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14buddy22 · 10 months

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How You Get The Girl

Part 1: You’re Losing Me / Masterlist

AARON HOTCHNER REDEMPTION ARC WC: 2.9K

Based off “How You Get the Girl” by T.Swifttttt

6 months.

That’s how long you’ve been without Aaron and Jack in your life. It was the worst. You knew he was happier without you. You weren’t holding him back anymore.

But you weren’t happy. You thought you would be happy without Aaron and Jack. But losing them was the worst thing to happen to you. You gave Aaron the ultimatum because you wanted to be happy, you wanted him to be happy, but it came back to hurt you.

The few dates you went on with the owner of the bar were wonderful, but he just wasn’t Aaron. Everything the guy did, you only thought about how Aaron would’ve done it. When you told him you weren’t ready for a relationship, he understood. He just asked that you told Aaron how you felt.

But you couldn’t. How could you just “waltz” into Aaron and Jack’s life again. Jack could never forgive you. You had been in his life for almost 4 years, and you left. You were a mom to him and you left him.

You had seen him one time, on the playground. You were going to walk over and say hi but then you saw Rossi and Aaron and decided to go against it. You couldn’t just show back up in their lives, especially after leaving them.

You missed Jack dearly. He was just a child. You always wanted to be a mom. Being a mom to him for 3 and a half years was the best thing ever. You and him had a special bond, and you were a complete asshole because you let your “happiness” get in the way of that. You were never happy after you lost Aaron and Jack.

While you missed the early morning breakfasts, the spontaneous dance sessions, the rainy movie days, and everything else with Jack, you’ll never forgive yourself for not staying, for not fighting harder for you and Aaron. Something had to give in the relationship, you had just wished that it wasn’t you.

You wished you had given Aaron a different ultimatum. Maybe you should have tried and compromised. But you didn’t, that’s on you. This pain your dealing with is going to take forever to get over. Everytime you see a father and son in the store or on the street, you could only think about Aaron and Jack. Everytime you went shopping, you couldn’t help but go down the office supply aisle and look for the refillable ink for Aaron’s pens. But you could never buy them, you didn’t have Aaron in your life.

Every little thing reminded you of those two boys in your life. You were so much happier with Aaorn and Jack in your life. Aaron was trying, yes there were the missed dates and the broken promises, but you’d rather have the missed dates and broken promises all over again than feel the way you do now.

Alone, Upset, Miserable.

You had still been living with Penelope, both of you decided that it was the best living arrangement. You tried to move out but she insisted you stayed. She had a personal chef, especially because she was not good at cooking, she had a gossip buddy, and you two got to remain friends, even though you and Aaron were broken up.

Penelope filled the voids of your emptiness. She did everything she could to make you happy. She was home every night with you. While she worked for the BAU, she very rarely got to travel, but, you think that after you explained to Aaron why you were breaking up with him, he made her stay back even more, especially when he found out you were living with her.

**** Earlier that day ****

Penelope had barged into Aaron’s office. Not caring what he was doing. He looked up from his paperwork and he said, “Penelope? What’s the problem?”

“Sir, I need to be honest with you. You need to go after Y/n. You love her? Don’t you?”

“Of course I do, but I want her to be happy. That’s my number one priority. She was not happy with me, so, I did what was reasonable. I let her go. I will always love her, but I will always want her to be happy. Even if that’s not with me.”

“But, sir, it is with you! She still loves you. Yes, she’s gone out on a few dates with that guy but they never had sex yet! That’s a sign she still loves you.”

Aaron rolled his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t believe he was listening to this. As he shook his head, he looked down at the pen in his hand. His heart stopped for a brief moment. These were only the pens he had kept in his home office. He doesn’t know how they got here.

“Penelope. I don’t care if she’s had sex with them. I lost her. There’s no coming back from this.”

“Yes there is. Trust me. She still talks about you and Jack. Her room is decorated with pictures that Jack had drawn her. There are framed pictures of you kissing her cheek. She still wants you. She’s not happy. She’s alone. She’s miserable. She needs you. She was happy with you.”

“She left. I lost her. How could she be happy with me. Something had to give, Penelope.”

“She just wants change, Aaron. That’s all she wants. She thinks about what went wrong and we talk about it every single night. She still loves you, Aaron. She just will never come into yours and Jack’s life again because she doesn’t want to cause you two any more pain than you’ve already been through.”

Aaron thought back to what you and him had talked about during your fight. He scoffed and said, “She’s a people pleaser. She’ll suffer just to make others happy. She needs herself to be happy.”

“Aaron. You make her happy. I promise, if you were to ever talk to her again. She’ll take you back. She’s only thought of a million scenarios where you and Jack come back into her life. I promise. If you think about this, think about how you want to change to be in a better relationship the second time, now’s your chance, Aaron. I can’t stand to see her miserable anymore. If you don’t want her in your life, you need to let me know now so I can be honest with her and help her come back to reality that you won’t be in her life anymore.”

Aaron couldn’t stop Garcia fast enough from talking. He needed to get you back. He had a second chance. Well, that’s what she was telling him. When she walked out of his office, he sat there contemplating how he was going to get you back after how he lost you.

It wasn’t long before it was storming, he didn’t realize how bad it was, but if he wanted you back, he needed to do it today.

****

It was storming really bad out. Streets were flooded, some parts of town were out of power, luckily the BAU wasn’t on a case so you were thankful Aaron was home with Jack. Jack still wasn’t a fan of bad storms. He thought they were cool, but he still loved to be cuddled up on a couch or sleep in bed with Aaron. And at one point, he loved to be with you.

Penelope was making popcorn as you two decided to have a movie night. We heard the crack of thunder and it began to downpour even harder. You didn’t realize how hard it was raining until the TV went silent for a split second, the lights flickering.

“Geez, it’s really raining out there. Anybody who is out in this weather right now is insane.”

As you and Penelope got settled in on your respective seats on the couch, she handed you a bowl of popcorn and a napkin.

“Thank you, Penelope. And not just for the popcorn, but everything. From helping me and giving me a place to stay so I don’t have to look for a new apartment, for being my therapist and listening to the problems Aaron and I had, for telling me how he’s doing at work and how Jack’s been doing. I mean it. It’s been 6 months without them, I want him back, but I can’t go back. I gave him the ultimatum, he needed to realize that I was serious. If I run back to him, what does that show? That this whole thing was my fault, especially when I’d go crawling back. I wanted him to realize when I moved out that he lost me and I wanted him back, I never realized that he would actually be better off without me.”

“Oh sweetness, he hasn’t been better off without you. He’s been taking it hard. He’s not the same person he was when he was with you.”

Part of you wanted to break down and cry. You caused his heartbreak, yet all you wanted him was to be happy. You assumed that letting him have the BAU would make him happy, he didn’t have to come home to a fiancé who complained about his broken promises.

“Let’s begin the movie before we’re both sobbing.”

As Penelope found the video, there was a knock on the door. You stood up, immediately making your way to the door and looking through her peep hole. When you looked through you saw Aaron shaking from the rain, he was cold.

You threw open the door, looking at him, he looked handsome, even if he was soaked from the rain, he looked beautiful. But that’s not what you cared about.

“Aaron! Are you insane?”

Penelope sent a picture to the BAU (minus Aaron) of Aaron and you at the door and said, “Operation get those two back together is in the final stages.”

“It’s been a long six months and I was too afraid to tell you what I want.”

What was going on? Aaron’s at Penelope’s door. You hadn’t talked to him in 6 months, but he’s here. He must have realized that he had lost you. He had to be holding on to some type of hope or faith to think it’s how he’d get you back.

“Aaron, let’s get you out of that suit, you’re gonna catch a cold. And is Jack home alone? He hates storms, Aaron.”

Aaron didn’t budge. He just grabbed your hand and pulled you into the hall.

“I want you for worse or for better. I would wait forever and ever. I broke your heart, I know that. But I’ll put it back together. Like I said, I would wait forever and ever. I was sitting on our couch the other day, in our sunroom, just remembering how it used to be. How the last good memory I have of us was from that morning 6 months ago. It hurt taking down those pictures of us, me kissing your cheek. Those were my favorite ones that I had framed, because you were so caught off guard in them. They were my favorite pictures because that was always my chance to surprise you.”

You couldn’t help but look at him with the most empathetic eyes you ever had. He must have come to his senses that he lost you, or, got close to losing you forever.

“When you told me that I was losing you, I couldn’t believe. I didn’t want to believe it. I lost my mind when I left you all alone and I never told you why. That’s how it works and that’s how I lost my dream girl. God, I miss you. I miss your scent in the morning. I miss when Jack used to be happy to come into our room, now he won’t even step foot in there. I missed that I had someone to come home, too. Someone who told me I was doing my best job, nothing more could have been done. I miss the one who put me above herself. I’m not saying that to be selfish, but I miss it because the date I went on, she only cared about herself. I compared her to you. No one will ever be you. I want you. I want the girl who notices what my favorite brand of pens are and secretly refills them. I want the girl I can come home too and not be screamed at even though I messed up and should be yelled at. I want you. I want all of you. I know I might have lost you for good. You told me that. I’m willing to compromise and cut back on my hours and if we schedule a date, I’m going to make sure you and I go on that date. Because i saw what you looked like on a date with another guy. I saw how happy you were as a live band was playing. You were dancing in the street and I want to be the one to spin you around. I want to be the one who dances with you when no one else is dancing. I want you for worse or for better. I’ll wait forever and ever just to get you again. I broke your heart, I’ll put it back together. I promise you that. I want to get you back.”

Just as he caught his breath, you stepped forward and kissed him. Wrapping his arms around you, he pulled you closer to him. The kiss was 1000 times better than your first kiss. You know Aaron meant every word he just confessed to you right now. That kiss proves he knew he lost you the first time, and he would never lose you again.

“I’m not going to lose you anymore. It’s you and me until the end of time. Those 6 months were hell without you in my life, I never want to live through that again.”

“I love you, Aaron.”

As you pulled him into Penelope’s apartment, he shut the door behind him and he said hello to her. You excused yourself and apologized to Penelope but she stopped you before you could even say anything else.

Closing your door behind you and Aaron, he pushed you back up against the door, kissing you again. You began to take off his wet suit and as you got him stripped out of his clothes, you stopped just as he was in his boxers.

“Who has Jack?”

“Jack is with Jess. He wanted to have a sleepover there. You know, he misses you.”

You pushed him back against the bed and made him sit down. You moved around the room, grabbing a pair of his sweatpants and tshirt that you had stolen and never gave back after the break up.

As Aaron put his sweatpants on, he pulled you onto his lap, kissing you once more.

“6 months was a long time without you. I never want to be without you for that long ever again. Please come home. Jack misses you, I miss you. I still want to marry you. It’s our 4 year anniversary today, in case you forgot.”

“How could I forget?”

You ran your fingers through his soaking wet hair. You took him in. It’s been 6 whole months since you got to be with him. But it’s probably been over a year since you were having an emotional, vulnerable, intimiate moment with him right now.

“Aaron, I love you. If we do this, we get back together, get married. Things have to change. I can’t go through that again. I can’t do the broken promises. I can’t have a baby with you if you won’t help be a parent to them. I want to have a baby with you because I know you’re an amazing father with Jack, but I want our baby to have those moments with you. Maybe even more moments that you missed with Jack. You told me that was your biggest regret in your life, was not being there for the little things. If we’re going to do this, let’s do this right.”

“I told you. I’m going to fix your heart that I broke. I’m going to do everything to change. I’m going to do it the right way. Thank you for bringing me to my senses. Thank you for giving me a second chance, well more like the millionth chance. But thank you.”

As you and him made your ways onto your respective sides of the bed, you got under the covers with him. When he pulled you into his arms, he waited until you were long asleep in his arms before he decided to close his eyes.

He lost you the first time, he sure as hell would never lose you again. Confessing his love, he wanted to get you back. He wanted to get his girl back, and he did. He would forever be grateful for it.

****4 years later****

As you and Aaron celebrated your 3 year wedding anniversary, 8 years of being together, you were sat around the dinner table with Jack and yours and Aaron’s twins. Within 4 years, you and him had your twins, a boy and a girl, and countless memories with your family.

As you were looking through the photo album, there was a note that had slipped out. When you grabbed it, Aaron tried to grab it from you. You opened it and read, “How You Get the Girl T. Swift”

“Aaron Hotchner. You did not win me back by acting out a Taylor Swift song in real life.”

Aaron smiled and took the note back from you. He kissed you, leaving Jack scrunching his face up and the twins clapping.

Aaron said, “That’s how it works. It’s how I got the girl.”

Tagging: @matcha70sugar @rosesinmars @imnotsiriusyouare

#aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner fic #aaron hotchner x you #criminal minds fanfic #jack hotchner #aaron hotchner #HAPPY HOTCH HOURS #aaron hotchner angst #aaron hotchner x female reader

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slaymitchabernathy · 25 days

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Wrapped in a Bow

It’s late when Coriolanus gets home.

So late.

The guilt eats him alive as he pushes the elevator button to take him to the twelfth floor. He lives in the penthouse of course.

He knows she’ll be waiting for him, she always is. Even if she falls asleep in the process he knows Soarynn won’t go to bed without him. At first he’d been slightly put off by it.

Why would she wait up for him when she could be asleep?

But then he began to love it, cherish it. And the more sick and twisted side of him was filled with pride that his girlfriend chose to wait for him each and every night. He knew his other friends couldn’t say the same.

He’s quiet when unlocking the doors and walking in. The penthouse is dark except for a faint glow coming from the living room. And he can hear a muffled voice, someone is talking but he knows it’s not Soarynn. He walks further into the apartment and finds his girlfriend in her usual spot, curled up on the sofa with a blanket, wearing one of his pullovers. She looks so beautiful, so angelic while she sleeps.

He turns his attention to the television where Lucky Flickerman’s television show is playing softly. He knows why she’s watching him this late at night and it’s not because she’s a big Lucky Flickerman fan.

It’s because she’s scared to be alone.

That’s probably what makes Coriolanus feel the worst. Knowing that while he’s at the office or at some company dinner Soarynn is home alone, anxiously waiting for him to get back.

She’s fine during the day. She goes out with her friends, goes shopping, gets her nails done. But when the sun sets she gets nervous.

Coriolanus walks around the sofa and reaches down for the remote, turning off the television before he gently scoops Soarynn off the sofa, inhaling the sweet scent of vanilla. She’s always smelled like vanilla. He’s always smelled like roses.

A perfect pair it seems.

Soarynn begins to mumble when they reach the bedroom, finally stirring from her sleep. “Hi pretty girl,” he whispers, nudging the doors shut with his foot. Soarynn slowly opens her eyes, nearly taking his breath away. She’s always been so stunning.

Soarynn reaches out and brushes his cheek with her finger tips as if she can’t believe he’s real. He often finds himself wondering the same thing about her.

Is this real? Is she real? Does she really love him?

He likes to think it’s real. He knows his love for her is real. “Coryo,” she whispers, “you’re home so late.” Coriolanus swallows at her statement and carefully sits down at the edge of the bed, holding her a little tighter in her arms. “I know, I got held up in a meeting and one thing led to another and I lost track of time. I’m sorry Soarynn.”

He knows it affects her. Upsets her. He’d be pretty upset too if he was in her position, waiting at home for her to get home just for her to be late and come home exhausted, barely able to give him any attention.

Soarynn doesn’t say anything but her eyes do. He chooses to ignore it, smooth over it. “I’ll make it up to you,” he promises with a kiss on her head. Soarynn simply hums and closes her eyes letting him watch her sleep for a while before he puts her to bed so he can shower.

Coriolanus thinks of what he could do to make it up to her. All his late nights. He knows that at the end of the day everything he already does for her is more than enough. He pays for everything and makes sure Soarynn is well taken care of.

Soarynn already has everything she needs.

So what do you get for someone who has everything?

꧁ ꧂

“And what breed are they?”

Coriolanus asks the question as he looks down at the pen filled with small kittens who are all looking up at him. He must look like a giant to them.

The shop owner reaches down and picks one up, one with white and gray fur, “They’re ragdolls Mr. Snow, very sweet and they’ll fall asleep in your hands almost instantly.”

Just like Soarynn, he thinks, looking at the small cat. It’s not secret that his girlfriend can fall asleep nearly anywhere although she prefers to be in his arms.

Coriolanus nods, gingerly taking the kitten from the owners hands. It’s so small and warm, so fragile. And it does almost immediately fall asleep in his hold. Which is good in his opinion. He doesn’t need a car running around the apartment in the middle of the night. “You’re welcome to choose which ever one you like,” the owner says.

Coriolanus almost wishes he brought Soarynn with him but this is meant to be a surprise. He looks back down at all the kittens and one in particular catches his eye. It’s all white, jumping onto its siblings and when it looks up at him he swears he’s looking into Soarynn’s eyes. The kittens nose is so pink and he knows in that moment that this is the kitten for him.

“I’ll take the white one,” he nods to the small feline. The owner smiles, “Excellent choice sir. She’ll be the perfect companion.”

He sure hopes so.

The shop owner provides a box for transporting the kitten and he pulls out a roll of ribbon. “Would you like me to tie a little bow around her neck? I know the ladies love a gift that comes with a bow.” Coriolanus hadn’t really thought of the presentation aspect of this surprise but he knows Soarynn will love it. “Yes please, the bow will do quite nicely.”

꧁ ꧂

It’s a strange thing to walk into his apartment with a kitten in a box.

She hasn’t stopped meowing since they left the shop and he’s beginning to worry that she might never shut up. Thankfully she quiets down once he opens the lid to the box and shoots her a stern look. If she wants to live in his house then she’ll need to learn that his world is law.

“Soarynn?” He calls out, noting her keys on the entry way table meaning she’s home, “Where are you darling?”

He can see a few shopping bags in the kitchen but Soarynn is nowhere to be found. “I’m in the bedroom Coryo!”

Coriolanus makes sure the box is properly closed before walking to the bedroom where he finds his girlfriend sitting on the bed with her legs crossed while she folds clothes. They have a maid who comes once a week to do laundry but Soarynn often has a specific outfit in mind for an event and she takes matters into her own hands and does the laundry herself.

Coriolanus certainly isn’t complaining. Not when she does his too.

“Hello my love,” she says sweetly, looking up at him. She looks perfect as always. She’s wearing one of her silk nightgowns which means it’ll be a night in. It’s only six o’clock but Soarynn often prefers to lounge around before going to bed. She’s like a cat in more ways than one. She’s quite tedious when it comes to grooming herself. She has soft hair, startling eyes and she nearly purrs whenever Coriolanus touches her just right.

“Doing laundry are we?” He asks, stopping at the foot of the bed to watch her. It’s mostly lingerie which brings a smirk to his lips. He loves seeing her in it almost as much as he loves ripping it off of her. Soarynn hums, “Yes, I thought I should go through it, get rid of some of my older pieces.” When she goes to look up at him her eyes land on the box. The pretty pink box.

“What’s that?”

Coriolanus smiles, “Just a little gift. I know you get lonely when I’m at work so I bought you something,” he says, placing the box down infront of her. Soarynn gives him a nervous smile as she goes to open the lid, “Coryo you really didn’t have to get me anything,” she says softly, taking the lid off.

The gasp that leaves her mouth makes it all worth it for him. Watching her eyes widen as she looks down at the white kitten. She reaches in, ever so gently picking up the kitten in her hands. “Oh my goodness, oh my, oh, Coryo she’s beautiful. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh, she’s perfect.”

Soarynn smiles at the kitten who is instantly taken with her and reaches out its tiny paws towards her face. Soarynn giggles and brings the cat towards her face, nuzzling her nose with the felines pink one. “Oh, aren’t you the sweetest thing?” She asks the kitten, grinning when she hears a small meow.

“Do you like it?” Coriolanus asks, feeling it’s his duty to ensure Soarynn is thoroughly pleased with everything she gets, even if it’s a cat. Soarynn nods and beams up at him, “I love it. I absolutely love it Coryo, thank you.” He smiles, pleased to see himself as the loving and doting boyfriend once again.

Soarynn sets the kitten down and lets her crawl around on the bed, “She’s perfect,” Soarynn whispers, “wrapped with a bow and everything.”

The kitten seems quite curious about Soarynn’s lingerie collection and Coriolanus chuckles when her tiny claws get tangled in a lace bralette, “Oh don’t do that darling,” Soarynn tells her softly, scooping her back up. “What are you going to name her?” He asks, curious as to what Soarynn will name the feline. She ought to be taken to the vet tomorrow to be given the proper shots and have all her paper work down. She’ll need a collar as well.

Soarynn holds the kitten up as if inspecting her for damage, “Hmm, I don’t know. I’ve never had a pet before. Perhaps something distinguished, so she’s a proper Snow.”

Coriolanus can’t stop himself from smiling at his girlfriend’s words. How she considers herself and the cat a Snow already. Soarynn is practically a Snow, all she needs is the wedding ring and that’s not too far in the future as far as he’s concerned. But the fact that she wants the cat to be a proper representation of his family name further supports that Coriolanus made the right decision in dating Soarynn.

“What about a flower?” He suggests since the Snows are known for their roses. Soarynn sets the kitten down, “Rosy?” She asks, looking for a reaction. She gets none. Soarynn bites her lip, “Daisy? Is your name Daisy?” She tilts her head but the kitten gives no indication that she’s been named properly. Soarynn sighs, “Oh this is hard. I can’t imagine the pressure there will be for children.”

Coriolanus likes the thought of that. Of them having children. A cat is simply the first step. Soarynn snaps her fingers, “Petunia.” The kitten lets out a meow and Soarynn gasps, “That’s her name! Petunia!”

Petunia purrs in her hold and begins to wiggle as if asking to be put down and Soarynn obliges, watching her run around. “She’s got a lot of energy right now,” she notes. Coriolanus takes a seat next to her on the edge of the bed, “She’ll wind down when she’s older and supposedly she’ll fall asleep right in your hands.” Soarynn raises her eyebrows and looks down at Petunia who’s now batting a paw at Coriolanus and his pants. He sighs and gently pushes her away, “She’ll need to be trained Soarynn. Well behaved when people come over and she better not touch any of my furniture.”

Coriolanus is beginning to have second thoughts about bringing an animal into the home. Didn’t they bring in mites and disease? Not too long ago dogs were roaming the streets with rabies during the war. He looks down at Petunia who has now crawled into Soarynn’s lap. She’s from a reputable breeder and she seems clean. The vet will be able to assess her. At least that’s what he tells himself. “She’ll be perfectly behaved,” Soarynn says, giving Petunia a scratch behind the ears, causing the cat to purr.

He’s not too convinced. Coriolanus is quick to grab her chin between his fingers, getting her to look him in the eyes, “I’m serious Soarynn. One wrong move and she’s gone. Petunia is supposed to be your pet not your child.” Soarynn gives him a small pout but his resolve isn’t breaking and she can see that now. “Okay, I’ll make sure she stays out of trouble,” Soarynn promises, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “And thank you for getting me a cat Coryo, she’ll be excellent company and you’ll come to love her you’ll see.”

Coriolanus isn’t too sure about loving the cat but he can tolerate her just fine as long as she stays out of his way and doesn’t steal all of his girlfriend’s attention. She was his first and she’ll be his last.

꧁ ꧂

Coriolanus groans when his alarm goes off. Six in the morning is brutal but necessary in his opinion to be successful throughout the day. He sits up and allows himself a moment to admire his sleeping girlfriend. Her head is practically on his pillow but she’s never been too good at staying on her side of the bed.

Coriolanus quietly slips out of bed and heads to the bathroom where he takes a nice hot shower. He keeps the door slightly cracked open just in case Soarynn is in the mood to join him. Every once in a while she’ll rouse from her sleep and hop in the shower with him before he goes to work.

And today is one of those days. He grins when his sleepy girlfriend pushes the door open, her nightgown nearly falling off her shoulders as she rubs her eyes. “Well isn’t this a lovely surprise?” He asks watching her step into the steamy shower after slipping off the nightgown. Soarynn gives him a shy smile before wrapping her arms around his neck, “The bed got so cold once you left,” she mumbles into his neck.

He chuckles and wraps his arms around her small waist, pressing a kiss to her head, “Is Petunia not around to provide you warmth?” Soarynn giggles and slightly pulls away, looking up at him with those eyes he could drown in, “You know she’s probably wide awake right now,” she says teasingly.

She has a point. It had taken them one night to learn that Petunia thrives at night. During the day she sleeps but during the night that cat is a ball of energy. Coriolanus had nearly banished her from their bedroom all together when she tried to play with his socks in the middle of the night. But thankfully she’s calmed down since then. The vet said as she got older she’d sleep more throughout the night and Coriolanus was counting down the days until that happened.

But she made Soarynn happy. So that counts for something he supposes.

All her friends adored Petunia and that cat lived better than most humans in his opinion. She had a pink collar, her own bed and a plethora of cat toys. Not to mention how many times Soarynn brushed her during the day. Spoiled didn’t begin to describe that cat.

Coriolanus simply hums before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. He cherishes times like these the most with Soarynn. When it feels like they’re the only two people in the world. Soarynn returns it eagerly and her fingers card through his wet curls. Coriolanus slips his hands from her waist to her ass, squeezing it and smirking when she moans.

Coriolanus is a man who indulges in the little things and that includes steamy morning sex in the shower every once in a while. “It’s been a minute since I’ve taken you in here,” he mumbles against her lips. Soarynn sighs into the kiss, “Well here’s your chance.”

꧁ ꧂

Coriolanus is all smiles as they walk out of the bathroom. He’s smiling like a school boy watching Soarynn’s naked body walking in front of him, a slight limp to her walk. He doesn’t hesitate to land a slap to her ass and Soarynn gasps, shooting him a look from over her shoulder, “You’re done for the day,” she tells him, her tone all too flirtatious to really mean it.

He cocks his eyebrow, “Well then it looks like I have my work cut out for me when it becomes night.”

Before Soarynn can even reply a white paw appears from under the bed, batting at her ankle. Soarynn giggles and couches down, playing with Petunia’s paw for a moment before the feline crawls out. She was probably under there all night along with the mountain of toys Soarynn has bought her.

“Good morning my sweet angel,” Soarynn says as she picks her up and spins her around. Petunia lets out a pleased purr before Soarynn brings her to her shoulder, holding her like an infant.

Coriolanus usually rolls his eyes at the sight, treating the cat as if she’s a human baby. But there’s something about it, seeing Soarynn act so motherly as if on instinct. She’ll be a wonderful mother where actual children are concerned.

He’ll propose soon. Maybe do it on the rooftop surrounded by his grandmothers roses. Whatever he does it’ll be perfectly romantic. The ring will be stunning, a ring fit for the wife of a Snow. The wife of Coriolanus Snow. He’ll pick out the perfect diamond, the perfect band, perfect box.

He’ll do everything perfectly and have it wrapped with a bow.

| tumblr oneshot/drabble |

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madeintheniamh · 6 months

Note

Please can you do one of the girls getting braces because i'm getting mine next week :D

golden girl

stmf one shot #23

good luck, babe. i had 4 years of braces. they're the worst, but you'll be grateful once they're off xx

“I’m not going, Mum,” Tilly shouted at you, her eyebrows furrowed in the exact same way that Harry’s did when he was annoyed about something.

“You can’t keep putting it off, lovey,” you replied. “You were supposed to have them put on a year ago now,”

Her lips were now set in a straight line, and her eyes began to turn glossy as she turned around to march up the stairs back to her bedroom.

“Come on baby, it won’t be that bad,”

You heard her slam her bedroom door behind her. “Leave me alone,”

This hadn’t been the first time you had tried to make Tilly have her braces put on. Every time the day of the appointments came closer, it seemed as though she always had an adequate excuse prepared for why she needed you to reschedule. Exams. Gymnastics competitions. A friend’s birthday. Feeling sick. And every time, Harry always gave in, to your annoyance. So, it had now been a year since she was supposed to have the wretched things put on in the first place, and she was stubborn, just like her Dad- once she made her mind up on something, it was impossible for you to get her to change it- although there was one person who could. You sighed to yourself, before knocking on the door of his office.

He was sat on one of the armchairs in the corner that faced out onto the garden, holding his guitar in his arms and the pick in-between his teeth. He was so focused on what he was doing that it took him a minute to notice you, and he jumped slightly as he looked up and found your gaze.

“Oh my- hey my love, you okay?”

You sat down next to him, exhaling slowly whilst picking at one of your nails.

“Well, Tilly’s booked in to get her braces on later, but she tells me she’s not going,”

He smiled to himself, placing the guitar down on the space next to him. “Oh god,” he moaned sarcastically. “Not this again,”

“I don’t know what to do,” Your voice began to crack slightly. “I’m just trying to help her. I don’t know why she’s so upset about it. She’s just been so snappy with me recently, and I-”

“Let me sort it.” He answered before you could finish. “I’m sure I can persuade her, one way or another,”

“I don’t even think you can, H,” You sighed. “She’s so stubborn, like someone else I know,”

He snorted slightly and rolled his eyes. “We’ll see about that,”

He kissed your forehead before left the room, going downstairs to make use of one of his favourite persuasion tactics.

---

Harry knocked on her bedroom door softly.

“Go away, I’m not going,” she moaned.

“I’ve made you a cup of tea,” he smirked whilst turning the handle, opening the door to find Tilly lying under layers of blankets, in a pair of tracksuit bottoms and one of Harry’s old t-shirts. Despite the death stare she gave Harry, she still held her hands out to accept the mug.

He closed the door behind him.

“Dad, I’m not-”

“Okay,” he sighed. “You’re not going, fine.”

“Okay?” Her face lit up. “Really?”

“No,” he laughed. “You need to do this, Til, you’re driving your mum mad, you’re nearly fifteen,”

“I’m not talking to you,” she groaned, covering her head with a blanket. He reached over to grab the mug on her bedside table.

“Okay, well, I’m taking this back then,” he chuckled.

“Nooooo!” she gasped, coming back up from under the covers. “That’s not fair!”

“Why don’t you want to go, Til?” he asked whilst running his hands through her hair, which had now grown down to her hips. “It’s okay to be nervous about it, I know you don’t like the dentist,”

“I’m not!” She pouted her lips. “I just don’t want them,”

“Well, why? Loads of people have to get braces, Til,”

“You never had to have them,” she sulked, her brows now furrowed. “You don’t get it,”

“Well, maybe not, but Mummy had to have them for a little bit, and she was fine,”

“No one has braces when they’re fifteen,” she sighed. “Izzy in my French class had hers off last week, I don’t want to be the last one with them on,”

“Loads of people have braces when they’re older Til, there isn’t an age limit,” he chuckled. “Uncle Niall was 18 when he had his braces put on,”

“Still,” She moaned. “I don’t want them. Everyone says they hurt,”

He peppered a kiss to her forehead. “Maybe they won’t hurt, you never know,”

Her eyes began to turn glossy. “But Daddy, I’m frightened, remember when I had to get my tooth taken out and they used that massive needle, and I fainted, what if that happens again,”

She began to sob softly into his arms.

“I remember Til, you’re going to make me cry, baby,” he whispered into her ear. “But I’m sure that won’t happen today, okay? I’m going to hold your little hand the whole time, and if the dentist comes anywhere near you with a needle, I’ll fight him,” he smiled.

“You will?” she sniffled. “Are you sure it will be fine, Daddy?”

“I’m sure, baby,” he chuckled. “I promise you. Now come on, let’s get dressed,”

----

Tilly sat up slowly in the leather chair, having been lying down for the past 45 minutes, her hand still clasped tightly in Harry’s as it had been the whole time. Her lips were slightly chapped, and she licked them as she pouted at Harry with disdain.

“You’re not going to give me a smile?” Harry sighed, rubbing her tiny knuckles with the tip of his thumb. Tilly shook her head.

“It feels weird,” She stared at him disapprovingly, running her tongue over the new pieces of metal that were now glued to her teeth.

“It’s gunna feel weird, Tilly bug,” He smiled. “Come on, I wanna see them!”

Tilly rolled her eyes, before flashing him a sarcastic grin. “I look awful,”

“Hey,” Harry warned, lifting her chin up softly with his hand. “You know that’s not true,”

“I do,” She moaned, placing her hand over her mouth and running the sleeve of her oversized hoodie across her lips. “And it hurts,”

Harry swooped his hand across her face, tucking back a strand of loose hair that had fallen out of her French plait, before pressing his lips to the top of her forehead. Her lips began to quiver slightly, as her eyes turned a glossy shade of green.

“Shhhh, I know,” He soothed, holding his hand out and beckoning her to follow him. “Come on, let’s get you home, babydoll,”

Tilly hadn’t said anything at all on the car journey home, until Harry had seemingly decided to take an alternative route, now navigating the huge Range Rover down the narrow Hampstead high street, reversing it backwards into a bay on the side of the road.

“Daddy? Where are you-”

He peppered a kiss to her swollen cheek. “You stay here, I’ll be quick,”

10 minutes later, Tilly was practically asleep in the passenger seat, her sunglasses having fallen down on the bridge of her nose, still swamped in her hoodie. She almost jumped at the noise of the car unlocking, and was greeted by Harry grinning wildly at her, pink coloured ice cream dribbling down the side of his wrist. He licked it off slowly, passing the cup to Tilly, who began to smile too.

“You thought I was just gunna drive home without getting you something? Look at that gorgeous little smile,” He grinned.

Tilly looked back up at him, now bringing the spoon to her mouth, still smirking at him with her new metallic smile, her cheeks rosy.

“I love you, Daddy,” She whispered, pushing her sunglasses back up on her nose.

“You know I love you more, golden girl,”

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

I HAVE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH <3

more to come more to come i have too many wips. but i'll give you this for now, so sorry anon you probs had your braces for a good few weeks now but enjoy anyway hehehh xx

this forms part of my dadrry one shot series! so if you did enjoy i have linked the masterlist here. please give it some love and send in any requests bc i'm in a writing/reading slump at the moment so any requests would be appreciated. love you all hope you are having a good week <3

#harry styles #dadrry #harry styles dad #harry styles fluff #harry styles one shot #stmf #harry styles imagine

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captaincapsicle83 · 2 months

Text

At First Sight ○○ Bucky Barnes x reader

Pairings: Natasha x reader (platonic), Wanda x reader (platonic), Clinton x reader (platonic), Bucky x reader

Plot: Your roommates set you up on a date with their coworker, and you two hit it off right away. (Most of this story is silly little platonic fun, but I like it anyway).

(The little gif of him drinking water is funnier after you read the story)

“He has a cat.”

“Well, whoop-di-do,” You huff monotonously. Wanda scrunches up her nose at you, before sighing and shaking her head.

“I think you should go,” She says. You risk rolling your eyes, even though she could very well kill you, then and there.

“‘I think you should go’” You say, making your voice go higher, in a mocking tone. “If he’s so great, you go. I have a ton of work to do.”

Just last year, you landed a teaching position. It had been in May, and you were given hardly any time at all to prep. School started again in a week, and even though you’d been preparing loosely all summer, this week you were locked in.

So why the hell did Wanda need you to go on a stupid date?

“If you don’t go, there’s a good chance you’ll die alone,” She crosses her arms, eyebrows raised.

“You’re here, and so is Natasha,” You point out, finally putting your laptop to the side, and uncrossing your legs, stretching them out.

“What about when we go get married and have lives, and have jobs, and you just…die of boredom,” What was this a Sims game? Was she gonna lock you in a room with a radio next? Put the walls up around a pool?

“Clint’ll be here. Poor little shit’s never getting married. No one wants the little scrapper,” You pull your coffee mug to your lips. You must’ve left it idle longer than intended, because instead of warm, silky, and smooth, it was starkly cold, and felt thin beyond your lips.

“You want him?” Her eyes were annoyed, but her face was bemused.

“He’s low maintenance,” You shrug.

“Who?” Someone says, coming through the front door with an armload of groceries, and a red-haired friend behind them. While Clint had about ten plastic bags of things, Natasha sipped an iced coffee from a straw, looking awfully unbothered.

“Why does she still look homeless Wanda?” Nat questioned. “You said you were gonna drag her kicking and screaming.”

“We were getting there.”

Four people in one New York apartment, in upper Manhatten. It was expensive as high hell, but you all made it work.

So why am I gonna put my job on hold for something stupid as this-

You’re sitting on Wanda’s bed, Natasha’s fingers in your hair, Wanda in her closet, and Clint tasked with the job of “make-up artist”.

“I have my hobbies.”

You’re just about at the end of your rope with them, Wanda picking something out and Clint huffing and puffing that it doesn’t go with the look he’s going for, Natasha yelling at both of them like children. Finally, the timer that means, “We better be ready now or we’re gonna be late” sounds off. Wanda’s best idea today, the worst being, obviously…

Natasha and Wanda have tickets for an art gallery opening, so they’re both driving you, Clint tagging along for “moral support.” Groans were elicited.

Natasha was giving you a run down the whole way there.

“He’s a little quiet at first,” She says.

“Good thing you’re not,” Clint whispers to you.

“I don’t know if he’ll get there first, or not, but he’s got dark hair and will probably be wearing dark clothes, he does around the office all the time.”

“Emo bo-” Clint cuts himself off from his whisper, snapping to Natasha. “He works with us.”

“Yes.”

Silence…

“Well, who is it?” Clint asks, rather boisterously.

“…No.”

“No?” Clint, clearly offended, turns to you. “What’s his name?”

Your mouth opens, before shutting again, realizing no one had told you. You lean forward in the backseat.

“Who is it, Nat?”

“You’ll see.”

“No-” “Nuh-uh!” You and Clint both protest.

“I’ve been to your guys’ office I wanna know,” you say.

“Better pray it’s Steve,” Clint says.

“Oh, Natasha it better be Steve.”

Natasha turns around in the passenger seat, to face you and Clint in the back.

“Steve is engaged,” She starts.

“Yeah, so?” Clint says, and the car is quiet for a moment. When you make eye contact with Clint’s green eyes, the silence is cut by both of your laughter.

Unfortunately, this put a dent in the interrogation, and now you were outside of the diner. Your friends had told you good luck and left you here. You did notice Natasha whisper something to Clint as you got out, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. She covered his mouth and basically strangled him down when he tried to tell you.

Since they were gone…no one could force you to go in…

You couldn’t do that. Morally, you would feel horrible to just leave whoever this is sitting alone, waiting for you.

And the girls might evict you.

You walked through the doors of the diner. The diner was a cute little place, albeit a strange theme. It was based on Norse Mythology, called “Odin’s Sons.”

You were greeted by a blonde man, who was the hostess. You told him you were here to meet a date and he broke out into a smile. He said a man had arrived just a little while ago, here to wait for a date.

He led you to a table, where you were greeted by-

before

“I think you’ll like it,” Sam was saying. He was helping his friend, coworker, and roommate, get ready for a date Sam had set up for him.

“Who is she again?” Bucky asked, his voice strained.

“You don’t know her, but she’s Nat and Clint’s friend. She’s in some of the pictures on Clint’s stupid little desk of picture frames,” Bucky rolled his eyes at the mention of the pictures. Clint took many unauthorized pictures of Bucky himself (among others) and they ended up in frames. Clint claimed that, being an art major, and having taken many photography classes, he had the ultimate right.

As Sam described what you looked like, Bucky felt like he did sorta know who he was talking about. You came into the office sometimes, to bring whiny Clint and grateful Natasha food and coffee.

And you were probably the same girl Clint tortured and made fun of him for having a “crush” on.

Bucky arrived at the restaurant about half an hour before he was due. He wanted to be early and to have time to shake away all the nerves.

Well, maybe all was a bit much to ask. There were definitely a lot of nerves to cover.

He was greeted by Thor, the host who gave him a seat. A teenage boy with light brown hair and a bubbly personality brought him a glass of water and some bread. And another glass of water. And another. And a refill of bread.

“Thanks, Peter,” Bucky said again. No matter how many times the boy had to come back, he didn’t seem to stop smiling or being glad to get Bucky yet another glass of water.

As Thor came around the corner again, just as Peter was leaving, he was accompanied by the very girl Bucky had guessed it would be.

You were laughing, he could see, something Thor had said. Time felt like it was slowed as you met his eyes with yours. They seemed to sparkle with your joy, and his heart fluttered at the sight.

He hadn’t seen you so elegant before, but to him, you looked just as beautiful with or without. The makeup that defined your features seemed to have been applied with a steady hand. The dress you wore seemed to almost go with the makeup, and he wondered if it was planned or if you were just…perfect.

He had barely any time at all to gather his thoughts and put his ducks in a row before you sat across from him, smiling warmly. He smiled back, unable to say or do anything but sip his water.

“Hi,” You said. Your heart was pounding, and your heads were sweaty with nervousness. He set down his water glass that he had been holding since you came around the corner with Thor. He was barely finished saying hi back when the young waiter came to take your order.

He ordered first, and you quickly scanned the menu and picked something. The boy smiled warmly as he collected the menus from you, with the promise your food would be out soon.

“So,” The dark-haired man cleared his throat. You were entranced by the blue of his eyes as he said, “You…your name’s Y/n, right?”

“Hmm? Oh!” You realized you were basically questioning your own name, only a second too late. “Yeah, yeah, uh…Nat…asha, didn’t really tell me…your name.”

You decided on the long version of Nat’s name, taking a pause beforehand. You were grateful when the waiter, Peter, popped up out of nowhere with a drink you ordered, and more water for your date.

“It’s Bucky…Well, I mean, it’s James, but everyone calls me Bucky,” “Bucky” gave you a lopsided smile, which you returned.

Peter wasn’t lying when he said your food would be out right away. It seemed like you had barely taken the time to talk before your plates were in front of you.

“So you have…?”

“Three roommates,” you said, laughing a little.

“Oh god, and one of them’s Clint?” His face was twisted in genuine concern, which made you laugh a little harder. Bucky was hot and Bucky was funny and you could hardly take it.

“What about you?”

“It’s just me and Sam right now…and we have a cat,” He adds the last part after taking a sip of his drink.

“You don’t look like a cat person,” You shake your head, taking a bite of your food.

“If I wear clothes that haven’t immediately come out of the dryer, I look like a cat,” He says, and then seems to pull a white cat hair off of his black shirt.

“You need lighter clothes.”

“Not really my style.”

“You’re eternally a goth kid?”

He lets out a loud laugh at that, making you smile even harder.

~~~

“She was hot, and she was funny,” Bucky was saying to Sam. Sam was lying stretched out on the couch, Alpine laying pristinely on his chest, all her legs tucked under her fluffy body.

“That’s nice Bucky,” Sam says, only half paying attention. He coos at the cat, scratching her chin, “Isn’t that nice baby?”

“Okay, you’re not listening.”

“What makes you think that?”

~~~

You were laying on your couch, your feet in Clint’s lap as he prodded you with questions. Natasha shushed him, smacking him upside the head, as she handed you a drink. And by drink, that refers to an entire bottle of wine.

You were fiddling with the cork as you droned on about the date. About what Bucky looked like, and about what you talked about. More about what he looked like…

You let yourself trail off as Natasha and Clint shared a knowing look, and Wanda was smiling to herself as she played on her phone.

“What?” you ask, eyes full of innocence.

“Noth-” Wanda starts, but Clint cuts her off.

“You’re whipped,” he laughs.

You smile to yourself, shaking your head.

Maybe you were.

#bucky barnes #marvel #bucky barnes x reader #sam wilson #avengers x reader #bucky barnes x female reader #clint barton #marvel mcu #natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff

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fridayincarnate · 3 months

Text

Happy Kiss a Ginger Day!

Hux dreads a frivolous holiday, certain that his rivals in the First Order will take advantage of the occasion to humiliate him. He would expect Ren to be the first in line—to humiliate him, of course, not kiss him—but what happens when that isn't the case? (1125 words)

Hux spends the entire day on edge. On any other day these stark black corridors are a familiar comfort, but they draw attention to his brilliant red hair that is deeply undesirable today. He sees the gleam of mischief as each set of eyes locks onto him and he locks down his scowl tight.

No one would ever have dared to steal a kiss of all things from the General last time this ridiculous holiday came up on the calendar. Things have changed since Supreme Leader Kylo Ren snatched the throne out of Hux’s reach, though, and he has heard the rumblings of the rumor mill. The officers who had once respected Hux—or at least feared him—are now eager to see him taken down a peg. This is exactly the kind of humiliation they will delight in.

He wonders which fool will be the first to try it. Hux may no longer have the support of the Supreme Leader, but he still has a monomolecular blade up his sleeve.

It turns out to be a smug-looking captain, on the bridge, at the worst possible moment.

Hux freezes. His fingers twitch around empty air, unable to reach for his knife.

It is the worst possible moment because Ren is here, speaking with Pryde about battle plans which should be Hux’s responsibility—yet another indignity. Were Hux the highest ranked officer present, he would not have a single qualm about teaching this man a pointed lesson, but Pryde and Ren have the authority to impose worse consequences than an embarrassing knock to his dignity. The impertinent captain appears to know it, too, his smirk far too bold as he reaches for the side of Hux’s neck.

Even worse than the threat of court martial is the thought of explaining this whole thing to Ren, who seems to be oblivious to this extremely irritating First Order tradition. (Hux suspects his father started it to harass the pretty female officers who were too smart to have anything to do with him otherwise, but to Hux’s great annoyance the “holiday” survived Brendol.) Hux isn’t sure why he thinks Ren is unaware of it. Perhaps because Ren was the only person with the status to get away with publicly embarrassing him like this for the last five years, and Hux was certain that nothing could appeal to Ren more.

Publicly embarrassing him, that is. Not kissing him. An unwelcome flutter turns Hux’s stomach—nerves, obviously. He does not dwell on why explaining “Kiss a Ginger Day” to Ren is a fate worse than court martial; it simply is.

The captain presses closer into Hux’s space. Hux senses the entire bridge lean in, holding its collective breath to see if Hux will permit this. Lieutenant Mitaka’s pitiful doe eyes look on with poorly disguised hope. A sadistic smile twists Pryde’s dry lips.

Hux closes his eyes rather than meet Ren’s.

A shocked murmur passes over him in the dark, followed by a thud and a sickening crunch. Hux opens his eyes. The captain is a groaning pile on the floor on the other side of the room.

“General Hux. With me.” Ren storms right past Hux, cape trailing behind him. He does not turn to see Pryde follow, instead holding up a hand and barking a sharp, “Dismissed.”

Dread sinks like a stone in Hux’s chest. He has no choice but to follow Ren, alone, into the lift. He braces himself as the doors close and waits for Ren to demand an explanation. The last thing he expects Ren to say is:

“You’re safe.”

It would be wise to stifle his disbelieving scoff for his own continued safety, but reason is a moment too slow to stop Hux’s retort. “With you? Excuse me if I don’t hold my breath.”

“You could show some gratitude,” Ren scowls. “I just saved your life.”

“You—” Hux’s head snaps up to meet Ren’s gaze. “What?”

“That man. He just…” Ren takes a halting step towards Hux, brow gnarled between confusion and hostility. “He tried to kill you. Reached for your neck. I stopped him.”

Hux lets out an embarrassing, fluttery laugh before he can stop himself.

“You value your life so little?” Ren’s eyes flick over Hux’s face, studying his expression. A warm puff of breath ghosts across Hux’s cheeks. He shivers.

“Far from it,” Hux says. “He wasn’t trying to kill me, Ren, he was….”

Hux falters, heat flooding up from his chest at the prospect of saying it out loud. Ren is standing so close. They are not touching, but Hux still feels his body heat in the excited stir of the electrons between them, the only source of warmth in this cold, compact lift.

“What?” Ren’s eyebrows twitch.

“He was trying to kiss me,” Hux says, and immediately feels ridiculous.

“Oh.” The crease in Ren’s brow deepens. “Then it’s even better that I stopped him.”

“Better?” Hux sharpens his incredulity to a point. “You would rather I be killed than kissed?”

“Yes. No. Why would anyone kiss you?” Ren looms, his shadow eclipsing Hux from the harsh fluorescence of the lift. The question stings for reasons Hux can’t explain, but Ren’s blunt jab wields more consternation than mockery.

“You really don’t know what day it is, do you?”

Ren looks Hux up and down. “Your birthday?” he asks flatly.

“You don’t even know,” Hux insists with a shade of a smirk, “and you can’t stand the thought that anyone might kiss me.” Hux notices the way Ren’s gaze lingers on his mouth and is beginning to understand why.

“If you won’t tell me,” Ren says, his voice gathering stormclouds as he raises a threatening hand to Hux’s temple, “I’ll just have to—”

Hux catches the end of Ren’s sentence with a firm crush of his lips.

Ren chokes on his shock, his broad chest shuddering in a gasp that is singularly satisfying to devour. Hux knows he’s made the right decision when Ren folds around him like gift wrap around a present—secreting him away from any prying eyes but the intended recipient’s. Ren’s kiss is an act of possession, but it is also an act of worship. Hux has never felt so cherished as he does with Ren’s plush lips chasing every taste of his own like he’s afraid he’ll run out of time. For every demand that Ren’s firm hands make, tugging Hux against him by his waist, Ren’s lips give him tenfold back, yielding to Hux’s licks and bites with a desperation that he never expected to feel from the Supreme Leader. Ren chases Hux’s mouth with a needy moan when Hux pulls back.

“Happy Kiss a Ginger Day, Ren.”

The look on Ren’s face is almost as delicious as their second kiss.

#kylux #my fic

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seiya-starsniper · 11 months

Note

"You mean nothing to me"

(From Hit 'em where it hurts sentence starters!)

Hello friend, I hope you are ready for the absolute unhinged angst I am about to unleash on your person!

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

“You dare suggest one such as I might need your companionship,” Dream growls, indignance spreading through him like poison.

Hob looks taken aback by the outrage. But he steels his expression and answers, “Yes, Yes I do.”

They stare at one another in tense silence, neither willing to back down from the stance they have taken. Dream thinks there are possibly more comfortable spaces in Hell. But he does not have to suffer this accusation, this idea that he might be a lonely creature.

“Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong,” Dream finally says, moving to stand and leave the tavern.

“Wait, stop!” Hob yelps, grabbing Dream by the arm. It is only through sheer willpower that Dream does not change shape, does not submit to his Nightmare form and try to claw at the man that holds him.

“Release me,” Dream commands. “Now.”

“I will not,” Hob growls, “Not until you’ve calmed down.”

“This conversation,” Dream insists, “is over. You mean nothing to me, Hob Gadling, and I am leaving you.”

Hob stutters, perhaps surprised at the vehemence of Dream’s tone, and his hold loosens on Dream, who uses the opportunity to walk away as fast as possible.

“I’ll tell you what!” Hob yells at Dream’s retreating back. “I’ll be here in 100 years time. And if you’re here too, it’ll be because we’re friends! No other reason!”

Dream ignores Hob’s taunt, does not turn to look back to offer a biting remark. He walks through the rain without stopping, cold fury making a home within his heart.

It is one of the worst mistakes of his long lived existence.

When Dream finally escapes his glass prison, after he has recovered his tools of office and spoken to his sister, he goes to look for Hob Gadling at The White Horse.

The White Horse is no longer standing in its original location. It has been instead replaced by…a housing development. Flats, as the modern world now calls them.

It is an abomination.

Dream looks into the minds of each of the occupants of the development, hoping to find…he does not know. But he does not find Hob Gadling there.

Dream has lived for eons, he knows that human memory is short, that old things will always give way to the new once they have outlived their function. But Hob and the White Horse had always been a constant for Dream over the centuries. To know that they too have faded in his absence…

Dream has not felt heartbreak since Calliope, had thought himself dulled to pain and yearning after the tragedy of Orpheus, and yet this feeling, this emptiness, this hollowness, cannot be anything but that.

Dream regrets. He regrets his words to Hob in 1889, spoken not in anger, he now realizes, but in fear. He did not wish to be known so intimately by another being, let alone a mortal, of all things. Hob had gotten too close, too fast, and Dream…Dream had rejected him by telling him their time together had meant nothing to him.

It is no wonder then, that Dream cannot find a single trace of Hob anywhere in London. He walks and he walks, and looks into both the sleeping and waking dreams of the populace, but there are no signs of Hob’s face in any of their minds.

His message to Dream is clear. He does not want to be found.

Dream retreats back to the Dreaming and ignores the concerned questions of Lucienne and Matthew, insisting he be left alone in his chambers.

Alone with nothing but the memory of their last conversation together, Dream fashions a table from dreamstuff, careful to reproduce every notch and dent. It takes some time, but soon the setting of the dreamscape he crafts is complete, and Dream stands before the table, waiting.

Finally, the scene begins.

“Hello, old friend,” the apparition of Hob Gadling greets him.

Dream smiles.

“Hello, Hob.”

Send me an Angst Prompt!

#dreamling #dream x hob #hob x morpheus #sandman fanfic #seiya answers #seiya writes #seiya drabbles #friend when I tell you this HURT me to write #thank for the ask! <3 #seiya writes dreamling

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emilykaldwen · 5 months

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@mercurygray called my ass out and sent me Moonlight Serenade to finally get me to start that WWII!Abrogon AU, If Found, Please Return. Which is basically Westeros 1940s esque dragon war.

Send me a Song title au + oc/ship!

this was supposed to be a list of ideas buuuut instead you get a two page drabble because I had feelings. this is unbeta'd and like, I literally just finished writing it but it came to me so fast so it's a good monday methinks

Aegon didn’t want to go.

Oh, he’d been ready, Warrior save him (and hells, how his mother would not stop praying and trying to fit every little woven symbol of the god among his things to the point where he gently, but firmly, told her to stop and give some to Aemond. Him and Vhagar were headed towards Volantis with the Redwyne Raiders to hold The Orange Coast), Aegon had been eager in the way someone who doesn’t fear the Stranger could only be.

What better way to prove himself than command his own battalion from the back of his dragon and show that he was made of sterner stuff than the soft bellied boy that his grandfather spat at him.

What better way to gain his own father’s attention?

Cold fingers tighten through his and he brushes his lips against the crown of Abrogail’s hair, where all he can smell is bergamot and rose and feels the knot of nerves inside him ease.

“I stand and I wait for the touch of your hand in the June night,” he sang to her as the music of the band wafted over them. He felt her little huff of laughter against his shoulder where her cheek rested, breathless from the wild spinning along the dance floor moments before. He could feel the way her heart hammered against her ribs and how it echoed in him.

‘Why leave?’ He thought. Why leave when he could crawl between her ribs and settle himself in the space inside where he was loved and wanted, and he could keep her warm. He could stay with her.

Maybe he should demand his battalion get sent to Norvos where Abby’s own orders were sending her. His little rabbit had answered the call and was a nurse at the hospital there.

‘I won’t be far.’ He would be in the hills and patrolling up towards Lorath Bay. How far the Triarchy wars had spread and Westeros had entered the fray once Tyrosh fell and the Velaryon fleet in the Stepstones had been attacked.

“I should put labels in your clothes as I do my sketchbooks,” Abby murmured and rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. Aegon cuddled her closer. “If found, please return.” The front of her sketchbooks held the same plea, decorated with little rabbits with pleading faces and the address of her father’s law office in King’s Landing.

Aegon chuckled and tilted his head down so he could brush his mouth against the shell of her ear. “So if they find me, they’ll dump me on your father’s desk. I’m sure the man wants words with me.”

“If you’re implying he’s hoping you do not come back, you are sorely mistaken.” Her kiss was warm against his shoulder and Aegon shivered, his hand tightening against the curve of her hip. “If you do not come back, neither do-”

“Hush,” he cut in, a nip to her ear for such talk. She tilted her head back to look at her. Eyes as blue as the Narrow Sea, as blue as the sky he and Sunfyre adored. Abby’s heart shaped mouth was painted a deep red, her curls brushed into submission into a golden red cloud around her shoulders. Aegon rested her other hand on his shoulder so he could cup her cheek. “We’re both coming back. As if anything happens that far north from the fighting anyway. The worst that’ll happened is I’ll get court martialed for getting caught coming to see you.”

Abby scrunched her pretty face up in a familiar, disbelieving expression. “Well, I will miss Sunfyre awfully much. Almost as much as I’ll miss you.”

“I stand at your gate and I sing you a song in the moonlight,” he continued and Abby’s scrunched up face eased into the soft, dreamy expression that made him wish they were alone, made him wish they were back in his room or away at the little cabin outside Harrenhal where none would bother them.

“A love song, my darling, a Moonlight Serenade,” she sang back to him and he pressed his mouth to hers. Her fingers tangled into his short hair to hold him close, feet moving to stand on his so he could guide them both.

taglist: @fyeahhotdocs, @ocappreciation, @stannisfactions, @fragilestorm, @starcrossedjedis, @darkwolf76, @arrthurpendragon, @dopedaegus, @hiddenqveendom, @mantillon, @lightofthearrow, @songsonacliffside, @acrossthesestars, @insabecs, @prosemoireia, @dragonsbone, @corporalicent, @jadore-andor, @selfproclaimedunicorn, @gwenllian-in-the-abbey, @notbloodraven, @impales, @arcielee, @thesunfyre4446

#fic: if found please return #aegon x abby #aegon ii targaryen #aegon x oc #aegon targaryen x oc #aemond targaryen fic #aegon tarrgaryen fanfiction #aegon targaryen #that war au #oc: abrogail strong #I love this lil AU #IDK if it'll ever get the full treatment #I have *thoughts*#my fics

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rockingrobin69 · 6 months

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Victorian AU: prologue

The new stable boy started on the last breath of summer: Draco had far more important things to worry about at the time. Like complaining endlessly, alternating between demanding and begging Father to allow him to remain in town for another season. Like staring longingly at the outfits Mother was having made, not-yet ready, and like sighing and sitting at the windows a lot, thinking how anything would be better than being stuck in the Manor for a six-months.

The appearance of Lord Riddle on their property stirred him just as much as that of the stable boy. Riddle was the worst possible companion as the weather turned: he was maudlin and quiet, chillingly rude, and worst of all, old. Draco missed his friends like a perpetual fish-bone stuck in his throat, and although they had all promised to visit, none had yet done him the courtesy. He was alone in a Manor full of old, boring people, and had nothing nice to wear, and nothing new to read, and nothing at all to do but stare and be miserable.

No-one seemed to care for his very obvious plight. All Father had said was, “cease your sulking at once,” and Mother droned on and on about the nearing ball at the Goyle estate. Nearing meaning in a month, for heaven’s sake: what was Draco supposed to do until then?

Staying with Auntie Bellatrix surely wasn’t a treat, but at least it was out there, in the heart of the action. Here, alone, and miserable, alone, Draco was… alone.

Marcus wasn’t any help. When Draco came to his office to grumble, sitting on his desk and kicking his feet, all he said was that he’s ‘very busy’ and to ‘excuse him, Sir,’ which wasn’t at all satisfying. Mr. Dobby, the head butler, wouldn’t even look at him as he careened down the halls; and the seamstress flatly forbade him from the fitting-chambers, seeing as he was ‘pulling on everyone’s last nerve’ and being ‘utterly obnoxious’. Draco would reach majority next June, and not quite forgave her this: seeing as the kitchen was also off-limits, and Cook a far more fearsome opponent, he turned to the stables.

Mr. Hagrid was Draco’s childhood nemesis, before he’d learned to ride. After that he became a well-respected foe, then, highly-regarded acquaintance, and now, an amiable one. He didn’t complain about Draco’s demeanour or his pouting, instead he gave him a brush and a grimace.

“Go on,” in a tone that wasn’t even offensive, and Draco, who loved his horse better than possibly even Pansy, went.

Her name was Isolde, because Draco was a dramatic child and he definitely hadn’t planned on liking her at all. She was a beautiful thing, strong and quick, with powerful muscles and a soft white mane and the richest, loveliest brown eyes. She, unlike almost everyone, seemed happy to see him.

“Darling,” Draco said as he approached, and pet a loving hand down her flank, “it’s been too long.”

Isolde said nothing, but bore his grooming with good grace. She was given to Draco mostly because of her colouring, because all the ladies had crooned about how lovely a white foal would look under the blond-white lordling. To say they didn’t get along at first would be an understatement: now, she was as familiar to him as the back of his hand, and far more treasured.

And she did look terribly clever under him. Attaching her saddle with reverent fingers, smoothing down the braids he had mindlessly tied, he started leading her out of the stables, already measurably cheered. Then:

“Hold!” a young voice he didn’t recognise. Draco paused with a curious brow raised. “No-one’s allowed to take this mare. You’ll be so kind as to put her back, my lord.”

“How do you mean?” Draco frowned.

“She’s the young sir’s own horse, and he doesn’t allow anyone to ride her. If you’re a guest of the Earl’s, then you’re free to pick any of the other, most excellent steeds.”

Draco didn’t know whether to be amused or outraged. “Are you saying Isolde is not most excellent?”

“Well, if you ask me, she’s a little bit prissy and—hey!” when Draco rounded behind her and stuck an accusing finger in the man’s chest. “You’re—oh.”

“Oh,” Draco breathed out, dangerously. “Oh, indeed. One more word about my horse, and I’ll—who even are you?”

The man—boy?—gulped, bright green eyes wide behind round glasses. “I’m Harry. And you’re—”

“Draco,” as venomously as he could spit it. “Draco Malfoy.”

“Oh.”

He was shorter than Draco, but wider, a strong-looking build. Possibly around his age, give or take a year or so. Dark skin and darker hair, wide brow and respectable jawline. And stupid, as was painfully obvious from his remarks about the world’s best horse. “You’ll have to apologise, of course,” Draco smiled icily.

“I’m sorry, my lord, I didn’t realise—”

“To the horse.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. Harry opened and closed his mouth twice. “To the—horse?”

“Apologise to Isolde. For someone to speak of a divine creature so coarsely is an offence to nature herself. Apologise, now.”

Harry’s mouth was slightly open. He had very red lips. “I,” he said, and gulped, “am. Sorry. Isolde.”

“For speaking so coarsely,” Draco offered helpfully.

“For speaking so coarsely. You are of course a divine creature and I regret besmirching your name with my foul lips. Is that enough, my lord?”

Something jumped in Draco’s belly, a twinge of—he didn’t quite know what. “I think that would do, for now,” loftily, and pet a reassuring hand down Isolde’s crest. “You slip, Mr. Hagrid,” when he clocked the giant figure standing at the entrance to the stables. “The men you used to hire weren’t the brightest, perhaps, but anyone would be better than this impossible buffoon.”

“He’s not that bad, milord,” Mr. Hagrid said with a strange expression, almost nearing a smile he was trying to swallow. “Pray, give him some time, and he might prove himself to you as quite handy.”

“I doubt it,” said Draco. He led Isolde out and cast a glance back, to where Harry was standing frozen and Mr. Hagrid’s shoulders were shaking. “Make sure not to mistake me again,” he said, and hopped on the saddle, and rode away.

Winter was going to be a long, dreary season stuck out here in the country, so far from all his friends and the lively attractions of the city. Draco might have just found something to make it a tiny bit more bearable: atop his favourite horse, he rode towards the forest with a widening grin.

I'm just too excited not to share this! Damn, writing every day was such a rush, but working on a longer project (currently at 13k) feels good too.

#drarry fic #victorian AU #young lordling Draco #stable boy Harry #draco is a horse girlie #and a brat of course #Mr. Hagrid as the stable master #1116 words

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aziawow · 5 months

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secret kisses (lash x f!reader) 13k+ words

summary: you and lash hate each other, but an unexpected kiss sparks a certain arrangement. a very hot, very secret arrangement.

warnings: lots of descriptive kissing, mild swearing, mild violence, very brief toilet humor, brief underage drinking, brief intoxication, vomit mention (nondescriptive), blood mention (nondescriptive)

notes: stronghold!reader, no use of y/n, she/her pronouns, reader has telekinetic powers but that doesn't matter until the end

Boomer hauls you and Lash into the principal’s office, yammering away like he had in the cafeteria and in the hallway. You’re barely paying attention, your focus on the earlier events and containing your fury rather than the loud coach.

He uses the grip he has on both of your arms to toss you in the two seats in front of the desk. You’re silent, not sparing a glance Lash’s way and not wanting to meet Boomer’s eyes.

He sighs heavily and runs a hand down his face. “Principal Powers is still dealing with your mess, so until she’s done, you two are gonna stay in here.” He begins to walk back to the door. “Try not to kill each other, and don’t leave this room. Just to make sure,” he holds up a key.

“What if there’s a fire,” Lash drawls.

You roll your eyes and Boomer ignores him. The door shuts and the only sound you can hear is the jingle of metal as Boomer locks you in.

You last all of one minute before you explode.

“I cannot believe you,” you fume at Lash. “Wait, actually, I can. Pretty on par for you. What I can’t believe is how you think this is anything other than your fault.”

Lash clenches his jaw. “My fault? If it wasn't for you this entire thing wouldn’t have happened.”

You jump to your feet and face him. “Me? You started it! You always start it!”

He gets up and towers over you, face hard as he glares down at you. “That doesn’t mean you have to finish it. You can’t leave well enough alone, can you?” You scrunch your nose at him.

“No, I can’t. Not when you pick on defenseless kids right in front of me! You expect me to do nothing while you humiliate them?” You step closer to him, secretly pleased when he sharply inhales at your proximity. Good. He should be afraid of you. “You are nothing. But. A. Bully,” you enunciate by jabbing his chest with a finger. “I am sick of your behavior.” He scowls.

“I’m sick of you! Ruining my fun all the time. Making that face you make all the time.” Lash gestures to your face, clearly peeved about something.

You reel back, confused. “My face? There’s nothing wrong with my face. What about your face, huh? Always twisted up in that mischievous look you have when you’re doing something mean. And it’s not just one part of your expression, oh no, it’s your whole face,” you say, waving your hand around him, nearly taking an eye out. He grabs your wrist and pulls it down. “With that stupid troublemaking grin and the way your eyebrows pinch together when you’re plotting. Your eyes are the worst. They have this look in them that’s so cocky, like you know you can get away with whatever you want. But you can’t! I hate it.”

He tilts his head, completely in disbelief. “You have a face too. I call it your Getting Lash In Trouble Look. Always so innocent, but I know the truth. You pretend to be this good samaritan, a champion for the people when really you just like the attention you get from being a busybody—”

“Busybody!”

“—and messing with me! You literally can’t let anything go ever! It’s so annoying. Every single time you look so sweet and blameless and when they praise you for being a hero, you smile like you’re shy, which is a total fucking lie, I’ve never met anyone as conceited as you, with the way you pat yourself on the back like snitching on me is a badge of honor!”

Your jaw drops. “I do not!”

“Yes you do,” he argues. “And you bat your eyelashes and it makes me so mad because that’s what does it! That’s what gets me in trouble! I don’t know how you do it, but whenever you flutter your dumb long lashes like that it convinces them to throw me in detention. It’s a weapon you use against me and you know it. It’s deceitful.”

You’re taken aback. You are not hearing what you are hearing, surely. “The second you decide to harass someone is what gets you thrown in detention, asshole. I have nothing to do with it.”

Lash scoffs. “‘Nothing to do with it’,” he parrots. “You have everything to do with it!”

You get in his face, which proves to be immensely difficult as he’s so much taller than you, but you’d rather fall off the edge of the school than back down now.

“Everything?”

“Everything,” he confirms.

You are, genuinely, at a loss for words. You’re so frustrated and infuriated with him that all you can do is glare at him. This conversation is giving you a serious headache, but you have enough of a mind to be furious that he, technically, got the last word.

You’re breathing hard, staring into his eyes, and you, all of a sudden, notice he’s doing the same thing. You also notice how close he is. It’s normal for you two to butt heads, but not literally. You’ve had arguments that shook the whole school, but you’ve never been this close to him.

You know what everyone says about you. That all the fights are a result of unresolved sexual tension. No one ever dared to say it to your face, and most likely they’ve never mentioned it to Lash, but the gossip mill runs fast at Sky High and a ridiculous amount of people are terrible at whispering.

It enrages you when they imply there’s something more going on between you, but you can't deny the fact that you and Lash have some sort of attraction to each other. Always seeking each other out to push and shove, endless arguing and, admittedly, some preening. You convinced yourself it's not a sexual or romantic attraction. You hate each other, it’s just that neither of you can get away from the other.

But.

You can’t deny you have a certain energy with Lash. You always have. He knows it too. There was this electricity between you two, and that's half the reason you hate him so much. Every time you think you might be genuinely attracted to him—because you’re not blind and, despite your feelings, it’s an undeniable fact that Lash is a seriously attractive guy—you get angry at yourself, at Lash, at everything for being so confusing and unfair. Your hormones are unbelievably stupid around him.

Which is how it happens.

You and Lash are similarly breathless after your fight, and realizing you can feel the little puffs of air from his mouth on your face overwhelms your thoughts instantly.

Again, you notice how close the two of you are.

In his eyes, you still find simmering anger, but his edges have softened now. The way he’s staring at you, focused and drawn—it’s as if, to him, you’re the only person in the world. Like you're some kind of puzzle he wants to take apart and inspect bit by bit, wanting to know the pieces and touching along the ridges until he can commit them to memory.

He’s not relaxed exactly, he’s calmer, but there’s another kind of tension you can feel coming from him. He breaths again, and when you feel his breath on your lips, you can’t stop your eyes from dropping down to his.

They’re an incredible shade of pink, and for a moment they disappear as he quickly licks them, a constant tick of his you noticed a long time ago.

You blink back up at him, somehow closer than ever. You see the question in his eyes: are we really gonna do this? You also see something dark and longing.

That is…unfamiliar to you. You know all of his looks and expressions by heart, particularly because they are so often aimed at you, but never something like this. Like wanting. It makes you stop, heart stuttering.

You begin to move your arm, why you did and where it was going is unbeknownst to you, when you realize Lash has been holding your wrist the entire time. Probably since he had moved your hand away from his face just minutes ago.

Both of you look down at the two hands in between you. He squeezed you slightly before releasing you slowly, but you don’t move away. Instead, you continue to hold your arm out, letting his fingers run along your wrist and your palm, slow and aching. It tingles, and you gasp lightly at the feeling.

Lash, taking that as a sign, clasps his hand around yours and tugs you towards him.

You go readily, and when you meet his gaze, you lean in and your lips finally meet.

The kiss was tentative at first, but after a few seconds, you sink into it completely. You let go of his hand at the same time he drops yours. How else was he going to wrap his arms around you and hold you? Yours comes up and fists in his hair, running it through his soft strands over and over as you kiss. You had an arm curled under his, a hand gripping at his shoulder, something to keep you steady and touching all of him that you possibly could.

One of his hands rubbed up and down your back, stroking and feeling purposefully, and when it grazed over a sensitive spot, you moaned into his mouth. Your feelings for him were a complicated mess but this was easy and so, so good.

Your resolve slipped as you careened into him further. You were still so angry at him and you kissed him exactly how you fight with him: swift and calculated, but with an edge of vengeance and fire as you undo him as he does to you. Lash, similarly, wasn’t gentle with you. He did what he always does and takes, chasing satisfaction but not doing so without a show of power. Just to remind you who he is. You, unlike his victims, were not helpless. You matched him stride for stride, insistent and sure, unrelenting as you refused to let this spark burn out.

He kissed you deeper, his tongue slipping in and you didn’t think about it: you let him, because his mouth on yours? It felt absolutely and completely—

The door rattled.

—horrible! So, so horrible!

You push Lash away, both of you staring at each other wide eyed and cheeks flushed, disbelief and confusion evident on Lash’s face. Damn you for thinking this caught-off-guard looked good on him!

You had seconds to compose yourself, but after a kiss like that? You were lucky to look half as composed as you felt when Principal Powers burst in.

“Instigating a food fight? That's a new low, even for you two. Now, here’s what’s gonna happen...”

You listened to her as best you could, but your mind kept straying back to that kiss without your permission.

It was so.. intense. It kind of makes sense, you think. With what you know about yourself and Lash and yourself in relation to Lash, everything you two do was heated and passionate exactly like that. You’ve always known that you and Lash are cosmic forces mere moments from colliding, but kissing him? Surely the universe was laughing at you. It’s Lash.

The two of you were sent home, serving a half day of suspension and the rest of the week in after school detention. Together.

You were surprised that she didn’t make you clean up the cafeteria, but the janitor with a cleaning power begged her not to for a reason you can’t recall, and that was perfectly fine with you. The cafeteria was a mess, cleaning it all up would take forever.

There was hell to pay when you got home. Your parents, the Commander and Jetstream, were extremely disappointed to say the least. Honestly, you were barely paying attention to the lecture your mom was giving you. It’s always a sermon with her, and who would rather listen to that than lose their mind over having the World’s Most Earth Shattering Kiss?

It stayed in your mind the rest of the night, the next morning, and all throughout the school day. You and Lash had a few classes together but sat nowhere near each other, so it was easy to avoid him. Then detention came along.

You met him at the room, eyes darting away from each other just as quick as they were found, and you walk in.

Mr. Medulla was assigned as your detention teacher, but he had an experiment in the observation stage so he couldn’t stay in the room the entire time. In fact, he didn’t stay at all. He promised to make periodic check in’s, told you to pass the time with homework, did an evil laugh, and walked away.

You had your homework out, but made zero progress on it. The silence was so suffocating that, in a roundabout way, made you want to laugh hysterically. You didn’t want to say anything or even talk about it, but at the same time you had to know. Why did it happen? How did it happen? When it happened, did he feel the same things? Feel the same way? These questions nagged at you, but when Lash spoke up without warning, you panicked.

“So…you kissed me.”

“Nope.” Deny, deny, deny.

“...”

“Um, yes. I was there?” God, his confusion should not have been as endearing as it is. You know Lash, so you know he’s not stupid or purposefully obtuse, so maybe you had messed him up just like he did to you.

You sigh. “Look, that didn’t happen. That wasn’t a thing. I don’t know what happened or why, but that’s fine, because nothing happened.”

You spare a glance his way. He was slouched on the chair, an arm draped over the back, no books in sight. He was so casual. He shrugged, looking totally unbothered. “Alright then. Nothing happened. Fine.”

A few minutes went by. Medulla checked in. You scribbled down an answer on the sheet in front of you. It was probably right.

But, like, the way he said it. Like it meant nothing. It didn’t have to mean anything so why was his attitude so blasé. He was hardly ever indifferent so what made this so special that he let it go? It didn’t have to mean anything but it didn’t have to be nothing. He wasn't better than you just because he apparently felt nothing. Well, you don't do things by half, and Lash is not an exception. You full body turn to him.

“We’re just not gonna talk about it then?” You could not care less if that was the exact opposite of what you just said. It’s fine; Lash knows how contrary you can be.

Sure enough, when you get a good look at him, he’s smirking at you, eyes bright and expectant. Like he knew you couldn’t not talk about it and was just biding his time until you broke first.

God, he was aggravating.

“Hey, I always knew it’d be a matter of time before you jumped me.”

“What!” you squeak. “If memory serves me right, you were the one who couldn't keep your hands off of me. Do you always do that when you kiss someone? Hold them so tight they can’t escape. You’re like a straight jacket. God knows I should be in one, what was I thinking?”

“You were thinking ‘Oh, Lash is so hot I need him now’ and if someone wants to kiss me why would I deny them that pleasure?” he mocked your voice with a high pitch, and you got so annoyed that you took off your shoe and threw it at him as hard as you could.

The bastard didn’t even look mad when it hit his chest. He caught it and cackled. “You are so not getting this back, Stronghold.”

You jump to your feet. “Why! You only have one and it won't fit you. Give it!” Your very reasonable demand was not met.

Instead Lash rose from the chair and walked toward you. He dangled your shoe above his head, knowing full well that, even without using his powers, it was well out of your reach. He looked up at your shoe as you threw your dignity out of the window and jumped for it with no success. You very well could jump on him for it, but you know the jokes he’d make after.

“Your feet are so tiny,” he teased.

Oh! Feet! you think, and stomp on his.

As expected, Lash backed up and hunched over in pain, whining at you. You take this opportunity to reach around him for your shoe, but it remains elusive as he continues to hold it out. You did however manage to grasp his arm and pull it forward.

Lash’s body followed and the unexpected weight against you tripped you up. Soon you two were crashing into the desk you were using with half of the contents on your table falling to the floor.

You and Lash were in an awkward potion. Not quite standing but not completely on the floor either. Lash, being on top, moved first. You still had a grip on him, and he had no choice but to pull you up along with himself.

The result?

You were close. Very close. Again.

You wanted to move back, you really did. Your body had other plans though, and when you looked into his eyes, you knew immediately it was a mistake. You wanted to kiss him again, no, you needed to, and the gleam in Lash’s eye told you everything you needed to know.

You get on your tippy toes, throw your arms around his neck, and tip your head up. He meets you halfway, for once, and you two are kissing and kissing.

It picks up where it left off, all fury and passion the two of you felt bleeding into the kiss. This time, you open your mouth immediately and pry his open with your tongue. Judging by the sweet mewling sound he made into your mouth, Lash was not expecting you to be so bold.

He should know better.

Your tongue slides against his, tasting and feeling and wanting. He fights you when you flick the roof of his mouth and caress his teeth and cheeks, realizing he’s lost all control. This makes you pull back and smirk, momentarily breaking the kiss. You couldn’t resist, a helpless Lash is one you don’t see often, and this time? It was all your doing.

You make eye contact for a second, visibly proud of yourself and confident that you can make him react like that, and Lash’s expression shifts to one of determination before diving back in.

You know what he wants, and you got what you did, so you let him guide this kiss. He mapped the insides of your mouth, quickly becoming its best cartographer as he tongued every tooth, every ridge possible in the most delectable way.

He sucked on your tongue when you offered it, and it nearly brought you to your knees. He held on tight to you, holding you up. It would have been embarrassing if it was anyone else.

You stopped kissing, both needing to catch your breaths. You didn’t stray far, breathing into each other's mouths, lips brushing and still high on adrenaline. Neither of you moved apart while you waited for your breathing to return to normal. You traced your finger over the patch of skin he had exposed on his neck, and he rubbed circles on your hip with his thumb.

You were just wondering if Lash would think you were desperate if you tried to go back in for another round when the door slid open.

There really was no way to salvage the situation, but Lash took a few steps away from you. Luckily, Medulla’s head was turned as he talked to someone in the hall. He didn’t see you and Lash in an embrace of any kind, but there was still the matter of the room.

“What happened here? Miss Stronghold, why are your things all over the ground?” You had no idea what to say. You kept your mouth shut and rushed to pick everything up. Lash on the other hand—

“Lash, why in the name of Science are you holding her shoe?”

Fuck. You forgot about that. It’s like Lash has this ability to invade all your senses, being so successful that you forgot you were only wearing one shoe while making out with him.

Lash looked at the shoe in his hand. “Um.”

The teacher blinked. “Well give it back!”

Lash handed you your shoe, and you pulled it on as Medulla gave you a quick lecture. After both promising to not cause any further incidents, Medulla ran back to his lab to check on his experiment and left you and Lash alone again.

Then, you started laughing. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. After a moment, Lash joined in too, the events finally catching up to him.

“Why did you still have my shoe? You didn’t let it go? Not once?” you can't even form coherent words after that, still giggling.

Lash’s body convulses as he’s overcome with laughter. “I have no idea what happened. I literally didn’t even think about it.”

“Am I a bad kisser? I’ve never gotten anything other than stellar reviews so tell me now because if you were so unimpressed by me that you didn’t drop my shoe from your hand, then I need to know now.”

Lash, unexpectedly, became affronted. “I didn’t say or think that. Not at all.” You saw a blush rising to his cheeks. “You’re good. Like, really good. I like kissing you.”

Whatever you thought he was gonna say, it wasn’t this. You blink. “Oh. I like kissing you too.”

You were silent for a moment, but you knew where this was heading. Neither of you wanted to be the one to admit it, but if you did it together, it would lessen the sting of seeing each other so exposed like this.

“So, if I like kissing you, and you like kissing me…” he trails off.

“Then we should kiss,” you declare. He nods enthusiastically. “We should just kiss.”

“Yes, just kiss. Whenever we want. No promises, just kissing.” Very reasonable.

“Yup.” you say. Then, “We can’t tell anyone.”

His eyes bulged. “No, god no. I have a reputation and you have yours. We wouldn't be doing ourselves any favors.”

“Right, right. Can you even imagine?” You shudder. No one can know that you and Lash have kissed. More than once. Even worse, they cannot know that you’re going to keep kissing him.

The rest of detention rolls by, the atmosphere half awkward at what you agreed to and half giddy at what’s to come.

The next day as you’re walking to gym, lagging behind for no good reason, you feel an arm wrap around your waist and pull you away. You don't freak out, knowing immediately who it is. When you see the sign on the door you were just pulled into you say, “The boy’s locker room, really?”

Lash hushes you. “What’s the point of keeping this a secret if you’re just gonna shout it out for everyone to hear?” He continued to pull you around, weaving through rows of lockers.

You huff. “First of all, I said nothing of the sort, and second, I didn’t shout. It’s echo-y in here! That’s not my fault.”

Finally, Lash stops in a decently secluded area and corners you against a locker, bodies pressing together. “No, you are by far the loudest person I’ve ever met. Seriously. Do you have a volume control or are you permanently stuck on the loudest possible setting?”

“Shut up,” you instruct, and kiss him.

He came to you willingly and you made quick work of keeping him quiet.

You nip at his lips then suck on his mouth, ignoring his prodding tongue and not opening up fully. You continue to tease him for a few moments, giving him just enough of what he wants, but holding back until he decides to finally take it. You love being in control and it’s so easy with him, but the idea of Lash coming undone because he can’t stand the thought of you having something just out of his reach and finally doing whatever it takes to get it is a power trip in of itself.

Just knowing that right now Lash is obediently following your lead on this makes it all the more sweeter to punish him later when he unleashes himself on you.

When you‘re ready, and only when you’re ready, you loosen yourself up enough for Lash to take over.

He whines.

Lash dives into you, your mouth open and waiting. He kisses and sucks and licks everywhere he can, you don’t think he’ll stop for anything. You feel like he’s drinking you up the way he completely devours you.

You’re having fun learning what makes him tick. You know them already, but not in this context. Having to relearn him is something you do easily, and it’s funny that not only is he predictable, but he doesn’t even notice he’s showing you these things about himself.

Like your hair. You’ve noticed he brushes his hair to the side often, and not just to get it out of his face. He likes the soft, silky texture, which means Lash, currently, is caressing every strand of yours he can get his fingers on. On the flip side, with the amount of times he runs his hands through his hair, you know he melts when someone does it to him.

Lash constantly licks his lips and purses them. You don't know why, you don’t care. It’s good for you, because that means he isn’t opposed to wet lips, and you know that if you lick his and kiss him firmly, he will fall apart.

He also likes power. This is the most obvious. Who doesn't like power? The thing about Lash is, he likes to be drunk on it. He seeks it out even when he doesn’t need to and milks out that high for as long as he possibly can. Power, however, he likes to gain with a fight. Fighting is what you do best, and if there’s one thing about Lash, it’s that he will fight no matter what. He has no problem with it, and the struggle for ultimate dominance is what keeps him going. It pushes him, and the result is always victory.

He wants victory over you, but you know him, so his victory depends on how you exploit him.

Right now, Lash thinks he’s winning. You’re okay with letting him think that for a while longer if it means he keeps kissing you like this. What he lacks in surprise, he makes up for with enthusiasm and skill.

Surprise was never too important anyway.

You kiss and kiss, stopping a few times to suck in much needed air before going back for more. Eventually though, you pull back.

“We’re missing class,” you remind him.

He gives you a hard kiss that bangs your head against the metal locker, which you enjoy immensely, but you refuse to deepen it.

“I will gladly take a tardy for this, but not an absence,” you insist.

Seeing that you’re not budging on this, Lash groans and pulls away from you completely. Your front is suddenly very cold, but you pay that no mind as you make your way to the door.

When you move to open it, Lash spins you around and presses your bodies together once again. Seeing his big round eyes plead at you plucked at your heart strings. “Fine. One more.”

Lash ducks down and presses your mouths together. You move your lips against his for a few seconds, secretly thankful he wanted another.

You pull apart when you hear chatter in the hall.

“We can't leave at the same time. I'll go first, then you,” you tell him. He hums, not really looking like he heard a word you said, eyes far away and lost to satiation.

You slip out and simultaneously add two more things to your mental list about Lash:

Can and will beg and Gets kiss drunk.

Both very, very interesting bits of information.

Over the next week, you and Lash realize you can’t make out in the detention room. The window made it too risky and teachers were in and out constantly. The locker room was out of the question after the first time, it would seem was too suspicious for you and Lash to constantly miss the beginning of P.E. on the same days and at the same time, and there were just too many stragglers in the locker room and the hallway. So Lash has the brilliant idea to kiss in the boy’s bathroom.

You try it once and only once.

You pull your mouth away from Lash with a smack.

“This is the worst,” you deadpan. “You’re the worst.

His jaw drops open, looking slightly offended. “Uh, I don't see you finding anywhere for us to do this. There aren’t that many options.”

You roll your eyes. “And one of them has to be a bathroom? Getting E. coli is so not worth it.”

“Fine,” he says, grip on your waist tightening. “Where do you think we should go?”

“The back of the school, the roof, janitor’s closet, one of the many empty classrooms, behind the buses, under the bleachers,” you list off. “Literally anywhere that doesn’t involve a toilet.”

You can see the irritation flashing in his eyes, but you can tell he’s mildly impressed. He bites his lip and grins, “You sound very eager to kiss me, you know.”

“Oh yes, very eager,” you say sarcastically. “Remind me, Lash, who was the one begging who to ditch study hall for this? Was it you or me? I can’t seem to remember.”

He’s still grinning, and you can't help but to match it with your own. Lash dips down and murmurs against your lips, “Me, but who came anyway?” and he kisses you again.

His mouth is hot and fierce against yours, and you give as good as you get, sucking and licking him until he’s pliant enough to let out those soft noises you like so much. You scratch at his scalp and weave your fingers through his hair, occasionally pulling when you want him to do that thing he does with both of your tongues.

Although, no matter how hot this is, him and the kissing and the sneaking around, you’re still in a public bathroom.

The door creaks open and you pull off of him. You’re locked in a stall, but no one in this school has four legs so it was just too risky for you to stand there, whoever came in might see.

You do the only thing you can think of: you wrap a leg around Lash’s hips and pull yourself up. Lash, always seeming to understand what you want, holds your body firmly to his and reaches down to grab at your other thigh. He lifts you with no issue, securing you in the air. Now all you have to do is wait.

The thing is, you’re not the best at holding it together during tense situations, you laugh at everything no matter what. This is no exception. It’s just, the way Lash looks so serious, like being caught is a death sentence, humors you greatly. When you hear the guy relieve himself, you have to cover your mouth to muffle your giggles.

It mostly works, but seeing Lash’s face of utter bewilderment at you makes it hard to stop. He mouths at you to shut up, but you can’t. Laughter makes your whole body shake and he has no choice but to wait it out. It’s getting pretty hard to breathe at this point and you’re a little dizzy, so you decide to rest your head on Lash’s shoulder, your mouth pressed against the hot skin of his neck. At least you can breathe now.

The guy leaves, and you crack up again loudly, unmoving from your position.

“You are,” Lash begins, sounding drained, “the weirdest person ever. Literally all you had to do was be quiet, what if he caught us?”

“‘All you had to do was be quiet,’” you mock. You lift your head up and snort. “I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but you have to calm down.” Who would have thought Lash was the serious one between you two?

Lash begins to bitch at you, but you don’t care enough to pay attention. You’re not with him to listen to him talk, and besides, what he’s saying is a whole lot of nothing. You don’t let him rant at you too long, deciding to bite his neck because it’s there and you want to do something with your mouth.

It works.

He grunts in pain and he shuts up for all of two glorious seconds before asking what the hell was wrong with you.

“Lots,” you reply. “Now kiss me.”

He shakes his head at you, eyes both disbelieving and in wonder. He’s still holding you up, and you have no intention of getting off of him, so he backs you against the stall and kisses you like a man starved.

You try out other places at school, finding what works best and what doesn’t. You thought the roof was a safe place to go during lunch, but you had no idea how many teachers and students came up for a smoke. They took forever and there was no time for you and Lash to do anything, so that was out. Empty classrooms and under the bleachers were also a no-go, there was just too much traffic and exposure in those areas, and getting caught would be inevitable. You did manage a few sessions behind the buses, but you realize Ron spent most of his time there for some reason you can’t figure out. You like the guy, but he really needs a hobby, especially when it interferes with yours. You tried the janitors closet, but Lash nearly passed out from the fumes.

The only place that works is behind the school. Students never went there, and the only people who did were maintenance workers and delivery guys. These were issues that had schedules, so you and Lash worked around them.

You’re back there one day, sitting on a slab of uplifted concrete with Lash in between your legs. You’ve been kissing for a few minutes, and you didn’t have much time if you wanted to eat lunch that day. Lash, however, didn’t seem as into it like usual.

He was pouty and slow, hands braced next to your thighs on the concrete, not really giving you anything to work with.

You pull back and cross your arms, shooting him an expectant look. “Okay, what’s up?”

He shrugged. “Nothing, I’m fine,” he responds, moving back down to you. You stop him with a hand to his chest.

You give him an ultimatum: “No telling, no kissing.”

He has the audacity to look affronted with you, pouting even worse than before just because he was denied a treat. You raise your eyebrows at him and wait.

It doesn’t take long for him to break, either because he knew this was the fastest track back to kissing or because he wanted to tell you, you weren’t sure.

“You hair,” he says quietly, he bends his head down and rubs his neck, face flushing. “I like when it’s down, I like touching it.”

Oh. You werent expecting that. You knew he liked your hair, but enough to get genuinely upset when he couldn’t have it? It made your heart stop.

You let out a tiny, amused scoff. He stands there, sheepish.

You’ve never seen him like this.

“Okay,” you say. He looks up, his expression filled with blooming hope. Your hair is in two braids today, so you offer him one. He takes it hesitantly, unsure of what to do. You giggle and take your other braid, removing the tie and undoing the plait. Lash copies you, gentle when he removes the purple hair tie, slipping it on his wrist just as you had done, and he’s even more gentle as he uncoils your hair.

He undoes it slowly, fingers brushing lightly on each strand. You watch him, heart threatening to beat out of your chest. The way his attention is fully focused on your locks with unfiltered amazement, just wholly enraptured, like he’s never seen it before causes an ache to sprout in your chest.

When he finishes, you fluff out your hair, flashing him a smile when it settles.

He blinks at you, mouth parting open. “Oh. It’s wavy.”

Your smile widens and you bite your lip. His eyes track that movement with renewed vigor. “Yeah, that happens sometimes.” You reach for him, and he’s already tipping his head to catch your lips with his, kissing you with that familiar spark. It’s a bit different this time around, the way he moves against you and how he explores like he’s rediscovering you. You swear it's softer.

Later, when you’re back in the cafeteria, you hear Speed's voice a table away, asking Lash where he's been and why he has that. ‘That’ being your hair tie. You don’t look over at them, instead you smile down at your food, pretending to listen to your friend talk.

You and Lash continue to meet up, but after a few weeks you explain that you can’t continue to kiss him at school because your grades are suffering because of it.

“So, you don’t want to kiss me because you got an A- in the Heroes of History test? You should be grateful, I got a C on that!” Lash looks extremely put upon, and you elbow him.

“I didn’t say we had to stop, just that we can’t do it at school anymore. Or, at least, as often as we have been. I can’t let my grades suffer.”

He nods. “Alright, fine, you don’t want me to get in the way of your 4.0. I, however, am at a steady 3 and am perfectly fine with it.”

“Oh, sweetie, you don't have to tell me you’re okay with mediocrity, I’ve always known,” you say, voice sugary.

“I hope you have fun with burnout in senior year,” Lash drawls, voice agonizingly calm. “I’m sure your Type A personality will be great at helping you with that, babe.”

You preen at him, not taking the bait. “I’ll be sure to mention it by name in my valedictorian speech.”

Tension rolls off you two in waves, both feeling the burn inside as you crash into one another, heavy and unstoppable.

Five minutes and very swollen lips later, you’re heading inside.

Lash bumps your shoulder. “If we can’t meet up here anymore, where are we gonna go?”

You say, suddenly becoming shy, “Well, I was thinking, you could come over.” He furrows his eyebrows together and you tear your eyes away from him. “To my house. You can come over to mine. If you want.”

Oh god this was so awkward. You were well aware of this line you were crossing, an unspoken boundary to keep this separate from your private lives. You haven’t set an end date for these meetups, but you would understand if you freaked out Lash enough for him to call off the whole thing right then. You were dreading it, to be honest. You had no idea what you were gonna do when this was over.

But he doesn’t call it off, he agrees.

You smile to yourself, not willing to show how thrilled you were.

You did miss kissing at school, only meeting up there twice a week, but it’s so much easier to kiss him when you have actual privacy. You were a nervous mess the first time he came over. You cleaned obsessively and checked, double and triple, that your parents weren't home and wouldn't be until Lash was long gone.

You led him into your room, fidgeting as he observed its contents.

“Cute,” he remarks, fingering at an NSYNC poster.

You swipe at his hand. “Don’t touch Joey,” you whine.

He cackles. “Figured you be a JT girl,” he teases.

You shove him and he, frustratingly, doesn't go anywhere. Instead, he snatches up your hand and tugs you forward. You crash together, limbs finding their way around each other, mouth inches apart.

“Don’t you have a brother?” he mutters, eyes drawn to your lips

You shake your head. “Will’s at Layla’s. I dunno when he’s coming home, but he knows to knock before coming in here. He learned that the hard way.” Lash laughs, a short thing. You feel his air puffing on your skin, tingling all the way. Your gasp is soundless, and he chases the movement of your lips, but still not breaching the gap.

“Oh? And what kind of scandalous thing were you doing for him to have learned that lesson, hm?”

You press your foreheads together and push his head back hard. Not enough to seriously hurt, but a clear punishment. You've never done that with him before, another boundary broken, but he doesn’t seem to mind. “I know what you’re thinking. No, it was nothing like that.”

You feel him vibrate as he hums, it shudders through you like an earthquake. “Will you tell me?” he asks.

“Nope,” you deny. “You gonna kiss me anytime soon?”

Lash brings a hand up to grip at your chin and tilts it where he wants, eyes dark and wanting. “You gonna let me?” He barely finishes his sentence when you surge forward, lips finally coming together, slick and demanding.

A few days later, everything changes.

You were invited to a party at Gwen's, and you knew Lash would be there since he’s part of her inner circle. You’re good friends with her, seeing as you’re both in the same year and popular, but they had this interesting four person (not including Penny’s clones) clique that remained exclusive.

Gwen’s parties are always absolute ragers, and you had no trouble letting loose, drinking and dancing with your friends. There was also a karaoke machine, and you were part of the small group that had commandeered the mics. You got lost in the music, singing and swaying along, not caring how you looked or sounded, just basking in the fun.

Unbeknownst to you, Lash stood in a corner, watching you the entire time.

Had you noticed him, you would see the fond, amused smile that never left his expression. You won’t know this, but he was thinking of what a terrible singer you are. Enthusiastic for sure, but completely tone deaf. He thinks about how devastated he would be if you ever got any good. You’re having fun, though, and that’s all he cares about.

Had you noticed him, you would have seen that smile drop, moments later, when he comes to a realization. Probably the most important one of his life. It’s dangerous and unsteady and tilts his whole world sideways, yet so unbelievably worth it. But you don’t notice.

You’re drunk and your vision has blurred when you get pulled into a game of Spin the Bottle. It’s not your favorite game, but you whoop along with everyone else when people kiss. You think you’re lucky that the bottle never lands on you, until, of course, that’s exactly when it does. You’re a little reluctant, but rules are rules, and you get a peck from some senior who’s name you wouldn't be able to recall even if you were sober.

You don’t take your turn, flipping off everyone who boo’s you as you hobble to the nearest bathroom.

The truth is, you’re not too keen on kissing anyone who isn’t Lash. That senior was so unimpressive you forget about it as soon as it happens. It’s fine, though. Nothing you want to remember anyway.

You finally find a half bath, kicking at the door, and hurl into the bowl. You’re grateful when you feel someone collecting your hair, holding it out of the way. They rub your back, and you know immediately whose hand it belongs to, having felt them on you many times before.

Lash has only encouragement for you, and when your stomach is empty, you hold out your arm so he can haul you up to the sink. You find a bottle of mouthwash on the counter and grab it, rinsing and spitting habitually. You can see Lash watch you in the mirror, staring at you with an expression you were too drunk to fathom out.

Finally, when your mouth feels clean, you dissolve into giggles.

“Oh no,” Lash groans. “You’re not one of those drunks, are you?”

You’re still giggling when you nod, your whole body following the flow of your head, tipping forward. You catch yourself, and you can only snort in laughter as an exasperated Lash puts his hands on his hips, shaking his head all the while.

You stop laughing, zeroing in on his pose. His arms aren't necessarily open, yet there were two perfect gaps in between his arms and body wide enough for you to slink yours through. You fall into him, doing exactly that. The urge you felt to stick to him like a second skin overrode everything else in your mind, and besides, he looked like he could use a hug.

He’s frozen for a moment—not that you notice—before wrapping his arms around you too. You stay there for a long while, clinging and breathing each other in, the party outside nonexistent in the bubble you created.

“Are you upset,” you ask Lash eventually. “You seem upset.”

You feel him breathe in deeply then sigh heavily. “Yeah. A little bit.”

“Oh,” your heart sinks and you pull away. You’re still koala-ing him, but you tilt your head up to pout at him. “At me?”

“No,” he admits. He brushes a loose strand of hair out of your face. “At Ricky Wilkins.”

You squint at him. “Who the hell is that? That’s such a dumb name. Why are you letting some guy with a dumb name upset you? How dare he take away your smile! I like your smile. Lash,” you bat your eyes up at him, “can you smile for me?”

And he does. It’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. “There it is!” You’re so enchanted by his mouth, so you bring up a hand to trace his lips. They’ve long since been burned into your memory, yet, in your state of drunkenness, you forgot how pretty they are.

“Why did Rocko make you upset?” you ask, still playing with his lips.

“Ricky,” he corrects, but you’ve already forgotten it. “He kissed you.”

Your eyes dart up to his. “Nuh uh.”

“Yuh huh,” he mocks lightly. “He kissed you during Spin the Bottle. That’s why I got upset. I didn't like seeing that.”

You can tell he’s being honest with you, even if being open didn’t come naturally to him. You feel a warm flutter rise in your chest.

“Lash, I can’t even remember his name.”

“Clearly,” he says sarcastically. Then he sighs and says quietly, “I didn’t like seeing you kiss someone else.”

“Oh,”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Lash smiles, it’s not the same as before. This one is hurting. “We never agreed to anything like that, you can kiss whoever you want. I’ll deal with it.”

“No,” you shake your head at him, “No, don’t do that. I don’t want to kiss anyone else but you. I haven’t since you. You’re too addicting for that.”

Lash grins and eyes shiny at your lack of a filter. “You’re extremely addicting too, and it drives me nuts that you don’t know how much. I haven't kissed anyone else either.”

Relief pours through you all at once. “Then we agree. We don’t kiss anyone but each other.”

The way Lash is looking at you now, like you’re something precious, makes you melt.

“If it makes you feel any better,” you sigh in contentment, tucking yourself back into him. “I’ve never thrown up after kissing you.” The way Lash burst out laughing at your words made the bathroom the home of your symphony.

Days later, you and Lash are, surprise surprise, making out on your bed. Him half on top of you, one arm propping himself up and the other roaming along your side, like he was a pianist and your ribs were the keys. You’re holding his face in both your hands as you kiss languidly.

Lately, they’ve become softer, more purposeful. Your touches have also become more daring than they had been before. Fingers pressing deeper into skin, hands wandering further than normal, lingering where they shouldn’t. Kisses now all over faces and jaws and necks, biting and sucking and feeling so, so good.

Lash’s hand skirts past your waist this time, trailing down your hip and over the side of your thigh. He traces a random pattern on your flesh before he grips it with a hot hand, and you gasp as he hikes your leg up and onto his hip and back. It was a bold move, and you knew he wouldn't dare go further. No matter how much you fight and defy each other, he would never make you do something you didn’t want to, and you were never compliant enough to let him. He’s still holding your thigh, you think you might kill him if he lets go.

You’re kissing deeply, obsessed and intoxicated, bodies twisted together, lost to the world and only concerned with finding each other.

Which is why, unfortunately, you get caught by Will.

“OH MY GOD!” your brother screeches.

You and Lash startle apart, looking at the intruder. Will was in the doorway, flushing red and hands covering his eyes. Lash rolls off you and onto the other side of the bed, allowing you to get up and yell at your brother.

“William! Knock! You know this!”

“I’m sorry!”

You roll your eyes. “What do you want,” you exhale.

The dork still has his eyes covered. “Mom called, they won't be home until tomorrow. I was gonna ask if you can make Layla and I pizza.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever. I’ll be down soon.”

“Sweet, Layla’s gonna be so happy! She’s a vegetarian, remember? So no meat,” he reminds you.

“I know, bud. Now get out of here.”

Will turns and speeds off, but not before running into your doorway first. “Oh my god, Will, open your eyes.”

You turn around and see Lash getting up. After all, it’s usually about this time when he heads home. To be honest, you didn’t want him to go. You never did.

“Hey, um, if you’re hungry you can just…stay.” The words fought you coming out, unsure how Lash would feel and what he would think. You’ve been crossing all kinds of lines with each other lately, was this really so different?

Lash’s eyes widen, and for a heartstopping second, you think he’ll say no.

“I could eat.”

That’s how the two of you end up in the kitchen, Lash obediently following your instructions as you throw together a pie.

Lash holds up an unmarked mason jar. “So, where does this come from?” he asks, and you explain that your dad homemakes it, it’s a Stronghold secret recipe.

“Of all the hobbies the Commander has, I never would have guessed that he dabbles in homemade pizza sauce.”

“Hey,” you defend. “You’re holding a seven time winner of the annual Maxville Realtor’s Pizza Fest. Show some respect.”

“Seven?”

“Consecutively,” you add.

Lash shakes his head at you with a grin. You’re quiet as you work together, comfortable with the peace that comes with the silence. When you finish your creation, a simple mozzarella spinach pizza, you pop it in the oven.

“Y’know,” Lash says, leaning against the counter. “I’ve realized that my mouth is super tender now. It’s totally your fault, by the way.”

“Wha— my fault? Do you know how much chapstick I’ve gone through these last few months alone because of you?”

“Believe me,” Lash assures, “I know. You taste like a different flavor every week.”

You slide up to him, head tilted. “Oh? What was today’s flavor?”

“Not sure,” he says, nonchalant. It's not a very subtle segue but you’re not gonna complain. “I think I might need a reminder. Care to give me one?”

“Shut up,” you murmur, and kiss him until your lips bruise.

The timer goes off sometime later and you detach yourself from Lash. You got out the pizza, and he offers to tell the other two that it’s done.

“Wait!” You stop him. “Wait wait wait, I need to check on something.” You get behind the wall that looks into the living room, and observe. You don't have the best spying skills, but their backs are turned, so it’s fairly easy to see what's going on and to hear their conversation. You feel Lash shuffle behind you, resting an arm around your waist as he peers around the corner.

“What are you doing?’ he whispers in your ear.

“Hush. I can’t hear what they’re saying.”

Unfortunately for you, Will is rambling on about something incredibly boring, Layla giving him her undivided attention as always, so you huff in annoyance and leave them alone.

“Is it just me or is that green chick totally in love with your brother?” Lash asks, unprepared for the can of worms he just opened.

You whirl around to face him. “Yes!” You whisper-scream, him reeling back at your reaction. “Will is an idiot! Layla isn’t subtle at all, oh my god. I can’t believe how oblivious Will is.”

“Maybe it’s a Stronghold trait,” he mutters under his breath, luckily for him, you’re too focused on the tween romance in the next room to catch that.

“She’s been pining after him for so long, it’s reaching a point where something has to be done.”

“Probably best to let them work it out,” he advises.

You nod. “Probably. Doesn’t mean I’m not keeping an eye out for any developments, though. They belong together, mark my words.”

“They’re marked.”

You shove his shoulder. “Oh stop. Hey, we should probably tell them dinner is ready.”

The rest of the evening is relaxing, you and Lash messing around, teasing each other’s eating habits, and stealing bites of pizza. The four of you watch a movie but Will kicks you and Lash out for being too loud, so you grab his hand and haul him away, finishing dinner on the floor of your room, doing nothing but talking and talking and talking. It’s the best night you’ve had in a long time.

Later, Lash lingers in the doorway as you’re saying goodnight. He hesitates in the threshold, opening then closing his mouth, not daring to speak his mind. He’s absolutely adorable like this, face flushed red and glowing under the fluorescent porchlight.

“Yes?” you ask.

He ducks his head down, eyes avoiding yours before ultimately spitting it out. “Can I—uh. Can I have a goodbye kiss?” God, the way his voice was so shy and scared, like you’d ever say no to that, like you’d ever want Lash to be insecure around you. Like he thinks he can’t have you.

“Yes,” you reply, and kiss him.

He whimpers against your mouth, his emotions being nearly too much to contain. He cups one of your cheeks, guiding your head where you both like it. It’s slow and soft. You find the tenderness he was talking about earlier, finding the new sensitivity all-encompassing and everything.

As you stand there watching him leave, you press your fingers to your lips to chase the impression of his mouth, memorizing and wanting.

It’s almost sickening how sweet the two of you were with each other from that point on. You still spit fire and he tugs on your pigtails, this syrupy flavor just another addition to the zest of your relationship. These soft and vulnerable moments you keep allowing each other to see and to show off becomes like second nature the more you do it. You find it easy when it’s him.

You’re on your bed, panting after Lash left you breathless. From your perch on his hips, you watch as his chest heaves, similarly gasping. You run your hands up and down his torso, needing to feel the heat of his skin through the fabric as you both decompress from that intense session. When you reach the top of his sternum, he snatches your hand up and presses his burning lips to your wrist. Then, he laces your hands together and tugs you down. You fold, and peck his lips once, twice, three times before murmuring against his lips,

“Have you seen Pinocchio?”

Lash’s body stiffens under you. “I really, really don’t like where you’re going with this.”

“Please,” you whine, squeezing the hand that never let yours go. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to know. I’m talking years. Literal years, Lash. I’m sorry if you get asked this all the time, but I need to know: can you stretch your nose like Pinocchio?”

“No one,” Lash says flatly, “has ever asked me that. I knew this is where you were going with that question, I just knew it, you absolute weirdo.”

You cross your arms and level him with an unimpressed glare. You end up in a staring contest, neither willing to back down. You’ve played this game before and won, never mind that you and Lash always seem to tie. This time, you would not be the one to crack. You know him, you know what makes him fold like a deck of cards, and as the dealer you’re not above a little manipulation to satisfy your curiosity.

Slowly, you let your expression shift to one of hope, eyes shiny and brows furrowed, not quite begging but rather expectant that he would sacrifice something small like his dignity to show you a party trick. Then, you bat your eyelashes at him, not quick enough for him to think you’re doing it knowingly and on purpose like he rightfully accused you of before, but innocent, fluttering blinks timed perfectly enough apart to seem genuine.

Lash sighs heavily, looking like he regretted every decision he ever made, and you try to not look half as pleased with yourself as you felt.

Slowly, Lash’s nose stretches out a few inches. He doesn’t hold it for long, but just long enough for you to get a good look before quickly retracting it, his face back to normal, frown and all.

You cover your mouth with your hands briefly, eyes bugging. “Oh my god. That is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.”

Lash huffs, his bottom lip sticking out, and he twists his head away from you.

“Hey, no,” you say, easy and comforting. You reach out and grab his jaw, turning it back towards you. “I wasn’t making fun of you, promise. I think that’s really cool. Thank you for showing me.” To prove you meant no harm to his ego, you smack a kiss on the button of his nose.

His eyes blow wide, and for a second your heart starts to sink, believing what you did was a mistake. Lash proves you wrong, again, when his mouth stretches into a goofy grin. You light up again, and don’t think before falling forward to leave a lingering peck on his lips.

He pulls back, just barely, and asks with complete adoration flooding his voice, “How are you real?”

This is when you know your heart belongs to him.

For a while, neither of you take the next step. Cross the next boundary. You know what you want, and you’re almost positive he wants it too, but the thing is, you never stopped being each other. You’ve always been the same people since the beginning. There are only two ways it could end, and you weren’t ready to cross the finish line only to find out he isn’t the prize. That’s not winning to you.

Speaking of winning, it’s something you plan on doing as the monthly Save the Citizen game was announced for P.E.

They didn’t participate every game, but Lash and Speed have been an undefeated team since freshman year, everyone dreaded going up against the powerful duo. Few came close to winning, but they were ultimately unstoppable. This time though, Coach Boomer threw in a twist.

“I’ve been feeling a little bored, so I’m changing it up this time. Lash, Speed; as the undefeated victors, you will not be on the same team today.” The sea of students began to whisper, wondering what Boomer was doing. “You two will be on opposite teams and, because I’ve been spending too much time with Medulla, I’m feeling a little evil, so you will choose each other’s partner. Lash, you first.”

Lash deliberates for a second before choosing freshman hero student Brittney Wilson, AKA Freeze Girl. Interesting choice, you think, and wonder how Lash plans on winning when she has a stronger power than him. He’s pretty clever in a pinch and that’s how he and Speed keep winning, but sometimes brute force is all it takes. He does have two more years worth of experience than she does, and Speed isn’t known for being much of a tactician, so Lash isn't totally without an advantage. You continue to think of possible strategies Lash could use to combat this when you hear Speed say your name loud and clear.

Suddenly, whispers rise all around the gym room, heads turning to look at you and gossiping immediately. You hear many students speculate about the easy win Speed and Freeze Girl are sure to have, because there’s no way you and Lash can work together long enough to win, your rivalry is sure to get in the way. Even Boomer and the other teachers looked surprised at Speed's choice, albeit also unable to hide their curiosity. Speed, the asshole, is smirking to himself. Good thing losing is not an option for you.

A coin flip determines that you and Lash are the villains. You make your way to the changing room to get into your gear, passing Lash on the way, and you can’t resist an opportunity like this.

“We’re winning, so I would really appreciate it if you don’t fuck this up,” you say to him, not that anyone but Lash can tell you’re teasing him.

He’s got an eyebrow quirked and a very bad poker face on as he peers down at you. “If you break my winning streak I’ll make sure you’ll regret it, Stronghold.” The you of a few months ago would take this as a threat, but you now see it as the promise it is. Whatever the results of the game are, you know you and Lash are gonna end it in your own way later.

In typical high school fashion, the students around you “ooh” as you and Lash exchange barbs. You’re not paying them much attention though, now focused on nothing but winning.

Soon, you’re inside the arena and you begin to strategize with Lash at your side.

“You should take Speed, you know his moves better than I do. I can hold him off if he tries anything, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to face Freeze Girl alone,” you say, observing your opponents across the room. If you recall correctly, this is Brittney’s first game participating.

“Yeah,” Lash says. “That’s what I was thinking. I don’t think beating Speed will be too hard, he’s too fast and too impulsive: he won’t stop and I can get him then. And he pretty much only has one move.”

You cut in, “You’re right, but you’ve never been his opponent before. You’ve never seen him from the other side. Don’t underestimate him, that’s a good way to lose.”

“Okay,” he agrees. “I’ll keep an eye on him. So Freeze Girl. She’s powerful and quick, but if she exerts herself too fast then she’s basically powerless. You have more stamina than her, so if you keep hitting her and don’t let up, she won’t have a chance to fight back. She’s also too mild—even if she does freeze us it won’t be enough to hurt.”

You nod along. “Exactly. She won’t dare try something that could seriously injure us, she’ll hold herself back. Try to stay as far away from her as you can, you won’t be able to stretch if she freezes you, but I’ll still be able to use my power. Also, I think she’s afraid of her powers, I’ve seen her use them in training. She’s prone to hesitating under pressure. I doubt she’ll think straight while worrying about us and the citizen. She doesn’t have the best control, either.”

“That could be dangerous,” Lash points out. “If she’s that untrained you need to be careful.”

You smile at him. “I know. I’m just hoping she hesitates enough for us to win. She’s not thinking about this as a battle between heroes and villains.”

“She’s thinking of it as a game in gym class,” Lash finishes.

You stare at each other then with half hidden smiles and mischievous twinkles in your eyes, silently appraising the other and thinking about how good you are at this teamwork thing. It goes unspoken: you’re a team and you’re unstoppable. There’s no other way, not when you’re together.

The game still hasn't started yet, and you take this opportunity to put your hair up. Fighting is much easier when there aren’t flyaways blocking your view. Only, the hair tie you had this morning is missing and there’s only one place it can be.

“Hey,” you say, grabbing his attention (as if you ever lost it). “I need to put my hair up.” You hold your hand out, and Lash rolls up a sleeve, revealing your signature purple hair tie sitting snug on his wrist. He slips it off and hands it to you.

As you’re gathering your hair in a ponytail, you can’t help but think of that morning when he took it from you, your memories filled with hot kisses and sharp nips, Lash’s fingers threading through your hair and making a mess so bad you needed to brush it again. He’s taken possession of so many of your hair ties because of his insatiable fixation. You don’t mind one bit. Over the last few months, you became accustomed to putting your hair up for the sole purpose of letting Lash take it down, still in awe of the way your hair cascades down and around you.

“Good?” you ask him, showing off your hair. You hate when it isn’t smooth and he knows this.

He pinches his lips together and hums in agreement. Despite that, Lash reaches up to flatten some stray baby hairs, shaping your face.

Neither of you notice the whispered exchanges all throughout the gym, starting when the two of you emerged from the changing rooms without biting each other’s heads off. Rumors began to circulate quickly with you and Lash accidentally fueling the fire as you interacted.

Boomer takes his place. You see Speed whisper to Freeze Girl, she looks scared and unsure as Speed flattens his hands and gestures to the floor then to you and Lash, but then she nods, seemingly reluctant but agreeing with whatever he suggested. An uneasy feeling coils in your gut.

Boomer is about to start the countdown, so you lean over to Lash and whisper, “The second the timer starts, jump. We need to stay off the ground.” Lash gives you a confused look, but it only lasts for a second as the timer blares, beginning the countdown.

He trusts you, and when he sees that Speed doesn’t take off immediately, he knows why.

The two of you jump, Lash stretching his arms up to hang from the rafters, and you use your powers to hover above the ground, looking like you’re standing in midair.

Your instincts were right, because a few feet under you lay a sheet of ice, right where you and Lash were just standing. They were gonna freeze you to the floor.

It was silent for a few seconds. Then, the crowd went wild.

Lash drops down next to you, knowing you’d keep him off the floor.

“You,” he says seriously, “are so hot.”

“So not the time,” you respond, not being able to wipe the grin off your face, and he beams at you. Then, together, you charge into battle.

The thing is, no one knows exactly how powerful you are. Most people know that you’re telekinetic, but not what you’re truly capable of. Your parents think you’re the most powerful person in the world. You think you’re just a teenager. They made sure you were trained properly, and through that, you found out just how strong you are.

You deter Speed every time he comes at you, apparently not caring that he was supposed to save the citizen. At one point, as you’re blocking a rapid attack from Freeze Girl, you feel an arm wrap around you and drag you to the side. You realize it was Lash moving you out of Speed’s way as he attempted to catch you off guard. He didn’t account for Lash watching your back. You lock eyes with him, giving him a nod of thanks.

Eventually, after you threw him back and knocked him on his ass a few dozen times, he stopped going for you and focused on Lash.

Brittney, bless her heart, tries her best. It’s almost enough, but if her opponent was anyone other than you, she most likely would have won instantly. She attempted to freeze you, make you fall, grab the citizen with her ice, but it didn’t work. Her ice just wasn't strong enough to combat your powers, so you broke through everytime. In the beginning, it was harder to do, but as she exerted herself more and more in a short span of time, she exhausted herself and her ice became weaker.

Once, she attempted to freeze Lash while his back was turned, but you shattered the ice before it could go anywhere near him. She was a good fighter though, full of potential and capable of greatness if she applied herself.

Lash and Speed were engaged in a game of cat and mouse. At the one minute mark when it became clear to Speed that Freeze Girl was no closer to the citizen than when the game started, he became desperate. Every move becoming wild and sloppy as the timer counted down. He attempted to jump to the citizen, something that would have been easier for him as the mannequin lowered, but Lash would slingshot or smack him away, even tripping him a few times. He did get close at the 15 second mark when he managed to knock Lash down, but you simultaneously defended yourself against Freeze Girl’s desperate attack of ice shards and used your powers to move the dummy just out of his reach.

You and Lash won.

Exhilaration flowed through you, hearing your classmates cheer, seeing Lash’s face light up at you, and that was an adrenaline rush in of itself. You were gonna run to Lash, not knowing exactly what you would do when you got to him, but all you were thinking about was celebrating your win.

Unfortunately, Speed had other plans. You forgot he was a sore loser.

The game was over, you weren't watching him, so when he ran past you at full speed, he shoulder checked you. Before you knew what was happening, the coupled momentum sent you flying, and you cracked your head against a wall of ice.

You don’t fall, but you stumble, head dizzy and incredibly nauseous. The impact distorted all your senses, everything too loud yet muffled at the same time. Your skull felt like it was vibrating in your head, and the side of your head where the impact hit throbbed agonizingly, the ache clearly not dulling anytime soon. You feel something wet on your hair, so you reach up and immediately hiss in pain as you touch the tender spot. You pull your hand back, vision blurry and darkness creeping in, but what you can see is bright red staining your fingertips.

You think you hear someone call your name, but you pass out before you can process anything.

You didn’t expect to wake up in the nurse's office hours later, your entire body pulsing in pain. Nurse Spex began a series of inspections on you, testing your memory, motor functions, and everything she couldn’t while you were unconscious. She let you know that your parents were on the way, give or take a possible European villain detour.

Turns out you have a mild concussion, and she advises you to take it slow for the next few weeks. You’d have routine check ups to monitor for brain damage, but she’s positive there won’t be any. Then, she asks if you’re up for a visitor.

Your heart races as you nod your head yes, then you groan and clutch your head as you realize how stupid that was. She gives you a tylenol and lets someone in.

To say you were disappointed it wasn’t Lash was an understatement. Brittney bounced in, one part freshman perkiness and the other incredibly and unnecessarily apologetic. Nurse Spex leaves you two alone, saying that she’s going to update the staff on your condition and how they can best help.

After she finishes apologizing for creating the ice that hurt you and you assure her multiple times that it wasn’t her fault, you ask Brittney what happened after you blacked out.

She blushes and needlessly fixes her glasses. Then she practically gushes her next words. “Well, Lash caught you. You fell right into his arms like a princess! It was like seeing a fairytale play out right in front of my eyes! He was so worried about you. People tried to help when they realized what happened, but he wouldn't let anyone near you, only the teachers. I didn’t know he could be so sweet.” She sighs dreamily.

“I do,” you say quietly, smiling to yourself.

She blinks. “Oh. We were all wondering, I mean, his reaction was so unexpected but it all makes sense now. The hair and the jump and the way you saved each other. Like, it was all there.”

Her words are absolute gibberish to you. You ask her to explain.

“It’s just, everyone saw how well you work together, even though it seems like you hate him. No one thinks that anymore about either of you. You were strategizing, and he had your hair tie, and the way he fixed your hair, I mean, you know what they say about hindsight. Oh! Not to mention the fight with Speed.”

You sit up. “What fight with Speed?”

Brittney’s eyes widened. “Um. Lash probably would have been here instead of me, but he’s in detention because he got into a fight with Speed. About you. And he said—well, he said…” she trails off and bites her lip, looking down.

“What did he say,” you urged.

“I really shouldn’t be the one to say it, you should hear it from Lash. He kind of yelled about his feelings for you at Speed, but there were so many people there, I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who doesn’t know.”

You were tired. So, so tired. “Yell what.”

Brittney waves her hands frantically. “No, seriously, ask Lash. I heard the teachers talking earlier, apparently he was begging to see you and they said they’re gonna let him soon. Ask him then.”

You calm down, regretting losing your cool on her. She stays and talks for a few minutes and you promise to help her with her powers, but leaves when you begin to feel droopy. You’re asleep again soon after.

This time, waking up was less painful. Your head still hurts like a bitch, but you felt more steady. You wake up slowly, feeling incredibly groggy, when you feel a squeeze on your hand. You open your eyes and see Lash next to your bed. Head resting in the mattress and sitting on the chair Brittney was in last.

You squeeze back, his head shooting up near comically. His face shifts in a multitude of expressions going from shock to relief to worry to fear to joy and to a million others before settling on something soft, something just for you. He looks you up and down, assessing your well-being and making sure you’re okay.

“Hi,” you say.

“Hi.”

“How long have you been here?” you ask. His clothes are rumpled and his eyes have dark circles under them.

“A few hours. It’s late, so they’re keeping you here until your parents come back in the morning.”

You hum. “Will?”

“With the green chick,” he assures.

You giggle softly. “I know you know her name.”

He shakes his head at you, eyes crinkling as he smiles. “Whatever.”

You two stay like that, staring and drinking each other in.

Against all odds, you’ve become absolutely intertwined and fully enamored with him. He’s Lash, and he’s yours. You know what you do to him, how you drive him insane and obsessive and he’s completely fine with it because he’s nothing if not addicted to you. You are his too.

“I love you,” you tell him.

He gasps, all sharp and hopeful. He looks at you, really looks. He’s looking for a lie, a deception, a meaningless babble because of your concussion. The search is quick; he knows as soon as he starts looking that he’ll find nothing.

“I love you too,” he admits softly.

You wish he could kiss you, but you know he won’t risk anything right now. That’s okay though, you think. You’ve kissed him in almost every way that matters. You can wait a little longer for the last few if it means being with him. Here, as victors, having crossed the finish line together.

#lash sky high #lash x reader #lash sky high x reader #sky high 2005 #x reader #if you read this whole thing THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! please let me know what you think!#im honestly not expecting any readers but i wanted to post it anyway. this is probably my most favorite thing ive ever written.#i put a LOT of care into this oop

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milfgyuu · 1 year

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The Yo-Nut Slasher Pairing: Wen Junhui x Fem!Reader Tags: 2.3k, Humor, Spooky Stuff Prompt: “Would you stop stuffing your face with candy for one moment and listen?” Requested Anonymously Summary: Ur favorite Yo-Nut employees are back for a Halloween special. (From the ‘What’s My Age Again?’ AU)

Warnings: Language.

Halloween is always a busy night for the Yo-Nuts staff, including the late shift because what’s better than going home and digging into all that candy?

Apparently going out for frozen yogurt and donuts at one o’clock in the morning.

That’s what.

You and Jun whirl around each other behind the counter serving costumed vampires, werewolves, zombies, cheerleaders, celebrities, slasher villains, and tv show characters galore.

Seriously, you’ve seen like twelve Eddie Munsons from Stranger things in the past hour alone.

The toppings are running slim and there is only one bin of gummy bears left but thankfully closing time quickly approaches and people start filtering out around two thirty in the morning. You attempt to clean as you go but you’re shot from how busy it’s been. Jun is much the same as he half-heartedly cleans the counter, knocking sprinkles onto the floor he’ll have to sweep up later.

He’s still holding strong to that promise of cleaning the floors and bathrooms for all eternity.

“That’s it,” Jun sighs in relief, locking the doors and turning off all the neons in the windows. He flips the ‘Closed’ sign a little hastier than usual. “Hell night is over.”

You snort, turning down the lights. “It’s almost three am. The witching hour hasn’t even begun.”

Jun finishes cleaning the last of the tables and see’s you carefully closing out the computer system, pulling the cash drawer to take back to the office to count.

He can’t resist the urge - you’re just so vulnerable and unsuspecting. He sneaks up behind you and presses his fingers into your ribs, delighting in the terrified squawk you let out.

He’s lucky not a single penny spills from the drawer in your hands.

“If you tell anyone about the sound I just made, I’ll kill you,” you growl before turning around and glaring up at him, “And then I’ll dump your ass and you can be a lonely single loser for all of eternity.”

Jun grins. “You’re so hot when you threaten me.”

Damn him and his ability to make you laugh.

You retreat to the office and Jun cleans the floors and bathrooms - though it might be a little half-assed and a problem for day shift. The only thing left to do is shut down the serving station but he glances at it and instead decides to check on you and make sure you weren’t trying to bash in the poor old printer as he’d caught you attempting a few weeks back.

Printing the evening financials was decidedly the worst part of your job.

Thankfully, by the time he arrives, you’re already neatly stacking reports and stapling them together. The machinery still fully intact. Jun knows he’s not allowed to be all lovey dovey with you at work because you hate the PDA but no one is around so he leans over you to kiss the top of your head, smiling when he hears your soft hum of approval.

Something catches his eye in the large monitor that displays the footage from the security cameras and at first, he writes it off as his imagination but another flicker of motion has his brows furrowed as he leans over you. You complain about being smooshed beneath his frame but he clicks on one of the outside cameras, centering the footage and making it larger.

“Someone is hanging around by the dumpsters.”

You huff. “Yeah, probably a fat raccoon.”

“No, I’m serious.” His tone is far more firm than usual and you take a look at the screen. “That’s a person. They’re just…pacing back and forth.”

There’s a lump in your throat and you struggle to swallow it down.

“Maybe they’re drunk,” you hurry to rationalize why there would be a large, dark figure lurking behind your building, “There’s tons of Halloween parties and pub crawls going on.”

Jun grimaces, “...I don’t like it.”

You lay your hand over his and look up at him. “I’ll write a note for day shift and we can just leave the trash inside by the back door. My car is close to the front doors so let’s just finish what we need and go, okay?”

Jun glances back at the camera where the figure continues to pace back and forth, no sign of deviation from it’s short, repetitive path. “Yeah, okay. Let’s get out of here.”

Even though you know you’re safe inside you don’t let go of Jun’s hand as you walk around ensuring everything is indeed locked up. Jun hits the lights as you go, blanketing everything in darkness until only a few service lights and the moonlight shining through the dining room windows illuminate your steps.

You make it just around the corner and behind the counter when Jun suddenly wraps his around around you from behind, one hand over your mouth, and he drops you both to the ground behind the serving station. Your eyes are wide in panic and Jun hushes you softly, his lips close to your ear.

“Don’t scream! Please don’t scream,” he repeats until you release the death grip on his wrist and try to slow your breathing. “Someone is outside trying to look into the windows.”

“M-maybe it’s just some idiot who doesn’t realize we’re closed.”

There’s a horrific sound that hits your ears and you both cringe. The sound of something sharp scratching glass.

You jolt in fear and accidentally knock Jun’s head against a metal cabinet. He groans but you quickly scramble out of his lap and plaster yourself next to him, curling your knees tight to your chest. You smack his thigh, telling him to do the same thing because his long legs stick out so far his shoes would be visible to whoever the hell is outside. He tucks them in and rubs the back of his head, instinctively ducking as there is a taunting knocking sound.

“This is not fucking happening,” you mutter to your self, “We’re not getting murdered in Yo-Nuts.”

Jun snorts and you cut him a glare. “What?” he whispers, “The headline would be a little bit funny.”

“I’m. Not. Laughing.”

He shuts right up and the silence is followed by tapping but it’s sharp, almost metallic. It makes your teeth hurt. Jun looks over at you trembling in fear and he tries to make you feel better.

“What if it’s like the hash-slinging slasher?” he attempts, “Right? Because he was actually just some guy with a spatula who wanted to apply for a job and he wasn’t scary at all!”

Your nails dig into your knees to keep from losing it and you look over at him, tilt your head, and grit your teeth. Jun shrinks.

“Except that was a SpongeBob episode and this is real life!” you hiss, “And we don’t fucking use spatulas here!”

So, that didn’t work.

“Oh my god,” you squeeze the bridge of your nose, “Ok. We just need to think.”

The tapping is drowned out by a loud crunching sound and when you peer over at Jun, he’s managed to somehow reach back behind and above your heads to grab a mixed handful of crushed peanuts and chocolate chips out of the serving bins. He shovels it into his mouth and you shake your head at him.

“Ok, alright, we need to call the cops,” you mumble to yourself patting down both your apron and pants pockets, “Shit, where is my phone?”

More crunching but slightly varied. Likely another topping option.

Around a mouthful, Jun asks, “Did you leave it in the office?”

Yes. Yes, you did. It had almost fallen out of your pocket so you set it on the desk and then you got distracted by the creeper outside and you just wanting to get the hell out of here.

You hold out a hand toward your boyfriend and then close your fist around four multi colored sour gummy worms. With a hushed groan, you whip your head toward him, vision catching on the pink gummy worm hanging out the corner of his mouth.

His eyes widen curiously as you aggressively throw them away, the faint sound of them splattering somewhere in the kitchen again forgotten when the knocking and scratching picks up again. “Would you stop stuffing your face with candy for one moment and listen?!”

Jun gawks at you incredulously. “Babe! You know I eat when I’m nervous!”

You will every ounce of patience into your body. You love him. You really do. You don’t want to sacrifice him to the shadow man outside. Even though you could probably out run him. Or trip him. He’s got weaker ankles.

Ugh. Who are you kidding? You’d miss him too much.

Calmly and evenly, you try again, holding out your hand. “Jun, I need your phone.”

“I don’t have it.”

“What do you mean you don’t have it? You always have it!”

He smiles awkwardly. “I left it at home because we were gonna be together all day anyways so I thought I uh…wouldn’t need it.”

You narrow your eyes and then gasp. “Oh my god! You’re downloading that stupid upgrade for your league game, aren’t you?!”

Jun sighs. “Well…yeah, but only because it takes like six hours and again,” he emphasizes with his brows and a wave of his hand over your body, “Love of my life. Right here. By my side. All day. Who else do I need to call?”

“I don’t know…maybe the police?! In case of an emergency! Like this!”

Jun nods. ”Right…yeah. Lesson learned there.”

You realize you need to get back to the office for the business phone but even if you crawl all the way there, you’d be visible for a brief portion of it. Tears spring to your eyes in both frustration and fear. You bury your face in your hands and Jun loops his arm around your shoulders. “Hey,” he says softly, “We’re going to be okay. I promise.”

You lean into his embrace. All the frustration and anger peeling away to the reveal the very raw terror beneath. “I’m sorry for being so mean, Junhui,” you sniffle, pressing harder against his chest, “I’m so fucking scared right now.”

“I know,” he wraps his arms tighter, “I know. Me too.”

“I love you.”

“Now you’re scaring me.”

A little reluctantly amused nose exhale is all he gets in response.

With Jun’s encouragement and warm touch that never wavers, he convinces you to make a run to the back office where the phone is located, and he locks the door from the inside. You make a frantic call out to emergency services and are forced to sit tight wait for them to arrive - both too nervous to do much more than share the single desk chair and huddle together anyway.

The cops find nothing aside from some scratches near the doors but the entire property was clear by the time you emerge from the building. Jun triple checks the alarm and quadruples his efforts on the locks. They determine it was probably just some kids playing a prank or like you had originally assumed, a drunkard out of his mind but probably harmless.

It isn’t until a week later, lazing about in Jun’s bed as you flicked through channels late at night that you got an actual answer to who was outside that night.

Your boss believed your story and hadn’t batted an eye about closing the shop early for the next two weeks - giving you and Jun much needed time off. It was spent much like this, in the apartment with you sitting up against the pillows and Jun laying on his stomach between your legs, long arms wrapped around your waist as he sleeps with his head on your thigh or stomach. You didn’t much care to sleep alone and Jun didn’t argue when you unofficially moved in for the time being.

The reporter’s voice on the news channel catches your attention.

“After multiple reports of local night shift workers being terrorized by an unknown ‘Shadow Man’ police have finally brought charges against a suspect they caught lurking near a downtown pub.”

“Babe,” you pat Jun’s bare back repeatedly, “Wake up and look at the tv!”

He lifts his heads and smacks his lips. There’s probably drool on you where his mouth has been but you ignore it. Jun turns his head at an awkward angle and blinks. “No dummy just roll over!”

He musters the energy and then very ungracefully rolls onto his back to rest his head and shoulders against your front. You wrap your arms around him and rub his chest, coaxing him back to the land of the living. “They caught the guy!”

Jun hums. “What guy?”

“Shh!”

‘....surveillance paid off when officers caught the thirty-seven year old convicted felon pacing in the alley way behind the pub’s back door the staff typically uses to take trash to the dumpsters. He’s been taken into custody though the full extent of charges being brought against him are still unknown.’

Jun’s heartbeat thuds hard & fast beneath your palm.

‘All reports mention taunting scratching, tapping, and knocking against glass and exterior doors and four of the six businesses were able to provide security footage showing an identical shadowy figure pacing in the same pattern near the rear exits and dumpsters. Although his motive is currently unknown, all reports came from vulnerable night shift employees who experienced this horror just minutes…’

Jun slips the remote from your fingers and switches something else on. Something more upbeat.

“Are you sure you don’t want to look for a new job?”

You blink at him. “You want to leave Yo-Nuts?”

Jun snickers. He’ll never be over the company name. It’s the reason he applied.

“No,” he sighs, looking up at you as he shakes his head, “Not really. It’s easy and they overpay us. Plus...we get to work together.”

You smile, tipping your chin down to kiss his forehead.

“I don’t want to leave either.”

Jun shrugs, settling into his new comfy position and he holds your hands. “Then it’s settled. We’re staying. Take that, you Hash-Slinging Slasher wannabe.”

“Yeah…that guy definitely wasn’t applying for a job.”

Thanks for reading!

Halloween 2022 | SVT M.List | Main M.List

→ Please do NOT copy, repost, or translate, any of my works here on tumblr or on any other platforms! All stories are copyrighted, Milfgyuu, 2019. ©️

#halloween drabbles 2022 #svt fanfic #jun fanfic #svthub #caratwritersclub #kdiarynet #kwritersworldnet #junhui fanfic #svt jun fanfic #wen junhui fanfic #seventeen fanfic #kpop fanfics #lana writes

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oh-surprise-its-me · 8 months

Note

Just wrote a little pacific rim au and it didn't end well 😬 (not surprised, but still...)

Chris ,the one time maybe after that very very bad fire where Ron just take off and runs inside, when Chris's captain is so very sure he just found someone worse than both chros and Dave together. Chris can't contact tom. Be it in the threesome au or not, he tries to call him in every way he can think of, tom must know what happened, and better if its from him rather than whoever. But tom never answer.

He ends up calling mav.he panics, Ron is not doing well, jake is home, and Tom is just nowhere to be found, chris can't do it alone.

Mav didn't expect to get a phone call like that, he half think that chris is exaggerating things a bit, before showing up and uh..he was not exaggerating--

(Oh my god I love pacific rim au’s please write more.)

Threesome au brain rot is still strong in my head soo.

Chris has been at the hospital for most of the morning. He can’t get ahold of Tom. He’s supposed to be in his office all day. Jake is home with his sister.

He’s pacing back and forth. Ron is still unconscious. Has burns on his hands and left leg. A broken rib and three fingers.

Chris desperately needs Tom there with him. Tommy who still doesn’t know what happened. Who always thought stressing about Chris getting burned was bad but now? Ron too? Jesus.

He’s running back through all the places Tom could be when he thinks of Mav.

Wonderful Mav.

He punches in the numbers, it rings. Please god pick up.

“Hello this is Pete?”

Chris sobs he can’t help it, “Mav Ron is in the hospital I can’t get ahold of Tom. Where the hell is he?”

Theres a beat, “he’s in the air. I’ll get him back down don’t worry about it. How’s Ron?”

Chris shakes his head before remembering Mav can’t see him. “Bad. Had worse. But this is bad. Jake’s at home.”

“We can probably be there in two hours?” “Great thank you.”

Chris hangs up. He goes back over to the chair and collapses next to David. He’s instantly pulled under his arm. “You doin okay? Able to call Tom?” Chris shakes his head, he scrubs at his face. God he can’t keep crying. “No and no, had to call Mav. Said they’ll be here in two hours.”

David nods. “Wanna go home and see Jake? It’s only a twenty minute drive?” Chris shudders. “If I see Jake right now I won’t be able to keep it together. Oh Christ does that make me a horrible dad?”

David laughs. He kisses the side of Chris’s head, “doll if you were a horrible dad you wouldn’t of thought of that. You’re fine. It’ll be okay.”

———

Tom comes running down the hallway. Mav is a few steps behind him because he’s shorter. He sees Chris curled asleep in David’s lap, “how bad?” David shakes his head “bad. But no surgeries.” Mav lets out a sigh. “Can I see him.” “Room 210.”

Tom slowly walks over to that room. He opens the door prepared for the worst. He’s met with a leg wrapped in wound care. Theres a hand in a cast as far as he can see. Ron looks peaceful.

It’s unnatural.

Tom collapses into the chair next to the bed, “Christ Ron. You can’t do that when I’m not here. Can’t do that to us.”

He takes Rons unburned hand, he sighs. “Ron Ron Ron. Our darling fool. Let our firefighter handle the flames next time.”

There’s a laugh from the doorway. It’s Chris.

Chris walks over and slides into Tom’s lap. They both hold onto Ron’s hand. “He’ll be okay. They pretty much said he’s sleeping off the drugs.”

Tom nods. He kisses the back of Chris’s neck. “I’m sorry. Didn’t expect to go up today didn’t think to have anyone listen for calls.”

Chris shudders. “Just don’t do it again. It was like my worst nightmare coming true. Not being able to reach you Ron here. Jake at home. God Tom.”

At some point during Chris talking Ron opened his eyes. “Hey honey, hey pretty boy.”

“Ron!” “Oh Christ baby.”

Ron smiles at them. “I know I’m sorry I didn’t think.”

Tom runs his thumb over Ron’s knuckles. “It’s okay. But also we are all getting pagers.”

Chris laughs. “That would work.”

Ron blinks down at his leg. “Damn. That hurts.” Chris jumps up, “getting a nurse I’ll be back.”

They watch him leave. Tom leans over and kisses Ron quickly. “Gonna have to make up to Chris for a while. He couldn’t reach me for almost four hours. Took two more for me to actually get here. Would’ve been longer but Mav drove.”

Ron laughs. “He is a speedy little thing.”

“I’m sorry I scared you both so much.”

Tom looks at him. He squeezes his hand, “I’d say don’t do it again but we both know it wouldn’t be fair.” Ron grins at him.

Chris walks back in with a nurse, “if you’re feeling good Mr. Kerner then we could discharge you today. I trust Chris to know how to take care of burns and broken ribs.”

Chris goes a bit pink. “Yes ma’am.” His boyfriends smile at him. “Great. I feel fabulous please send me home.” She laughs at him. “It’ll take a few more hours for me to be convinced.”

Ron sighs and plops back into the pillows. Chris brushes a hand over his hair. “Thanks Peggy.”

Mag sticks his head into the room. “Hey Sli how we doin?” Ron waves at him. “Been better but also been worse?” Mav blinks at all the bandages on his leg. “That looks bad.” Tom nods before Ron can disagree, “they are.”

Mav nods. “Sorry again Chris. I would’ve rushed more if I knew.” Chris smiles at him, “it’s okay Mav, you didn’t know because I didn’t say. Just thank you for getting Tommy here.”

Mav nods. He slips back out of the room and looks at them one final time before going back to David.

They look happy. A little messed up. But happy.

——————

(as a fun extra I thought of- Ron’s pinky finger ends up crooked it pisses him off)

#ron slider kerner #chris seresin #ron slider kerner x chris seresin #tom iceman kazansky #tom kazansky x ron kerner #tom x ron x chris #ron x chris x tom #pete maverick mitchell #top gun #i hope you like it !!#hopefully this all makes sense it’s 3am here #mac writes top gun

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aajjks · 3 months

Note

TC!dad!JK

you flinch when you see jungkook slap your son. you knew it was coming but you didn’t think he would actually hit him.

as jungkook is yelling at his oldest, jinseoul doesn’t say a word. he just glares and takes a minute to wipe the blood from his split lip from how hard jungkook hit him. when he yells “take him away” it’s then that jinseoul decides to speak up by saying “sure. whatever you say, your highness”

he turns around and leaves the office, slamming the door upon his exit.

your heart is in pieces. what was supposed to be a simple conversation went completely left and you take it upon yourself to follow your son before he does the unthinkable.

“son, please, talk to me!” you yell but jinseoul just keeps walking, not paying attention to you asking him, begging him to slow down so the two of you could talk. you want to try everything you can to smooth things over with your oldest but he doesn’t bother to slow down or even turn around to look at you.

when you do, however, catch up to him, he still insists to walking past you, too angry to talk to you and he’s sure if he does he’ll end up making things worse with you.

“seoul, honey, please. your father didn’t mean that okay? he-he didn’t mean it. just talk to me, okay? talk to me” you beg him. you grab a hold of his bruised face and look him in his coffee-colored eyes with tears threatening to spill down both yours and his face.

“just talk to me” you whisper, your thumb grazing over the dark red and pink mark. it just hurts to even look at it.

“mom” jinseoul says as he grabs a hold of your hands “get out of my way”

your eyes widen. a chill runs down your spine.

jinseoul then pushes onward to his room and when he’s inside, he shuts and locks the door behind him all while you’re frozen in place.

‘maybe he needs space’ you think to yourself but you’re scared he’ll hurt himself. you’re scared he’ll run away and never come back if you give him space. you’re scared that you’ve just lost your oldest son for good. he was the reason you warmed up to jungkook.

but now, everything has gotten so cold and maybe the one to blame is you.

you don’t even go back to jungkook’s office, instead, you go to the royal garden to let out everything you’ve been holding in.

your family is falling apart. everything is falling apart.

~🫧

He doesn’t regret slapping him because he deserved it and he had it coming, it’s not like he had planned to slap his own son, but when he saw him push you away like that, and especially talking to you in that tone, Jungkook was blind in rage.

It’s been four hours and he is still sitting in his office with his head buried in his hands because it fucking hurts, he’s got the worst headache his life and you didn’t even bother coming in to check up on him because you were probably worried about your son.

He understands that you are a mother and your children are really important to you, but isn’t your husband important to you as well? He would do anything for you, but when it comes to your children, and husband you always end up, choosing your shared children over him.

How could jinseoul even think of treating you like that? he’s 18 years old and if he claims to be so mature, how could he treat you like that?

This is just enough proof that he hasn’t matured enough at all and this is just an obsession that he’s got with that girl, it’s nowhere near identical to what jungkook feels for you.

If it was jungkooks father in his place, and if he was in jinseouls He’s sure that he wouldn’t even have had the guts to tell his father about you… and he never did.

He’s so heartbroken right now and he feels so alone he feels like crying because he feels like a shitty father. Yes, he raised his hand on his adult son and he shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t see him disrespect you like that.

Now there is only one thing left for him to do and he’s going to do it.

And as he is waiting for his private investigator to come in, jisung is soon there, knocking at the door, and soon one of the guards guide him into the kings office.

“Well.. jisung.” Jungkook acknowledges him straightening his posture, setting his eyes on the younger guy in front of him, “Set up a meeting with duchess Choi. I need to see her tomorrow first thing in the morning.”

#ask: tc!jungkook #:(

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awkwardgtace · 1 year

Text

Interesting Sample Part 3 (Final)

Ryder's been healing, how long will he stay with the mafia family?

Continuing Ryder's first meeting with the Kamias

TW: Some dehumanization, broken bones, panic, blood, references to giants eating humans

Part 1, Part 2

Interesting Sample (end)

The next month seemed to fly by. Vitus and Dabria bought what they called a small house for him. It seemed huge. They said it could go anywhere in the manor, but he didn’t really want it. He kind of liked having the open space in Rhys’s room. Sleepovers with Rhys and Felix were fun. Spending time with them was fun.

Vitus and Dabria left him alone with them most of the time. He was only pulled away a few times. One of them was to see the humans who had tied and gagged him. A lot of them broke down in tears when he was shown off. Even begging him to forgive them, they just didn’t want to die. He noticed Vitus getting a dark look in his eyes when they spoke so Ryder just said it was all fine. He was more shocked they were even there.

Shocks like that kept happening. He’d ride around on Felix’s shoulder a lot. When he did he noticed the humans running around the house out in the open. None of them even acted nervous when a giant’s foot landed near them. They even managed to keep their balance when Vitus walked around. He wanted to be like that.

The worst part of his month was how all the humans that were apparently living near the giants acted. When he was with Felix or Rhys they were nice and weirdly respectful. When he was alone they were always whispering. I hope they don’t ask me to take care of him. How long will they keep him around? The kids are getting attached. It’ll be harder to deal with later. He wasn’t a pet to just get attached to. He was friends with Felix and Rhys. He wanted to try with Alessia, but the most he got was a small wave before she ran off. She acted like that with all the humans though.

“Alright,” Laura said. He’d completely lost himself to his thoughts while the doctor checked his arm. She was speaking softly again. Vitus stood nearby, but they were in his office this time. He leaned against the door, like he was ensuring no one could enter while Ryder was looked at. “We can take the cast off, it seems the break was cleaner than I first thought. That or you’re one of the lucky ones with better healing.”

“So we’re taking it off?” he asked. She looked at Vitus with a bit of fear, letting out a sigh when he didn’t react to Ryder’s words.

“I can give you a sling to give you a chance to get out, or leave you in the cast longer. I haven’t figured-”

“They’re nice. I don’t need to escape.” The doctor dropped what she was holding, a bunch of random things for what she planned. They both stiffened from the noise of Vitus moving. Ryder relaxed first, the giant wasn’t going to come over unless he had to. She grabbed his shoulders, digging her nails partly into his skin.

“What are you thinking?!” There was more noise from Vitus, but she didn’t stop. “They’re monsters.” Step. “They’ll kill you or keep you as a pet.” Step. Step. “Please let me help you.” Step. Step. Step. “Ryder!” Her voice had raised, but she only stopped talking because Vitus’s shadow came over them.

“Is there a problem?” Vitus said. The doctor was shaking as she turned to him. Ryder saw the same dark look Vitus had when he learned the others had prepared him as a sample. He stepped in front of the doctor.

“She’s worried about my recovery here. I need to practice climbing again, my arm’s gonna be weak,” he said. Vitus softened right away. He crouched down so his eyes met them.

“How can we best help safely with that?” His voice was never soft, but it was getting easier to hear. The doctor gave Ryder a relieved look as she cleared her throat.

“He’ll need safe p-places to climb. Ones where if he falls he can’t be hurt.” Vitus nodded as she spoke. Ryder smiled, the giant wasn’t quite as intimidating as he first thought. Vitus looked at him for a minute.

“Ryder.”

“Yes, sir?” Vitus made another of those sadder looks. Ryder still couldn’t understand why he made it each time he said that.

“How would you feel practicing on us? It should give you a good challenge and keep you safe.” Ryder’s eyes widened. He swore he could feel the doctor’s mind short circuiting.

“If you don’t mind, it sounds like a good idea. Sir.”

“I-I just need to remove the cast then…”

Vitus backed off again. Staying significantly closer than before. It seemed like he wasn’t happy to leave her alone with Ryder anymore. She got to work on cutting off his cast quickly. It didn’t take long, but there was a lot of dust. Vitus was in front of them as soon as it was off. He set his hand down on the desk.

“Ryder, stay here for a few minutes, Laura, if you'd come with me,” he said.

Ryder watched the doctor shaking as she climbed on the palm. The equipment she brought was left behind. As Vitus walked away Ryder felt guilt fill him. The doctor would be fine, they didn’t hurt humans. He didn’t need to worry or feel guilty for her getting involved. He started to wander around the desk while he waited, trying not to wonder about where they went. Stretching his newly freed arm was a good distraction. He paused at the picture Vitus kept on his desk.

“If you were this big you guys wouldn’t be as scary,” he said. The picture didn’t react, but he kept staring. They looked happy in it. Vitus and Dabria the day they married. Vitus looked stern and intimidating even then. There were some signs he could see that the man was happy. Dabria was easy to read, all her emotions clear on her face. He stepped up to it, running his hand over the glass. “Kind of wish I was one of your kids. Seems a lot better than how my family was back when they were around.”

“Ryder?” Vitus asked. The human scrambled away from the picture to stare at the giant who had walked in. He heard the smallest chuckle. “I worried you climbed off the desk. You shouldn’t push yourself.”

“Just walking around and stretching, sir.”

Vitus let out a sigh as he walked over to the desk. The giant sat in the chair causing a loud creak. At least loud to Ryder, he wasn’t sure giants heard the way furniture reacted to them. He set his hand down on the desk and Ryder climbed on quickly. The hand didn’t move right away, he was tempted to try climbing up the sleeve of the suit Vitus wore. The fact that last time he was held close the silk made it impossible to get a handhold kept him still.

“Where’s the doctor?” he asked. Vitus leaned forward, the shadow engulfing him.

“She’s just getting a look at how we run things,” Vitus said.

The hand Ryder was on was pulled from the desk and held near the giant’s chest. Out of habit Ryder grabbed the cloth. He almost shouted in excitement when he was able to grab it. The silky cloth was replaced with one he didn’t recognize, but he could definitely climb. He took his chance to start climbing a giant for the first time. It got a little harder when a few purrs escaped. He forgot giants could do that.

Vitus let him spend time climbing. Ryder kept going until he felt himself struggling. He tried to go a little farther, losing his grip. He expected to fall for a few seconds, but a hand caught him right away. He landed on his back staring up at the ceiling. Vitus leaned forward, cupping Ryder against his chest.

“You should rest, it might take some more time to get back to normal,” he whispered. Ryder didn’t argue or even respond; he just curled up in the hand. He liked these giants. He didn’t want to leave.

The next few weeks were similar. He’d try climbing on Rhys, Felix, or Vitus. When he tried to climb Dabria she worried too much and always started to help him. Alessia still wouldn’t go near him. The first time he managed to climb from Vitus’s wrist to his shoulder he got a real smile from the giant. It was followed by a careful grab and a trip to Rhys’s room. Vitus let him try a lot later than normal.

He had fallen asleep on the trip up. Only waking up as Vitus slipped him off his hand into the bed on the table. Ryder listened to the heavy footsteps along with the door creaking most of the way closed. It was becoming familiar enough he was almost asleep again after a few seconds. Until the steps stopped when they shouldn’t have.

“Vitus, I’m getting worried,” Dabria said. Her voice was quiet, but the door wasn’t shut enough to block it. He slipped out of bed and climbed down the blanket that covered Felix and Rhys. He managed to slip out of the small opening to find the biggest giants he’d ever met standing nearby. He saw the way Vitus changed as he decided to answer.

“I know, I’m not sure what to do,” Vitus said. It was the first time Ryder heard the man’s voice this quiet. It made him anxious. “It’s not uncommon for the Kamia family to take in humans. I’m sure we could find a way to make that work.”

“We could go find two humans in the city? Maybe from one of the other bars.”

“And send him to a human safe city? I do-”

Dabria walked off before Vitus finished talking. Both giants were out of sight long before Ryder could follow. He just sat there watching where they’d been standing. He didn’t want to leave and they were all so nice. Now they wanted to send him away because he was getting better. Even worse it sounded like Dabria wanted it the most, but she was the one fretting over him all the time.

Ryder tried to keep his tears from falling as he slipped back into the room. He made his way to the blanket he used before, but Rhys had fallen on his side again. He sighed, resigning to climbing up Felix and likely waking up the older giant. Instead one of Rhys’s hands found him and pulled him close. He tried to squirm, but the hands cupped him over the giant’s heart.

“No,” Rhys whined. Ryder had noticed the sleep talking pretty early in his time here. It wasn’t hard to sleep through it. It was still quieter than the creep who brought him to this city. “You can’t have Ryder, he’s my brother.”

Ryder froze up. He knew they’d gotten close pretty quickly, but brothers? It made him feel warm. He curled into the cupped palms around him. Pressing his ear to the chest of the giant, he took in the heartbeat. It usually helped him relax. Tears started to make their way from him.

“I don’t want to lose my family again,” he whispered.

The next morning he almost thought everything was a dream. Until he heard a frantic Felix calling his name. He started squirming to try and wake Rhys up. It actually worked a lot faster than he expected. The giant sat up instantly. The hands curled around Ryder were thrown to Rhys’s waist. He managed to grab the cloth of the shirt before he got thrown too.

“I’m here!” he shouted. He heard the racing beat of the heart below him, but Felix was the one who grabbed him. The older giant started to search for any signs he’d been hurt. “Calm down, I'm fine! I climbed down from the table last night. When I came back Rhys grabbed me. I got to hear him talk in his sleep again.”

Ryder wanted to hide what he heard. He didn’t want to think that this could end. Felix was saying something, mostly about Rhys needing to be more careful waking up in the future. He honestly felt protected by the two of them. He knew Alessia cared. He thought Vitus and Dabria at least liked him. He didn’t want to leave.

“You are hurt aren’t you?” Felix said. He jumped, staring at the golden eyes that were far closer than he expected. “If it hurts you can tell us.”

“Really I’m fine!” Rhys was staring at him with a look he didn’t like. It faded as Ryder climbed to his feet and started to climb up Felix’s arm.

“You know,” Rhys said, “now that you can climb again you’ll probably get to go do things in the city. If anyone ever gives you trouble make sure they know you’re a Kamia.”

“But I’m not.” Ryder tried hard to hide the hurt in his voice. He wanted to be one. “I’m a human, you’re giants. They’d know it’s a lie.”

“Not like that, well sort of like that. It would be like the other giants and humans that come through the house. Family like they are, just part of the business.” Felix shook his head at Rhys’s explanation.

“He means. It’s what the people who work with our parents are called. The other humans and giants they’re in the Kamia Family. We’re the head of the family so it uses our name.”

“Oh. Like in those old mafia movies?” The two giants stared at him like he had said something stupid. He tried to think of how to change it, but saw Rhys opening his mouth. Felix slammed his free hand over it before a sound left.

“Ryder…”

“Y-yeah?” He tried to push the embarrassment away.

“You know we’re a mafia family right? That’s why that guy gave you to me, why there’s so many people most of the time, and why mom came back with blood on her your first night here.”

“...I thought mafias didn’t exist anymore…” His voice was quiet. There was a lot of embarrassment building in him. It seemed like he should have known, even if he didn’t live in a town like this. Felix caught him where he was on the giant’s arm. He was gently pulled off and held up for both giants to easily stare at him.

“Dad told us about it a long time ago, most places they don’t. In cities like this they do, and humans are more of a commodity.” Ryder tilted his head, a bit unsure about the word.

“Other families only keep humans they think are useful… The other humans they find get eaten for real.” Rhys sounded scared as he spoke. Ryder looked up at Felix almost hoping the older giant would complain like usual. Things stayed quiet for too long.

“I kind of thought the eating thing was a bad joke since none of you did it… I guess I was lucky he gave me to you guys…”

Ryder tried to laugh it off. The giant eyes on him felt ominous. He couldn’t keep looking at them, turning his gaze to the palm he sat on. A gasp escaped him when drops of tears landed on the skin beneath him. Now the doctor’s fear made sense. He still hadn’t seen her again. She could have been…

“Ryder?” one of them whispered. He couldn’t make out the voice, he kept thinking about the sharp teeth. He had no way to know if he could trust his judgement on these giants. The hand around him started to lower. “Are… you scared of us now?”

Ryder thought back to the time he’d spent here. Trying to view it knowing what he just learned. They always made sure he had what he needed, they trusted him. The other humans were comfortable enough to walk around on the ground blindly. The one thing that stuck out was the horror on the faces when he expected doll furniture. The care as he recovered. The ways they let him climb up and encouraged his adventures. They way they listened as he spoke.

“I’m not scared,” he muttered. He managed to look up at the two giants again. Swinging his head back and forth. They both had tears in their eyes as they stared at him. Felix was the one to act first, pulling him quickly to his chest. The thumping beneath him was erratic. He never expected this from Felix of all people. The giant was always stoic, even the genuine smiles were rare.

“You can be,” Felix said. The hand holding him was pulled back. He looked up, finding Rhys staring back at him. Just like that first night the whites of his eyes were red.

“You two suck at being scary.” He hadn’t been wrong until now. He wasn’t going to doubt himself yet. He did have an idea of how to stay here though. If humans had to be useful, he had a use. There was a reason he pissed off that shop owner creep so much. “Can you take me to talk to your dad?”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vitus sighed as he finished drafting the explanation about the recent fires they were asked to look into. It helped that was often a Kamia task when they were the one’s setting them after getting humans out. Ryder’s decision to help was doing more than he expected. The idea of having someone so young and small involved still sat wrong with him. He couldn’t ignore it when the young human had faced him with so much determination. At least it made their struggle easier. Ryder felt like part of their family, but even suggesting he stay with them had seemed too selfish.

“Vitus, sir?” Ryder called. Vitus turned to the small human sitting next to his hands. Even a year later the human seemed too small compared to the others. The ease Ryder had in talking to him now made him smile.

“Yes?” he asked. A part of him wanted to just send his human son off to rest or play like the others. He always wound up next to him. Of course he was at least doing the homework his tutor assigned.

“You haven’t eaten all day, you should get something.” Vitus reached over and ruffled Ryder’s head. The human was more responsible than himself. He pushed himself up from his desk. He cupped his hand around Ryder, waiting to see if the little human wanted to come with him to the kitchen.

“Can I stay here? I’m almost done with my homework.”

“Of course, anything you want me to bring you?” Ryder focused on his work, bowing down.

“Can you get one of the pastries Rhys likes?” Vitus chuckled at the request. This whole time things had seemed too risky. It was consistently a relief that their worries about Ryder’s safety were disproven.

“Sure.”

Vitus started on his way out, leaving the office door open. It shouldn’t be a problem today, he had no meetings. He would just grab two of the pastries, one he’d cut open for Ryder and another for himself. He saw one of the others that seemed anxious, a small detour would be fine.

Ryder smiled to himself. He liked the life he had now. Helping get humans out of bad places. All that time finding ways to sneak around those two giants he was stuck with was worth it. Plus Vitus and Dabria were nice. Dabria always brought things she saw for humans saying it reminded her of her youngest son. Vitus never minded that Ryder preferred to do his homework in the office. It was fun. He felt like family.

Footsteps sounded near the door. He started to shuffle his homework to the side so he wouldn’t get any of the sweet cream on it. He stood with a smile that fell faster than his heart was racing. Standing at the door wasn’t Vitus, but that jerk of an assistant that sold him out. The one who wanted him to die. Ryder could barely breathe as the giant took in the room.

“Ruthless head huh,” the familiar voice muttered.

Ryder’s blood ran cold. He needed to run, but there wasn’t a safe place. The giant kept looking around until finally those beady eyes found him. There was a heavy silence as the giant stared at him. He watched the huge face go from annoyance, to shock, to confusion, straight to anger.

“You trash,” the man seethed. “You sold us out to save yourself didn’t you? Found a little use so they’d keep you alive. I’ll make sure that doesn’t last.”

Ryder’s legs were shaking as the man stomped forward. He had to run. He had to make his legs move. If he didn’t run he’d die. He didn’t want to die. Rhys said he was going to teach him a new game. Felix wanted him to help with his sewing. Alessia would even talk to him now. He had a family he actually liked, he didn’t want to die.

“V-Vitus,” he tried to shout. His voice came out hoarse. He stumbled back, falling off his feet. “M-Mr Kamia!” Better he thought it could work. He just had to be a bit louder. They paid more attention, they’d hear him. “Sir! I need help!”

No one responded. There were no world shattering footsteps. No mountain of a giant towering over the one closing in. His heart was racing. Dabria wasn’t home. The others were at school. He could have been at school, he just hadn’t gone for too long. He needed to catch up. He was starting next year. He wanted to go to school. The giant’s shadow was reaching him.

“Dad! He’s gonna kill me!” Ryder shouted as loud as he could.

The jerk hesitated for a second, but it didn’t change anything. He had tears rolling down his face. No one would save him. No one could hear him. He was in a world of giants and no one would care when he’s gone. He was a useful human to the mafia. Just like those other humans whispered, the kids shouldn’t have gotten attached. He was re-

“Don’t touch my son!” Vitus roared. Ryder had never heard the man’s voice as loud as he did then. He thought it would shatter his ear drums. He swore the entire house shook before the words finished echoing. The giant approaching him finally stopped. He turned just enough Ryder could see the massive giant holding a gun pointed at his would-be killer's head. “Ryder, cover your ears and close your eyes.”

Ryder did as he was instructed. Curling up along with it. He just wanted this over. Despite listening, there was a cracked boom that felt deafening. A heavy thud followed, right after there were steps he thought he recognized. He started shaking on the chance it wasn’t him. It wasn’t the giant he begged to help him. The one he finally called dad.

A large hand surrounded him. He curled up smaller and felt the hesitation. The hand disappeared, replaced by two fingers lifting him in the air. It felt familiar. He was placed on a palm and held over a racing heart. It was faster than his own. He felt and heard the thunderous steps as the winner walked off with his prize.

“You,” Vitus snapped. Ryder shook more at the tone.

“Y-yes sir?” a giant answered. He only knew because of how close the voice was to him.

“Get the body out of here. Find anyone who worked with him and take care of them. We’re sending a message. Make sure they know touching one of my children gets them a lot more than dead. No names, just that my youngest was in danger.”

“R-right away sir.” He felt the hand press against him a bit harder.

“Wait, call the human doctor we added last year. Laura. Tell her what happened and report to me anything she says… Tell her he was near a silenced giant's gun firing.” Ryder was kind of shocked to hear Laura’s name. They said they didn’t hurt humans, but she’d been gone since she took off his cast.

There was silence as the giant must have run off. Vitus kept walking, but Ryder was terrified. The rhythmic steps continued. The heartbeat barely stopped racing as the giant moved. Ryder was held tightly enough he couldn’t even tell if they were on the stairs or not. All he could make out were muffled voices followed by the slam of a door. The first sign anything changed was when the hand softened and huge fingers wrapped around him.

He was brought up to the stern eyes he’d stopped fearing. It was the first time he’d seen the face anything besides intimidating or oddly soft. Vitus had an expression of fear. Ryder just stared at him while the giant set him down on his palm. Two fingers gently pulled at one his arms, he didn’t realize he was still covering his ears.

“You’re safe now Ryder, were you hurt?” Vitus whispered. It was the first time the man had spoken softly to him. Ryder knew the giant just never considered his presence and wasn’t intending to be loud and frightening. This was something new, something he actually feared. All he did was shake his head. The relief that painted over the fearful look was overwhelming. “That’s good. That’s good… I didn’t know anyone was coming today. I never would have left you alone. I’m so glad I heard you.”

“Y-you called me your son,” he choked out. Vitus actually offered a smile. One he hadn’t seen very often. He only saw it a few times, each of them directed at one of the others. The giant nodded his head.

“It’s what you are,” Vitus brought his hand down and held Ryder firmly over his heart, “I just wish I was the one you shouted for.”

Ryder grabbed the cloth around him, “It was you.”

Vitus started to purr almost immediately. The stress and fear fled Ryder’s body in an instant. He felt tired, more tired than he had in a long time. He squirmed a little to curl up comfortably under the firm hold. He almost died. He thought no one could hear him. Vitus answered for him, hearing him as his son. It was too much.

He doubted this would last. A part of him knew the fights they had. That Dabria wanted him gone. He’d take advantage of this. Enjoy his life with a family that seemed to want him. A family that heard him when he needed it. The purring picked up in volume as the heart beat settled. He could feel Vitus moving around, almost shocked when he heard the sound of a mattress shifting.

“Just rest, I’ll keep you safe,” Vitus promised. After all this time Ryder did believe it. He was safe in the giant’s hand. He was a member of the Kamia family. No matter how long it lasted he’d be kept safe by them.

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