#with ben lookin shook

[punkshort]

i know who you are | 5. the dinner

Pairing: Joel Miller x f!reader

Chapter Summary: Everything seems perfect until it all unravels. Emotions come to a head and the big lie is revealed.

Chapter Warnings: language, angst, pining, alcohol use, eating, flirting, sad!Joel, amnesia, slow burn, minor infidelity, one use of 'daddy', big ol' emotional argument (lots of mean and hurtful things get said)

WC: 9.5K

Series Masterlist

By some miracle, you didn't end up getting sick, although it took most people in town a full week to recover from the flu. The infirmary was packed every day and Nick regularly expressed his endless gratitude that you chose to work for him. Maria and Tommy isolated as best they could in their home out of fear their daughter would get sick. When the townspeople slowly began to recover, they were itching to do something, so they decided to host a dinner.

One thing you hadn't done in ages was bake. You used to do it often, something you found rather soothing and rewarding long before the world went to shit, so you decided to make something to bring to dinner. After exploring your pantry, you discovered you had the right ingredients to make a simple pie crust, so you got to work mixing and rolling out the dough, getting so lost in your thoughts that you didn't even hear Joel walk through the front door.

When he heard you working away in the kitchen, he walked softly towards the entryway and leaned against the frame to admire you. He crossed his arms and smiled to himself when he saw the bits of flour smeared across your cheeks and your hair a little disheveled, your appearance not a concern to you as you worked.

It was the sweetest thing he had seen in a long time. He almost felt bad when you suddenly sensed his presence and looked up, disrupting your flow.

"Don't mind me," he said with a smirk before strolling over to the table to sit. "Whatcha up to?"

"Making a pie," you told him as you pinched some flour between your fingers and scattered it over the counter. You picked up the sticky ball of dough and sprinkled that with a bit of flour, as well, before grabbing the rolling pin. "Thought it would be nice to bring something with us tonight."

Joel nodded and picked up an apple from the bowl on the table. "That's nice of you," he said before taking a bite, "I'm sure they don't expect us to bring anythin'. They're just bored outta their minds and lookin' for someone to play with their kid for a while."

"Hey! I need those!" you scolded when you heard the crunch. He paused his chewing and looked down at the apple in his hand before stretching his arm out to you with a grin.

"Here you go," he said, mouth full. You laughed and shook your head before focusing on the dough once again.

"Keep it," you said, "I'll still have enough."

He leaned back in his chair and watched you diligently roll the dough out until you achieved the level of thickness you desired and then laid it gently in a buttered pie pan.

"Can you help me peel?" you asked when you came over to grab the bowl from the table, and he couldn't resist reaching out to dust away the flour from your cheek. You looked at him in surprise and he gave you a small smile.

"'Course I'll help," he said, standing up to grab two knives from the drawer. After giving yourself a moment to recover from his unexpected touch, you joined him at the counter, placing the bowl between you both as you began to peel in a comfortable silence. It had been almost two weeks since you saw Ben outside the tailor, and although you always looked for him whenever you walked to and from work, you never crossed paths with him again. You had been hoping to corner him to try to get more information before confronting Joel, but you had no such luck. So, with a deep breath, you cleared your throat and focused on your apple before speaking.

"Joel?"

"Hm?" he replied, his brows pinching together as he carefully worked his knife around the apple in the palm of his hand.

"Can I ask you a question?" you asked as your pulse began to thrum faster in your throat.

"Sure," he said, still laser focused on his task.

"Who are the Fireflies?"

His hand slipped and he dropped the apple and knife, pulling the pad of his thumb into his mouth with a hiss. You gasped when you saw a few drops of dark red blood on the cutting board and put your knife down before grabbing a somewhat clean towel and handing it to him.

"Is it bad?" you asked, taking a step forward to try and see his injury before he wrapped it in the towel. He shook his head.

"Nah, I'll live," he said, studying the cut for a second before applying pressure again.

Still, you rushed to the linen closet to grab the first aid kit and brought it downstairs. "Rinse it under the water," you instructed him before opening the bag and rifling around. He did as he was told and watched you pluck out a bandage and a small bottle of antiseptic. "Show me," you said, and he held his hand out to you so you could examine the cut. He studied you up close while your attention was focused on his thumb, taking in every feature on your perfect face and inhaling your familiar, comforting scent while you bandaged him up. If this was what it took to get you close to him, then he was ready to injure himself every damn day.

"You're good at that," he murmured, flexing his thumb when you were all done. "Learnin' a lot from Nick?"

You packed up the first aid kit, avoiding his heated gaze. "Yeah, I guess so," you said, turning back to your apples. Ever since Joel caught the flu and you helped nurse him back to health, it felt like there was a shift in the air between you. He was more brazen with his touch, like when he wiped the flour from your cheek, and while you never asked him not to touch you, your feelings for him were complicated. Until you could figure it out, you had been trying your best to not allow yourself to get caught in his orbit.

It was proving to be more difficult than you expected.

"Why don't you go sit down, I can finish these up," you said, your eyes cast down on the apples. You felt him regard you silently for a moment before he pushed off the counter and went back to his spot at the kitchen table. It was obvious what he was doing. It was the exact opposite of what you were doing. He was trying to create a charged moment, and you were trying to avoid them.

"You didn't answer my question," you said, and his energy immediately shifted.

"Where'd you hear 'bout the Fireflies? From Ellie?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. You looked up at him, confused.

"Ellie? No," you replied, shaking your head. "I ran into Ben a few days after our visit. He thought you had already told me about them and seemed a little skittish when I didn't know who they were."

You watched him closely, refusing to look away as he tried to mask his anger, but you could still see it. His jaw tensed and his uninjured hand clenched into a fist in his lap while you waited for an answer.

"So?" you prodded, cocking your head to the side. His nostrils flared for a second before he took a deep breath and turned his head away.

"The Fireflies were the group the three of you had joined before comin' to Jackson," he began. You tried to focus on peeling your apples but you were working incredibly slow, not wanting to miss a single word. "You were with 'em for a couple years. They had a decent setup, kept you all safe. Better than the QZ."

"Okay," you said slowly, picking up another apple. "So it was a community like this one?"

He huffed and shook his head, "Not exactly. More like an army. They're a revolutionary group. They rose up against the military and took over QZs with the promise of givin' control back to the people, but..." he trailed off and scratched his beard. "Wasn't all that simple. They killed alotta people in the process, and in the end, civilians still suffered. Didn't end up matterin' who was in control when both sides were just as violent."

"Oh," you said softly, setting your knife down, "so I joined because of what happened to my family? Because the military killed them? And then I ended up killing innocent people, anyway?"

Joel shrugged and stood up. "Like I said, we all made decisions the best we could with what we knew at the time. You didn't know any better. Nobody did."

"Did you join them, too?" you asked.

"No," he said, pressing both palms flat against the counter as he looked at you.

"So why did Ben seem to think telling me about the Fireflies would cause a problem with us?"

His mouth pressed into a thin line and you saw the suppressed rage flicker across his eyes again. "Fireflies ain't exactly well received by most people," he said, "lotta people here had family that was hurt or killed. Innocent bystanders caught in the middle of a war they didn't start."

You swallowed nervously, apples long forgotten as you braced yourself for your next question. "Did the Fireflies hurt someone you loved?"

Joel's gaze dropped to his hands and he clenched his jaw. He wanted to tell you. He should have just fucking spit it out and told you everything, but at the last second, he chickened out.

"No."

And you may not have known him as well as you did before the accident, but you knew him well enough now to be able to tell when he was lying. You tried to hide your disappointment by picking your knife back up and getting to work.

"Are there others?" you asked him, and he lifted his head up, "other former Fireflies who live here?"

"Aside from you three? Just Tommy."

Your jaw dropped in surprise and your eyes snapped up to him once again. "Tommy?"

"Mhmm, just for a little while. You didn't know each other before Jackson," he said, anticipating your next question. "Fireflies are a big group. Spread out all over the country."

"Oh," you said softly, looking back down at your half peeled apples which were slowly becoming brown on the edges. You began peeling again, faster now, as you thought about everything he just said while he watched you carefully from the other side of the counter. You weren't sure what else to say. It felt like he was telling you the truth, but you still had a hunch he was leaving something out.

"Y'know, it's a miracle I didn't eat half that damn pie before we got here," Joel said teasingly as you walked up the porch steps to Tommy and Maria's house. "Whole house smells like Christmas now. Drove me crazy all afternoon."

You smiled and smoothed down the blue blouse you found tucked away in your closet. It wasn't a top you could envision yourself working in, it looked a bit too nice for that, so you thought dinner would be a perfect time to wear it, combined with a dark pair of jeans that were relatively clean and only slightly frayed on the bottom. At the time, you thought it was cute when Joel came downstairs with his hair slicked back and his flannel tucked into his jeans for once, but when you walked into Tommy and Maria's and found the house to be filled with four married couples from around town, you suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"I didn't realize anyone else would be here," you murmured quietly next to Joel as you slid off your coats.

"He mentioned they may invite a few others but I didn't think this many," he told you, taking your coat and hanging it up before looking around. They had two tables covered in linen pushed together in their dining room which was alight with candles and sprigs of pine and holly spread around the middle, giving the room with a warm and romantic atmosphere. You swallowed nervously and all of the sudden, the evening felt too much like a date.

"Hey, you two!" Tommy's voice rang out from the kitchen, startling you out of your reverie. "Glad you could make it," he said, tugging Joel into a hug before giving you a chaste peck on the cheek.

"Um, here," you said, holding out the pie, "didn't want to come empty handed," you explained with a little smile. Tommy's eyes lit up when he took the pan from you and gave the pie a quick sniff.

"Damn, smells good, Sugar," he told you, his cheeks already rosy from the liquor he had been working on before you arrived. He shot Joel a playful look as he headed into the kitchen, handing Maria the dessert. "Your girl can bake, Joel. Lucky man."

The tips of your ears went hot and you looked away uncomfortably before Joel could catch your eye.

"I'll get us a couple drinks," Joel said, ignoring Tommy's comment, much to your relief. "What'dya want?"

You glanced around the room and what the other women were drinking before shrugging and suggesting wine. He followed Tommy over to the living room where they kept their liquor locked up and away from their toddler, who was gleefully playing with another woman you didn't recognize. Popping your head into the kitchen, you spotted Maria all by herself working on dinner.

"Maria," you said with a smile, and she turned around with a sigh of relief.

"Hey, I'm dying here, can you help me?"

"Of course," you said, rolling up your sleeves. "What do you need?"

She put you to work right away, chopping up vegetables and dumping them into boiling water before helping her thicken a sauce she was making for some pasta. You were just about to taste test the product when Joel and Tommy joined you in the kitchen with the drink that he promised.

"Smells so fuckin' good in here," Tommy said loudly before taking a generous sip of whiskey and giving Maria a quick peck on the lips. Joel put your wine glass near you on the counter and you shot him a thankful smile before bringing a spoon up to your lips to taste the sauce. You winced and scrunched up your nose and Joel chuckled.

"It's missing something," you explained, putting the spoon back down as you examined the spices available to you while Maria was instructing Tommy on doling out the appetizers.

"Lemme try," he said, rounding the corner to stand next to you. You handed him the spoon and he held up his whiskey. "Hands are full," he told you teasingly, and you rolled your eyes with a grin before dipping the spoon back into the sauce and lifting it to his mouth. He leaned in and wrapped his lips around the spoon, closing his eyes and making a soft noise at the taste. Your knees suddenly felt weak and your face felt hot as you struggled to compose yourself before he caught you.

He opened his eyes slowly and ran his tongue over his upper lip to capture the remnants of the sauce and you had to resist the urge to swipe your thumb over his mustache to gather the rest. It made your breath hitch in your throat and you forced yourself to look away, mentally cursing your body's reaction to him.

"Lemon," he said huskily, then took a sip from his glass while still staring down at you. Your eyes drifted up to his and you saw that look again. The one that made you feel too many things at once: nervousness, excitement, pressure, confusion. So you took a deep breath and squeezed past him, having no choice but to brush up against his chest.

"You're right. It needs lemon," you said, finding one in the mess on Maria's counter and slicing it in half before squeezing it generously over the sauce. Joel leaned against the counter, one arm caging you in from behind as you worked. You tried to ignore how close he was but you could feel his breath on your skin and it was causing your pulse to race. Fortunately, Maria came to your rescue.

"How's it going?" she asked, and Joel pushed off the counter, stepping back to give you both some room.

"Good, I think the sauce is done," you told her, and after she gave it a little taste, her eyes lit up.

"So good!" she said, clearly pleased. You felt your cheeks heat up before gesturing towards Joel.

"Thank Joel. He thought of the lemon."

Maria shot Joel a smile and thanked him as he tipped his glass in her direction before taking another sip. "Happy to help, ladies," he said.

"Go enjoy the party, I got it from here," Maria told you, shooing you away.

"Are you sure? I really don't mind-"

"Yes, I'm sure! I'm just going to plate everything and we're good to go. Help yourself to some appetizers before they're all gone," she said, turning her back on you as she started pulling down serving platters.

You picked up your wine and took a sip, hoping to quell some of your nerves as you let Joel lead you into the living room where the party was in full swing. Tommy had his daughter balancing on his shoulders as he talked to a couple men, their wives at the other end of the room in the middle of a lively conversation. You chewed your lip, glancing back and forth before you took another sip and looked up at Joel.

"Guess I'll go see what's got them all worked up," you told him, nodding your head in the direction of the other women.

"You sure?" he asked with a frown. "Don't want you feelin' uncomfortable. We can stick together if y'want."

You shook your head and stepped away. "I'm fine," you told him before forcing yourself to join the other women. As you approached, you gave the women a friendly wave to catch their attention and they beckoned you towards them with open arms. They all seemed to be around your age range, give or take, and very friendly as they took the time to re-introduce themselves to you. You politely listened to them talk about their kids or jobs while you sipped your wine and nodded along. When three of the women became engrossed in a story about their children and school, you felt yourself begin to zone out. The girl standing next to you, Hannah, caught your eye and smiled.

"Do you have any kids?" you asked her, and she shook her head.

"Not yet. I don't think we're ready, you know?" she said, glancing over your shoulder at her husband. "But one day I think we will. How about you and Joel? What are your plans?" she asked, then her eyes went wide with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. That was a dumb question, you probably don't... ah, I'm such an idiot," she said, and you laughed.

"No, you're not, it's fine," you assured her as her cheeks began to flush.

"I guess I just keep forgetting about your accident. That was so rude of me," she said, "I see you guys together all the time and it seems so normal."

You glanced over your shoulder at Joel, watching for a moment as he laughed heartily at something one of the other men said. "Yeah," you told her, turning back around, "I can see why you'd think that."

Her gaze drifted between you and Joel for a moment before she lowered her voice and took a step further away from the other women. "So you still don't remember anything, huh?"

You shook your head sadly. "Nothing. At this point, I'm not expecting anything to come back. I'm just trying to start over."

She nodded solemnly and took a sip from her wine. "How's it going with you two?" she asked, tilting her chin in Joel's direction. You sighed and rubbed your eyes. Same old questions, different person.

"Okay, I guess. He's been incredibly patient," you said, "but I think he is still holding out hope that my memory might come back and we'll just pick up right where we left off."

Hannah gave you a sympathetic look right as Maria approached with a big smile stretched across her face. "Dinner is served!" she announced to the room before bending down and stretching her arms out for her daughter.

Everyone began to scatter as couples rejoined and headed towards the dimly lit dining room. Joel appeared by your side, his hand hovering over your lower back as you waited for the other couples to take their seats.

"Havin' a good time?" he murmured, and you gave him a tight smile before nodding. Joel pulled out one of the two remaining chairs for you and you whispered your thanks when you sat down, then he pushed it back in before taking his own seat. He relaxed and stretched his arm across the back of your chair while he listened with amusement to Tommy drunkenly telling a story that had carried over from the living room.

"The table is beautiful, Maria," you told her, leaning away from Joel a bit. "It's so cozy and warm, you really outdid yourself."

She smiled as she bounced her little girl on her knee. "Thanks. We were just itching to do something, you know? We got a little cabin fever, I think."

You felt Joel's thumb brush lightly against your spine, making you shiver. But when you glanced over at him, he was still caught up in listening to Tommy and you wondered if those little gestures were intentional or if it was muscle memory.

Once everyone began to eat, Joel dropped his arm from your chair and you found yourself missing the warmth that radiated from him, confusing yourself even more. Sometimes you just wanted to hit your head against the wall and rattle your memories loose so you could stop feeling so conflicted. If you were this confused, you couldn't imagine what Joel was feeling. Although, at that moment, he seemed to be perfectly content as he stood up with Tommy to get another drink.

"Y'want any more?" Joel asked, nodding to your glass but you shook your head.

"Maybe later," you said, and when he caught your eye he gave you a quick wink before following Tommy back into the living room.

"So, how's it going at the infirmary? Still like it?" Maria asked, drawing your attention back to her.

"Yeah, I do, actually. That was a good idea, I've been meaning to thank you," you said, wiping the corners of your mouth with a napkin. "It feels good to stay busy and I'm learning a lot."

"Well, Nick always speaks so highly of you. Especially after that nasty flu worked its way through town. He said you were a godsend," Maria told you while simultaneously handing her daughter a steamed carrot.

"She was. Worked her tail off all week then had to deal with me when she got home," Joel said as he sat back down with a soft grunt. You smiled at him, grateful for the compliment.

"If he's anything like his brother when he's sick then I'm sure you've earned sainthood status," Maria said to you, making everyone laugh.

"Hey, what're you sayin' 'bout me down there?" Tommy slurred with a grin from the other end of the table. You were fairly certain Maria answered him with some sharp remark which made the table laugh again, but you couldn't exactly remember because Joel dropped his hand to rest on your knee and you suddenly couldn't think straight. Your skin felt hot under his touch, even through your jeans, and you could have sworn the whole room could hear how loudly your heart was pounding in your chest, so you anxiously grabbed your wine glass and finished the rest in one gulp, hoping it would steady your nerves.

You could have asked him to move his hand. You could have made an excuse, gotten up and used the bathroom, but you didn't. You remained perfectly still, allowing his hand to rest on your leg as you tried to focus on the conversation at the table. Because although your mind was saying one thing, your body was always reacting differently.

If you had known what would have ended up happening that night, you would have done something in that moment. Maybe if you had, it would have changed everything.

Instead, you sat there and didn't say a word. You just politely listened to everyone talk with Joel's hand still on your leg while your body and mind waged a war nobody could see.

When Maria stood to hand off her daughter to Tommy and clear the table, you joined her, finally ending Joel's grip on you. The other women stood while the men attempted to help but got shooed into the living room. When all the ladies were alone in the kitchen, Maria pulled out a jar of apple flavored moonshine that she told you all quietly she was hiding from Tommy because it was her favorite before passing it around for everyone to have a taste.

It was strong. Each of you had to stifle your coughs into your hands, which erupted into giggles and eventually caught the attention of the men, so you all did your best to distract them after they curiously poked their heads into the kitchen so Maria could hide the jar once again.

In retrospect, the alcohol didn't do you any favors. Your head was swimming a little by the time dessert was served and you found yourself inadvertently leaning into Joel's shoulder as everyone complimented your pie and he watched you adoringly while you waved off the praise.

The food was amazing, but combined with the drinks, you found your eyelids growing heavy as the party moved back into the living room and Maria took her daughter to bed.

"I think I'm going to get some air," you told Joel while everyone else got comfortable.

"You alright?" he asked, examining your face closely. You nodded.

"Just getting tired," you explained as you took a step towards the door, but he immediately put his glass down.

"Why didn't you say so? We can go home."

"No, it's okay-"

"You've been workin' so hard lately. You need your rest. Go get your things and I'll tell Tommy we're headin' out," he said, refusing to hear another word. And as much as you didn't want to tear him away from the party, you had to agree with him. The past couple weeks were physically draining and it definitely seemed like the exhaustion was catching up with you.

Once Joel announced your departure and everybody bid you good night, you each grabbed your coats and slid on your boots before heading outside. The brisk night air was a shock to the system and it helped wake you up a bit on the walk home. Joel wrapped his arm around your waist as you walked, holding you close to him, enveloping you with his warmth and when you inevitably reflected on that night, you would remember that moment as one on a long list of ways you were sending him mixed signals because you didn't pull away. Because as confused as you were about your feelings for him, you couldn't deny the attraction you harbored. And maybe it was partially your fault for not being stronger because you knew, you fucking knew Joel's feelings for you were far deeper than yours that night, and yet you still didn't step away.

When you arrived home and Joel fumbled clumsily with the door, you giggled, making him grin and his eyes light up at the sound before finally shoving the door open and flicking on a light. You shrugged off your coat and kicked off your boots with a sigh, the faint smell of apple pie still lingering in the air. You were happy to be in the comfort of your own home and eager to throw on your pajamas, but Joel led you into the kitchen first and poured you some water. You couldn't help but smile at how reminiscent it was from when he was sick and you did the same thing for him, so you took it and made sure to drink the whole thing while he watched with a pleased expression on his face.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?"

The glass was still pressed against your mouth, the last drops of water just swallowed, and you froze. Slowly, you lowered the glass to the counter and shook your head, unable to look away from his heated stare.

"Well, you did. Lit up the whole place. Prettier than all the other women," he said, fighting to remain still and not pull you into his arms. But he was losing that battle.

"Thank you," you said softly, forcing yourself to look away. It didn't deter him.

"I mean it. Couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout you. Talkin' 'bout you," he said, watching your face heat up as he blinked slowly. "Lookin' at you," he added after a quiet moment, and you laughed softly while you crossed your arms protectively over your chest.

"Joel..." you began, not even sure what you planned to say so you opted for staring blankly out the window just so you wouldn't have to look him in the eye.

"What, baby?" he murmured, taking a bold step forward and pinching your chin with his fingers. You dragged your gaze back up to him just to find his dark brown eyes all wide and filled with hope and tenderness as he stared down at you, his gaze flicking from your eyes to your lips, clearly displaying his intention but you still didn't step away. Your body wouldn't let you move.

"We're both drunk," you told him, trying to remain rational. Trying to stay clear-headed.

"Not that drunk," he quickly countered, his eyes still roaming your face, his fingers still pressing into your chin and you could feel your heart flutter wildly. Why on earth couldn't your mind catch up with your body?

You sighed, partially from the exhaustion, partially from the inability to properly express yourself but he took it to mean something else. He heard your sigh and thought you were finally giving in. That you were finally going to let him kiss you. Because why else wouldn't you have pulled away?

He leaned forward, his eyes slid shut, and although you should have known it was coming, it still surprised you. Your eyes stayed open wide as he inched towards you and finally at the very last second, you tilted your face to the side, causing him to press his lips against your cheek instead.

You felt his reaction before you could see it. His lips immediately tensed against your skin and his breathing stalled. Then his hand dropped from your chin and he leaned back, eyes no longer warm and inviting.

You tightly pressed your lips together in shame. "Joel, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," he said quickly, cutting you off and backing away.

The hurt was evident across his face, although he tried to hide it by averting his gaze.

"I just don't think I'm there yet," you said after a long, tense moment. "I'm trying-"

"Yeah, I know," he replied harshly, turning on his heel and marching out of the kitchen. "I know you're tryin' to force yourself to love me. It's gotta be real hard, I get it," he spat, his voice so cold it made you shudder as he shoved his boots back on.

You choked back a sob as you watched him grab his coat.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't know," was all he said before flinging the door open and storming out, leaving you all alone in the entryway with tears slowly streaking down your cheeks.

What an absolute fucking idiot he was.

What was he thinking? That you would magically find him attractive again? Love him again? That he was worthy of your time and care and attention? After everything he did?

You didn't know, of course, but what else could it be, other than fate? Or karma? Or whatever it was, coming back and erasing all your memories of him to set things right? Because did he ever really deserve you in the first place?

No, definitely not. Not after everything he did.

His legs carried him blindly to the Tipsy Bison. It was a quiet night, and maybe had he been in the right frame of mind, he would have been surprised. Most of the town was cooped up the past couple weeks, under normal circumstances he would have thought it would be busier, but at that moment in time, he didn't care. He only cared about one thing: he needed to forget.

He motioned for Seth and he nodded in acknowledgment before pouring him his usual whiskey and setting it down. Joel snatched it up and immediately downed it with a wince before pushing the empty glass towards Seth.

"Another, please," he muttered before burying his face in his hands with a groan. Seth eyed him suspiciously before pouring his second drink and setting it back down on the bar.

Joel let the glass sit there a few minutes while he stewed in his anger. He wanted to blame you, but he couldn't. Not really. He knew it wasn't your fault but, fuck, he just wanted you back. He was so goddamn lonely that it made his chest hurt. He rubbed it absentmindedly before picking up his glass and forcing himself to take a slow sip. He had already drank too much at Tommy's and if he didn't want to wake up with a massive hangover, he had to slow down.

"Hey, cowboy," a familiar, flirty voice suddenly said from beside him. He tilted his head to the side and had to fight the urge to roll his eyes.

"Angie."

She smirked and pulled up a tall barstool, scooting her way up with a little grunt that made his stomach clench as he watched her maneuver in her tight jeans.

"What's got you so blue?" she purred as she took a sip from her drink and crossed her legs, her foot coming dangerously close to touching his calf.

"Who said I was blue?" he asked gruffly before taking another swig of whiskey.

She laughed softly and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Kind of hard to miss," she said, resting her chin in her palm as she looked at him expectantly.

His eyebrows furrowed at her but she noticed the way the corner of his mouth twitched and she bit her lip playfully.

"C'mon, what's the matter? You can tell me, baby," she cooed, and he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

"Don't call me that."

Angie pouted and leaned closer, her breath tickling his ear when she whispered, "Oh, that's right. How could I forget? You prefer daddy."

"Knock it off," he growled, turning away from her and ignoring the stirring below his waist, but it wouldn't be that easy. It never was.

She rested her delicate hand on his forearm and his muscles twitched, but he didn't move. As much as he hated to admit it, he missed being touched. And in that moment, any touch would do. She smiled and slid her hand up his arm slowly, and he let her, his eyes fixed somewhere in the opposite direction as he tried with all his might to ignore it, to fight it, to stand up and fucking leave, but he couldn't do it.

"So tense," she murmured in his ear, and his eyes fluttered shut. "I can help with that, y'know." Her hand dropped from his shoulder to his lap and had Joel's eyes been open, he would have seen Seth's eyes widen in surprise before looking away. "We're real good at it, remember?" she continued, her fingers inching towards the seam of his jeans. But before she could reach between his legs, his hand grabbed her wrist.

"Stop it," he said weakly, forcing his eyes open to glare at her, but she just smiled sweetly at him and pulled her hand back.

"I need to use the restroom," she said, her voice sultry. "You remember where the ladies' room is, right?" she asked with a wink before sliding off the stool and swinging her hips as she strolled down the hall towards the bathroom. He groaned and rubbed his face roughly.

He wasn't sure how it happened. He wanted to blame the whiskey, he wanted to blame you, but at the end of the day it was all on him when he found himself shoving open the door to the women's room and crowding Angie against the sink, his mouth crashing down on hers hungrily.

It was only one tiny minute of weakness. When he realized his mistake, when he remembered her lips weren't anything compared to yours, when her noises were not the noises he wanted to hear, her touch not the touch he craved, he immediately stopped kissing her, pulling back and cursing under his breath.

Angie looked at him, her eyes dark and her cheeks flushed, then took a step forward but he held up his hand.

"No," he said a bit too loudly, the whiskey making his head swim as he stumbled backwards towards the door. She rolled her eyes and grinned.

"C'mon, Joel. When are you going to realize she's not coming back? You need to move on," Angie said sweetly. Too sweetly. "You deserve to be happy," she added, and he frowned when the enormity of what he had done dawned on him through his drunken haze.

"Stay away from me," he warned her, reaching for the door and yanking it open.

"Fine. But just remember: you followed me in here!" she shouted after him as he disappeared down the hall. He snatched his coat from his barstool and jogged towards the exit.

He had to get home.

The carpet should have been worn to the floorboards by the time Joel finally came back. You had been pacing around the living room, chewing on your fingernails nervously as you replayed the entire evening in your head. The guilt was fucking suffocating you. You couldn't help but feel like you were partially to blame, but you would have broken his heart if you let him kiss you without fully understanding how you felt first, and he didn't deserve that. Maybe once he cooled down, he would understand.

When you heard his slow, heavy footsteps walking up the porch stairs, your heart leapt into your throat. The door creaked open slowly, as if he expected you to be asleep and he was trying to be quiet, but when he closed the door and saw you standing in the middle of the living room, your arms wrapped around yourself, his face contorted into a grimace.

"You're still up," he said, voice a little raspy as he hung up his coat.

"Joel, I'm so sorry," you began, "I'm just so confused. I'm still trying to work out my feelings but I don't want to rush into something and risk hurting you."

He swallowed and hung his head in shame, unable to look at you.

"Please don't apologize," he whispered, but you kept going.

"Of course I'm going to apologize. I sent you mixed signals and I ended up hurting you anyway."

"I did somethin'," he blurted out, and you froze mid-sentence, waiting for him to elaborate. Silence filled the room, your eyes drifted around aimlessly before you sunk down onto the edge of the couch and tucked your hands under your thighs.

"What did you do?" you asked, your voice wavering when you realized he still hadn't looked you in the eye.

He took a steadying breath and propped his hands on his hips, his face still angled shamefully towards the floor. "I kissed someone else."

His words hung heavy in the air, your deep, ragged breaths the only sound filling the room as your tired mind tried to make sense of what he just said.

"What?" you finally asked, voice deathly quiet. He forced himself to look at you now, his dark eyes brimming with tears.

"It was a mistake-" he began, voice thick with emotion, tongue heavy and clumsy between his teeth, but you stopped him.

"Just now?" you asked incredulously, your stomach turning sour. Fighting the nausea back down with a harsh swallow, you spoke again. "You tried to kiss me, I shot you down and you just... went out and found someone else?"

"That's not what I left to do, it just happened-"

"Who?" you asked, your gaze stony as you continued to stare at him, anguish and regret flickering across his face.

"Does it matter?" he tried weakly, softly, but it just pissed you off even more.

"Yes," you hissed, slowly standing back up on now shaky legs. "Who, Joel?"

His throat bobbed and he shifted his weight and when he mumbled Angie's name, you saw red.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" you whispered, quickly closing the gap between you and shoving him hard against the chest, causing him to stumble back in shock. When he looked you in the eyes, all glassy and cold and distraught, his blood felt like ice in his veins.

He was losing you.

"Please, lemme just explain-"

"What could you possibly have to say?!" you exclaimed, your body growing hot with rage. Hands shaking so badly you had to cross your arms to hide the tremor. "I was taking too long to fuck you so you went out and found a sure thing?"

"I didn't fuck her, but I could've!" he yelled back, an angry vein popping out of his neck at his sudden outburst. Your eyes went wide and you took a step back in surprise. He didn't know why he was yelling. He knew it wouldn't help, but he just snapped. "I never once pressured you to sleep with me! I gave you your space an-and respected your boundaries," he was flailing now, his thoughts scattered as he desperately tried to make sense. "But I'm a human fuckin' being and I got drunk and I was lonely and I made a fuckin' mistake! And I'm sorry, alright?!"

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. "You're lonely," you repeated, the words like poison on your tongue, and he frowned. "What about me? I'm lonely, too! You know what the first question is out of everyone's mouth ever since my accident?" you asked, glaring up at him, anger rolling off both your bodies. "They ask me how you're doing. You! Like this was some tragedy that only happened to you! But I lost fucking everything in the blink of an eye!" Tears began to burn the backs of your eyes now but you pushed on. "My world literally turned upside down in an instant and everyone just kept waiting for me to get with the program, including you!"

"That's not true," he said, shaking his head angrily, "I never pressured you to do anythin'!"

"It's the way you look at me!" you cried, wiping the tears from your cheeks. "You don't even realize you're doing it but you keep looking at me, expecting to find the woman you fell in love with but she's gone, Joel!"

You both fell silent, staring at one another, shoulders heaving as you each sat with the weight of your words.

"I don't care," he finally said, lowering his voice. "I still love you. I told you that first day. What we got is rare and special and I'm not givin' up on us."

"Then how could you go kiss someone else the first time there's a bump in the road?" you asked, tone hurt and dejected, then you turned and headed up the stairs.

"I told you, it was a mistake," he pleaded, following you. "I'm so sorry... wait, what're you doin'?" he asked when he realized he had followed you into your room. You were snatching clothes from the drawers and tossing them onto your bed, and that's when he really began to panic.

"I can't stay here," you said, disappearing into the bathroom. His vision narrowed and his legs became weak as fear flooded his veins.

"No," he whispered, but you didn't hear him. You were busy gathering a few toiletries from the bathroom and tossing them on the bed along with your clothes, but when you walked past him to get a bag, he grabbed your arm.

"Don't do this," he begged. You yanked your arm out of his grip and stepped back, glaring at him and he realized in that moment he would rather have you there screaming at him for the rest of the night than not have you there at all, so he kept talking. He kept pushing.

"Y'know, for someone who says she doesn't have feelin's for me, you sure seem to be pretty pissed off," he glowered, and your eyes widened. That's it, he thought, let me have it. "If you don't want me, if you don't give a shit 'bout me, then what the hell does it matter if someone else does?"

You gasped, his words like a punch to the gut. Like a blade to your heart. Without thinking, your arm swung back and your palm cracked loudly against his cheek, stunning you both into silence.

He wanted to rub the spot, to help soothe the pain with the tips of his fingers, but he resisted. Instead, he let his cheek redden so you were forced to see what you did.

"You think I don't give a shit about you?" you seethed once you found your voice, palm stinging at your side, eyes flickering between his eyes and his cheek.

"Sure seems that way," he countered, and your jaw clenched angrily as the next round of tears began to well up.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" you yelled, your hands balling into fists at your sides. "How dare you. You made me give a shit about you, you asshole!"

You shoved past him and headed down the hall to the spare room in search of a duffel bag, but Joel was hot on your trail. If he let you leave, he would never get you back.

"The hell does that even mean?"

You whipped around, making him stumble backwards, your eyes wild and bloodshot. "You told me you would make me fall in love with you again! This whole time we've been getting to know each other, building up our relationship and you think after all that, after everything we've shared, that I don't give a shit about you?"

"Well-" he began, but you cut him off.

"I took care of you when you were sick. I sat next to your bed for a full week, waiting for you to fall asleep, making sure you had everything you needed," you said, your voice growing quiet as hot tears spilled down your cheeks. "You told me about your daughter. I told you about my brother," you whimpered, your voice cracking on the last word. Joel's face fell when he finally realized how broken you were, the full weight of his actions realized. "How could you say that to me?" you sobbed, burying your face in your hands, your cheeks hot and wet in your palms. Your head ached. Your heart ached. You needed this to end.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it," he told you, stepping forward and pulling you into his arms. You only let yourself melt against his broad chest for a moment before you sniffled and pushed him away. Turning around, you snatched the bag from the ground and stormed past him.

"Tell me how to fix it," he pleaded as he followed you back into your room.

"You can't."

His head was pounding, throat scratchy and dry as he watched you pack from the doorway, his chest tightening with each article of clothing that passed through your hands.

"Please. Stay. I-I-I won't even talk to you if that's what you want, just please stay."

You paused, your eyes squeezing shut as you silently cried over your bag. "You want me to stay, Joel?" you asked, voice trembling, and even though weren't looking, he nodded.

"I'll do anythin'," he said earnestly, and you opened your eyes. Reaching for your journal, you flipped it open to a well worn page and tossed it on the bed. He frowned at it, confused, but stepped forward and picked it up.

"Then tell me what you lied about."

His eyes scanned the page, reading the four words over and over. Joel lied to me. No context, but he didn't need any. He knew.

You could see the conflict in his face as he tried to figure out a way around it.

"The truth. Or I'm gone," you said firmly, and when his eyes flicked up to yours, you saw fear.

He slowly turned around, the journal held delicately in his massive hands, as he sat down onto the edge of your mattress.

"Okay."

The shock made your tears slow to a stop.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay," he repeated, his tone somber as he stared down at your journal in his lap. "What's the difference now, anyway? You already hate me."

I don't hate you, you thought, but you remained silent.

"If I tell you, you promise not to leave?" he clarified, and you thought about it for a moment. What if it was something really bad? But you knew you wouldn't get the truth out of him any other way, so you nodded. You figured if you still left and ended up becoming a liar, then at least you would be even.

"I told you 'bout the Fireflies," he began, and you got the feeling the story was going to be long so you sat down on the bed.

"Yes."

"You, Ben 'n Lisa were all part of a group out in Salt Lake City," he said, his gaze pinned on the journal. "In a hospital. Doin' research."

"Research? I don't know anything about-"

"You weren't doin' the research. The three of you were just guards. Patrolmen. There were doctors there, and they were lookin' for a cure," he continued, then took a deep breath before lifting his chin and staring at a fixed point on your wall.

"Did they find one?" you asked, remembering that first day when Joel told you about the outbreak. You had asked him at the time if there was cure and he said no. That couldn't be the lie, could it?

"Well, they were close," he said, his brow pinching together. "This next part is somethin' that's gotta stay in this house, y'hear me?" he asked, finally turning to look at you. "Y'gotta promise me that no matter what you end up thinkin' of me, you can't tell anyone 'bout this part."

You didn't want to make that promise. Why would you, after everything he had put you through? But, still, you found yourself nodding slowly, then his next sentence knocked all the air from your lungs.

"Ellie's immune."

Your lips slowly parted as the shock coursed through you, your eyes slowly drifting down to the comforter. Your mind was blank except for Ellie's immune, Ellie's immune playing on a constant loop.

"It's why you didn't write anythin' else, I reckon," he explained, holding up your journal. "Didn't want anyone to find it."

You slowly began to put the pieces together. A research hospital. Ellie's immunity. They were close to a cure.

"The Fireflies thought they could use Ellie to create a vaccine," he said after a long pause. "And I took her to 'em. Took her right into the lion's den," he said with a dry chuckle. "Didn't realize til after they took her that they would've had to... kill her to get what they needed."

Your eyes darted up to meet his again as you listened, entranced.

"Nobody knows, okay?" he said, his voice wavering a bit. "Only Tommy. No one else can know. Her life depends on it, d'you understand?"

You nodded, still unable to find your voice, so he continued.

"When I realized what they were doin', that they would have to kill her, I just..." he trailed off and scratched his chin, looking away, eyes distant. "I lost it. It's the only way to describe it."

"W-what do you mean?" you asked, your voice barely a whisper.

"I killed alotta people," he said, voice cold and detatched, "alotta fuckin' people. Whoever got in my way, I just... didn't think twice. 'Til you."

You inhaled sharply, almost forgetting you were somewhere in that hospital.

"Me?" you squeaked.

"You didn't see my face," he said, his voice beginning to shake. "None of you did. The three of you were together. You surrendered. Had you face down on the ground with your hands behind your head. Told me you were plannin' on ditchin' the Fireflies anyway. That you wouldn't come after me." His hand trembled in his lap and he made a fist.

"You weren't the first ones to say that to me, but you were the first ones I let live."

You pressed your palms into your face, trying to quell the ache behind your eyes as you rocked gently back and forth on the bed, heart thundering in your chest, blooding pumping too fast. The exhaustion was too much. You could hardly make sense of what he was saying.

"You almost killed me," you said, more of a statement than a question, your voice muffled through your hands.

"Yeah." He watched you carefully, trying to read you, desperately searching for some small glimmer of hope underneath all your rage and confusion.

"Then what?" you forced yourself to ask, pinching the bridge of your nose.

He ticked his jaw to the side and looked away.

"Then... Ellie 'n me came here. Started over. Tried to forget," he sniffed, pulling at a loose string on his shirt. "Then the three of you showed up couple months later. Scared the fuckin' shit outta me, but none of you seemed to recognize me."

"Because we never saw you," you said, and he nodded.

"I didn't speak to you for over a month. I was so scared you'd recognize my voice or somethin', but I just couldn't stay away from you," he said, his eyes softening now. "Then that night at the bar happened. When you came up to me and-"

"Yeah, I remember what you told me," you replied, not eager to relive that story at the moment.

"Then the rest is history. We started messin' around. You didn't know who I was for a few months, then I finally told you."

"After you were already fucking me," you said coldly, and he winced.

"After I fell in love with you."

You sat back and rubbed your eyes. You had so many questions. What was your reaction when you first learned who he was? If you stuck around, you must have seen something in Joel that made you feel safe. Why did he spare you? Was it only because you couldn't identify him? And how much did Ellie know?

"Please say somethin'," he begged after a few tense, quiet minutes.

"What do you want me to say?" you asked him, your shoulders sagging forward, limbs too heavy. "You want me to forgive you? You want me to say I understand?" He shook his head but you kept talking.

"You spared my life just to break my heart."

He turned away from you as his face crumpled. "I'm gonna fix it," he said, his throat tight and voice thick as he fought off the tears that were threatening to spill down his face. "I'm gonna make it right, if you just-"

"Can you go, please?" you asked quietly, "I have nothing else to say and I'm fucking tired."

He looked over at you but you refused to look up, your puffy eyes fixed blankly on the floor. His gaze drifted to the bag and clothes littering your bed and he asked, "Are you stayin'?"

You didn't answer. You just slowly stood up and flung your comforter back, some of your clothes falling into a heap on the floor but you didn't care as you crawled into bed and turned your back to him.

Begrudgingly, he stood. His eyes flicked around your room nervously, his fingers fidgeting at his sides while he chewed on the inside of his cheek, struggling to come up with the right words to say.

"Go!" you sobbed from underneath your blankets, hiding from him the tears that were soaking your sheets.

So, he left. Not because he wanted to, but because he caused you enough agony for one night, and as much as he wanted to stay and beg on his knees for forgiveness, it would be the selfish thing to do. Instead, he went to his bed and stared at the ceiling, barely sleeping the entire night because his body jerked awake at every little creak the old house made, wondering when he woke up, if you would be gone for good.

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A/N: Yes, there will be a happy ending 😘

#joel miller #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fic #joel miller smut #joel the last of us #joel miller x reader #pedro pascal #joel miller fluff #pedro pascal characters fanfiction #the last of us game #the last of us hbo #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us #ikwya fic #joel miller fanfic #joel miller tlou

[ghostboneswrites2]

A Mess || Part 3

New account! @ghostbones was banned! Transferring everything here starting with this series since it was the most popular!

Summary: Shane's aggression comes to head and Daryl saves the day.

18+ MDNI || WARNINGS: Nongraphic attempt at SA, TWD typical violence, profanity, alcohol consumption

        Things had gone to shit at the camp. It was clear it was time to move on as their spot was no longer safe from the dead. Shane insisted on Fort Benning, and Rick insisted on the CDC. Both of the men had been at odds, Shane not taking kindly to Rick's knack for leadership. Surprisingly nobody had said anything to Rick about Shane and Lori. Not even you, not yet.

        Everyone was loading their gear and other belongings into vehicles when he approached you.

        "Look,  I want you to ride with me." Shane said. You looked around, momentarily expecting a camera crew to run out shouting about being pranked for their show. You huffed a dry laugh and shook your head.

        "Oh?"

        "Yeah. I -- I think it's best if we --"

        "What? Get back together 'cause your side piece cut you out?" You scoffed. "I don't think so."

        He gripped your arm tightly, shoving you against the red truck you were loading your things into. Daryl offered to let you ride with him since it was just him.

        "I think it's best if we keep things lookin' cordial." He growled. "Last thing we need is for Rick to get any ideas right now. He needs to keep his head clear. We all do."

        "Translation: My name is Shane and I don't want my best friend to know I've been fucking his wife." You spat back. His glare was harsh and the tension was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

        "Don't make this hard."

        "You're literally the only one making it hard, ass--"

        "What's the problem?" Daryl asked, wiping his hands with his red bandana as he casually approached the scene.

        Shane's grip on your arm ceased as he clenched his jaw.

        "Yeah, Shane. What's the problem? We gotta get movin' soon." You taunted.

        You looked over Shane's shoulder to see Rick watching the situation from afar, eyes pressed together in confusion. Daryl stepped around to the driver's side door and called out behind him; "Ya ready, (Y/N)?"

        "Yeah, Daryl. I'm ready." You called back, eyes still trained on Shane's. Shane lingered for only a moment before he turned and stormed away, wiping his sweaty face with frustration and defeat.

        You climbed into the truck as Shane walked past Rick and his family to get to his own ride.

        "What was that about?" Rick asked him. Lori glanced at Shane and Rick, swallowing her nerves.

        "Nothin', man." Shane sighed. Rick stepped closer to his buddy, placing a hand on his shoulder.

        "She seein' the Dixon?" Rick inquired. The officer had no inkling of suspicion about the affair, so seeing you friendly with Daryl and avoiding Shane could only lead him to one conclusion.

        Lori cleared her throat when Shane didn't respond, speaking up on his behalf. "Yes. She -- Uh, it's been goin' on since we got here."

        Her quick thinking saved them from immediate backlash, but her damage control only went so far. Eventually Rick would be asking more questions, when they were safe and had a place to catch their breath. She prayed that you wouldn't get to him first to answer some of those questions.

----

        "Keep drinkin', little man. I wanna see how red your face can get." Daryl teased. The feast was more than any of you had enjoyed in one sitting in months. The wine was also a welcome relief. 

        You smiled as you sipped your wine and picked at your food, watching everyone around you have a great time. Rick had been giving you looks all evening, as if trying to read your mind or understand what you had been up to. 

        As soon as Shane spoke up about why you were all really there at the CDC, you excused yourself, unable to bare the sound of his voice creeping in and ruining your buzz. You grabbed an unopened bottle of wine and strolled over to the rec room, where you searched through the board games and books and magazines and whatever else, hoping to find something to occupy your mind and hands. You settled on a gimmicky tabloid about some washed up popstar, only to set it to the side when the wine made it too hard to read. 

        You checked the bottle, it was about a quarter of the way down by now. You wondered how long you'd been in there alone.

        "Never were much of a tabloid girl." Shane spoke from behind the couch where you sat. You tensed up at the sound of his voice, it was like nails being hammered into your ears.

        "Got any more wine?" He asked.

        "Not enough to share." You sighed, standing up. You went to walk around him and find your room but he stopped you, placing a hand on your chest and standing in your way.

        "How long we gonna do this?" He asked. You could smell the wine on his breath, a fermented sour aroma. He was probably as drunk as you, if not more.

        "Do what, Shane? There's nothing to do. We're over. Now please, get out of my way." You tried to step around him again but he quickly cut you off.

        "I messed up, (Y/N), I know that but.. The world is messed up." His words slurred out of his mouth. You wondered if he'd even remember this conversation the next day, or how easily he'd forget it the next time a MILF crossed his path. You scoffed, rolling your eyes and crossing your arms as you leaned your weight onto one leg. "We can fix this, and -- And Rick wouldn't have to know anything we could just go back to how things were--"

        "That's what this is about? Rick not figuring out what you've done?" You had begun to raise your voice now, your heart pumping hot  frustration through your veins. 

        "(Y/N), please, keep your voice--"

        "No! This is bullshit! Get out of my way."

        In an instant he had grabbed your shoulders and swung you into the wall just two feet behind him. You dropped your wine, glass shattering all over the floor. He was looming over your now, shaky breaths raining down over your face as his nostrils flared. His hands slapped into the wall on either side of your head. You flinched at the suddenness of his movements.

        "We're puttin' and end to this. Now." He hissed.

        "I already ended it." You whimpered. You meant for it to sound as menacing as he did but your fear overtook you. He scared you.

        His hands found your throat quickly, gripping you tightly. You choked and gasped, slapping at his hands frantically.

        "I ain't askin'. I'm gon' show you just how little of a choice you really got here." 

        He let go of your neck and flipped your body to press your face against the wall. His hand dug in your hair as he did, the other hand reaching down to unbuckle his belt. Tears spilled down your cheeks as you heard the zipper fall down. 

        With one swift movement, your pants were tugged down, and you could feel his pulsating dick pressing against you. You let out a whine as you struggled against the weight of him squishing you into the wall.

        "The hell's goin' on here?" A husky voice interrupted Shane's party. You were relived to hear Daryl storm over. He tugged Shane off of you and threw him into the couch behind you. You scrambled to pull your pants back up as you turned to watch.

        Daryl had Shane's collar bunched in a fist, knuckled turning white with rage as he shook Shane.

        "The hell's wrong with you, man?" Daryl seethed. "Huh?"

        "Daryl--" You tried to intervene before the situation got any worse but it was too late. Daryl's fist raised and crashed into Shane's cheek. "I asked you a fuckin' question, pig!"

        "She wanted it, man." Shane argued. "Tell him, (Y/N.)"

        Daryl glanced back at you. You didn't say anything, you didn't move a muscle really. That was all Daryl needed to see. He landed another punch, then two, then three. By then Shane was bloody as his head bobbed back and forth weakly. 

        "I don't ever wanna catch you near her. Ya hear me? You so much as breathe too heavy in her direction and I'll fuckin' kill you. Ya got that?" Daryl got closer and closer to Shane's face with every word. When Shane didn't answer him; "I said do ya fuckin' understand the words that are comin' outta my mouth?"

        "Yeah." Shane said lowly, glaring at you over Daryl's shoulder. 

        "Don't look at her." Daryl growled, gripping Shane's jaw and tilting his head back toward himself. "Look at me and tell me ya understand."

        "I understand." Shane gritted his teeth. 

        Daryl abruptly let go of Shane and turned to you quickly. He grabbed you by the arm, firmly but not painfully, as he pulled you out of the rec room and down the hall toward his own room.

        "(Y/n)?" Rick asked. You sighed as he approached, walking down the hall with Lori. They both looked concerned with your appearance, hair in a disheveled mess, tear stains still hot on your red cheeks. Rick tilted his head at Daryl, already sending him an accusatory glare. Daryl's hand on your arm didn't help with how things looked.

        "Don't look at me, man. I didn't do this." Daryl snapped. He was still worked up, hands shaking with rage as his shoulders rose and fell with each breath.

        "(Y/N)," Rick said slowly, still looking at Daryl. "What's goin' on?"

        You didn't respond. You couldn't find the words, not with Lori's eyes blazing through you, full of concern, or Rick looking at Daryl like the suspect of a crime.

        "Do I gotta tell 'em?" Daryl asked impatiently, looking down at you. Rick finally relented and looked at you.

        "What happened, (Y/N)? Did someone hurt you?" Lori pressed.

        You wanted to scream, to cry, to lash out at her for showing any kind of care for your wellbeing after everything she had participated in.

        Rick glanced down at Daryl's bloody knuckles. Clearly he had hit someone but it wasn't you, since you had no visible signs of injury.

        "It was that asshole Shane!" Daryl finally snapped. "Had her pressed up against the wall. She was cryin' and all, man. She didn't want that."

        Lori and Rick both fell at a loss for words, confusion and concern washing over them as they gave each other a look. 

        "Is that true?" Lori breathed, eyes welling up with tears.

        You took a breath and nodded slowly.

        "That doesn't sound like somethin' Shane would do." Rick shook his head. He was apprehensive, not wanting to believe his partner in protecting their community was capable of hurting someone like that.

        "Well, there's a lot of things he's capable of." You grumbled, your eyes flickering to Lori. Rick followed your eyes to his wife, eyebrows pressed together forming a thin line between them.

        "Where is he?" Lori asked.

        "Back there." Daryl pointed over his shoulder to the rec room. 

        "I -- I don't understand. So, what? He was gonna..."

        "Rape her." Daryl cut Lori off. You cringed at the use of the word.

        "So, you caught him?" Rick asked.

        "Yeah. He did. Are we done here? I'd really like a shower." You spoke up. Everyone looked uncomfortable, but they couldn't have been as uncomfortable as you. 

        "I just wanna get this straight. It's a big accusation--"

        "It's not an accusation." You snapped, cutting Rick off. "He cornered me, tried to get me to forgive him, and tried to--"

        "Hold on, forgive him for what?" Rick shook his head. You gritted your teeth together, eyes bouncing between him and Lori before you decided to give it a rest. "Use your detective skills. I'm sure you can figure it out. The clues are right under your nose."

        You stepped around them, glaring at Lori as you went by, Daryl following right behind you.

        "Get your bag." Daryl told you as his pace landed beside you again. "You ain't sleepin' alone. I don't trust that asshole not to come lookin' for ya."

----

        A hot shower was everything you didn't know you were craving. An unmatched sense of relaxation washed over you with the stream of water. You hugged yourself, sniffling and trying to keep your cries at a low volume. How humiliating and degrading the night had been. Daryl had to save your ass, Rick and Lori knew what happened, and Shane would have done whatever he wanted to you. You were too weak to stop him. It was pathetic. You sank down to your kneed, crying it all out before you had to face the man who just quite literally caught you with your pants down. Quickly you washed yourself, not wanting to use up all the hot water before he could enjoy some, and stepped out into the steamy bathroom air. You dried and clothed yourself slowly before emerging from the little bathroom.

        Daryl was setting himself up on the little couch in the middle of the room. He had set your bag up on the bed. He looked up at you when he noticed you.

        "Figured you'd take the bed. I'm fine on the couch."

        "Oh." You nodded. "Thanks."

        You sat on the side of the bed, twiddling your fingures.

        "Y'alright?"

        "Uh, yeah, I think." You mumbled.

        "Don't look it."

        "I don't really feel it." You admitted.

        "Want me to kill 'im?" He offered. It had become a running joke between the two of you, but you didn't doubt he meant it this time.

        "No." You shook your head "But I don't wanna see him again. Ever." 

        "Just get some sleep." He told you. "We'll figure it out in the mornin'."

        "I saved you some hot water." You said as you laid down, curling up under the covers and turning to face the wall. You didn't want him to see you cry.

        His shower was a lot quicker than yours. You seemed to be asleep when he got out. He laid on the couch, feet propped up on the arm as he looked up to the ceiling, wondering if the situation would be addressed or swept under the rug.

        "Daryl?" You squeaked into the darkness.

        "Hm." He hummed back, to let you know he was listening.

        "Thank you."

        "Don't worry 'bout it." He shrugged. "Woulda done it for anyone."

        "Well I'm sorry you're always stuck in the middle of my bullshit." You sighed.

----

        Shane showed up to breakfast with a bruised left side, earing some questions from the others. You all kept silent, Rick, Lori, you, Daryl, Shane. Daryl guessed it would just be ignored.

        "What happened to you?" Andrea asked.

        "Play fightin' with Daryl when they were wasted. Ain't that right?" Rick spoke up, staring between the two of them. Shane nodded once, never lifting his eyes from his meal. Daryl just squinted his eyes at Rick. 

        The tension was too much. You lost your appetite, but you didn't want to give anything away. You just picked at your food. You were sure the others had an idea that it probably had something to do with you, given all the drama before Rick came back, but they were too aware of the tension to ask.

        You kind of wondered why Rick was covering for Shane, or if Lori had confessed anything, or if he even believed you. He had to, right? The evidence was pretty damning. Of course you didn't know what Lori had told him, about you being the one to have an affair, but that wasn't it. Rick simply just couldn't decide when to address it, or how to. Instead he settled on eyeing Shane to death at the breakfast table.

Masterlist || Taglist

#daryl twd #twd daryl #daryl dixon fanfic #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon #daryl x female reader #daryl x reader #daryl x y/n #daryl x you #18+ content #18+ only #mdni

[mactavishwritings]

Mi Amor

Alejandro Vargas x Reader

You're an undercover spy for the CIA sent out on a mission. Little do you know, Alejandro and the boys are also after the target.

tw: violence, weapons, suggestive, terribly translate Spanish,

maybe i'll turn this into a series? let me know if you want it to be!

part two

You were the best of the best. You could become anyone the CIA wanted you to be. You could adopt any persona, any character, anything. The CIA loved this about you; they held you in their back pocket for any mission involving undercover work. They sent you in to be their eyes. Your code name was Serpent; working secretly and never getting caught, sliding through crowds like it was water.

This mission was no different. You were dressed in a simple black dress that reached the floor, gold heels that clicked with each step, your hair curled and pinned into a style that strategically hid your comms. You surveyed the room, accepting a flute of champagne from a well dressed waiter. "How we looking in there?" You heard your commander ask you and you raised your glass, thumb in front of your lips to hide them. "Looking good. Target still not located." You looked around the room again and clocked a man in a suit. He wasn't the target, but he very clearly was out of place.

"Teller. We got any other agencies on this?" You whispered into your comms and looked for any other suspicious looking people. "Not that I'm aware of. Zero, you see anything unusual?" You C.O. asked you sniper, who was posted in the office building down the street, who said they did not see anything. You shrugged it off after seeing your target enter the ballroom.

Alejandro looked around the party, nodding at Soap who was standing on the other side of the room. The two had gone undercover to gather information about the next weapons trade. "Lookin' good, hermano." Alejandro chuckled to himself as Soap covered his words with his glass. "You as well. Ghost, how do we look from up there?" Alejandro turned his head to look in Ghost's general direction. "Distracted. Do you have eyes on the target?" Alejandro turned his head and his breath caught in his chest as his eyes landed on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

His eyes raked up and down her body, the black dress hugged her curves in the most delicious way. He forced his head back towards Soap, who had an eyebrow raised at Alejandro. "Cat got your tongue?" Soap joked and Alejandro rolled his eyes. "Hey. Please do try and stay focused." Price's voice came through the comms.

You made your way towards the target, Benjamin Turnswell. He was the son of a very rich weapon's dealer and he was also very stupid. Reckless even. You were hoping he thought with his dick and not his brain. You just needed his phone that he carried in his left breast pocket. It contained everything your team needed to make the arrest on Ben's father. You swayed your hips as you walked up to the man, catching his attention immediately. "Well hello." Ben said, dropping the conversation he was having to greet you.

You giggled and held your hand out to him. "Hi." Your voice carried a slight accent that was different than your usual. The man took your hand and kissed your knuckles. You smiled at him and leaned closer to him. "Thank you for inviting me and my father. I'm sorry to say he was unable to join us." You recalled the fake story your C.O. gave you and Ben shook his head. "Oh don't worry beautiful." He smiled and gently took your elbow in his hand.

You smiled back at the man and your eyes shifted quickly to notice the man from early looking at you two. You looked back at Ben before leaning closer to him. "I apologize for my forwardness, but perhaps we can discuss," you lightly dragged your manicured finger down his chest, "elsewhere."

As soon as you two entered the elevator, his lips were on your neck. Your arms were loosely wrapped around his shoulders and you faked a moan to motivate him. He quickly pressed a number and the door closed. Ben grabbed your thigh and you took the hint to lifted your leg and wrapped it around his waist. His hands were unskillful and it made you cringe on the inside.

Soon he brought you to his office. This was part of the plan; you were to get him to his office, get the phone, get rid of Ben, and get out as fast as you could without being seen. It was easy, you were already in the office, now all you had to do was get the phone and get out. Ben picked you and carried you to the desk where he placed you. You tilted your head back and sighed, knowing what came next. "How about you show me what that pretty mouth can do?" Ben smirked, going to undo his pants. You smiled sweetly before grabbing the pin that held your hairdo in place. It was a long, gold pin that was thicker at one end and thin on one end. You stood and moved towards him before driving the hidden weapon into Ben's chest.

The knife quickly ended the man's life after a couple quick stabs and you went into his jacket to grab his phone. "Teller. It's Serpent. I got the phone. The kid is dead. Getting out now." You slipped the phone into the front of your dress and cleaned the hair pin off. You moved Ben's body so that it was hidden from view and slipped out into the hall.

You frozen when you heard voices. You turned your head and saw the man from earlier walking quickly down the hall with another man who had a mohawk. "Shit. Teller, got some heat." You turned and started walking away from the two men. "We see you on the monitor. There's a staircase down the hall that will lead to an exit where Zero and Ocean will be in a car waiting. Next left." You nodded and moved as quick as you could in heels.

Alejandro and Soap moved through the hall, hands on their guns incase of enemy fire. "Office is three doors down. I got two...make that one heat signature. Something weird is happening." Ghost stated over the comms and the two men saw a door open in front of them. "Think that's the door?" Soap asked. "Well, Ben did leave the party with a woman." Alejandro watched as the figured looked in their direction before quickly turning and walking away. The two men made it to the office, finding Ben dead inside. "Shit! He's dead. Someone got to him before we did. Who the else is here?" Price's voice was angry and Alejandro looked down the hall and saw the woman moving fast. "Her. Soap." The two men nodded at each other before moving to catch up.

"Fuck. Teller they better be there." You muttered, hearing the other men find the body. This shouldn't have happened. "Serpent. Get out of there." You heard Zero over the comms and you started to panic. You ripped your heels off and sprinted down the stairs. "SPECIAL FORCES STOP RUNNING!" Your heard a Spanish accent yell after you. "Special forces? Teller! Why am I being chased by Special forces?!" You shouted into your comms. You looked behind you and saw that they were starting to catch up. You burst through the exist door seeing your team's car waiting for you.

You knew you weren't going to be able to reach the car so you grabbed to phone out of your dress and tossed it at Zero, who sensed your planned. Zero caught it before closing the door and having Ocean drive off, just as the Hispanic man grabbed your arm roughly.

Alejandro growled angry as he watched the car take off. "Who the fuck are you?" Soap shouted in the woman's face, but she didn't react. Alejandro roughly grabbed both her arms and brough them behind her back. Being so close, he finally noticed the clear wire that was so familiar to him. "A comm?" Alejandro looked at Soap, who came forward. "Serpent. We will come get you. They cannot hold you. Do not say a word about the miss-" was the last transmission that went through before Soap ripped it out of her ear.

"Serpiente? Is that your name?" Alejandro leaned closer to you, just as Price and Ghost rolled up in the Humvee. "What do we have here?" Price asked, getting out. "A lost lamb." Soap stood back and the Serpent smirked. "Let's take her back to base. See what she knows." Ghost handed Alejandro cuffs and he placed them on the woman. "Ya know, Serpiente, I was hoping to do this in a better situation."

You sighed as you sat in the cell the men placed you in. You had been waiting for hours for someone to come in, either your team or theirs to interrogate you. You were just so bored. Soon the same Hispanic man from before entered the room. You looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Hola hermosa." He smirked at you before leaning against the wall. You leaned forward, "Hola guapo." You copied his accent, something you had always been good at doing.

His face read a bit shocked before straightening out again. "How do you know Turnswell?" You smiled before leaning back, crossing your arms over your chest. "Handcuffs huh? Never had that one." You were quick to change the subject away from the mission, buying yourself time. "No. Turnswell." The man pushed himself off the wall and moved towards you. "Or do you prefer ropes? I find I can wear them longer." You winked at the man.

Alejandro felt himself get hot, trying to refocus the interrogation. "Tell. Me. About. Turnswell. How did you know him? Did you kill him? Why did you throw the phone?" He asked angrily, the woman in front of him just sat there. She looked up at his hulking figure and sighed. "I will tell you he was a terrible kisser. I wonder if you'd be any better." Alejandro groaned angrily and was about to start yelling again when the door opened.

"Alejandro. Stop." It was Price. He was standing with a man he had never see before. "Alejandro. That's your name. Good to know." The woman said. Price sighed angrily and rubbed his forehead. "Alejandro, meet the head of the CIA's special task force Angel 626, Milo Teller." Alejandro nodded his head toward the man. "What does this have to do with anything?" Alejandro angrily asked.

"We at 626 have been following the work of the Turnswell family very closely for the past 6 years. You have actually manage to arrest the head of our team and we are here to get her back so if you will please release special agent (Y/N), we would appreciate it and maybe we will even share her findings." Teller smiled tightly at the man and Alejandro looked at you with shock.

You finally stood up, grabbing your heels and stood beside your boss. "With Ben Turnswell dead, we only have a matter of 36 hours to arrest his father which you have spent the last 6 of trying to get information out of me so I suggest you hide your erection and get to work, yeah?" You looked over to Alejandro, who was standing in awe.

#alejandro #alejandro x reader #alejandro x you #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas imagine #alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro vargas x you #alejandro vargas mw2 #alejandro cod #modern warfare 2 #mw2 #alejandro mw2

[shamrockqueen]

Dark room

Pairing : Soldier Boy Ben x Monsteress Supe Reader

Warnings : drugging, drug use, drug eating, semi public sex, cowgirl on the floor, tearing clothes, long tongue reader, Deep throat French kiss, unprotected sex, semi non-consensual sex, sex on the floor

Word count : 2211

AO3 Page Link

Herogasm oneshot I’d been sitting on for a while. Wanted to get it out there when I got it done.

Every inch of the house was bathed in the dim glow of candlelight. Light the bodies curled along the floor in a flickering orange glow as they contorted around each other. It seemed like the ultimate pleasure pit, until you’d stop and take a moment to really see if for what it was. This was when you’d see it for its imperfections.

It was in fact, a room full of lubed up kinky weirdos, doing god knows what to one another. It just really wasn’t your cup of tea. Although, what did you expect from a super orgy?

You don’t even know why anyone invited you. It’s not like you were public with your abilities, if you could call them that. You were always more beast than super. Super strong, yes; but also super scary.

Sure, there were plenty of people here interested in that sort of thing, but being treated like a fetish didn’t exactly turn you on. Sadly, that didn’t stop them from trying.

You suppose “get lost creep” wasn’t a decent enough answer for the fifth time you tried to shoo one of them away. Although, you didn’t think they would have the nerve to drug you. You don’t even remember having left your drink unattended, but that last sip would be your last.

Luckily, the effects of drugs are dulled in your system, and even though he must have tossed in a heavy dose, you were still on your feet. Swaying slightly, and dizzy as hell, but on your feet none the less.

You’ll break his bones later, but for now you have to find a bathroom to puke this concoction up.

You bum rush towards the nearest facilities. The lock busts right off the door and little splintered pieces of wood go flying as you shove your way through. You fell to your knees over the tub shower, and the porcelain of the tub lip felt cool on the exposed midriff, below your crop top and above the line of your short skirt. It helped sooth the cramping in your guts as your body fought off whatever was put inside of it.

The worst is the nauseous feeling in your head and the remnants of a dry-heave in the back of your throat. It took everything within you to not vomit all over the tub. Especially since this bathroom wasn’t empty.

Standing at the large granite double sink, all wrapped in his tight green and gold bodysuit, he stared daggers into your direction. “Hey?! Occupado bitch!”

You didn’t have time to pay much attention to him at first, but when everything got into better focus you quickly realized who it was.

The famous Soldier Boy had been indulging in some snow-cain in the master bathroom, away from what he later deemed to be a dull orgy. There was still a small bump of white powder between his thumb knuckle and his wrist, and you’d rudely barged in while he was at mid-sniff.

He was always known as an unsavory character, but as you heard footsteps reach the now busted bathroom door, you later heard, then turn around and leave faster than they had approached. Possibly when they saw the kind of Supe that could pull their spine out of their mouth. You’d escaped one danger while hiding behind another.

But, when he took in your sickened state, his harsh stare softened. And when you blubbered out “I’m sorry, man.” He actually felt a little bad for you, but it didn’t stop him from rolling his eyes at this lightweight on the bathroom floor.

“Lookin worse for where, little lady.” He’d gone back to tidying up the line of coke he’d prepared for himself before dipping his nose in and sniffing it up. He shook his head after as he grit his teeth.

You waited for your breathing to settle before you answered back “you have no idea.” At least his attitude was better.

Much better apparently, as he divided up another bump on his thumb, this time not for himself. He sauntered over to you as you rolled over off of your stomach to just sit on the cool tile. Your head felt like it would spin right off your shoulders, and you could nearly feel a bit of drool dry to escape past your lower lip.

His heavy boots knocked softly on the floor before he leaned down towards you pointing his powdered hand in your direction as if to offer it to you. “Ya need a pick-me-up?”

You tried to meet his softened gaze, but your head started to lull back and forth. He had to grip your chin to get you closer to his hand, but instead of a sniff your pointed tongue flicked out and licked it off of him. The pink muscle was elongated and nearly had a mind of its own as it started to twist around his hand. But, it wasn’t the monstrous part of you slipping free that shocked him into grabbing your face and clamping your jaw shut.

“Hey, Hey! You’re not supposed to eat it! The hell’s the matter with you?” His nails dig into your bulletproof skin hard enough so that little rivulets of blood leak to the surface.

But, you couldn’t feel it as your throat burned from the funny white powder you lapped up like candy.

His grip loosened when your eyes rolled back, and your body went slack. “Shit” was all you heard before he let you drop to the floor completely. But you still had a firm grip on his arm as your thick nails dug into his ‘hero’ costume. He couldn’t pull away. The strongest man in the world was caught under your grip.

He wasn’t one to let a little girl like you drag him around. “Hey! Let go, bitch.” He tries to pry your fingers off of his wrist, but they just dig in harder.

“You’re gonna get yourself hurt.” He started to grind his teeth as he gave his arm a couple of jerks in an attempt to shake you free. Only to get yanked back down to your level on the floor.

His body hits the tile with a hefty thump, but time moves too quickly for you to care as you throw yourself over him. Your feet land on either side of his hips as you drop back on your haunches. You thong-clad core pressing onto his clothed cock.

He was hard. Very hard.

He was afraid, only that your antics would’ve killed his buzz. But, as the white pony picked up its pace, it made your strength reverberate through his body as you ground your clit against the length of his swollen shaft.

It’s any question how it was still contained behind a wall of that thick fabric. You could feel the firm outline of his shaft, right down to a straining vein running along its length as you pushed your clothed bud against it.

Your hands land forward on each of his arms, pinning him in place below you as your tongue darts past your lips. It was long and lizard-like as it flicked under your chin as your face dipped closer to his.

He didn’t squirm like they always do when you show people the real you. He just groaned under his breath, a “Ho-ly shit” before your pink muscle slid along his jawline towards his mouth to tickle past his lips. He opened them to you, letting you snake your tongue around his to drink in his taste.

He was bitter with cigarettes, vodka, and a little tang of something you recognize hidden at the back of his throat. His last martini had to have been dirty.

Your nails dragged along the print of his cock that ran along the green fabric of his suit, making him jolt from underneath you and nearly pull away from hungry lips. Your tendril of a tongue doesn’t let him get far as your nails sink into the fabric to tear it from his skin. Letting his cock feel the cool but warm air that circulates between the two of you.

Your other hand weaves between the two of you as you shuck your wet core along his shaft through the thin fabric of your cheeky red thong.

You slip your fingers along the patch that covered your hungry cunt and pull it out of your way. You wouldn’t have imagined an encounter like this when you put the skimpy red troublemaker on.

The tip meets your now uncovered core and you can feel him twitch as got caught on your hungry opening. You pull your tongue from his throat when his adams apple bobbed with the constriction of his throat, struggling for air. At the same moment you sink yourself down onto him.

Your back arched, your hands were planted firmly on his chest, and your hips pushed back as you took him to the base to feel the head knock against the deepest part of your core.

“Woah, baby. Aren’t you a wild one.” His voice shook as he felt you squeeze him, as if your cunt wanted to milk him for all he was worth.

You have total control of each other's movements as you spear yourself up and down on his thick member.

Your body melted from the feeling of him widening your walls with a delicious sting. If he wanted to buck you off, he wouldn’t be able to. Not like he wanted to be free from the tight grasp of your sweet walls squeezing around him.

It’s a rough ride, but he handles you so well. He watches as your loose lace bralette let your soft breasts bounce with each time your body moved above his.

But, The Soldier-boy isn’t one to lose control of a situation like this, but he struggled to meet your pace. It’s astonishing how well you pushed back against peak super humanity as you fucked him into the tile. Yet in the end, he won out.

You were unnatural, a lab made monstrosity, but he was perfection incarnate…at least in his mind. Yet, He let that mindset give him the momentum to take hold of each of your thighs, hand meeting the back of each knee. Your buzzed brain thought nothing of it until he was back on his own knees and you were in the air as he made it onto his feet, all while his cock continued to dip in and out of your slip channel.

You pawed at his shoulders as you thought more about him slipping away from you than falling.

“Hold on, it’s my turn now.”

He twists your body until hands meet the towel bar and one of your still heeled feet hits the floor. He tosses the other leg over his shoulder, turning you almost totally sideways as he takes the lead.

His pace was faster and deeper. He was pounding the opening of your cervix hard enough you could have sworn you almost felt him even farther inside. It was enough to make your brain even fuzzier than before.

You held onto that towel bar until you felt the screws holding it to the wall start to shake along with the both of you. You claw at the tiled walls as your nails cut through the painted ceramic. All while as your insides were tied into tight knots ready to snap with each drive of his hips. You tried to keep leverage with your elbow and cheek pressed to the wall as he drove you closer to a bright white edge that made stars burn the back of your eyes.

The tight coil in your belly kept getting pulled and pulled until his final thrust. He came with a howl followed by “fucks sake!! That’s a tight cunt” as he pressed harder until you felt your teeth press into the wall.

He just spent the last moment breathing until he pulled himself free and his knees buckled out beneath him. You almost felt boneless as all energy had been drained from your body. The coke was still making your brain buzz, and it was all that was left to help keep you standing.

He sat back on the closed toilet as he watched you sway while trying to hold onto what was left of the loose towel bar.

You’d just drained the life out of him directly from his cock. It still hung out of his torn pants, now soft and wet with his thick cum and the slick from your sweet core. You struggled back around, taking the metal bar with you as it still sat in your grip as you tried to stumble away from this mess. Your heeled feet teetered under your weight as the high dropped as fast as it had risen.

As you’d turned tail and tried to flee the room, the clack of your shoes made the hero shock back into focus.

“Hold up.”

Your feet halt as ordered and you nearly bed forward enough to hit the floor. Instead, you right yourself and turn back towards him.

“I gotta get your number.”

A wave of heat flushed over your body as a sly smile spread along his lips.

#fanfiction #fanfic #smut #roughfuck #cowgirl on the floor #cowgirl #soldier boy #Soldier Boy Ben #monstress #Monstress reader #monster reader #monster #the boys #the boys soldier boy #soldier boy x female reader #soldier boy x you #soldier boy x reader #soldier boy x y/n #soldier boy smut #soldier boy fanfiction #Soldier Boy fic #herogasm #herogasm fic #herogasm fanfiction #sex with soldier boy #superhero x reader #superhero smut #superhero #the boys herogasm #dirty fanfic

[myocsfanfictions]

The Road Ahead of Us - TWD Season 2

The Walking Dead Fanfiction

MASTERLIST

They had left Atlanta behind, trying to reach Fort Benning; but during an apocalypse nothing ever goes at it is planned. Sarah and Nicolette will have to face new challenges and dangers. How will they survive?

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CHAPTER 22

NICOLETTE

Nicki was more sure every day that Shane was getting crazier by the day. He was jumpy, aggressive, and impulsive. He had pulled Carl in that way; he never did that. Treating him as if he was his son.

Nicolette had tried to find the Little Shit after he ran away, but she didn't manage. So she decided to take a walk around the farm. The whole Randall situation was getting her agitated; his only presence managed to do so. And she didn't like it.

She had been scared before; she had witness a city fall, her friends die, a man tried to burn them alive, she had seen Sophia getting back as a walkers, but those were creatures. No thinking creatures, they walked and ate. People, however, were another matter. They could think, and people like Randall's group seemed to enjoy hurting others. She never thought she would be scared of humans in that situation, but she was.

"Carol, send ya?" Daryl's voice made her look up. She hadn't realized she had arrived at his self-made camp. He was looking at his arrows, gathering them, and with him, there was Dale.

"Carol's not the only one that's concerned about you," Dale said.

"Sarah?" he asked again, but Dale shook his head.

"Not just them," Dale said again, "With your new role in the group."

That was true, Daryl was growing on everyone in the group, well, maybe everyone except from Shane. But after what had happened to Sophia, they all realized that there was more of Daryl Dixon than they had noticed before.

"Oh man, I don' need ma head shrunk," Daryl scoffed, bending over to take some other arrows, "This group is broken," at his words, Nicki put herself behind a tree, wanting to listen to what they were going to say at that point and she was afraid that if they'd noticed her, they would have dropped the subject.

"I'm better off fending for myself," Nicki remembered that he moved away just after Sophia died. He could act tough all he wanted, but she was sure that if he moved, it was not because he had enough of all of them. Not after he beat up Randall to know what they all risked.

"You act like you don't care," Dale said. Dale was watching Daryl take a step towards a tree where his jacket was hanging.

"Yeah," Daryl replied, "It's 'cause I don'."

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" Dale said, observing Daryl closely, but he didn't wait even a second to answer that he didn't, "Then why don't you stand with me and try to save the kid's life? If it really doesn't matter one way or the other," Dale suggested. And Nicki frowned.

Why did he want to save that kid so badly? From what she had understood, threats should be eliminated. Randall was a threat, so why try to save me? His group had attacked Rick, Glenn, and Hershel, and it was to kill them. And then, they figured out what their group did to people. They were dangerous. They were a threat.

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch," Daryl answered.

"Your opinion makes a difference," Dale said, trying to convince him.

"Man, ain't nobody lookin' at me for nothin'," Daryl answered, taking his crossbow, ready to walk away.

"Carol is," Dale said, following, "Sarah is," Daryl stopped walking, "And I am. Right now," the hunter turned to the older man who kept talking, "And you obviously have Rick's ear."

That was true, Rick trusted Daryl more.

That seemed to piss Daryl off as he hissed, "Rick just looks to Shane. Let 'im."

"You cared about what happened to Sophia," Nicki found herself looking at the ground at the mention of the girl's name by Dale, "Cared what it meant to the group," that seemed to have gotten Daryl's attention as he became to walk back towards Dale.

"Torturing people?" Dale kept saying, "This isn't you. You are a decent man," Nicki said. She was sure that if Sarah had been there, she would have agreed with what Dale was saying. She often defended Daryl when the others didn't trust him, "So is Rick. Shane… he's different."

Dale didn't trust Shane too, she had noticed that and she was curious to know what Daryl thought about the man.

"Why's that?" Daryl asked, "'Cause he killed Otis?"

Nicolette's eyes widened. She knew it was like that. She had been thinking that for a long time now.

"He told you that?" Dale asked, his eyes wide but not surprised. Would Shane really say something to Daryl? Something so confidential?

"He told some story," Daryl began to explain, "How Otis covered for him, saved his ass. He showed up with the dead guy's gun," she had noticed that, but others didn't, maybe if they'd listened to their conversation something would have rung a bell, "Rick ain't stupid. If he didn't figure that out, it's 'cause he didn't wanna," the started to walk towards the woods, "It's like I said… the group it's broken."

Could Rick really let Shane go around after he killed a man? Of course, Shane getting back was the only reason Carl was alive, but by killing someone… was Rick letting that slide? Seeing how Shane was behaving.

"Ya listened, alright?" Nicki's head shot up when she noticed Daryl standing by the tree.

"How long did you know?" she asked, still kneeling on the ground.

"Ya make a lot 'f noise for a quiet girl," he said, fixing the position of his crossbow over his shoulder, "Your sister knows ya here?" Nicki shook her head as she stood up.

"But better you than Shane," she answered, and he looked closely at her.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Sarah trusts you more than she does with Shane," Nicki answered cooly. He noticed him chewing the side of his cheek before heading towards the trees.

"So Shane killed Otis," Nicki said following him.

"Ya can't come," Daryl scoffed.

But Nicki ignored him. "Are we safe with him?"

"Randall?" Daryl asked with a frown.

"Shane," Daryl stopped, taking a breath before turning to her, "Go back to your sister. Everything's fine."

"I think he is dangerous," she stated, looking up at the man, "I'm afraid of what he may do."

The twilight arrived soon. Nicolette had spent her time shooting her arrows against trees or targets. She needed to feel ready, she didn't like to feel so jumpy. The woods now seemed even more dark, and the girl asked herself how long it would have taken for Randall's friends to find them.

As the sun started to disappear over the horizon, Nicki got back to the house, like she had promised to Sarah. The adults would all be there, they had the meeting to decide what was going to happen to Randall. As she was walking, Carl's frame caught her eye; he, too, was heading toward the house.

"Look who's here," she said, her tone flat as she observed his clothes, "Have you been rolling on the ground?" his pants were dirty with mud.

"You're so annoying," he muttered, passing next to her.

"Thank you," she answered, following him. They walked in silence for a bit, but she could see him glaring at her from time to time.

"What?" Nicki asked with a frown.

"You always shoot without fear," he stated, annoyed, and that got her confused.

"I don't think I'm following," she admitted, and he just scoffed.

"You're really annoying."

Nicolette usually had no problem with the Little Shit being pissed at her, she even found it funny, but at least she would have liked to know what she did so as to annoy him more.

They arrived at the house, where Lory was waiting for her son, while the other entered the house, "I want you to stay with Jimmy."

"But I want to listen," Carl protested.

Lori shook her head, "Not this time."

Nicki got closer to the woman, "Is Sarah inside?" she asked, and Lori nodded her head, leading the three of them inside.

*******

If you liked it, please leave a ♥️ and reblog!

#the walking dead imagine #the walking dead oc #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead #twd oc #twd fanfiction #twd imagine #twd #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixion imagine #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl Dixon #carl grimes #carl grimes x oc #carl grimes x y/n #carl grimes fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc

[softquietsteadylove]

So, it's Christmas time and i thought about something cute that would match the little interaction between Thena and Jack. Jack would have loved Gil and his food. So maybe Gilgamesh is helping Jack to bake some cookies and other sweet things for a Christmas charity event at Jacks school. The earned money will go to poor families and their children, who cannot afford buying Christmas presents. So Gil and Thena, obviously, and Ben and Phastos are there, at this charity event, watching (and maybe helping) Jack selling the self-made stuff to nice people.

I hope you feel better and less stressed. No one needs Christmas filled with stress and discomfort. It should be a time of joy and making other people and yourself happy.

Once again i want to thank you for your work, for your stories and your kind words. You're a special person, bringing so much light to the people in this fandom. Thank you. 🖤✨🎄

"Will you two stop feeding each other cookies!"

Thena and Gil both barely looked at Phastos, caught up in sharing cookies one bite at a time until they would inevitably end up kissing. Thena licked her lips, "it's only one cookie each time."

"Thena, I swear to-" Phastos huffed but cut himself off. He knew damn well that not only was it futile to argue with his sister, especially over something like this, but also that they were here for more important things.

"Hey, I made them," Gil complained loudly before kissing Thena even louder again. "I get to use them to lure my wife into kissing me as much as I want."

"Jack made them," Phastos corrected his incorrigible siblings freely, "you two canoodled the whole time."

"Actually, Dad, Uncle Gil made them," Jack corrected, completely oblivious to how he was betraying his father. "I helped measure some of the stuff, but Aunt Thena and I mostly decorated them."

Yes, Thena had been giving only white icing and very specific instructions. If given red frosting at all, she tended to start illustrating various injuries on the gingerbread men.

Ben turned away from yet another sale, putting away the profit in the name of charity. "Leave them be, Habibi."

"They're eating the product," Phastos reminded his husband with a hand on his shoulder, "it's not good business practice."

"Thank you," Jack smiled as he sold another cookie to another bake sale goer. He looked back at his family, "it's okay, Dad. Uncle Gil said he that he would make extra just for this."

Of course he did. Phastos rolled his eyes before glaring at his brother, "you are the worst, y'know that?"

"Hm, I can't hear you," Gil laughed. He was far too immersed as Thena raised another shortbread to his lips, letting him take the first bite. She leaned in for the second, and once again, by the third, he was kissing the buttery crumbs off her lips for her.

Phastos shook his head, instead looking down at his son, "how are things lookin', buddy?"

"I think we're almost there," Jack smiled, looking into the box provided by the school to keep their earnings in. They would all be compiled together into a water cooler jug and then donated to the appropriate local resources to help those who couldn't buy gifts for this season.

"We're very proud of you, Jack," Ben smiled at their son, running a hand over the boy's hair. "It was a great idea to volunteer for the charity bake sale."

"Well, I knew Uncle Gil would help with the baking," Jack admitted sheepishly.

"Hey, I would have helped you," Phastos frowned.

"Yeah, but Uncle Gil's cookies are the best."

Phastos sighed, patting his poor, weathered heart, "gets me every time."

"He's right," Thena stated proudly, much to her brother's further frustration. She leaned over her nephew's shoulder, admiring his riches. "Is this sufficient?"

"I think so, and we're almost sold out!" Jack grinned at their increasingly sparse inventory. "I knew they'd be popular."

"Everything Uncle Gil makes is popular," she smiled at Jack, patting his shoulder in a rare instance of physical affection.

"It's a wonder we got any sales with you two back here makin' out the whole time," Phastos turned on them again, batting Gil with his scarf in substitute of snapping a towel at him.

"Jack wanted us to come!" Gil laughed, swatting away the scarf easily. "And I told him expressly there would be kissing."

"They're always kissing," Jack shrugged as he sorted the money in their box properly. "I'm used to it by now."

Thena made her way back to her husband's side, grabbing the end of Phastos' scarf and taking it for herself. "Now that this is done, is it technically your winter break?"

"Yep!" Jack turned to his Aunt with a grin, having told her excitedly that once he was officially on Christmas break from school that he wanted to do all kinds of things with her and Uncle Gil. "Can we still build a giant hill to go sledding on?"

"Anything you want," Thena responded instantly her sweet nephew.

"Yes!"

"Excuse me," Phastos frowned, still reaching for his scarf and still being denied. "What giant hill is this?"

"Dad, it's fine," Jack pouted, already whining about his father's habit of overprotectiveness.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Gil shrugged, letting Thena wind Phastos' scarf around his neck instead. "And she won't let anything happen to him."

Phastos knew that, of course, but he still had very strict rules about Jack's feet leaving the ground and for how long.

"Let them go sledding, my love," Ben attempted to placate his husband, pulling him over for a kiss of their own. "We have last minute shopping to do."

"You're right, you're right," the Genius Eternal sighed against his husband's shoulder. They had a few last things to pick out for Jack, a few items Ben insisted he wanted to get for Gil and Thena (despite Phastos' insistence that they neither needed nor deserved them).

And Jack specifically had requested to get something for Aunt Thena all by himself. Which they would let him do, but they were going to go today to scope out exactly what to steer him towards given the time and budget they had.

"Fine, just behave like adults," Phastos snapped his finger and pointed at the couple once again canoodling. Thena glared at him, in the middle of using his scarf to pull Gil towards her again. It was Gil's scarf, now. "Human adults, please."

"Yes, sir," Gil gave him a mocking salute, which only increased Phastos' dread. They brought Jack over to the teachers supervising the event, just until he was finally free to join them again.

"Hm?" Thena tilted her head at Gil as he rubbed her back idly.

"It's cute," he shrugged, watching their brother and his family from afar, "all their little traditions."

"Isn't it?" she sighed, leaning against his shoulder as if they were curled up in front of a fire, and not sitting in uncomfortable, state-funded plastic chairs. "Jack seems happy."

Gil rubbed her arm. Her utter adoration of their nephew continued to make his heart throb in his chest. "Do you want any presents?"

"Presents?"

"Yeah," Gil grinned as she looked at him with those big green eyes. "All this talk of them has me thinking about it, I guess."

But Thena happily snuggled right up to him, even loosening the scarf around his neck enough for her to poke her head in with his. He eagerly pulled her right into his lap in return. "You're the only gift I need."

"Aw," he cooed, making her laugh in his arms, "being around humans makes you so sappy."

"You don't think it's being married to you for hundreds of years?"

"It can be both."

#okay so first of all #you are so sweet #and this is so lovely #honestly the holidays are kind of rough for me personally #but since I started writing in this fandom #asks like this and people like you have really gotten me through #so thank you #I hope everyone is doing something kind for themselves today #no matter what kind of day it is for them #happy mistlefoe season everyone! #also shoutout to #taran-chan #because this is absolutely in reference to her last post #and as for #Jack and Thenamesh #Jack wants to get something special for Aunt Thena #who will say she doesn't understand why he thought she needed anything #but also no one is allowed to touch it forever back off #they take him sledding #after building a hill that's so high the city is...alarmed #but Jack has the time of his life #and Phastos has a heart attack because Jack flies through the air and separates from the sled every time #but of course Aunt Thena and Uncle Gil are there to catch him #every time

[supremewolfren]

Stars to Dust to Stars Again.

Pairing: Reader/Kylo Ren (a little Poe/Reader as well)

Summary: Reader and Kylo have a past, where they planned their future together and he left her... She never stopped thinking of him.

Warnings: none this is soft as fuck.

Word Count: 1476

AN: This was supposed to be a quick prompt fic to get me out of my funk and get me posting my works -on a new blog- again. It went off the train, but that's okay!!! So here it is! And a big big big forever shoutout to @huffle-pissed / @creatively-analytical who helped reignite my love for writing. I cannot wait to continue this path you've helped put me on. I love you so much and I am so thankful for you!!!

Being a rebel meant a life of fighting, joining the rebellion at a young age made that life shorter but more stressful. Being born into a rebellion? Even worse. Choosing to leave everything you knew… a disaster waiting to happen. 

The flower sitting on your desk by your bunk shouldn’t have been there. They didn’t grow on D’Qar…. There was only one person who knew this flower was your favorite, and the fact that it was here could only mean one thing he knew. 

“Hey!” the knock on your door startled you as it slid open, “you okay?” Poe questioned with a small smile, he always loved seeing you, however he didn’t expect you to be so jumpy. 

“Hey hotshot, lookin good,” you mused with a soft laugh, as you moved towards him, “sorry, this mission has my nerves fried. Made me a little jumpy.” Wrapping your arms around him, your fingers found their way into the hair at the nape of his neck. 

Resting his forehead against yours, he gave a soft smile, “we’ll be okay. You’ll be okay. I don’t want you on that base anymore than you want to be there. I’ll be above you cheering you on.” 

“Now, lets go stardust,” he placed a gentle kiss to your head before tugging you out of the room.

—

Wrapping your arms around Leia, you let out a shaky breath, “I’ll bring him home… I promise,” your love for Poe was strong… but you needed to try to bring Ben home. This was your destiny, this was the last shot you had at bringing Ben home. You’d never forgive yourself for not trying. 

“Don’t kill yourself trying, you have a life here,” she mused softly into your hair, “May the force be with you.” 

Pulling yourself away, you gave her a quick short nod, “And with you.”

“Come away with me, we can see the stars,” Ben said, extending his hand towards you as you sat on the floor of your cabin, cleaning your light saber, “please.” 

“Okay okay! Jeez,” you laughed, taking his hand and placing your light saber to the side, you allowed him to pull you to your feet. He placed a small pink flower in your hand and pulled you to lead you outside before dropping your hand. Relationships were forbidden between Jedi’s and for Jedi’s to have in general. You knew and could feel the darkness growing in him but you had hoped you could keep him from going and losing himself. 

Following next to him, you both were silent in the night. The sky was surprisingly clear, more than it usually was. While you wanted to believe this meant nothing but good for them and the future, you could still feel the negativity. Something was coming, something big, something world shattering. You weren’t sure you’d ever be ready for it. Finding your spot on the cliffside, you gently - without any grace - sat down next to him and leaned your head against his shoulder. The stars were bright, “where do you want to go next?” 

It was a question you both had asked numerous times, but this time it felt more definite as he linked his fingers with yours, “where you are my love is where I will be.” 

Little did you know, he’d be leaving you that night after you both returned back to bed. 

Han’s scream for Ben shook you out of your memory, bringing you back to the battle at hand and the darkness you could feel seeping into your bones. A beg of “please” left your lips as you stared down below, standing next to Chewie. Watching Kylo remove his helmet and show you his face, brought every single emotion you kept locked away back to the surface and before you could even stop yourself, you leapt over the railing, running towards Kylo as Han stood in front of him. Hearing Chewie, Rey and Finn calling for you didn’t slow your stride. 

The ignition of Kylo’s lightsaber is what caused your stride to break. Han’s body falling to the ground and off the bridge made your heart break, but the look on Kylo’s face at seeing you for the first time since that night…. That shattered you. 

“Please…” your voice was soft, as your feet came to rest just out of reach from his arms. Before you could reach out for him, he was hit with a lazer blast. Your feet didn’t move as everyone else began to move, you couldn’t. You just witnessed the love of your life kill his father, you couldn’t bring him home from this. With teary eyes, you took one last look at the man you loved before turning on your heel and running off the catwalk to join the team in the forest. 

“Are you okay? What was that?” Finn yelled as you met with them. You simply shook your head refusing to give an answer. Everything was wrong. This was wrong. You didn’t even know if you could leave him, he was your everything. You loved Poe, but you knew in your heart, that you’d always love Ben, Kylo or not. 

The sudden ignition of a lightsaber makes you pause, “We’re not done yet.”

“You’re a monster!” Rey screams back at him. 

Your frozen watching them fight, until Finn’s scream brought you back, seeing him unconscious as well as Rey still out.. Igniting your own green lightsaber, you glare at him. 

“How dare you,” your voice cracking with emotion as your hair whipped in the wind, “I loved you. Even with all the distance you were the only thing on my mind and you threw it away! You threw ME away.” You were moving towards him now. “You threw everything away.” 

“I threw nothing away. Leaving you was the hardest thing I had to do,” Kylo moved towards you, “Luke tried to kill me.” 

“I know. He told me. I was the only one left…” his hand grabbed yours, imploring you to lower your weapon and stop holding it against him. “You left a flower in my room this morning…” 

“I did.”

“Why?” you implored as you stored your saber at your hip, allowing him to cup your cheek with one hand. As his other met your hip, “I came here to put an end to this madness Kylo. I can’t live like this.”

“Because even with lightyears and years between us, you were and are the only thing on my mind. I asked you once to come away with me.…” His voice was soft, on the verge of breaking as he rested his forehead against yours and closed his eyes, “I need you to come with me… We can kill Snoke and escape this life together.” 

This soft side… this was the man you knew… the man you loved… you just weren’t sure you could trust it anymore.

His hand suddenly flew out calling to Luke’s lightsaber, causing a startled gasp to leave you. Especially when you noticed Rey out of the corner of your eye. Stumbling back, you moved away from him hand flying to your own weapon. 

“I made my choice,” you mused, grabbing his hand that was still against your face, “it’s you. It’s always been you.”

Letting go you turned towards Rey and moved towards her, you could feel the anger seeping off of Kylo and the anger and hurt radiating off of Rey. Grabbing Rey’s hand you angled the lightsaber away from you, “I need you to get a message to Leia… Tell her I got him… You can be angry, you can be hurt, but I need you to tell Leia the truth and tell Leia what I said. Please….”

“What about Poe?” she asked, hurt seeping into her voice for her newfound friend.

“I love Poe, dearly… But he knew me coming here could only end in two ways, I’d die or I’d go with Ben…” you sighed softly, “I don’t care if you tell him that I died instead of the truth, but please let him know I’ll always love him.”

She nodded softly as you pulled away and gave her a soft smile, “the resistance will win Rey. Don’t fret too much.” you mused softly, soft enough so only she could hear. You had a plan up your sleeve, you weren’t sure if it would succeed but step one was joining Kylo.

Moving quickly you pulled Kylo away from Rey and away from the fight, “we will fight another day, let her escape”

Once you were farther away, he quickly grabbed your hand and pulled you to him before smashing his lips onto yours. Your heart felt like it could burst as your threw your arms around his neck to pull him in closer.  “It will always be you” you mumbled against his lips, “I love you Kylo.”

#Mirawrites #not beta'd #kylo x reader #kylo x you #kylo x y/n #kylo ren #ben solo #ben solo/reader

[springdayautumnmoon]

I had a dream where I somehow ended up in some TV production building in which they made me a test audience for a preview of a Star Wars TV show centered around a young Kylo Ren. It featured 8 year old Ben Solo hanging out with the other 8 year old Knights of Ren and a couple babies which they outright said probably weren't gonna make the cut.

As soon as I left the room, I ran into Avan Jogia of all people asking me what I thought (maybe he was gonna be teen Kylo Ren?) and asked me if I liked it. Needless to say, I didn't, and neither did anyone else. After that, I seized the opportunity to ask Avan for a selfie. He suggested we take a picture where we look at each other lookin all surprised that we're going to see a movie one of us doesn't like or something.

Then for some reason he said "just between you and me, I just got done filming for a Gamechamp youtuber" and I was fucking shook. He pulled out his phone like he was about to prove it to me but I saw the word Yggdrasil in his phone contacts and I asked him if it was a reference to Dragon Quest or Xenogears but he said it was a reference to some anime I've never heard of. The dream ended with me explaining to him what the Yggdrasil from Xenogears is.

Also the entire time, I was thinking of telling him that I don't really like Victorious, but I do like some of the cast, and I wanted to note that I especially love Matt Bennett.

Also also Gamechamp-san apparently had her existence acknowledged by Toby Fox in this dream but I don't think either I nor Avan mentioned that in this dream.

#dream journal #xenogears #dragon quest

[rooscandraw]

personally i think s3 should start with vanya finding reggies violin and just totally rocking the sparrows shit in their own living room

#this was gonna have a second part to it #with ben lookin shook #but. this has been in my wip folder for long enough #tua #umbrella academy #the umbrella academy #ua #hargreeves siblings #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #diego hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #white violin #tua s3 #sparrow academy #art #roos.png #illustration #yeah thats enough tags #thrilling return from the void of my ap portfolio to bring you: this shit. because what else would it be.

[freefallingforfanfiction]

Fated- A Soulmate AU

Chapter I

Rating: M for Mature

Pairing: Din Djarin X F!Jedi!Reader

Summary: Everyone in the galaxy knew of the Red String of Fate. It was the one thing every single individual had in common: a small, crimson string tied into a neat bow, permanently secured around their ring finger. These strings, no matter how far they stretched or how tangled they got, would never, could never, break. The Red String of Fate, invisible to everyone but the wearer, was tethered to your destined, the other half of your soul. A soulmate. Everyone had one. Well, everyone except for the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, that is. 

Authors Note: (TELL ME YOUR PREFERENCE) Hi all! I have this written in two different ways, one with an OC, and the other as reader with the pronouns “You”. Which would you prefer to read? OC or reader, let me know in the comments!

Everyone in the galaxy knew of the Red String of Fate. It was the one thing every single individual had in common: a small, crimson string tied into a neat bow, permanently secured around their ring finger. These strings, no matter how far they stretched or how tangled they got, would never, could never, break. The Red String of Fate, invisible to everyone but the wearer, was tethered to your destined, the other half of your soul.

A soulmate.

Everyone had one.

Well, everyone except for the Mandalorian, Din Djarin, that is. His own string, while wrapped snuggly around his ring finger, fell short a soulmate, cut off prematurely. It dangled limply, a meager two feet in length off his finger, leading to no one.

There were some nights, when he gazed at his beskar covered reflection, that he thought, maybe it was for the best that he didn’t have a soulmate. After all, who could come to love someone that they could not see? Could not touch? Could not ever truly know unless wed?

But then there were the other nights, the nights where he would agonize over the loss of someone he never truly had, of someone who never existed. If he wasn’t fated to anyone, why did it still feel like half of him was missing?

Those nights were far more frequent since he had found the kid, since he started to long for a life of more than hunting quarries and running from IMPs. He wanted someone to come to after a long day of hunting, a riduur who he could bare his face to, who could help him shed his layers of beskar at days end, and who he could hold through the cold nights aboard the Razor Crest.

He stared at that cut off string now, held in his unbound hand as the ‘Crest flew through hyperspace on autopilot. He twirled it around his fingers, un-gloved but bared to no one, wondering why the universe had not saw fit to give him a mate, but give him all the emotional turmoil that came with having one.

Throughout his years, the Mandalorian had experienced all the symptoms of mate withdrawal. The body aches, the sudden sensation of feeling incapable of breathing, the feeling of his heart clenching in his chest so tightly he thought it might burst within him.

And then there were the dreams. The dreams of her.

Din could never see her face; it was always, always obscured by something. Usually in was her hair, soft locks, rich in color, that fell gently down her back. Her back, that was always to him as she ran through the halls of a large ship, dark in color, save for the splashes of red light that danced across the halls. He always chased her, got so close to her he could almost touch her, but then she would dissipate into the air, and Din would wake.

He always woke from those dreams in a cold sweat, heart pounding loudly in chest, his lungs greedily taking in air as though he had forgotten to breath while dreaming. The longing would settle in when he opened his eyes and she was no where to be found. He yearned for her so much it physically hurt.

It was her, his soulmate, he knew it in his gut, but still, the string tied neatly around his finger hung mockingly at his side.

The Mandalorian heaved a great sigh as he dropped the string and lifted his tired body from the pilot’s seat, the ship was set to course, and it was time for bed. Beside him, in his floating pram, the Child slept soundly. Din smiled fondly beneath his helmet before pressing the button to close up the pram for the night, it followed silently behind him as he made his way to his quarters, turning in for the night to an empty bed.

                                                             ***

The quarry was not a hard man to find or capture by any means. A rodian smuggler by the name of Sio Thule, wanted for the disappearance of a large shipment of spice, was not a clever being.

The tracking fob had led the Mandalorian to a small pub on an outer-rim desert planet. There, Din had found the rodian three sheets to the wind, loudly bragging about the stolen spice. He was too intoxicated to put up a fight, and a swift jab in the stomach was all the Mandalorian needed to bring the bounty down. The Mandalorian grabbed the rodian by the hood of his tunic, dragging him from the pub while he bemoaned his gut punch.

Then, when that pained had faded, and the reality of his situation settled in, the roadian, like all of his quarries, started his attempt at bargaining.

“Hey! Hey, buddy,” from behind him, the rodian fought to capture the attention of his captor, the Mandalorian hunter. “Maybe we can help each other out, yeah?”

Din ignored the attempt at communication, use to quarries attempting to bargain their way out of their situation. The one before the Child had attempted to bargain his way to freedom with credits, but it ended the same every single hunt. A quarry encased in carbonite, ready to transport back to the guild.

“Hey big guy, I know you can hear me up there. I can help, I can help you!” The rodian was attempting to right himself, as Din was still dragging him, but was having little success.

“How could you possibly help me?” The question had ben rhetorical, but the rodian didn’t seem to notice, and took this as a sign that the Mandalorian was up for discussing his potential release.

“Back in the pub,” he started, “You said you were lookin’ for a Jedi.”

Apparently, despite whining profusely about his “injury”, the rodian had managed to hear the brief exchange between the Mandalorian and the pub bartender.

“What do you know of the Jedi?” The Mandalorian stopped in his tracks, Sio, who could now finally regain his bearings, stood up from the ground. He attempted to wipe the debris from his clothes from his unceremonious escort to the ‘Crest, when the Mandalorian cuffed him in on fluid movement.

Din had been tasked weeks ago with returning his Foundling to its own kind, the Jedi, and he had found hide nor hair of the order of sorcerer’s. He was currently looking for more Mandalorians who may have escaped the Imperial attack on the covert to help him by Creed, and was coming up with just as few leads.

Sio gulped visibly as the Mandalorian in his intimidating beskar armor, stared down at him intensely.

“Not much,” Sio attempted to keep his voice confident, free of the fear that had made its home in the pit of his stomach, “Just where one so happened to appear the Day the Galaxy Shook.”

Beneath his helm, the Mandalorian quirked a brow, “Appeared?”

The rodian nodded vigorously, “Yeah, yeah, appeared. Out of thin air,” Sio wiggled his fingers through the air expressively, “They say she was thrown from the Netherworld of the Force.”

“The Netherworld of the Force?” Din said slowly, testing the phrase on his tongue.

Sio tried to plaster on a confident look on his face, “Yea, yea! The Netherworld, where the Jedi reside after death. Like the afterlife or something.”

“The afterlife?” Din grunted, tugging harshly on the rodians cuffs, “You’re wasting my time.” Din pulled his quarry forward with strength much greater than the other beings, and Sio stumbled forward, struggling to keep his footing.

A Jedi booted from the afterlife on the Day the Galaxy Shook, now that was an inventive tale. Perhaps what the rodian lacked in intelligence, he made up for in imagination. In all his years of hunting, Din could honestly say that that was the most outlandish story he had ever been told as a means of bribery.

Not giving up, Sio called out to the Mandalorian once more, “Hold on, hold on, I’m telling the truth!” Sio caught his bearings quicker than Din would have liked, and resumed talking almost instantly. Din couldn’t wait to put this guy in carbonite. At least then he would finally shut up.

“Let me show you! I bring you to where the Jedi showed up, you can confirm the rumors yourself. Just let me go in return.” The rodian was begging now, his voice cracking at his last attempt to persuade the Mandalorian, “What do you have to lose?”

At Sio’s words the Mandalorian stopped in his tracks once more, the rodian, who hadn’t been prepared for the abrupt stop, smacked into Din’s back, the hard beskar rattling his skull.

“Dank ferric,” Sio muttered, rubbing his green head as Din mulled over the rodians words.

What did he have to lose? Some time maybe, but not much else. If the rodian was telling the truth, which Din doubted, then he could finally have a lead on finding one of the Child’s kind. If not, well, it wasn’t like this quarry was smart enough to give him the slip, he would still collect his bounty.

Din spared a glance down at his own hand, where the Red String of Fate was tied neatly, visible to him even beneath his gloves. The Day the Galaxy Shook.  The day Din looked down at his hand and suddenly- his string lead somewhere. Din’s heart squeezed inside his chest. Maybe…

After a long stretch of silence that left the rodian sweating, Din finally spoke.

“Show me.”

Chapter II

#the mandolarian #baby yoda #grogu #din djarin #din dijarin x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x y/n #the mandalorian x reader #the mandolorian x reader #din djarin x jedi!reader #din djarin x y/n #reader insert #star wars #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian x you #mando #din djarin fanfiction #din x reader #the mandalorian imagine #din djarin imagine #soulmate au #din djarin x soulmate

[eunoiaflow3r]

Actions Speak Louder

A/N: the beginning hurt my heart to write lol, but I promise it gets better.

Warning: mistakes, angst, fluff... fem!reader.

Word Count: 2.41k

Request: Can you do a story where the reader x Spencer are in a heated argument and out of anger she slaps him?

Summary: Spencer becomes addicted to Dilaudid, and Y/N does what she can to help him - even if it takes him longer to realize how good she’s been to him.

~~~~~

Things with Spencer have been...rough lately.

It was the little - subtle - changes you noticed in him everyday that just made everything worse for the both of you.

First, it was him coming home later than usual. The usual was already pretty late considering what he did for a living, but lately when he came home, he was at least two hours late. He told you whenever you asked that he was just working later, and you believed him. Why wouldn’t you?

Next came the distance. Even when he was home, he barely spoke to you. Barely even acknowledged your presence. At first you just thought he needed space as one does, but the more it happened, the more you felt like something was wrong. When you asked him, he’d get freaked out, and say something like, “Nothing! Leave me alone.”

And you did.

It was when he started coming home with headaches, nausea, and dizziness that you really began to worry.

“Spencer are you okay? Let me help you.”

“I said I’m fine Y/N! Just give me some space?”

After this, you gave him his space. So much so that you didn’t talk to him unless you spoke to you first - which he barely did. You didn’t cook him dinner, you didn’t check and make sure he had everything ready for work like you usually do, and you didn’t even kiss him goodnight. When he got into bed with you, he didn’t even come close to you which hurt so much that you started sleeping on the couch.

Living like this was tiring, and you didn’t want to live like that anymore. Spencer barely acknowledged your existence, and when he did, he'd say something rude, or just roll his eyes at you.

When and if he was ever home, you spent most of your time in the bedroom because he’d be in the living room or bathroom, doing God-knows-what.

Since you did spend most of your time in the bedroom apart from sleeping, you decided to do a deep clean. You brought in the trash can and recycling ben and recycled all the excess paper and water bottles laying around. You threw away all his candy wrappers, and made sure the bed was made so that he could sleep well whenever he did sleep.

You went to check if anything was under the bed, and as you were reaching your hand wrapped around what felt like a medication bottle.

You brought it out, but there was no label.

Didn’t matter anyway, you recognized it - it was Dilaudid. Thing was, you were sure that Spencer had not been injured recently therefore it had meant that he had gotten them from somewhere, and had been taking them just to take them.

You shook your head painfully. You should have known. You should have realized sooner that he was addicted. How had you not noticed?

His behavior, the sickness...why didn’t it add up?

“What are you doing?” You nearly jumped, and turned around to a scowling Spencer with his arms crossed.

“What are you doing?” You held up the bottle, and his eyes went wide. “You’re a profiler Reid, if you were going to be a pill-popper you should have known to hide it better.”

“Yeah, well, what are you doing going through my stuff anyway? You don’t even sleep in here.”

“Yeah, well, sorry it’s just not comfortable to sleep next to you at the moment.”

He shakes his head, and looks at the bottle in your hands. “Whatever, can I have it back?”

“No Spencer. I think it’s time you stopped.”

“I don’t have time for these games Y/N, give me the bottle back.” He tried to take the bottle from your hands, but you pushed him away. 

“Son of a bitch, just give me the damn bottle Y/N, I need them!”

“You don’t need them Spence -”

“I need them a hell of a lot more than I need you.” He spat spitefully. This made your heart hurt, and you were fighting to hold back tears.

He tried to reach for them again, but you slapped him. Straight across the face. It was so hard and fast, for a second you both had hardly realized what you had done. He held his cheek with one of his hands and stepped away from you.

You didn’t say anything and instead grabbed a backpack from the closet. You put the bottle in, and then as many clothes of yours that could fit. “You may not need me Spencer,” you began, willing your voice not to shake, “but you need help.”

You grabbed a couple of things from your nightstand and shoved it inside the bag.

“W-what are you doing?” he asks, watching you gather some more of your things. 

He followed you into the living room, and watched as you grabbed your jacket from the closet by the door.

“Where are you going?” He asks clearly hurt.

“I’m staying with a friend, you obviously -”

“Oh, so you’re leaving me? Like everyone else in my life, you’re leaving me too?’

You sighed. “I’m not leaving you Spencer. You just need -”

“Stop telling me what I need, you obviously don’t know what the hell I need.” He was upset now.

“That’s right Spencer, I don’t know what you need. But you keep telling me to give you space, so that’s what I’m going to do.” You closed your eyes for a second. “There’s dinner in the fridge. I love you.”

And with that, you left.

_

Spencer was cold. His stomach hurt, and he was tired. How had he let this happen to him? How had he let himself get this way? He promised he would never hurt you, and now he’s scared that that’s exactly what he’s been doing. Hurting you.

Hell, he’s been hurting himself. He knew he shouldn’t have started taking them again but with all the things going on, he was tempted. The only thing going good in his life was you, and now he had fucked that up too.

_

The next day, you paid a little visit to the BAU. You didn’t see Spencer right away, which was a good thing since if you saw him, you’d probably end up crying. When JJ saw you, she got excited and wrapped her arms around you.

“Y/N, where have you been?” 

“Busy.” You smiled. You and her made small talk until you saw Morgan. You promised JJ you would be right back, and went straight to Morgan. 

Morgan was your best friend, and the entire reason you had even met Spencer in the first place.

“Y/N! Hey!” His smile gets wide but dims once he really takes a look at you. “Woah woah woah, what’s the matter?”

You saw Spencer walk by with his head down, and you tried to avoid his eyes, but he had already seen you, and was walking over.

“Y/N?” he said quietly. “What are you doing here?”

You smiled at him but turned to Morgan and asked if you could speak with him privately. Spencer was confused, and wasn’t sure what to do. You were here to see Derek and not him? What were you going to talk to him about?

Morgan pulled you into Garcia’s office and she was beyond ecstatic to see you. After the hugs and catching up, Morgan asked what brought you here, “lookin’ all sad.”

You went into your purse and brought out the bottle of Dilaudid, and handed it to Morgan.

“Is this?” 

You nodded.

“I don’t know if you guys noticed, but he’s been acting -”

“Oh we know.” Penelope exclaimed. “He’s been kind of an asshole lately.”

“I’m not sure what to do. He’s not listening to me, and I don’t - I don’t know how to help him when he’s like this.”

“We’ll figure it out.” Morgan told you. “We’ll get pretty boy back.”

_

Spencer has been going crazy. There were broken glasses on the kitchen floor, dirty clothes strewn everywhere, and couch cushions flipped and thrown across the room. His hair was messy from pulling at his curls, and his eyes were red from crying.

He couldn’t sleep, and he couldn’t eat, and he was shaking. He didn’t know what to do. All he wanted to do was call you, but he wasn’t even sure if you were going to answer him. 

He had a headache, and all he’s been doing these past few days is going to work, and coming home to a dark, dirty, and depressing apartment.

He had had countless panic attacks, and he was driving himself mad.

His team members have all tried to help him, and they've spent time with him, but all he really wanted to see was you.

He found his address book and tried to think about who you might be staying with. He knew it probably wasn’t Morgan because you hated where he lived. He knew it wasn’t any of your sister because she would have called him and told him he was a dick. He thought really hard and finally figured out you were probably with your friend from grade school that you always talked about missing.

He grabbed his car keys not caring how he looked, and drove to Y/F/N’s house.

When he got there he swore for a second that his heart stopped beating. He took a few breaths and knocked on the front door.

You answered.

He noticed that you looked just as bad as he was. This made him feel worse. How could he do this to you?

“Spencer?” You were almost happy to see him. “I thought - well - I thought you needed space?”

He shook his head and tears fell down his face. You wanted to wipe them away, but you weren’t quite sure where the boundaries were at the moment.

“I don’t need space Y/N, that’s never what I needed.” He’s almost sobbing now, and you allow him to walk closer towards you. “I need you. I need you Y/N. That’s all I ever needed.”

This was your Spencer. 

The Spencer yelling at you and ignoring you...that wasn’t him.

The Spencer in front of you now? This is him.

You wrap your arms around his neck and he rests his head on your shoulders, wrapping his arms around your waist - squeezing tightly almost like he was afraid you’d leave.

He cries into your shoulder, and you run your fingers through his tangled hair. “I’m so so sorry Y/N. That wasn’t me Y/N.” he cried, “That wasn’t me. I was a dick, I’m- I’m so so sorry.”

“Shhhh, I know it wasn’t Spence. I know it wasn’t. Let’s go home okay?” He brings his head up and you wipe away his tears, unaware that you had shed a few of your own. “Let’s go home.”

_

The next few days Spencer spent right by your side. He wasn’t letting you go anywhere. You helped him clean the apartment back up, and you made sure he ate and took showers. You made sure he slept, and slowly Spencer went back to how he was before the Dilaudid.

Adorable, dorky, and fun.

You made sure to take him to meetings too. Sometimes Morgan went with you guys too, but you just wanted to remind Spencer that he wasn’t the only one out there dealing with what he was dealing with. You wanted to show him that he wasn’t alone, and that he should be proud of himself for what he has overcome and accomplished.

Still the way he treated you that month tore apart his soul and he made sure that with every breathing, waking moment he was making it up to you. You didn’t deserve that. You’ve always been right there, always by his side, always there for him, and the way he treated you was unacceptable.

_

“I love you Y/N.” He told you one night after he got home from work. You had both had busy days, but he had made sure to always, always make sure he had time for you. “I love you with everything I’ve got.” he kissed your temple. “And everything more.”

~~~~~

feedback appreciated, thanks for reading!!

~~~~~~

#spencer reid fluff #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid angst #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfiction #dr spencer reid #spencer reid #spencer reid imagines #spence reid #dr. spencer reid #dr spence #criminal minds self insert #criminal minds #criminal minds imagine #criminal minds smut #smut #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid blurb #spencer reid headcanon #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x reader imagines #fluff #angst

[electrictoes]

When It Hits

For @dailysvu’s Sonny Carisi Week

Day 5:  “Are you okay? Relationship: Amanda Rollins  / Sonny Carisi​

Read on AO3

It had started out like any other Tuesday did these days. 

6am wake up; Amanda’s hair in his face; rolling over to silence his alarm just as Frannie started barking from the living room. Amanda’s lips on his shoulder as she got out of bed; she showered first, got dressed and took Frannie out for her morning walk before the girls were up - the morning routine is a little easier with a second pair of hands. The girls were eating breakfast when she got back and he had a coffee waiting for her. She gave him a kiss that was part thank you, part good morning, and Jesse giggled from behind her cereal bowl.

“And what’s so funny, little Miss Rollins?” he asked, making Jesse giggle harder.

“You kissed Mommy,” Billie said, as though it was the first time. He kissed Amanda again, just for their audience, then pressed exaggerated kisses to the top of each girl’s head before going back to the bedroom to get dressed for the day, the sound of their laughter following him down the hall.

Amanda took Jesse to school while Sonny dropped Billie at daycare; she had clung to his leg when he said goodbye - a phase she’d been going through - the daycare staff were used to this kind of thing, but he still felt guilty as he backed out of the room with her calling to him. He promised he’d see her that night, and he didn’t know then that he wouldn’t.

He sat through a morning meeting with Hadid and a handful of other ADAs, took the new case files she handed him and bit his tongue at the size of his pile compared to some of the others. Hadid caught his look, “It’s nothing you can’t handle, Counsellor.”

Ben Crosby leaned over, holding a file out to him, “This is Detective Rollins’ case,” he said, clearly hoping for an excuse to palm it off now that he’d given up trying to ask Amanda out.

“And I gave it to you, Mr Crosby,” Hadid said, “It’s open and shut.”

Sonny was glad not to be given even more work - it might have been Amanda’s case but he had more than enough on his plate. He’d taken the stairs down to his office, dropped the case files onto his desk and set to work - he had a lot of reading to do before he even got started on trial prep.

He spent the rest of the morning tied to his desk working through the case load, making calls, chasing witness testimonies, and only stopped when his cell phone rang, Amanda Rollins on the caller ID.

“Hey,” he said, dropping his pen to the desk to focus on the conversation, “What’s up?”

“This new case,” she sighed into the phone, “I need to rain check lunch.”

Now that he and Amanda lived together it was less disappointing to miss out on having lunch together than it used to be, but he’d still always rather eat with her than alone, “Okay,” he said, “You gonna eat?”

“I’ll get something later.”

“You won’t,” he argued, “Five years in that squad room together. I’ll bring somethin’ over.”

“You don’t have to,” she said, but he could hear the smile on her face through the phone. He could also hear Kat in the background; he couldn't make out her words but he doubted it was anything complimentary.

“I will,” he said, “I’m goin’ to the deli. And text me Kat’s order - Fin’s too if he wants anythin’.”

“See you soon,” she said. He returned the sentiment, believing it at the time.

Sonny walked from his office out to a deli a block away from the courthouse, one he and Amanda had started going to years ago, back when they were still partners in the professional sense. It was a familiar walk, cutting through side streets, and he didn’t need to pay attention to the route; he was answering emails from his phone, hoping to extend his lunch break little when the car hit him.

It happened so quickly he didn’t know what was happening until he’d already hit the ground, pain searing through him as he landed face down on the sidewalk.

He heard the car backing away and saw it drive off down the street as though nothing had happened - he heard approaching footsteps, someone saying, “Are you okay?”, and he tried to push himself upwards but his arms felt weak, the rest of his body heavy, and he dropped back down. His phone had fallen from his hand when the impact had happened, and he could see it lying a few feet away, out of reach. He heard a second voice say they’d dial 911 and he gave up trying to move; his head had hit the ground with a dull thud and his thoughts were beginning to swim, his vision darkening.

He blinked back into consciousness with an EMT kneeling over him, asking his name, but his thoughts were all out of order, he was trying to piece together what had happened. “I didn’t get the plate,” he said, then groaned at the pain forming on his lower right side.

“Don’t worry about that now,” the EMT said, trying to get him to look at her, “You’re okay. What’s your name?”

“Sonny,” he bit out through gritted teeth, “I need to call-”

“We’ll call your next of kin when we get you to the hospital. We’re gonna move you now Sonny, and it’s going to hurt.”

He wanted to protest - he knew there were other things to think about - the car, the driver - he was on the sidewalk, the driver didn’t stop. It couldn’t have been an accident. He needed to remember. Had he seen the driver? He wasn’t even sure what kind of car it had been. The ache in his ribs worsened every time he opened his mouth, and he was in no position to raise any viable objections as the EMTs gently rolled him over and carried him into the back of the ambulance; his leg searing with pain with every movement. He raised his head enough to look down and almost passed out again at the sight of bone poking through his skin.

“You’re okay,” the EMT said again as he dropped his head back down. In the back of the ambulance, his stomach churning, his thoughts whirring, and his head throbbing he couldn’t focus - the lights overhead blurred in and out and he closed his eyes against the harsh fluorescence. “I’m just going to give you some pain relief, Sonny, okay?” the EMT said; he wasn’t sure if he responded, but after a moment he felt a needle in his arm, and he let himself drift away again.

The next time he awoke he was in a sterile, white hospital room, monitors beeping beside him and, much to his surprise, Hadid standing at his bedside looking out of place and like she’d rather be just about anywhere else. He glanced just beyond her out of the window; the sky was darkening - he didn’t know how long he’d been out but it must have been several hours. Sienna would have picked Billie and Jesse up by now; he was supposed to be home with them. He shifted, pushing himself upright and biting back a jolt of pain in his side. His leg was heavy as he tried to move it and he looked down to see it was weighed down with a cast from just below his knee all the way to his toes.

“Are you okay?” Hadid asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

“What are you doin’ here?” he asked, then corrected himself, “I mean-”

Hadid held up a hand, shaking her head, “They got your ID badge from your jacket, called the office.”

Sonny frowned; that didn’t answer his question, and Hadid must have realised that because she continued, “I spoke to Captain Benson and she’s going to let Detective Rollins know as soon as she gets back to the city. I’m sure she’s already on her way.”

“You didn’t have to stay,” Sonny said, caught extremely off guard by his boss hovering next to his hospital bed.

“It didn’t seem fair to let you wake up alone. And your HR file doesn’t have any family contacts in it.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “No sense in worryin’ them if somethin’ happens.”

“Like this?” Hadid said, “It was a hit and run; the police are going to want to speak to you.”

He nodded, “I know. It- I don’t think it was an accident.”

“It does seem like you were targeted,” Hadid said, crossing her arms across her chest - Sonny thought he saw something like guilt in her eyes; it was a strange experience, this humanising of Vanessa Hadid. She was his boss; if a case she'd given him was the reason he’d ended up here she probably felt responsible.

“It’s not your fault,” he said, “Could be anythin’. An old case, something from organised crime even. And I’m okay.”

“I’ll tell the doctors you're awake,” Hadid said, “I’ll let you rest. I’m not expecting to see you in work for a while,” she told him; she gave a brief nod and then left the room.

Minutes later he was distracted from his thoughts by the appearance of the doctor - she explained his injuries to him - compound fracture to his right tibia, four broken ribs, and a concussion from smacking into the concrete head first. “You’re a lucky man,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, I feel it,” Sonny said jokingly - and then he meant it, because he heard Amanda’s voice out in the hall asking for him - fraught with worry and impatience, and he realised - not for the first time - just how lucky he was. The doctor turned her head towards the door.

“Someone special?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Can I-”

“I’ll let her in.”

Even with her face lined with worry, her hair thrown up haphazardly and the weight of a long day on her shoulders, Amanda was still a sight for his sore eyes - he held a hand out towards her as she came into the room and she was by his side in an instant, gripping tightly to his hand, her other reaching up to his face, thumb tracing the bruising across his cheek.

“Dominick,” she whispered it like she was grateful she got to, “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” he assured her, “I’m not lookin’ my best but-”

She shook her head, laughing even as tears formed in her eyes and she pressed her lips to his, “What happened? I was worried when you didn’t show up for lunch, and then we had to go out to New Jersey and-”

“Hey,” he placed his left hand on top of hers on his cheek, “It’s okay. I’m gonna be just fine.”

Amanda nodded, pulling away and sitting in the empty chair beside his bed, furiously swiping at the tears under her eyes - a futile endeavour as more began to fall, “So, what happened?”

It was two days before they let him out of the hospital - two days of lying in that bed feeling sorry for himself; bored out of his mind because Hadid wouldn’t even send him work he could do remotely. He spoke with detectives assigned to his case - two old school cops, inches from retirement with little to no interest in what he had to say until they realised this was probably connected to an SVU case they could bounce right back. No threats had been made, no one else had been hurt. Amanda, Fin and Kat had trawled through his pending case log, trying to see who might want to knock him out of action, but nothing stood out. They’d have to play a longer game on this one - and he’d have to keep his eyes off of his new phone - his old one all but destroyed flying several feet down the sidewalk and landing with a crash that put a deep crack right through the photo of Amanda and Billie he had set as his lock screen - as he moved around the city.

He wasn’t worried about being targeted again - firstly because he was probably going to be stuck indoors for the next couple of weeks - or at least not venturing out alone - and secondly because he knew it was only a matter of time before SVU found out who was responsible.

Amanda picked him up from the hospital on Thursday afternoon, and walked patiently alongside him as he tried to master his new crutches; she only made one invalid joke, and it was a good one so he let it slide.

When they got back to her apartment building he was more grateful than he’d ever been that her building had an elevator. And grateful that almost all of his belongings had migrated over here, too, because his building’s elevator had been about to be installed since before he’d moved in two years ago.

A chorus of delight greeted him when he followed Amanda into the apartment - a Jesse-made banner hanging behind the couch, balloons bouncing around the room - their friends making themselves at home amongst his and Amanda’s things, and in the middle of it all two very excited little girls who came running towards him, only to be stopped in their tracks by their godmother before they knocked him completely off balance. He gave Liv a thankful smile before he looked down at the two of them.

Billie stepped towards him, curling her arms around his uninjured leg and gripping tightly to the fabric of his pants. “Stay now,” she said firmly, and he reached down to stroke her hair, leaning awkwardly on one crutch - Amanda was by his side, balancing him out like she always did - a little more literally this time.

Jesse stood beside Liv, her eyes wide as she looked at the cast on his leg, her voice catching as she whispered, “Are you okay?

He would’ve crouched down to her height if he could have, but he settled for giving her a warm smile, “I am now,” he said, “Did you make me that banner?”

She nodded shyly, still not approaching him, and Amanda reached out an arm to her, “How about we help Uncle Sonny over to the couch and you can sit with him?” she suggested, and Jesse nodded, still biting her lip.

With a little help extracting Billie from his leg - Kat risking the wrath of a two-year-old who’d missed her godfather to lift her into the air - he managed to make it over to the couch, propping the crutches up against the side as he sunk back into the cushions, relieved to be home at last.

Things wouldn’t be back to normal for a while - he’d be stuck in the cast for six weeks, trying to negotiate with Hadid over when he could get back into the courtroom - the case would be investigated, they’d find out who hit him, and why - he’d prosecute them, or someone else would. Then they could get on with life - and maybe the doctor was right about just how lucky he was - even with his leg propped up on Amanda’s coffee table while Billie screamed in his ear and Jesse curled sadly into his side - it was worth it to see Amanda watching on with so much fondness he would’ve kissed the smile right off her face if he could get across the room.

#carisi week #sonny carisi #svu #rollisi #rollisi fic #svu fic #my fic

[descendantofthesparrow]

Interlude - Rewrite POYW - Harry Hook x reader - Part 8 - apartment hunting and application delivery

=

-five months later (June 2019)-

Harry looked up from the paper that showed the address of the apartment and whistled, it was bigger than he thought it was going to be.

The apartment he had selected to view was near the ocean but still close enough to Auradon city and the forest Evie was looking at for her starter castle so they, the vks, could still hang out at a moment's notice/ break in to bother their friends.

The apartment was also less of an apartment complex and just a house that was listed as an apartment, Ben had suggested it to him after Harry had mentioned looking for places to live after graduating with (y/n).

“Harry Hook I presume?” Harry looked over his shoulder to see a well-dressed middle-aged man, taking off his sunglasses and holding out his hand towards Harry, a smile on his lips “I’m Dabier Warren, a pleasure to meet you” Harry turned and gripped his hand firmly, holding down the nervous feeling in his gut.

“Aye, that would be meh” Harry nodded, pulling back his hand as Dabier nodded and pulled back, pulling out a file and opening it, looking over the house quickly.

“So you’re interested in renting? Buying?” Harry shrugged and looked back down at the paper which detailed the apartment/house. “I’m lookin’ fer a place for my girlfriend an’ I ta live after we graduate, and renting or buying depends on the cost I guess…I thought it was just fer rent though?” Dabier nodded and walked over to the plant bed at the front of the house, kneeling down and unlocking a small green box.

“It was going to be originally, but the owners decided that if someone was willing to buy it, they would go for it. Let's get started then, I assume you have looked over the prices?” Harry nodded, following Dabier as he took the house key out of the green box and walked up to the front door, unlocking it and letting Harry step inside. “All right then, so the house has 1,500 square feet, and has a kitchen, breakfast nook, living room, two bedrooms, a master bedroom, and a normal bedroom, one and a half bathrooms” Harry raised his brow at that but kept quiet “You’ve seen the front yard and it has a balcony out back to see the ocean view and an open backyard.”

Dabier led Harry into the living room just to the left of the main hallway, Harry let out a low whistle, the living room was just as big as his old apartment back on the isle. He walked down the steps into the living room and walked over to the double doors that faced the ocean.

Dabier walked over to him and unlocked the doors, stepping outside and showing Harry the backyard, the grass was green and soft just off a small porch that was shaded with the master bedroom balcony.

Dabier and Harry walked back inside and Dabier then showed him the kitchen, it wasn’t a large kitchen, but it was still decent, in the corner to the left of the doorway was a little breakfast nook and to the right was the rest of the kitchen, against the wall was a black marble counter with white painted cabinets handing over it, a silver metal sink, a dishwasher, a white fridge, and stovetop oven.

Harry nodded as Dabier explained the room and its appliances, then followed the retailer out of the room as Dabier led him to the first bathroom, which held just a sink, toilet, and shower. It was nice, but clearly just a guest bathroom.

So far, Harry liked the house, an ocean view, a good-sized kitchen for just two people-the kitchen was bigger than his isle kitchen so he had no complaints there-and as Dabier led Harry to the master bedroom, Harry almost tossed his paycheck at him.

The master bedroom was about half the size of the living room, with double doors leading to the balcony with the prime ocean view, the bed at the moment was in the middle of the room just under the window, and the master bathroom was to the left of the doorway.

Harry nodded at the bathroom, it had white tiles with an overhead showerhead and a good-sized bathtub, the sink had wood-painted cabinets with a porcelain sink and black facet.

Harry and Dabier made one more walk around the house and soon they were both back outside, Harry staring at the house with his arms crossed, tapping his foot erratically as he thought about his options.

He had been to two other apartments, though they were more actual apartments compared to the house he had just seen. The first two were not suggested by Ben, they were much closer to the city and honestly a bit too small for even just Harry.

“So what do you think?” Dabier locked the house key back up and stepped in front of Harry, nodding back towards the house “You gonna go for it?”

“Aye, I think I will” Harry muttered, taking back out the file and looking over the prices of both the rent and the newly written price of the mortgage if Harry bought the house.

Dabier smiled and nodded, handing Harry the rental application along with telling him how to make an offer on the house to buy it if Harry wanted to.

Harry looked over the price the owners had stated and smirked, thanks to Evie hiring him as a model almost two years ago, he had plenty of money to buy it.

He made his offer.

-

You sat in Ben's office, going through the last few drafts of the application form with Evie and Ben, it was all so close, it was only just more than a month away from now.

Soon there would be more vks in Auradon and then many more to come. “Okay,” Ben sighed, crossing out a few lines on the applications and leaning back in his chair “I don’t want the application to be more than one page, so here's my final draft offer” he showed you and Evie his final draft selection.

The page had the boxes for the vk to fill out their information, with a large block of lines for the essay to be written, something you all thought was unnecessary, since “safety away from parents/the isle” was good enough on its own, but once again the council was a bitch so Ben had to deal with it. Ben flipped over the paper and showed the top of the back, where the parent/guardian would sign their permission for the vk to leave the isle if they were underage. (originally it was going to be parental permission but Mal made a point to say that some kids didn’t have parents to claim them, so it was switched to guardian)

“Well I think that’s good” you sighed, tossing your pile of drafts to the side and gesturing to Ben's “short sweet, easy to understand. Let's go with that one” Evie nodded in agreement, dropping her pen and rubbing her face, yawning a bit.

“Agreed, I’m so done with all this for now” Ben laughed a bit at Evie and set down the draft, grabbing a stamp and hitting it on the top of the page, now marked with bold red letters that read ‘approved’

“Well, that’s it….we’re done” Ben sighed, leaning back in his chair and rubbing his face “the application has been selected, the shelter is finished, the cps has been established. All that’s left to do is print, send, pick up, and choose.”

You and Evie cheered, slumping in your seats as sleep clawed at your mind and eyes. Ben let out a tired ‘woo’ before hitting his head against the headrest of his chair, taking a deep breath and blowing a raspberry as he exhaled.

You perked up slightly as someone knocked on Ben's door, Ben telling them to come in. You smiled as Harry stepped through the now open door and walked towards you, leaning on the armrest and smiling down at you “Hello darlin’ yeh done yet?” you hummed and nodded, giving a tired ‘yeee’ as Harry lifted you into his arms, one arm under your knees and the other cradling your back and cupping your shoulder. “Long day eh? Night yeh two” Ben and Evie waved Harry off and bid the two of you goodnight as Harry walked out of Ben’s office, closing the door with his foot as he did. “Come on darlin, let's get yeh ta bed” Harry mumbled, smiling as you lifted your head and buried it into his neck, arms wrapping around it a moment later.

Harry carefully opened your dorm room door and pushed it open with his foot, stepping inside and kicking it closed. He walked over to your bed and set you down, walking over to your dresser as you sat up and took off your boots and socks.

He pulled open the third drawer and pulled out one of his shirts you had stolen a good year back, then kneeling and pulling open the bottom drawer, taking out the black sweatpants that were also his that you had stolen a while ago. He smiled, half of your wardrobe was his, and it filled his head and heart with a fuzzy feeling knowing you liked wearing his clothes.

He stood and turned, tossing the shirt and pants at you, covering his eyes with his hand as he saw you start to take off your shirt and bra. “Harry” you chuckled, tossing the shirt into the hamper as you chucked your bra onto the ‘not dirty but worn’ chair in the corner of your room “It's not like you haven’t seen them before”

Harry bit his lip, still keeping his hands over his eyes. The two of you had...experimented with sex around your 18th birthday after you told him about your interest in at least trying it out, now Harry hadn’t been a virgin for years (something which still pissed you off to this day, I mean he lost it when he was fucking 9. It wasn’t fair to him) but it was the first time he had reciprocated those type of feelings back towards the person showing interest.

And even almost a year after your first time together, Harry still got flustered around the idea and image of you being undressed. “I-I dinne know if yeh were okay with meh lookin’” Harry mumbled, his tense arm relaxing a bit as you laughed softly and chucked your pants at him gently, the clothing landing at his feet.

“Harry, you can look, I don’t mind” you shook your head with a smile as Harry peeked through his fingers, his cheeks and ears red as he looked at you. You smiled again and shoved on his shirt, pulling on the sweatpants a moment later and standing, walking over to Harry and wrapping your arms around his waist “This is why I said yes”

Harry dropped his hand and rose his brow in confusion, wondering what you meant “Said yes ta wha’?” Harry asked, curling his arms around you and tilting his head. You tilted your head up and kissed Harry’s Adam’s apple, giggling as he swallowed harshly in reaction.

“This is why I said yes to you asking if I would be open to the idea of marrying you” you held in your laughter as Harry’s face lit up, curling in on himself in slight embarrassment. “you respect me, and my boundaries, even if I never stated them, you listen to me, and you take care of me. You are genuinely the only person I could ever see myself marrying and I love you so much” you let out a short laugh as Harry moved his face into your neck to hide, his arms wrapping tighter around you “whenever you ask me, don’t doubt I will say yes because I will”

Harry mumbled something into your neck, pulling away slightly as you hummed in confusion “I love yeh too” Harry muttered, closing his eyes as you pulled away from him and pressed your lips to his, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into you.

You pulled away a moment later and pressed another kiss to his jaw, patting his chest and nodding towards the door “it’s late, go get some sleep” Harry glanced towards the door, then to you, then towards your bed, and nodded, kissing the top of your head and walking out of your room, leaving you alone.

You yawned and turned off your desk light, turning on the fairy lights hanging around your room, illuminating it in a soft yellow glow. You slipped into bed, hugging the shark plush Harry had bought you for your birthday two years ago.

A few minutes later, as you began to drift to sleep, your door opened again, then closed and was locked, quiet footsteps walking toward you. Harry pulled the sheets back and slipped in behind you, curling his arms around you and pulling you into his chest, molding you into the curve of his body.

“g’night Harry” you mumbled, Harry’s warmth lulling you to sleep as Harry buried his face in your hair.

“g’night meh love” he mumbled back, the two of you drifting off to sleep after the long day you both had.

-one week later-

You slowed your bike to a stop, Harry and Carlos doing the same as Jay pulled up with the car filled with application boxes into the old garage near the wharf, the tunnel leading to Uma’s ship echoing with the sound of the crew and isle residents going about their day.

“Welp” Carlos took off his helmet, ruffing his curly hair as he looked around the not as musty-smelling garage as he dismounted his bike “We’re here… let's get those applications to their spots.” You and Harry nodded, taking off your helmets and dismounting your bikes, throwing the keys and helmets into the limo and helping Jay and Gil get the six large boxes filled with papers out of the trunk, carrying them out of the old garage and first heading to the main square (which was now called Mal’s court) where the first drop off location was.

As you passed through the alleyways that lead to the main square, many kids and teens, along with some adults, stared at you, almost disbelieving as they read the side of the box.

-VK DAY APPLICATIONS-

You held down a smile as two children whispered to each other and pointed at the box, a whole group trailing after the five of you as you finally made it to the drop-off point. Kimmy, one of Harriet's crew members, stood exactly where the point was, nodding as Gil stepped up to her and handed her one of the boxes he held. She took it and spun on her heel, heading off to the spot the crew had chosen to make the pick-up location for the isle residents to get their applications and turn them back in when they finished. The group of kids dodged through your legs and bodies as they raced after Kimmy to grab an application.

You let out a soft sigh of relief, glad that the kids on the isle did seem to be interested in going to Auradon, for some reason you had feared they wouldn’t go for it, but it seemed it was all for naught, some teens and young adults following the kids to also grab an application.

You and Harry split off from Gil, Jay, and Carlos, the boys going to drop off the boxes at the schools while you and Harry went to the wharf, one box would be dropped off at Harriet's old ship, the scarlet maiden, and the other at the main area of the docks just off the market.

You and Xiaohui shared a nod as you walked up the gangplank to the ship, handing off the box “A set of guards will be back on the first of July to collect the applications, and then they’ll come back every Monday to collect any that didn’t get turned in the first round.” Xiaohui nodded at your explanation, turning and handing the box to Devin who took it and disappeared below deck.

“Sounds good” Xiaohui hummed, crossing her arms and tilting her head at you and Harry “how long do you think it'll be before the first round gets picked?”

“We’re looking at early August, probably the 2nd at best” Harry answered for you, shifting the box in his arms again. “We’re announcing VK day after graduation, jus’ lotta stuff righ’ now” Xiaohui nodded, taking a step back and nodding towards the rest of the wharf.

“Well, get going, there's a lot of kids who’ve been waiting for today on Its own, don’t wanna make ‘em wait longer” you and Harry nodded, walking off the ship and walking to the main area of the docks to drop off Harry’s box.

“Hard to believe we graduate this month” you muttered, smiling as Harry laughed and shook his head.

“Aye, and three years ago I thought I would never even leave the isle, now look at meh, i’m graduating from Auradon prep, i’m a model, I’ve got an amazing girlfriend, and meh dad will never bother meh again” he smiled at you, his eyes bright “I never thought this would happen but I’m glad It did, I’m glad I met yeh” Harry chuckled as you bit your lip and turned your chin into your chest, feeling your face heat up at Harry's ‘flirting’

Before Harry would say anything more, you arrived at the main area of the docks, pirate teens and kids alike staring wide-eyed as Harry set the box on the table where another one of Harriet's crew stood, his arms crossed as he watched Harry move back to your side.

“Pick up for Applications start July 1st, and continue every Monday after that” the male nodded, brushing back his dark red hair and opening the box, beginning to take out the papers and set them in stacks on the table, vks already going up to take the papers.

You waved at the small, who seemed probably no older than 5 years old, girl who stared starry-eyed at you and Harry, her purple and brown hat slipping over her face as she watched you and Harry walk away back towards the limo to wait for the boys to be finished.

About an hour later, as you and Harry sat against your bikes waiting for the boys, they finally returned,  Carlos having a wide grin on his face “what did you do?” you asked, rising your brow as Carlos laughed loudly.

“I flipped off my mom~” Carlos sang, grabbing his helmet from the limo and putting it on, grabbing his keys and climbing onto his bike as you and Harry burst into laughter “I've never seen her that mad! And I tripped her when she tried to hit me”

“Good boy!” Harry cackled, patting Carlos’ helmet as he passed by him to grab both of your helmets and keys. “Proud of yeh”

“Same!” Jay called, climbing into the driver's seat as Gil hopped into the passenger's side. “She ran off screaming after she landed in mud!”

Harry snorted beneath his helmet and revved his bike, waiting for Jay to pull out of the garage before he, Carlos, and you followed after them, speeding through the barrier back towards Auradon.

‘Mission success, only a month and a half till vk day’ you thought, speeding off the bridge and taking the road back towards the dorms to meet up with Harry's sisters for some ‘family bonding’ as CJ called it.  You all knew she just meant attempting to ‘murder’ you all with paintballs when you went paintballing with the Hook and Smee siblings.

-

Ben stared down at his class ring, twisting it between his fingers as he remembered when Mal gave it back to him after they agreed to break up until they were both ready again. He sighed, leaning on his hand and staring off at nothing, even three years after they had broken up, his chest still filled with a fuzzy feeling and butterflies when he looked at her, the intense want to just grab her face and kiss her senseless when she scrunched her nose or stuck her tongue out at him.

But he didn’t want to do anything until he knew they were both ready, last time she had love spelled him for the wand, and after he had unknowingly broken it at the lake, then he had falsely thought Mal had spelled him because she liked him, and from then their relationship was built on lies and spells, Mal not telling him about her original intentions until after their break up.

He knew he loved her, but he also knew that unless they truly started over their relationship wouldn’t be good for either of them. This time they would have to take it slow, with no lies, no expectations of intense change, proper communication, no secrets (though Ben did realize that there were things that he nor Mal were obligated to tell each other if they didn’t want to) and just…being better to each other than they were before.

Ben perked up as someone knocked on his dorm office door and stood, walking over and opening it, surprised to see Mal standing there, rubbing her arm and staring at the floor, her cheeks and ears bright red “Mal?” Ben rasped, glancing at the clock, it was almost curfew “What is it? Is something wrong?” she shook her head, peering up at him.

“No, um…can I come in? I-I want to ask you something” Ben tilted his head and nodded, letting her into the room and closing the door, watching as Mal started to pace around the room, messing with her fingers and muttering to herself.

“Mal, is something wrong?” Ben asked again, a more stern tone to his voice as Mal looked at him with wide eyes.

“No!” she shook her head widely, her plum hair fanning around her, reliving Ben a bit as she took a deep breath and shook her head again “No, nothing’s wrong... it's just…I-you-me” Mal huffed and ruffled her hair, biting her lip and looking to her feet “I've never-shit-fuck” Mal buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath. She took them away and looked ben right in the eye “can we start over?”

Ben blinked in surprise; out of everything he hadn’t expected that. “St-start over how?” Ben asked, wanting to make sure he knew exactly what Mal was referring to, he didn’t want to assume she wanted to date again.

“Can we start over with” she gestured between the two of them “Us? Like…us together? I-I want to try again, for real this time, no magic, no fake feelings, no lies. Just…us”

Ben couldn’t help the smile growing on his face as he felt his cheeks heat up, he took a step towards Mal and grabbed her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles as she squeaked “I would like to try again, with us, and this time, we’ll take it slow” Mal interrupted, her eyes sparkling.

“and communicate properly!” Ben laughed and nodded, bringing her hands down between them and holding them tightly.

“no lies”

“no magic”

“no false feelings” Ben finished, squeezing Mal's hands and grinning “we’ll do it right this time, okay? No moving forward unless we both know we're comfortable, no overstepping boundaries, no changing ourselves or trying to force change in the other.”

“Unless it's toxic!” Mal interrupted again, giving a shy grin to Ben as he laughed “yeah, there are definitely some things about me that I still have to fix, but I promise, I’ll actually work on them, and not just ignore it. Please call me out when I hurt your feelings, please call me out when I fuck up, I want us to work, I love you Ben, and I really want to be with you” Ben bit his lip as the butterflies in his gut flew everywhere, his head fuzzy with love.

“I love you too Mal, and I want to be with you too” Mal beamed and wrapped her arms around Ben's waist, pulling him into a hug. Ben wrapped his arms around her shoulder and squeezed her tightly, resting his head on hers.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Ben whispered, laughing a bit as Mal stubbornly nodded against his chest.

“yes, I even got confirmation from Lia that I was ready to start being in a relationship again, with you, and as long as I continue to better myself, I’ll be good…pun intended” Ben snorted and shook his head. He pulled back and kissed Mal’s forehead, smiling as he pulled back further and saw her eyes closed, a smile on her face.

“Alright, then let's do this. Mal-“ Mal reached up and covered his mouth, laughing as he gave her a look of confusion.

“Let me do it this time” Ben rolled his eyes and smiled against Mal's palm. “Ben?” he hummed against her palm, laughing as she pulled it off and smacked his chest “Will you be my boyfriend?”

“hmmmm” Ben took a step back tapping his chin and looking up at the ceiling “let me think~”

“Ben!!” Mal whined, crossing her arms, an amused smile on her lips. Ben laughed and cupped her face, pecking her lips quickly and enjoying the red spreading across her cheeks and ears.

“Yes”

-

Evie squealed and slammed into Mal as she returned to their shared dorm room that night, picking Mal up with surprising strength and spinning her around “E-Evie!!” Mal yelped, her arms trapped at her side and her head spinning as Evie danced about their room “I’m gonna be sick!”

Evie snorted at Mal's dramatics and dropped her on Mal's bed, flopping next to her and leaning on her hands, waiting for Mal to get ahold of herself again before bombarding her with questions.

“Sooo~ how’d you do it? Did he say yes? Did you kiss?!”

Mal pouted at her friend and hit her with a pillow, to which Evie grabbed and chucked it across the room, the pillow hitting against the glass of lizard Maleficent’s terrarium, the purple, and black lizard hissing and hiding away in its new castle that was modeled after her old one.

“Spill!”

“Okay okay! So yesterday I realized I still really really liked Ben and I wanted to be with him…”

-the camera pans away from the girls, zooming out of the dorm room and panning to the isle, where the barrier shimmers under the moonlight-

-end of part 8-

Part 8~ Harry found an apartment/house for yall to be in, the applications got sent and are ready to be filled out, and Bal is officially back together~ (and hopefully I can write them in a way that’s actually healthy than * gestures to D2/3* whatever that was) hope yall liked this part! two more to go and then the little oneshot showing (y/n) and Harrys relationship development and then its only Finale!!!!!!!!!!! Part 9 next week!!! also if any of you caught that reference i made to a fellow descendants creator you get a cookie. 

permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange @lunanight2012

@daughter-of-the-stars11 @musicarose @random-thoughts-003​

@remembered-license​ @rintheemolion​ @verboetoperee​

@imtryingthisout​ @thecaptainsgingersnap​ @jatp-rules-my-life​ 

oh! also @darkprinceofdarkness​ i know you like Bal so you might like this part (i know you’ve already kinda read this part since i asked you for your opinion on discord but...yep heh) 

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine #harry hook #interlude #rewrite #shuffle playlist #finale

[santacarlahorrorshow]

There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise (Ben Hanscom/Reader) (3/3)

Summary:  You're Richie's twin sister and a member of the Losers' Club. When the other members all pack up and leave town, you elect to stay behind with Mike to wait for It to come back. After 27 years pass and Pennywise returns, will you and the other Losers be able to finally defeat him?

Pairing:  Ben Hanscom/Reader; Richie Tozier & Reader; Background Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak

Word Count: 4.6k

Author’s Note: Thank you to everyone who has shown this love. It makes me so happy to know people have enjoyed this. 💖

Masterlist / Part One / Part Two / Read on AO3

It didn't take you long to realize that Richie's bag and Richie's car were both missing. You didn't want to believe your brother would leave you all in the lurch, but all signs pointed to Richie fleeing town.  

You were pacing in the foyer, cursing out your brother, when Ben stalled you by stepping into your path. He put his hands on your shoulders and ducked his head to meet your gaze. "It's going to be okay, Y/N," he promised. "Even if Richie left, it's going to be okay."

"I can't believe that fucking dickwad just left me like that," you heard Eddie seethe as he descended the stairs. "I mean us," he quickly amended with a pained grimace.  

"Let's just get to the library," Beverly said as she joined the rest of you. "Maybe we'll get lucky and Richie will be there."

Thankfully, Beverly was right. Richie was at the library with Mike, but your brother had also apparently killed Henry Bowers in an effort to save Mike.  

You listened to Mike explain what happened as he let Ben take care of the cut on his arm. You noticed Eddie and Richie seemingly consoling each other near the card catalogue, an expression of fury on Richie’s face as he considered the bandage on Eddie's cheek. From the way he kept eyeing Henry's body, you were half-sure he was wishing he could kill the deranged man all over again just for harming Eddie.  

"Where's Bill?" You heard Mike ask as he pulled his bandaged arm towards himself.  

"I don't know," Beverly admitted with a sigh. "We should have heard from him by now."

Mike carefully pulled his cell phone free from the front pocket of his jeans and called Bill. You listened as Mike tried to talk to Bill, his expression growing increasingly worried as he listened to whatever Bill was telling him.

You had a sinking feeling in your gut that told you whatever Bill was doing now wasn't good. When Mike hung up the phone and confirmed that Bill was about to attempt to kill Pennywise all by himself, you knew that the final battle was fast approaching whether you wanted it to or not.  

Once it was concluded that Bill would be going to Neibolt to confront Pennywise, you all decided to meet him there.  

You were relieved when you got to the house and noticed that Bill had yet to go inside.  

"Hey," you heard Mike call to get Bill's attention.  

"Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Bill asked when he turned to look at the rest of you. "You shouldn't b-be here."

"We couldn't let you do this alone, Bill," Beverly told him.  

"Yeah, man," you heard Eddie agree. "Losers stick together."

"But you're all cursed because of me," Bill insisted. "That summer was m-my fault because I made you all go out to the Barrens with me lookin' for Georgie. I can't ask you all to do this."

"Just face it, Denbrough," you started with a smirk on your face that you hoped was covering up the anxiety you felt coursing through you. "You're stuck with us. It’s all of us or none of us."

“Is it too late to vote for none of us?” You heard Richie mutter from beside you. You discreetly elbowed him in the side, ignoring his pained grunt.

Bill looked like he wanted to argue for a moment before he seemed to realize that none of you actually had any intention of letting him storm Neibolt House alone.  

By the time you made it down into the caverns beneath Neibolt, you felt like you had already lived through dozens of nightmares.  

Between trying to help Bill pry the spider disguised as Stan's head off of Richie and listening to Ben's screams coming from rooms away and Beverly getting attacked and nearly drowned, you were starting to wonder if you would ever be allowed to complete the Ritual of Chüd. You were half-sure Pennywise would end up killing you all first.  

As you were throwing your token into the fire, you felt a wary anticipation start to overcome you. If this worked, then Pennywise would be gone forever. If this didn't work, then all of you would die horrible, violent deaths.  

You noticed a brief, sad smile flit across Ben's face before he threw his token into the fire. He glanced first to Beverly before his eyes met yours where you were standing opposite him. He gifted you with a sincere smile before he turned his attention towards where Richie was sacrificing an arcade token.  

You had a moment where you began to wonder if this was even real before you joined hands with Richie and Bill and listened to Mike speak about the ritual.  

As the deadlights descended and you started to chant with the group, you started to let yourself truly believe that this could be the end. If the ritual worked, then Pennywise would be gone. You wanted that more than anything, so you said each word with increasing conviction, hoping it would be enough to put Pennywise away for good.  

"Turn light into dark. Turn light into dark. Turn light into dark," you kept saying over and over, believing that it would be enough.  

It had to be enough.  

Of course it wasn't enough.  

When the ritual quite literally blew up in your faces, you knew that every hope you had of defeating Pennywise was nearly gone. You didn't know if there was anything else that would work, but your only way to survive once he attacked was to run. Pennywise had transformed himself into a giant spider that was big enough to nearly fill the cavern. There was no way you could possibly fight that and hope to survive.  

Mike seemed to be overwhelmed with guilt after Pennywise pressured him to admit that he had left one important detail out of his explanations regarding the ritual. The first and only group to attempt the Ritual of Chüd had all been killed because they couldn’t succeed. Mike had assumed that if you all just believed hard enough, then you would be able to kill It. You heard him apologizing profusely as you dodged a swipe from one of Pennywise’s legs.  

You ended up getting split up from the others. Richie and Eddie disappeared into one cave while Ben and Beverly retreated into another. You were about to bolt after Eddie and Richie, since it seemed like your only possible escape that didn't take you right past the killer clown and spider hybrid, but Pennywise had other plans for you.  

You felt something heavy slam into your back before you went flying. You barely had a moment to pull your arms in close to your body in an attempt to not break them on the rocks before you felt yourself hit the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of you. Your momentum carried you down an opening in the cavern's walls and right through a hole. You felt the odd sensation like you were flying for a moment before you landed on something soft.  

You didn’t even realize that had you closed your eyes during the fall, but once you opened them, you weren't entirely convinced that you were actually awake.  

"No," you whispered when you were met with the sight of your childhood bedroom. You had spent many nights in this room feeling like you were helpless against the lingering shadows on the walls. There were the nights when you swore there was someone standing at the foot of your bed and watching you in the dark. Sometimes the voice belonged to Pennywise and sometimes it was a wheezing, groaning croak that reminded you of every zombie movie you had watched with Richie after he dared you not to get scared.  

You willed yourself to move, but it felt like you were paralyzed with fear. You felt the sheets wrap around your ankles and wrists, anchoring you to the bed.  

"Look what you did to me," you heard a voice rasp from near the foot of the bed. You caught sight of curly hair and torn clothes. A hand reached out towards you, the skin mottled with decay. "You did this to me, Y/N."  

"No," you whispered again, silently pleading with whatever deity was listening to get you out of this.  

"Look at me," Stan snapped as he took a step closer to you, gifting you with a better view of him.  

You closed your eyes and resolutely shook your head. You felt fingers dig into your chin before your head was jerked sharply to the side.  

"Look at me. Look at what you did to me," Stan commanded with a conviction that was strong enough that you almost couldn't help but open your eyes in obedience. "You know what's going to happen to them now. They're going to end up like me. And it's all your fault," Stan spat before he offered you a sickly grin that had you attempting to pull your chin out of his hold.  

His nails dug into your skin and you could feel yourself begin to bleed from where he was cutting into your skin. You struggled against your bonds, a panic beginning to overwhelm you. You had felt trapped for years with the certainty that you might be subjecting your loved ones to their final demise and now Pennywise was playing that scenario out for you in the cruelest way possible.  

"No, no, no," you denied as you kept struggling for freedom. "I didn't mean to. I didn't want you to die, Stan," you cried.  

"You did this to me. To us," Stan snarled before he pulled away. He gestured towards the floor where you could make out the sight of several bodies. "You shouldn't have called us here. You've killed us all."

"NO!" You screamed when the first body pulled itself off the floor. You saw the glasses and dark hair and knew immediately that it must be Richie. You couldn't hold back the sob that fought its way free at the sight of the torn and bloody visage of your brother. His eyes were clouded over and his neck had been torn out.  

It wasn't long before the other members of the Losers' Club rose from the floor and started advancing on you. You could hear their hungry, ravenous moans as their hands all stretched out towards you. You could just imagine what it would feel like as they tore into your flesh and you hurried to free yourself from the bed. You twisted and writhed and finally managed to free one of your hands.  

You could feel nails scraping down your leg and you bit back a cry of pain. You weren't going to give Pennywise the satisfaction of hearing that his torture was working. You could feel blood running from the cuts and pooling onto the bed below you before you finally managed to break free.  

There was a door on the other side of the room that you were desperate to reach, but it would take you right through the undead members of the Losers' Club.  

"Fuck," you hissed, before you decided to try your chances. You bolted over the bed and pushed past the clawing hands and sound of clicking teeth as more than one of the members tried to take a bite out of you. By the time you made it to the door, one of your sleeves had been ripped away and you had deep scratches down your arms and along your torso. You were also pretty sure someone had gotten a lucky bite in, because your shoulder was burning and aching in a way that was nearly enough to distract you from your escape attempt.  

You didn't even bother looking back as you opened the door and fell through it right into the cavern you had left behind what felt like years ago.  

You only had a moment to notice the bright light filling the cave and the sight of Richie caught in the deadlights before you were taking off across the cavern. The image of the reanimated corpses of the Losers' Club was still fresh in your mind as you watched Eddie attempt to save Richie by spearing Pennywise through the head with the broken piece of fence Beverly had picked up earlier that night to use as a weapon.  

You pulled to a stop not far from the pair when you realized that Eddie was exclaiming that he had saved Richie. You were keeping a wary eye on Pennywise, but you still managed to catch sight of Eddie leaning down and kissing Richie.  

You were stunned for a moment, ridiculously happy for your brother and Eddie even if it was the wrong moment to get carried away, before you noticed Pennywise shake off the hit from Eddie. You had a moment to see Pennywise's grin just before he moved to strike. You barely had to think about it as you took off towards the pair, managing to tackle Eddie just before he would have been skewered through his chest with Pennywise's claw.  

You thought for a moment that you had managed to save Eddie without any consequences, but it didn't take long for the searing pain in your shoulder to make itself known. You felt like there was something hooked right beneath your clavicle before you were pulled back and flung across the cavern. You hit the ground with a sharp crack, crying out when you rolled right into the cavern wall. You felt like you had a hole in your shoulder, but that couldn't be right. The blood that was steadily pooling beneath you argued otherwise.  

You realized that you might have saved Eddie, but you sacrificed yourself to do it.  

Your vision went hazy for a moment before you heard someone calling your name. There were hands on you and for a dizzying moment you thought it was the zombified members of the Losers' Club coming back to finish the job. You kicked out at someone before the words began to register.  

"Fucking fuck, Y/N! That was my nose!" Richie yelled as he attempted to help Ben pick you up off the ground.  

"It's okay," you heard Beverly assure you. "You're okay."

"Don't die, Y/N," Eddie pleaded as he helped the others carry you into a cave where Pennywise wouldn't be able to readily reach you.  

"Eds," you croaked as you struggled to hold onto consciousness. You reached out to grab his hand, holding it as tight as you could. "Worth it," you assured him with a grin that probably looked half-crazed as you did your best to stay awake and aware.  

"Fu-fuck! Fuck!" You heard Bill shout as he joined the others. "That's a lot of blood."

"Hey, Y/N," Mike whispered. "You need to stay with us. We can't do this without you."

You felt something press into your shoulder and you couldn't hold back the scream that clawed its way free of your throat. You felt the sharp agony as Ben tried to keep pressure on your wound, having sacrificed his overshirt to try to keep you from bleeding out.  

"Just stay with me, Y/N," you heard Ben murmur. "Don't leave me. Mike's right, you know? We can't do this without you. I can't do this without you. I need you, so you’ve got to stick around."

You managed to suck in a shuddering, pained breath as you met his eyes. You knew you were fast losing the battle to stay awake and you weren't really sure if you were going to make it out of the cavern. Your blood was quickly soaking Ben’s overshirt and the pain started to recede as an alarming numbness began to overtake you.  

You could hear Pennywise taunting you and the other Losers, but all you could really focus on at that moment was Ben.  

You saw Ben bite his lip, looking unsure for a moment, before he brought his hands up and cupped your face in them. He leaned forward and brushed his lips against yours, prompting you to bring up the arm that currently didn’t feel like it was about to fall off to grab a fistful of his t-shirt and reel him in even closer. He felt like your only anchor to consciousness at that moment and you were reluctant to let him go.  

"Ugh, my sister, man? Seriously? Didn't you have the hots for Bev?" You heard Richie wonder with a tone that warred between disgust and exasperation.  

"Beep beep, Richie," you heard Beverly mutter.  

When you felt like you were struggling to breathe, you carefully pushed Ben away. "I'm sorry, Ben Handsome" you whispered before you felt your eyelids droop.  

"No, Y/N, stay awake," you heard Ben urge.  

"Is she dead? What's going on?"

"Fuck! This can’t be fucking happening."

"No, come on, Y/N. Don't do this."

Awareness stayed with you in little bits and pieces. You could hear Pennywise roaring and the others yelling, but they now sounded far away. You could hear something rumbling before your body began to shake. It took you a really long time to realize that you weren't shaking, but the cave around you was as it started to collapse. There was the unmistakable sound of rocks clattering down to the floor and then more shouting.  

You felt trembling fingers on your neck and others wrapped around your wrist. There were hands under your knees and someone pulling you to stand. You felt weightless for a moment and for one brief, disorienting moment you thought you were flying.  

You felt hands on you again and voices drifting across you, but before you could shout or try to avoid the reach of the undead, you finally allowed the darkness threatening to overwhelm you to fully embrace you.  

You didn't really think you were dead. You still felt and heard and experienced. There were flashing lights that had you wishing you could close your eyes, even though they were already closed. There was the prick of the needle as it slid into your arm and a warm voice talking just above you.  

"We'll have to bring her in for surgery now. I'm sorry, but you have to stay in the waiting room."

"But that's my sister," you heard Richie exclaim. "What the fuck do you mean I have to stay out here?"

There was something cold rushing through your veins and a metallic taste in your mouth. There was the drifting awareness and then nothing.  

You jolted awake, your eyes flying open as you attempted to take better stock of your surroundings.  

"Holy shit, you're awake," you heard Richie mumble from your side. You glanced over to see that he was rubbing at his eyes just under the rims of his glasses. He looked exhausted, but there was a delighted, relieved grin on his face that had you automatically smiling back at him in answer.  

You wanted to ask him what the fuck was going on, but he was suddenly out of his chair and striding over towards the door.  

"Hey, guys! She's finally awake!" You heard Richie yell before he was stepping out of your room.  

You barely had a moment to realize you were in a hospital room before the rest of the Losers' Club filed into the room.  

"I'm glad you're okay, Y/N," Bill said as he came to stand beside your bed.  

"Yeah, you had us all really scared for a while there," Beverly chimed in as she reached out for your hand. She squeezed your hand and offered you a reassuring smile.  

"Move," Richie commanded as he brushed past Bill and Beverly. "Don't you ever fucking do that to me again, you got it?” Richie admonished you as he pointed his finger right in your face, as if he was scolding a child and not his twin sister. “I just fucking got you back and I'm not about to let you die because of some stupid, fuckin' clown."

"Pennywise," you breathed, startled to finally remember the clown that had terrorized you all for so long and the recent events that took place in the caverns beneath Neibolt House. "What happened? Is he dead?"

"He's dead," Mike confirmed with a nod of his head. You turned your head and met his eyes where he was standing at the foot of your bed. "We did it."

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," Eddie piped up as he moved to stand at Richie's side. You didn't fail to notice the way Richie's hand immediately reached for Eddie's, their fingers lacing together as Eddie crowded further into Richie's side. “I feel like you almost died because of me.”

"I meant what I said," you told him with a small smile. "It would have been worth it."

"Y/N," you heard from the doorway of your hospital room.  

You looked over to see Ben standing there, an expression of stark relief clear on his face.  

"Why don't we give them a moment," Beverly suggested as she reached out to start steering Richie and Eddie away.  

"Hey, that's my sister!" Richie protested, before he seemed to relent when Beverly whispered something to him. "I'm watching you," Richie promised Ben before he let himself be led out of the room by the rest of the Losers.  

Ben came to sit down at your bedside once it was just the two of you left in the room.  

"Do you, uh, do you remember anything? From before you passed out?" He wasn't quite meeting your eyes, but there was an awkward shyness that seemed so familiar that you couldn't help but grin at him.  

"I remember trying to save Eddie," you muttered before your brows furrowed as you attempted to remember more. "There was a lot of pain. I think I lost a lot of blood," you said as you frowned down at the bandages you could see covering your shoulder. "I remember you," you confessed with a softer smile as memories became clearer. "And a kiss," you whispered before Ben finally met your gaze. "Did you mean it? Or was it only because I was bleeding out?"

"I meant it," Ben rushed to reassure you before he hesitantly reached out to take your hand. "I meant it," he whispered as he let his thumb sweep over the back of your hand. "And I have a proposition for you if you're open to it."

You quirked an eyebrow at him, not able to fight off the smirk you felt tugging at your lips. "While I'm still in a hospital bed? Ben Handsome, I didn't know you were that eager to seduce me."

You noticed the blush that bloomed on Ben's cheeks before he shot you an amused grin. "Not that kind of proposition," he remarked with a fond expression and shake of his head. "I was thinking about what you'd do now that Pennywise is gone."

"Oh," you breathed in understanding. You honestly had never thought of what you would do once you were free to leave Derry. All of your plans boiled down to just that. Leave. But you didn't know what you would do once you stepped foot outside the town for the first time. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that I'm overdue for a vacation and you're probably eager to get out of Derry. You've been stuck here for so long and I know you've got to heal and probably some physical therapy, but we can go anywhere you'd like. It's your choice, but if you'll have me, I want to explore the world with you." He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for a possible rejection. "So, where would you like to go?"

You were stunned for a moment with the realization that whatever was forming between you and Ben wasn't just going to be relegated to Derry and near-death experiences. Ben was actually serious about this. Serious about you. And while it seemed a bit sudden and you were sure there was so much left to discuss, you couldn’t help but feel excited by the idea that he wanted to see you and spend time with you and take you far away from the town that housed all your nightmares.  

You felt a grin slowly stretch across your face before you squeezed his hand. "I've got the perfect idea."

Later, nearly a week after Pennywise's demise, you joined the other members of the Losers' Club at Jade of the Orient for dinner. You were surprised that you were all allowed back after the property damage from your last dinner, but you were given another private room to hold your meeting of the Losers’ Club.  

This dinner was a complete turnaround from the first one, however. Just a week before, you were all talking about what you had spent the past twenty-seven years doing. It was rife with news of divorce, separation, and uncertainty. It was tainted by the knowledge that Pennywise was back and wreaking havoc on Derry yet again. What should have been a nice reunion was overshadowed by the hauntings of your pasts and the tragedy that was soon to follow.  

Now, you were all looking forward to whatever the future held in store, because you all realized that you actually had a future to experience. There was no more uncertainty and no more monsters to fight. You were allowed to live now without the specter of Pennywise hanging over you all.  

Ben kept a firm grip on your hand through most of the dinner, as if he had to remind himself that you were really there and alive after suffering a near-fatal injury. Richie and Eddie were just as obnoxious as ever, but Eddie had taken it upon himself to kiss Richie whenever he wanted him to shut up. By the stunned and cautiously delighted look on Richie's face every time it happened, he didn't mind.  

Everyone seemed eager to discuss their plans for the next few months. It seemed that Richie still planned to finish out his tour and Eddie was going to go with him. Mike claimed that he wanted to finally check out Florida after being stuck in Maine for so long. Bill said he had a movie to finish and a new book to write. Beverly told you all that now that so much of her past had become clear to her, she wanted to figure out who she really was. She wanted to strike out on her own and learn how to depend on herself, but from the few, brief glances she shared with Bill, you started to wonder if there was more going on there than they had shared with the group.  

By the time you were finished with your food and waiting on the check, you felt lighter than you had in decades. With Ben at your side and the knowledge that Pennywise was no longer a threat, you felt like your future was open to you for the first time in your life.  

You heard Bill clear his throat before he raised his glass. "To the Losers' Club," he said with a fond grin on his face. "To finally defeating Pennywise," he continued with a glance at each of you around the table. "And most important, to Stan," he finished.

"To Stan," you all joined in, raising your glasses in a toast to your fallen friend, before you all took a drink.  

"To Stan," you repeated with a sad smile as you thought of the friend who should have been sharing this victory with all of you. You wished more than anything that he was there to see the nightmare finally laid to rest.  

But you couldn't help but hope that he knew somehow that you and the Losers' Club hadn't let him down. You had defeated Pennywise once and for all and the townspeople of Derry were finally safe from a threat they weren't even aware of after so many decades of suffering.  

And now, you were finally free to live your life.

#it 2019 #it: chapter two #ben handscom #richie tozier #ben hanscom x reader #richie tozier & reader #richie tozier x eddie kaspbrak #reader insert #it #it imagine #the losers club #the losers x reader #canon divergence #reader #flashing gif #horror

[thorin-is-a-cuddler]

Backrow shenanigans and front seat bonding

A/N: What even is this? It is a mix of emotions I’m having for the Umbrella Academy siblings. Bear with me... just a little. 

The Umbrella Academy is driving in a car and shenanigans ensue. Set in Season 2, but in absolutely no particular scene. I’m getting Avengers 2012 vibes from these Umbrella Academy fanfics you too??

Vanya and Diego were in the front seats as the gang made their way to Elliot’s house. They hadn’t been together like this in so long it nearly felt unnatural. 

Diego couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but he felt like something was different about Vanya now. And probably also about himself. Gathered like this, with all of his siblings, the changes got more evident. None of them were still the same as they had been during their first doomsday. 

He was surprised when he felt a rush of warmth inside of his belly as he looked over his shoulder. There was Luther who had over the past weeks become much more of a brother to Diego than he had been in a long while. There was Allison who was even more annoying than she’d already been. There was Five who seemed to always be on a mission to safe his family. There was Klaus who was... Klaus. A very reliable character. And then there was Vanya. 

And Vanya was surprising Diego more than any of them. 

When she looked at him from the driver’s seat with a big smile, he realized that all he really wanted was to protect her, keep her safe. His chest was very eager to get puffed out while something like a big brother instinct took over. He slightly shook his head at himself, but was able to huff gently at Vanya’s smile and give her a small one of his own.

Vanya furrowed her brows with a laugh and looked from the street to Diego and back. “You okay, Diego?” 

A little embarrassed due to the curious heads that immediately leaned closer to the front from the backseats, Diego slid down in his seat a little and put a hand on his forehead. “Yeah, sure. All good.” 

Vanya scoffed with amusement and started fumbling around with the radio station. “Maybe a little music?”

“Oh, yes, music!” Klaus exclaimed, clapping his hands and making Allison laugh as he started bumping his hip against hers. 

Luther groaned and looked out of the window. “But nothing that Klaus can sing along to.” 

“Ex-a-cuse me!” Klaus turned around and meaningfully looked at his brother who was hunched in the storage room of the car. “I can sing along to aaanything.”

“Then no music, please!” Luther called to Vanya who was just about to find a good frequency. Klaus was waving his hands around in front of Luther‘s face, acting like he was going to slap him. His brother didn‘t seem very impressed by that.

„Oh, really?“ Vanya exclaimed disappointedly. „But this is a classic, Luther!!“ She eagerly turned the music up and started shaking her shoulders around and lip-synchronizing the cheerful words of the Beatles.

Oh, please, say to me, you‘ll let me be your man! 

Oh, please, say to me, you‘ll let me hold your hand!

„I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAAAAAND!! I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAAND!!!“ Klaus shrieked extra annoyingly, making Five cover his ears in distress.

Vanya almost doubled over from her sudden urge to laugh and Allison joined in the horrible singing with Klaus, despite actually having a beautiful singing voice.

Luther‘s face in the rearview mirror made even Diego crack a smile.

„Vanya... please...“ The strongest of the seven (Ben was chilling right next to him, hi Ben) members of the Umbrella Academy said in a desperate tone.

„Sorry, what? I can‘t hear you!“ Vanya grinned into the rearview mirror as she turned up the volume of the music even more.

Diego chuckled into his palm, pushing his temple against the window and glancing at Vanya with yet again surprised amusement.

Klaus took this as his cue to turn around and screech extra wildly into Luther‘s face.

„YOU SOUND LIKE A STRANGLED COCK!“ Luther yelled and actually made to grab for Klaus‘ throat, but his fingers barely stroked the skin around his neck, leading to Klaus pulling up his shoulders to his ears and giggling squeakily.

„Oh no, no! That tickles!“

„Well maybe this will shut you up!“ Luther threatened with a sudden sinister grin as he leaned over Klaus‘ seat and wiggled his fingers into the unprotected ribs of his skinny brother.

Klaus lost all artificial idiocy immediately, pulled his elbows to his sides to cover his ticklish spots and sank into his seat as giddy laughter took over him.

„NonononOHAHAA!! QUIHIIHIT IHIHIT!! GAHAHAHA NOHOT THAHAAT!!!“ He started kicking out his legs uncontrollably making Five hiss as his knee got hit quite harshly, before Allison managed to grab the legs and pinned them to her lap to keep his flailing from causing any further harm.

„Is this screeching better than before?“ Five yelled, putting his head up on his hand to look out of the window and acted like all that nonsense didn‘t concern him. There was a smirk on his features though.

“Is anyone going to mention that Luther just said ‘strangled cock’?” Vanya asked in Diego’s direction, making him snort with laughter instantly. The two of them were only capable to seize their laughing fit when Vanya almost drove them off the road. 

„NOHOHOHO ALLISON!! NOHOHO NEEEHEHED FOR THAT!!!“ Klaus exclaimed, sniffing traitor potential in the air as Allison‘s nails slightly started skittering over his kneecaps.

„I’m just protecting you from hurting yourself, sweetie!“ Allison cooed while circling his knees with her index fingers. „No need to be so modest!“

Vanya laughed out loud at that again, because if there was one thing in the world that didn‘t define Klaus, it was the word „modesty“. Diego grinned at her softly and shook his head at his siblings.

Luther was by now half in the back row as he leaned down to dig his fingertips mercilessly into Klaus‘ sides and ribs. He was wearing an unusually bright smile.

„DIEHEHEGOO HEHELP ME!!!“ Klaus squeaked at the top of his lungs when Luther managed to dig his thumbs into his hip bones despite his very desperate struggles to keep his hands away from there.

„You had it comin‘, Klaus.“ He simply stated and kept his gaze up front, the incessant laughter a much better frequency in his opinion than any radio channel.

Vanya looked at him now with a slightly unnerving playful smirk. He pulled his shoulders back and glared at her suspiciously. He was really trying not to smile too much, but that was hard with the backseat basically bursting from fun. (Except for Five, of course, who didn‘t interact, but also didn‘t intervene. He was just a happy bystander, whereas Ben was ravelling in Klaus‘ giggles even more than Diego was.)

„What are you lookin‘ at?“ He growled at her and was shocked at how lightly he had said that. Almost playfully. The hell. He wasn‘t that much of a playful fellow... 

Vanya snickered at his reaction, her eyes so bright that Diego once again felt a a pang of affection for her in his chest. There were a lot of pangs in there right now. Pangs for Klaus and Allison, for Luther and Five and for Ben, too, because he could just imagine how happy this car ride must have been making him. So much affection wanted to bubble out of Diego and destroy his reputation - a reputation Diego believed he had - but he couldn’t quite let go of his defensive nature. Maybe he just needed a little push, a little nudge. And maybe Vanya was on the best way to deliver just that.

“PLEASE PLEASE I CAN’T HANDLE NO MORE PLEEHEHHEEASE!!” Klaus’ struggles were getting lesser and his wheezing laughter started to sound weaker. Even Luther was able to register when someone had had enough and therefore stopped his tickling hands, crossed his arms on top of Klaus’ backseat and took to looking down at him with a smug expression on his face.

“None of that, you big mean-o!” Klaus held a finger in Luther’s face and slowly started sitting up, groaning like he had aged years during that tickle attack. “I have seen rock bottom, but I keep getting up...”

“Even now, you can’t shut up for one second, can you?” Five groaned and buried his face in his hands, making Klaus chuckle good naturedly. He did look utterly stunning now. As if the tickling had worked like a magical refreshing means on him. 

“Well, no, little Grandpops, I will not remain silent. Not after what I have just discovered.” He dramatically put his hands on his hips, taking in a deep breath. 

“And what would that be?” Five asked rather sarcastically. 

“Never trust nobody!” Klaus answered, his voice becoming a snarl as he turned towards Allison and quickly grabbed her sides with a need for ticklish revenge. His sister was lost to cheerful laughter in no time, trying to get rid of his hands by bending over and wrapping her arms around herself, but Klaus wasn’t easily shaken off. 

“KLAUS NOOHOHO!! I BARELY TOUCHED YOU!!” 

“Youuuuu siiideeed wiiiiith the enemyyyyYYY!!” Klaus spoke like an old wizard on a bridge, sneakily worming his hands under Allison’s elbows to get at her ticklish sides, keeping her in stitches. Luther made moon-eyes at them from the backseat while Five shook his head like he had given up on humanity - which he probably really had.

At the same time in the front seat: Diego was by now watching the backrow shenanigans in the rearview mirror with a fond smile on his face. That was until he met Vanya’s smug look in it which immediately seemed to make him lose all interest in the fun. He cleared his throat, looked away and crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

Just when he was certain that she would not say anything about his strange behavior, he felt a ticklish jolt run through his body from a spot just above his hip. He made a strangled noise and quickly pushed his elbow over the sensitive area where Vanya had poked him, a look of utter shock on his face. He saw Vanya’s mischievous smile and felt a giddy feeling rise in his stomach. 

“Ey,” he whined with an audible grin on his face, “what did you do that for?” 

“Lighten up, you big moron!” Vanya chuckled and punched him in the arm.

“Ow!!” Diego complained, his smile spreading on his face, a short snicker escaping him at the impact of Vanya’s fist. 

“Just give me one of your prettiest smiles!” Vanya demanded with another nudge to his shoulder. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, all the while smiling and trying his best not to. Not because he didn’t want to, but because he wanted to at least give Vanya a hard time about it. 

“Come oooon. Is that all you’ve got? I’m devastated!” 

Diego huffed when Vanya’s fingers collided with his side again, trying to find a way through his defensive arms to get at some ticklish spot that would make him laugh like Klaus had. But Diego didn’t give her enough space for that and she was no match for his strength. Therefore she quickly had to change tactics. 

In one swift motion, she wrapped her hand around Diego’s knee and started squeezing. And Diego had so not seen that coming. With a loud howl, he quickly bent over and tried his best to tear her hand away from his ticklish knee again, but she was very determined not to let go now.

“OH NO NO VANYA NO!! PL-PLEHEHHEASE!! JUST NOT THAT!!” Diego threw his head back against his seat and tried to keep Vanya’s hand away from him, but she was on him now, her hand finding the way to his stomach and tickling there and her hand finding a way to his ribs and tickling there too and Diego was lost to laughter now. Unstoppable laughter that kept coming, despite the pain that was rising in his stomach. 

“Oh, you two as well now??” Five yelled as he looked over Diego’s seat to get a closer look at them, rolling his eyes and dropping his face in his palm. 

“FIVE!! T-TELL HER TO LOOK UP FROHOOHONT!!” Diego cackled, tears of laughter coming to his eyes. “PLEHEHEASE!!” 

“I’m looking up front just fine!” Vanya replied, the biggest smile on her face as she managed to bond with Diego in a way she had never been capable of before. How could Five have interrupted that moment for her? Easy. He just couldn’t. 

Sighing about himself, he leaned forward between the two front seats, getting hit in the head by Allison’s flailing arms and almost knocked out by Diego’s twitching elbow, to grab for the volume on the radio. 

“What did you say, Diego?” He repeated Vanya’s words from earlier as he turned up he music. “I cannot hear you!” 

He sat back in his seat then, arms crossed in front of his chest and nodded to himself, quite pleased with just listening to the music around him. 

Oh, yeah I, tell you something, I think you’ll understand.

When I say that something: I want to hold your hand. 

I want to hold your hand.

 I want to hold your hand.

#tua #tickling #tua tickle fanfic #ticklish!klaus #ticklish!allison #ticklish!diego #the hargreeves siblings #the umbrella academy #tickle fanfic #fluff #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #luther hargreeves #allison hargreeves #diego hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #lots of vanya diego bonding #and allison klaus bonding #and luther klaus bonding #and five being five #i'm the tiniest bit embarrassed for writing this #but i hope you'll understand

[the--highlanders]

Goodnight

The Doctor and Jamie plan a wedding.

on ao3.

“Goodness me.” Wiping the back of one hand over his forehead, the Doctor stared up at the slope ahead of them. “I’m quite sure it wasn’t nearly so steep this morning.”

“That’s ‘cause we were walkin’ down it,” Jamie reminded him, nudging the Doctor’s side with his elbow. When the Doctor glanced up at him, he threw him a grin, smiling wider when he was met with a pointedly wrinkled nose. “It’s no’ that bad.” The gravel path crunched beneath their footsteps as they stepped onto the hill, filling the night air with the noise. Dew had already settled over the ground, lending the little broken pebbles a glossy sheen, and Jamie stared down at them as he walked, placing his feet carefully. The surface might have felt sturdy enough, but he could not shake the feeling that it might slip beneath him at any moment.

“It wouldn’t be so bad,” the Doctor grumbled, “if I hadn’t walked halfway across the city today. Exactly why they didn’t build the florist and the baker next to each other, I will never understand.”

“There was a baker next to the florist. They just didnae have the sort of cake ye wanted.”

“Hmph.” Taking Jamie’s hand, the Doctor pushed himself onwards up the hill with a surprising amount of vigour for someone who had spent the whole walk bemoaning his exhaustion. “It is difficult, isn’t it, planning a wedding. There’s always so many small things to think of.”

Jamie laughed, but nodded along with it. “You’d think we’d be experts by now. How many have we had?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Splaying out his free hand, the Doctor raised the other to tap at his fingers with Jamie’s fist. “Let’s see, one, two – that one on Molticune -”

“The one where they made us look after those funny wee beasties before we could have the weddin’?”

“That’s the one. The one on Polybdenus Major -”

“An’ when we had tae redo the ceremony on Polybdenus Minor.”

“Oh, that one doesn’t count, not when they just wanted to do the paperwork. No, we must have had, ah – four or five, I would say.”

“But we still havenae got the hang of it.”

“Well -” Swinging their joined hands between them, the Doctor shrugged. “Every place is different, you know. Last time we had to bake biscuits for all the guests, do you remember -”

“Aye, an’ we didnae even know them.”

“And this time, it’s – it’s flower arrangements.” The Doctor shook his head. “Far too many flower arrangements.”

“Aye.” And Jamie’s eyes would be watering from all the pollen for days, he was sure of it. Worse still, he would sneeze his way through the ceremony. “Still, it’s done now.”

The Doctor hummed softly in agreement, nodding towards the cluster of buildings set atop the hill as they drew closer. “We’ve had better accommodation for a wedding, I must say.”

The buildings were squat, practical things, hunkered down against the whip of the winter winds. Building them, the Doctor had said, had been a romantic folly – some might even have said idiocy. And they certainly bore the scars of it, the paint all but stripped away from their weathered bricks by biting sleet, the edges of their thick, flat rooves chipped and pitted. “They’re nice enough inside, though,” Jamie pointed out. “An’ the view is worth it. Ye know, lookin’ over the river, an’ all that.”

“Oh, I suppose so.” The Doctor sighed. “Doesn’t make the outside any more pleasant, though.”

The water that had pooled on the rooves after the previous night’s rain was still settled there, dripping from the overhangs and splashing down into puddles on the concrete walkways that ran between the buildings. Jamie picked his way carefully around them, leaning away from the droplets as they fell past him. He kept his arm stretched out to keep a hold of the Doctor’s hand, and they drifted back and forth, towards and away from each other, shaking off the water that fell onto their sleeves. One droplet splashed straight down onto their laced fingers, and they glanced up at each other in unison, lips pressed together to hold back their mutual laughter for a brief moment until they gave in to giggling.

“This is it, isn’t it?” The Doctor was still breathless with laughter, patting at his chest. “Dear, me. Ah – number nine, yes, this is you.” Letting go of Jamie’s hand, he fished a key out of his pocket and fumbled to unlock the door.

“Och.” Kicking at the ground, Jamie shook a few loose pieces of gravel out of the soles of his boots. He nudged them around on the concrete, watching them roll back and forth. “Ye know, I think this is the worst of all the weddin’ traditions we’ve had tae put up with.”

The Doctor made as if to swipe at him, but ended up patting his arm instead. “Hush, you. It’s only for one night. And I’ll be next door.”

“I don’t understand why we cannae share a room, that’s all.”

“Well – well, because we shouldn’t see each other on the morning of the wedding.” Jamie simply pouted, and the Doctor laughed again, clapping his shoulder more forcefully. “You’ll be quite alright.”

“I know I will.” Jamie shook his head. It was entirely irrational, he knew, and yet - “I’ve slept without ye lots of times, if I think about it. When one of us has been off somewhere else. An’ I used tae sleep on my own every night, when I first came tae stay in the TARDIS.”

The Doctor eyed him doubtfully. “Ah – not for particularly long, as I recall.”

“Aye, alright, alright.” Jamie grinned. “So I came tae bother ye soon enough. An’ Polly an’ Ben, too. But it’s different, havin’ tae sleep on my own now, an’ - an’ knowing that you’re just next door.”

“You’ll be quite alright,” the Doctor repeated. “And you won’t be on your own tomorrow night.”

“If it wasnae for this weddin’,” Jamie grumbled, “I wouldnae be on my own tonight.”

“It’s not too late to call it off, you know.”

“No.” Catching the Doctor’s hand as he swung it, Jamie pulled him into a hug. “No, I didnae mean that.”

“Well, good. Because I’m, ah, rather set on seeing those archives.”

Jamie huffed out a chuckle, feeling it rumble against the Doctor’s chest where it pressed against his own. “An’ that’s the only reason you’re gonnae marry me tomorrow?”

“Of course.” The Doctor’s voice hitched, like he was trying to swallow down a chuckle of his own. “It’s quite practical. I just want to see the material they reserve for, ah – for married men.”

“Of course,” Jamie parroted back. “I thought ye weren’t a man.”

“Ah, well – they don’t need to know that, do they?” Swaying from side to side, the Doctor hummed out a vibration of his own. “And it might have been rather awkward if I had to get married to someone else.”

“We couldnae have that.”

“Certainly not.”

Turning his head a little, Jamie pressed a kiss to the Doctor’s temple. “I’ll see ye tomorrow, aye?”

“Yes.” The Doctor bit the inside of his lip like he thought it would hide his smile, but his hands were twisting together behind Jamie’s back. “Tomorrow.” His voice wavered a little, even on the one small word. It might have been anticipation, Jamie supposed – but it sounded more like something else.

“There’s no need tae be nervous,” he said. “We’re already married, ye know.”

“Yes, yes, I know. But every place is different.”

“Aye, ‘spose so.” Pulling away, Jamie shoved open the door to his room, edging as far inside as he could without letting go of the Doctor’s hand. The Doctor had pulled the key to his own door out of his pocket, but was jabbing it towards everything but the keyhole, his eyes still fixed on Jamie. His fingers were tightly closed around Jamie’s own, holding him in place. “Ye have tae let go now, Doctor.”

“Must I?”

“Now who’s bein’ clingy?” Grinning, Jamie squeezed his hand. “Ye don’t want tae yawn all through the weddin’, do ye?”

The Doctor’s hand sprang open, and he pulled it back against his chest, rubbing his palm against it like he was trying to feel the ghost of Jamie’s touch. “Ah – goodnight.” The key was still missing the keyhole, but he simply rocked back and forth on his heels, watching Jamie.

“Goodnight,” Jamie replied, reaching out to touch the Doctor’s wrist. He threw a glance over his shoulder, pointing towards the darkened room. “I’m gonnae -”

“Yes – ah -” At last, the Doctor found the right slot for the key. “Well. Goodnight.”

Jamie laughed again, pulling his own door closed until all he could see was a sliver of the Doctor’s face. “Goodnight.” He realised moments too late tht he had already said it, and snorted out a self-deprecating chuckle. “I mean -”

“Off with you.” Flapping his hand at Jamie, the Doctor vanished through his own door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Aye.” They shoved their hands outside in unison, squeezing them together before pulling their doors entirely closed. “Tomorrow.”

#second doctor #two/jamie #fanfic archive #my writing