

#jake kiszka #jake kiszka imagines #jake kiszka x reader #prince!jake au #jake kiszka au #jake kiszka fanfic #prince!jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #greta van fleet imagines #gvf imagines #greta van fleet fanfic #gvf fanfic #josh kiszka #danny wagner #sam kiszka #imagines #fanfiction #fanfic

[basiccortez]

Oooo what about an instagram blurb on the guys first post of their significant others

@josh_gvf

josh_gvf an artist in her true natural habitat @yourinstagram

liked by Jake_gvf, and 34,295 others

342 comments

jake_gvf about time you made it official

fanaccount josh off the market = broken heart

fanaccount so happy for josh

fanaccount josh it's never too late to ask me out.

@jake_gvf

Jake_gvf lemon, peach, apple @yourinstagram

liked by josh_gvf, macsaturn and 34,593 others

437 comments

sammy_gvf where are your shoes

yourinstagram where are yours?

fanaccount Jake dating someone with tattoos is making my whole year

@sammy_gvf

sammy_gvf we aren't tourists @yourinstagram

liked by Danny_gvf, dougthepug and 23,438 others

323 comments

yourinstagram totally not

fanaccount I swear to god I saw them around today!

fanaccount tourist sam: unlocked

fanaccount loving her hair oh my god their kids will have the best hair

liked by sammy_gvf

@danny_gvf

Danny_gvf my favorite sight in the morning @yourinstagram

liked by josh_gvf, sammy_gvf and 34,538 others

yourinstagram right back at ya hot stuff

fanaccount finally! he got rid of mechanism

fanaccount Danny has seemed so much happier lately with her

fanaccount you should've seen the way he looked at her last night at the end of the show. made me believe in love

#g's asks #my asks #Greta Van Fleet #Greta Van Fleet au #Greta Van Fleet imagine #Greta Van Fleet social media au #Jake Kiszka #Jake Kiszka gvf #Jake Kiszka au #josh kiszka #josh kiszka gvf #josh gvf #josh kiszka au #Sam Kiszka #Sam Kiszka gvf #sam gvf #Sam Kiszka au #Danny wagner #Danny wagner gvf #Danny gvf #Danny wagner au #Jake gvf

[artificialbreezy]

hello! i tested positive for covid today. So with that being said. i’m stuck alone in quarantine for 5 days. so plz send blurb requests or even thoughts i really don’t mind i’m just so bored

#greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fluff #greta van fleet imagines #greta van fleet au #greta van fleet smut #jake kiszka instagram #jake kiszka au #jake kiszka x reader #sam kiskza #sam kiszka imagine #sam kiszka x reader #sam kiszka smut #jake kiszka smut #josh kiszka au #josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka smut #danny wagner smut #danny wagner au

[streamingcolors-gvf]

Skin Deep - Part 8

Pairing: Josh Kiszka x f!reader x Jake Kiszka

Word Count: 14k

A/N: This took forever. I’m so sorry, guys. I really struggled with repetition in this one so I apologize in advance for that. Hope y’all enjoy! (Also this is pretty filthy so 👀)

As always, I love and appreciate all the support and feedback ❤️

Special shoutout to my lovely girls Nessa and Hannah for carrying my ass through this chapter. I wouldn’t have been able to get it done without them.

Warnings: cursing, drug use (marijuana), smoking, angst, sexually explicit content - MINORS DNI! 18+ (oral f!receiving, oral m!receiving, unprotected penetrative sex, edging, dirty talk, breeding kink, public sex, somnophilia - scene has been edited out

Masterpost

“I think we need to have a serious conversation.”

You release your arms from him as if the surface of his skin is scorching hot to the touch. Your vision blurs, making it feel like you have blinders on — tunnel vision. The entire world you’ve been blissfully living in for the past hour shrinks to the size of his bedroom in a matter of seconds. That high, the euphoria, the oxytocin surging through your veins has been sucked away as soon as the words left his mouth. It tightens in your chest like a vice grip, turning your stomach sour with regret. You’re not sure what scares you more, him being upset with you, or your visceral reaction to it. With a flick of his lighter, he takes a heavy hit while you sit on the bed behind him still as a statue. 

Things have been left unresolved since that afternoon at the tattoo shop, and sex clearly didn’t keep it swept under the rug for very long. This issue between the two of you weighs you down, keeping your body fused to the mattress. 

“Okay,” you finally mutter out a meek response as he blows the cloud of smoke above his head. He stays silent for far too long, leaving you to stare at the muscles of his back — each petal of his inked mandala — contracting with each breath he takes.

His head falls from his tense shoulders, and he disrupts the uncomfortable quiet by sending his words to the floor between his feet, “Do you just want to fuck Jake?”

The distant sound of his voice causes the guilt to swell like an overinflated balloon in your chest. You haven’t done your best to convince him of different intentions, and while the question itself seems within reason given the circumstances, it takes you by surprise nonetheless. “What?”

A defeated sigh tumbles out from his chest before he answers you in a tightly wound tone, “If you don’t want to keep fooling around with me anymore, that’s okay.”

“No!” You blurt out, panicked that you’ve torched whatever this is and that all you’ll be left with is extinguished embers. “No. Wait…what?” You dip your knee into the mattress to move closer to him. You shake the thoughts swirling around in your head for a coherent explanation. “Listen, Josh, I’m sorry for how that went down in there. I didn’t think Jake was going to say all of that and—”

The razor-sharp edge to his voice cuts off your desperate rambling, “I didn’t fuck that woman.”

He’s slammed a proverbial door into your face. It causes you to shrink in on yourself, making you accept that you haven’t been fair to him. You haven’t been transparent, even if you don’t exactly know what you’re supposed to be honest about. Your voice weakens just merely above a whisper, “I know… I’m not sure why I said those things. I’m so sorry.”

He doesn’t respond to your apology. Instead, he fiddles with the glass bowl of his bong, giving away that he’s just as anxious and uncomfortable. You dare another touch his back, but this time he relaxes to the feeling of your fingers. It’s the subtle reassurance you need for you to add, “I liked the flowers by the way.”

He peers over his shoulder enough to see you in his periphery. “You did?”

Your fingers slip into the fallen curls at the nape of his neck.“Yeah. They’re beautiful. I have them sitting on my table in my apartment.”

“I’m glad.” He smiles, but it fails in comparison to what it normally is. He stands and sets the glass piece on his dresser. There’s tension in his rigid movements like he has something else weighing on his mind. 

You watch his unnatural demeanor, beckoning him to look into your eyes again. He avoids them by casting his own to the floor, making it feel as though you’re an intruder. It’s hard to ignore, like the grating hum of electricity through a poorly wired outlet. You decide to shimmy toward the side of the bed and ask, “Should I go?”

You mentally prepare yourself for his answer the best you can while he brings his gaze back to you. “No. I want you to stay.” The words are not as believable for you as they should be, and from the look on his face alone, he knows they’re not convincing enough either. Before you can make another move, he rushes to crawl back onto the bed to sit before you. “Really.”

He places a hand on your bare knee and that’s when you notice the red marks around his wrist from where the handcuffs rubbed his skin. You gasp, taking his hand to inspect them closer, “Oh my god, Josh! Are you okay?”

He glances down at them like you’re pointing it out to him for the first time. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

You rub your thumb over the tender skin apologetically. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have put those on you.”

He laughs, giving you a sense of relief now that the tension is starting to finally break, “Don’t be sorry, baby. I liked it, actually.”

You quirk your brow. “You did?”

He watches you massage his wrist and shrugs, answering matter-of-factly, “Yeah, but I probably would have liked it a lot more if it was just the two of us.”

He slips his hand away from you only to lean forward into a kiss. You instinctively fall backward as he moves, laying across the pile of pillows at the head of the bed. “I’ll make a note of that.”

“Good. Add it to the list,” he hums, smiling into the kiss as his lips meet yours. His movements are soft and gentle — far more affectionate than the ones you had shared minutes prior. 

Before the kiss has a chance to deepen, he breaks away to say, “Lay with me for a while.” There’s a vulnerability in his request that makes you ache from the need to comfort him. You answer by lifting your dress over your head and reaching out for him. 

He lowers himself with your guiding pull until his head rests against your bare chest. You cradle him in your arms while he wraps his own around your waist. His body fits along yours seamlessly, and within seconds, his tight muscles begin to loosen. You lay in silence, listening to his rhythmic breaths as you draw shapes on his back with calming caresses of your fingertips.

Minutes go by, perhaps even hours without a single word spoken between you. Exhaustion is setting in and it doesn’t take long for the ever-changing patterns traced along the muscles of his shoulder to lull him to sleep. Soft snores flutter across your chest and as you run your fingernails lightly over his scalp, sleep coaxes you in as well. 

The Sandman had been a little heavy-handed last night, keeping your eyes sealed with sleep. You exist within the realms of your dream and reality, lucid enough to be aware of Josh shifting his weight beside you. You don’t react to the dips of the mattress, letting the luxury cotton sheets swim across your naked skin as he settles between your legs. 

You feel his warmth before his lips make contact with the top of your thigh. It’s a careful kiss, testing whether it's enough to wake you. You hum, permitting him to shower your legs with those barely-there kisses, so faint you wonder if you’re imagining them. That’s until he starts to suck his mark on the thin flesh of your inner thigh, dragging you into consciousness once again.  

Your hips writhe as a sleepy groan rumbles in your throat. The tempting heat of his breath tickles you, making you spread yourself for him without a second thought. 

You peek through your stubborn eyelids, mumbling while your eyes struggle to focus on him, “What are you doing?” 

He answers you by licking a stripe up your pussy before sucking your clit into his mouth. The surprise of his pointed tongue and the strong suction jolts you awake. Before your vision has a chance to clear, you react by clamping your eyes shut in response. After hearing your hissed curses, he releases it, giggling against your throbbing skin, “Good morning, baby.”

The sleepy rasp of his voice drowns your self-control. You push out a forceful sigh as you fall back into the down-feather pillow, huffing sarcastically, “That’s one hell of a way to wake up.” 

He chuckles to himself and skims his fingertips along your leg, giving you a few more kisses.“I’m sorry, would you like me to stop?”

The thought of him suddenly stopping is almost enough to cause panic in your lust-addled mind. You want it so bad you’re vibrating with anticipation. “Oh fuck, no. Please keep going.”

That cheekiness you’ve become well acquainted with reappears. He coos, close enough that the words flutter across your clit, “Do you need it, baby?”

The pet name has never sounded so sweet. You want to bask in it, clutch onto the way it bounces from his lips with your clenched fists.  Your hips lift from the mattress in the blind search for his mouth. You find one of his hands resting on your stomach and grasp it with more strength than you intend. “Oh my god, yes. Just please don’t tease me, Josh.”

You claw at the sheets, wrinkling them by your sides to add emphasis to your plea. He smiles and brings himself even closer to you — less than an inch above you. His eyes fall, and as if he were sharing a secret, he whispers softly, “You like it when I spoil your little clit? Should I be nice to her?”

You respond with a whiny moan and reach for his head buried between your thighs. The tufts of his tangled curls act as reigns between your fingers. You pull him forward by their roots, guiding his mouth back to you. You brace yourself, expecting the same intensity as before, but all you feel is the blooming warmth of his mouth. It blankets you as his tongue pets your clit, lapping across the swollen bud with the slightest pressure. He gives just enough for you to notice the cold metal ball of his piercing teasing you with every roll.

He breathes you in, and licks his lips through a low groan, “Fuck, you taste so good.”

You mumble something, but it's incoherent. You’re too lost in the feeling of his lips sealing around your clit to even bother repeating yourself. He just goes on to create the perfect vacuum with his flattened tongue. He holds it there, babying the most sensitive part of you in the safety of his mouth — as if it was made solely to pleasure you. 

It’s decadent — this feeling. Like that extra slice of chocolate cake eaten at some late hour of the night barefoot in your kitchen. It’s rich and heavenly, flooding your brain with oxytocin. He’s unlike any partner you’ve experienced, and it would be borderline insulting to even compare. There’s not a hint of obligation in sight. What he’s giving you is pure adoration. Unabashed, selfless worship. He’s taking his time, not even rushing a single second with you.   

He’s making sure you feel. He’s learning your body more and more with each passing minute, maybe knowing you better than you know yourself. Like magic, the slow-building orgasm churns wildly in the depths of your belly. Only for it to be disrupted by him suddenly lifting his head, breaking the seal. “I want us to do something today.”

Your mouth is bone-dry, causing you to stutter, “W-what?” 

He shifts his weight between your legs, propping himself on an elbow. Before you can complain out of frustration, he asks nonchalantly,  “Where do you want to go?”

Your mind is too busy reeling trying to process the casual tone of his voice to think about an itinerary for the day. He doesn’t seem to mind your pause and waits patiently for an answer with a smile on his face. After a huff and a roll of your eyes, you throw your head back and comb your fingers through your hair. “Fuck. I dunno, Josh. I think I work today.”

His response is mumbled through the kisses to the inside of your leg. “Then call off. You can do that, can’t you?”

The trail of his tongue and the teasing nips of his teeth distract you. Just like that fateful afternoon the day you first met at the shop, he’s able to convince you of anything he desires. “Yeah…yeah. I think so.”

“Good.” His middle finger slips through your folds —  rewarding you. He’s playing, exploring the intricate details of your body to see your reactions in real-time. He watches your hips lift off the bed from the feather-light touch, how your chest rises and falls with each panting breath, to the changing expressions on your face. With his hooded eyes completely transfixed between your legs, he asks, “How about we take some edibles and go to the aquarium today?”

Despite the overwhelming urge to close your eyes, you fight to keep them open. He’s breathtaking, so effortlessly beautiful soaking in the filtered morning sun. You doubt the fact he’s real like he’s a still from a movie that’s been locked away in a memory until now. There’s a fear that if you blink, he might disappear and you’ll wake up from this perfect dream. 

You’re determined to capture the sight of him — a moment so natural it makes your heartache. The dark shadow of stubble growing back where his mustache draws your attention down to his kissable lips. They’re flushed bright pink, glossy with your wetness. 

He swipes his thumb across your clit, watching how your body spasms at the feeling. You hum, finally allowing your eyes to close, “Mmhmm.”

His voice floats across the tides of your conscience, “Are you listening, baby?” 

“Yeah,” you answer back through an airy sigh. In reality, you’re not convinced you even heard him correctly. The words evaporated into the air between you. They don’t matter in the slightest, he could suggest anything to you if it meant that he would make you finish. 

He kisses your inner thigh before dragging the tip of his tongue higher up. “How does that sound?” 

The kitten-licks along the crook of your leg make you choke on a breath, “S-sure.” He giggles at the broken sound, burying his laughter as he searches for your clit. “We can go look at some fish — ah fuck!”

He swirls his tongue, coaxing your orgasm into the refuge that is his mouth. You find his hand gripped across your hip. The contact serves as a substitute for the spoken words that are failing to form, touching praise that tells him you’re right on the cusp of your release. You feel across the dips and contours of his knuckles, tracing along the soft planes of each finger grasped onto the supple flesh of your waist. 

If you were aware of your surroundings, you would notice his hips grinding into the mattress for friction knowing he could’ve easily added his fingers and made you climax minutes ago out of impatience. The whine laced within the ragged breath is the only indicator that he’s just as desperate as you. “Are you close, baby?”

You moan loud enough for the sound to pierce through the thin walls of their house. If Jake was here, there’s no question that he heard you. However, the thought of the confrontation he’ll have with you is fleeting. Josh, still hell-bent on maintaining the resemblance of a conversation, asks you, “What do you want to see the most?”

“Josh,” you groan, swallowing harshly to wet your parched tongue.

“Yeah?”

“Please shut up.” 

He smiles, pressing the sharp edge of his teeth against your clit. As much as he loves to tease you, the urgency in your tone is enough to flip the last switch. The lazy movements are abandoned, replaced with the rapid flicks of his tongue. 

“Holy sh-shit!” You cry out, clawing at his hands that are latched around your legs. Every muscle in your body tightens like an over-spun coil ready to snap any second. You fall past the tipping point as he drenches you in intoxicating bliss like you’ve been submerged in a warm bath. 

He brings you down carefully, licking and kissing until your legs start to shake from overstimulation. Peaceful silence falls between you as your breathing calms and your heart rate returns to normal within a few minutes. You expect him to crawl up your body and slip himself inside you, but he doesn’t.

He lifts himself from the bed, throws the duvet off to the side, and stands to his feet. His nakedness sends your eyes to his obviously-hard cock bouncing against his belly as he moves. He catches you staring, and the confusion painted on your face. 

You’re completely dumbfounded, as Josh doesn’t strike you as the type to pass on the opportunity for sex. The strange behavior might have made you question things normally, but the certain glint in his eyes tells you something is brewing in that brain of his. 

A tiny smirk forms on his face as he makes his way to the dresser, giving you a direct view of his ass. The way jiggles and bounces as he walks is enough to distract you momentarily. You know he’s doing it on purpose, and you hate the way you fall for it. He digs out his clothes from the drawers, tosses them onto the foot of the bed, and starts to get dressed in front of you. 

You wish you had your phone to snap a picture of him, even for your own selfish reasons. The collection of vibrant tattoos flowing with the lean muscles of his body deserves to be admired. The dichotomy of wanting to appreciate his beauty while wanting to ravish his cock that’s twitching with the steady beat of his heart wrecks your brain.

 Realizing that you’re gawking, he looks up and flashes you a full smile. “So I was thinking we could grab a coffee and some breakfast on the way. My treat.” 

Stunned, you watch him pull his boxer briefs up his legs with his cock standing at attention more than ever. Your pussy throbs for him, craving the full feeling he gives you. Unbothered, he grabs himself with a firm hand and tucks it away into the confines of his underwear. The heather-gray fabric does little to conceal it, taunting you with the prominent outline. 

“Uh…about that,” You begin just as he slips on a pair of jeans that does nothing but hug his crotch in all the right places. It takes every ounce of energy for you to look away. “I need to stop by my apartment today. I have to check on my cat and get some clothes.”

He pauses with his t-shirt in hand. “You have a cat?” After seeing you nod, he scoffs in disbelief, “How did I not know that?”

You sit up, snorting a laugh as you scoot to the edge of the bed. “I don’t think we’ve spent our time actually getting to know each other.”

“Hmm,” he hums, making his way toward you. He steps between your legs and leans until he’s just about eye level. “I beg to differ. I think I’m getting to know you very well.”

You peer up, hoping not to fall headfirst into those amber irises. “So well in fact that you didn’t even know I had a cat.”

“Hey,” he scolds playfully while tipping your chin up with a finger and lowering himself even farther so his lips hover above yours. “In my defense, I was a little busy getting to know another kitty of yours.”

“You’re a fucking idiot,” you huff, but he catches the back of your neck before you can pull away. 

He nips at the spot below your ear, making you suck in a breath.“Utterly moronic.” You whimper at the silken quality of his voice. “Now get dressed, baby.” 

You want to tug him close by the collar of his white t-shirt and kiss him. Lost in the sheets until the sun sets again, but he straightens, breaking the hold you have on him. 

He finishes getting ready while you dress and gather your belongings around him. You take a chance opening the door to his bedroom to see that Jake’s wide open. He’s nowhere to be found, but you spot your overnight bag sitting on top of his bed, reminding you how things were left off with him. 

You walk into his room, taking cautious steps toward the enormous four-post bed. Once you’re a few feet from it, you see a garment wrapped in a plastic covering beside your bag. You recognize it immediately. It’s the dress you wore to your tattoo appointment with Jake, dry-cleaned and laid out neatly for you.  

You’re not sure what to make of the gesture. It’s a level of care and detail that you weren’t expecting from him. It leaves you confused more than anything. There’s no note with your things, and a glance at your phone screen shows no messages from him.  

You hear Josh’s footsteps approach before he knocks against the door frame and calls into the room, “You ready?”

“Yeah, I think so.” You snatch your bag from the bed and head toward him, leaving the dress behind. 

He ushers you out of the front door of the house, locking it behind you once you step to the side. You follow him down the stairs, along the concrete path, and to the driveway where his beloved Camry sits. 

Up close, and now that you’re paying close attention to it, you can see the evidence left by the years from a type of tough love that would blur the line of abuse. The car has stood up to the test of time, proudly wearing every scratch along the chipped red paint and every dent punched into its exterior.   

As you walk around its battered hood, you note the metallic blue fender piece around the front passenger wheel well. You smile to yourself, as it's not a surprise that he’s the type of person to barely care if there was a fender attached at all.

You imagine each point of damage created by teenage Josh — each mark having its own ridiculous story for him to share with you one day. 

You also know that there’s a strong likelihood that some of these could have been made within the week. The thought of it causes a giggle to break free, “How old is this thing?”

He chuckles, manually unlocking the driver-side door with the key. “It’s an ‘03.”

You wait as he slides into his seat, expecting him to hit the unlock button on the inside of his door. He stretches across the passenger seat and pulls up the locking mechanism. 

You pop the handle, pleasantly surprised that it opens with ease, and peek inside. A pile of old cassette and CD cases litter the floor of the front seat. Layers of stickers that probably span over the years cover nearly every square inch of the plastic beige dash. The worn upholstery seats have been mended by hand and stitched back together in a rainbow of threads. Upon further inspection, you notice the tiny, circular cigarette burns that haven't earned their own patch. “Don’t you think it’s time for a new car?”

While you throw your bag into the backseat, he turns the key in the ignition. The idling engine emphasizes his answer. “Why? This baby runs perfectly fine.”

You scoff a laugh, “Josh. Your side view mirror is held on by duct tape and a prayer.”

“Hey!” He wags a pointed finger with his quirked brow before patting the center of the dash affectionately. “There’s nothing duct tape can’t fix. It hasn’t failed me yet.”

You glance over at him, watching him lift his ass from the seat so he can empty his pockets.“How much shit in this car is held together by duct tape?”

He bites back a smile, tossing his pack of cigarettes onto the dash, and sets his phone in the center console. After putting the car in reverse, he holds your headrest to look behind him, but his gaze lingers on you. “Do you want the real answer to that?”

“It might be better if I don’t know.”

Music plays through the speakers just low enough that the lack of conversation becomes noticeable. You’ve tried to distract yourself, but the plastic army men superglued to his dash can only keep your pestering thoughts from wandering for so long. 

He appears anxious, picking aimlessly at the woven steering wheel cover and bouncing a knee for the last few miles. After stopping at the next red light, he finally reaches for his pack of cigarettes resting on the center of the dash. With his free hand, he flips the top and pulls one out with his lips before tossing it back. Your eyes follow the bent pack of Marlboro Lights sliding into the corner of the windshield. After rolling his window down and using his knees to steer, he lights the cigarette and pulls a heavy drag. “Hey.”

“Hey.” 

He glances over at you and takes a steadying breath. “I know I said we should have a serious talk last night, and well, we didn’t do as much talking as we probably should have.”

His anxiety becomes contagious, infecting you in an instant. You stiffen, taking cautious verbal steps, “Okay. What did you want to talk about?” 

Noticing your sudden change, he reaches out and gives your knee a reassuring squeeze. “Relax, baby. Everything is okay. I promise.”

“But something is still bothering you.”

You study his expressions and body language. He’s hesitant, thinking over each word carefully. The sigh he releases and the way he’s rubbing his thumb across his bottom lip makes your chest tighten. “I want you to know that I’m not trying to fuck around.” He quickly clears his throat to clarify his thoughts, “I mean, I’m not really looking to hook up with other people. And…and I think I wanted you to know that I’m just about you right now.”

You don’t answer him right away, letting each word replay in your head over and over. It takes a moment to process, deciphering what he’s truly saying past the surface level. You question if this is a conversation about exclusivity and the implications that go with it. He hasn’t looked back at you yet since he’s spoken, keeping his focus locked on the road.

“Josh?”

Your voice breaks his attention long enough for him to glance over at you. “Yeah?” 

“Are you trying to say that you want me to stop sleeping with Jake?” 

You try not to think about how much the proposition affects you because deep down you know the feeling will act as a stubborn stain on your heart that will never wash out no matter how much you try. You’ve thrown it out into the open and there’s no reeling it back in. It settles between you, more so than the iron weight in the pit of your stomach. You have to acknowledge your hypocrisy when you stood there in their driveway, holding your ground about not wanting to create jealousy between them. 

He winces as he takes another drag, pushing out the question through the blown smoke, “Do you want to stop sleeping with Jake?”

You’re quick to snap back, “Don’t dodge my question.”

“I’m not,” he huffs defensively.  “Look, I’ll be the first person to admit that our situation is…less than conventional. But I like you. I hope that’s obvious.” A smile breaks through the last part, but the expression stays controlled. “All I’m worried about is you being happy and comfortable. Knowing that you’re having fun, but I don’t have any expectations, okay?”

He waits for your nod before continuing to talk. “If having fun for you is hooking up with me, or with the both of us like we’ve been doing, or even if you just want to be with Jake… that’s okay too.”

Before you can open your mouth to reassure him, he adds, “It will be a bummer, but I’ll accept that.”

The pained flick of his thumb across the filter of his cigarette reveals more of his emotions than his chosen words. His exterior is calm and collected — an undeniable contrast to the outburst in the shop office. Out of the corner of your eye, you see how close you’re getting to your apartment building, and the last thing you want is to leave things off on a bad note. “You know I still want to sleep with you, right?”

His shoulders immediately relax and his face lights up as soon as the words leave your lips. That reserved smile blossoms into a full grin. “I might have had a feeling.”

As much as the sight gives you that fuzzy feeling, there’s still a tinge of embarrassment that you’re not handling this as well as you should be, making you confess, “This is new for me.”

Josh’s hand wraps around your thigh once more. “Me too. But we’ll figure it out.” His fingers and thumb begin to knead small circles into the bare skin. The touch is electric, sparking desire like lightning between your legs. “One last thing though. Can you just tell me you’re mad at me next time? I don’t know if I can handle much more of you fucking him to get back at me.”

Despite ending the last sentence with a laugh, it’s not because he finds it humorous. Guilt resurfaces, revealing your immaturity over the last week. You knew that’s how he felt, but to hear him say it acts like salt to the wound. You play it off, throwing in a touch of sarcasm. “So honest and open communication about my feelings?”

He bites at his lip before giving you that smile of his.“Crazy, I know.”

“I’ll try.”

Josh parks behind your apartment building in your designated space. To your relief, your roommate’s car is missing from its spot, giving you the clear to bring him up without having to deal with an awkward introduction. Before you can unbuckle your seatbelt, he snatches your bag from the backseat and slings it over his shoulder as he makes his way out of the car. 

He follows you through the narrow alleyway toward the front door of the building, causing a new, unfamiliar feeling to brew in your chest. In the past, bringing people back to your place has always been a rare thing, especially in broad daylight. You’ve found that you’re more comfortable at their house, coming and going on your terms. Now with him, a half-step behind you, seconds away from your door, is starting to feel like this is developing past the casual hookup phase and you’re not entirely sure where to place that idea in your brain. 

You unlock the heavy door and give it a strong push to break the seal of old paint that keeps it stuck within its frame during warmer months. Since it’s an older building, the musty air sticks to your lungs as you ascend the staircase. 

“How long have you lived here?” Josh sparks small talk from behind you. 

You keep your voice quiet to keep the sound from traveling into the other apartments. “About three years. It’s not quite up to code but the rent is cheap and my landlord is super cool so I can’t complain.”

Josh chuckles, “You know what they say, ‘A little asbestos builds character’.”

You laugh at his joke, stopping on the landing to search for your apartment key on the metal ring. “Can’t be much worse than all the cigarettes you smoke.”

He steps in front of you and blushes, releasing the strained breath he’s been holding in. “Hey, I’m trying to quit.”

You take the next set of stairs while throwing the bratty remark over your shoulder. “Oh? How’s that going by the way?”

Sarcasm seeps into his tone, making him exhale with a dramatic wheeze, “Fantastic. Can’t you tell?”

As soon as you’re standing in front of your door, a sudden wave of anxiety washes over you. This is the first time he’s going to see your place —  a part of you that’s remained a mystery to him until now. Accepting that there’s no turning back, you turn the key in the lock, praying that nothing embarrassing has been left in plain sight. 

“Well, this is it,” you announce into the empty apartment with open arms. 

You drop your keys onto the side table while he walks in and shuts the door behind him. After sliding your bag off his shoulder and resting it on a nearby chair, his eyes scan over the quaint living room. “Wow. It’s quite cozy in here.”

Thankfully, your roommate had kept the place pretty tidy overnight. Crocheted throw pillows are propped up nicely, a folded blanket is draped over the back of the couch, and stacks of books and an unfinished puzzle sit on the vintage oak coffee table. The late morning light casts through the large plate glass windows, giving your family of houseplants their daily dose of sun. 

The commotion wakes your sleeping cat, making him lift his head from his spot on the couch and give you both a welcoming chirp. With a childlike wonder, Josh beams with excitement, calling out in a soft voice, “Hey buddy!”

He slowly drops to a squatting position and holds out his hand. “Pspspsps.” 

You stand back, pleasantly surprised that Josh can gain his trust so easily. The orange tabby does his post-nap stretch before jumping off the couch with a thud, landing on all four paws. He trots over, causing his low belly to swing with his stride, and rubs his face into Josh’s open palm. “What’s your name?”

Not knowing what his reaction will be, you answer sheepishly, “Tater tot.”

Josh throws his head back and lets out a loud cackle, filling the quiet room with his vibrant energy. “Tater tot. I fucking love that.” He scratches under the cat’s chin, earning himself a purr. “You kind of look like a tater tot, don’t you?”

You move through the living room, placing your stuff down as you reminisce over the distant memory. “I found him by the dumpster at work when he was just a tiny kitten. Poor guy was covered in fleas and so hungry that he ate tater tots that I had with my lunch right out of my hand. And the name just stuck ever since.”

He gives your cat’s rotund frame an affectionate pat. “What a cool dude.”

You linger for a few beats of time until you clear your throat. “I’m gonna go get ready. You okay out here with him?”

He makes himself at home on the lounge chair next to your couch and releases a comfortable sigh, “Take your time, baby. Ol’ Tater and I will catch up.”

You rush back to your bathroom and freshen up as quickly as you can. Not long after you left the twins’ house, you texted Katie about covering your shift this afternoon. Thankfully, she was able to without much of a battle, leaving your day wide open to spend with Josh. 

After applying some makeup and doing your hair in a simple style, you repack your overnight bag and look for an outfit to change into. You pick out a simple, linen sundress from your closet that’s going to be comfortable enough for you to walk around in.

Josh doesn’t hear you come back into the living room, and keeps his back turned. In your short absence, he has scooped your cat up into his arms and started rocking him like a newborn baby. He hums a song that’s stuck in his head while pacing around the space, studying the art, little thrifted trinkets, and knick-knacks to the collection of books sitting on the shelf. You watch from the edge of the hallway, noticing how well he seems to fit in here — like he’s meshing seamlessly with your existing life. 

The romantic in you pines for a different reality, because at this moment, seeing the peaceful innocence makes you wish that he had asked you out on a proper date the first day you met. That way, you could have gotten to know him under different circumstances. After weeks of dating, you could’ve introduced him to friends, maybe even brought him to meet your nightmare parents. 

But the way things are with him seems as though it’s far too good to be true — an exciting fling that’s destined to fizzle out as soon as the summer ends. You’ve learned this lesson before. Don’t get too emotionally invested in a guy like him. 

Before getting swept away in the emotions of it like an incoming tide, you interrupt, “I’m shocked he let you pick him up like that. Usually, he hates being held.” Josh is startled by your voice, turning on his heels with the biggest smile on his face. “He must really like you.”

Your beloved cat continues to rub his face across Josh’s defined jaw, purring so loud that you can hear it from across the room. Proud that he’s won his affection, he can’t help but crack a joke, “What can I say…pussies love me.”

You groan with a dramatic roll of your eyes and walk to the door with your bag in hand. Josh laughs from behind you, only to be followed by the sound of Tater Tot’s paws returning to the wood floor. “What? What’d I say?”

You let the smile creep across your lips as you grab your purse and keys. “Sometimes I wonder why I hang out with you at all?”

He hums in thought, standing behind you as he watches you lock the deadbolt. “It could be the big dick and the free weed.”

You scoff and turn to the stairs knowing that he’ll follow. Before you can take the first step, he reaches out and hooks your upper arm in his hand, tugging you close. “Hey.” He abandons the teasing banter, taking on a calm sincerity in his voice. “You look beautiful, baby. Thank you for spending the day with me.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re right. Those flowers do look great in your apartment.”

With the weight lifted between you, the drive to the aquarium was far more relaxed than the one on the way to your apartment. Like a road trip planned with your best friend, the miles fly by quicker than you thought. The last hour was spent laughing and playing music from the scattered tapes and CDs strewn across the car. 

Josh chooses a parking deck close by, but because of it being in the center of the city, the first three floors are filled. He eventually finds a spot on the last level, kills the engine, and digs around for something in his backseat. He retrieves a small plastic container, pops the lid open, and offers you a red gummy placed in the center of his palm. 

You giggle, plucking it from his open hand, “You’re such a bad influence.”

“The peer pressure must be killing you.” He teases, tossing back three into his mouth. 

Even though you’ve already started chewing yours, you stare at him in disbelief and snatch the container from him. “How strong are these?”

He chuckles around his own gummies, answering before you have a chance to find it on the label. “They’re only twenty.”

Your eyes widen as you swallow down the THC-infused cherry-flavored juice. “Oh, great.”

He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze and places a sweet kiss on your cheek. “Relax. You’re going to be fine. I got you, baby.”

“I fucking hope so.”

You both make your way through the parking deck and out onto the street. It’s early afternoon, and the summer sun is at its highest point in the sky. Thankfully, the trek to the aquarium is roughly a ten-minute stroll. You follow behind him as he walks up to the ticket counter outside of the building. 

“Hello,” Josh greets the employee behind the glass.  An older woman looks up from her computer and stares blankly at him. He waits a few seconds for her response, but when she doesn’t, he adds, “Can I get two adult tickets, please?”

You catch her glare before she redirects her attention to her computer. “That’ll be $105.89.”

Josh fishes his wallet out of his back pocket, waving you off when you reach into your purse. “I got it, baby.” He pulls out a credit card and slides it across the metal counter through the opening of the glass window. 

The woman's judgemental eyes lock onto his hands pushing the card toward her. You’re confused as to why until you realize that she’s staring at his finger tattoos. A look of disgust contorts her aged features as she reaches for it. You glance over at him, seeing the same friendly expression he’s been wearing despite this woman’s blatant rudeness toward him. 

She inspects the card between her fingers and looks up at him. “I need your ID to verify this card.”

You cut in, showing your frustration, “Are you serious? Is that necessary?”

“It’s okay,” He mumbles softly, placating you while handing the employee his driver’s license. He manages to keep his discomfort contained and hidden beneath the surface. Anger ignites and burns like wildfire within your body, but you stay silent as the interaction plays out. 

The old woman compares the names on the credit card and license in front of her before finalizing the payment. She reluctantly pushes both back to him, along with the receipt and printed tickets.“You know those things are permanent, young man.”

Josh forces out an awkward laugh as he slides both cards back into his wallet, “I would certainly hope so with how much I paid for them.”

Being in this employee’s presence makes your blood boil, and you can’t fathom spending another second in it. You hook your arm around his and usher him toward the entrance until you’re out of earshot. “What the fuck was that about?”

“What?”

You shuffle into the line and turn to him. “The ticket lady? She was so rude to you, Josh.” He doesn’t answer, but shrugs his shoulders, clearly not matching the same feelings you have about the ordeal. “Do people treat you like that a lot?”

“It happens. Sometimes you can’t change people who think like that.” There’s a hint of defeat in those words, a hidden sadness that he’s trying to mask. The experience knocks you down because you’ve only ever seen the art inked into his skin as beautiful. His brows pull together when he sees your frown and the hurt in your eyes. “What matters is that you think they’re cool, right?”

You blush instantly. “The coolest.”

“Fuck yeah. Now let’s go check out some fish.”

Another employee scans your tickets and points you in the direction of the main lobby. You let Josh take the lead, following the trail of painted blue arrows on the concrete floor to the closest exhibits. 

Walking through the open space, the recognizable smell of seawater from the rows of tanks drifts along the air and into your senses. Since it’s the middle of the week, the crowds are smaller — just a few people passing by every couple of minutes. 

You find yourselves before this massive tank that wraps around a circular shaped room. The serene ocean hues drench you in its blue light. As you read over the descriptions of the animals in each enclosure on the plaques, the edible you ate in the car starts to take effect on your body. You’re becoming highly aware of Josh standing beside you, and your focus moves to him. He’s taking it all in, admiring life’s simplest and more intricate details captured behind the wall of glass. 

 The calm silence is making it hard for you to concentrate on the animals. You’re becoming more restless only to feel his fingers brush against yours. It’s a testing touch before they weave tightly between them. It’s not much, but the public display of affection sends your heart racing. 

You’ve been questioning whether or not this is a date, or if it’s simply friends hanging out together. Friends that happen to have the wildest sex you’ve ever experienced. 

He points to a large fish swimming by, but you don’t catch any of the words he’s saying. The only thing you can focus on is the feeling of his warm fingers squeezing around yours from his excitement. 

You stand like this for a while staring at all the sea life, but the way his thumb rubs against your hand keeps distracting you. “Josh?”

“Hmm?” He hums but keeps his gaze on the tank. His hazy eyes sparkle as they dance from fish to fish. 

“Do you come here a lot?”

He snorts a breathy laugh, “No. Can you believe that? But I’m glad we did.”

“How come?”

The question finally causes him to break away and look directly at you. You want to kiss him, snuggle up in the comfort of his hoodie, and stay like that for hours. He smiles wide, bringing out the dimple on his left cheek. “I think we needed to get away from the bullshit for a while.”

“The bullshit?”

He lets go of your hand and steps closer to the glass, now a couple of inches away. “Yeah. It’s healthy to step back from all the chaos and connect with nature when you can. Forget our problems for the moment to remember how delicate and beautiful life is. That we are just one facet in the great cosmos.”

You lean in, whispering so others can’t hear, “How high are you?”

He giggles with a sigh, “Pretty high.” You pull him back by a handful of his sweatshirt, making him bump into you. “I’m serious though.”

Even with the closeness, he keeps his touches appropriate. You stretch on your toes and give him a soft peck on his lips. “I bet, but I wanna check out the sharks.”

You look for the shark exhibit, following the path of blue arrows through several escalators and moving walkways. Everything is going well, but the aquarium is far colder than you anticipated, and now you’re cursing at yourself for not bringing along a sweater like Josh. 

Your violent shivers are too difficult to hide, and he’s quick to notice. He pulls off his hoodie and hands it over, “Here.”

“Thanks.” 

Although the look of it over your sundress isn’t the best fashion statement, it’s the least of your worries. It envelops you like a comforting hug. You nuzzle into it while he looks away, breathing in the fabric that holds his scent —  a calming mix of his cologne, and laundry detergent with the faint smell of cigarettes. 

A few minutes pass as you navigate your way to see the sharks. He’s fidgety, rubbing up and down the length of his bare arms. He then hugs himself as if to hide the tattoos without much success. You’re undoubtedly high, which only makes you hyper-aware of his uneasiness.

Josh has been nothing but confident since the day you met him. He’s never faltered, acting like the tattoos were simply an extension of him. His restlessness — whether it’s weed-induced paranoia or tucked-away self-esteem issues, affects you greatly.  

The behavior is unlike him, and you’re sensitive about it. He holds himself like you’ve stripped him bare and left him completely exposed for judging eyes. You’re not sure what to do other than gently pluck his fingers from his arm that has been pressing into the flesh so hard they’ve created indentations. 

Your touch breaks the spell he’s in, making him swap hands with the one that is closest to you. He squeezes your fingers tightly and gives you a grateful smile as he whispers, “Thank you.”

You study the expression on his face, but his bloodshot eyes zero in on your moving lips. “You okay?” 

He leads you in with his hand, closing the short distance between you. The kiss is deeper, and richer than previous ones today. Even with the tip of his tongue ghosting across your lips, it doesn’t feel sexual. He eventually pulls away, and happily sighs, “Much better.”

After leaving the aquarium, you must have walked around the city for hours. Hand-in-hand, swept away by each other’s presence. By the time you made it back to the deck, the sun had fully set in the sky. Once nearly full to capacity, the deck remains borderline desolate. A few vehicles are scattered amongst the first few floors, but as you climb to the fourth, you spot Josh’s Camry sitting alone. 

Now that the euphoric buzz from your cherry-flavored gummy is starting to settle in your system, the desire to have him is so bad that the hour-long drive seems torturous to think about. Besides the few chaste kisses placed on your cheeks, and the one shared on the escalator, he has yet to kiss you today with the same passion you’re used to. 

You’ve been craving those risky touches, the curious grazes of fingertips under the hemline of your dress. You wished for the lewd, sexual comments whispered against your ear when people were around. Those memories of his mouth roaming across your body have been invading your mind ever since you walked out their front door this morning. His undivided attention, the pin-you-against-the-wall kind of attention is what you’ve been wanting all day. You just never would have thought that him on his best behavior would drive you this mad. 

If he feels the same way, he’s been hiding it better than you. Unbothered from the casual stroll to the car, the goofy grin plastered across his face, to the way he’s belting out random notes into the open space just to hear them echo back. 

After both of you step into the car and get settled, he asks, “Do you wanna go to the bar?”

He pops open the lid of the center console and starts searching for a particular CD to play. As he roots around, you realize that looking at anything other than his lips proves to be a challenge you can’t overcome. 

You forget to answer. He’s still rummaging around the junk crammed in the center console, but your silence makes him laugh, “Or should we head back to the house?”

You shift in your seat toward him, whispering, “Josh.”

“What’s up?” His eyes flick up, meeting yours. 

While you’re not usually the one to make the first move, giving in to a temptation that’s been gnawing relentlessly for hours never felt so rewarding. Your lips crash against his, abrupt and unrestrained. Your kiss is heady, starving for even the faintest taste. Impatience doesn’t even begin to explain what you’re feeling. You take the initiative by licking into his parted mouth, searching and demanding for what’s been so out of reach. 

He meets your tongue with his, greeting you with a matched passion. That subtle sweetness, the crisp bite of mint gum — it cuts out any forethought you might possess in an instant. You know you shouldn’t be doing this, venturing further with him when there’s a possibility that an onlooker can walk right on by. The risk of being caught becomes meaningless, lost in the orange glow of the outside lamps.

The hungry kiss might have been the end of this moment — left with a palmed breast and a few nips of teeth. The whine through a bated breath with the following moan tumbling right into your mouth changes everything. It’s what propels you forward over the console and onto his lap. The crawl to him is less than graceful with your clumsy limbs knocking into everything in your path. 

As you struggle to get settled on his legs, he leans back against the headrest with open arms. He watches with a prideful smirk, confidently basking in the knowledge that you were the first to break. You’ve already braced yourself on his shoulders and started to grind your ass over the rough denim in hopes of catching his hard-on. Amused, he tilts his chin up, keeping his lips barely an inch from yours. “Hi.”

Breathless, you scold, “Shut up and kiss me.”

A deep exhale bellows from his chest while his hands knead the flesh of your thighs beneath the bunched-up fabric of your dress. He ignores your request, biting back the lip you so desperately want for yourself. Frustrated, you roll your hips in an attempt to send his open hands closer to your ass. 

Your sense of control wavers with the whimper, “Josh, please.”

 A curious hum resides in this throat and his fingertips ghost the delicate edge of your thong stretched across your hip. At this point, you would do anything to have him. That gummy from this afternoon fails in comparison to the drug that is him. You bury your face into the warmth of his neck, sucking at the tender skin below his jawline. 

He giggles as if the feeling tickles and sends one hand up the length of your back instead of between your legs like you want.“What’s got you so worked up, baby?”

“You,” you mumble, tightening the hold you have on the nape of his neck as if you could somehow bring yourself closer. The tight space of the driver seat confines you, heightening every movement tenfold. 

“Me?” The cockiness in his voice reminds you of Jake more than you’d like to admit, but the single word spoken into your temple makes you tremble. Driving yourself further into his groin, you end up clenching around nothing but the memory. “I got you so desperate that you can’t even wait until we got home?”

The hints of his erection, knowing that it’s there but hidden from your grasp destroy every facet of your self-control. He’s right. The thought of waiting for him is truly unbearable. You lean back on his legs, giving yourself the space to reach between you and find the button of his jeans. You’re able to pop it open before his hand clasps around your wrist, stopping you. “Baby, I’m shocked. I didn’t take you for the public sex type.”

“Are we going to fuck or not?” It was supposed to leave your lips with power but hit the air between you as a pathetic plea. 

Just like the words acting as the ripcord to his own urges, he tears apart your thong between his hands in a swift pull. After hearing your stunned yelp, he bares his teeth to the vulnerable skin of your throat and lets a laugh flutter across your ear, “Oops.”

He flings your shredded panties somewhere into the backseat and cups the curve of your ass with a firm hand, lifting you enough so he can work himself out of the leg of his jeans. Unlike the teasing banter seconds before, he wastes no time dragging the head of cock through your wetness. 

The way his teeth sink into the thin flesh covering your collarbone gives away how badly he wants this as well. After a less-than-gentle pass and in a single thrust, he pushes his entire length inside you. 

“Oh fuck!” You cry out, the sound low and guttural. He stretches you and crashes into your cervix before you have a chance to adjust to his size. He keeps himself there, allowing the stinging pain to subside within seconds, replacing it with that addicting full feeling. 

If you’re being honest with yourself, you welcome that pain — a reminder of how you’ve been acting lately. It should be no surprise how quickly your body remembers him despite how long it’s been since he’s been buried inside you.

He sighs into the hollow point of your neck, muttering the sweet confession, “I’ve missed this.” 

You settle your weight on his lap, only allowing him to rock his hips in the seat. You tighten around him, soaking his cock in your pleasure. “I missed you, too.”

He stops moving to drink you in, kissing and licking a path along your shoulder. “Fuck, I love your pussy so much…best I’ve ever had.”

Your heart skips a beat from the thought alone, but you’re greedy for his praise. You push yourself back with your hands placed on his chest, giving yourself room to see his face. “The best, huh?”

That smug grin reappears while his heavy-lidded eyes drift slowly up to yours. You take in the details of his face, how the shadows accentuate his sharper features. “Yeah…would I lie to you?”

He flusters you, making your line of sight fall from his glazed eyes down to your restless hands. You watch yourself play with the fraying neckline of his t-shirt, asking, “Would you?” 

He tips his chin, keeping his focus solely on your lips before bringing his own close enough to whisper, “Never.”

In a matter of seconds, his hands skim across the fabric of your dress to find the thin straps. Hooking them under his thumbs, he slips them down your arms, taking the front of your dress with them. In a frantic need, he yanks the cropped, black t-shirt you’ve been wearing under your dress up over your chest. 

Now that it’s freed and exposed, he sucks your naked breast into his mouth and licks a broad stripe across your hardening nipple. You force yourself to look up to check if anyone is walking by, only to see that the windows are beginning to fog from the heat of your shared breaths. They’re clinging to every inch of your skin, causing a sheen of sweat to collect across your furrowed brow. And yet, a chill climbs up the length of your spine from his tongue rolling over your bare tits. 

The uncomfortable position is posing a unique challenge for you both. Since both knees are wedged and starting to ache from plastic digging into your flesh, you’re unable to ride him the way you want. Josh, however, doesn’t let the restrictions of the Camry ruin the moment if he can help it. The moans tumbling from your lips act as his cue to wrap his arms around the small of your back, locking you in place.

It should’ve been a warning to you. 

Something animalistic suddenly possesses him, shredding any remaining innocence. He snaps his hips up, thrusting into you with a strength you didn’t realize existed within him. He takes on all the work, holding you above him while you’re left to brace yourself in any way you can. 

Pornographic sounds —  sounds you wouldn’t dare make in the past break free from your chest. He’s thriving off them, knowing that if he was fucking you without these limitations you would be reduced to an even more pathetic, incoherent mess. 

He’s not shy about making his own noises. His rumbled growl vibrates between your breasts. Primal grunts are trapped behind his clenched teeth. It could be because he’s out of breath or that he’s closer than he thought, but he starts to slow his pace, shifting to more of a grinding motion. 

“Oh my god. You feel so fucking good,” You pant. Half-whines, half-barely recognizable curses fall from your open mouth. “Please, please, please.” You’re rambling, blurting out any broken, strung-together thought you can. “Josh…I… I…fuck—don’t stop. ”

His raspy laugh pushes through strained vocal cords, “I’m listening, baby.”

He tries to move and adjust to get a better position, sending the edge of the steering wheel into your lower back. “Ow!” You hiss, rubbing the spot with your fingers. 

“Shit. Sorry, baby.” Although he gives you an apologetic look, you can’t help but giggle at his expense. He returns it, huffing, “Fuck it. Get in the backseat.”

Without more protest than a pained groan, you lift yourself off of his cock and stretch out your weak limbs before clambering over the center console into the backseat. You’re not forced to live with your awkward tumble into the seat for long. He quickly follows, climbing over with far more agility than you.

His twitching, glistening cock pulled out from his unbuttoned jeans, and those sweaty curls sticking to his forehead is a sight you’ll never forget. You watch him as he reaches into the front passenger seat for his sweatshirt. He balls it up and places it under your head as a makeshift pillow. 

“Acting like you’ve done this before,” you tease, clutching the golden sun that hangs from his neck.

He laughs, lowering his head with your guiding hand. “I’ve had to get creative a time or two.” 

“Such a slut.” 

He places a kiss on your lips, mumbling, “Don’t forget…” He breaks away, taking the sloppy kisses along your jaw to your ear, making your stomach flip as if it were an Olympic gymnast. “You were the one that jumped me.” 

He kneels on the seat, kicking your open legs with his knee while pushing your dress to your stomach. Taking his cock in his hand, he lets a trail of spit fall into himself. With a few pumps of his fist, he shudders out a heavy breath, “Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to fuck you this morning?”

He lets the head of his lubed cock slide across your clit. You lift your hips, chasing him. “I wanted you so bad.”

He lines himself with your entrance and glides in effortlessly. The gratification it gives you is instant. He finds a rhythm and braces himself with each hand gripped onto your thighs. “I know, baby. Trust me. I’ve been thinking about you all week… I’m so addicted to you.” 

You let him stare, watching how his eyes bounce with your moving tits down to his cock sliding in and out of your cunt. As much as you love it, you need him close. You have to feel his warmth and the weight of his body on top of you, have his scent fill your delirious brain, and have those sounds fan across the shell of your ear. 

You find his wrist and tug him to you, gesturing for him to fall forward. He repositions and hitches your leg around his waist while planting his foot on the floor. 

He slides an arm beneath you with his other hand gripping onto the cushion for balance. The change in angle makes him feel deeper than before. You hug him, silently pleading with him to stay. A satisfied pur echoes in his throat, transferring the sound to your wet lips pressed against his skin. “You want it, baby?” 

You reply with a hushed whimper, hoping that he can hear, “I’m so close.” 

He breathes you in and sends his voice directly into your ear. “I can’t wait to fill you up the way you deserve.” You didn’t understand how spoiled you have become until he deprived you of it. So much so that it had turned you into a creature of pure depravity. You clutch onto his damp t-shirt, wrinkling it in your fists across his back. 

“Please, Josh. I need it,” you choke out in a pitiful sob.

He comforts you with a reassuring shush, brushing the tacky hair from your temple. “Look at you. So perfect. Begging for my cum like a good girl.” 

His cock slips inside your pussy with a taunting drag. He talks to you, peppering the words with a sweep of his lips across your cheek, “You’re gonna be so full of me, swollen and beautiful.” Being vocal with you is nothing new, but tonight he can’t seem to hold himself back.  “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stop.” 

You say his name over and over like a mantra. 

“Fuck, baby,” he groans through a deliberate roll of his hips that pushes the head of his cock against your g-spot. “If you weren’t on birth control I swear I’d get you pregnant so fucking fast.” 

He says it with such conviction making you think that it’s not something he accidentally blurted out in the moment. It shocks you into silence at first. The incredibly slim possibility has never been brought to your attention before now. It’s a thought that should scare the shit out of you, but somehow it doesn’t. If anything, it nearly sends you crashing over the edge. 

He lifts his head to look into your eyes, searching for your thoughts within them. “You like that idea? Me filling up your pretty pussy and getting you knocked up?”

You nod and smile at him— albeit a fucked out one. Maybe you’re too afraid to say the full confession, so you only respond with a hum, “Mmhmm.”

He kisses you, slipping his tongue over yours like an expertly-timed dance. A teasing flick of it followed by a nip to your bottom lip transforms you into a puddle beneath him. “Just say the words, sweetheart.” 

“I…I…” You start to stammer before eventually stopping yourself. You know that there’s not a chance in hell you’ll be able to come up with anything coherent for him.

He draws the pad of his thumb across your chin while continuing to talk through his languid thrusts, “You’d be breathtaking. Belly round with my baby… those perfect tits of yours filled with milk. Fuck. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you.” 

The fantasy he paints for you overrides your mind. You have to look away and blink back the tears clouding your vision. For a second, the only thing you can process is the view of the roof of his old Camry. 

“I’m so close to cumming just thinking about it,” he admits, bringing his hand between your legs to find your clit. His lust-drugged fingers slip through your slick in the blind search until you jolt at the feeling. The heat of your building orgasm has been pooling between your legs and now you’re mere seconds away from plummeting right over the cliff. All you can do is accept fate as he circles the bundle of nerves with a gentle pressure. 

He traces your favorite patterns while gracing your conscience with that sinful lilt of his, “One word and I’ll give it all to you.” He pushes you to the tipping point by matching the rhythm of his fingers with the glide of his cock. “If it were up to me, baby? I’d have you full and dripping with my cum every fucking day of the week.” 

“Please.” 

Right as you claw at his flexed shoulder blades and drive him deeper with your locked legs, he gives a final request after speaking your name, “Let me hear you. I deserve that, right?” 

He does, and you’re beyond willing to give it all to him — the embarrassing groans ripping through your chest, the pitched whines and the delicate moans that chase them. Your walls flutter around his cock, tightening around him through your orgasm.��

“You’re so perfect.” Is his final praise into the tacky skin on your neck. It leaves his lips through a faint whimper as you slowly milk him dry. As the warmth spill into you, he continues to gently fuck you through the waves of your release.

After slowing a stop and carefully withdrawing his softening cock, he breaks the hold you have on him by sitting back on his heels. Looking down at your pussy through drowsy lids, he sweeps his middle finger through your slit and brings them to his mouth. You watch in awe as he passes it over his flattened tongue to lick them clean.

“You look so fucking hot,” he mutters with a ragged breath. Even though the words are crass, stripped of anything remotely poetic, they’re honest. He glances up, sending you a wink. “Better keep all of it in until we get back.”

You wish you could lay in his bed with him, letting the shared high come down peacefully. But reality comes crashing in, reminding you that time is not on your side. He takes a minute to collect his breath and collapses against the backseat, running his fingers through his soaked hair as he pushes out a dramatic sigh, “Well that’s new.”

You haven’t dared to move — not even a single inch from the fear of adding another stain to the cushion beneath you. “So…is that a kink for you?”

He blows a raspberry with a shake of his head, blurting out, “I guess…maybe. Yes? I dunno. Did I freak you out?”

You snort a laugh, “Surprisingly, no.”

He takes a long pause, and you can feel his eyes on you while he tries to decipher your reaction. “Interesting.”

“What?”

He buttons his jeans and plucks the pack of cigarettes from inside the cup holder of the center console. “I just— and don’t take this the wrong way — but can you imagine getting pregnant from this?” 

Before you can think about it, quickly adds, “I mean, in my shitty car in a parking deck after we spent the day at an aquarium high off our asses.” You can only stare at him, which does nothing but make him more nervous. Embarrassed, he mumbles around the filter of his cigarette, “Forget I said that,” 

You interrupt by extending your hand. “Lemme have one.”

You catch the surprised rise of his brows before he scrambles to light the one hanging from his lip. He then offers it between his fingers, and he watches you take a slow drag and cough out, “Jake would be so furious.”

You both burst out into a fit of laughter, releasing any tension that might have settled between you. Smoke starts filling the car, pressuring you to finally make the move to sit up. He shuffles around, finding another t-shirt from the floor before climbing to the front of the car. Once in the driver’s seat, he lays it out across the passenger seat for you as you make your way over. 

You settle while he starts the car, pulling in a second drag now that the window is down. It burns, leaving a pungent taste that trickles down your throat. “You would be a terrible dad by the way.”

He looks out and drums his fingers against the top of the steering wheel. “I think I could hold my own? Teach the little tike a few things.” Silence falls as he drives through the levels of the parking deck. His voice softens with the following sentiment, “You would be an incredible mom though.”

“Really?”

He takes a hand off the wheel and reaches over to rub your shoulder. “No doubt in my mind.”

You could get lost in those words. The thoughts and the emotions that accompany them —  they could all bubble up and spill out if you let them. Instead of falling into the depth of that rabbit hole, you choose to add levity like you always do. “Would be one helluva cute kid.”

A wave of attitude is brought to the surface, making him pipe up with a pointed finger. “I’d give you the cutest fucking baby to ever exist.”

You smack his hand down playfully. “Josh, you’re a twin.” 

“Yeah, well, I’m the better looking one anyway,” he blows out the sassy remark through a cloudy exhale. 

“You know you’d have to quit smoking if you ever became a dad.”

“I know, I know. I gotta quit,” he grumbles, flicking the ash off his cigarette out of the window. He looks over at. you, giving you an affectionate, knowing smile. There’s something in those eyes you can’t quite place, making your heart ache too much to try. “You hungry?”

“Fucking starving.” 

TAGLIST:

@gretavanbitches @dannyandthekiszkas @jakekiszkasleftnutsack @asparrowofthedawn @ageofnations @welightthefire @garbagevanfleet @lvnterninthenight @pennylanefics @writingcold @alexxavicry @gvfficrecs @jakeyboiiiiiii @doodle417 @richjaaasss @pr41sethemoon @gretavanflowerpowerrr @joshskittytickler21 @jakekiszkasbabymama @tripthelightfatality @maddie-van-fleet @sarakay-gvf @josiee-gvf @milkgemini @sammiejane22 @gretavanbear @capturethechaos @welllauragvf @averagemisfit03 @myownparadise96 @givemeyourtots2 @gretavangroove @autopsy-im-ill l @objectsinspvce @myownparadise96 @feilores @josh-iamyour-mama @givemeyourtots2 @joshkiszkasbigtoe @lightmylove-gvf @mydarlingdanny @shutupdevvie @twinszka @busybeingtrash @carlybubs @demonrat444 @high-fidelity1

#gvf fic #skin deep fic #gvf smut #josh kiszka smut #jake kiszka fanfiction #josh kiszka fanfiction #jake kiszka smut #gvf fanfiction #gvf au fic #gvf au smut #gvf au #josh kiszka au #jake kiszka au #gvf twin series #gvf twin au #josh kiszka angst #jake kiszka angst #josh kiszka x reader #jake kiszka x reader #skin deep #gvf tattoo au #gvf tattoo fic #tattooartist!josh #tattooartist!jake #gvf twin fic series #gvf twin fic

[writingcold]

Hi. Well. This happened. I was working on my fic The Dead and CD&FE pushed its way to the fore and ran away with every brain cell I had. I'm nearing the end of this little love story and thought I would start putting it out there. I plan on starting to post up towards the end of February - but it will once again be a completed fiction.

A huge thank you to @edgingthedarkness for reading this, editing this, screaming at me over this. As well as to @takenbythemadness for just listening me ramble. Love you 💚

18+ Series Fiction Jake X fem reader (reader insert) My first full length fic for reader insert. Yikes.

Summary: A night of celebration has you crossing paths with Jake during the era of the Black Smoke Rising EP release. You have just graduated with your Masters and you are officially on your way. Jake helps you to celebrate that night with an endearing one night stand. What should have ended on that special night turns into a winding path that crosses decades, relationships and fleeting embraces with the man that haunts your dreams.

Content Warnings: Adult situations, adult relationships, all sorts of sexual encounters. Warnings will be present on each posting. Silver Fox Jake (just putting it out there)

I have a lovely playlist that is by no means in order of events in the story, but if you want to get a feel of where we're heading:

If you would like to join the taglist - you can find it here

Currently - here's who I do have on my taglist:

@lvnterninthenight @doodle417 @luverleaver @jakesgrapejuice @fictional-duchess @milkgemini @positivegvfthings @songbirds-sweet @gretavanbitches @gardensgatedaisy @babyhoneygvfarchive @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @starcatcherc @loveisonaroll @jakesstarlight @reesetrippingthelight @builtby-gvf @ignite-my-fire @wetkleenex-gvf @gold-mines-melting @starsasone @mysticalstarcatcher @montenegroisr @takenbythemadness @way-to-go-lad @cal-a-bungaa @thewritingbeforesunrise @leftjudgeempathsuitcase @brokenbells11 @imborrowedshesblue @vanfleeter @sammysvanfeet @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @jaketlove @gvfmarge @becinabubblegvf @wildbluesorbit @sinarainbows @thetroublegetssoloud71 @gracev0609 @gretavangroupie @fleet-of-fiction @edgingthedarkness @itsafullmoon

If I have missed anyone, I apologize. Just let me know if you want to be added OR if this isn't your thing and you want to be removed.

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #greta van fleet #gvf #cd&fe #greta van fleet fan fiction #gvf fanfiction #jake kiszka smut #jake kiszka fan fiction #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet AU #jake kiszka AU #Spotify

[emsfallingsky]

Of Fate and Fury

Pairing: Danny x Acotar au x female!reader

Word count: 19.1k

Warnings: 18+ ONLY! sexually explicit content. Enemies to lovers, M dom f sub, violence, gore, fighting, mating, unprotected sex, (kissing, fingering, choking, name calling, praise, cursing, oral sex (f recieving), dirty talk, breeding kink, hair pulling).

It had been a long day– a very long day and you were completely wound up. Your body was tense and overwhelmed and it seemed like nothing was easing the fire that left your blood boiling.

You quickly finished up your task at hand and set yourself on a determined mission, storming up the stairs that led to the training ring atop The House of Wind. You didn’t hesitate one bit as you led yourself across the ground, kicking up specks of the tan dirt beneath your feet. But as soon as you grabbed a sword off one of the racks, you felt all their eyes turn to you. 

Without any hesitation you immediately started swinging your swords at one of the wooden dummies, silently cursing at yourself from the instant strain in your muscles from not being warmed up. 

You didn’t care though. All the pent-up emotions and frustrations came flying out of you with each swing of your sword. You gritted your teeth tightly together, letting out a deep grunt as you hit the blade of your sword directly against the torso of the dummy before you. You could feel the vibration of the sword as it collided with the soft wood, traveling all the way up the expanse of your arm. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the fae warriors standing frozen in place as they watched you. The sheer formidable force of them flanked into you but you ignored them.

You turned on your heel, spinning yourself around as you flung your arm backwards and hit the shoulder of the dummy. As you spun, you caught sight of their varying expressions. Some of their eyes were wide with their eyebrows raised and others looked at you blankly, but you could read their annoyance on their face. Thankfully, none of them decided to interfere, allowing you to continue unleashing yourself on the piece of wood that was slowly starting to chip and splinter with each hit.

You weren’t sure how long you had kept at it but pretty soon you were an exhausted and panting mess. The muscles in your back and biceps were practically screaming at you and your thighs had started to shake from using them to push yourself as you flung yourself at the target. 

It wasn’t long before you found yourself collapsing to your knees in the dirt, struggling to catch your breath. The sword had dropped beside you, but you kept a loose grip on the pommel, not fully wanting to give into the exhaustion that was starting to sweep over you. 

The hair you had tied back in a braid had come loose and now stuck to the side of your face and neck. Sweat covered every inch of your body and dripped down your neck as you continued to kneel in the dirt, trying to catch your breath.

With your hair draped around your face, you barely took in the black boot, scuffed with brown dirt that came to a stop beside your limp hand. You sucked in a breath and slowly lifted your head. When you peered up, you saw Daniel. The Illyrian warrior, second in command from Cassian, who was in Rhysand’s inner circle. 

His long curly hair was tied in a knot above his head, but he had managed to leave the bottom half of his hair loose, letting the rest drape over his broad shoulders. You could see the layer of sweat that soaked through his white tank top, surely from his earlier sparring. It was hard to ignore the dark whirls and patterns tattooed along his arms that rose higher along his neck and plunged down beneath the edge of his shirt that covered his chest.

Daniel crossed his arms over himself, making you notice the thick muscles of his chest and biceps that rose through his shirt. He stared down at you with nothing more than a blank face, his eyes stone cold and distant. You would have looked away in fear if it weren’t for the fact that you were too tired to care. If it wasn’t that it was the sight of the muscle that feathered in his jaw that shut you up.

“You are exerting too much of your energy…you’ve worn yourself down completely,” he said, his voice flat and monotone. 

“I don’t care,” you muttered back, your own jaw now clenched. 

Daniel shifted his weight to his other foot and raised his eyebrows up at your response. “Are you sure about that? You know you could have injur-”

            “I don’t…care,” you repeated again, this time making sure your words were laced with a hint of malice.

            Daniel shot you a glare and you watched him turn his head to the side like an animal observing its prey. “What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice and facial expression didn’t falter once. You glared up at him and brushed the sword away from you as you climbed onto your shaking feet. You held his eyes but when you turned on your heel away from him, you could feel tears start to well in your eyes. All you had wanted was to let out some of your pent-up anger and frustration…not be bombarded by an Illyrian general. 

            You strided across the ring, not acknowledging Rhysand, Cassian, Azriel or Jake who stood there watching you. You had made it across the ring and were about to reach the top of the stairs when you felt a firm hand clasp your shoulder and spin you around. Instantly, you knew it was him and refused to meet his stare. If you had, you would’ve been able to see the glimpse of worry that sparked across his face. 

            “You don’t get to walk away when I’m talking to you,” Daniel spat, his grip on your shoulder squeezing just enough to make you feel your muscles start to protest. You refused to look up at him, feeling all your anger start to boil to the surface once again. You didn’t have to look up to see him take a step closer to you, his body now so close that your face was practically pressed against his chest. 

            “Now,” he says, tightening his grip on your shoulder, making you hold back a wince, ‘What’s wrong?”

            “Nothing,” you muttered, still not being able to raise your eyes to meet him. 

Daniel clicked his tongue against his cheek, sucking in a small hiss, not believing a word of your bullshit. His hand slid off your shoulder and then you found yourself frozen in place when you felt his hands grip the underside of your chin and tilt it upwards, so you were now forced to look at him. 

            “I’m not going to ask again,” Daniel said, his voice low and hoarse, ‘What’s wrong, YN?”

            You found yourself clenching your jaw, your eyes becoming cold while you glared at him. “I need to go take a bath,” was all you said as you turned yourself on your heel and began to walk away from him. 

You were instantly stopped as you felt that same stern grip on your shoulders and could feel the eyes of the other accessing the scene. You turned back on your heel and ripped his arm off of you. “Do not!” you said, hissing at him. 

You stormed down the steps and stomped into your room, slamming your door closed. You were just starting to undo the top of your tunic when you heard your door fly open and slam into the wall so hard that it made the room shake. You knew who it was before he started talking and you ground your teeth so hard that it made your jaw ache.

            “What the fuck has gotten into you?” Daniel yelled; the once calm tone he held before now completely stripped away. You turned yourself quickly around to see him far closer than you had expected, leaving you to have to tilt your head up as he towered above you. 

You aren’t sure what gets into you, but you find yourself taking a challenging step towards him. All the work you put in to fend off the anger now seeming useless as you feel your blood start to turn once again. 

            “I thought I told you I wanted to go take a fucking bath! I don’t need you as my fucking babysitter Daniel!” you snap at him, your chest now rising and falling quickly while you struggle to maintain an ounce of any composure you had left.

            Daniel seems to weigh your words and takes a step back, but his face doesn’t falter. His eyes seem to mirror yours as they ignite with anger of their own, making his hazel eyes glow golden- flame like. 

He crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head in the direction of your bathroom. “Fine, go take your damn bath but I’m going to be waiting right outside for you.”

“You will leave,” you hiss, pulling back the top of your lip to give him a flash of your elongated canines. It didn’t seem to do anything, and you watched him lean against the door frame, cocking one of his brows up. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says in a stern voice, not one word faltering.

“Get the fuck out of my room Daniel!” you scream at him, your hands balling into fists beside you.

            “Or what Y/N? What the fuck are you going to do about it?” he asks, pushing himself off the wall to only then halt his steps right in front of you. His gaze is hard and unwavering as he peers down at you from over the tip of his nose. 

            You couldn't help it- contain it. The anger within you was screaming, pleading you to let yourself go and unleash everything you had upon him. So, you did. 

            Without really processing it, your hand that was curled into a tight fist beside you flew up at lightning speed to deliver him a hard smack against his cheek. You might’ve gasped or heard your breath hitch as you realized what you just did but you couldn’t hear or process anything from the roaring of anger that rumbled in your ears. 

Daniel didn’t falter one bit as you struck him. His body didn’t move an inch. The only sign to show that it had happened was the red, angry handprint on the side of his cheek. Danny gave a slow blink while the corner of his mouth started to tilt in a smirk. He clenched his jaw and his eyes slowly slid back to yours. 

You don’t back down. You stay planted right where you are, not showing him any sign of guilt, fear, or remorse for your actions. Daniel struggled to maintain the smirk growing on his face. He tilted his head to the side, studying you- a predator's stare. Most people would immediately back down if an Illyrian male looked at you that way but notyou. 

Daniel sucked in a breath and clenched his jaw, flexing the muscles that lay beneath his skin and took a step closer, bending down so his face was merely inches away from yours. “That was cute,” he said, his breath hitting your cheeks. “But no.” 

You clenched your own jaw, feeling your teeth protest against it. You were then the one to smirk and you let your eyes slowly drift down to his lips that were so close, they nearly brushed against yours. His eyes followed your own, noticing what you were now staring at. You decided to use it to your advantage.

Your eyes drifted back up to his and then you bit the bottom of your lip, a sinful sight with him being as close to you as he was. His reaction was just what you were looking for. His body seemed to halt, and you swear you saw his breathing stop for a second. 

It was an extra second you didn’t take for granted as you quickly reached a hand around his side, plucking a dagger that hung from his leather belt. You clutched the dagger in a firm grasp, pressing the blade against his side. If Daniel had an ounce of fear flowing through his veins, he didn’t show it. “I would be very careful if I were you,” you draw out in a hiss. Daniel’s wings twitched in annoyance and the muscles that built his firm chest and ran along his arms flexed as he held your stare. You pressed the blade against him harder. “Get. Out.”

Daniel sent out a rumble of his power that threatened your hands to almost release the blade flush against the side of his abdomen, but you pushed past it. You were defiant and you would not stand down. 

Daniel’s eyes flicked down and then back up to yours, the lick of flame that was once in his eyes now grew strong and mighty. Wildfire. The golden flecks in his eyes now moved as the flames raged and danced within them. “Put down the blade,” he growled. 

It took every ounce of your strength and will not to send that dagger plunging straight into his flesh. “Get out of my room and I will.”

Daniel let out a huff of annoyance but then smirked at you, surely analyzing you as nothing more than a piece of meat. “You wouldn’t dare to stab me with it.”

You shook off the glare from your face, instead replacing it with a sweet smile. “Try me,” was all you said as you whipped the dagger, slashing it against the fabric of his shirt. You made sure the blade didn’t cut him though. You just wanted to prove it to him that you were not afraid, and you would not back down from a challenge. 

Daniel glanced down to the town fabric of his shirt now hanging loose against his side. He raised his head to look back at you but before your eyes could meet his, he lunged and grabbed your wrist in his hands. He moved so fast that you couldn’t even process how you ended up slammed against the stone wall of your room. It reminded you exactly who you were dealing with. His power, his strength, all of it…All of it was coming from a fae Illyrian warrior. 

Daniel pushed you back so hard and with so much power that it made the back of your head thump against the wall. You back groaned as you felt the hardness of it press into your spine. Both parts of your body instantly began to throb, and the pain left you groaning. 

The dagger in your hand dropped to the floor as his hands on your wrist tightened, threatening to shatter the fragile bones beneath your skin. He was so big. So full of strength and unweighted power. His hands were so large that they almost wrapped twice around your wrist. “Stupid, stupid girl,” Daniel growled in your face. Once again, he was so close to you that you were practically left sharing the same breath as him. He wasn’t wrong though…Stupid. How very stupid it was for you to be challenging him. 

Every inch of your body was screaming. Screaming with pain, rage and absolute fury. You lifted your face that had tilted downward from the force which he threw you against the wall and beckoned to look up at him. 

Once you did, you held his stare. You were breathing hard, your chest rising and falling with each deep breath you took. Your whole body was left shaking as a mixture of emotions rose to the surface. Fear, rage and something else you couldn’t quite put your finger on but nonetheless, your fighting spirit was still left thrumming against your veins. 

You clenched your jaw and then moved your tongue around in your mouth, drawing up saliva on your tongue. You purse your lips and then spat directly onto his face. 

Daniel closed his eyes and turned his head to the side as your spit hit him directly in the center of it. He shrugged one of his shoulders up and wiped your spit off of his face. When his eyes came back to yours you knew you were unmatched. Your throat bobbed as you swallowed but he was not done letting you know just how stupid you were. 

He moved both of your hands over your head and then pinned your wrists in one hand while his other wrapped around your throat and squeezed it in a tight grip. “Are you trying to piss me off?” he growled. All you could do was respond with a strangled groan, your eyes now growing completely wide. 

Danny gripped you by the neck harder and pulled you forward, making you arch your back and neck up at an awkward angle. His wings rustled again, clearly showing you just how impatient he was growing. 

He pulled you closer towards him, so the tip of his nose brushed against yours. “Answer me,” he growled again. You couldn’t. All the words that were on the tip of your tongue vanished and it felt like your head was swimming each time he tightened his grip on your neck, depriving you of oxygen. You opened your mouth to respond but you couldn’t. You just stared at him; your brows knitted together with your jaw hanging loose. You tried to wriggle yourself away from him but between the grasp he had on your neck, wrists and the wall that dug into you. For the first time in a long while, you were utterly helpless. 

Using all the strength you could muster, you finally choked out something…his name. “D-Danny,” you stuttered in between a strangled gasp. It was the only word you managed to get out before the doors of your room flew open and Rhysand, Cassian and Jake stood there. Their faces all conveyed the same thing. Utter shock. 

Daniel glanced behind his shoulder and when he saw them, he seemed to snap out of his anger induced fury. He instantly let go of your wrist and neck and you slumped down to the floor coughing while your own hands clutch your neck as you try to pull in oxygen. 

Cassian and Jake were immediately upon Daniel, grabbing him by his shoulders and yanking him back. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” Cassian snaps at him. “You could’ve fucking killed her!” Jake shouts. 

Rhysand quickly walks over, crouching on the floor beside you. When you look up you could see only worry and concern shining in his eyes. He places a gentle hand on your knee and asks, “are you alright?” The only answer you could manage was a small nod of your head while you continued to gasp and sputter for any air you could wield into your lung. His eyes soften further, and he tilts his head down. “Are you sure?”

“Out,” you said in a voice that is merely a whisper. “Everyone get the fuck out.”

Rhysand, Cassian and Jake all exchange glances, Daniel’s eyes look everywhere but your own as he stares down at the floor. You can see the muscles in his shoulder twitch, but Jake and Cassian’s hands tighten on him.

Rhysand looks back at you and nods before rising off of the floor. Rhysand walks by the three men but stops before Daniel. “You and I are going to have a little chat,” he sneers before leading them out of the room. The sound of the door clicking into place is the only indicator that they had left. 

You don’t move from your spot on the floor. Instead, you invite the welcoming cold of the marble floor against your skin. You draw your knees up to your chest while your brain makes any attempt to start working again. What the hell just happened?

Your brain starts to turn, sending you down an endless hole as it replays all the events that just unfolded before you. You were shocked. At Daniel, yourself…all of it. You knew he had every right to defend himself. Every right. And the words he spoke were nothing but the truth. ‘You stupid, stupid girl’. 

Yes, so utterly stupid. Why you found yourself unable to back down and just stop, you didn’t know. All your emotions stirred within you, leaving your chest feeling like a heavy weight pressed down upon it. You felt so…hollow.

It took you a few seconds to render that tears that started to fall down your face and you pressed your knees further against you to cradle yourself. Your shoulders began to shake as you released everything into the world. You would be lying if you said you didn’t know how you ended up here, but you did. And it was all but entirely your fault.  

So, you let yourself cry…and cry and cry. You let out all the emotions within you; all the rage, the anger, the fury…then the sadness, shock and guilt that came along with it. Images flashed in your head. The hand he placed on your shoulder when you went to exit the training ring and how in that moment his face looked so soft and full of concern for you. Only then to be stripped away as the image of his face with nothing but primal rage plastered on it as he pinned you against the wall. 

You could again feel that anger start to swirl within you but you pushed it down, so it was only a soft hum in your veins. Despite everything, there was something else that prodded and poked against the walls of your brain. Something you couldn’t quite understand or begin to explain. You pushed that thought aside, you would come back to it another time. 

You weren’t sure how long you sat there crying and holding yourself, letting your own body be the sweep of comfort that you would allow. But soon enough, you were exhausted. You could feel the marks of where your tears fell down the sides of your cheeks, leaving them to feel damp and sticky where they rested against your knee. Your eyes burned and you were sure that if you were able to see your own reflection you would notice how red and puffy they were. 

You let out a deep sigh and finally raised your head, letting your eyes readjust to the dim lighting of the room. You were completely exhausted, but you still had your mind set on what you initially came in here to do. Bracing a hand on the marble floor, you pushed yourself to your feet and strode past the door leading into the bathing chamber connected to your room. 

With a twist of your hand, you turn the knob of the bath, making sure to twist it all the way to the left to get it to the highest temperature. You wanted it hot- scalding, so that when you slid in, it would burn and sting against your skin before it left you feeling numb completely. 

You begin the process of removing your clothes, having to peel them off your body as they stick against you with sweat. You had just removed your pants and were straightening your body when you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. You turned your head to fully face the mirror and what you saw made your gut swirl. 

A red mark shone on your neck, wrapping around it entirely. You leaned yourself further into your reflection and when you did, you were able to see the faint mark of where Daniel’s thumb had dug into the side of your neck. 

You lifted a shaking hand to your throat, lightly brushing your fingertips against it and had to hold back a wince. The area was so sore and tender. How did you not render how hard he was choking you?

You yet again pressed down all the emotions stirring within you and swirled yourself around and strode for the bath. Good.  Let that mark he left on your neck be a reminder, not for you but for him. Let him look upon it and feel all the remorse and guilt for ever laying a hand upon you. Let it be a reminder. Gods, how you now regretted not plunging the dagger into his flesh so he would have his own reminder of who he truly was dealing with. 

You sat in the bath for what felt like hours, letting the scalding water grow cold and frigid. If not the heat of the water being able to welcome you then the icy water would also do the trick, letting it numb you to the core and making your teeth chatter against themselves. 

As badly as you wanted to stay in the water, you couldn’t stand the way your skin started to feel. Your fingers were pruney and rigid and the water was so cold that it only made the bones in your body ache.

You lifted the drain and set it on the lip of the tub before you pushed yourself out of the water. You didn’t bother with grabbing a towel and instead reached for the fluffy robe that hung on the back of the door. You bundled the soft, velvet like fabric around you and let it breathe its warmth back into your body. 

You strode out of the bathroom but not before taking a final glimpse in the mirror to see the angry bruise around your neck that was slowly starting to turn to a deep shade of purple. 

When you made your way back into your room, you looked out the window to see the sun starting to set over the snowcapped mountains. It’s light making the sky flush with pinks and purples- a rather beautiful shade of purple compared to the ugly mark that was left around your throat. 

You walked over to your wardrobe, opening the wooden doors of it and gazed at the clothes before you. Your hand drifted over to a tunic but stopped and instead grabbed for a sleek lilac colored evening gown. The sun setting is what alerted you that it was now dinner time and instead of staying in your room to grovel over the event that took place, you wanted to make a stand against him if only to prove a point. 

So yes, the evening dress would do just that. Instead of opting for the tunic that would cover your neck you chose the gown with its thin straps, leaving your shoulders and neck bare. You thought about grabbing one of the necklaces that was laid out your vanity but no- let it remind him. 

Slipping on a pair of flats, you opened the door of your room and descended the steps, leading to the dining room with your chin held high. Let it remind him…

When you first came around the corner you could hear the deep voices and laughter filling the space, but they were immediately silenced when you first stepped into the room. Everyone’s eyes- Rhys, Cassian, Jake, Azriel and lastly, Daniel’s laid upon you but then slowly dipped down to your neck. Good. 

You didn’t acknowledge them or give any sign that you noticed their eyes staring at you or your neck. You silently strode up to the table and it felt like all the air in the room stilled and had been sucked up. 

You took your place at the table next to Cassian leaving you to sit directly across from Daniel. Jake and Azriel sat along either side of him and Rhys took the head of the table. 

When you sat down, you could feel Daniel’s eyes upon you, and you met him back with a cold and unwavering stare. You could still see the imprint you had marked across his cheek, but you also noticed the bruising around his cheek bone and the split lip. Rhys had certainly had a little chat with him.

Daniel’s eyes cast down to your neck and then you were left hearing your own blood starting to thrum in your ears, feeling all of its fury work its way back up. Rhys stayed silent at the head of the table and watched the two of you silently battle, seeing who would be the first to yield. Cassian did the same and you could feel his body stiffen beside you as his eyes darted from you to Daniel.

You finally ripped your eyes away from Daniel, but your face was still sneering even as you looked away. This wasn’t you yielding to him –no, never that. This was you telling him fuck all the way off. 

A deep sigh escapes you and you reach for the wine in the middle of the table. You slowly pour out its content into your glass, the room still cold and silent with all eyes set on you–watching and awaiting your next move. 

You take a sip of the wine and see Daniel’s eyes fixed on yours over the rim of the glass. It was the way he stared at you that truly pissed you off. All signs of anger were gone from his face and instead his eyes were soft and full of worry. You hadn’t expected him to give in so easily–so quickly. You had wanted him to go down swinging and fighting. You had wanted to fight and argue with him.

You slammed down your glass, gripping it so hard the tops of your knuckles turned white. Cocking your head to the side, you looked at Daniel and let your eyes slowly rake up and down his body. A chuckle escaped you and you leaned forward to rest your elbows on the table and then clutch your hands in front of you. “You know what’s funny?” you ask, letting your eyes sweep over everyone at the table, pinning them in a hard, unforgiving stare before solely landing on Daniel. 

Daniel’s glare returned to his face, and he looked back in a way that was rather unsettling. His tongue pushed against his cheek, and he cocks an eyebrow up as to ask ‘What?”

You took one of your arms off the table and sat back in your chair, draping it over the backrest so you appeared loose and casual “For as long as I could remember, I always dreamed about having a necklace that was full of diamonds and deep, rich colored rubies. Oh, but wait,” you lift a hand to your neck, “Well now I do. And I guess, I can owe that all to you,” you say waving a hand in Daniel’s direction. 

Everyone in the room stills and you can see them all trying to come up with something to say to ease the burning tension. Your eyes linger on Daniel, and you watch as he blinks and drops his head. “Fuck,” he mumbles under his breath. 

Your eyes narrow on him and you shift further back in your seat. “What’s wrong Danny? Is it not as beautiful as you imagined?” Daniel’s eyes were still looking down, utterly fixated on his hands placed in front of him on the table. 

After what felt like ages, he slowly lifted his head to meet your stare. You could see every line sketched upon his face, conveying just how bad he truly felt. It was almost enough to make you cave but you would not yield. When he spoke, his voice was low and soft- barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

The thrumming in your ears returns, making you clench your steak knife placed next to you. His eyes immediately spy your hand wrapping around the utensil and you swear you could see his body grow stiff– as if he were waiting for you to plunge that knife into the side of his neck. 

His eyes then turn away from the knife and come back to meet yours. He takes a deep breath, and you see his throat bop as he swallows. “C-can I ask you somethi-”

“No, you may not,” you say through gritted teeth. Daniel seems utterly stunned and at a loss for words. He looks back to your neck and it seems to truly cause him pain as he looks upon the angry bruise. He opens his mouth to say something but immediately shuts it and lets out a sigh that makes him sink back into his chair. 

You suddenly push your chair back and rise to your feet, your hand still firmly wrapped around the knife. You look back over at Daniel and lean so far over the table that your face is only inches away from his. You lift the knife from the table and point it at him. “If you ever do anything like that again, I won’t even give it a second thought before I cut off the part of you,” you angled the knife down, “that deems you as a man. Do you understand?”

Daniel seems to wince as you point the knife downwards. He doesn’t look at you while he says, “Yes, I understand.”

“Good,” you say and send the knife down onto his plate, piercing a piece of meat on it and sliding it onto yours. You sink back into your chair and take a bite of it before you turn to Cassian. “And how was your day, Cassie?” you say, smiling at him around your fork. 

Cassian shifts his once tense body, snapping out of whatever trance he was in as he watched us. “My- my uh, my day was good,’ he says with a small cough, ‘Although it certain wasn’t as interesting as y-”

“Watch it,” you hiss. 

“Sorry,” Cassian mumbles. 

You turn your eyes to look over at Rhys and see him stiffen under your gaze. “And how was your day, High Lord?” Rhysand blinks and takes a sip of his wine before he says in a short and low tone, ‘My day was…fine.”

You place your hands back on the table and smile at him, reaching for your glass of wine, taking a sip. “Didn’t have to wrap your hands around anyone’s neck then?” The muscles in Rhys’s jaw flex and his eyes dart over to where Daniel sat. “No. No I did not.” 

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing that our High Lord knows how to behave himself. Such a shame that others cannot…” Rhysands eyes drift to yours and he holds them. “Are you trying to insult me?” he asks, wrapping his hands around his glass.

Shit. “No sir,” you say, your voice dipping a bit as you hold his stare, unblinking. 

“Then may you explain the need for such a comment?” You can feel the tops of your cheeks flush feeling utterly embarrassed at the lack of being able to control your own tongue. You clear your throat, “Respectfully sir, that is none of your busine-”

“Then why bring such things to the table?” he asks, cutting me off. All you can do is lower your head and nod. “I understand, sir.”

Rhysand sits back in his chair, but you can still feel his eyes burning into you. “Now are you done?”

You clench your jaw, your hands gripping hard around the knife in your hand. “No…so may I be excused?” Rhys seemed to weigh your words, but he sighs and waves a hand at you. “Yes, you may be excused.” You give him a small nod and scoot your chair back. You let the knife clatter onto your plate and stride out of the room, aiming for the staircase, not bothering to take one glance behind you. 

You enter your room and shut the door behind you. Now being in the comfort of your own room, you feel like you can finally let your guard down. You walk over to your bed and sit on the edge of it, letting out a deep sigh. You bring your hands to your now unbound hair and rake your fingers through it, trying to sooth yourself. It was working but then you hear a knock at your door. “Go away,” you say through gritted teeth. The person on the other side of the door seemed to pause. The voice then finally speaks and it’s the last person you want to see. 

Daniel’s voice is on the other side of the door. “C-can I come in?” he asks, softly. 

“No, you may not.” The pause is longer this time, and you think he has accepted the defeat and walked away but his voice calls again. “May I please come in and talk to you?”

You let out a deep sigh and pull your hair at the root. “Go away Daniel.”

“Y/N please, I need to talk to you,” he pleads, his voice cracking. 

Gods why? The sound of his voice cracking as he said your name sent a ripple into your chest and threatened to make you cave but once again, you had to brush it aside. 

“I thought I told you to fuck off!” you yell.

“Y/N please. I have things I need to say to you.”

You are not sure why or how but with the exhaustion tugging at you, you no longer felt like putting up a fight and so you say, “Fine.”

The door to your room slowly opens and you see Daniel slinking into the room. He sweeps his eye around the room letting them stop at the wall he had you pinned up against before letting them rest upon you and you see him recoil at it.

He softly shuts the door behind him before taking a few steps into the room and then halts. He looks over to the chair placed beside your bed and then glances at you before making his way over to it to deposit himself in.

Your arms are crossed over your chest, watching his every move. When he slumps into the chair you send a glare his way. “What do you want?” You ask sharply. 

Daniel looks over at you but then looks away. He rests his elbows on the top of his knees and bows his head. He brings one of his hands up and rubs it over his face. “I- look, can we just talk?” You grit your teeth and keep that cold gazed fixed upon him. “I'm waiting.”

Danny brings his hand down from his face and rests it against his leg, leaving his hand to hang limply over the side of it. “Can I just ask you som-”

“Oh for fucks sake Daniel! Look you better make it quick because I’m at my fucking wits end with you,” you snap, waving your hands in front of you. 

“Before I ask this…can you promise me you won’t get angry with me?” Your arms go back to cross over your chest. “I cannot make such promises.”

“Well then just promise me you will listen without interrupting me.” You clench your jaw at his words but give him a small nod of your to him to let him continue. 

Daniel swallows hard before he takes a deep breath. “May I explain why I put my hands on you?”

You scoff and roll your eyes. “Oh! So, you’re not here to apologize then, instead you're going to try and justify your actions? Real fucking smart,” you say and then push yourself off the bed and stride over to him. 

Daniel doesn’t move back as you come to step in front of him. Instead, he angles his head to look up at you. He brings his hands together in his lap and clutches them. “You’re right. I am not here to apologize.” All you could do was expose your canines to him as you hissed. 

Danny sits back in the chair, moving one of his hands to adjust himself as he spreads his legs open. Gods.What a cocky and arrogant bastard. 

“Yes, I did put my hands on you but let me explain exactly why I did so.” You snarl at him and take another step to stalk towards him. “I thought I told you I’m running out of patients.”

Danny remains stationary as you snarl down at him. He puts his arms over his chest and sank further back into the chair, crossing his ankle over his knee, making his foot brush against the fabric of your dress. Fucking prick.

 “Let. Me. Explain,” he commands in a stern and unwavering tone that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on its end. You pray to the Gods that he won't notice the change in your scent as a small ripple of fear rolls up your spine. You push the fear aside and cross your arms over your chest and then lean down so your face is in front of his. “Speak.”

Daniel holds your stare, and you can see that cocky smirk starting to spread over his face, but he quickly washes it away. You straighten yourself back up and wait for his words.  “What I did was out of pure rage. Is it something that I wish I hadn’t done? Yes. However, that does not negate the fact that at that moment I was not thinking clearly.”

You let out a deep chuckle and throw your head back. You take a step away from him and turn on your heel, holding your hands behind you. Most people wouldn’t dare to turn their back to such a powerful male, but you didn’t care the slightest. 

With your back to him, you can practically feel his eyes roam over your body as they take in the deep cut out of the dress that exposes the skin of your back to him. You then stop your steps and swirl back to him and you were right. His eyes were lingering on your body. “I bet you are thinking of other ways to harm me right now huh?” 

Daniel sucks in a breath and leans himself back over his knees, his eyes going back down to stare at his hands clenched before him.  “I’m going to have to be very careful with this,” he seems to whisper to himself. Your eyes narrow on him, your brows scrunching together as you try to piece together what he could have meant. “With what?”

Daniel peels away his gaze from his hands and sets them on you. “With you.”

You feel your body stiffen. You? What could he possibly want from you? “W-what about me? Do you wish to harm me or strangle me again?” Daniel’s eyes seem to grow wide, and he shakes his head. “I wish to do neither of those things to you.”

You don’t why the question comes to mind, but it comes out of your mouth before you can even stop it. “Then, then what do you want to do with me?”

Danny’s body seems to grow rigid, and you watch as his pupils dilate. One of his hands releases from his own and you watch as it sinks into his thigh. He uncrosses his legs and lets his eyes rake over your entire body and it leaves you still and utterly breathless. “I would like to ask you a personal question, Y/N.” That seems to do the trick and snap you out of it. Your eyes narrow again and you feel your anger start to stir and something else. That same feeling from before. “And why the fuck would I allow you to ask me such a thing?” you hiss. 

“Listen you may say ‘no’, but just let me ask you the question.”

“You know I’m armed right?” 

You watch his eyes as they look over to the knife on your dresser. You let out a small laugh and shake your head. “No, that isn’t the knife I’m talking about.” Daniel nods and clears his throat. “I’m aware. So let me ask you this. I know that at this moment you are not going to forgive me for my actions, but I would like to know if you would consider it one day?”

You give him a small shrug and turn back on my heel away from him with my hands still clasped behind my back. “Who’s to say?”

You hear Daniel loosen a breath behind you. “Then may I ask you one more question?” You whirl back on your heel to face him. “I would be very careful with how you wish to proceed,” you snap back, your eyes narrowing on him again. 

Daniel takes note of your body language and the growl that came from you. His eyes again sweep over you. “Would you be open to the idea of possibly starting a relationship with m-”

Your body grows utterly stiff but then you find yourself unable to contain the fury that sweeps over and blinds you. “Are you out of your fucking mind?” You yell, stomping over to him. “Why would I ever do such a thing, huh? S-so I can grant you the liberty of possibly inflicting harm on me? A-and how would you even know, huh? How would you even know if there is some sort of bond between us? O-or the sheer fact that I would even accept it? Are you actually out of your fucking mind?” 

The pure fury that flies out of you leaves your body shaking. Daniel takes note of it and holds up a hand, his eyes growing wide at your outburst. Your body halts seeing his hand being held up. Daniel leans back against the chair and sighs. “If you would have let me finish my question before you decided to interrupt me, I would’ve explained further.”

“Then what the fuck do you mean ‘relationship with me’?” You hiss as you push aside his hand and lean over him. 

“What I meant was a civilized relationship. Get your head out of the fucking gutter Y/N,” he hisses back but you could see the amusement that started to spread on his face. Your body stiffens and you pull yourself away from him. “Oh,” is the only word you find yourself able to say. 

Daniel leans back in the chair, and you see him smirk as he runs a hand through his curls. “Mating bond though? That’s cute,” he says with a small laugh. You feel heat rise to your cheeks and this time you know it’s not out of anger. “S-shut up,” you say but your voice falters. 

Daniel moved his body and sat up slightly in the chair, his arrogant smirk still plastered on his face. “Why? Do you wish to find out?” he says in a cocky tone, this time letting his eyes linger on curved parts of your body without trying to hide it. Your hands bawl up to fists at your side. “No. No I would not,” you say through clenched teeth. 

Danny sighs and slumps back into the chair. 'Shame, cuz’ I wouldn’t have minded. I’ve always wondered if you are crazy and reckless in the bedro-” You hiss again and find yourself leaning back over so your face is right in front of his. “Oh!? So, you just want to ‘mate’ with me? Is that it?” you shout into his face.

Daniel’s eyes dip to where the front of your dress hangs down, exposing the upper part of your chest to him. He slowly lifts them back up and stares right into your soul. His eyes seem to gleam, and you know it has nothing to do with any sort of rage. When he speaks, his voice is low and gravely. “I’m going to be very honest with you Y/N…yes.” 

That was it. That was your final undoing. 

You reach under your dress where you kept the dagger strapped to the side of your thigh. You pulled it out of its strap and pressed it against his neck. “Is that what you came in here for? To tell me just how badly you want to fuck me?” Daniel doesn’t move away from the blade- doesn’t even try to push it aside. “No…but what if I said yes, then what?”

You grit your teeth and angle the dagger closer to his neck. “And why the fuck do you think I would ever grant you the access to share that part of me?”

Danny swallows and you see his throat bob against the blade. “Because I think you’ve thought about it before– I know you’ve thought about it before.” Your hand that clutches the blade starts to shake. “S-shut up,” you stutter out. 

You don’t know why you didn’t try to deny it or why you didn’t immediately protest as such an outrageous thing. And maybe, just maybe his words held an ounce of truth in them. 

His eyes hold yours and don’t make any sign or indication of looking away. “I know Y/N. I see the way you look at me…how your eyes sometimes linger over my body. I know because that is the way that I find myself looking at you. I know.”

Your mind had gone completely blank. Not at him stating that he knew your eyes would sometimes linger, but at his own confession. The fact that he looked at you the same way with nothing but hunger and desire. 

“I thought I told you to shut up,” you spit back at him, tilting your body so you hovered back over his face. Daniel does nothing except gaze back. His eyes began to swirl with smoke and flame. 

The mixture of emotions that courses through you makes your head spin. You knew it was true. All of it. There were times when you had come into the training ring and found yourself unable to take your eyes off of him. The way his muscles shifted each time he flung his sword and how by the end of it, his body was drenched in a layer of sweat that made those muscles of his glisten under the rays of sun. You knew that he noticed you watching him– could sense your eyes on him but he never acted upon it. All he would do is cast you a knowing glance and a smirk would be upturned on his face. All you could do was glare at him and then quickly avert your eyes, feeling warmth spread over the tops of your cheeks.

Leaning yourself further into his face, you press the dagger closer against his skin. “So what?” you say, with a cock of your eyebrow. Another small challenge for him. He swallows and lowers his voice to that gravely and dark tone that makes chills form across your skin. “So…would it be such a bad thing?”

Your chest tightens at his words, and you feel yourself not knowing how to think– let alone act. You open your mouth to say something snarky back, but no words seem to come to mind. With a shaky deep breath, you let yourself finally give into that nagging feeling that had been pestering you all day. 

With your legs failing to collapse under you, you deem yourself to take a step forward. Then another so you are now standing between his legs. You can see Daniel sink his hands into the soft cushion of the chair like he was fighting against every instinct that raked through him not to reach out and grab you. 

Another deep breath and then you move one of your legs and lift it over his. Then you follow with the other, so you are now sitting on his lap, straddling him. Daniel’s body stiffens beneath you, and you once again spot his hands sinking into the cushion, clawing at the fabric. You wouldn’t be surprised if you saw small tears in the fabric the next day. 

His eyes close for a moment and you can hear him mumble a curse under his breath before he lets out a ragged breath and looks back at you. 

You look at him over the bridge of your nose. “I-if you think that there is even the slightest chance of having a mating bond,” Gods, the words felt strange and foreign as they rolled off your tongue, “then now would be the time to prove it.”

Daniel doesn’t know what to do as he is pinned under you. His heartbeat pounded so hard and fast that the noise appeared to be rattling his brain. All he could do was blink up at you. Was she really going to allow him to try something or was this just another one of her games?

Daniel swallowed thickly and you could feel his body tremble beneath you. “I- I would like to try something…”

The cloud and whirlwind of emotions starts up again, feeling like it is ripping you from the inside out– gutting you. It’s worse than the feeling of a blade piercing your skin. You swallow and your eyes dart over the expanse of his face. “W-what is it?” you ask, your grasp started to loosen on the dagger.

The muscles in his jaw feather and you feel him shift beneath you. It takes everything in you not to gasp at the feeling of his body moving beneath yours. 

“There is a way…to test it. To see if there is truly anything that lies between us. Would you be open to finding out?” Your tongue feels heavy in your mouth, but you manage to find the words. “H-how? What is it?”

“There’s a certain gesture–no gesture is the wrong word for it,” Daniel says stumbling over his own words, “I don’t really know how to phrase it other than it being a sort of test. But if it does happen to work and there truly is some sort of bond in place, then it should be almost instantaneous.”

You feel your body grow tense. You weren’t sure exactly what he had in mind and that only made the wheels in your head start to turn. For the first time, you let your guard drop in front of him and show him the nerves that made your body start to tremble. 

Daniel’s face grows soft, noticing the change in your demeanor. “Hey, hey, it’s nothing crazy or anything that will harm you…I promise you this Y/N,” he says, and you watch his hand come off of the cushion and raise it but then he drops it. It was like he was going to reach out and caress the side of your face but then opted against it. 

“What is it Danny?” you ask with a soft voice but you make sure to pull yourself back together and manage to throw in a snarky comment. “And don’t be smart about it. I can already feel your other gesture poking into my leg,” you say with a small smirk. 

Daniel’s mouth curves upward into a smile and you see his eyes quickly dart to where you are seated on his lap. “Yes, there is also that, but allow me to show you what I mean.”

You feel your body burning once again as you grow impatient. The tip of the blade angles deeper against his neck and presses, letting it sink into his skin but not deep enough to truly cause any harm. 

Daniel tenses beneath you and you watch as he turns his head slightly to try and put some distance between himself and the blade. He sucks in a deep breath, and you see his face harden, his brows narrowing in on you. “You may not like it. You have to fully submit yourself to me.”

Your body grew stiff and rigid. Your mind instantly felt leadened as you realized just exactly what he was saying– what he was asking you to do. And you couldn’t. You would not. 

What Daniel was asking of you was something that was far too much– too invasive…too intimate. The idea of it extinguished the growing fire that filled you and burned it away. The sheer thought of having to submit yourself fully to him and having to willfully show him everything made your stomach turn. 

There were things you couldn’t even bring yourself to acknowledge but you knew these things had happened and you felt nothing but shame and guilt for the things you had done. For him to even ask you of that, to fully allow yourself to show yourself to him– all the good, the bad and the ugly…it was all too much. 

“No,” you said softly and when that fog in your mind cleared, you started again, this time your words sure and steady. “No! I- I can’t! I will not lower my shields for you!” You try your best to control the trembling racking through your body, but it feels all too much. You weigh his words again and the trembling continues. 

You swallow and blink, trying to shake away the racing thoughts that blur your vision. You tried. You tried with all you might to remain strong in front of him, but it was too much. You let your eyes drop, your hair cascading in front of you to shield him out. If you were to have taken a glance, you would’ve seen the softness that crept onto Daniel’s face. 

“Why? Why not Y/N?” He says, his voice coming out as nothing but a whisper.

Your chest ached at the softness of his voice. The softness of it, the vulnerability in it as if he was truly trying to understand what burned underneath all the fire and anger you held in your heart. He was trying to understand. The thought alone made your eyes line with tears. 

You sucked in a shuddering breath and lifted your head. When your teary eyes met him again, you saw his face ripple with what looked like desolation and sorrow but not only that. Pain. 

The hand clutching the knife against him was now limp as your eyes searched his face, really searched his face. You took him in, letting your eyes linger on the parts of him that you hadn’t dared to let yourself get lost in for too long. His strong cheekbones, his chiseled jaw, the way in which his prominent nose stood from his face to arch down at the end to form a point. A point that led down to his plump, sensual lips.

Your eyes flickered back up to his and you saw his browns come together, trying to read through every thought that washed within you. “B-because…I don’t trust you Danny,” you whispered to him.  Danny actually winced, he winced at your words. The thick column of his neck bobbed as he swallowed again. With a slow and steady hand, he reached up and tucked back loose tendrils of your hair behind your ear. You felt yourself shudder against the touch and you knew it wasn’t from fear. 

            His hand brushed against the side of your cheek until his fingers crept under your chin and held your face there. This touch, this touch was far different from the hands that had been wrapped around you earlier. They were weary and seemed a bit unsure. 

            “I know Y/N…a-and I’m sorry. Truly I am. But, just,” he sighed, “Can you at least put the knife down?” Your fingers again wrapped themselves around the handle of the dagger but then you slowly loosened them and dropped the dagger. The sound of it clattered to the floor and you glanced at it briefly before your eyes slipped back to his. Danny let out a shaky breath and you felt his body relax under you. 

            “Good. Okay, now will you try? W-will you let me…please?” There was such uncertainty in his words, and you saw his eyes dance around your face trying to read the blank expression plastered on it. 

            Slowly, so slowly you nodded your head and relief washed over his face. But it was instantly gone as you stiffened your body and stared him down. “Wait. I want to try first. Let me in your mind.” Danny’s eyes grow wide a bit, surely taken back by what you now laid out before him but then the expression was gone. He nibbled against his bottom lip but then gave a small incline of his head. “Okay.”

            His words were the confirmation you needed, and you gathered all your strength inside you, felt it coil and rip into your veins. Daniel dropped his hand from your face and laid them back over the arms of the chair. With your hands now free of the dagger, you slowly let them come to rest on top of his. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to touch him, you did but you knew that the added connection would help you. Would wield you in a way to him. A sort of lifeline if you needed it. 

            With a final shaky breath, you let your gaze harden on his. The room was silent as he stared back at you blankly as if to show you know he was no threat and that for you…he would do this for you. 

            Slowly, you let your eyes close, keeping the frame of him wielded inside your brain as you sent a blind hand out to try and find just what you were looking for. 

            Everything was dark as you pushed your power forward and your face contorted into a grimace as you concentrated. Your jaw clenched as you pushed yourself further but still. There was nothing. 

“I-I can’t find you,” you said, feeling your eyes shift back and forth behind your eyelids. Your hands that rested on top of his now gripped the top of his hands as if doing so could help you further. 

            “Steady yourself. You're coming on too strong and you're letting your emotions cloud over. Try to relax and ease yourself in,” Danny spoke softly. You let out a deep sigh to ease everything stirring within you. You flexed your hands out over top of his and then let them lay gently on top of his. You cleared your mind and let it go blank before you tried again. 

            Slowly you let your mind go and this time you could feel it creeping to something–for something. It was still dark, but it now felt you were being guided down a tunnel. You felt all of its twists and turns as you reached with a hand and let your hand brush against it, trying to find a sliver or weak spot within it. “I-it’s still dark. I still can’t find you, but I feel something…like I’m being carried somewhere.”

            “Good. Keep trying, keep following that path. Let me guide you there. Just focus on the sound of my voice.”

            You gave a small nod of your head and felt him shift under you. Then one of his hands slipped out from under yours and you almost cursed at the lost connection until you felt it gently placed on the small of your back, steadying you in his lap as he leaned himself forward. His breath danced along the side of your neck, your ear and felt it send a shiver down your spine that made your back arch slightly. “Follow my voice. Focus on it. The pitch, the words. Use it and let it guide you.” With your eyes still closed you nodded. 

            “Are you listening, Y/N?” he asked and the way that made your blood run hot but this time not with rage or anger. You could feel his breath hitting your ear and the tone he used lapped around you, making your breath shutter. You silently cursed at yourself when you felt your core pulse. “Yes,” you whispered, your voice suddenly stripped from you. 

            “Good, now just listen to the sound of it.”

            “I’m listening.”

            “Good,” he says so softly and you swear you could almost feel his lips murmuring the words against you.

            You forced yourself to focus back on that task at hand and when you did– a small shimmering. An opening. You wanted to race to it, not knowing if the image would stay but you held yourself back. If you lunged for it too quickly it might vanish. Instead, you let your mind slowly creep towards it. 

            “I-I see it. I see a wall,” you said faintly. 

            “Describe it to me. What all do you see?” Danny cooed into your ear. 

Your brows knitted together, trying to focus on just what it was exactly that was in front of you. It was solid and blank. Just a high stone black wall that was so high you couldn’t see the top of it. It just stood there, looming in front of you. You frowned again and shook your head. “I don’t know, i-it’s just a wall. A big wall.”

“Then you know what to do, Y/n. Go through it. Try to find a way through it.”

You squinted your eyes further together and tried to find a door, a crack, a sliver of something. Anything. But it was solid. A hand reached for the wall trying to feel for any weak spots but there was none. As you reached that blind hand towards it, you heard Danny shudder slightly at the nails now trying to scratch in and open his mind. “That’s it. Keep going.”

So you did. You walked yourself along the wall that seemed to stretch for miles and miles but there was still nothing. All his training had paid off. The wall seemed utterly impenetrable. You tried again, now trying to picture an opening. Trying to find any way through.

You were about to give up but then suddenly– it was like a window appeared out of nowhere. You were now the one to shudder as you slowly made your way towards it. “I- I see something.”

“What do you see?” Danny said, breathing down your neck. You felt his hand that was resting against the small of your back, digging into you a bit.

“It’s a window…a-and it’s open.”

“Good, now climb through it.”

You approached the open window and took a step forward. You were about to push it open and step into it but it was stuck. You grimaced and tried to open it wider again, but it didn’t move. You let out a deep sigh and shook your head. “I can’t get through. It’s stuck.” You had tried your hardest, but it seemed like it was no use. 

‘I’m sorry,”’ Danny said but there was something off. He was speaking but the words didn’t come from his lips. 

As soon as you realized just what had happened you felt yourself stumble into the window. You opened your eyes, them growing wide as you took in the sight of him. His body was now close, so close to you. He pulled back a little so you could see the full shape of his face before you. But even now, seeing him before you, you could also see inside his head. There were many different doors. Some were lighter and looked welcoming and others– others were dark and just looking at them made you feel unnerved. 

 ‘W-wait…it worked? Can you hear me?’ you spoke to him now mind to mind. 

You saw the own shocked expression flash across Danny’s face as he too realized that you had actually done it. You had gone into his mind. Were in his mind.

‘Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?’ Danny said to you. 

You gave a nod of your head. ‘I can see everything,”’ you said as your hand grasped the knob of one of the more welcoming doors. You opened it and were met with a memory of him, Rhys, Cassian, Azriel and Jake who were all lounging on various chairs and couches. Their heads were tilted back in laughter as Cassian told a story about an encounter with a girl and clearly, she hadn’t known who he was– what he was and told him that she could very well take him up in a fight without a doubt. 

The sound of your own laughter filled the room, and you watched Danny’s lips curve upwards as he let out a soft chuckle. More warm memories infiltrated your brain, and you smiled but then the memories vanished, and you felt yourself being shoved through another door. This one was not welcoming at all. 

Images flashed in your head of– of war. It was bloody and gruesome, and you felt nausea turn in your gut as you beheld fallen soldiers, bloodied, and splayed out before you. They were scratched and bloody, so bloody. Some of the cuts were so deep that you could see the white of their bone at the opened gashes. 

Your body was frozen, and your hand dug into his. His own eyes grew wide at the sight of your fear. “Out! I want out! Danny push me out!” you screamed at him this time the words came from your lips. 

Danny beheld you in front of him, a frantic look on his face and then he grimaced, and you were instantly shoved out of the door and then slipped completely out of his mind. 

Your breathing was heavy, and you panted, trying to calm yourself down from the images that were now permanently embedded in your head. 

Danny slipped his other hand out from under you and reached up to troked the side of your cheek, but you flinched back. He instantly recoiled his hand and placed it back on the armrest. “I-I’m sorry. I don’t know why that door appeared, why it felt the need to push you through it. Are you okay?”

You gave a slow nod of your head, your breathing now coming out at a slow, even pace. You slowly braced your arms on the chair and pushed yourself off of his lap. Even though your breathing had slowed, your heart still beat rapidly under your chest.

You paced around the room trying to gather all the thoughts that invaded you and sort them out. If this truly was a test, then was that meant to happen? Were you supposed to see everything?  The good, the bad and the ugly…all of it. 

Danny sat perched in the chair, watching you as you paced the room. Ever so slowly, he pushed himself out of the chair and started to approach you. “Y/N,” he said but you couldn’t hear them over the thoughts that clouded and filled your head. He took another step and placed a gentle hand on your shoulder. That same gentle touch from earlier that now seemed like a millennia ago. 

“Y/N,” he spoke again, this time his voice sounding clearer.

You whirled around instantly to face him, not realizing how close he was to you and had to take a small step back. You were so frustrated and– and confused by what this all meant that it made you snap at him. “What does this mean?” you hissed at him.

Danny pulled his hand away from you and let it drop to his side. His own confusion was now written on his face too and he looked at the floor, shaking his head. “I know as much as you do. I know that people– Daemati can speak mind to mind…but mates? I…I don’t know if that is something that is granted or perhaps just happens? It is beyond the knowledge I possess.”

“I know, but what does this mean?” you signaled with your hand, pointing between the two of you. Daniel again shook his head and raised his eyes to meet you. “All I know is that you can now enter my mind and maybe I can enter yours, if that’s something you would allow me to anyways. But it works both ways. Even with or without the mating bond…it still means there’s some sort of connection.”

You took in every word he said. Both of you seemed utterly lost. While yes it may be something. It wasn’t necessarily the answer you were looking for. You looked at him and you felt your eyes soften as the question rose into your head. “But how do I know if you’re truly my mate?”

Daniel’s eyes took you in and something flashed in them– something feral and wild. A smirk marked his face, and he stepped forward closing the distance between us. “Well then maybe we should find out. It could be rather interesting. Do you want to play, Y/N?” 

Your hands found his chest and you shoved him back as you scoffed. 'Prick.' You heard Daniel laugh and you cursed at yourself for not pulling your mental shields up. Daniel smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. He cocked a brow, that cunning smirk still on his face. “And here I was thinking that your anger towards me wasn’t anger at all. I think you rather enjoy it.”

You let your face harden as you glared at him. “What are you talking about?” You asked, mirroring him and now letting your own arms cross in front of you. Danny stared at you and his grin grew further. “Oh, come on, all the so-called anger you have towards me. You don’t think I’m that stupid do y-”

“Oh, it's definitely crossed my mind.”

Danny just rolled his eyes but let his hands fall to his sides. “I think all that anger is you trying to flirt with me. You like it. You like when we bicker and argue. It does something to you and I would be lying if it didn’t do the same to me.”You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “That doesn’t mean shit.”

Danny took a step toward you, and you could clearly see the challenge held in that step. “But it does. You want to play. You like it when we play.”

“Have you maybe thought that for one second that it’s because I think you’re an arrogant, annoying asshole?” Danny tilted his head back and laughed. “Oh, come on, we both know the answer to that. But I can see it– sense it when I’m around you and when I touch y-”

“Oh! Like you did early when your hands were wrapped around my throat?”

Danny’s gaze hardened and you watched the muscles in his jaw flex. “You know how sorry I am about that. I- that’s not what I meant,” Danny said with a shake of his head. 

When his eyes met yours again, they had that feral gleam in them. He took another step towards you. “Don’t lie, you know exactly what I’m talking about.” You swallowed as you looked up at him. “Just now, when you were sitting on my lap, you felt it didn’t you? Felt the way my hands felt on your body, the way you arched into me when I whispered in your ear. Did you enjoy that?”

All you could do was stare up at him. You couldn’t begin to deny it because it was true, and it left your body trembling…your core aching. 

You had had many lovers, some of them good, some of them…bad. But even with how amazing they were and how they left you pleased and satisfied it felt like nothing compared to the way his hands felt. 

You had noticed it the first time he touched you. It was an accident. You were up in the training ring sparring with Jake, and you had stumbled back only for Daniel to wrap your arms around it to catch you but when he did…it felt like lightning had been shot into your skin. You had whirled around to see who it was who had caught you and when you realized it was him your eyes grew wide, but you quickly replaced it with a glare. The same look had been plastered on his face, but he only gave you a nod of his head to signal to go back to training. 

“You felt it too?” Danny asked, looking at you once over. You stared blankly at him but gave him a small nod. “I think that’s when I knew.”

“Knew what?” You asked, your eyes narrowing in on him. Danny sucked in a breath and let it out. “It’s when I knew…you were my mate.”

Your eyes grew wide, and you just stared at him. Stared and stared and stared. The hands you had crossed in front of your chest dropped and you let them fall to your sides, your mouth gaping. “W-what?”

“Mate,” Danny said again, “you’re my mate.”

Mate. Mate. You were his mate. Your eyes scanned his face, searching for what? You didn’t know. Your body felt like it was a statue, and you felt your breath halt in your chest. Shaking your head, you closed your eyes, trying to process what he just said. You opened them. “I- what? How? W-when did you know?” Danny gave a casual shrug like any of this was normal. “I think I knew from the first moment I saw you.”

Your eyes grew wide, and your hands bawled into fists. “Y-you’ve known for that long, and you didn’t tell me?”  Danny gave another casual shrug of his shoulders. “Well yeah…I-I guess I didn’t know what to say– if I should say anything at all.”

A scoff escaped you and you threw your hands back over your chest. “You knew…and yet you still didn’t tell me. Why? Were you afraid I might reject you…it?” Daniel’s face softened and you saw that doubt and uncertainty flash onto it. “I- yes. I was afraid you would say no-”

You took a step forward. “And what would you do if I rejected it now?”

Daniel stiffened and opened his mouth and then shut it. He took you in, really looked at you, the same way you had looked at him moments ago. And the way he looked at you, it ignited something under your skin. 

“If I’m being honest…I don’t know. I think it would crush me…I’d get over it- I mean I’d have to.” You watched him speak with such sincerity and you felt that ache in your chest grow. Would it crush you as well?

You let out a deep sigh and ran a hand down your face. You dropped it only to see him standing there and you swear he almost looked uncomfortable. Perhaps this was rather uncomfortable. It was for you anyway, but you couldn’t imagine how it must’ve been for him since he’s the one who knew and had admitted it. 

“I wait…I have questions. Sit,” you said pointing back to the chair behind him. Danny gave a small nod of his head and walked the short distance and plopped himself into the chair shifting his wings, so they draped around the back. He clutched his hands together as he balanced them over his knees. 

You stalked over to him. “If what you’re saying is true…then is this why explain why we’re always at each other’s throats– feel the need to be? I mean what you said is true, I enjoy it…t-the playing, the taunting…the flirting. But is this the real reason why?”

Danny gave a small nod of his head and shifted in his seat. “Yes, I think that may have something to do with it. I don’t think it is much of a coincidence how easily we seem to rile each other up. I think sometimes we- well maybe more I would, I guess sometimes see it as a challenge, a way to almost invade me or my space but it almost felt…territorial, I guess. Like I wanted– still want to keep drawing you back to me because I knew…I know. I wanted to keep you coming back because that part of me deep down knew that you were mine.” 

“And when you put your hands on me…. Was there something more behind that?”

Danny nodded slowly and let out a sigh. “I think it’s because I was frustrated. And believe me I know it wasn’t right– isn’t right but it killed me to know something was bothering you o-or hurting you and you wouldn’t tell me. And in turn, I couldn’t do anything about it. And it’s not because I could see that you were clearly upset…it’s because I felt it. I could feel something was wrong.”

“B-because of the bond?” you asked softly. “Because of the bond,” Danny echoed. 

“B-but then why couldn’t I feel that? If you were upset or something was bothering you,” you asked with a small frown. 

Another casual shrug. “Maybe because you didn’t know? But then again, maybe you did feel something but mistook it as your own emotions, whatever that feeling was.” His words made sense. You were always a bit moody, and your emotions always seemed to run high but there were times when you would feel a strong wave of emotion hit you and you didn’t know where it was coming from or why. But maybe these emotions were actually his all along.

You stopped short in front of him and the ache in your chest grew. Not for what he was saying but for him.Danny laid everything out. All the things he had kept to himself for so long that he had finally confessed to you. 

His eyes stilled on you and something like fear flashed across his face– like he had said too much and regretted it. But no, you wouldn’t allow him to think those thoughts. Instead, you prowled closer to him. 

“You know, I can smell you, scent you when you’re around. And sometimes, when a room is packed and crowded, I still can scent you and it’s strong. It rises above all the rest even when I can’t see you. Like something in my body knows you’re there and is telling me to go to you…” Daniel swallowed and leaned back a bit. “I know, because the same thing happens to me.”

“You can scent me too?” you said, taking another weary step to him. 

“Of course, I can and sometimes it drives me fucking nuts. Especially when I know you’re there and can’t see you.”

The both of you stilled and blinked at each other for a moment. You took him in, his casual appearance and how he seemed utterly calm. “H-how are you okay with all of this? How do you look so calm?” Danny’s eyebrows raised upward, and his eyes grew wide. “Calm? I’m anything but that right now. I may not be showing it but I’m freaking out right now.” You gave him a small smile to try and reassure him and he returned it. 

You stalked closer to him. “And just how do I reject or accept the bond?” Danny went utterly still and looked up at you. He blinked a few times and then cleared his throat. “Well, if you want to reject it, you do just that. Reject it. But if you decide to accept it…well the act seems rather silly but it’s something deeply rooted into our traditions.”

“And just what exactly is that?”

“The female offers their mate food if she accepts. But with that they also accept everything that comes with it. Embrace it, but not only the bond but who they are. It means they accept everything about that person regardless of the flaws they may have. It means that they claim them as theirs and they claim them as the same. As one.” You swallowed and nodded, absorbing all the information he laid out for you. Your eyes traveled to the nightstand beside your bed. You slowly walked over to it and felt his eyes on your back. If he was thinking about your movements, he didn’t voice them. 

“But I guess there may be another way…another way we already know. And before you protest– no it’s not that. I mean of course it can certainly help in some cases but what I mean is touch. Some people know then and choose to accept it that instant if they feel it. But like I said…we already know that. Sometimes a pair can know just by looking at each other. It differs from everyone.”

You gave a small nod of your head as you closed the distance to the nightstand. “But even though we may have felt that…I didn’t accept it because I didn't know then,” you said as you opened the drawer to the nightstand. “That is correct. For us– well for you, you hadn’t known. So, in our case, it’s different,” Danny spoke.

You gave another nod of your head and rummaged around in the drawer and then you found what you were looking for. You grabbed it and held it behind your back as you walked back over to him. Daniel ran a curious eye over you as you stopped in front of him. 

“Well, I may not have known then, but I know now.” Daniel kept that watchful eye on you, trying to understand just what you meant with your words. Your hand tightly gripped the item behind you and then with a shaky breath, you extended the hand out to him.

In it was a small chocolate wrapped in a red bow. His eyes grew wide, and he looked up at me. “I know it’s not much, b-but it’s all I have.”

Daniel smiled at you, truly smiled and he plucked the small chocolate from your hand. This wasn’t just an offering. It was a sort of union. A knowledge and acceptance that you would now be his and that he would now be yours. 

You watched him carefully as he undid the tiny bow and plucked away at the wrapper. A small smile was on his face as he brought it to his mouth and when he did his eyes found yours. He held the small candy in front of his mouth, and you felt your breath catch not knowing if now he would accept. But then all the worries that clouded your mind soon vanished as he popped the candy into his mouth. 

A relieved breath escaped you and you watched him chew and then swallow. And maybe you were too caught up in the moment, but you swear something shifted within you. And maybe he sensed it too because something lit up in those hazel eyes of his. 

All you could do was stare at him, your mind racing at one hundred miles an hour as you realized what you had offered to him and what he had now gladly accepted.

The moment seemed to last forever as you both beheld the sight of each other. Mates. He was your mate, and you were his. That word echoed through you and felt foreign but something about it felt so…right. Danny was your mate. 

Danny reached out a hand and gripped the fabric of your dress loosely and Gods. The sight of him seated below you with his head angled up…It tore through you and ignited a fire that burned so deeply that it felt like all of the worlds had tipped on its axis. 

His hand slid up and cupped your thigh from behind, pulling you closer to him. His hand dug into while he pulled you in so close that his nose almost brushed the lilac fabric of your gown. It was enough to make your breath and body halt in their place.

Your hands were still hung loosely at your sides, and you rubbed your thumb over them, suddenly not knowing what to do with them– where to put them or if you should put them anywhere at all. Danny’s eyes glanced at them and then back up to you. ‘Just fucking touch me already,’ he said into your mind. So, you did. 

Your hands lunged for him and grabbed hold of his face in your hands while climbing back onto his lap. He shifted back into the seat, his hands now coming to hold onto your waist. 

You didn’t waste any time as you crashed your lips into his. The feeling of his lips moving beneath yours gave you the same electrifying feeling from the first time he had touched you but this time it was way more intense. Your hands and body worked on a mind of their own as they moved along him, touching, and exploring the parts of him that you had secretly pawned over for so long. 

If you thought that you were a mess, then clearly it was nothing compared to how Danny had felt. His hands moved along your back, gripping you tightly to him as they did the same and explored your body. You could feel his breath tangled with yours and heard the sound of him groaning as he pressed himself further against you. 

You felt one of his hands move to cup your backside while the other snaked further up your neck and grabbed hold of the nape of your neck. He gave a small tug to the hair there and your head tilted back, a low moan crawling out of you. 

He tore his lips away from yours only to replace them along the column of your neck. Danny let out his own soft moans against you while he kissed and nibbled along the sensitive skin. 

Your own hands traveled up his body until they were tangled in his curly locks. You came to the top of his head where half of his hair was tied up in a thin leather band and hooked your finger under it, letting his bounded hair fall down to his shoulders. He was so fucking beautiful. 

Your hands and body were now frantic as every thought left your mind and there was only one left. You needed him and you needed him badly. 

Your lips found his again and you practically melted into him when his tongue pushed into your mouth. If his scent was enough to drive you mad, the taste of him would make you go utterly fucking insane. Danny’s hands traveled back to your hips and gripped them, he shifted a bit and you felt his own madness poking beneath you. Your hands ran down the front of his body, feeling the hard, taught muscles of his chest and stomach until they gripped the bottom edge of his tank top and ripped it off of him, carefully minding his wings. 

You brought your mouth away from his and peered down at his bare chest beneath you. You felt his hungry eyes watch you every move. When you looked down, you could see the tattoos that slithered along his skin. You had seen them before but never up close. You let your fingertips trace along them as if to mark a new imprint of your own against him. 

Your eyes traveled along the expanse of him, and you noticed his golden tan skin that had small flecks of white lines– old scars. Some of them you noticed were cut so deep that his skin hadn’t healed smoothly and protruded out. Battle marks. Each from a different war or past encounter. Each a different reminder of all that he had faced in his past.

Your finger grazed over one of the more brutal looking scars and you casted your eyes up to his. “Do they hurt?”

Daniel gave you a soft smile and shook his head. “No.” You just glanced back at his body and gave a small nod of your head. One of his hands left your hips and came to cup the side of your face as he pulled your back to his lips.  His kiss erases all those daunting and looming thoughts that plagued your mind. 

You were completely consumed by the desire that raged and pressed into your veins. A groan escaped you when you felt his teeth nip along your bottom lip and it left your core aching. You nipped him back and felt him smile beneath your lips. “I knew you wanted to play,” Daniel mumbled against your lips. You smirked and let your mouth meet his again but not before you ground your hips against him. He hissed and his hands tightened on your hips. Play with me Danny, you spoke into his mind. 

It seemed like those were just the words he had needed to hear because his hands slid to cup your backside and he rose up from the chair in one fluid motion. Your legs tightened around his waist, further pushing his hardness into you that made you cry out at the pressure. 

He walked the short distance to your bed and gently laid you on it, not breaking the kiss. You felt him crawl up the bed, placing one of his hands beside your head while the other lingered on the crest of your hip. 

You pulled back for a brief moment just to cast a glance at him and when you did– cauldron burn and boil you. He was propped on his knees, kneeling between yours. His bare chest in the dim shadows only seemed to further enhance the ridges and dips of his muscles. His dark curly hair that was now unbound came to hang around the sides of his face. His dark wings that were tucked behind him now were splayed out. And his eyes– God's eyes. They devoured you from the inside out and were completely wild, his pupils shot. A picture of purebred power only that could be crafted by the Gods hands. 

Daniel’s dark eyes raked up the expanse of your body and you watched his chest rise and fall heavily. You pushed yourself up so you balanced on your elbows and reached a hand out and laid your palm flat against his stomach. You felt his muscles twitch and saw him look down at your hand, bringing his bottom lip between his teeth as that started to slide down lower and lower. 

You let it stop at the top of his leather pants and you leaned yourself up into a sitting position as you ever so delicately began to undo the laces of his pants. You were able to see the outline of just what exactly was being held and bound against his pants and the sight was enough to make your hands start to shake. 

Daniel’s hands came to rest on top of yours and you tilted your head to look up at him. A flash of concern was drawn on his face. “We don’t have to, you know,” he spoke softly, his hands tightening on yours to try and ease that shakiness. You looked away from a mere second but then quickly found his eyes again. “I-I want to.”

Danny gave a small incline of his head and then leaned down, so his lips tickled the shell of your ear. “Just tell me if it’s too much. I’ll try to be as gentle as I can, but I have been dreaming about this moment for so long that I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back.”

You felt your core clench around nothing as his words lapped against your ear. You continued with the task at hand and found your fingers quickly working to undo those final laces, this time trembling from anticipation alone. You got them undone and turned your head slightly and felt the side of his face against yours. “Please. Please don’t hold back.”

That seemed to be all he needed because he softly pressed his hand to your chest, and you fell back onto the bed. He gripped both of your thighs and slid your body down to him. He gave a small shift of his hips and fully pressed himself against you and that feeling alone had your back arching off the bed. You could see the outline of him behind his pants and knew he was big but it was nothing compared to how he now felt pressed against you. 

Danny’s lips pressed against the bottom of your neck and slowly trailed upward so his mouth was once again hovering by your ear. “I was hoping you would say that because I have no intention of holding myself back.”

A moan ripped from your throat, and you found your hips bucking up, grinding them against him while you tried to ease the ache that made your wetness start to pool. Your hands rested on his wrist while he held them on you and pressed his weight against you while you writhed underneath him. “Please Danny,” you begged, “I need you so fucking bad.”

That fiery flash rose in his eyes and Danny leaned up a bit and let his hands quickly went to his own body. He tugged down his pants and revealed himself fully to you. Your eyes grew wide seeing the full length of him, his cock hard and glistening at the tip with his arousal. He was fucking massive. 

He leaned himself back over you, bringing his mouth back to yours while his hand snaked up on the other side of your lilac dress, slowly dragging it upwards. The tips of his fingers brushed against the edge of your undergarments, and you bucked into his hand, signaling him further. 

Danny let out a low chuckle against you and his finger dipped under the elastic and pulled it back and let it snap against your skin. A shock squeal escaped you and his laugh rumbled through you. ‘Such a sensitive thing, aren’t you?’

‘Pri-’ but your thought was quickly cut off when you felt him drag a finger against the fabric and come to stop right at the apex of those nerves. A moan escaped you and he removed his mouth away from yours and pressed his lips back against the side of your neck. Your hips seemed to have a mind of their own, slowly rocking against his finger while you tried to get some relief from the building ache that lingered between your legs. 

‘Tell me what you want,’ Danny spoke into your mind, his lips still continuing to trail up and down the expanse of your neck. 

‘You, I want you. All of you. Please.’

Danny let out a deep growl and moved his hand and grabbed the edge of your undergarment and tore it off you –literally tore it. You felt the fabric sting and burn against your skin, and he tossed it over his shoulder and let it fall to the ground. 

‘How bad?’

‘So, fucking bad Danny.’

Without any hesitation, his finger brushed through your center and felt the wetness pooled there. “Fucking Hel, Y/N,” he growled. His finger made another pass through your wetness before it stopped at your clit and began to draw slow, coaxing circles onto it. You arched your back and a deep groan ripped through you. “Gods please Danny,” you cried. 

Danny nipped at the skin of your neck and moved his body down further along yours. He continued those small, daunting circles and you watched while he placed kisses over the fabric of your silk dress until his head was between your legs. 

With his other hand he slowly grabbed the hem of your dress and lifted it up. His eyes drifted to your face where your jaw was hung open, soft, shallow pants puffing past your lips while you anticipated his neck move. 

Danny pulled up the dress and you were fully revealed to him now. His eyes stared right between your legs, and you heard him cursed under his breath, his tongue poking out to wet his bottom lip. ‘You look fucking delicious.’

You were about to respond back but the words were knocked from you when you felt the brush of his lips against the inside of your thigh. He licked and nipped at the skin, and you felt your legs start to tremble just from the touch alone. 

He traveled his way up your leg, and you opened them further for him when they connected to the inside of your thigh where it met your hip. You cried out and released one of your hands from his wrist to tangle in his hair. You pulled at the root and jutted your hips up to try and catch his mouth. Danny let out a low laugh that sent shivers up your spine. ‘Is someone getting impatient?’

“Danny please,” you cried in a breathy moan. His fingers that were circling your clit stopped and you were about to try out again from the loss of contact but then you felt his tongue lick a stripe though you. 

Your back arched and you released the hand from him to have it clamp over your mouth as a loud moan was drawn from you. Danny groaned as he tasted you and you saw his hips grind down into the mattress, trying to release some of his own tension. 

‘You taste fucking delicious too,’ he said and licked up you again. You clamped your hand further down against your mouth and that hand he had stilled on your hip came up and yanked it away from your face. You looked down at Danny and saw his face set into stone. He removed his mouth from you and his jaw flexed. “Don’t do that again. If I’m going to make you cum, I want to hear every sound I coax out of you. I don’t give a fuck if others can hear. Do you understand?”

All you could do was nod and Daniel moved his head back down between your legs. His mouth clamped around your clit and this time the sounds of your pleasure filled and echoed off the walls of the room. 

He sucked on your clit and then rolled it gently between his teeth, making your fist a handful of his hair. His other hand was back and you and started to draw lazy circles at your entrance. You were absolutely drenched, and his fingers spread your arousal around. 

Danny moved his head to the side, taking his finger that was circling off of you. You whined and shifted your hips wanting more of him. His eyes flicked up to yours and you watched as he placed two of his fingers in his mouth and sucked. His eyes rolled back in his head while his tongue licked over his fingers and took in the taste of you. Your chest was falling rapidly and a heartbeat later you felt him push his finger into you and encompassed his mouth around your clit. 

You through your head back, a strangled moan clawing its way up through you. You kept your hand fisting his hair while the other clawed at sheets of the bed. He was good with his mouth alone but his fingers…Gods. Both of them worked in tandem, licking and pumping into you and your body trembled and shook around him. 

You were already so close, and he had barely scratched the surface. He groaned and it vibrated against you. His finger inside of you curled and brushed against that spot deep inside of you. You had never felt anything as intense as this. Nothing compared to this, and you knew nothing ever would now that he was yours. 

Danny pulled his finger back and slid them back into you, this time adding another digit into the mix. He had worked them into you slowly but now there was determination in each and every one of his moments. He curled his fingers, continuing to sweep over the spot while his tongue worked on your clit. You were close. So fucking close. 

Your breath grew faster and became more rapid. His eyes found yours and he sucked against your clit so hard that it had you shooting up. A low laugh rumbled against you, only making the pleasure grow stronger. He slowly pressed his hand to your chest to push you back down. ‘I know you’re close. I can feel how hard your pussy is squeezing my fingers…cum. Cum for me, Y/N.’

You bit your lip, looking down at him from your half-lidded eyes. The sight of him between your legs would forever be burned into your brain. His fingers gave another curl and with a flick of his tongue you came undone. 

Your cries of pleasure filled the room and your whole body trembled as you shook around his fingers. You had never come so hard before and you could see stars dancing behind your lids while you arched your back so high you thought it might snap. 

Danny removed his mouth from your clit but kept his fingers inside you slowly pumping them in and out while you rode out the length of your orgasm. His mouth peppered gentle kisses along the insides of your thighs, sometimes licking and biting but never enough to truly hurt. 

He withdrew his fingers from inside you and moved his face back up and gave a small kiss over your clit. Your body shuddered and you heard him chuckle. “So so sensitive for me, huh?” Danny said in a low voice and then proceeded to further his point as he blew against that sensitive spot that made your legs shake. Danny let out a hum of approval and then moved from his spot nestled between your legs to climb back over you. 

You let your free hand that wasn’t still tangled in his hair come to dance along his arm. Feeling the hard, strong muscle of it. Danny leaned down and brought his mouth to yours while his hands caressed the side of your face and neck. When he slipped his tongue into your mouth, you were able to taste yourself on him and you let out a deep groan.

Danny dug his hips into you, and you could feel his hardness pushing against the inside of your thigh. You moaned against his lips and felt him shift his hips, so his length was brushing higher and higher. 

“Please,” you moaned, grabbing the underside of his arm as you tried to push him further against your mouth. All he did was hum against your mouth and you felt his hand come off the side of your neck to grasp the edge of your dress. He tore his mouth from you and sat back on his heels while he pulled up the fabric of your dress. You too sat up, raising your arms over your head as he pulled the silk dress off of you and let it drop to the floor. 

Danny’s eyes scanned up the expanse of your body, the two of you now completely naked and bare before each other. You saw his cock twitch while he took in the sight of you and felt his hand slide up your stomach and then crept higher, pressing his palm between your breasts. ‘You’re fucking beautiful.’

Blush crept onto your face, and you gave him a soft smile. He brought his hand to the side of your cheek and swept his finger over the top of it, returning the small smile on your face. He slowly brought his mouth to yours and placed a gentle kiss on your lips. ‘You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this.’  Your lips started to move against his and you let yourself fall back against the bed and he fell with you. ‘Then please, give it to me Danny.’ 

Danny shuddered at your words and then shifted his hips, so he was closer to you. With his free hand, he grasped his length and began to drag it through your wet core. You moaned into his mouth, your back arching at the contact of him dragging his tip against your clit. ‘Just tell me if it’s too much’

You nodded and then you felt him drag his tip down further, so it was at your entrance. He pushed his hips and you felt him slip into you. Danny groaned and you let out a deep moan, your eyes growing wide at the sensation. He practically tore you in half. You gripped his bicep, and you watched his eyes that were fixated between your legs come to meet yours. ‘Shhh, just relax…you can take it. I’m not even all the way in yet.’

Your eyes grew wide but then you bit your lip and nodded to feel him give another push of his hips. Your back arched and Danny threw his head back, letting a moan slip past his lips. “Fuck Y/N.” He pulled his hips back and pressed into you again and you felt him slide in further, but you knew that still wasn’t all of him. You decided to wrap your legs around him and gave him a nudge to press into you further and he did.

“Oh, my Gods,” you screamed and felt your walls wrap around him as he pushed himself fully into you. Danny shuddered and fell onto his forearms to keep him upright. His mouth found yours and you felt your hands clawing at him to continue. 

He brought his hips back, almost fully pulling himself out of you before he plunged himself deep into you. You gasped and your body lifted off the bed as pure pleasure swept over and encompassed you entirely. His pace was slow and steady–sloppy even but it made every inch of your body stand on end. 

You brought your mouth back to his and let your hands travel along his back. Your finger gently grazed across the edge of his wings which made him let out a deep moan before you let them latch onto his shoulders. Your nails dug hard into his skin, puncturing it and you knew that marks would be left there. Good, you thought. You forever wanted to mark his entire body so he would forever be reminded that he was yours. 

Danny moved his mouth away from yours and then you felt him bite where your neck met your shoulder. His teeth sunk in and all you could do was groan at the sensation. It hurt slightly but it felt so damn good. 

He pushed away from you to grab both of your hips in his hands, angling your bottom half off of the bed and brought your body down against his. Something not short of a scream ripped through your chest while he continued to slam his hips into you, hard and utterly viscous. He told he wouldn’t hold anything back and he didn’t. 

Each thrust of his hips knocked the breath out of you and your hands didn’t know where to reach, to grab for him, your own body, or the sheets beneath you. You were a complete fucking mess. 

Danny’s muscles in his arms and across his stomach flexed while he pumped into you and the sight of him like this made your core tighten around him and a small curse fell from his lips. He bit his lip and watched where the two of you connected, the sound of wet skin ringing through the room. 

Danny brought a hand off your hip and moved it between your legs and let his thumb circle against your clit. “Fuck Danny!” you cried and felt your legs start to shake. You felt them starting to close, only to be interrupted by his body between them and he smirked. His hand left your clit only to give you a small smack to the inside of your thigh as he pushed them open. “Don’t you fucking close those legs,” he growled and then his thumb was back to circling against your clit. Your eyes roll back in your head and your whole body trembled, feeling him hit that sweet spot hidden so far inside of you. 

“D- Danny, I’m gonna cum,” you cried, your voice now sounding straightened and hoarse. “I know baby, I know. Let it happen. Cum for me,” he cooed. Your walls gripped him tightly and you felt him hiss. You tried your best to hold his eyes but found yourself unable to as they rolled back into your head. 

One of your hands fisted the sheets and the other gripped his wrist tightly and soon you were plummeting into that fire. You shook beneath him and cried out, feeling that wave of pleasure sweep over your body. It felt like your soul was floating outside and above your body and the sheer pleasure that drove through you made tears start to form in your eyes. You felt yourself explode around him and you were left as a panting mess but that didn’t stop him. 

Danny cursed and the grip he held on your thighs only tightened as he took you over and over again. With each powerful thrust he gave, you found yourself not knowing your name or seeming to remember you were a part of this world because this world, your world now belonged to him. The only thing you knew for certain was him. Danny. His name echoed like a chant inside your head and maybe it fell from your lips, but you were too encompassed by his actions and the pleasure he ripped out of you to know for sure.

He drove you further and further into that state of bliss where stars and colors danced with one another, and the sun and moon collided and filled the world in a fiery, bright flash. And then you felt it and you came utterly undone around him. Your body thrashed and withered underneath him and you felt the bond snap into place.

“Fuck Y/N!” he growled and continued with his merciless power, thrusting into your hard and deep while your body continued to shake around him. You knew in that moment he felt it too and it drove him utterly mad.

You could sense it in his body, the way he seemed to grow stronger and stronger with each thrust of his hips and it was either the dim lighting behind him but you swear that he seemed to glow.

With another couple of deep and powerful strokes, he collapsed on top of you, his chest now damp and sticky with sweat while he poured his release into you. Daniel’s breath was heavy and ragged, but his lips met with yours and his hips continued to find yours. ‘You’re mine Y/N. You’re fucking mine. You’re my fucking mate.’

“Say it,” you mumbled against his lips, already feeling him starting to coax another orgasm out of you. Danny gave another powerful thrust of his hips that rocked your entire body. “You’re my fucking mate,” he growled and the two of you found your release again and you traveled into that colorful world the two of you had created full of stars, light, and fire. He was yours and you were forever his. Your mate. 

Tag List:

@gretas-sweat @dannyshair @itsafullmoon @peaceloveunitygvf @darianh07 @thunderstomp-and-tequila @gretasfallingsky @bathingin-thelight @jordie-gvf @withlovegvf @jazzyfigz @iliana-gvf

#greta van fleet #gretavanfleet #jake kiszka #danny wagner #greta van fic #greta van smut #gvf smut #acotar fic #acotar #acotar smut #acotar au #rhysand #feysand #feyre acotar #a court of thorns and roses #cassian #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #acotar series #azriel acotar #illyrian #velaris #night court #mates

[sparrowofthedawnsworld]

Princess Of The Prisoner - Pirate!Jake Kiszka AU

A/N: I’m BACK!! And god, is it good to be. I’ve missed you all so, so much. I thank you all for your patience and endless support. You all mean the world to me <3 I hope you all enjoy this - finally. I love you! (Only lightly edited for the moment).

WARNINGS: Semi-light Violence, bl00d, unconsciousness, fighting, use of weapons.

This is MAJOR 18+ Minors DNI! AT ALL. Bondage, kn!fe play, edging/orgasm denial, light overstimulation, fingering (F), oral (F&M receiving), choking, slapping, degradation, unprotected sex (be smart, be safe!)

Masterlist

•••

“I am no where near equipped for what you are asking of me.” You speak firmly to your father, fighting the intense urge to stomp your foot against the shiny, glassy floor like that of a child.

“If I didn’t see you fit, I would not send you.” Your father says to you, sounding just as sure of his plan as ever.

As always.

“I will not be used as bait for one of your enemies.” You straighten your back, holding his blazing and frustrated stare. “You’ve lost your sanity, father.”

“I have not asked you, I have told you what you are to do.” He remains stubborn and firm. “I expect him here no later than morning. Don’t disappoint me, dearest. Now, you best be off.”

Your face twists in the purest form of anger as you turn away from your father to leave him be at his throne. You storm across the palace, back to your own room.

“How could he put me in such a dangerous position?” you mutter to yourself, gathering up a new dress to change into for your days journey.

“Sending me off to find some god forsaken ship, to hunt down a man for him,” you continue to ramble to no one other than yourself and the over-decorated walls.

Or, so you think.

“Let me guess-“ The cook of your palace stands in your doorway. You have grown quite close with her, given she is one of the few women around anymore. “-You’re being sent off on a mission, per your father’s orders again?”

“Yes,” you sigh heavily, undoing your corset. “I must be off shortly. I’m essentially being used as bait for the captain of some ship, Jacob Kiszka.”

Her eyes look as though they are going to fall out of her head, “Do you not realize who that is, Princess?”

“I haven’t the first clue who he is, no,” you admit.

All you know is that his ship would be arriving sooner rather than later, and Jacob is after a specific sword of your father’s. You are not sure why the sword is so significant, all you know is that Jacob is indeed after it.

“I’m sure he’s some gross old man-“

“Far from it, actually. He’s quite young if I remember correctly,” she informs you, laughing lightly at your shocked expression.

“Young?” you scoff in disbelief. “There is no possible way…”

“Oh, but there is. He could only be a few years older than you,” she continues and laughs lightly at you, unintentionally adding to your frustration more. “Not to say that I am at all on board with your father using you, but I understand why he’s asked you. He’s just a young lad.”

“This is just absolutely ridiculous,” you huff. “Sending me off to capture some boy, who could probably still kill me with one hand, regardless of age!” Your arms flail around you in dramatic emphasis. “How do you even know this information about him?”

“He’s actually quite well known,” she answers, eyes falling to the floor. “But… how I know him personally is not relevant.”

A heavy silence falls over the two of you for a moment.

“I know very well that your father has taught you to be an incredible fighter,” she speaks up, softly breaking the silence. “…Perhaps if you’re truly so worried, you should take another man with you. Daniel, maybe?”

You think on her suggestion for a moment, ultimately deciding it isn’t a bad idea after all.

“Will you please retrieve him for me?”

“Of course, Princess.” She nods to you politely. “I should not distract you any further. Good luck to you, dear.. I shall send for Daniel for you at once.”

“Thank you,” you mumble under your breath, sending her a rather forced smile.

Gathering the rest of your things, you are going off to find Daniel yourself, but you realize he has finally come to you, by the soft knock at your door.

“Princess,” he greets with a charming nod of his head and a smile that can undoubtedly melt the coldest souls. “It was brought to me that you are in need of my assistance.”

“Yes,” you start, casting him your undivided attention, just as he is giving to you. “My father wants me to capture this Captain…Jacob Kiszka. He is after something of his and Father wants him taken care right away.”

“With all respect, Princess, shouldn’t you be demanding he send someone else to do such a job?” Daniel’s face turns immensely concerned and fearful on your behalf. “Jacob is a very skilled and clever man. You have no business-“

“-I’ve tried to change his mind all I can, but you know how he is,” you speak warily, cutting him off. “But that’s why I’ve asked for you. I would love for you to join me.”

Daniel’s eyes widen and the Adams apple of his throat bobbed as he swallowed thickly.

“Princess, I truly don’t think this is-“

“-I have no other choice, Daniel!” You firmly cut him off once again. “Now… Are you coming, or are you going to stay here as though you are some sort of coward?”

Daniel is far from a coward and you know that without a doubt, but you have to convince him somehow.

“When are we to depart?” He caves, speaking through a sigh of defeat.

“Right now.” You nod curtly, grabbing your belongings and walking right past him.

He mumbles to himself from behind you, taking long strides to keep up alongside you, “What have I gotten myself into…?”

“Just look at it as an adventure, Daniel,” you jest in attempts to lighten the mood.

“And suppose one of us gets hurt? What shall happen then?” Daniel questions rapidly, speeding up to reach the door of the palace before you. “Ah! Do not dare to touch that door.”

“I am about to capture a thief and you are concerned about me opening but a single door?” you chide lightly, cocking an eyebrow as he opens the door for you anyway.

You step out first, waiting patiently for him to follow after you.

“And stop thinking in such worrisome ways,” you add, once he joins at your side. “You are quite frankly putting a thorn in my side.”

Your light teasing brings a small smile to Daniel’s face and he huffs a soft laugh before changing the subject entirely.

“How would you like to travel, princess?”

“On foot,” you tell him, taking off in the direction of the area in which Jacob and his ship are suspected to be coming to.

He looks at you with shock filled eyes, “Alright, you are officially out of all of your senses.”

“It is not that far from here,” you roll your eyes, the pair of you walking farther away from the palace. “They’re going to anchor at the closest point they can, but far enough away as to not be perceived from the palace.”

“And how can you be so sure?” He’s full of never ending questions.

“Enough questions, Daniel, seriously,” you sigh in slight annoyance. “It would be in your best interest to simply trust me.”

The two of you walk in silence for quite some time, taking in the nature around you and putting mental marks on things that you walked by, as to not leave any chance of getting lost on your journey back.

“How much farther are we going, Princess?” Daniel breaks down and asks yet another question.

You open your mouth to answer him, but the sounds of various voices shouting about, swiftly interrupt you.

“Stop.” You place your hand out to stop Daniel in his tracks beside to you. “Voices. I hear voices. Do you hear them, Daniel?”

He looks around, listening intently and after a moment or two, the same shouting fills his ears as well.

“I hear them.” Daniel nods, confirming that you are not losing your sanity.

Quickly, you put your plan of attack into motion.

“Daniel, whatever you do, do not leave my side.” You tell him, giving a curt nod as you made your way towards the tree line that followed the edge of the river bank.

The closer you get, the louder the voices become and the more your nerves threaten to overtake you.

You and Danny make your way through the trees, stopping just out of view of the surprisingly nice ship haphazardly docked just before the shoreline.

A beautiful, fit and young man treads his way through the shallow water and up on to the sand, looking far more put together than the rest of the crew surrounding him.

“That must be him…” you point towards him, Daniel’s eyes following your index finger. He nods, confirming your guess.

“Princess, please, let me take care of this?” Daniel pleads quietly. “There are far too many of them to take on alone.”

“Nonsense. I shall do what I was sent to do,” you insist. “We must figure out how to capture him without the rest witnessing. They will surely come looking, if they see us leave with him.”

“Not to mention that we walked here,” Daniel reminds you. “I suppose that means I will be carrying him back, surely?”

“You have always been incredibly smart,” you tease and answer his question all at once.

“Now, then! Now, then!”

Soft gasps are shared between you and Daniel, as who you presume was Jacob, starts to loudly gather in his crew.

“Now that I have the undivided attention of all of you dandy crewmen, I shall be off in attempts to get in to the King’s palace at once!” he begins to explain, voice somehow much louder and firmer than you expected it to be. “I hate to break one’s heart, but all of you are to return to the ship and remain there until I return! I cannot risk my plans being tampered with. Am I clear to all of you?!”

They all express their understanding in almost perfect unison.

“That will be all, then! Please, return to the ship right away!”

Like well trained animals, everyone files back to the ship as Jake stands around to watch on, ensuring not one person is staying behind.

He is so breathtaking… It almost drowns out the hatred that you already hold for him.

You shake your intrusive thoughts of the captain away, putting on your brave face to continue on with a new plan.

“Come, Daniel!” you yell in a whisper, creeping your way back out of the trees.

“Come on!”

Once you both make it out, he begins his frantic questioning once more, “What ever are we doing now, princess?!”

“Hush,” you silence him. “We must go back towards the palace. I believe it best that we ambush him there.”

He simply shakes his head in understanding, glancing over his shoulder quickly to be sure no one has spotted either of you and is following.

You stop at the bushes near the entrance of the palace, breathing heavily and shaking your head in exasperation as the two of you duck down out of sight.

Daniel lets out a frustrated and tired huff. “We are back where we started, princess. I’m starting to question your oh-so elaborate planning.”

“You are being such a sore thumb today. I beg of you to just do as I say.” You send him a pleading look.

Silence fills the air around the two of you for a while, until the cracking of rocks beneath boots captures Daniel’s attention.

“Princess,” he nudges at your shoulder. “The Captain is upon us.”

You peak through the flowers and leaves, eyeing him as he makes his way carefully up the path.

You catch yourself gawking at him again; the way he walks, his long tresses and the beautiful dagger hanging from a strap across his chest.

“Your majesty, please,” Daniel begs, knocking you from your trance. “Please, tell me what you want me to do.”

“I… I want you to wait until he walks by us. If we stay here, he won’t see us right away. Once he passes, we will attack from behind. I need him unconscious,” you explain quickly. “Once he is unconscious, I will tie his hands and you shall help me carry him to the cells.”

Just as you finish and Daniel gives you his quick, verbal understanding, Jake passes through the gates and bushes, slowing his pace and ducking every so often to avoid possibly being seen.

“I will tell you when,” you whisper into Daniel’s ear and he nods once.

The captain walks a few more feet up the pathway, ducking down behind a rose bush and unsheathing his dagger from its case.

Daniel copies him, pulling his own dagger from its casing.

“Now,” you mutter with unbridled urgency.

Daniel has Jake plummeting to the ground within seconds. You watch on for only a moment, before fear takes over and you feel the need to join him.

Groans and curses are being hurled between them, swings and bone crushing punches being thrown along with their noises of pain.

Jake holds his dagger backwards, swinging the handle towards the side of Daniel’s head.

“NO!”

You bolt towards them, taking Jake to the ground upon your collision - sparing Daniel of the bone-crushing blow that was mere seconds away from colliding with the temple of his head.

Daniel recovers rather quickly, throwing you off of Jake and taking your place on top of him.

One strong and well-timed swing from Danial is all it takes and the Captain falls limp against the ground as he goes unconscious.

Daniel falls away from him, chest heaving and covered in small droplets of blood here and there. His hand clutches over his chest, as he fights to recenter himself.

“Are you alright?” you ask frantically, pulling the rope from around your waist and tying it securely around the Captain’s hands.

“Just perfect, Princess,” Daniel chuckles sarcastically, dusting himself off as he stands to his feet. “Here, allow me.”

“I think not.” You swat his hand away. “Rest for another moment. I will take care of this.”

Once you have the knots tied, you stand up and let Daniel take over again. He scoops him up like a rag doll, throwing him over his shoulder as though the Captain weighs little to nothing.

You bend down and pick up Jake’s dagger, shoving it down into your pocket and following after Daniel as he starts making his way up towards the palace.

“How long do you think he will stay unconscious?” you ask, making your way through the lower levels of the palace.

“Not much longer, I’m afraid.” Daniel answers, stopping at the large cell at the end of the cold, dimly lit hallway.

“Just put him on the bed. I shall take it from here.” You order rather gently, confident that he can’t hurt you from behind the bars of the cell.

“As you wish.”

Daniel drops him down onto the bed and unties him carefully, tossing the rope to the side thoughtlessly as he goes.

Just as he finishes Jake lets out a low groan of discomfort and Daniel quickly makes his was back out of the cell.

You close the door and lock it, watching Jake for a moment to find that he is still mostly out of it, when there isn’t another sound to be heard from him.

“Do you wish for me to inform your father that we have the Captain?”

“No!” You look up to Daniel with panic-filled eyes. “I will tell him myself. He doesn’t know that you accompanied me and I would rather him not.”

“Understandable, Princess,” Daniel says. “I shall keep my doings to myself.”

“I am most grateful for you,” you smile up at him, placing a gentle hand on his bicep. “Thank you.”

Removing your hand from his arm, Daniel brings it up to his lips in a gentle kiss as he bows, “You are most welcome, your majesty.”

He releases your hand, standing upright and beginning his way down the hallway.

Before he gets too far, he turns back to face you with a serious look. “Princess?”

You whip around to face him also, “Yes, Daniel?”

“If anything is to happen and you need my assistance again, you know where I reside.”

Not awaiting an answer - knowing you understand without having to say so out loud - he disappears through the large door. The loud sounds of it closing sends an eerie echo around the concrete walls and floor.

You slowly turn back towards the cell, watching and listening to Jake intently for any signs of movement or noise.

“Bloody hell,” Jake’s voice rumbles in a low groan, his arms struggling to push his weight away from the bed he is sprawled across.

He finally gets himself upright, looking around in a pure panic at his surroundings.

Stumbling up to his feet, he spins around and freezes in place when his eyes land upon you.

“Oh, well is this not just lovely?” you speak rather tauntingly. “The captain is finally awake.”

“And you are?” Jake saunters up to the door, rough hands wrapping around the cold bars.

“Princess of The Garden, at- well… I am not at your service,” you stumble over your formalities, forgetting that you owe him not a single one. “Not much of a kingdom we have around here, more so a small, royal family on secluded land.”

“I am very well aware of practically all of that.” Jake bites matter-of-factly, full of anger.

There are a few moments of intense silence, the loud and unsteady breathing from Jake being the only constant sound.

“Would you be so kind as to remind me how I managed to get here?” Jake questions bitterly, clearly trying to contain his rage.

“Me,” you smile at him with hardly contained pride. “Well, me and another accomplice.”

“Quite weak of you to have to bring a companion along just to capture me.” Jake smirks, his face noticeably contorting in discomfort as he assesses with his fingertips, the bruises that Daniel had left on his jaw. “Someone ought to teach you how to fight.”

“You know nothing about my fighting skills,” you say dryly, sending him a death glare through the bars of the cell. “I would be a fool to travel alone, regardless of how well I fight.”

“You seem to be a bit of a fool anyway,” Jake chuckles, glancing up at you with bold eyes.

If you could smack him across his careless mouth, you absolutely would.

“Letting your father send you into such danger…” Jake shakes his head, giving you a judgmental once-over. He turns and walks towards the hard bed in the corner. “You aren’t cut out for such violence.”

“I wish you would stop speaking as if you know me.” Your arms cross over your chest. It isn’t a very good response, but it is as good of one as you can seem to gather. “You know absolutely nothing about me.”

Jake ignores the comment entirely.

“If I may ask, why are you still lingering, princess?”

The name falling of his tongue is like a drug. The most addictive drug one could find. Somehow he makes the most flattering and important name, sound so degrading.

You stand frozen in place for a few moments too long, struggling to find a genuine reason for staying around - of which you do not have.

He hums to himself, head tilting back slightly, “Just as I thought. You haven’t any good reason.”

You open your mouth to attempt some sort of protest.

“If I may, your majesty,” Jake stands to his feet and saunters back to the door. “You are quite the gem. So exquisite and beautiful…” he trails off for a moment, a sly grin spreading over his lips as he looks over you. “Too bad you are too feisty and disobedient for my liking.”

Your whole body begins to boil with various emotions; you’re flustered, angry and immensely intrigued by him. He is setting you ablaze in a foul, but irresistible way.

“And… you are much too disrespectful for my taste,” you seethe, faltering for a moment so short, you hope it goes unnoticed. “Speaking to royalty in such a despicable manner…”

“And yet, the royalty herself, seems to be enjoying it.” Jake grins wickedly.

You can’t tell if it’s your body’s attempt to be intimidating, or seeking closer proximity to Jake. Regardless, without really thinking, you step forward, “What makes you believe for a second that I am enjoying any part of this?”

“Many reasons, Princess…” Jake starts, speaking low and hushed. “You’ve taken at the very least five steps closer to this door. You could have left the second your… ‘accomplice’ dropped me in here.”

“You are terribly-“

“-Quiet, Princess. I don’t take well to being interrupted.” Jake cuts you off abruptly, holding up a single finger that you can not seem to tear your eyes away from. “I would almost say you enjoy being spoken to this way, don’t you? Everyone gets tiresome with constantly hearing praises… And I’m sure praise is all you know, is it not?”

“Perhaps.” The word leaves your mouth bitter and clipped. He is very much right - you both know that very well.

“Mhm, as I thought.” Jake grips the bars of the door above his head, leaning forward as far as he can go. “You know… I could show you so much more. Make you feel so much more.”

“And what could you possibly be hinting at with such words, Captain?” you question, attempting to throw his title back at him the same he had yours. Only to sound much more breathy than you intend.

“If only I had the keys to open this-“ He gestures to the large door, the only thing keeping the two of you separated. “-I could show you much better than I could ever tell you, your majesty.”

“Never in a million years would I consider letting you out,” you scoff, shoving the key that is now damp from your sweating hands, back into your pocket.

“Who said anything about letting me go?” Jake asks you. “Just join me. You have the key to leave whenever you so please.”

“And… if I do choose to join you…?” You narrow your eyes, taking in his blown out pupils and all the little details surrounding them.

“Then I shall do just as I have said and show you things you will never forget.” Jake promises lowly, leaning in closer. “Things you will never want to forget,” he adds.

Your faces are as close as they can possibly be, you can feel the warmth of his breath as he speaks to you.

Without once looking away from him, you hastily retrieve the key from your pocket and unlock the door.

Jake steps back, allowing you the proper space to slide the door open just enough to squeeze your body through and get into the cell with him.

You turn around and close the door, closing your eyes for a split second in attempts to slow your pounding heart and process what you have just done.

As you turn around to finally face Jake, he immediately outstretches his hand towards you and bows before you ever-so-slightly.

Hesitantly, you place your shaking, sweating hand in his and he brings it up to his lips, “‘Tis quite the pleasure, Princess.”

Jake places the first kiss to the top of your hand, holding your stunned gaze. He shifts his hold up to your wrist, his lips following and placing another kiss higher up.

He continues the same actions, kissing all the way up your arm, until his hand reaches your shoulder and his face is inches from yours.

Slowly, he backs you up until you can feel the uncomfortable firmness of metal bars against your back.

“You are truly quite the brave one for joining me.” Jake whispers against your ear. “Just to make things sort of even, I fully plan to tease you until you’re begging and pleading for my mercy.”

“And what leads you to believe I would ever beg someone like you?” You tilt your head back defiantly.

Jake only smirks In amusement, “Is that a challenge?”

“If you can make me beg, I will let you go and tell my father you didn’t dock where he expected,” you bet with him rather smugly… and stupidly.

“My, my. The princess is going to beg me like a whore and lie to her father?” Jake tsks with a faux disappointed shake of his head. “It seems I have corrupted the sweet, royal, princess already. And suppose your accomplice -as you called him- goes back and tells him…? What lie should be grand enough to cover us then?”

His nose is practically brushing against your own, a tension so unbearable further blooming between the two of you.

“T-That is not his place. My father didn’t know that I took him, nor will he. I asked Daniel not to speak of his hand in helping me, or even that we have you,” you inform him truthfully. “It was my duty to capture you and bring you here, not his. I shall be the one to tell my father what it is he must know.”

“Well, then, I suppose I can have my way with you.” Jake purrs, teasing his lips over yours. “Is that what you want, your majesty?”

“So many words and promises, but you’ve yet to show me a thing.” You just barely chase after his lips.

Grabbing each side of your face with both of his large and calloused hands, Jake connects his lips with yours roughly.

It takes you a moment to catch up to his pace, especially with losing every bit of air from your lungs within the very second his lips met yours. Your tongues move against each other, fighting for dominance as whimpers flutter from you and into his warm mouth.

He pulls away, breathless and practically hissing out his next words, “Sweet, sweet princess. You do not know a bit of what you have in store for yourself. Stay right there.”

Jake steps back from you with a finger pointed to the floor where you stand, bending down to pick up a lengthy piece of rope that you and Daniel had him tied up with not so long ago.

“Do you trust me?” There’s a twinkle in his eyes, amusement behind them as he asks you the ridiculous question.

You stare down at the rope outstretched before you - shocked, but you remain shamefully aroused by it all the same.

“Trust- trust you? You are nothing but a complete stranger,” your voice wavers.

“Nonsense. We have spent at least few hours in one another’s presence, now, haven’t we?” His crooked smile sends waves of heat to your core. “Stranger? yes, in some sense. But I’m not a complete stranger anymore.”

You drop your eyes from his, back down to the rope in his hands. Jake pushes it out a little closer to you, eyes deeply studying your cautious but curious face.

Slowly, you lift your hands up and lay your wrists over top of his hands, looking up at him in question as if to say, ‘is this right?’

Jake holds your burning stare and starts to wrap the rope around your wrists, binding them together tightly, but still comfortably somehow.

“Outstanding,” Jake hums, walking off to a corner where another small piece of rope has been discarded.

“Just one last thing,”

Jake makes his way back over to you, placing a hand on your shoulder and pushing you back a few steps until your back collides with the cold metal bars.

His hand travels from your shoulder, down your arm, until it reaches the rope around your wrists. Grabbing it, he watches your breath quicken as he lifts your arms up and over your head, securing them to the bars with a second piece of rope.

“Mm-“ you clear your throat nervously. “-And how do you presume you will be able to remove my dress in such a position?”

“Lovely of you to inquire,” Jake smiles wildly, pressing his body against yours and leaning in closer to your ear. “I just so happened to see this-“ his hand travels the corseted curve of your side, dipping into your pocket. “-the handle of my dagger shining, while you were standing outside the cell. Not only are you a princess, but a little thief.”

“Well- I...” you stutter weakly, feeling mindless for forgetting to leave it with Daniel.

“You what?” Jake presses, biting at the shell of your ear.

Your only response is your labored breathing, unable to form an intelligible response.

He unsheathes his beautiful dagger from your pocket, resting it over your chest.

“You think too little of my schemes, princess.” He places a kiss over your nose. “I already planned to take my dagger back to use just for this moment. Why take your clothes off with my tired hands, when I could cut them off?”

“Jake,” his name rushes out of your lungs in a heavy sigh.

He grabs you by the waist, turning you around to face the bars and skillfully cut the strings of your corset.

Turning you back around to face him, he pulls it off of your body with ease and continues on with cutting away at your other garments.

Each piece is slowly pulled from you, neatly cut and haphazardly tossed to the side by Jake’s calloused hands.

As he yanks the last piece away, you are then completely naked before him - eyes never lifting to meet his burning gaze upon you.

“Breathtaking, your majesty,” Jake all but whispers, seemingly a little lost in the site that he is beholding.

You draw in a deep breath, exhaling it even slower than the slowness at which you had taken it in, “I’m sure I look far more suitable than anyone you have ever laid with.”

Upon your overweening remark, your eyes finally meet with his and you swear you see fire flash within them.

“How witty of you, princess,” Jake snaps sarcastically, pressing his body into yours. “Haughty of you to assume you are not the one that I would graciously turn away.”

It stings, but somehow you know he doesn’t mean it. Part of you hoped he didn’t, at least.

“Your mouth is foul and full of disrespect,” you snap quietly; silently wishing your hands were free, so that you can act on the resurfacing urge to smack him.

Jake stays silent, bringing the handle of his dagger down against your stomach and slowly dragging it down. The golden handle makes goosebumps form across your skin, your hips writhing about ever so slightly in anticipation.

Just when the end of his handle is close to your heat, he jerks it away entirely.

Instead, he dips his own finger down farther to feel the wetness pooling between your legs himself.

Jake glances up at you with wild eyes, flashing you a wicked smile. “The princess, so proper and poised and innocent… soaked as though she’s dipped into the river.”

Adjusting his careful hold around the blade, Jake lays the handle right where it had stopped before he pulled it away. He continues its slow descent down to your clit, where it halts to rub in the slowest, softest circles.

“Oh, Jake,” you gasp, pushing your hips harder against it.

“Oh, that’s just lovely,” Jake smirks, leaning in to place kisses over your exposed chest. “My name sounds beautiful coming from that pretty little mouth.”

He uses his own hips to hold yours in place, so he that can move the handle of the dagger at whatever pressure or speed he so desires.

“Let me hear it again, princess… ‘Jake,’” he repeats his own name to you, as though you don’t know it.

“Jake,” he repeats again.

Trying to hold onto your defiance and composure, you harshly bite at the inside of your mouth to keep from doing as he asked.

“This won’t do at all, your majesty,” Jake clicks his tongue, moving the handle in faster circles, while his other wraps around your throat. “Did I not say I want to hear you again? Come now, let me hear what pretty noises you can make. I’m sure you’re fantastic at it, little whore.”

He presses the handle harder into your bundle of nerves, drawing firmer circles against you. It’s untamable; the noise that erupts from your lungs, echoing through the cold cell and likely even through the long hallway.

“So beautiful. Keep going…” Jake encourages, tilting his head back as he watches on to your pleasure.

Jake leans forward, his free hand securing itself around your jaw to tilt your head to the side. His lips meet with your neck, biting roughly at the tender skin and soothing the sting with the softness of his tongue.

A soft laugh floats out of him each time you whine or struggle against him and the rough ropes that secure you in place.

“Jake,” you whimper through a labored exhale. The feeling of sweet release is already beginning to bloom in the pit of your stomach.

“Is the princess getting close?” Jake questions with a sly cadence. “Already, your majesty?”

You choose not to answer him, in light of climbing to the peak of your orgasm without chance of interruption.

Alas, Jake is the least bit stupid.

“Are you trying to fool me, princess?” Jake asks lowly, slowing the circles that the handle of his dagger are making.

The urge to relent and beg him is already far greater than you anticipated, but you are determined to stand your ground.

“Not trying to fool you, only avoiding the act of begging a thief,” you speak breathlessly.

“That’s a shame,” Jake grins, trailing his hand down your body to your arousal. A single finger plays at your entrance, “I would let you cum if you were not so hell bent on being a stubborn little brat.”

Just to antagonize you further, he sinks his finger inside you, purposefully curling it upwards just shy of the sweet spot within you.

“Mm…”

A tight lipped whimper tumbles out of you, your body arching into his touch ever-so-slightly.

“Oh? Do you like that, princess?” Jake taunts, looking down the bridge of his nose as he watches you. “You love having attention on your pretty little pussy, don’t you?”

“I…” You aren’t really sure what you had planned to say, or even what you want to say. All thoughts are either jumbled, or lost entirely.

“You what?” Jake pries, sliding the handle of the dagger through your folds to collect more of your wetness.

The second the handle returns to your throbbing bundle of nerves, something snaps inside of you.

“Jake,” you whine, tugging at your restraints despite the incessant burn of the rope. “Jake, please!”

“There it is.” Jake’s smile is pleased and cocky.

Feeling ever so gracious, he pushes in a second finger and deepens their rhythmic thrusts.

Jake presses his lips to the corner of your open mouth, “Tell me how good it feels, princess. Tell me.”

“I-it feels s-so good. Feels so good,” you stutter, tempted to turn your head and capture his lips in a kiss, all on your own accord. “Please!”

“Please?” He parrots mockingly. “Please what, your majesty?”

The feelings of your impending climax finally starts to build once again. This time, you are not going to give it up.

“Please let me cum!” You nearly sob, rushing every single word from your mouth. “Please, captain, I’ll do whatever you want… J-just please let me cum.”

“Give it to me, then,” Jake demands. “Right now.”

The band of pleasure breaks within you, sending you into an earth-shattering spiral of bliss that you could not have ever prepared yourself for.

Your knees buckle beneath you, leaving the ropes binding your wrists to be the only thing holding you up. The sting of the rope not even registering, as cuts and burns surely form around your wrists.

“What a good girl you are for me, princess,” Jake praises you, removing his fingers from you first to wrap his arm around your body, holding you up.

“J-Jake,” you choke out, squirming in his hold against the overstimulation that he was beginning to cause you. “I- It-s-“

“Shhh,” he silences you, a little reluctantly pulling his dagger away from your core. “I know, princess.”

Studying your face, he takes in your half-lidded eyes and flushed cheeks. The slightest bit of pity took over him.

Jake tucks the dampened handle of his dagger beneath your chin, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. “Will you be a good girl if I untie you? Hm?”

“Y-yes, sir- I mean, Captain,” you answer him, correcting yourself once more just for good measure. “Yes, Captain.”

Flipping the weapon around, he drags the tip of the dagger down your throat with only enough pressure to make it resemble a feather, making your breath hitch in your chest. Fear starts to rise back up inside you, along with adrenaline. The combination is intoxicating in a dangerous way.

“Will you truly?” Jake cocks a single eyebrow at you.

The sharp tip moves across your chest and down your stomach, goosebumps forming as you shudder.

“Yes! Yes,” you promise, breathing uneven and more labored than it has been so far.

The tip dips into your belly button, eliciting some sort of choked whimper from your throat.

Jake smirks at that, “Feels nice, doesn’t it?” He begins to trail it back up your body, the same way it had descended down.

You’re struck silent, unable to manage a single word.

Finally reaching your bindings, with two flicks of the dagger, the ropes fall from your wrists.

Your body immediately collapses forward into Jake’s. He tosses his dagger to the floor with a high-pitched clink, just in time to catch you.

“Falling at my feet so soon, princess?” Jake snickers, hauling you back up and guiding you to the bed.

“You forget yourself,” you scoff, clearly displaying your distaste for the thought of being at his feet. “One place you will never find me is at your feet.”

“No, your majesty-“ Jake tangles a hand in your hair, yanking your head back. “-You have forgotten yourself.”

Letting go of your hair, he hastily works to undo the buttons adorning his vest, pulling it away to be discarded onto the dirty floor of the cell - his shirt following directly after.

“What happened to being my good girl?” Jake inquires, stepping closer to you, his face mere inches from yours.

Your response is quick and confident, “Being your good girl is only applicable if you’re pleasing me, Captain.”

“Oh, is it, now?” Jake places his hand over your sternum, sliding it up until it splays around your throat and tightens there. “Is that not what I just did? Please you?” You struggle to draw in air as his grip stays unrelenting, his hold never once wavering as you slowly sink to your knees. “And you’re so needy and desperate that it still wasn’t good enough for you?”

He leans down to be eye level with you as he fires questions at your flushed face, “You’ll take what I feel so inclined to give you, your majesty.”

Jake releases his grip, standing straight up as he watches down on you, gasping to refill your burning lungs with air.

While you work on regaining some form of control over your own body and mind, Jake begins removing the rest of his clothes.

You look up, watching him attentively through your lashes. The perfections of his body are not lost on you.

“Perhaps we should try this again,”

Jake suggests, taking himself in his hand. Your mouth waters at the sight of him. His free hand cups your cheek, “Are you going to be my good girl?”

All you can muster is a nod, unsure that your voice can even function to its fullest abilities.

His thumb, gentle and featherlight in touch, traces over your bottom lip before sinking into your mouth, “Prove it to me, then.”

Your hands are reaching up to wrap around him, before your brain can even fully process the movement.

A kiss far too innocent for the actions you wre about to take part in, is placed over his tip. You hear the shaky breath Jake draws in, encouraging you to repeat the same little kiss once more.

You drop one of your hands down to your lap, sliding your hand down to his base. Sinking your mouth down over the rest of him, you can tell that his whole body shuddered from the pleasure you’re providing him.

“That’s it, princess,” he encourages you, his hand coming up to tangle into your hair.

The twitch of his fingers against your scalp, serves to enlighten you on his urge to push you further. Taking a deep breath, you take him as far as you can go, breathing through the urge to gag around him.

“Fuck,” he curses, hips jerking on their own volition. “Your mouth is too good for me, angel, but you look absolutely lovely taking me like a little whore.”

A whimper sounds from your throat, sending the slightest bit of vibration through him. You start to find a steady rhythm, his hand still resting in your hair.

Every so often, his grip will tighten when you do something he particularly likes. Within a minute or so, he is throbbing inside of your mouth.

“Fuck, alright- enough.” He pulls you away abruptly, breathing significantly more labored.

He takes a moment to gather himself, staring up at the ceiling, as if fighting to hold onto his composure.

“Stand up,” he demands, releasing his grip on your soft tresses.

You scramble up to your feet, dizziness plaguing you for a brief moment.

Jake takes no more than a single step closer to you, eyes scanning over the expanse of your naked body that is displayed before him. He reaches up, dragging the back of his knuckles along your temple, letting the gentle touch travel its way down your face, your neck and to your breasts.

The tip of his finger grazes over your nipple, causing your eyes to flutter closed as your breathing increases.

“Oh, the ways I could ruin this flawless body…” Jake trails off, dragging the tip of his finger down your stomach slowly. “So perfect and not a single blemish or mark in sight. A true beauty, you are, aren’t you?”

With every word that so gracefully purrs its way out of his mouth, he backs you closer to the bed.

“M… mark me.” The words fly out of you before you can stop them.

In one quick movement that you are far too dazed to notice, you’re laying beneath him. His cock rests against the inner part of your thigh, hard and still throbbing softly every few seconds.

“Mark you?” he repeats your words back to you in question. “How could I, your majesty?”

There is a playful cadence to his tone, very clearly telling you that he will gladly oblige to the idea.

Jake quirks a single eyebrow at you, “And how do you suppose I do so?”

Given the fact that you hadn’t meant to say it, you haven’t thought that far ahead. Visuals of the silver blade of his dagger lightly grazing your skin, replay in your mind. Along with the imagines of bite marks and bruises that you will surely have to find the means of covering.

“Speak up,” he grumbles, lips ghosting over the center of your throat.

You quickly come to the conclusion that you will allow him to do whatever he pleases, as undeniably insane as it is.

“Do what you wish.”

Jake sits up, bold, widened eyes boring directly into yours.

You stare at each other for a few long moments, before you watch the corner of his mouth twitch and curl up into his increasingly familiar smirk.

“Mmm,” he hums in acknowledgement to your words.

Both of his hands smooth over your hips and up to your breasts, where he cups them and brings his mouth down to capture one of your nipples in his mouth.

“Jake,” you whimper, gripping at the firmness of his bare shoulders.

“I refuse to mark you permanently just yet…” Jake says against your skin. His left hand retreats from your chest, palm harshly colliding with your thigh. “Temporarily, of course-“ his palm cracks against you once more, surely leaving a red tint in its wake. “-I suppose, will do for now.”

You inhale and exhale shakily through your mouth; hung open in shock and the slightest hint of pain.

“Take me, please,” you beg him pathetically.

“Take you where, your majesty?” Jake inquires, a teasing inflection to his voice. He knows.

“Right here,” you sigh, pressing your hips up into his. “You know what I want.”

Reaching between your bodies, he glides his fingers in between your folds - still completely soaked.

“Perhaps I do.” He toys around at your entrance, paying your clit the slightest bit of attention afterwards. “There’s a chance that I don’t, though.”

A low, sinister laugh erupts from his chest as he watches you squirm underneath him.

“Tell me, princess,” Jake demands, voice low and raspy. You can feel his cock teasing your entrance, just waiting for you to say the filthy words he wants to hear so badly. “Take. You. Where?”

Pathetic as it may be, a sob tears its way out of your lungs, “Take me right here, please...I want- need you inside of me.”

“She needs it,” he taunts, barely pushing into you. “Sweet little princess just needs to be fucked…turned into a filthy mess.”

“Oh, god- fuck-“ Your nails dig deeper into the skin of Jake’s back.

“Princess is no good for anything but getting ruined by the man she’s supposed to be capturing.” Jake pulls out almost completely, only to drive himself back inside of you roughly.

The moan that rips its way out of your throat is anything but pure and elegant, bouncing around the walls around you and likely beyond.

“Quiet.” Jake places a hand over your mouth, his other holding his body above yours as he starts to sharply thrust into you. “God forbid you get us caught… Get ME caught.”

Jake begins working his way up to a steady, brutal pace. The depths at which you can feel him is sending an almost unbearable pleasure through you. From the center of your body, out to the tips of your fingers and toes; the pleasure completely consumes you.

You can’t help the volume that your moans have taken on.

Jake attempts to silence you by capturing your lips in a hungry kiss, but it proves to be of very, very little help.

He pulls away abruptly, hand wrapping around your throat, “Shut. Your fucking. Mouth, princess. Will you?” He rasps into your ear through gritted teeth. “We can’t possibly have His Majesty hearing how much of a whore you are for a thief.”

Your head lulls back, face contorted in concentration and immense pleasure as Jake continues to fuck into you relentlessly. Mercilessly.

“Good girl,” Jake praises you, starting to lose control of his own breathing.

The hand wrapped around your throat, travels up to your face; a bruising grip forcing you to look at him.

“I want you to cum for me. Quietly,” Jake growls, adjusting himself above you to bring his other hand between your two bodies. His fingers find your swollen clit, “You can do that, yes?”

“Mhm,” you hum your response, afraid that if you are to open your mouth too much, the unholiest of noises are sure to free themselves from your lungs.

“Come on, then,” Jake urges, pinning your body in place on the rather uncomfortable bed with his own. “Let me have it.”

You feel that addicting burn spreading through the pit of your stomach, mere seconds away from taking over your whole body.

As soon as Jake watches your eyes roll back into your head and your mouth fall open into the perfect little ‘o,’ he crashes his lips into yours to ensure that all possible noises are muffled.

Even he groans lowly into your mouth, forcing your to swallow it down as he continues kissing you with mind numbing passion and fervor.

Your lungs start to tingle, your body buzzing and thrashing all at once; riding out an orgasm unlike any you have ever had.

Jake’s orgasm is only seconds after yours. He spills inside you, gasping to refill his lungs with air when he pulls away from you.

“Damn it,” Jake moans. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

Bliss has overtaken the both of you, leaving you to bask in stunned silence for what felt like an hour.

“I… I must say,” Jake finally speaks up. “You are quite something, your majesty.”

For once, his tone doesn’t have any malicious intent or taunting cadence behind it. It seems genuine.

You gaze up at him, slightly shocked. “Thank you…”

He removes himself from above you, laying to your side closest to the wall, leaving you the space to leave the bed.

Staring up at the ceiling, hands on his chest, he reminds you of his previous promise, “You’re free to go if you please, I shouldn’t keep you here any longer, your majesty…”

You blink a few times, struck speechless by his sudden change. You think over your next decision carefully before speaking.

“I… I think I would like to stay here with you…” You tell him, settling back against the worn blanket.

Jake has turned to look at you, now, “What?”

Moving closer to him, you cuddled into his arm, “I want to stay here with you, Jake.”

<>

You blink a few times, trying to rid your eyes of their sleepiness.

Suddenly, the loud slamming of the cell door startles you nearly senseless. You roll yourself over and sit up, all in almost one swift movement.

“Jacob?!” you yell, anger and fear flooding your entire body as you scramble up to your feet. “What ever do you think you are doing?!”

“No hard feelings, my Darling,” he starts with a faux, pitied smile. “You were absolutely magnificent. I almost brought you along. I’ll let them know to come retrieve you as soon as I step foot back on my ship.”

You mouth falls agape, your chest becoming dangerously tight as it heaves up, then shakily back down.

Jake pulls the key he had stolen from the pocket of your dress out of the lock, taking a few steps backwards before bending down and laying it gingerly on the ground.

He straightens, kicking the key just so. It slides towards the door with a few high pitched clinks, stopping just out of your reach.

Jake smiles brightly, shooting you a sly wink, “If we ever cross paths again, let’s revisit this…escapade, shall we?”

@shutupdevvie

@belovedsamuel

@gardensgatedaisy

@ageofbarbarians

@theweightofjake

@jake-kiszkas-smirk @stardustcatcher

@positivegvfthings @ascendingtostardust

@gretasmokerising @highladyofasgard

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@greta-van-chaos @of-infinite-wonders

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@ofburningskies @streamsofstardust @twistedmelodies @gvfpal @joshsindigostreak @writingcold @juliensbakery @stillstreetjoshua @alwaysonthemend @gold-mines-melting @gretavanfanfics

#gvf #greta van fleet #jake kiszka #pirate!jake kiszka AU #gvf smut #jake kiszka smut #jake gvf #danny wagner #danny gvf #drw #jtk #jtk smut #greta van fleet smut #greta van smut #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta van fic #gvf fanfiction #gvf fic #jakey kiszka #jacob thomas kiszka #greta van angst #jacob thomas kiszka sir #jtk x reader #jake kiskza x reader #danny wagner x reader #daniel wagner #jacob kiszka #greta van fluff #daniel gvf #greta van fleet fic

[littlemisslipbalm]

A Billion Light Years From Here Masterlist

A Billion Light Years From Here is a series of short installments following Josh, Jake and Sam Kiszka as aliens who came to Earth to live as humans. AKA an Alien!AU.

These stories focus on the themes of family, friendship and fun throughout the Kiszkas lives both on and off Earth. (It's supposed to be fun and silly !!) Each story may or may not include all members of Greta Van Fleet, sometimes one will be the main character more than the rest, it just kind of depends on what the story is focusing on.

i hope everyone can enjoy these little stories I write whenever i'm in need of a break from my big WIPs or karou and i have another revelation ;) -- also the alien kiszkas got danny to dress up with them in their traditional home planet gear for the picture above.

-

josh is homesick

why sammy's not allowed in the cockpit

how they chose their earth names

#greta van fleet imagine #greta van fleet au #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet fluff #josh kiszka fluff #josh kiszka alien au #josh kiszka au #josh kiszka angst #jake kiszka alien au #jake kiszka au #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka fluff #jake kiszka imagine #sam kiszka fluff #sam kiszka imagine #sam kiszka fanfic #sam kiszka fic #sam kiszka fan fiction #sam kiszka alien au #sam kiszka au #sam kiszka angst #jake kiszka angst #danny wagner imagine #danny wagner fic #danny wagner angst #danny wagner au #more alien agenda proof #alien au moment #a billion light years from here #potentially some alien love affairs along the way

[pennylanefics]

Summer Lovin' - Surfer!Jake Kiszka | Chapter 2

a/n: starting to see a bit more of jake! :) i promise things will get exciting soon, i’m just trying take my time with this project and make it something i’m super proud of 💕

The days go by and now, you are finally settled into your home for the next three months. All of your stuff was put away and the small amount of decorations that you usually bring with you to put up were out. This included photos of friends and family, a new set of fairy lights for when you want limited lighting at night, and some shells and such that you’ve found on past trips.

The day after you went to the beach, Hazel came to your room to apologize for her actions when it came to dealing with you watching Jake. You just brushed it off, knowing that she didn’t mean it with ill intent, and told her that you were still jet-lagged, so you were a bit snippy.

The smell of pancakes and bacon awakes you from your slumber, and you rise out of bed and throw on a hoodie that was balled up in the chair right next to the window. Walking out into the kitchen and dining room, you find Donovan sitting at the table, coloring in his activity book to pass time.

“Got any plans today?” Your mom asks you as you take a seat at the head of the table, a couple seats away from Donovan.

“I was just thinking of laying around and reading. I got a little burnt yesterday so I don’t want to go back out in the sun,” you explain, letting out a yawn.

“Will you take me to the maritime museum?” Donovan looks up from his book to ask you.

“What’s that?” You wonder just as your mom sets a plate down in front of both of you, walking back into the kitchen.

“It’s got stuff about like boats and how people crossed oceans and shipped stuff,” he explains vaguely, but well enough for an eight-year-old. He has always been interested in pirates and things alike, but especially things like boats and ships, from the 1500s to Titanic, to modern times with cruise ships and all.

“Sure, that sounds fun.”

Soon enough, after finishing breakfast and getting dressed, you and Donovan were taking the short walk from your house to the maritime museum that was right near the pier, a one-story museum, though it seemed pretty big from the outside.

Today, with it being Tuesday, kids under ten got in for free, so you just had to pay for your own admission, which was a quick and easy process.

“And would you like to do the guided tour for kids?” The lady working at the desk asks after handing you your card back. Looking down at Donovan, he excitedly nods, eliciting a small laugh from you. You glance back up and smile at the woman and nod.

“Yes, please.”

“Great. Just stand off to the side over here and your tour guide should be out soon.”

Donovan skips over to the group of adults and kids waiting, and you take a second to look around the open space. Small models of ships sat a few feet apart with descriptions of them on a plaque in front of it, and a few paintings hung on the walls here and there.

The biggest one was of a ship during what appeared to be a storm, the waves crashing against the wood, a huge contrast from the dark blue sea and white wisps that give the water dimension and a sense of movement.

As you are gazing around, a loud voice rings out through the hall, grabbing the attention of the group you are standing with.

“Aye kiddos! I hear that yer wantin’ to take a tour through this here museum!” The tour guide appears shouting, dressed as a pirate with an eye patch, a fake parrot on his shoulder, and a puffy black shirt with a white ruffled undershirt, typical pirate attire. And, to top everything off, a brimmed hat sat perfectly on his blond locks.

Even through the costume and obviously fake accent, you recognized him right away. The unique and cute curve of his button nose, his structured jawline, and the gold hoops that sat in his earlobes gave him away; but you weren’t going to make that known.

“My name’s Jake, and if you have any questions about anything, feel free to stop and ask. Aye?”

The kids all respond with a collective “aye” and Jake chuckles before stepping back.

“If you guys would follow me, we will get started. So here, we have a model of the very first merchant ship that was recorded.”

Jake explains the story behind the ship, what was mainly transported, and from what countries. He explained what working on the crew would have been like, who was in charge of setting the sails and everything, and who was in charge of unloading the supplies when docked. Of course, while keeping his accent up, and making it less boring so the kids didn’t lose interest.

“And we move on to this next ship, which was built not too long after the first, but had major improvements. More wood slats so that it was stronger against harsh currents, bigger sails, lots of things!”

The parents and guardians all stand behind the group of kids crowded around the model, and as they look over the ship, Jake’s eyes - or well, eye - darts over to you, as if he recognizes you as well. A small grin tugs at the corners of his lips, but he goes right back to the group.

“Okay. I’m gonna bring you into this next part, and I think you’re gonna like this one a lot,” he gestures for everyone to follow, the children giggling as he excitedly moves on.

There was a small area with a very small scale version of the docus just outside of the building, however, it was interactive and made for children to play in. Water filled the one end, simulating the ocean, that got shallower as it got closer to the docks. There were also toy ships and small sail boats floating in the water, as well as small brown blocks that were similar to packages.

“Here is where you can pretend to be a crew member of a ship, sailing the seas and docking your ship. Go ahead! Have a little fun! Parents, don’t worry, there are paper towels and a bathroom if you need to dry off clothes.”

Everyone chuckles altogether as the group of kids plays and splashes in the water. You were talking to a couple moms, explaining how he’s your little brother and he wanted to come here today, when Jake catches your eye again. However this time, his eye patch was resting on his forehead, so both of his gorgeous brown irises were visible.

With a smirk, he sends you a wink, locking his hands behind his back and swaying back and forth on his feet. Looking away, you check back in on Donovan, who is laughing and pushing the fake ships with another kid that appeared to be around his age.

After a few more minutes, everyone gathers their child and dries them off with paper towels. Donovan took it upon himself to wipe his arms, and thankfully, his shirt didn’t get too wet so he wasn’t going to be too uncomfortable for the rest of the tour.

Jake stands off on the other side of the wall where a large screen sits, with a very detailed frame of what appeared to be the beach, shells, ships, everything you associate the beach with. Jake stands in front of the screen with a piece of paper and holds his hand up to quiet the group down.

“Moving on! We have another little activity for you guys. You’re going to color your own ships! And then…you put your piece of paper under this scanner, and watch as magic happens…” His voice tapers off as he turns around, sets the paper underneath the scanner he pointed to, and within a few seconds, a digital image of the ship that was colored in appeared on the screen.

‘Oohs’, ‘ahhs’, and excited cheers ring through the group, and Jake brings them over to a section of small tables, all with photos of the same pirate ship and markers to color with. Just like before, the parents converse amongst themselves to pass time, but you take a moment to look around the room.

You come up to a painting of a rich merchant, studying the details and reading the plaque that explains his life and how he became the most successful merchant in Newport, or what is known as Newport today.

“Do you happen to be stalking me?” Whipping around, you find Jake standing behind you, his eye patch still off, a playful smirk on his lips. For the moment, his voice was back to normal, the soft, velvety sound you already grew to know so well, just based on not even ten minutes of being in his shop.

You feel heat rise up your neck and you glance over at Donovan, coloring away at his paper, looking over at his new friend’s work.

“Oh, uh, n-no. I promise I’m not. It’s-it’s just that we’re here for the summer and finding stuff to do and it’s just a very weird coincidence that-”

“Relax, love, I’m only teasing,” he cuts your blabbering off with a gentle touch to your arm. Immediately, your skin feels like it’s on fire from it, and even after his fingertips are no longer touching you.

It’s a dizzying feeling, really. And you just wanted more.

“Oh. Well, my family just got here for the summer and my brother wanted to come here today since I had no plans.”

“No plans? You should try surfing,” he winks. You chuckle awkwardly.

“I’m not sure I’d be so good,” you attempt to lie, but Jake catches it.

“It’s a good thing you met me, though. I’m a pro. I’ll help you.” Again, you try to be nice and decline his offer, but he reaches out for you again, his fingers brushing along forearm.

“Um, I p-prefer to just sit on the beach, read, look for shells, maybe walk along the shoreline. I’m not really a sporty type so I don’t think I’d do so hot.” Jake just laughs and shrugs it off.

“If you ever change your mind, you know where my shop is.” With that, he walks over to the kids, a couple of whom finished their coloring and were ready to turn their masterpieces into a moving picture.

Jake helps the kids one by one scan their photos and step back to watch as their ship pops up, moving with the ebb and flow of the waves being projected on the screen.

“That is a lovely boat, young lady! My crew should’ve had you construct the Iron Rose for us back when she was destroyed amongst the waves!” He compliments a young girl’s design, reverting back to his pirate voice and persona.

When Donovan’s turn to put his ship up, he stands there as Jake scans it, and just like he does with every kid, he gasps in awe at how cool it looks, and gives him a high five. Donovan runs right over to you, pointing to the screen.

“Do you see my ship? It looks so cool, right?” He asks. Gazing up, you find his ship immediately, as you were watching the whole ordeal play out. Well…you were watching Jake interact with the kids, it is very charming.

“I do! It looks really good!”

“I modeled it after the Oseberg Ship in Norway, the most well-preserved Viking ship.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about that one. I see it now!”

A few more kids are left to scan their pages, and with each one, you study him. How he kneels down to their height for a moment to look over their design, then standing back up to help them put it underneath the scanner. How he points to the side of the screen that their ship pops out on and how he manages to put a huge grin on every single kids’ face.

Soon enough, Jake regroups everyone to continue the rest of the tour. And at the end, he asked if anyone had any questions. Of course, with kids being kids, they have to ask questions that don’t entirely matter, but they have this sort of…morbid curiosity about.

“What happened to the sailors that were lost at sea? Were they eaten by sharks?” A kid near the front asks. The thought makes your blood run cold, and you want to so badly walk away.

“Well, there are some that we assume were either eaten by sharks, but a majority of them just drowned. The seas are a very scary place!”

With that sentence, you take a few steps back and walk to the other side, though unfortunately, Jake’s voice was carrying through the echoing room. And, as much as he tried to not look away, he couldn’t help but notice the way you walked off, trying to hide the concerned look growing on his face.

As they continue to ask questions, you try and focus hard on reading the plaques placed around with information about pieces or looking out the window at the docks and the people passing by. Jake clapping loudly brings you back down to earth, though.

“Alright, well that concludes this tour. I hope everyone enjoyed it and come back and see us sometime soon! Argh!” You can’t help the chuckle that escapes your lips as you walk back over to find Donovan.

“You wanna buy something from the gift shop?” You ask. He nods eagerly and takes off, allowing you to hang back for a bit.

“Hey, are you alright? You walked off near the end there,” Jake comes up to you, his hat off, the accent dropped, and the eye patch completely removed from his head.

“Yeah, yeah. I just missed some of the pieces in that area and wanted to see them.”

Before Jake can respond, you walk away, and he sighs softly, watching as you find your little brother, who excitedly holds up a replica ship model made of plastic. Jake walks over to a co-worker of his, who follows his gaze to you.

“Someting up?” The young guy asks the blond man, still somewhat dressed as a pirate.

“I keep seeing her and I want to get to know her, but she’s…”

“Refusing? Rejecting you?”

“She just seems…not interested.” Jake’s expression falls as you walk over to the counter, trying to ignore him, but it’s hard. You were still trying to come down from the slight panic you had at the topic that was brought up.

Jake sighs softly again and walks to the back room, not knowing that your eyes were following him the entire time he walked away.

-

taglist: @maud-gone @doodle417 @digitalcalamity @rocknrolls-child @fan-girl-97 @thecoldwind @writingcold @allieisacrybaby @streamingcolors-gvf @gretavanbitches @stardustchxrds @gold-mines-melting @averagemisfit03 @gretavanfran @gretavankleep37 @maybetwistedthoughts @sc2106 @saremar1 @jakekiszkasmoon @gvfungi @Mamalikes_gvf @joshkiszkatoe

#jake kiszka #surfer!jake kiszka #jake kiszka au #surfer!jake #summer lovin #jake kiszka imagines #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka imagine #greta van fleet #gvf #josh kiszka #danny wagner #sam kiszka #greta van fleet imagines #gvf imagines #greta van fleet fanfic #gvf fanfic #imagines #fanfiction #fanfic

[stardustndreamsofsilver]

Honey, All I See Is You Masterlist

Jake x reader (f)

Warnings: will be on each individual part

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

#jake gvf #jake kiszka #jake x reader #jake kiszka gvf #jake fanfic #jake gvf fic #jake gvf fanfic #jake kiska fic #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kizska #jake kiszka greta van fleet #jake fluff #jake au #jake gvf au #gvf fic #gvf fandom #gvf fanfiction #gvf imagine #greta van fleet fan fiction #greta fic #greta van fic #jake gvf smut #gvf smut

[tlexx]

Lost Heart - Chapter 8

A/N: The final chapter of the Lost Boys series. I sobbed when this was done. Thank you for allowing me to write my crazy little vampire love story 🖤

Warnings: Gruesome, death, gory supernatural details, super super gory

You let your eyes wander up Jake’s body. Though it had been barely even two days, it was the longest you’ve been separated, and it felt like an eternity.

He was wearing the same black jeans he always did and decided on not wearing a shirt. The bite mark on his chest was already healed, leaving a pink puffy scar above his left nipple. 

Jake wasn’t even struggling as he held on to Xander.  He even took the time to flash you a cheeky wink before he slammed Xander’s body into the dirt of the woods. You were still halted by the invisible boundary of the estate, so you were stuck in your place not able to get to your husband.

As Xander let out a loud high-pitched whimper, Josh grabbed onto his tail to hold him in place. Josh was lying belly to the ground, with blood sliding down the side of his face. His free hand was clutching the side of his ribs, but he kept a tight grasp on Xander to keep him from lunging at Jake. 

You could hear all of the fighting behind you, but your eyes couldn’t be torn from Jake. You were nervous that if you took your eyes off of him, he would disappear again. 

“You try to run me out of town? Away from my family? Away from my wife?” Jake was circling Xander as if he was a small form of prey he could play with.

Xander was on his side, legs outstretched underneath him, with an uneven breathing pattern. The simple slam to the ground did enough to shatter many of Xander’s bones, leaving him defenseless. In a blink, Xander’s body shrunk down to his naked human body. He no longer had the energy or will to stay in his more lethal form. 

It was shocking that Jake was able to overpower him so easily, making it clear that he was stronger than anyone and everyone on this battlefield. 

“I succeeded, did I not?” Xander asked in a breathless, strained, scratchy voice.

Jake scoffed, then kicked Xander in the middle of his back. Xander wailed out again, alerting his brothers that he was injured.

You felt the ground literally shake as Xander’s brothers came sprinting towards you, Jake, and Josh. Jake’s rage left him blinded to the incoming threat, and Josh was in too much pain to pull himself off of the ground to help. 

You turn to look over your shoulder and set your eyes on the white one that was a few steps ahead of the other. You notice Danny also following, but his limp slowed him down. There was a cut on his leg that you could see from the large rip in his jeans. It didn’t seem to be serious, but it definitely was causing him pain. 

You took a deep breath, focusing on the power you could feel in your body from drinking Jake’s blood, and stood. The white wolf was only a few feet from you. You had to fight now, to protect Jake, to protect your family.

Once the wolf was less than a foot in front of you, you swung a punch straight into his wide throat. You felt your fist break through the bones in the wolf’s neck, effectively snapping his neck in a single punch.

His body flipped backwards, landing limp and lifeless in front of his brother. 

The brown, gingey wolf halted in his tracks, leaving giant oblong holes in the grass. He looked from his brother, up to you with snarling, pointed teeth. 

You were still in shock over the fact you killed a wolf with one hit, so your body was frozen as the brown wolf took a step towards you. 

You bend your knees, making it easier to absorb the inevitable impact that was coming your way. The wolf raised his paw to hit you to the ground, he wanted to make your death painful and torturous. His large paw swept diagonally down your body, leaving giant gashes on your torso. Your head smacked against the ground and all of the air left your body after landing yards away from where you initially were standing. 

The ginger wolf raced towards you and you lifted your legs to kick him away from you. You needed to fight through the pain, not even for your own sake but for Jake’s. 

The weak kick sent the brown wolf only about a foot away from you, however luckily, Danny was still close behind. Danny used the momentum of your kick to grab his tail with both hands and swing him. Danny spun a full three-hundred and sixty degrees with the wolf, then launched him into the air. 

The ginger wolf flew into the air, and before he ever hit the ground, Sam caught him between his teeth around the neck. You could hear the wolf whimpering and whining as Sam held him between his teeth. 

Danny walked over to them, then grabbed the nameless wolf by his hind legs. You knew Danny and Sam were having an internal conversation, as they both nodded their heads at the same time.

After about three seconds, Danny sprinted one way then Sam the other. The ginger wolf split in two. The sound of his cracked spine made your skin crawl, and his skin ripping like paper almost made you puke. It was the most gruesome thing you’ve seen. Blood pooled on the grass and his intestines were scattered near your brother's feet.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Danny asked, rushing over to you.

You swallowed back all of the thick saliva that was coating your mouth. “Did you have to be so…extra?”

Sam was standing in front of you with his hands on his hips, not even phased that he was completely naked in front of everyone. “It’s me. Of course it was extra.”

You rolled your eyes at him, then extended your arm up for Danny to grab. He helped you up, but you groaned in pain as you could feel the cuts on your stomach tearing apart further.

“C’mon, princess, you’ll be fine.”

You were about to snap back at your best friend until you heard Jake yelling. 

The three of you sprinted towards the rest of your family, fearing the worst. Though you should have known better.

Josh was standing now, watching with an elated smile, as Jake snapped each one of Xander’s fingers.

“Look around Xander.” Jake said with cocky outstretched arms. “My family won. Did you think you even stood a chance? We are too strong, too powerful when we are together. Nothing can destroy us.”

Something about Jake’s speech seemed to bring a warm smile to all of your faces. He was right. It seemed that no matter what your family faced, as long as you were together you were able to face it with ease. 

Jake flashed his eyes over to you, lingering on the three gashes that spread down your stomach. 

‘You’re hurt?’

‘I’m fine, baby. I can already feel it healing.’

You felt the cuts grow tighter, stinging harshly, as they grew closer. 

Jake crouched in front of Xander’s face, clutching his jaw harshly in his hands. Jake yanked Xander’s head towards you.

“You’re lucky she is tough. If she was hurt, this would last a hell of a lot longer.” 

Xander looked at you, and despite how weak he was, there was so much evil in his eyes. 

Jake held on to both sides of Xander’s face about to twist his head to the side. All of you held your breath in anticipation, but sighed out in dissapointemnt when Jake suddenly stopped.

“You know what. I have a tradition, and I am not the one who should be killing you.” Jake patted Xander’s head before launching it into the dirt. “Danny, why don’t you go get the lady of the hour.”

Danny looked at you, questioning, assuming that Jake was referring to you. You shook your head at him with a small smirk, then it finally clicked. 

Danny turned to run through the fighting that was still going on behind you. There were only three werewolves left, and still approximately twelve of Jake’s offspring making easy work of them. This was the battle that would make it clear that vampires were definitely stronger than werewolves.

You saw Marques leading the charge, forever loyal to the family that Jake created from him rather than his own blood. He was directing the other offspring like the conductor of a perfectly organized orchestra. Marques seemed to be Jake’s most loyal knight.

Danny appeared again shortly after, with Ellsie holding onto his arm. Cheyenne was safely tucked away in her bassinet that had been set up weeks before, sound asleep and oblivious to the terrors outside. Ellsie was clutching onto the sharp metal piece of banister that you punched out yesterday, needing a weapon to complete the deed. 

Everyone seemed to part, allowing Ellsie to walk confidently towards the man who had held her captive for so many years. Her chin was high, but the tears streaming down her face didn’t go unnoticed. 

Her hair was drenched in sweat, her eyes looked tired, and she was moving slowly from just giving birth. Yet, she looked like the most regal and powerful woman you had ever seen. 

Ellsie stood in front of your family, but her eyes were just on Jake. There was anger in her eyes, and rightfully so. 

In an act that you never thought you’d see, Jake kneeled to Ellsie. It was a silent apology and admittance of remorse. 

You watched with bated breath, unsure of how this would go, as Ellsie walked over to Jake. Her jaw was locked in anger, yet she acted in a surprising way.

Ellsie pushed back hair from your husband's face, then kissed his forehead. There was so much trust that needed to be built, however Ellsie knew that she was a part of this family and Jake would do anything to protect her now. 

Jake and Danny held on to each of Xander’s arms, lifting his torso up off the ground. His head dangled until Danny pulled at his hair, forcing him to look at Ellsie.

“Whor-“

 Before he even finished the insult, Ellsie plunged the piece of metal up through his back. Blood squirted out of his body when the spear came out of his chest, directly through his heart. 

Xander slid down the piece of metal when the boys let go of him with small gurgled sounds of death. When his body collapsed, echoes of the remaining wolves’ howls filled the sky. They didn’t drop dead like their alpha, but they did retreat quickly and frantically. 

“Honestly, that was easier than I thought.” Sam shrugged. 

“Shut up.” Jake said as he walked over to him. Jake didn’t seem to care that Sam was naked, and just pulled his little brother into a hug. “You need to fucking stop drinking, look what it did to you.”

Jake was clutching onto Sam, they squeezed each other lovingly. This was the closest any of Jake’s brothers had been to death, and the fact he wasn’t there in the crisis was weighing heavy on him. 

You knew Sam was crying from guilt and relief that he was okay. His small chuckle was wet and muffled by Jake’s shoulder. “You’re just mad I’m stronger than you now.”

Jake jokingly pushed Sam away from him with a child-like smile. “You wish.”

Josh joined the two, punching Sam in the arm. “You smell like a dog.

Just like the beach many years ago, the boys forgot about the death around them and acted like the twenty-something year olds that they were eternally stuck as. 

Danny seemed to quietly ask Ellsie permission to join his brothers, which she obliged. She joined you, and you took her shaking body in your arms.

“You okay?” You asked her quietly.

“Yeah, I think I will be.” The two of you watched the four brothers tease and tackle each other playfully. “But what have I gotten myself into?” Ellsie asked with a laugh in regards to the boys.

“A lot. A fucking lot.”

It seemed to be Josh and Jake vs Sam and Danny as they wrestled each other in a fit of giggles.

“Hey, Sammy!” Ellsie called, halting all of their movement. 

“Yeah?” He asked, confused, surprised by her even speaking to him. Ellsie has yet to really connect with her soulmate’s twin flame, but you believed they’d be fast friends. 

“Would you like to go meet your goddaughter?” 

Sam perked up excitedly. He scrambled to his feet.

“Really? I mean yes, of course, yes!”

“You just have to put some clothes on.” Ellsie said with a grimace.

“Oh!” Sam, once remembering he was naked, quickly covered his most prized possession. “Yes, uh, sorry about that. Everyone else here has seen me naked so many times, sometimes I forget.”

Danny slapped Sam on the back with a harsh open palm. “Just shut up and go.”

“Fuck you!” Sam whined out in response to the slap. The three of them separated from your group, walking back towards the house. “Ellsie, I promise I won’t imprint on your daughter.”

You watched the three of them walk to the house. They were going to be alright, they now had each other.

Josh interrupted your staring, kissing your cheek as he walked by you. He must’ve been shooed away by his twin, or felt the need to leave the two of you alone.

Josh joined Marques, who was waiting on the porch patiently for some type of further instruction. Josh shook Marques hand, no doubtedly thanking him for his efforts. 

“Hi.” Jake was directly in front of you, pulling your focus back to where it needed to be. He grabbed your hips to pull you closer, but not before he could check on your cuts. “How are you feeling?”

You gave Jake the response he deserved, smacking him hard on his chest. “Why the fuck would you leave me like that?”

“You know why. But it’s not like I was ever that far away.”

“Where were you?”

“It’s not important.”

You gritted your teeth. “Where were you?” You repeated.

“A little hut on the swamp. I couldn’t go that far. It was like there was this rope keeping me close to you.”

You let your head fall onto his chest. “You should have never left.”

Jake brought you into a hug, rubbing your back. “I know, baby, I know.”

“That was the longest two days of my life. That’s the longest we’ve ever been apart.”

“No it’s not, you just didn’t know who I was.” Jake laughed. 

“Stop teasing me, and just kiss me.”

“Of course, baby.”

Jake’s arms protectively circled around your waist pulling you close and tight. You looked up at his full lips, smiling that he was finally back in your arms, and met him for a kiss. 

‘Never leave me again.’

‘You’re stuck with me forever, baby.’

***

You laid next to Jake, with your leg thrown over his waist. The two of your naked bodies were only partially covered by the white sheet on the bed that was in the center of Isabella’s room. It had been a day of promises, physical and verbal, that the two of you would never part ways again, even for short periods of time. 

“Are you sure about this?” You asked as you played with the rings that perfectly accentuated Jake’s long slender fingers.

“I think it is what’s best, for you and me.”

“But the famil-”

“We need this, Y/N. Too much of our time has been given to others, since the day we met.”

You sighed, knowing he was right. The most the two of you have spent any time with one another was barely a week during your honeymoon, and that of course started and ended badly. Jake and you had little to no time to be husband and wife, let alone soulmates, so you had to admit that when he suggested this plan a part of you was happy.

However, dread and guilt quickly swamped your mind. The brothers were rarely separated and you didn’t want to be the cause. Especially after you promised Josh and Sam that you would never tear their brother from them. 

“I know Danny will be okay, he has Ellsie. But, what about Sam and Josh?” You kept your hand moving against his, a useless distraction from the tightening in your throat. 

“I’m not worried about Sam, he has Danny.” Jake was avoiding his real concern, the concern you both shared.

“And Josh?”

“Josh. Josh just needs to find himself. I think this would be good for him too.” You side eyed your husband, trying to see if he meant what he was saying. 

You knew that leaving Josh behind would be just as hard on Jake as it was for Josh to be left, but Jake was adimmint in his decision.

“Do you want me there with you?”

“To be honest with you baby, I think he is going to miss you just as much. We should do it together.” 

“Then together it is.” You rubbed the hand that wasn’t in his across his chest, feeling all of the bumps and textures of his new scar. 

“You like it?” He smirked down at you, admiring you as you admired him.

“Yeah, I kinda do.” 

Jake’s hand slipped down to your thigh where your own scar was and matched the movements of your thumb. “We match.”

“I guess we do.” 

You accepted Jake’s sweet kiss before he left you alone in the bed. You whined a little from the loss of contact, yet quickly found comfort in watching him walk around the room naked picking up all of the clothes the two of you left scattered. 

“Stop staring at me.” He had his back to you but he was privy to what you were doing.

“Never.”

“Why?”

“Cos you’re terrifyingly beautiful.” 

Jake ceased buttoning up the jeans he just slid on, then peered over his shoulder. “I think you mean terrifyingly ethereal. That is how you used to describe me, right?”

You used to hate that Jake was able to know everything going on in your head, but now you don’t think you’d want it any other way. Your love for him was too strong for words and you were thankful that he was able to feel it without you even needing to say anything to him. 

“Shut up.” You threw the pillow that was behind your head at him, earning a wide smile and laugh - your favorite sight. 

“You used to beg me to talk, now you're trying to shut me up? Will I ever make you happy?” 

“More than you’ll ever know.”

Jake climbed up the bed, between your thighs, and held the side of your face. “I do know. And we have forever together to show each other just how much we love each other.”

He kissed you again. “Now c'mon, we have people to talk to.”

“Fuck.” You mumbled under your breath as Jake lifted you to your feet.

The family, including Marques and Ellsie, sat in the living room awkwardly staring at you and Jake who stood in the center. 

“First off-” Jake began but was quickly interrupted by Sam.

“Is this a victory speech? I love victory speeches.”

“Sammy.” You warned as if you were speaking to a toddler. That with the added pointed look you gave him had him sitting back against the couch with his hands neatly folded in his lap. 

“First off.” Jake repeated. “I want to thank you Marques. You have done more for this family— no me. You have done more for me than I ever deserved. I treated you like shit, abandoned you, and you still stayed loyal. You are, and always have been, a brother.”

“Thank you.” Marques nodded his head and you could see tears welling in his eyes. All he wanted was to be accepted into the family by his alpha and he finally was. 

“I want you to take care of those in Michigan. They’re lost, more lost than I ever have been. They need a true leader, and that’s you.”

“Are-are you sure?” Marques asked surprised, though he was the only one. The rest of the brother’s were smiling gently, knowing that this was the right choice. 

“More than sure.” 

Sam clapped Marques on the back, the two of them seem to have grown even closer from their shared experience of becoming a hybrid. “Good for you, man.”

“Ellsie, I wanted to apologize again.”

“Don’t you dare, pumpkin.” Ellsie said with a southern twang that was as thick as sweet molasses. Cheyenne was sound asleep in her arms, cooing every once in a while when Jake spoke a little louder. “You did right by me, and family forgives.” 

“Family forgives.” Jake echoed.

You stayed silent next to him, holding his hand for support. You were proud that he was able to express his feelings and take ownership of his wrong doings, it was something he never could do when you first met him. Jake has grown so much, the two of you have grown together. 

“You three.” Jake said with more emotion in his voice. This was the hard part and neither of you were quite ready for it. “You three mean more to me than I think you know. I wouldn’t have survived without you.”

Danny and Sam looked confused, but Josh looked concerned. He was always able to read his twin better than the others. 

“Danny, you’re going to be an amazing father. You are so selfless, man. I’m so happy seeing you start a family, finding love. If anyone deserves it, it’s you.”

“Uh, thank you Jake.” Danny wrapped his arm around Ellsie and smiled embarrassingly. It was probably one of the first compliments Jake has graced upon Danny, and he truly did earn it. 

“Sam?” Jake’s voice was on the verge of cracking.

“What is going on?”

Jake ignored him. “You’re a fucking knuckle head. Seriously, you stress me the fuck out-”

“This seems pointed.”

“But, I wouldn’t change a goddamned thing about you. You are the most confident guy on this earth, and you should be.”

Left speechless, Sam sat forward again. He tried to hide the emotions of having the man he looked up to most to compliment him, but they were clearly written on his face. 

“Josh-”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Josh asked with his head hung low.

The rest of the room exchanged glances with one another, piecing it together. You ignored the whispers and gasps that they shared to focus on Josh. His irritation and aggression was visible in his shoulders and neck. 

“Yeah, we are.”

“You said, you said-” Josh couldn’t even finish his sentence, rather stood up and barged outside to the porch. 

Jake started taking the steps to follow his twin, but you stopped him. 

‘I got it.’

Jake hesitantly gave in to you. Usually he would want to be the one to talk to Josh, but he trusted you and knew that there were things still between the two of you that needed to be said. 

You joined Josh outside, but not before grabbing something from the coat closet next to the stairs. 

Josh was sitting on the white porch swing looking up at the stars. He looked so scared and innocent that you almost forgot that he was an eternal creature that has killed people.

“You don’t wear this much anymore.” You stated, sitting the bright patch work jacket between the two of you. 

“Doesn’t feel like me anymore.” Josh didn’t look at you, so you stared at the clenching muscles along his jawline. “I just got him back and you’re going to take him again?”

“We need this, Josh. I need this.”

He scoffed. “I need my family.”

“You have a family. Just because Jake and I leave, doesn’t mean the family disappears.”

“Jake leaves, then Danny with Ellsie, then Sam.” He shrugs. “Then I'm left all alone.”

“Josh-”

“No. My whole life I’ve been known as Jake’s twin. Even when I felt lonely, I knew he was right there. But now, he has you. Jake doesn’t need me anymore.”

“Jake will always need you, Josh. This isn’t goodbye.”

“It’s just a ‘see you later.’” He said in a mocking tone. 

“I know you’re making fun of me, but exactly.” You moved the jacket to your lap and scooted closer to him. You rested your head on his shoulder to look up at the stars with him. “You know I'll miss you too.”

“I’ll miss you, mama.”

You smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his clothed shoulder. “I think you should wear this again.”

You shook the jacket causing all of the buttons, zippers, and chains to rattle against it. He laughed, plucking it from your grasp. “And why’s that?”

“You deserve all of the attention it brought to you. This was the first thing I always noticed in the crowds at Santa Carla.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. And it looks good on you, shows off your personality.”

Josh’s face dropped slightly. “That’s the old Josh.”

“No, he is still in there. I know it.”

There was so much left to be said between the two of you, yet Josh opted to silently give the top of your head a kiss and grab your hand. You sat swinging for a few minutes, enjoying each other’s company under the stars until Jake, Sam, and Danny joined you. 

“Scoot over.” Sam said as he barreled his way next to you. You were squished between him and Josh when Danny forced his way onto the end. Jake stood in front of you with his arms crossed, but laughing at the sight in front of him. 

“You better fucking take care of her, Jacob.” Sam said with a pointed finger. “She’s a princess and deserves to be treated as such.”

“No, she’s a queen.” Josh corrected.

The three boys you shared the swing with somehow had you gripped into a tight hug that you couldn’t squirm your way out of. You couldn’t stop laughing as they held onto you and you weren’t sure if you had ever felt this loved before.

“I love you guys.”

They returned the sentiment before letting you out of their suffocating embrace. Danny got up and walked over to Jake. He extended his hand out for a handshake that was quickly batted away in favor of a hug. Danny didn’t return the hug at first, too stunned by Jake’s choice, then gave in quickly.

You watched through blurry tears as they all said goodbye to Jake, hugging and punching each other multiple times as they were overcome with emotions they weren’t used to feeling. 

“Ready?” Jake asked you, crying as well.

“Where will you guys go?” Danny questioned. 

Jake and you looked at each other, then shrugged. “We don’t really know, just wherever we end up.”

“Be careful.” Sam, of all people, advised.

“Aren’t we always?” You teased back. You knew he wanted to give you a sassy come back, but he chose not to in favor of not ruining the moment. 

Jake grabbed your hand and started leading you towards his motorcycle that was parked in front of the garage. You followed him, keeping your head down to try and conceal your sniffing and tears. Until Josh called your name.

You turned to see the three of them watching you guys walk away. Sam stood in the middle of the boys, arms lovingly around both. All of them were wearing bright smiles through their tears.

“Take care of him, okay?”

“Always.”

Jake helped you onto the back of his motorcycle then started it with a loud roar. By the time he backed out and was driving down the driveway, Ellsie and Marques had joined the boys on the porch. All of them were waving and cheering you and Jake on as you set foot on your new adventure.

Your heart ached as they grew smaller and smaller. You knew you would see them again, you just didn’t know when. 

‘You okay, baby?’ Jake’s hand was protectively resting on his favorite spot on your thigh.

‘Yeah. Are you?’

The wind blew through your hair as Jake sped down the road, leaving the estate far behind you. You closed your eyes remembering the first time you ever got on the back of his bike, so much yet so little has changed.

‘I am. It’s the beginning of our forever.’

‘Our forever.’

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