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arlana-likes-to-write · 1 year

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Family

This story may contain themes that could be triggering.

Summary: When you save the life of the son of the Scarlett Witch and the Black Widow, your life is changed forever. For the first time in a long time you are given a family.

Warning: domestic violence, age difference relationship, rape, gun violence, injuries, miscarriage, manipulation, mention of suicide, DNI unless 18+

Word count: 5.6k

Sometimes you just acted. You didn’t think you just did. So when you were walking on your way to work you saw a young boy run out into the middle of the road, chasing after a ball and the car coming right for him wasn’t stopping, you acted. “Tommy,” You heard a woman yell. You ran to the boy, picking him up in your arms and changing your molecular makeup. The car passed through you and him You brought him back to the sidewalk and as soon as you set him down he became solid.

“Are you okay?” You asked. His eyes grew wide as he stared at you.

“Tommy,” you moved out of the way as a woman with auburn hair pulled him into a hug. “What did I say about not leaving the sidewalk?” You assumed the woman was his mother.

“Sorry Mom,” he said. “I dropped the toy Uncle Tony got me.” A redhead and another young boy joined the duo. You recognized the redhead right away. Natasha Romanoff. The Black Widow.

“Are you okay, kid?” She asked Tommy. He nodded and hugged the redhead. You looked at the other woman and you were staring into the green eyes of Wanda Maximoff.

“Thank you,” she said to you. “I don’t think we could ever repay you.” You blushed at the compliment, scratching the back of your head.

“Don’t worry about it,” you said. “I was at the right place at the right time.” You knelt in front of the two boys. “Now don’t go playing in the road anymore, okay?” You ruffled their hair. “I won’t be there to save you.” Tommy smiled.

“Thank you,” he said. You smiled, straightening up.

“Wait,” Natasha said, stopping you before you walked away. “At least tell us your name.” You introduced yourself.

“Bye,” you waved, continuing on your way to work.

“You're famous!” Your co-worker, Emilia, said as soon as you walked into the back room. You clocked in and put on your apron. You worked at a 24hr diner. It paid decently and the hours were flexible so you could still go to school.

“What are you talking about?” You asked. She rushed over to you, her phone open to Twitter. Someone took a video of you saving Tommy and put it on social media. Needless to say, the video blew up. You groaned, placing your face in your hands.

“You should read some of these comments,” Emilia said, scrolling through her phone. “I could break a lot of people’s hearts and tell them your 16.”

“Gross,” you mumbled, walking into the kitchen. You heard Emilia close behind as you made yourself a coffee.

“How does it feel saving the kid of the Black Widow and Scarlet Witch?” You didn’t answer. “Were they hot?”

“You know I wasn’t looking,” you said, blowing on the cup before taking a much-needed sip. “I was a little focused on not making sure their son didn’t get killed.” You rolled your eyes.

“I bet they have a Mommy and Daddy kink,” you scrunch your nose.

“You are just as bad as half the people online,” you said. “Come on, we have work to do.” You tried to focus on your duties at the diner; cleaning tables, taking orders, and helping in the kitchen when needed, instead of what happened today. But the universe had other plans. Someone online found where you worked and shared it with the entire world. The diner was packed which was a blessing and a curse. The day flew by and you were leaving with a lot of tips in your pocket. However, you were exhausted since everyone that stepped through the diner wanted to meet and talk to you. They asked you questions about your powers, if you received something for saving him, were your parents proud, did they offer you a spot on the Avenger team. By the end of the day, you collapsed onto your bed thankfully you had the day off tomorrow.

It wasn’t as busy when you came in but you immediately saw the Romanoff-Maximoff family with 2 Avengers you didn’t recognize. You smiled as you walked up to the table. “Staying out of trouble?” You asked the boys. They gasped, turning around in their chairs.

“I don’t know you worked here,” Tommy said, standing up to hug you. You were surprised by that. But you gave him a quick hug back.

“That’s probably because I didn’t tell you,” you tapped his nose which caused him to scrunch it. Natasha introduced you to her sister, Yelena, and her girlfriend, Kate.

“You're the one that saved my nephew,” Yelena said. Her deep Russian accent surprised you. You nodded. “That’s pretty cool.”

“Thank you?” You didn’t mean for it to sound like a question. Wanda chuckled. “Anyways, can I get you guys started with drinks?” You didn’t mean to hover around their table and it wasn’t 100% your fault. Tommy and his brother, Billy, liked to talk your ear off no matter how many times Wanda told them you had other tables to attend to. But you waved her off, saying it was fine. Besides, their colorful imagination was making your shift fly by.

Until the bell went off signaling another customer entered the diner. You looked up out of instinct and almost dropped Kate’s pancakes. It was Jason, your on-again-off-again boyfriend, and housemate. He held the door open for an older couple as his eyes looked for you. It wasn’t hard to find you but you didn’t like the way his eyes screamed that he was upset with you. When he came in he liked you to only have him as your only table. He was best friends with the owner so he could get away with anything. Natasha said your name and you were surprised to see real concern in her green eyes. “Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yeah,” you put on your best customer service smile but she didn’t seem convinced. “Does everything look good?” A chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘looks good’ echoed from the table. “Perfect! I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything. Enjoy!” You brought back the empty tray to the kitchen before making your way to Jason’s usual spot, trying to calm your raising heartbeat.

It didn’t take a Black Widow spy or an Avenger to notice the change in your demeanor. Natasha watched as you walked over to a man, who had to be twice your age. You were blocking his face but Natasha didn’t like the way he was talking to you. She couldn’t hear the conversation but your shoulders were hunched over, drawing more into yourself. ‘Don’t cause a scene,’ Wanda said, placing a hand on her leg. ‘I don’t like it either.’ Natasha began to eat. The food was always good here but now it tasted bitter.

‘What do we do?’ The Black Widow asked. It took a minute for Wanda to reply as you came back to ask how the food was and if they needed anything. Yelena asked for more hot sauce. You were smiling, laughing at a joke Tommy said but it wasn’t as light. Natasha stole a glance at the man and he was staring at you as if he owned you like you were a possession. It made Natasha’s blood boil. He caught her eyes and quickly looked away.

‘We’ll leave her our number,’ Wanda said. ‘If she needs help she can call us.’ Natasha didn’t like it. She wanted to do more but what else could they do when they had no idea what was going on?

“Here you go,” Natasha passed you the check. “Food and service were amazing as always,” you felt your cheeks heat up at the compliment.

“Feel free to relax here there is no need to rush out but it was nice seeing you all again,” you said your goodbyes, not leaving the table without getting a hug from the twins. You went to finish cashing them out and you stopped in your tracks. Not because of the very large tip they left you but there was a note.

‘We are a phone call away if you need anything and I mean anything. -Natasha. Her phone number was at the end. You put that copy in your pocket and continued as you normally would, ignoring Jason’s eyes burning a hole in your back.

“You disgust me,” Jason said, throwing you against the wall. You whimpered as you hit your head. Stars formed across your vision. “After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me.”

“Baby,” you pleaded with him. “It wasn’t like that.” He twisted his hand in your hair, pulling you close.

“Flirting with a married woman twice your age,” he pulled your hair. Another whimper left your lips. “You are a slut.” He threw you against the wooden table. It broke underneath your weight and the force he threw you. “You think you're a big-time hero, now. That you're better than all of us.” You shook your head, tears falling down your cheeks. He kicked you in the stomach so hard you were pushed against the couch.

“Jason, stop, please,” you pleaded with him grabbing onto his leg.

“You don’t get to tell me to stop,” he yelled. “You are mine. I own you.”

You woke up in the apartment alone and with your pants off. Everything ached and there was a light pounding in your skull. Jason was no doubt at a bar. You needed to get out of here. Finding your pants was easy but a sharp cramp in your stomach made you crumble to the ground. Finding some strength, you redressed yourself, found your phone, and walked out of the apartment. You weren’t sure where you were walking to. Your feet moved as your mind was in a haze. There was no place you could go. You were an only child whose parents died during the Blip. The friends you did have moved out of the city or were your co-workers from the dinner but you didn’t want them to see you like this. You sat down on a nearby bench. The pain was becoming all-consuming. You needed help. You unlocked your phone and stared at the recent contact added - Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, an Avenger. Did you want to drag them into this mess? Another shooting pain passed through your stomach as you listened to the phone ring. Maybe she wouldn’t answer and you would have to find a place to sleep tonight. “Hello? Who is this?” She answered on the third ring.

“N-Natasha,” you stuttered out.

“Y/n? Is that you?” You nodded, knowing well she couldn’t see you. “What’s wrong?”

“I need help,” you cried. “I-I d-don’t have anyone else to call. I’m sorry. I-” Your lungs began to hurt, you couldn’t get enough air.

“Hey, sh dorogoy,” Natasha whispered. “Where are you? Wanda and I will come to get you.” You heard rustling on her side of the phone.

“I don’t know,” you told her. “I left my apartment and just walked.” A sharp pain ran through you and gasped. “Everything hurts, Nat,” you cried.

“We will be right there, okay? Just stay right there and use your powers to keep yourself safe.” She told you. “I’m going to stay on the phone with you.”

“Okay,” your voice was slurred. “I’m sleepy.” You found yourself laying down on the bench.

“I know you are but you have to stay awake for me. Can you do that?” She asked. “Talk to me. Tell me about yourself.” You hummed.

“I’m an only child. My parents are dead and I have a tattoo on my spine. I-”

Natasha was listening as she paced her kitchen waiting for FRIDAY to trace the call. She heard three sets of footsteps coming down the stairs, one set much quicker than the other two. “Anything?” Wanda asked. The Black Widow shook her head.

“FRIDAY is still looking for her,” she heard Yelena yawn behind Wanda.

“Why did you wake us up?” Her sister asked.

“You can go back to bed but we need to watch the boys if they wake up,” Wanda explained.

“Is this about the girl who saved Tommy?” Kate asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Natasha nodded.

“I found her,” the AI said. “The location has been sent to your car’s GPS. She is 30 minutes.”

“Sweetheart,” Natasha said to you. “We will be there in 30 minutes.” You hummed.

“Nat,” Yelena said. The redhead looked back at her sister. “Keep us updated.” She nodded and followed her wife to the car. Wanda was already in the driver's seat. It was Natasha’s idea to get their place, close enough to the new Avenger tower but in a nice neighborhood for the twins to grow up in. The only thing Wanda wanted was a big kitchen, the rest was up to the Black Widow. Buying a house cemented the fact this was real to Natasha. She was married, raising two brilliant boys, and retired from active missions. Wanda grabbed her hand, squeezing it. She squeezed it back. She hoped they made it to you in time.

Natasha saw your still body laying on the bench and she was out of the car before Wanda could put the car in park. She hung up and ran over to you, kneeling next to you. “Hey sweetie,” she whispered. Wanda moved next to her. Your eyes fluttered open. A smile on your face.

“You came,” you whispered. Natasha’s heart shattered.

“Yeah, we did,” Wanda smiled. “Let’s get you someplace safe.” You nodded, sitting up and Natasha watched you try to hide the wince. “Can you stand?” You nodded again but when you stood up you collapsed, a pained cry leaving your lips. Natasha caught you in her arms.

“I got you,” your head fell on her shoulder, whimpering as you squeezed your eyes closed. Natasha didn’t miss the red flash in Wanda’s eyes. She only imagined what was going on inside your head.

“I’m sorry,” you mumbled. “So sorry.”

“You do not need to apologize,” the Black Widow said. “I’m going to lift you, okay?” She felt you nod against her skin. She was surprised at how light you were in her arms.

“Nat,” Wanda whispered as they walked back to the car. The witch opened the backseat and the redhead gently lay you down. She closed the door. “She’s bleeding.” Natasha looked at her hands and they were tainted red with your blood.

“We’ll bring her to the tower,” Natasha ran to the other side of the car and got in next to you. She shifted so your head could rest in her lap.

“FRIDAY,” Wanda said to the AI. “Inform Cho we are headed to the tower with a civilian that needs immediate medical attention.” You whimpered.

“You're going to be okay,” the Black Widow whispered. You shook your head.

“I’m sorry,” Natasha watched your eyes flutter close, frowning. You kept muttering apologies as you succumbed to the darkness.

It took a lot for Natasha to let go of you to hand over to Helen and the medical team. She quickly went to the hallway bathroom to wash the blood off. The water turned a light pink. It was part of her job to be surrounded by blood but the sight of your blood on her hands caused her body to heat up with anger. She left the bathroom and found her wife sitting in the empty chairs in the hallway. “The boys are still asleep,” she said as the redhead sat down. “Yelena said she’ll get them ready for school so we can stay.” Natasha nodded, resting her head on the wall. She felt Wanda move her fingers through hers. “It had to be the man from the diner, right?”

“Maybe,” she whispered. They knew nothing about you. The internet seemed to be in love with you for saving Tommy but they didn’t know who you were or what you were a part of.

“I’ll kill him,” Wanda threatened. Natasha saw the tips of her fingers glow red.

“Easy little witch,” She mumbled, kissing the side of her head. “Let’s find out what happened first.” The glow died down. It felt like an eternity before Helen walked out of your room and towards the couple. “Is she okay?” Natasha asked, standing up.

“She will be,” Helen said. “She has 2 broken ribs, a possible concussion, and wood splinters that we had to remove from her arm. She was raped too we did a test,” she sighed, resting her hand on her chin. “Do you know how old she is?” The couple looked at each other shaking their heads. You were a few years older than the twins but not at Kate’s age. That meant you were between 14-18.

“Helen, what’s going on?” The doctor bit her lip.

“She was pregnant,” Natasha’s blood ran cold. “Whatever happened to her caused her to miscarriage.”

“How-how far along was she?” Wanda asked.

“I’m guessing 2 months,” Helen answered. “She’s asleep now. You can go see her and let me know if she needs anything.” They said their thank yous to the doctor and ventured into your room. It was quiet besides the gentle beeping of the heart monitor you were attached to. Natasha didn’t like how still you were beside the gentle rise and fall of your chest. They sat on either side of the bed.

“She’s just a kid, Tash,” Wanda said, brushing some hair out of your face. You didn’t move.

“I know, baby,” Natasha remembered you telling her that your parents were dead. Did you have anyone else? “We’ll be here for her.”

You woke up slowly. The bright lights overhead caused you to groan. “Sweetheart,” you turned your head towards Natasha’s voice. There was a smile on her face, almost motherly. “Hi, how are you feeling?”

“Water,” you whispered. Your throat felt raw and uncomfortable. Natasha brought a cup of water to your lips. You drank all of the water finding relief. “Thank you,” she put the cup down.

“Of course,” you sat up, wincing as you moved but you couldn’t look at Natasha.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you saw her nod her head out of the corner of your eye.

“That’s fine,” she said. “But there are some things we need to talk about regarding your health. We can wait for Wanda if you want,” you nodded.“Hey,” you felt her fingers on your arm. “We are here for you, okay? And whatever happened is not your fault.”

“Okay,” you whispered but you didn’t believe her. It wasn’t long before Wanda returned with a doctor behind her. She introduced herself as Helen and she went over the list of your injuries; broken ribs, a mild concussion, and wood splinters in your arms.

“Now, I have to tell you something that may be hard to hear,” you didn’t like her tone. “You were pregnant for about 2 months but due to the nature of your injuries you had a miscarriage.” You felt the color drain from your face. Pregnant. You were pregnant. You moved your hand over your stomach. Your periods were always irregular so nothing seemed wrong. You weren’t sure what was happening around you. The world around you turned to white noise. You were pregnant, probably with Jason’s child but you made him angry.

“Sweetheart,” you snapped to look at Wanda. She looked worried. “You're safe here. Do you know who the father was?” She asked. You hesitated but nodded. You weren’t 100% sure if it was Jason’s.

“Was he the one that did this to you?” Natasha hesitantly asked.

“It was my fault,” you defended him. “He loves me. He didn’t mean to hurt me.” Wanda whispered your name but you couldn’t look at her. Tears were blurring your vision.

“This isn’t love.”

“Yes it is,” you said. “He loves me and it was my fault -”

“Sweetheart,” Natasha touched your arm but you flinched from her. Her face fell.

“I think I want to be alone,” you told them. The couple glanced at each other, having a silent conversation. “Please.”

“Okay, we know this is a lot,” Wanda said, standing up. “We’ll come back later.” You didn’t acknowledge them as they left your room. You felt cold, so immensely cold, as your fingers danced around your stomach and each injury he gave you. Oh, how you wished your mom and dad were here. You missed your mom’s hugs and the scent that always seemed to calm you down or your dad’s corny jokes that brought a smile to your face. You angrily whipped the tears that fell. The worst part of them being gone, you didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.

To your surprise, Wanda and Natasha kept their promise and visited when they could. Their visits ended up being one-sided conversations - mostly them trying to get information on what happened. They asked for your age, Jason’s name and age, and if he worked at the diner. But you remained quiet. Too ashamed to tell them the truth about him. They weren’t deterred by your stand-offish behavior, it somehow made them more determined to make you feel comfortable around them. Rather it was Wanda, Natasha, or both of them, they brought you something. A blanket to keep you warm, books and magazines for you to read, and Tommy’s old DS to keep you entertained. They even contacted your school to explain your situation and collect your missing schoolwork.

It was odd, you had to admit, having people care about you. It didn’t make sense. What did you do to deserve their kindness? You were nobody compared to them. So why were they being so nice?

On a sunny afternoon, the couple snuck in a milkshake and french fries for you to snack on. You were sipping on the chocolate milkshake while Wanda was reading and Natasha looked over a mission report. “I’m 16,” you said to them, breaking the silence. “Technically speaking I was a part of the population that was blipped so I don’t know how that affects my age,” you put your drink down. “During those 5 years, my parents died; my mom from cancer and my dad from suicide. Jason gave me a place to live and food and loved me when I was alone.”

“How old were you when you met Jason?” Natasha asked.

“15,” your voice was barely above a whisper. “He was 25.” You began to play with the loose threads of the blanket they brought you.

“Is this the first time he’s hit you?” Your instinct was to lie like you did with Emilia and everyone else at the diner but it seemed like it was a bad idea to lie to two Avengers.

“No,” you whispered. “But this was the worst. He was mad at me and kept saying it was my fault.”

“What did he say that you did?” You felt your face burn as you remembered why he was upset. “You don’t have to tell us,” Natasha added quickly.

“He was..” Protective. Jealous. “Territorial,” you said. “He didn’t like me talking or flirting with other people. That was a lot of our fights and I stayed because I have nowhere else to go,” you sighed. “I bet you think I’m so stupid.”

“No,” Wanda took your hand in hers. “You are not stupid. He took advantage of you,” you whipped away the tears that fell with your free hand. “You are not alone. We are here.”

“And we aren’t going anywhere.”

When Helen cleared you Natasha and Wanda offered you a room with them. It took a lot of convincing but you moved in with them. Jason all but disappeared. He wasn’t there when you got the few possessions from the apartment and you overheard Natasha and Wanda in the kitchen one night that they still couldn’t find him. As you lived in the Romanoff-Maximoff household you all forgot about him. You forgot what this type of love felt like not having it since you were taken from your family. Wanda made sure all of your homework was done by the time dinner was ready. Natasha seemed to have food on her and she would pass you snacks. She even got you to join her on some of your runs.

It had been 4 months since you moved in with them. “Do you want us to see if Yelena or Kate can come over?” Wanda asked. The twins were playing video games in the living room and you were making a small snack for you and the boys. The couple had to go to the tower for a quick meeting. Although they were retired from active meetings they still help to provide insight. They didn’t like leaving you at home.

“We’ll be fine,” Tommy said.

“Besides Y/n is here,” Billy added. You rolled your eyes as Natasha walked over to you, stealing a grape from the plate. You glared at her.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine?” She asked you. You nodded.

“Yes, you said it will be a quick meeting,” you put the extra fruit back in the fridge. “And when you get back you can bitch about how the meeting should have been an email.” Natasha gasped.

“Language,” you smiled, bringing the fruit plate into the living room.

“We know the rules. Don’t worry about us,” you sat on the couch, your feet tucked underneath you, and opened the book you were currently reading.

“Text us if anything happens,” Wanda kissed the twins’ forehead and you were surprised as she kissed yours.

“Bye Mom,” the boys said. You smiled as they left the house. As the door closed Tommy let out a heavy sigh.

“They worry so much.” He said.

“They just care about you,” you defended, not looking up from your book.

“They care about you too,” Billy said. You glanced at the boy and he was looking at you with a smile. You smiled back and went back to reading.

You weren’t sure how long it was but Natasha and Wanda were still not home when the doorbell rang. You looked at the twins but they were engrossed with their video game. “Hey, are your moms expecting someone?” Billy shrugged.

“No clue,” the doorbell rang again. You sighed, closing your book. As you stood up a voice behind the door caused you to freeze.

“I know you're in there, little shadow. Come out to play.”

“Billy, Tommy, go upstairs and call your moms.” Jason started to giggle at the door handle.

“We can help,” Tommy said. They were training powers but they were still unpredictable.

“Go!” You ordered as the front door burst open. Tommy grabbed Billy’s hand and used his super speed to bring them both upstairs. Jason stood there, a pistol in his hand and he looked like he hadn’t bathed or slept in months. You just had to keep him away from the twins and wait till Wanda and Natasha got here.

“Hello beautiful,” he stalked over to you. “You got me in a lot of trouble.”

“Trouble?” You questioned, taking a few steps back with your hands in the air. You wanted to keep some distance from him. “Who are you in trouble with?” He laughed, pointing the gun at you.

“My employers,” his smile still seemed to send a chill down your spine. “Did you think I could ever willingly love you?” He asked. “You were a job, an assignment.” Your heart began to pound against your ribs. Could he hear it? You were backing up into the dining room.

“Who wants me?” You found yourself asking.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’ll be dead and I’ll crave up those little brats for good measure,” you let out a shaky breath and lowered your hands.

“You aren’t getting to them,” you said. “You’ll have to get through me first.”

Natasha was pouring a cup of coffee for her and Wanda. They were taking a short break before finishing up. She felt arms wrap around her waist and the warmth of her wife pressed against her back. “I wanna go home.” She whined. Natasha chuckled, turning around to see Wanda’s noise pinched. She kissed it.

“We are almost done, baby,” she handed Wanda her coffee. “I’m thinking of pizza and movie night?” Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw it was Billy. Showing Wanda the caller ID before putting the call on speaker. “Hi, bud.”

“Mom,” he was whispering and his voice was shaky.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Wanda asked.

“The bad man is here,” he whispered. They weren’t sure what he was talking about. “The bad man that hurt Y/n.” The couple dropped their coffee on the floor and sprinted towards their car. “Please hurry.” A gunshot went off and both of the boys let out a quick squeak.

“Boys, I need you to stay right there,” Natasha said.

“But what if she’s hurt? We can help.”

“Stay hidden. We are on our way.”

Natasha felt her heart beating against her ribs as she saw their door broken down. They called out your name but you didn’t respond. The Black Widow had her gun out as she searched the bottom floor. They made it to their dining room and found a man laying on top of you. Natasha ran over, kicking the man off of you and his body slumped to the side with a bullet wound in his stomach. Your eyes were wide, hands shaking as you held the gun in your hand. “Hey sweetheart,” Natasha put her gun away. “Can I have that?” You nodded, handing her the gun. Natasha removed the magazine from the gun and put it on the ground next to her. Wanda knelt next to you and helped you sit up. Your eyes kept glancing at this still form but Wanda brought you into her arms, sliding you from the body. You were shaking in her arms. Natasha walked over to him and checked for a pulse but she shook her head when she found none. Wanda held you tighter.

“Billy and Tommy,” you whispered. “Are they okay?” Wanda.

“Do you want to go find them?” You nodded. Natasha sent a quick text to Sam and met her wife upstairs. You were waiting for her to emerge from their bedroom and didn’t take long for Wanda to bring out a new shirt for you. Yours had blood on it. You changed quickly, leaving the bloody shirt on the floor, and continued to the guest room. “Billy, Tommy, it’s safe.” The twins didn’t need to be told twice before they ran out of the closet and straight into you. The force knocked you to the ground.

“You can’t do that,” Tommy said, hitting your chest. “Why do you always have to be the hero?” He cried. “We could have helped.” He kept hitting you but his hits got softer while he cried against you.

“Hey,” Natasha said, kneeling and placing a gentle hand on his back. “I know you are feeling a lot but we need to stop hitting her.” You overcame your shock and hugged the twins tight.

“I didn’t want you to get hurt.” You said.

“But you're our sister,” Billy said. “We can’t lose you.” You looked at Natasha and Wanda at the term Billy called you. The couple smiled at you. They tried to convey all the emotions they were

“I’m right here,” you said. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

Wanda walked out of the bathroom with a smile on her face. Her bed was full of Natasha, the twins, and you. The boys were fast asleep, cuddling against you. There was just enough space next to Natasha for her to squeeze in. “We are going to need a bigger bed if this continues to be a thing,” Wanda climbed into bed. Natasha was running her fingers through your hair. “How are you doing, sweetheart?” You shrugged.

“I know he was bad and he would have hurt me or worse the twins but I didn’t want to kill him.” You whispered. Natasha sighed.

“I’m sorry you had to be put in that position,” Natasha said. You nodded, closing your eyes as you enjoyed the feeling of her hand. Wanda gently nudged her wife’s shoulder, nodding her head. “About what Billy said.” Your eyes shut open.

“Like you said there were a lot of emotions,” you shrugged again. Wanda tried to keep her powers at bay but she could feel loneliness washing over you.

“Well, Natasha and I want to make what Billy said official.”

“I’m sorry. What?” You questioned.

“We want to adopt you,” your jaw dropped and Wanda giggled, using her pointer finger to close your mouth.

“Are you serious?” You asked. The couple nodded. Tears swelled in your eyes and without hesitation you jumped up and brought them into a hug.

“Ah,” Billy gasped.

“Is there an Earthquake?” Tommy asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?” You ended the hug and whipping the tears out of your eyes.

“Nothing,” you said. “Just happy.”

“Alright,” Wanda said. “We need to readjust so I don’t fall off the bed.” It was you in the middle with Tommy and Billy on either side and Natasha and Wanda still on the edge of the bed.

“Thank you,” you whispered, eyes closed as the exhaustion of the day caught up to you.

“No need to thank us,” Natasha whispered.

“We are a family,” Wanda said. “We’ll keep you safe.”

Part 2

#wandanat x reader #wandanat x daughter!reader #wandanat x daughter #wandanat #natasha romanoff x wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff #yelena belova x kate bishop #natasha romanoff x you #wanda maximoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader #wanda maximoff x reader #tommy maximoff #billy maximoff #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #yelena belova #Kate Bishop #marvel #Marvel AU

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fandom-imagines-stories · 9 months

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Going Down Swingin

Kayce Dutton x Reader

Words: 4271

Summary: Tired of being holed up on the ranch, the reader begs her husband to calm his paranoid mind for one night so she can go out to the bar with some of the ranch hands. Turns out, his concerns were founded.

Notes: God I love this man. I honestly have had ideas for Kayce imagines for like a year and now I’m finally finishing them (well, at least this one). I hope to do more with him soon, so fingers crossed for my blonde cowboy husband!

Warnings: Harassment, assault, fighting, wounds-

The cage of his arms was a welcome one. It kept you safe while also reminding you of every moment that led to this one.

In this case, you were reminded of how you got into this position.

Kayce’s beard tickled the back of your neck as his lips trailed down to your shoulder and back up again. You sighed contently and nestled back into his embrace.

“Time to get up,” He mumbled.

You screwed your eyes shut and shook your head.

“Noooo,” You whined. “I’m still asleep.”

His chuckle rumbled against your back. “C’mon.”

Your husband’s hands made their way to your waist and squeezed gently. He flipped you around so you were facing him. You tangled your fingers in his long blonde hair and crashed your lips into his in hopes of dissuading him from leaving the bed. Before you could deepen the kiss anymore, he grabbed your hips tighter and pulled you back.

“Nice try, baby, but we’ve got work to do.”

“Or,” you walked your fingers up his chest. “We could lock the doors and spend the whole day-”

He cut you off with another kiss. Just when you thought you’d won, he sat up, giving you a devilish smirk. His hands latched onto the blankets.

You glowered. “Don’t you dare.”

“Hey, I gave you a chance,” he said, yanking the covers back and subjecting your bare skin to the cold morning air.

“Kayce!” You shrieked, clawing to regain the warmth, but he held them just out of reach, laughing at your demise. “Kayce John Dutton, I’m gonna kill you!”

“You’ve got to catch me first, darlin’.” He took off, taking the blankets and sheets with him.

“Navy SEAL or not, I’m still going to get you!” You shouted after him, grabbing his henley off the floor so you weren’t completely naked as you chased your childish husband around the room. Of course, he wasn’t wearing anything either which made the whole ordeal even more ridiculous.

When you did finally catch him, he’d stopped so suddenly and you were running so fast it knocked both of you to the floor, practically rolling with laughter.

“I… win…” You wheezed in between giggles, laying on top of him.

“Alright, alright.” He brushed your hair out of your face so he could kiss you, but just for a moment. “But we’ve still got to get to work.”

You bit your lip.

“What if I promise to make some time for us tonight, hmm?” He offered. “Dinner, movie, whatever you want.”

You sighed dramatically. “I suppose I can live with that.”

Kayce rolled his eyes, locked his arms around you, and stood. You squealed as he threw you over his shoulder, smacking your backside with a victorious chuckle.

Needless to say, you were definitely awake after that.

It was a long day. In a good way. One that felt like you were actually doing something. But still, every move you made ached from the day’s work. You helped out at the ranch because of your past in veterinary school. Sure, you hadn’t been in a clinic in years, but you knew your way around an injured horse enough that John liked having you around. He said it was because you didn’t cost as much. You were pretty sure he liked you more than he let on.

When you saw your husband riding up over the horizon, he didn’t look like he’d fared much better. Dirt caked his forehead, mixed with the sweat on his brow. Not that you minded.

“Hey baby,” he greeted gruffly. Kayce jumped down off his horse and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. When he pulled away, you notice the downward cast of his gaze and the look of guilt in his eyes.

“Alright,” you sighed. “You’ve got that kicked puppy look now. What is it?”

A smile cracks on his face. “I do not look like a kicked puppy.”

“Sure you do.” You tucked a lock of blonde behind his ear. “With your big eyes and your pouty face.” You hooked your arms behind his neck and pulled him closer. “Are you ready for that date night we talked about?”

The puppy look returned.

“About that, baby,” He blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair.

Uh oh.

“You’ve gotta work,” you concluded.

“My dad’s asking me to run to Billing’s to take care of some things-”

You held up a hand to stop him. When it came to John Dutton, you didn’t want any details.

“It’s okay. We can make plans for a different night.” You pulled him into a kiss, smirking against his lips. “But you’ll definitely have to come up with something big and romantic and groveling.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, wrapping his arms around you. “You know I’d pick a night with you over anything, but I don’t think fighting him on this would be a good idea. It’s business and you know how he gets.”

“It’s fine, Kayce, really. I’m sure I’ll find something else to do.”

As if summoned, Ryan and Colby mosied over to the two of you. While Kayce wasn’t close with any of the boys from the bunkhouse, you’d gotten to know them from working on the horses. So even though Kayce tensed protectively, you gave them a bright grin.

“What do you two fuckers want?” You asked.

“We’re going out,” Colby said. “Celebrating Ryan’s birthday if you want to come.” He eyed your husband nervously. “Both of you.”

“We just saw you over here and thought, maybe you’d want to join, but it’s totally fine-” Ryan started to ramble.

You weren’t sure if it was their usual awkwardness or if the boss’s son just made them nervous, but you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Kace can’t, but I could use a night out,” you beamed.

Kayce’s arms tightened around you and his puppy-dog eyes turned intense.

Sensing the change, Ryan and Colby took a step back.

“Cool,” Ryan said. “Meet up in ten.”

The two hurried off and you turned to fierce brown eyes.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Kayce said.

“I wasn’t exactly asking for your permission, honey,” you scoffed. “Besides, like I said, I could use a night out. I can’t even remember the last time I really got away from the ranch for some fun.”

He turned away, jaw tensed, and eyes following the group of men heading back toward the bunkhouse.

“I don’t think any of the ranch hands are stupid enough to hit on me if that’s what you’re worried about,” you teased, trying to lighten his mood.

“It’s not that.” He shook his head, gaze returning to yours. “And it’s not that I don’t trust you, so don’t start thinking that. It’s just… the places these guys go to. Nothing good ever happens.”

“Baby, I think you’re the last person to worry about me getting into trouble. Or anybody, for that matter.”

It was true. You’d married a trouble magnet. Hell, maybe it’s even safer to go to the bar without him, but he definitely did not look in the mood for you to point that out.

“I won’t go if you really don’t want me to,” you said. “I’ll just sit at home…. All alone…. Bored.” You sighed dramatically.

Kayce huffed and kissed your forehead. “Just keep your phone on, okay?”

“Don’t worry. You will always be my phone call if I get arrested.” You gave him a mischievous grin and started off to join the others.

“That’s not funny!” He called after you, chuckling at your excitement and hoping that he wouldn’t regret this.

The neon lights bathed your skin in a blue and pink glow. Music blared from the band on the stage and your throat burned pleasantly from the liquor at your lips. You could feel the tension melting off of you from the long, hard day, realizing how much you needed this. It wasn’t that you didn’t like being at the ranch, but sometimes the vastness somehow felt so small. And knowing how much it hurt Kayce to be there, the nightmares you knew he’d had, made you wonder if it was worth it.

“You look like you could use another,” a voice said over the music.

“Hey, Rip.” You turned to face the dark-haired cowboy with a small smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Yeah, well,” he shrugged, “every once in a while I let them drag me out to these things.” He ordered himself another beer and you another whiskey. “Not used to seeing you without tall blonde trouble on your arm.”

“Looks like I’m causing enough trouble on my own tonight,” you smirked back. “He’s working.”

Rip nodded, running a hand over his chin. “And he let you come here?”

“He didn’t let me do anything.” You took a drink. “He wasn’t particularly happy about it, but he knows better than to try and tell me what to do.”

“If it were me,” Rip chuckled, “I would have locked you up at home. You’re too nice for a place like this.”

“You rough and tumble cowboys don’t scare me,” you smiled. “I married one, remember?”

“You married one of the good ones.”

“Cheers to that.” You clinked your glass against his and he smiled, still shaking his head as he walked to the other end of the bar to keep an eye on things.

His seat was not empty for long.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you ‘round here before.” A muscular arm dressed in a ratty old t-shirt blocked your view of the dance floor and the body attached to it loomed over you like you were a meal. It was a feeling that you were unfortunately familiar with, having grown up around bars like these and, more specifically, their patrons.

“That’s because I haven’t been here,” you said, keeping your voice calm, but cold. The red-haired man beside you did not get the hint. He leaned even closer and you could smell the mix of tobacco and too much beer on his breath as he swayed drunkenly in the seat.

“Well isn’t it my lucky day then?”

You held up your hand, flashing him the wedding ring on your finger.

“Not so much, buddy.” You downed the rest of your drink. “But I’m sure there’s plenty of single women dying to give you a handjob in the bathroom,” you snarked, signaling for the bartender to get you another.

“What if I want you?” He leered.

What started out as annoyance was turning into anger.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?” You stood up in order to get away from his ever-leaning frame. “I’m married, dipshit.”

The drunkard shrugged. “I don’t see anybody here?”

Oh but if Kayce were here…

You could handle yourself without him.

“Why don’t you just back off before that tiny dick of yours gets you into something your tinier brain can’t deal with.”

You turned to walk away.

He grabbed your wrist, twisting it back until it stung.

“What did you say to me you fucking bitch?”

When your fist collided with his chin, it was just the beginning.

Hands grabbed your arms, giving him a clear hit to your stomach which you took with a grunt. You yanked yourself free and found two more men encircling you. Apparently, this shitstain wasn’t alone and all of them were drunk enough to not care that you were half their size and a woman. So much for chivalry.

“Three men versus little old me,” you scoffed. “That hardly seems fair.”

But you weren’t alone either.

Ryan broke through the crowd first, punching the man to your right square between the eyes. Colby was next, fighting some others who’d joined in for the hell of it. You stayed focused on your original creep.

“By the time we’re done, you’re going to be begging me to fuck you into tomorrow,” he sneered.

You responded with another hit to his mouth, feeling a couple of teeth crack against your knuckles.

He swung. You dodged. He picked up a bottle and crashed it against your shoulder, still too drunk to actually aim. You stomped on his foot. He grabbed you by the hair.

Somewhere, a gun went off and everybody screamed.

Red-haired Romeo, however, didn’t seem to care.

By the time Rip had made it over to you, you were being thrown across the bar. You felt the sticky, slick surface slide past your leg before you collided with the back shelves, and dozens of bottles shattered into your back. Your head slammed into the counter as you fell to the whiskey-soaked floor.

Everything was black after that.

You got little bits, here and there, trying to force yourself awake, but never able to fight back the darkness.

Rip and Ryan carrying you with your arms over their shoulders, Rip cursing the whole way to the house.

“Her husband is going to have somebody’s hide and it sure as hell isn’t going to be mine.”

A flash of strawberry blonde and the smell of cigarette smoke.

Ryan’s worried eyes as Rip dragged him away.

It was until the alcohol-dipped rag touched your cuts that you were fully awake. You grimaced, the sharp sting shooting up your back. You gripped the arm of the couch, face down in a pillow.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” Beth snarked. “It’d be a shame to miss this fun.” She pulled a piece of glass out of your side and you clenched your jaw. “That looks like it hurts.”

“Is there still bourbon down here?” You asked.

She laughed, shaking her head. “That’s what got you into this mess, sweetheart. And when my brother makes a list tonight, I’m not putting myself on it.”

She plucked another shard. It seemed every muscle in your back spasmed with every move she made, taking out class and swiping at the blood pooling on your skin. Not to mention the pounding in your head, hair matted with gore. You were grateful it was her, though. At least she’d get it done quick, without any pitying or panic.

Meanwhile, outside was an almost as pitiful sight. Rip leaned against the barn, glaring down the other men who nursed their injuries. Ryan’s eye was already starting to swell and Colby rubbed his aching jaw. Even Lloyd looked worse for wear.

“You’re lucky I don’t fire every one of you,” Rip glowered.

“In our defense, we were trying to stop the fight,” Ryan said, but quickly regretted it.

Rip stepped toward him. “You want another black eye?”

All eyes, however, glanced behind Rip, a pair of headlights growing nearer and nearer.

“Oh shit,” Colby muttered. “I thought he was going to Billings.”

Rip ran a hand down his face, trying to contain his frustration. Could anything else go wrong?

“Apparently not.”

Kayce got out of the truck.

At first, he thought they’d cut the party short and came back to the ranch, but as he got closer, he saw the specks of blood on their shirts and the color of forming bruises.

“What the hell happened?”

Rip sighed. “What does it look like?”

Kayce’s burning gaze turned to him, the question going unsaid, but very much present in his eyes. Rip held up a hand, keeping his voice level to not poke the bear any further.

“She’s inside. Beth’s with her.”

Kayce didn’t waste any more time, dark eyes flashing as he whipped around, sprinting up to the house.

“Y/N!” He screamed. “Y/N!”

Beth rolled her eyes. “Do you want to wake up all of Montana? We’re in here.”

A door opened upstairs. John was awake.

“What’s going on?”

You buried your face in the pillow.

Oh. God.

Kayce stormed into the living room at the same time his father appeared in the loft.

“I’m sorry for getting blood on your couch,” you said, gritting your teeth as Beth cleaned another gaping cut. Your bare chest stuck to the leather uncomfortably as you shifted to get a look at your father-in-law, avoiding your husband in the doorway.

“Is she going to be okay?” John called down.

“She won’t be able to lie on her back for a while.” Beth looked up at your panicked husband with a smirk. “But hey, save a horse, ride a cowboy, right?”

“Beth,” you groaned.

Kayce’s expression darkened.

Beth placed the rag back in the bowl and stood. “That’s my cue.” She waved up at John. “Just another day in the Dutton house, daddy.”

John sighed, muttering as he went back down the hall. “I don’t want to know.”

Kayce was at your side in seconds, dark eyes widening at the sight of your bloodied back and bruised face. Guilt and worry took over his features. It was worse than he thought. There were still a few shards of glass stuck in your flesh and some of the cuts looked like they went pretty deep. Your shoulder was a web of scratches with a bloody point of impact in the middle. The back and side of your head were covered with that dreaded red, more glass stuck in your hair.

You tried to crack a smile.

“You should see the other guy.”

“Baby…” he breathed shakily, a trembling hand against your cheek. “What happened?” Before you could answer, another, angrier question boiled in his chest. “Who did this to you?”

“I don’t know.”

He opened his mouth, but you stopped him.

“I’m serious. I didn’t exactly ask for contact information when I was swinging at him.”

Kayce nodded, body rigid with rage as he picked up the rag and started tending to your wounds with a much gentler hand than his sister’s.

“So a man attacked you?” His voice was calm which made you even more nervous. He only sounded like that when he wanted to kill something. Or someone.

“Well, I wasn’t tossed over a bar by Montana Barbie,” you snarked.

Your humor hid your humiliation but only made his frustration worse. His hand tensed roughly against your skin. You bit your lip to keep from wincing.

“Sorry,” he muttered. Keeping his movements slow and soft, he got the rest of the glass out and cleaned up most of the blood, though some of the cuts would definitely need stitches.

“And technically, no,” you said. “I started the fight. He was just annoying.”

You tried to push yourself up, crying out at the pain in your shoulder. Kayce gently urged you back down, repositioning the pillow so you could look at him more comfortably.

“It doesn’t matter,” he growled. “Anybody who does this to you-”

“Have probably already been punished by Rip.” You used your strength to reach a hand to tuck his blonde hair behind his ear. “I’m okay, Kace.”

He motioned to the liquor store sliced into your back. “Not from where I’m sitting, sweetheart. You know, one of those bottles could have paralyzed you, or-or severed an artery. You would have bled out on a dirty bar floor and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.”

His voice cracked and you finally let your cocky facade fall.

“I’m sorry, baby,” you cried. “But you can’t protect me forever. I can handle myself.”

“Tonight’s not real good proof of that,” he said, a small smile teasing his lips. “Only you could get into this much trouble going out for drinks.”

“Hypocrite.”

He started bandaging you up as best he could to get you ready to go to the hospital.

“I don’t need to go anywhere,” you protested as he helped you up.

“You just had your head smashed against I don’t want to know how many surfaces. Rip said you were out for a couple of hours, now we should have had you at the hospital sooner,” Kayce said. “I’m not messin’ around.”

Sure enough, when you did see the doctor, they confirmed that you had a concussion. A bad one. Enough to make them want to keep you overnight to observe, as well as stitch up your back. When they asked what happened, you told them you fell.

“You… fell…” The doctor eyed you, then looked at Kayce.

You grabbed the woman’s arm, directing her suspicious gaze back at you. The last thing Kayce needed was somebody getting the wrong idea and thinking this was his fault.

“Through a glass table, from which I might have died if my husband hadn’t come home early so you keep your focus on me, okay?” You snapped.

Kayce chuckled. “Easy, baby. We’re not being interrogated.”

“I’m responsible for what happened. I don’t want her thinking anything different,” you said. “Tonight was my fault.”

“No,” he sighed. “It wasn’t.”

He should have been there. He didn’t drink, so he would have been able to see those creeps coming a mile off. Better yet, he should have stayed home, stayed with you like he said he was going to. Then none of this wouldn’t have happened.

“Hey,” you said, taking his hand. “Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

You gave him a knowing smile. “You don’t have to.”

He brought your hand up to his lips and held it for the rest of the night.

Three Weeks Later

The wind whistled around you and for the first time in almost a month, you felt like you could really breathe. Adjusting the reins in your hand, your golden-brown quarter horse turned, facing you back toward the ranch, miles, and miles of beautiful country all around you. In the distance, you saw a dark hat appear out of the stables and heard your name echo across the field.

You pet your horse's neck, laughing. “I think we’re in trouble.”

With the sunset overhead, you rode back, your husband’s disapproving frown becoming clearer and clearer.

“What the hell are you doing?” He asked. You dismounted and led your horse to the barn. “You just got cleared by the doctor. Are you trying to get another concussion?”

“I know how to ride a horse without falling off, baby.” You kissed him as you went by. “Besides, it’s therapeutic. See, I feel better already.”

Kayce watched you go by, eyes lingering on your back, imagining the angry red scabs and scratches that crisscrossed your skin. He thought about how you tried not to wince when he touched you or that you’d have to lean on him after standing, too dizzy to see straight.

He should have been there.

“Morning, Rip,” you said, seeing the mountain of a man in the other doorway. He tilted his hat at you in greeting, glancing over at your husband for a moment before carrying on by. Something you’d watched that morning clicked in your mind. “I actually wanted to talk to the two of you about something.”

Rip halted and turned around.

“I saw on the news this morning that they found the remains of three hikers in the park last night,” you said, suspicious eyes switching between the two of them. “Three men. You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”

Kayce’s brows furrowed. Rip’s expression didn’t change. You put your hands on your hips and narrowed your eyes.

“Because I can fight my own fights. I don’t need either of you getting yourselves into trouble.” You shot your husband a look that said ‘especially you.’ It seemed like trouble was both of your middle names sometimes.

But he just shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, baby.” Kayce turned to the other cowboy. “Rip?”

A silence fell over the barn, heavy with tension and an unspoken truth.

“It’s the first I’m hearing of it,” Rip said, cool blue eyes watching you. “They probably poked a bear they shouldn’t have.” With that, he left the two of you, and Kayce couldn’t help but feel grateful. As much as he would have wanted to deal with them himself, he was glad those bastards got what they deserved.

You unstrapped the saddle and started to lift it off.

“I got it,” Kayce said, grabbing the heavy leather for you and the two of you finished putting everything away. But that heavy silence was still there.

Your hand slipped into his, tugging slightly to make him look at you.

“Kayce,” you started softly, those big brown eyes making you melt just like they always did, but in them, you could see the guilt he’d been carrying for the past three weeks. “What happened was not your fault. It just… happened.” You laid a hand on his cheek. “Even you can’t stop the world from happening. And you can’t stop some men from being drunk bastards who can’t throw a decent punch.”

His fingers traced the forming scars on your shoulder. “I can try,” he whispered.

You brought his gaze back to yours and pulled him in for a kiss that said everything you both needed it to. When you pulled away, you smiled teasingly.

“So enough of the puppy look.”

Kayce rolled his eyes. “Not this again.”

“I’m serious!” You giggled. “It’s time to, I don’t know, have a little fun again. I’m not going to break.”

Ever the fighter, he thought, bringing you in for another kiss.

You tugged on his hand again, leading him out of the barn. The first stars were making their appearance over the incredible landscape you called home.

“Besides,” you said, leading him back toward the house. “You still owe me a date night.”

Kayce chuckled, wrapping an arm around your waist with a smirk that matched your own.

“Yes ma’am.”

#kayce dutton x reader #yellowstone #kayce dutton #rip wheeler #yellowstone imagines #luke grimes #my blonde cowboy husband

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jarofstyles · 3 months

Text

Illicit 5

Here's Illicit part 5.. It's a fun one for sure hehe

Check out our Patreon for early access and 100+ exclusives

Illicit Masterlist

WC- 3k

Warnings- exhibitionism(?), Voyerism(?), Really mean H, Cheating (H w Y/N), spit play, smut etc

------------

It was safe to say that Brant was not pleased in the slightest that his daughter had tricked Harry. While he wasn’t pleased with the fact that it had come to that in order for them to spend time together, his company took precedence over his daughter’s relationship. He had apologized profusely to Harry, telling him he would speak to his daughter and make sure she knew how inappropriate her actions were. That wasn’t what he was looking for.

He wanted this contract terminated.

Perhaps, if he hadn’t met Y/N, he would have a bit more tact. Suffer in silence and just roll his eyes at her antics, let her do what she needed to get him off of her back. But he did. He met the love of his life and this girl was standing in the way of what he wanted. That never turned out well for anyone, really, but this girl had pushed his last straw. He needed her to break up with him so this agreement was void. The moment she told him it was done, he would perhaps just for joy. It was exhausting. The annoyance he used to feel for her had built up into a sweltering hatred, a loathing. Every little thing she did pissed him off and put her higher and higher on his shit list. He needed her gone, and fast. He couldn’t keep hiding Y/N.

Katherine on the other hand, only wanted to chase harder. She was livid with him for speaking out loud, letting people question their relationship. Sure enough there was a grainy video of a pissed off Harry growling at her from across the table, throwing cash on to the table. The articles had come out in droves.

Trouble in Paradise for the New IT Couple?

UnStylish Dinner- Waitress Tells All

Rocky Road for Heiress and Mogul

Is THE Couple Calling it Quits?

Tantrum at the Table? Katherine Brant EXPOSED!

Needless to say, she was twitching and angry. Her carefully curated brand had been tarnished. She’d put in months now of effort, building up their story. Letting herself sit aside while Harry was busy but getting her head bitten off when she wanted a bit of attention. Her crush on him was obsessive. It wasn’t just getting his love anymore, it was building their relationship up to legendary levels. Give them a ship name! Katrry? Hatherine? She was fine with either, but she wanted that influencer reputation. The wealth itself wasn’t enough. She wanted attention, damn it, and Harry was ruining her plans.

When Katherine had originally gotten this deal, she was ecstatic. She was convinced she could get the ‘emotionless beast’ as people around there called him, to love her. She knew she was pretty, funny, she had a lot to offer. Her plan had been foolproof, or so she thought. Thinking about how they could rise up and be the perfect power couple. New money and Old coming together and ruling over the city with a golden fist.

They had been ruined, however, when he didn’t give. They had sex 2 times, she gave him oral once, and the man had barely said anything to her except ‘shut up.’ He was selfish, using her as a mere fleshlight to get off on. No praise, no words besides a grunt when he came. He’d demanded her face down, ass up, and to keep quiet. Bite the pillow if you need, your voice is annoying. It hadn’t been bad, his cock thick and hitting the right spots, but he showed no interest in her. No affection. Simply slapping her ass and getting up to shower alone after he was done. He’d asked if she was good, but that was about it. She’d thought maybe using sex to get to him would work, but after the second time he straight up denied her. No phsycial contact.

There was no way he was normal. He didn’t have emotions nor morals, it seemed, but she didn’t need those in order to have a happy life. Giving up on the affection, she’d tried to perfect the image, manipulating photos, planting people to see things at certain angles. Making people think she had done the impossible- she had turned the mottled, charred heart of Harry Styles into a blooming forest, just for her. But obviously- things were not turning out her way. Katherine was used to getting her way.

So she devised a plan. An intervention of sorts, one that had her stomping into his office only to be told he had taken the day off. A direct lie he had told her just an hour earlier, saying he was busy at work all day and not to bother him with silly things. Like her feelings. She was fuming and irrational, knowing what she had to do. It would perhaps get people fired, maybe get her in big trouble with her father, but she wasn't thinking clearly right now. All she wanted to do was to yell at him. Give Harry a taste of his own medicine, damn it. He acted so high and mighty, so above her, and it infuriated her.

Knowing it wasn’t smart and the back of her mind reminding her of how much he valued his privacy, she knew it was dirty. But seeing her opportunity with a new doorman to his building, proving their relationship status with his phone number in her phone and photos of them together, she got the spare key to his place.

Her heart was beating in her throat as she pushed the front door handle down, heels clicking as she walked inside the foyer. The place was quiet, really, except for a faint sound coming from the upstairs of the penthouse. Naive, she assumed it was the television. Harry hadn’t allowed her here more than to meet her in the hallway, so part of this was saving her curiosity as she saw the large panoramic views of the city in this high rise, floor to ceiling windows. His step down living room with a half one puzzle on the coffee table and a U Shaped couch, she walked past it and towards the grand staircase to make her way up to where he must be.

It was nerve wracking, really. Being here, knowing she wasn’t supposed to be, but the rage simmering under her skin was too hot to make sense of it. Each step clicked, bringing her closer to the sound she still couldn’t quite make out.

“Oh, fuuuuck.” A feminine voice let out, faint but loud enough to make her throat tight. There was no way. Each step closer gained another sound. A grunt, a smack, a whimper. A manly cooing, the sound of flesh slapping together and hushed words that only got clearer as she neared the door that was ajar.

“S’good, baby?” It was Harry. Harry Styles, with his low crooning voice. A tone she had never heard before, making her stiffen up and her eyes blink hard as the deep words continue. “S’so good for me. Always so fucking good, swallowing me up.” A weak whine sounded in reply. Tip toeing closer, her curiosity got the best of her again as she peeked inside.

On the plush bed, the blankets were crumpled and wrinkled. A starkly naked, almost faceless woman was laying on her back, fingers clutching the broad expanse of Harry’s bare, tanned back. The pearly pink of her demure manicured nails digging into the skin, making a groan Katherine had never imagined the man capable of falling from swollen lips. She was getting a side view, a real pornographic image playing in front of her face. Frozen, like watching a car crash as she looked at the couple.

He was fucking another woman. A woman he was treating much differently than she had ever treated her. His hand scooping under her neck, cooing down at her as tiny repetitive whimpers left her lips. “I know, M’Love. I know, I’m getting that spot, aren’t I? S’my spot.” He brushed her nose with his own, fucking into her deep and concentrated. The sweat glistened on his skin as she watched her supposed ‘boyfriend’ fuck into the cunt of another woman. He called her ‘his love.’. She was shaking, face pale as she couldn't seem to uncement her feet from the carpeted hall.

“Yes, yes, right there. Right there, H.” The woman panted. Desperation was clear in her tone, her legs pulled up and on his shoulders. H? She was allowed a nickname and Katherine wasn't? “I can’t stop, m’gonna cum, m’gonna cum I-” A needy squeal sounded in the room as Harry leaned down, spitting over her cunt and smearing it in with his hand. Unashamed and passionate. He was being filthy, but the way he looked at the woman- it broke her a little. Whoever this was, she had gotten her dream. She was the one standing in the way of it, she was the one who had ruined her plans. She’d hypnotized him with sex, somehow managing to get her goal of unfreezing his heart. Just the way he handled her made Katherine well aware of the fact that he was in love.

“There we fuckin’ go, my love. Soak my cock.” He hissed through his teeth, eyes looking up from Y/N to follow his gut feeling, eyes meeting Katherine’s in the doorway. Instead of stopping, of growling at her, instead of making her presence known, he simply laughed, turning his attention back to Y/N and let her watch. His thrusts increased in tempo, a hand placed on her tummy as he worked harder. Like he was trying to prove something. “S’my perfect girl. All mine, let go all over my cock. S’all yours, baby.” He hummed. “I can feel it- fuck, you’re trying to milk me. Y’want it, sweet girl?” He mumbled down at her. “Want my cum again?”

Her eyes betrayed her, looking down to find that his cock was indeed bare. Something she knew he was notorious for never allowing. It solidified a lot to Katherine, knowing that he was fucking this girl raw, that she was the one that had beat her to him. Anger and shame bubbled inside of her as her face stays red, watching his slick pick drive into her, spreading her open with each pass. Creamy at the base, like this wasn’t their first round, maybe a third. Bitten skin and scratch marks, her breasts with pebbled nipples arched up as begged for it, unashamed at her pleas as Harry stared down at her with pure love and lust. It seemed to be his undoing, dropping down her legs and finding himself on top of her, deep and hard thrusts as he pressed his nose to hers before his face contorted in rapture. A deep growl, his hips stuttering as he pushed in one final time and the wet sounds of sex ended. Only then, he took her mouth with his own while he stayed balls deep, humping into her and kissing her hard, more passion going into that one kiss than he had given her the whole of their relationship.

His expression hardened as he pulled away, looking up at Katherine with a single warning mouthed to her by his swollen, spit slicked lips. ‘Get the fuck out.’

—---------

“I love you.” Harry mumbled into Y/N’s neck, peppering it with kisses. He wasn’t going to ruin this post orgasm bliss quite yet, ignoring the woman standing with a gaping mouth at their bedroom door. “So much. My sweet angel.” He stroked the messy locks from her face, their second round on his day off being usually one of his favorites. This time, it was again, but for a much more nefarious reason.

Harry wasn’t one to tell someone they were wrong if they called him cruel. He was. Y/N, his nieces and his family were the only ones shielded by his gray morals, but there was a sick part of him that was relieved. Excited, even, that Katherine got a glimpse. Saw that she could never compare, that he was a taken man and was only with her. Maybe now, she would get it through her impossibly thick skull. Only, it seemed she was stupider than Harry had originally thought, standing like a deer in headlights as Harry gently pulled out, using his fingers to curl inside her cunt and the other grabbing the blanket to cover up Y/N.

“Can you not read lips? I said to get the fuck out.” He said coldly, fingers pressing the cum further into Y/N’s cunt as he looked at Katherine. “You come in here, invade my privacy? More so, my girl’s privacy? Not fucking okay.”

“Are you kidding me?” Katherine squeaked. Y/N had been clued in and felt herself curl in on herself, hiding under the blanket as her thundering heart didn’t take the second to calm down. It only got worse. “I’m your girlfriend! Not this, this-”

“I’d choose your words very fucking carefully.” He snapped, eyes darker than she had ever seen. He was naked as the day he was born, cock wet and filthy with another woman's orgasm mixed with his own, and he was more threatening than she could have ever imagined. “This is the woman who will be the mother of my children. You, Katherine, are a means to an end. An end I’ve been trying to work on and you’ve been too pathetic to catch a clue. Or stupid, actually, considering I’ve told you I’m here because you whined to your father who was dumb enough to add a personal matter cloud his judgment. I didn’t want you then, and I don’t want you now.” He pulled his fingers from Y/N, licking them clean without breaking eye contact with the wicked witch. He hoped it made her sick.

“You are a monster.” She whispered, face paling. “You don’t care about anything! Any of the effort I put in, it’s because you’ve had a whore on the side-”

“Watch your fucking mouth.” He interrupted again. “She’s not the whore. If anything, you’re the one on the side trying to desperately prove to people who don’t care about you that you are important. It’s pathetic. I tried to help you by treating you like shit, but let me spell it out for you.” He stood up, giving Y/N’s forehead a kiss before crossing his arms. “You are nothing to me. You’ve never been anything to me. She has been my everything since the day we met. I have been dreaming of marrying her, impregnating her, keeping her. You and this fucked up deal have been an inconvenience since day one. And don’t even think about running to your father crying. There is no clause saying I need to be loyal to you. No monogamy, no fidelity clause. Your father’s company was a welcome inquisition to my empire, but it means nothing to me now. You mean nothing to me. Your time is worthless.”

Harry was harsh but real. Y/N had her hand over her mouth, watching the exchange in horror. She wasn’t pleased about being seen, as it felt extremely violating, but she couldn’t lie and say she wasn’t feeling that weird sense of satisfaction over finally being seen as his one and only. It was a weird juxtaposition of feelings swirling in her gut, blinking as she watched the girl’s face fall. Harry was being ruthless, trying to cement the facts in her head.

“I’ve been as kind as I can be given the situation. I went along with your little schemes but I’m tired. Frankly, the things you care about are vapid, stupid, and you will fall out of public favor in seconds once the next heiress with a camera pops up. But you’ve fucked up massively, Katherine.First, wasting my time and business hours. But this? Breaking and entering? Are you really that pathetic?” He sneered. It must have been a sight, seeing a stark nude Harry Styles sneering at a shivling excuse of an influencer who was standing in his doorway. “And here you are now, wasting my time with my love. I was going to continue this agreement and let you continue whatever social media posts, but this is too far for me. No deal is worth a psychotic woman breaking into my house and making my woman feel unsafe.”

He crossed the room to grab his phone when he heard her sputter.

“Wait! No- No, don’t call my dad.” She said shakily. “Please don’t call him. I’ll do anything. He’s going to kill me.” Katherine, above all else, couldn’t stand the threat of being cut off. That’s what he threatened the other day for using his phone to trick Harry. Katherine was used to her lifestyle and if that was taken away, she didn’t know what she would do.

“Call off the contract.” He said. “That’s the only way I’m not telling your father and ruining your life. Break up with me, do your silly influencer thing and call the paparazzi. Call me an asshole, I don’t give a fuck. But break this contract. I want out of it and I want to be rid of you.” He found his briefs, pulling them up his legs. This was the one thing he wanted. To be honest, part of him did want to ruin her life- but he didn’t want to be held responsible for all the other shit that came with it. So for one final time, he gave her a shot. “And get the fuck out before I call security.”

If she didn’t take this warning seriously, he’d be happy to show her what kind of monster he could be.

402 notes · View notes

sserpente · 8 months

Text

Chasing Nix

Synopsis: You are a mermaid from the Upside Down, stranded in Lover’s Lake after the earthquake hit Hawkins. Dustin finds you and promises to keep you safe. He takes you to the community pool to hide and has Eddie Munson look after you while he searches for a more permanent place for you to stay. You like the gentle metalhead. Quickly overcome with the urge to be with him and protect him rather than feed on him, you panic when a boy named Jason finds him at the pool and starts to hurt him. So you jump out of the water and attack. In the aftermath, you notice that something is different, that your tail… has turned into a pair of legs…

Words: 6206 Warnings: violence, blood, feeding, mermaid!Reader

The water tasted different here. Less… sulphuric and somehow… somehow sweeter too. You were yet to decide whether you liked it. You didn’t know how many days had passed since the earthquake. Since your world and their world bled into each other.

You’d been too slow, too weak to resist the pull of gravity sucking you into a dimension that was not yours. There were trees all around you. Life of all kinds. The grass, the leaves, the bushes, animals with fur… it was all alive. And as long as you were not certain any of those living things posed any threat to your survival… you would remain hidden in these waters.

You were hungry. And you were getting hungrier every day. Every now and then, humans would come to the lake. They’d swim in it for fun, to cool down… and it took all of your willpower not to drag one of them underwater to feast until you were sated, for once you did, your location would be known to them. Humans were social creatures. And if you killed one… others would come to investigate.

The air tasted different too. It was crisp, fresh… there were no particles swirling around, none that you could see. You took a deep breath as you heaved yourself onto a rock. You only did so once it was dark—once the last humans had disappeared from sight.

“Holy shit!” Whoever he was, he shone the light coming from the metal cylinder directly into your face. You squinted your eyes and dove back into the water panicking.

“No, no, no, wait! Are you… can you understand me?” the boy asked. You blinked, hesitating. Then, you nodded. Yes. You understood him.

“What… what are you?”

You tilted your head. The words did not quite want to leave your lips. It was almost like your vocal cords had not yet gotten used to the air in this dimension. Furthermore, you were terrified. Any wrong move could result in your immediate demise, and just because this boy looked innocent, there was no way of knowing if he was a predator.

Finally, he lowered the light and brought his free hand to his chest. “I’m Dustin… don’t worry, you’re safe. Are you… are you from the Upside Down?”

You frowned in response.

“Like… another… the other dimension? Did you end up here after the earthquake?”

You nodded quickly.

“Okay… okay… well, you can’t stay here. There’s other humans who might try to hurt you if they find you. Are you… friendly?”

Friendly? You were selective with your prey, you were very well familiar with the concept of morals, good and bad deeds. You only killed to survive. So you nodded again.

“Alright… I’m gonna believe you.” Dustin didn’t take his eyes off of you when he pulled a metal box from his back pocket and started speaking into it.

“Steve? Steve, do you copy?”

You gasped when a voice, likely belonging to another human, came out of the box. “Yeah? Yeah, what is it?”

“You need to come to Lover’s Lake right now. Do you still have that broken freezer in your trunk? The one Robin asked you to throw away for her?”

“Yeah… why?”

“Bring it. We’re gonna have to fill it up with water.”

“What the hell are you on about, Henderson?”

“Just do it!” Dustin yelled. “Over and out!” Before the other human—Steve—could respond, he tucked the box away again.

“Don’t worry. We’ll get you somewhere safe. I have an idea!”

Needless to say, you weren’t particularly fond of the idea of swimming into a white container filled with water. Steve was taller than Dustin and you assumed that meant he was older too. As soon as you realised that he was helping you though, you warmed up to him.

He arrived in a huge metal box on wheels only a short while later and eventually, they attached the white container to a rope they ended up dragging onto a smaller set of wheels attached to the metal box… once Dustin has persuaded you to swim into it. A car, you had heard Steve say. That’s what the big box on wheels was called.

They drove you away from the safety of the lake soon after, leaving you with a sickening feeling in your stomach. Had it been a good idea to trust this human boy? He could have been lying, after all. But… no. You were good at reading people, good at detecting their intentions. Dustin was pure, not depraved, not like Henry Creel.

When the car stopped, you froze. The water you were floating in stilled then, and Steve opened the metal bit that had prevented the container from sliding off onto the road. Together, they pulled you toward a rectangle-shaped body of water. It was a little mucky and dark and it smelled horribly chemical. Your nose was not used to the chlorine. You gagged when they tipped the container over and you tasted the artificial water. There was a rather large broken stone pillar that had fallen into the water, separating the indoor pool right in the middle. And it was dark. Despite the horrible taste of the water, you felt safer here not being surrounded by living things—even if you preferred the lake over this standing collection of chemicals.

“Dustin? Why are we here?” The boy who came barging in only a short while after had dark skin. His eyes widened when he spotted you. Right behind him followed another boy, a really skinny one with light skin and dark hair. You retreated. So many humans… Dustin had brought you to safety. He was kind, a compassionate human. What if those other humans hurt him? Baring your fangs for a moment, you splashed water as you swam away from the edge. Dustin must have called for them inside the car on your way here. Why?

“Holy… shit. Dustin… what is that?”

“That’s, uh… Nix!”

“Nix?” The other two boys said in unison.

“Yeah… you know like Nixies. The mythical creatures? She’s basically a mermaid so… Nix.”

“Let me guess… she’s from the Upside Down.”

“Obviously!” Steve exclaimed, arms akimbo.

Dustin turned to you, noticing your discomfort. “Hey, it’s okay! These are my friends! That’s Lucas,” he pointed at the dark-skinned boy, “and this is Mike.” He pointed at the other boy. “They’re gonna help me keep you safe, okay?”

You hesitated but eventually… you returned to the edge of the pool. Lucas and Mike were equally weary of you.

“What were you thinking? The community pool? They’re gonna start renovations here soon!” Mike said.

Dustin put up his hands. “Yes but I know that they’re not gonna be draining the pool until next week, until then, we’ll figure something out and she can hide here.”

“I guess it’s better than the police finding her,” Steve added. The police? What was a police? And would they hurt you?

“Can she speak?” Lucas asked.

“She hasn’t said a word to us yet but she nods and shakes her head. She understands us.”

“So she’s mute.”

“Kind of like when we first met El, remember?” Mike asked. The boy with the dark skin gave him a glare.

“She’s from the Upside Down. If anything, this is gonna be another Dart situation. What does she… eat?”

“I’m about to find out. I came prepared in case I came across a Demogorgon.” Dustin knelt down and opened his backpack, revealing raw chicken breast in a plastic bag. He poured the contents out before you and then took a step back.

You blinked. It was clear to you he meant to feed you but what was that? You sniffed and recoiled. It was dead. Raw flesh from a dead animal.

“Huh… I thought that would work. If she doesn’t eat meat, that’s a good sign, right?”

“Not… necessarily,” Lucas responded.

You wanted to speak. Let them know what you fed on, how you fed. But even when you opened your mouth, not a single sound escaped your lips. It was like your mind was preventing you from sharing your voice with this dimension.

Dustin sighed. “How’s Eddie?”

“Holding up. I mean, Hopper is working on it but the whole town still thinks he worships the devil.”

“Where is he right now?”

“In my basement,” Mike said. “Holly made him host a tea party with her dolls.”

Lucas snorted—laughing. He was laughing. “I’d give a lot to see that.”

Once again, Dustin pulled out the metal box and started speaking into it.

“Eddie? Do you copy?”

“Henderson?” Your lips parted. You liked that voice.

“Eddie, I need you to come to the community pool.”

“Right now?”

“Right now. It’s urgent. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”

“Alright… copy that. I’m on my way.”

“Is that a good idea?” Lucas asked. “I mean… Jason was released from the hospital today. What’s your plan?”

“Eddie’s gonna stay and hide here, with Nix, looking after her.” You frowned. You didn’t know Eddie. You didn’t want Dustin to leave.

“I don’t think she’s very fond of that plan.” Lucas pointed at you with his chin. “She looks jealous. So what are we gonna do?”

“First of all, we need to tell Hopper and Nancy and then we’re going to the southern edge of town.”

“The southern edge? What for?”

Dustin packed the metal speaking box away. “You remember that old water tank they stopped using a few years ago?”

“Yeah… but how the hell would we get her up there?”

“I don’t know, that’s what we need to find out.”

There was no such thing as pretty in your world. You were covered in grime and slime, there were webs between your fingers to help you swim and your eyes resembled what humans would likely refer to as reptiles in this world and your tail with the spiked smaller fins was of such a dark green it was almost black.

And yet… you wished the older boy who came walking into the roofed building would take as much interest in you as you did in him. You liked his hair. It was long and curly, framing his face perfectly, and on his fingers, he wore pieces of silver. You realised quickly he must have done so for aesthetic purposes, much like the holes in his black trousers.

Was that Eddie? Was that the human boy they wanted to look after you? Dustin seemed to rely on him and you were quite certain you didn’t like that. Dependence was dangerous. It left you vulnerable. Especially a kind soul like Dustin.

You hid when he came closer, diving under the fallen pillar and emerging again on the other side.

“She’s, uh… a mermaid, basically,” you heard Dustin say.

“Jesus H. Christ, she is what now?”

“Yeah… I called her Nix. Nix?” Nix.There it was again.Your lips parted. Oh… he had given you a name. He was calling you. “It’s okay!” you heard Dustin shout. “Eddie is nice! He’s my friend! He’s gonna look after you while we’re gone, trying to find a more permanent place for you to stay, alright?”

“Does she look… human at all?” Eddie asked.

“See for yourself.” You emerged by the edge of the pool, looking at Eddie curiously. He was even prettier up close. Oh. You liked him. He had a good heart, a kind soul, much like Dustin. He was… soft. Your eyes met and somehow… you found yourself being unable to look away.

“Can you… understand me?” Eddie asked.

You nodded. You were almost disappointed when Dustin turned his attention back to him to tell him about their plan in detail.

“So you want me to stay here with her…” Eddie concluded.

“Exactly.”

“Alright… yeah. I can do that.” You could have sworn you heard him mutter “A fucking mermaid” under his breath but you weren’t sure.

You watched him pull up what must have been a chair made from a very light white material from a stack nearby and sat down—within a safe distance of the pool. As if you couldn’t reach him if you wanted to…

“Are you gonna be okay with her?”

“Yeah, man… I’ve been through worse.”

“Alright… call if there’s any problems at all, okay?”

Eddie smiled bitterly. “Will do.”

The remaining boys nodded. They gave you one final glance before they left and Eddie and you were alone.

The silence was loud, it almost hurt your ears. But what irked you even more was this weird feeling that kept spreading in your chest. You wanted him to like you, wanted his approval… and you just couldn’t figure out why.

“Hey… Nix,” Eddie finally said. You nodded at him. Hey. What would you give to be able to speak to him…

“So… so you’re from the Upside Down then?”

You tilted your head and nodded.

“Are there more like you?”

You nodded again.

“Wow… what… what do I call you? I mean, what are you? A mermaid?”

Mermaid… you had heard Dustin use the same term. You shrugged. Why not?

“Alright then… we have mermaids here too.”

Your eyes widened.

“Oh, no, I mean… we have stories about them. Books and movies and shit. And they’re in Dungeons & Dragons, that’s a fantasy game. I play in a club, called it the Hellfire Club. Yeah, we have a band too, we play metal,” he rambled.

You looked at him with intrigue. Music? Metal? Band? Dungeons & Dragons? You only understood half of the things he was telling you about but you could tell that he was passionate about them, tilting your head when he started talking more about the mermaids in this fantasy game, mermaids that looked similar to you.

“They usually live for up to five-hundred years in the game and they can shape-shift into humans.”

Shapeshift into humans? You tilted your head.

“They usually have a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or something like that and they can always choose to take ten on a Swim check, even if they’re distracted. It can use the run action while swimming, provided they swim in a straight line but…” He trailed off as you blinked at him. You did not have a clue what he was talking about and you were certain he had just realised that. Your heart sped up when he smiled. What was going on with you?

You rested your forearms on the edge of the pool, practically glued to his lips as he calmed down a little and then told you about his favourite music groups like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Dio and finally, the music that he was making music himself.

“I play guitar in our band. Gonna play stadium tours with Corroded Coffin one day, you’ll see.” He grinned. You had no doubt whatsoever that he would be successful. Men like him always were. Pure souls received only kindness after initial hardships. Somehow… somehow you knew that.

Your gaze fell to his stomach where a small strip of skin was visible between his ripped trousers and his washed-out band t-shirt. You caught a glimpse of what resembled a scar before you followed your yellow eyes down to where his skin was on display and tugged it down quickly.

He must have been injured before—badly. Scarring only occurred when the human body was unable to heal back to its original state… right? You bit your lower lip. Did it have something to do with your dimension? The Upside Down? None of the boys had been particularly fazed about seeing you. Surprised, yes… but there had been no genuine shock. You liked that more than you would like to admit.

“Maybe I’ll bring my guitar next time. Play you some tunes…” he offered timidly, one of his hands playing with his curly hair. You nodded eagerly. You would love to hear music from this dimension, it sounded wonderful. Perhaps you could also—

“Munson! I know you’re here! Say something, freak!”

You flinched. Whoever this voice belonged to, they were not friendly. Eddie’s eyes widened. He tensed up and jumped up from his chair, his brown gaze darting over to you. “Hide! Quick! He can’t see you!”

You nodded and dove underwater, watching the situation unfold from below the surface. Luckily, it was dark and the water was mucky enough for you to remain unseen.

“Well, well, well… there you are. Fucking knew I saw Harrington’s car in the parking lot.” A blonde boy stepped in sight. He was pale, sweaty—and he had a downright murderous expression on his face.

“Jason, man… hey. Out of the hospital, I heard? Glad to see you’re feeling better, man. Past weeks have been crazy,” you heard Eddie say.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Munson, you’re the reason our town is going to shit in the first place.”

“I’m not…”

“Shut up! Now I know the police won’t lock you up until they have evidence that you killed Chrissy and the others but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep investigating on my own. I’ll give you one chance to come with me.”

The reason? Locked up? Killed? Did this Jason blame Eddie for the earthquakes? How would he be responsible for them? This was Henry, those were his murders that tore at the very fabric of the dimensions…

“Listen, Jason, you got this all wrong, man. I didn’t kill anyone. I just got dragged into this, alright? I promise I didn’t do anything.”

“You turning yourself in or not?”

You couldn’t make out Eddie’s response, perhaps because he didn’t give one. Instead, you watched Jason start at him, pushing him so hard he lost his balance and fell on the wet tiles with a groan. He inched back helplessly but not fast enough. Jason towered above him and grabbed him by the collar before he could even think about escaping, next thing you knew, his fist connected with Eddie’s face. You gasped for air. Again, and again, and again.

Eddie was flailing. He was fighting back of course but Jason looked like one of those humans who were exceptionally strong due to repeated physical activity. Eddie’s orientation bled out with every single punch Jason threw, blood disfiguring his beautiful features. He let go of Eddie’s shirt, knocking him back and then, he kicked him in the stomach—right where you had caught a glimpse of freshly healed scars.

Eddie groaned and moaned, unable to fight back anymore. With his strength fading and the pain taking over, you could only imagine the torture he was enduring. You clenched your fists, anger flowing through your veins like liquid fire. You’d watched this long enough.

With a hiss, you whacked your tail and jumped out of the water, latching onto Jason’s back. You bared your fangs, yanking his neck back to give yourself access, and bit down as hard as you could. It was surprisingly easy to break human skin. His blood gushed into your mouth, fuelling your instincts to drink him dry. He was yelling, of course, screaming in pain. You were not being gentle. There were more discreet ways to go about feeding but Jason, whoever he was and whatever he blamed Eddie for, deserved the pain.

So you kept drinking, sip after sip after sip until somebody yanked your head back and tossed you on the ground, too far away from the pool for you to slip back into the water. Eddie? No, it couldn’t have been Eddie. You glanced over to him, spotting his curled-up form on the wet tiles.

It was Steve. Steve had come back, he’d been the one to drag you off of him. Jason was unconscious. Steve had wrapped Jason’s arm around his neck, barely able to hold him up.

“Shit, are you okay, man?” he called over to Eddie. “Someone’s gonna have to stay with… with her.” You didn’t fail to notice that he did not call you by the name Dustin had given you.

“Yeah…” he grunted. “I’m alright… I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yepp… I just need a moment.”

“Alright, fine, I’ll be back as soon as I can, alright? I’m gonna tell him a wild animal attacked him or something like that…”

Your tail was tingling. You didn’t like the fresh air from this dimension enveloping it. Steve left all the while you wiped the remaining blood from your chin and turned over. You froze. Something was different. Something was… off.

You attempted to whack your tail, desperate to get back into the water. Every instinct, every fibre of your being was screaming for you to get back in, to get back to safety… but you had to make sure that Eddie was okay.

You looked down and… gasped for air. You had… legs. Real legs with knees, calves, feet, and toes… both jerked when you tried to move them like your tail, using your core strength like you normally did. It didn’t get you very far at all.

Eddie groaned again. You took a deep breath, frustrated at your lack of understanding. How were they supposed to work then? How were you supposed to move? You had to get to Eddie, you had to… another groan.

You flipped over again, ignoring your legs completely and inched yourself forward with your hands, crawling and entirely relying on your upper body strength until you reached him. Eddie’s brown eyes widened when he realised how close you were, hovering above him. His breathing quickened, his expression full of horror… scared. He was scared. Scared… of you?

No… no, you had only wanted to help him, to save him! Gently, you lifted your hand and brushed your fingertips over his right cheekbone. His nose was bleeding and his right eye was a little swollen from the punches Jason had landed.

“Oh… oh.” He realised that you did not mean to hurt him quickly, his body relaxing a little. Relief flooded your veins. “I’m okay… t-thanks. You really…” Eddie tried to sit up, moaning once more in the process.

“Shit, you’ve got legs! Jesus H. Christ, you have legs! And… oh… you’re… you’re, uh…” He blushed. You were naked. Without a shadow of a doubt, that was what he was going to say.

You breathed out. Yes… yes, that. Even so, however, you were still covered in grime and the slimy residue your skin produced to keep itself moisturised. It could not have been a pretty sight.

Eddie scrambled to his feet. He almost bent over when another wave of pain hit his stomach—and you wished for nothing more than to stop his suffering. You knew you could. All you had to do, it was… you bit your lower lip as you watched him take off his leather jacket and wrap it around you, covering you. It was warm, soft. It was comfortable, made you feel safe… and it smelled like him. It smelled like smoke.

“Alright, let’s uh… can you stand up? Can you do that for me?” Stand up… he meant… like him? You nodded, trying your best to mimic his movements. You made it to your knees after some initial struggles but then, as soon as you attempted to lift just one leg, you lost your balance. Eddie was by your side before you could even blink.

“Whoa, hey… careful there, I got you… let me, uh…” Your lips parted when he kneeled down himself and hooked his left arm under the back of your knees, the other wrapping around your middle, and then… he scooped you up.

“Would you like to take a shower?”

You tilted your head. A what?

“Oh, uh… a shower. Like… rinse down? Get washed up? You’re probably not familiar with that concept in the water.”

You shook your head. You clearly weren’t. But you did indeed want to wash all that slime off of yourself. You looked down at your hands, spreading your fingers. The webs between them were gone too.

Eddie took you to an adjacent room. Several showerheads lined the wall and when he turned one on, the water came gushing down like a little waterfall. It was almost a little fascinating… turning the flow of water on and off in this dimension, just like that… how did they build that?

Eddie used his foot to pull another one of those light chairs toward the running showerhead and sat you down, removing the leather jacket from your shoulders so it wouldn’t get wet.

“Can you, uh… do you need my help?” he asked. You shook your head. No… you’d manage somehow. As you began to rub your skin under the running water, Eddie pulled out the same little metal box Dustin had used to communicate with his friends.

“Dustin? Dustiiin… DUSTIN! Come on, man!”

The box gave a static noise and then, you could hear Dustin’s voice.

“Eddie? What’s wrong, are you okay?”

“Has Steve been in touch with you yet?”

“No… no, why? He dropped us off at the water tower and left, where is he?”

“I, uh… we might have a situation here, man.”

Silence. “What kind of situation?”

“Jason found me. I’m alright, Steve made it here in time, he got him out but uh… there’s something you’ll need to see.”

“Shit! Shit, shit, shit!” Dustin exclaimed. “Did he see Nix? Did he hurt her?”

“See, I told you it was not a good idea to send Eddie out there!” Lucas exclaimed in the background.

Eddie looked at you and you blinked. No. You did not regret what you had done to Jason.

“She saved me, man, she attacked him. Bit his neck and drank his blood like a fucking vampire.”

“Holy shit! Okay… okay, we’ll… I’m calling Steve, we’ll be right there!”

Eddie covered his face with his free hand. “There’s something else.”

“What? What is it?”

“She has legs.”

“What?”

“She has legs. She jumped out of the water and she didn’t go back in and… now she has legs.”

“Eddie, don’t take your eyes off of her. Don’t let her run!”

Eddie looked at you sitting there on the plastic chair and attempting to move your feet one at a time. You were hardly successful but at least, the running water felt nice on your skin.

“She can’t even walk, man…”

“We’ll be right there, okay? Give us like… ten minutes! Over and out!”

Eddie sighed and put the metal box away. He jumped into action, moved you away from the shower stream, and retrieved a soft piece of fabric from a shelf nearby. He also took one for himself, cleaning up the blood on his face.

“Here… you can dry off with that.” Oh. Of course. You did as you were told and then breathed out in relief when he returned his leather jacket to you. It was so big it almost swallowed you whole. In the meantime, Eddie turned off the shower and then leaned against the wall, his face distorted in pain as he put his palm flat against his stomach.

What if… what if the wounds the creatures in your dimension had inflicted on him had not yet healed off properly? What if Jason had hurt him more than he’d planned? What if… what if you helped?

You opened your mouth, desperate to speak but apart from an audible breath, not a single sound escaped your lips. So you decided to let your body speak instead. You reached for him, leaning forward. Gosh, you couldn’t even walk over to him… this was pathetic. You felt so helpless… so vulnerable. And you’d had no idea your tail could do that, adapt to your environment to let you… walk on land. Well… if only you knew how to use them. Perhaps Eddie could teach you. They all made it look so easy.

Are you okay? you tried to say. You looked at him expectantly, relieved when he caught up.

“I’m alright… I’ve taken worse,” he said with a grin. You wished you could return it. But you were concerned. So you pointed at his stomach.

“That? Yeah… long story. You ever come across those gross bats with those creepy ass tails?”

You raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not that you’re creepy!” he quickly corrected himself. He laughed, clearly a little embarrassed. “They use their tails to choke people, that kind of thing… yeah, they, uh… they got me pretty badly.”

Your lips parted. The bats had done this to him? Had caused those scars? You leaned forward even further at the risk of falling over, a sly attempt to lift his shirt. You couldn’t help with those scars but whatever injuries Jason had caused…

“Eddie! We’re here!” You breathed out, leaning back and clutching the leather jacket when Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Steve came in sight. They all stared at you as if you’d grown a second head instead of a pair of legs.

All of them were out of breath. It was hard to believe they’d hurried this much because of you.

“This day is so messed up…” Lucas muttered.

“Tell me about it,” Eddie gave back. He turned, wincing in pain yet again. Overcome with the urge to hug him, you gasped for air. You decided there and then. You were going to heal him.

“Eddie… are you alright?” Dustin asked. He nodded in response. “Good. Okay. So. The most important question right now is, where do we take Nix?”

Mike took a step back. “I can’t hide her in my basement…”

“What about Rick’s boathouse?” Eddie suggested. “You said the police already searched the place so they’ll have ruled it out. We head back to the lake and hide there.”

“That could work. Nix would be close to water just in case too…” Dustin added. Eddie nodded. It was a good idea. You did prefer the lake over the standing water at the community pool anyway.

“Back to Lover’s Lake? So why did we get her away from there in the first place again?”

“Because, Lucas, she had no idea where she was and if anyone had found her there before us… that could have ended badly considering what she did to Jason.” Oh yeah… you still didn’t feel bad about that one.

“So… you said she can’t walk?” Steve asked. Eddie shook his head.

“Had to carry her,” he said.

“Okay, let’s get her to the car then. At least I don’t have to drag a fucking freezer around anymore now.”

You gasped for air when Steve lifted you up. You didn’t feel unsafe but you would have preferred Eddie to carry you again. But then again… it was probably for the best, given that he was in pain. With a deep breath, you calmed yourself down and let Steve tuck you into the car. Confusion struck your face and you froze when he fastened two straps of leather across your body to keep you from moving. You squirmed. Was he tying you up?

“Oh no, don’t panic, alright? See this?” He pointed at the red piece of the buckle holding you in place. “It’s a seatbelt. If you press down here, you can get out. It’s a safety thing, alright?”

You nodded—relief, however, only washed over you when Eddie got in the car as well and sat down next to you.

“We need to get her some proper clothes,” Steve said as he started the engine and pulled the car out of the parking lot. “I’m gonna give Nancy a call.”

“What about Robin?”

“Visiting family in Iowa. She won’t be back until Friday.”

“Right…” Dustin sighed and then… silence spread in the car as if someone had draped a sheet over you all. You scooted closer to Eddie. He wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, right? You’d seen it in those beautiful brown eyes.

You waited, patiently, when Steve finally stopped the car again. Eddie unfastened your seatbelt for you and then, Steve was carrying you again. You clung to his shirt until you reached the boathouse, looking around in awe.

You liked the atmosphere here. It was dark and gloomy and it smelled like water—the water of the lake. Eddie had been right, you did feel comfortable here.

“Put her there.” Steve brought you over to the old and battered sofa Eddie pointed to. You shivered. Ugh, you were not quite sure you liked having legs. One thing was for sure—you did not want to be left alone but now that this Jason was after Eddie for some delusional accusations, what if he left?

You reached for him, holding his hand. Dustin chuckled.

“I think she doesn’t want you to leave, Eddie.”

“Oh. I’m right here, sweetheart. I’m not leaving.”

Sweetheart? That was an endearing term, right? Did that mean he liked you? You nodded, pulling up the corners of your mouth. Smiling.

“She’s smiling!” Mike said. In an instant, all eyes were on you. But yours… yours were on Eddie. You shivered again, unable to control the trembling of your body. You’d never been cold before. It must have had something to do with those stupid legs.

“Hey, hey, are you cold?” Eddie put his other hand on your shoulder and you nodded.

“Alright, let me, uh… get you a blanket or something.”

Reluctantly, you let go of his hand to let him find one. You watched as he frantically started opening the cupboards and drawers in the boathouse.

“She’s from the Upside Down and lives in water, how can she even be cold?” Lucas whispered. “I thought whatever lives there doesn’t like warmth.”

“Maybe it’s because she has legs now? I mean, that must have messed with her somehow,” Dustin answered.

“Right, right…”

It was then Eddie returned with a blanket and wrapped it around you. You practically leaned against him when he sat down on the sofa with you.

Dustin clapped his hands. “Alright… back to work. Steve, are you sure Jason is out of the picture?”

“I dropped him off at the hospital, he was in pretty bad shape.”

“It’s kind of ironic he was only just released today,” Mike added.

“We’ll bring over some food first thing in the morning tomorrow, and clothes for Nix.”

“Sounds good.”

You pressed yourself even further against Eddie as the group said their goodbyes and took their leave. He winced when you accidentally came in contact with the exact spot Jason had been kicking him. Your lips parted. His injuries…

“Jesus H. Christ… you gave me quite the scare back there, you know?”

You smiled apologetically.

“You’re not gonna bite me, are you?”

Quickly, you shook your head. No… of course not. And if you ever did, if he ever let you feed on him… you’d made sure it wouldn’t hurt.

“Those your, uh… gills?”

Eddie’s hand came up to stroke the bump right below your eye, concealed well by your hair. You gave him a quizzical look. Your what?

“I mean, do you breathe underwater with these?” Oh. Yes.

You nodded, opened your mouth, took a deep breath…

“Eddie…” you whispered.

The boy’s eyes widened.

“Did you just… did you just say my name?”

Your smile grew wider. “Eddie…” you croaked again, louder and more confident now.

“Shit, you can speak!”

He grinned—and it truly was the cutest sight to look at. No more delaying now. You leaned forward, cupping his face in your hands and kissed him.

Gently at first, you moved your lips against his, your eyes fluttering shut when a sensation unlike anything you had ever felt before spread throughout your entire body. He froze at first, unsure of how to react, what to do. Perhaps even taken aback or disgusted a creature from the Upside Down would kiss him…

A moan escaped your lips when he started kissing you back instead, his arms wrapping around you. It was your cue—your cue to start humming.

“What… what are you doing?” he whispered against your lips. You couldn’t allow him to break the kiss, not now.

“Healing…” you whispered back. You kept humming, moving your lips against his ferociously.

You could practically feel his frown and yet, he did not pull away. He trusted you—and that felt so empowering you were confident you would be able to walk around now.

“W-what…” Eventually, you allowed him to break the kiss. His lips were swollen and so were yours, both your breathing heavy.

Eddie felt his face first and then his stomach. There was no pain, there were no injuries left, only the scars you were unable to will out of existence.

“You… you actually healed me?”

You nodded. Little did he know that this meant that he was yours now, in a way. You didn’t give this gift freely, not to just anyone but only to the purest of souls. The Upside Down had been pure too once before Henry Creel had polluted it with violence and reckless murder.

“Thank you, Nix.”

You smiled, cuddling up to him. Perhaps ending up in this new dimension had not been so bad after all. Not with Eddie Munson by your side.

A/N: Check out my blog for more Imagines and my original novel(s)! ♥

#eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things #chasing nix #joseph quinn

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particular-one · 9 months

Text

dropped your hand while dancing.

pairing. gepard landau x gn!reader cw. angst. hurt/no comfort. failed relationships. fluff to angst. passing mention of alcohol. marriage proposals. set after the events of the jarilo-vi trailblaze mission. author's note. this song destroys me every time i listen to it, soooo. if this fic ever sees the light of day, know that this stayed in the vault for terribly long. my debut solo geppie fic...! and its angst. whoopsies.

despite the absence of the morning sun, belobog was glowing in anticipation in celebration for one of, if not the biggest event that the city would hold for the year.

the cityfolk were crowding around the central plaza of belobog, excitedly chatting away for the display of romance that they will be seeing in less than an hour as others continued to fix the decorations in the area. from a distance, the children were running amok near where the snacks were located just as their parents exasperatedly tried to get them to behave.

and you were in the middle of all that bustle, your grip snaked around the stem of your champagne glass and a faraway smile on your face at the sight of it all.

it was the wedding today. and it was everything you imagined and hoped it could be — and even more.

silks as white as belobog's snow proliferated every part of the venue, decorated with blue petals that you can only surmise as gepard's favorite flowers. the captain, no matter how much he enjoyed doing so, was terrible at gardening. the first time he told you about it, you had laughed in his face, watching as his ears turned red in embarrassment as he tried to hide his reaction.

how exactly did you and gepard meet? you hailed from the underworld, so your judgement about silvermane guards had been clouded. everything was scarce down in the underworld, thus, you did not exactly have the most fulfilling of lives in the past. natasha had been your parental figure since you were a child, but even the promise of her protection was not enough to hinder you from wanting to leave jarilo-vi.

when the fateful day had arrived, you remembered how your heartbeat quickened in pace as you raced up to the overworld — only to be greeted by the incarnation of the sun himself, just as how you remembered thinking when you first laid eyes on gepard.

he had been leading the silvermane guards in ensuring the smooth entry of the underworld citizens when the both of you locked eyes for a little too longer than a minute. needless to say, you were drawn to the captain of the silvermane guards against your own judgements.

and he was too, you knew that for sure.

you were dragged away from daydreaming too much just as someone bumped into you — a young girl, probably around the age of twelve, donned with two brown pigtails in her hair who shouted an apology to your direction (probably because she bumped into you), before she disappeared the other way. almost right after her, a young boy, the same age as her, was shouting for her to stop running, but you could see that unmistakable smile in that boy's face that you could probably assume as affection.

you could definitely forgive a little lover's chase.

your hands had been flipping through the parchments that supposedly included the map of the vast universe — or at least, only the planets existing in the data archives — that you had traded your credits for when you felt a pair of calloused hands wrap around your eyes.

“guess who?” you laughed, knowing very well that only one person in the world would dare to do this to you. “i know it’s you, gepard.”

your lover chuckled at the sound of his name, before you felt that small peck on your head and his fingers intertwining with your free hand as gepard took the seat adjacent to you. “what are you up to?”

your other hand had been preoccupied with tracing the path of nearby planets to jarilo-vi, the ripples in the paper creating the feeling of excitement as your finger brushed across the map. you could feel gepard’s eyes on you as you didn’t respond, only engrossed in what was right in front of you.

whether or not the captain seemed to mind that you didn’t answer him, gepard simply squeezed your hand in his, just as you could hear him move closer to you. “you got another map?”

“yup! who would have thought there were neighboring planets near us? if i could just save up enough credits… i’ll be off on the next ship away from this planet.” the prospect of escaping the planet had long allured you when you were child; quite inevitably, you still hadn’t lost sight of your goal to get away from your home planet, desperate to seek out another that wouldn’t let you down like jarilo-vi has.

gepard hummed amicably in your excitement, though you had half-expected that he’d share something else to your own musings, just like he always did. “is something on your mind, geppie?”

“no, no. everything’s fine." his words spoke with utmost reassurance, but the same reassurance didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. you could feel a pit of uncertainty in your stomach, but you didn’t know if it was right to push; so, you simply turned back to your map.

“one day, i’ll definitely fulfill my dreams and start my life the day i’m away from here!” you boasted in pride, just as you see your love stare at you with an expression that you could never quite comprehend that night.

you had downed your third champagne of the event, just as you absentmindedly set down the empty glass on the table where the rest of the food sat. you barely even caught a whiff of the roasted poultry, but your stomach already grumbled at the pristine sight of the delectable food enclosed inside the chafing dish.

even as you hear the silvermane guards curse about the lopsided flower decoration that looked like it was about to fall, even when you overheard that the officiant of the wedding seemed to be running late, everything still looked perfect.

and you could only assume that it was gepard’s own doing. he would want this day to be something to be remembered, after all.

you had been too engrossed in your latest reads that you hadn’t realized that it was an hour past midnight if it wasn’t for the multitude of buzzing notifications coming from your phone.

naturally, it came from your partner, with countless ones that asked where you were and if you had eaten. your stomach grumbled at the thought; clearly, you had not.

so there you were, dragging your feet as you hurriedly ran back home — the shared quarters that you shared with gepard. you had only moved in with him several months into your relationship which … took a lot of convincing from gepard’s part.

he really wanted to try living with you, he had pleaded. and you found it difficult to say no to him when he looked so excited about the promise of it all.

your hand twisted the handle of the door, trying to quietly enter so as not to wake gepard up. the lights were closed, so you had figured that he might have been asleep.

swinging the door open, you tiptoed your way into the place that gepard had referred to as the living room. your body was aching from running out in the rigid cold weather, so all you wanted was to sink yourself into the velvety couch, but you didn't expect to see gepard sprawled over in the couch, no doubt fast asleep.

right in front of him sat two plates of belobog sausage with a messy pile of rice. though one of the plates included a half-eaten sausage and barely any trace of the rice, the other remained untouched, almost as if it were waiting for someone.

you. gepard had been waiting to eat with you.

guilt crept up to you, as you took a bite of the food that he prepared for you. it was no longer warm, as you had anticipated — which only meant that he had been waiting for a while before you finally came home.

"hey, hey geppie." you were gently shaking his shoulder just as you could feel him stir under your touch. "thanks for the food. i .... i'm sorry i didn't answer your calls." though gepard didn't fully awaken, you could feel his shoulders tense before visibly relaxing at the sound of your voice. "mmm,,... love you, y/n." he murmured, before you could hear the faint beginning of his snores.

no doubt, he was tired. you had leaned over to give him a quick kiss on the head, just like he always did, but stopped midway. your hands were grazing the side of his face, before pulling away to instead drape a blanket over his sleeping form.

i love you too, gepard, you thought.

you didn't understand what had stopped you, nor why you couldn't find the voice to return his words, but you simply chalked it up to your torpor. not before long, your own exhaustion finally caught up to you and claimed you as you fell into a deep slumber.

"y/n?" the familiar voice of gepard's sister brought you away from your thoughts, as you whirled around to see serval, carrying her guitar in one hand and a couple papers in the other. your eyes widened when she ran over to envelop you in a warm embrace, holding all of those items and all. you had almost expected that she would ... well, never mind that.

"you're here! i... i'm- well, this is a pleasant surprise." you had allowed yourself to smile just as serval studied you intently. "of course. i wouldn't miss this for the world." a bitter laugh spilled from your lips, and you had only hoped that serval was not as perceptive as usual.

"well— i need to finish handing these out, but let's chat later, alright?" serval, as jovial as ever. you had almost anticipated the cold shoulder with how things had culminated, but she didn't.

but somehow, you wished that serval did. or more importantly, he would. maybe it would make the pain of forgetting a little less unbearable.

the day you had been waiting for finally arrived. at last, you had almost enough credits to buy your way out of jarilo-vi and start your life elsewhere. the tantalizing thought of fulfilling your lifelong dream had kept you on your toes, but the excitement was even more magnified when you remembered your anniversary with gepard, who had promised you a night to remember.

"what's all this?" to say that you were surprised was an understatement; your quarters, once a messy pile of armor, plates and nearly wilted flowers, had been transformed into a place befitting a romantic candlelight dinner.

which was ... also what gepard had prepared, as he stood in front of the table with a bashful smile. he had been holding a bouquet of fresh red roses, that his hand stretched out to hand to you. "it's for you. happy anniversary, beloved."

there were two glasses of champagne in front of your seats, along with a plate of— "is that stone-grilled olm?!" you exclaimed, to which gepard's smile shone brighter than the sun at the sound of your excitement. "i thought this was discontinued?!"

gepard only chuckled. "i may.. have pulled a few strings." you set the bouquet down as you took your seat across gepard. oh, you can already feel your stomach grumbling. "let's eat?"

you hadn't replied to him anymore, only digging in like a ravenous monster devouring its prey. you had missed the food served in the underworld, as most of them had discontinued their services after they found work in more in-demand places. you hadn't realized that gepard was just watching you eat, a small smile playing on his lips before disappearing when you let out a sound of confusion.

"you're not going to eat?" you asked, midway through a spoonful of olm in your mouth. gepard shook his head. "i, i will. in a bit." he took a sip from his glass, but his gaze never left you. you suddenly grew self-conscious, as you slowed your pace in eating the food.

"hey, y/n—" "yes?" your head snapped up, to gepard's surprise. silence fell between the both of you, before he cleared his throat to continue. "i... well, happy anniversary." you chuckled, as your fork speared through a piece of olm. "you already told me that, silly."

you had not expected to see gepard looking so nervous though, almost as if he had been hiding something. your eyes narrowed in sudden suspicion, before transforming into a more tender concern. "everything alright, geppie?"

before you knew it, gepard had reached over to hold your hand, his gaze finally meeting yours head on. "y/n. i... i know it had only been a little over two years that we had been together but it.. it has only strengthened my resolve more than anything." you didn't understand where all of this were coming from. "geppie..."

"you... you mean the entire universe to me. you are my sun, my moon and my stars. i... i know that you have your plans of leaving this city, and i understand and completely respect your decision but... i have never felt this strongly about someone, and i don't think i ever will for anyone else."

you only thought that these kind of things only happened in the tales that natasha would read to you during bedtime, but here it was unfolding, as you watched gepard get down in one knee before finally unveiling what he had been obviously hiding behind his back.

a ring. a beautiful diamond encrusted ring that you can only imagine costed millions of credits.

and it was for you.

"y/n, would you make me the happiest man alive and be my spouse?"

you could stare at gepard, mouth agape and a tidal wave of emotions threatening to sink you down from where you sat. "gepard, i—"

"we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the captain of the silvermane guard, gepard landau and his spouse..."

of course. the wedding was starting. you blinked back tears just as you made your way to where you had resigned yourself to when you broke the captain's heart: in the sidelines.

even when half a decade has passed, you could never forget the night that gepard proposed to you with bated excitement in his eyes, you could never forget how you raised your voice in incredulity at him at the prospect of settling down in this forsaken planet, you could never forget how his sun-like smile twisted into a heartbroken frown as you uttered the word that shattered all his dreams.

you had said no to him that night, all because you did not want to be shackled down in the planet that you had made a long-standing pact to yourself to leave.

and now, you were paying the price for your own foolishness as you watched gepard marry another.

it was the first time since you saw gepard since you closed the door on him, as he stood at the end of aisle and fitted in the most stunning white suit that complemented his features. his hair had been parted in a way that made his look even more formal, but you somehow missed the tousled curls that were all over his face.

he still looked handsome as ever, which just made your heart clench in pain. you had taken the best thing in your life for granted, after all.

when you left jarilo-vi at last, all you were filled with was regret in leaving him behind. though you had earnestly enjoyed living in a different planet, you’d sometimes think about the domestic exchanges you shared with gepard during the time you were together.

when you had received a mail signed under landau, your heart had simply raced in excitement, only to fall flat on the ground when you read the contents of the invitation.

your thoughts had drowned out the words of the officiant, as your eyes only followed one person alone. gepard was standing in front, his hands joined with his would-be partner. despite the absence of the morning sun, you could have sworn the entire venue could have been lit up by gepard's smile alone.

you remembered how happy he got whenever you compared his smile to the sun. he never stopped smiling at you, afterward.

"do you, gepard landau, take auberon chevalier as your lawfully wedded spouse?” right as the officiant finished his words did gepard’s eyes finally meet yours, and it was almost as if the both of you were transported back to the first time you met each other.

gepard’s eyes seemed to widen at the sight of you, that you noticed that he never replied to the officiant’s words. “captain landau?” the crowd seemed perturbed at the sudden pause, just as you could feel your heart beat loudly against your chest.

there was a hint of despondency in his eyes as he met yours, and you could feel your breath hitch. in truth, you had half expected that the reason why you decided to show up to his wedding in the very planet you swore never to return to was to change his mind, but looking at him right now … you knew that would have been such a selfish thing to do.

“sorry, i do.” after a few moments, you watched as gepard finally managed to tear his gaze away from you. the officiant seemed relieved that nothing seemed to be going awry and continued on. “and do you, auberon chevalier…”

still, despite all— you were happy that someone had picked up gepard’s heart after you had impetuously stomped all over his, something you could never forgive yourself for.

even when the sight before you tore your heart to shreds, you were unbelievably happy that gepard had found someone he would feel so strongly about, and most importantly, someone who would not drop his heart like how you did.

you hadn’t realized that the officiant had finally pronounced them as spouses to one another until you heard the crowd go wild in cheers. gepard had finally kissed his spouse, as the people around you grew even wilder in screams.

in another life, you thought to yourself just as you finally stopped blinking back the tears that had threatened to spill from your eyes.

in another life, if i could love him again, i’d love him right this time.

written by carlyle (@particular-one) copyright: all content belongs to particular-one on tumblr (2023)

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storiumemporium · 9 months

Text

Little Gifts (1/3)

Aegon II Targaryen/Reader

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SINGLE POST FOR ALL THREE SCENARIOS GOD FUCKING DAMMIT—

ahem :)

This is Aegon meeting his babies for the very first time, please enjoy!

| Word Count 6.2k | Angst, Fluff | Childbirth, brief absentee-ism, Aegon has parental issues out the ass, general cuteness at the end |

Gods help Kings’ Landing once Aegon The Elder realizes he’s going to be a father.

It’s a tumultuous time at best, though never one that came directly at your expense. Aegon had never wanted children, he always told you. Bound up in the sheets and in your arms, with cruel platitudes about how they were smelly, messy, foul little creatures. That you already had one of those to deal with, and you didn’t need that one to put another in you.

This, of course, was a lie. And you knew that, you did. Aegon who hates children, yet gives them more patience than any other in the world. Sitting at the steps of the Keep and listening to some Lord’s boy excitedly tell him about a cat he saw prowling about the gardens. Never sparing a mean word, or even so much as a look of boredom. Aegon does not have patience, Aegon does not suffer things that he does not like for anyone save that of his family.

Aegon loves children, Aegon is terrified of them.

You came to the Keep when the Queen Mother herself expressed a desire to wed her son away- initially the ideal had been to have Helaena marry her elder brother, but for some manner of reason the honor had passed down to Prince Aemond. Rumor tapped it’s mousy foot, but it hadn’t been your business and you’d been far too nervous to poke around and find out.

It hadn’t taken you long to realize the dysfunction of the royal family. To see the way the man you were vying to marry would shrink away from his own mother and father, the way he would curl and wilt under their gazes as if he thought he didn’t belong within their memory.

Needless to say, it followed him into his blossoming- handsome adulthood. The knowledge of the brutality of childbirth, of how it rips a woman apart and kills her if she’s not strong enough. The understanding of what comes after for the rest of ones’ life, and the sheer amount of damage you could do to that life if you weren’t equipped for it.

As far as Aegon had been concerned, he would never be equipped for it. He hadn’t even been worthy of love when he was a child. How could he ever be worthy of giving it?

It’s for this that, following your marriage, you do not bear a child for quite some time. A full year of marriage without sight or whisper of a swollen belly that might carry his babes. This was somewhat devastating for you. Not that you held any grudge for Aegon’s fears, for the way you would find him with glistening eyes and wine-slicked lips, every time his mother would bear down upon him about his duties.

No, it was the gossip and whispering. That you were a failed woman and a terrible wife, that perhaps he thought you so ugly that he couldn’t even bear the few minutes it took to spill his seed in your womb. That you were so dull and lifeless that he could not derive pleasure from you. That your womb was simply a wasteland and that you needed to be replaced. Nevermind that you loved him. Nevermind that he loved you. Happiness was of no importance, here.

Aegon held off for as long as he could, but eventually the frightened boy was chased to his end.

Alicent had had enough of him- had made the ultimatum very clear. Put a babe in your womb, or she would find a new bride for him. Had made sure to list off all the eligible young women of higher houses than your own that would gladly throw you out with the rats to share his bed. It’d been a yelling match, it’d been filled with tears on his end and the bitter sort of resoluteness only a woman who herself had children she hadn’t wanted could possess.

It was the very first time Aegon had ever crawled into your marriage bed and had you while he was drunk.

Things did not get better for some time. Aegon drank, and he drank more. He bedded you with none of the love he truly held for you- because it was not his choice to do so, and he fled to his old vices in the deepest pits of the city, skin crawling as if he’d both been the violated and the violator. He could not imagine how it must have made you feel.

Lonely. Lonelier than you’d ever been. Kept awake with the remnants of his heat between your legs and the absence of his person- whether he was in your bed with you or not. Had he ceased to love you? Is the thought of a child so all consuming that you can no longer hold candle to it? Did he flee from you into the night, find the arms of women who would not have their bodies ruined and spirits tempered by motherhood? Did he disgrace you in such ways?

You didn’t know, and you were too terrified to ask. And so you sat and grew with the misery. He drank more and you ate less, withering beneath a relationship that you could not live without, and yet were being destroyed within.

Until one moon turned to another, and another. And you did not bleed.

The Maesters confirmed it easily enough, the babe that surely grew within you— Aegon had done his duty, and your womb had accommodated, you were not barren. But it did not feel like a joy, to learn of this alone, without him holding your hand. To be the one to go and tell him, to have to inform him of what surely must have been his worst nightmare.

You’d started regal, head held high, shoulders squared. You were informing him of his legacy, you were continuing the reign of the Dragons into another generation.

By the time your slippered feet scuffed the threshhold of your shared chambers, you were a little girl with your arms bound around your middle, hunched and ready to cry.

What a pointless struggle you put yourself through, fingers dancing repetitive tangles around the wash-softened silk embroidery of your bodice. You know how this will fare, perhaps- your mind supplies you desperately even as it’s too late- you could simply not tell him, and let him realize when your body has changed too much for it to be hidden?

He’s slack where he sits at the foot of your shared bed, the fabric of his undershirt fine enough that you can see the flush of skin beneath. He’s always been a touch warmer than his siblings— more like his mother, that rosy hue that clung perpetually to her. Perhaps he was most like her in all regard, for you could not imagine any other Targaryen crying with such open and childlike vulnerability as he could.

You wonder if that is what you will receive now. Tears, or rage, or fear? Will he be offended by your decision to tell him? Will you watch those downturned, lovely features warp into something so far and foreign from you. As he has become over the past moons?

And you try, you truly do. You mean to tell him firmly and prescriptively of your state and what to expect in the coming moons. But when your lips part to break the silence, it is anything but.

“I am sorry-!” It must be a half-beg, it must be a whine, it must be the cries of a wounded animal. Afraid and in pain. The kind that would gnaw itself to bone to survive. You wish to gnaw out your own womb with teeth not suited.

His head jerks then, startled. But you can’t see it, your gaze refuses to witness a thing past the torrent that crowds around your lashes and spews over your eyes. A relentless wave of grief futilely smothered by the way your soft palm pinches angrily around your mouth. Like it was a physical thing to be held, like it hadn’t already begun to drown the air. Humid with pain.

And it is for this— swaddled in the no no no no this is all wrong it’s wrong it’s bad no- that you do not, cannot see Aegon rise. It is for this that you are nearly taken clean off your feet by the sheer force with which his frame collides against yours, held solely by his iron-like grip.

But you don’t question it, the hand at your belly and the hand at your mouth flee to him. Dig in tightly enough to sting through the cloth that separates your nails from his direct skin. You’re clawing at him, scratching violent red ribbons into that peach skin that clings across his shoulders and back. If you’re truly hurting him, if he’s noticing it at all, he makes not a sound, says not a word to it.

“Husband, please..! I am- am afraid, I do not want to be alone. I cannot- I cannot be-” anymore. You couldn’t be alone anymore. Because you had been. You are. He’d abandoned you.

And he knows it, knows it so violently that tears spring to his own eyes. He can’t wrap himself around you as tightly as you dig into him- the cognizant and horribly numb parts of his pysche supply him with an offensively dull you would hurt the babe if you did. That his mind offers this with such simplicity doesn’t prevent the horrible shudder that crests his body. The gooseflesh that forms.

What a horrible, terrible creature he’s been. Typical, but inexcusable.

“Shh, shh…” He tries, weakly. An attempt to balm you while he scrambles to put together the right words to comfort. He knows what he needs to say, he just doesn’t wish to lie. Aegon needs to know that if he tells you this, he will mean it. What he has already done is a heartbreak, enough. But it holds nothing to the weight of a broken promise. “I will not leave you, do you hear me? Never again. The wine will go, the taverns will go, the fights will go. I will be here. I am here.”

It was easy, it was so effortless to pull you to the bed. To lay you curled and fetal beside him as he bound himself to you once more. The door was ajar, enough so that overly nosy servants and guards alike could see the young royals tucked among the pillows, could see the large hand trailing delicate paths over even more fragile features. Soothing and rhythmic motions until a crumpled and upset face turned to something neutral, nearly sleeping.

He would not promise you that he would be perfect, that he would be able to love and cherish the way you deserved. But he would be there. He would be there. You would not be alone. He would never abandon you again.

And he held true to his word. Aegon becomes a constant at your side, perhaps more than you even anticipated. He follows you to learn everything from the wetnurses and Maesters. He follows you to the gardens, he asks you how you feel. He keeps a rigorous, near paranoid grip of your health and mental state.

First you find it confusing, but not unpleasant. You find that just as quickly as you’ve come up with child, Aegon has put aside the things that kept him away from you. Curled into bed and talking to you in rasping, warm tones. Kissing your fingers and nose and lips. And even, when he thought you asleep, trailing a shaking hand over your belly- still too early on to show in any real way.

Then you understand, and it becomes tragic. Aegon knew the stories of Aemma Targaryen, his father’s first wife. At least in rumor if not in direct. And he knew of Alicent’s horrors, as he had been the cause of many of them. He stares at your growing belly over the moons, and he grows paler and paler with the sight of it. Sickened by it. Terrified. Of them, and for you. He fears that you will die, and he fears that he will be the one made to take your life. Even if it’s not him doing it, then giving the order to insistent, heartless Maesters.

This fear increases threefold when the Maesters proclaim that there cannot possibly be a single child within your fertile womb. That you grow too large and too fast. Twins, it could only be.

Aegon sits up that night, with you sound asleep beside him, and he stares into the dark with absolute certainty that he has murdered you. That he marches you to your grave faithfully, now. How it is he is expected to live with it, he doesn’t know.

Nightmares plague him, shakes assail him, his appetite vanishes. You must coax food and drink into him just as Aegon must beg you to take things easily. To let him help you around, to not take so many stairs, to gentle yourself.

He sleeps less, too. And you find yourself kneading puffy cheeks in your palms and caressing reddened eyes as you coo at him and push him to bed. Watching over him like you might- some day soon- your own children.

Eventually however, too soon, much too soon, you head into your labors and Aegon feels the most helpless he ever has. You go to a war that he cannot fight in, and all he can do is sit witness to whether or not you live or- or-

Uselessness should be a thing as natural to Aegon as sleeping. All his life it has been of abundant clarity that his importance was simply in function and name, and not what he- the person- could do. It was not about him, only his blood, his title, the cock between his legs.

It should have been something he’d resigned himself to. But watching you lay there, screaming with tears and sweat trailing down your face- no, he wasn’t so resigned after all. It bit at his bones and made some burning rash crawl it’s pestilent fingers up his clammy back. His hand had long gone numb in your grip, squeezed until nails dug savagely into the places between his bones. It was all he had to offer, his hand, his useless words, the cloth which he gently used to wipe away your sweat.

Even that, they had tried to deny him. Even that. As if he were so Gods-be-damned useless that he couldn’t keep the sweat from your eyes.

“Mm… Aeg..?” Your voice is under a current, being pinched and stretched by your exhastion. You’d been fighting for so long now.

“Yes, ladybug?”

“Could eat an entire pig, right now.”

It makes a bittersweet joy touch Aegon’s cheeks. His smile curves bright and wide, teeth glittering in the afternoon sun, but his lips are trembling and his eyes are glassy. You’re only half there, he’s sure of it, skin glistening and eyes lidded as you stare both at and through him. “I’m sure, love. Been wrestling with a pair of stubborn dragons all day, haven’t you? Once you’re done, I’ll go to the kitchens myself, whip up a frenzy. Everything you could want, okay?

All you need to do is stay here, with me.” Please, please. For the love of the Old Gods and the New. Stay. Don’t let me be what took you.

His hand, the one not clasped relentlessly within yours, brushes at your forehead and at your hair. Tugging strands away with a sort of histrionic worry that maybe they were making you uncomfortable by clinging to your face like that. He didn’t want you to be any more uncomfortable than you were. In fact, how terrible must the sheets feel on your skin? The nightgown they force you to remain in even as your body rips itself apart to create life?

You should be naked, bare on something soft but firm so that it wouldn’t cling to your skin. There is no shame in a man being rendered completely bare so that his war wounds can be tended to, and yet they will not offer you the dignity of the same treatment? Unfair, cruel- you should be allowed to breathe—

His hand practically creaks like settled oak when you start to vice around him again. It’s not fully there yet, simply a pained whimper, but your vision is sharpening by it. You’re forced back to the forefront by cruelty, and Aegon can only give some sort of childish look of sympathy and regret, forehead lowering to touch yours.

“Don’t know how much further I can go, Aegon…” You say, submerging Aegon into a cold that would make even the bitter North curl just a touch deeper into their furs.

“No, no. Don’t you say that, listen to me. Listen… I know it’s beginning to hurt again-” a sentiment unfortunately punctuated by the shriller, louder pained cry that starts to trickle out from your heaving chest. “-But I know you’re the strongest woman I’ve ever seen. So you’re going to do this, do you hear me? You’re going to bear two beautiful, healthy children, and you’re going to be fine, and you’re going to eat an entire fucking pig. You hear me? Hm?”

He doesn’t hear the words murmuring out and around him from the midwives and the Maester. He doesn’t know that the pain is cresting because one of the children is coming- he doesn’t know. All he knows is that you’re looking at him now, and you look pleading. You remind him of a frightened little girl, seeking out the comfort of someone bigger and safer during a storm. Aegon leans over you allows his cheek to find your head and his weight to join yours in sheltering. Instinctual, without particular rhyme or reason, but he’s rewarded for the thought with the touch of your nose against him. Tucking down even as you scream louder than you have at any other moment since this began in the early hours of the morning.

Then-

Oh—?

A cry, so fragile and gentle and quiet breaks the air. It’s so tiny, and all of the skin and hair across his entire body raises at the sound of it. It’s so small, and yet the roaring in Aegon’s ears would tell him that the Keep is falling apart around him. That the sea is drying, that Harrenhal is crumbling, that the Wall is melting.

It meant nothing to him, in all the years he heard familiar cries like that. It meant anxiety, it meant help, where is an elder!? It meant another day that I’m just a failure, it meant looming dread.

A babe’s cry meant nothing to Aegon. His babe’s cry nearly pulls him away from you, nearly has him crumpling broken and limp against the red brick and mortar beneath his feet. He could simply lie there, could curl fetally and stare blankly beneath his bed into the vacuous and yawning nothingness that you lay fighting for your life above. The very sound could eradicate him without effort.

He’s scared, suddenly. Oh, oh Gods. Aegon wants his mother, he wants Alicent to hold him, he wants the reassurances now. He’s afraid, he’s terrified. What if he gets it wrong? What if he drops the babe? What if he forgets, or is clumsy, or reckless, or just plain bad? No one ever taught him how to love innocence.

“My Prince!” A sharp voice calls him out of a complete blank state, he jolts as if slapped, eyes wide and doe-like when he settles upon his caller. A stout, ruddy cheeked woman with kindness seemingly built into the very lines and freckles of her face. “She’s doing well, Prince Aegon. Just one more to go, okay? Think you can convince her?”

There’s something lined in this woman’s ale colored eyes, made more vivid by the light. It’s a hint, it’s the gentlest way he’s ever had someone coax him to get his shit together and focus. A nudge rather than a slap. It’s a sweet boy, remember what’s happening rather than a stupid mutt, a useless grandchild who sees nothing more than his cups.

So he turns back to you, to the way your head lulls slightly under his motions, and the way you seem almost absent from your own flesh. It scares him all over again, not that he needed the reminder- mostly that Aegon is the fly caught between two palms now. The clap so loud to his tiny frame that it should shake the teeth right out of him.

“Ladybug… Sweet love, look at me? Look,” he whispers with love, touches your chin with index and middle fingers to pull you toward him again. “You already did it, see? I told you. You’ve only got one left, should be much quicker now that their older—”

It occurs to him that he doesn’t know if he just had a son or a daughter, and when he swallows around that information his jaw trembles. “—Their older sibling made way, yes? So that’s it, this is it. You’re okay, you’re amazing. Just one more, then I’ll get to bringing an entire roast pig in here for you.”

You manage him a smile for your husband. Looking up at him and recognizing in all the ways that Aegon looks utterly petrified by this. You’re still not entirely sure about survival, the pain remains, and the sudden absence of something that had become so intrinsic to your body. The way it’s as if they’re taking pieces of you with them, stealing at your soul to fuel their own. You find that you don’t mind it, and yet when you blink you see silver and starlight rather than the typical blank darkness of your eyelids.

But he’s scared, and he’s making you all sorts of sweet Aegon promises, and you know you cannot allow this to happen- for him, yes. For the broken man you’d leave behind, for the beautiful boy you always loved to see smile and don’t think ever would again. But also for the children, the children who would have no parents. For the cycle that would repeat, with a bitter man too hurt to look at his own children and love them, because he’d see you there.

You know this, you know him, and you scream with what little ferocity you have left before they even call for you to do so.

Aegon finds himself squeezing his eyes shut, swaying as if he means to rock you- or himself, he’s unsure in that regard. You’re still heaving, still fighting, you’re clawing into his forearm until- much to his mild impress and great worry, droplets of life are pooling out and cascading over the softness of his flesh.

“Little bit longer, Princess!” The same kind faced, warm hearted woman says loudly over your noises of protest and suffering. “An eager one, this! Doesn’t want to be too far behind their sister, eh?”

Sister. The word almost lacks meaning in the fabric of his mind. Sister. He has a daughter, then. A baby girl, a sweet little thing. No wonder her cry was so soft and so devastating. He can feel his spine attempting to break free, he’s sure of it. That is the only way he could possibly comprehend the sensation of the entire length of bone vibrating and trembling violently beneath a thin layer of skin and sinew. Yes, his body is like that of a mayfly, he has helped- however futilely- to bring life and now life he escapes.

“Once more, Princess.” Her voice comes again, and Aegon finds himself looking at her hovering between your legs. He must look a sight himself- embarrassing, considering he has no hand in this fight. But he can feel the pressure around his eyes, the sting of his lips from where he’d bitten them bloody and the tears had found their way into the cuts. He tries to prevent this, to not look like a scared child, but the sympathetic pinch that doesn’t leave as the woman looks between you and him is enough for him to know he’s failed.

“Okay… Okay…” You’re convincing yourself of it, nodding even with the slight resistance from Aegon’s plush cheek. It’s as if you’re being coaxed to do something frightening to you- like when he first introduced you to Sunfyre. Your voice soft, assuring yourself as you pressed on with him. That it would be fine, because he would never let you get hurt, would he?

So he does the same thing to you now that he did then.

“My pretty Princess…” He whispers, rasping and thick. Aegon is your ferryman, you decide in delirium. He’s cut through the fog just as quick, effortless like a lantern in the night. “There’s no need to be afraid… You hear me? I’m right here, I’m right by your side, see?”

His hand threads through yours once again, clammy and hot from nervousness while he rubs soothing patterns.

“Just a little bit more.” Just a couple more steps.

“Then you’re done.” Then you can pet him. Ride with me? See the skies? All that… Targaryen goodness we like to tout so much.

What he hadn’t told you, and you’d already known anyways, was that he was asking permission to love you. It was the first time he’d kissed you, up there. Far away from the city and expectation. That’d been the point. Your first kiss deserved to be Aegon. Not Prince Aegon. Just him.

You screech out a horrible noise, grinding sand and sharp cobbles ripping up and down your throat before it waters down into a sob- Aegon can offer nothing but a sort of hiccupping gasp, an almost panic at the noise that splits the stone and races out of the windows thrown open. Were you dying? Was this going to be it?

A shape now, pulled free quickly and cut away from the mother- from you- just as quick. There’s a certain urgency there, to the way they move. They’re not celebrating or offering to let him see- not yet, no. And it increases his terror twofold, does nothing to soothe the burgeoning feeling that someone is about to die. So he lifts, eyes darting around at people far older and more experienced than himself. He asks no questions because he cannot find his voice, has not even seen the faces of his children yet in the flurry.

The silence is deafening, he can make out a pale foot, a pale arm, the gentle tap tap of someone patting at their flesh.

Finally, a soft, even quieter squeak.

“Congratulations,” you’re both addressed in turn by the rosy woman who turns- a tiny- so fucking tiny- bundle she swaddles in her arms as she approaches. “Two more, lovely Princesses for the Keep.”

His ears are ringing.

The babe- his babe, already shows the wicks of his pale locks, still too fine and short to know whether they’d curl or lay flat like their uncle. The face is a little redder than he’d anticipated, with a tiny swooping nose and a gently parted mouth. Her little eyes are closed, she must be so tired coming into the world like this, shouldn’t she?

He looks down at you then, and feels his heart leap into his throat to see you’re already looking at him. Your eyes are half lidded, but the smile there is nothing short of love. You look at him like it’s been years since you last touched, or like he placed the sun in the sky.

“We’re… we’re parents…” You manage, softly. You must be so tired, making someone else come into the world. Gods, you must be on the brink of sleep. You need sleep. You-

“We are,” he whimpers. You see the tears starting to pour. He looks afraid, yes. But you’d expected that. In fact, you didn’t expect this level of acceptance from him. You’d expected him to be in the corner with his knuckles in his teeth. For him to shy away from the bundle before you two, the other being brought back into the room somewhere beyond your fuzzy vision. “They’re so small, love.”

Aegon’s shape shadows yours, you can feel his heavy arms beneath your sweating frame like the great chains of a drawbridge, pulling you against him. It’s temporary, just so that he can slide you over, cooing something about how sweaty and warm where you were just laying must have been. And it’s true, but the pain and discomfort feels detached and distant, like you’re watching a play rather than living it in the moment.

And then he’s beside you, his body pressed all along yours. And the midwives are moving closer.

“She’ll need ample rest, you hear?” Someone says in the distance, your eyes slide off faces like water down the side of a cliff. But you can feel his humming affirmations, the vibrations make staying aware even harder, heavier. “Hard enough to bring one into the world, but she’s blessed you with two, my Prince.

No moving around without someone to keep watch. No awkward positions. And no getting any ideas with her for at least a turn of the moon. You hear?”

Aegon is painted in shades of crimson, but he nods along like some small child being given their first ‘grown up’ task. He wouldn’t fuck this up. He couldn’t. It would be dangerous if he did.

“She will recover, my Prince. I suggest you enjoy now the fruits of her labor.”

One is much smaller than the other, Aegon realizes. He’s not sure why he’s completely taken aback by it. Children didn’t all start out the same, nor did they end up the same either. He was much bigger than Aemond once upon a time. But this feels different.

His first born, she’s a bit of a fat one if he’s honest. He doesn’t know if a babe can even be such. But she is, a big round face and big round feet and meaty little fists. She’s wriggling and energetic, he realizes. Rowdy, even.

“Hello there,” he says quietly, awkwardly. He’s not sure how to do this part. He’s not sure he understands anything, anymore. His whole life feels as if it’s been taken aside and smashed with hammers. But it’s not so unpleasant anymore. It doesn’t feel like death, or the end. There’s sudden opportunity… Almost an excitement. For nothing else if not to see what these little babes grow into. He hopes they look more like you than him, even with the danger that poses.

“You gave your mother quite some trouble, do you know that?” The babe in his arms makes a creaky little noise, and he nervously shifts her around. How does one… adjust a baby without hurting it? “Yes, you did. I’m sure of it, you’re the one that kept putting your foot in her ribs. Aren’t you? You’d make her fight you all day, you ornery little thing.

But my… Aren’t you pretty.” She is, he’s decided already. She’ll be the prettiest thing in all the Kingdoms, the only competition will be the tiny little bundle settled in your arms.

She’s the opposite, so tiny that it frightens him. Face is redder, and much much quieter. But the Maester looked the babe over and said that she would likely simply be a small child. A quiet one. He was glad of that, though. He could handle the rowdy little beast in his arms. Could take on the challenge, you deserved a quiet little mousy thing. One that he can imagine now with such clarity that a wet smile curves his lips.

Fingers clinging to your skirts, and little eyes peeking around a leg. Quiet embroidery lessons where you teach her all your techniques. Blissful little strolls through the gardens with her.

Meanwhile, Aegon suspects this one will be chewing on his ankles in the night.

You’re watching him, and it’s a sort of relief you can’t describe. It makes you want to sob, to break down into hysterical tears at the sight. He’s smiling down at your daughter, your daughter! Bouncing her ever so gently and laughing in that fond timbre that ceaselessly gives you chills. The babe is still too young to move much, but she gurgles and makes all sorts of little noises that Aegon gasps at and reponds to in kind. You’re sure they’re holding some sort of conversation without you. Deciding what mischief they’ll get into together once she’s older.

Meanwhile the little one sitting in your arms just continues to rest. You brush the very tip of your finger against her nose, feel a foot wiggle. Hm, just like her father, then. You hope she gets his nose, that endearing little swoop that you love to kiss. Maybe his eyes too, the weapons that they would be in the hands of a woman.

“We did it,” you finally say. Your voice has come back to you slightly, exchanging the babes in an awkward fumble of limbs and embarrassed little laughs some time prior. You had remained floating in a bit of shock, head slouched against his shoulder as you waited out the minutes until things went horrifically wrong.

But now, with the sun hissing into the windows as it continues it’s trek across the sky, you realize that this is it. It’s okay. It’s over. You’d survived, and they’d survived. You have daughters now. Daughters and a husband who so clearly loves them with all his being.

Aegon had giggled like a little boy until his eyes and nose scrunched up while he held the larger of your daughters, had rocked her back and forth and whispered all sort of nonsense into her ear almost assuredly more for your own benefit than that of the child. Anything to make you giggle, to hear you have joy after it all.

But the moment your little star settled into his arms? Oh, he’d melted. You’d watched the way the joy, but also the pain, and the fear, and the anxiety melted off of him. He looked in awe. He’d not even been able to glance away from his littlest as he’d told you with such reverence she’s so small.

“You did,” he eventually says. His voice is nearly a whisper. They’re sleeping now, soundly and peacefully like little pieces of divine will cast upon the soil. “Look at them. Look what you did, ladybug… They’re perfect. You’ve created perfection.”

It’s hard not to giggle at his antics. “Aegon, my love… They’re yours too, you had just as much a hand—”

“But I didn’t, not really.” He shakes his head with conviction as he says it. Looking only briefly apologetic for running right over you with his words. “I- I bedded you, in the coldest way I could have. And I ran from you. And I left you alone while your body willed itself to create… this. Them. Our beautiful little Princesses. I only came back because you had to beg me. Your own husband, to stay.

No I- …I truly did nothing, here. I failed you, I think I did even when I promised to never leave you again. But the truth remains the same. I got to run away, you didn’t. You weren’t given a choice to run. This is yours. They are perfect because of you.”

You look away when the tears begin to drip off your chin, willing them not to dot your child and wake her. You’re not sure you’re ready for that stage. You want to see them sleep for just a touch longer.

“It was… hard… Aegon…” You concede this part to him, because it does no good to lie about the lonely nights of weeping and fear. “But I want you to know something…

It all went away the moment I saw you smile at them.”

It’s true, it did. You hold not a single reservation for the man beside you. You’ve always known him to have the heart and the will to love the way a good father should, you just never knew if he would give himself the chance.

He will, you think. You can already picture with heartfelt clarity what your near future will look like. The image of a head of white hair chasing a squealing little figure across the gardens. You can see yourself beneath the veranda, surrounded by vines and enjoying some sort of confection while you watch your whole world before you. You can hear the screeching laughter of a daughter tossed in the air, caught faithfully in strong arms. Laughter, so much laughter.

“I love them,” he says softly. Disbelieving of himself. “I love you.”

The hand not preoccupied with a sleeping bundle finds Aegon’s face, heart squeezing tenderly at the way his face drops into your palm so readily.

“My husband, father of my children…” Your finger traces the swoop of his nose, and you giggle when you see one of his feet squirm.

“I love you, in spite of nothing and with all my heart.”

306 notes · View notes

psychedelic-ink · 5 months

Text

We Fall Like Snow ║ Part Ⅰ

After the events that took place at the Cliff Beasts set, needless to say as his bodyguard (and friend) you became overprotective of Dieter. You have all your worries under control until you accidentally flip over a young fan by grabbing her wrist, causing the media to stir with speculations as to why. Luckily Dieter's family arrives in the nick of time, scooping you both from New York to their cozy cabin; however, winter wonderland can't last forever and you need to face the consequences of your actions sooner or later.

pairing: Dieter Bravo x bodyguard!ofc; Amina Addams, written in reader format

chapter summary: You and Dieter are late for a Q&A. Again.

word count: 4.5k

chapter warnings: weed use, dieter having a filthy mind (and a wild s.ex life), cursing, so much banter, minors dni

**dividers by the amazing @saradika

The floor might as well be drenched in grease by how slippery it was.

Your poor sneakers glide across the marble tiles, nearly making you trip as you climb two steps at a time. Adrenaline pumps through your veins, heart hammering in your chest, you force your legs to move faster. You can feel each individual muscle throbbing. It was stupid of you to expect Dieter fucking Bravo of all people to show up on time.

You’ve been waiting by the car for nearly half an hour, already late for the signing. His fans are used to it by now, but that doesn’t mean you enjoyed being late to these events, and Shannon –Dieter’s ever passive- aggressive manager– had graciously put you in charge of his time table. You still aren’t sure why. You’re the bodyguard; the person that slaps his hand whenever he puts his grubby little mitts on something containing peanuts. Occasionally you’ll push away a fan or two. Generally speaking, for such a riot of an actor, he has calm admirers. There was one incident that nearly got him harmed.

Finally reaching the door, you aggressively punch it, the sound echoing throughout the entire hotel. When you detect no movement you knock again, this time accompanied by your sheer shout of his name.

“Dieter! Get your butt out of the bed– NOW!”

Just as you’re about to knock again, the door opens wide, leaving your fist awkwardly hanging in the air. In the threshold stands a disheveled, yet happy-, looking woman. She’s probably in her thirties, with long red hair, and her lash line smudged with eyeshadow. Her smile is lazy and kind as she looks at you. Is she high? God if you’re out there, please tell me he’s not high.

“Hi,” she greets you, her voice sultry. “Can we help you?”

You peer above her shoulder and see Dieter full on french kissing a brunette man on top of his luxurious king size bed. The bedding slides down the man’s body, revealing his perfectly sculpted ass. A soft moan reaches your ears, and your face becomes heated.

Ignoring the woman, you step inside, your hand conveniently wrapping around the metal doorknob, the coolness of it gives you some semblance of peace.

“Dieter!” you hiss between clenched teeth. He parts from the man with a smack and meets your gaze. His brows furrow, incohesive sounds leaving his kiss swollen lips. He fucking knows he’s in trouble.

“Shit,” he breathes out. The man turns to face you, his perfect ass matching his perfect face. Dieter turns to grab his phone. “What time is it? Did we fuck until morning?”

The woman giggles; you hadn’t noticed before but the front of her robe is open, her breasts bouncing as she shifts from one leg to the other. “I guess so,” she answers cheekily.

“We’re late for the panel. Get your butt out of bed right now.”

“Yes ma’am,” Dieter says. Before doing what you asked him to, he quickly presses his lips into his lover’s. “See you later Eduardo,”

“Awwww,” he bemoans, chasing the actor’s lips. “Can’t you stay?” his eyes flit to yours. “She can join us if she wants to, the more the merrier,”

Dieter wrestles with his pants, barely able to get one foot in.

“She’s not into that,” he replies slightly breathless, then he stops and looks at you, eyes full of curiosity. “Are you?”

“I swear if you don’t leave this room in ten seconds I’m dragging you out naked, paparazzi be damned,”

“Kinky,” the woman grins.

Your fingers tighten around the doorknob.

“I can’t believe we’re late. Again.”

With one hand, you quickly usher Dieter into the limo, using the other to text Shannon that you’re on your way. The driver starts the car, a low hum filling the inside.

“I’m hungry,” Dieter groans, scratching the back of his head.

You eye the sidewalk, the brown paper bag containing a chocolate muffin and a cup of coffee idly laying sideways next to the back tire. The dampness of the pavement had seeped into the bag, the coffee also spilt, turning it into a mushy, disgusting mess. You let out a sigh, climbing into the car right after Dieter. You originally had placed the bag on top of the trunk lid; it must’ve fallen with the wind or something.

The car starts to move and you internally curse at the driver for not keeping an eye on Dieter’s breakfast.

“We’ll just have to get something there,” you say, fishing out a small kitkat bar from your bag. “This is going to have to suffice,”

He takes it with gratitude and a lazy smile.

“Thanks.” Hhe leans into the soft seats of the limo, fingers playing with the edge of the wrapper. “I am really sorry by the way, time kinda flew by,” clearing his throat, he adds,. “Is Shannon mad?”

“Well, she ain’t happy,”

“I should send her a bouquet,”

“You did that last time,”

“Box of chocolates?”

“Did that the time before,”

“Muffin basket?”

“That’s new.”

The smile he gives you is wide and bright and you can’t help but mimic the expression. His gaze is soft as he looks at you, his fidgeting with the wrapper stopping abruptly.

“Could you tell Kate then? Before I forget.”

Without an answer, you quickly text Kate, his assistant, to send Shannon a nice and elegant muffin basket. While you do so you hear Dieter peeling open the wrapper of his unhealthy breakfast, the voice of his favorite youtuber follows.

For the upcoming months, Dieter’s schedule is packed. He’d been cast in an upcoming dystopian blockbuster hero movie. It sounded interesting enough, but while he explained the plot, you were already thinking about the arrangements that needed to be made. Thanks to this new project, he didn’t have much time to relax, so these short limo rides were his little moments of escape.

Seeing that you got a “thumbs up” emoji from Kate, you push the phone back into your pocket. Now that the two of you are actually on your way, you’re relaxed, a ticklish sensation laving across your skin as you melt into the leather seats, the smooth drive pushes your brain into a nearly sleepy state.

Your gaze follows the shops on the street, now that Halloween and Thanksgiving were things of the past, everyone had busted out their Christmas decorations. You enjoy this time of year, the city becomes colorful and bright, the smell of gingerbread following you no matter where you go.

“They were really nice,” Dieter suddenly states, drawing you out of your Christmas- fueled thoughts. “I wish you could’ve spend more time with them,”

“Who?”

“Eduardo and Isabel,” he scrunches up the wrapper and stuffs it into his pocket, dropping his phone to his lap. “They showed me around,”

“Are they actually friends of yours or two people you met at the after party?” You have no doubt in your mind that it’s the latter;, your lips curl into a mischievous smile. You cock an eyebrow, face contorting with confusion. “I thought you came to New York before, what do you mean they ‘showed you around’?”

“I might’ve said I’m new in town,” he grins, wiggling his eyebrows. “I like the attention,”

“As if you don’t have enough of that already,”

He ignores your playful jab and indulges in his train of thought.

“We should meet them again, the four of us,”

“Is this an attempt to lure me to bed with you?”

“It’ll be fun,”

“I have no doubt about that,” your expression grows smug when you see that he wasn’t expecting that answer. “I’m not saying no because it’ll be boring, I’m saying no because I’m your bodyguard. What if someone bursts into the bedroom with a gun? What am I supposed to do when I’m butt naked?”

You exaggerate your words with your hand movements, “Am I supposed to search the floor for my holster while some maniac holds a gun to your head?”

“You can keep the holsters on,”

You hold your breath as discreetly as you can. Dieter leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. How far he can reach surprises you, the brush of his knuckles against yours prompts you to let out the breath you’ve been holding. His pupils devour the color of his eyes, his gaze burns your skin, a feeling that should hurt but doesn’t. His tongue licks over his bottom lip. Your eyes drop to his neck when he swallows.

As he speaks again his voice comes out low and sultry, like he’s out of breath. “That would be so hot. And, like, imagine you shooting a dude while riding my cock,”

“Dieter–”

“Not killing him, of course, just shooting the gun out of his hand. Like a cowboy,”

You snort at the image, quickly covering your mouth. He pulls back, fingers absentmindedly scratching his chin. The heat from the brief brush of skin lingers. Dieter appears none the wiser.

You bite the tip of your tongue. His innuendos affect you more and more each day;, it’s infuriating, especially when he does it so nonchalantly. His eyes look up to the limo’s ceiling, and your cheeks heat up. Is he still thinking about you in holsters?

You’re just about to tell him to stop when he speaks again.

“Wait, would it be cowgirl instead? What do you call a female cowboy? Or does the word cowboy include everyone?”

The heat disappears as soon as it comes, leaving you feeling icy cold.

“Gendered terminology is a bitch,”

“Cowperson?”

“That sounds like a superhero with cow powers,”

He starts to mumble the spider-man theme song from 1994. Maybe he is high after all.

“…does whatever a cow can. Eats some grass, any kind. Crushes thieves just like…uh,”

“Bugs?” you offer.

“Why would a cow crush a bug?”

“Why is Cowperson eating grass? They’re still human, that’s not really a super power,”

“It’s to make their cow-powers more powerful. You need to read more comic books.”

“Who are they? Popeye?”

“Hey, if Popeye can eat spinach and grow strong I don’t understand why our cow-hero can’t,”

You pinch the bridge of your nose, you feel a headache sneaking its way to your temples.

“Why are we talking about cow themed superheroes?”

“You said you would fuck me with the holsters on,”

“I said no such thing,”

The limo comes to a steady halt, you don’t even need to look outside to know you’re here. The muffled screams that seeps through the gaps of the car is enough to let you know that there’s a crowd outside. Dieter seems unbothered by it, his soft molten gaze still glued to you curiously. Suddenly, it gets harder to breathe; like someone squeezing your throat. Licking your lips, you slide towards the door, mentally preparing yourself for the fans outside.

“We’re on, Mr. Bravo.”

It takes you everything not to think of the last sentence he said to you. “You said you would fuck me with the holsters on,” the words had rolled off his tongue as naturally as falling snow, not thinking at all about the consequences. You should be used to his flirty remarks by now. Of all the years you’ve known him, he’s always been like that. It never means anything, it’s just who he is. And it’s your job not to allow him to get you all riled up.

Letting Dieter take the front, you step to the side and close the door as he waves at his adoring fans. They all scream his name, posters and memorabilia glued to their hands with hopes that the actor might sign them. He’s got a bit of spare time—traffic had been surprisingly kind—so you allow him to mingle. You trail close on his steps just in case anyone decides to get too familiar. Selfies are taken, and tears are shed. Your gaze swiftly flits to your watch, his panel begins in ten minutes, you have to get him inside– Besides he will do more signings after the Q & A anyway.

Ignoring the blood pooling underneath your nails, you press your hand against the small of his back, gently guiding him to the entrance. He already knows. His steps become faster, yet to an outsider he doesn’t look to be in a rush. You can’t help the way your fingers slightly curl against the soft fabric of his suit; he feels your palm, warm and soft on his hip.

Touching Dieter isn’t anything new. However, this time you sense a crackle in the air, something that can only be felt by the two of you. His muscles stiffen as he fights the urge to turn to lay his eyes on you. If he could, a silent question would be asked with those same pair of soft eyes; Did you feel that too?

The invisible moment shared between the two of you is gone when a poster is abruptly shoved into his hand along with a marker, you notice which movie it’s from; The Bubble, though it’s more of a documentary rather than a movie. He quickly signs it without further inspection, the fan quickly screams words of gratitude.

But your eyes linger.

You hate that documentary. It’s the proof of your biggest failure as a bodyguard. You heard it on the news first. The crazy set where Lauren Van Chance got her hand shot clean off and the actors had to flee via a helicopter. It was a closed set so you weren’t allowed to join Dieter, and the thought alone that something, anything, could’ve happened to him during filming made you sweat profusely.

Your throat closes up, lungs emptying with the reminders of the past. Luckily he returned safe and sound, never again would you accept him to be essentially locked in a hotel by himself, the pandemic be damned.

You feel it first. See it later.

Your skin is coated with unwarranted goosebumps, the small hairs dusted across your nape stands with attention. Years of working had made your senses grow sharp, noticing things before it even came to be. With your backs turned to the approaching threat, you forget your surroundings, forget to hold yourself back.

When you notice your fingers wrapping around a slim wrist, it’s too late. You kneel and throw the person coming from behind using the strength from your shoulder. A small funko pop of one of Dieter’s more popular characters flies out of their hand. It’s a young woman, maybe in her early 20’s. She shouts in pain and Dieter jumps back, only now realizing what happened. You’re horrified, bile rising to your throat as your eyes go wide. You don’t hear yourself, but you know you’re shouting an apology, feeling your lips form the words.

Sorry, sorry, sorry. Oh my god I’m so sorry.

You attempt to help the girl up but she yanks her hand back, looking at you with rightful fury. You look up to the crowd and it’s a cacophony of screams, laughter, booing– The sound comes to you muffled, echoed. You see countless smartphones, all of them directed at you, documenting your second-worst mistake of your career.

Turning back you see Dieter kneeling next to the fan. He’s speaking to her, his large hand spread across her back. She smiles, nods, and he helps her up. Two paramedics come, ushering her away from the crowd., Dieter waves her off, saying something to the paramedics. You’re so disoriented that your mind convinces your body that a threat as big as an explosion had happened, your skin crawling with imaginary shrapnel digging in to it.

Dieter’s face comes into view, your stomach churns with the remains of your too-early breakfast.

Every sound, every motion rushes back into you, like your soul being sucked back into your body. It’s an overwhelming feeling, you shake your head once, twice, then ask a question with the sole intention to convince yourself that you’re alright.

“Is she hurt?”

“She’s going to be fine,”

Dieter never touches you when you work, a rule you established well before knowing him –this rule didn’t apply after hours though, you don��t remember how many times he bawled his eyes out and pulled you into a bear hug during one of his many rewatches of Coco– but right now his arm wraps securely around your waist, pulling you with him as cameras flash before your eyes, the sound deafening. Your eyes water at the light;, briefly you wonder how Dieter does it, then you’re reminded of his shitty eyesight and connect the dots.

The inside of the building is spacious and cool, you take a deep, shaky breath and stagger forward, balancing yourself by pressing your palms into your knees. An angry set of heels echoes in the building; you see Shannon’s ankles, noticing a small tattoo of a happy cat with a ball of yarn.

How ironic.

“What the fuck was that?” she asks frantically, a rhetorical question, you assume, since she continues. “Amina, what the hell were you thinking flipping a fan like that? She wasn’t even doing anything! The press is going to gobble this story up, it’s going to be everywhere–” she abruptly stops mid- sentence, your head spins, Dieter’s shoes come into view, Shannon’s heels disappear.

“Is she going to be sick?”

You flinch at the hand on your back, Dieter’s voice echoes. You hear something else as he speaks in hurried breaths. What the hell was that sound? You attempt to swat it away. Then you recognize.

Jingle Bells?

“Amina?”

You black out after that.

Needless to say, Dieter is freaking out.

You flatout fainted in front of them all, then woke up acting as if everything was just peachy-keen. He was glad you didn’t puke, but that didn’t ease his worries. The memory of you tossing that poor girl didn’t leave his head for the rest of the day. He was confused, his mind working hard unlike it ever did in order to unravel the mystery. He knew you had your reasons, maybe the girl was a secret agent out to get him or something. Mostly, he was worried about how the scene had stirred something in him. The way you looked so confused about your own actions, how your eyes seemed glazed as if they couldn’t piece together where they were… He’d never seen you so out of your element before.

The screaming crowd probably didn’t help.

Knowing that the internet would be brutal, he asked for your phone before the panel, and, surprisingly, you obliged. The rest of the day was event- free.

He still feels the phone in his pocket as he unlocks the door of the hotel room.

Upon seeing the mess of his late night endeavors with Eduardo and Isabel, a small groan leaves his throat. Couldn’t they have cleaned before leaving the room?

You don’t seem to care. With quick steps you reach the couch and sit. It’s facing the TV, and your hand reaches for the remote. He parts his lips to say something but your hand stills before he does, fingers slightly shaking as you pull yourself back.

“I’m sorry,” you say, your voice cracks and his heart beats in his throat. “I don’t know what happened,”

“Well…” he trails off, closing the door. “In your defense, Rose wasn’t supposed to be there. Technically, you were doing your job,”

“Rose?”

“The girl you flipped,”

“Oh god,”

He stands before you, facing the full force of your doubtful gaze. You cradle your cheeks with both hands, shaking your head, and let out a groan.

“Even so, she didn’t have a weapon, she wasn’t there to attack you. All I had to do was to usher her away,” you lean back, both hands now covering your face, letting out a deep sigh. “Fuuuuuuuuck,”

“Hey, it’s not that bad. Shannon is just being dramatic,”

“I saw her looking at her phone Dieter, I think she left early to cry in the shower,”

“Being my manager for so long must’ve taken a toll on her, you can’t blame her for that. I promise you, I did way stupider shit,”

“Doing stupid shit and downright assaulting someone are two different things,”

You’re right, and he knows you’re right. That doesn’t mean he’ll accept it though. He stares at you for a while, thinking what to say or to do to make you feel better.

His first instinct is to roll you a joint—weed makes everything better—but when he notices the subtle tick in your jaw, your lips slightly moving without parting, he understands that whatever you’re feeling, runs much deeper. You eye the remote again.

“Maybe I should just see what they’re saying?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,”

“I’m going to find out about it eventually. I should just rip off the bandaid,”

Offering to roll you a joint doesn’t seem like that bad of an idea anymore.

“How about we smoke weed instead?” He assumes you’re going to say no when you open your mouth. He presses his forefinger against his own lips playfully, meeting your gaze and winking. “We can look at Twitter, check the news, watch youtube breakdown videos or whatever you want to do and see the damage tomorrow morning, sweetheart. Promise,”

“Fine fine, let’s go with what you want,” you give in, clearly exasperated. Dieter grins, but before he leaves you threateningly wave your finger at him. “But this is the only time, Bravo. Got it. No matter what, don’t offer it again,”

“Yes Ma’am,”

Dieter holds the joint between his index and middle fingers, where it looks miniature compared to the rest of his hand. He brings it to his lips, taking a deep inhale before handing it to you.

You move in slow motion— at least, to him it seems like you are. He watches intently at where his lips touched moments ago touching yours. A pleasant tingle blossoms from his tail bone to the small of his back. A delicate puff of smoke dances away from your lips, your head falling back, a long sigh follows your exhale. Dieter’s eyes follow the curve of your neck. You swallow, lips still parted. He mimics the movement, his own adam’s apple bobbing up and down, he thinks of your lips.

“Why did I fucking do that?” you mutter. “That was so stupid of me,”

“Stop thinking about it,” he takes the joint away from you. “I rolled this so you can relax. Don’t waste good weed on tripping,”

“Yeah, you’re right sorry,”

Dieter spreads his legs underneath the fuzzy blanket, and your head lolls towards him, forehead brushing his clothed shoulder. Again, a pleasant tingle spreads, this time warmth added to the feeling. The skin above his lower stomach feels tight. His thoughts the farthest from being pure, he imagines a nipple, your nipple, while sucking the end of the joint. His head fuzzy, a soft moan rattles in his throat. You’re muttering something, and that something comes to him muffled, then you laugh. He laughs too, context be damned. He takes another inhale before passing it back to you.

“It was kinda funny,” he suddenly says, his mouth barely reaching the speed of his thoughts. “The way you just threw her over your shoulder,”

“How is it funny?”

Something in your voice makes Dieter raise his hips, the delicate, barely there pressure of the blanket is equal to torture. He needs his hand, or better yet, your mouth. He bites his bottom lip and chases the feeling, lifting himself once more just to feel that feather-like grind against his cock. You’re unaware. Or maybe you are. Dieter can’t tell. He knows that he should behave, that deep down you’re hurting, but something about your obliviousness did something to him. His teeth sink further into his lip, he wants to draw blood, needs the distraction.

“I’ve never actually seen you get physical before, so the shock factor made me wanna laugh,” his words fade into a surprised grunt when you stuff the joint between his lips.

“I guess you really haven’t seen me like that before,”

You sound genuinely surprised. Dieter shifts to face you better, your face only an inch away from his, he sucks in a deep breath. His eyes dance around your face, taking in every little detail, memorizing it for later. Your eyes seem to have specks of gold in them. Or maybe he’s just imagining it. He hears you swallow, your own gaze dropping to his lips. Dieter shuffles closer. He hears your heavy, but fast, breathing. Your breasts touch his chest, a subtle movement that has him grinding his teeth.

He can taste you in the air, sweet and bitter, you’re so close–

The moment shatters with the sound of a shrill doorbell;, Dieter jumps, an immediate crease forming between his eyebrows.

“What kind of hotel room has a doorbell?”

“The expensive kind I guess,” you giggle.

Dieter smiles sweetly at you, he can’t help it. The doorbell rings again, prompting Dieter to stride to the door with long steps. Gripping the doorknob white-knuckled, he yanks it open.

He forgot.

He can’t believe he fucking forgot.

“Dieter!”

A pair of thick, loving arms, wrap themselves around his neck. An awkward smile tugs at Dieter’s lips as he hugs back, his hands twitching for an imaginary rail to hold on.

“Mom? Dad?”

“You forgot didn’t you,” his dad means for his words to form a question but he’s so sure of himself that it comes out as a statement. “Doesn’t darling Kate remind you of these things?”

“She does,” Dieter answers. His mother squishes his cheeks, making it difficult for him to speak. “I just forgot. Been busy,”

“Such a busy bee our darling boy! I would’ve never guessed,”

“Thanks for the confidence boost mom,”

“I mean I knew you would make it,” his mom defends herself. “I just never thought you would work so hard,”

“Again, thanks,”

“Uh…hello?”

You’re standing right behind him, arms crossed against your chest, you shift from one foot to the other. His mother looks you up and down, a wide smile appears on her face, wrinkles appear at the corner of her eyes, similar to his.

“Well, hello dear. Who might you be?”

Dieter nearly bursts out laughing when you stutter and hurriedly walk up to his parents with your hand stretched out, you nearly topple over. Dieter slightly moves forward, in case you did fall over.

“I’m Amina Addams. Lovely to meet you,”

When you reach out to greet his father, he seems excited, like a fan meeting a celebrity. Dieter raises an eyebrow. His father had the habit of being quite blunt, sometimes steering towards being mean, which made Dieter adapt into having a warning mechanism whenever his dad was about to say something stupid.

Right now the alarms are deafening in his ears, red flashing beneath his eyelids.

You shake his hand, and Dieter’s world falls into slow motion, his father parts his lips.

“You’re that girl who turned over a fan! The crazy bodyguard, right?”

For fucks sake dad.

author's note: I've been sitting on this for SUCH a long time and I'm so excited that it's finally out in the open! I love Christmas, romcoms and Dieter so this is essentially pouring out my adoration to all of those things and I hope you'll all fall in love with Amina & Dieter as hard as I have ❤️ Thank you everyone for reading!

#dieter bravo x oc #dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo x fem!reader #dieter bravo x fem!oc #dieter bravo x ofc #the bubble fanfic #the bubble fanfiction #christmas fic #dieter bravo x amina addams

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stevenssticks · 8 months

Note

I'M GOING THROUGH A BRAINROT THINKING ABOUT VIRGIN EARLY METALLICA JAMES HETFIELD

Our boy didn't had the best parents and as the Man himself Said, he grew up being way too sheltered from the world so Can you guys imagine How fucking pent up, excited and desperate This Man might have been to get his First lay?

And his first lay Being his dear girl best friend, literally the only girl who he knows that's not with him because of the Band because she's been there pretty much since day one for him, growing up together, living Just some houses away from each other and hanging out almost all day everyday until and helping him with his struggles back home.

Needless to say that James Fell First and fell hard and he has been like This since you guys were 15 at least (bro had been simping for longer than he would like to admit), even If he took notice of the way that you made him feel back in those years, It was easier to blame puberty....but things didn't mellow out after This at all, in fact, It only got worse as the years went by, the wholesome daydreaming of curious childish kisses turning into wet and sticky nights where our Young man would be haunted by the most lascivous and erotic dreams with his sweetheart that would lead to him eventually losing sleep and spending almost the whole night desperatly touching himself, chasing after a relief that never seemed to really saciate him completely, not even porn magazines or tapes could help him out because they weren't his girl (possessive baby before even making the First move)

It took him Being away for some time, getting the band stuff going and coming back to his Sweet friend all Grown up and more than eager to welcome him back home to finally break

He would be so desperate for her, so pent up and aroused by her simply embracing him in a hug that he couldn't help the groan that left his mouth as he burried his face on the crook of her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her impossibly close to his body, much to her joy that finally realised that all These years he was in love with her as much as she was in love with him, she Just didn't expected to Discover This via a raging boner poking against her tummy

(Someone pray for his sweetheart, our boy still don't know he's a bigger and thiccer than the average)

this just made me let out a noise that i will never let myself live down omg......

james would be allllll over you when he finally gets you in his bed. desperately pawing at you barely even getting his pants down to fuck you. he would be moaning in your ear telling you how good he feels and how he's waited for this for so long. how much he loves you and wants you to really feel it. he would fuck you into the mattress bc hes so wound up and feral for you but oh does he love on you the whole time. chests pressed tight together, your legs around his waist and ur holding his hands at the sides of your head<3333

him cumming embarrassingly quick and just going down to eat your pussy after bc he didn't make you cum and he needs to see it. needs to see you fall apart for him. and then he gets hard again bc our baby has STAMINA okay he's like 19-20 ish, and winds up rutting into the bed until he cums for a second time while he sucks on your clit until you lock your legs around his head and cum into his mouth.

young james young james young james

#asks and replies #metallica #james hetfield #james hetfield smut #james hetfield x reader

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trafficlife · 5 months

Text

And I Am Left Here Withering

"Can this day get any worse?" Joel had asked. The universe responded yes, three different times, each response more heartbreaking than the last. Joel would've preferred the universe proving him wrong.

word count: 1250 ao3 link

The first thing Joel heard was an explosion.

And his first instinct was to look up. Needless to say, he hadn’t completely moved on from Skynet and the TNT minecart traps. But no TNT could be spotted, thankfully. He didn’t think anybody would risk their hearts by creating a Skynet 3.0.

His second instinct was to assume that it was the Wither. If only he knew how badly that would come back to bite him later on.

His third instinct was to check his communicator, in case someone died. He didn’t see any lightning flash in the sky, which he thought was weird.

Joel pulled out his communicator, just in case he missed something, and—

Oh.

Oh, no.

For a moment, he thought he was experiencing déjà vu. He gritted his teeth and he tightened his grip on the communicator, nearly destroying it. Hot red blood pumped through his veins, speeding up his heart rate and he thought he was going to go snap. Joel behaved this way when Jimmy died first in Limited Life. When he had failed to sacrifice himself for him. But there were two major differences this time: 1) Joel wasn’t a red name (yet); and 2) it was Lizzie who died first.

He blinked rapidly. Once, twice, five times, because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He didn’t even see the death message in the chat. Does anybody even know what’s happened to her?

Joel sent a few messages, alerting everyone of Lizzie’s sudden departure. He was right: nobody knew what happened and responded with shock. Jimmy responded with happiness.

Joel wanted to be angry at Jimmy’s inconsiderate response but he couldn’t be. For the first time since these games started, Jimmy wasn’t the first one out. He remembered the last game. Joel wanted to sacrifice himself for Jimmy, he wanted so badly to free him from that cycle. And he failed.

He failed and he went insane and it ended up being his downfall.

Joel was happy for Jimmy, he really was. However, it was difficult to express his happiness considering the news he just received.

He had a suspicion that Scott was somehow involved in Lizzie’s death and that just made him feel even worse. Because, like the idiot he was, Joel just had to send his wife to kill Scott. He didn’t see lightning in the sky, so she didn’t even die in the overworld.

He remembers Lizzie telling Joel that she’d lure Scott into the End and try to push him into the void. Now it only seemed reasonable to assume that Lizzie fell into the void instead. Joel would’ve felt better if Lizzie dragged Scott down with her.

So, Lizzie was dead, Jimmy was celebrating, and Joel was craving vengeance even more than before. Though he failed his task, he would kill Scott. He was only a yellow name for now. And, there was a somewhat bright side: the canary could finally escape the mines.

—----------------------------

Unfortunately, the canary could not escape a warden and a Wither. At the same place. At the exact same time.

Joel, trying to calm down after hearing about Lizzie’s death, was killing some zombies. Mainly for experience, but also because mobs were the only things Joel could legally kill. Then, a series of explosions and some muffled shouting could be heard on the surface. Now, this has to be the Wither, he thought. Secretly, Joel hoped he would be wrong. But when went up to the surface, he found that he was, unfortunately, 100% correct. A Wither was flying in the dark sky, hot on Scar’s heels and firing skulls at him. The fact that Scar was still alive and not taking any wither damage was pretty remarkable. If only he wasn’t luring the bloody Wither to Joel.

So Joel had to run from Scar and the Wither, hoping they’d both leave him alone. As he ran, Joel wanted to say “could things get any more chaotic?”

And then he saw a warden chasing Etho.

Apparently, the universe felt “bad” for always proving Joel wrong so it wanted to prove him right for once. He’d rather be wrong for the rest of his life.

He just wanted to breathe for a moment and collect himself. But obviously, the universe can’t let him catch a break. Lightning flashed in the sky and Joel felt his already-fracturing heart crumble into pieces. He didn’t want to check his communicator, he just didn’t want to because he didn’t know if he could handle the truth. He saw Tango pull out his communicator, shock written all over his face. And Joel just had to look over and see—

“JIMMY!”

Once again, he felt his sanity slipping. He was already in a horrible state but to lose his wife and his best friend, barely ten minutes apart from each other… Joel wanted to curse this world and its twisted sense of humor.

Tears stung Joel’s eyes and his breathing became more ragged. This wasn’t happening, this wasn’t happening. He nearly fell to his knees in despair but he knew he had to keep running. And, as if the universe wasn’t already having a blast, Joel heard Grian scream.

“Mumbo, LEAVE!” Grian cried, followed by a flash of lightning and Grian screaming Mumbo’s name in distress.

If Joel had any sanity left in him, it had disintegrated the moment the second lightning bolt struck. The only reason why he was still keeping himself together was because he wasn’t red, and the bloodlust hadn’t kicked in. Never has he wanted to be red so badly, to hurt someone and get revenge and take out the rest of this bloody world.

How could he lose three of the people he cared about in rapid succession? Lizzie died trying to kill Scott (the fact that Joel was responsible for it left a horrible taste in his mouth); Jimmy couldn’t run from the warden fast enough; and Joel barely even got to know Mumbo and he was already gone. They barely had any time to spend together because of the stupid task mechanics that separated the Mounders more than it brought them together.

He had surpassed his breaking point. He wasn’t even red but he tasted blood in his mouth and his heart was pounding in his ears.

(Everyone he loved had withered away but Joel was still here. But he didn’t know if he wanted to be here.)

—----------------------------

The Wither was defeated but that didn’t mean shit to Joel. Not when it felt like he’d lost everything.

Part of him wanted to wither away as well. But that would mean giving up. Joel was a lot of things but he sure as hell wasn’t a quitter.

Skizz told Joel to win for Lizzie. Well, Joel was going to take it a few steps further and win for Lizzie, Jimmy, and Mumbo. He’d rise above this somehow.

Exhausted and on the verge of tears, Joel walked back to his fairground, clutching a wither rose in his hand. He doesn't remember when or why he picked it up, but holding the stem gave him a little bit of stability. He couldn’t tell if he was bleeding from the withering effect, the thorns in the rose, or from his nails digging into his palms but it didn’t bother him. He had more important things to worry about, such as finding a way to kill Scott.

In the end, the florist could only send regards to himself.

#꒰☆彡꒱— karma speaks #꒰➳꒱— writings #secret life spoilers #secret life #trafficblr #trafficsmp #life series smp #secret life fanfic #smallishbeans #joel smallishbeans #(others are mentioned but i wont tag them here)#so... session 6 was something wasnt it?#(title from unraveling by the crane wives)#i was thinking how much the song fitted joel in this session + how he responded to the deaths

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va-3 · 3 months

Text

They're Injured

Masterlist

Joker:

Joker was always being hunted, shot at, and chased in car chases. Yes, you were always with him, and it technically was your job to sacrifice your life for his if it eventually came to such a point, but Mr. J had switched the roles. A gunfight had broken out in Mr. J's club. You'd repeated yourself at least ten times, yelling at Mr. J to get him to either leave or get down. Instead, he managed to switch roles and send you rolling under a table to watch him get shot in the shoulder. It goes to say that you were as pissed as you were worried, seeing that your greeting to him later was a sharp punch to the stomach followed by a passionate kiss.

Captain Boomerang:

Digger was used to being in the line of fire, and was less than worried when he took a shot to the leg in a less than pleasant robbery. You, on the other hand, upon discovery of his wild adventure and injury, panicked in the most subtle way possible. Unfortunately, subtle in your dictionary was drive over to his house at 2am, kick down the door, scold him, and then proceed to break down crying.

Deadshot:

In his line of work it was not unusual for him to be hunted in return, as was the occasional "battle-wound". You, on the other hand, found yourself worrying more than you should've. Death was a difficult enemy of mortals, not you, therefore you were entitled to the worry and fear that accompanied the blossoming of your relationship. Needless to say, you had him on a house lock-in for quite some time after his shoulder had been shot clean through. (snuggles were very much included)

El Diablo:

Injuries in battle were hard to avoid, as were near death experiences. You watched in horror as Chato shoved the ancient being towards the location of a lethally powerful charge. When it went off, you were nowhere to be found for a good few seconds. The team was confused until they heard you sobbing from behind the blasted ground, cradling an unconscious, severely injured, but alive Chato.

Killer Croc:

Waylon, bruised an battered after the battle with Enchantress, was pleasantly surprised when you body-slammed/bear-hugged him to near death. You'd never been so worried in your entire life, and although the injuries he sustained were little, your entire being was telling you he was gonna die. It was hard to explain that he was okay through your mix of blubbering and cursing.

Harley Quinn:

When Harleen freed you from your solitary-confinement room, she was not herself. You were happy to see her, but the joy was quickly overrun with worry when you spotted the two burn marks on either side of her temple left behind by what you knew was electroshock. Concerned, you questioned her like an officer would a criminal until she gave out and let you tend to her wounds before fleeing the cursed institution(no regrets there).

June Moone:

June's well being meant everything to you, any moment you felt she was in danger you try your hardest to keep her from it. But mental damage was something you could not fight, or shoot. June was tormented nightly by the dangerous being using her as a vessel, and it broke you to know that you could not do anything about it. Instead, you did your best to comfort her: held her close, calmed her with kisses, and gave her the love she needed to mend her broken soul. With your love, June felt the power to face anything.

Enchantress:

The mortal soldier held your love's heart in his hands, threatening to crush everything you loved for something he loved. When she refused, your eyes flashed with panic. The soldier began to crush her heart, causing her to shriek with unbelievable pain. Terrified of losing the only person who saw you as a blessing, you snatched the heart from the soldier in a bolt of light. In the flash of light, time slowed around you, giving you just enough time to sway Enchantress' spirit from the human girls body and into one you summoned from your own power. You and your lover backed away from the mortal and his human lover, happy to be safe.

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narrans · 2 months

Text

My Borrowed Son | 6 | Learning to Play

Chapter Six | Learning to Play

That night, Amanda and Mel went back to the park with the hand-sized boy and searched around the ground in hopes of finding some additional clues as to why he was all alone. Amanda showed Mel where she had found him and, sadly, there was no sign the area had been disturbed or returned to.

It was heart wrenching.

Was no one looking for him?

Amanda and Mel even set him back down by the base of the bench and walked several steps away, but that proved to be a disaster when the little boy chased after Amanda, whimpering and crying. He even charged into the thick blades of grass after her. It must have looked like a menacing jungle forest, but it didn’t seem to matter.

When Amanda approached, he timidly sniffled and held up his arms, as if to say “hold me” as his little fingers grasped at the air.

Amanda feared that the little boy might have seen something happen to one or both of his parents and that he knew Amanda was his only chance. She brought this up to Mel, who silently seemed to agree.

Needless to say, Mel and Amanda returned back to Amanda’s apartment and spent the evening discussing other facets of life. They had a picnic on the boxes and kept the boy between them as they ate and made plans for how to proceed. He had room to roam, but he mostly kept himself curled in Amanda’s hand and looked back and forth between Mel and her while they talked. He absorbed every word and seemed to know they were talking about him.

Specifically, how they were going to come up with an explanation for his existence without revealing him to the world.

“I’m just afraid of what’ll happen if I take him anywhere else to get him checked out or if they want too much proof. If he’s some kind of new species of human or some kind of government experiment that got out, I don’t want him shuffled off to some containment unit to be experimented on,” urged Amanda.

“I get what you’re saying, Mandy. But, that whole delayed birth certificate is going to be tricky,” reminded Mel. “Are you sure you’re up for it?”

Amanda felt the pressure of the little boy climbing back onto her fingers after retrieving another fragment of cracker and knew her answer immediately.

“Yes, I’m sure. If something happens or if I’m questioned, I’ll find the right things to say. Until then, I can’t just leave him,” replied Amanda. She brushed the boy’s shoulder with her thumb, which he leaned into. His thoughtful brown eyes gazed up at her as he gave her a crumb filled smile.

It was the look on the child’s face that said it all.

Mel and Amanda continued to talk well into the night as the infinitesimal boy fell asleep in Amanda’s hand, cracker on his chest and part of a blanket on his torso. Plans were made to meet up and have another check-up with the boy in a few days as well as plan out how they were going to get some documents for the little boy.

“I guess I’ll be seeing a lot more of you then,” grinned Mel. “No more monthly calls. I got promoted to weekly. Maybe even bi-weekly. All right!” They hugged and then Mel headed home for the night while Amanda shut herself in for the night.

The rule usually is never wake a sleeping baby, but the reasoning of making sure he was cleaned up and ready for bed was too much for Amanda to resist. She made sure the boy was tidy and had a little to drink before carrying him to her room where she placed him back into the box on his bed, fingers laying against him, as the two of them drifted off to sleep.

When Amanda woke up, she saw the little boy was curled fully into her hand using her thumb as a pillow. It was mesmerizing seeing the way his light sandy blonde hair fell over his eyes as he slept peacefully. Amanda had slept much better than the night before, which wasn’t much of a challenge, and was thankful the boy was getting some rest.

Not willing to wake him, Amanda carefully proceeded with the events of her day while keeping her hand level and steady. She kept the blanket from the box draped over him as she washed her face, retrieved her morning coffee, and brought her laptop to her room where she continued to type up her reports with just one hand.

Then, just like the day before, he stirred awake. He looked a little less confused than he did the day before, and his smile was the sunshine of the day as he looked up into Amanda’s eyes.

“Good morning,” she said. “Did you sleep so good? Ready to get some breakfast?” He nodded sleepily and pushed himself upright, looking up at Amanda thoughtfully before she stood and brought him to the bathroom.

While he ate on the kitchen counter, taking little bites and looking around while he chewed, Amanda thought about what kind of life he must have been living up until this point. Specifically, she was concerned when she brought up the concept of “play” and he had little to no reaction.

She wasn’t sure whether or not the boy knew how to play, which made her very sad. He was so sweet and deserved to know how to have fun.

In the meantime, she needed to get back to work. She would have time to devise a way to have fun with him during her lunch break and during dinner. She collected the little boy, making sure he wiped up with a wet washcloth, before bringing him back to her room.

The moment Amanda sat down, she knew working and keeping an eye on the child were going to be a challenge. For one, the little boy was gaining some energy back. Barely thirty-six hours after giving him some food and water and the boy was already climbing over the mountain of blankets on Amanda’s bed. Each one must have looked like a massive, fuzzy hill to the boy, but he didn’t seem to care. He climbed, hand over fist, to the top of each mound and rolled back down.

He never went far, but how quickly and how easily he tumbled down the soft, squashy surface of the comforter made Amanda’s heart pound and skip like a flat stone on water.

Then, the boy took to climbing on Amanda, clambering up her leg and then to her arm where he would try to get to her hands. He was gently plucked up and set to the side each time, which made him smile and, at one point, giggle even.

He seemed like he was having a good time, which was what mattered.

Maybe he did know how to play.

It was finally lunch time, and it was obvious the miniscule boy was hungry. When Amanda asked if he wanted to eat, he nodded and made no protest in climbing onto Amanda’s hand.

His ability to adapt is absolutely astounding. Seriously, he’s already showing so much trust. Is it meant to endear me to him? Like a survival technique? Or is it him actually trusting me?

Amanda thought about it from a perspectives point of view, and she shuddered to think of what it would be like to have something – someone – loom over her and be able to pick her up in a single hand.

He truly is remarkable.

Lunch was a very simple hot ham and cheese sandwich, which Amanda had to pinch because she was worried the boy wouldn’t be able to bite through the thick meat. She made a mental note to get the finely sliced meat next time she went to the store.

It was a surprise when he had no issue with it, small teeth obviously durable and able to tear apart meat.

Good to know thought Amanda.

The second half of the day involved Amanda giving the boy some cotton balls to toss around as well as watching him once again play daredevil and climb the new obstacle course Amanda had created out of pillows and blankets. His youth and size had nothing to do with how quick the little boy was as he darted around and climbed over the tall pillows.

The few times he took a tumble down the blankets, his body seemed to move on its own and instinct let him find the best way to slide down without getting hurt. It made Amanda more curious about what he could and could not do, but she would save those questions for another day.

She had something better in mind than pillows and blankets to test his abilities.

Amanda sent her final emails and messages to her co-workers before hoisting herself off of her bed. Dinner was going to be simple tonight and it was a good thing too. Tonight was going to be about play and fun.

Bringing him with her, Amanda set of into the living room and began laying out all of her boxes that needed unpacking in a kind of maze, creating passages and hallways while the boy took a nap in his much smaller box. She also included other elements like things for him to climb and jump off of.

It was having something occupy her mind that made her feel almost back to normal. She remembered fondly how her father would make elaborate constructions of cardboard and bedsheets just so she and her brother and sister could live in tents for months on end. They even made a joke that they wouldn’t need their rooms because they were going to live in tents for the rest of their lives.

Getting to make something like this now really and truly made Amanda feel like she was sharing part of her childhood with the boy. It made her heart ache slightly. She genuinely thought she would be doing this with her own children one of these days, but getting to do it now let her feel like she was glimpsing a reality that might have come to pass.

Perhaps one day, this dream could happen. Perhaps it wasn’t out of reach. Just the thought of it made her choke up, chest tightening uncomfortably as she stared longingly at the door, expecting the man she once loved to come through the door so they could begin again. Her mind raced and began filling in the blanks when she heard a soft coo from the box.

Amanda was brought back to the present as she glanced toward the sound, reminded of reality and saved from the life that could have been.

Clearing her throat and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she knelt and peered into the box where she spotted the child standing, hands pressed against the cardboard as he looked for a way out or up onto the ledge.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” smiled Amanda. He looked around and instantly smiled, holding her hands up and making a little grasping motion with his fingers to he could be held. “Good nap? I know. I know. Come on. Let’s get you out of there. I have a surprise for you.”

She rested her hand in the box and the little boy clambered up onto her curled fingers as though he had done it all of his life.

“We’re going to play maze, okay? Like you were playing earlier with the blankets and pillows,” said Amanda. He looked a bit confused at first, but the mention of the pillows and blankets earlier seemed to connect in his youthful mind. So, when Amanda sat on top of the nearest box and laid her hand down into the columns of boxes, it took a few moments for him to see the mounds of pillows for what they were – a playbox.

He carefully walked off of Amanda’s hand and approached the pillows before climbing on top of them. His fists snagged handfuls of fabric as he climbed to the top and, seeing the sheet slide, tumbled all the way down before looking back at Amanda and smiling.

It was like watching him take his first steps, a happiness sparking in Amanda like nothing she had experienced. The boy scuddled up to the edge of the next box and instinctually peered around it before running to the next bundle of blankets and climbing up them. This next one was taller, and his slide down actually made him laugh as he slid down the taut sheets.

It made Amanda’s face light up as she watched him go from activity to activity.

Another element that fascinated her was how the little boy approached the maze. Despite his age, he took the same left turn until he seemed to recognize an area. Only when he recognized where he was that he would add in a new left or right turn. It was almost like he was memorizing the paths Amanda had laid out for him.

The other activities were a little harder for the young child to get. Rolling the marbles and hitting the others made Amanda realize he was strong, but not quite that strong. Chasing him with her running fingers made him squeal in fear until he realized Amanda wasn’t actually chasing him, and soon it was his second favorite next to tumbling down the sheets.

The two of them played in the box maze for nearly an hour before the boy showed any indication of tiring, and even then he was reluctant to return to Amanda because he wanted to rest in the maze and keep playing once he had recovered.

Amanda’s compromise was to let him stay and play as long as he stayed close to the pillows she left him by while she got dinner started. She hurried over to the kitchen and quickly poured in noodles for macaroni and cheese and set the water to boil before hurrying back to the boxes to see the boy. Like she asked, he hadn’t moved from the stack of pillows and was waiting patiently for her to come back just as she said she would.

It wasn’t until the two of them made eye-contact, however, that made Amanda question her action. The boy looked worried, his little chest rising and falling quickly as he looked up at Amanda, before melting into relief. His hands immediately lifted, and he made the familiar grabbing motion for her to pick him up.

Amanda’s mouth slackened as a horrid thought occurred.

Was that what his parents told him? Did they ask him to stay… and he obeyed? Only to be abandoned and left alone?

“Come here, sweetie,” smiled Amanda. “See? I’m back, just like I said I would be.” After a minute, Amanda realized he didn’t want to be left alone, no matter how fun the boxes were, and elected to stay with her. It made her feel guilty and was something Amanda wanted to work on to give him a secure attachment, but it was alright for now.

The rest of the evening went smoothly as they fixed dinner together and ate in relative silence. Amanda decided she needed to wear something with a front pocket so she could place the little boy there while she worked on baking and cooking. The two of them cleaned up in the bathroom, Amanda needing to coax the boy into the water once again, before tucking him into bed all snuggly and clean.

She drifted to sleep with her hand in the box and the feeling of the boy pressed against her fingers. Today was the first of many steps for the two of them. Tomorrow, she would investigate the playground again and keep doing so until she was satisfied no one was truly coming for him.

The thought, however, made her heart hurt. He was growing on her so quickly, but it would be the right thing to do. Even if she, only after a couple of days, was already so attached to the little guy.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue

Beginning

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soobpricity · 6 months

Text

anti romantic

finale : bloom like pretty flowers in the warm spring

synopsis : anti romantic, college student choi yeonjun who thinks he’s seen everything in a relationship, promising himself that he won’t go through another relationship ever again to prevent himself from going through another heartbreak. that was until he sees yn, a classmate, chasing his heart. will his walls be enough to scare yn away, or will they continue chasing yeonjun with all they have ?

bright stars decorating the night sky, a few lights adding a yellow lighting to the atmosphere. your eyes followed the stars, seeing little airplane lights flash in the sky. the green and red lights that flashed made their presence known. a spring breeze made the bright green leaves fall off the tree branch.

a small smile decorated your face, catching sight of yeonjun as he swam. it was needless to say that he was enjoying the rather wide pool. yeonjun splashed water at taehyun and huening kai, who were also enjoying their time in the water. beomgyu and soobin resting on the lawn chairs that were organized right next to the pool. as you sat on the edge of the pool, feet dangling into the warm water. karina and winter giggling and talking about whatever kind of gossip they had as they sat right next to you.

a towel hung over your shoulders, keeping you warm from the cold breeze that would come and go. karina’s summer home was rather nice, full of multiple rooms, you always knew that karina was quite well-off, but she only mentioned her summer house a few times.

“oh!” karina spoke up, turning your attention towards her. “should we go prep up for a movie night! i nearly forgot that we had a small theater too!”

all ears turned towards karina, agreeing with her suggestion. taehyun and huening kai were the first to get out of the pool, as winter and karina spoke about what they should watch, even suggesting taking a poll. soobin and beomgyu followed the 4 others back inside. you felt relaxed, having your own peace of mind. it wasn’t that anyone had been bothering you, but you felt socially drained.

you kept your eyes up at the sky, forgetting about the boy who was admiring you from afar. you truly cherished this vacation, spending a sufficient amount of time with your friends who you loved dearly. the euphoria that you felt was nearly too surreal to believe.

yeonjun waded towards you, placing his arms on each side of you, looking down and making eye contact with him. a wide grin displayed on his face contaminating you with the same expression. your hands came up to his recently dyed hair, pink hair decorating his youthful face. you ran your hands through his wet hair, placing the glasses that he had resting atop next to you.

“is something wrong ?” he questioned, placing his head onto your lap, as you continued to play with his hair.

“nothings wrong.. ‘m just really really happy..” you explained. looking back up and observing the trees, as they moved with the wind.

“y’wanna come in for a minute, while they get that organized ?” yeonjun removed his head from your lap, holding onto your hands. you placed the towel that was around your shoulder, on the concrete.

“it’s not too cold, right ?”

“it’s not, but if you find it cold then i’ll warm you up..” yeonjun suggested, guiding you into the water, which was warm on your feet as they had adjusted to the temperature.. however, it was a different story for your body- as you naturally tried to get closer to yeonjun, trying to use his body heat to warm you up. yeonjun placed his arms around you.

the two of you stayed silent, enjoying each other’s presence. a laidback atmosphere resting between the both of you, as you began to warm up, all thanks to yeonjun. your head rested against his chest, calm hums coming from him, as his chest vibrated.

yeonjun’s hand rested on your waist as he moved the both of you towards the center of the pool. white lights illuminated the edges of pool, you looked up to see yeonjun, as he tried to pull you even closer to him. admiring your boyfriend, taking in all of his beauty.

inside of the summer house, huening and taehyun kept an eye on the two of you. reminiscing on how a few months ago, yeonjun was at the worst state they had ever seen him at. huening brought up the day that yeonjun found out that yoojung had cheated on him, how yeonjun claimed that love is just a fairytale. how yeonjun believed that true love was impossible to achieve and how he believed that he was an anti romantic. but here he was now, hugging the person who brought him out of that dark hole. the person who made him bloom, making him become a pretty flower in the warm spring. without you, yeonjun wouldn’t have been able to recover from his breakup as well as he did. there was still a small part of yeonjun that had doubts about love; but, he knew that he could trust you. nobody would’ve ever fought to win his heart the way that you did.

you brought back the silly feeling of butterflies in his tummy, the giddiness that came along with love, yeonjun wouldn’t have gotten the chance to feel so happy, if it wasn’t for you.. he truly loved you, his heart was full of gratitude for you, knowing that you made him feel so loved and appreciated.

yeonjun brought up his hand from under the water, palm full of water, bringing it right up on your head. pretending to have his focus elsewhere as the water trickled from your hair to your face. yeonjun couldn’t help but let a smirk overtake his face, breaking down his act. as you softly pushed him away, splashing him a bit with water. he laughed returning small splashes towards you. serotonin running through both of your bodies, as the two of you eventually meet up at the center of the pool. hand in hand, making eye contact with the man who you loved so dearly. yeonjun’s mind ran wild, it was crazy that he wasn’t used to any of this and he has already been dating you for months.

karina exited the house, keeping the door open with the tips of her fingers. noticing that she had interrupted something by the way the two of you gave her a shy stare. a small chuckle leaving her mouth, smirking as she knew she had something to tease you with. “the movies all set up, everyone’s still getting their snack, might wanna come before they finish everything.”

karina took her leave as soon as she finished her statement, entering the house and immediately telling the group about what she had witnessed, exaggerating the story to make fun of them.

you lifted yourself out of the pool, taking a seat on the edge of the pool. you place the towel around yourself, keeping yourself warm even with the cold breeze. yeonjun’s arms rest on each side of you, staring up at you. he removed one of his arms, bringing it up to push your hair behind your ear.

“i love you so much, yn..”

“i love you, too, jun.. are you having fun ?”

“of course i am, i know karina did a few bad things, but she’s really making up for it.. plus soobin and gyu seem to have gotten over everything.. what about you ? are you enjoying yourself ?” yeonjun tilted his head, hand cupping your cheek.

“yup, i am enjoying myself.. it’s really pretty out here too… and after those finals, this break was so necessary..”

yeonjun smiled, reminiscing on how just a few weeks ago the two of you were cramming study sessions together for finals. the both of you were already doing so well in working out outfits for customers. you and yeonjun were working in more of a freelance project, offering your services to those who need it. the two of you constantly modeled for each other.

“you look so pretty, jun..”

“do i ? i bet i don’t look nearly as pretty as you, my stunning beauty.” your cheeks flushed, a shy smile rested on your face. after all these months of talking to yeonjun, his flirty attitude still made you flustered. small compliments having huge effects on you. yeonjun knew it too, your reaction was his favorite thing to see.

yeonjun reached up, his hand tilting your chin down. placing a kiss on your cheek, before landing his lips right on your lips. the strawberry balm that you had used a few hours ago was still working it’s wonders. yeonjun’s rather soft lips stay pressed against your own, his hand rested right by your side.

he missed this so much, you two had made up about a few weeks ago, but he had spent nearly a hand full of months with yoojung which he absolutely despised. he’s happy that he’s here with you now, no longer missing any time without you.

he pulled away from the kiss, taking a deep breath. he pulled himself up and onto the edge of the pool, right next to you. his figure automatically attempting to get accustomed to the cold breeze that would go by every few minutes. you removed the towel that was around you, bringing it up to yeonjun’s hair and messing around with his hair to dry it quicker. you then took the same towel and patted his skin dry. leaving the towel around him.

“thank you so much.” yeonjun grinned, placing an arm around you, so that the body-length towel could cover the two of you at the same time. “should we go inside now ? i think they’re probably waiting on us.” you nodded, getting help from yeonjun to stand up. seeing as he begins to walk towards the door.

“wait, jun ..!”

the said boy turns around, noticing that you hadn’t been following behind him this entire time, which wasn’t too long since there’s only a short distance between the pool and the door. he couldn’t help but feel a bit worried due to your abrupt call for him.

“i love you..”

yeonjun chuckled, feeling quite relieved. he wasn’t sure how he survived without you. he loved your cute attitude, you were always so giddy to see him and you made sure that he knew.

you ran up to his side, as he put an arm over your shoulder. your arms wrapping around his waist, giving him a side hug, your cheek pressed against his bare chest.

“i love you too, yn.” he reminded you, as if the two of you hadn’t said these three lovely words to each other a few minutes ago. the two of you walked into the house, seeing the others still fighting over any kind of snack that they could get their hands on. they didn’t notice the you and yeonjun walking in, at least not until yeonjun closed the door behind him. turning their heads over only to see the two of you practically cuddling into each other.

“yah ! the two of you can’t keep your hands off of each other for no longer than two minutes !” beomgyu commented, a mischievous expression on his face.

“hey ! we went longer than two hours just now !! but you know who can’t last longer than two hours …? YOU AND SOOBIN ! you two were together the entire time !” yeonjun retorted, his comment making everyone else nod in agreement.

“actually !! we went 10 minutes without each other…” beomgyu replied, feeling proud of himself for going ten minutes without the older boy, who stood next to him.. even now they couldn’t be separated.

“sure you did.” yeonjun rolled his eyes, the towel preventing him from dripping any water onto the floor and making a mess. yeonjun waved at the group, going to the guest room that karina had assigned you and yeonjun to go change as you followed behind him, planning to get rid of the wet clothes.

it didn’t take long for you and yeonjun to change, while he changed in the bathroom, you used the bedroom. putting on a pair of pajama pants along with a shirt that yeonjun had “lended” you but he knew that you weren’t planning on giving it back.. and when you did hand it back, it was only to revive his scent.

you and yeonjun went back to the others, hair in the midst of air drying. yeonjun dressed into a rather comfortable outfit, a two piece set of pajamas that the two of you had decided to match. which also happened to be the matching pair of pants that you also decided to wear.

you took a seat on the couch next to yeonjun, as he patted his lap, he reached out towards your legs and spreading them onto his lap. you smiled at him, cuddling into the blanket that covered both of your bodies. you kept your attention onto the comment, hearing the others’ comments on the movie. lights completely dimmed, your hands going into the bowl of popcorn that you shared with yeonjun.

eventually the movie ended, 2 hours and a half passing by as you and yeonjun immediately chose to retire yourselves to bed, already feeling the sleepiness reach its limit. the others followed, deciding that it was best to get a good night’s sleep in order to wake up at a reasonable time the proceeding day and make use of all the time you had for your vacation.

you laid down, immediately getting under the bed covers and taking advantage of all the warmth. yeonjun laid down next to you, turning into the big spoon and holding you close to him. the house was quite cold, his body radiated even more heat to keep you warm.

“you’re all ready, love ?” yeonjun questioned as if going to sleep was something that took a lot of time to get ready for.

“mhmm !! i already brushed my teeth and washed my face !” you exclaim like a little child telling their parent about all they did throughout the day which only caused yeonjun to grin. you lied there in silence, lights turned off, only being able to hear each other breathing slowly.

“.. yn ..?”

“yeah, my jun ?”

his heart fluttered at the nickname you gave him, he was yours…

“i know that we made up and all- but i’m still really sorry… being here made me realize that i should be really grateful for the things i have.. y’know things could be worse and if you hadn’t taken me back, which i totally don’t even deserve being here with you, then what would happen..?” yeonjun looked up at the ceiling, blinking constantly.

“jun.. you trust my sense of judgement.. don’t you ?”

“yeah, i do, why wouldn’t i ?”

“well i believe that you have every single right to be here with me tonight and every single day..” you fidgeted around with the promise ring that lied on your finger, feeling the pink heart that lied in the center of the ring, flowers surrounding the cute heart. “you don’t have to be sorry, yeonjun. i know what happened, and yeah it hurt.. but i know that you had the right intentions. you didn’t mean to hurt me instead you wanted to help me, and when you realized that it wasn’t the right choice, you did everything you could to get me back.. you literally courted me for weeks, yeonjun.. you don’t have to feel sorry anymore.”

yeonjun pressed his lips onto your forehead, feeling his heart throb because of you. nostalgia ran through him, realizing that you had courted him to gain his love which only ended up in him courting you too for your love..

yeonjun held you closer, he loved you so much and he wanted to show it to you for the rest of eternity.

“yn.. i truly really do love you and cherish you so much.. and i’ll show you that, i’ll give you all my love and affection… and anything else that you want. i’ll buy you all the gifts in the world, i’ll give you my heart, i’ll do everything and anything for you, my stunning beauty..”

“jjunni.. you’re so..- ah ! you just make me feel like the most special person in the world..-“

“and i’ll continue making you feel that way, love..”

“you know jjunni, i’ll also always be by your side. y’know- you deserve the world and i’ll show you that- let you know that your the most loved person in the world, how your friends and i care so much about you.. i’ll show you how the warm spring can bloom such pretty flowers like you..”

yeonjun’s cheeks turned a bright pink, he was so thankful for the darkness overtaking the room. nothing was visible, not even you, but he could felt you pressed against him. his hands running through your now dried hair. flattening out the soft texture of your hair.

“i love you so so much, jun.. but go to sleep, we need to wake up early tomorrow..”

“i love you too, yn… sleep tight, my sweet ynie..”

“goodnight, jun.”

©️soobpricity

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an: AAAAANDD THATS A WRAP !! kinda sad to see anti romantic now end… BUT IF YOUD LIKE TO BE ON MY PERM TAGLIST JUST SEND AN ASK !! also i worked on this finale progressively over the past four days and i feel like it’s still a relatively short finale.. but there’s really nothing else to squeeze in here.. but im really happy with this chapter i feel like it was a nice ending also i used love sight lyrics for the title this time and i feel like it fits so well !!! ☺️☺️ im also so happy for all the support that i got while writing anti romantic, i previously did a beomgyu smau which wasn’t nearly as good in terms of writing and i definitely want to go back and rewrite it to see how much i’ve improved, but hey, you’re meant to keep things to see improvement !! also soccer!tyun is coming in the future !! it is a story about my current predicament aka a dream i had about my current hallway crush 🤭🤭 saw him yesterday and i nearly passed out bc i literally saw him 4 times in just that one day… AH ! but yeah i hope everyone enjoyed anti romantic ! i will be posting a few one shots as a form of a break before starting my soccer tyun smau !! thank you so much 🩷☺️

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