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moremaybank · 8 months

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MY CLUMSY GIRL — r.c

day seven 3+1 with rafe cameron

pairing rafe cameron x fem!reader

summary three times you were clumsy, and the one time rafe was.

warnings mentions of blood, mentions of a cut (on the forehead), slipping, tripping, rafe gets slightly burned, soft!rafe, whole lotta fluff between rafe and his clumsy baby

author's note last post for obx week! another special thank you to @surftrips for inviting me to be a part of this! i hope you guys enjoyed all the content all the writers and myself have put up for you this week. i hope we were able to brighten your days, even if only for a moment. much love ♡︎

obx week ‘23 masterlist ;; rafe masterlist

Rafe walked through your shared front door. He tossed his keys onto the entryway table, and called out for you. “Baby? I’m home!”

His voice echoed through the quiet house, and he expected to hear your cheerful reply, expected to be smothered with your kisses. But instead, he was met with a tensity in your voice. “Okay, don’t freak out.”

His brows furrowed. “Don’t freak out about what?”

When you didn’t answer as quickly as he’d hoped for, he entered the kitchen, where he saw the pantry door slightly ajar. It was more than unusual for you to be hiding in your pantry, and his confusion only heightened.

Pushing the door open, his eyes found you. His sweet girl, giving him a nervous smile as your hand stayed plastered to your forehead. “You gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“Only if you promise me you aren’t going to freak out.”

“You know,” he started, “the more you say that, the more I feel like I’m going to have to.”

Taking a deep breath, you moved your hand, and Rafe’s eyes went wide. His eyes found the gash etched above your eyebrow, and his hands immediately found your face. They cradled it delicately, drawing you closer to him. His thumb carefully traced the cut with his thumb. You winced, and he retracted instantly.

“What happened, baby?” He cooed, voice soft and dripping with concern.

Blood rushed to your cheeks as the embarrassment overtook you. “Nothing. I was just cleaning the counters, and I stood up too quickly. I hit my head on one of the cabinets. It’s not a big deal, though, I’m fine.”

“It’s a big deal to me if you’re bleeding,” he spoke. His lips pressed a quick peck to your lips, both in greeting and in trying to provide you with some comfort. “Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t want to bother you at work. You’ve been so busy lately, so stressed. Calling just would’ve made it worse.”

Rafe’s expression softened, and he granted you another kiss. Not fleeting his last one. No, this one was longer, as if he was using his lips to tell you that your stress was ridiculous. “Listen to me. You are never, ever bothering me. I don’t care if I’m in a meeting or if I’m a thousand miles away. I’ll drop everything for you if you need me.”

You smiled, touched by his words. You knew he’d always prioritized you, put you over any and everything. “I know you would, handsome.”

“D’you feel okay? You have a headache? Dizzy?” His hand left your face, and he held up four fingers. “How many fingers, sweetheart?”

You giggled. “Four, Rafe. I can see just fine. It stings a little when I touch it, just like any other cut, but I’m fine, I swear.”

He couldn’t shake the worry that gripped at him, but he also couldn’t deny the overwhelming sense of relief that washed over him knowing that you were in his arms. He squeezed you tightly. “My clumsy girl. We gotta get you a helmet or something. I don’t think I could take it if something like this happened to you again.”

“You’re so dramatic,” you laughed. “And don’t you dare get me a helmet. It’ll ruin my hair.”

You and Rafe planned to have a relaxing weekend. You’d lounged in bed on and off for the entire forty-eight hours, just enjoying each other’s company while being shielded from the rest of the world and its needs.

Rafe was lounging on the couch, hooked on one of your silly teen drama shows that he’d always teased you about. It was hilarious, really. He mocked them constantly, but the minute you’d flip one of them on, he’d soon become consumed.

You moved about in the kitchen with enthusiasm as you started to make breakfast for the two of you. Rafe never failed to sport a child-like grin when he devoured your waffles, and you’d longed to see that smile today.

However, your heavy-handed self got to work, and it wasn’t long before the bag of flour ended up on the marble floor, covering you and the kitchen in a powdery mess. “Shit!”

Rafe, always alert to the sound of your antics, leaped up from the couch and rushed over to you. His eyes landed on the cloud of flour that had taken over the room, and then landed on you with the most adorable and embarrassed look he’d ever seen.

“I, uh, I might’ve had a little accident with the flour.”

“Might’ve, huh?” He couldn’t help but chuckle as he approached you. “You look cute. Like the Pillsbury dough boy.”

You smacked his chest with a playful glare. “Shut up.”

“Come on, you lil’ ghost. Let’s clean you up.”

You nodded, and as you took a step forward, you slipped on the flour and it sent you tumbling toward the floor. Rafe, with his lightning-fast hands, swooped in and caught you.

“Graceful,” he teased, a wide smirk on his lips. “Ten out of ten.”

“Don’t be mean.”

“‘M starting to think that we should get you some bubble-wrap. Gotta protect the goods.”

It was a busy weekday evening, and you had just returned home after a hectic day at work. Your arms were loaded with file folders, each containing a mountain of paperwork that required your attention. You huffed as you finally reached the top of the stairs, making a beeline for your bedroom.

Rafe, who had been lying on the bed and staring at the screen of his laptop, looked up and raised an eyebrow at the sight of you and your obvious struggle. “Hey beautiful, need some help there?”

You grinned, trying to balance the precarious stack of folders. “I’ve got it, baby. Just a few more steps. You stay there and look handsome.”

However, just as you were about to reach the desk, your foot caught on the edge of the rug, and you tumbled forward (you had a real knack for losing your footing, evidently). In what seemed like slow motion, the file folders went flying, papers scattering like confetti around your room. Luckily, you caught yourself, your hands planting on the wooden desk.

Rafe watched in shock as you both became surrounded by a sea of documents. He tried to hold it in, he really did, but he burst into laughter. “Baby, did that really just happen?”

You groaned, crouching down and starting to gather up the hundreds of papers. “Are you freaking kidding me?”

Rafe got up from the bed and joined you, helping you collect all of the documents. “You know, if you wanted to have a paper party, you could’ve just asked.”

You swatted at him. “Very funny, Rafe.”

As you worked together to sort the papers, Rafe couldn’t help but tease you a little more. “I tried to tell you that you needed help.”

“Whatever,” you grumbled. You stood up, placing one stack on your desk, and upon turning around, your hand knocked over the cup that held all your writing utensils. The pens and pencils flew everywhere, and you just stood there, jaw-dropped.

Rafe made his way over to you, carefully walking around the papers and your writing tools, and braced his hands on your shoulders. “Alright, you need to relax. Go take a shower. Actually— scratch that. I don’t think I can trust you to stand up in there. Run yourself a bubblebath, and call me when you’re finished. Looks like ‘m gonna have to carry you out.”

You pouted adorably, nodding. He kissed your pursed lips, and lightly smacked your butt. “Get goin’, baby.”

It was a rare evening when Rafe decided that he was going to cook dinner for you. You knew he’d been working all day, and you hesitated to take a step back from cooking, but he insisted. He bragged about his quickly-improving skills, and you agreed, deciding to see if he could walk the walk.

You sat at the kitchen table, sipping on a glass of wine, and watched Rafe confidently maneuver around the stove. He looked delicious in that apron, his sleeves rolled up and thick muscles rippling. The focused look on his face was a sight as well. He was so effortlessly dominant all the time, something that gave you butterflies (and not just in your stomach).

It was all beyond impressive until Rafe looked over at you, drowning in your beauty. He grinned, but it fell instantly when he touched the heated pan. He pulled his hand back from he stove and shook it vigorously. “Ow, fuck!”

You rushed over, concerned. “What happened?”

Rafe grimaced as he inspected his finger. “I touched the pan by accident. It’s nothin’, just a minor burn.”

You inspected the red mark on his finger yourself, and sighed in relief when you realized it wasn’t too serious. “Come here, let me get some cold water on this.”

You tugged him over to the sink gently, and turned the tap on cold. Rafe winced as the soothing sensation washed over him. “You were right. I should not be handling shit in the kitchen.”

“Don’t say that, you were doing great. This stuff happens,” you assured him. “Besides, don’t you know who you’re talking to? How many times have you had to clean me up?”

He nodded, but he still looked disappointed.

“Baby,” you cooed, “it’s fine.”

You rose onto your tiptoes and pressed a delicate kiss to his cheek. He smiled, and your heart warmed. But then, you let out a laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” you shrugged. “It’s just nice not to be the clumsy one for once. My clumsy boy.”

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theladyofdeath · 1 year

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Better or Worse {11...Simplified?}

For everyone who can't see the original post! Here is chapter 11 of Better or Worse...

…………..

Cassian

…………..

I hate late flights but it was all Nesta and I could book last minute. I’m already tired, due to lack of sleep, now that I’m back on the couch. After getting cockblocked by Eris last week, and seeing that intimacy isn’t as important to my wife as it apparently is to me, I decided that sleeping on the couch would be best.

She hasn’t seemed to mind.

Not once has she asked me to come back to bed. Although, she has stayed true to her word and has been working nonstop since we decided we’d be going on vacation. I haven’t been ignoring her completely. When we’re in the same room, we’ve indulged in that same small talk that we indulged in weeks ago. Then, things started to change and get better.

Now I don’t know what to think. I’m not sure where we are now.

I debated on calling our little getaway off, but being on the beach right now sounds good, therapeutic, so here we are. Even though there’s a wall back between us, we’re taking Gwyn’s advice and going to paradise for a few days.

Once we make it past security and to our gate, Nesta’s already pulling out her laptop. I mumble that I’m going to find coffee and leave her there to work. I feel a little better, a little less grumpy, once I get caffeine in me. I even feel nice enough to bring Nesta a latte.

The flight is three hours long, and I sleep for most of it. Surprisingly, the plane seat is just as comfortable as the couch.

Maybe we should get a new couch.

I only wake up when we land, as the plane jolts once it makes contact with the tarmac. Nesta’s laptop is put away, although I think it’s because they ask you to when landing, not because she chose to. Either way, she gives me a little smile and nods out the window. “We made it.”

It’s hard to see anything because it’s already dark, but I know the airport is close to the ocean. I can see city lights through the window, but I’m too tired to try and brace myself for the nightlife of Adriata tonight.

I yawn as we pull up to our gate and the seatbelt signs are turned off. “I think our hotel is pretty close to here.”

It wasn’t what she was expecting me to respond with. Her smile falters, but she nods. “That’s good.”

I’m not in the mood for the small talk right now. I don’t have patience for it. Swiping my phone out of my pocket, I see that it’s nearly midnight. I turn it off of airplane mode and a barrage of texts and emails come through. I ignore the texts from my employees until tomorrow and skim over my email, deciding the contents of it can wait until the sun rises, too.

I open the group chat between my brothers and I, sending off a short text letting them know we’d landed. Azriel replies almost immediately, telling us to have fun, while Rhys is all radio silence. Seeing as it’s almost two in the morning in Velaris, I’m not surprised.

It’s taking forever for the people ahead of us to disembark, so I open my text thread with just Az, not wanting to wake up a likely sleeping Rhys or worse — Feyre.

You’re up late, I text. Everything okay?

Again, his reply is almost instantaneous. It’s all good. Elain woke up from a dream craving butter crunch ice cream. I’m at my third grocery store looking for it.

Chuckling, I respond, You know she’ll be fast asleep by the time you get home.

Yeah, but her smile in the morning will make it worth it.

I hate the jealousy that shoots through me reading my brother’s words.

Gwyn is still the only person we’ve told about Nesta’s miscarriages. They have no idea how badly I want what they both have.

Still, I reply, Take care of your woman. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

I hit send as soon as we finally get moving, then we’re making our way to baggage claim. Half an hour later, with my bag tossed over my shoulder and wheeling Nesta’s suitcase behind me, we’re finding a cab to take us down to the beach, where our hotel is.

Nesta booked the flight, but I chose the hotel. With a weight room bigger than the one at my gym and walking distance to the shore, I didn’t even have to think twice about spending the ridiculous amount of money to book us a suite.

Nesta doesn’t seem to mind either as we make our way into the lobby and she looks around, impressed. The thought occurs to me then that maybe I should’ve picked a shitty hotel. If she likes it too much, it will be that much more tempting to stay in our room and work as she overlooks the endless blue waters beyond our balcony.

Nonetheless, I check in and we make our way up to the ninth floor where our suite lies at the end of the hall.

The room is big, clean, with a giant bathroom that has a jacuzzi and a little living room with a mini kitchen.

The only issue is that the couch in the living room is nothing more than a loveseat, which means that it will be me and Nesta in the same bed, yet again.

At least it’s a king size.

Apparently I’m staring disappointedly at the bed because Nesta asks, “Something wrong?”

Surely she knows. One look at her and I can tell she does. “Nope.”

I toss our bags on the loveseat and open mine up, finding my toothbrush and all my other toiletries before making my way to the bathroom and closing the door behind me.

I take longer in the bathroom than I usually would, but I also admit that I’m being a bit of a coward. I’m hoping that when I come out, Nesta will be in bed, already asleep, and I can curl up on the uncomfortable loveseat for what I can only imagine will be one of the worst night’s sleep of my life. I want to skip the fight that I feel is inevitable. I’m too tired to fight, too tired to explain to her why I can’t sleep in the bed with her.

But what I want doesn’t matter, because when I exit the bathroom, Nesta isn’t in bed. She isn’t even in the room.

The sliding door leading the balcony is open, sheer, white curtains fluttering in the warm breeze and I know that’s where I’ll find her.

She doesn’t notice me immediately, her eyes closed as she takes in the ocean air. Her hair hangs long and loose down her back, freed from the braid she usually wears it in, and she’s changed out of her leggings and t-shirt. I don’t recognize the pale, lace night gown she’s wearing.

But she looks absolutely ethereal standing in the moonlight.

I’m breathless.

Even when I’m pissed, frustrated with this woman, she has the power to take my breath away.

Which is why I’m still here, why I didn’t leave for good. I need that reminder as I step onto the balcony.

Her eyes open as I lean against the railing next to her but she doesn’t look at me. For a moment, neither of us say a word, but then she says, “You can’t sleep on that couch.”

The sound of the waves crashing against the shore relax me. “I know.”

“Does that mean you’re okay sleeping with me tonight?” she asks, and her voice is quiet which is strange for Nesta. It’s strange to hear fear lacing her tone, even if it’s subtle.

“I did debate on creating a pillow blockade between us,” I say, and I say it as a joke even though it’s something I considered while getting ready for bed.

Nesta huffs a laugh but there’s hardly any humor in it. “I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Cassian—”

“It’s late,” I say, and finally look at her. She’s still looking at the water, but her body is relaxed as if she’s come to terms with the conversation we’re about to have. “We can do this tomorrow—”

“No, we can’t.” She turns toward me then and looks up. Her eyes are pleading. “I don’t want this vacation to start off on the wrong foot. This is supposed to be good for us and it can’t be good for us if we’re not communicating. You’re pissed.” I open my mouth, but she shakes her head before I can say anything. “And don’t say you’re not. I’m not stupid, Cassian. I messed up, and I’ve been pretending like I didn’t do anything wrong but I did. I know I did, and I feel foolish. The other night… I’ve been wanting you to touch me like that for so long. It wasn’t that I wanted you to stop, because I didn’t, but when I saw Eris was calling me, my stubborn, workaholic nature took over and I had to answer. If I hadn’t answered, it would have been all I was thinking about, instead of what we were doing. And that’s not an excuse, because I know I hurt you when I answered the damn phone, and you’re right. I shouldn’t have.”

You’re right. Those are not words that leave my wife’s mouth often.

“But I meant what I said, what I promised you. This weekend is about us. I’m going to wake up every morning, respond to emails, mark a couple of little things off my checklist, and that’s it. And if you feel like I’m taking too long, then tell me. But I got a lot done in the last week, just so I can spend this time with you, uninterrupted. I want you to know that I’m all in, with you. You’re more important than my job, and if you’re feeling like you’re not, I need you to be vocal about it so I can be more aware.”

Last time I was vocal about it, she answered the phone anyways, but I don’t tell her that now. She’s trying. She’s communicating. She’s being honest. So, I nod. “It’s late,” I repeat, although more gentle than before. “Let’s get to bed so we can have a good day tomorrow.”

The fear in her eyes fades and she looks relieved as she takes my hand. I let her pull me inside, toward the bed, where we lay down together beneath the blankets.

Nothing more is said as we drift off to sleep, but she lays her head against my chest and I hold on to her through the night.

…………..

Nesta

…………..

I haven’t had such a good night’s sleep since the last time I had Cass in bed with me, and the only reason I wake up now is because the newly awoken sun is streaming through the thin curtains and my husband’s cock is burying itself painfully into my backside.

All night, he never let me go. My back is pressed up against his front, his arm slung lazily across my waist as he breathes steadily into the silence. I can feel his chest rise and fall against my back. It calms me.

I know that he’s sleeping better now than he has in days, too, and I don’t want to wake him so I stay perfectly still, even though I’m tempted, even if all I can think about is the feel of him up against me.

All I’ve been able to think of since that night is how I could be so stupid. We’ve been making so much progress. We’ve both opened up and talked about things we didn’t want to. I’ve acknowledged that I work too much and that it’s not only one of my character flaws but the main reason I nearly lost my husband.

And the first opportunity I have to prove that he means more to me than any job ever will? I fuck it up.

For a moment, I let myself consider how that night could have ended if I didn’t answer the phone.

Likely with me bent over the kitchen counter, one of my knees propped up on one of the bar stools, as Cassian gripped my hips, pounding into me—

Cassian’s arm tightened around my waist as he shifted in his sleep and I tensed, not sure if he was awake. He murmured something, a sure sign that he was still dreaming, and settled into his pillows, not loosening his grip on me.

His thick erection, nestled into the cleft of my ass, was all I could think about. It made the throbbing between my legs all the more insistent and for a second I thought about touching myself.

What a hell of a way to wake my husband up on the first morning of our vacation.

But then I had a better idea.

I listened closely to the sound of his breathing, ensuring he was still well and truly asleep and then carefully turned over in his arms. It was a slow process, considering the hold he had on me, but after a minute, I found myself gazing into his sleeping face.

Even fast asleep, he’s ridiculously handsome, although that cocky tilt of his lips is gone when he’s out like this. I lay there for a minute, admiring his beauty, and then he stirs and I freeze. The hand that’s slung around me moves lower, his hand cupping my ass with a content sigh before he starts snoring, softly.

I force myself not to laugh, even if it’s adorable, until he shifts again and I can feel every inch of him perfectly against the thin fabric of my nightgown. Mother damn me, I want him inside of me. It takes everything within me not to grind against him, not to take control and give myself pleasure, but this wouldn’t be about me.

It would be about him.

I reach up and brush his hair back with teasingly soft fingertips. His lips, in perfect calm, form the softest of smiles.

With my hands still tucked in close to me, I press my lips to the center of his chest. It's a soft kiss, my mouth meeting his warm, toned skin, but I let it linger. I let my tongue brush over his skin, and then I move my lips to a new spot and do the same. As I pepper his chest with lingering kisses, I run a hand up his abdomen. His body jumps a little beneath my touch, almost like it tickles, and his hand on my ass tightens. My leg is drawn up over him, and now that I can feel his erection against my throbbing clit, I can’t stop myself from rocking my hips against him, just to ease the torturous feeling, if only a little. Cassian groans quietly, and I know that he’s now awake, even though his eyes are still closed, when his hips rock back into me.

I used to wake him up like this all the time, and he would do the same to me. Waking one another with little, teasing kisses until it escalated into something far more. I miss waking up like this, with him, starting off my day in pure bliss, with a euphoric high.

He breathes my name, and the second it falls from his tongue, I can’t control myself any longer. My mouth trails up the side of his neck until it finds that spot he loves, just beneath his jaw, just below his ear and sucks vigorously as my hand slides back down his hard abdomen. My fingers tease the waistband of his sweatpants, but he’s not having it.

“Nesta,” he pleads, yet again, and I nip at his skin, causing him to moan quietly above his deep, heavy breaths. His hips can’t stay still, as if his cock has a mind of its own. But he shouldn’t have to chase it, shouldn’t have to be the one to guide pleasure. My hand slips into his sweats and I take him into my hand.

The second my fingers wrap around his length, he curses.

I lean back, and his eyes are open, his lips parted. The look full of lust and love and need that he gives me makes me want to mount him right here and now, but this morning is about him. Instead, I pump him a few times, slowly, before pulling my hand out of his pants and just when he’s about to protest, I straddle his thighs and yank his sweats down until he’s free.

Everything about my husband is magnificent. His face, his hair, his body. And most definitely is cock.

Beautiful, and hard, and absolutely enormous. My mouth is watering as I look at him, at his body I’ve scarcely seen over the past year, at his cock, staring and already dripping precum and practically begging for me to touch it.

Gripping him at the base, I lean in, ready to swirl my tongue around the swollen head, just how I know drives him wild, and—

His hands grab my shoulders, stopping me. “Nesta, you don’t have to—”

“No, I don’t have to,” I agree, rubbing the head of his cock over my lips. “But I want to.”

He makes a choking sound, but doesn’t try to stop me any further.

After almost ten years together, I know his body as well as my own. I know what makes him go crazy and what will unleash him. I know every spot that tickles, what to do that will make him moan and groan and lose control. This morning, I’m pretending I don’t. I take my time exploring him, slowly dragging fingers up and down his length, over the ridge of the swollen head, teasing a vein that runs along the side.

Gazing up at him, I grip him tightly at the base and flick my tongue over the head once. As soon as my tongue glides over his skin, his hand is in my hair and he curses violently.

Our eyes are locked as I do it again, and his jaw ticks as he swallows harshly. The fingers in my hair tighten which makes me moan, a sound that drives my husband wild. I slowly work him, my mouth and hand working in tandem. It isn’t until his head is back on the pillow, his eyes closed, his breathing quick that I take the entirety of him into my mouth.

That foul language of his greets me once more, and his filthy mouth does things to me that I have no control of. I keep still for a moment, my tongue running wild before I release him and repeat the motion, again and again, taking him into my mouth, a little quicker each time. His fingers are still tangled into my hair, gripping each strand hard enough to bring on a pleasant tinge of pain. I relish in it, in that pain, in this moment. I don’t even realize I’m touching myself until I’m moaning, the sound muffled as I take him in, as I cup his balls with my free hand and give them a squeeze.

Unable to keep still any longer, Cassian’s hips began to writhe beneath me. With one quick buck, I have him fully in my mouth yet again, and I grab his ass to encourage him to repeat the motion.

His other hand joins the one in my hair, but this one smooths it back off my face, making sure he can see everything I’m doing. Gazing up at him, I can tell the second he notices my hand moving frantically, my own orgasm building quicker than I expected it. His eyes grow impossibly darker, fingers massaging my scalp before pulling on the strands of my hair again. “Are you close?”

I nod, loving the gravely tone of his voice, rough with sleep and lust. My mouth is too full to answer directly, so I bob my head in time with the fingers plunging in and out of my center.

Cassian tugs my hair, once again. “Let me watch you come.”

My entire body feels like it’s on fire as my toes curl, that sensation that I haven’t felt in so long starting to flow its way through my body. My mouth, my movements, become less fluid and Cassian tugs at my hair again, this time pulling my mouth free of his cock.

Dragging me up his body, his lips crash against mine as his fingers replace mine. I gasp at the feeling of his fingers sliding through my folds, unable to stop the moan as he circles my clit.

Reaching between us, I grip his cock, still slick and wet from my mouth and squeeze as I stroke him from base to tip.

“You’re so wet,” he groans, pumping his hips into my hand, fucking it like he had my mouth moments before. I’m just as desperate for release as he is. I’m grinding into his hand as he expertly works me, thumb circling my clit in time with the finger he has plunged inside me, knowing it’ll have me on the edge in a matter of seconds. He bites down on my neck and I moan. “So wet and so needy.”

And then he lowers his head to my breasts.

The blunt edge of his teeth on my nipple sends me falling into utter bliss. I cry out as my entire body tenses, my pussy clenching around his fingers.

Cassian groans low and then I can feel a warm wetness on my lower belly and my hand. Still lost in the orgasm crashing through me, I barely notice as Cassian curses softly, his voice laced with ecstasy.

Then his mouth is on mine again and he’s kissing me like I’m the air he needs to breathe, like a man who’s been starving being presented a feast.

My mind can’t form a single thought. All I can focus on are his hands around my waist, his mouth on mine, the hunger and desperate need radiating off of him, even though we’ve both found our releases. There’s something far deeper that just happened between us than helping one another orgasm and feel good. A wall has broken down, a barrier has crumbled that has been up for far too long. I feel lighter as he kisses me, as his tongue brushes mine, like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

And when I break our kiss to meet his gaze, I know, without a doubt, that he feels it, too.

#nessian #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acosf #acofas #nessian bow #fanfic #fanfiction #sjm

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katsu28 · 2 years

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pairing: Eddie Munson x reader

summary: Y/N pays Eddie a visit while he’s hiding out at Reefer Rick’s

warnings: swearing, mentions of drinking, mentions of death, st4 spoilers

a/n: new favorite white boy alert! i’m adding eddie and steve to my character list bc i’m obsessed

i’ll get around to adding them both to the taglist form, but in the meantime comment or shoot me an ask if you want to be added to either!

masterlist + taglist

“2121 Holland Road, 2121—there we go,” You muttered to yourself, squinting at the tiny numbers painted on chipped mailboxes in the fading Hawkins daylight. You’d been tasked with delivering food to one very whiny and very house arrested Eddie Munson, and it was just your luck that this Reefer Rick character lived in the middle of goddamn nowhere.

You knocked on the door lightly, shifting from foot to foot as you waited for Eddie to open the door. There was some shuffling from inside, but no answer.

“Eddie! Open up!” You called softly, knocking again.

Eddie’s voice was muffled through the wooden door. “Who is it? State your business!”

“State my—it’s Y/N! Y’know, the one helping you hide from the cops?” Nothing but more silence on Eddie’s end. “I got you some food, but I guess I’m just gonna have to keep this double bacon cheeseburger and ice cold six pack for myself. I’ll be on my way then, don’t—”

The door swung open, hands shooting out and pulling you inside quickly—so quickly that you stumbled over the threshold and crashed into something hard as the door slammed shut behind you.

“Did anyone follow you here?” Eddie’s hands on your shoulders were tight, nearly knocking off the sunglasses perched on top of your head as he shook you.

“No!” You exclaimed, pushing away from him frustratedly. “You think I’d be dumb enough to lead someone straight to you? I’m not stupid, Eddie!”

He nodded in defeat, backing up a few feet and linking his hands behind his head. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I’m just—I’m being paranoid.”

“I’d say,” You huffed, straightening out your glasses. “Here’s your food.”

Eddie’s eyes lit up at the plastic bags in your hands, surging forward as soon as you dropped them on the table, and cracking open a beer. You watched in amusement as he chugged the whole can in record speed, then dove into the burger and fries like a starving man, despite all the wrappers and empty cans strewn about the kitchen. When he noticed you watching, he straightened up, wiping his mouth hastily before offering out a beer towards you.

“Sorry, where are my manners? You want in on this?” He asked sheepishly. You shook your head, instead opting to tidy up a bit. “You don’t have to—um, thanks. For the food. And…yeah, just thanks.”

“Of course.” You replied, tossing an empty can of soup into the trash. “How’re you holding up in here?”

“Oh, not bad. Me and my overactive imagination alone in the literal asscrack of nowhere, always a winning combination.” He said casually, gesturing vaguely at his surroundings. “Had a gnarly game of hacky sack going before you scared the crap out of me.”

“Aw, sorry,” You snickered, to which he shrugged.

“I’ll get there again. How’s everything out there in civilization?”

“Everything’s fine.” Everything was most definitely not fine, but you didn’t want to freak Eddie out any more than he already was. “We’re working a few leads on finding Vecna, so—”

“You don’t have to lie to me, Y/N. I can take it.” He let out a wry chuckle, shaking his head. “C’mon, lay it on me. Give it to me straight.”

“Okay, well, the cops definitely still think you killed Chrissy, so they’re still looking for you. And I heard that Jason and his knucklehead friends are on the hunt for you now too,” You blurted, taking note of the way Eddie’s jaw clenched at the mention of Chrissy’s boyfriend. “But they’re total idiots, so I doubt they’ll get anywhere.”

Eddie crumpled up another empty beer can in his fist, a scowl gracing his otherwise handsome face. He let his forehead thunk against the table, huffing out a frustrated groan. “Great. That’s great. Just another one of my fuck ups coming back to bite me in the ass.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, and you made your way over to slide into the seat next to him.

“Eddie, this isn’t your fault.” You said softly, reaching out to put a hand on his tense shoulder. He merely let out another groan. “I’m serious, you can’t be blaming yourself for something you had no control over, okay? This whole shitty situation, it’s not your fault. How could it be? It’s not like you woke up last week like ‘You know what sounds fun? Being accused for a murder I didn’t commit, and throwing myself into a world where monsters are really real and like to kill teenagers’! No, that’s not what happened, so just—just stop putting all that weight on your shoulders.”

It wasn’t until Eddie lifted his head that you realized just how close you’d leaned in towards him during your whole speech—so close that you could feel his breath fanning across your cheeks as his wide eyes darted around your face. For a split second, you thought you noticed his gaze flick down to your lips, but when you blinked again he just cleared his throat, rising up out of his seat and retreating over to the couch.

Maybe you were just imagining it then.

“Thanks for the, uh, the pep talk.” He replied awkwardly, fiddling with the chain on his belt. “You should make it a hobby. Y/N’s life coaching—could make some big bucks. Maybe use some of it to bail me outta the slammer when they finally nab me.”

You rolled your eyes at his words. “Obviously I’m not that good at it since you’re still being a stick in the mud. They’re not gonna throw you in jail for something you didn’t do! The truth always prevails, Eddie.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one whose ass is on the line.”

“You don’t think my ass is on the line too? All our asses?” You scoffed. “Say the police bust in here right now—I’d be arrested for aiding and abetting a murderer!”

“I didn’t murder anyone!”

“I know that. You know that. But to everyone else, you murdered Chrissy, and then you ran!” You exclaimed, making your way to stand your ground in front of him with crossed arms. “Not exactly the actions of someone innocent!”

Eddie’s eyes were dark, chest heaving as he stared down at you, and you couldn’t tell if you’d just royally pissed him off or if he was still processing what you’d said.

So when his mouth was suddenly on yours and he was kissing you fiercely, you were completely taken aback. His lips were soft, but his kiss was firm, and he tasted like weed and beer and…was that SpaghettiOs?

Honestly, you didn’t hate it.

You kissed Eddie back fervently, feeling his fingers hook into your belt loops and letting out a noise of surprise when he pulled you down on top of him as he fell back onto the couch. His hands traveled from your hips and up your sides, the cold metal of his rings leaving goosebumps in their wake as his fingers curled around the back of your neck gently.

Your breath hitched in your throat when Eddie’s mouth left yours and started moving down your neck, pressing soft kisses against the column of your throat, but it wasn’t until he brushed your hair away from your shoulder and nipped at the bare skin, then moved back up to slot his mouth against yours again, that your brain actually registered what was happening.

You managed to pull yourself away from Eddie after indulging yourself with his kiss (and before both of you started something you might not finish), your hands moving from being tangled in his hair to bracing themselves against his firm chest. His eyes fluttered open at the loss of your lips against his, head cocking in curiosity.

“Eddie,” You panted, “What are we doing?”

Eddie brought his arms up to lay over the tops of the couch cushions, a smirk playing across his kiss-swollen lips. “I thought it was pretty self-explanatory, sweetheart. You’re hot when you’re mad at me.”

“Oh wow, really?” You rolled your eyes in annoyance, climbing off his lap and straightening out your wrinkled shirt from where his fingers had bunched up the fabric. “Nice line, Munson. Where’d you learn it from?”

His eyes widened as you took a seat at the far end of the couch, shifting to face you with flushed cheeks. “Hey, no, I didn’t mean to—that’s not how I wanted it to come off.”

“Tell me then, how did you mean for it to come off?”

“I—I was just…wow, I really just fucked all this up, didn’t I?”

“All this?”

“Yeah, I mean—wait, no. Not ‘all this’ in that kind of way, I meant like—holy fuck, this is so not going well.” He sounded almost panicked now, dragging his hands through his hair as he stumbled over his words while you just watched with an amused smile on your lips that he didn’t seem to notice through his rambling. “What I meant was, I think you’re hot. Not just when you’re mad at me, but all the—all the time. Because I kinda like you. No, screw that, I really like you, and this whole thing is making me really fucking nervous if you couldn’t tell. You can probably tell, I’m not—I’m not good at this.”

“You really aren’t.” You chuckled softly, to which Eddie’s shoulders slumped in relief. You weren’t mad at him. “And…I’m not mad at you, Eddie, I just—I wish you’d stop being so hard on yourself for all this.”

“Yeah, well, the sooner we get out of this mess, the better I’ll feel.” He sighed, scooting closer to you so that his knees were pressed against yours and looking at you hopefully. “So I, um, I noticed that you didn’t mention anything about me saying that I liked you, and uh, I feel like I’m about to shit my pants, so…thoughts, comments, reactions? Anything?”

You were silent for a painfully long time, the only sound being Eddie’s uneven breath and the whistle of the wind outside, and god, would he give anything to figure out what was going on inside your head right now.

The more the minutes ticked away, the stupider he felt. Who did he think he was, dropping that bomb on you in the midst of everything happening. He couldn’t get into a relationship right now, not when he was still a fugitive wanted for murder and hiding out in his drug dealer’s dusty old house. Not when there was a likelihood that either of you could be taken by this Vecna creep at any given moment.

But by that logic, this would be the best time to act on his feelings. Live in the moment, no regrets, all that shit. Eddie had a lot of regrets, but not telling you how he felt about you was sure as hell not one of them.

Finally, you spoke, your voice impossibly soft. “I think we should have this conversation after we clear your name and get rid of the creepy, kid-killing, mind invading monster.”

Those words had his heart deflating in his chest, shoulders sagging at the realization that he’d just gotten shot down by the girl of his dreams. But then you leaned forward and pressed a fleeting kiss to his cheek, and it confused him.

“I’m not saying I don’t like you back, because I do. I just don’t want this to be some spur of the moment thing that we both dive headfirst into because we think the world is ending.” You assured him, brushing your thumb across the rings adorning his fingers.

“I’m not—it’s not a spur of the moment thing, I promise,” He insisted. “I like you, Y/N. Always have.”

You felt your cheeks grow warm. “Really?”

“Really.” Eddie nodded. “Ever since you walked into chemistry class sophomore year, I was hooked. Didn’t think you’d ever look twice in my direction, but here we are.”

“All it took was a warrant for your arrest and a monster from another dimension to get us here.” You joked, lips quirking up into a smile. Eddie rolled his eyes playfully at your jest, bringing your intertwined hands up to kiss your knuckles softly.

“Tell me the truth—do you think we can beat Vecna?” He asked quietly a little while later, looking over at you with what you could only describe as a haunted expression. “Because I’ve seen what he does to people, what he did to Chrissy, and I…I’m scared.”

“I think that if anyone can beat Vecna, it’s us. These kids…they’re like little geniuses. You wouldn’t even believe how many times they’ve saved Hawkins and nobody’s ever known.” You let your head fall back against the couch cushions with a breathy chuckle. “Hell, I was only there for the Russians at Starcourt, and that wasn’t even the weirdest one.”

“Hang on, there were Russians at Starcourt??? I thought that was a fire!”

“Dustin didn��t tell you?”

“No, he most definitely did not.”

“Shit, man, it was insane!” You exclaimed, delving into your account of the whole Starcourt incident with Eddie hanging onto your every word.

If someone told you that you’d ever be hiding out in a drug dealer’s house with Eddie Munson while the world around you went to shit, you would’ve laughed out loud at just the thought of it. But it really was surprising how the possible end of the world (again) could change what you thought you knew.

And who knew, maybe if the both of you survived everything, you could actually, finally live a somewhat normal life—one where you could be with the complete weirdo you liked and not have to worry about monsters or the Upside Down.

#eddie munson #i love this nerdy lil metalhead so much #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #stranger things #st4 spoilers #stranger things s4 #stranger things spoilers #stranger things s4 vol 1 #joseph quinn

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thepaintedlady00 · 1 year

Text

Nightshade

Chapter 6: Mouthfeel

Chapter 5 | Chapter 7

TW: awkwardness, some minor nudity, mentions of suicide (not graphic), Simone is a bitch in this chapter, slightly mentions of smoking and drugs, language, mentions of past criminal activity, slight cliffhanger.

Sorry about the late update y'all! I had a rough day yesterday and just didn't have the time to finish editing. Please enjoy! 🥰

Jake’s warm jacket draped over my shoulders as we walked up the beach house steps in silence. Neither of us really knew what to say at this point. What do you say following a near-death experience and a mutual trauma dump? With each step, I left a puddle of water behind me and mentally cursed myself for being stupid enough to jump into the ocean wearing the only pair of jeans I had in that old bag.

I swung the door open and did my best to ignore the fact that Jake was now not only fully aware of my raging mommy issues but was also stepping into the threshold of where those issues were mostly forged. Glass crunched beneath my feet. Right… There’s also that. “Uh, don’t fall. There’s glass everywhere down here.”

“Yeah, looks like you had quite the rager,” Jake mused quietly. “Need help cleaning it up?”

“No,” I replied, laying his jacket over the back of the couch. “I never clean up while I’m here. She can hire someone to do it when she comes back.”

He nodded, slowly moving through the living room and taking in the sight. “Looks like no one has been here for months.”

“Yeah, we moved around a lot for her business stuff. She doesn’t come here much anymore. Guess it wasn’t as fun without a kid to throw in the ocean.”

Jake chuckled at my poor attempt to ease the tension and kicked the empty bottles of booze. “Think you broke my bender record for the most amount of alcohol consumed.”

“Shut up.”

He looked at me, eyeing my still trembling, soaked form. “You should get changed.”

I nodded. “A great idea. Sadly I don’t exactly have a ton of spare clothes on hand.”

He replied with a barely restrained grin, “We’re both adults. A little nudity never hurt anyone.”

“You’re funny,” I responded, grabbing my bag from the kitchen counter to search my options. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. “Fuck.”

Jake clicked his tongue. “Looks like we’re in for an interesting night.”

With a sigh, I turned to face him. “No one’s forcing you to stay.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “But it’s a bit dark out now, and I’d hate to get caught wandering these dangerous streets at night.”

“Well, we both know how easy it’d be for you to get your ass kicked.”

“Absolutely. So, what’s the plan?” His smile grew unbearably wider as he raised a brow, drawing his eyes down the length of my body. “You wanna go first, or should I?”

I scoffed. “Do you really think I’m that easy?”

“If you were easy, I would’ve fucked you months ago, princess.” Jake took a step forward, relying on the play he always seemed to. Close the distance and force them into a corner to let the lack of space do all the work. And just like every time he’d tried it before, Jake was met with my body’s solid, unflinching mass.

“Really?” I asked quietly, deliberately keeping eye contact with him. “How many times have you tried this move?”

“A lot,” he admitted. “Though I’m not exactly complaining about how you respond to it.”

I set a hand on his chest and shoved him back. “Here’s the deal, I don’t have any dry clothes, and you don’t have any dry clothes. There’s a dryer in the upstairs bathroom. So you are going to shower because you smell like an old woman scrubbed you down with shitty ocean febreeze.”

“Not going to join me?” He asked flirtatiously.

“No. I will set up the bedroom for the two of us to sleep in. SLEEP in, no funny business.”

“I’d hardly call it funny-”

“Jake.”

He raised his hands with a smirk. “Alright, alright.”

I shook my head. “When you’re done, wrap a towel around your ass, and you can get in bed while I put our clothes in the dryer and shower. If you so much as try and peek, I’ll toss you in the ocean.”

“I kinda like it when you boss me around,” Jake replied with a wink. “Gonna give me a quick tour, or should I just start opening doors?”

Though his comment made my heart skip a beat, I rolled my eyes at him and led the way up the stairs and into my old room. I kept my head down as I showed him to the bathroom, trying as best I could not to let the belongings that had once been mine drag me back down. “Leave your clothes by the door, and I’ll grab them and put them in the dryer.”

He looked around the small bathroom, carefully snooping through the slightly dusty scene. “Last chance to join me. We could save some water.”

“Leave your shit by the door,” I replied, closing the bathroom door behind me as I set the bed.

The shower turned on after a minute or two of silence, allowing me a few minutes to breathe. I stood in the middle of the room, shivering slightly as I stared at the bare walls and the dusty surfaces that held one or two small trinkets. Nothing here was important… None of it was even real. The picture frames were empty, the ribbons and trophies held no memories of joy or any feelings of accomplishment, and none of the small trinkets I’d collected in my time here meant anything.

This room was a tomb, a cage, a place haunted by the sons of a child and the endless stream of voices telling her she was not enough. I could practically see her bent over the desk by the window, desperately studying and afraid to look out the window. Afraid to watch the world and everyone in it pass by. You are enough, I wanted to tell her. You were always enough. But I knew she couldn’t hear me. I knew the past was set in stone. All her suffering and all her doubts and fears they’d already happened.

My hand settled against my shoulder, settled against the chilled skin marred by the hideous scar. I smoothed my fingers over it for a moment before snapping myself out of pity and regret of the past. Then, stripping the bed of its dust-covered blankets and sheets, I beat them out as best I could before putting it all back together. It smelt terrible, but it’d have to do. I shoved a few pillows in the middle, dividing the bed in half as the shower stopped.

Jake emerged from the bathroom with a towel hanging lowly on his hips, and his exposed chest glistened with leftover water. His arms were covered with dark tattoos, ones I didn’t get to look at closely before he leaned against the doorframe with a smile. “Left or right?”

“What?” I asked, quickly looking away from his chest to finish the bed.

I could practically feel Jake’s joy as he chuckled. “Do you prefer to sleep on the left or right?”

“I don’t really care either way,” I insisted.

He walked across the room and sat down on the left side, bouncing on the bed slightly before throwing his legs up and lounging back on the pillows. “I’ll take the left then.”

His smirk was unbearable as I turned and headed toward the bathroom. “Don’t fuck up the pillows.”

I tossed his wet clothes in the small dryer before stripping myself and adding my own to the machine. My whole body ached from swimming, and my head pounded. The hot water was a quick blessing, one that ran out quickly. A sharp gasp escaped my lips as the cold water stung my back. “Holy fucking shit!”

There was a soft knock at the door. “You alright in there?”

“You used all the hot water, asshole!” I hollered.

Jake chuckled. “Oops.”

“I swear to god I’m going to kill you.”

“That’d be pretty fucked up, considering I just spent my night saving your ass.” There was a pause before he spoke again, “Want me to join you? I’m sure we can find a way to heat the place up.”

“Open that door, and I’ll shove my foot all the way up your ass!”

His laugh, muffled by the door, still sent a shiver up my spine. No, I insisted. It’s just from the water. “Well, enjoy your cold shower then.”

“Dickhead.”

I was shivering when I’d rinsed the salty stench of the water off myself. I wrapped myself in a towel and turned the light off, quickly moving to my side of the bed and getting beneath the covers while Jake smiled at me over the pillows between us. He held his head up in his hand, resting on his elbow to watch me. “You know you’d be a lot warmer if we were closer. You know, body heat and all.”

I rolled my eyes and glared over at him. “Don’t push your luck.”

“I’m just saying, it’s awfully cold.”

“You’re always welcome to warm yourself up downstairs with all the glass.”

Jake laughed, the movement shaking the bed slightly as he moved to settle down first the night. “Fine, I’ll keep my warm body on my side then.”

“Go to sleep.”

He was quiet for all of twenty seconds before he spoke again, “Can I ask you something?”

I groaned quietly, glaring at him even harder over the pillows barricading between us. “What part about “go to sleep” do you not get?”

“Come on, princess, indulge me a little.”

“I think I’ve indulged you more than enough.”

Jake smiled at me, the moonlight casting across the side of his face and making that dumb grin of his glow. “I’m insatiable, what can I say?”

“What do you want to ask?”

“You told me about your mom. About what happened back then.” Anxiety consumed every inch of me as I kept breathing in and out.

“And?”

“You never told me why you were out there tonight.”

My jaw clenched as I thought about what to say. Why had I gone out there tonight? Why had I chosen to leap off a boat into the fucking ocean? “I…” I sighed. “I was pretty shitfaced.”

Jake saw straight through the deflection. “Were you… Was this some kind of… attempt?”

That fear I’d seen in his eyes as he leaned over the side of the boat and begged me to take his hand was back, shining brighter now as it looked like he held back tears. “No,” I whispered, reaching over the barricade to squeeze his hand. “I wasn’t trying to kill myself.”

His eyes closed tightly as he squeezed my hand back. “Good. That’s good.”

Was that why he was still here? Did he think I’d jump back in the water the second he was gone? Clearing my throat, I pulled my hand back and settled into the covers, trying to regain a sense of separation from him. “No more questions til we’re both back in New York.”

“Oh?” He chuckled. “Will I get more than four next time?”

“Maybe,” I answered. “If you shut up and go to sleep.”

“Keep talkin like that, and I’ll be up all night, princess.”

I rolled my eyes before closing them tightly. “Stop calling me that.”

“Not a chance.”

“God, you’re annoying,” I teased with a smile.

Jake laughed. “It’s all part of my charm.”

Jake tossed and turned for a while before settling on his back, blinking the sleep from his eyes to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. The ceiling of Lena Harrow’s old bedroom. The night’s events returned to him like a freight train as he quickly turned to look over the pillows where Lena had been sleeping. For a moment, he was worried she’d be gone, worried she’d wanted until he was asleep to sneak back out onto the water. That all melted away at the sight of her bare back glowing in the morning light.

Her red hair pooled over the pillow she buried her head into, and the bed shifted ever so slightly with each deep breath she took. Jake sighed before his eyes wandered down the smooth skin exposed to him. Her spine was decorated with a large tattoo, a snake shedding its dark, dull skin to reveal new pearlescent scales. He wanted to reach out and run his fingers along the gorgeous piece of art and trace the lines of her tattoo as well.

The same sensations he felt the day before rose to the surface. God, she’s perfect. Everything about her spoke to him, drawing him in like no one he’d ever known. She shifted slightly, making a soft noise that sent a wave of heat through him like damn lightning. He slid out from beneath the covers, careful to not jostle the bed and wake her up, though it was tempting just to see how she’d react to seeing his bare ass. If last night told him anything, she’d enjoy what she saw, just like she had when he exited the bathroom.

The room was void of the life and attitude that he knew Lena to have. The walls were painted a dull white, probably some pretentious name like eggshell or cream of some bullshit. There were no posters or pictures, no artwork, only photos of generic art that looked like it belonged in a hotel rather than a room. Trophies and ribbons hung from a few shelves, all for competitions he couldn’t imagine Lena enjoying. Mathematics, spelling, science, music… It wasn’t her. That was the point, though, wasn’t it? “I wasn’t like this back then.” He hadn’t known what she meant then, but he sure as hell did now. If this was the mold she’d been forced into as a kid, it was likely a hard thing to break out of. Jake looked back towards her, still sleeping beneath the covers, and felt sad.

He didn’t get the normal childhood that other kids did. When he was younger, he hated them because of it. Hated everyone he came in contact with that had parents show up at recitals or parent-teacher conferences. Seeing this… Seeing how she had lived, been treated, and been put through for the first time, Jake considered that maybe she’d been right that night in the hall. Maybe he wasn’t the only one that had it bad. A dead mom was better than one that hated who you were so much she threw you in the ocean.

Jake had done his best to help the redhead out after the boat, but this situation was uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to act or what to say… and he really didn’t want to fuck this up. Lena’s trust and faith in him made him feel good. It made him think that maybe, just maybe, he could be the guy she thought he was, the guy Simone always wanted him to be. Dependable, honest, hardworking, selfless… Everything he felt he’d lacked.

Lena shifted again with another soft noise that made his mind go blank. If that’s how she sounds while she’s sleeping, just imagine how- He shut the thought down quickly and slipped into the bathroom to check on his clothes and to get some distance from her beautiful, naked, unholy sounds. His underwear and pants had dried nicely, but the shirt he’d worn along with Lena’s things was still damp. Jake restarted the machine and dressed as much as possible before quietly heading downstairs.

Waking up in the stiff musty bed felt like waking up years ago. It was unsettling how I lay there for a moment, waiting for her to come pounding on my door or even just waltz inside, uninvited to scold me for not getting out of bed fast enough. What was more unsettling was the silence. I turned, rolling face first to a wall of pillows that barred me from the other side of the bed. What the fuck? I peeked over at the unmade half of the bed, the used pillow, and the towel on the floor. It was then that I realized I hadn’t been dreaming about the insane events that occurred last night. I’d gotten drunk, drove a boat, and jumped into the ocean. Crazier than that was that Jake had found me… found me and stayed the night.

I couldn’t help but smile a bit as I recalled the way he snored loudly beside me, the way his feet and arms would ignore the pillows between us to seek out the person in bed beside him. Whether it was intentional or not, I didn’t know, but I wagered it’d be amusing as hell to find out. The room was empty. Jake must’ve grabbed his things and left before I woke up. I sighed, stretching the sleep from my limbs before making my way to the dryer to pull on the newly dried, still-warm clothes inside. My eyes were still heavy from sleep, and my head was pounding from the fun hangover I knew would be haunting me today.

I put my shoes back on and went downstairs to find some kind of medication or food before heading back to New York. Glass crunched beneath my feet as I turned toward the kitchen and stopped in my tracks. Jake was there, looking through cabinets and examining the boxes of expired food that no doubt was still inside. Just like last night, my eyes went to his tattoos. I couldn’t make out what most of them were from here, but I admired them nonetheless… them and the lean muscle of his exposed back and chest as he moved.

“Gonna stand there and stare at me all morning?” He asked, blue eyes flashing with that self-assured smug attitude of his.

“I thought you went home,” I deflected, moving to join him in the kitchen. “Why are you shirtless?”

Jake’s eyes shifted to look down at my chest, not unusual for him, though the way his lips curled into even more of a shit-eating grin should’ve been a warning. “Were you wanting me to peel it off your back or what?” I looked down at the t-shirt I’d grabbed from the dryer, his t-shirt. “I’m not opposed, of course, but there are far easier ways to ask me to strip you.”

I ignored how my face heated up at his words and shook my head. “I was still half asleep when I got dressed.” I turned back toward the stairs, pulling the shirt over my head and tossing it behind me. My shirt was stuck in the very back of the machine when I pulled it out and hissed, “Traitor.”

Jake was waiting in the living room, his shirt back on as his eyes scanned over the words of a book he’d found. He glanced up at me. “You could’ve kept mine, you know. We could’ve switched.

“I think it would’ve been a bit of a tight fit on your end.”

“I could just walk around shirtless more. You seem to enjoy that.”

I scoffed and moved around the room, quickly packing what little I’d brought back into the bag I had brought. The tension in the air seemed to grow as the silence was weighed down by all that had been said between us. I cleared my throat. “Sorry, there’s not anything to eat here. I would’ve offered to make you shitty eggs or something.”

Jake chuckled, closing the book and setting it down where he’d found it. “As great as shitty eggs sound, I was thinking we could stop by a diner. It’s not far, and it’s usually not too busy.”

“Grumpy’s?”

“Yeah,” he smiled a bit, “I keep forgetting you lived here too.”

“It’s easy to forget,” I replied, nodding toward the door. “We can take the bike. I’ve gotta get going in a bit if I want to get back to the city before dark.”

“You’re leaving today?”

“Yeah,” I pulled my phone out of my bag and played the beginning of the thirty messages everyone had left me.

“Lena, you’d better fill that gas tank up before bringing my bike back!” Dom.

“Hey, fucking bitch, call me - us, I said US! Put that shoe down, Prue, I swear to God!” Quinn and Prue.

“Call me darling. You don’t have to talk. I just wanna know you’re safe,” Ozzy said.

“Lee,” Peter’s voice made a new wave of guilt hit me. “Haven’t seen you in a few days. Is everything okay?”

“Hey, shithead! Break another of those racks, and I will break your face! Sorry bout that, Lena,” Patrick said clearer into the speaker. “I know that was a lot… just call someone. Please. We’re starting to get worried.”

Jake looked at his feet as I closed the phone and shoved it back into my pocket. “Sounds like you’ll have a hell of a welcome home party.”

“More like a welcome home mob,” I replied.

“A mob is better than nothing,” he said quietly.

“Yeah.” I held his jacket out to him. “Here.”

He looked at it for a minute before shaking his head. “You wear it. It’s cold out today.”

“If it’s that cold, you’ll freeze without it.”

“I’m not the one that almost got hypothermia last night,” he responded with a winning grin. “Wear it.”

I rolled my eyes and put it on. “Fine then.”

Locking the door behind me, the chilled gust of wind made me grateful that Jake had insisted I wear his jacket. I’d never openly tell him that; glancing back at the already too-smug look on his face, I shook my head. Nope. Never telling him that. He nodded toward the bike. “So this wasn’t the first time you stole a bike?”

“Nope,” I answered, pulling the keys out. “Dom freak out after I left?”

Jake shrugged. “Eh, he was more frustrated than anything.”

I nodded. “Yeah, well, considering how many times I’ve stolen this bike, I can’t blame him.”

“How many times have you stolen this bike?”

“Fifteen, maybe more.”

He whistled. “Damn, you’re kind of a criminal.”

I laughed and shrugged. “At least I’m a cute criminal, though.”

Jake laughed. “So, how are we doing this?”

“You ever been on a bike before?”

“Once,” he replied. “Wasn’t on it for long before Simone pulled me off, though.”

Swinging my leg over the side, I held the helmet out to him with a smile. “Newbies get the helmet.” He scoffed but put it on anyway. “Now, you just get on and hold on.”

His taller frame settled in behind me, keeping a vast distance between us. I laughed and took hold of them, placing them around my waist. “You’re gonna want to hold onto me.”

“I’ll take your word for it, princess.”

The bike came alive beneath us, and as we started to drive, I could feel a part of Jake come alive too. He laughed behind me, bright and full and childlike. It was a side to him I didn’t even know existed, but I enjoyed it, no matter how short-lived. Grumpy’s wasn’t far from my mom’s house, and Jake seemed to be almost disappointed by that as I found a place to park on the sidewalk, and we got off the bike. He pulled the helmet off and ran his fingers through his messy hair. “Next time I steal the bike, I’ll be sure to invite you.”

“Sounds like fun,” He replied, holding the helmet.

I set it down on the seat and clipped my bag to the front. “You’re buying.”

“Am I?”

“Think of it as payment for all the cigarettes you bummed off me.”

He shrugged. “I guess that’s only fair.”

We sat across from one another in a booth close to the windows so I could keep an eye on my things. Jake ordered waffles while I ordered pancakes, which led us to a quick debate on which was better, but once we’d grown quiet, that same awkwardness and tension settled over the table. Fuck it. “So, last night was kind of crazy.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “It was.”

“I…” I looked up and met his gaze. “I’m sorry for putting that all on you. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight.”

Jake’s brows furrowed slightly. “I don’t mind. I was the one that asked.”

“Would you have asked if you hadn’t had to pull me out of the ocean?”

“Eventually,” he assured me. “Don’t apologize for that. Not to me.”

I smiled, “Thank you. I don’t know what would have happened if you-”

“You would have been okay,” Jake interrupted. “I don’t… Let’s not talk about that.”

Right, his mom… I mentally cursed myself. “Okay, sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

I rolled my eyes and smirked. “Sorry.”

Another minute of silence passed between us before Jake spoke again, “I’m not gonna tell anyone if you were worried about that.”

“Not even Simone?”

“No, not even her. Though if you were looking for someone to help with that kind of thing, she’d be willing.”

I shook my head, playing with my fingers beneath the table. “I’m sure she would.”

Jake frowned. “She’s good at helping with stuff like that. I know I’ve said it before, but it’s true. When I moved in with her family, she was all I had. She basically raised me.”

“Alright, let’s make a rule. No more talking about Simone. I understand she’s a big part of your life and that you’re, you know, whatever, but my opinion isn’t going to change, and I have a feeling our friendship isn’t going to last long if we’re constantly fighting over our opinions of Simone.”

“That’s fair,” he answered as the server placed our plates in front of us. “I’m still gonna argue with you about waffles, though.”

“Fair,” I replied. “But if you’re planning on getting into a debate over breakfast foods with me, prepare to lose.”

He cut into his waffle. “You’re that confident?”

“Absolutely,” I said, stuffing my mouth full of pancakes and making an exaggerated sound.

The longer I spent around Jake, the more I enjoyed his company. He didn’t make any faces or comments about how messily I ate; no matter how curious he was about my past here, he kept it to himself. Though he was undoubtedly an asshole, Jake wasn’t too bad. I finished my pancakes, and he finished his waffles, so the two of us just sat there talking about stupid stuff before the door opened, and Jake’s eyes darted toward it with a sigh. “There you are!”

“Simone,” he replied, shifting in his seat to make room for her.

She slid in beside him, not even looking over at me while she frowned at him as she set his phone down. “You left this at the house. I’ve been worried!”

“Sorry, I got a bit sidetracked,” he said, glancing over at me. Simone finally turned her head, and her mouth fell open slightly. Then, with wide eyes, she composed herself.

“Lena,” Simone said with a taut smile. Her eyes were wider than usual as they fixated on the black jacket, Jake’s jacket, that hugged my shoulders and encased me in the smokey and woodsy scent. “I didn’t know you were in Cape Cod.”

I smiled, somewhat gladdened that Jake hadn’t told her. “Yeah, it was a last-minute trip.”

She hummed, her eyes shifting to Jake, whose face had drained of his usual charismatic glow and was now replaced with a nervous look that made his whole face seem tight and tense. “So this is what you got up to last night.”

“Simone,” Jake started with a sigh as she sat beside him.

“It’s fine,” she answered with a broader smile that didn’t even try to reach her eyes. “I’m sure it was something significant that kept you from coming home last night.”

Tilting my head to the side, I shrugged. “That’s on me, actually. My bike broke down by the beach, and Jake happened to see me. He offered to help, which took much longer than it should have.”

Her eyes practically drank up the lie as she pursed her lips. “Sounds like you were fortunate Jake was around.”

“I was,” I answered, looking back over at Jake. He knew the truth, and that was what mattered, so I shoved down the part of me that worried that truth would be exposed to Simone’s all too eager ears the second I left them alone.

Jake watched Simone closely as she ordered, his forehead creasing when she’d gotten a beer over coffee or water. He could tell something was off with her, and though it was pretty obvious even to me, Jake seemed to pick up on it more than I could just from the small things she said and did. My stomach churned uncomfortably at the sight of them. Was this what it had looked like to everyone else? I wondered, darker memories simmering just below the surface. Was it this obvious that something was wrong between us?

“So, what brings you to the Cape?” Simone asked as she settled into her seat beside Jake.

“It’s a personal matter,” I answered without hesitation and without apology. “Not really something I’d feel comfortable burdening a coworker with.” The message was clear. Move on.

She looked far too smug about the response as she nodded. “I understand personal matters can be quite difficult to navigate. But we’re always available should you need someone to help you find your way around. Jake and I grew up here, after all.”

I smiled, trying my best not to laugh at her apparent scramble to find a foothold that would tether me to her and force me to rely on her as Jake and so many others at 22West did. “I’m not staying, but thanks for the offer.”

Jake watched her as she took a long drink of her beer, worry solidifying on his features. “You’re leaving so soon?”

“Oh, I’ve been here for days,” I answered.

“Really? Where have you been staying?” Jake nudged her slightly, an apparent attempt to dissuade her from pressing questions, one that failed as she giggled softly. “Sorry, it’s just I know how difficult finding a decent hotel can be around here. I wouldn’t want you to have trouble sleeping because the bed is too lumpy or the place reeks of dead fish.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to worry, though,” I adjusted the jacket on my shoulders, “I slept just fine.”

How her face dropped for a moment told me everything I needed to know about her and Jake’s relationship. If I wasn’t sure before, I was now. Not only was Simone like my mother, she was like him too. A cold spike of rage coursed through my veins as I looked over at Jake’s timid and almost childlike behavior before meeting her eyes again. This time I let my polite mask drop. This time I let Simone have exactly what she wanted, a look into my thoughts. I know what you are.

Her smile faltered as we stared one another down for a short moment. Then, she fixed her mask. “That’s good. There’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep.”

“I can think of a few things,” I replied, carefully pulling out my dwindling pack of cigarettes. “Like one last smoke.” I nodded toward the door. “Want to join me?”

He looked uncertain, looking at Simone for that ever-so-subtle nod before joining me. “Sure.”

The fresh air made the heavy weight of Simone’s gaze burning holes into my skull feel somewhat lessened as I leaned against the wall beside Jake and lit the cigarette, taking a quick drag before holding it out to him. “Sorry, you’re in the doghouse because of me.”

Jake shrugged, slowly regaining his usual attitude and demeanor. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to being on Simone’s nerves.”

“I can imagine.”

“She’s not usually like this,” he assured me quietly. “Ever since her ex came to visit a while back, she’s been… off.”

She’d get no sympathy from me, but for Jake’s sake, I shrugged him off. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve dealt with far worse people.”

Jake handed the cigarette back to me with a sad look. “She reminds you of your mom, doesn’t she?”

“A little,” I replied. “More so someone else that makes my mother look like a saint.”

He tilted his head carefully. “Who?”

I smirked. “You used up your questions last night.”

“Do you always have to make getting to know you so difficult?” He questioned with a smile.

“Of course. If I didn’t, you’d get bored.”

“I don’t think I’d ever get bored of you,” he replied, softer than before, with a gleam of something in his eyes… something nervous and unnamed.

I could see Simone watching us closely from the corner of my eye like a predator watching over the prey she’d long staked her claim to. Jake wasn’t a game and certainly wasn’t anyone to claim. I pulled the cigarette from between Jake’s lips and took one last drag of it, closing my eyes to savor the smokey taste that filled my mouth as I exhaled. “Well, time for me to head out.” I placed what remained between Jake’s lips and slid past the window, making deliberate eye contact with Simone, waving at her as I walked towards Dom’s bike.

“Try not to wreck it,” Jake said, standing up from his comfortable position against the wall. “It’d suck to get back to the city and hear you’d been beaten to death by angry bikers.”

With a smirk, I swung my leg over and straddled the bike. “Or it’d be super badass coming back and hearing about how I beat the shit out of 20 angry bikers.”

He laughed, and his eyes softened. “See you at work, Lana.”

“See you then, Jerk.” I pulled the helmet over my head and started the bike, revving the engine before flipping Jake off and speeding down the street. He stood on the curb for a minute before turning and walking into the diner to face Simone.

I let the light rush of adrenaline wash over me as I drove. The engine roaring replaced the sound of the ocean. The smell of Jake on his jacket replaced the bitter tang of salt. The wind forced anything left of Cape Cod off me and left it where it belonged. Fuck the cape. I repeated to myself.

He sat back down across from Simone with a sigh, folding his hands on the table and watching her quietly eat the simple breakfast platter she’d ordered. Watching Simone drink anything other than wine made him feel weird, but seeing her do so this early in the morning was just concerning. “You hate beer.”

Simone smiled, chuckling as she examined the bottle in her hand. “I do.”

“How was the rest of the night with your mom?”

“You’d know the answer if you’d bothered to come back last night.”

“Simone,” Jake sighed. He felt guilty about not calling to let her know what had happened, but he hadn’t been able to think straight until this morning. It was something he found happened often when Lena was involved. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” She shook her head. “Sorry is something you say when you forget to bring wine or dessert. You just disappeared, Jake. Sorry, it doesn’t cut it this time.”

“It’s personal okay,” Jake replied flippantly.

“Personal?” Simone hissed. “More personal than all I’ve done and sacrificed for you?”

Jake ran a hand through his hair. “It’s not my shit, Simone. It’s not my place to share it with you.”

Her pale eyes stared back at him with a downturned face of disappointment that he was familiar with. “Was she any good?”

“Jesus,” he scoffed. “I didn’t sleep with her.” Of course, technically, he did, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell Simone that.

“Let’s not play games, Jake,” she said while taking a drink. “We both know how you are, especially with new coworkers.”

Whether she meant it as a dig towards his short relationship with Tess or not didn’t matter, it hurt all the same. He leaned over the table a bit more. “I didn’t sleep with her.”

She watched him for a minute before she finally sighed. “Good.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t call last night. I didn’t really have time to think about it.”

“What happened?”

This was the moment he’d dreaded. Jake didn’t want to lie to Simone. It was one of their oldest rules, one that Simone mainly took seriously. But if he told her what happened last night, she’d no doubt try to help. It was just who she was, and that’d put a swift and bitter end to the friendship he’d just reestablished with a girl who was more like him than he thought. “It’s just like she said. I helped her out, lost track of time, and ended up crashing on her couch.” Her bed. The bed that made it impossible to smell anything but her.

“And where was she staying?”

“Simone-”

“The least you could do is tell me where you were. I-”

“Simone!” He interrupted. “Lena’s shit isn’t our problem. I helped her out. That’s it. Do you not trust me?”

She reached across the take and took hold of his hand. “Of course I do. You know I do. The one I don’t trust is her.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “I mean, I know you two don’t get along, but she hasn’t been anything but nice to everyone.”

“Nice is not a word I’d use to describe that girl.” Simone shook her head. “I read her file. Howard’s old system was actually useful for once.” She leaned in closer. “Lena Harrow is dangerous, Jake. Did you know she had a criminal record? Fighting, drugs, stealing, arson.”

With all he’d learned about her in just one night, Jake felt the list of crimes was relatively small compared to what he’d been picturing. Lena had a dark past; there was no denying that. “I’m not saying I know everything about her, but-”

“No buts. Just… Don’t sleep with her, and don’t get too attached,” Simone’s face softened, and large tears began to well in her eyes as she spoke. “I care about you, Jake. And I don’t want to see you get hurt again.”

He held her hand. “I know. I promise I’ll be careful, Simone.”

I pulled up to the warehouse, parked the bike next to all the others, and knocked on the side door. A large man, lovingly known among Dom’s gang as Fluffy, opened the door and smiled down at me. “Dom in?”

“He’s at Nana’s,” Fluffy replied.

“Thanks!”

Weaving through the heavy foot traffic of the city, I squeezed through Nana’s door and offered the elderly woman a smile, one she met with a scowl. She quickly rolled up one of the newspapers and stalked from behind the counter toward me. The swats were too quick to dodge as she cursed in Arabic. “You worried us!” She shouted. “Stealing that bike and riding off, no phone calls, no notes!”

“I’m sorry, Nana!” I shrieked, rubbing my arm where she’d hit me.

She pulled me into a tight hug and squeezed hard. “You never do that again! You understand me!”

I hugged her back. “I promise, Nana.”

When she finally pulled back, she shooed me toward the corner. “He’s in his seat.”

Dom always commandeered the booth in the very back of the restaurant. Said it was good for business even though everyone knew dealing beneath Nana’s roof was against the rules. He ate the food in front of him, wordlessly offering me the seat across from him. I slid his keys across the table. “It’s got a full tank.”

“Good,” he said, putting them back in his pocket. “Did it give you any problems?”

“No.”

Dom looked at me for a moment before he sighed and asked, “You feel better?”

With a shrug, I answered, “I guess.”

“I’m sorry about the jacket.”

“Dom, that was-” He held up a hand to stop me.

“I know it’s not the only reason you did it, but the last straw to set you off. My guy did it, and I owe you an apology. I’m sorry. I’d offer to replace it, but we both know it was one of a kind.”

I sighed. “I don’t blame you for what happened, but thanks.”

He took a few more bites before asking, “How was Cape Cod?”

“Shit, as always.” I smiled. “But I guess it was better than the last few times.”

“That got anything to do with the tough guy?”

“What?” I looked at him with wide eyes and a, hopefully, slight blush. “How did you-”

“He mentioned having to pack for a trip to The Cape. It wasn’t too hard to put two and two together.” Dom smiled a bit. “I was just glad you’d have a familiar face around.” After a minute, he reached over and held my hand. “I’ve gotta tell you something, but promise you’re not gonna freak out and steal my shit again, okay?”

Dom was rarely this cautious about what he said, and it put me on edge instantly. “Okay.”

He squeezed my hand as he spoke. “One of my guys saw a familiar car driving through.”

“Familiar car?” I asked before the realization hit me, along with the memories of that engine roaring and the tires squealing beneath every movement. “Dom…”

“Relax,” he ordered quickly. “I’m looking into it. You’ll be the first to know if there’s anything to worry about. I promise.”

“Okay,” I breathed.

Dom waited to pull back until my breaths had evened out. “You should head to Ozzy’s. Those two have been worried.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Dom.”

“No problem, kid, just don’t steal my bike again.”

“No promises.”

“Get the fuck outta here.”

Nana filled my arms with to-go boxes, and I made my way to the bar. The security team grabbed a box from my arms and greeted me quickly. I set one down and tapped the bar, making sure the two bartenders knew it was for them before heading into Ozzy’s office. He sat with his back turned to me, looking down at a stack of papers. Finally, I knocked on the wall. “Hey.”

He turned and jumped up, pulling me into a big hug. “Thank Jesus! You’re not allowed to do that ever again!”

“I breathed in the comforting smell of Ozzy’s smoke and sighed. “Sorry, Oz.”

“Don’t be,” he insisted. “Just pick up the phone next time.”

My dad’s ruined jacket sat on the desk on top of a pile of things. It made me sad looking down at the remains of such a big part of my life. “I didn’t mean to ignore your calls. I just… It’s been a long week.”

He smiled. “I know, darling. But it’s okay now. You’re home, where we can all take care of each other.”

“Does Pete know?”

“No.” Ozzy shook his head. “I figured it’d be best, all things considered, to not tell him you’d run off.”

“Good. He needs to focus on getting better.”

Ozzy nodded in agreeance. “Patrick and I discussed what we wanted to do next week when he gets out of the hospital. He’s been asking to meet your coworkers for a while now.”

I groaned. “You’re not going to suggest what I think you are, right?”

“Between the three of us, we have enough to take him to 22West. So he’d get to meet your coworkers and have a high-end meal. It’s a win for everyone.”

“Fine,” I huffed. “I guess I owe you two this since I was gone.”

Patrick appeared in the doorway, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “This mean I need to get a suit?”

“Yes,” I answered. “It’s a pretty high-end place.”

“Say no more, sis. I’m on it.”

Ozzy smiled. “I think I have something that would work.”

“No hats.”

“Damn.”

I took the next few days off to readjust to the city and calm my nerves about returning to the restaurant. It was little more than a paranoid feeling that I’d return to Maddie back in the kitchen or, worse, my mother waiting in the front room for me. When I did go back, these feelings were quickly depleted as Scott looked up from prep and scoffed. “Bout fuckin time. Go get something to eat and then get to prepping.”

“Yes, Chef,” I answered, nodding to Isaac. “It’s good to be back.”

“Yeah yeah, hurry it up, Red!”

Changing into my shirt, I stared at my empty locker for a moment, quietly mourning the space dads jacket used to fill up. My fingers ran over the open air as I turned to smack right into someone’s chest. Jake’s familiar laugh made me look up with a smile. “Miss me that much?”

I rolled my eyes and took a step back. “There goes my good day.” He squeezed past me and opened his locker, looking at the leather jacket I’d stuffed inside. “I took the liberty of returning your jacket.”

“How’d you know my combination?”

“Sasha.”

“Right,” Jake chuckled, holding the jacket in his hands for a second before holding it out to me. “Why don’t you keep it for a while?”

“What?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got another one.”

I smiled, turning toward the door. “So do I. Keep your jacket, Jake.”

The second I walked into the front room and toward the long table filled with people eating the family dinner, Sasha jumped up and wrapped me up in a big hug. He demanded to hear about my criminal history as Will set a plate in front of me. From across the table, Simone smiled as Jake slid into the seat next to her. The two of us held one another’s gaze for a moment before Howard broke the stiff silence. “Lena, welcome back. How was your vacation?”

“Oh, it was a hoot,” I answered.

He hummed, “So you found a place with the worst bed and drank all week?”

I laughed and nodded. “You know me, Howard, always the party animal.”

Howard nodded, sliding a small piece of paper across the table to me with a more careful smile. “Today, we’ve been gifted with a spectacular vintage.”

The paper unfolded, and a cold wave washed over me as I traced my mother’s handwriting. Leave a tip for the cleaners next time. I practically scoffed at the simple message before I tore the paper up and stuffed it into my pocket. Jake looked at me from across the table but said nothing as we ate the family dinner and drank the fancy wine.

Being tossed into the throws of a busy night of service felt exhilarating after the long break I’d taken. The kitchen was finally back to its normal flow as all traces of Maddie’s visit were washed away by Scott’s powerful voice and creative mind. As soon as things slowed down, I nodded at Santos. “Need some help with those dishes?”

He laughed. “Does it matter what I say?”

“Nope!” I smiled back. “Give me one second, and I’ll hop in and help.”

I wiped my hands down and shrugged my cook’s coat off, hanging it off the railing as I slid out the kitchen door and behind the bar. Nicky smirked at me as he cleaned some glasses. The restaurant was basically empty. Servers stood by the bar waiting for the last few tables to begin vacating, and Jake made one last drink for the only person sitting at the bar. I stepped behind him and smiled, gently tapping his shoulder. “You’re it.”

He looked at me with a scoff. “Pretty sure that’s cheating.”

“Pretty sure I don’t care,” I replied.

“You know I’m just going to tag you once I’m finished with this drink, right?”

“You can try,” I egged on, sneaking back into the kitchen and sliding beside Santos to help wash the last dishes.

Isaac was back to telling the whole kitchen his crazy stories bringing the entire kitchen to a loud clamor of laughter and comments. Because of the noise, I didn’t hear the steps as they settled in behind me until it was too late. Jake leaned over my shoulder and smirked, tapping my nose with his finger. “You’re it.”

He ducked away before I could splash him with dishwater. “I’m gonna tag you with this nasty wet hand!”

“Lookin forward to it, princess!” He yelled as he climbed the stairs toward the locker room.

Isaac leaned on the counter beside me, wiggling his eyebrows. “Princess?”

I splashed him. “Fuck off!”

Once the dishes had been put on the rack, the kitchen grew empty, and Santos and I walked upstairs to change. I smiled when I opened my locker and saw Jake’s jacket stuffed inside. Sneaky asshole. I shrugged it on, having forgotten to grab my own before returning his. One more night of wearing it wouldn’t kill me, and I’d gotten rather fond of how it smelled and felt around my shoulders.

Everyone was crowding around the bar when I got downstairs, everyone but Simone and Howard, of course. Howard smiled at me while Simone took one look at me, the jacket, and turned her face away. Jealousy didn’t look good on her. From behind the bar, Jake’s eyes ran down my outfit, and he smiled. I ignored how it made my stomach flip and how I wanted to make him smile again.

“What are we talking about?” I asked, sliding into the seat beside Ari.

She smiled. “Tattoos. “

Sasha pointed at Jake’s arm. “We were just mocking Jakey’s shitty mermaid.”

I looked at the bartender’s modest mermaid tattoo on his inner arm. “Hey, that looks kind of like mine.”

“You’ve got a mermaid tattoo?” Jake asked with a smirk. “Show it to me.”

“No!”

Heather leaned in closer. “Ooohhh, I know what that means!”

Sasha and Ari cooed in my ears. “Where’s it at?”

“I bet it’s right over her pu-”

“I’m not telling any of you vultures!”

“Well, I know it’s not on your back,” Jake said smoothly, his smile never faltering.

I scoffed. “What happened to no peeking?”

He rolled his eyes. “I was always gonna peek, princess.”

Sasha nearly spat his drink out, wide eyes moving back and forth between the two of us. “Did Jakey finally take your flower, lovely Tiger Bitch?”

“No,” I replied, shoving him.

“Did get a pretty sweet view of you naked, though.”

“Bullshit!” I shoved a finger in his face. “If you’d have seen me naked, then you’d know exactly where the mermaid is.”

He lifted his chin up, smug and eating up all the attention. “Maybe I do.”

“If you did, you wouldn’t waste time demanding to see it.” I leaned back in my seat and smiled. “Shame, it’s in a good spot too.”

The cogs in his brain were practically visible as he thought about every possible location before leaning on the bar. “Ass?”

“Nope.”

“One of your boobs, then?”

“No,” I laughed. “And even if it was, you’d never get to see it.”

“Never say never.”

Sasha gagged. “If the two of you could just do the nasty already and quit the dirty talk, we would all appreciate it!”

Scott shook his head as he downed the last of his drink and stood. “Dinner, whose in?”

“I’m picking tonight!” Ari cheered over his shoulder, making the man wince.

“Great, everyone, prep your stomachs for some shitty Italian or something.” Ari punched him in the shoulder, and everyone laughed as we headed out the door.

As he walked beside Lena, Jake couldn’t shake the warning Simone had given him a few days ago in the diner or the looks she gave him each time he interacted with Lena. The redhead wearing his jacket laughed beside him at something Sasha had said from the front of the group. “Hey,” Jake said, pulling her lively green eyes to his. “Can I ask you something?”

“Ready for our question game already?” She teased with a smirk.

He couldn’t help but smile as well. “I was actually wondering something a bit more serious.”

“Oh?” She asked, tilting her head. “Well, I guess I could give you a freebie just this once.”

“How generous.”

She nudged him. “What’s on your mind?”

How was he supposed to start this? “I… I may have heard a few things about you that I wanted to ask about.”

“Well, there’s a good chance I’ll have answers. What did you hear?” She asked.

“I heard you have a pretty extensive criminal record.”

Lena didn’t even bat an eye as she nodded. “Yeah, I do. Was there a particular crime you were curious about?”

Jake shrugged. “I guess I was just wondering how much of it was true.”

“Oh,” she said with a laugh. “Well, that’s easy then! I’ve got a lot of charges under my belt for fighting. It was all illegal rings, though, so no assault or anything crazy. Stealing was another big one. I don’t even know how many times I got busted for that.” She shook her head. “I was kind of shit at it.” She hummed quietly, trying to remember. “Oh, there’s drugs, obviously. Just buying, no distribution or smuggling or anything.”

“Any arson?” He asked.

She scoffed. “Okay, that one wasn’t on me! Some assholes were harassing Quinn at the club she works at, so she called me and Prue and Patrick to help walk her home. She didn’t tell us she’d dumped gasoline all over the sidewalk until after she lit the damn thing on fire to try and scare them. Bitch almost took off my eyebrows. Anyway, the cops showed up and arrested all of us. My dad and Ozzy were fucking pissed.”

Jake looked at her with furrowed brows. How the hell did she do this? Lena looked up at him and poked his forehead. “You do that more, and you’ll hurt yourself. What’s up?”

“Why are you so honest?” He asked.

“You asked,” she answered. “Did you want me to lie?”

“No,” Jake shook his head and chuckled. “I just… You’re just something else.”

She leaned closer to him and smiled. “Something good, I hope.”

Jake looked down at her and quietly agreed. She was something good. That night he watched her closely, trying to see what Simone did. Trying to figure out why she was so against him getting closer to the redhead, but the more he looked, the more he liked what he saw. As she tapped his shoulder and whispered another playful, “You’re it.” Jake threw all his notions of not knowing who Lena was out the window. He knew exactly who she was, and he trusted her.

I walked in the front door, quickly readjusting the straps of my dress before giving the hostess my name and telling her I was waiting for the rest of my party. Nicky spotted me from the bar and smiled. “Hey, Red, I thought today was your day off.”

“It is,” I answered, taking a seat at the bar. “I’m here as a guest tonight.”

“A guest,” he swooned. “Moving up in the world, are we?”

Jake returned from the back, pausing when he saw me. “The hell are you doin’ here?”

“Our little Red is a guest tonight,” Nicky said with a smile.

“A guest?” Jake pressed as he refilled the ice.

I scoffed. “I could be a guest.”

“So, who’s the lucky guy?” Nicky asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“No one,” I answered. “I’m here for a family dinner.”

Jake laughed at that. “Family dinner? I’m dyin’ to see what your family comes in lookin like.”

I nodded. “Me too. I told them it was upscale, but Ozzy’s version of that makes him look like an old victorian count and Patrick.” I winced. “Patrick is going to show up in something fucking hideous. So, I guess I should apologize in advance for you guys having to look at them all night.”

“Well, I don’t know about Nicky, but their outfits won’t bother me.”

“Oh?”

“I’ll be too busy looking at yours.” He winked.

I turned my head away from Jake’s smile, an attempt to hide the blush that no doubt dusted my face with red. However, the sight waiting for me at the front was one that made me do a double take. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

39 notes · View notes

dxncingwithastrxnger · 1 year

Text

1. time won’t fly, it’s like i’m paralyzed by it

A/N: Surprise!!! A brand new story!!! I’ve been so excited about this one but I forced myself not to post about it, akjsxnas. This story is a double love story!!! It focuses on both Melizabeth and Trilance equally. I’m still getting everything planned out, but so far, things are gonna be really fun in this au. I hope you guys enjoy this lil world as much as I do!!! The summary below is for the overall story, not this single chapter, and it’s a really long summary so I’m sorry, lmaooooo

Pairing(s): Slight Meliodas x Elizabeth

Summary: The Boar's Hat's first night in Liones is busy and loud, but there isn't anywhere else Tristan would rather be. Elizabeth mans the bar as she watches her son make new friends. Everything's going perfect until a new customer leaves them both feeling shaken up and unprepared.

Tag(s): Panic attack, I think that’s it for this one, tbh, lemme know if there’s any I should add!!

Song Inspiration: All Too Well By Taylor Swift

Word Count: 4,979

Not beta’d, all mistakes are my own.

~*~

[Series Masterlist]

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2]

[Read on AO3]

[Author Masterlist]

~*~

"Order up! Two honey salads!"

"Those are for table five, Tristan!"

"I'm on it!" Tristan swings by the bar and grabs the two plates, quickly bringing them over to the right table before making his way to table two across the room, where the ones sat there were asking for refills. He takes their mugs and drops them off at the bar where his mother refills them as he takes already filled mugs to the ones at table four.

It's a busy night at his mother's tavern and there seems to be no end in sight to the steady stream of customers. They're not really sure why it's so busy, but Tristan isn't complaining. The whole place is loud and rowdy, everyone chattering over each other joyfully, and the smell of ale and good food fills the air with a hint of sweat that he doesn't really mind. The energy of the room is contagious and Tristan can't keep the grin off of his face. This is home.

"Hey, kid!" Tristan turns to see a man who was at the bar on his way out. He faces a him and tosses his hand up, flipping a coin in Tristan's direction. "Keep up the good work!" He smiles kindly at the silverette as he turns back around to leave.

"Thank you, sir! Come back soon!" Tristan calls, waving at the man as the door swings shut behind him.

"Tris! Refills!" His mother calls from the bar.

"Oh! Coming!" He quickly pockets the coin and gets back to work, grabbing the refills from his mother and returning them to the correct table.

"Do you guys need anything else?" He asks kindly.

"Oh, do you guys have any good desserts? I'm craving something sweet." A middle-aged woman asks him.

"We do! I personally recommend the spiced berries and cream, it's my absolute favorite." He tells her.

"That sounds wonderful, I'll have some of that if you don't mind." She replies.

"Oh, I don't mind at all! I'll go let our chef know!" He's running off to back to the bar before he even finishes speaking, hearing the people at the table chuckling as he goes.

"Need a spiced berries and cream for table two!" He calls into the kitchen before taking another round of refills to table three.

As he places them on the table, one of the customers there speaks up. "Hey, kid, don't you ever take a break? I feel like I've been watching you run around for hours on end." The man remarks.

"Well, I'm the only server tonight and we're real busy. I don't really mind it, though, honest. I'm used to the work." He responds back with a warm smile.

"Okay, but still. You gotta at least eat sometime."

"Yeah, why don't you come sit and eat with us? Get off your feet for a little?"

"Hell yeah, come have a drink, you've earned it!"

Tristan looks at the four people in surprise for a moment. "Oh, I, uh..." It's the kind of thing that doesn't usually happen. He's made plenty of friends in the past, but it's been awhile and he feels excited at the prospect of possibly making new ones. But he's not sure if he can take the time away from his work at the tavern right now. "Let me go check in and I'll see what I can do." He says, turning on his heels and heading over to the bar.

"Are you making some new friends over there, sweetheart?" His mother asks as she pulls some more ale down.

"I think so. They offered me a spot at their table, said I should take a break and have something to eat." He says, leaning against the bar and looking at her hopefully. "Do you think I could? Just for a little while?"

She looks at him and chuckles at the sparkle in his eyes. "Yes, of course. Most people have their food already and I think I can handle all the refills for now. Go have some fun, Tristan, you've done plenty tonight." She nods her head at him.

Tristan beams. "Thank you so much! Come and get me if you get overwhelmed, you know I'll have no problem picking things back up again." He tells her sincerely.

"I know, don't worry. I'll tag you back in if it's necessary. Now go get some food, I'm sure there's already some plated up for you." She hands him a mug of ale and shoos him off.

He hums softly to himself and steps over by the kitchen. Before he even opens his mouth to speak, a plate of food is being handed to him. "About time you sat down to eat, Tanny, jeez."

Tristan gives his Aunt Veronica a sheepish grin. "There's always more work to be done."

She rolls her eyes at him but she's smiling fondly. "Hurry up and go eat before I smack you upside the head." She quips.

He laughs and takes his food and drink and goes back to the table he had been at previously. "That invitation still up?" He asks, hesitating only slightly.

"Hey, he's back!"

"Of course it is, come sit!" Tristan smiles brightly, taking the fifth stool at the table and joining the group of four. He digs into his food immediately, not realizing how hungry he is until the first bite hits his tongue. Okay, maybe I should've stopped to eat awhile ago. He admits.

A few bites in, the man directly across from him speaks up. "So, how'd you end up working at a place like this, uh..." He trails off, gesturing to Tristan.

"Oh! I'm Tristan! And I don't just work here, I live here, actually. The Boar's Hat is my mother's tavern." He informs them.

"Wait, your mother? Where's she at?" The woman to his right asks curiously.

Tristan chuckles and points to his mother with his fork, who's currently serving refills a few tables over. "She's not just any old bartender. She's the owner, too." He says. The man across from him does a doubletake while the rest of the table gives surprised glances at the woman across the room.

"Waitwaitwait, you're telling me hottie bartender over there is your mom!?" Tristan chokes on his next bite at the comment and one of the others beside him thumps him on the back a few times.

"Howzer! You can't say something like that to her own son!" The other woman on his left scolds the guy - Howzer - as Tristan catches his breath, the tips of his ears pink.

Howzer gives him a sheepish look, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, man. It just surprised me, that's all."

"I-it's fine." He takes a swig of his drink. "It's nowhere near the worst I've heard." He admits. Everyone else at the table cringes in response.

"Yeah, don't mind Howzer, here. He just has trouble thinking things through before he speaks, but he really doesn't mean any harm." The woman on his right tells him. "I'm Guila. This here is Gilthunder and Jericho." She introduces everyone, pointing to the pink-haired man sitting between herself and Howzer and then to the lavender-haired woman on his left.

Tristan reaches out to shake each of their hands. "It's lovely to meet you all. Maybe you'll be my first friends here in Liones."

"Oh yeah, you guys just showed up here. Are you moving or just passing through?" Gilthunder asks him.

"I think mother plans on staying here for a little while. We were out by Cains town for quite awhile, then we stayed a few weeks in Ordan and then in Vaizel after that." He says thoughtfully. "Then we came here to Liones. You know, we'd heard we'd pull in some great crowds here, but we didn't realize it would be this busy right away." Hr grins at them. Of course, he couldn't tell any of them that he'd been to Liones before. Last they were here was around two decades ago and the reason behind the trip wasn't exactly to socialize. Plus, claiming he'd been here 20 years ago when he was meant to have barely been born by then wouldn't exactly go well.

"Trust me, if there's anything the people of Liones know how to do, it's drink and be merry." Howzer assures him.

Tristan laughs. "Well, in that case, I'm glad we ended up here. Seems I'll have a great time getting to know the people of this kingdom."

"Hell yeah!" Jericho says, taking a gulp of her ale.

"You should let us show you around sometime, Tristan." Guila tells him.

"We can give you the full tour!" Gilthunder adds.

Tristan beams. "I'd love that! Thank you!"

"To new friends!" Howzer holds his mug up above the table.

"To new friends!" The rest of the table cheers together, mimicking his actions.

Tristan is having so much fun with these people. They're so kind and always seem to be laughing. Over the course of the next hour, he finds out each of them are holy knights and that there's usually a fifth person in their group, Griamore, but he wasn't able to make it out with them tonight. They assure him that he'll get along with Griamore just as well as the rest of them and Tristan finds himself grinning from ear-to-ear. He'd forgotten what a wonderful feeling it is to make new friends like this and get to know new people. It's always been one of his favorite things about life in all his years on this continent. He just loves being around good people.

And in all his joy, for a little while, Tristan forgets about everything else. He forgets about his long day working. He forgets about the long, stalling journey to this kingdom. He forgets the knot he'd had in his stomach their whole way from Vaizel to here. He forgets the whole reason they've come to settle in Liones in the first place. He forgets all about the past and it's troubles. For the first time in a long time, just like he had been most of tonight, he feels himself shake loose from everything else except for the present that he's in right now. But he should've known it wouldn't last for very long.

As he and his table of friends fall into giggles over a joke Howzer made, his eyes land on the front door to the Tavern right as it opens up. In steps a new customer, clad in a sleeveless red tunic, white trousers, and knee-high, brown, leather boots with a band of gold around the tops of each. On the outer side of each boot, engraved into the gold, is the royal family crest of Liones. The same crest hangs on a necklace around the man's neck in deep, aqua blue and gold. Tristan gulps as his eyes trail all the way up to the man's face, already knowing exactly who it is before he does so. The newcomer has a head of messy, blonde hair, an obvious cowlick sticking up from the middle of his head. But the most striking feature of the man is his bright, green eyes and the wide grin he wears as he observes the inside of the tavern.

Tristan knew he'd show up eventually, he just hadn't realized it would be so soon. He isn't ready, he hasn't gotten enough time to prepare himself. The silverette feels his breathing pick up, his entire body tense. He hears someone at the table with him talking, but he can't understand what they're saying. His ears are ringing and all the sounds around him are muffled. He can't peel his eyes away from the man even though he wants nothing more than to do so. He digs his nails into the wood of the table in front of him as the man walks further into the room and away from the front door.

Tristan's mind finally gives him another objective other than to stare. This one is to run. And so he does. He gets up from the table and bolts from the building, ignoring the shouts he hears from behind him. He gets out and just runs. He runs away from Guila and Howzer and Gilthunder and Jericho. He runs away from his mother and his aunt. He runs away from the other customers at the tavern and their joyful chatter. He runs away from his home. He runs away from his past and his present and his future. But most of all, he runs away from his father.

~*~

Elizabeth hums softly to herself as she wipes down the bar. She's taking advantage of the slow down of business and using the time to clean up a bit. They still won't be closing for quite awhile - for a business like a tavern, it was way too early to close up shop - but cleaning up a little bit along the way will make for an easier shut down later on.

She hears Tristan laughing with the group he's sitting with and she smiles. Hopefully these friends will be good ones. She always finds herself worrying about him. A mother's duty, Veronica always reminds her. And an aunt's duty, too. That's always when Tristan will pipe in. It's a family's duty. It's natural instinct to worry about someone you love and family is who you love most of all. He always says. They all know it word for word by now. But either way, Elizabeth feels that she has every reason to worry about her son. The life they've lived hasn't been an easy one. She almost feels selfish for being glad she has him around for it. That she has any of them around for it.

A plate slides into her view and she blinks, coming back out of her own head. "Earth to Ellie." Veronica speaks up, leaning against the bar beside her, but on the inside rather than the outside like she was.

Elizabeth shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Hey, Veer." She smiles at her softly. "How's the kitchen?"

"A literal hot mess. But the food's good. So, sit your ass down and eat, alright?" She picks up her fork, nodding at the bar stool closest to Elizabeth.

She follows her sister's instructions, sitting down and picking up her own fork as well. "Thank you." She takes a bite and closes her eyes. "This is so good."

"Yeah, especially since it's the first thing you've had to eat since this morning." She sighs and shakes her head. "You and Tristan both, what am I gonna do with you two?" She questions, but gives the silver-haired woman a fond smile.

Elizabeth looks at her sheepishly and giggles. "That's why you're here to take care of us."

"Damn right, I am. Someone has to." She playfully rolls her eyes and the two of them continue eating.

Veronica is just about to take their plates and go back into the kitchen when they hear the slam of the door and shouts. By the time Elizabeth turns to face the front door, whoever ran out is already gone. But then she turns towards the table Tristan was sitting at and she gets her answer on who it was. The group he was sitting with turns to look at her, all looking confused and concerned. "He froze up and seemed really freaked out, then he just ran out..." A pink-haired man informed her.

"I hope he's okay..." The black-haired woman said, the others nodding in agreement.

"I'll go get him." Veronica says behind her, and Elizabeth turns to her. Veronica is looking at something off to Elizabeth's right.

"Are you sure, Veer?" She asks.

"Yeah, of course." She turns back to look at Elizabeth and when their eyes lock, Veronica's light brown eyes are filled with a deep sadness, and Elizabeth feels a wave of dread run through her. "Besides, it seems like you have another matter to attend to anyways. That same matter is probably the reason that Tris ran out." Veronica whispers, nodding to where she was looking before before walking away.

Elizabeth doesn't look where her sister directed her at first, instead watching as Veronica leaves and lingering on the door. She's stalling, she knows she is. But she just needs a moment longer. The look in Veronica's eyes was unmistakable. She's seen it many times before. Elizabeth really shouldn't be so surprised. She knew he was in this kingdom. It was the whole reason they had come here. But they've only been in town for a day and she'd been hoping that they'd have a little more time. She should've known the universe would waste no time in leading him right to them.

Elizabeth turns back to the bar and grabs the mug sat in front of her, drinking down the rest of the ale in it. She pulls it away from her lips and sighs softly. Well, it's now or never, I suppose. She thinks to herself. Not much of a peptalk, but it's the best she's got for herself right now. Finally, she turns and faces the right side of the tavern.

She gasps, her eyes widening, the mug dropping from her hand. She never gets the chance to look very far because there he is, right in front of her. Her sky blue eyes immediately lock with his grass green ones and she's immediately stuck there. He looks absolutely beautiful, all bright and warm. His eyes are shining with joy and amusement, exactly like they should. Exactly like she always wants them to. She's stuck on his eyes, she can't even look at the rest of him yet. Looking into them is like looking into the brightest of natural lights. It shines so much warmth on her but she feels blinded.

"I think you dropped this."

Elizabeth finally manages to look away so that she can quickly hide the sob that tries to bubble up her throat at the sound of his voice, letting out a small cough instead. She forces a smile on her face and takes the mug that she had dropped out of his hand, careful to avoid brushing fingers with him. "Th-thank you." She tells him quietly.

"You're welcome! Do ya think I could get your name in exchange?" He asks her.

Elizabeth's smile softens into a small, but genuine one. "My name is Elizabeth. And you are?"

"Elizabeth. That name really suits you." He compliments, and she can't help the blush that comes to her cheeks. With him, even the simplest things affect her. "And I'm Meliodas. Prince Meliodas of the Kingdom of Liones." The introduction rhymes and Elizabeth giggles at the realization. At the sound of her amusement, his face brightens, if that's even possible, and he beams at her. "I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"It's lovely to meet you as well, Prince Meliodas." She says sincerely. For the 117th time.

~*~

Tristan gasps out, leaning against a tree and trying to catch his breath. He isn't sure how long he's been running, but he's finally run out of stamina for the moment. He slides down to the ground, his knees bending up to his chest and his back against the tree behind him. He wraps his arms around his legs and puts his head between his legs, trying to take long, slow breaths, as he's not sure how much of his lack of oxygen is actually from running and how much of it is from his panic.

He's in the middle of the woods now, the moon shining high above the trees. It could be a few minutes later, it could be an hour later. It probably wasn't the best idea to run off like that, he realizes. Surely all doing so did was worry his mother and put her into even more distress than just seeing father will do. Tristan feels a bit guilty now, realizing he left his mother all alone and didn't even stay with her for the first meeting, but he's not sure he would've been able to make it through without breaking down and running off just like he's already done.

Thirty-two. He's gone through this thirty-two times. He remembers every single moment of every single one except for the very first one, in which he was no older than a newborn. And now, he's about to go through it once again, bringing his total up to thirty three times. The number itself is nothing compared to his mother's count of a hundred and seventeen, but it's not some twisted competition. Aunt Veronica has been through it just as many times as mother, she's been with her since the very beginning of it all. And now they're all here going through it together. Uncle Gowther is around most of the time, too, and Aunt Merlin. Though Aunt Merlin hasn't been around much this last decade or so. She's been in Camelot, instead, but she still visits the tavern every once in awhile.

He's grateful for all of the family he does have, they'll never know how much he loves them all. But right now, the pain surrounding his father cuts through him like a blade covered in hellfire and all he wants to do is stay right here. Right in this moment, he'd give anything to forever avoid what comes next. The next introduction, the next round of who-will-he-be-this-time, the next "I love you", the next memory, the next death. Some stubborn, childish part of him just wants to stay right here and never go anywhere else ever again. He could just live right here forever, become a part of the woods, and never have to worry about anything ever again.

A hand comes down on his shoulder and he jumps, recognizing his Aunt Veronica's energy and scent right before he sees her face. "Just me, Tanny." She says softly, sitting down on the ground beside him.

He relaxes. "Sorry for running off." He apologizes. "Have I been gone for too long?"

"No, not really. We're only a few minutes away with our kind of speed. It'd probably take awhile for a human to get over here, though." She says thoughtfully. Tristan just nods, staying silent.

"...Are you alright, Tris?" The magenta-haired woman questions, looking at him with eyes that are an even mix of concerned and sad. And that's when he finally breaks. A sob forces its way out of his throat and he can't stop the tears that well up in his eyes from streaming down his cheeks. And then his aunt is pulling him into her arms. "Oh, honey."

He curls into himself, sobs and cries wracking through his entire body. He just couldn't hold any of it back, he feels overwhelmed. Maybe it's the long day, or the long week. He just feels so tired of everything. And he's especially tired of holding things back. So, he just lets it all out. He cries in his aunt's arms until there are no tears left and his gut hurts from how many times he's heaved out a sob. Until all that's left is the comfortable silence of the night around him.

~*~

"Why don't you head in through a balcony? Just in case he's still here, that way you don't have to worry about running into him tonight." Tristan's Aunt Veronica suggests.

He nods. "Yeah, I think I'd prefer that. I'm not ready to meet him just yet." He admits.

She rubs the back of her hand over his arm for a moment comfortingly. "That's perfectly fine. Just take your time, Tanny."

He gives her another quick hug. "Goodnight, Aunt Veronica, I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning, kid. Get some good rest, okay? You've definitely earned it." She tells him, smiling softly. He smiles back before heading to the shadowed side of the tavern and jumping up onto the second floor balcony.

The bedroom it's attached to is Uncle Gowther's. He walks through it and steps out into the hallway, closing the door behind him before heading down the hall and up the stairs to his own bedroom. It's at the very top, his room technically being the attic, and it also had a balcony. Usually, he'd love to sit out on it and watch the stars for awhile, but he's too exhausted tonight. He quickly changes out of his work uniform and into his sleep clothes before flopping onto his bed and quickly settling in and under the covers, yawning as his head hits the pillow and sleep takes him almost immediately.

He wakes a little while later to his door being opened and then closed. He takes a deep breath in and picks up his mother's scent, slowly turning over to face the rest of his room. There's a dip in his bed next to his shoulder and he looks up as his eyes adjust to the darkness, locking eyes with his mother, her usually blue eyes now glowing the golden-orange hues of the goddess clan.

"I was hoping I wouldn't wake you." She tells him, sounding a little guilty.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He yawns, moving closer to her. She was sitting beside him on the edge of the bed, one leg pulled up in front of her and the other one off of the bed, foot planted on the ground.

She brings her hand up and brings it to his head, running her hands through his hair affectionately. Tristan hums softly in content as she continues the motion repeatedly. "What's he like this time?" He whispers after a few minutes, his curiosity getting the better of him.

His mother stays quiet for a moment longer before responding. "He's really sweet. Very kind. He reminds me a lot of you, actually. He seems to joke around a lot and he's very charming. He didn't stay for very long, I don't think he was actually supposed to be away from the castle tonight, but he said he would be back, of course." She tells him softly.

"Sorry for running off and leaving you all alone." He tells her, guilt seeping into his voice.

"Hey, you did nothing wrong, sweetheart. You weren't ready and there's nothing wrong with that." She reassures him. He swallows, moving as close to her as he can and curling himself up against her leg, that childish feeling from before coming back. "Those new friends of yours were worried when you left. I assured them you would be okay and they said to tell you that you're welcome to come find them in town anytime. The blonde one's father is the main blacksmith around here, so you can ask about his whereabouts there sometime. But they'll come back to the tavern sometime, too. They seem to really like you." She tells him, a smile in her voice.

Tristan presses his forehead against her knee. "They seem really nice." He answers honestly.

"That's good, I'm glad you've met them, then." She admits. The two of them fall silent after that for awhile, Tristan laying there with drooping eyes as his mother combs her fingers through his hair gently. Eventually, Tristan speaks up again.

"Hey, mama?" He looks up at her.

She looks down at him. "Yes, my sleepy boy?"

"Can you sing, please?" He asks her.

She gives him a tender smile and nods. "Of course I can."

Tristan smiles softly and yawns again as he turns and buries his face in her knee again, his eyes closing. And then he listens as his mother starts to sing him the same lullaby she's sang to him thousands of times, the one she made just for him.

"Little star, come with me

Fly through the sky and you will see

All the little things that make me believe

Fox cubs are playing

Trees are swaying

Wolf pups are howling

The night cats are prowling

All under your shining light

The flowers are sleeping

The moon is now peaking

And here you lay in my arms

Your eyes have slipped closed

This song I've composed

Leading you to your dreams

Little star, I love you

You know that I do

So, lay down your head

Let your mind rest

You're safe where you are

I won't be too far

I'll stay by your side

'Til sweet morning light."

The last thing he knows is his mother kissing the top of his head as she whispers, "Sweet dreams, my little star." before sleep finally pulls him under for the rest of the night.

~*~

A/N: What did you guys think??? Did you like it?? Please let me know!! I think overall this is a really fun concept to play with and I can’t wait to explore more of this little world that I’m building. Also, I wrote Elizabeth’s lullaby myself, so it’s completely original!! There isn’t much in the way of ships and romance yet, but there will be as we go along, I promise!!! Love you guys!!! 💜💜💜

Taglist:

[Lemme know if you’d like to be added to the taglist for this story and others related to it!!!]

32 notes · View notes

aphroditestummyrolls · 3 months

Note

1, 15, 38, and 49 for the fic writer questions!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

I already answered this one! This is what I said

Ummmm. Depends on the fandom, for sure! Getting into my writing in general, I’d say the To Be Human series for The Old Guard and Gaining Heart for Spartacus.

More recently, though? The Only Way Out (is through) for wesper and Colm. I am so in love with this story, and it really encapsulates a lot of the energy that I try to bring to all my writing— the introspection, the comfort after the hurt, the messy emotions that come with healing, support from both romantic and platonic relationships… and of course ✨Colm Fahey✨.

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

Ooooo. It’s an oldie 😅 it’s the Kes-Verse. My rewrite of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Id still love to go back in and edit and rewrite some things, and finish up the last two stories in the series that I never posted! These stories were fuelled by rage at JJ Abrams and Rian Johnson, love for these characters that got so utterly fucked, and no small amount of desperation for a distraction from the pandemic. And my terrible relationship. And the nightmare of finishing my degree online. And needing to postpone my life. The stories in this series were a gateway into such wonderful friendships and helped me figure out so much about my writing style. (Kes Dameron walked so Colm Fahey could be the father he is today!)

The runner up is a toss up across a couple different fandom’s stories— The Old Guard’s Color and Light, the Mickey/Pierre fic I Travel Alone, and Keep You Safe for Six of Crows.

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

I had to check my AO3 stats for the past couple years to see if anything jumped out at me as odd. I mean, I was surprised by Time for a Spare Prayer. It was supposed to just be a fun little project to explore all of my Colm and The Crows headcanons, and to post in the in-between for Between Hope and Desperation, but it’s really taken on a life of its own. I’m so happy that people are enjoying it so much.

The other one that’s really shocked me is one that I haven’t even posted yet! The Jesper Honeypot Whump-shot has become something that I get requests and asks about, the snippets and moodboard have gotten quite a few notes, and people seem to be really excited for it. It makes me so happy— it was really just a little thing for myself, but it’s quickly morphing into a multi-chapter situation.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

I have answered this one as well! Here’s what I said:

I’m one (ONE!!) scene away from finishing the next chapters of both Spare Prayer AND Between Hope and Desperation. So close. I’m also like, half a scene away from finishing the first section of the Jesper Honeypot Whump-shot, too, and I’m contemplating turning it into a multi-chapter fic (not sure though. But I’m really happy with how it’s turning out, and I’m getting really excited to post it!!).

And here’s a different little snippet, from the next chapter of Spare Prayer:

Jes didn’t even meet his eyes for a second before he was fully absorbed by that boy.

“You’re late.”

“And what’re you doing out of bed?” He asked, as if he wasn’t grinning from ear to ear at the fact that the lad was up and about.

“No one was there to keep me there.” Wylan replied from where he sat at an empty table. He reeled Jesper in by the buckle of his gun belt, craning up into a kiss. Colm took a swig of his beer.

“Mm.” Jes hummed, his lips smiling against the other lad’s— it almost pulled at his heartstrings. “Easy— I’ll just have to tie you up next time.”

Nevermind.

“Jesper Llewelyn Fahey.”

Honestly.

Thanks for playing! ❤️

#ask games #thanks for playing!#star wars #the old guard #spartacus #nagron #six of crows #wesper #wylan van eck #jesper fahey #colm fahey

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scarfwrites · 1 year

Text

Carnival Date (To Mend a Broken Heart Part 12)

❅ Iwaizumi x Singer Fem!Reader

❅Format: Fluff, Crack, Angst,

❅Warning: none

❅Authors Note: very late compared to my usual upload schedule but I was so busy please forgive me 😭😭😭

It was the day that Iwaizumi would hang out with you and your boyfriend whom he was sure clearly distrusted him. He decided to accept your invitation for the sake of keeping you safe. He sighed as he started regretting his decision on coming to hang with the both of you but unfortunately it’s too late now as his thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of the door ringing.

“Hang on, I'll get it!” Iwaizumi yelled rushing towards the door and sighed before opening the door

“Heya Zumi” you waved

“Hey Y/N” seems you're ready Iwaizumi chuckled

“Mhm! I'm pretty excited I hope you both can work out your differences” you smiled brightly

“Where is he anyways?” Iwaizumi asked

“Oh we'll pick him up but since I live near here I picked you up first” you explained

“Alright then” Iwaizumi replied as you both proceed to leave

“Are you sure you haven't forgotten anything?” Iwaizumi chuckled

“Hey! I'm forgetful but not that forgetful!” You pouted as he laughed

Adorable he thought

You both proceed to walk towards Daisuke house. As you arrived at the door you felt Iwaizumi's nervousness before you rang the doorbell.

“You okay Zumi?” You seem nervous you asked with concern

“Yeah don't worry I'll be fine” Iwaizumi smiled softly

“You don't have to force yourself to do this if you really can't make up” you said sadly as your face is laced with extreme concern

“Y/n I chose to do this and I'm not backing out. I'll give him a chance just for you” Iwaizumi gave you a reassuring smile as you blush

“Thank you” you smiled gratefully as you rang the door

“Give me a minute!” You hear Daisuke yell from the other end of the door

A few seconds letter and he opens the door

“Oh Y/N and Iwaizumi… You're here early Daisuke said in surprise

You make it sound like I'm always late” you pout

“Well you're pretty much always late” Daisuke chuckled as your pout grew

Adorable they both thought

“Whatever, let's just get on with it” You said crossing your arms

The walk to your “play date” was very awkward. You felt the tension between the two especially when they tried to talk to you. One would stop as soon as the other started talking. You tried to lighten the situation

“We still haven't decided on a place to go to” you pointed out

“Wait so where have we been walking to for the past minutes” Daisuke said in surprise

“I thought one of you knew a place to go” you exclaimed

“You were the one who invited us, should you know where to go?” Iwaizumi sighed

“Oops I guess I forgot about that” you chuckled nervously as Iwaizumi facepalmed

“Well I know a carnival that's opened we could go there” Daisuke suggested

“Ooh that's a good idea let's go!” you said with excitement as you looked at Iwaizumi for approval

“Well I don't mind I guess” Iwaizumi shrugged

You all then head to the direction where the carnival is located. As you all arrived you were in awe of how big and lively it was. It was also pretty crowded too so you opted to stay close to the both of them to avoid getting lost.

“This was busier than I expected” Iwaizumi said as he scans the area

“Hey Y/N hold my hand, you don’t wanna get lost” Daisuke chuckled

“Yeah thanks” you smiled

“You should pay attention, even if you’re holding his hand you might get lost” Iwaizumi reprimanded

“Aww you care about me” you teased as Iwaizumi sent you a glare

“Alright I'll be careful” you answered quickly

As the three of you walk around the carnival crowd getting tighter and tighter you see a particular prize that catches your eye.

“Zumi look!” You said pulling him and pointing at the gigantic Godzilla stuffed animal

“I’m fucking getting that” Iwaizumi’s eyes sparkled as he rushed over to the carnival game

“It’s a ring toss game” you groaned

“It says you need at least ten hoops” Daisuke points out

“I’ll get it myself you both can go do whatever” Iwaizumi said as he grabs the rings

“We never said we’re not doing it” you quickly reminded

“We didn’t?” Daisuke looked at you confused

“Yeah? We’re getting it for him” you look at him back with a raised eyebrow

After a couple of minutes the three of you were getting very tired and the three of you knew these types of games were scummy. Fortunately you three were all at seven hoops though that the expenses that came with it were racking up very quickly.

“Hey Y/N we don’t have to keep doing this you’re spending a lot already” Iwaizumi said worriedly

“Even he said it’s fine let’s continue” on Daisuke agreed

“NO WE’RE AT SEVEN, WE ARE GETTING IT!” you yell throwing more rings

“Y/N it’s fine I can’t want something when you’ve spent so much to get it” Iwaizumi said getting increasingly more worried

“Well the same thing can be said for me. I’ve spent too much to back out” now you reasoned out

“Whatever you say” Daisuke sighed

“I GOT IT!” Iwaizumi yelled in relief

“YAY WE GOT IT” you jumped in joy

“Phew finally” Daisuke sighed in relief as the prize gets handed out to you

“Here you go Zumi” you smiled handing it to him

“Nah you can keep it after all you’ve worked so hard to get it that you deserve it more than me” Iwaizumi said

“You won it didn’t you? You should get it” you insisted

“I’ll be much happier if it goes to you” Iwaizumi said pushing the plushie back to you

“Are you sure?” you give him a questioning look

“Yeah I’m sure” Iwaizumi said giving you a reassuring smile

“Alright then thank you Zumi” you smiled brightly

“I think we’re all starving” Daisuke pointed out as everyone's stomach started rumbling

“Alright then let’s go eat” you said

After quickly scanning the area and looking for the food section for a couple of minutes you three finally found it and sat on a desk.

“What do you guys want?” You asked

“I’m fine with anything really” Daisuke said sitting down

“You can pick whatever you want for me” Iwaizumi said nonchalantly

“Corndogs?” You suggested

“Yeah sure” they both agreed

“Alright I’ll go buy them while you both stay put so no one will take our seats” you said heading off

As soon as they were sure that you were gone, Iwaizumi felt the tension between them rose very quickly to the point where others would find it suffocating. The facade that they were both showing to you faded as now that you were gone they were free to stop beating around the bush.

“So you and Y/N” Daisuke spoke darkly

MASTERLIST

TAGLIST(OPEN) @byeolofseonghwa @noideawhothatis

#iwaizumi fluff #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x reader fluff #iwaizumi x reader #iwaizumi fanfic #iwaizumi fic #hq x reader #iwaizumi angst #iwaizumi comfort #hq x you #haikyuu x you #iwaizumi smau #hq angst #hq fluff #haikyuu angst #haikyuu fluff

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phosphorescent-naidheachd · 2 years

Text

@goblins-riddles-or-frocks replied to your post:Sunday Snippet

I love this!! I think my favorite take on these two is just throwing them together post r&r and seeing how they claw their way out of their respective traumas. and idk second choice romance is so poignant to me.

I love what a gut punch it is for her to say “I thought I was” there. where do you even go from that! especially after already getting married, and the nature of royalty being what it is I get not knowing how to resolve it tho, I’m stalling on pretty much the same issue myself alas

Ahhh, thank you!! I love the dynamic between these two, and doubly so during and post R&R. They have #CompatibleTraumas, and I think it’s a lot of fun to explore the ways the characters’ traumas and emotional needs interact—both for better and for worse.

And yes to your statement about second choice/second chance romances!

IMO, even more than her feelings for Mal or the Darkling, the main obstacle to canon Nikolai/Alina is that canon!Alina is unsuited for life as a political figure. From a Doylist perspective, this unsuitability boils down to Bardugo’s desire to have Alina end her story by returning to Keramzin with Mal at her side—an ending that wouldn’t work anymore if Alina was allowed to fully grow into her leadership role.

I think you’re the person I’ve discussed this with before, but while I understand what Bardugo was trying to narratively achieve, and I don’t wholly disagree with it, it still frustrates me to see Alina start to reach her potential, only to repeatedly have it cut off and watch her start from scratch over and over again. I’ll freely admit that this is a matter of personal preference as much as it is objective critique!

I’m sure a thousand metas have been written about how Alina’s different love interests symbolize different parts of herself and different paths she could have taken, but it always hits me anew each time I think about her canonical relationships.

ANYWAY.

I feel like Nikolai could respond to Alina’s accusations by retreating behind his ‘perfect prince’ veneer, or he could be emotionally open with her, as he has been in the past. Likewise, I can see Alina either retreating from him or having a real conversation with him. Despite the rocky start to their acquaintance, the two of them have been pretty low-drama together when it comes to the personal stuff!

Yeah, the nature of royalty means divorce or even an official separation aren’t really options—especially not without the existence of an heir and a spare!—which would only make Alina feel more trapped. That said, I can see Alina going on a PR tour/diplomatic trip/secret mission by herself (albeit accompanied by guards/friends) as a solution of sorts, as that would temporarily give her space from Nikolai, the palace, and her ordinary duties. Likewise, I think it would help Alina if she did more work with the common people, as that’s something that feeds her soul in the same way working with the nobility drains her.

The role of queen can’t be completely changed without creating problems for the Lantsov reign, especially since Nikolai came to the throne under the circumstances he did, but I think Alina and he could get away with tweaking it some. Alina’s sainthood would aid them in this, as it lets conservatives write her off as the exception rather than the rule, while also gradually accustoming everyone to a different type of queenship.

That said, I think my resolution might simply be adding Zoya into the mix (and potentially moving the entire scene into my WIP Nikolai/Zoya/Alina fic).

Zoya tosses her dark, glossy curls back. “Self-pity isn’t a good look on you, Starkov.”

“Self-pity?”

“None of us forced you to stay; no one forced you to marry Nikolai. This was your choice. And now you want to quit because, what, it’s too hard?” She sniffs derisively. “If you’re going to run away, do it now before you’ve established yourself any further. I’m sure someone will step up to fill your place.”

Alina sputters, furious. “I—I’m not running away.”

Even if I wanted to, I have nowhere left to go.

“If you say so.” Her tone is infuriatingly, airily dismissive. “But then, that’s your modus operandi, isn’t it? Running away when things get too real?”

“I’m not a coward,” Alina spits back.

Zoya smiles, all teeth and disdain. “Then prove it.”

#phos replies #goblins-riddles-or-frocks #i'll tell you how the sun rose #things done by phos #nikolina #zoynikolina #nikozoyalina

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crinkled-emotions · 1 year

Note

No. 10 please and thank you ❤

10. "We can take a break if you feel unwell. How does that sound?"

I altered it a little bit and it’s not super sickfic-y either, but it’s still there!

This weekend has been a little (lot) hectic lmao. If I haven’t responded to a DM I’m 100% not just avoiding you I’ve been driving a lot the past 48 hours and before that I was acting senior banker at work and it was chaos. So not the vibe.

It’s short but, y’know, that’s generally the vibe with these.

Anyway! On to the fic where Rooster and Hangman are idiots and Maverick and Bob use their common sense.

"Guys, this seems like a really bad idea. We just had, like, a lot of pizza. And ice cream. And pizza. Did I mention pizza?”

“Chill out, Daderick, it’s a roller coaster. We’ve all flown planes on full stomachs and never had issues.”

Hangman dismissed Maverick’s concerns, tossing the stick from his cotton candy into a bin. Bob passed over the last bits of his to Phoenix and she finished it, nudging his side.

Somehow the team had ended up at the local fair, Cyclone under the belief they were doing drills in the simulation suite but Maverick had broken them out to do some team bonding. He was pretty certain he’d get a phone call to be yelled at any minute now. They’d all eaten their weight in fatty fair food and no one was regretting it until Hangman pointed out a rollercoaster and dared everyone to ride it. As per usual with those two, the second Hangman said the dare Rooster was game, Phoenix called him an idiot, Payback was down, then because Payback was going on it Fanboy was hesitant, and then Bob had quietly requested to stay on the ground but no one really picked on him for it. Coyote watched the whole thing go down then went and bought tickets for the team, calling it Dagger Solidarity (tm). Essentially, the first one to puke was going to be relentlessly teased forever.

Maverick had been a hard no on the rollercoaster, firmly leaving his feet on the ground. He claimed it was the first time he was happy to stay on the ground. The others were so surprised they respected his decision then passed over their hats, passes, phones and wallets for him to hold for them. While the others lined up Bob stuck to Maverick’s side.

“This sounds like a really bad idea,” Phoenix whispered to Rooster in passing. Rooster waved her off.

“Bagman’s right, we all fly jets on a full stomach. What’s the worst that could possibly happen?”

She rolled her eyes.

Men.

“They’re all idiots. I swear to god, if someone throws up I’m going to make Jake do 300 push ups.”

“That seems like a bad idea after all the sugar, sir,” Bob replied. Maverick snorted, hand on Bob’s shoulder.

“Good call, kid. I’ll make him do 400 tomorrow.”

The two of them watched the others load on to the roller coaster. Hangman and Rooster sat together, followed by Phoenix and Coyote, then Fanboy and Payback. Bob waved at them as they all got buckled up, leaning over to Maverick.

“This is gonna be interesting. I feel like Rooster’s gonna get two seconds in and puke everywhere.”

“No way, Hangman’s gonna lose it the second the ride starts. Roo has a stomach of steel.”

Maverick and Bob exchanged a look, both bursting out laughing.

“Sir, all due respect, that’s a lie.”

“I think I said it just to convince myself.”

“Yeah, well, I think we all remember last week.”

The second the ride was over Hangman frantically shoved at the bar across his and Rooster’s hips, trying to get off the ride as soon as he could. The attendant released them and Rooster leaned over the railing, grimacing as he tried to stop himself from getting sick. Hangman stifled a gag himself, one hand on Rooster’s back.

“C’mon man, we gotta go find Mav.”

“I literally cannot move. The world is spinning.”

“We can stop if you’re gonna hurl again. Okay?”

“Oh god, just leave me here to die.”

“That’s dramatic. C’mon.”

Payback hooked one of Rooster’s arms over his shoulders, Fanboy behind and ready to catch at any point. Hangman burped, low in his throat, then his eyes widened as he covered his mouth.

“He’s gonna blow,” Coyote said, reaching for Jake’s shoulder to hold him steady. Together they all managed to make their way down to the ground, stopping when Rooster and Hangman looked ready to blow chunks (but never did). By the time they got back to Maverick and Bob, Phoenix had managed to get some colour back to her own face and Fanboy didn’t look so dizzy. Rooster was pretty much back to normal by the time Maverick opened his mouth to give him shit, but Hangman beelined for the nearest bin. Everyone grimaced.

“I hate to say it,” Phoenix said as she went over to rub his back, “but I think that’s karma.”

“Wow, rude,” Hangman replied.

His head was still in the bin and he was swallowing like his life depended on it. Maverick took one look at his team and blinked.

“Hey, Jake? You good?”

He got the thumbs up in response.

Phoenix gave the thumbs down and mimed throwing up. Payback winced, looking a little unwell himself.

“Oh man, maybe it was the pizza.”

#Top Gun: Maverick #Top Gun Maverick #TGM #sickfic #this was shit lmao

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prometheusinitiative · 1 year

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Tracy Quinn || Interview

The moment Tracy opens the case and the message plays, he panicks.

“Uh, oh. Erm, fuck– it speaks. Shit, it’s recordin’ too. One minute–” A moment of Tracy’s face too close to the camera, then darkening as the lens hits the front of his sweater. All the while, there’s loud rustling and clanking noises, empty cans and crisp packets being tossed out of the way before Tracy sets up the case, smiling sheepishly. They reach, fiddling with the top of the case so the lighting doesn’t look too dingy inside of their van. “There we go… what did ya say? Oh, it’s askin’ questions now, piss–”

“What draws you towards working with Ascentsy? What can we offer you? What can you offer us?”

Running a hand through his hair, then quickly patting it down over his forehead, Tracy replies, “The world’s a funny place, especially after everythin’ that’s happened… Just thought I’d try n’ be more helpful than what I am now, basically?” “I’m good at fixin’ things, findin’ things, makin’ things look nice,” he says confidently, chest swelling just a bit. “No problem is too much trouble, I’ll always give it a good go. I might not ‘ave the smarts, but I got the street smarts, yanno? A different perspective.” He then clears his throat, looking away from the camera, “And I mean… what ya offerin’ ain’t anythin’ to be laughed at. If I can secure a good future for me mum and meself, then. If ya keep your promise… I’m all yours.” Tracy’s brown eyes meet the camera, sincere and determined.

“Do you consider yourself more of an independent worker, or a team player?”

He blinks, then leans forward on the steering wheel, tilting his head to the side. “Both? I guess? Ya gotta be in my line o’ work. Lots o’ heavy liftin’ n’ stuff that ya can’t always burden the weight o’ yourself. But ya also gotta be efficient, be able to crack on w’ the tack at hand if ya know what you’re doin’. Depends on the situation, basically.”

They quickly hold up a finger, “There’s one thing I can’t work w’out, though.” Tracy smiles, “A decent cuppa.”

“Where do you see yourself a month in the future? A year? A decade?”

Tracy chuckles under his breath, then gives a playful shrug. “Doin’ the same thing I’m doin’ now. Helpin’ folks fix their plumbin’ or redoin’ their garden or screwin’ in a new set o’ lightbulbs fo’ ol’ Betty down the street. Don’t see myself leavin’ my crew, either.”

“A paranatural disaster strikes the building– the first things you notice are how the lights cut out and the air grows thin. What’s the first thing you do? Anything you’d prioritize?”

“Well, lights? I got a torch–” and he whips it out from his toolbelt with a cool spin. “But the air growin’ thin is uh, concernin’, putting it lightly.” Tracy scratches their chin. “Gotta get the power back on, probably, to fix that. I’d go find the generator n’ go give it a good kick.” Then he hums, “Could always break open some windows too, this buildin’ has windows, right? Anyway, whatever the state the place is in, I’ll figure out how to fix it. That’s me job.” He grins brightly.

“Tell us about a time you experienced failure, and what you learned from that moment.”

Tracy barks out with a laugh, then shakes his head. “Oh, where to begin… Probably cuttin’ the wrong wire n’ takin’ down the whole street’s internet. There isn’t a simple ‘turn it off n’ on again’ fix for that.” He laughs again, a gloved hand scratching his cheek shyly, “Guess I learned to take better notice o’ what’s around me before I just go diggin’. Take care… especially if ya not sure what ya doin’. Yeah. That.” He nods.

“Thank you for your response. Please return this case by the same means it was delivered to you. We of course have already covered the cost of delivery. Should you be chosen for the program, you will be hearing from us soon.”

“Oh, is that it? Not gonna ask ‘bout the gap in my CV or anythin’? Cause’ I did ‘ave a very good reason for it–” The screen turns black, Tracy staring blankly before a heavy sigh leaves them, “…I better not ‘ave fucked it. Bye, then.” And with that, he closes the case and shifts it to the passenger seat and drives off to his next job.

#submission #interview #prologue #tracy

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theladyofdeath · 1 year

Text

Better or Worse {11}

Nessian. Angst. Modern AU.

THIS CHAPTER IS NSFW, 18+ ONLY.

@snelbz x @theladyofdeath collab

Better or Worse Masterlist

Warnings: language, s e x

NSFW. 18+.