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#mine is still just a little sprout
nohoney · 9 months
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“What’s my favorite bread?” You ask your boyfriend during early morning cuddles. It’s warm inside the blanket and Bakugou’s hand is idly petting your hair.
“Croissants. Specifically almond and only from that bakery that’s 20 minutes from the house.” Bakugou answers without a beat of hesitation. “That and brioche. French bread only when you wanna have that gross balsamic dip.”
“How do I like my tea?” You fire off another question, waiting for him to see if he’ll get it right.
“Depends on the tea. Green tea, you’ll only do lemon and honey. Early grey and black tea, a little bit of vanilla creamer and some sugar. Oolong tea, you’ll have it plain.” Once again Bakugou answers your question without fumbling over any of his words.
It makes your heart fond over him but you still want to ask more questions. “What’s my favorite kind of chair?”
“Rocking. Baby, what’s with all the questions?” Bakugou asks gruffly but with no particular annoyance in his voice either. His hand still pets over your head and his eyes look up to the ceiling. Sunshine pours through the window and he sees particles of dust float in the air. “Feels like you’re testing me or somethin’ about if I know you.”
You shrug your shoulders and answer him, “Just wanna see if you pay attention to the things I like. Y’know the last guy I was with, I was with him for more than six months and he didn’t remember when my birthday was even though his and mine were literally a week apart. And then one time he got me flowers and he got me the ones that literally break me out in a rash even though I said a million times what to never get me.”
Bakugou’s hand stops petting your head and he starts to sit up in bed. You follow his movement, sitting back a little and finding the expression on your boyfriend’s face amusing. “What exactly did this loser know about you then? Since he was forgetting all the important things.”
“He knew my go to order for McDonald’s.” You answer as you pull your knees up to your chest and pull the blanket more towards you to cover yourself. “Medium fries and ten pieces nuggets.”
“That’s wrong because it’s actually large fries and twenty piece nuggets.” Bakugou corrects you and you laugh a little knowing that he got you. “And everyone likes nuggets and fries from McDonald’s, that’s hardly anything intimate.”
It makes you laugh that he calls you out but for Bakugou, he frowns a little that you had wasted your time with a guy that didn’t bother to know you at all. He leans back against the headboard and asks you, “What about me? How do I take my coffee?”
“At the agency, you’ll just have plain black coffee. When you go to coffee shops though, you’ll have a dirty chai with soy milk.” You answer him, remembering the first time you and him had coffee together.
He nods his head and asks, “What’s my least favorite vegetable?”
“Brussels sprouts. They’re basically mini cabbages and you hate cabbage too.” The answer comes out easily and as fast as he answered you too.
“Books? What do I like?” He asks, thinking this one might trip you up.
“Sci-fi books, but I know that you’re a sucker for classics literature. I see the Jane Austen books on your shelf.” You tell him.
Bakugou nods his head, equally impressed with your knowledge about him. Then he shoots back, “What’s my McDonald’s order?”
“Spicy deluxe McCrispy with two orders of medium fries. Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with three hash browns when you’re hungover.”
He smiles at you, reaching his hand out to ruffle your hair and chuckling when you smack his hand away. “I could take all this info and leak it, you know? Pro Hero Dynamight’s McDonald’s order: this is what he eats!” You laugh at your stupid joke, “Imagine the brand deal that comes your way.”
“First of all, that’s only for you to know.” Bakugou tuts and starts to leave the bed, reaching down onto the floor for his underwear he flung off his body when the two of you got frisky last night, “Second, the last guy you were with was a dipshit for not learning anything about you.”
“Yeah well, I was an even bigger idiot for staying with him for more than half a year.” You sigh as you also move to leave the bed as well. Bakugou’s shirt is found right on your side of the bed so you end up wearing it instead of finding your own sleeping top you intended to sleep in the night before.
Bakugou snorts and you round your way up over to him, giving him a big smile and bumping your hip against him, “Good thing I traded up.”
He leans down to kiss you, smiling into the kiss and not even bothering to hide how you stroked his ego just a little bit.
“My favorite breakfast?” You ask him,
“Aside from my dick?” Bakugou pretends to be hurt when you punch his arm before giving the correct answer, “Overnight oats and waffles.”
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peachesofteal · 3 months
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The Acheron
An Ichor Veil (of Flower Kings) masterlist
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Ghost/Soap/female reader 10.6k words - AO3 Warnings-tags: 18+ MDNI. Modern retelling - Greek mythology AU. Hades and Persephone. Two Kings of the Underworld. Abuse (by reader's mother). Bad BDSM etiquette. Dom Simon Riley. Switch John MacTavish. Impact play, spanking. Ichor (blood) play. Non-con voyeurism. Kidnapping. Submissive reader. Reader is named Persephone but has no physical characteristics. Alcohol. Praise kink. Biting. Anal play. Subspace. Dubious consent. First they're sour, then they're sweet, then... they're sour. Tags are for your health, not mine. .A meeting, a trick, a meal.
Hebe’s is humming.
You nod to her through the crowd, a gaggle of mortals waiting at the counter, the line of them moving swiftly as they order their pastry-coffee duo for this dreary, rain slogged morning.
Her perpetually young face lights with exuberance once she spots you, and you can’t help the smile that fights into place at the sight of her. Hebe is a cherub. Soft, curved for ages, like she had been sculpted by her father himself. Today, she’s dolled up in tones of pink; pink lipstick, fuchsia stained cheeks, magenta streaks in her otherwise dark, tightly coiled hair that sits at her shoulders.
For a while, before you were brazenly corrected, you wondered if maybe your mother wanted Hebe as a daughter, instead of you. A perfect picture of untouched purity and power, an eternal cupbearer, worshipped as the goddess of Mercy. She was sweet, like her famous Portokalopita, orange syrup cake that drew a group of wanting mortals at the door every morning. She’s a stunner. A mountain of sunshine, a ray of positivity.
Sometimes, you hate her for it, even if she is one of your best friends. 
Something about her cheerful demeanor can dig at you, scrape along the sticky matter of your brain, gnaw at the soft bits that you’re still trying to protect, tender pieces that match your heart.
You follow the hall to the back room, where bookshelves taper off and large floor to ceiling windows flank the east and west sides to allow as much light in as possible. There are others here, a few mortals curled in overstuffed armchairs, books and cappuccinos in hand, light jazz soothing the atmosphere through a few hidden speakers. Healthy clematis blooms along the stair rail, purple blossoms disappearing into the second floor, where more reading rooms wait, books and plants boundless inside Hebe’s.
A place for everyone. 
You feed the clematis a little spark of magic, enough that the vine stretches, shivering and sprouting more flowers. “Aren’t you stunning this morning?” The plant curls around your fingers eagerly, imbued with the essence of power, drinking up the magic drops you encourage into its cell structure. “So healthy and strong, you’ve recovered so well.”
“Good morning.” A wraith of a voice whispers, and you catch the iridescent flicker of a cloud, of Nephele. The clematis will need pruning soon, probably next week, or maybe you can make time in the next few days, you don’t really have too much going on, just your birthday, and that delivery to Hera- 
Ghostly fingers stroke the inside of your elbow, and the cloud nymph regards you with an insightful expression. “Earth to Seph.”
“Sorry.” Your apology is meek, and she shrugs.
“I asked what you’re doing tonight?” Oh.
“Dinner… with my mom.” She nods, and says nothing, jaw clenching, apologetic grimace lining her lips.
“And Friday… Aselgeia?” The club. Your muscles tighten. It’s been over a year since you’ve been to Aselgeia, the club of many vices, the ones where mortals and creatures and gods all mix interchangeably, chasing their own pleasure. The memory of last time heats your spine: A private room. A black chair. A stranger swinging a paddle towards your bare-
Nephele coughs.  
“Yeah, definitely.” You put the box down that you’re carrying, twelve small pots containing strings of pearls, all crossbred to produce different colors, emboldened by their proximity to you in the Greenhouse for these past few months. They’ll sell well, you have no doubt. “I’ve got a few more boxes to bring inside. Don’t supposed you could do something about this slag weather we’re having?” You gesture, and she snorts.
“Hebe says they’re fighting. Probably looking at weeks of storms.”
“They’re always fighting.” You whisper it, even though most know the truth. Zeus and Hera were explosive. Tumultuous. Which is fine, you suppose, for a private life. A public life, however, one that belongs to the Golden King and Queen, should probably be a bit more… restrained.
After all, why should you and everyone else have to suffer because Hebe’s mom and dad can’t get along? 
“I’ve got a lot of cataloging to do, so I’ll catch you around. Text me after dinner tonight, if you need to talk.” She finishes quietly, kindly, but without encroaching, and you squeeze her hand with affection.
“Thanks, Nell.”
The final two boxes stack comfortably for your dash inside. You're eager to get all the plants settled so you can get back to the Greenhouse, slink away to your personal temple, your place of refuge, somewhere quiet to prepare for your dreaded birthday dinner in peace.
“Hello.” A male voice calls, accented so strangely it’s impossible to place. He waves, trying to flag you down.
“Hello?” You turn, nearly stumbling back at the sight of him.
Who is this? 
He’s stunning. Brilliant blue eyes study you from a mountaintop, taller than you by more than a head or two. His hair is short on the sides, but long in the middle, a fashion of mohawk you’re unfamiliar with except for in Hoplites, warriors who sacrifice themselves for the sanctity of the state. He’s broad, built like there’s a Herculean amount of muscle underneath his immaculately tailored midnight black suit, and his cheekbones complement the razor edge of his jaw, framing a full set of dark, plush lips.
He looks like a dream you’ve never had. A fantasy that failed fruition.
Fairer than Adonis. Brighter than Apollo. 
Butterflies kick up a fluttering frenzied in your belly.  
“Sorry to bother ye, I’m looking for Hebe’s?” Ah. You smile.
“You’ve found it. This is just the backside. Front door is around the walk to the left.” He steps closer, and you’re about to introduce yourself when you hear the whinny of a screech owl’s tremolo, a tinned melody that whistles past your ears.
Olympus tilts. Axis trembles. And so do you.
The stranger is keen, and glances around. 
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I um… it’s just that owl, I swear I saw the same one a few days ago… I didn’t think they were too common around here.”
“Dinnae think they are.” His eyes twinkle, celestial light that has you drifting, floating through time and space into starlit irises. The air turns heavy, hot- fresh fired bricks weighing down your chest, and everything spins, day turning to night, night molting black, deep hues of purple and blues streaking past your vision, spinning like moon, twisting you up until your balance is faltering, and you sway. “Whoa, hey.” Fingers fold over your arm, surprisingly cool, chilled, and it pulls you back into your body, spine uncurling, brow smoothing.
“Sorry, I…”
“Ye alright?” He’s still holding your arm, directing you to a bench, relieving you of your box in a swift motion.
“Yeah, sorry… I… I skipped breakfast.” There’s no other explanation, right? The handsome stranger tsks.
“Can I get ye somethin’? Maybe from inside?”
“No!” You blurt, horrified. Hebe would have a cow if she thought you were feeling faint or had skipped a meal. She takes caring for her loved ones far too seriously. “No, I’m almost done, and then I’ll be on my way home. I’ll eat there.” He raises an eyebrow, completely skeptical. “I swear.”
“Alright then. Let me help ye with the rest at least?” He’s standing with a hand extended, and you track the veins on the inside of his wrist until they disappear beneath his t-shirt, golden, tawny skin just barely allowing them to be seen. You wonder if it’s mortal blood that catapults through his body, or the rich, golden ichor that also spills from yours.
“Sure.” He lifts the box, gesturing for you to grab the other.
 “I’m John, by the way.” John. It simmers in the front of your mind, stitching itself into the fabric of your magic.
“Persephone. My friends call me Seph.” Bold. Too bold. 
“Ye’re Demeter’s daughter.” He comments, and you blink, fresh wave of regret curdling the sourness of your stomach.
“Yes.” Fool. Give your name to a stranger, and this is what will come. “Do you know-“
“Only in passing, dinnae worry.”
“Who said I was worried?”
“Ye wear yer emotions plainly.” Your cheeks burn, embarrassed at the blatancy of his statement. “It’s refreshing. So many of us, we play too many games, hide our true selves.” Us. Golden ones. Gods. 
“You’re Cloaking.” You intend it to be a statement, an observation, but with a tight jaw and frowning brow, it’s an accusation.
“Aye. Wouldnae want to scare ye away, would I?” What? Your steps slow, gait pausing in concern. “Sorry, ah. Bad joke.”
“Oh, that’s alright.” He carries the boxes to the door, setting them down carefully, and then rising back to his full height. You swallow the lump in the back of your throat.
“Well, John,” you say it with a hint of sarcasm, and it conveys your doubt. That’s not your real name, is it? “It was nice to meet you.” You extend your hand, expecting a shake, but he holds it with both of his, back bowing, lips softly pressing the skin of your knuckles, tender touch making your knees weak, your heart swooping and swooning.
“The pleasure was mine, Persephone.”
“Have you given anymore thought to your role in the coming year? Your presence at harvest, or planting, would do-”
“I haven’t.” The wine is too oaky, so earthy it takes like dirt, the opus of your mother’s existence, and you swallow it down in silence.
“Persephone.” She chides, like she has a million times before. “If you just tried, a little harder-“
“I am Spring, mother. Life. Rebirth. Fertility.” You ignore her wince. “But that doesn’t mean I’m well suited for crops, and grain, and harvests.”
“It means exactly that. Otherwise, the Greenhouse would not exist.” Her knife slices into a bloody piece of meat, red dripping down the sterling to her fingertips. “Why must you fight your destiny?” Your mind wanders to your visitors the other day, the sisters. The Moirai. Does she know? Is that why she’s saying this? Did she send them? “You spend so much time actively trying to deny me, holed up with your flowers and silly little house plants-“
“It is you who denied me.” Her eyes narrow. “You who didn’t want me to become a fertility goddess, who wanted me to be some weapon of green light, to be the spitting image of you. You raised me to be a threat!”
“Is it so wrong, that I did not wish for my daughter to become a common whore? That I had hoped to prevent her becoming such a failure? That I dreamed of her becoming so much more than… what sits before me now?” The words do not shock you anymore. You’ve grown to expect them.
That does not mean they do not sting.
“It is wrong that you kept me locked in this house, away from the world, until I was too strong for you to control.” You spit, fork clattering against your plate. Rage sears white at the edge of your vision, overflowing bouquet of flowers in the center of the table blooming into massive blossoms, edges of petals beginning to curl inward.
“Control yourself.” She warns. “Or I will do it for you.” Your pulse thunders. The air in the dining room crackles.
You do not relent. Rationally, you know you should. You know this will only end one way, that this will sever another tie to your past, to your mother, one you won’t be able to repair… but you can’t stop. The magic itches under your skin, screaming.
The ivy that covers the outside brick shatters a windowpane above her head, springing through the opening like a virus seeking a host, sticking to the inside wall. Glass falls to the floor, rain pelts the roof.  
“Persephone.” Shining silver spools, churning across the table, through the air until it takes form-
The Whip.
Your mother’s favorite.
It licks your skin, your fingertips, your knuckles. A different touch, from the reverent kiss you received only hours ago. It cracks through the air like the lightning.
“That’s enough.” She vows.  
You will not cry. You won’t. You won’t let her get to you like this anymore. You’re a woman now. An adult. You’re not a child, you’re not, you’re not- 
She sighs. Your fingers clench the stem of the wine glass so firmly you think it might shatter.  
You finish your meal in stiff silence. Its heaviness droops all around you, blanketing the entire table, your fork, the distance between you and your own mother. It’s an eon. A millisecond. Never enough because you always crave more. More space. More time. More distance. Her eyes spark, anger burning hot behind them, but she says nothing.
When she’s finished, she rises from the table without another word, disappearing down the hall.
Happy Birthday, you guess.
In the middle of the night, the Greenhouse is quiet.
Even the plants slumber, most of the daylight seekers, pistils, stamens, all covered by their petals, lying in wait. In the back, you pad along the floor of moss, allowing the tiny tendrils of green to skim along your bare skin, pulling opulent, indulgent specks of power into themselves. Wisteria lines the walls, tiny blooms of purple and white falling like curtains of stars, only parting for the archway that leads to the spring, a small freshwater lagoon that spills from the crust of the earth as hot as tea, bubbling eternally, waiting for you.
Tonight, the water is ethereal. Steam rises from the pool, slicking its stone home, and you bask in it, muscle and bone turning languid, supple in the roiling spring. It’s nearly sublime, almost perfect.
Your mother’s voice still echoes. Even now, hours later, you can hear her.
A failure. A disappointment. 
Your knuckles sting from the salt of the Whip, the silver crust that slices so effortlessly, just as it has since you were a child.
You cried a lot, then.
Now, it’s few and far between. You’ve grown, rebelled, retaliated. You’ve become a lost cause.
Ungovernable Persephone. 
The pain still sits so heavily in the bottom of your soul, a wretched, tangible thing that sprouts blackened vine from the earth and a whole manner of other things.
You eye the marble encasement, the walls that harbor the spring. They too, are black. Born from your rage, your sorrow. Your uncontrollable, ungovernable power that grew from the depths of your despair and built you a temple.
The Greenhouse. Your home.
Everyone called it a wonder. A feat, proof of your power. Trees and vines and branches all twisted together, building a harbor, solidifying your presence, your Golden light.
You took your first offering in this place, the glass for the windows and the roof, the final piece of your shelter from the storm, the first stake of your life as a goddess, your life of freedom.
You left your mother’s house that day, only returning now on occasions. You never looked back.
Though, you can still feel the Whip, can still hear it whirl through the wind against your supine form. Can still feel the ridges of scar tissue that never fully healed.
You could have called Nell. Or Hebe. Or Melia. Anyone of them would be here for you. Would listen. Understand. 
Outside the window, an owl hoots.
You sink beneath the water line, magma rushing over every inch of your body, washing you clean of her, of the Whip, of the wounds on your knuckles.
A trembling fawn. Still to this day. 
A wicked daughter to have, they tell her. A vengeful soul. Rotted to the core. 
Ungovernable Persephone. 
Olympus is buzzing, even on its ninth day of rain. It’s a vibration that all manner of beings can feel, creatures, gods, even humans. The ground rattles like there’s a lightning bolt shoved into the center of the rail system, electrifying the wires and tracks, zinging from pole to pole between the buildings and above the streets where cars putter alongside those who walk to their destinations.
When you were a child, the name of the city was almost dirty. It made your mother’s nose turn skyward, disgust and disdain clear as the day on her delicate features. “The golden city is anything but.” She promised, on her knees before you, gentle hand at your back. “Those who live there are heathens, and naught else. They would seek to destroy you if they knew the truth.”
For many, many years, you never step foot here.
Not until University. Once you graduated, the rope around your neck, the bit in your mouth began to loosen, and you had already lost your taste for the expanse of metropolis, more interested in your own space outside city limits where you could feel your connection to the earth, where you could indulge your power in privacy.
“It’s not the city she fears.” Melia told you one night. “But Aphrodite. Demeter’s worried ‘Di will knock you right off the whole bloody planet.” She peered over your shoulder, catching the gleam of Apollo, his bright eyes tracking her from across a crowded bar. “Trust me. She’s a jealous bitch.” 
Tonight, the city is waterlogged, soaked to the bone, raindrops splashing as you slide from the car to the black door tucked inside a black wall, a soft faced Harpy standing in front of the passage.
“Hebe. Persephone.” She greets, turning to your other companions. “Nephelle. Melia.” You pull your power through the earth that sits beneath cracked concrete and heavy asphalt, spinning your Cloak up and over your body, adjusting your appearance just so. Your mask slips into place, obscuring nearly all your face, both Nell and Melia pulling together something similar.
“Ocypete.” Hebe pauses. “Is there a riddle tonight?” The Harpy grins, flashing rows of too sharp teeth, fine points that can cut the flesh from bone in a clean bite.
“No riddle.” The door creaks wide, and she steps aside. “Enjoy your evening.”
You don’t notice the way her eyes linger after you’ve passed.
Aselegia is one of the safest places in the Olympus. Here, Golden ones must be Cloaked, mortals must be masked, and creatures must go to great lengths to hide their identity. All intermingle with one another, safe in the anonymity. Gods and Goddesses usually choose to mask as well, a practice, you believe, stemming from common occurrences of violent jealousy, an effort to prevent becoming the target of one’s wrath.
The club itself is big enough to get lost in. The first floor houses the lobby, and a set of elevators. The walls are covered in shiny waxed mahogany, red wine rich carpet covering the floor, and it smells different, sweet and smoky, cigars and finely spun sugar. Intoxicating.
The elevators will take you anywhere you have access, and most can visit three floors. There’s a dancefloor on the main level, with a giant bar, private rooms in the wings, bottle service, tables. Very standard. Other floors have gambling tables, quieter music, even a dimly lit pool and sauna.
It isn’t until you get above level three that things change. Endorsements or sponsors are required. Waivers need to be signed. Negotiations begin.
Pick your poison. 
You start on the main level tonight. Melia insists, and you agree, grateful to the Oceanid for suggesting starting slow, the low rumble of nerves still present in your magic, your body. The music thumps, high to low song and symphony synthesized into something electronic, and it draws you into a sway, shoulders against shoulders, hips moving in time with the melody.
“Shots?” Hebe brightens, waving over a cocktail waitress, a pretty thing who eagerly does her bidding, enraptured with the way she moves in the skintight, cornflower blue dress. Her Cloak has disguised her well enough that no one would know who she is, but she does not ever manipulate her body. A cherished rule of her own, you’ve learned.
“You’re beautiful.” The girl coos, and Hebe nods, singing over the explosion of Nephelle’s laughter.
“I know, sweetheart.”
A slick sheen of sweat coats the space between Melia’s breasts. You’re both on the dancefloor, moving with the music, Melia perfectly in time, like she was born to it, and you pull her close, slinging an arm over her neck to whisper in her ear.
“He’s here.” A god’s dark eyes glint in the night, between the passages of writing bodies. He wears a white mask, stitched with the threads of glowing sun, but his obsessive gaze gives him away. He’s transfixed, focused solely on the Oceanid in the middle of the dance floor, and she giggles, turning so that her ass is pressed against your pelvis, her head tipped back on your shoulder.
Her hand extends, an invitation. A request.
He’s by her side within a second.
“Apollo.” You nod, and he barely spares you a glance, too busy cradling his Oceanid’s face.
“You have been ignoring my calls.”
“I’ve been busy.” He tenses.
“You’re still angry with me.”
“Of course, I am.” She rolls her eyes. “We’re here for Sephy’s birthday, not this.” He peeks towards you, sliver of regret flashing across his face.
“I’m sorry, Persephone.” You wave him off, not wanting to be in the middle of… this.
“It’s fine, we’re just… out. It’s not for anything special.” You look away from them, casually glancing around. You look, but you do not see. Not until…
There’s a male, wearing a pitch-black suit. A god? A mortal? He’s taller than anyone else in the room, broadest shoulders and proud posture, everything about him drawing you in, like blood in the water.
The room stands still. Silent. Empty, save for two.
Tempered water like glass, undisturbed. An undertow vicious beneath the surface, unknown to all.
“Hello.” The pitch of his voice is familiar, almost dreamlike, something that’s never been real, yet startling all the same.
“H-hi.” You stammer. His hand reaches, a magnetic force pulling yours from where it’s clawed against your thigh, and he grasps it like he’s cupping a dahlia bloom, a fragile collection of so many petals that make up an entire beautiful blossom, a universe unto itself.
Black leather caresses your skin. Clear, golden-brown eyes pin you in place, anthracite spiking around his pupils in a halo. You cannot see his face, or his skin, only what’s barely visible of his eyelids and dark spun lashes.
Still… 
His beauty is terror. It’s the throat of a lamb, freshly cut. The mutilated carcass of a doe, feeding a forest. Dark. Dangerous. A wolf, circling a kill.
It drags you out into a river, where your feet no longer touch the bottom. It sings to you from the depths.
You cannot tear yourself away.
He does not let go. Even when that same voice fills your mind.
“My darling. You shall rule all that lives and moves, you shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore.” *
Warmth slips from your hand, sand flitting through your fingers, a fleeting touch of comfort and confusion fading into the night.
My darling. 
My darling… 
When the light comes back to you, the male is nowhere to be found. Only Apollo and Melia stand to your side, still in their own world.
“Will you let me take you upstairs then?” He croons, and your heart dances, nerves and anticipation all spiraling together like a sailor’s knot. You know what comes next.
“Only if the girls can come.”
You try to forget the strange encounter on the main level and focus on your needs instead; you’ll know what you’re looking for when you see it, and you say the same to Hebe, too, when she disappears with a male who seemed much too large to not be the son of a giant, leaving you alone on a small, velvet couch, Nell and Melia already long gone. Your second martini sits untouched, and you keep yourself from looking at any one being too closely, lest you get caught staring.
That’s when you see him.
Light blue eyes. Handsomely styled mohawk. Even with a Cloak and mask, he’s hard to forget.
John.
His mask is a red skull, covering nearly all his face, the sculpted brow severe, almost angry.
His eyes glow behind it, locked on yours.
Oh. Shit. You vibrate like a live wire, hanging onto yourself for dear life.
“Hello.” Your mouth doesn’t work. “I’m Soap.” He extends his hand, and you blink. Oh, right. The alias. Because what is the point in all this, if you give your real name?
“K-kore.” You manage to stammer, and the corner of his eyes crease.
“Why are ye here?”
“I’m sorry?”
“What are ye looking for, little goddess?” He still has not dropped your gaze, and you can almost taste him on your tongue, feel him in your mind, your body.
Myself.
Your teeth dig downward, pressing hard before you whisper the truth.
“Pain.” His eyes flash, and then he tugs.
John- Soap, takes you to a private room. You follow, numbly, shivering with a million emotions, stumbling through the chances, the possibilities of seeing him twice, when before he was a stranger.
A coincidence, you decide, putting it out of your mind. You’re dwelling on it too much, picking it apart, riling yourself up… over nothing. Over a handsome god, existing in the Golden city? Like you’ve never seen those before… like it’s so unbelievable.  
“Are ye alright?” He murmurs, stepping up to your back. You can feel the heat of him, his warmth bleeding from beneath the suit to your exposed skin, the dress you chose wholly exposing your spine, your skin.
Your nipples tighten. Your heart races, and your thighs press together inadvertently.
“Yes.”
“Dinnae lie.” He’s gentle in the reminder, and you fill your lungs.
“I’m just… nervous.”
“Ye’ve done this before?” He’s assuming. You nod, quickly, and he motions to a very comfortable looking lounge chair, where you perch on the edge of the cushion. “What would make ye happy tonight?” Anxiety unsettles your posture, and you choke down the embarrassment that tries to claw its way up your throat.
“A… a spanking.” You whisper, pushing flimsy confidence forward. Far away, a piece of your mind, your magic, pleads. It cries, it begs for release. It urges you forward, and you lift your face to his, seeking approval. Comfort.
Reassurance.
The cold hand of doubt rears. It snickers at you. It laughs.
Reassurance from someone, anyone but yourself? Comfort? 
No. 
“Do ye-“
“My safe word is flower.” You spit, motioning to the stool that waits between you.
It’s an act. A song and a dance, something fake and forced. But he doesn’t know that.
He freezes. Thick tension runs the gamut, heavy and exhausting, and you smother yourself, your emotions, your reactions to this very moment.
Pain. The desire burns. It pushes you to the zenith, until you’re down on your knees, folding yourself forward.
Pain, to turn it off. Pain, to make it all stop.
Pain, to release you into yourself. 
What matter of creature are you, that you can only feel whole, when parts of you are carved away? 
“Up.” John commands, and you lean back, confused. “Ye’ll do this over my knee.” He bends you, with grace, back towards the soft cushion, laying comfortably, your palms flat.
A hand coasts over the swell of your ass.
“Ye’ll count.” His voice has shifted. Gone is the feather’s edge, now replaced by steel. His accent still rings true, but there’s a firmness to it, a finality. Dominance.
“Yes.”
“Ye’ll tell me yer name, and today’s date, when asked. If ye cannae answer, we’ll stop. Immediately.”
“Okay.”
“I need a yes.”
“Yes.”
“We’ll go to ten, then.” We.
“I can take more.”
“We’ll decide what ye can take, when we get there.” You acquiesce, fingers digging down into the cushion before forcibly relaxing. “Big breath.” He coaches, and then-
The first slap stuns you. Only with his hand, and yet still so much stronger than last time with a paddle. It punches air from your lungs, the noise that rockets out of your throat a mix between a scream and a moan.
“F-fuck.” You croak. “One.” He doesn’t hesitate and rains the next one down on your opposite cheek. Again, it robs you of oxygen. “Two.”
“Good girl.” The praise is very small flame at the bottom of the darkest well. It barely lights the path ahead, desperately trying to catch, to grow, but it’s too easily snuffed out. His palm rubs the base of your spine to the tops of your thighs.
Crack. 
The sting sizzles outward from impact, and you gasp. “Three-“ Another, same cheek. “Four!” The whistle of the swing alerts you a second before the next, and when you shout “Five!” it sounds off kilter.
“What’s yer name?”
“Seph-Persephone.” Raw warmth simmers beneath your dress and underwear, and the fire at the bottom of the well starts to rage, growing larger, eating what it’s been given, hungry, seeking, trying to build momentum. He asks you the date, satisfied at the lack of delay, and swings so high, you can see the shine of his palm from the corner of his eye. Your toes curl.
Whack. Two, too quickly.
“Six!” A choked cry. “Seven.” Your face is wet, saltwater tracing the plush swell towards your mouth and chin. You sniffle.
“I know, I know. Ye poor thing.” He bunches the fabric of your dress, scratching it across your scorched cheeks. “Ye’re doin’ so well, almost there.” The words barely register, only the sentiment cuts through the haze. Your thighs are pressed so tightly together, slick dripping from your cunt, the aching throb of your clit rubbing against your panties. You’re desperate… to be touched, to be hurt, to be whole. You need it. Crave it more than anything else.
He delivers two more strong, healthy, swift blows. Eight. Nine. They enflame you completely, fire burning in the pit of your soul, encasing you in a coffin where no one can hear you, or see you. Safe and tucked away, floating into a dark cocoon of eternal night.
At the tenth, the room changes. The air grows colder, nearly frigid, shadows clinging to the walls, and you barely register being moved, held like a child, tucked into a chest. There’s talking, somewhere, in your mind or maybe behind you, two pitches at war, a dance of wills.
“Beautifully done, darling.” Somewhere far, far away, in the last sliver of your sane mind, you realize it’s a different voice, a voice echoed in gemstones, ruby and emerald and pearl, before that too, slips into space, and you drift deeper inside the luxurious praise. A warm bath. A sunlit meadow with thousands of Narcissus dotting the hill, soaking up every ray. A golden fawn, taking her first steps to freedom.
John’s face looms into your line of sight, maskless, no Cloak.
“We need a yes.” He murmurs, cupping your cheek. “Persephone.”
“Hmmm?”
“Need ye to say yes, so we can take ye home, take care of ye.” The words don’t match. They don’t click, they catch, they bump against each other, trying to lock into place, failing over and over.
“Supposed to go… home with my friends but-“ Your tongue is heavy, weighted beneath a giant sequoia, and you shiver. The chest that your head bobbles on catches, an arm securing you in place. It’s warm, and firm, heavier than a tree. Who…
“Little goddess.” He prompts, and you sigh, already wistfully unaware.
“’kay, yeah. Yes.”
You’re already slipping away when the world goes dark.
Your eyes open to a strange place.
You don’t recognize any of it, from the massive four poster bed with lithe, gauzy curtains drawn closed on three sides, to a fireplace the size of a giant, roaring, sizzling flame burning endlessly in its hearth. You don’t recognize the room, the black marble floors, polished to a brilliant gleam, one that you can nearly see your reflection in, or the vanity, dark oak housing a hand carved mirror. You’ve never seen the ornate stained glass window before, stretching from floor to ceiling, the size of ten men. You don’t know the bed, sized for a king, emerald silk sheets and a matching duvet, with a million pillows that were just cradling your head. The robe you’re wearing matches, the green only a shade lighter, and you tuck it tight across your body, realizing you’re fully nude.
The fire pops. It pushes a gasp from you, caught off guard, and at the sound, another being in the room stirs from the plush rug just beneath the bed.
A three headed dog.
It, they, stare at you, tongues wagging, eyes wide. Jet black fur, darker than midnight, white teeth so sharp they could rip your throat free in an instant.
You’ve seen this dog before… in pictures. Schoolbooks. You know their name.
Cerberus.
Panic races through your veins, ratcheting your heart rate higher and higher, your body and mind separating, all synapses dizzy with fear.
Oh gods. Where… where are you? What happened? You were just… you were just having some fun, at Aselegia, with John… weren’t you? Where…
Are you dead?  
You reach for your power, digging deep, trying to drag as much as you could to the surface-
Nothing.
You bleat, a scared lamb, in panic. It’s a cry. A scream. An awful sound. You need your rage now, but all you find is fear. You cannot reach your power. There is a blackened lock around it, a casing that holds it away from you, out of reach.
Cerberus whines. They hold their position, tail swishing back and forth, and you scramble towards the middle of the bed. Your ass protests, skin warm and tender against silk. Your knees tuck to your chest, and you force your eyes closed, trying to take long, measured breaths without success.
You’re dead, you’re dead, you’re-
The door clicks. John appears, two palms out, hesitant, and cautious. Your voice shakes, no matter how hard you try to reinforce it with iron will. “G-get away from me.”
“Ye’re alright, Persephone. We’d never hurt ye.” We?
“We need a yes.”
“Need ye to say yes, so we can take ye home, take care of ye.”
Something flickers behind him. A figure, a shape of shadow, shifting.
Dark. Dangerous. A wolf, circling a kill.
The male from the dance floor. He wears no mask now, but the feel of him, the threat of his power, is unmistakable… and familiar. You sputter on it, choking on him and John, the threat of their power combined looming, suffocating. “Oh gods.” You clutch the robe tighter. “Wh-where am I?”
“You know where you are, darling.” The other one says, and you moan.
“N-no. I… I can’t be. I can’t dead. I can’t be here… I-“
“You’re not dead, Persephone.” He cautions. “You’re very much alive.” And shaking, alive and trembling so vigorously you can hear your teeth chattering, chest heaving up and down, desperately trying to suck air inward. Cerberus whines again, and he rubs a thumb behind one of their ears. “Easy, Cerberus. She’s alright.”
“I ca-can’t be here. I have to… I have to go home.” The room seems wet, dollops of tears falling from your lashes, sticking to your skin and the sheets. Reality slams forward, rushing right up against your nonsensical mind.
It takes one gentle pulse of their power, to realize the truth. 
Hades. They’re… Hades. They’re Hades and you’re… you’re in the Underworld. 
Beg. Beg them for mercy. Whatever it is you’ve done, you must try. 
“I’m s-sorry. I don’t know… I don’t know what I did but I swear, I’m sorry, I-“ John tries to reach, seeking your hand, but you curl up into a tighter ball.
“Shhh. Ye hae nae done anythin’ wrong, sweet Persephone. Ye’re alright. Ye’re safe.” Safe? Safe in the Underworld? With them? 
Oh gods. You let Hades spank you. 
“You… you tricked me.” You whisper, raw betrayal and pain weeping profoundly in your heart. You trusted him and…
You are a fool. 
“We did what was necessary.” The wolf-like one says solemnly, gaze heavy.
“Necessary?” You squeak. “What’s… necessary about this?”
“We will explain everything, after we’ve eaten. Or maybe had some more rest? It’s the middle of the night, for you.” What? 
“No… I can’t… I can’t stay here. I have to-“
“Go home? So, you can hide away in your temple, kept company only by your plants and the occasional friend you let inside?” You blink, stunned, mouth dropping open.
“How do you... have you been watching me?” The stained-glass window on the far side of the room shifts, drawing your attention, morphing slowly from a tawny blur to a… screech owl.
“Oh, my gods. Oh…” The room shudders. “You can’t keep me here, I have to go…” Wolves circle, flanking where you sit, precarious and hopeless, a hand in front of your body like it will save you. “Please.”
“It’s alright, darling.” The dark one moves, blurred in shadow, magic blanketing you in a warm, comforting hold, heating your bones, encouraging your eyes to slowly shut.
The last thing you see is the ceiling, your body cradled in the embrace of a stranger.
Morning comes slow.
At first, you don’t open your eyes, even though you’ve been long awake.
If you open them, your fear will be real. It will be valid.
So, you keep them closed. Keep them shut long enough you drift in and out of twilight, until someone clears their throat.
Fuck. 
“Are you going to open your eyes?” His voice is ruby and velvet. You shudder.
“Hades.”
“Technically. One half of a whole, but my loved ones call me Simon.” Your brow flexes at that, and there’s a soft chuckle in response. “Will you wake? It’s well past morning now.”
“Are you going to render me unconscious again?” you hiss, cracking an eyelid. He’s sitting in a posh armchair, oiled black leather beneath his black suit, eyes steady on yours. His face is a map of scars, but instead of seeming rough, or out of place, they naturally suit him, complementing his broad jaw, severe expression, perfectly sculpted bone structure. His nose is crooked, like it had been smashed and rearranged once or twice, but still sits as if it was meant to be, and you wonder how anyone could do anything of the like to Hades.
He's handsome, in a way you expect to die from. 
“Only if you cannot behave.”
“Perhaps I could show you how I behave.” You smile with a full set of teeth, words ending in a snarl, and he huffs another gentle laugh.
“I have seen the victims of your wrath, Persephone. I have no doubt you’d strike me down if you could.” You swallow the nausea in your stomach. Your magic. 
“I want my magic back.” You blurt the demand, not even pausing to consider a more tactful way.
“We did not take it, only… bound it, for the time being. It’s still within you, we would never separate you from your power.” He sighs, a golden pearl rocking in his palm, glinting in the fireplace’s gleam. “Contrary to popular belief, we are not a monster.”
“Then let me go home, if you’re not as they say you are.” His eyes harden, face twisting sour, and then… sad.
“I’ll give you some privacy. There are clothes in the closet. Johnny and I expect you for breakfast, and then a tour… if you’re good. Cerberus will show you the way when you’re ready.”
If you’re good.
Cerberus leads you through a maze of decadent marble and arches.
You follow behind them hesitantly, cautious, and they mind you, slowing when you’ve lagged too far behind.
You can’t help it. You’re mystified.
You expected the Underworld to be dark, and dingy. And while maybe it is on the dark side, with glossy, polished marble, giant onyx columns that blot of the sky, and black stone everywhere… when you peek out the windows, you’re gob smacked.
Beneath wherever you are, which you’re beginning to suspect is Hades’ palace, is lush greenery. A verdant, fertile field lays to the south and the east, wrapping around to the edge of a forest, where you can just barely make out a large variety of deciduous trees. To the North, a river winds, separating the palace from a large meadow and… a town? You shake your head, as if to clear your addled mind and cloudy vision. Is that truly… a town? 
“Asphodel Meadows.” Someone says from behind you, nearly jumping you from your skin.
“Fuck.” You gasp, hand clutching your chest. It’s a man, not John, or Simon, but a stranger, clad in all black.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“It’s… okay. I- what did you say?”
“The town. It’s Asphodel Meadows. A place for mortal’s souls.” He bows. “I’m Thanatos.”
“I’m… Persephone.” He smiles, just slightly.
“I know who you are, my lady.” My lady?
“What do you…” words nearly fail as you grapple. “What do you do here?”
“I am a child of Nyx. The god of Death.”
“I thought Hades…”
“They are the Kings of the Underworld. I am the personification, the embodiment of Death.” Oh.
“You reap.” You whisper. His jaw tightens, and then smooths.
“Your escort is impatient. I think he’s probably ready for his bacon.” He eyes Cerberus, who whines, tapdancing on slick marble.
“Bacon?”
“Yes. He’s very spoiled. Eats better than the Kings themselves.” He motions down the hall. “It’s just that way. Lovely to meet you, my lady.” He gives you another bow, and then turns down a corridor, one that had not been there before, leaving you and Cerberus alone in the empty hall.
“I- you too.”
The Kings, as Thanatos called them, are both seated when you push the incredibly heavy door open. At the sound, John rises, Simon behind him, and the three of you stare at one another for a minute, until Cerberus barks.
“Please, sit.” John motions to the only other place set, a third chair between them. You swallow.
“Uh…”
“We don’t bite.”
“Not unless ye want us to.” John smiles, sinfully handsome in the morning light. It streams into the surprisingly cozy dining room through a group of five windows, all facing east, capturing the light of… a sun?
“Is that a sun?”
“It’s a sun of sorts.” Simon offers. “We have a sky, weather. A sun, a moon. Clouds. Everything that exists in Olympus.”
“Are ye hungry?” You hesitantly lower yourself into the chair, surprised at the array of food displayed. “We ah, weren’t sure what ye liked so, got a bit of everything.” Meats, yogurts, sweets, cereal, fruit, anything you could want laid out in front of you, but it’s something so near to your heart that catches your eye. Portokalopita.
“They are Hebe’s.” Simon murmurs.
This is a trick. They kidnapped you. They’re holding you hostage. You have to convince them to let you go. The warning resounds, and your stomach thrashes.
“I want to go home.” You push the plate of orange cakes away, disappointment flickering across John’s face, exasperation on Simon’s. “Please. I… I appreciate your hospitality and you… you bringing me home for… aftercare,” you grit the word, shame rocketing up your spine. This is what happens when you trust. You let Hades spank you, for fucks sake. And then they abducted you. “but I need to go home. The plants, they need me. My friends-“
“Your friends are used to going days on end without contact from you.” Simon cuts you off, and the blood drains from your face. “Are they not?”
“N-no. They’ll know I’m missing, they will.” Lie. He knows. You know they both know, just by the way the regard you. Half pity. Half amusement. It makes your blood boil. “Fuck you.” You hiss, shooting up in the chair.
“Seph-“ John tries to soothe you, calm you, using your nickname like he knows you, and it only makes you more irate.
“Don’t call me that.” You whirl on him. “I trusted you! I don’t even know you and I let you-“
“That is the nature of Aselegia, is it not?” He counters, cutting you off. You gape like a fish. “The anonymity. Dinnae turn it on me now.” His tone melts from ice to warmth, sympathy bleeding from his irises. “I assure ye, we are more than trustworthy. We would never, ever hurt ye. We would never let anythin’ happen to ye. Ye’ll see.”
“Then let me go home.” He shakes his head sadly but says nothing, and rage snaps in your heart like the drawback of a rubber band, stinging and sharp. “What do you want from me?” John opens his mouth, and then abruptly closing it, deferring to Simon.
“You are our guest. We’d like to get to know you. I promise, just as before, you will not be harmed in our care. We will never hurt you."
"How do I know that?" You’re incredulous. “You expect me to take you at your word?”
“Let us strike a deal then.” He declares, and John nods supportively.
Don’t, your good sense screams. Don’t be an idiot.
“What kind of deal?”
“You will stay here for two days, forty-eight hours exactly. We will show you this realm and get to know one another in that time, and at the end, we will reveal the doorway that leads back to Olympus.” You raise an eyebrow.
“Two days? And then I can go home?”
“Two days.” John echoes. Sapphire eyes gleam, and you carefully, quickly, try to pick apart every word in the proposal.
“My magic.” You demand, and they both answer immediately with a resounding,
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Your power is wild, Persephone.” Simon tells you, not unkindly. “We do not know how the Underworld will react to it, and we must think of our residents, all the souls we care for here. We cannot let something upset the balance that is so delicate.” Your mouth goes a little dry. You were expecting more of an answer about control, domineering you, your magic, keeping you contained. Not… care for souls.
“Yer mother raised ye to be her weapon.” John says softly, kneeling before the chair where you sit. His hand rests on the cushion, and you wonder if he means to touch you. “We dinnae regard ye as such, but until we understand ye better, we need to protect-“
“I understand.” You cut him off. You don’t need some forced sympathy, pity, thrust upon you by Hades, of all gods. They exchange a long glance, one that gives you a small peek into their lives, layers on layers of words and sentiment, communicated with a single glance.
Simon reaches for John, pulling him to his feet and into his body, chest to back.
“Do you agree?” Two days. Two days and you can leave. You can do two days of anything. You certainly cannot fight them, or your way out. What choice do you have? 
“Sure.”
“We need a yes, darling.” Darling. The pet name makes your toes curl. You take a big breath.
“Yes.”
The valley outside of Asphodel Meadows is one of the most stunning places you’ve ever been. It’s lush and lively, covered in Narcissus and Asphodelus, like a meadow one could only dream of. You're not sure why it feels so familiar, like the cusp of another life, or a nightmare, but it takes root inside you. You lay in the field of flowers, letting them cover your body, wishing so desperately to touch your magic, so you could truly feel them, the grass and the dirt and the stems here, all things that seem like they’re so full of life, so opposite your expectations of the Underworld.
“Shall we continue?” Cerberus perks up at the sound of their master’s voice, head popping over the flowers to spot both Kings standing on the path, a good distance away. They peek at you, heads tilted, and you sigh. It seems you’ve been assigned a minder, in the form of a three headed dog.
You join them on the road before long, walking silently, sullenly, John sneaking glances at you nearly every chance he gets, and you can pinpoint the heat of his gaze every time, the throbbing intensity of his focused power nearly bowling you over.
“So, there are two of you?” What are you supposed to talk to the Kings of the Underworld about, anyway? 
“Aye. It’s a little-known secret. One realm, two gods to rule.” You frown, perplexed.
“But… you haven’t always been that way?”
“No.” Simon answers. “We were once Golden brothers in battle, long before your time, before becoming this. When we fell in love, our souls split. They merged with our magic, tied us together eternally. Now, we rule as one.”
“So, you’re married.” You deduce.
“In the most permanent way you can think of.” They stop short of a bridge, one that crests high over a roaring river, and Simon gestures broadly. “Persephone, this is the Acheron.”
The Underworld is a place of rivers, you learn. Waterways that hold power, that possess the ability to cleanse you, free you, burn you, punish you. There is a river of fire, a river of weeping, a river to forget.
The Acheron is the river of woe.
Fitting, you think, standing on the bridge. Below, bright turquoise water rushes by, crashing into rock and boulder, each sound more akin to a scream than the thunder of a tributary. Mouths, long and full of despair, wail beneath the current, wraith like creatures with bone white skin and eyes skimming along the top.
You get lost in them. Lost in the irreversible cycle of woe, desolation creeping up inside your own self as you peer down into the depths. Are you not like them? Despondent. Bleak. Isolated. Is that not what you’ve made with your life, what was chosen for you? Hidden away, sharpened like an axe never to be used. Are you not alone, like them? Trapped, like them? 
You don’t even realize you’re leaning forward until pressure rests at your back. “Easy. Dinnae want ye fallin’ in.” John murmurs, stepping away the edge, bringing you with him. Your limbs feel shaky, and you wonder if it’s because you just almost went over… or because you didn’t eat earlier.
“Sorry. I uh-“ you don’t know how to explain it, that feeling. The agony that bubbles up in the back of your throat.
“We know.” Simon regards you with empathy, understanding, and you shake the attention loose, pushing ahead of them, down the bridge and into town, into Asphodel Meadows itself, eager to leave the river and its woe behind.
In town, the Kings are well received. It surprises you, to watch them in the street, welcomed by the souls who live there. They take you on a tour, introducing you to residents, explaining the structure, the magic and the infrastructure that makes it all work. Souls take their preferred form in Asphodel Meadows, allowed to choose for themselves, whatever they feel most comfortable in, and you’re shocked that such benevolence would be bestowed upon anyone in the Underworld.
Why are they showing you this? Why go to such great lengths? What is the purpose? 
“Hi.” A small voice breaks you from your confusion, and you find a small girl at your feet, bouquet of Narcissus clutched in her tiny hands. You crouch.
“Hello.”
“I’m Phoebe.” She giggles, cheeks round and rosy.
“I’m Persephone.” You incline your head. “Phoebe is a beautiful name.” Your heart pangs. She’s so small, so… fragile. How did she die? Where is her family? Is she here alone?
“Thank you, my lady.” She tries to bow, and you rush to stop her, stilling her with a hand.
“Are those for me?”
“They are. Johnny said they’re your favorites.” Johnny? You glance over to where they stand, both turned your way, something unreadable in their reflections.
“Well, thank you. They’re lovely.” She wishes you well, skipping off in another direction, and you meander across the street, unable to hide your quizzical expression.
“Johnny? Not Hades?”
“Ach. The kids they’re… they’re usually a wee bit scared, first thing. It’s better for them, if we’re friends.” He shrugs, but Simon watches him in reverence, pure love and light beaming from his gaze, adoration in every slow blink.
Your heart skips.  
Fuck. 
“Are you not hungry?” Simon muses, walking beside you and John in the castle. Your shoes tap along the way, echoing, and Cerberus barks. John glares at them.
“I… I am afraid to eat here.” They both stop short.
“Why?”
“I have always heard… a myth. That if you somehow find yourself here and you eat, you’ll become trapped, stuck here forever.” Simon chuckles, dry and warm.
“No, darling. Please, we do not wish for you to starve.”
“The legend isnae true. Only by eating whole pomegranate seeds that ye pluck from the flesh of the fruit yerself, can ye become bound to the land. And we dinnae serve those.” He winks, stepping a little closer. “Ye can eat, little goddess. Please. Join us for dinner, we insist.”
“Okay.”
Simon is not at dinner.
John makes no mention of it, and only when you’re halfway done does he offer an explanation, something important that needed to be tended to.
“Ye look stunning.” He hums, and you have half the decency to smile. You chose a dress from the never-ending closet, black to match their suits, for fun. Its back is open, and the front offers a generous view of your breasts, but not quite enough.
You felt like sin. Johnny has been staring like you are. And maybe, you didn’t want sex, but you did want to punish them for their treachery. If only a little bit.
For making you a fool. 
“So, no Simon?” He swallows a mouthful of red wine.
“He apologizes. Somethin’ came up.”
“That’s alright.” You shift, legs crossing. The transition is unintentional, but it draws Johnny’s eyes to your knees, and up. You lift your glass, the largest goblet of red wine you’ve seen, and allow a small river of red to run from the corner of your mouth to your neck. It traces the valley between your breasts, and Johnny growls.
“Persephone.”
“What?” You ask, innocently.
“Ye’re playing with fire.” He grits, the gleam in his eyes one of a predator.
“I’m not playing with anything,” you hiss, slamming the glass down. It shatters, it sloshes, it spills onto the table and into your lap. “You’re the ones playing with me. Kidnapping me, holding me hostage.” Your anger builds, overflowing inside your soul, clawing at the locked box of your magic. Cerberus whines, galloping across the floor and out the main door, but you hardly notice, too focused on spitting as much fire and venom at your captor as you can. “Touring me around the Underworld, making yourselves look like some benevolent, beloved rulers when really all you are… are gods of death and decay.” John stares at you, wild eyed. Your chair clatters to the ground as you stand, fury rocketing through every vein in your body, ichor pulsing beneath your skin. You’re so, so close to your power; you can taste it. Can feel the way it screams, how it howls to you, churning in the depths of your being, rattling the cage it’s trapped inside.
Trapped. You’re trapped. Like always. 
Your vision blurs, and you take a step towards John. It all happens so fast, so lightning quick that it doesn’t even register until your hand is swinging through the air and across his face.
He does nothing. You feel the rumble of his power, pushing and pulling at the seams of your very being, waiting to tear your apart, but he holds himself at bay.
Only watches you with cold, wrathful eyes.
The air chills.
“That’s enough.” Simon stands between your bodies. Power, so potent, so strong, wraps tight, shoving your wrists together, Golden cuffs immobilizing you, holding you still. “You want to be a disobedient little brat, is that it?”
“YOU STOLE ME!” You scream it, raw and agonized. It tries to burst through your skin. Tries to explode your vessels. Your very heart. Your chest heaves, eyes wide, and John flanks you, coming closer and closer until you can feel his heat against your side.
He’s hard.
“What did ye think ye were doin, sweet Persephone? Did ye really think you could strike me?”
You don’t have an answer. Words die on your tongue. Guilt burns. Did you want to hurt him? 
Did you?
The cuffs yank you forward. They singe your skin, dragging you to the table. “What’re you doing?” They drag you across the food until you're climbing on top, until your whole body is prone, feet dangling above the floor, bent at the waist.
“Is this what you wanted?” Simon mocks. Hands grip your hips, and your traitorous body clenches. “This what you need, little goddess? Need to be punished?” Your dress is shoved up around your waist, exposing your skin to the frigid air, and you force away a small moan. “You need your pain, darling?” Yes. Fingers pinch the back of your neck. “Answer me.”
“Yes.” You snap, darting daggers with your eyes over your shoulder. His answer is a chuckle.
“Turn your head.” He hisses, hand on the back of your skull. When you do, you come face to face with Johnny’s hips, the length of his cock freed from his suit pants and bobbing right in front of your mouth.
Oh, gods. 
He strokes it slowly, the pink- nearly red tip oozing pre-cum, long and thick in his fist, his size enough to make your thighs press together, cunt throbbing with delight. Traitor.
“Open, darling.” He smears it against your lips. You tuck them in tight, trying to keep them closed, and he looks over, to the god who stands at the curve of your ass.
Simon takes a handful each of your cheeks, spreading you wide. He kicks your feet too, knocking your legs into an A-frame, fully exposing your weeping cunt.
“She’s dripping.” He announces, a finger sliding through your folds, body jolting with his touch. He circles your clit, barely, not enough, and you whine indignantly. It’s enough to loosen your lips, enough for Johnny to grasp your jaw, shove the tip of his thumb between your teeth, and then pry you open.
Once he gets the tip of his cock against your tongue, it’s over. Salt and earth dab along your tastebuds, and you drool on the table, trying to breathe through his rhythm, trying to focus as Simon tucks a finger into your hole, slowly pumping in and out, occasionally pulling free to swirl it around your untouched rim.
One finger inside you is enough to burn, heat rising through your belly, walls clenching tight, and John groans, pressing into the back of your throat, cutting off your airway.
“So good, all day.” Simon grits, stroking your clit in tiny circles. “Sweet Persephone, and now,” he’s building you closer, so close to the precipice, to the top of the mountain where you’ll hope he’ll throw you off.
But it’s not enough. 
“I know darling, don’t worry. I’ll give you your pain.” He croons. John thrusts hard, drives into you vigorously, head thrown back. There’s a sheen of sweat on his neck, and you watch a slow rivulet dip beneath his collar. He’s so… they’re so…
A hand cracks across the tender skin of your ass, rippling out like a shockwave. You choke.
You clench. The tide rises.
“Fuck. There you go.” Light dances in front of your eyes, small pinpricks of stars, and you gurgle on the dick that shoves down your throat. Another strike, the same side, and you cry out, gasping for air. The tip of his finger gently pushes against your rim, and then it’s replaced with a mouth, a hot, intrepid tongue, swirling around as your hips buck and he plays with your clit.
You’re going to die. You’re going to explode. You need more. 
You try to tell him, try to choke it out around John’s shaft, but it’s like he knows, like he’s reading your mind, and he pulls away to dig his teeth into the plump swell of your ass, biting down so hard you think you’re bleeding.
No. You are. 
You scream.
Rivers of ichor paint your skin. The next spank comes directly over the puncture wounds, and instead of screaming in pain, you moan in pleasure, head held in Johnny’s hands, your face a tool for him to fuck, your pussy squeezing down around the single finger stroking in and out of your body. He swings again, and again, fire lighting behind your eyes, explosions going off one by one, your orgasm cresting, rising in the swell of an enormous wave, and just as you’re about to come, Simon plunges a finger deep into your ass, shoving you off the mountain.
To where they catch you below.
The rest is a blur. John finishes down your throat, salt and sweat and tears all mixing in your mouth, and he moans your name as he gives you a belly full of seed.
You’re limp, floating, drifting higher and farther than you ever have before, not in your body, not even in your own mind. Hardly cognizant when you’re picked up, tucked away in the shelter of a chest and carried down the hall. You close your eyes.
You come back a little bit when you’re placed in shallow hot water, a steaming, rocky pool, your face settled in Johnny’s neck. Cloth and deft fingers rub your shoulders, your waist, anywhere you might feel sore, even the bottoms of your feet.
All the while, they talk.
It starts simply, sweet words that fills you up until you can’t take anymore. “Did so well, darling. So good for us.” John murmurs in hushed tones as Simon shifts you, turning you on your belly to run the cloth between your legs and over your ass. It stings, and you hiss, but you’re soothed with an apology, gentle kisses down your spine, each one pressed with praise.
It’s not long before you’re tucked into bed, turned over on your side, some sort of magic and salve being applied to the bite in your skin. You’re gone now, barely aware, barely awake, but with it enough to catch the little bits here and there.
“-talk about it tomorrow.”
“If they’re from Demeter, I’ll-“ No. Not this. Anything but this. Distress catches in your chest, and fingers stroke your cheek.
“Shhh, sweet one. Rest now.” There’s a little touch of magic, a barely there pulse of power, and you let it take you into the soft comfort of sleep, bedded down like a fawn, cradled between two Kings.
*Hymn 2 to Demeter, line 347
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oizysian · 7 months
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Monster Fucker | Wanda Maximoff
Pairing: Monster!Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader Warnings: dubcon, magic penises, demonic tongue action. Word Count: 1.3k Summary: After the Darkhold takes over Wanda, she goes after the one who would love her no matter what.
•Kinktober Masterlist•
She was a monster; a hideous, grotesque warped version of her former self. Despite the fact that she barely even responded to her name, she was still my Wanda.
I watched as she crept towards me, her eyes glowing a deep, dark red, almost completely hidden by the crown that became one with her; covering her eyes and sprouting out of the top of her head like demon horns.
“Wanda …” My voice was strangled, desperate. “You have to break free of the Darkhold. This isn’t you.”
She opened her mouth and bared her razor sharp teeth, her tongue languidly falling from her lips and hanging, dripping eagerly with saliva. She looked … hungry.
She continued to approach me, her breathing heavy as she reached her hand out towards me. Red wisps sparked from her fingertips and wrapped around me. I could feel her slipping inside of my mind, inside of my body, and I did my best to fight it. I couldn’t let the evil of the Darkhold take both of us.
“Wanda …!” I cried, trying my hardest to hold onto whatever little control I had left. “Don’t do this!”
I thought then that she was going to kill me. These were my final moments. The woman who I had loved so dearly, who I had tried so hard to find and save, was going to be the death of me.
She hissed softly, advancing on me, and suddenly images of us in the throes of passion flooded my mind. She was trying to weaken my resolve, and it was working.
“Wanda,” I half moaned. “Stop.”
A wicked smile appeared on her lips. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. Her tongue jutted out, caressing my throat and slipping into my mouth. I fought against her, twisting my head from side to side to free myself, but she was much stronger than I was, and had the advantage.
She retracted her tongue, leaving a messy trail of saliva in her wake.
“Mine.” She hissed, her claw like fingers coming up to caress my cheek, trailing down to the collar of my shirt.
I trembled under her touch, my breathing ragged as I watched her. Her nails went right through my shirt, slicing through it like it was nothing.
“Wanda!” I cried as she let my ruined shirt hit the floor, standing before her in just my bra.
I tried to pull my arms from her magic binds, but couldn’t. I was completely helpless and open to her. She didn’t seem as though she wanted to hurt me, but this wasn’t the Wanda I loved. This wasn’t my Wanda.
Her tongue came down and swirled around my covered breast, soaking the fabric and forcing my nipple to harden under her demonic touch.
I groaned, fear and arousal flooding my senses as she continued to touch me with her long tongue.
“Wanda, y-you need to stop.” I whimpered, her fingers flicking towards the rest of my clothes, leaving me bare before her.
Her smile widened at the sight of me; trembling, aroused, frightened - because of her.
She got down on her knees in front of me, spread my legs with her magic and licked my inner thighs, her long tongue flicked and teased my heated skin before dipping into my growing wetness.
“Oh, fuck, Wanda.” I felt my knees buckle, and thankfully her magic was holding me up, preventing me from falling.
She grabbed at my ass, spreading my cheeks and letting her tongue run from my pussy to my hole, and I could feel my whole body throbbing.
“Wanda, holy shit, fuck.” I moaned, my hips rising to meet the strokes of her tongue.
She let out a low growl, her strong tongue slipping into my cunt again, filling me up completely. I let out a whimpering moan as she fucked me, wishing so badly that I could touch her.
I looked down at her, taken back by the demonic look of her before pleasure rocked through me and I felt nothing but love for her, despite her current form.
I came all over her tongue, but she didn’t stop thrusting up into me, and I could feel her within every inch of me. My slick covered her face and tongue, her hands still gripping me tightly as she fucked me within an inch of my life.
Her tongue slipped out of my heat and trailed its way up my backside, dipping into my tight hole.
“Wanda, wait …” I groaned, my hips still rocking against her despite her prodding my most sensitive area.
I let out a low moan as she fucked my ass, flattening her tongue against my mound so I could grind myself against it as she fucked me.
This monster was still Wanda. She fucked me like Wanda, was careful like Wanda, and compassionate like Wanda - she was Wanda.
Tears built up in my eyes as I was overtaken by the sensations, grinding myself along the length of her tongue while she gently slipped in and out of my ass.
Her nails gently dug into me, leaving little blood trails in their wake. Her eyes met mine and I could almost see my Wanda behind her steely gaze.
“Wanda,” I whined, struggling against my binds. “Let me touch you. Please.”
She pressed her tongue against my clit and I groaned, feeling another orgasm wash over me. I had never cum from someone fucking my ass and playing with my clit before, but it was always something new with Wanda.
My legs shook as I came against her and she licked up all of my cum, cleaning me up and teasing my aching clit as she did so.
“Please, Wanda,” I couldn’t handle another orgasm so soon. “Too much.”
She purred softly, licking me gently as she let me come down from my high. Her magic loosened up on me and she lowered me to the ground with her, releasing me as she laid me out, crawling up my body.
She licked my neck and throat and I held onto her shoulders, bringing her close to me. Before I could say or do anything else, I felt a weight against my thigh. I looked down between us to see Wanda’s naked bottom half now sporting an erect, blood red cock.
“Wanda …” I whimpered softly, shifting against her.
She snarled against my neck, causing me to freeze in place as she thrust herself up against me.
She grabbed my leg, lifting it up so she could slip herself inside me with ease. She practically purred into my ear as she pumped in and out of me slowly, letting me adjust to her size.
I wrapped my free leg around her hip as she pounded into me, grunting softly against my neck as she fucked me. I could feel her throbbing inside me, and I knew she was close already. I squeezed her cock, milking her and she growled, grabbing my face and kissing me forcefully.
She pressed her tongue into my mouth and I moaned as she filled my cunt with her cum, her sharp teeth cutting my lip as she kissed me. She licked up the tiny droplets of blood and continued to stuff my pussy with her thick cock, breeding me like the animal she was.
She let go of my thigh and brought her hand up to my throat, wrapping her long fingers around it and squeezing ever so slightly, heightening my neverending high.
I panted softly as we both relaxed, her fingers around my neck loosening and her cock slipping out from my aching heat.
“Mine,” she snarled again, licking the hollow of my throat. “Mine.”
“Yours.” I said as I stroked her hair softly, almost comforted by the soft purring coming from deep within her chest. “Yours, always, no matter what.”
@natashaswife4125, @poison-blackheart, @aemilia19
1K notes · View notes
appocalipse · 1 month
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never mine ✧ eddie munson
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bartender!eddie x fem!reader • old friends to lovers • chapter 01 • 3.5k words
ೃ ✦ ✧ ∗ ❥ ҉
Summary: After everything that had happened with Vecna and the Upside Down, Eddie Munson left Hawkins as soon as you and the rest of your friends managed to clear his name. And you understood why Eddie and his uncle had made that decision. Truly, you did; Eddie's innocence had been proven, yes, but Hawkins was a small town and some people would always turn up their noses at them. It didn't mean you didn't miss Eddie, or think about him over the course of the next decade. Somehow, in your heart, you always felt that one day you would meet him again. The last place you thought that would happen, though, was at a bar — that Eddie, now in his early thirties, owns in New York.
ೃ ✦ ✧ ∗ ❥ ҉
It isn't the type of bar you usually frequent.
For starters, it's tucked away on a relatively quiet street in Brooklyn instead of being one of those swanky, pop-up bars you've gotten used to seeing all over Manhattan since moving here from Boston last year. Also, it's more rustic than sleek, more dark than trendy, its exterior walls adorned with faded red bricks, its small windows lined with black frames. It seems almost like an anachronism among the new construction that has been sprouting up all over this part of the neighborhood.
But even before you get close enough to see what the sign reads, something about this little place feels oddly familiar. In some intangible way, it reminds you of a time you left behind when you moved here: your years spent growing up in a sleepy Indiana town named Hawkins.
And maybe it's just because it's clearly about to rain — the air wet and misty, as though a storm is coming — but right now, for reasons you can't explain, you feel compelled to enter.
So you take a deep breath, open the heavy wooden door and step inside.
The inside is as rustic as the outside, with one long bar stretching across most of the space, booths running along the adjacent walls, and several tables scattered in the center beneath the glow of dim, gold lights. A jukebox quietly plays 'In Bloom' by Nirvana at the back. And just like outside, everything feels achingly familiar, a wave of nostalgia you don't quite understand crashing into you so intensely that you have to grip one of the barstools tightly to steady yourself.
"One sec, doll. Be right with ya!"
He's not really looking at you when he says those words. He's got his back turned, hands busy preparing a drink at the far end of the bar, head just barely visible as he hunches over to scoop ice cubes from the metal container beside him. You can't see much from where you're standing — he's wearing a denim jacket rolled up to his elbows, hair pulled up into a messy bun at the top of his head — but there's something about his voice, sweet yet gravelly, something about what little you can see of his face that makes your breath catch in your throat.
And then he straightens up, turns around. And you both freeze, staring at each other.
Eddie Munson.
It's impossible. But it's him; the same Eddie who sold you weed a couple times your senior year of high school. The same Eddie you grew to call a friend before he left Hawkins without even saying goodbye. The same Eddie whose name still leaves a dull ache in your chest if you think about it too long.
Ten years later, and he's somehow more handsome than ever, all grown up. His hair is a little shorter, curlier than you remember. He's wearing dark-wash jeans and a navy Henley beneath his scuffed leather jacket. That playful expression you once found so adorable is now made even more endearing by a small scar across one eyebrow. And those eyes — a warm brown, expressive as always — are locked onto yours as his lips part, slightly agape.
"Y/N?"
Your heart pounds in your ears when you nod. It's hard to tell what emotion lies behind his gaze, but after a few seconds of staring at you like this, he slowly places the drink he was preparing down on the bar countertop and all but runs toward you, a giant grin lighting up his face.
He nearly knocks you off your feet with the force of his hug, pulling you tight against him.
But you're not complaining.
You cling to him just as tightly, your cheek pressed against his chest. The scent of cedar and tobacco mixed with something else — something unmistakably Eddie — overwhelms your senses as he picks you up a few inches off the ground and spins you around with an excited laugh, making you wrap both arms around his neck for stability.
"Jesus Christ," he exclaims, setting you down before gently taking hold of your shoulders. "I can't believe it's really you."
For the briefest moment, it almost feels as though you've gone back in time, returned to 1986 — the year everything changed forever — right after defeating Vecna for good and before Eddie moved away with his uncle, Wayne, just days before you followed suit to leave for college.
And it seems impossible — ridiculous, really — that you should both be standing here, in this bar in New York of all places, years and years later. So you just stand there blinking, speechless, trying to make sense of it all with the most stunned smile plastered across your face.
"I—"
"What's going on out here?" someone yells from the other side of the room. "For fuck's sake, Ed, if you're gonna flirt with another customer, do it a little more quietly."
At that, Eddie drops his hands from your shoulders and turns toward the woman speaking, more amused than you've ever seen him. He playfully sticks his tongue out at her before giving you a wink.
"Sorry about that," he chuckles.
The woman leans forward a little bit, squinting as though she can't quite believe what she sees. Then a smile stretches across her face, too. "Wait, aren't you–"
"Yes," Eddie interrupts. "It's her, Dottie."
The woman — Dottie — seems to be in her 50s, with shoulder-length blond hair streaked with gray and a sleeve of colorful tattoos on one arm. When she strides toward you, she's wearing an easy smile that crinkles the corners of her green eyes, extending her hand to you over the bar.
"Hey there. I'm Dorothea, but everyone calls me Dottie. You must be the girl that Eddie—"
Eddie quickly steps in between you. "We were just catching up, actually," he explains. "Do you mind giving us a few minutes to ourselves? Great, thank you."
He doesn't give her time to respond; Eddie kisses the back of Dottie's hand and grins, then wraps his fingers around your wrist as he drags you behind the bar, through a set of double doors leading to a stairwell.
"Mind the step, sweetheart, it's a little steep," he cautions, keeping a tight grip on you as you both ascend the stairs.
And maybe it's because you're just getting over a breakup, but your stomach flutters from the nickname, from the way his thumb draws gentle circles into your skin.
This isn't the first time he's called you sweetheart. You don't know why it affects you differently now.
"Where are we going?"
He doesn't answer until the two of you reach the top of the stairs, at which point he drops his hand from your wrist and faces you.
"Well, here we are!" he announces, stretching out his arms and turning in a full circle. "Home, sweet home."
You blink as you look around, realizing you're standing inside an apartment — presumably Eddie's — whose open floor plan means you can see straight into the kitchen and living room.
"I can't believe you live here," you mumble, more to yourself than anything else.
A large black sofa sits opposite the TV, a coffee table littered with beer bottles, candles and an ashtray between them. There's a little dining room table for four beside the couch, across from the galley kitchen where the counters are covered with dirty dishes. But despite the mess, everything still feels very... cozy, somehow. Welcoming.
Eddie chuckles, reaching behind himself to loosen the hair tie at the base of his skull. A few tendrils fall loose across his forehead as he tousles his hair, then combs his fingers through it. You feel something twist in your abdomen, your breath hitching in your throat.
Fuck, you think. That's distracting.
"Yeah, me either sometimes," he says with a shrug. "But it's got a roof, a bathroom and a bed. It used to be Dottie's, but now that she and Wayne are married, she decided to move in with him instead."
"Your uncle got married?"
Eddie nods, and the expression that settles in his features softens as he talks about his uncle.
"They met at the bar. Got hitched a few years ago, have a little place not far from here. It's cute, really. Like a little love story for old folks or something. But yeah, this place is all mine now. Not bad, huh?"
Your heart aches a little hearing this — not because you're sad that his uncle found love (you do feel happy for him), but because you hadn't realized how much you've missed in the last decade, how much of Eddie's life you weren't around for.
Still, you smile.
"Not bad at all," you agree.
Eddie's returning grin is more hesitant this time. As if he wants to say more, but he's unsure of how.
"I missed you," you admit, your voice barely above a whisper.
Because you had; so much more than you ever knew was possible. Even when you'd only grown close to him for a few weeks before he moved away, he had managed to make such an impression on you that his absence became a wound you couldn't quite heal, no matter how many years passed.
So for the longest time, you told yourself that he'd probably forgotten all about you anyway, since he never tried to contact you after he left. It was easier that way, somehow. Better than waiting for something that would never happen.
"Me too," Eddie breathes, voice so quiet you might have imagined it. "Me too, sweetheart."
For a second, you can't breathe.
When you do, you inhale his scent, a hint of weed and tobacco mixed with cedar. His cologne, then, you suppose. And there's something entirely new, too, something that belongs uniquely to him.
You stare at Eddie, trying to find the right words, but all you can manage to utter is:
"Really?"
His eyebrows knit together in confusion. Maybe concern, too.
"What? Why do you seem surprised?"
"No, I just–" you trail off, thinking. "I dunno. I guess I just...figured you wouldn't even remember me after so long. It's been...what? Ten years?"
"You thought I didn't remember you?" he asks incredulously, and those deep brown eyes widen a fraction.
You bite your lip, sheepish. "I don't know. Maybe. A little bit," you confess, looking away.
Eddie exhales a half-chuckle.
"Sweetheart, you're — Jesus — you're not exactly easy to forget," he utters softly, almost like he hopes you won't hear.
You can't help but laugh at this, although your cheeks immediately warm up, burning like fire. "Says you."
There's something almost bashful in the way Eddie smiles, his gaze cast downward as he reaches for a strand of hair and curls it around one finger.
"Don't you wanna sit down?" he asks. "I'll get you something to drink. Any preference?"
"Whatever you're having is fine," you reply, still a little overwhelmed by everything that's happening as he gestures for you to take a seat on his sofa.
"Alrighty. Just wait here. One sec."
As you make yourself comfortable on the black leather, you notice several framed photographs atop the mantle of the fireplace. Most of the pictures depict Eddie with people you've never met — a tall, handsome black man, a blond guy, a girl with short, spiky hair and a tattooed arm — but the one you can't look away from is a smaller frame with a picture of you, Dustin and the rest of your friends squeezed tightly together, the sun setting behind you.
It was taken after you beat Vecna in 1986. Before Eddie moved. Before you did, too. Everyone in the picture looks dirty and exhausted, but there's also an air of celebration hanging over all of you that you can clearly see just by the wide, gleeful smiles stretching across your faces.
"It's a real shame you ever doubted it, by the way."
Eddie's voice pulls you out of your reverie, and you turn around to find him already halfway to the couch. He's holding two beers in his hands.
"I wasn't—I didn't mean to pry or anything," you explain, your heart beating a little faster.
He shrugs as he hands you one of the beers and takes a seat beside you, close enough for you to feel his thigh press against yours.
"Nah, it's okay," he assures, his gaze traveling to the picture you were examining a few seconds ago. "That's a good memory."
You nod in agreement as you bring the bottle to your lips. It's cool and refreshing against your tongue, but not as calming as you need it to be.
"I'm sorry for just barging in here, by the way. I don't actually know why I came in the first place, I just... felt like something was pulling me in," you tell him.
And it's true; that strange sense of familiarity that tugged you forward earlier today has started to fade, now replaced by a comforting warmth that feels like coming home.
Eddie snorts a laugh before taking a swig of his beer.
"Sorry, I'm just making it weirder and weirder, aren't I?" you groan, leaning forward to place your beer on the coffee table.
Eddie sets his down, too.
"No, you're not, sweetheart," he soothes, taking one of your hands in his and rubbing a calloused thumb over your knuckles. "Why would you think that?"
You can't look at him when you answer.
"I don't know, I just... I spent years wondering about what happened to you after you left Hawkins, and then I randomly show up here, and now we're just sitting on your couch like we haven't spent ten years apart? It feels insane."
There's something unreadable in the way he's looking at you, then.
"You look really pretty, by the way," Eddie says.
Your heart is thumping so loudly you worry he can hear it.
"Oh yeah?" you tease with a grin, desperate to hide the fact that you can feel yourself blush all the way up to the tips of your ears. "Prettier than when we were twenty-one?"
The grin he flashes you is bright and lopsided, playful.
"Way, way prettier, actually," he drawls.
Your brain seems to malfunction after this, his words playing on a loop, over and over and over again inside your head. And all you can do is return his smile, feeling a pleasant heat pool in your belly that has nothing to do with alcohol. "Eddie Munson, are you flirting with me?"
He laughs at this — a genuine, low chuckle.
"Depends. Is it working?"
Yes, you think.
"Not at all."
"Liar," he smirks before raising the hand he's still holding and pressing a kiss to its back. "Then yes, I am."
Your breath catches in your throat, a thrill running down your spine as Eddie holds your gaze with a small smile. But then it fades, replaced by something more serious as he absentmindedly traces a pattern onto your palm with his fingertip.
"Can I ask you something?"
You nod. He lets go of your hand.
"If you're here, does that mean you're also living in New York?" he asks, eyes filled with a cautious hope as he stares at you. "Or did you just happen to be passing through on vacation?"
"I moved here a year ago," you tell him, biting your bottom lip. "I can't believe you're really here. What are the chances, right?"
It feels like some kind of cosmic joke. And while you never quite stopped hoping that you and Eddie might meet again someday, you didn't expect it to happen like this. In a bar. In New York.
Ten years later.
"Fate works in mysterious ways, huh?"
"You sound like an old man."
He chuckles at your teasing tone before bending forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped together in front of him.
"I just—this is gonna sound totally lame, but..."
Eddie trails off, chewing on his lower lip as he searches your eyes.
"Go ahead," you urge gently.
He runs a hand through his hair, pushing a few strands away from his face as he takes a deep breath.
"When I left Hawkins, I felt like a fucking idiot because I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to you. Not really, I mean. And I—shit, I really wanted to. More than anything. So... the reason why I left without saying anything was because I was scared that if I saw you one last time, I'd lose my nerve and not leave at all. And...I know, I know it's dumb, because we had only known each other for a couple of weeks, but—"
"It's not dumb," you assure him. "Not to me, at least."
It's one thing knowing someone for a long period of time and losing them. But when you grow attached to someone so quickly, so suddenly — like you did with Eddie — it leaves an emptiness behind. Something you can't quite fill, nor begin to explain to anyone else without feeling as though you're speaking nonsense.
"It's not?"
"No. Not at all."
And you wonder if he can see the vulnerability in your eyes when you reach forward and brush your fingertips over his. It's all you dare to do, all the courage you can muster, but he responds by uncurling his own and sliding them between your palms. His hand feels warm, smooth. Cold where the silver of his rings touches your skin.
"I never forgot you, you know? And I—" he stops, and you watch him swallow hard. "Shit. Sorry. You're gonna think I'm a creep."
"Try me."
The smile on his face is shy and endearing, his cheeks flushed pink when he admits: "Sometimes I have this...dream."
You cock your head to one side, curious. "What about?"
"About you."
Eddie glances down at his hand in yours, studying it for a moment like it's the most interesting thing in the room.
"Mostly about that night you saved me. You know, from the bats."
"I didn't save you," you protest. "I just...I got lucky."
He scoffs, shakes his head like that's the most preposterous thing he's ever heard.
"Sweetheart, I was half dead when you showed up. If it wasn't for you, I would be completely dead right now."
You glance at Eddie's side, where you remember him having an angry, festering wound when you found him. You wonder if the scar is still there, if it bothers him.
"Maybe," you concede, and his smile returns. "So you dream about that?"
"Among other things. Yeah."
Your heart hammers in your chest as you consider what those other things might be, his gaze intense upon you as you nervously wet your bottom lip with your tongue.
"Other things?" you repeat.
"Other things," he confirms. "I might tell you about 'em sometime if you play your cards right, though."
"Oh, right," you muse, pulling your hands away from his with a soft chuckle. "This is you flirting, isn't it?"
"So what if it is?" he asks, grinning as he leans back on the couch cushion.
You don't miss the way he looks at you, the same way he used to in high school whenever he was trying to get under your skin, to rile you up. And it seems that — even after all these years, with you all grown up, both of you in your early thirties — he hasn't lost his touch.
"So what if it is," you echo.
Eddie raises both eyebrows, smirking. "Guess you're gonna have to come back sometime if you wanna find out. You know, just to be sure."
"I—" you hesitate, realizing you hadn't considered the possibility of leaving before, too caught up in the whirlwind of seeing him again after so long. "Shit, yeah, I should...I should go, I've kept you long enough as it is. I should let you get back to work—"
You move to stand up, but a gentle hand on your arm stops you.
"Wait," he pleads, voice soft. "Do you...have anywhere you gotta be? Anywhere you need to rush off to?"
"Um—" you look down at the floorboards, shifting your weight from foot to foot. "Just my bed? It's getting late. Well, not really, but...it will be soon?"
The tension slowly eases from Eddie's body as he relaxes, his expression becoming playful.
"Are you asking or telling?" he teases.
You sigh.
"I don't wanna intrude."
"You're not. At all," Eddie says firmly, his words a promise. "Besides, you still have a lot to catch me up on. So you can tell me all about whatever boring day job you landed now that you're living the big apple life, and I'll tell you about my band, which has a gig tomorrow, by the way, so you're definitely coming to see it."
"Wow, you're bossy now," you point out.
His eyes gleam as they hold yours, and when he speaks, his voice is husky, full of mischief.
"You have no idea, sweetheart."
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ballroamblitz · 9 months
Text
caramel pie | J.P
summary: james smells caramel pie on the amortentia potion
james potter x fem!reader
word count: 3.750 content: teeth rotting fluff, angst warnings: crying, reader blushes notes: one thing about me is i love me some amortentia fic with a side of james fluff ughh also i listened to glue song by beabadoobee while writing this :) p.s i accidentally posted this on my side acc so if anyone wanna be mutuals my main blog is @beastofbrden :)
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- Someone please, kindly remind me why I decided that continuing Herbology after the O.W.Ls was a good idea? - Y/N huffed out, sitting at the Gryffindor table for lunch.
The four boys sitting around her laughed. 
- Learned a lot today, uh? - Sirius asked, ironically. 
- Oh yeah, loads! We had to feed toad flesh to those terrible toad-eating plants. For some reason, mine just didn't feel like eating it without regurgitating it all back on me! 
The boys went hysterics, and even the girl couldn't help but laugh along. 
- There's still a little piece there - James pointed. - Here, let me take it out for you.
He took out a small chunk of toad flesh off her hair. 
- Well, may I remind you, Y/N, that no one told you to keep up with Herbology. We all dipped from it while we could and no one else has pieces of toad on our hair - Sirius noted, clearly getting a good laugh out of the girl's toad disaster.
- I just didn't want to hurt Sprout's feelings! 
She sighed and brushed her hair with her fingers, only then looking at the food in front of her.
- Merlin, I'm starving! Could eat anything right now.
- Even toad? - Remus joked, sending the group on another laughing crisis.
By the time of dessert, Y/N started scanning the table for something. Clearly not finding it, her panic started showing. 
- Oh no. Where's the caramel pie? 
- They didn't serve any today - James replied, needing all the strength on his body to stay deadpanned. The other three boys were deep in conversation, and him being the one sitting closer to Y/N (as always) only he noticed the girl's agitation. 
- What??? What do you mean they didn't serve any? In the six years I've been here they never not served it and I can't believe they chose today to…
- I'm just joking - James pulled a plate that was hidden behind the steak pudding, smiling playfully at the girl - Saved it for ya.
- James! I would go mad if they stopped serving this pie, y'know! - she let out a relieved breath. 
- Nah, don't worry. They will keep serving it, or I would fight the elfs for ya. 
- One day I’ll hide your figgy pudding, then we’ll see.
- You wouldn’t dare, missy.
James watched with a soft look on his eyes as the girl took the first bite of her favorite dessert.
- Thank you for saving me a piece, Jamie - she leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment to show gratitude. When she got closer, he smelled the vanilla scent of her hair and the caramel pie on her lips.
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After lunch, the five went straight to Slughorn's classroom. 
- Good evening, dears, good evening! Now if you could get up and get closer, I want to show you something!
The whole class shifted near the table Slughorn was sitting behind. 
- Here, we have a very special potion. - He pointed towards a bubbling caldron full of a crystal clear liquid - Very tricky to make, very characteristic and perhaps one of the most dangerous we can brew. Can anyone tell me it's name?
Y/N's hand rose in the air.
- Yes, ms. Y/L/N. 
- It's Amortentia, or simply the love potion. Since true love can't really be produced by any sort of magic, it causes more of a crush or an obsession. 
- Correct. Ten points to Gryffindor! - Slughorn smiled.
- Nerd - James whispered,  messing up Y/N’s hair.
- Sod off, Potter.
- You see, one of the most intriguing things about Amortentia is its scent. Everyone smells something different, because its scent is completely dependent on what each person feels personally attracted to. Now, who wants to come forward and tell me what it smells like? 
No one volunteered. No wonder, since it's a very particular thing to simply say in front of a whole classroom.
- No one? I'll pick someone then. Let me think... - Slughorn scanned the faces around. - Ah! Mr. Potter, you will do. 
James was caught by surprise. He had been distracted by the warmth radiating off Y/N, that was almost resting her head on his chest. 
- Me? - he asked and pointed towards himself.
- Of course you! Is there any other Mr. Potter?
The whole class laughed as James stepped closer, his signature boyish grin splashed on his face. 
- Now Mr. Potter, lean in and smell the potion.
James ran his hands through his hair and did as told. One single sniff and his smile fell off his face completely. The scent was unmistakable: vanilla and caramel pie. Vanilla body cream, caramel pie for dessert, everyday. He had the urge to see if Y/N wasn't standing next to him, but he knew she hadn't moved from across the table. He knew he had to lie. If he said what it smelled like to him, everyone would know it was Y/N's smell.  
- So, Mr. Potter. Whenever you are ready to share. 
He looked at where Y/N was. She was looking at him, just as well as everyone else. She looked relaxed, the potion's glow making her look specially pretty, angel-like. Think of something, fast. Something not at all related to what you are really smelling, something like...
- It’s wood and broomstick polisher.
- Very well then Mr. Potter. Looks like you've got a thing for Quidditch, uh?
The class laughed, and everyone looked convinced. James Potter, Quidditch captain, smelling broomstick polisher and wood? Fitting. James high-fived himself for his quick thinking, and let out a relieved sight. Now, no one would go around thinking the wrong things. 
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Later that night, in the common room, however, the potions class was almost burning a hole through James' head. Slughorn said Amortentia smelled of what attracted each person the most.  Attraction was romantic, sexual attraction. But Slughorn had been pretty vague, hadn't he? He could've meant attraction in any context. It could mean anything. It could mean platonic love, right? If Slughorn didn't think much of James smelling Quidditch, it probably meant it could smell of anything the person liked a lot, right? But it was a love potion. That caused passion. And Slughorn said he had a thing for Quidditch. A thing. But he didn't have a thing for Y/N! He loved her, of course. Everyone knew she was his best friend, they did everything together and she was probably his favorite person in the world. Yeah, maybe he went to extreme lengths to see her happy, and yeah, maybe he was a bit too affectionate with her, but she was his best friend.
- Can't do homework anymore. - James was ripped off his thoughts by Y/N's presence. She threw her backpack at the ground in front of the sofa he was in and layed down - My brain feels like mush.
James looked at her. Her head was resting on his lap, and she looked extremely comfortable. That was obvious, since they always had been this affectionate towards each other. They both were very touchy people, and it felt natural to be in constant physical contact. James was always happy, eager even, to be like this with her. In a platonic way. Obviously. Today, however, her skin on his felt like it burned. 
- How was it? - James asked, coughing to conceal the way his voice failed a bit in the first word.
- Homework? Awful. It's not that difficult, but it's too much. And it just seems pointless, you know? What will I actually learn from writing 19 inches about toad eating plants? Nothing, I tell you what! - The girl sighed and closed her eyes again - Just wanna go to sleep, really.
He didn't know what to answer. He normally would have made a joke about the plants, added more criticism about essays or something. But he didn’t even do his homework, with how paranoid he was. For the first time ever, he was completely speechless in her presence. Her eyelashes were resting peacefully on her pink cheeks. The light from the fireplace made her skin look more flushed, and her hair had a golden glow to it. She looked awfully pretty. James knew that, of course. She had always been pretty. But tonight.. when she moved her head a little bit, he smelled the amortentia smell. Vanilla and caramel pie, just as strong as it was that afternoon. 
- You are way too quiet today, Jamie. - She opened her eyes and he felt something weird in the pit of his stomach  - Ate too much pudding? 
- Yeah, probably. 
She stretched and yawned, sending another wave of vanilla and caramel pie to James' nostrils. 
- Going to bed - she got up. Her hair was messy and the light from the fireplace behind her looked like a halo. - Night, Jamie.
She lowered herself and pecked his cheek lightly. 
- Sleep well - her soft voice was way too close to his ear, turning James' legs into jelly. 
He watched her going up the stairs to the dormitory, and the place she had kissed burned long after she was gone. 
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He had no reason to be this nervous for the potions class the next morning. Slughorn had already moved on from amortentia, since it was a difficult, dangerous and time-consuming potion to make, but James was half hoping the potion would be brought up again, and half hoping everyone would collectively forget about it completely. Slughorn didn't mention the potion again, moving on directly to Felix Felicis. He watched the whole class on the edge of his seat. He had decided he would ask the teacher about the potion just to calm himself down. Just to make sure. Everyone had been really concentrating on making the best draught of living death the whole period, but James just wanted the class to end so he could ask Slughorn and stop eating himself alive.  
- Alright, alright. Congratulations mr. Snape on your draught. Truly outstanding! - Slughorn said, raising a round of applause - Class dismissed!
Everyone started to gather their backpacks and leave, but James made sure to stay back. He pretended to be very interested in a weird type of algae that Slughorn kept in a little ampoule. Just a few more moments and then he'll say that no, I don't have romantic feelings for Y/N and that i just really like caramel pie or something, and then i'll stop going mental... 
- Gillyweed. - Slughorn’s voice dragged James off of his daydreams 
- Uh? - James frowned in confusion, wondering what the teacher was talking about.
- The algae you're looking at, Mr. Potter. Gillyweed. Helps the person breathe underwater. 
- Oh, yeah, right. Professor Slughorn, I was wondering if I could ask you something.
- Sure, my boy, ask away - Slughorn encouraged while distractingly stacking some parchments.
- I was wondering… about the Amortentia potion.
Slughorn stopped his movements and lifted his eyes directly to James. 
- Oh, I see - He looked very amused, for some reason. - What were you wondering?
- Let's just say a friend of mine smells it and it reminds him of someone. It could smell like someone he just truly cares about, couldn't it? Like, it doesn't necessarily mean he's in love with the person that the scent reminds him of, right? 
Slughorn's lopsided smile grew bigger.
- I'm afraid, no, my boy. 
- What? - James felt like the classroom got three times smaller and hotter by the minute - But I smelled wood and polishing oil, and I'm not in love with a broom, am i? 
- Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter... - Slughorn chuckled. - I think we both know you didn't smell any of that. 
James felt his face getting warm and red. 
- But, if you did, that would mean you have a crush on a Quidditch player, let's just put it like that. Amortentia is a very strong love potion, and we can only smell things in it that romantically attract us very deeply. Those of us that aren't in love with anyone would smell something quite abstract. But if this friend of yours smelled amortentia and recognized the scent as someone's, then boy do I have news for him. Does this answer your question? 
      - Hm, yeah, sure. - James agreed. He felt like he was gonna fall down from the absurd speed at which his mind was racing. - Thank you, Professor.
- Anytime. - James began to leave, completely out of it. - Oh, and Mr. Potter?
- Yes? - James turned around, hopeful that Slughorn would start laughing and admit he was joking.
- Tell your friend I wish him the best of luck with this new, blossoming love. 
As James went out of the classroom and up into the common room, he deeply regretted not stealing that ampoule of gillyweed and swallowing it whole. That way, he could spend the rest of his days in the black lake with the merpeople. I bet amortentia wouldn't smell like anything down there, he thought. 
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For the rest of the week, James spent every waking hour trying to not think about what Slughorn said and what it meant, and he was succeeding. He kept himself busy with classes, Quidditch and even homework. He also did his absolute best to avoid everyone. He ate before anyone else and made sure he was far away from the great hall by the time he knew Y/N and the rest of the Marauders would go down to eat. In classes, he sat very distant and left early. He even pulled some pranks he didn't even feel like pulling on Filch to get detention in the nights he couldn't schedule Quidditch practices. He walked the halls in the invisibility cloak. Anything to keep his thoughts away from the big fire alarm going off inside his head. The only problem was that he missed Y/N in all of those moments. When he was doing homework, he missed the sound of Y/N's pen scratching the parchment next to him. While he ate, he missed the warmth of her body next to his, the satisfaction humming while she ate her pie . He missed laying down together after homework. He missed seeing her on the stands at practice. He even realized that the real fun in pranks wasn't the actual thing, but to see Y/N laughing hysterically afterwards. To put it quite simply, it felt like he was sleep walking all the time. He couldn’t go on avoiding her forever, but what he was gonna do, he had positively no idea.
Until Friday night.
It was late, and he had been in detention. Filch had made him write “I shall not turn the school’s trophies into pigeons” a hundred times, and his hand was hurting from all the repetitive writing. Normally, he would have complained, but this time, he was glad for the distraction. Enjoying detention, he thought bitterly while crossing the fat lady, I must be really going mad. His grouchy thoughts were interrupted by a sound. It sounded like.. crying. Or better yet, it sounded like someone was sobbing their heart out. He looked around the empty common room, but didn’t see anyone. He followed the sound to the sofa near the fireplace, where he and Y/N always rest after studying. Before you turned into a chicken. 
Y/N was laid on the sofa, her face buried in a cushion, her whole body shaking with her sobs. James was flooded with panic.
- Y/N, baby, what happened? - he cooed, his voice altered with anxiety. Y/N never cried, except when something very serious happened.
Y/N looked up like she thought she was seeing visions. 
- Jamie? - her voice was soft and shaky, her eyes were puffy and bloodshot red, like she had been crying for multiple hours. The hurt on her eyes broke James’ heart in a thousand pieces. 
His mind raced with possibilities: maybe someone was mean to her? Maybe someone died? Maybe she was hurt? The thought of her being in pain panicked him even further. He sat down and pushed her into his lap, laying her head on his shoulder. 
- Are you hurt, baby? Where does it hurt? Please, tell me. 
She cried violently on his shoulder. He inspected her legs for bruises, but she seemed well physically. 
- Y/N, tell me what’s wrong, I can’t stand to see you like this - he begged. -  Did someone hurt you?
The question seemed to trigger something on the girl, because suddenly she was on her feet, out of his arms. 
- Did someone hurt me? Seriously? - the tears streamed down her face, but her eyes glimmered with something new: anger.
James was confused, to say the least. He noticed that she was wearing one of his old sweaters, one that had vanished from his suitcase a few weeks ago. 
- Baby...- he begged some more.
She looked as if he had twisted a knife on her wound.
- Don’t you dare “baby” me, James. Not after ignoring me like the plague for a whole week! 
Oh. Oh. James had been so involved with his own confusion regarding the amortentia incident that he forgot almost completely that Y/N didn’t know what he was doing, or why. She was crying because he hurt her feelings. That was a lot worse than if she was crying because of another person: he could’ve gone out to kick said jerk’s ass. But if he hurt her, what was he supposed to do? Punch himself? 
-Y/N - he cooed, apologetically. - Y/N, I…
She showed him her palm, urging him to stop talking.
- You don’t have to explain wanting to be away from me. I’m sure you had your reasons. But you could have at least told me that you wanted some space from me, or something, because I’ve been miserable, and…
She thought he wanted space from her. The sorrowful shaky breath that escaped her lips mid-sentence threw him over the edge. 
- No, no, no… - he repeated while pushing her back into his lap - Oh my god, Y/N, no…
He caressed her hair while she sobbed violently on his shoulder. Her fists were closed tightly on his shirt, her tears dampened his neck, and he couldn’t recall the last time his heart ached this badly.
- Did I do something? Did I bother you? I’m so sorry.. - she whispered softly, like she was voicing what had been repeating in her head over and over again during the last few days. Her words were laced with anger, resentment, but, above all, hurt. He wanted to double over in pain.
- Listen - James lifted her chin up gently, forcing her to look into his eyes. - I’m the one who’s sorry. 
The tears kept coming, but she was listening.
- I shouldn’t have avoided you last week, and it’s not your fault, okay? It’s my fault. I’m the one who got scared. 
She looked confused.
- Scared? Of me? 
James would have to confess what happened at Slughorn’s class. He had given zero thought about his messy feelings, and even though unraveling them in front of Y/N scared him endlessly, he would have to do it, because he could never let her think that he wanted space from her. That he wanted anything but to be close to her, at all times, if he could. 
- Please - she asked, incisively, noticing his wariness. - Tell me.
He took a deep breath, feeling vulnerable, raw. As if he would undress himself fully in front of her.
- Remember Slughorn’s class about amortentia? - Y/N nodded, encouraging him to move on - He asked me to smell it, right, and I…
- You said it smelled like broom polisher. 
- Well, yes. But I lied. - he decided to avert his gaze to the ceiling, or else he would never talk. - It was caramel pie and vanilla cream. So, I smelled… you.
Silence. A moment, two. He couldn’t muster the courage to look at the girl. He felt her hand grazing his cheek, urging him to look at her.. 
- Jamie… - She looked wonderstruck, and his heart seemed like it wanted out of his chest - Really?
- Really.
James was sure he’d never seen something as beautiful as Y/N after his response. She was smiling the biggest, most shiny smile he had ever seen on her face. Her eyes shined like gemstones at him, so soft he wanted to cry.
- Do you want to know what I smelled? - she asked, soft as a feather. 
His heart somersaulted when she brought her face closer to the side of his neck. She whispered on his ear:
- I smelled… - She sniffed his neck once - Sandalwood - another sniff, followed by a chuckle  - Broomstick polisher…
She distanced herself, looking deep into his eyes.
- And homework parchment. And fireplace naps. And figgy pudding.
His heart was hammering against his ribcage. Y/N smelled him. On the amortentia potion. Him.
- Y/N - James whispered, all warm and fuzzy on the inside. - Really?
She didn’t answer, just grabbed his hand, the warmth and softness of her skin overwhelming his senses. Placed his hand on top of the point of her chest where her heart was. Through the fabric of his shirt, he could feel her heart beating faster than a hummingbird's. She never unglued her soft eyes from his. 
She likes him. Suddenly, all the thoughts he had been avoiding throughout the week came crashing down on him, like a dam.
James was an affectionate friend. He liked physical touch. But he never liked it half as much as he did with her. James was a thoughtful friend. He remembered things about his friends. But he remembered every single thing about her. He was a sensitive friend. He hated to see his friends suffering. But every time he saw her cry, it was like his heart was being crushed. James was an attentive friend. He loved spending time with friends. But when he was away from her, he couldn’t even function properly, like he was missing one half of him. Y/N is his best friend. But she is more, too. He loves her. But there’s something else: he is in love.  Amortentia never lies, after all.
When his hands tangled on Y/N’s hair, he smelled vanilla cream. When he kissed Y/N’s lips, he tasted caramel pie.
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mollymooo · 1 month
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To Have and To Hold
reader x spencer reid
summary: you absolutely adore the promise ring Spencer had gotten you a few months ago, but maybe he needs one too..
an: based on this insta reel! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4oecVJp1zK/?igsh=NmZ2NHhkeDI4cGVu
they so cute 🥰 also i used a different pov in this one, lmk what you think 🤍🤍
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Crisp autumn air nipped at your nose while you quickly rushed home to see him. The box laid heavy in your pocket as a subtle reminder. You smiled to yourself as you looked down to your hand. The ring that had laid comfortably on your finger for the past three months stared back up at you. Spencer was so happy the day he got it for you.
His smile was sickeningly contagious as you sobbed into his arms. The ring was sparkly and bright as he gently slipped it onto your finger. A promise, just for you two.
The ring you got him complimented yours well, a little worried that it wasn’t his style but nonetheless excited to see the smile on his face. You could hear the echo of your footsteps as the quickened. You couldn’t wait.
“Baby, i’m home!” You dropped your bag by the door and smiled as Spencer peaked his head around the doorway, his long curls were messy and the glasses on his face slightly ajar. He took a few long steps and engulfed you in his arms, the glasses on his nose being knocked out of place a bit more as he nuzzled into your neck. He smelled like lumber and old books. A scent you had learned to love.
“Missed you..” His large hands squeezed your sides gently before he finally let you go and gave you a quick peck. You follow him into the living room where you fall onto the sofa with a huff and lazily take your shoes off. Nerves filled your throat but you quickly swallowed them down
“Oh! I almost forgot!” You said with faux shock as you sprouted from your spot and rushed over to Spencer, who was sat at the dining room table with a book and a cup of coffee. He hummed as you sat next to him
“My nails!~” Your sing song voice said as you wiggled your fingers in front of him, your ring shining in the light
“Oh!” He grabbed your hand to hold it still as he studied the delicately made nails, “There very nice.” He smiled as he left a soft kiss on your knuckles
You giggled and looked at your nails again, your heart pounding in your chest. “This ring is still so pretty…”
“I’m glad you like it!” He lazily held his head in his hands while watching you slightly
“You need one?” He smiled slightly and shook his head
“No. I mean- if you want to get me one you can..” You excitedly reached in your pocket and nearly slammed the box on the table. He looked at the box then back to you a few times with slight shock in his chocolate eyes
“Open it, honey” You smiled brightly as he cautiously grabbed the small wooden box and opened it. The small black band weighed heavy on the plush white interior, shining just as brightly as yours.
“You…” He raised his ring and gently slipped it on his finger, twisting his hand around and clenching his fingers slightly
“I wasn’t sure if it was totally your style, but I wanted something to match mine.” You smiled as he looked up, faint tears staining his eyes and a huge pearly smile adorned his face
“It’s perfect.” He stood up and practically dragged you from your chair to hold you.
You weren’t sure of a lot of things. Spencer’s books confused you, and his french way of making coffee left you puzzled, but the way his hands wrapped around your waist and the way his head fit perfectly in the crook of your neck just made sense. The way his curls tickled your nose and the way you could feel him breathing against you was something that felt right.
Spending the rest of your life with him made sense..
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Text
(rafe stuff comin soon but heres a eeny beeny teeny thought!!)
stepdad!leon kennedy x obsessed!naive!reader...
shes so obsessed with him...obsessed with everything that has anything to do with him. following him around the house like a lost pup.
one day u get really jealous after overhearing a phone call he had with your mom (she's always out somewhere---either with her friends or... God knows where--so it is truly just you and leon alone). obviously you know that leon has to keep up the image of being a loving doting husband, but when you hear him say the simple words, "i miss you too--alright love you too, bye." to end the brief phone call between the two of them, your face blushes and heats up with possessiveness.
just completely taking leon by surprise--usually he is the one in control,but right now you cant take it anymore!! he was yours, not hers!!!
just bouncing on his cock and grinding ur engorged button on the trimmed hair of his pelvis as you cry. his big arms encaging your smaller body and you just feel so so good!!! except u remember the conversation between leon n ur mom and u start getting angry.
"u--u love me?" u simper out, bottom lip pulled out in a pout as tears sprout from ur eyes n fall down ur face. ur desperate.
leon adjusts his body so his head is against the pillows as you ride, his large and strong hands controlling your bouncing movements. he doesn't respond, not exactly hearing you as you clench your sopping cunt around his veiny cock, small grunts falling from his lips.
you lower a bit, your chest pressed against his as you catch his eyes with yours. "answer!" you whine, sniffling.
"wh-?" he begins, and you cut him off. his eyebrows are pulled together in both confusion and concentration.
"you l-love me, r-right daddy?" his cock is pummeling inside of your pussy as he pounds his hips up into yours.
"o-'f course I do, baby.." his voice is so soft as he takes the back of his hand, wiping away your tears and pushing your face to mesh with his, sloppy kisses sounding between the two of you.
"ur only m-mine!" you cry out again, wrapping your smaller hand around his throat. "s-say it."
"i--" he chokes out, slightly surprised by your burst of dominance that you seem to be having. however, he can see right through it. just a frightened little girl afraid of being abandoned. but he would never. you mean everything and more to him. he can feel your hand tighten around his throat, nothing too bad --and he can still breathe. its just the hint of shock that chokes him up for a second.
he can tell you are worked up. must have been worked up for some time now. poor baby, he thinks. you sometimes got this way--too many emotions that flood in ur head all at once. it was overwhelming for you, and he understood that. his hands run along your torso for a second, then slow your jackrabbit-like hips down from its quick bouncing.
"shhh," he shushes you gently and he can feel your hand loosen. your eyes are big and glossy and begging. he takes your hand from his throat and kisses your palm gently, adjusting himself again so as to sit up and be skin to skin with you. he sees how upset you are. he throws your arms around his shoulders so you can be in his lap. close to him. "i'm yours baby--yours and only yours, yeah?"
your eyes are big and pleading as he leans forward, the thrusts have momentarily halted so that he can place you properly in his lap; but he's still inside of you. he kisses your lips gently--so tenderly that it tickles. "you're everything to me, mk? i love you so much.."
you whine, feeling his hands run across your back and the sides of your torso. your still breathing heavily through your nose---but he can see your calming down. he kisses across your neck to your cheek. "gimme some deep breaths, okay?"
you nod, and he breaths deep along with you for a few seconds.
"what's got you so worked up, honey? hm?" his voice is so soft and sweet. so saccharine. it makes you melt even more in his hold.
"don' like you talkin to her.." you whimper out, and he automatically knows. you and your mom never had the best relationship. she was always very mean to you, and you especially didn't like her cuz you have seen her cheating on your stepdad. she just wanted him for money or a warm body to sleep next to. she was very verbally abusive. that is why you loved when she was gone. which she almost always was. leon knew all of this. he was planning on a divorce for a while now, but wanted to wait until you started back at college. he wanted to be with you.
"oh, sweet girl..." he sighs, kissing your lips. "she means nothing to me, baby. need you to understand that, m'okay?"
you nod, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. "mkay, daddy."
leon smiles gently before kissing you slowly, beginning to use calloused hands for a soft touch as he plays with your peaked nipples.
"know why i love kissin' you so slowly baby?" you shake your head no, a little mew leaving your lips. his tongue drags along yours. "cuz it feels like we have all the time in the world together."
you sigh at his words, beginning to start up your grinding and he helps you pick up your speed.
"all yours, princess. daddy's all yours."
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chvnnie · 9 months
Note
I had an awful week😭 is there any chance you can do a comforting dad!han fic? Something short please it’ll really make my day🥺
i’m sorry you had an awful week, love. this dad sung will be rejuvenating for the both of us 🫶🏻
Propped up against the headboard, Jisung rubs soft circles into the infant’s back. His hand is almost the size of her tiny body. She fits perfectly on his bare chest, already asleep though her father doesn’t stop the motion. The more she can sleep, the better.
It’s been a rough few weeks for his family. The baby came earlier than expected — only 32 two weeks and she decided it was time to arrive earth side the most complicated way possible. You were miserable in the hospital, the birth complicated and exhausting. A lengthy stay in the NICU only tacked on to that.
It’s nice to be home.
The shower shuts off in the en-suite bathroom. You’ve been in there a while. Not that Jisung minds, he’ll take any alone time with the little bitty he can get. And it’s nice to be able to give you a break — however hard it’s been on him, he knows it’s been ten times harder for you. It’s truly the least he can do.
Jisung looks down at the baby. A newborn sized onesie is still a little too baggy on her, the tiny hands slipped under the cuffs. The first thing his friends commented on when they met her (via FaceTime — you’re still a little worried about anyone other than immediate family being around her) was how much she looked like him. A full head of dark hair, a small version of his nose. Full cheeks, so much bigger than her body.
Baby quokka, she was lovingly nicknamed. “It fits.” You said, reaching into her hospital crib and adjusting the gloves on her hands. “She really is your mini.”
What in the world did he do to deserve her?
The door creaks open slowly, steam following you into the bedroom. Jisung feels his heart come to a halt when he looks at you — every time, without fail. It did that the day he met you. The day he proposed, the day you got married, everyday in between and on.
“How long has she been asleep?” You ask, shaking Jisung from his awestruck state.
“About ten minutes.” He answers with a shrug. His hand hasn’t stopped moving. It’s practically second nature at this point.
“Why haven’t you moved her to the bassinet?”
Another shrug. “I’m not ready to yet.”
Your smile is so fond. It’s no surprise that Jisung is a wonderful father, but you think this was his true calling. If you could freeze this moment, spend forever watching him softly push his daughter’s hair out of her face, you would. There’s nothing that could make this better—
Expect for the burst of energy that just tumbled through the bedroom door, her hair spilling from the braids she fell asleep in. Though she looks just like you, her expressions are your husband’s. Pouty, eyes narrowed.
“Dada.” There’s fire in her voice. “Didn’t stay.”
Uh oh. You climb into the bed next to Jisung, mimicking your eldest daughter’s glare. “You left her?”
His eyes are wild, bouncing between the two of you. Is he really getting ganged up on right now? “I told you I would leave after I finished singing to you—“
“Nuh uh.” She turns to you. “Dada ‘pposed to sleep in my room.”
“Oh no.” You say dramatically, picking up the four year old and hauling her into the bed. “Isn’t he the worst?”
“Okay now—“
“Is.” She lays her head on your chest, resting on your body the exact same way her sister is laying on Jisung. Making sure her head is turned in her direction, she pouts even more.
It’s a pout that Jisung returns, shifting lower in the bed so she’s eye level with her. The baby stirs from the motion, but doesn’t wake. Perfectly content on her father. “Sprout, don’t hurt my feelings.”
“Hurt mine first.”
Jisung looks at you for help, trying to resist breaking into a smile. Her little pout is too cute to be mad about. You shake your head with a chuckle, untangling her messy hair.
“I’m sure Dada didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.” You reassure her, fingers smoothing out her dark hair.
“I’m sorry.” Jisung says sincerely, holding out his free hand. “Forgive me?”
Her big eyes stare at his palm, and he can practically see her little brain spinning. Weighing her options. He knows she can hold a grudge — she is her father’s daughter, after all. After what seems like an hour of careful deliberation, she puts her hand in his. Squeezing it as tight as she can.
“‘Kay.”
Jisung smiles, bringing her tiny hand to his lips and giving it a kiss. He makes a loud “muah” sound, his daughter giggling. The tiny problem fixed with her father’s love.
“Promise I’ll never leave you again, Sprout.”
She doesn’t know how deeply he means that.
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farfromsugafanfic · 2 months
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Stray kids reaction to seeing surgery scars on their s/o
Anon 🐻‍❄️
SKZ Reaction To Seeing Surgery Scars On Their S/O
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Genre: fluff, suggestions of smut
Warnings: mentions of surgery, body insecurity, cancer, mention of disease and injuries
A/N: My first anon 🥹 thank you so much and I hope you enjoy it. Also, thank you for 1,000 followers 🥺
Chan:
Chan knew about your appendectomy scar and how it was one of your complexes, but you'd always managed to keep it hidden from him. He tried to express that it was perfectly normal to have surgical scars and that it wouldn't change how he felt about you, but it still took you time to show it to him.
Pulling up your shirt, you winced as the keloid scar became visible. Chan stayed quiet before gently running the softest part of his fingertips over the rough scar.
"Does it hurt?" he asked.
"Sometimes," you said. "But not too much anymore."
He nodded in understanding and reached down to intertwine your fingers.
Minho:
Minho understood why you were scared for him to see your scoliosis surgery scar because he too had a surgery scar that he felt self-conscious of. While he'd sometimes caught a small glimpse of it, you always tried to keep it hidden. Eventually, though, it became impossible to deny the intimacy growing between the two of you.
"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he said, trying to lighten the mood with some light sarcasm. It seemed to work since you laughed and some of the tension in your body. When you finally threw your shirt aside, his breath hitched at the long vertical scar down your spine. It lined up with the curves of your body linearly, making your body look like two butterfly wings sprouting from the scar.
"Fuck, you're so gorgeous."
Changbin:
Changbin knew you had a tumor removed from your kidney as a kid, but it never crossed his mind that you might have a scar. While you sometimes even forget about it, there are times you get reminded. Someone looks a little too hard at your abdomen when wearing a crop top, or someone was bold enough to ask what happened.
You'd long put your childhood brush with cancer behind you, but when Changbin first noticed your scar, your body filled with dread. Would it be the last straw and he would finally find you completely unattractive and dump you?
However, Changbin didn't say a word and just placed his palm over it. He'd continue to do this, sometimes without even thinking about it, just reminding you that he loved every part of you, even the parts you sometimes wanted to hide.
Hyunjin:
Hyunjin noticed that you always wore long sleeves. At first, he didn't think much about it, until there was an especially hot day when you refused to take off your long-sleeved shirt. When he questioned it, he saw the panicked look in your eyes and knew something was wrong.
After a bit of soft prodding, you eventually explained that you'd broken your arm as a kid and had had surgery, leaving you with a scar. Hyunjin was silent for a few moments.
"Is that all? You thought I would mind that?"
"Well, I mean, you're so gorgeous."
"I still have scars, babe." He chuckled and reached for your sleeve, gently pulling it up and rubbing the pad of his thumb over the scar. He didn't say anything else, but gently leaned down and kissed the scar.
Jisung:
When Jisung first met you, it was at a large event where you'd had your makeup professionally done. But, the next time he saw you, it was a late night at the convenience store where the scar from a skin graft surgery you'd had after getting a burn on one side of your face. Compared to what it could look like, it was relatively minor, but the scar was visible and you'd only just got used to doing small errands like this without covering it up.
Jisung can't lie and say it didn't catch him off guard, but it only made him more interested in you. He bought you a pudding and chatted with you, deciding not to mention anything unless you did. This surprised you because most people couldn't help but ask for the sob story of the car accident that resulted in major burns to your face.
Eventually, you did tell Jisung what happened though it took time and getting over some insecurities. But, Jisung's openness about his insecurities and your insistence that they didn't matter to him helped you come to realize how enamored he actually was with you.
Felix:
You and Felix were both very open about your insecurities and who you are. However, you could never get yourself to show your biopsy scar. The scar was small, but noticeable. So, you kept it covered. As you and Felix became more intimate, you knew he would eventually see your scar.
Felix was a sweetheart. You knew he wouldn’t care and that such a small flaw would not affect how he felt about you. Yet, still, there was a nagging worry. When Felix does see the scar and notice the way your body tenses when his eyes graze over it, he takes your hand and kisses the back of it gently.
“It looks beautiful on you,” he said, as if he were looking at you trying on a dress and not gazing at your scar. His hand brought yours to his cheek.
Seungmin:
On the outside, it wasn't obvious that you had lupus, but Seungmin had begun to notice that you never drank—not even beer or wine. He didn't mind but found it a bit curious since it was not something he was used to with people around his age. Still, he didn't ask questions. That was until he was staying the night at your apartment and caught a glimpse of the hockey stick shaped scar on the right side of your abdomen from having a kidney transplant.
His eyes widened as he began to put it all together. He didn't flip out but did ask if you were okay. After you explained, he felt better but also felt bad that you felt like you needed to hide such a major part of yourself from him. From then on, he would sometimes find himself absentmindedly running his fingers over the scar when you lie together.
Jeongin:
Jeongin knew you'd had knee surgery a few years ago after tearing your meniscus. But, he'd never seen the scar. Of course, he was never actively looking for it but realized that you never showed your knees at all. When asked about it, he could tell it was a touchy subject, but a few sweet words and reassuring touches calmed you.
Rolling up your pant leg, you showed him the scar. It was larger than most other similar scars because your injury had been extensive. The scar—at least in Jeongin's eyes—wasn't too visible, but he made sure to give you a cute peck on the nose and encourage you to wear what you wanted since surgery scars were nothing to be ashamed of.
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xoxoemynn · 2 months
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Good morning emy, idk if you've thought about Stede waking Ed up with sweet morning kisses today but if you haven't, this is your reminder to do that 😇❤️
In another life, Stede preferred nighttime to day. 
At night he could be alone. Well, he had to share a bed with Mary, yes, but he could feign sleep, and therefore it was easier to imagine he was alone. All nice and quiet and peaceful. No expectations to speak of. And then he could drift off to sleep as he rotated through some of his favorite fantasies in his mind — captaining a pirate ship, going on adventures on the high seas, swashbuckling in a fab red swishy coat and some smashing leather boots, oh, and maybe even a sash so it’d twirl all around him as he leapt to and fro, and…
Anyway!
Point is, Stede loved nighttime, because it was the only time he could fool himself into thinking he was happy. There was nothing he looked forward to more than putting on his nightcap and tucking himself into bed for a long night of dreaming.
But now? In this life?
Stede loves the morning.   
He loves the way the sun’s rays stream into the window of the bedroom he shares with Ed. He loves stretching out his arms and wiggling his fingers to get some circulation back into them before he pulls Ed into a tighter embrace. He loves the sleepy little noises Ed makes as he settles himself into Stede’s chest. He loves gently running his hand through Ed’s hair and seeing if any more silver strands sprouted overnight. 
He loves placing gentle kisses on whatever part of Ed he can reach — the top of his head, above his eyebrow, on his cheek, on his nose, down his neck and back up again. 
He loves how Ed feels wrapped up around him, all warm and languid and liquid, like a big, gorgeous cat sunning himself in love. But in a way that doesn’t sound weird. Because that does sound weird. A bit. 
But still. 
Stede loves mornings.
All nice and quiet and peaceful. No expectations to speak of. 
Just love.
Ed rolls over in Stede’s arms, taking one of Stede’s hands as he does. Smiling, Stede turns his focus to the new area of skin Ed very kindly bared for kisses. He peppers soft kisses all over Ed's back, gentle and sweet, each one a reminder to Ed:
Hello, my love.
I’m here.
I love this life we’ve built together.
We’ll get our first guest at the inn some day.
You’re beautiful.
You’re wonderful.
You’re mine.
And then Stede feels Ed pull his hand to his lips, and Ed presses a kiss there, and Stede squeezes his hand back.
“Morning, love.” Ed’s voice is still raspy with sleep, just one more thing Stede loves about the mornings. “Have a good night's sleep?”
“Yes,” Stede replies, and tugs Ed closer to him. “And now I can't wait to start our day.”  
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roosterbruiser · 10 months
Text
𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥
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The sandy stone patio outside The Hard Deck is quiet. 
Well, it’s quieter than it was inside. Rowdy Navymen and their rowdy friends a few too many draft beers deep jamming out with the jukebox on high, Penny overwhelmed by the amount of men in Uncle Sam beards and patriotic paper top-hats, peanut shells on the floor, ice clinking in whiskey glasses, fireworks going off every few minutes. 
It’s all a bit overwhelming for you, which is why you slid out and quietly settled in one of the metal bistro chairs, breathing in the sweet ocean and sulfuric air. It’s foggy outside from the fireworks, which are bursting into the night sky in fantastic sparks of yellow and pink and red and blue. 
Finally--you can take a deep breath, inflate your lungs, tune in with your daughter just beneath the taut skin of your swollen belly. She’s fluttering around like she always is when you’re finally still. Sometimes, you like to imagine that she’s mimicking you: taking a deep breath, tilting her head towards the sky, lashes fluttering as she watches the fireworks. 
Bradley is still sitting at the piano, playing a jaunty version of Born in the USA on the piano, a little tipsy and the kind of happy that makes his cheeks bright pink. The usual crowd is around him, much drunker and much blearier, sloshing their drinks and mussing each other’s faux beards. 
“Where’s that wife of mine?” Bradley asks suddenly--he scans the crowd around the piano and doesn’t find you in the sea of red, white, and blue. “Jake, did you scare her off?” 
“She wakes up to you every morning, Bradshaw,” Jake retorts, grinning. “How could I scare her off?” 
Bradley stills--everyone groans when the live music stops. 
“Yeah, yeah, cry me a river!” Bradley says as everyone boo’s him. He stands up, stretches, glances around the bar again. He doesn't see you still. “Respect your countryman!” 
And then he’s fielding pats on the backs as he navigates the bar, heading for the patio doors. He’s sure you’re out there--you like to sneak away when you can get away with it to dip your toes in the water or sit in the patio chairs. 
He’s right--you’re right where he knew you would be: sitting in the patio chair, head tilted back as you watch the smoke drift across the star-dotted sky, shoes thrown aside and feet buried in the sand, eyes shining as you stroke your belly with both hands. 
“Hey, mama,” he greets softly. 
You turn, a soft smile on your face. All the noise of the bar fades whenever Rooster closes the door behind him, grinning at you something fierce.
“Hey, daddy,” you respond, face warm with love.  
He stalls right where he is, hands on the hips of his true-blue Levi’s. Pink sprouts across the exposed part of his chest, his Hawaiian shirt long unbuttoned after his fourth drink and second song on the piano. He just beholds you, a lip tucked between his teeth, his smile growing wider when you wrinkle your nose at him. 
“What?” You ask, but you have a feeling that you already know. 
“You’re a fucking vision,” he sighs, earnest and yearning. “How’d I land a bombshell like you?” 
“Trapped me,” you tease, gesturing to your bump. “Remember?” 
He grins, laughing. He starts to toe his Chuck Taylors off, peeling his socks off while you rest your cheek on your shoulder to gaze at him. 
“It’s quiet out here,” he says softly, sauntering over to you and wrapping his arms around your neck. He peppers your sweet-smelling hair with a few kisses before tucking his nose into your neck. “Didn’t realize my ears were ringing in there.” 
You smile. 
“Poor baby,” you mutter mockingly, curling your fingers in his sandy locks. “You alright?”
“Respect your countryman,” Bradley insists softly, muffled from the silky skin of your neck. “And the father of your daughter.” 
He moves his hand to your belly and your daughter kicks softly, stretching and turning. You can feel his grin when it spreads across his face. He’s so delighted in the thought of becoming a father that his joy is genuinely palpable. You can feel it at all times like the sun on your cheeks or the wind in your hair. 
His hand is warm, covering the front of your rounded belly. Bradley sighs softly, eyes fluttering shut as he feels your daughter move inside of you, imagining what she’ll be like. 
But then a firework goes off--pops right beside the both of you. And you both feel it: your daughter jolting in your belly, startled. 
Before Bradley can respond, you’re laughing. Laughing a big and loud laugh with your mouth wide open and your eyes teary.
“Oh,” you giggle, grinning at Bradley. “Our poor baby!” 
Bradley, frowning good-naturedly, tuts and moves so he’s kneeling before you. You’re still fighting your laughter, biting your lip and stroking your belly. But Bradley’s tucking himself between your legs, moving your shirt up until the curve of your belly is exposed to the cool night air. 
“Poor thing,” Bradley said, pressing a few kisses to your skin. “S’okay, bird. Just some fireworks, huh? You’re gonna have to get used to ‘em, aren’t you? Fourth of July is…big in this family, to say the least.” 
You nod as if she can see you, combing your fingers through his hair as he peppers your belly in affection. You can almost see it now: Bradley holding your tiny daughter, pressing his nose into her little shoulder, making her shudder when his mustache tickles her delicate skin. 
“We’ll get her some headphones,” you tell him, biting a grin. “That oughta do the trick, huh?” Another firework pops and she jolts again, more than before. Your belly flutters, tenses. “She really doesn’t like those,” you tell Bradley, gasping softly. 
With his brows furrowed, Bradley peers over his shoulder at the small group of mens setting them off on the beach. 
“I’m gonna go give ‘em a piece of my mind,” he mutters. 
“Bradley,” you laugh. “What’re you gonna say? You’re scaring my unborn daughter?”
He pauses--glares at you. 
“And if that is what I’m gonna say?” 
Grinning, feeling like you’re about to burst with all this love for this goofy man on his knees before you, you shake your head. 
“Oh, boy, do I love you,” you say softly. “And so does our daughter.” 
He grins. 
“Our American girl,” he laughs. “Who doesn’t like fireworks.”
You hope, with everything in your heart, that she has his laugh. Big, loud, hearty. You want people to hear her laugh and know who her father is. Oh, that’s gotta be a Bradshaw. 
“She’ll learn,” you tell him, stroking your belly. “Her daddy’s a Navyman.” 
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𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐟 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐬 <𝟑
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vxiphoid · 10 months
Text
PIXELATED ZEN
❨ summary ❩ genshin › genshin men playing minecraft with you ((ft. alhaitham, itto, cyno, diluc, kazuha, kaeya, heizou, & xiao))
tags ✧ modern au, drabble, fluff, chaotic energy, not proofread, cursing, ooc(?), established relationship, gn!reader, kaeya sets a forest on fire, alhaitham does not appreciate bees, mentions of pixelated deaths
amanuensis’ message ⊹ IM NOT TRYING TO KILL MY OTHER FANDOMS I SWEAR… im gonna back up from twst for a bit (im literally posting scarabia soon.) you can clearly tell who my favorites are… this unlocked a whole different part of my brain holy shit im deceased
⌜200+ e/chara ⌟
♫ blossom - t. shan
genshin masterlist
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ALHAITHAM
╰┈➤ tbh he thinks minecraft is stupid, i mean, why not read a book instead of burning the images of pixels into your eye sockets😒 yeah, he’d just rather books. its a game about blocks, what could possibly be so interesting? he will admit the music is… nice. its nostalgic even though he’s never heard the track before. his favorite animals are the axolotl idk they’re his little pookies. its their little stick arms, they look so silly… as soon as haitham found out that you could color things its over, he make some sweet things like putting a sign on top of your shared house with both initials with colored dye. he’s so happy, just not very vocal about it, but he has the smallest of smiles. he definitely has headphones with the crochet sprout on it omg😭 alhaitham does not like bees whatsoever, they stung him for trying to get food. he just wanted honey :[
“look, the dog’s collar is blue. and the sign’s letters are green and then if you add a glow squid’s ink, it lights up.”
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ARATAKI ITTO
╰┈➤ he has waited YEARS for someone to play minecraft with him omfg. certified snack hoarder for times like these. you both literally hit each other to show love, you’ve accidentally killed him once bc he didn’t tell you that he had like half a heart… itto likes the water, hates the guardians because who do you think you are attacking him out of nowhere??? gets one shotted by the elder guardian while trying to fight it with a stick and then blames it on magma blocks pulling him down. GAMING WITH HIM IS NEVER CALM GODS💀 you cannot lay on him or anything bc as soon as those cave sounds or disc 13 start playing, he’s already done sprung out of his seat. his screams are actually really funny though, you got him a cat from how much he’s been assaulted by creepers. when you introduced him to shaders, he was so in awe. “babe i have a shadow!” type of excitement JAKEJEJDMnda.
“the cat’s name is sir arataki the third, you are now my loyal guard cat. who’s an adorable little guy?”
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CYNO
╰┈➤ look at this nerd (affectionate), ofc he plays cubecraft. loved it so much that when he didn’t have the actual game, he would play the really bad knockoffs💀 plays on console so you can sit between his legs, lean back, and game with him. cyno hate the split screen because he always gets confused on what side he’s on so he lets you use his switch, that way you’re both still comfortable. he’s more of an explorer if you do get mod packs for him, likes the horror ones the most. there’s nothing like hitting the enemy or shit talking the thing that could potentially one shot you with your s/o‼️ yall crouch a lot, its like a little dance. he really likes the disc “far” it itches his brain in the right way. definitely downloads the little raccoon mobs but then regrets it because he gives up all his berries to them, look at their little begging arms, literally how can you say no to that?? AND THEY WASH THE BERRIES. you both fall asleep to the ambience and to each others breathing all cuddled up ‘n warm. cyno absentmindedly sings the music while chopping wood or mining that shit has you SLUMPED. he kisses your head when you fall asleep, smiling like a silly goober.
“do-do-do-do do-do-do-do do, neow neow neow nneow neeeowwww… huh? oh, i’m almost done then we can go to bed, yeah? i’ll charge the switch too, don’t worry. just rest.”
(he’s singing that one part in danny lmfao)
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DILUC
╰┈➤ diluc does not understand the concept of minecraft but its okay, he’s just happy to be here. he also doesn’t call it minecraft but “cave game”, the original name, he did his research though it is rare that he actually calls it minecraft. found out that you could breed animals and accidentally made a pack of wolves. diluc is really good with redstone its actually insane😭 he’s the type to protect you the whole time while you’re getting flowers for the house, boyfriend bodyguard. diluc doesn’t play much because of his job but when he does, he’s prepared to sit for hours and spend time with you :(. these are the times where he’s most affectionate, randomly kissing your cheek, getting water for the both of you before you play, etc. luc loves the mod pack “industrial”, he can build machines, how neat is that??? also it has way more OMFP with the added features it has yk? he likes the trains :D
“is the water running…? the water’s running, they have moving windmills!”
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KAEDEHARA KAZUHA
╰┈➤ kazuha has the most expensive equipment yet doesn’t use this shit half of the time unless he’s streaming with heizou??? like im talking msi infinite rs pc, multiple monitors, a graphic drawing tablet, headphones with immaculate sound quality AND!!! the ear cups have fucking cyberpunk 3d wing guards on them. but anyways, minecraft, yes, he plays. in fact, kaedehara has about 10 beaten hardcore worlds every time a new update comes out, he must beat the game again. he rarely plays minecraft without his shaders so when you want to play the original og minecraft, he doesn’t mind, he actually enjoys the nostalgia. so much so the music is actually his background music when he’s just lazing around. words cannot express how much he dislikes (hates) wardens omg. he’ll protect you from them but if there were diamonds behind a warden, ig he’s going somewhere else😭 kazuha gives you random shit, weather that be something really sweet or questionable…
“love, do you want my rotten flesh? here<3 oh! and, i also got you some steak, you’re low on hearts…”
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KAEYA
╰┈➤ he’s heard of it, watched people play, just never played it. but when he does… he’s a menace. kaeya got his hands on flint and steel and set an entire jungle on fire… but he can be sweet sometimes! you’re the one protecting his ass while he walks around at night UNARMED to gather blue flowers for you. like you’re cute, but take a shield or something😭 he’s jumped off of a tall building before and landed on half a heart for a stack of bread you didn’t want. he’s rather oblivious to the mobs around him, he once thought shulkers were friends because they were just “silly little guys in little boxes” yk until they almost killed him. you bought him his own skin and introduced him to parrots and now its his favorite animal, he looks like a pirate!!! kaeya is chaotically sweet.
“yes, you almost died protecting me but how could you resist my everlasting love plus pixelated blue flowers?”
(has a cat unironically named ice spice LMFAO)
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SHIKANOIN HEIZOU
╰┈➤ your boyfriend is good at literally anything else BUT minecraft. its the way this game constantly has it out for him too like what did bro do??🙁 heizou stream’s with kazuha every now and again and on those, he still doesn’t know what to do… he’d rather play on the servers, bedwars in particular. extremely good at bw, you’d rather NOT be his enemy😭😭 wins almost every single game even when he carries, rank 98 in the server. yet when it comes to a casual server between you and him, the chats are filled with his deaths and his hashtagged rages💀 heizou despises silverfish which is also why he hates going into strongholds, they could get stomped on for all he cares! >:( he has texture packs with really beautiful skies and then a picnic mod so he can stargaze with you and eats minecraft cake :(<3
“oh. babe, green is heading for our bed, no pressure or anything. i loovveee youuu😚”
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XIAO
╰┈➤ xiao has the MOST downloaded mod packs, shaders, and worlds. not very expensive mod packs most of the time but when they are, they’re always good. spends his time fighting off mobs at night, #1 totem holder. he even has his own custom skin!!! he’s kinda been waiting for you to ask so when you do play mc together, you already have your own room, but when you voluntarily move your bed into his room to sleep… he melts. xiao loves cuddling while the two of you play, he’d rather your arms around him than the other way around, feels more intimate. you have matching hoodies for occasions like this. he has the dragon mod pack and has his own golden and orange dragon named ‘li’. he doesn’t talk while gaming, curses silently when he gets hit, but other than that doesn’t talk. if you want to talk, he’ll listen, he likes hearing about your day :].
“no, keep talking. i’m listening. see, li’s listening too.”
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cursedkeyboard · 4 months
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Babies shouldn't grow up ☆ Jason Todd & GN!Reader (PT.6 FINAL)
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What does Jason do after he secures his spot as your number one person and you slowly but surely grow up into an independent teen..? Wait, stop, you're not supposed to do that. You're his baby. [PART ONE ♤ PART TWO ♤ PART THREE ♤ PART FOUR ♤ PART FIVE ♤ PART SIX]
Pairings: Platonic Jason Todd & Child GN!Reader / Batfamily & Child GN!Reader
Okay, let's be honest here, Jason would hate how fast time flies
As busy as he'd be splitting his life between vigilante work and fatherhood, taking down crazy new villains, attending to your school events, catching up with his friends, going on family vacations, Jason would 100% still notice how fast you were growing
By the way he'd have to often buy you new clothes because of your growth spurt
And how the current mark on the wall where he measured your height was inches apart from the first one he made
You were spending more time with your friends, the things you were getting interested in made no sense to him, and you wouldn't go to him to take care of your hair as much as you used to
It fucking terrified Jason
He hated it, so much
While he was proud and absolutely thrilled that you were independent, confident, and a hell of a charmer, he also wanted his baby back
The little brat who barely came up to his elbows
The one who'd cling to his legs whenever he told you to clean your room and would get dragged around
Hell, he really missed how you'd fit so easily in his arms as he carried you around
You still fit, he was a big guy after all, but for you it'd be a bit embarrassing for your dad to carry you around like that
Teenagers and embarrassment, am I right?
Now in his late twenties and over all that anger inside him, Jason would probably whine about it to his family
"I mean, how can someone grow so fast? It makes no fucking sense!"
"Jason, it's been five years, kids grow."
"Thanks Captain Obvious, but mine shouldn't!"
"What? You wanted the kid to be eleven forever?"
"..."
"Jay..."
"Shut the fuck up."
Somehow, being so lonely and melancholic over watching you sprout and bloom, Jason would even end up bonding a little with Bruce
Think about it, at this point Bruce would already be in his sixties or something, so Cass would've taken over the mantle by then
I'd imagine he'd still work as intelligence for the League but with Cass as the Hero of Gotham and Tim as the CEO of Wayne Industries, the old bat would have a lot of time in his hands
Which he'd spend around his family and grandkid
And when Bruce noticed Jason's pouty and broody demeanor when you were texting a friend, he couldn't help but laugh
"Now you know how I feel."
"It's different. It's going too fast."
"Son, I watched all of you leave the manor in less than fifteen years, it's always too fast."
Begrudgingly, Jason listened to Bruce's advice, that same old anxiety rising up in his chest, leaving him vulnerable and restless
"The best thing you can do is talk to your kid. I learned it the hard way with all of you and I know things would've been different if I had reached out sooner."
Jason couldn't deny that, even if the look in his old man's face did make his chest hurt a little
It's not like he hadn't thought about it, to be honest, you two always had a very open and communicative relationship
That was the exact reason why you two trusted each other implicitly and barely ever had any fights
But he was scared, downright terrified that you would confirm his fears
Just imagining you saying "I'm fifteen, dad, of course I'm not gonna hang out as much with you anymore." already broke his heart
So after whining a little to anyone near him and almost getting stabbed by Damian for "being such a clueless moron", Jason decided to put his big, grown ass adult pants and talk to you
It would be during a late afternoon, when the sun is setting and you had decided to make dinner tonight while Jason set the table
He'd run his hand through his hair once, then twice, maybe even thrice, and ask without looking at you
"Are you embarrassed of me?"
You'd almost burn yourself by whipping your head so hard Jason thought you'd snap your neck
"What?"
Ok, so they were doing this
Cool. Cool cool cool.
It was now or never
"You've been spending a lot of time away, always on your phone, we– uh, we haven't matched or hung out in a while either so– I get it, kid, I know you wouldn't want to–"
"Wait, stop, are you serious?"
Uh, oh, you were using the same tone as Damian
Like you thought he was the dumbest being to walk on earth
Damn that little demon for corrupting you
"I was just wondering, okay? I understand if–"
"No– dad, what? I thought you were busy!"
"What?"
Let's rewind a bit
You'd always been pretty attached to Jason, always glued to his hip, mimicking his mannerisms and speech
Steph even called you "mini Red Hood" when you started to unconsciously copy the way your old man dressed and his slangs
It was terribly cute for everyone
And you were proud of it! You were!
Jason was your hero, your favorite person, your dad
You wanted to be like him and you weren't ashamed of it, not even when Damian tried making fun of you
Because he was a dirty Batman wannabe and nobody liked those
He was your best friend and confidant, the one adult you'd trust fully without questions, always by his side and supporting him through everything
Except for that one time playing monopoly but that was Cass's influence
You owned Red Hood merch, you liked spending weekends and holidays with him, you matched your tastes and likes to everything Jason liked because it was Jason and you wanted to be closer to him
Birthdays could end up being just the two of you and you'd still be thrilled to have your dad around (even if the other bats would never allow such sad little party)
You had around nine years of experience with shitty adults, so excuse you for being overjoyed that your real dad was someone worth loving fully and irrevocably
But everything changed when you turned fourteen and the kids in your class started acting... weird
"Urgh, my mom is so embarrassing."
"My dad keeps calling me little princess even though I told him to stop!"
"Why are parents so cringe."
Apparently, disliking your parents made you cool in middle school
But that's not what changed things
It was when your friends laughed at you for talking so much about Jason, asking you if your old man even had time to do other things when you kept clinging to him
Which... you had never thought about
In all honesty, being around your dad was so natural at that point, always in his field of vision, relating random things to him, texting one word messages just to check in, that you hadn't realized you've might have been hogging his attention too much
Some unease and insecurities wormed their way inside your vulnerable teen heart and you convinced yourself you had been taking too much of your father's time
You couldn't even remember the last time he hung out with his best friend
What if he became sick of you?
What if he was already annoyed?
That terrified you, it truly did
Long story short, you forced yourself to change a little, keeping a bit more distance, not being as needy or clingy
You even started doing your hair by yourself, which sucked so much ass
You never realized how much thought and care your dad put in taking care of you
It made you miss him even more, but you wanted to be a good kid and let your dad have some freedom
He was still in his 20s after all!
And with him a bit more involved with his vigilante side of life, going to the manor more often, and the rise in criminal activity, you had assumed he was busy being an adult
Which, eurgh, you missed him so bad
But you were being a good child!
So much for that
By the time you finished explaining your side of things, after the two of you stared at each other for long moments, Jason was left with his head in his hands
He made a noise akin to a deflating balloon, his shoulders slumping
Good god, the two of you were embarrassing
He loved you
So fucking much
Jason thought his heart would explode
He could've been a little upset that you didn't just... talk to him but then again, he also didn't talk to you
Like father, like kid
"You're so stupid!"
Your laughter warmed his heart as he grabbed you by the shoulders and wrapped you in a bear hug, squeezing you tightly
Yep, you still fit perfectly in his arms
"Says the one who listened to the words of fourteen year olds!"
"I was also fourteen!"
Even though you two bickered and grumbled, his sigh of relief in your hair was very telling
And so was the way you clung to him tightly
God, he had missed his kiddo so much
"Never do that to me again, okay? Babies shouldn't grow so fast."
"I'm fifteen, dad."
"And you're also cute and short, so you're still my baby."
"Everyone is short when you're six foot."
"Thank the pit for that."
"I don't think I will, actually."
That night, after the two of you ate your somewhat burnt dinner, Jason carried you to the couch despite your whining and cuddled you as you picked your movie of choice
You did grow, currently in that awkward teen phase with growing pains and longer limbs, but the way you tucked your head beneath his chin was still the same
The way you looked at him, eyes filled with happiness and adoration, was still the same
Your laugh and sharp words, how you still reacted the same way to certain scenes, your mannerisms, attitude, innocence
Sure, you were growing wonderfully
And you definitely mirrored him a lot more than you knew
But Jason had been a fool for thinking you were changing
You were still his baby, the mean kid with a soft heart, rough past, and dirty mouth he grew to love so much he didn't know what to do with himself
And to know that distance between you two had been manipulated and not purposeful ripped his anxiety right out of his chest
You wanted to be by his side just as much
You loved him just as much
And he couldn't ask for more
"You will let me do your hair tomorrow though, you fucking suck at it."
"Suck a bag of dicks, dad."
"Love you too, brat."
The end.
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bitterspoons · 8 days
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For once, I thought it was me.
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Pairing: Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader
Summary: Soulmate au where you can hear the songs your soulmate is listening to. Fred asks your best friend—Angelina—to the ball thinking she's his soulmate.
use of y/n
Warnings: Angst and just a lil' fluff
Word Count:
part one / part two coming soon
A/N: of course the first thing I write is a soulmate au 😭—it's fine and I hope you like it.
"Angelina!" Y/n calls, running over to the Gryffindor table—almost tripping over her feet before placing a hand on Angelina's shoulder.
"Yes?" Angelina looked up from her conversation with the Weasley twins and smiled at her best friend. The Great Hall was bustling with noise.
Y/n panted, catching her breath as she fixed her hair. "Sorry—I just—I ran—oh god I'm dying—" Y/n tried to catch her breath before waving her hand at the twins. "Give me a second—continue your conversation..."
Angelina chuckled before turning back to George and Fred. "This is my friend, Y/n." Angelina introduced. "She's in Hufflepuff so I doubt you would've met her."
Y/n waved, stealing some of Angelina's water.
"Why haven't you invited her to some of our parties?" George asked, batting his eyes. "It would've been nice, seeing a pretty face more often."
Angelina rolled her eyes at the flirt, making space next to her for Y/n. "Yeah, I've asked her but she's not a huge fan of social events." She explained. "It's a miracle she's even in the Great Hall—why aren't you with Willow?"
"Oh, I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out after Divination. Turns out my detention with Professor Sprout is cancelled!" The Hufflepuff said happily, still a bit red from George's flattering.
"Hell yeah!" Angelina cheered. "I told you she loves you."
Y/n smiled. "Yeah but turning her favorite plant into a pair of heels is pushing the line."
Fred cackled. "Y/n, You did what?!"
In her head, a symphony sounded. Him just saying her name sounded like an orchestra.
Pops of warmths fidgeted around her. She had always had a crush on the Weasley, and she never really knew when it happened. She hasn't told a soul and she never would. It was just— he always seemed so happy. She had made him happy, she made him laugh.
Y/n beamed as she explained how she had gotten too caught up with her conversation with Angelina about what shoes to wear for the Yule Ball, she had completely forgotten about the spell she was casting.
"Little Chéri's a troublemaker huh?" Fred teased, scrunching up his nose.
"Chéri?!" Angelina cackled—not a fan of pet names in the slightest.
George grumbled. "Fred has been learning French so he can impress girls."
Y/n laughed, taking a sip of Angelina's water again. "I think it's cute." She bit the tip of her thumbs, an old habit of hers.
"Ever the hopeless romantic, Y/n." Angelina commented, stealing her drink back.
The four engaged in conversation until a Slytherin tapped on Y/n's shoulder. "Uh—Y/n, I think I have a fitting right now." She said awkwardly, getting glares from the Gryffindors.
"Oh!" Y/n shot up, grabbing the last strawberry off of Angelina's plate before grabbing Angelina's pen—sticking it behind her ear—and running off, dragging the Slytherin with her.
"Hey!" Angelina protested, grumbling as she bit into her toast.
"What was that about?" Fred asked, battling Ron for the last corndog.
"Huh? Oh—Y/n and I are helping organise the Ball." Angelina explained, not seeing how Fred watched her run her fingers through her hair as she grabbed another pen to do her Potions Homework. "She's helping make and tailor people's outfits."
"Y/n?" Hermione clarified, popping into the conversation. "She's ridiculously talented, she made the dress I'm wearing!"
"She made adjustments on mine!" Angelina looked at Hermione. "I didn't like how bland my dress was, so she helped bedazzled it."
"Do you think she can fix Fred's dress?" George asked, earning a punch from Fred. "Ow! No seriously though, his tie is all wonky and his pants go way past his feet. Poor bloke's gonna trip!"
Angelina laughed, packing her stuff away and slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Find out yourself! I have to go check up on the Frog Choir."
Just a couple minutes later, Fred heard oddly croaky choruses from his soulmate.
●●●
Fred was trying to go the sleep that night, but all he could hear was stupid music.
When he couldn't decipher whether he was hearing it through his soulmate or if he was hearing it in the common room, he shoved his slippers on and slowly went down stairs.
As he peeked his head around the corner, he saw Angelina dancing with somebody—a CD player in the background as they laughed.
It was the same music playing in his head...Is Angelina—actually his soulmate?
He watched Angelina dance with her friend, practicing their dance for the ball before slowly going back upstairs.
Y/n and Angelina fell the floor in a heap, almost crying of laughter as Angelina stepped on Y/n's foot and then went crashing to the floor.
"So, are you planning on asking your mystery crush to the ball?" Angelina asked, rolling onto her stomach and popping the CD out.
Angelina didn't have a clue about her crush on one of the Weasley twins. Y/n refused to tell her, but she did give vague details about why she liked him so much.
"You think I have time for that?" Y/n questioned, brushing her hair. "Even if I did have the time to ask him, he's probably not even my soulmate."
"Who cares?" Angelina asked, exasperated.
Angelina was one of the people who couldn't hear music from their soulmate, it happened more than you'd think—about as common as dyslexia.
Angelina didn't give two fucks about whether the person she was dating was her soulmate, she tended to do whatever she wanted.
"Well—my soulmate is pretty cool too." Y/n protested.
"Well obviously!" Angelina retorted. "They has to be good enough for our Y/n"
"Oh stop it." Y/n laughed, throwing her hairbrush at Angelina. "I won't have time to ask someone and besides, I think he likes someone else." Y/n looked down, fiddling at the edge of her pink pyjamas.
"Your soulmate or your crush?"
"Maybe both!"
●●●
Fred woke up early today, mostly because he couldn't sleep. I mean, he just found his soulmate! This is the moment that everybody waits for, and it finally happened!
Fred was utterly in love with whoever his soulmate was. The two soulmates have sang duets with each other since they could talk—never making any action to try and find each other but Fred would be lying if he said he hadn't blasted music in his ears just to see if someone in the Great Hall would react.
His soulmate was constantly listening to music and singing songs, it comforted him whenever he heard it—especially since he's heard it since he was little.
And it was Angelina, a girl he was been trying not to crush on for ages.
Fred walked down the stairs, almost laughing when he saw Angelina.
Angelina and Y/n were completely passed out on the common room couches, paper sprawled out as they were doing a history of magic essay.
Fred shook Angelina awake. "Angie...Angie!"
Angelina fell off the bed. "What?"
Fred grinned. "I just thought you might wanna head to bed before the rest of the house wakes up."
Angelina rubbed her eyes before looking around—seeing essay papers, pens and her best friend, still sleeping as she sleepily held the tip of her thumb in her mouth and lulled herself asleep. "What time is it?"
"You have a little less than three hours before everybody else wakes up."
Angelina sighed, getting up and separating their papers and pens. "Hey, Fred?"
"Yeah?" He said hopefully.
"Can you do me a favour?"
Angelina handed him a messenger bag with little bows and gold chains decorating it, he took it without question as she continued.
"Do you think you could get Y/n to her common room? This is.. um This is the longest she's slept for a while and I don't know how to get into the Hufflepuff common room."
Fred thought for a moment—but who was he to deny his soulmate? After all, getting into the Hufflepuff dorms were easy—having learned the ins and outs of practically the whole school.
So Fred slung the bag across his shoulder and walked over to Y/n, still sleeping peacefully.
"Thank you!" Angelina grabbed her own supplies and started going up stairs. "You're the best!" She called. "I'll get you a tailoring with her today! Is dinner alright?"
Fred nodded, slowly picked Y/n up, putting her on the couch so he could give her a piggy back ride to her common room. "Hold on..."
Almost as if her sleeping body could hear it, Y/n's body tensed up, making it easier for Fred to carry.
So Fred walked out of the Gryffindor dormitories and started walking in the halls to go to the Hufflepuff common room.
The sun had barely risen, shining dull lights into the hallway and Fred felt Y/n shift in her sleep—ignoring how his skin fluttered as her breath rolled on top of it.
Fred almost stopped walking as Y/n shifted once more, making a small whimper, trying to pull her hand closer to her face.
"Chéri, if you move your hand, you're gonna fall—okay?" Fred said softly, adjusting his grip on her legs, making sure she wouldn't slip.
Y/n hummed in response, tucking her head on Fred's shoulder as he kept on walking.
Fred was halfway to the common room—walking slowly as to not wake up Y/n when he froze.
Having her thumb clasped between her fingers around Fred's chest, supporting her upper body weight—Fred felt her head twitching, needing something to soothe her to sleep.
Not wanting to have to explain the situation to the sleeping girl or disappoint Angelina—Fred adjusted the girl, now giving her a piggy-front, letting Y/n head sit comfortably against his neck.
Fred debated checking whether his face was on fire when the sleeping girl began to press little kisses on his neck, trying to substitute something for her thumb.
Fred continued walking, but why was he so flustered?
Maybe it’s his soulmate’s best friend.
What was her name again? Y/n?
Fred knocked on the Hufflepuff dorm door in the tune of Helga Hufflepuff. Before walking in and taking the stairs to the girl’s dormitory.
Trying not to feel awkward, he searched the dorm labels until he saw it.
______________
Girls Dorm #207
- Susan Bones
- Lia Diggory
- Y/n L/n
______________
Praising Merlin that she didn’t have too many roommates— He knocked on the door a few times, jumping up again to make sure Y/n didn’t slip.
"Hello?" A small voice asked, a very tired red head opened the door.
Fred gave an award smile. "I have a delivery?"
The girl smiled before letting him in and pointing at the empty bed and messed up desk.
Feed walked over, clutching on to Y/n as he quickly flipped the blanket open and tucked her instead. Y/n immediately latched onto the blankets.
Fred smiled before looking at her desk—tons of dress designs a long with tons of reminders everywhere when a certain one caught his eyes.
The Weasley Twins Inspired Dress
Curious, he picked up the sketch to see that she managed to make a confetti canon dress, inspired by that time he and George covered the Slytherin team in confetti right before a Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.
"I think you're cute together," Susan whispered bashfully, her cheeks pink.
"Oh no," her face fell when Fred denied it. "I already found my soulmate today."
"Oh I'm sorry." Susan apologised, combing her hair. "I just thought your h—never mind." She began to point at her neck before waving it off. "I assume you know how to take care of it?"
"Yeah! I'm planning on asking her to the yule ball!" Fred said, not having any idea what Susan was talking about.
"What? Ya know what—" Susan dug through her make up bag before grabbing Fred's arm and swatching some concealer shades. "You're lucky, you're my winter shade." Susan tossed Fred a concealer wand before shooing him out. "Bye!"
Holding onto the concealer, extremely confused, Fred walked back to him common room before going into the bathroom.
"Shit." Fred vocalised, realising why Susan Bones has thrown him concealer.
A light hickey lay on the side of his neck where Y/n had been.
Fred spent the next two hours trying to figure out how concealer worked.
He didn't understand it—instead opting for a scarf instead to cover up the blotchy disaster he created on his neck.
●●●
Y/n genuinely didn't question why she woke up in her bed and more concerned on her planner—you could see her running up and down the halls all day.
"Professor Moody, may I borrow Ron Weasley please?"
Ron showed her his suit for the ball. "Never mind, you're beyond help. Professor Moody, you can have him back." Y/n said, scribbling something out in her planner.
Taking the stairs, Y/n just started walking—flipping to the back of her planner to edit some sketches and ideas for dresses—not noticing the stair cases changing directions.
Walking up and down and sideways along the halls, Y/n kept walking until she bumped into someone.
"I'm so sorry!" She said automatically only to be shushed by two voices. "Huh—?"
""SHH!" Y/n looked at the two Weasley twins.
"Why?" She asked, looking around to see nobody.
"I don' know," Fred admitted.
"We're skipping, so I assume we have to be quiet." George finished.
The Hufflepuff scoffed. "I'm not skipping. I did all my work in advance so I could focus of the dress making." She looked down at the planner. "And on that note—you have a appointment with me in two minutes. We can't be late!"
"Does that mean you have the answers?" Fred asked as he got dragged away.
"We can discuss answers after we're on time for our session."
"If it's our appointment, how can we be late?"
Y/n sighed, shaking her head. “It’s fine we’re almost there, Willow’s gonna be upset.”
“Who?”
Y/n dragged Fred near a tree where a small desk, mannequins and color swatches were, Y/n thrust Fred upon a little platform until tree branches began to swing around chaotically.
“Willow! Calm down! This isn’t Ron! This is a different Weasley!” Y/n started yelling.
“Willow? As in the Whomping Willow?!”
“Stop moving!” Y/n snapped, petting the branches. “Willow didn’t like it when your brother nearly killed her with a car. I think she has like— Weasley trauma.”
Fred cackled. “Weasley trauma?” A tree branch slapped the back of his head. “Hey!”
“She’s very sensitive.” Y/n defended. “Speaking of Ron, please tell me your suit isn’t as hideous.”
“Don’t worry— I just have a normal suit… I wasn’t sure if I should’ve brought it so I just wore it—”
“That’s perfect. Mind shrugging off the jacket and scarf?”
Nervously, Fred took off the scarf and jacket, revealing the concealer mess on his neck.
“Oh sweetie, what the hell happened to your neck!” Y/n cooed. "Goodness, let me help you. You're gonna break out... Accio makeup kit!"
"I have every shade under the sun, I'm helping people with their makeup too." Y/n waved her hand down. "Get down, off." Y/n stepped onto the platform as Fred stepped off, facing Y/n.
Y/n took a makeup wipe and cleaned up the spot before taking out a whisk and spinning it on the hickey.
"When did you learn how to hide hickey? Does that even work?" Fred asked, watching the metal kitchen utensil.
"Oh hush, it's common knowledge." Y/n pushed his face away, continuing to whisk. "It helps the blood disperse. Next time, put ice on it before it bruises."
Shade matching and blending it in, Y/n hoped Fred couldn't hear her heart beating out of her chest as she finished hiding the red mark. "See? Like it never even happened."
Willow presented a mirror for Fred to see for himself, thank god because that scarf was very itchy.
"Now, how much are we thinking off the tie?" Y/n held up a tape measure and a sharpie, tucking the sharpie behind her ear. "It supposed to be around your belt buckle...Do you feel comfortable with it over here?"
Fred nodded, looking at her in the mirror more than him. Why hadn't he seen her more often? Has she been friends with Angelina for a long time?
"Lovely...okay do you mind if I take this?" Y/n took the colorful tie off Fred and held it up to Willow." Willow, this is Fred's tie." Willow held onto the tie.
"Okay just one second..." Y/n brought out a sheet of brown fabric and a sheet of black fabric and hopped onto the platform with him. She pulled the black one around half of his chest and the brown one around the other half.
"Okay so I think the brown is more flattering on you, I feel like you look paler with the black one—Hey!"
Fred's head started tilting to one side as he imagined Angelina and her hanging out—still in disbelief he had actually found his soulmate.
Y/n grabbed his jaw and moved it so that it faced her. "Sorry, I just need to see—" Y/n furrowed her eyebrows confused as Fred pointed at something in the distance behind her.
Y/n looked behind her only for her jaw to pulled back and facing Fred, pulling the same move she had accidentally done to him. "Touché," She smiled—desperately hoping she wasn't blushing.
"How long have you friends with Angelina?" Fred asked, snapping Y/n out of her mental freakout.
"Oh—uh, since first year. We met on the train." Y/n cast a spell to turn Fred's suit brown. "Yeah that looks better—you looked like you were going to a funeral."
“Then why do I never see you guys hang out?”
Y/n thinks before answering. “I like to keep myself busy, that or I just eat in the kitchen.”
“Why not hang out with Angelina?”
“Uh- Well Alicia and I don’t really get along so I don’t want to make it weird for Angelina. Besides, most of the time Angelina hangs out with me in the kitchen.”
So that’s why Fred never sees Angelina in the Great hall. “Why the kitchen?”
“Because the house elves love me.” Y/n smiled, writing her to do list. “Besides, I like baking.”
Fred stepped off the platform and watched Y/n write. “Do you bake any of the food in the Great Hall?”
“The brownies, but sometimes I also cook the ribs but I like baking more than cooking.”
Fred loves the brownies, he eats them every time they show up on the table.
“Speaking of food… It’s dinner, you better hurry before all the seats are taken.” Y/n starting putting things away and getting out a dress presumingly belonging to her next appointment.
Fred stepped off the small platform, checking his covered hickey once more before starting to turn around. "You aren't going to dinner?"
"Maybe later." She responded quickly, casting a spell on the dress. "Not hungry. " She said briefly. "You can pick up your tie by like tomorrow."
"Alright then, I'll see you around?"
"Sure. Angelina! Can you grab that?" A piece of fabric swirled away in the wind near an approaching Angelina.
Fred walked away, happy with his day and his fitting appointment.
(A/N lmao I have nooooo idea how to end these. Part two could be ready tomorrow or in 3 months, we'll see.)
128 notes · View notes
octuscle · 6 months
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Support dude, it’s me again, Mike. I hit you up so much I feel like I should pay you. And hey if you need that, I’ve got you just tell me. I owe you a shit ton, dude. Since you last helped me, Jack and I tied the fucking knot (and had a hell of a honeymoon haha hadn’t gotten so many noise complaints since high school) and I even moved into his place. Real big and nice like, would make a suburban man cream his pants and even a socialite would do a double take. For as filthy as he can be with me, big boss knows how to fucking live.
But I wouldn’t be hitting you up if everything was all sunshine and rainbows, eh? (Though one of these days I might convince Boss to let you in on our thing for a night or two, just to say thank you if that’s a thing you wanted wink) One of the neighbors apparently doesn’t like it so much when I invite some of the guys at work over for our, let’s call em team bonding events. He bitches and moans about how loud and rowdy we get and how it’s ruining the value of the neighborhood. I almost kicked his ass the first time he came by all bossy and shit, but Boss told me he was President of their HOA or whatever the fuck and that I couldn’t. So I’ve been trying to ignore the prude but if he comes over and ruins another good night I might lose my cool and I don’t wanna let down Boss like that.
Any way you can make the neighborhood meet our lifestyle choices better, dude? I don’t wanna give up this lavish living so soon, it’s nice as hell. But I don’t want it to change me. I wanna change it! Ain’t no reason we can’t live it up without being able to get down if you catch my drift. Can you help me?
I have not invested so much time in my favorite customers, so that you now become adapted suburban bourgeois. So it's time for me to take care of your neighbor. He may be the president of the HOA, after all. But that doesn't give him the right to regulate your private lives. But I could add a little spice to his.
Actually, the boring buffer is not a visitor to the gym. Thank God. So at least you have peace from him there. But today he feels like working out his muscles. And of course, when he enters the locker room, you run right into his arms. And the slimy ass-kisser can do nothing but shake your hand in a friendly way, as if you were best friends. Oops, sorry that your towel slips down.
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Normally you are hard as granite when you come back from training. At the sight of your neighbor, the 8 inches dangle limply between your legs. He still seems impressed. To warn your man, you send him a quick message about what to expect during his workout. And write him that you are already preparing everything for dinner at home. "Everything is fine, stallion! daddy wont b disturbed during his workout. Ill b home in 2 hrs"
Your neighbor is blocking the very stations where Jack wants to work out. He has memorized the gym rules and points out every pissy infraction to your husband. In the beginning. But the more Jack sweats, the more musk he exudes, the hornier your neighbor gets. And slowly he starts to change. Actually, sleeveless tops are not allowed in the gym. You both don't care. And your neighbor now too. With the white wifebeater he looks almost like Jack's gym buddy. And he's starting to smell like one, too. It's hard to believe that just a few minutes ago he was the overgroomed suit guy. His armpit hair is sprouting. He obviously hasn't been to the barbershop in a few months either. He stops regimenting your husband. The two of them start working out together as if they've been doing it forever. Steve (your neighbor) can't get enough of having Jack's sweaty workout shorts hanging in front of his face during the bench press. His bulge gets bigger and bigger. And the damp spots in his shorts aren't just from sweat. Jack asks if it's not time to go to the locker room. Steve replies that he was already afraid that Jack wouldn't even ask.
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"is it k if i bring a pal 2 dinner" texts Jack. "he 1't want much mor then ur cum and mine." "then he shud bring big appetite" you reply. Shit, this time when Steve shakes your hand, nothing is limp between your legs. Enjoy the evening with the president of the HOA to the fullest!
Pics all found @thelockerroomblog
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bellarkeselection · 4 months
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Breathe With Me
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Request from @val2557 imagine of Kayce Dutton and he is helping the reader when she has a an anxiety attack when there is a lot of people at a dinner they are attending?
Everybody that knew who the Dutton family were had started making their own judgments about my relationship with Kayce. His father John always asked his kids to show up to the Livestock dinner party but it was rare that they all showed up. Beth didn’t see the point in it, Lee was focusing on running the ranch, Jaime was trying to run for office and that left the reason Kayce didn’t go to them….me.
I wanted to attend the dinners I really did. There was just one problem. I had anxiety when it came to large crowds who I felt were judging me. Running my hands down the light orange dress I was wearing I sighed letting my mind wander with my thoughts. “Come on Y/n. You can make it through this.”
“Y/n, are you ready….wow.” Whipping my head around I heard my boyfriend’s voice enter the bedroom.
I turned around making my short brown boots screech against the wooden floor. Normally I had my hair up in a braid but I decided to leave it loose and just put some curls on the ends. “Is it too much. I don’t know how you dress for a livestock dinner.”
“It’s not that. You….damn you look good.” Kayce gasped slowly crossing the floor until he was standing in front of me.
I smiled eyeing him in a tux for once. “You clean up rather good too, Dutton.” He had his normal black cowboy hat on his head paired with a white dress shirt and a black suit jacket.
“Are you sure you’re up for tonight. We can just stay home. My father will understand why.” He suggested to me.
I teased him trying to not have the conversation. “You just want to stay home so we can lay in bed all night.”
“I mean you weren’t complaining last time when we had sex for hours….but I am being serious about not wanting you to be nervous.” Kayce pointed out to me with a smirk on his face leaning closer to me kissing my forehead. He wrapped his arms around my waist tugging me against his chest gently.
Shaking my head in disagreement I draped my arms over his shoulders kissing his cheek. “I’ll be fine, Kayce. Tonight is important for your father and he want him to keep liking me if you ever want to put your mother’s ring on my finger.” He nodded looping his arm through mine leading me to his truck since we said we would meet him there later.
The drive wasn’t that bad since we just listened to county music until we parked the truck outside the building. He helped me out of the truck and we walked in together not holding hands since I wanted to appear confident during the dinner. Kayce had me walk in front of him opening the next door wheee I gulped coming into contact with a room of livestock members all talking. “Hey, look at me. Just tap me if you need to go and we will.”
“I got it, Kayce.” I nodded moving through the crowd of people finding our table and name tags at the very front.
John walked out onto the stage nodding his head down at us as a silent thank you for being here the second we sat down in our chairs. Lee was there but Beth and Jaime’s spots were still empty. “Since 1886 every Dutton who died is buried 300 yards from my back porch. My great, great, grandfather, to my wife, and someday I will be there myself. When a tree grows on my ranch, I know exactly what fed it. That’s the best we can hope for because nothing we do is for today. Ranching is the only business where the goal is to break even. Survive another season. Last long enough for your children to continue the cycle, and maybe just maybe, the land is still there when a tree sprouts from you…lord god give us rain and a little luck and we’ll do the rest, amen.”
I smiled, watching his speech feeling fine until I heard someone next to our table whispering. "I can't believe they came tonight."
"My boys were joking that they don't come because she might be pregnant." Another mumbled to their friend.
Reaching for the fork on the table I attempted to push past the tightness I could feel beginning to surface in my chest. "But there is someone I'd like to recognize tonight because she has been a great member of the family for a while now. Y/n L/n, I appreciate everything you do for this family."
"Hey are you okay?” Kayce shifted his gaze over to me seeing my chest heaving up and down. I was also clutching the fork in my hand until my fingers were almost turning white.
Lee glanced our direction beginning to clap at the end of his speech. “Congrats to Y/n and my father.”
Everybody around us joined in the clapping and cheering while John made his way over to our table. He sat down in the chair next to me. I shifted my gaze around the room quickly in a panic seeing my vision start to get blurry. “Y/n?” Kayce calls my name the second I dropped the fork and it clattered to the floor and I jumped up rushing through the crowd to the bathroom.
Shutting the door quickly I gasped for breath sliding down onto the floor to catch my breath. Gripping my hair in between my fingers I was so annoyed at myself. I shouldn’t have ran out of the room like that but I didn’t know what else to do. “Y/n, darling. Can I come in?”
“Yeah…” I croaked out wiping away the and getting up from the ground floor when he opened the door and shut it so nobody would see me crying in there.
Kayce stared at me silently for a moment seeing that I was shaking in my boots. Wrapping my arms around myself I felt like I still couldn’t breathe even though the tightness in my chest had gone away. He opened his arms and tilted his head telling me to com here. “Sssh I’ve got you. I’m right here…it’s gonna be okay.”
“Is it….how badly do you think I embarrassed your father leaving like that?” I sniffed through tears gripping onto his dress shirt as tightly as possible.
He just keeps me close to his chest resting his chin on top of my head. He knew that I was going to worry about this when there was something more important like my well being going on. He wasn’t concerned with what the others out there thought, he just wanted me to be okay. “It doesn’t matter right now. Just breathe in and out with me until you’re better. Can you do that for me?”
“Mmm.” I made a noise barley breaking the hug where he was holding onto my forearms since I still didn’t have good balance. Taking in a couple of long breaths in and out I finally started feeling better where I laid my head back down on his chest and he kissed my forehead.
Kayce smiled lightly squeezing my hand in his. “Let’s get you out of here. I’ll explain what happened to my dad later.”
“Are you sure he won’t be upset?” I questioned him where he leads me through the hallway and out to his truck. He helped me back into the vehicle before getting in on his own side.
He reached over taking my hand in his once more. “I’m sure, baby. I just want you to feel better.”
“Thanks Kayce.” I smiled laying my head on his shoulder and we stayed in the parking lot just enjoying the silence before we went home for the evening. Both calm in the others presence and away from the busy livestock diner.
Comments really appreciated ❤️
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