#unless that series was just me. i never really did hear anyone else talk about them

[roosterforme]

Always Ever Only You Part 11 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: Bradley gets a few second chances in the midst of a deployment he would rather not have to complete. He just wants to be home with you, trying to fix what is broken. But he doesn't know how much you've been struggling.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff

Length: 5100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

Bradley felt devastation. Were you really going to make him wait the full eight weeks before you would talk to him? He couldn't do it. He had too much to say, and he needed to see your face.

"Fuck." He entered your phone number and tried again. And again. But as he was about to enter it for the fourth time, he grasped the iPad and forced himself to stand. 

"No answer?" the officer asked when Bradley handed it back to him. His response was somewhere between a nod and a shrug, and he felt like crying. "Want me to add you back onto the list?"

"Please," Bradley rasped, swallowing hard. It was still dinnertime. He could go back and get something to eat. But he'd lost his appetite, and even though he didn't mind bunking with Bob, having a few minutes alone in the room sounded like his best bet. 

It felt like his feet weighed a ton as he walked along all three corridors and down a flight of stairs before he was at his bunk door. And then he collapsed onto his bed without even removing his boots. You always picked up. You always answered his calls. You even answered after Josh attacked you. 

Bradley thought he was going to be sick. And then Bob unlocked the door and let himself inside. "Hey, Bob," he grunted, rubbing his temples with his fingers. 

"Oh. You seem annoyed that I'm here," he replied, closing the door very slowly. "Do you want to kick me out again so you can have the bunk to yourself?"

Bradley turned and looked at him, thoroughly confused. "Again?"

Bob blushed a little bit as he kept his hand on the doorknob. "Uh, yeah. Last time we bunked together? A few years ago? You kicked me out of the room in the middle of the night."

Bradley sat up on his bed. "I did?"

"Yeah," Bob said softly. "You came back annoyed with me. You asked me to leave. You had a woman with you."

Bradley felt even sicker now. He could vaguely remember what Bob was talking about. A deployment before he met you. It had been late. He wanted to hook up. And Bob had been his roommate at the time. 

"I can't believe I did that," Bradley whispered, getting to his feet and taking Bob by both shoulders, leading him away from the door. "That's never going to happen again." He gave him a quick hug. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to leave the bunk, okay? And I'm not going to hook up with anyone, unless my wife miraculously appears here and decides she still loves me."

Bob nodded. "She still loves you."

"I know she does," Bradley replied as he sank back down onto his bed. This time he removed his boots and tossed them next to the door. "I just need to do a lot better. I just want to have a happy wife."

"Yeah," Bob agreed, also untying his boots. "She makes you a lot better. You don't kick people out of their rooms anymore, and you always remember everyone's birthday."

Bradley groaned and nodded. "That's because she remembers everyone's birthday, and she reminds me."

Bob smiled and nodded as he pulled out some notebooks and a pen. "You were still annoyed though. When I came in just now. You can tell me why if you want to."

Bradley sat up and faced Bob across the few feet of space between their beds. "She didn't answer when I tried to call her. This is a first."

"Hmm," Bob hummed thoughtfully without saying anything else.

"Yeah," Bradley added. "There's a lot I want to tell her. Shit she deserves to hear. I'm afraid I'm going to forget or completely fuck it up by the time I get to talk to her."

Bob tried to hand him a notebook and his pen. "Write it down."

"Write what down?" Bradley asked, cautiously taking the offered items and flipping through the notebook which was empty.

"Write down all the things you want to say. I started journaling a few years ago to help organize my thoughts and manage my anxiety. I think it's helped me in a lot of ways, including making me a better, calmer aviator. But you could write notes to or about your wife. See what works."

And then Bob started writing in the other notebook, leaving Bradley to his own thoughts. He opened up to that first, pristine page and placed the pen to it.

Dear Baby Girl

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

You felt great after Sunday brunch with Cam and Maria. As soon as you got there, you said, "We've been trying to get pregnant. I'm not pregnant. Let's have mimosas and not talk about Bradley." And they listened. And it was wonderful. And it's not that you didn't want to talk about him or think about him, it was that you really needed a break. Because he was the only thing you were thinking about. 

On Monday, as soon as you got to work, it felt like you were leaving again for your doctor's appointment. You didn't even want to go. You didn't want to get on the scale. Ever since you overdid it on your honeymoon months ago, you'd been afraid to weigh yourself, because you knew this could be adding to your issues. 

When the nurse took your blood pressure and then told you to get onto the scale, you couldn't even look at the readout. You'd bring it up to the doctor in private, away from everyone else in the hallway. 

And then you were led back to an exam room and left to squirm around on the paper covered table in the rough hospital gown while you stared at your uniform folded neatly on the chair by the door. Your name tag was boldly reminding you that you'd tacked Bradshaw onto your last name. When your doctor walked in, she used your full hyphenated name when she greeted you, and you tried to smile. 

You thought about Bradley as you decided to get everything out of the way right from the start. "I want to talk about my weight. And fertility."

But a few minutes later, you were sitting with your mouth hanging slightly open. "You've lost almost fourteen pounds since this time last year. Were you intentionally trying to lose weight?" she asked, eyeing you carefully. 

"N-No. I thought I gained a lot of weight. I've been nervous to check. I'm...trying to get pregnant."

She nodded and started to examine your eyes and ears as she said, "You need to make sure you're taking care of yourself. Eating well. Three meals a day. Healthy snacks. Exercising." Then she looked you in the eye. "Based on your age and general health, I can refer you to a specialist once you've been trying for eight to twelve cycles without success. And your husband can have some tests run then as well."

"Right," you replied with a soft sigh, thinking about Bradley's exceptionally fucking awesome sperm once again. But you cracked a smile. "I'm already five cycles in, so halfway there."

She nodded. "You just give me a call if you need to."

You left the medical building, still adjusting your uniform and wondering how you'd lost so much weight without noticing. But your pants were feeling a little loose now. And so was your shirt. They were snug after your honeymoon. Had you lost fourteen pounds in just a few months?

When you reached your car, you closed your eyes and swallowed past the lump in your throat. You were not taking very good care of yourself. You could barely remember the last time you had lunch at work or ate something other than a protein bar for breakfast. Memories of lavish weekend breakfasts with Bradley filled your mind. You'd be perched on his lap, sharing one plate full of eggs, bacon, potato pancakes and grilled vegetables. When was the last time you did that? Spent an hour eating breakfast together with the occasional brush of Bradley's mustache along your neck? 

You had to wipe your tears away as you unlocked your door and climbed inside. You started the engine as you pulled your phone out of your bag. 

"No!" 

Missed FaceTime call from RESTRICTED

"Fuck!" Your fingers were shaking as you tried to enter your passcode. Then you tried to call back. Not Connected. Not Connected. Not Connected. 

You sat in your car and cried. You missed a call from Bradley. It must have been him. You missed it by seven minutes. And now it could be weeks before you got another opportunity to talk to him. 

Panic rose in your chest. He probably thought you ignored him. "Roo," you sobbed, resting your forehead on your steering wheel. You missed him so much, you felt sick most of the time. You were counting down the days to the start of your period, and you could remember how he used to plug your heating pad in for you and bring you Tylenol. He used to rub your back and share a bottle of wine. You missed him, and you wanted him back home, doing all the silly little things he used to do. You knew how good things could be. 

"I'm sorry," you whispered as you looked at the missed call notification one more time. Then you turned your volume up to full blast. You'd take your phone everywhere from now on. You drove back to work with a sinking feeling in your chest. What if he didn't even bother trying to call you back again?

That thought stayed with you all day, and you had to force yourself to grab something to eat on your way back up to your office. You choked down a sandwich that tasted disgusting as you sat there alone. 

You felt even worse the next day since you were barely able to sleep. And you knew you needed to eat something, but you couldn't even stomach any coffee. You headed right to work after you let Tramp out, and you didn't even make it to your lab before you ran into your boss. 

"Meet me in my office, Lieutenant Commander," Captain Bickel told you. "I need you to look over some paperwork that came in from Annapolis on the overlapping project."

"Right now, sir?" you asked softly. Your body was practically trembling with anxiety. 

"Yes," he replied, and your heart sank. You followed him down the hallway, each step harder to physically complete than the last. When you sank down into the chair across from his desk, he handed you a folder. Your hand visibly shook as you took it from him, and you were almost too nauseous to feel embarrassed. Almost. 

Heat and sweat broke out on your neck, and the cool air gave you goosebumps. You could feel every little hair on your body stand up on end as you listened to your boss talking, but nothing was processing in your mind. That missed call had you in almost constant hysterics, and you didn't know who to talk to about it. Nobody would understand how much of a fucking big deal this was to you. You promised Bradley you'd always answer his calls. You promised him. 

"Is that right?" Bickel asked you, his voice sounding muffled to your ears. "Lieutenant Commander? Is that right?"

You looked down at the unopened folder in your lap, and tears started to stream down your cheeks. It didn't even feel like you were crying. But you must be? It didn't make sense at all, but when you opened your mouth, you heard a choked sob as you tried to meet his eyes.

He was around the desk, kneeling in front of your chair immediately. "Hey," he kept saying over and over again, and you wanted to tell him to stop, but you just kept crying. There was soft pressure on the back of your hand where his palm was resting. You were still trying to meet his eyes, and when you finally did, he used your first name. "Are you okay?"

You sucked in so much air that it hurt your insides. Everything was uncomfortable and too quiet, and you could barely speak, but you managed to say, "I don't know."

So he just sat there with you as you gulped in more air that hurt while your head throbbed. It probably took you a long time until the weight of your body in the chair felt normal again, and you realized you were sitting in your own sweat. You were hungry and gross and you missed your husband. When your boss asked, "What can I do for you?" the only thing you could do right away was shrug. 

But a few beats later, you managed to whisper, "Do you remember when Josh was here, and you asked me if I wanted to talk to someone?"

His face looked even more alarmed now, but you didn't have the energy to explain anything to him. "Yes," he replied, and he stood and reached for his phone. You clutched at Bradley's wedding band through the fabric of your shirt.

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

"The better plan for a more efficient flight path would be to take out the communications tower first and then strike their base," Admiral Dean informed the group of aviators for about the hundredth time. Bradley could have drawn the terrain maps from memory by now. He also couldn't help but think that the admirals were making sure that Slayer, Charmer and the other children were keeping up with the plans. "But we'll decide on the day of the mission which tactical option is better. Any questions?"

"Sir, what does the terrain look like again?" Charmer asked politely.

"Very good question," Dean replied, and Bradley gritted his teeth. It was a fucking idiotic question, and the rest of the room know it. He could practically feel the rage rolling off of Phoenix. If anyone from Top Gun had asked that question, the admiral would have snapped. Plus, Charmer and Slayer had taken to referring to Nat as Honey, which almost sent Bradley through the roof every single time. 

When everyone was dismissed for lunch, he was the first one out of the room, taking out his phone and opening it up to the notes app. Writing in the notebook from Bob every night had actually been more helpful than he expected, and occasionally he added a note to his phone so he would remember to write it down that night. He wasn't writing love letters exactly. They were more like little notes in which he was trying to describe how he felt about you. Trying to put into sentences everything he wanted to change, and also the things he wanted to stay the same. 

But the notebook was for him. You didn't need to read it. He'd keep it and look at it when he got home and started trying to put his marriage back on track. 

"Hey, Honey, you think you should be eating a sandwich instead of making me a sandwich?" Bradley looked up from his phone only to realize he had made it all the way to the dining hall. And Slayer was acting like a complete prick to Nat. She was the only female aviator on this detachment, which usually wouldn't have been an issue, but it was right now. 

Bradley saved the note he had written, and he turned to Slayer and calmly said, "Do you know how to shut your mouth, or do I need to show you?"

Loud booming laughter filled the space between them. "Old man, you couldn't show me how to do jack fucking shit. Except maybe nail your dog of a wife with a limp dick."

Bradley was for a split second reminded of the last time you and he had sex, and he could feel his cheeks start to flush. The thing was, Bradley didn't really mind the attention being on him instead of Nat or Bob, but this is what seemed to make his best friend snap. Nat snatched his phone out of his hand and held up the lock screen, which was actually a photo of you from the honeymoon. In your red bikini. With your tits pressed together and a dirty little smirk on your face. Bradley snapped it about a minute after he finished fucking you on the deck next to the pool.

"Does she look like a dog to you?" Nat asked the guys, and their eyes bugged out. This was bad. "No, she does not. And I'm not your Honey. Stop harassing me. Stop harassing Rooster. And stop harassing Bob."

But Slayer was still laughing. "She's hot, old man. She's definitely fucking around behind your back. Doubt you can keep up. Hell, I'd nail her." 

"Me too," Charming added as Bradley tucked his phone away in his pocket. And now Nat seemed to realize she shouldn't have reacted the way she did. Because Bradley was pissed. These fucking dipshits were really just the cherry on top of an already shitty deployment. 

"Let's get out of here," Nat said, about to reach for his arm. 

"I'm cool," Bradley snarled, even though he felt anything but. "Let's get some food." He picked up a tray and gripped it with white knuckles as he piled it up at random with food he didn't even really want. His mind was unfocused, and now he was thinking about how easy it actually would be for you to cheat on him while he was deployed. But that was a two way street, and he didn't want to open that horrible thought up inside of himself. 

"I'm sorry," Nat whispered as the two of them found a seat while Bob meandered over like he was unfazed by everything. Because he probably was. He had invited Bradley to join him while he meditated each night before bed. At first Bradley thought it seemed silly, but perhaps he was actually onto something. 

"Don't apologize, Nat."

"I shouldn't have taken your phone-"

"It's fine," he said, cutting her off. He was too tired to converse as he bit into his food. But it tasted like shit, so when he heard his name being called, he didn't mind the interruption. "I'm Bradshaw," he told the deckhand who was carrying an envelope. 

"What's that?" Nat asked, leaning over his arm as he opened it and pulled out a handwritten note on thick, creamy paper. 

"Holy shit," Bradley muttered. "It's from the commanding officer."

Her eyes bugged out. "As in the captain of the aircraft carrier?"

"Looks like it," Bradley replied as he read the note.

Lieutenant Commander B. Bradshaw,

You may use my personal communication device this evening at 2300 hours in my study.

Admiral Berry

He wasn't sure what exactly was going on, but given the chance, he would absolutely try to call you again.

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

You looked at Dr. Genevieve in her khaki uniform with her hair pulled up into a tight bun. She reminded you of your mom with her placid smile and sharp eyes. You were sitting in a soft, brown leather chair across from her, sipping some lemonade and eating the pretzel sticks Bickel gave you. And you already felt a lot better, although slightly embarrassed. But you were here now. And she was more than willing to talk to you.

"I... should have probably come here a few weeks ago," you said softly before taking one last sip of your drink. 

"Today's a good day to talk," she replied, but she didn't rush you. 

"Yeah," you said, nodding as you ran your palm down the arm of the chair in her office on base. "That's probably true. I'm... struggling? For lack of a better word? I guess?"

"That word is okay to use. But struggling is normal, Lieutenant Commander. It's something we all do."

So you took a deep, shaky breath and let it out slowly. "I had a panic attack. In front of my boss," you groaned, covering your eyes with your hand. 

She kind of shrugged. "That's a pretty safe place for that kind of thing."

"I guess so," you replied with a little laugh. But then your face fell as you played with a stray thread on your uniform shirt. "I'm afraid I messed up my marriage," you said, barely loud enough for her to hear. But when you met her eyes through your tears, you were certain she heard you. "And I want to fix all of it, but I don't know how."

And with a few words of encouragement from her, you let loose. If you had to guess, you thought you must have gone on for ten minutes without stopping. You told this woman everything, and with each passing sentence, it started to feel easier to keep going. She took a few notes, and asked a few followup questions, but ultimately she let you talk as much as you wanted to. About whatever you wanted to. 

And even though you were exhausted and your uniform was uncomfortable, you felt so much better as you said, "I was getting my physical the other day. And I had so many questions for my doctor, and I've been so focused on trying to get pregnant. Apparently I lost weight. And I know I haven't been eating. And I think I can get better. Used to be a lot better. But when I finally thought to check my phone, I missed a call from Bradley. And I'm so afraid he thinks I didn't want to talk to him," you gasped as your voice cracked. 

As the back of your head came to rest against the leather, you closed your eyes. You could just picture him and the way he smiled at you. The way he had always smiled just for you. And maybe you should feel more like crying right now, but you were just too fucking tired. 

Dr. Genevieve waited until you were looking at her again before she asked, "You'd want to talk to your husband now? If you could have the chance?"

"Yes, but God... it could be weeks before he's allowed to call again. If at all." Just thinking about it had that cold, clammy feeling building inside you again. 

"Hmm," she hummed. "You said he's on the Theodore Roosevelt?"

"Yep," you replied. "Good old, Teddy. He told me he's been deployed to that vessel more than any other," you said, feeling like you were at the point of rambling nonsense now. But at least your heart was no longer pounding behind your eyes.

"Well, I'll see what I can do."

After that, you left her office and Bickel dismissed you for the day. But Dr. Genevieve told you to keep your phone on you, and you promised you would. And perhaps you should have been mortified when you got home only to answer the door twenty minutes later for a delivery guy, but you weren't.

"I didn't order any food," you told him, but he just handed you two bags and left without asking you to pay. When you took the bags to the kitchen and emptied them onto the counter, you saw a receipt that said it had been charged to J. Bickel. "Oh," you gasped, and Tramp looked up at you. "Yeah, he's pretty chill," you informed your dog about your boss. 

And then you cut the enormous sandwich in half and carried it to the dining room table along with the soup and salad. You ate until you couldn't physically take another bite, and then you got into a hot bath and stayed there until the water turned cool. 

It wasn't even 6 o'clock when you got yourself into bed, but your belly was full and you felt clean. And it had been such a relief to talk to someone who you'd never met before about every dirty detail you'd been living with. Your chest didn't hurt as much, and you didn't feel as helpless. 

You rubbed Tramp's belly, and just as you turned to plug your phone in, it started ringing. You gasped and dropped it on the floor. "Shit!" You almost fell out of bed as you scrambled for it. You'd caught a glimpse of Restricted Caller on the screen, but you wanted to make sure. 

"Bradley?" you nearly shrieked as you answered the call and finally got to see your husband's face. "Bradley!"

"Baby Girl," he rasped, and you sank to the floor as you smiled and started to cry. 

"I'm sorry," you said quickly as he shook his head. "I'm so sorry I let you leave without making sure you heard me when I told you I love you. Because I love you, and I miss you. And I'm sorry I didn't answer your call on Monday! But I was at my doctor's appointment!"

"Shh," he soothed, his eyes glued on yours as he shook his head again. "It's okay. I love you. And I don't need you to apologize for any of that right now. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm so sorry I let you down."

"Roo."

"I just need to know you still love me."

"Of course I still love you," you sobbed, wiping your eyes on his soft UVA shirt. "Bradley, I always will."

His eyes dipped down. "You're wearing my ring, Sweetheart?" 

You nodded and reached for the charms and his wedding band where they hung. "Why did you leave it?" you asked in a tiny, pathetic voice. "I hate that you're not wearing your ring."

He gave you a funny look. "I am," he insisted, holding up his left hand for you to see. 

"What's that?" you asked, examining something that was very much not his wedding band. 

"The silicone ring I told you I was ordering. I actually hate it," he said with a laugh. "You look so beautiful."

"When did you tell me you were ordering a silicone ring?" you asked.

"I don't know," he murmured. "A month ago? I put it on the shopping list on the fridge and asked if you wanted one, too. God, you look so beautiful."

But you just stared at him before springing to your feet and taking your phone into the kitchen. "Oh," you gasped. The magnetic whiteboard was partly covered by a piece of paper, and the marker had gotten smudged, but there it was. Bradley's pre deployment shopping list. You had been so distracted lately, nothing was sticking in your mind when it should have been. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, Sweetheart," he said, and you looked back at your phone. "I wouldn't have left you without a ring on. Ever. And I can't wait to get back home and get the real thing off your necklace chain and put it back on my finger."

"You can't wait?" you asked, matching his little smile with your own. 

"Of course I can't wait. I'm ready to come home now. I love you. Being away from you and feeling uncertain has been terrifying." 

You couldn't believe how calm he sounded. Like he was just waiting to hear from you and see you, knowing everything would be okay. "I've been having a rough time," you said very softly as you walked back toward the bedroom. "It hasn't been okay."

He looked more concerned now. "We'll fix it," he promised. "As soon as we're together, we will fix it. No matter what it takes. You are my top priority. And that's never going to change. You understand?"

"Yeah," you whispered as you climbed back into bed. 

"If you're not happy with me, then I need to try harder and do better," he promised. "Until there's no doubt in your mind about how much I love you. And I don't need anything else."

There was an unspoken undertone of how the two of wanted and had been trying for a baby. But you didn't want to be the one to say it. "You're sure you don't need anything else?"

He nodded and said, "I'm sure, Sweetheart. I'd be lucky to get to spend the rest of my life with you. Just you. Me and you."

You felt calm in a way you hadn't been in months. It felt like you were melting back into your pillow as Bradley said, "Now why don't you tell me how you pulled this one off. Because I'm sitting in the Commanding Officer's quarters right now, using Admiral Berry's personal iPad."

You laughed, realizing he was sitting in front of an elaborate looking bookshelf as he smiled at you. "I think Admiral Berry is married to Dr. Genevieve Berry." And when you told him you had a panic attack at work and talked to a therapist on base, your husband said he was proud of you for taking care of yourself.

"I haven't been though, Roo," you whispered sadly as you burrowed down in the blankets. "Not really."

"I'm the one who hasn't been taking good enough care of both of us. I promise that's going to change when I get home. I need it to, and you deserve it."

Your body shook slightly with a quiet sob, and you nodded. "My period is going to start soon."

"Okay," he said softly. "We're not worrying about that right now. But I wish I was home to plug in your heating pad and rub your feet." 

"Me, too. I love you." It felt so good to say it to him. His lips parted like he had something to say, then you saw him look to his right. 

"Right, absolutely," he said to someone off screen. "No problem."

When he was facing you again, you asked, "You have to go?" 

"I do," he confirmed with a frown. "But first, can you promise me a few things?"

"Yes."

"You'll make sure you're getting enough sleep and eating enough? And talking to someone if you feel like you're struggling?"

"I promise. And, Roo? If you call and I don't answer, it's because I couldn't, okay? I always want to hear from you."

He smiled and exhaled in visible relief. "I understand. I love you. See you in a few weeks."

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

Can we...can we breathe a little bit now? Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 12

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𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔

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My Masterlist 🩷

🧰 Pairing: Joel Miller x Virgin!Reader

💖 Setting: Lincoln. Bill, Frank and Joel are all the age they are when they're having lunch in ep03, don't ask me the timeline, just pretend they're still that young in 2023.

🧰 Synopsys: Bill and Joel have an unexpected encounter while outside Lincoln, and Joel sees you under Bill's gaze for the first time.

💖 Word count: 6.5k

🧰 Author's note: It's insane how long this series is taking me, but I'm really, really happy to know that some of you still love it. It means a lot and I love you all so much 🩷 🫶🏻

Joel wouldn't be honest if he said he was looking forward to this. Not only because Bill is a very closed man — they both were — but also because he felt like Bill somehow knew what he's done. Like he could hear Joel's thoughts and watch his memories.

And he couldn't stop thinking about you as they drove away from Lincoln. He couldn't not think about you, about how he kissed you, how he touched you, his growing feelings for you. The more he tried not to think about you, the more you took over him.

"You said you've let everything where you've found them, right? Are the stores near one another?" Bill breaks the deafening silence.

Joel almost sighs in relief. Any conversation would be better than thinking about you when he was certain that your dad could read his mind.

"Yeah." Joel cleans his throat. "The stores are near one another. I didn't wanna leave everything together and have someone come by and see it." He says and Bill looks at him. "You never know. A lot of the things I've found need electricity and fuel. If someone saw them they'd wait for whoever wanted them. Whoever could use them." He adds, and your dad nods.

"That's better, yeah." Bill agrees.

They go silent for a while, and Joel's tiredness allows him to not think about you as he looks out the window.

"Did you talk to Tess?" Bill asks and Joel breathes deeply, taking a while to respond.

Silence would be better.

"I did. She called on the radio the other day." He sighs, readjusting himself on his seat. "She doesn't think about leaving the QZ." He adds when Bill doesn't say anything else.

Bill grunts in response, confusing himself with how disappointed the news got him.

He never before thought about having other people in Lincoln, but as him and Frank age, he started worrying about leaving you all by yourself.

Especially because he knows how much happier you two got after Frank arrived, how miserable he would've been if he had never found you. He doesn't want you to experience loneliness.

"But she said she'd keep the deal if I wanted to stay." Joel says, and Bill frowns.

"And you'd stay without her?" He asks, confused.

"Unless you have a problem with that." Joel shrugs, his tone unreadable but not confrontational.

"Aren't you two a couple?" Your dad asks, confused.

Maybe that's the first truth Joel owes Bill.

"We aren't... Together anymore." Joel sighs, and Bill looks at him. "We haven't been for a few years now."

"I didn't know that." Bill says, his posture tensing as he thinks about how close you and Joel seemed the last few days.

It's not like they were trying to hide it. Tess told you when you met that she and Joel were just friends. But Bill's guard was so high that day that he forgot about the details about their relationship.

"We're just business partners now." He says.

"Do you think about staying without her?" Your dad insists, and Joel moves his neck, as if trying to crack it, to release some of the tension this conversation is bringing him.

"I'm thinking about it." Joel admits.

"Alright." Bill says, looking uncomfortable.

"Is the offer still up without Tess?" Joel insists, his tone still unreadable, but calm.

Bill shakes his head. "I don't know." He says, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "I thought you were with Tess, and... With my daughter at home..."

"I know." Joel agrees. He knows.

He knows the feeling of never trusting anyone enough to let them alone with his daughter.

And he feels like he broke Bill's trust, like he did the one thing he couldn't.

And he feels bad, he feels like curling into a ball, like telling Bill the truth so he punches him until he forgets what he's done with you. Because that's what he'd do to the man that dared to touch his Sarah.

After a few seconds your dad sighs. "I'm sorry but this changes everything. I thought you two would stay, stay with her after Frank and I—" he cuts himself when his voice starts cracking.

"No, it's okay. I get it." Joel says, and Bill looks at him.

"I'm not saying you can't stay. I just... I need to think about it first. Need to talk to her and Frank, see how they feel about it." Bill says honestly, his mind racing as he tries to follow Frank's request to be nicer to Joel.

"Sure." Joel nods, looking out the window and commiting to silence until they get to their destination.

...

No long after, they see the stores in the distance, the streets around them dirty, empty and quiet, a sense of uneasiness on the air, the certainty that danger hides in the shadows.

"We should continue by feet. At least if something happens we don't lose the truck." Joel suggests, and Bill nods, slowing the car, looking for a place to hide it.

They leave the truck and walk silently until the first store.

"I left this here." Joel says, touching a red wooden panel that's partially blocking the main door, a subtle mark perfectly aligned from the door to the panel. "To see if anyone would touch it." He adds, and Bill looks at him. "No one did." He finishes, and they walk in.

"What's in this one?" Bill asks, looking around, his rifle in hand, and Joel takes a note out of his back pocket, reading him the list he's made.

They take everything out of the stores, working together and fast so they can get out of there as quickly as possible.

When there's just one store left, Joel goes to it while Bill brings the truck closer to where they've placed everything.

...

Bill's struggling to place some heavy tools on the back of his truck when a gunshot near him makes him jump. He draws his gun and turns around, almost stepping on a dead stalker's body that's unexpectedly close to him and the truck.

He looks in the stores direction, his heart racing. He finds Joel holding his shotgun, a simultaneously worried and relieved expression in his face as his shoulders fall back down.

An infected, mere inches away from him. And he didn't notice it, he didn't even hear it. If Joel weren't there with him, looking at him... he could be dead right now. He would be dead right now.

It numbs him for a while. He leans on the truck, catching his breath and trying to calm himself.

Joel comes close and touches his shoulder firmly.

"Are you ok?" He asks, and your dad nods, his eyes wide and scared as he looks at Joel. "Did it touch you?" Joel asks, looking at Bill's arms.

"No." Your dad responds shaking his head, his voice weak. He clears his throat before continuing. "No, it didn't. You shot it before it got too close." He says nodding, his tone grateful.

"Yeah, but I almost didn't." Joel says in a warning tone. "I shot it as soon as I turned to look at you. Didn't you hear it coming close to you?" Joel asks, a clear worry in his eyes.

"Thank you." Your father says dryly, more like he's asking Joel to drop it than actually thanking him.

Joel nods, respecting Bill and giving him space, taking a step back and pulling the infected body away from the truck so they can keep packing up.

...

They finish what they had to do in silence, Bill always looking behind his shoulders and Joel always checking on him.

Seeing how startled ana scared Bill still was, Joel insisted on driving them back home, and so they did in silence, both with their heads full of worries, all of them related to you.

They arrive and park the truck in front of the garage, unloading the truck. Not a word spoken about what happened.

"Hey, boys!' Frank enthusiastically greets the two tired men, and Joel turns instantly, expecting to see you. But he turns back around as soon as he sees that Frank's by himself, offering him a small smile.

"Hey." They say together, and Frank tilts his head at how weird them both seem.

"Is everything alright? You've found everything, did something happen?" He asks, and Bill looks at Joel, who's focused on unloading the truck and not getting in between them.

If Bill doesn't say anything about what happened, he won't either.

"Yeah, alright." Bill dismisses Frank, putting on a smile to mask any tension. "We've brought your paint! We can start working on the houses, the boutique!" He says, and Frank finds his sudden enthusiasm in renovating the facades suspicious.

"Joel?" Frank calls, looking past Bill, and Joel closes his eyes, taking a subtle deep breath before turning around.

"Frank." He nods.

"What the fuck happened?" He asks. "I thought you two would arrive at least happy that you came back home safe, happy to have found everything you were looking for." He says, frustrated.

"We are." Joel says. "But it's not like going shopping. You see things you didn't wanna see, you're tense and worried all the time." He says, not giving space for further questioning, and Frank lowers his guard, looking almost embarrassed by his impatience.

"Ugh, you're right, I'm sorry. My head's full, I'm..." He looks at Joel and cuts himself, turning to Bill, touching his arm. " Sorry, love, why don't we go inside, we can unload the truck later." He tells Bill, who nods and turns to Joel, an appreciative look in his eyes.

"Leave it, Joel. Go get some rest, we'll do this later. I'm gonna take a shower, you should do the same." He says, and Joel follows them inside the house.

You've finished washing the underwear Joel's brought you. He told you to wash them thoroughly, and so you did, carefully washing each piece, looking at them, imagining what you'd look like with them on.

The thought of wearing such revealing pieces, of being so exposed to him — all while he'd probably still be fully clothed — makes you feel your insides warm up.

You run two fingers through your folds and moan at how wet you are. At how wet just thinking about him got you. You run circles around your clit, slow, light and controlled at first, then deeper and stronger as you get closer — just like he taught you.

But your arm gets tired before you get anywhere, and you moan in frustration.

So you remove the small shower head from it's hose and partially block the water flow, directing the pressured water to your clit, moaning with the sensation. And your mind goes right back to Joel.

His broad back, his warm chest, his rough hands running up and down your sides. The soft skin of his cock pressing against your clit, the praisings he whispered on your ears while he touched you.

How softly and gently he talked to you while making you cum, how good and overwhelming it feels to experience pleasure with someone else.

To experience pleasure with him.

You're holding back your moans as well as you can when you hear footsteps coming closer to your bathroom door, and you freeze, your heart slamming against your chest.

"Baby?" You hear Joel's soft voice calling, and your fingers instantly return their needy circles.

"Joel..." You moan in response, seeing his shadow under the door. He starts moving the doorknob, but suddenly rushes away from the door.

You imagine him walking in, the face he would've made when he saw you like this, how wet you are for him, how ready you are for him, how much you want him inside you, how he could just do it right there...

How tired he probably is, how much you just want to make him feel better and appreciated for everything he's doing for all of you, how you just want him inside your mouth...

You cum, his name choked on your throat as your legs stiffen, your walls convulsing desperately around nothing, and you do your best to not scream nor fall down on the slippery floor.

...

As he goes up stairs to his bedroom, he stops before your bedroom door. No sounds from your dads. He goes into your bedroom, following the steam coming from your bathroom. He stops right in front of the door, your low hums and moans making him close his eyes.

It brings him back to that other night, feeling you underneath his body, your skin so soft and warm, the citric and flowery smell of your neck, the way your hands are still learning how to behave, where to touch him, how to scratch his skin, how to run your fingers through his hair, how your tongue is still learning to explore his mouth, how goddamn curious and eager you are to learn how to share intimacy with him. How responsive you are to his touches.

"Baby?" He softly calls you, his brain painting the torturous and irresistible picture of what you're doing in there.

"Joel..." You moan back, and the sound makes him grunt under his breath, turning the doorknob.

But before he opens the door, he hears a squeak coming from the stairs, and rushes out of your bedroom, closing the door and quickly making his way down the hallway to his own bedroom.

"Joel?" Bill calls as soon as Joel reaches his bedroom door, his heart is beating so fast he's certain your dad can hear it.

"Hey." He responds, turning around and trying to hide his heavy breathing.

"What happened today... We're gonna keep it down. They don't need to know." Bill says. "Ever." He emphasizes.

"They won't hear it from me." Joel agrees, and Bill awkwardly stands there, like he's gathering the courage to speak.

"And I'm sorry I said you weren't invited to move in by yourself. You are. Not just because you saved me... but because I'm getting old. I didn't even hear the damn thing coming near me." He says in a hushed whisper, his voice getting caught in his throat. "They can't even dream that it happened. And I need someone to look after them when I can't anymore. Someone to look after her." He says firmly.

"I think you've taught her enough to handle herself." Joel reassures him.

"She's never been in real danger, Joel." Your dad chuckles. "She's a good hunter, a good shooter, she's good in body combat. She helped me take those raiders down, but she doesn't know how this world works." Bill sighs, letting his worries out for the first time.

"To be fair, no one knows." Joel shrugs, seeing the worry and protectiveness in Bill's eyes. "And she's not a child, Bill. You've taught her enough for her to look after herself." Joel insists, trying to ease some of your dad's distress.

"She's safe as long as she's in here, Joel." Bill sighs. "But I'd like to know that there's someone here with her. Someone I know can keep her safe. And after today... I know you can." He says, his heart swelling just to imagine you being all alone. "She looks like an adult but... She's just a child, Joel. She only knows me and Frank, life inside these fences..." Bill says, and Joel's heart sinks.

For the first time he's talking to your dad about you, and for the first time he's seeing you under Bill's light. He's seeing you as a secluded, inexperienced and naive twenty three year old girl who never had the chance to mature normally, who fell for the first unknown man she ever saw.

The realization sours his expression, it makes him not trust himself, not wanna stay, it makes him wish Bill got upstairs quicker and caught him in your bedroom. It makes him feel sick to remember the things he's done to you, how at the time it felt like intimacy and love, when in reality he should've taken things much... much slower with you.

When his mind goes to Sarah his eyes start to well up, and he's unable to respond to your dad, who silently watches his inner turmoil.

"I don't want you to feel like you owe me this, Joel. You don't. You could have just let me die back there and come back here with a tragic story to tell them. I'm the one in debt with you, but I'm willing to trust you to take care of things, if you choose to stay. I'll talk to her and Frank. You already have my yes." Your dad finishes, sinking Joel further into his misery.

"Thank you, I'll think about what you said." Joel manages to say, nodding and turning back to his bedroom. "Oh." His voice breaks when he turns back to your dad. "The guns are downstairs, on the dinner table." He says, not able to look Bill in the eyes.

"Oh yeah, sure, hum... thank you. But I was thinking you could keep them? At least until tomorrow." He says.

"Why?" Joel asks, his eyes meeting Bill's.

"Well, the last time I went hunting was before you arrived, and there's not a lot left for all of us. So I was thinking we could go hunting tomorrow morning." Bill invites him, the shyest smile appearing on his face. "I mean, I know you got an hell of an aim." He chuckles softly.

"Yeah, sure." Joel agrees, ready to help. "We'll go." He offers your dad a faint smile before going into his bedroom.

He goes to his bathroom, removing his clothes while he thinks about your dad's proposal.

This is what he wanted. To stay. To stay with you. He doesn't see it as a burden, no. He has Bill's green light to move in, to be part of your life. But he knows he only has it because your dad doesn't know about anything.

The fact that he invited him to move in just proves how oblivious Bill is to everything that's happened between you two. How well you kept it a secret, after all.

But he also knows that it only has to be a secret because he moved too fast. Because he couldn't battle his own desires, and now he can't tell your dad the truth without breaking his trust completely.

He turns on the shower, hoping the warm water will help clear his mind.

When you're done showering you hang your new lingerie around your bathroom and lock the door, knowing it's the only room in the house your dad doesn't have the key to.

You go downstairs to Frank's studio, where he's using the last few minutes of sunlight to work on the base for Sarah's painting.

"It looks amazing already." You smile, kissing the top of his head.

You sit outside his studio, taking the guitar, and you notice him looking at you with a smile.

You start playing the guitar, confidently touching the strings when you see Joel walking in, his hair slicked back, it's wetness shinning under the sunset light.

He sits besides you and starts laughing softly.

"What?" You laugh back. "Is it too horrible?"

"No — laughs — no, baby, it's not." He says, barely holding his smile, even after letting the nickname slip. "It's just a bit... out of tune." He says softly, choking back his laughter.

"Oh, THANK GOD!" Frank playfully yells.

"Dad!" You yell back, laughing, feeling your cheeks burn.

"Oh, my dove, I'm so sorry, but it was a tough afternoon." He says laughing, and Joel looks back at you, his eyes scrunching with his smile.

"Can I?" Joel asks softly, asking for the guitar.

"Well, yeah, I guess. Or my dad might throw himself into the fence or a trap." You playfully pretend to be sad.

"Uh! I never said that out loud!" Frank gasps, defending himself, sounding overly offended, and you shoot him a playfully angry look.

You hand Joel the guitar, and he starts adjusting the things at the top of it while you curiously watch it over his shoulder.

"This is where you tune it." He says, quickly taking his eyes off the instrument and looking back at you, your faces accidentally almost touching.

"And how do I know it's good enough?" You ask, pulling back a bit.

"When it's not sounding like that anymore." Frank says, his voice cut by his own laughter.

"DAaAD!" You yell again, laughing, feeling your cheeks in fire.

"Frank leave her alone!" Bill says when he passes by, sounding like a dad scolding his child for messing with their sibling.

"You don't even know what's going on!" Frank protests.

"Well, I know you're bothering her." Bill says, giving you a gentle kiss at the top of your head before leaving, his smile clear in his voice.

"I'm sorry, love, I'll stop." Frank tells you, getting up and coming to kiss the top of your head too before following Bill. "I always knew she was your favorite." He playfully tells Bill.

"You'll get the hang of it with time." Joel says, gaining back your attention after your parents disappear. "But also... It won't sound as bad as it did just now." He laughs, and you playfully kick his leg.

"Stop it." You laugh, looking at the small book he got you, searching for the part about getting the guitar ready.

He finishes adjusting it and starts playing a slow and mellow melody, and you recognize it as the one of the songs you played on the piano the first night he's spent with you.

"You already knew it?" You ask, looking at him with a smile.

"It keeps playing in my mind. Everytime I think about that night." He whispers with an even softer smile, and you shy away from his eyes. "Did we ever... Cross a line, you think?" He asks softly, his gaze falling, and you look back at him, frowning.

"Why?" You ask, confused.

"Do you think?" He insists, his tone serious.

"No. We only did what we both wanted to do. No lines to be crossed." You reassure him confidently.

"You promise you'll say if we ever do?" He asks, his eyes reddening.

"I promise." You respond with an empathetic smile. "But I know you won't ever make me feel bad." You whisper tenderly next to his ear, touching your cheek to his shoulder.

"Thank you." He smiles at you, pressing his head tenderly against yours. "I wanna show you a song." He says, changing the chords he's playing on the guitar.

An even mellower and softer melody occupies the room, his fingers skillfully working through the chords. He closes his eyes and you see a tear falling down his cheek.

You gently wipe it away. "What's so special about this one?" You whisper softly.

"I used to play it for Sarah." He says, his eyes still closed. "She loved it... She was almost learning it when..." He stops himself, his voice breaking, and you caress his back.

"It's ok." You whisper. "It's ok if you want to cry about it, I'm here with you." You say softly, and he looks at you, his eyes wet and a faint but honest smile in his lips.

He continues playing the melody, and you quietly start humming it. "She also liked to hum along with it... She said it helped her memorize the chords." He says, looking down at you, his smile slightly wider.

You stop humming instantly, your eyes wide. "I'm sorry... I... I didn't know." You say, feeling bad for invading their memory.

"No, it's fine. She'd love to sing along to it with you." He says, his voice lower and deeper, emotion dripping from it.

You smile. "Thank you, I know we'd have a lot of fun together. The three of us." You say, your eyes locked on his, and they water even more at your words.

"We would." He smiles softly. "She'd love you." He says, his voice shaking with the thought of having you and Sarah by his side. Of experiencing all those loves at the same time, the paternal love he has for her and the romantic, passionate love he feels for you.

You take your camera, standing in front of him and taking a picture of him playing the guitar.

"Stop that." He chuckles.

"But you look so good playing it." You playfully defend yourself, looking at the photo and smiling.

"You know, there's one thing your dad never got you, and it shows." He says, and you tilt your head. "Glasses." He laughs.

"Oh, yeah, so I could see your beauty even better." You smile, sitting back by his side, scooting closer to him and turning the camera to the two of you. "C'mon, say cheese." You smile widely, taking the picture.

Your face softens when you see the photo: You're with your wide and typical smile, and Joel's looking adoringly down at you, his eyes scrunched and a silly smile on his lips.

You look up at him, hoping he can see in your eyes all of the things you're still not sure you can tell him. Hoping he can read and understand all the feelings you're still learning how to feel, all the new and overwhelming sensations he's bringing into your life.

And he hopes you can see the little beam of light your presence brings to him. How you're the only one that got close to making him feel happy again.

The only one that makes him believe that he can genuinely feel happy and fulfilled again.

...

Not long after he followed Bill, Frank calls the two of you to have dinner, and you sit across from each other at the table.

You all eat while talking about all the renovations you're gonna do on the facades, on your house. It feels good to see your dads excited again, to see the smile on Joel's face.

And you think to yourself that this is what life should feel like. This is what it will feel like, after you and Joel talk to your dad and he lets Joel stay.

This.

The happy and satisfied smiles of your parents, Joel's feet caressing yours under the table. Soon Joel shamelessly displaying his affection to you.

You're meant to feel all these loves, from your parents and your lover. And hopefully you're on the right way to have them.

After dinner you say goodnight to your parents and discreetly call Joel to your bedroom.

"Baby?" He calls you a few minutes later, after locking the door, confused by not seeing you in your bed. You open your bathroom door, wearing a lingerie set he got you and a thin, silky robe that hugs your body perfectly.

"Hi, Joel." You smile, walking towards him, feeling confident and womanly in the outfit, especially with the way his eyes are roaming around your figure, his chest raising and falling heavily.

But when you reach him he looks at your face and his eyebrows glue together.

"Baby... Take this off." He says, his voice low and husky. And you undo the robe's tie, but he holds your hand. "No, baby... Get changed. In the bathroom. Put your pajamas on." He says, kissing your forehead and going to sit on your bed.

"Ok." You agree, confused, going to your bathroom and putting your pajamas on. A set with a t-shirt and pants.

You get changed and come back to bed, sitting by his side. "You didn't like it?" You ask, feeling insecure after his reaction.

"No! No, baby, it's not that, I... I loved it, you looked beautiful." He smiles weakly at you. And you notice a glint in his eyes that's only ever there when you talk about Sarah.

"Are you alright?" You whisper, scooting closer to him, your hand going to his lower back.

He nods.

"Have you tried any of the clothes I brought you?" He changes the subject, turning a little so he's almost facing you and tenderly pulling your hair behind your ear.

"Not yet. They're still wet." You say, gently brushing away some food crumbs from his shirt, making his heart soften a bit because of how tender and small the gesture is.

This is what he loves about you. Your small and caring gestures that remind him that you're there, that you care for him. Like how you always softly pinch his arm or his side whenever you walk past him.

Reminding him he has you now.

"Did you like the new clothes?" He smiles, cupping your face, his thumb caressing your cheek.

"Uhum. I loved them." You smile sweetly, leaning into his hand and closing your eyes and just feeling his touch for a few seconds. "Joel?" You whisper, your eyes still closed.

"Hmm?" He responds gently, his soft gaze locked on your face.

"Can we lay down a bit?" You ask, feeling your cheeks warm up under his touch, and you find a silly smile on his lips when you open your eyes.

"Alright." He agrees softly. "Just for a bit. I gotta wake up early tomorrow." He says before kicking his boots away and laying on your bed. You crawl on top of him, laying on his chest, and he wraps his arms around you, kissing the top of your head.

You two just lay together for a few minutes, allowing your breathings to sync and enjoying each other's warmth, all of your hands busy tenderly caressing each other's skin.

You love this. You love having someone to hold, someone to hold you. You used to always snuggle with your dads, but eventually you'd all go to bed and you'd stay alone, somehow never feeling warm even with layers and layers of blankets suffocating you. You love having Joel like this.

And Joel loves it too. To have someone to silently share this much with, to feel this comfortable and this vulnerable with. Someone to look after, to protect, to make him feel like he's not just waiting for time to pass, but that he has a reason to continue. A reason to leave the QZ, a reason to try again and do things right, to talk to your dad the next morning, explain to him that he has feelings for you, but that he wants him to know it all before moving forward, before accepting to move in. Before touching you again.

A reason to try and make it work, even though his chances are almost nonexistent.

"What are you gonna do tomorrow morning?" You curiously ask.

"Huh?" He asks, furrowing his brows.

"You said you can't stay for too long because you gotta wake up early." You explain, playing mindlessly with the sleeve of his shirt.

"Oh, yeah. Your dad called me to go hunting tomorrow morning." He says, a small smile on his lips.

"Really?" You ask. Your dad takes hunting very seriously, and he'd never take someone he doesn't trust with him.

"Uhum." He says. "At first light."

"How can you always wake up in time? I can never do it, he always has to wake me up when we go hunting." You say, and he pulls your hair away from the side of your face, gently caressing it and your scalp.

"You get used to it eventually. And I never sleep well anyway, so I'm always just half asleep. The sun comes in and it wakes me up." He explains.

"Well, but you used to always be late." You almost giggle and he looks down at you, frowning. "You got a watch for your birthday." You explain, smiling, and he looks at it.

"Yeah." He chuckles. "I actually already had it, Sarah just fixed it for me." He smiles. "I was always home later than I said I'd be." He says, his smile souring. "I... I'd never spend enough time with her, I'd always leave the house early with her, when she went to school, and come back much later than her." He says.

"But you were working, weren't you?" You ask, confused by his guilty tone.

"I was." He says. "But... It's ok, I don't wanna talk about it." He smiles softly.

"Are you sure? It feels like you never talk about her." You say gently, trying not to push his boundaries.

"Talking ain't gonna bring her back, baby. It's just gonna remind me of everything I did wrong to her." He says, a hint of bitterness and shame in his voice.

"Don't you wanna talk about all the good things you did to her?" You suggest, noticing how much he has bottled up about his life before the outbreak. About how much he seems to focus on what he did wrong, what he lost.

"The only good things I did for her was love her like I've never loved anyone before and provide for her." He says. "And not even the providing part I did right."

"What do you mean?" You ask, looking up at him, your stomach touching his as you gently caress his hair, your chin resting on his chest.

"She asked me for two things on my birthday. Three actually. Pancakes for breakfast, and I forgot to buy the pancake mix. A cake, and I forgot to buy it. And for me to come home early, and work kept me busy until late." He says, his eyes focused on the roof. "Those were the three last things she ever asked me for, and I didn't do any of them." You see his eyes glisten.

"But you didn't do any of them on purpose. And you didn't know it was your last day with her." You comfort him. "And if you think about it... You were protecting her in a way." You say, and he looks down at you, puzzled. "The fungus got spread through flour and sugar, didn't it? The pancake mix and the cake could've been contaminated." You say, and he frowns, looking back up.

Then he chuckles, his eyes welling up.

"I've never looked at it that way." He says, and you smile, believing that he's happy with the new perspective. "I was better at protecting her by accident than when I actually needed to." He says, a single tear falling from his eye.

"Why?" You whisper, your smile melting, and he frowns, all the thoughts, guilt and shame he's felt all day bubbling up along with the all the feelings he carries from Sarah's death.

"I... I couldn't move, I... I shouldn't have..." He starts, tears starting to flow down his cheeks, his chest moving frantically with his crying, his body shaking, his eyes wide and fixated on a single spot on the ceiling. "I told him... I... But she wasn't infected." He stutters between heavy breaths.

You get off him, lying sideways by his side and pulling his head to your chest, hugging him.

"Hey... Let's take it slow... Don't do this to yourself." You say softly, trying to soothe him, running your hands through his hair and caressing his back.

He snuggles close to you, his head pressed against your chest and his arms wrapped tightly around you, like he's found the comfort he so desperately needed.

You stay silent until his breathing steadies, shushing and tenderly keeping him tightly into your arms.

"She..." He starts after a few minutes. "She hurt her ankle when we were running away from an infected. I... I told the guard she was hurt, but not infected. She wasn't infected." He says, drenching your pajamas shirt, and your own eyes start watering. "I shouldn't have said she was hurt... I... The way I was holding her, I was almost using her a shield." He says, his voice barely intelligible as his grip on you tightens almost painfully.

"But you weren't doing it on purpose, Joel. You'd never do that." You reassure him, seeing the guilt and shame he feels from it.

"I was better at getting her killed than at killing myself." He cries, and you caress his hair, noticing the scar on his forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Joel." You really are. It hurts to imagine how much he's suffered. The scar you're caressing in his forehead proof of just how much.

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, angel." He says, almost bitterly, and you brush it off, knowing this is a complex topic for him.

"Joel... — deep breath — I don't understand all the feelings I feel for you yet. A lot of them are still so new to me." You say. "But I feel so much for you. And I am sorry for you. You didn't deserve to go through any of this." You say, gently but firmly, making it clear to him that you're not gonna let him push you away.

And there goes his walls again.

The walls he built so fast and spent so long fortifying, the walls you somehow crumble so easily, so effortlessly. He still doesn't understand it; how you can do it every time, how easily you can make him open up to you.

How he, that's so used to provide and protect everyone, also has the need to feel protected, to feel safe in someone's arms. In your arms.

"She was lucky to have you." You reassure him softly, caressing his hair, looking into his vulnerable and big brown eyes.

"No, she wasn't." He says, looking away from you, burying his face on your chest shamefully.

"She was." You insist.

"I couldn't even protect her... How could she be lucky?" He almost snarls, his tone new to you, making you flinch, his eyes cold and blank all over again.

Breath, take it slow, it's not personal. He's just not used to talk about this.

"She had you, and now I have you too, and I'm lucky to have you." You say, trying to keep your tone soft and gentle.

"You're not lucky to have me, baby." He says, his crying becoming more heartfelt, more intense.

"Of course I am, Joel... You make me feel special, and good. In a way I've never felt before. My dads love me, but they're supposed to. Not you. You decided to love me. You didn't have to." You smile down at him, tenderly wiping his tears away while a few of your own stream down your cheeks.

"No, baby, no." He says, shaking his head. "You're... I should never have done any of the things I did to you." He cries, his tone shameful and apologetic.

"What do you mean?" You ask, trying not to get hurt by the regret in his words.

"Baby you're... You're a kid... I shouldn't have even looked at you the way I did." He says. "You're younger than Sarah would be today—" His crying cuts his words.

"No, Joel, no.... don't do this to me, please." You cry, for the first time being affected by his words. "You're the first person I've ever met that treated me like an adult. I don't want you to talk to me like I'm a child." You say, begging him to see you as a woman, not as a sheltered and defenseless girl.

"I should have taken it slow... I shouldn't have lied to your parents, I... I can't even look at Bill. I feel like I've crossed the one line I couldn't." He says.

"Joel, if it depended on my dad I'd never do anything. I wouldn't even leave this house! He gets worried when I go to the crops by myself, and I never leave these fences." You say. "You never did anything I didn't want you to do." You reassure him.

"But what if you don't know what you want, baby?" He asks, hugging you tighter. "What if you only see me the way you do because I was the first man to walk through those gates?" He asks you, letting his fears and guilt take over.

"Joel, you make me happy... You make me happy in a way I haven't felt in a long time." I cry. "My life was just do my chores, cook and... And nothing else. You make me want to do more, you make me want to take care of you, to get out of my bed. You're good for me." You say. "I've never felt this way." You say, honesty coating your words.

"And you make me feel in a way I thought I'd never feel again, baby. You make me feel like I'm not just waiting for my time to come... Like I have a purpose again. I wanna keep you happy, safe, taken care of." He smiles, squeezing you even tighter. "I wanna go out and look for the things you want, I wanna hunt so I know you're well fed, I wanna hold you at night so I know you've slept well..." He says, his eyes once again soft and warm, a vulnerability you've never seen in them before.

"I want you to stay here, Joel. With me." You whisper, tears flowing down your cheeks.

"You know I can't sleep here, baby." He smiles gently.

"No... I don't mean just right now. I mean... Stay here with me." You say. "I know it's selfish, but I want you to stay." You cry.

"Baby..." He says, unsure if he should tell you about the conversation he had with your dad.

"I know... I know. Just stay here right now, for a little bit more." You not wanting to think about the day he has to go back to the QZ.

He smiles, wrapping his arms even tighter around you.

"Of course, baby. I'll stay for a bit." He says, snuggling against your chest, and you caress his hair, soothing him.

"Thank you for letting me in." You whisper.

"You gave me no choice." He smiles. "You made it impossible to not wanna let you in, baby." He whispers back.

"I'm sorry, then." You giggle, still running your fingers through his hair.

"Thank you for being so... You." He smiles, his gaze going from your eyes to your lips, and you kiss his lips lightly, moaning when he licks them, deepening the kiss.

He chuckles and pulls back, his thumb caressing your back.

"We're gonna do this right this time." He says firmly yet gently. "I'm gonna talk to your dad. We're gonna go on a hunt early tomorrow, and I'm gonna talk to him."

"You are?" You ask, a mix of excitement and apprehension in your voice and eyes.

"I will. At least if he kills me I'm gonna be far from here and you won't see it." He chuckles, and you laugh.

"Oh, God, don't even joke with that." You laugh, a genuine concern behind your smile as you hug him tighter.

"We're gonna do it right." He reaffirms. "We're not gonna do anything else until your dad knows about us." He says. "But you gotta promise me you're gonna keep what already happened between us a secret." He says, looking deep into your eyes.

"I promise." You smile. "It's gonna be like nothing happened."

"My good girl." He smiles, kissing your neck, his right hand squeezing your hip teasingly.

"Hmmm... Joel..." You moan at his words and his touch. "Don't make this harder than it has to be." You say, your hips instinctively rolling against him.

"Alright." He agrees, his hand going back to your upper back, pressing you against him. "I mean it. We're gonna go slow, make this special to you." He smiles.

"You already make everything special." You smile, pulling his hair back and touching your lips to his forehead, gently caressing his scalp with your whole hand and your fingers.

You two lay into each other's embrace. Uncertainty and concern battling with excitement and hope for what's to come, for how your dad's gonna react, for what life's gonna be like with each other.

And under each other's warmth you both fall asleep. Your best sleep in long time. Joel's most peaceful night since... ever.

A comfortable slumber that's interrupted only by Joel's heavy breathing underneath you and a warm sunlight coating your bedroom.

A shadow suddenly blocks the sunlight, and you sleepily open your eyes, seeing what... Or who... Is blocking it.

Fuck.

I'm so sorry for this, besties. The next chapter is the last official one for this series, the bomb is ticking.

Please don't forget to tell me your thoughts, the second most fun after writing is reading what y'all have to say about it.

Ily, have the best day 🩷🩷🫶🏻

#joel miller x reader #ghostfanwriter #joel miller #joel miller x female reader #pedro pascal characters #fanfic #dirty hands #joel miller fanfiction #pedro pascal's characters

[stayandot8]

For Your Eyes Only

Genre: fluff

Relationship type: established boyfriend/girlfriend

Important Contents: Hiiiiiiiii I'm back! I've been so stuck with real life things that I haven't really been writing anything but my series and then I saw this in my ideas an it kinda just all hit me at once so I just wrote it down and now it's yours. I hope you haven't missed me too much ;) Hopefully part 3 of JOY will be done soon and I can give it to you, I'm dying to get it done and post it so you can see where I want to take it. But anyways, here's this one. I hope you like it. ♥

WC: 1.2k

masterlist

“No, everything’s fine. It’s fine.” He would start with himself every few minutes, repeating those same words over and over until he would fall silent again. The screen on my phone had long since blackened out, lucky for my boyfriend that my phone had been charging all night for exactly this occasion. He was always working while he was away, the occasional clicking of his keyboard the only sign of life on the other side of the static. He never took a break, never sat still long enough unless he was required to.

“Chris, didn’t you just get off stage?” My voice was groggy, being the middle of the night in my time zone starting to weigh on my eyelids more and more the longer we talked. The silk of my own sheets had grown foreign, unfamiliar compared to the worn, cotton sheets of Chan’s bed. I practically lived over there now, half his dresser drawers had my things in them. His shared bathroom had four drawers next to the sink, which now held Chan’s hairbrush and my collection of face masks that he liked to do with me. My toothbrush was kept in a travel case tucked in with a small hairbrush of my own, kept safely away from Chan’s serums and vitamins he needed to keep himself healthy. 

“You know the only reason I ever slow down is because you force me to. I don’t feel like I can  unless I’m being told to by a very pretty girl who threatens to sit on me unless I step away from my computer. Not that I would mind that…” His voice trails off, his lingering suggestiveness sending shivers straight down my back. 

“Well, unfortunately I’m not there to threaten you to sleep. I’m stuck behind this device that lets me talk to you when you’re so far from me.” I tucked my blanket even further under my chin, itching for the comfort of his warmth while settling for the empty space. 

“Yes, how dare you be so far from me.” Hearing his smile through his words was the only way I knew he was okay. With all his work piling up all the time, it was the little things I had to look for as signals. 

“Why are you working right now if you just got off stage though, baby? Come lay down with me.” 

“What were you saying before? Why were you saying everything’s fine?”

“What do you mean?”

“Before, you kept saying everything’s fine, that it was okay.”

“Oh, did I? I didn’t even notice. Don’t worry about it, it’s…”

“FIne?”

A pause. “Yeah.” He sighed, deflating. 

“Chris?”

“Yeah?”

“Talk to me?” A longer pause.

“I just don’t want to dump it all on you. It’s my weight to carry, not yours.”

“You might think that but that’s not how I feel. That’s what a partnership is. Your bullshit is my bullshit, so to speak. And my bullshit is your bullshit. Do you feel like I’m dumping on you when I tell you what’s happening at work?”

“No, not at all. I love when you tell me that stuff.”

“Exactly. So lay it all on me. Let me carry some of your bullshit. Or else you’ll be crushed by the weight of it. Please? I want to hear it. It helps me feel close to you when I can’t be right there with you all the time. I want it all, I want the good stuff and the bad stuff. Show me everything. Every bad thought, everything you couldn’t and can’t show anyone else. That’s what I'm here for.”

This silence was different, like he was collecting his thoughts to finally let them tumble out. 

“It’s just hard, ya know? Sometimes it feels like it’s all on me. Like our success depends just on me. And I know it doesn’t, but sometimes it feels like that.” And on and on he went, telling me about the depth of the weight on his shoulders, how his relationships have been suffering because of it. His parents always tell him how proud they are, but it never quite feels the same. 

“I miss them, so much it hurts me when they call. But I barely have time to talk because of the amount of work piling up. The public decisions that need to be made, the tracks that still need to be done, things it feels like only I can do so it’s only on me.”

“You haven’t told any of them this, have you.” It wasn’t a question, really. I knew he wouldn’t because-

“No, I don’t want them to have to worry about this stuff.” There it is.

“Baby, you can’t keep all of this to yourself though. They’re grown adults, they can handle it. You have to trust them enough to know that. They’ve asked, haven’t they? I know they have. Let them carry some of the load. It may have started as your group, you may have put it together but it’s all of yours now. It’s time to share the responsibility, Chris. It’s okay. You’re allowed to lighten your load, even if it’s bit by bit.” 

He took a deep inhale and let it out. “If I could fly, I’d be coming right back home to you.”

“It’s where you belong.”

“You’re like the other half of me that got taken and then just put into another person. I'm only at this comfort level with you." I heard the sheets rustle as he finally laid down. I smiled at that thought.

“I’m missing half of me when we’re apart.” 

“And it makes me sad, my love.”

“Just get through this next month and then we’ll take a week off and go anywhere you want, just the two of us.” It was a nice idea, knowing he would agree then it wouldn’t happen because he would get bored and start working again anyways. But I could dream.

“Yeah, I’d like to explore around here some more if I could. Take pictures of everything I would want to show you and send them to you. You’d love it here.”

“Where are you guys again?”

“Jakarta.”

‘Well, if you do get a day off there, find something you can bring home. Add it to my ever-growing collection.” I glanced over at my own dresser, filled with trinkets of things he would bring back for me from every place he went for work. Little figurines, patches of beautiful cloth, necklaces and chains with pendants attached all scattered the top. I had made a new open spot for whatever he would bring me this time, not knowing how big or long of a space it would need. 

“I’ve already got it for you. I think you’re really going to love it.” His voice was getting deeper now, his words becoming slower as they reached my ears. 

“Oh yeah? Are you going to tell me anything else or do I have to guess?”

“I’m not telling you anything, you’re just going to have to be patient.” The smirk was palpable through the speaker of my phone. I shook my head as much as I could with my cheek flat against my pillow. 

“You’re so rude.”

“I miss you too.”

#stray kids #bang chan #chan skz #skz #skz bang chan #chan stray kids #chan x you #chan x reader #christopher bang #stray kids chris #skz boyfriend #chris bang #bang chan boyfriend #bang chan x reader #bang chan scenarios #bang chan drabbles #chan fluff #chan #stray kids x reader #stray kids fic #stray kids fluff #stray kids bang chan #skz scen #skz drabbles #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #skz scenarios #skz fluff #skz x you #skz x reader

[toasecretsanta]

When It Rains

Hello!! This is [ @returnofthemackles]’s Secret Santa gift for @bluefoxchild !!! I had fun writing this and I really hope you enjoy it! I combined two of the prompts you gave me for this piece: Two people in a cornfield at night. The darkness is not as empty as it seems to be, and Thunderstorms at night. I also really liked the third prompt you gave me but unfortunately I didn’t have the time to write a second piece to include that one. But! If I am ever able to articulate my idea enough and write something with it, I’ll be sure to tag you in it if I end up posting it! (Little fun fact: the “Clancy” that Will addresses is my friend’s child of Apollo OC, thought I’d give them a little cameo.)

Some quick content warnings for this piece: semi graphic descriptions of death, topics in death, grief, minor swearing/cursing, very brief mention of an ED. If there’s anything that I missed I apologize!

Without further ado, here it is! Happy holidays and please enjoy!! 

…

Nico had already known that Jason was dead. He didn’t have to be told; he simply knew. It wasn’t like the knowledge just popped into his head, it was more like a feeling. Or a series of feelings. He saw him in his dreams: glimpses of searing pain and blood stained clothes, cold surrounding every inch of his skin with rushing water roaring in his ears like drowning in the coldest, darkest parts of a winter ocean. Flashing images of a thunderstorm, a California beach, Jason’s face drained of all color, bringing out the shocking blue in his cold, dead eyes, wet sand stuck to his cheeks and in his hairline. His glasses were gone. He could hear the screaming voice of a girl, though everything sounded canned and distant. Nico hardly slept for days on end as these dreams haunted him every waking night. 

But the creeping suspicion of Jason’s death didn’t only come to him in the night. Even during the day, awake, just a passing thought of Jason, or the mere mention of his name sent a mind numbing ringing into his ears. It was a ringing he was all too familiar with: the ringing that occurred only when in the presence of death. When he would tell Will, his boyfriend, about everything he’d been seeing and experiencing, Will would try to reassure him that surely Jason was okay, that his anxiety was just getting the best of him, but they both knew that wasn’t true. They knew full well what came along with Nico being a son of Hades, and they knew that his powers were scary and accurate. His gut was never wrong. 

So when Apollo showed back up at Camp and told them of Jason’s fate, he was only confirming what Nico already knew to be true. 

He was beyond upset and frustrated. Jason was the closest thing Nico had ever had to a brother, and now he was gone. He didn’t blame Apollo or anyone else for Jason’s passing, no one except the psychopath who took his life. He knew better now than to hold pointless grudges over people who really had nothing to do with the situation. They did what they could, and Jason made the choices he did to save them. He was a hero. But that didn’t make Nico any less upset. 

There was always the option of summoning Jason’s spirit; getting to talk to him one last time and getting some closure on the situation, but he had only learned just how disrupting that could be to a person’s peace in death. As badly as he wanted to see Jason, he couldn’t do that to him. As hard as it was to sit idly by when he knew he had the power in his hands to do something, he knew he had to let the dead be dead. Jason deserved that at the very least. 

So he tried to carry on. And so is the life of a demigod. People die. You carry on. You have to. Or at least that’s the mentality that kept Nico from feeling like he was going insane on the daily. 

But one day, something changed. 

The weather was usually pretty temperate in Camp, that was a nice thing they had going. Never too cold, never too hot, it never rained or snowed, unless of course if Mr. D wanted it to, or if something else major was going on. 

This day started just like any other, but Nico could tell something was off. He woke to cabin 13 feeling particularly cold. There was a weird sort of static electricity in the air, leaving the hairs on his arms standing on end and a tingly feeling crawling across his skin. He went to flip the light switch in the bathroom, but as he touched it, a small shock zapped at his fingertips. He flipped the switch up and down a few times. Nothing. No power. Strange. He got ready in the dark, which his drowsy morning eyes didn’t particularly complain about, and headed out thereafter.

The sky was overcast and thunder rumbled in the distance. He could see dark storm clouds peeking out over the trees surrounding the valley, but they weren’t supposed to be able to cross over the border at Half Blood Hill. Emphasis on ‘supposed to.’

The day carried on and Nico noted the dark clouds rolling around the edges of the camp’s borders, like normal, but it almost seemed like they were building up: billowing and getting darker, thicker, behind an invisible wall. Campers were murmuring and looking up nervously at the sky throughout the day, but nothing out of the ordinary happened until around dinner time. Almost as though someone popped a hole through the barrier in the sky, the storm clouds broke through and started spilling over the top of the valley.

Some Apollo kids were standing at the edge of the dining pavilion, pointing and gawking at the sky as any last remaining glimpses of their father’s symbol in the sky disappeared behind the dark murk of the clouds.

“It’s just clouds, guys.” Will told them, a reassuring yet stern tone to his voice, “A little rain isn’t going to hurt you. Come back to the table and eat.”

“Should we be worried?” An Aphrodite kid asked, pointing their question at the head table all while attempting to pat the frizz out of their hair from the humidity. 

Chiron stood in his full centaur form near the head table, the gray sky reflecting in his eyes. He spoke in a calm tone, “I don’t see a reason for concern. Some healthy rain here and there shouldn’t be bad for our crops or our spirits. Unless Mr. D senses any issue on the matter?”

He cocked an eyebrow at the man sitting at the table next to him, his purple leopard print shirt seeming extra bright in the overcast lighting of the dining pavilion. The man, the god Dionysus, or as they knew him, ‘Mr. D,’ popped a plump grape into his mouth and gave an uninterested shrug followed by a distasteful grunt, “Seems fine to me. The old man in the sky is probably just grumpy about something or other. I wouldn’t get my tunic in a twist over it.” 

Surely enough before long it started to rain, starting as a drizzle, turning more steady, and by nightfall it had turned into a torrential downpour. All of the campers sought shelter in their cabins as thunder wracked across the valley, shaking the very floorboards of the cabins. 

Nico had become quite the regular in the Apollo cabin, what with him dating their head counselor, so they didn’t hesitate to let him in at any point during the day, and especially that night with the storm raging outside. Will knew especially how Nico could get in his own head on nights like these, but his siblings had also really accepted him as one of their own in the recent months. He didn’t hesitate to feel at home in their cabin anymore. 

“Alright, campers.” Will said in his best Chris McLean impersonation as he entered the room with a clipboard and a pen behind his ear, “With the storm being as bad as it is, Chiron has asked the head counselors to do a headcount tonight just to make sure everyone is safe and accounted for. So when I call your name please acknowledge your presence in the most obnoxious way possible.”

You see, Will took his role as head counselor very seriously. He cared for his siblings deeply and it showed, but he could also tell when their nerves were high, that was one thing that came naturally to him, which made it easy for him to know when he needed to try and lift their spirits. Nico appreciated that about him. 

“I know you’re here.” Will put a hand on Nico’s head and gave his hair a rustle, “Don’t go slinking in the shadows on me, di Angelo, I want you safe.” 

Nico rolled his eyes in the most dramatic way possible but Will just smirked at him. Eye rolling was a form of affection in this relationship. 

Will began calling names and his campers responded in their best and most obnoxious ways, just as he had asked. They all laughed together and the room began to seem a little brighter, even in the dim candlelight, as the power in all the cabins were still out. 

He got about halfway down the list before calling, “Kayla?”

No response.

His eyes flicked up from his clipboard, their blue seeming a tad darker than usual, “Kayla? Anyone seen Kayla? Austin?”

Austin looked up from the ukulele he was stringing on his bunk, “I haven’t seen her since dinner. She left with some Demeter kids.”

Will breathed and made a mark on his paper, “I’ll have to check in with Miranda then to make sure she’s not-”

Before he could finish speaking, the door to the Apollo cabin flew open, flashes of lightning filling the room as a thick gust of wind blanketed across them all, extinguishing all of the candles in the room. 

In the doorway stood Kayla Knowles, dripping wet from head to toe, her ginger and green hair plastered to her face. Her breaths were labored as though she had been running. She had her bow slung over her shoulder. 

“The pegasi,” She wheezed as rain poured sideways into the cabin from the jarred door, “They got out of their stables. They’re freaking out, we’re trying to round them up, but the storm is only getting worse.” 

Will immediately ditched his clipboard and moved into action, barking orders at his campers, “Clancy, go get Chiron. Austin, grab some apples and sugar cubes from the kitchens. Nico, come with me.”

Everyone responded to his commands in a flash. Nico grabbed his jacket and threw it on, and they ran out the door into the pouring rain. 

Kayla led them through the dark across camp, and it took less than ten seconds for both Nico and Will to become soaked to the bone. The only thing protecting Nico was the leather of his jacket, but that could only do so much. 

They made it to the pegasi stables, where they found multiple Demeter campers running around frantically, trying desperately to wrangle about six very riled up pegasi. The ground was littered with wet feathers plastered into the mud. 

Will skittered to a halt next to Miranda Gardiner, who had managed to get a lead around the neck of one of the pegasi. He managed to shout over the roaring rain, “What happened? How did they get out?!” 

She spit rain water out of her mouth as her Pegasi reared onto its hind legs, “Woah girl! Calm down, it's okay! I don’t know! It's almost as though someone let them out! I could’ve sworn they were all locked up when I left before the rain started!”

Will took another step forward, arms outstretched Jurassic World style. He spoke in that calm, healing voice he used when soothing one of his patients, “There there Starla, it’s okay. No need to panic, it’s just a little thunderstorm.”

He managed to place a hand softly on the pegasi, Starla’s, neck. She flicked her head anxiously as he brushed his fingertips of his other hand along her muzzle. Even from several feet behind him, Nico could feel the warm, calming energy just oozing off of him. The warmth of the sun in the middle of a cold storm.

Starla exhaled from her nose as she leaned into Will’s touch, relaxing by the second.

“‘Atta girl.” Will smiled as he secured the lead around her neck. At that moment, both he and Starla had seemed to have forgotten about the storm that still raged around them.

“I’ll never understand how you do that.” Miranda breathed.

“You can thank my dad.” Will gave her a wink, “But let’s get her back inside.”

Nico took a step forward, “What do we do about-”

As soon as he spoke, Starla’s eyes went wild once again, as she let out a distraught cry and reared back onto her hind legs, yanking Miranda off her feet and into the mud. 

“Will, get him out of here!” Miranda yelped, grasping desperately for Starla’s lead, “He’s only going to scare them!”

Nico took a step back, taken aback by what she had just said. He had gotten so comfortable here, he had really started to feel welcome for the first time in his life. He saw these people as his family. Because of all of that, he had almost forgotten who he was. Of course they’d be scared of him. 

“I’m sorry, Nico.” Miranda said to him, pushing dripping strands of blonde hair from her face, “It’s nothing personal, but you know how it is.”

He did. He did know.

“He’s fine.” Will said in a stern tone, “She’s just spooked, any sudden movement will scare her.”

He turned to face Nico, his blue eyes almost glowing in the darkness. He seemed to read Nico’s mind, “You’re okay. Stay. Help. I need you here.”

Before he could speak, there was an extra bright flash of lightning, accompanied with an earth shaking crack of thunder, seemingly right on top of them. 

They all spun around as a camper screamed. Standing before them was a pegasus much larger than the others. No wait, it wasn’t a pegasus. A horse, a regular horse. A massive black stallion, its mane so wild it almost seemed like it was a part of the storm itself. It was as though the rain poured heavier around its silhouette, making it almost hard to look distinctly at it. It definitely wasn’t there before.

“Demon!” One of the campers shrieked. 

“It’s not a demon!” Miranda croaked as she struggled to stay on her feet with a panicking Starla, “It’s just a horse! Someone do something about it, please!”

The stallion planted a hoof in the mud, misty clouds billowing up around its ankles. At that moment, it looked directly into Nico’s eyes. Or he could’ve sworn it had. As it did, he felt a tingle shoot up his spine, and under the leather of his jacket sleeves he could’ve sworn every single one of his hairs was standing on end. The longer they locked eyes, the more Nico saw. Lightning flickered throughout the horse’s body, like bombs flashing behind smoke.

“That’s not a horse.” He announced, not even shifting his eyes. 

Flashes of his past dreams sparked across his mind. A different storm. Sand. Empty, soulless, dead blue eyes. The ringing in his ears. He became aware of just how cold he was, standing soaked to the bone in the dead of the night. 

A name came to his mind. He wasn’t sure how he knew it. Maybe it had been told to him before, he wasn’t sure, but he spoke it without thinking, “Tempest.”

“The Gray Sister?” He heard Will’s voice somewhere behind him. He hadn’t realized he had gotten closer to the stallion. 

“No, the ventus.” He took another step closer, the stallion unwavering.

“This isn’t Kingdom Hearts!” Will shouted, “Nico, do you know this horse?”

“Solace, will you stop being a nerd for two seconds?!” Nico shouted back to him, still not looking back and away from the billowing figure before him, “A ventus is a storm spirit. This one is just choosing to take the form of a horse.”

It was almost as though his eyes were locked in place. He couldn’t look away, and he found himself inching closer to the spirit, slowly taking one step after the other. He could feel Will’s presence somewhere close behind him, not letting Nico get too far from him; Will had that kind of aura about him, Nico could always feel him when he was near. There was something about this ventus, the way it was looking at him, the way it was just standing there. It was like it was beckoning him, telling him to come closer. He knew he had the mental willpower to fight whatever the spirit -Tempest- was putting over him, but something in his mind told him not to. He did not sense any sort of malicious intent coming from it. It was as if it knew him.

“Nico, I don’t like this.” He could hear the caution in Will’s voice, “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“It’s okay, I know him.” Nico said, outstretching a hand towards the stallion. He didn’t, he didn’t know him, so he wasn’t sure why he said that, yet he didn’t feel like he was lying. He wouldn’t lie to Will, but there was something familiar in Tempest’s eyes. If he didn’t know this horse, then someone he did know must’ve sent him. That at least had to be true. 

Nico was hardly noticing the frantic campers still scrambling around, trying to wrangle the pegasi, or even the rain still dumping buckets over their heads. It was all white noise at that moment. 

He was right in front of Tempest now. With his outstretched hand he was close enough to touch his muzzle. He hesitated, just for a moment, as Tempest placed one hoof forward and let out a puff of air from his nose. A puff of a cloud released from his nostrils, static electricity crackling within it. It was as if he was sending a message: it’s okay. 

Even in the cold of the storm, Nico felt the warmth of certainty creeping through his veins. He didn’t feel an ounce of fear. He had to do this.

With a decisive inhale, he took a final step forward and placed a hand on Tempest’s muzzle. As he did, several things conspired in about half a second, all playing in slow motion that lasted an eternity. The sky lit up so bright he could’ve sworn Apollo was gracing them with his presence. He felt a bolt of electricity streak across not only his body, but he could feel it transcending into his soul, across his entire being. Every vein, blood vessel, and cell in his body lit up like a Christmas tree, lighting a fiery pain under his skin that he couldn’t even begin to describe with words. 

This is how it ends, huh? His brain asked him in a moment of panic, You got electrocuted by a horse. Good job, bud.

As all of this was happening, he thought maybe he felt his soul leap out of his body. He had spent a lot of time around dead people: spirits without bodies, bodies without spirits. He had felt his own body nearly melt into the shadows themselves, but he’d never experienced the sensation of his soul leaving his body. It was always others: those he commanded. He’d seen it, he’d felt other people’s deaths countless times, but feeling his own existence split at that moment was maybe one of the most mind shattering things he’d ever experienced. 

But he still didn’t feel a lick of fear. Especially once he felt Will’s arms around him.

He heard Will’s voice shouting his name somewhere behind him, but there was a delay. It was like when you’re watching fireworks, and you see the explosion before you hear it. Like a sonic boom on a jet. His soul, outside of his body, yet still attached to it, was perceiving everything a half a second later than his body was. But he felt Will’s arms wrap around him. It was like every other embrace he’d ever given him, but as he felt the warmth of Will’s body collide with his own, it continued farther, reaching out past his body, into the ether, and around his soul. He felt Will touch his essence itself, the very existence of his soul. Like torn paper being ripped from a book, his soul left his body, and then once again in reverse, he slammed back into himself, colliding into his own body with such force, he could feel his brain rattling against his skull. 

They fell backwards, and as their butts hit the ground, everything played back into real time. The lightning flash that lit up the sky finished with a crack of thunder. And like they had entered a vacuum chamber, the rain was sucked back up into the sky, sealing with a pop. And they were slammed back into reality. Or so Nico thought.

When he opened his eyes, they were in a different place. The rain had stopped completely, though he still heard the far away sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. There was a cold, sharp breeze blowing through his hair, miraculously dry, and biting the skin on his face. It was dark: the kind of darkness you only see in your nightmares. The smell of what he could only determine to be farmland lingered on the breeze. Lightning crackled across the murky sky just barely enough to give him a sense of the environment around. They were in the middle of a corn field.

He was on his behind in the dirt, and he could still feel his boyfriend’s arms around him. He was practically in Will’s lap with the way they’d fallen. He probably would’ve hit the ground harder had Will not broken his fall. 

Will let out a disgruntled groan, “What happened? Where are we?”

“I’m not sure.” Nico’s eyes darted around them. He grabbed Will’s hands and unwrapped his arms from around him. He hauled himself to his feet and offered a hand to Will, who took it and pulled himself up. 

Nico was very hyper aware of every physical sensation he was feeling. Everything felt so much more present and real after having that out-of-body experience. It had been so mind boggling he had to double check just to make sure he was in fact in his own body.

“Is that what doing drugs feels like?” He asked out loud, “If so, I am never doing drugs.”

“Not on my watch, you’re not.” Will huffed, wiping the dirt from his shorts, “What were you thinking? You could’ve gotten yourself killed, death boy!”

“I’m not sure I didn’t.” Nico remarked, scanning his surroundings, “And don’t call me death boy.” 

“Right, sorry.”

Will had begun to glow like a human glow stick, a trait that Nico deeply admired, though he knew Will was self conscious about it at times. It gave enough light to the surrounding area that they weren’t completely submersed in inky darkness any longer, though the farther reaches of the cornfield that Will’s light couldn’t touch still remained hidden in shadows. 

Tempest was gone, along with all of the other campers who had previously been present. The only sound was the wind whistling, and rustling the corn stalks around them. 

“Either way, I’m glad you’re okay now.” Will added, “Don’t scare me like that, Nico. I’m not trying to lose you.”

“I don’t plan on going anywhere.” Nico reassured him, giving his hand a squeeze. He wasn’t much of an affectionate guy, but he loved Will and understood that he needed to be comforted sometimes, “The only place I want to go is out of this corn-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. 

He spun around, putting an arm out in front of Will. He went to draw his sword, only to realize he didn’t have it. He simply held a hand out towards the darkness.

“Who’s there?” He called out.

There was no response.

“There’s no one there.” Will whispered after a moment of silence, “I’m not sensing any other life near us.”

Will had some weird abilities as a healer son of Apollo, but Nico had never known him to be able to sense life like that without physically touching someone. Maybe there were still things he didn’t know about his boyfriend. 

Nico closed his eyes and reached out into the darkness with his mind. If there was someone lurking somewhere in the shadows, he would know. He would be able to feel their presence. His consciousness raced through the aisles of corn, to the outer reaches of the field. It was endless. It was like an infinite maze of corn, stretching further than even he was able to sense. 

As far as he could tell, he and Will were the only living things in this field.

“There’s no one here, but we’re not alone.” He announced, opening his eyes.

“Yes thank you, babe, that makes a whole lot of sense.” Will said, sarcasm dripping off of his voice. He was in a defensive stance, and Nico realized how silly they probably looked at that moment. They were both standing defensively with their arms out, trying to protect each other. Neither of them had weapons. 

“I mean,” Nico continued, “There’s no one alive here. But darkness is never as empty as it seems. I know better than that. And I definitely saw something.”

Will’s eyes darted around, the blue in them looking almost like a neon sign as he shone from his internal light source, “Well I can’t see shit, cap’n. This is your scene, you lead the way.”

There was an ever so sudden wave of uncertainty in Nico. It was gone as soon as it had come. Nico thought he could hide it well, but there was no hiding things like that from Will. As soon as there was any moment of tension from him, Will would pick up on it.

“It’s okay.” Will said in a soothing tone, “I’m right behind you. You’re not alone.”

Calm washed over him.

They were quite a funny duo. A son of Apollo who could calm anyone with a touch, and literally could harness the power of the sun to make himself glow. And a son of Hades, dark and touch starved, having command over the shadows themselves, who had developed a fear of the dark. Will was like Nico’s own personal nightlight. Metaphorically and literally.

“Tempest brought us here for a reason.” Nico said after taking a moment to center himself, “So I’m thinking maybe we’re not supposed to be finding the exit of this corn field.”

“There’s something in the corn field we’re supposed to find?” Will finished his thought. 

“Yes, that or-” Nico began, but then cut himself off. That’s when he heard it. He thought it had been just an after effect from his little out-of-body experience, from being thrown into this alternate plane of existence or wherever they were, so he hadn’t paid much mind to it. But it was still there, lingering, persistent. The ever slightest ringing in his ears. He was very familiar with ringing in his ears, and it was never a good thing. But in this case, it was the answer to their question.

“Or someone.” He finished. He spun around and slowly turned his head to one side, turning and listening, waiting for the direction where the ringing was the strongest. As soon as he found it, he pointed. 

“This way. Let’s go.”

He grabbed Will’s hand and took off into the corn. Lightning crackled here and there, illuminating the sky, but Will’s light alone was enough to lead the way. They weaved past endless stalks of corn. Every so often, Nico would stop, listen, then take off in another direction, redirecting himself to follow his mental GPS.

“Where are we going?!” Will shouted, his voice thumping with every step as he ran.

“To be completely honest, I don’t know!” Nico shouted back.

“That’s very reassuring!”

“Just trust me!”

“I do!”

As he ran, the ringing got louder and louder, until it was so loud he could no longer hear the wind howling in his ears, or their shoes smacking in the dirt. He thought maybe Will was talking to him, but he couldn’t hear it. 

Finally, after running for who knows how long, they finally broke into a clearing, and Nico halted to a stop. Will nearly slammed into him, but they managed to stay on their feet. 

They both took a second to catch their breath before taking in what they saw before them. In the clearing stood the figure of a large stallion. Now that it wasn’t raining, it was more evident that Tempest really was a storm spirit. Instead of the sleek coat of a regular horse, his body was formed with swirling clouds filled with flickering lightning. Rain poured out from underneath him, spurring up billowing mist around his hooves. His eyes were dark and foreboding. He let out a whiny as he turned, revealing the figure of a person standing behind him.

Nico’s voice caught in his throat as he stared forward. He thought he might’ve cried if he spoke.

He swallowed hard and took a shaky breath, “Jason?”

Jason smiled at him. He had a hand on Tempest’s neck. He wore an old worn sweatshirt, much like one Nico had seen him wearing before. He was wearing his glasses. It was such a relieving sight, not only to see him here, but to see him how Nico had always known him. Not as the way he’d been seeing him the past couple months in his nightmares. With blood stained clothes, no color in his face, glasses gone, cold, dead eyes. He was dead, Nico knew he was dead, but there he was, standing right in front of him, and he didn’t look dead. 

“Hey Nico.” He said, real casual-like, “I see Tempest found you. I’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty.”

Will snorted from behind him, but Nico just raised an eyebrow in confusion, “I- what?”

“It’s- you know,” Jason laughed and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck, “It was a joke, sorry. Probably not a good way to start this conversation. You’re probably confused.”

Will raised his hand like a student in class, “I can say I am in fact very confused.”

“What’s going on?” Nico asked, taking a step forward, “Jason, I… Apollo told me what happened to you.”

Jason had a somber look on his face as he stroked Tempest’s stormy mane, “I know, I’m sorry.”

Nico shook his head, “Don’t apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. I miss you, we all miss you, but… You died a hero, Jason. You never have to be sorry that you died.”

“Funny,” Jason gave a small laugh, “As I was dying, I was actually worried about you.”

Nico pointed at himself, “Me?”

“Yeah,” Jason started, “I know it’s hard for you to open up to people, and you opened yourself to me. I was honored to be your friend, but I know you’ve lost a lot of people. So knowing that when I died, you lost another person, I felt pretty shitty.” 

Nico couldn’t help but laugh, “You were literally dying and you were worrying about me? I wasn’t even there.”

Jason scratched his head, “Yeah… But I took solace in knowing that I was protecting my friends. That, and not to toot my own horn or whatever, but I knew I’d be going to Elysium, which meant that I’d get to see Leo again. But when I got there…”

Nico had a realization, “He wasn’t there.”

Jason nodded sadly, “I just don’t understand, why wouldn’t he have gone to Elysium? He should be there.”

“You don’t know.” Will gasped, stepping up next to Nico.

Jason looked up at them, “What do you mean? What don’t I know?”

“Jason,” Nico said, “Leo’s alive.”

Jason’s eyes got wide, shock and confusion on his face, then he exhaled and put a hand on his chest, “That’s such a relief. I might cry right now, seriously. I thought that goof got himself sent to Asphodel somehow. I knew The Fates were cruel, but he doesn’t deserve that.”

“No, no.” Nico shook his head, “He’s alive and fine. And he got Calypso off of her island.”

Jason smiled a large grin, “Really? That’s awesome! Man, I’m so happy for him.”

“Eh, their relationship is questionable, to be honest.” Will remarked, “I’m glad she got off that island and all, but… I won’t get into all of that. But anyway, I stand by my comment about being confused. Can someone please explain what in Hades is going on here?”

“Right.” Jason snapped his fingers, “I sent Tempest to find you, Nico.”

“But…” Nico rubbed his temples, “How? You said you were in Elysium? What is this place? This cornfield? This isn’t exactly how I imagined Elysium.”

Jason laughed, “Right. This isn’t Elysium. I found this place kind of by accident. I think, maybe it’s because I’m a son of Jupiter and all, but I could tell even in the underworld when it was storming in the mortal world. I accidentally stumbled into this weird plane of existence one day while there was a storm up above. I think it’s some kind of in between place? It’s in between the land of the dead and the land of the living. It doesn’t always look like a corn field, this is just how it’s presenting today for whatever reason. Kind of spooky if you ask me. But, I thought if anyone on the living side would be able to enter this place, it would be you, Nico. So I managed to contact Tempest through the storm and sent him to find you. Though, I see you brought a plus-one with you.”

Will gave a casual wave and a lazy grin, “Hi.”

Jason nodded at him, “Hi, Will, it’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you too.” Will told him, “Kinda weird if I’m being honest, considering, well, that you’re dead and all.”

They both laughed.

“But why did you summon me here?” Nico asked.

“Can’t I want to see my friend?” Jason suggested.

“I- well-”

“Don’t strain your brain thinking about that.” Jason waved his hand, “I know it’s a hard concept to grasp. But I just wanted to talk to you.”

He took a step around Tempest. Nico went to step closer as well, but Jason held out his hand, “Don’t get too close, I don’t want to risk breaking the connection.”

“Right.” Nico took a step back.

“Now don’t fight me on this.” Jason started, “Just let me talk, okay?”

Nico hesitated, then nodded.

Jason gave him a soft look, “I know you struggle, Nico. I know you’ve been through a lot, I know you’ve lost a lot. I can’t say that I can begin to understand how my death affected you, or how anything else you’ve been through has affected you. One of the last times I saw you, and I’m being brutally honest here, Nico, so I’m sorry, but you looked like ass. You were skin and bones, you had no color in your skin. You were sick. I was worried we’d end up losing you even though the war was over. But look at you now! You look great, healthy even. I don’t know what you’ve been through since I’ve been gone, but I can only hope you’ve been getting better. I know it’s an uphill battle sometimes, but I wanted you to know that I believe in you.”

Nico couldn’t help but smile, “I… I think I’m healing. It’s a slow process, but I can feel it happening. All thanks to someone.”

He shot a glance at Will.

Will puts his hands up, “I can’t take any credit for this one, this is all you, sunshine. I’m just here to make sure you’re not doing it alone. Being alone makes pulling yourself out of a hole that much harder. I’m just your alarm clock that doesn’t let you sleep until noon every day and reminds you to take your meds.”

“Which I appreciate.” Nico added.

“I appreciate you too, Will.” Jason butted in, “Thank you for taking care of him. I can tell you make him happy.”

Will kicked the dirt with his shoe, “Aw shucks. It’s my pleasure. Whether he wants to believe it or not, I enjoy his company.”

Jason’s eyes turned to the sky, still rumbling with thunder and lightning. He took a deep, slow breath, “I can feel the storm breaking, we’re running out of time.”

“But there’s so much I want to say to you.” Nico took a step forward before remembering, then leaned back on his heels.

“It’s okay.” Jason reassured him, “You’ll see me again someday. I’m sure of it.”

Nico thought about his sister, Bianca. He had thought he’d get to see her again someday, but after she died, she had decided to be reborn into her next life. It was a guarantee that he would never see her again. He didn’t want the same to happen with Jason.

“Don’t worry about that.” Jason spoke, seeming to be reading Nico’s mind, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve thought about it, but I think I’ve decided to wait to be reborn. There’s too many people I want to see again. I have to see Piper, I have to introduce her to all the cute girls I’ve met here. I have to see Leo, that jerk, making us think he was dead. He’s actually going to die one day and when he does, he’s getting a piece of my mind. Not before I hug him of course, and thank him for saving my life. And I have to see Reyna too… I know things were weird between us but she was my best friend for so long, she’ll always have a place in my heart. Then there’s Frank, Percy, Hazel, Annabeth… all of them, the list goes on and on. And you of course. So… I think I can chill in Elysium for a while. It’s pretty nice here.”

That was a relief to hear. Nico felt selfish for feeling that way, but he was relieved that Jason was deciding to wait. Of course, he would try not to be upset with him if he decided to move on, he went through all that grief with Bianca, and he knew he had grown beyond that. He couldn’t withhold Jason or anyone else from their peace. That was a choice a person had to make themselves, for themselves. 

“Just remember,” Jason continued, “I may be dead, but I’m not gone. When it rains, I’m there with you. When you go outside and you feel the electricity in the air, or when you grab a doorknob and it shocks you, just think of it as me, saying hello. I will always be with you. Death isn’t the end of the line. You of all people should know that.”

Nico wouldn’t admit it, but he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. It was weird to him to know that people cared about him, but it was a realization that he was slowly making. Yes, he was a son of Hades. Yes he was dark and foreboding and creepy sometimes. Yes, he lingered in the shadows and managed to convince himself that he was not welcome anywhere or with anyone, but he was slowly learning that he was very wrong. People liked him for who he was. He remembered Miranda’s words: I’m sorry Nico, but you know how it is. He did know how it was. He was allowed to exist and take up space. He was still trying to convince himself of that, but deep down he knew it to be true. And he didn’t have to do anything alone anymore. 

Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder shook the ground beneath their feet.

“It’s time for me to go.” Jason announced, “I’m glad things are working out for you. And I’m glad I got to see you one last time. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope it’s a long time before I see you again. Not because I don’t want to see you, but because I hope you’re able to live a long, prosperous life. You’re still so young, I’d hate for you to have the same fate I did.”

“I understand.” Nico told him, “But don’t feel like you have to wait for me. When you feel like it’s your time… do what your heart tells you to do.”

“I don’t feel that way. I know it’s my choice and no one else can make that for me.” Jason gave him a smile, “But my choice is to wait for now.”

Another crack of thunder and lightning. Like a switch, a heavy, thick sheet of rain began to pour onto them. The corn around them shook with the weight of the storm.

“Goodbye, guys!” Jason shouted over the rain, “It was nice to see you both! If only for a few minutes! And Nico! Please don’t forget to eat!”

“Jason, wait!” Nico shielded his eyes from the rain.

“I agree, Will is definitely more your type than Percy!” Jason waved at them, “Don’t tell him I said that, though! You know what, actually do tell him I said that!”

“Jason, I-!”

Suddenly the wind picked up, and the rain turned sideways, and with it so did the world. Nico fell backwards, reaching out and desperately grabbing for Will, who was also now falling. They found each other’s arms as Jason’s feet stayed firm on the ground. Tempest reared as lightning streaked across his body. Rain was pouring straight down onto Nico’s face and soaking his clothes once again. 

Jason waved one last time as the world began to warp around them. Things moved into slow motion once again, Jason became further and further away, the rain forming a sort of wind tunnel around them. Things slowed to the point of feeling like a video, moving frame by frame. Nico and Will were both screaming, but they could no longer hear themselves as the rain roared louder and louder. The ringing in Nico’s ears became so loud, he felt like his mind was being split with an ice pick. 

Until it all stopped.

Nico woke with a start, frantically trying to regain his bearings.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, it’s okay! You’re safe.”

He turned to see Will next to him, concern in his eyes. He had straw sticking out of his hair.

Nico took a moment to breathe and take in his surroundings. It was daytime, and they were on the ground in what he realized was the pegasi stables at Camp. Their clothes were damp from the rain, but dry enough to make it seem like they’d been laying there for hours. All of the pegasi were in their stalls, looking at the two of them like they were a nuisance for being in their house so early in the morning.

“That was real, right?” Nico asked Will, grabbing his arms, making sure he was really there, “Tell me I didn’t just dream all of that.”

“It wasn’t a dream.” Will seemed unsure, “I don’t think? Whatever it was, it happened. We saw Jason.”

Nico was relieved to hear WIll acknowledge out loud that he’d experienced the same thing and that Nico’s mind hadn’t just made it up. They had really seen Jason. Talked to him, even.

Nico felt some sort of peace at that moment. He felt as though he could lay to rest his lament over Jason’s death. Would he still miss him? Of course. But something was different now.

“We should get back into camp.” Will said, pulling himself to his feet. His butt was covered in dust from the wooden floor of the stables, “Everyone has probably been wondering where we’ve been.”

“”I’ve been wondering where we’ve been.” Nico muttered. Will offered him a hand and he took it, managing to get back onto his own feet. 

“Yeah, that was kinda freaky.” Will agreed, “But kinda awesome at the same time?”

“Tell me about it.” Nico shook his head, “Come on, sunshine, let’s go home.”

They walked to the doors of the stables. As Nico’s fingers touched the handle, a small shock zapped at his fingertips.

He smiled, “Hello to you too, Jason.”

And with that, they left, probably on their way to a week’s worth of dish duty.

#toasecretsanta #returnofthemackles #bluefoxchild #nico di angelo #will solace #jason grace #pjo tempest #solangelo #trials of apollo #toa #riordanverse #trials of apollo fanfic #toa fanfic #riordanverse fanfic #character death

[the-type-a]

As requested from @art-by-mira , here are two more Duncney drabbles!

One is a sneak peek of a fic I am currently writing. If anyone remembers me mentioning a Shipwreck AU, here it is!

—

“Why do you have to be like that?” Duncan asked with irritation.

At this point the small area designated for a fire was starting to spark, engulfing the pile of logs. Courtney did not look at Duncan when she responded to him.

“Have you met yourself?”

He laughed. This woman was something else for sure. How could she still be so closed off? They had nothing but time, and the least Courtney could do was be honest. Heck, if not with him, at least with herself.

“You know, you’re really good at putting up a front.”

This time Courtney looked at him, what front? It was his own fault they were stuck on some deserted island. If he would have just listened to her they would be back on the cruise ship with everyone else, completely ignoring each other unless absolutely necessary.

“Excuse me?”

“You think I can’t see right through you?” He began.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She protested as she poked the burning logs with a nearby stick.

“Really, Courtney?”

She snapped her head back in his direction. She had never heard him say her name before, it was always a series of pet names. It seemed odd coming from him, but also nice?

“You- you said my name.”

He shrugged, “Yeah, well, I’m trying to be serious.”

This time Courtney did not answer. She waited for him to continue. In the back of her mind she knew she’d regret hearing whatever theory he had come up with about her.

“In front of everyone you hate me, but deep down you know you like being around me.” Duncan purposely inched his way closer to her with every word he said.

“What makes you so sure?” Courtney said with a snort. Out of all the things he could have come up with, this was what he was going with?

“For starters, you haven’t moved.”

Courtney looked at the distance between them. How could she not have noticed? They were practically in each other's laps! Embarrassment crept up on her as she felt the heat spreading across her cheeks. It had to be because of the fire, it just had to.

“Well- you just—”

“Why can’t you just admit it?” Duncan said, cutting her off. In reality, he was doing her a favor. One, because she had nothing to hide with him there. Two, because she was floundering.

“Admit what?” Courtney said in such a timid voice.

How had he gotten her so choked up just now? It wasn’t like she actually liked him. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t. How could she like him? He was everything she despised. But then why was she secretly hoping he’d make the slightest of moves?

“That we’re good for each other.”

His voice was low, almost a whisper, as he made his statement. Their lips were only centimeters away from touching. Courtney neither said, or made a move. The only sound came from the crackling fire, and the soft waves crashing onto the shore nearby.

Her eyes betrayed her as they looked at his lips. He noticed.

————————————————————————

Now the second Drabble!

—

Courtney made her way to the high end bar and took a seat. She had just spent the last 45 minutes dancing with Bridgette, and she desperately needed a break. As she sat down she asked the bartender for her usual drink, as she had been up there a few times along the night.

“Are you here with anyone?” A slurred voice came from the right of her.

Courtney side eyed the person. He was a normal looking guy with his striped shirt, and blonde hair that looked awfully greasy. Courtney’s attention was back on her drink as she replied.

“Just some friends.”

The man barely let her finish her sentence before he was asking her another question.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re gorgeous? Stunning evening.”

She pretended not to hear him. She wasn’t looking for a hookup, and even if she was this man was not a suitable candidate. She was surprised when he continued speaking.

“What are you? You look so exotic.”

Wow, like she had not heard that one before. Courtney sipped on her drink as she ignored him. Hopefully he would get the message and leave her alone.

“Let me buy you another drink.”

“No, thank you.” She was getting agitated with this person. Did he not know how to take a hint?

“Come on, just one drink.” He pressed. Before Courtney had the opportunity to actually pour her drink on him another voice joined them.

“She's not interested, bro. Get lost.”

She recognized it. As she turned on the spinning stool she saw the familiar face; Duncan. He wasn’t someone she would particularly hang around with, at least not willingly.

“You her boyfriend?”

“A friend.” Duncan replied quickly.

“Well, friend, I’m just trying to make conversation.”

Duncan gave Courtney a quick look. She looked annoyed, and if he didn’t know any better she was about to flip this guy off soon. In the back of his mind he knew she’d be able to handle herself just fine, but he wasn’t sure what this guy was capable of. He wasn’t going to risk it.

“I didn’t want to do this, but it’s your funeral.”

Duncan downed whatever liquid was in his glass. Once his hands were free he made sure to give his knuckles a crack. Duncan's appearance certainly helped him play the part. All his facial piercing, the tattoos that seemed to never end, and of course the dyed hair. He took a step toward the guy, but to his amusement the poor sucker was already sliding out of the barstool and running into the crowded dance floor.

“That’s what I thought.” Duncan said with a smirk as he sat down in the now empty seat.

“I didn’t need your help.”

Courtney knew she should just thank him, but she also knew she could have scared that guy off just as easily. Duncan chuckled at her.

“Sure as hell didn’t look that way, Princess.”

“Do you ever get tired of annoying me with that ridiculous name?”

“Hmm,” Duncan began as he pretended to be in deep thought. “Nah.” He finished with a laugh.

Courtney couldn’t help but laugh as well. She was so used to it, and it would honestly scare her if he randomly decided to call her by her actual name.

The bartender made their way back around to the pair, asking if they’d like anything else.

“Another whiskey, and one—” Duncan looked at Courtney, waiting for her order. She rolled her eyes but gave in. One drink from someone she knew there was no possibility with could not hurt. At least that’s what she forced herself to think.

“Vodka cranberry.”

The bartender nodded their head and got to it. Once they each had a fresh drink in their hands they cheersed to each other.

“Thanks, Duncan.” Courtney said as she sipped her drink. Duncan’s response was only a wink.

#total drama #duncney #td courtney #td duncan #total drama courtney #total drama duncan #fanfic sneak peek #small drabble

[anti-katsuki-lounge]

This post is about MHA fandom in general. But I think these types could be found every where.

Dekucchan's loyal followers and the dudebros are heavily damaging this fandom's image.

Okay I really don't know much about the MHA fandom because I don't interact with anything outside of my interests, but it seems chill to me. Well except for the fact the types of people I listed above ruin the whole experience.

No, I don't want to hear that Izuku is straight for the billionth time. Like it makes more sense if he's aroace because other than finding some girls attractive, has he ever felt romantic and sexual towards any of them? Yeah I thought so and no finding someone does not mean that you have a crush on them. Please stop confusing them. Actually I can go ahead and say that almost everyone is aroace and I would still have a valid argument because there are only select few individuals who care about romance in the first. But yeah know they won't like this headcanon because it has do with the infamous alphabet mafia.

Nor do I want to hear that (specific ship) is canon for some reason. I don't care whether you are bk//dk or one of those "canon ships" preachers like Td//mm. I can tell when people are joking and when people are serious. And it's not as if iz//ch dudebros don't do this either. Like good for you for liking the canon pairing, but that does not make you better than anyone else. It did not give you the right to act like a bitch and whine everytime someone has different tastes.

Though I do hold some sympathy and understanding for bk//dk shippers. I mean atleast they don't make hateful comments on other ships. Well if you exclude Dekucchan's give mind because they are a whole another category in the fandom.

But dudebros are just miserable human beings. Oh, are you mad that people have different ship preferences? Must suck being the only "sane" people in this fandom. These people really think they are doing service to the fandom by spreading by toxicity. The first thing they need to do is learn that there was never any ship threats made by those who ship any gay ship. Like they don't have any source for this claim, yet this is still discussed by them.

People grab onto this baseless argument and justify why they hate the MHA fandom. Like there are many other reasons why you would possibly hate a fandom, but this is the one you decide to preach? I know you can formulate a better reason than this.

And it's so funny seeing occasional Dekucchan bk//dk and the dudebros discourse because my thoughts are that they both suck. Like I'm a shipper, but you don't see me having discourse with someone with the intention to put them down. I have ships that I dislike a lot too, but I don't invade these ship spaces to spread my negative views. It's not that hard to say in your own lane.

I 100% agree with all of this. While I rant about the BkDk Stans the most, the truth is that they’re not the only toxic part of the fandom. The IzuOcha Dudebros/Stans are toxic too, perhaps the second most toxic group in the fandom. There are portions of the MHA fandom that are great. You got the people creating content that expresses their love for the series/characters/world. You got the people who offer legitimate criticism and analyze MHA who are great to talk to if you wanna learn how to write. Sadly they’re drowned out by all the Stans/Dudebros/etc. It should be simple to stay in your lane. You like BkDk? Have fun with your ship. Like IzuOcha? Feel free to write fanfics about it. Wanna headcanon Izuku as part of the LGBTQ+ community? No one should stop you. Want to only consume content where Izuku’s straight? There’s a wide selection to chose from. Point is that, like you said, people should learn to just vibe in their own lanes. As a Katsuki anti, I avoid content with Katsuki because I don’t like him (unless it’s something a friend/mutual created cause I wanna support them). People who like Katsuki likewise will avoid my blog because they don’t want it to hear someone complain about him. There’s a mutual respect there despite neither of us actually interacting with each other. They can like him in peace while I can rag on him to others who don’t like him (or the curious Katsuki fan who wants to see the other side). Sadly the Stans and Toxic Antis will invade spaces and cause trouble just cause they can’t handle an opinion. Same goes for the IzuOcha Dudebros and any other toxic character/shipper Stan.

[unseededtoast]

Antedate | Bucky Barnes

Part 8/13 | Part Seven, Part Nine

Summary: Sometimes making the right decision feels like the wrong one. That decision can stick with you for years and leave you wondering what would happen if you had chosen something else. But the alternatives likely lead to a much darker path; you'll never know for sure though. One thing is for certain, the decisions I have made will have lasting consequences.

Prequel to Rectify

Series Warnings: Discussion of human trafficking, physical and mental abuse, mention and description of death

a/n: Hi everyone, thank you for checking this out, I appreciate any and all support! This series is also posted on Ao3 and Wattpad if you prefer those formats/platforms! This is a completed series, and it's going to take some time for me to transfer it to Tumblr, so please bear with me!

"We need them to feel secure, it's the only way we'll be able to pull this off."

I rub my eyes and close the cover of the heavy book in front of me. I look at the watch on my wrist and see I'm late for the dinner tonight. Hurriedly, I rush through the halls, fixing my hair as I go. I know neither my father nor Dane are going to be too delighted with my tardiness. As I near the dining room I slow my pace and gain some composure.

I round the corner and see my father, Dane, and two other men standing around talking. I don't know who they are, I just know they're important enough to have a private dinner with us tonight. I plaster a smile on my face and extend my hand to greet the two of them.

"Here she is, as I was saying this is my daughter, Adalyn." I can sense the tension in my father's voice but I ignore him as I welcome our guests.

"It was well worth the wait to meet you, miss Averina." One of the men say with a smile. I can tell I already don't like either of them, but that's nothing new. I rarely ever like anyone in this place.

We all walk into the room and take our seats at the table, my father sitting at the head. There are finely dressed agents who come and serve us water. I place the napkin on the table in my lap and wait for the others to start conversation. I'm here just for formality purposes, I'm not supposed to talk unless I'm spoken to.

The men talk about trivial things to fill the air before they get down to business. I have a feeling I know what this meeting is about but I don't understand why it's being made into such a production. We've done hundreds, if not thousands, of contracts over the past three years.

The agents come and serve the meal to us, which looks to be chicken, vegetables, and a baked potato. I've definitely had worse before. I wait for the others to begin eating before I do, again, just as a formality thing.

The past three years have allowed me to perfect the art of seeming like I'm paying attention. In reality, my mind is wandering off elsewhere. My life has devolved into going on contract missions, taking care of the Soldier, and trying to avoid Dane as much as I possibly can. Thankfully, my father never actually forced me to go through with a legitimate marriage to Dane. But, I am of age now and am nervous to see if it gets brought up.

I've spent a majority of the free time I have in the Soldier's room, studying and reading books. That room is the only true safe haven I have in this place, Dane never comes into the Soldier's room. I've mainly read about and studied the human mind, it's really fascinating when I'm not being pressured to learn it.

"How was your day today, darling?" Dane speaks in a false cheerful tone. I snap back to reality and smile smally, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear.

"It was interesting. I did a lot of studying today." I keep my answer short and sweet. My father nods his head,

"My daughter here is a prodigy. She's always had a talent for understanding the mind. She's the mastermind behind the Winter Soldier." I'm slightly surprised to hear my father giving me credit. Although, by complimenting me, he's also complimenting himself in a way. The guests smile,

"That's amazing. We heard rumors a few years ago about the Soldier, it's a pleasure to meet the mind behind the weapon." I smile and nod, but feel the fire run through my veins. He is not a weapon.

"Speaking of the Soldier, should we get to business?" My father dives into the contract. I zone out and take small bites of the food in front of me.

The men speak for what feels like an eternity, discussing the most intricate details. This must be quite the contract. I tune back into their conversation and try to catch up on what I missed. I hear them talk about multiple targets. The most we've ever taken on is four targets at a time, after that it gets difficult to manage the scene and make sure there are no witnesses left.

"I think we can make that happen. We just need to get one or two of our men in there to set up cameras. We need to know that they'll be there just as you say." My father laces his fingers together on the table. The two guests nod their head.

"Rest assured that they will be there. They always travel with the leader." I look between the four men at the table. I see my father's face break out into a smile and he extends his hand to one of them men.

"We can do it. Allow my daughter to show you the asset." My eyebrows draw close together. We never show clients the Soldier.

"Show them the Soldier?" I question. Both Dane and my father give me a stern look. I just nod my head and go with it.

"Of course. Right this way gentlemen." I speak and rise from the table. The two men follow me out of the room and I lead them down the halls. This all seems very odd to me. I make small talk with them to try and get more information.

"So, where are you two handsome men from?" I ask.

"We are from another organization with similar interests to Hydra." Is all the answer I get. My father must have some ulterior motive to all of this. I nod my head

"I see. Well, rest assured that we will be able to take care of your issues." I say and we walk the rest of the way in silence. I open the door to the Soldier and we all step in. I will not be getting him out of cryogenesis, they will have to settle for seeing him in the chamber.

The men take turns looking into the chamber where the Soldier waits to be activated. I see the two of them look at each other, and I can tell there's something there, there's something they aren't saying. They quickly turn their attention to me and smile,

"He is everything we've heard of." I usher them out of the room as they speak, feeling uneasy about them.

"He is the most elite and efficient in the world." I say and lock the door behind us all. I take them back to my father, who has Dane escort them out of the base. Once the three of them are gone I turn to my father.

"Who are they?" I ask. My father scoffs with a smirk on his face.

"They are two fools. They are from another organization, quite small, that is infringing on some of Hydra's territory in the southern region. Not only are we going to take out the targets they specified, but we're taking them out too. I've already received their payment." I nod, that makes more sense. My father lulled them into a false sense of safety, they'll never see it coming. He's only acting in the interest of his own power.

"I see, how many targets in total?" I ask. My father drinks the rest of the water in his glass and sets it on the table heavily.

"Eight." My eyebrows shoot up.

"That's double what we've done." I say. My father's face grows darker and he walks towards me. His temper is so short these days, the least little things sets him off.

"You are in no position to question me, girl. You've got some nerve, that's for sure. Showing up late, questioning me. You're despicable. You are to make sure the asset stays in tip top shape and follow my command. You need to learn your place." He says and spits at my feet. I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from saying or doing anything further.

Without another word, I turn on my heel and leave the room, going back to my own. I hope and pray that Dane doesn't make an appearance tonight. It's never a good thing when he comes to my room.

I put my shoes by the door and sit in my old chair. Some of the springs are starting to poke through the upholstery, but I refuse to get rid of it. I think about the contract my father just set up. I know the Soldier can handle eight targets, but I worry that my father is beginning to lose his mind. It's going to be difficult to keep our cover with that many targets. He's become so consumed with power in the past few years, I feel as if Dane sometimes grows tired of him. However, Dane has grown into more of a monster himself as well.

Speaking of the devil, my door opens and in steps Dane. I stare at him with a blank expression. I know what's coming. He motions for me to join him and I sit on the edge of the bed next to him. I stare at my hands in my lap, trying to dissociate from reality.

"You know, you shouldn't have questioned your father in there, about showing them the Soldier." He says, but I'm only half paying attention. He turns his body towards mine and I look up into his eyes.

"Why's that?" I ask.

"Because if they sense something is wrong they'll back out of the deal. We need them to feel secure, it's the only way we'll be able to pull this off." He says and I nod, faking being interested.

"It'll work out, don't worry." I say in a bored tone. Dane sits in silence for a few moments. I see him clench and unclench his fists a few times before he abruptly stands from the bed. I flinch back slightly, not expecting his outburst.

"I am getting so sick and tired of your attitude lately. You have no respect anymore. Do you forget that you belong to me?" He says and leans in close to my face. I blink a few times. Dane puts a hand around my throat and starts squeezing it, making it so that I can't breathe.

I try to pry his hand off my throat, but he only tightens his grip. His eyes are almost black with anger. I start seeing spots in my peripheral vision and feel Dane's other hand start exploring my body. I try to fight him off, but he's far too strong. He's never fully choked me out before, not yet at least.

I gasp and choke for air as I feel him start to forcefully undress me. With the little bit of strength I have left, I try to fight him off but I know it's no use. My eyes grow heavier and heavier, and my vision fades to black. I'm at his will fully and completely.

I blink my eyes open and look around the room. My throat burns with each breath and I touch my throat, recalling what Dane did to me. I look over myself and notice that I'm not dressed the way I was when I came to my room. I tumble out of the bed and throw up into the trashcan next to my vanity. He's never taken things this far, this is a whole new extreme.

I wipe my mouth and see him sleeping in my bed. Fire runs through my veins as I look at him, sleeping as if he hadn't just choked me out and violated me. I've grown used to him violating my body, but never has he inflicted this much physical damage.

With seething rage flowing through my body, I make my way to the Soldier's room, the one place I know I'll be safe. I sit in the chair in front of the desk and rest my head on the cool wood. I'm growing evermore tired of the abuse as the days pass by, but I can't bring myself to leave the Soldier. I'm the only one who looks out for him here. I'm the only one who knows how he works. 

I raise my head off the desk as an idea comes to me. It might not be the best idea I've ever had, but it might just work.

#bucky barnes x oc #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky #hydra #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes fic #james buchanan barnes #marvel #the winter soldier #winter soldier #bucky barnes angst

[constantlywriting1]

Meet Cute? Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: You see a nice boy on the subway but you two never talk. You share glances until finally one day the two of you speak.

Pairing: TASM! Peter Parker x Reader

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: Sexual harassment momentarily but nothing too crazy. It's mostly just fluff kinda and strangers thinking about each other.

A/N: This is my first fic and I had a lot of fun with it! There might be some minor grammar issues but it shouldn't be too much because I have grammarly lol. I might make this into a series depending on the response so let me know if you like it!!

~~~~

They met on the subway. In true New York fashion, their love affair started on passing cars heading northbound toward Manhattan. Peter was used to watching people come and go on his longer routes, and though he could swing from burrow to burrow if he really wanted he chose to be just like the rest of the residents. His mind was calm on the subway, though there was the occasional breakdancer and cat caller he didn’t feel the need to intervene because everything was settled once those doors opened. People scurried off to their boring lives with no care for anyone that they may have shared a glance with on the route. Peter was like them, not caring about the countless amount of glances, grazing, and occasional bumping. Just hoping to make it from point a to b. He was like them until he saw you.

The moment he laid eyes on you he wanted to know more. From the batting of your lashes to the way, you would bob your head to the music you knew nobody else could hear. Every bit of life that you lived for those 20 minutes underground, he wanted to be a part of. But of course, he never spoke to you.

You caught him looking a couple of times and let out small laughter as he tried to play it off, but there was something sweet in his admiration. Usually, you would sit on the opposite end of the car if you caught someone staring as much as him, but you could tell he meant no harm. It also didn’t hurt that under his awkward exterior you found him very attractive. For weeks you had gone on about your “subway boyfriend” and even began to wonder where he was if he was missing for more than a day. And yet through all of this, you two had still never spoken. He was shy which was understandable but this was getting out of hand.

On a particularly cold day, Peter found himself almost excited to get on the subway. His mind was filled with thoughts of you and there was no denying it. He wondered what book you would be reading today, or what kind of music would be playing through your wired headphones. Though these were questions he knew he would never truly know the answer to unless he spoke to you, he had become comfortable. Comfortable knowing that if the two of you never spoke you would never get tangled up in the mess that was Peter Parker. He could live with the fact that you would never get hurt because of him. He was fine being stuck in the fleeting moments and had truthfully never even considered the fact that you may have actually wanted him to speak to you. So instead of interacting with the girl he had now spent weeks gawking over, he did what he always had and sat patiently waiting on your arrival.

You walked into the car with your headphones already plugged in. A tall man followed behind you and for a moment Peter tensed. He thought it may be a stranger getting a little too close for comfort, but he was quickly proven wrong as you began to speak to the mystery man. Though he should have been relieved Peter couldn’t help but become even more upset. He watched as you tried your hardest to have as little conversation as possible with your partner, who seemed to be unable to take a hint. His hand gripped onto the metal pole of the subway car and he watched shamelessly as the man continued to bombard you.

The person you had come in with was named Noah. A business major who seemed to think his guaranteed position at Wallstreet equaled a guaranteed position between your legs. He had been on to you for over a week now and though his constant attempts at flirting were almost pitiful there was a charm about him. He was actually speaking to you as well, compared to some of your other admirers. However, today he was being especially needy. His goal was to get you to go to a party with him and his rich friends later that night, and no matter how loud you made your music you couldn’t ignore him forever. When you got on the subway you barely noticed the awkward brunette who had been catching your attention recently, instead, you were overwhelmingly distracted by the six-foot idiot on your tail.

“Come on, I swear it’ll be fun,” Noah said in a low voice, a sly smirk stuck on his lips.

You tried to ignore him but you couldn’t help the butterflies that formed in your stomach. You let your lips curl up as he scooted a little closer to you.

“I have a paper due in the morning.” you sighed, turning your music down to hear his response.

“You and everyone else, just twenty minutes. We’ll get off at the next stop.” He suggested, letting his arm creep around you.

Peter was fuming. He tried to stop his heavy breathing but there was no use. He was grabbing the metal pole so hard his knuckles had become white. Why was he like this, he asked himself. He didn’t know you and yet he was jealous. Jealous of how easy it was for Noah to reach out and touch you. How easy he made flirting with you seem. He watched as the other man pulled you closer, taking out your left earbud in the process.

“Come on, I'm begging here.” You could feel Noah’s smile as he whispered in your ear. You let out genuine laughter riddled in mockery.

“Fine,” you smirked before pushing Noah back into his own seat. “I’ll go but only for a little while.”

Peter couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Finally letting go of the pole he shoved his hand in his pocket before pulling out his phone. Angrily he scrolled on his phone trying hard not to look up at you.

As the subway finally came to a stop you watched Noah stand up coolly. Without a word he put his hand out to help you get to your feet. You couldn’t help but glance over at your ‘secret love’, the brunette who had caught your eye on previous rides. But today he didn’t look. He was buried in his phone and no matter how hard you stared he did not look up. Finally after a few seconds of trying you turned to leave.

Peter lifted his head just in time to watch you exit the car. He wanted to get up and say something, but he knew there were no words. He tried hard to look away, to think about anything else but it was impossible. Then suddenly he caught the eyes of Noah, a guy he knew was taller than him and probably had more muscle mass but he didn’t care (especially since he was literally Spiderman). Though neither of them knew eachother there was tension in the air. Noah lifted one of his thick brows before turning back toward you and finally leaving the car.

Later on that night Peter found himself swinging threw the boroughs just to get you off of his mind. Though crime was low and he could have gone home if he wanted, he would rather be out tonight. He was still angry with himself for letting you weigh so heavily on his mind. You were a total stranger and yet he couldn’t get you out of his head.

At some point during the long night he found himself in Forest Hills, a place that’s crime rate was suspiciously below average, which gave him more than enough time to think as he listened to the muffled music of a party taking place next door. He sat silently trying to figure out what it was about you that caught his attention in the first place, but the list became so long it almost embarrassed him. He found you captivating, from the myriad of novels you seemed to read all the way to the customized converse you always wore. He had taken in every aspect of your being and left what he didn’t know to his imagination. You were a puzzle and he wanted nothing more than to solve it, but why? He wished he knew the answer.

“Stop, I said I want to go home.” A voice called out from below him. He recognized it as yours instantly. Standing up he could make out your figure from across the bushes. You were pushing a tall figure away from you but there was no denying that you were over powered. Quickly he put his mask on and jumped down to the backyard next to the one you were in. Peering through the bushes he watched as Noah pinned you against the side of the house.

“Come on, don't be a tease,” he growled into your ear.

You knew something like this would happen. No guy could ever just invite you out, there always had to be something else. You cursed at yourself for giving in to his pleas. How stupid could you be? What did you think was going to happen when he invited you out? You’d have a nice night then he’d walk you home like a gentlemen, yah right. You had given him the benefit of the doubt and now, three shots of vodka and two wine coolers later you could barely muster up the strength to push him away. Suddenly branches were snapping and Spiderman was coming to your rescue.

“Let her go,” he shouted.

Noah let out a quick laugh before turning fully toward the suited man. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, come on,” he said motioning for you to take his hand. You hesitated, understanding that you genuinely had no idea who this man was, but when you looked over at Noah, an insatiable hunger in his eyes, your choice became clear. You stepped forward but Noah stepped between the two of you.

“She’s not going anywhere.” he raised his voice causing the baritone to vibrate within you.

Peter rolled his eyes before quickly jumping in front of Noah and swiping his leg below the taller man. As he hit the ground Peter shot out a web, sticking Noahs body to the ground. “How about now?” he teased before putting his hand out toward you again.

You couldn’t help but laugh at Noah’s large figure squirming to break free. As you looked back up at Spiderman you felt a wave of gratitude crash over you. Without a thought you grabbed his hand, letting out a quick gasp ask he pulled you close and pulled the two of you into the air. Before you knew it you were out of Forest Hills and back on the regular streets of Queens. You watched as he walked beside you, careful not to say anything stupid. You had just been saved by the actual Spiderman and now he was walking you home.

“Thank you, for helping me,” you managed to say. He looked over at you the eyes of his mask reflecting your face.

“Uh, no problem, it’s what I do.” He shrugged before looking at the open road once more.

“I should’ve known better. I mean he’s a total jerk.” You sighed unable to stop the words from spilling out of your mouth. The masked man turned toward you again and something about his posture let you know he didn’t mind if you kept talking.

“He invited me and I didn’t really want to go, but my life has been so boring lately and he just gave me so much attention.” You had no idea why you said all of that, but by the time you wanted to stop it was too late.

“Guys are jerks,” he shrugged, “but I’m sure there’s someone out there.”

You couldn’t help but laugh as you thought about you thought about your current situation. “You know your the first guy to walk me home since highschool, and I don’t even know who you are”

Peter let out a cute chuckle before turning completely toward you so that he was walking backwards. “That’s okay, if I wasn’t busy I’d probably walk you home more often.”

You let out a loud belly laugh before stumbling slightly over your feet. “Spiderman is a flirt,” you teased. He shrugged his shoulders playfully. The walk home was nice and when you finally arrived at your off campus housing you wished you had more time with the mystery man. “Thank you for walking me home,” you smiled.

“It’s just what I do,” he repeated. You felt a flutter in your stomach and it could have been the alcohol but you wanted to hug him so badly, so you threw your arms around his neck and gently placed your head on his shoulder.

Peter was stunned for a moment until his brain finally registered what was happening. Quickly he put arms around your waist and squeezed you tightly. There was a sense of longing in his arms and you felt it without question.

“Seriously thank you,” you whispered into what you assumed was his ear.

Peter felt a chill run down his spine at your soft voice. He wanted to take off his mask and show you who he was. He wanted you to know that he had been the guy in the subway who was too nervous to talk to you. He wanted you to be hugging Peter Parker and not Spiderman, but he understood that he couldn’t tell you. Eventually you let go and the smile on your face sent his own lips into a curve. “Any time,” is all he could manage to spit out. He watched as you unlocked your door waving at him before disappearing into the building.

The next day he was beyond prepared to get on the subway. He had rehearsed his introduction in the mirror and decided that no matter what he would get to know you. He payed for his pass and practically ran down to catch the subway he was already early for. He waited with an anxious smile on his face hoping that you would be there. When the train finally arrived he immediately recognized your hair from the window. He felt his heart sink as he made his way to the now open doors. He was nervous but that didn’t stop him from sitting one seat to the right of you.

You were caught off guard by his sudden closeness but it didn’t take long for you to get used to it. You listened to Deftones through your headphones and tried to read your book but something about him took all of your attention.

“I like your shoes” You heard a muffled voice say from beside you. Turning you were able to take in all of his features. His dough eyes made you want to smile as they peered through their lashes and over at you.

You looked down at your own feet, momentarily having forgotten what you were wearing. You were met with a flash of colors realizing you had worn you hand embroidered black converse. “Thank you, I did it myself.” You replied while swiftly turning down the volume on the side of your phone.

“That’s really cool, i’ve seen you wear them before and I always wanted to say something.” Peter cursed at himself for going off of his script, but it felt nice to have a natural flowing conversation with you.

“You usually sit on that side right? I almost didn’t recognize you from this angle,” you teased, but you had placed his features almost immediately. The boy laughed an infectious laugh and looked away from you shyly.

“Yah, I’m Peter by the way, Peter Parker.” He smiled and you felt a rush of emotion surge through you. You gave him your name and for some reason put out your hand to be shook. He wiped his palm over his jeans before connecting it with yours. His hands were some how soft despite the calloses. He was warm and you wanted to hold him for a little while longer, but by the time you finally let go the two of you had already been touching for longer than necessary.

“What’re you listening to?” He questioned. He was getting bold now and you both knew it, but you found it charming. You also couldn’t help but appreciate that his boldness was asking about your music rather than your sex life. He was a true gentleman and not far from what you had imagined.

“Changes by Deftones. It’s my favorite song right now,” you replied unable to stop the last part from coming out of your mouth.

“It must be good then,” Peter replied looking through the adjacent window and watching the tunnels fly by.

You turned to watch him. There was a certain happiness about him that you found infectious. Without thinking you took out one of your headphones and motioned it towards him. “Do you want to listen?” you asked almost too comfortably. He hesitated but gratefully took the earbud grasing over your fingers lightly.

For the remainder of the ride you two sat dangerously close listening to your playlist. You both were happy to have finally met and when you reached your stop you gave him your number hoping he would text you, and of course he did.

#peter parker x reader #tasm!peter parker #spiderman 3 #andrew garfield #tasm!peter fluff #tsam! peter #no way home #fanfic #fanfiction #spiderman #the amazing spider man #spider man no way home #spiderverse #bug boy

[frogtanii]

[buckle up; this one is a long one (1.6k words)]

things weren’t supposed to turn out this way.

she was supposed to show up, apologize “sincerely,” and the boys, her boys, were supposed to welcome her with open arms and swiftly discard of you.

instead, she was sitting in the back of a cramped police car with two pigs, one of which had a horrible b.o. problem and an affinity for sauerkraut.

it was so frustrating.

and, of course, it was all your fault.

you’d been blocking her from true happiness ever since the beginning when you’d first met in middle school. it was crazy because you’d actually seemed nice; kind, understanding, and you didn’t judge her for what her father did to her mother or for how she acted out because of that.

sure, you were a little weird and sometimes you could be downright rude to other kids in your class but you cared for her in a way that no one else had before.

(un)fortunately, you didn’t come alone — you were a packaged deal. your childhood friend, daishou, came into her life right along with you. she didn’t mind at first; daishou was fun when he wanted to be but he was mostly full of snarky comments and sarcastic quips.

the three of you spent all your time with each other; from playing at the playground to helping her begin her makeup youtube channel in 8th grade.

you all got along pretty well up until you got to highschool. once there, you threw yourself into your studies, sort of retracting yourself from her and daishou.

how selfish.

she couldn’t help but feel betrayed by you—you knew how bad she was at making friends and you didn’t even care, leaving her all alone to fend for herself.

well, not all by herself.

daishou was a constant. no matter where she was, or how alone she was feeling, he was there to provide entertainment at the most, and his presence at the least.

it wasn’t always the healthiest, most functional friendship, she could admit that. there were weeks that daishou would choose to ignore her for no apparent rhyme or reason, citing his explanation as he just didn’t feel like it.

obviously it sucked but he was her only friend, ever since you so cruelly abandoned them. i mean, you still ate lunch with them every day and invited them over to study and hang out, but it was not the same.

with you so absent, she grew closer and closer to daishou to the point she was spending almost every waking moment with him. and, as the story so goes, she fell for him, head over heels.

she knew it was a bad idea, if their friendship was anything to go off of but she didn’t care. she was desperate for love and physical affection and he seemed willing to at least give her the latter.

after she decided to confess, nerves all the way in her throat and a box of chocolates behind her back, daishou took her virginity in the back of his ford fusion, hard, fast and nothing like she’d imagined.

the next day, she’d cornered you in the library (where you always seemed to be) to tell you the good news. your face was unusually blank as she detailed the best night of her life to you, your response being less than stellar when she was done. “please be careful,” you had said.

what did that even mean? you clearly wanted to keep daishou safe from her which was ridiculous because weren’t you supposed to be her friend too? she’d stormed out of the library after that, determined to demand a kiss from daishou to make her feel better.

that day was one of the last that she’d see you for a while. you got caught up with clubs and schoolwork (and apparently therapy for god knows what) while she got caught up with daishou.

things with him weren’t... great. they never really were but things were getting even worse. his random bouts of silence got longer and though it was only freshman year and they’d been dating for less than 5 months, he’d meet with her after school with a hickey plastered on his collarbone that she knew she didn’t put there (she sucked even harder over the spot to claim it as her own).

as she said, things weren’t great but they weren’t horrible either. they remained that way all the way up until sophomore year.

you and her had drifted even further, hardly speaking to one another unless it was for a project or to vaguely greet one another in the halls. it was okay though. you had all your other friends and she... well she had daishou.

speaking of, her “boyfriend” had been more distant than usual. she wasn’t an idiot and she knew he’d been seeing other girls on the side, but she believed she would be the one he’d end up with, the one he’d marry.

how foolish she had been.

it was prom night and she felt beautiful. her beauty channel had finally begun picking up traction (she’d just hit 13k subscribers the night before!!) so she filmed a prom night makeup tutorial, making sure that every square inch of her face was perfect. donning a silky blue floor length dress, she felt like a princess and she certainly looked the part.

she showed up to daishou’s house about 30 minutes before the event, ringing his doorbell with an elated grin painted all over her face. he had mentioned in passing that his parents and older sister would be out for the weekend, leaving the house for themselves. that meant sex and sex meant being wanted.

after the third ring of the bell, she started to get nervous. maybe he wasn’t ready yet? maybe he needed help with his tie? just when she was about to wring the bell again, the door swung open to reveal daishou... not in his suit.

“oh, it’s you,” he’d grumbled. “‘m not goin’ to prom.” she felt her breath catch in her throat. she’d protested and begged for an explanation but he wouldn’t give one to her. eventually, she’d followed him into his house, furious because how could he do this to her? on her night?

it didn’t take very long for him to get fed up, his snake-like eyes honing in on her, filled with venom. “‘m not goin’ because i don’t like you anymore. you still look pretty though.”

just like that, with just a few words, he’d shattered her heart. she was frozen in place, completely disconnected from daishou, her love, as he not-so-gently pushed her out the door, slamming it in her face.

she felt tears stream down her cheeks and before she knew it, her legs were carrying her to a place she hadn’t been in months.

banging frantically on the door, she cried out, begging for someone, anyone to hear her. the door opened quickly and there you stood. you’d clearly been studying but as you took in her frazzled appearance, it seemed as though your heart broke.

you ushered her inside, sat her own the couch, and began to make her a cup of tea, your parents having been out for the night as well. once the kettle went off, you quickly prepped her drink and gave it to her, the words flowing out of her like liquid once she had taken a sip.

she didn’t know why she was even there but despite the animosity between the two of you, you seemed like you truly... cared. (neither of you mentioned the tears that stained your favorite t shirt or the quiet apologies you muttered into her hair).

that night quickly went and passed and by the next day, she was feeling rejuvenated and more like herself. however, that feeling quickly dissipated when she caught you in the hallway between classes speaking with daishou behind the stairwell in hushed tones.

within the span of a few hours, her heart had been broken twice and she was sure she’d never felt such heartache before.

she turned on her heel and darted away, avoiding your every attempt to talk to her for weeks and weeks until you just... stopped trying. after you’d cut off conversation, yet again, the sadness quickly festered and morphed into anger.

that anger only grew when she watched you graduate at the top of your class in your senior year, your smile blinding as you accepted your diploma. it only grew when she saw that you had made it into the university of your choice on your instagram story, her own rejection letter torn up in the bottom of her wastebin. it only grew when she saw you’d made your own youtube channel, her own going untouched and neglected (her last video had been a half-assed “get ready with me” that had more dislikes than likes due to her horrible makeup and even worse attitude).

soon enough, the rage had intensified until it had taken over her whole being. she was just so angry at all that you’d done to her, all the ways you’d ruined her life that she couldn’t keep herself from plotting your demise.

when she got the email from the hyper house management team that invited her into the house and offered the option that she could pick someone she wanted to move in as well, her anger turned into excitement.

this was her chance. this was her moment to turn your life into a living hell, to make it at least a fraction of what she went through by your hands.

she was going to make you pay and god, was it going to feel great.

the metal of the handcuffs chafed her wrists as she adjusted herself against the cool leather of the cruiser, the discomfort removing her from her reverie.

yeah, right. it seemed as though she was the only one “paying” right about now.

she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling, tears filling her eyes but refusing to fall.

things definitely weren’t meant to turn out like this. not at all.

℗ poker face

not like this

series masterlist

(●’◡’●)ﾉ

an - OMFG THE BACKSTORY REVEALED I AM SO OVER IT >:(( this took me forever to write and i still wasn’t able to include everything i wanted to so hop over to my asks if you need any clarification!! oh oh && just a reminder, this playlist is from meiko’s perspective so chances are, things didn’t exactly go just like this wink wonk KAJS ANYWAYS DONT FORGET TO FEED ME ILY <3333

taglist - if your name is in bold, i cannot tag you

@boosyboo9206 • @geektastic84 • @elianetsantana • @trashy-simp • @infinitebells • @6mattsun9 • @suhkusa • @katsulovee • @kotarosbabygirl • @fucktheworlddude • @insomniacwreck • @calumsfringe • @saltylettuce • @chai-blu • @al3x1ss • @hawksyoongi • @jooleuuh • @loubells • @kissungjae • @liberhoe • @tetsurocore • @animeoverdosee • @duhsies • @saiKishaircLip • @afire24 • @premiyagi • @kit-kat428 • @doctorspencereid • @daphnxy • @kyomihann • @maer-333 • @sinoflust19 • @peteunderoos • @peachiikichu • @iidanotlida • @yongboxerrr • @kac-chowsballs • @tanakaslastbraincell • @memorableminds • @risjime • @starry-magicshop • @sugavwara • @smuttyanimeslut • @kiwibirbs-library • @haijkk • @airybnb • @crybabygumi • @iwaisa • @decaffinatedtealover • @notameera • @kawaii-angelanne • @rintarovibes • @urlocalsimp • @keiarma • @shrimpypenis

the rest of the tags will be in the replies!!

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #hq smau #haikyuu x reader smau #haikyuu smau #haikyuu #hq x reader smau #haikyuu angst #hq angst #haikyuu fluff #hq fluff #atsumu x reader #osamu x reader #kenma x reader #kuroo x reader #bokuto x reader #akaashi x reader #daichi x reader #sugawara x reader #oikawa x reader #iwaizumi x reader #sakusa x reader #tw toxicity #tw toxic people #tw toxic behavior #tw toxic relationship #haikyuu social media au #hq social media au #℗ poker face

[shipsandlattes]

So I know everyone has already dissected this scene to its core, but it’s taken me a good 48 hours to digest this and I just needed to get it out.

I’m an aspiring actor, I’ve been training for a long time, with a lot of amazing teachers. I’ve watched a lot of shows and shipped a lot of couples. Some of them beautiful and canon, others, well, let’s just say waiting 22 years and counting for acknowledgement, closure, anything, it’s a damn challenge. I’ve seen a hell of a lot of will-they-wont-they’s, baiting, purposeful ignorance, deliberate fake outs, zero explanations, storylines that basically caused canon disintegration, the works.

In saying that, Dean and Cas were right up there on the list with the other “impossibles” because honestly, I didn’t think the writers would have the guts to do it, but I am so f*cking proud they did. It’s safe to say I’ve watched the scene a good hundred+ times already. 

I’ve seen a lot of “controversy” around Dean’s reaction/Jensen’s acting choices and whether or not Dean reciprocates Cas’ feelings, and obviously, I needed to add my own views to the mix.

Just work with me for a minute here.

Dean Winchester is an emotionally repressed trainwreck, and ironically enough, the one that is so full of emotion it hurts to watch. When Cas first starts his speech, he’s confused, really confused because why on earth would Cas start off on a rant now? Billie’s waiting to kill them, he just said he knew something that was more powerful than she was, something that could save them. That’s where he thought this speech was going.

The confusion turns to realisation that it’s a goodbye when Cas starts telling him how incredible he is, how his entire essence is love. Go back and watch the scene again, when Cas says “you’re the most caring man on Earth”, you physically see Dean look down, his eyes searching, he’s actively trying to make sense of what’s happening, he knows what’s coming and you can see him coming to terms with the shock of the words being said to him. He then looks directly at Cas. That look, that was pure shock.

Also, notice how he doesn’t stop Cas from talking? He doesn’t interject, make a joke, doesn’t talk about how there is no time for this now, they’ve got to at least try and stop Billie. He. says. nothing. He listens, he listens like I’ve never seen Dean listen before. Because it’s sinking in now.

When Cas really starts crying, when he says “you changed me, Dean”, you can actually see the pain in Dean’s eyes. He’s no longer in control of his emotions, he’s crying too. He’s never seen Cas like this, so raw, and vulnerable and human. This is the hardest, most emotional conversation they’ve both ever had. They are talking about the one thing that everybody knows, but is never addressed. When it wasn’t talked about, they could deny it, live in the lie. Once it’s said aloud, it’s real and they can’t turn back.

This above series of interactions is the part that kills me the most. The moment Cas says “because it is”, that’s the exact moment of realisation. Look at that last GIF, really look. He’s just worked it out, that he is Cas’ true happiness. He knows what’s coming before Cas even says it. Go back and watch the scene again, they pulled that off so well, the way the music swells at this exact moment. Jensen is giving us everything here, you can see what’s happening in his head - he is Cas’ happiness. He is the one thing on Earth Cas wants and thinks he can’t have. He is the reason Cas is about to die. He knows what Cas is about to say and he’s not sure he’s ready to hear it, not now, not like this. It’s almost a silent plea not to say it, because he knows. Of course he knows. It’s like he can’t quite believe Cas is really, after all this time, finally going to say it.

And because obviously Jensen decided that that wasn’t enough to break us, the loaded reaction when Cas says “I love you” has me nothing but convinced that it’s reciprocated. Because Dean knows. He’s always known. Those tears, that head tilt, that gulp. He’s so genuinely confused that they’re really having this conversation. It’s like he can’t quite believe that this is the reality before him because he’s been living in that denial, in that self-loathing and unlovable layer he believes to be true. He’s been under the ‘what if... but it could never be’ umbrella for so long. 

What also makes this real is that there isn’t anyone else around this time. When “I love you’s” have been said before, they have always been able to deflect it, with other people or other words. Now it’s just the two of them. No deflecting, no running away. Dean is forced to hear it, to absorb it, to realise it’s for nobody else but him.

Now, I don’t know if you guys felt this, but when Dean says “Don’t do this, Cas”, he wasn’t just referring to Cas sacrificing himself to the Empty, he’s telling Cas that he can’t just say this, not now, knowing he’s going to die, knowing that Dean won’t get a chance to think, to process, to say what he needs too. I keep staring at that GIF above, Dean is breaking down, I’m almost convinced that Jensen was using an “I love you too, please just stop this” inner monologue for this bit. Look at the way he’s looking at Cas before he realises the Empty has started materialising and turns around. That’s a look of pure heartbreak. Trust me when I tell you, it’s really hard to keep those inner thoughts inside if you’re so in the moment - actually, don’t just take my word for it, read any acting book, ask any actor, it’s so hard to keep that in and sometimes you don’t, and sometimes you do - it’s in both the resistance and the letting go that the gold happens. This my friends, is gold. 

Did anyone else hear “Cas, I-”, well, regardless of whether or not it was an “I” or a very sharp breath, the outcome is the same. Dean’s gone into immediate panic mode. The Empty at one end and Billie at the other, and all poor Dean wants to do is gather his thoughts on not what to say but how to say it. I don’t think he comprehended just how little time he had, he was so focused on what was being said that the reality of the situation caught him completely off guard.

Also, I know this post was about dissecting Dean’s reaction, but can we sidebar a minute to talk about Cas as he pushes Dean out of the way? He’s sobbing, he’s fully crying. That hit me really hard, I’ve never seen Cas cry like that, I’ve never seen Misha get to play that level of emotion before and it was the most heartbreaking thing to watch since The Doctor and Rose and Buffy and Spike, to which by the way, I find many parallels between those couples and this scene.

Speaking of crying, that brings me to this: Dean slumped on the floor, ignoring a call from Sam, sobbing his heart out knowing he’s lost everything. Dean-I’m-emotionally-unavailable-Winchester is sobbing. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t recall ever seeing Dean cry like this before either, the sobbing was so evident and piercing in that silence. The look around the room, the burying of his head in his hands, that is a classic writers romantic love trope if I’ve ever seen it, they really pulled out all the stops with this one.

So, to summarise, I think Jensen’s choices and Dean’s reactions were absolutely and utterly perfect. They both did it so well that it didn’t break from character that these two emotionally distant and repressed men are in love and finally voicing it. Jensen barely said two words and still managed to cause mass coronary’s across the fandom. That my friends is what you call a brilliant actor. I bow down to the talents of these two amazing human beings.

Before I leave this novel, I have to say there are now a few things I’m going to need from the powers that be to not screw this up, help me manifest this:

1. Dean gets to reciprocate his feelings to Cas in person. So, I’m gonna need Cas back and a very emotional Dean.

2. Dean to be actively dealing with heartbreak in the next episode (unless they decided to bring Cas back that soon, which I wouldn’t put past them at this point).

3. Sam to confront Dean about his feelings for Cas, because out of everyone, he’d be the one to hit Dean with the truth of his fears. Sam knows. Sam is supportive. Sam sees it all.

4. I’m gonna need some physical affection, cause after 12 years of nonsense, we damn well deserve it. A hug, and not just any old reunion hug, a proper, this is different now hug. A kiss because hello, in love out loud now. Forehead touching, handholding, really gonna need the works here.

5. A happy ending for the two of them, one way or another. We’ve never had one, it’s time.

Okay, have at it now, let’s speak these into existence please.

Note: GIFs are not mine, I did not make them, credit to owners who I’m not sure of, but they’re beautiful, thanks for making them. EDIT: I’ve just been informed that these gorgeous gifs belong to @michaeldean​ and @inacatastrophicmind​! 

#supernatural #SPN #DeanCas #destiel #deanwinchtser #castiel #15x18 #Jensen Ackles #Misha Collins #actor #acting #I ship it #shipper #i love you #spn spoilers #opinion piece #thoughts #my two cents #ships and lattes

[make-me-imagine]

True Colors

30 Day Writing Challenge Day 5 - 'Soulmate AU'

This is also the 8th addition to my Soulmate AU series; link to series masterlist here

AU Prompt: The colors of the universe are dull and faded until you look directly into your soulmates eyes for the first time.

Pairing: Din Djarin x GN!Reader

Triggers: Gunfire; Fighting; Blood; Angsty at some points

Word Count: 4.6k

-

As you wandered through the market place, your eyes landed on two people, hand in hand, who were pointing out some clothes. You wondered if they were soulmates, able to see the actual true color of the clothes they were buying. With the universe being as big as it was, it was rare for people to actually find their soulmates. Some people settled with others they met and fell for, other’s refused to marry or be with anyone unless it was their soulmate.

Looking down, you ran your fingers across the soft fabric of a blanket at a sellers stall. It appeared muddy and rusty, you wondered how bright it truly was. How bright everything was. You couldn’t imagine a brighter world, you couldn’t imagine what true color the sky was, being so used to the grey colorless sky it was to you.

During your travels you had come across the occasional couple who had been soulmates. They tried to explain to you the color of the sky, the sun, the flowers in the streets. You could imagine, but you never really knew. Your world was dull, and no matter how beautiful some places were, you knew you might never see their true beauty.

Your distracted thoughts became blank when your eyes caught on the figure walking through the crowd. Wearing dark armor over his entire body, people stared at him as he passed through the crowd. It had to be him. The Mandalorian Ahsoka told you about.

You returned to Corvus after Ahsoka defeated the magistrate and she told you about The Mandalorian and the child Grogu. You were curious to meet them, but did not expect to. Especially here, in an outlying planet far from anything else.

You watched the Mandalorian as he marched through the town, seeing no child with him, you wondered if he succeeded in taking him to the Jedi. Your eyes caught on another figure further behind the Mandalorian. Shrouded in a cloak, but obviously stalking the Mandalorian. He must still be being hunted by members of the remaining empire.

Quickly ducking behind a stall, you followed the Mandalorian and his hunter. He wandered through the town and stopped at a restaurant. You watched as The Mandalorian went in, the shrouded figure stopping at a stall nearby, closely watching the building.

Acting as casual as you could, but still hidden by your own hood, you made your way into the restaurant, your eyes catching on The Mandalorian as he sat at a table. You wondered what he was doing. He could not eat here with so many others around. Watching a little longer, you saw him talk to someone, before paying him. He must be trying to get information.

Walking across the room you sat in a chair behind The Mandalorian. You could sense that he stiffened up, aware of your closeness.

You whispered under your breath, just loud enough for him to hear “You are being followed Mandalorian.”

He remained silent before his head turned ever so slightly as he spoke “By you?”

“By another. In a dark cloak, standing outside watching this place. Waiting for you to come back out I suppose.”

“Why are you telling me this? Who are you?”

“I’m a friend of Ahsoka Tano. She told me about you, and the child.” You said simply.

The Mandalorian turned his head further, clearly surprised. He remained silent for a moment. “Why are you here?”

“I came seeking information from someone, seeing you here was entirely a coincidence.”

“Do you know anything of the Jedi? Are you a Jedi?”

“I am not. I am simply an ally to Ahsoka and others like the Jedi. Are you still trying to find the Jedi to take the child?”

He stayed silent for a moment “They have already taken him. I just...” He stopped, clearing his throat.

You could sense the apprehension in his voice, and the pain behind it. Ahsoka was right, he had a great bond with the child, like a father. “You want to know where he is, and if he is okay.” You said quietly, eyeing the side of his helmet from under your hood.

He simply nodded and you thought to yourself for a moment “I know where a powerful Jedi lives, where he trains a new order of Jedi, perhaps the child is there.”

The Mandalorian turned fully towards you now, you did not meet his gaze, but kept your eyes towards the doors. “Will you help me to find out about the child? I will pay you for your help.”

You thought to yourself for a moment. You already received the information you needed and got it to Ahsoka. You had no duties left to perform. You nodded your head “I will. But we must deal with the one hunting you.”

“They're most likely trying to find out where the child is as well.” He paused again “I have no ship, I came here to get a new one, mine was destroyed.”

“I have a ship.” You said simply “It is on the Eastern side of town.”

“Lets go.”

“I will go first” you cut him off “Wait a few moments before you leave.”

The Mandalorian nodded as you rose from your seat and left the building. Exiting, you saw the figure in the same spot as before. Wandering over you stopped in front of him, catching his attention “Excuse me” you began. Hearing the doors behind you opening, surely as The Mandalorian was exiting. The figure straightened up and reached for his belt “Can you tell me which way the nearest ship port is?” You asked.

The figure grunted in frustration before muttering something in a language, something akin to “Get the hell away from me” as he pushed past you and after The Mandalorian.

“That was rude” you said before taking out your weapon and firing it at him, stunning him as he fell to the ground.

The Mandalorian turned and saw as you stepped over the man now unconscious on the ground. You saw more figures come out from various areas, the Mandalorian spotting them as well.

“There are more” He said as you approached him.

“Thought there might be.” you said before picking up the pace “This way.” You said as the Mandalorian hurried to follow you.

Slipping through allies and past buildings, you could hear the other hunters calling out as they ran after you. Suddenly two others ran out in front of you, immediately firing at the two of you. Both of you ducked down and hid, taking out your own weapons and firing.

As others ran into the alley, you began firing at them as well. A total of four were now firing at you as you and the Mandalorian ducked behind cover. As one of the hunters got closer, you ran towards him and began fighting him, unsheathing a stunning staff you had tucked away in your belt. After taking him out a moment later you spun around, seeing the Mandalorian taking on two of the hunters as the other ran towards him.

Following quickly, you grabbed the third hunter and took him out, just as the Mandalorian took the last two down. The Mandalorian turned towards you, quickly following as you ran past him.

Making it through the rest of the town, you made it to your ship. Quickly getting on, you turned the ship on as The Mandalorian stood and watched out the windows as more hunters began firing at your ship from the ground.

Quickly rising, you went into light-speed, escaping the planet. Putting in the coordinates of the planet you heard Jedi were being trained, you turned back towards the Mandalorian and stood up. “I’ve activated my cloaking shields, they won't be able to track us now. It will take some time to get the planet of the Jedi.”

He nodded “Thank you.” He paused. “Uhm, I never got your name.”

**Dins POV**

He watched you carefully as you stood in front of him, still unsure of just how much he could trust you.

You seemed to chuckle under your breath “I never got yours either.”

He straightened up slightly. “Din Djarin” he said quietly.

“Din” you repeated his name back, he felt a weird feeling in his stomach when you did. He watched as you finally reached up and removed your hood, finally revealing your face. He would be lying if he didn’t react to how attractive he thought you were.

As you slowly looked up you smiled lightly and nodded “I am Y/n.”

It took Din a moment to realize something was changing. The color of your eyes was suddenly becoming richer as he stared into them. His eyes flicked to the console as the bright color of the lights changed, followed by the bright silver of the ship.

The realization of what just happened took over as he looked back into your eyes, the color something he had never seen. He wondered for a moment why you were not reacting, and instead watching him with a look of confusion.

It suddenly clicked in his mind that you could not see his eyes, hence you did not know that he- That the two of you-.

“Are you alright?” you asked, wondering why he was remaining so still.

“Uh, yes. Sorry.” he came back to himself, unsure of what to do. Should he tell you? Should he say something?

You smiled, clearly slightly amused at his awkwardness. “I am going to check on the damage of the ship. Feel free to look around.” You said as you brushed past him. He turned and watched as you descended into the ship.

His heart was hammering in his chest as he looked back around the ship, the colors brighter than they had been. Looking down at his own hands and body, the armor he was wearing was a brighter color than he was aware.

Looking back towards the direction you went, he thought back to your eyes. The color was new, a different shade than he had ever imagined. They were beautiful. And seeing them, seeing their true color meant that you were his soulmate. And that he was yours.

But since you could not see his eyes, you didn’t know. Should he tell you? Or should he wait? He could simply take off his helmet, he had already done it before. Broken his creed for the child. Surely doing it for his soulmate would bare no difference.

No. He would wait. He could not do this now. You had just met, it would complicate matters. He needed to think. He was not expecting something like this to happen. So he would wait.

- - Three Days Later - -

The Mandalorian sat silently in the passenger seat behind you, unable to stop watching you as you skillfully piloted your ship through a small field of meteors. You were now descending to a small planet to refuel and buy supplies. The last three days had been torture for Din. Knowing that you were his soulmate, and knowing that you did not know. He was unsure of how to act around you, but tried his best to act normal. It became harder and harder the more he learned about you. In such a short time he learned how selfless, brave and strong you were. And he couldn’t help but think about how the Child would act around you. He would surely connect with you quickly.

You told him where you came from and what you did. You were akin to a bounty hunter, like he had been, but more often retrieved information for the Rebellion. And in turn, he told you about his journey with the child, even admitting that he had once removed his helmet.

You had already known about the original Mandalorian, as well as the group he had grown up in. But you were still surprised to learn he removed his helmet. You knew it must have been hard for him, and asked him about how it affected him, you seemed to care more than he would expect.

You also did not press him to remove his helmet for you. This did not surprise him, but Din had to admit, he was a bit disappointed. He wanted an excuse to take it off, for you to see his eyes. But he couldn’t get himself to do it, not on his own, not yet at least, it was still too foreign to him.

“Alright, we’re descending now.” Your voice broke through his thoughts as he sat up a bit straighter. You turned and looked at him “It shouldn’t take too long to refuel and get the supplies. We’ll be up and out of here quickly.”

Din simply nodded his head before standing and exiting the cockpit. You watched him leave with curiosity. Ahsoka had mentioned how quiet he was, and how courteous he could be. But he was much more awkward that you expected. Maybe it was you? You had a tendency to intimidate people. But the more you thought about what you had learned of Din, you couldn’t help but think him attractive. Not physically of course, you had not seen anything of him, but he was kind and clearly cared much about people and especially the child. His qualities were attractive to you, but you weren’t sure how to feel about it yet.

Something seemed to draw you to him. Back on Corvus, you could have let him be, or left him after telling him of the bounty hunter. But you agreed to help him, to take him to the Jedi. You didn’t do that for just anyone. And you couldn’t help but wonder why you so easily did it for him.

Shaking yourself from your thoughts as the ship finished docking at the loading bay, you rose and headed out of the cockpit.

As you exit the ship, you and Din head into town, side by side. And as people stared at the two of you, you chuckled “We must be quite the sight.” You said quietly.

Din looked around, noticing the people staring and smiled “I’m sure these people rarely get visitors to this planet, let alone people that look like us.” He said, with a bit of amusement in his voice.

After paying for a re-fuel on your ship you headed towards the market to pick up food and supplies. Din tried to focus on what he needed to do, but he was stunned at how bright the world was around him. the dark buddy fabrics at the market stalls where bright reds, oranges, and blues, colors he never thought existed. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue, and the various colors of buildings and ships were alarming. Oh he wished you knew what he was seeing, and why. Would you be as enamored as he was?

As you got further into the market, you separated from Din to split the list, and as you headed towards a shop, you noticed a man watching you and Din closely. He dressed differently than the locals. You felt a bad feeling rise in your gut.

As he turned and walked away from both of you, you tried to ignore it. When you were done gathering what you needed, you turned around and saw the man again. This time he was walking away from you. As you turned and followed his line of sight, you saw Din in the distance, walking down the market.

Quickly paying for your supplies, you followed behind the man, trying to catch up. Surely a bounty hunter could not have tracked you all the way out here? Unless it was a coincidence? Or they knew where you would stop and got here first. You felt frustrated at the idea that they outsmarted you, and that they were faster.

As you began to follow down the same street, you watched as the man got closer to Din. Quickening your pace you began to approach the man from behind. Watching as he pulled out a blade from his belt and moved to stab Din between his armor, you heard yourself suddenly yell out Din’s name.

Din, having heard your voice, spun around quickly in alarm. As he did, he was just in time to see the man about to stab him. The man had faltered a bit when you yelled out, allowing Din enough time to block the man's attack, quickly hitting him and making him stagger backwards.

As you approached the man, you grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back even further, before unsheathing your staff weapon and swiping his legs, bringing him to the ground. As he landed, you quickly struck him in the head, knocking him out.

Turning to look at Din, you halted when you heard the sound of a gun firing, followed by a sharp and hot pain through your side. You groaned as you looked down, seeing the front of your clothes burned through. You staggered a bit as you looked up, your eyes locked on Din’s helmeted face before you fell to your knees.

“No!” Din yelled, as he ran and grabbed your arm, keeping you up. Pulling out his own gun he fired in the direction the shot came from as he pulled you behind a market stall. The market shop owners and people standing around were running off in fear. Din peered around the stall, seeing another man peeking from behind the wall.

Firing his gun, the man ducked back. Din grabbed your arm and pulled you up “Come on! We need to get out of here.”

Doing you best, you followed behind Din as you ducked down behind another stall. You hissed in pain from the wound on your side feeling your vision go spotty for a moment, you shook your head as you tried to stay focused. Pulling out your own gun, you turned and looked out, seeing the man peak out again, both you and Din fired. One of the shots hit the man in the shoulder, making him stagger back. Din took that moment to fire again, killing the man.

As he fell down, you felt relief rush over you, but as you moved to stand, your vision blurred and you fell back down. Din quickly looped his arm under your and around you back as he pulled you to your feet. You tried your best to move your feet as you ran down the alley, but before you knew it, your vision had gone black.

- - - - -

Din let out a breath as he continued to stare at you. He managed to get you back to your ship, having to carry you most of the way. But he didn’t have the skills necessary for your wound. So doing the only thing he could think of, he took you off your set course and to Nevarro. He knew this would take you days off your course to the Jedi, but he didn’t care right now. He knew the Child was safe, but you were in danger. He could not lose you, his soulmate, before ever even being with you.

He managed to get you to Nevarro, having done what he could with your injury. Karga brought in a medic, who was able to stabilize you and save your life, using what tools he had to help heal your wound. But the wound had been too bad and he was only able to heal you enough to keep you alive. You had now been unconscious for a few days and Din was going stir crazy. He wouldn’t feel better until you opened your eyes, until you spoke to him, until he was finally brave enough to tell you that you were his soulmate.

He told Karga, and Cara, who had pestered him with questions about you and why he was so worried. They were unsurprisingly shocked, but supportive, and excited for him. Though, when Cara had found out he had not told you, she was angry with him, having gone so far as to threaten him if he didn’t tell you soon.

But he didn’t need her to threaten him to know that. He had almost lost you before ever getting to tell you. Before ever knowing what it would be like, to truly be with your soulmate. He knew he couldn’t risk losing that chance again.

Din had gotten so lost in his thoughts that he did not see you open your eyes. You were now watching him curiously as he stared at the ground. After a few moments you wondered if he had fallen asleep. It wasn’t until he let out a soft sigh and shook his head lightly that you knew he wasn’t.

“A lot on your mind Din?” You asked, your voice soft.

Din’s head snapped up at the sound of your voice. When he saw you gazing at him softly he felt a grin spread across his face, though he knew you clearly could not see it, not yet. He saw you raise your brow inquisitively and realized he had not spoken. He stood and walked over to your bed, peering down at you.

“I’m glad you’re okay, I was worried.”

You were a bit surprised by the sincerity in his voice, but touched nonetheless. You smiled softly up at him “I honestly thought I was dead.” He shook his head and you looked around “Where are we?”

“Nevarro.” He answered quickly.

“Nevarro? Why here? That would have put us back on our course.”

“I know, but I have friends here, remember, Greef Karga and Cara Dune.” You remembered the names, connecting them to the stories he had told you “I brought you here ‘cause I knew you’d have a better chance at surviving.”

You let out a soft chuckle “Didn’t realize you had grown that fond of me.” You joked.

You heard a small amused scoff from under his helmet before he shook his head a bit “You have no idea.” He said, almost under his breath.

But you caught them, and grew curious “What do you mean?”

Even from under his helmet you could feel his staring intently at you, a few moments passed before he spoke. His voice was soft, but determined “I care about you more than you’d expect.”

Your heart was now hammering in your chest at the idea that Din might have developed feeling for you, the same that you felt yourself developing for him. But even with the nervous excitement pulsing through you, you could only think of one thing. “Why?”

The genuine confusion and doubt behind your voice, and in your eyes could have broken Din’s heart. Even if he did not know you were his soulmate, even if you weren’t his soulmate, he doubted he would not have fallen for you anyways.

Din took a step closer to your bed in silence, and you sat up a bit more, ignoring the twinge in your side. He took another step, stopping as he was now directly at your side, peering down at you.

You watched him closely, curiously as he slowly reached up and grabbed the side of his helmet. ‘What is he doing?’ You thought as you grew even more nervous ‘He can’t be-’

As he pulled the helmet off of his head, revealing his face, you were stunned. Though you were curious, you hadn’t really tried to picture what he looked like under his helmet, part of you thought it rude to imagine him as solely what you wanted him to be. But as his face was revealed, you realized you could not have pictured anyone better. Your eyes locked on to his, and just as you noticed the almost panic in his eyes, you realized something was changing.

The dull dark color of his eyes became a bit richer, the color seeming to become warm and nurturing. The colors of the room around you brightened, almost hurting your eyes, his armor became shiny and bright. As you met his eyes again, you finally realized everything you had been wondering about.

On the ship, when he suddenly became nervous and distant, how he began to act around you, why he seemed so awkward. It all made sense now. You sat up a bit more in your bed and stared at him closely, he was still, and clearly nervous “Why didn’t you tell me?” You asked, your voice soft and kind.

He shrugged his shoulder lightly “I wasn’t sure how. I- I’ve only taken off my helmet once...” He trailed off, but you understood, it must have been hard for him to do it again. Din sat down on the edge of the bed, still staring at you “I wanted to tell you, for you to see what I was seeing, but I was too unsure of what you would do. And then at the market, you almost died, and I...almost lost the chance entirely. I’m sorry.” He spoke with clear guilt in his voice as he looked down at his hands.

Leaning forward, you gently took his gloved hands in your own. He looked up at you with surprise, but it faded when he saw the smile on your face “I knew there was something about you. I never feel as comfortable around anyone as I did you, and I certainly never trust them so easily. But now it makes sense.” Din smiled, and had you been less in control of yourself, you might have swooned.

Din looked down at your hands, gently holding his. Taking them away from yours, he pulled at his gloves, taking them off and revealing his bare hands. Reaching back over, this time he took your hands i his, relishing at the touch, and how soft your hands were.

You smiled at him as he did so, knowing how intimate this must be for him, and you felt so grateful for it. He began to gently run his thumb over your hand, and felt his own heart beating rapidly in his chest before he looked back up at you “I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

A soft chuckle left your mouth as you smiled widely at him “I know what you mean.” Taking one of your hands away, you slowly reached up and placed your palm on the side of his face, once again admiring his rich dark eyes.

Din closed his eyes as he leaned into your touch, the feeling knew and almost alarming, but something he hoped he would experience again and again. Opening his eyes again, he met your gaze, and though he felt a bit exposed and nervous, the adoring smile on your face and gleam in your eyes chased it away.

And as an almost overwhelming urge took over, he felt himself seemingly moving without much thought. He quickly leaned towards you, bringing one hand up to your face, matching your own previous action, and pressed his lips fervently against your own.

You were a bit surprised at this, but welcomed it wholeheartedly as you leaned into the kiss as well, your heart swelling with excitement and glee at the knowledge you finally found your soulmate, that you found Din.

Din, feeling and thinking the same thing continued to kiss you, finally allowing himself to be with someone unapologetically, and knowing that they were meant for him and no one else.

xx End xx

If you enjoyed this, please consider reblogging, I have slowly worked on this for months and finally got it done lol, so I’d very much appreciate it if you shared it with others <3

if you’d like to be added to a taglist, let me know!

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @caswinchester2000Star Wars+Din Djarin Taglist: @furblrwurblr, @startrekkingaroundasgard, @hoeforthefictionalRequested Taglist: @hybrid-omegaverse, @thicc-in-semicorrect-places, @spuffyfan394

#din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian #din djarin/reader #the mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian/reader #star wars #din djarin x you #din djarin/you #din djarin x y/n #soulmate au #soulmate au series #meras30daywritingchallenge #day 5 #din djarin fic #din djarin one shot #oneshot #one shot #the mandalorian reader insert #soulmate au fic #din djarin soulmate au #the mandalorian fic

[yaomomvs]

— BEING INARIZAKI’S TEAM MANAGER AND A SECRET VOLLEYBALL PLAYER

inarizaki x f!manager

this is part of a hcs series, let me now what team you want next <3

okay so actually you ended being the manager because the girls volleyball team had already closed the application time

so you you were really looking forward to it and omg you were so sad about it

after being rejected, you were just peacefully going through the gym and you heard laughter from a bunch of guys

you recognized kosaku since he was in your class and waved at him.

and so, they were talking about getting a manager since this team is pretty much a lot to handle

and so since kosaku knew you were hard working and that the first idea that popped out oh his head was that if you wanted to try out.

kita respectfully introduced himself and asked if you were willingly try out 🥺🥺🥺 like what a man 🥺🥺

and mostly because the twins having fangirls always made this process kind of difficult, so instead kita and aran wanted to make sure it was someone who at least was trusted by one of them

and not to brag but bestie you are gorgeous

so it was a win win

atsumu refused to this because as the jerk he usually is, he said that he didn’t need any help

that son of a bitch

he was being soooo petty mainly after you said “oh don’t worry kita, idiots are not my type”

osamu fell in love with you ❗️

and aran

and suna

and well the team.

and so, looking at the other court where the girl vbc was training you said that it was something.

every! single! practice! is! chaotic!

but somehow you managed them so well

atsumu is still trying to prove that he doesn’t but oh boy he is the first one to requiere your help

you better believe this guys are your simps and are constantly competing over someone who a year ago could never imagine they had

your attention? the best way to prove each other they were superior

in away games, god bless the idiot that wants to even dares to try to do a move on you

they are lowkey intimidating

not but seriously

specially and surprisingly kita and aran

son como esos niños mamones fresas que de cierto modo les tienes miedo

besides

this team? over the moon for you

and tbh, they were so grateful for you, you did a lot for them that they started to feel some kind of embarrassing how before they wouldn’t know how to do basic stuff like cooking for camps, labeling they jerseys correctly, searching for new equipment like they love you

anyways that however was kinda sus to them

it all started when somehow you learned so quickly, and the technical stuff was not hard to understand as to others

surprisingly the first one to notice was suna

you could have said something but tbh

you still look forward to play volleyball like more seriously even as a hobby

BUT

BUT

you’d rather be dead than telling your team that’s what you wanted because

a) they could think you only joined to learn volleyball and not help them

b) you had your pride, you want to be recognized by your own merits rather than “of course, they are inarizaki’s manager if they weren’t they could have never been this good”

so you still played volleyball but hid from them

there was a gym nearby where constant tournaments were held

you were a ghost because knowing damn well your boys could go there at any moment you decided to take some precautions

like nickname and position was everything they knew about you

your teammates loved you, so they respected your private life, and it was kind of cool

but what you were not expecting is that for some reason, omimi had followed you one day bc you forgot something after practice.

being a friday it meant for some weird reason you always rushed out

“sus” suna says everytime

so he catches you going out to the gym and maybe, he thought, you were just going to workout or see someone

BUT THIS GUYS EYEBALLS ALMOST FALL WHEN HE SEES TOY RUSH AND TAKE OFF YOUR SCHOOL UNIFORM SHIRT AND TIE TO FUCKING REVEAL A JERSEY WUTH A #3 on it

bye you broke him

and so he tries to process it normally

key word: tries

and here we are him being interrogated by the team incredulous to his words.

ay first they interrogated him being overprotective by the fact that he was spending more time with you but when he tells them what he saw god dammit

they loose it when they find out.

and so, tsumu says something that everyone agrees with him for the first time

“let’s go and spy”

“i swear to god if y/n finds out...”

“shut up aran, unless you want to make it obvious and reveal our identity dumbass!”

“tsumu, the disguises are awful”

“come on kita not you too!”

“what if”

“akagi shut up all of you agreed with the idea”

“osamu you suck”

and so there they go. trying to find you in the sea of people at the entrance, not having a clear view yet, they only search for the navy blue and white uniform that omimi described to them when he saw you.

and then almost as if it was the gods plan, they started hearing whispers of people around mentioning the arrival of one of the most popular teams out there.

“come on what the big deal-” suna started saying, however your figure appeared and he instantly turned into a babbling mess.

as well as the rest of inarizaki vbc.

osamu had to double check to assure himself that it indeed was you, beautiful as ever, walking alongside your hot and apparently talented team.

minutes later, they were standing in the bleachers as quiet as they could. they spotted you.

“A SETTER” atsumu jumped of his seat and had to be scolded by aran who was also surprised by the position you were going to be playing.

“wasn’t expecting that” ginjima talks saying what everyone was currently thinking.

behind them was a couple of guys, who apparently did not know how lower their comments.

“the setter is kinda cute” “wow look at that” oml please even aran who was the voice of reason had the urge to punch them in the face.

still they decided to just focus on your game who has now been started. and even tho they wanted to not do it, they couldn’t help analyzing you and your moves in the court. it was natural, well because they were players and very good ones it’s inevitable for them to compare and to study the way you played more than anything.

they were not expecting you to be this good. almost everything in your technique was polished, your tema work was remarkable and god bless your ability to read the blockers.

but there was a moment when they just saw the panoramic view of your skills. atsumu could see your tired expression, the sweat on your body, he just knew you were feeling now the adrenaline of the last moments of the set.

still you yelled a “we will take it” and then, with the others team hope hanging on a thread, the ball came to your libero, which perfectly passed the ball to you.

there was greed in your eyes, so scary that kita for a moment feared for the other team.

and it was when you did the setter dump that your whole team stood up in pure shock.

who were you and why were you hiding?

sadly the boys screamed way too loud which lead to you, after you made the last point and give the history to your tema, lifted up your gaze and saw a bunch of idiots wearing hats and everything in between.

suna and tsumu ran the fastest in the team directly to the gate, and the with a bunch of losers behind them,

because after everything you were there arms crossed and a murderous look in your eyes.

“IM TOO YOUNG TO DIE Y/N” “osamu shut up!”

they, once you made sure to pinch each and everyone’s ears, starred bombarding questions on how did you managed to learned that and why you did ikr tell them

“come on guys, in school i’m already looked down at just because it’s you! so could you imagine me being a inarizaki student trying to move without your name?”

kita forced them to shut up and aran felt a a kind of guilt

as week as everyone else

“don’t worry y/n, we know now what it’s like to not being your own author.”

and so, they just told you how proud they were.

“maybe we are jerks but y/n we are your jerks, and over there or respect to you has just grown up”

suna the says “you’ve been there all of the time for a while now, i guess it out time to return the favor”

and so ever since then they alwaaaaays try to be at your games

like pls once the referee said one of your serves was out and from the bleachers he screaaaaaaamed, he claims that it was definitely in

kita always gives you some food after a game or practice

talking about practice

even if you are there for being a manager they always try to, at least half an hour before ending practice, they have a quick game with you playing alongside them or just including you in their repeats etc

and goooood bless once again anyone who tried to look down at you.

because after being constantly on you games ofc people started recognizing them as the inarizaki power house

if they heard someone relying your talent on them pls make sure they five them the coldest look ever

like ‘nah bro i dare you to say that one more time’

*knive eyes*

and

even some girls attend your games trying to flirt with them

you know what they do?

they brush them off and say “sorry, my type is y/n” suna says and the are 😳

pretty much everyone does this

come on even aran

inarizaki best boys 🥺🥺🥺

#inarizaki #inarizaki x manager #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #inarizaki x reader #suna x reader #osamu x reader #kita x reader #atsumu x reader #atsumu imagines #hq suna #suna imagines #inarizaki manager #hq headcanons #ginjima hitoshi #akagi headcanons #aran ojiro #aran x reader #inarizaki x y/n #osamu headcanons #iwaizumi x reader #karasuno #bokuto x reader #suna headcanons #haikyuu hcs

[fruitoftheweek]

Little Cherry Book:

Chapter 4:Showered in Sin

Chapter 1 Here / Chapter 2 Here / Chapter 3 Here

Hey guys! I'm sorry that it has taken so long for me to update this. I had an idea of what I was going to write but I had a super hectic week so I wasn't able to write this till now. In order to make up for it, I have given you a treat. A 6,502 word chapter. It kinda beat my ass but I had so much fun writing it. It's sweet, it's spicy, it's all the goodness you guys deserve. I was listening to Duvet by Boa while writing this and I think you should too for two reasons. One, it helps set the mood, but also oh my fucking god it's such a good song. Also, Boa is just a fucking great band. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and message me if you would like to be added to the tag list! Love you guys

Pairing: Spencer Reid X reader

Chapter Plot: After a game of drunk never have I ever after a long case, Morgan locks Spencer out of their shared room. Shenanigans ensue and you and Spencer share a couple of firsts.

Series TW: 18+, smut, degradation, piercing, choking, knife play, mommy/daddy kinks, spanking, exhibitionism, Will update as time goes on

Chapter TW: smut, slight mommy kink, having body piercings, choking, slight blood kink (not really, it's just hard to explain), Shared masturbation (male and female receiving), pleading, multiple orgasms, cumming in pants, shower sexiness, aftercare

Word Count: 6,502

Your deep cherry lipstick painted the white seal of the wine bottle you held in your hand as you laughed at something Elle said. Spencer couldn't help but let a small smile pass his lips as he took in your form, hot from the day's work, small strands of your hair sticking to your forehead, a dewy glow illuminating your rosy cheeks.

After a long week, they had found Carl Arnold before he had been able to kill the Dunken family and even coerced a confession out of him. With spirits running high, Elle had suggested some much-needed relaxation before taking off the next day. Since you were rooming alone, you volunteered to host in your room. Morgan had arrived at your hotel room with two bottles of some sort of liquor, one clear and one amber, JJ trailing in toe with your bottle of red wine you had asked for. You pulled out your little corkscrew with the face of an old man on it, knowing she hated his weird little face. You brought it with you on trips, just in case the occasion arose.

And it did arise as Elle suggested a drinking game. Hotch had retired early after calling Hailey to get an update on his very pregnant wife, while Gideon preferred the solitude of a good book late at night. The rest of you sat on the floor surrounded by drinks and snacks. With the supervision gone, it almost felt like a high school party with no parents. You all had all settled on a classic, never have I ever. "We haven't played this in a long time because we already know so much about each other, but it's fun when we have a newbie around," Morgan said giving you a cheeky smile and bumping your shoulder. Already pliable after the couple of drinks you had while Elle explained the game, you nodded before tipping your lips to the cusp of Spencer's ear. "I'll try not to make it too hard for you, pretty boy," you said. The small puffs of air that left your mouth made Spencer's hair stand on end and his feet curl.

He knew you were teasing him that night and he loved it. He decided to keep his knees tucked to his chest for the rest of the night as to not expose the predicament in his pants. He watched the way you lightly sucked on the wine bottle as you tipped it back, a thin river of cabernet leaking from the corner of your lips and trailing down your neck. Spencer wanted nothing more than to lean over and lap it off of you just to see how you would react, but he knew it was the drinks talking. Despite your earlier comment, it was quite obvious that you were targeting him as his head started to spin gently.

"Never have I ever had sex with someone much older than me," Garcia said through her video feed with a cheeky smirk. Derek had insisted on including her even though she wasn't physically present. She sat bundled up in a comfy blanket in her office with a mug of some sort of alcoholic beverage. "HEY! No targeting! Plus, I told you that in confidence at ladies night. How much is much older?" You said, swaying your bottle towards the computer set up on the floor."You know how much older I mean sweetheart." Garcia said with a giggle as you groaned and took a sip."How much older is much older?" Morgan said with a cocked eyebrow, somewhere between impressed and surprised." I was a college student, experimenting with my professor. Not like an old man, but he was 20 years older than me. Definitely not my style anymore though." You said with a grimace remembering him.

Spencer had learned a lot about your sex life during that game, but some part inside of him smirked, knowing that the rest of the team would never know you as he knew you, not unless they too had read your journal. It was the only thing keeping his head clear of the idea of you with anyone else. Not that you were with him in any capacity, but the idea still made him feel something in his stomach. Not the sweet butterflies that came with your smile, but something more like idiotic hornets dangerously bumping against the walls of his stomach.

Spencer hadn't even noticed the uproar of everyone else around the circle at your comment and the second revelation that Morgan had drunk too. He was too busy watching how you had shyly tucked your hair behind your ear, finally letting it down out of your clips for once. You were wearing your pajamas, just a tank top, slouchy sweater, and flannel pajama pants, but somehow you looked more radiant than ever. He had come back down to earth after hearing someone call his name."Y-Yes?" He sputtered out, realizing you had been trying to get his attention."It's Morgan's turn, pay attention." You said, gently smacking your hand down on his thigh.

If he was riled up before, he was unbelievably undone at the slight sting from where your palm had just been. Light enough that it wasn't noticeable, but hard enough that it erupted a Shockwave through his body, centered on the location of the contact. He bit back the whimper threatening to escape his lips as he turned towards Morgan, trying desperately to not watch you from the corner of his eye.

"Never have I been a virgin at 24," Morgan said, beaming in his direction. Spencer took a big gulp from his glass of whiskey."You always do that one, I don't know why you think it's so funny, you're just trying to get me to drink" he said abashedly. He looked over at you, nervous for your reaction, but you seemed unfazed. "Hey, that's a wonderful gift to have, there's something so special about virgins. Maybe it's the idea that everything is new, but I like it. I love virgins." You said, taking a sip from your bottle, gently swaying. You had given up on never have I ever and just decided to drink whenever you felt like it. Maybe it was because you were tipsy, maybe it was the warm flush that decorated Spencer's cheeks, maybe it was the way he was looking at you with sultry, half-lidded eyes. You couldn't tell, but something made you want to find an excuse for you two to be alone.

"Geese, we seemed to have caught a succubus tonight." Morgan quipped."A suck-you-what now?" You said, cocking an eyebrow at him. " A succubus, it's a demon or supernatural entity in folklore, in female form, that appears in dreams to seduce men, usually through sexual activity. According to religious traditions, repeated sexual activity with a succubus can cause poor physical or mental health, even death. In modern representations, a succubus is often depicted as a beautiful seductress or enchantress, rather than as demonic or frightening." Spencer shot out. "Wow, even when you're drunk, your big brain keeps chuggin' along," you said, sloppily ruffling his hair "A beautiful seductress or enchantress, huh?" That time it came out low, inaudible to the others, but it pierced Spencer like a knife."Do you think that's accurate bout me?" you asked, staring up into his eyes, closer than you have been before. Spencer let a cartoonish gulping noise escape his lips as he held back his urge to lean into your touch.

"Ah, it's my turn," you said, leaning back into your spot in the circle and sadly, away from Spencer." Never have I ever done something naughty at our work," you said, looking straight at Spencer "I'll know if you're lying, I can sniff out a liar from a mile away," your cocky smirk leaking out of your mouth. Everyone except you and JJ took a shot."Wow, really you guys? Even you Spence? " JJ said in disbelief, looking around the circle."Never have I ever, my ass" Spencer mumbled under his breath, just loud enough for you to hear, looking over at you, thinking about your pantieless escapades.

"Look at that, Doctor Reid, you need another drink, let me go fix you one," You said as you grabbed his glass in one hand, leaning and gripping hard into his shoulder with the other. It wasn't seen by the others, but between that and the fiery look in your eyes, it sent an obvious message,' keep your mouth shut or I'll shut it for you.' You used him as leverage to get up, nearly pushing him over as you gracefully stumbled to the hotel fridge. He knew what you meant, but he didn't care, your grip on him went straight into his imagination as he envisioned what that grip would feel like in other places. He kind of wanted to push his luck, just so he could see what he had in store.

And push it he did as you handed him the glass, reminding him that it was indeed his turn to play never have I ever. "Never have I ever slept with my professor," He said, obviously targeting you with a glint of mischief in his eyes."Oh yeah, well never have I ever been a virgin at 24." You said, swaying as you sat down."Morgan already said that, dummy. Never have I ever worn stupid dark red lipstick" He retorted, equally as drunk as you. At this point everyone else had zoned you two out and were focused on other things, refreshing their drinks, counting the ceiling tiles, humming a sloppy rendition of My My Miss American Pie, or in Penelope's case, all three."Yeah, well never have I ever been a complete and utter mommas boy!" You continued, the statement turning Spencer beet red. You watched him clench and unclench his hands, you had obviously struck a nerve. Just as you were about to apologize, he cut you off. "Never have I ever had nipple piercings!" He shouted, pointing at your chest, now drawing attention to the obvious balls framing your nipples that you had once been covered by your long-forgotten sweater.

As he said it, it felt like the world went in slow motion. You could see the instant regret on his face as you dropped your bottle in surprise. It had landed on Spencers discarded whiskey glass and both shattered, wine and whiskey mixing with glass to create a slurry on the ground between them. "Fuck! You Guys!" Morgan said, "You got it all over my clothes." "Me too," Echoed Elle as they both stood up in their soaked clothes. "I think that calls it a night." JJ said, closing the laptop on the image of an already sleeping Garcia." Bye you guys, sleep well," you called after them as you and Spencer rushed around looking for towels to clean up the alcohol with.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" Spencer cried as you dropped the last of the glass in the garbage can. As you rounded the corner, you saw Spencer pulling a rather large shard of glass that you must have missed out of his thumb, blood pooling at the tip. Without thinking, you crouched down and sucked his thumb into your mouth." A-ah! What... What are you doing!?" Spencer asked breathlessly, looking down at you with a deep hunger in his eyes. You pop off his thumb and squeeze it at the base, slowing the blood flow."Shut up," You said," This helps slow the bleeding. The sucking applies pressure. My mom used to do this for me... And no, do not psychoanalyze that." You said, wrapping your mouth around his finger, sucking to provide some pressure to slow the blood flow. You could taste the iron in your mouth, but you didn't mind, knowing you were helping your friend.

You were helping alright, helping in more ways than you would ever understand. "Yeah, like I'm the only one here with mommy issues," he said distractedly, too busy surveying your lips wrapped around him. You slapped your hand down on his thigh once more, eliciting a small whimper from him. He couldn't help it, you were a sight of beauty, you always were, but looking down on you right then, Spencer wanted to bottle that moment forever. The tops of your breasts peeking out from the top of your tank top, your eyes filled with a hazy glow, looking up at him to make sure he was ok, and your cheeks hollowing out around his thumb as you delicately sucked on his wound. It was as close as Spencer had ever gotten to anything sexual. He could feel your tongue swirling around the cut, lapping up the last couple drops of blood. He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if it was another appendage and not his thumb. You sucked on his thumb one last time, harder than you had previously, and before he even knew what he was doing, his hips bucked up, rubbing his hard cock against his pajama pants, finally relieving his mounting orgasm.

You let go of his finger with a pop as your tongue trailed off of the underside of his thumb. Spencer looked anywhere but you, as a wet patch formed through his thin underwear and pajama pants. He hurried to cover it with his sweater, shooting up from his seated position."Um, Um, I'm g-gonna go shower and go to bed." He said, hurriedly scurrying over to where he had left his room key." Sorry partner, I saw Morgan accidentally grab both of your keys on the way out. He's probably asleep by now." You said languidly, leaning back to take in the sight of the soft boy in front of you. Totally flushed with heat, small beads of sweat peppering his forehead, his hands twiddling suspiciously into his sweater in an attempt to conceal crotch, trying and failing miserably to hide his rapidly cooling cum.

He whined a little, lighting a fire in you. He looked so thoroughly fucked out, and all you had done was suck his finger. You knew that you just had to play with him some more. "You know, you can use my shower, doctor." You said, and he let out a small sigh of relief, heading towards the bathroom. "There is one condition, though," You smirked coyly as he halted his motions, his body facing away from you. It was almost as if he was ready to run away at any moment. You walked over to him, slowly, taking your time to tease him. The silence hung heavy in the air as you looked up into his eyes questioningly, waiting for him to ask. "Wh-what is the condition." He said, unable to return your gaze, hands fisted in the hem of his sweater, pulling it down even further. You smirked, dipping your hands up and under his sweater, nearly brushing his spent cock before gently placing them on his bare stomach, just above his waistband. He sucked in a tight breath as you gently swirled your fingers in the short hair that lead from his belly button down to happier places." Before I ask, do you know about the color scale?" you said, fingers smoothing out over his little stomach." Um, k-kinda?" He said, heat flushing his cheeks."Green means good keep going, yellow means slow down, and red means stop right now, ok?" You said, looking up at him as he nods."Come on pretty boy, I need verbal confirmation. I need to know that you understand, got it." You said with a little pinch to his tummy. "Y-Yes, I understand!" He blurted out, standing stiff as a board." Good boy. Now, for my condition. You can shower if you show me what you're hiding." You said, leaning close enough that if Spencer breathed, your chests would meet each other. "What color, Spencer?" you said, languidly drawing lines up and down his torso with your nails."G-Green, Very green." He sputtered out, finally meeting your eyes."That's what I like to hear, sweet boy." You said before your fingers danced below his waistline, now somewhat crusty from his cum."W-wait!" He says, just as you were about to take him in your hand. You instantly stopped and looked up at him gently."We can stop here baby, it's not a problem." You said, beginning to remove your hand from his pants. He grabbed your hand through his pants, stopping your movement."It-It's not that. I don't want to stop, I just want... well..." He said and looked down shyly. "What do you want baby, anything," You smiled up at him. "Um, I haven't had my first kiss yet and I kinda... Well... I kinda..." He said, shuffling his feet, face beet red. Your eyebrows shot up quickly in surprise before letting out a gentle smile."Do you want a kiss, pretty boy?" You said, gently brushing the hair out of his face. He nodded, and you grabbed his chin, bringing him close. "Use your words, pretty boy. What do you want?" You whispered, breath gently ghosting Spencer's lips as he took you in up close. He could see every little pore and dimple of your skin and every color hidden in the depth of your eyes and he knew he needed to have you.

He shakily leaned forward, lips gently meeting yours, so light that if you hadn't seen his actions, you wouldn't have even known if you had touched. You moved your hand down to his throat, giving a light squeeze."Come on genius, use your words," you said as he whimpered. "Please, can I kiss you, please, please?" He begged, leaning into your touch, pleading for you to squeeze again. His efforts shoot straight to your heart. You indulged him in a kiss, not as spicy as the situation would permit, more of a sweet heat. He came in too hot and heavy at first, but you kissed him languidly, gently stroking his cheek to get him in the rhythm. His arms were straight out at his sides, hands clenched as if he was willing every muscle in his body to not touch you.

You let out a small laugh as you melted into his kiss, soft, puffy lips dancing across yours. "You know you can touch me," You said, pulling back, smiling at the smear of your lipstick, now staining his lips, and the endearing puppy dog eyes he was giving you. "Where can I touch you?" He whispered out as if he were telling a secret. "Wherever you want, baby. Wherever your heart desires." You replied, bringing your arms up to wrap loosely around his neck, pulling your bodies closer. He was as stiff as a board as his hands flitted around trying to find a good place to land. He finally settled on weaving his arms around your waist and up to cradle your neck, gently carding his fingers through the hair that fell at the nape of your neck. There was something so sweet in the way he cradled your body with feather-light touches as if you would disappear like smoke if he lingered too long. You reveled in the feeling of you two pressed together, slightly uncomfortable at the stiff material of his pajama pants on your stomach.

"Hey sweetheart," You said, pulling away as he chased after your lips, "I'm feeling kinda sweaty from the day, would you like to join me in the shower? What color?" "G-green, yes please." He said, tentatively pressing a kiss to your collarbone, exposed as the strap of your tank top had fallen down. You unwound from him, taking his hand delicately in your own, instantly missing the warmth his body provided.

You lead him into the bathroom, carefully stepping over the wine-soaked towels discarded on the floor before shutting the door and turning to face him. "I don't want to take this too fast for you because I know it's all very new so always tell me how you are feeling and if everything is ok. I want this to be good for you baby, ok?" You said, squeezing his hand that was still intertwined with yours. "Ok, th-thank you," He said shyly.

"Now, what do you want to do first? You're probably pretty uncomfortable in those pants, do you want me to take them off you?" You said, hooking one of your fingers into his waistband, pulling on in slightly creating a much-needed separation between his sticky cock and his uncomfortable pants."Y-Yes please" He said as you turned on the shower, allowing it to warm up in preparation for cleaning him off before turning back to him. You gently grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it over his head, leaving him shirtless in front of you.

Lean muscles were hidden under a layer of peachy soft skin highlighting the gentle trail of dark curly hair leading from his belly button down past his pants. His arms curled around himself as he watched your eyes carefully, ready for some sort of judgment. "I know I'm not really that s-strong or anything but I can work on it-" You cut him off with a gentle kiss right above his belly button, startling him. You looked up sweetly into his eyes and gave him a soft smile, saying "You are so beautiful, Spencer. Morgan calls you pretty boy, but he truly has no idea. I would have you no other way than you are right now."

You gently peppered his chest with feather-light kisses, making him blush. He finally understood why people liked hickeys because as you trailed down his chest, the little wine red lipstick you had left on your lips left marks trailing down his chest. Some part of him wished they were permanent, showing off to all that could see, and they would know exactly who he belonged to. You dipped your hand into his waistband, asking, "What color?" "Green, very green," he choked out as your breath ghosted across his abdomen. You looked so beautiful, kneeled on the floor in front of him, taking care of him so gently and treating him so sweetly that he could feel his cock begin to harden again.

You looked up into his eyes as you pulled his pants down. He let out a soft sigh of relief as he was uncaged from his unfortunate trouser situation. His cock flipped down out of his pants, nearly smacking you in the forehead as you looked up at it in awe. Even though it was only semi-hard, it was bigger than any you had ever seen before. Spencer looked down at you shyly "it's not that much, I-I know but I've been researching techniques to make up for it in order to give sufficient pleasure for you- I mean for whatever partners I may have, not that I am saying that I won't please you, I dream of pleasuring you! ... I'm digging myself a hole aren't I."He rambled, rubbing the back of his neck worriedly. "Spencer, you are huge. Way more than I have ever had before. See?" You said, standing up, gently lifting his cock in your hand, measuring it against your stomach.

Maybe Spencer hadn't noticed because it was proportionate to his body and his big hands, but being held in your petite hands and measured against your stomach, he finally did see how much he would fill you up. The tip of his dick just barely reached past the gems that decorated your belly button piercing. "W-Woah." He said growing harder at the thought of pushing so deep into you. He looked up to your face, which was preoccupied with looking down at how far he would reach up in you.

Tearing your eyes away from him and up to his own, you flushed, knowing that he had caught you staring. "What would you like me to do next?" You spoke softly. Despite being the only two in the room, you two both talked in hushed tones, worrying that anything more than that would burst the delicate bubble you two had created. "Can we match?" He said, and you instantly understood him, despite the odd vernacular. You began to slip off your shirt, but he stopped you with an arm on your shoulder. "C-Can I do it?" He said shyly. "Of course, pretty baby," you barely get out before he drifted his hands under your tank.

He slowly lifted your top over your head as he took in the soft smooth feeling of your skin against his, goosebumps pricking up wherever his fingers trailed. You stood in front of him, shirtless as he took in your form. He had imagined what your breasts would look like. Nipples always hard due to your piercings, what your jewelry would look like, but nothing could prepare him for the glimmering moonstone gems that adorned your nipples and navel. Everything matched exactly, including the delicate necklace you wore around your neck.

The only thing he liked more than the perfection of your body was the features that made you, you. Some might call them imperfections, but to Spencer, all he could see in you was beauty. The gentle bruises on your skin from tangles with unsubs, the soft stretch marks that adorned your hips like little valleys and winding rivers, the slight blemishes, and hairs. He loved it because you were the embodiment of the confidence he wished for in himself. While he was always nervous about his body and how others perceived him, you loved yourself for exactly who you were, and you loved him for exactly who he was.

He pulled down your pants, gently following the twist and turn of the stretch marks as they winded down your hips, making sure to kneel down to pull them all the way off of you as you delicately stepped out, gently grabbing onto his hair to keep your balance as you swayed. He moaned softly at the gentle tug of your fingers while he stared up at you in awe. You took his hand in yours, coaxing him to stand.

You both stood there, taking in each other's forms for a moment, hands still connected as if by a thread at the pinky before you spoke. "We shouldn't waste water. Let me clean you off, sweetheart." He nodded before following after you into the gentle spray of the shower, steam now filling the room. He marveled at the way that the water droplets cascaded down your body, gently running down your curves. "Come here," you said, pulling him into a gentle embrace under the hot water.

Your two bodies pressed gently together, and Spencer couldn't help but think that you were molded for each other. Not in the way that a sculptor may stick two unmatched pieces of clay together with slip, more like one rock that had been split by the earth finally returning together. Something about your touch felt like home as you gently cradled him under the water.

He was so enthralled in your being that he didn't notice you gently scrubbing him with a washcloth until the scent of your body wash permeated the air. You gently scrubbed his back, washing off the sweat of the day and replacing it with you. He melted into you as your hands reached up, lathering his hair with shampoo. He wasn't sure if it was because he realized you should probably be getting washed too or because he desperately wanted to ride his hands along the planes of your body, but he decided to lather up his hands and wash you as well. "You are such a good boy. Thank you for cleaning me up" You said, resting your head gently on his chest, softly swirling the soap around his back, now finished scrubbing all you could from that angle, waiting to turn him around.

He moved carefully, avoiding your butt, still too nervous to touch. "Make sure you get everything, sweet boy. I like to be clean when I go to bed." You said, gently grabbing his hand and pulling it down to cup your butt. He inhales a sharp breath as he indulged in a gentle squeeze, continuing to wash you. He washed your back but his hands would occasionally drift down to your ass, growing more confident as he unknowingly rocked into you slightly with every squeeze, letting out soft keening noises.

You peeled yourself off of him as he rutted into the air, whining at the loss of friction. "Slow down, naughty boy. Bad boys don't get to touch. Are you a bad boy?" you asked as you placed a finger on the tip of his cock, swirling it in the precum pooling there despite the water's efforts to wash it off. "No, no! I'm a good boy! You're just so pretty, and you feel so good, and you smell so nice, and I wanna touch you, and I want you to touch me, please." He blurted out, looking at you with hungry eyes, begging for more friction. "Where do you want to touch me baby?" you asked as his eyes raked over your body, taking in all of his options. "I want to touch your boobies and your- your-" "My what? You can say it, naughty boy." You cut him off in his stammering. "Your pussy, I want to touch your pussy." He said, the hot water spreading the blush from his cheeks down his chest, tingeing his cock with a pretty pink hue. "What naughty words from such a pretty boy. You can touch-" he cut you off, lunging towards your body before you grabbed him by the throat, squeezing experimentally. Not too hard, not too soft. He moaned, and you felt the vibrations traveling up your hands."Let me finish what I was saying. Naughty boys don't get to touch. They get spanked." You said as he mewled." What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted was that you can touch, AFTER I wash you and after you finish washing me. Only after, you got it?" you said, squeezing a little tighter. "Y-yes." he croaked out. "Good boy," you replied.

You washed out the shampoo in his hair, replacing it with conditioner as he did the same for you. You squirted more soap onto your washcloth, preparing to test him. You took the washcloth in your hand, slowly working over his legs, arms, and chest, teasingly brushing over his overspent cock before returning to cleaning him. He washed you thoroughly, taking care to wash your legs before making sure your stomach and belly button piercing were thoroughly cleaned. Finally, he reached up to wash the leftover makeup off of your face. He touched you like a porcelain doll, worried that you would crack under even the slightest pressure, making you giggle. He flinched, thinking he hurt you, but you grabbed his face in your hands, delivering him a kiss that covered his face in soap.

You both stood there, laughing for a second, relishing the moment before you let out a shy smile. "You can touch my chest now, but make sure you clean my piercings carefully." He looked down at your chest, and now that he'd been given permission, he didn't really know what to do. You could see the puzzled look on his face so you grabbed one of his soapy hands in yours and brought it to your breast. He squeezed experimentally, and you let out a gentle moan. You had been keeping in your arousal to draw out his teasing, but you couldn't hold yourself back as you felt his large hands grasp around your chest and roll your nipple in his fingers.

There was a sweet dichotomy in the harshness of his grasp on your boob, coupled with the gentle twist of your nipple. It was as if he was worried to hurt your piercings, so he made up for it in his grasp. You brought the washcloth down to his cock, hard against his stomach, and began to work him. He whined at the harsh material. "I need to clean you up, baby. You still have a cummy cock. If you beg hard enough when I'm done, I will touch you." You said into his ear as he rested his head on your shoulder.

He was overstimulated, and you could tell, so you decided you wouldn't take as long as you wanted to tease him. But you would still draw it out for your own pleasure. He was bucking and mewling into you as you roughly got him off. It shot you straight to your core, the heat from the shower mixed with his grasp on you, physically and visually, had you closer than you wanted, and deep down you just wanted him to touch you.

When you deemed him clean enough you let the rag drop to the floor. "Beg" you moaned out. "Please, please touch me, I want your hand on me, that's all I want." He whined, bucking into the air. You took pity on him, grasping him with your soap-covered hand. He hissed as your soft touch replaced the rough rag and you could tell he was close. "Touch me, Spencer." You said and his hand shot to your core. His tentative moves giving way to a natural confidence. As he slipped a hand between your folds he could feel you dripping with desire. "O-Oh my god," was all he could stammer out before sinking two of his fingers into your depths, thumb circling your clit. You knew his fingers were long, and you had even fantasized about this exact moment, but nothing could prepare you for his actual length. He had said he did research but that was proven by how quickly he found your g spot and clit. You doubled over in pleasure as his fingers thoroughly fucked you out.

"Spencer, I'm so close, baby. Be a good boy and make me cum." You said, slumping against his shoulder, rubbing yourself against his hand. "Mommy, I'm cumming." He said, looking into your eyes as his body shuttered. His words ricochetted around in your brain, sending you over the edge as you cum all down his hand. You bit into his shoulder to muffle your scream, just as he matched you, cumming down your hand.

You came down from your high as Spencer nearly collapsed onto you. You took extra care in making sure he was all clean before helping him out of the shower and into a towel. He leaned against you the whole time as you got him ready for bed. You forced him to brush his teeth before dragging him to bed.

He sat at the edge, eyes bleary with sleep, taking in the events of the day. You sat behind him, gently toweling off his hair before brushing it and putting lotion on his body. He leaned into your touch, appreciating being cared for, feeling as if everything had been a dream. "C-Can I sleep here? I mean Morgan locked me out and I don't have pants and-" You cut him off with a gentle kiss."Of course, sweetheart, do you want to cuddle? It's ok if you don't or if you want this to be a one-time thing, it's all up to you, baby." You said, gently sweeping his hair out of his face as he looked up with eyes the size of dinner plates. "We can do this more than once? You'll let me? For real?" He asked. "Only if you want to sweetheart. This is all about you." You said, giving him a small smile tinged with a slight sadness. "That's not very fair, I want it to be about you too. What do you want?"

The question knocked you off guard. You're not used to people asking what you want. Usually, people just take and give none in return. The fact that Spencer Reid, your adorable virgin coworker was asking you what you wanted with such a sincere look, caused tears to prick into your eyes. "No one has asked me that in a long time," you smiled, "I would love to do this, and more again with you Spencer. Whenever you want." He wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you down so you were lying next to each other on the bed. "Whenever we want" He corrected, cuddling into you.

You surveyed the bite make you left on his shoulder, running your hand over it. "Sorry for marking you up, I didn't mean to hurt you." You said softly as he blushed. "I-I was actually wondering... well... could you maybe give me a hickey? I like that you marked me." He said. You obliged him, giving him long kisses and sucks, gradually working up your force until a large purple bruise had formed on his collar bone. He was gently moaning the whole time, but you didn't want to work him up again as he had already cum twice that night and you didn't think he could handle more. He looked down at it as you pulled away, and you could see a question lingering on his mind.

"What's up?" you asked, smoothing his hair with your hand. "You said you hadn't been asked what you want in a long time, and I was wondering, well... who gave you your piercings?" he asked tentatively and you laughed." You have been reading my book too much, how many chapters have you read?" You said and he looked up at you surprised."You knew? and... well... only 3 chapters. I didn't want to pry into your private life." He said. "You just pried enough to know I want to get pierced by someone?" You asked raising an eyebrow. Before he could get an excuse out, you cut him off. "Well for a genius, you obviously didn't read it that carefully. I said I WOULD like to be pierced during sex, meaning I have not before. These are just standard piercings from a piercing shop, not a big deal, I just like the way they look." You said and he let out a sigh of relief. "Why? d'you get jealous?" you questioned him. He looked down and nodded shyly.

"I can be a lot of firsts for you but if you play your cards right, you can be a lot of firsts for me too. You already gave me a first tonight. You called me mommy. No one's done that before but it was really hot. I liked it a lot." You said matter of factly. "But that is a conversation for another day. It is 2 am and we need to be on a flight at 7:30, so let's get some sleep." You said, turning off the lights and cuddling up close to him. In a matter of seconds, you both were asleep, tangled into each other's arms, both of you feeling, for once, safe and sound.

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Chapter 1 Here / Chapter 2 Here / Chapter 3 Here

Well wasn't that a doozy. I had so much fun writing that and I think it paid off for sure. Shoot me a message if you want to be added to my beloved tag list, speaking of which.

@spencer-reids-slut @ya-triedit @reidstoychest @flipperpenguins @thatsonezesty13 @jbbarnes-loki @big-galaxy-chaos

#spencer reid smut #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid angst #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds #sub spencer #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid #sub!spencer #pervspence #pervespencer #perve spencer reid #perv spencer reid

[hansolmates]

shiver | 01 (m)

banner done by the wonderful @dnrequests​

summary; jungkook changed since he moved out of his small town church community and attended college. when he returns for a christmas mass, you suddenly crave a taste of his fun and carefree life. in exchange, jungkook craves a taste of you pairing; bad boy!jungkook x church girl!reader genre/warnings; childhood friends to lovers, brief childhood friends to enemies, fwb!au, catholic guilt, jungkook is a meanie who eventually turns into a soft tsundere, bicuriosity, sexual exploration, virgin!oc, eventual smut—in this installment: touching over the clothes, mc is hornee, *pulls out cards against humanity* “a gentle caress of the inner thigh”, panty kissin, mc is a big ol’ pushover and hopeful for jkk:(( w/c; 1.9k a/n; it’s here! aaaaaa!!! i’ve been really eally realllyyyyyy nervous to post this. even though this is just a drabble series  let me know how you feel about it! enjoy [shiver masterpost]

“Oh, you’re so dead.” 

Jeon Jungkook isn’t thaaaat buff, he's more of a skinny kind of muscular. You don’t understand the hype, why everyone croons over Jungkook’s strength and physique. However, how else could you explain Jungkook being able to climb the currently dilapidated fire escape to the top floor of the chapel. The ladder is rusted beyond repair and is definitely a fire hazard rather than a fire escape. Yet he barely breaks a sweat doing it, and he wipes the minor sheen off his brow with the back of his hand. There’s some soot and whatever nasty residue from the fire escape that gets on his face, a black streak marring his already annoying face. He’s currently wiggling his fingers in a sarcastic “hello.” It makes you sneer, your two consciousness (inappropriate and appropriate) warring against each other to determine whether you still find this man attractive or not. 

Convincing yourself that Jungkook is ugly is the worst quick-fix idea you’ve ever had. 

The words of your Aunties, the family friends in the church, echo in your ears. Jungkook’s bad. They’d say over and over. It would cause you to snort and giggle, unable to imagine what sort of things he’s done to warrant such a cliché label. Yet some of the girls your age, girls that have gone off to college agree with sultry looks and longing eyes that yes, Jungkook’s bad. So bad, it’s good. 

You haven’t a clue what he’s actually done to earn such a hushed title, his parents are lip-tight about his doings, unless it’s his achievements in the architecture graduate program. You hear things, though. Things that make you shamefully green with envy, envious of sin. 

As soon as he finds proper footing in the storage room, he goes to the closet, immediately finding his backup clothes. They’re plain white button-downs, awkward long shirts with no shape or definition to them. They belong to the church, and no one ever uses them because they’re stiff and itchy. Yet Jungkook wears them like it’s tailored, and you have to look away when he quickly knots the bottom half of the shirt, fashioning it into a tasteful double knot in order to cinch his lean waist.

“Pretty sure it was just you that saw me,” Jungkook says dismissively, “so it’s fine.” 

This bristles you the wrong way, and you put down the catering covers you were supposed to return to the storage room. You smooth out your Sunday dress, this shade of Boring Beige looking particularly pale in the morning sun. “How do you know I won’t tell?” you turn your nose up. 

“Because I know,” he doesn’t even look at you, focusing on rolling the sleeves of his shirt. You weaken when you see the black shadowing across his forearm. That’s new, then again you haven’t seen him since last Christmas.   

“Know what?” 

“That you have a crush on me,” Jungkook says into the air like it’s common knowledge, adjusting the leather jacket on top of his outfit so the white-startched collar pops on top, “I mean, it’s hard for anyone not to know. You’ve been into me since youth group, Bunny.”  

You hold your breath, counting to ten as you close the door behind you. A vision of you playing “Duck Duck Goose” as a five year old plays in your head, where you’d pick a bushy, big-eyed Jeon Jungkook each time, hopping over to him to pat his fluffy head so he’d chase you around. 

It’s old news, your puppy love for Jungkook. How could you not like him? He's clever and sweet with his mother and always told the best stories in youth group meetings.  Everyone thought your affections were so sweet, and while that attention weaned over time, your feelings have only increased the more self-aware you’ve become. 

With a mind as open and honest is yours, it’s hard to ignore how well Jungkook has grown. What has also grown is your curiosities since the two of you have moved onto university. Jungkook goes to the university uptown, a far drive which only forces him attend masses during the holidays. You attended the local community college, wrapping up a bachelors in some vague major that you’re not attached to. You’re currently looking around for some graduate schools, but unfortunately you’ve been so wrapped up doing duties for Pastor Nina that you haven’t been able to look around properly. 

Jungkook’s probably living a fun life, with the way he’s grown rough and loose, you resent him. 

When you turn back around, Jungkook’s right in front of you, trapping you between his body and the door.  

“Don’t be embarrassed, Bunny,” you furrow your brows, nearly growing cross-eyed when he leans in. “I think your crush is cute.” 

You’re not sure what he thinks of you. Sure, he considered everyone a friend when you two were in youth group, but that was youth group. Premeditated, parents forcing other children to do the same things with each other for years upon years in the hope they’ll practice together forever and ever. Jungkook did not want that, evident from the way he dipped his duties as soon as he got into university. 

You hate how easy he dips back into it though, calling you Bunny and making you feel like a little girl all over again. Bunny, because you’d hop around to him whenever he was in sight. Bunny, because Jungkook had been fondly compared to the wide-eyed, diamond-toothed creature. It was cute when you were five. Now, it’s just discomfiting. 

“Don’t call me that,” you bite, “and I don’t like you anymore.” 

“Sure you don’t,” he rolls his eyes, and you flinch when Jungkook’s hand rests on the curve of your waist, fingers slotting themselves between the pleats of your skirt. “That’s why you’re not moving away when I’m about to put my hand under your skirt. Because you don’t like me.” 

You press yourself further into the door, your skin hot and vibrating. So warm, you feel like you could melt through the door and escape from Jungkook’s gaze. Sure, the young ladies in the congregation talk. Maybe you’ve heard a story or two about Jungkook being seedy, a result of being repressed after years and years of stiff routines and expectations thrust upon him. You could care less about Jungkook’s sexual appetite, until this appetite has reached you. 

“Mm, you’re pretty,” Jungkook’s eyes roam your form, the daisy white blouse doing nothing to barricade Jungkook’s sudden interest in you, “you’ve never been touched like this, have you?” 

“I’ve touched myself like this,” you hiss in defense, and it’s more out of anger than in pleasure. You don’t need a man to comfort you, but Jungkook’s eyes sparkle in mirth at the new information. 

“That’s really sexy,” Jungkook slips down, roams his fingers down to your ankles and plays with the silver buckles of your Mary Janes. You shiver when his hands trail up up up to your knees, the swell of your thighs, and catch right under the elastic seam that holds your secrets together, “but I’ll have you know, it’s different when you have someone hold your pleasure in their hands.” 

You’re in the storage room of your church, fifteen minutes before the Christmas mass, with Jeon Jungkook’s head between your legs. Your skirt is long, and Jungkook doesn’t bother to ride it up your waist. 

It feels more forbidden that way, Jungkook hiding under the fabric of your skirt to get to your honeyed center, sneaking his way in with rough hands and soft touches.

“J-Jungkook,” you whimper, pressing your full spine against the wooden door, “we shouldn’t. N-not like this.”

What is wrong with you? Is it sheer curiosity? Do you just want to know what it finally, finally feels like? You should be pushing him away. There’s red lights flashing back and forth in your brain like sirens. Yet, do you really want to turn away the attention you’ve been aching for years? 

You imagined your first time to be relatively special. The bare minimum, a bed, a talk, and a partner you’re mutually committed to. None of those things are met. Now you understand why all the young women in church whisper about sex like this. It’s a spur of the moment, it’s an unbridled pleasure you don’t want to stop, no matter how forbidden and sinful the act is.  

“How else then?” you feel his deep voice straight through your panties, his lips whispering between the pink cotton like he’s sinking liquid heat into your skin. “I can’t sink my fingers into your sweet cunt during the candle lighting. Or when we open presents with the family after. That would be inappropriate.” 

Your replies come out in breaths, puffs of air that conceal the moans you so badly want to let out as Jungkook pokes and rubs at you. He does nothing beyond the cotton fabric, only slides two fingers up and down your slit as he gathers the arousal between his digits. 

“So wet already, that’s so sexy,” he’s kissing your core, and you sigh fretfully at the pleasure that feels so close yet so far away. 

“P-please, Jungkook…” 

“Please what?” Jungkook teases, fingers slipping back and forth between the elastic of your underwear, “please stop? Please touch me? Please fuck me?” 

The church bell answers that, and Jungkook’s nose knocks right into your bud at the sudden intrusion. You yelp at the jarring stimulation, pulling him from under your skirts as the loud noise echoes in the room. Both of you wince at the pain, the moment interjected. 

“You first,” Jungkook casually opens the door for you, as if he didn’t have you ten seconds away from begging him to make you come. 

You don’t even look at him as you dash away, not bothering to take the elevator in favor of running off the heat. Two minutes before the procession. The church is packed to the brim, only the back seats left. Your family probably gave up on waiting for you up in the front. As you sit down in the corner, you’re momentarily distracted by the beauty of a decorated church on Christmas. Even though you’re part of the decorating committee and commanded most of the design, seeing the stained glass lit up with fairy lights and the poinsettia plants blooming burgundy on the altar, you’re impressed. 

“There’s a draft here, you must be cold.” Jungkook talks to you so politely, a perfect picture of a gentleman as he drapes his leather jacket over your lap. He speaks as if it’s a pleasant surprise, a childhood friend he hasn’t seen in nearly a year. 

You can’t tell him to move when people are watching and Jungkook is seconds from interrupting the procession, so you reluctantly scoot over so he can sit next to you. His scent overwhelms you even more now that you’ll have to sit next to him for a whole hour, lavender and vanilla overtaking your pew. 

The jacket is heavy and heady on your lap, and you force yourself to stare straight ahead. Jungkook cannot weaken you like this, not anymore. 

Thirty minutes later, his fingers are hovering at the start of the homily, caressing your thighs under the jacket with his big hands. A draft? Please. You clamp your thighs together, knocking your knees and hoping they’d lock together for the rest of the mass. Jungkook’s a master key, easily parting his way as if your muscles are pure jelly. You turn your head sharply, glaring at him with all the fire in the world. 

“Careful,” Jungkook mouths, eyes flickering to the symbol atop the podium, “he’s watching.” 

His fingers finally brush the damp blush cotton of your panties, and you shudder. 

#ficswithluv #btsguild #btswritingcafe #kwritersworldnet #btsghostie #jungkook smut #jungkook x reader #jungkook fic #bts smut #bts fic #jungkook angst #bts angst #kpop fic #hansolmates

[shurisneakers]

harmless (vii)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, existential crisis, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, lil bit of angst, clint barton being a lil shit

Word count: 3.4k

A/N: hey shoutout to @ugherik for suggesting a spin on the “A PLATYPUS!??!“ [perry puts his hat on] “PERRY THE PLATYPUS!???” thing. i used it in here, it’s a really small part and probably missable but i tried!! also i like the next chapter better than this one, i just wanted to put this here so it doesn’t seem abrupt <3333

here’s

my ko-fi

if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

Bucky can’t stop staring at the mirror.

He wishes it was for narcissistic purposes. He had enough reason for it to be. His age may be a hundred but he had the youthful exuberance of a very drained sixty year old.

But no, it wasn’t because of the steel cut jawline or thousand gigawatt smile.

After last week’s mini-spiral, he does what almost half the videos on TikTok warn him not to do.  

He got a haircut.

Everyone’s reaction stopped him from following it up with an ear piercing, but he can’t confidently say he didn’t at least consider it once. Maybe a neck tattoo. 

He pulls at a lock of hair. It’s not even longer than his finger.

What did he do-

“It’s just a haircut, man,” he says to no one in particular, almost like he’s trying to reassure himself.

He runs his hands through his hair. It takes lesser time than he was used to.

Steve had told him he looked good. But then again, Steve wore a fugly costume 90% of the time, what did he know?

Clint acknowledged it and didn’t outright call him ugly, which he supposed was a compliment. Wanda simply smiled at him.

“FRIDAY?” he reaches out.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?” comes the automated reply.

“How are you?” It took him some getting used to her, given that she was constantly listening to everything, and in general seemed to go against the universal idea of privacy. 

But his therapist told him he needed to form friendships. 

She didn’t mention it had to be human ones.

“As good as ever. Is there anything I can help you with?”

He wants to ask her what she thinks of his hair until he realises fashion advice from a faceless AI is a new low for him. Maybe ‘Do you think I should crawl into a pit and die?’ would be more appropriate. 

“Never mind,” he dismisses instead. “Any messages for today?”

“A reminder to buy a harder bed because you can’t keep sleeping on the floor.” Ah, that was on Sam’s recommendation three months ago, but he wasn’t going to stop any time soon. “And a text from a contact named Nuisance saying to meet them at the attached location in thirty minutes.”

“Where is the location?”

“The local sports centre.”

“Isn’t that closed today?” 

If he had to go out in public looking like this, maybe he could wear a cap and sunglasses and no one would recognise him. Unfortunately, as he was reminded several times before by anyone with an iota of common sense, it was a stupid disguise. 

Beanie it was, then. Bare minimum. 

“It is, yes.” Fewer citizens to worry about.

“Okay.” He hesitates in front of the mirror again, adjusting the hat on his head. “Thank you, FRIDAY.”

“You’re welcome, Sergeant.”

He stares at the little tuft of hair at the front that refused to stay down no matter how much he shoved it back.

“Come on, man,” he exhales in slight despair. “Whatever.”

____

The lock of the door leading to the pool is easy enough to pick. He can see how you got in without a hitch even though it was closed. 

The deck around the pool was absolutely drenched in water. No one was using it, there was no reason for water to splash out unless it was deliberately kept like this.

He catches sight of you easily, being that you’re the only two people there. You were standing at the end of the hall, head ducked as you scrolled through your phone.

The door closes behind him with a soft thud.

You don’t look up from your mobile when you start talking, “What do you think 6 year olds like?”

Because James Barnes, carbon dated to 1917 and therefore certified young person, would definitely know the answer to this question.

“I don’t know. Lego?”

“Just how much money do you think a teacher makes-”

You stopped mid-sentence, finally lifting your head to catch his eye. He stares back at you, steps faltering when you don’t move.

"Who are you?" you squinted.

What

"It's me," Bucky says, tugging off the dumb beanie and using it to gesture vaguely towards himself. Fuck, he shouldn’t have worn it, it was ridiculous anyway-

"You sound like him..." You narrow your eyes. “You don't look like him.”

Great

He rolls his eyes before putting on a mock scowl. Can't have Bucky Barnes without a sense of eternal disgruntlement.

"Oh hey, that is you." You grin. "You got a haircut."

“I did.” He suddenly feels the awkwardness increase. His fingers fidget with the beanie.

“Nice.” You nod in acknowledgement.

He wants to hit himself at the words that just spill out before he could think about it. “You hate it.”

“I never said that,” you snort. “And since when does my opinion matter?”

“It doesn’t.” But now he wants to know what you think since he didn’t trust anyone else to tell him honestly.

“Must cut down on time in the shower, huh?”

It did.

He shrugs. He shoves the beanie into his back pocket.

“Was it a crisis haircut?” How did you kno- “Are you going to get bangs next time?”

“Shut up,” he says lamely, a dull burn in his cheeks. 

“I know a place where you can get hair dye for cheap. Not technically FDA approved, but I think purple streaks are a good place to start-”

“What are we doing here?” he interrupts, sighing.

“Skinny dipping. Take off your shirt, Barnes.” 

“Funny,” he says dryly, eyeing your shoes when you straighten up.

Ice skates.

“Fine, pants then.” You don’t make any effort to move from your end so he does, walking closer to you. 

“What are those for?” He doesn’t hide the annoyance from his voice when he points at your feet.

“Oh, these?” You look down at them. “Yeah, I’m going to freeze the pool.”

That seems... mild compared to the shit show you wanted to do last time.

“For?” He halts where he is. 

“’M gonna take my friends ice skating.”

“Is that all?” He wants to make a comment about the fact that you have friends but bites it back.

“Today is just a trial run. Tomorrow I’m gonna go freeze the East River.” There it is.

“The East River is not your personal ice skating rink.”

“Not yet it isn’t.” You lift up a middle finger.

It was too early for you to flip him off, even by your standards.

He raises an eyebrow.

Your face scrunches in confusion. You follow his gaze to your finger. “Oh yeah, no, that’s a freeze ring.”

Only then he notices a ring around the finger. From where he was standing he could make out the blue stone that adorned it.

“Joy.” He rolls up the sleeves of his black bomber jacket. “Let’s get this done with, then.”

“No no, wait.” You hold up your hand and he complies, having nothing to lose anyway. You pull out your phone and press a few buttons before shoving it back into your bag and tossing it aside.

The soft sounds of a piano start playing from a boombox near the corner of the room. A child starts singing following a series of knocks.

His eyebrows furrow. “What the fuck is this?”

“The Frozen soundtrack.” You beam at him. “I thought it was fitting.”

He doesn’t know what that is and at this point, he’s too afraid to ask. He can vaguely make out the lyrics being about a snowman but he isn’t too concerned.

He takes one step forward. You immediately point your fist at the ground in front of him, forcing him to jump back when a blast hits right in front of his shoes. Suddenly he gets why the floor is covered in water.

It sounds like a series of cracks as the water starts freezing over, a layer of ice now separating him and you.  

"You ready?” The mischief was woven in your voice as the blasts continued throughout the deck, effectively turning the entire floor into ice.

Bucky takes a step tentatively forward. Not bad. He takes another. Okay.

The third one is when shit starts to hit the fan. His hands shoot out to hold onto his balance when his footing slips from beneath him.

His Nike sneakers aren’t used to snow. They’re used to well manicured lawns and pavement trips to Starbucks and marble floors of the compound. Not swimming pool decks covered in ice.

He can hear you singing in the distance and every time he looks up you’re a little further away, making sure every inch of space is frozen.

It takes him a while to get over the initial fear of breaking his skull and just move forward swiftly with short steps. A goddamn penguin is what he looked like.

“There you go, you’re getting it,” you chirp as you whiz past him. He reaches out to grab at you, only to miss by an inch. He staggers, arms flapping wildly to regain his stability.

He hears crackling beside him. He gets a second or two to watch ice crystals spread through the water before turning it completely solid. You step onto the now frozen pool, testing your weight with one leg before cautiously getting on.

A triumphant smile emerges on your face. “Awesome.”

He manages to press himself against the wall as a form of support. 

There is no point to this whole thing. He knows this. It’s been well over 6 weeks and there is genuinely no point to this.

He realises it again when he moves from side to side, body erupting into a waddle. 

Why is he doing this. He doesn’t get paid extra. He doesn’t get any kind of compensation. All he gets is more wisecracking geniuses, embarrassment and the mortifying ordeal of getting caught imitating a penguin.

The song changes to a woman singing about doing something for the first time, forcing him to pay attention to it. He hears something about ball room and balls and tunes right back out.

Bucky manages to find his way to the actual pool since that’s where you’re twirling around, opting to land on his mental arm in case things go wrong. He takes a sliding step forward, followed by another. Maybe he can do this. 

“If a 200 pound super soldier can stand on this, I suppose it’s strong enough,” you muse, watching him slip and slide as he tries to invent makeshift ice skating.

Unfortunately, his method doesn’t have any brakes, so while he’s too busy trying to move forward, there’s no way to actually stop. He finds this out very soon when he almost launches himself off the edge of the pool.

Something yanks him backwards and back onto the ice.  

“Honestly, this is utterly useless since you can’t really do anything but it’s the most fun I’ve had all week,” you admit when he goes sliding towards the middle, arms flailing.

“You had to pick fuckin’ ice of all things.” He thinks that maybe he’s getting a hang of this. He can definitely move faster than what he was doing like, 10 minutes ago. It’s not like you were going anywhere, anyway. 

“I like to keep things spicy.”

He stays where he is to glare at you. You mouth the words to the song, watching his every move whenever it interested you. 

Okay, change of plan; a temporary distraction till he figures out how to actually get the ring from you. He settles on skating towards the edge of the rink slowly, taking a step off, slipping almost immediately when his foot comes in contact with the deck. 

“Where are you going?” you yell over the music initially but immediately break into song when it ends in a crescendo.

He takes a knee, lifting his metal arm up before driving it into the ground. It shatters magnificently, leaving small shards of ice at his disposal. 

He picks up one of them, waiting for you to complete your dumb twirl. He takes aim, and-

“Ouch, what the fuck?” You stop your off key singing to rub your shoulder where the ice hit you.

He wordlessly picks up another piece to throw at you, hitting you squarely in the leg.

“Stop that!”

He may not be able to move as fast but he can definitely throw. 

“Give me the ring,” he commands, stretching his arm behind his back before releasing another piece to hit your forearm. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” There’s nowhere you can skate to avoid his stupidly good marksmanship. 

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” He shrugs, breaking another patch of ice to replenish his ammo. “Hand over the ring.”

“Over my dead body,” you shriek when a particularly big piece lands next to your feet. You knew he missed that shot on purpose.

“I feel like I’m finally acting my age,” he says casually, finding your darting about in order to avoid him more fun than he initially thought. “Can’t throw pebbles at meddling kids so this is the next best option. Thanks.” 

“If you acted your age you’d be in a casket, Barnes,” you hissed, finding that skating in zig zags helped your cause, but not by much. “I’d be- you bitch- I’d be more than happy to help you get there.”

You raise your arm, ready to send another blast to freeze the water that was starting to melt around him, hopefully, keep him where he was if it froze around him. 

He flinches. You notice immediately, hand dropping slightly when you realise what it looked like.

“I’m not gonna freeze you,” you say, softer than you intended. From what you knew, he had enough and more experience with that and you weren’t going to contribute to it. 

He swallows thickly, giving himself a little shake of his head as if to jolt him out of his train of thought. 

Another piece of ice hits you in the leg. You let out a string of curses at him.

“The more ice you make, the more I have to throw at you, Y/N.” He waits for you to regain your balance when you nearly take a stumble. 

“Shut up, you’re so immature.”

“Remind me whose plan this was again?” No point waiting for you to regain your balance when you fall over only a few seconds later. 

He gathers a few shards in his beanie, tucking it into his belt like a little makeshift rucksack just in case before venturing out on the main rink again. 

It’s more difficult for you to stand without railings to guide you, giving him enough and more time to make his way towards you, staggering and skidding. 

Both of you looked ridiculous. 

“Stay away, fiend.” 

“Ring first.” He holds his hand out in front of you. He even considered pulling you up if you just made things easier.

Next thing he knows he’s on his ass on the ice beside you. 

“I hate you,” he groans, watching as you inch away from him on your knees.

He doesn’t really have any other options so he shoves aside the humiliation and gets on his knees, using his arms to drag him along the ice.

“For the love of Christ, none of us are winning here. Just give me the ring.”

The bitch from the soundtrack sings about letting it go but he won’t. 

“Never,” you shout, sliding away from him as fast as possible. 

You make use of the fact that the top layer of ice is starting to melt, using the ring to freeze it again. His knees and fingers get stuck as the water freezes over but he has super strength. It barely takes him a second to free himself. 

“Great,” he huffs, just settling down on the ice, ignoring the sting of cold that was spreading through his limbs. Running after you wasn’t going to work; he needed a way to get the ring. 

“You won last time, I’m not letting you win again.”

“Are we seriously keeping score?” He watches as you scramble towards the edge.

“No one likes a loser, Bucky.” You use the pool stair railings to pull yourself up.

“Explain why you have friends then.” He can’t help himself this time. 

“Hardy har har.” You roll your eyes. 

He doesn’t make an effort to move. Instead, when you take a step back into the rink, he raises his arm and pummels it into the ice, just to annoy you. 

The ground damn near shakes, pushing you dangerously towards losing your balance again. 

“Are you crazy?” Your arm shoots out in front of you to keep you from falling headfirst. 

“No.” He does it again. This time there’s a crack in the ice. “I’m just very tired.”

“If the ice breaks we’re both gonna be underwater, you moron!”

“Fine by me.” He shrugs. “Freeze it again. I’ll just find different ways to ruin it for you.”

You glare at him. He raises his arm above his head again.

“Fine! Fine, stop.” You eye him as he lowers his arm. 

He reaches for his stash of ice pieces from earlier, throwing one at your shoulder again.

“Boy, I swear if you don’t stop doing that-” you duck when another one comes at you. You had no idea he could be this annoying. 

It suddenly hits him, like a lightbulb going off in his brain. He wipes his hands off on his jacket, getting on all fours before slowly managing to pick himself up again. 

He looks at you, tilting his head slightly like he was studying you.

“What?” you ask suspiciously, eyeing as he starts inching closer towards you. “What are you thinking?”

It’s like watching a newborn deer stumble its way through the world, albeit more gracefully, until he starts picking up speed. The motherfucker was going to mow you down.

The skates are useful but not so much when an extremely determined bumbling oaf is barrelling towards you, his speed beginning to match yours even without equipment. 

You don’t know why you’re running, you don’t know why he’s chasing after you but when you see the end of the pool you take a sharp left only to have him knock right into you, sending you both sprawling.

You land half on top of him, breaking your fall but it doesn’t stop the very loud groan that escapes your mouth. He’s already in the process of sitting up straight, giving you less time to analyse what just happened.

“What the fuck was that for?” you speak through gritted teeth. “Fuckin’ acting like the both of us have free healthcare.”

“You refused to give up.”

“So your plan was to tackle me like a quarterback?” You threw your hands up.  

“One part of it.” He drags himself to the edge, away from you. 

“There's more to your monkey brained plan?” He doesn’t look at you. The ice around the pool has more or less melted, letting him gain proper footing on the floor before he stands up. 

“Oh, yeah.” He turns to you. “The other’s a trick I stole from Stark.”

Bucky holds up the ring. Your jaw slightly drops, eyes searching your finger for the now missing piece of tech. 

“Suppose that’s two points for me?” 

You’re impressed. You also want to stab him. So you do the next best thing.

“When I imagined you holding a ring in front of me, the circumstances were very different,” you comment.

“Bye, Y/N.” He spins on his heel, not even giving you a second’s worth of reaction. You found it amusing.

He heads towards the door, clothes all wet. He empties out melted ice water from his beanie before stuffing it into his pocket. Just when he’s about to leave, you remember something. 

Do you mean it genuinely or just because it has an effect on him? 

“Just for the record, Barnes, about your hair-” you call out, earning his attention from over his shoulder. “I think you look really good either way.”

The world may never know. 

You swear you can see the corners of his lips quirk upwards before he turns around again. 

He slips on a block of ice, cursing and clenching on to the door to keep him upright, quickly yanking it open and leaving before he has a chance to embarrass himself further.

Smooth.

Next part

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #mcu fic #bucky fic #bucky barnes fic #bucky fluff #bucky barnes fluff #bucky angst #bucky barnes angst #harmless fic #winter soldier x reader #Winter Soldier #bucky barnes #bucky

[izukusjoyfriend]

Deku and Bakugou analysis,a bit of a KatsuDeku theroy post.

Warning!!! This thread is very long and has suggestice themes. Please proceed with caution.

"After that, he lit a fire under me like that"

That's way to sus.

One thing I've noticed too,Deku refers and reacts to Bakugou differently than big heros,even ones that he strongly admires,like,really admires,like all might.

Which makes me thinks..Is all the romantic-like shit done on purpose?

Stuff like this:

That first line translates into: The burning longing in my chest will not disappear.

Second line:I want it to change

He said he daydreams about him and Katsuki in some opening I don't remember.

Stars are VERY prominent with them to,after when Deku said that sus line,he looks up at a star,and saids,he wants it to change,ya know,there is also another song about Katsuki and Deku,Its Polaris. It being about Deku and Katsuki,makes a lot of sense.

Heres why;

"If I could go back and give up everything I had,I would never hide my scars for anything. No not for no one"

When Katsuki bullied Deku,he was scar-ed.

It makes sense. He regrets what he did to Deku. Hes trying to Atone. He absolutely hates what he did to Midoriya,and The line saying,"No,not for no one". It makes sense!

Katsuki hid his scars and tried to act like a big and tough boy,which in reality..

He was the weak one. That's canon,that was touched apond in the manga

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

"Say goodbye ,I don't have the strength to let it all end,I would give all and everything if we could mend,All I wanted was you to stay and not disappear,I've decided I will follow my heart,Promise yours will always be right near me.."

Makes a lot of sense. Let me explain,The "Say goodbye" line is a play on deku leaving U.A,and after that..Bakugou saids this,

"I don't have the strength to let it all end!"

Which is..f***ing heart breaking.. Alright let me bring this up,

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

Yes, Izuku's exhaustion and pain is the primary focus, but those tiny details imply that Katsuki Bakugou, the guy who has had a strict bedtime and diet his whole life, who puts every bit of effort into his own health, has completely disregarded his self-care to go after Izuku. Which also implies that his body didn't just move on its own when he risked his life for Izuku. It's further evidence that he isn't just trying to atone for his own sake. This guy straight up stopped taking care of himself because he was WORRIED for Izuku. He stopped sleeping in favor of searching. He reaggravated a very serious injury (one that he got already protecting Izuku) in order to protect him AGAIN.

Which..Makes sense... It shows more of a..Softer caring side of Bakugou. It explains it itself.

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"I would give all and everything if we could mend,All I wanted was you to stay and not disappear,I've decided I will follow my heart,Promise yours will always be right near me.."

Wow. If this is Katsuki..Its makes a lot of sense.. He would give..A lot for him and dekus friendship to be better again. That's why he did the training with him.

He would do anything to make the connection with him and deku because..He,wants to mend with Midoriya. Repair the friendship..

But what is really interesting and important is,that,He said "I've decided I will follow my heart,promise yours will also be right near me!" Which means,it wasn't just not his mortal compass..It was also where his,Heart was leading him too..

Which means,Bakugou doesn't just want to mend things for sake of mortality and heroism,but also,it's because..He feels that he should. And I would say he feeling like he should do this because he feels bad for deku,BUT,he said he wants deku heart to stay near his..which means:

"Close to your heart" is an English idiom describing something or someone dearly loved. It can be used to describe anything that has earned a great deal of affection from a person, often through familiarity with it over time. The meaning of this phrase comes from the fact that the heart is considered the organ of the human body that is the source of all love and affection. As such, anyone or anything that resides close to it will be on the receiving end of those feelings."

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OHHHHHH----- KATSUKI---

It could be platonic-- but...he wants..There..Hearts to be close?? That's oddly specify..He could just say he want them to be close..The thing is,he didn't even have too say anything about hearts..Hearts are symbolized as,a love thing.

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You're probably asking "Why does this matter???" Well..Ummm..Look at the background. There bubbles,the trope which is used is called love bubbles.

A romantic moment in anime is often accompanied by a pastel background with lots of bubbles. Nobody knows who wanders into all these series with an invisible bubble machine, but maybe they should stop before they get soap in somebody's eye...

Is..Is he blushing..? That explains the bubble and sparkles..

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HuH..???? HOW-

Look I don't know what to tell you.

But if that's not romantic,then I don't know what it is.

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Peace sign is confirmed to be a bakugou and deku song. He calls this story,MY HERO ACADEMIA,"OUR STORY"...huh..Remember the song "Datte atashi no Hero?" He also called bakugou his hero. Let that sink in.

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Remember shout baby...? Heres more crap to make Bakudeku romantic.

Let's go over that one line again..

Can't sugar code it. Nope. That's romantic in nature. Unless deku has fucking heart problems,this is romantic. No doubt on my end.

Heres something that just plain romantic.

"It’s frustrating that this unusual scent of hair made my heart flutter. So I hid my lips that’s forming a smile under my scarf.."

Wow... This sounds like Bakugou.

Let me explain why it does sounds like Bakugou. Frustration. About something small as that seems like him. It sounds like him too. And also,Bakugou rarely smiles.. I wonder what they where doing which made his heart flutter.

And why it's romantic..? Hear the way that's worded. The person hide the lips after their heart flutters.

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Alright let's go here. This is a song that supposedly between Bakugou and Deku.

Let's see it here,

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And the kanji used for this song is not helping.

They use the words like "Suki" Suki is only plantoic when revfiring to non humans. Deku uses it to Katsuki at the end of the song in another translation like this,

Suki da suki da suki da suki da

Context clue:

Suki da,

好すだよ。

Suki da yo.

I like you.

This phrase is commonly used in everyday life. It reveals to the interlocutor that you have feelings for him. It is up to him to interpret the strength of your love.

To avoid misunderstandings, do not tell people with whom you have friendly relations. I already imagine your Japanese friends feeling uncomfortable because they think you are trying to get out of the friend-zone. 

Kimi ga daisuki da yo.

大だい好すだ。

Daisuki da.

I really like you.

Daisuki implies that you are a big fan of something when you talk about an object, food or a sports team. This is also the case when you talk about an artist, an athlete or some other famous personality.

But when you say that to someone, it implies that you have strong feelings for that person. These feelings must be beyond normal friendship.

........

*Sigh*

Here's more of the song

"Update! I want to fly, to fly, just to fly so far away, away from here. It can’t be anybody else, I don’t want anybody else. Because I don’t want to regret, I’ve got to say it now,I love, I love, I love, I love,I love being here with you."

The more I read into it. The more the song sounds like Katsuki. And it make sense if somewhat of update is sang by Katsuki.

Think about it. The song said this,

"It's not what you do,or what you say,it who you're with."

And if you think about,someone of these song lyrics sound like Katsuki himself.

This song is blunt. Blunter,then fuck,and you know who's blunt..?

Katsuki.

I'm not saying he sang all of it.. No. Update actually in the outro points about Deku and makes him the main focus. But,these lines make more sense for Bakugou then Deku,

"If you are, you are, you are, you are,If you are with me,Not back, not down, but the reason I was able to see the front only was,You were here"

Those lines make more sense for s5 bakugou and up,then s3 deku. Let me explain why. "The only reason I was able to see the front is because you where here" remember the apology..? If you don't it's chapter 322

Also for a second,let pay attention to this

It can’t be anybody else, I don’t want anybody else.

That's literally at least saying that Katsuki is VERY special to deku. And the context for this is that,who he'd run away with. It's basically saying he'd spend his life with Katsuki away from everybody else..and he would be..Fine..?

That really saying something about his favoritism to Katsuki-

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SEE WHATS WRONG...? If ya don't then,here;

It's really just explains itself,Katsuki and Deku are the only ones here.

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