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#I won’t go on too much but I’m in love with him
itsallyscorner · 24 hours
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Like Father, Like Son | CL16
pairing: Charles Leclerc x reader
summary: Leo is just as clingy as Charles. Some cute little fluff moments
warnings: none! Italics are flashbacks, if there’s any spelling errors pretend you didn’t see them x
author’s note: A little all over the place, but I hope you guys enjoy the read! First time writing for Charles, so I hope it’s decent :)
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Charles was a clingy boyfriend.
He knew it, you knew it, and everyone else who’s witnessed him practically attached to you knew it. But he couldn’t help it, Charles loved and adored every single part of you. Which was why he somehow needed to always be attached to you.
Whether you guys were at home, at the paddock, or just out and about, Charles always had to have you close. Majority of the time, he can be seen having his hand interlocked with yours or walking about with his arm around your waist. On rare occasions, fans have even spotted the Ferrari driver walking around while hugging you from behind, his chin resting on your shoulder and hands connected at the front of your waist.
Fans melted at the sight of Charles being so clingy. His friends on the other hand—along with some fellow drivers on the grid—found Charles’s little habit as the perfect opportunity to tease him until he was as red as his race suit.
The Miami sun beamed on you as you and Charles entered the paddock. Immediately, fans recognized your boyfriend, calling him for his attention to sign merch and take pictures.
You gently released his hand, causing him to look at you with a pout, “Bébé, hold my hand.”
“Cha, they’re calling you and I know you want to go say hi.” You insisted, encouraging him to greet the fans by nudging him towards the barricades.
With a pout still on his face, Charles looked around, “You might get lost, it’s your first time here.” He knew you were fully capable of finding your way around the paddock and locating the Ferrari motorhome, but he just didn’t want you to leave his side. The moment he’d step into the Ferrari hospitality, he’d be pulled away from you to film content and do media. Which meant he wouldn’t see you till a couple of hours later. So basically, he was shamelessly finding excuses for you to stay with him.
“I’ll be fine, Joris is here and he’s going to hospitality too, I’ll just go with him.” You assured your boyfriend, motioning to his best friend behind you.
Charles’s brows furrowed together, his hand finding yours and tangling them together.
“Joris doesn’t know where the hospitality is.” Charles reasoned, obviously lying. Joris opened his mouth to object but quickly shut his mouth once his friend shot him a look.
“Please bébé, just come with me. They’re going to make me do media once I get there and I won’t see you till after.” Charles tried again to make you stay, slightly tugging on your hand. Joris shook his head at his best friend.
“Charles, your fans want to see you, they don’t want to see me. Just have some one on one time with them.” You encouraged him again, a slight smile on your face at how clingy your boyfriend was being.
“Nonsense, I’m sure they have some of those friendship bracelets you like so much. They’re always telling me to share them with you.” Charles said, dragging you along with him to the fans.
Once you get to the barricades, you’re approached by Lando and Fernando, who are already smirking at the both of you.
“Morning love birds!” Lando greeted you both, shifting his eye from Charles to you, “Is he holding you hostage again? Blink if you need help (y/n), security’s right there.”
Charles rolled his eyes at his friend, signing posters for a couple of fans and taking selfies with them.
“Pretty sure it’s going to take more than security to get him off of me.” You teased, raising your interlocked hands up and shaking it in the air. Charles paused the selfie he was about to take and turned to you with a feigned look of offense.
“I’m kidding, babe.” You smiled at him, rubbing your thumb over his hand. Fernando tsked at Charles playfully, “Ai, Charles no one is going to steal her away from you!”
A couple of the fans caught on with the banter you were all having and decided to join in.
“WE’LL STEAL HER!” A fan screamed.
“CAN WE HAVE (Y/N)?” Another fan from the back chimed in. Charles’s eyes widened at the crowd in front of him, a slight blush on his cheeks from all the teasing.
“You guys are all mean!” He jokingly yelled at the fans, pulling you away with him as he ran towards the garages.
While your boyfriend was clingy, you did not hate it one single bit. Majority of the time, you weren’t in the same time zones, so all the cuddling and hand holding made up for lost time.
Charles hated being away from you. He hated it even more when you were at his apartment in Monaco, sleeping in your shared bed without him after admitting how much you missed him. He knew you understood why he had to travel so much, it came with his job, but he still felt guilty leaving you alone so often.
Which is how you both ended up with sweet Leo.
Charles watched through his phone as you adjusted yourself in bed. You were in your pajamas, your nightly skin routine was done, and you were ready for bed. Before you can settle, you grabbed Charles’s pillow and cuddled it.
“I miss you, Cha.” You hummed quietly. You looked so cuddly, the blankets were pulled up to your chin and the pillows looked so fluffy around you. He wished he were there to snuggle up beside you and hide his face in your neck, basking in the scent of you.
“I know mon cœur (my heart), I miss you too, so much.” He was currently in Australia for the third race of the season. He wanted you to be there, but too many things were happening at your job for you to travel this weekend.
“It’s so quiet, I miss hearing you just yap and play piano.” You pouted, eyes beginning to feel heavy.
“I don’t yap.” Charles’s disagreed, his nose wrinkling.
You huffed out a laugh, “Yes, you do! Sometimes you’re just as bad a Max!”
Charles gasped at you, “That is a strong accusation, bébé. I am not as bad as Max, he never stops.”
You playfully rolled your eyes at your boyfriend, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, Cha.”
Charles went quiet for a bit, causing you to look at him.
“What’s wrong?” You asked him through the phone. You see him shrug, “Nothing’s wrong, don’t worry.”
“So what is it?”
“What if we got a dog?” He suddenly suggested. The thought of a dog made your sleepiness go away. You weren’t against getting a dog, but with how busy you and Charles got, you weren’t really sure if now was the right time.
“A dog?” Your eyes squinted at your boyfriend. Charles hummed and nodded at you, “Yeah. I think it would be nice, no? You could have company whenever I’m away and we’ll be our own little family.”
Your heart swelled at Charles, the thought of having a family together one day was definitely something you both saw in your futures. But again, you were both too busy to start one, so maybe a dog would suffice.
“You’re right.” You began, “But having a dog is a big responsibility, Cha. Who’s going to watch them if we’re both away?”
“We can always take them. If we can’t, I’m sure maman wouldn’t mind.” Charles suggested, running a hand through his hair. He began to go through the other logistics, but sleep was beginning to take over you.
“I guess, baby. Let me sleep on it and I’ll let you know tomorrow, okay Cha?” You tell him, rubbing your eye. Charles smiled at you and blew you a kiss through the phone, “Don’t worry too much, mon chéri (my darling). I love you, sleep well.”
You mirrored his smile, “I love you too, Cha.”
After having a conversation about the responsibilities of having a dog, you and Charles decided that you were ready. So he reached out to a couple of breeders and some pet shops in Monaco until you guys found the right pup fit for you and Charles.
Leo was like the missing piece of you and Charles. You didn’t feel it before, but after seeing the small pup nuzzling between you and Charles you felt complete.
The English cream miniature dachshund was a bundle of joy and full of energy despite his small size. Leo’s daily schedule consisted of him eating, sleeping, playing, cuddles, eating, and more sleeping. He demanded both yours and Charles’s attention, though he demanded yours more. It was like he was in his own little world and the two of you were living in it.
Charles and Leo were like two peas in a pod. While one was a dog and the other was human, the similarities in their personalities were uncanny. They were the biggest sweethearts around you, constantly cuddling into your side and pressing kisses (or in Leo’s case—licks) onto your face—the two adored you and always wanted to be in your space. Wherever you went, they followed. But whenever you were gone, they were miserable.
Which brings you to today.
Leo whined as he sat beside the front door of Charles’s apartment. He pawed at the door, the sound of his tiny nails filling the room. You had gone out to have a girls day, visiting your favorite cafe with a couple of your friends and getting your nails done. Which left Leo to his own devices at his dad’s (Charles’s) apartment.
Charles was in the living room, going through a couple of emails from the team and his engineers about data from recent races and about the car. Though, he wasn’t able to focus since the six pound dog you both shared was constantly whining at the door waiting for you to come home.
Getting up from the couch, Charles made his way to the entrance of his apartment. Leo jumped up at the sight of Charles, immediately approaching his giant feet.
“Mon cœur, maman will be home soon.” He crouched to pick up Leo, who climbed up his chest and began licking his face. Charles let out a chuckle, “You’ve been acting like I was chopped liver for the past two hours, Leo. Don’t act so surprised to see me.”
As if Leo understood him, the dog nipped at his nose, making Charles yelp, “Ah! Leo!”
“You’re lucky you’re cute.”
Holding the dog against his chest, Charles made his way back to the couch. He moved his laptop aside, already knowing he wouldn’t be getting any work done anytime soon. He laid horizontally on the couch with Leo sat on his chest, the dog still nipping and licking at him excitedly.
“Do you miss maman too, Leo?” He softly asked the dog, petting Leo’s head and smoothing the soft fur of his ears. The dog let out a small sound, as if he agreed with his dad.
Still stroking Leo’s head, Charles continued to talk to the dog, “I always miss your maman, Leo. Whether she’s gone for a couple of hours or when I’m away overseas, she’s always on my mind. Just like you mon cœur.”
Leo had settled on nuzzling himself into the crook of Charles’s neck, similar to how you would, and laid down against his chest. Charles soothingly rubbed Leo’s back as his eyes began to feel heavier.
“We’re very lucky to have maman, right Leo? She’s perfect for us and she takes care of us all the time. I know you like to cuddle with her more, that’s okay though, she gives very nice cuddles.” Charles could feel himself doze off. The afternoon sun was shining against the windows of his living room and the couch was incredibly comfy—it was perfect for an afternoon nap.
Before he can completely fall asleep, Leo suddenly whipped his head away from Charles, making the man groan at the dog. Leo’s tail began to wag excitedly, his paws tapping on Charles’s chest, begging to be let go.
Leo barked at the sound of your keys turning in the lock. Instead of placing Leo back on the floor, Charles picked him up and walked towards the entrance to greet you once you’ve come in.
Leo’s tiny body shook even more as he watched you walk through the door. You beamed at the sight before you, your boyfriend dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, cradling your extremely hyper dog.
“Aww, hi babies!” You cooed, dropping your bag to the side and gently taking Leo from Charles. You giggled as Leo covered your face in kisses, sniffing at your hair, and nudging your face with his cold wet nose.
Charles softly smiled at you and Leo, “Hey, I missed you too, bébé.”
“I know you did, Cha.” You hummed, walking into his waiting arms and pressing a kiss onto his cheek. Charles made a sound of disapproval, “You missed, mon chéri.”
You chucked at your boyfriend, “Oh, I’m sorry.” You pressed a tender kiss onto his awaiting lips, a hum of satisfaction coming from Charles. His arms tightened around you as he led you to the couch, only letting you go so you can settle onto the cushions.
Picking up your hand, Charles inspected your nails, “I like them, they look good on you.”
“Thank you, Cha. How was your day with Leo?” You sat back into the couch with Leo still cuddled into your chest. Charles sat beside you, wrapping his arms around you and placing his chin on your shoulder.
“I tried to get work done but Leo kept crying, so we decided to cuddle and talk about how much we missed you.” Charles answered, feeling the sleepiness come over him again.
“Oh, really?”
Charles nodded, “Yeah, our child’s a boy of many words, mon chéri.” You looked down at the pup to see him dozing off like Charles.
“Can we take a nap?” Charles asked, moving the both of you so you were laying down on the couch. You laid beneath Charles and Leo, your two boys nuzzled into your sides.
“Of course we can, Cha.” You hummed, pressing a kiss to his forehead and another onto Leo’s.
“I love you.” You whispered to Charles, you felt him smile against you, “I love you always, Mon cœur (my heart).”
You watched the two of them as they fell fast asleep on you. Your boys were clingy, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Like father, like son, I guess.” You whispered before falling asleep yourself.
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A Promise
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Pairing: Azriel x Reader
Summary: As war inches closer on the horizon, Azriel reminds you of a promise you made to him—one you aren't sure you can keep.
Word count: 1k
Warnings: Angst <3
a/n: Hi I haven't written in a few WEEKS (sorry) 😭 Here's this to get me back in the swing of things
Main Masterlist ♡
~~
“Promise me you’ll run,” Azriel pleaded, his forehead resting against yours. “Anything happens up here and you flee. Promise me.” 
You fought the instinctual shake of your head, always so quick to reassure him—to tell him that nothing would happen. But you couldn’t promise that. Not with a war raging in the distance and you within its throes. 
“I can’t run,” you whispered. “I have an obligation, a duty. I can’t.” 
Azriel’s breath came out as a sharp exhale, the warm air brushing your jaw as he turned his head to your temple. His hands fought for the purchase of your waist, pulling you close until your bodies melded. 
He stayed silent, but you could feel the turmoil heaving down the bond in heavy ropes. Someone called for buckets of water on the opposite side of the camp. Azriel remained pressed against you, eyes screwed shut and brows furrowed. 
“I’m sorry, Azriel.” 
You had told him you wouldn’t be part of this war. But it came on suddenly, unexpectedly, and you couldn’t refuse the High Lord’s request. Your gift was too valuable to stay locked up in Velaris when Autumn and Spring were rebelling against the masses. How could you not aid your mate in this fight?
“We haven’t had enough time,” Azriel croaked.
Something within you fractured and you turned to meet his gaze—to coax his eyes open and capture the full picture of his features. “We will have so much more time, my love. This won’t go the way that you think.”
But you had no gift of clairvoyance, and you’d never fought in a war before. With your hands pressed to Azriel’s cheeks and your head tilted to catch his eyes, you wondered what could have happened in the wars he had fought to cause him so much strife. 
You counted his family members in your head—all alive, none lost to war. 
Nothing to match the tortured expression staring back at you. 
“Me first,” he spoke, so low it was almost lost in the bustle of the camp. “When we die. It’ll be me first.” 
Your brows came together with a sigh. “Azriel—” 
“No,” he countered. He brushed your hands from his face and backed you up until you were behind your tent, a tree meeting your shoulder blades. Azriel’s feet slotted between yours as he bent down. His eyes raced between yours. “I die first. You agreed to that.” 
“There’s no way I could really—” 
“You agreed.” 
You bit into your lip, ignoring the vice-like grip your mate had on the sleeve of your leathers.
You had agreed, but it had seemed like such a small request at the time—something so easy to give him. You had whispered your submission to his worried words if only to ease the distraught way he looked at you. 
Breaking a promise was not something you were keen to do, but thinking on it now—thinking about life without him—it was an unbearable ask. 
“Y/n,” Azriel stressed. Because the camp was getting rowdy and unsettled. It was almost time for him to depart.
Your lips remained sealed, any ease of your expression lost to harsh lines and sharp movements. You had promised. You had agreed. But what if this was a bargain you actually had to do good on? What if you were faced with death, with a choice, and you ran from it? What if that choice left you alone? 
You hadn’t had enough time together. Azriel’s truth bounced around in your head as the shadowsinger beseeched you with his eyes. Barely mated a year, this war had not been kind to your plans. Perhaps that was why you had been so ready to allow your mate to die before you. 
Because you hadn’t had enough time to consider just what that meant. 
“I can’t live without you,” you admitted as if it were a revelation and not a fact ingrained in your being. “I can’t live when you aren’t here.” Your gaze, which had been locked on Azriel’s shoulder—empty, pondering, lost—raced up in search of your mate’s. “I didn’t mean to promise that to you. I can’t… I can’t, Azriel.” 
Panic had begun to drown you. Breathing was difficult. Your hands began to shake. 
This was becoming too real, too much. A figurative imagining materializing in the form of wrinkled tents and pleading eyes. 
You could lose Azriel. 
This was a war, and it was gruesome and cruel and unfair. 
No one cared that you’d only had a year with your mate, and there was certainly no pity from the enemy that you’d never experienced this insurmountable fear. 
You lost the image of your mate to blurry vision and stinging eyes. You pressed harder into the tree at your back, running through the possibilities—all the ways you could lose. It was no longer about not running, but what would happen if you did. 
Azriel’s gentle hush fought for dominance over your labored breathing. His fingers abandoned their grip on your clothes and traced your face instead, brushing back your hair and swiping the tears that had unknowingly begun running down your jaw. 
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he comforted. “I didn’t mean to make you panic. My love, look at me. Please.” 
You gasped. “No, no, I can’t. You wouldn't be saying this if you thought—you think we won’t win. You think you’re going to leave me. That you’re going to—”
Another choking gasp. 
But you still met Azriel’s eye. 
No tears there—only a grief you couldn't fathom. “We h-haven’t had enough time,” you said, speaking it out into the world again. 
Azriel’s responding breath was achingly broken. It seemed to hurt his chest as it left him. “Oh, my love.” He kissed your forehead, his next words spoken into your hairline. “You forget what I said, alright? I won’t leave and neither will you. We will meet right back here.” 
“Right back here,” you agreed. 
And it was true that you made a promise—two, to be exact. But promises were often only placeholders for fear.
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Up Until You | Tommy Shelby x Reader
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Request: yes by anonymous
Pairing: Tommy Shelby x Reader
Summary: In which Tommy Shelby realizes that he might just have someone he wants to live for.
Warnings: smoking, slight season 2 spoilers
Word Count: 3698
A/N: boy does it feel good to post a story again! I hope there won’t be as big a gap between this and my next one … I promise I’m getting these requests written! Anon, I hope this is as angsty as you were hoping….the prompt you sent is bolded. Enjoy! :)
A/N 2: I almost forgot! I wanted to give a shoutout to the lovely Mars @toms-cherry-trees for helping me so much in the planning process of this fic…I don’t think it would have gotten finished if it weren’t for you!
I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! — COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!
Comment/Message Me if you’d like to be tagged!
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(Y/N) sent Ada Shelby a look that asked 'where is he?' the second the latter opened the door. Ada answered with a head nod to the left, which conveyed the answer of 'he's in there'. A glance over the Shelby woman's shoulder confirmed it - Tommy was sitting at the table in the front room. His back was to the door, so he hadn't noticed that she arrived...yet.
She sent Ada an appreciative smile before she quietly walked into the room, hoping that Tommy wouldn't hear her footsteps. He seemed to be too engrossed in his writing for that to happen though. She stood there for a few moments, carefully peering over his shoulder as he finished the sentence he was writing.
He paused then, and it gave (Y/N) the ability to read the sentence he'd just written:
In the event of my own death, I want the following facts to be known...
Reading those words made her mind go blank. "You're actually going through with it?" she asked without thinking.
The sudden sound of someone's voice made Tommy quickly turn in his chair. He was already on edge with the day's events taking up his mind, so this unexpected visitor had caught him completely off guard. It took a few moments for it to register that (Y/N) was standing in front of him. When it did, he cursed under his breath before letting out a huff.
"When'd you get here, eh?" he asked, his eyebrows raised as he placed his hands on his thighs.
"Just now. I couldn't find you at home. The guys hadn't left for the derby though, so I figured you'd be here," she explained her reasoning. "You don't have to go through with this, Tommy," she then circled back, not letting him switch topics.
"I have to," his response cut right to the point. He didn't have time to get into a discussion about it.
"What about the other options you've shared with me? The options that don't include you having to come face to face with this man in order to get the job done," she reminded him of the talks they've had in the past, hoping that doing so would get him to change his mind.
"There's no time for those other options, (Y/N). The derby's today. The plan's been laid out," he wasn't biting.
Silence hung in the air as they stared at each other. (Y/N) was hoping that he'd change his mind. She waited on bated breath, waiting for him to announce that to her. But he stayed silent.
She couldn't wait any longer. "So that's it then?" she asked, incredulousness present in her voice. The fact that he wasn't even trying to entertain a conversation about this was breaking her heart. "You're just going to write your note and practically seal your death with it? And what'll that mean for me?" she was unable to stop herself from getting choked up as she uttered her final question. She didn't want to think about her life without him, but it was staring her dead in the face at the moment.
"The note's just precautionary, love," he attempted to assure her. Her expression didn't change, her brow was now furrowed and it was noticeable that she was biting on her bottom lip; most likely to stop her tears. Tommy finally stood then, coming face to face with her in hopes that his proximity would wash some of her worry away. "I'll be fine," he added in a low voice, blindly searching for her hands so that he could hold them.
"You can't promise that," she responded, her voice coming out as a shaky whisper. It was taking everything she had not to burst out into tears in this moment. She'd always associated his closeness with safety...whenever Tommy was close, (Y/N) knew she could never get hurt. But now his closeness was making her hurt even more.
"It'll be fine," he repeated, squeezing her hands.
"It's really been decided?" she still couldn't accept it.
"It has," he nodded.
(Y/N) sighed at his confirmation. Her gaze dropped to the floor as she pulled her hands from his grasp. She then wrapped her arms tightly around her frame as she turned and took a few steps towards the windows.
"(Y/N)." Her name left Tommy's lips as a breath. He knew he was fighting a losing battle here. "Come on, love. Look at me," he gently coaxed her. She stood still. "It'll be fine," he tried once more to assure her.
That set her off. She whipped around within a second of hearing his statement. There was now a fire burning in her watery eyes. "Do not say those three words again," she snapped at him, "do not continue to try and reassure me with things that you cannot guarantee will happen. You know how dangerous this plan is, Thomas. Please don't try and act like It isn't. You wouldn't be sat here writing a note for someone to find in the event of your death if you didn't think that there was a possibility of it happening," she spoke her mind, letting her emotions go free as all of the pent up worry flowed out.
"(Y/N)," he spoke her name again, in a different tone this time. He didn't need this lecture. Not right now. "This is what needs to be done," he continued in a low voice, staying stoic in hopes that it would alleviate the situation quicker.
But (Y/N) no longer cared about what he did or didn't need at that moment, and if anything, his statement just made her even more upset.
"It doesn't need to be done like this," she insisted, "you don't need to sign your life away for a contract...for a man who doesn't give a single care about the stakes that have been raised here so long as he isn't the one carrying out the deed. Any other person would be trying to find a way to take themselves out of the equation but you've decided to put yourself in the driver's seat."
(Y/N) felt like she was talking in circles. Hell, she probably was, but she was doing so in hopes that something would be set off inside of him. She wanted him to realize that there was still time to think up another plan; one that didn't include him being placed in harm's way.
"What is it that you want from all of this?" he asked her, his brows furrowed together.
"You, Tommy!" she exclaimed, her frustration shining clear through her words. "I want you to fight! I want you to realize that things don't need to play out this way; that you can still put another plan into play!" she paused, taking a deep breath as she swiped at the tears that had escaped her eyes. "I want you to come home when all of this is finished," her voice was level again as she spoke the final sentence. Her eyes were locked onto his, hoping that he'd realize how much this was affecting her.
Their eyes stayed locked and a few moments passed before Tommy looked down at the ground. He exhaled a sigh as he brought his hand up to the back of his neck. "It's already done," he said, his voice void of any tone.
"Then I guess I'm done," the words left (Y/N)'s mouth before she could stop them. She didn't take them back though. She was tired of fighting in a one-sided fight. It was so obvious that Tommy had his mind made up. Nothing was going to change it at this point. But yet she still held onto that sliver of hope. She hoped that her showing up today and speaking her piece would get him to change his mind.
"(Y/N)..." Tommy looked up again as her name fell from his lips, shock now present in his expression.
"I can't be here a moment longer. I can't stand in front of a man who is acting as if he's already dead. I need to leave."
Her words were spoken softly, but Tommy heard them loud and clear. He said nothing as she moved to the archway, expecting her to leave without another word. To his surprise, she turned around just before she was about to exit the room.
"I didn't believe that love existed until you came along, Tommy. But you showed me how wrong I was for thinking that way; for thinking that I'd never experience something like that. And now you've just decided not only your future, but mine as well. I can't stay here and watch it play out. I'm not sure if I'll be home when you return. I just..." (Y/N) stopped speaking as the words got caught in her throat. She let out a shaky breath, tears welling up in her eyes once more.
All words escaped her at that moment, and she shook her head instead, deciding that finishing her declaration would be a lost cause anyway. She couldn't even bear to look at him again, too afraid that she'd actually break down. So instead she turned and made her way to the door of the home, opening it and leaving without looking back.
The sun was now shining down on her. It was an absolutely lovely day in London, but yet she was having one of the worst in her life. She decided to go for a walk, revisiting the streets that still felt like home even though she'd made the move to Birmingham several months ago.
(Y/N) knew Ada Shelby before she knew Tommy. She'd met her when Ada had moved into the next door apartment with her adorable son, Karl. The two women quickly became friends, spending a lot of time together right up until the day Ada had been found and hurt for being a Shelby.
Contact stopped briefly as Ada had moved out of the apartment, but things continued like nothing had even happened when Ada sent (Y/N) a letter that contained her new address. The two frequently spent time together in the front room of the lovely new home, sipping tea and talking about the day's events in front of the fire.
Ada's house was where (Y/N) first met Tommy. Surprise riddled their first encounter. Ada had stepped away to tend to Karl when Tommy came knocking on the door. (Y/N), being the friend that she was, didn't hesitate in opening it. The sight she was greeted with took her breath away. Thankfully Ada had returned from Karl's room, or who knows how long the two would have been standing in the doorway, staring at each other. She even joked about the fact that they couldn't seem to keep their eyes off of each other. Of course it didn't help that Tommy had forgotten what it was he was even there for for the first few minutes of his visit.
That wasn't the last time (Y/N) saw Tommy. The two became very close very quickly. It was like they had known each other forever; like there was this pull present between them that neither could ignore. Things also got serious pretty quickly. So serious that (Y/N) was packing up her things and leaving her London apartment for Small Heath after only six months of knowing Tommy.
Some might think it was crazy; that things were moving much too fast. But (Y/N) had never felt so sure of doing something in her life.
Which made what was happening now hurt so much more. But she needed to keep walking. She'd done the right thing.
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Tommy placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it with a match before taking a deep drag from it and exhaling slowly. The sealed letter sat on the table in front of him. He stared at it for a few moments before pressing the thumb and index fingers of his free hand against his eyelids, hoping it would alleviate some of the pressure he'd been feeling.
"I made you up some tea," Ada's voice broke through the silence, and the sound of glass being set on the table he was working at made Tommy lift his head again.
He nodded as a thank you before bringing the cigarette back up to his lips again. He then stamped it out in the ashtray while exhaling the smoke slowly.
"I heard everything that was said, you know," she said then, moving over to one of the chairs so that she could sit. "What were you thinking, Tommy?" she asked with raised eyebrows, her eyes zeroed in on her brother.
Tommy sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked off to the far wall. He didn't need anymore of this right now.
"She was my friend first. She was the only person who cared about me when I moved here. She helped me through a lot. I'm not going to let you ruin her for your stupid ambitions," Ada had no problem speaking her mind and letting him know how wrong he was for responding to (Y/N) the way he did.
Tommy pulled the timepiece from his pocket and checked it before letting out a sigh and returning it back to its place. "I need to leave," he told Ada before lifting the cup and downing the beverage in one go. In hindsight he was thankful that it wasn’t scorching hot. "Thanks for the tea," he said to her as he set the empty cup back down.
Nothing more was said as Tommy stood from the chair he was sitting on. He looked to Ada as he pulled the jacket he'd been wearing back on over his shoulders. She was glaring at him, hoping that he'd have something - anything - more to add to the conversation.
It became apparent that he didn't when he started for the archway. So Ada left him with one last statement: "please don't let her go, Tommy. We all need her." There was a quiet desperation now present in her eyes, one Tommy wasn't sure what to say in response to.
So he nodded and turned to exit the home, heading right to the car he parked a few streets down.
Truthfully what he wanted to do right now was head back to Birmingham and stop (Y/N) from leaving, to tell her that she was more important than any plan he could ever put into place. He knew she was justified in saying everything that she had.
But it was too late to do that now. Tommy knew that there'd be men searching for him by the end of the day if he stepped away from the plan this late into it. At least now he had some sort of control over the outcome of his life. And he was going to try like hell to stay alive...because now he had someone to stay alive for.
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The house on Watery Lane was quiet when Tommy stepped into it later that evening. The fire in the main room was still lit, but he couldn't quite remember if they'd put enough wood on to keep it going prior to leaving that morning. So judging (Y/N)'s presence based on that could have surely given false hope.
He took his overcoat off and hung it on one of the hooks by the door. The suit jacket followed after, and he draped that over one of the chairs in the sitting room as he walked through it.
No one was downstairs, but he hadn't expected anyone to be at this time of night.
He quietly walked up the steps and down the hall to the bedroom that he and (Y/N) shared. He paused at the closed door, taking a moment both to steady himself; to regroup from the day's events, and to prepare himself for the possibility that he may be opening the door to an empty room.
After inhaling and exhaling deeply, he turned the knob and opened the door. The first thing he noticed was the lit candle on the bedside table. Seeing it made all of his worries dissipate. (Y/N) had a habit of lighting them and then falling asleep.
Looking slightly to the right, he found the woman that hadn't left his mind since she left him in Ada's sitting room. She was laying on her side, facing the wall, telling him that she was sleeping.
Slowly, quietly he began ridding himself of his outer layers. It wasn't until he moved over to the dresser that he noticed the bags sitting on the floor. They were packed. It was easy to see that, even in the candlelight. He looked back to (Y/N) then, putting the pieces together in his mind. She was going to leave...but something made her stay.
Now only wearing his undergarments, he made his way over to the bed. Hesitation overcame him again. Should he lay with her? Should he go back downstairs? She was in her spot, tucked up against the wall so that enough room was present for him on the small bed they shared.
A few moments passed before he made his decision, lifting the covers and slowly slipping underneath them. He laid on his back for a short time before turning onto his side so that he was facing her sleeping frame. Another bout of hesitation filled him, but he didn't let it stick for too long as he gently draped his arm over her midsection.
That was when (Y/N) let out the shaky breath she'd been holding in from the moment she heard the door open. She was awake the entire time.
"Are you still awake, love?" Tommy asked in a whisper.
"Yes," she breathed out, her voice wavering.
"You've been crying," he pointed out, able to read her like an open book.
"I didn't know if I'd see you again," she answered him, choking up as she spoke.
"I'm here," he assured her, his arm wrapping tighter around her body.
(Y/N) didn't say anything in response. Instead tears fell from her eyes as she held her breath, trying not to make it noticeable that she was crying. But Tommy was able to feel how her body was shaking.
"Turn and look at me," he said quietly, a soft demand that took her a few moments to comply with. Her tear-stained face became visible in the candlelight when she did, and seeing it broke Tommy's heart. "C'mere," he breathed, allowing her to move even closer to him so that he could engulf her in his embrace.
"No one knew where you were, Tommy," she whispered once she was finally able to get words out again. "I thought..." she paused, not even wanting to say what she was thinking, "I thought the worst."
"I'm sorry you had to think that way, darlin'," he murmured, stroking the back of her head slowly. He held her close until her body stopped shaking, giving her the time she needed. He didn't speak until she lifted her head from the crook of his neck. "Better?" he asked in a whisper, peering down to see that her eyes were still closed.
"Slightly," she breathed out a response. "I'm relieved that you're home. Is..." she paused, seeming like she was looking for the words to say next, "is it finished?"
"It's finished," he answered in a definitive tone, nodding his head as best he could.
(Y/N) let out a shaky breath upon hearing his response, feeling as if the rest of the weight had lifted from her chest. She slowly opened her eyes and looked right into his. "I was going to leave," she started, watching Tommy's brows furrow together in the candlelight, "but I realized that this is part of the life I chose with you. That this is the type of work you carry out, and that I can either fight you on it or support you the best that I could. I also realized that my desire to be with you is so much greater than the worry that your work creates." Her eyes didn't stray from his as she spoke. Watching his hardened blue irises soften as he took in her words was enough to fill her heart to the brim with love.
Tommy took a moment to soak in her words. He moved his hand from behind her head so that he could gently trace the line of her jaw with his thumb. Taking in a deep breath, he knew what he had to do. Searching her eyes for a few seconds longer, he thought of the words he wanted to say.
"I thought I could lose everything and be totally fine with it," he began, clearing his throat in hopes that she wouldn't notice the fact that his voice was breaking. She noticed. "But then you came along...and now I see how wrong I was."
"Tommy," she breathed, taken back by his admission.
"I had nothing to live for up until you, (Y/N)," he admitted, not holding anything back now, "and I promise you now that things will change... that there’ll be no more of these plans. I don't want to have the possibility of an outcome that doesn't include you in it."
(Y/N)'s mind was swirling. It had been a rollercoaster of a day, she still couldn't quite believe the change of events that had happened. But she was so very thankful that things had ended up with Tommy by her side again.
"I love you, Tommy," she whispered, a smile tugging the corners of her lips upwards.
"I love you, (Y/N)," he repeated the phrase, his expression mirroring hers as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss.
Now that he had her again, he knew that he could never let her go. What he'd told Michael earlier in the evening would soon be true: he was going to ask (Y/N) to marry him.
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MASTERLIST
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Tagged: @mystcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21
@mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @notyour-valentine @theshelbyslimited
@peakyswritings @just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss
@alexxavicry @captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @tommystargirl
@emotionalcadaver @stevie75 @lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife
@anotherblinder @cillmequick @dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @garrison-girl-08
@insanitybyanothername @depxiety @justrainandcoffee @dragons-are-my-favorite @forgottenpeakywriter
@cljordan-imperium @brummiereader @red-riding-wood @everythingelseisextra @little-diable
@thomashelbyswife @shaddixlife @ryecosse @padfootdaredmetoo
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norizzsainz · 3 days
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🌶️ NFY : BACK TO SQUARE ONE
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[ carlos sainz x singer!fem!reader ] [ wc ] 0.9k
[ summary ] carlos' and y/n's breakup comes as a surprise to many of their friends. no one ever thought the couple would ever break up, but alas, y/n was always ready to do whatever was best for the love of her life — even if it meant breaking up with him.
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━━━━ MARCH 08, 2024 : AIRPORT, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
everything was happening too quickly for you to process anything at all.
an hour ago, you had just released your international tour dates for your concerts.
half an hour later, you find out that carlos has appendicitis and needs immediate surgery for it.
an hour after that, you get a call from charles asking you to fly down to saudi arabia because everyone was being denied permission to visit carlos.
“wait, what? why do you need me to come if no one is allowed to visit him?”
“because carlos is still under anesthesia and can’t make choices for himself. they won’t let anyone but his guardian meet him. and you are his guardian, y/n. remember?”
thankfully, you were already in abu dhabi for a promo event, which meant you were only three hours away from where carlos was.
i just need to be in and out. i won’t stay long. you told yourself, swearing that you wouldn’t spend any extra time there. i will go, remove myself as his guardian, and come back; that’s all.
on your way over, you couldn’t help but laugh at the situation, finding everything amusing.
so much for breaking up and trying to be strangers.
━━━━ MARCH 08, 2024 : HOSPITAL, SAUDI ARABIA
as you walked through the halls, the urgency of the situation seemed more real, causing you to quicken your steps.
carlos was hurt. he exerted himself while he was hurt. why would he push himself so much like this?
charles was right behind you, matching your fast pace as you rushed to the vip lounge of the hospital.
“carlos sainz,” you told the front desk. “i am his guardian, y/n l/n.”
the woman politely smiled, nodding. “come with me, miss l/n. he’s out of surgery now. i will take you to go see him.” she stood from her seat, attempting to guide you to his room.
”i just, uh, i’m here to sign the papers. to provide permission for his family to see him,” you quickly said.
“oh.” the receptionist’s smile fell, looking confused. “so, you will not be seeing the patient?”
charles noted the change in the woman’s tone. “she will! she just wants to make sure his family can also see him‌,” he intervened, giving you a look.
“great! you can sign these papers here and we can go see the patient.”
you threw a wide-eyed look at charles as you signed the papers; the brunet avoiding eye-contact with you.
“thank you.” you smiled at the receptionist as you handed over the papers.
charles offered a slight smile as the receptionist guided you towards carlos’ room, wordlessly apologizing for the situation he put you in.
you winced as you noticed your ex-boyfriend’s family standing outside his room, just wanting to bury yourself in the ground.
you turned towards his mother, feeling bad. “i’m seriously sorry, mama.” you bit your lip when the name slipped out, not noticing how the elder woman’s smile widened at your words.
reyes waved off your apology, smiling widely. “you don’t have to apologise. it’s not like you knew about this.” you sighed as you heard her assuring words.
“it’s been months so i thought he must’ve removed me as his guardian.” you winced, noting the way sainz sr glared at you.
“what are we waiting for now? i need to see my son.” sainz sr tapped his foot, arms crossed as he raised his brows at you.
you didn't waste time in opening the door for your ex’s family, letting them go through.
just as you tried to step away, charles pushed you inside, ushering you forward before closing the door behind him.
“what the hell are you doing?” you whisper-yelled, brows furrowed. “let me leave! this is not what you promised!”
before charles could reason his actions, you froze as you heard your name being called by a very familiar voice.
“mi amor? what are you doing over there?” carlos' words were slurred, the anesthesia still wearing off him. “come here, please.”
you stared at your feet, trying to play it off. you were in a dangerous territory right now, with every moment being difficult for you.
ana pulled on your arm, dragging you towards her brother. your gaze widened as you made eye-contact with your ex.
“h-hello. hi.”
“carina.” carlos gave you a woozy smile, a sparkle in his eyes as he looked at you. “i'm very happy to see you, amor.”
you nodded in a rush. “i need to go now, though. i'm busy,” you stammered, noting the way sainz sr continued to glare at you.
“like, right now?”
“yes, right now, carlos.”
your mind was running wild at what sainz sr was thinking of this interaction that you couldn't properly look at carlos.
because if you did, you would've definitely seen it coming.
without a warning, carlos pulled on your arm, bringing your face closer to him.
and just like that, without a warning, he placed his lips upon yours, taking you by surprise.
you jerked your head away as soon as you processed what was happening, slapping your hands over your mouth.
“i swear that wasn't—i didn't…” you tried to explain yourself to your ex's family who looked just as surprised.
“that anesthesia must be strong as fuck,” ana commented in awe. “i wonder if i can get some of that, too.”
you were a stuttering mess as you tried to explain yourself, just opting to run out of the room after saying your goodbyes.
“i'll just leave. bye, mr sainz. bye, mama. bye, ana. fuck you, charles.”
you sprinted out the door before anyone could say anything, not stopping until you were outside the hospital.
no one had run after you and you were thankful for that, because the last thing you wanted was to talk about what had just happened.
so much for thinking i was doing well and moving on. now i'm back to square one. fuck.
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TAGLIST : @d3kstar , @khaylin27 , @sailing-with-100-ships , @lorenakaspersen , @be-your-coffee-pot , @shakespereansonnet , @sltwins , @laneyspaulding19 , @vizzzashley , @fangirl125reader , @lewisvinga , @c-losur3 , @yeetskeetstreet , @sam-is-lost , @imsiriuslyreal , @ilove-tswizzle , @bernelflo , @mycenterfold , @justkalcpxia , @multi-fandom-fan221b , @jinimon-tr , @neivivenaj , @jointhehunt67 , @fangirl-dot-com , @brune77e , @brekkers-whore , @honethatty12 , @bokutos-babyowl , @shineforever19 , @spideybv28 , @princessria127 , @hiireadstuff , @ari-nicole , @yl90 , @sp1rl , @evie-119 , @minkyungseokie , @tinyhrry , @barcelonaloverf1life , @goldenharrysworld
IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THE TAGLIST, PLEASE COMMENT DOWN BELOW, SEND AN ASK OR DM!
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bychaes · 2 days
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“i miss u.” ft. skz
스트레이 키즈 OT8 fem reader wc three hundred eighty-four genre idol au, established relationship, bullet point fic cw/tw mention(s) of kissing not proofread ! ( emi's library ) ✩ - synopsis: things that bf!skz do in a long-distance relationship while on tour
bang chan
the kind of bf that comes up with loads of romantic ideas and write them down so he won’t forget about them
writes love songs about u when he misses you
sends a cover of the song with him singing and playing the piano
“im gonna kiss u so much when i get home”
lee minho
one word: CARINGGG
daily reminders to eat/sleep well
asks you to send pics of soonie doongie dori for him
“where are my four babies? i miss them so much (you’re one of them, that’s why its four)”
seo changbin
THE ultimate cutie bf
daily selcas with the usual cheek poke
texts you any opportunity he has because he just misses you that much
“the sky is here pretty but not as pretty as u, you know”
hwang hyunjin
misses you so much he becomes impossibly clingy and whiny
being the artist that he is he will personally sketch your portrait and keep it with him when he’s away from u
puts u as his both his homescreen and lockscreen
“send me a selfie please… just one…..”
han jisung
also becomes extremely clingy when he misses u but is embarrassed
brings that second bottle of your go-to perfume when he goes on tour
misses u so much he sprays your familiar scent on his clothing
“btw, pls don’t ask where your other bottle of perfume went…”
lee felix
the kind of bf that misses you vv much but not show it openly bc he’s the shy type
uses that extra bottle of your hairwash he bought without u knowing when he misses u a bit too much
like my boy does not care if his hair smells like u he just misses your scent
kim seungmin
would go out for a day at every city/stop on the tour just to see if there is stuff u like
also can’t choose between multiple items so he buys them all
wraps them all up and surprises u when he gets home
“if you’re going to complain about how much money i spend on you, i’ll gladly take these for myself!!”
yang jeongin
would actually think of you more than himself
therefore; daily bubble selcas
would act all nonchalant but actually misses u hella much inside
“you’re lucky i’m thoughtful”
a/n: skz version of “i miss u” !! here is the enhypen version - thanku all so much for support on my first work !! enjoyy
taglist: none atm ! fill out the form to be added
@bychaes. do not plagiarize in any way, shape, or form.
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End Game 2
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No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.
Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, stalking, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.
This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.
Summary: Your gaming buddy asks to meet up but it doesn’t go exactly as planned.
Characters: Andy Barber
Note: we're here to boo Andrew.
As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.
Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.
I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖
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“So, you’re coming?” Jacob’s voice quavers with excitement. You can’t imagine how he’d sound if you said no. You hate letting people down, it seems to be all you've ever done.
“Uh, yeah,” you say as you steer around the track; opting for some MarioKart over Minecraft that night, “boss says it’s no problem to get the days off. Just have to make it up after. Is... Is everything still good on your end?” 
“Oh yeah, sure thing,” he assures buoyantly, “I can’t wait. Did you still wanna split the airBnB?” 
“Actually, I got a place to stay for the night then I’ll take the early bus back,” you explain as Princess Peach knocks you off the track, “argh!” 
“Right, that’s good,” he says, “good to know you won’t be stranded out there.” 
“Mhm,” you use your boost to catch up to Peach and get your revenge. You don’t mention that Kara will be with you at the con. You just want to be sure this isn’t something wonky. “It’ll be nice to get out of town. My grandma will probably be happy to have the place to herself.” 
“Yeah,” he scoffs, “what’s her problem anyway?” 
“Just the way she is. She likes her space,” you shrug, “I don’t know, I don’t think she expected to be raising her granddaughter...” 
“Ah, yeah, I guess that would be stressful,” he says, “still, seems like you’re not too bad to be around. Got a job, go to school, all that. Think my dad would love it if I put in half as much effort.” 
“Yeah? You make him sound like a hard ass.” 
“Can be. Lawyer, so kinda his schtick,” he chuckles. 
“Oo, fancy,” you snort. Maybe if either of your parents had been lawyers, you wouldn’t be living off your grandma’s resent.  
“I guess. Never really see him that much...” he grumbles. 
“Hm, well, no winning, is there?” You mutter. 
“Not really,” he sighs and hisses, “ugh, Toad!” 
You chuckle and cross the finish line. A respectable second. You wait for him to finish and stifle a yawn. 
“Tired?” He asks. 
“Little.” 
“Me too, long day,” he groans, “neck’s killing me.” 
“Oh, what’d you do--” 
“You know, I’m-- an idiot. Was messing around on my bike.” 
“Of course,” you snicker, “well, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna sign off. I don’t wanna keep my grandma up and my head’s starting to go.” 
“Sure, I gotta get up early anyway,” he sounds less than enthused. “Good night.” 
“You too.” 
“Tomorrow?” 
“Can’t, work. Day after?” 
“Okay, I’ll make it work,” he confirms, “I’m excited about meeting up. Aren’t you?” 
“Yep,” you try not to show your doubt. You’re still not really sure about everything. 
“Can’t wait,” he rasps and the silt in his tone makes you shiver. 
“Yeah, er, bye then,” you hit end session and take off your headset, your ears tender and a bit sweaty. Even if it is awkward, at least you’ll get to hang with Kara for a bit. You haven’t seen her since grad. 
🎮
You’re already exhausted and you’re not even inside yet. The line for the convention is bustling and your excitement keeps you going as you and Kara gab away and move with the slow crawl. The sun beams down and has you sweating, though you could easily blame that on your nerves too. 
“So, this Jacob... is he cute?” She winks. 
“Kara,” you roll your eyes, “it’s not like that. Really. We just game.” 
“Oh yeah. But do you want it to be more?” She teases. 
“You know I’m not really into all that. I don’t have room for a boyfriend in my life.” 
“So boring. Never change, girlie,” she nudges you playfully. “But really, that’s smart. Calvin is too much. I’m thinking of cutting him loose.” 
“Again?” You squint. 
“Not my fault he keeps coming back,” she giggles. 
You peer around, searching out a familiar face amid the ocean of strangers. You haven’t seen Jacob yet. You’re almost hoping he doesn’t show up. Then again, why wouldn’t he? He paid for you to be here. The reminder of the fact strikes guilt in your chest. 
You pause as your eyes catch another pair, further back in the queue. An older man with a beard. He stands out among the crowd. He wears a tidy button-up where most wear graphic tees or cosplay attire. He stares for a moment before he turns away and looks down, probably at whatever kid dragged him there. 
“Well, what are you going to do if he sees you and falls in love?” Kara asks. 
“Whatever,” you roll your eyes. 
“If he’s a nerd like you, how could he not?” 
“Hey,” you frown. 
“What? You’re like the sexy gamer girl type. Isn’t that what dudes want?” She shrugs. “Let me see his pic again. He’s a skinny little thing. He’d definitely be into you.” 
“Urgh, stop,” you cross your arms. 
“Sorry, I’m only playing. You just seem so nervous, I’m trying to loosen you up.” 
“I know,” you puff, “it’s just... I should’ve just said no. This is stupid. I don’t know why I even agreed.” 
“To get out of that shithole,” she snips. “Why do you think I hauled ass the minute I popped by grad cap on?” 
“Mm, yeah, I just hope... do you think he really wants that? Maybe I gave him the wrong idea. Oh, Kar, I really didn’t mean to lead him on.” 
“No, no, I’m sure it’s nothing you did if he does. I mean, he’s probably a virgin so...” 
“That’s mean,” you pout. 
“What, so are you,” she laughs. 
“Exactly,” you shake your head and drop your arms, a buzz jittering your skirt pocket.  
You look down at yourself as you slide your phone free. That was probably a bold choice but it’s so damn hot out. Besides, your Pikachu tee is loose enough to counteract the denim sheath. You turn the screen up, shading it with your hand as you read. 
‘Sorry, not going to make it. Something came up. 🙁' 
You frown and reread the message. Really? You came all the way here, took time off of work, and he’s flaking? 
“What’s up?” Kara asks as she clicks her manicured nails impatiently and stands on her toes, trying to see past the bodies ahead. 
“He just cancelled,” you mutter and type in your reply. 
‘Oh no. Hope it’s nothing bad. Maybe another time.’ 
You hit send and drop your shoulders. You’re surprised how disappointed you are. More so about the wasted effort than anything. Even if you are a bit relieved, it’s shitty. 
“Ah, bullshit!” Kara sneers, “what the hell? What did he say?” She reaches for your phone and you hold it out of her grasp. “That fucker.” 
“It’s probably not his fault. Shit happens.” 
“Babe, you’re gonna settle for a lot of nonsense if you keep that attitude. I’d be friggin pissed if I was you. He brings you all the way here and now he’s too good for you. I bet he saw some cute girl in line and she smiled at him once so now he’s ditching,” she scowls, “I hate boys.” 
“I’m sure... it’s nothing,” you say glumly as your phone vibes again. 
‘I’m real sorry. I hope you still have a good time. Take lots of pictures.’ 
You don’t respond. You lock your phone and put it back in your pocket. It never feels good to be stood up. Even then. 
“You know what, screw him,” Kara snarls, “let’s go in there and buy you the cutest plushie you can find. Hell, maybe you can find an even cuter guy.” 
“Kar,” you warn her. 
“Fine, just the plushie. Maybe two,” she trills, “forget that loser.” 
🎮
The chaos of the convention wipes away the dark cloud over you. You’re almost thankful that Jacob gave you the opportunity to catch up with Kara. You didn’t realise how much you missed her. It’s perfect day where you can forget about your grandmother and your lame job and everything else. 
You rush around from booth to booth. You look at fanart, handmade figures, and stuffies. You’re mindful of your wallet and how empty it really is. You’ll get one thing and a snack. That’s all you can afford.  
As the hours roll by, your early morning bus ride and time spent standing out in the hot sun catch up to you. You feel your muscles starting to ache and your eyelids turning fuzzy. You yawn as you shuffle behind Kara as she waits in line to get a signature from the one D-list celeb she’s heard of. You’d get one too but it’s way too expensive. 
“Hey,” you rub your cheek, “mind if I sit and wait? I wanna grab a soft pretzel anyway.” 
“Sure,” she agrees easily, “looks like it’s gonna be a while.” 
“Want me to bring you a drink or something?” You offer. 
“Nah, just text me where you are so I can find you,” she says. 
You leave her reluctantly. You’d rather not be wandering alone through the hordes but your feet are killing you and your stomach’s been roaring for the last hour. You stand in line for the pretzel stall and get yours with cinnamon sugar and syrup. Messy but delicious. 
You find a table in the corner and settle in. You put your phone beside the napkin and tear apart the doughy goodness. Your phone lights up with a notification from the merge game you like to play and you see several other icons; missed messages. 
You focus on your snack, savouring each bite, as your eyes drift around the crowded centre. You can barely see some of the booths as hordes cluster around. Some cosplayers bat at each other with toy swords as children fight over the arcade machines. You’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of activity all around. 
You put your head down trying to block out the lights and noise. You feel yourself getting overstimulated. It’s like when you’re in the lecture hall and suddenly you can hear every sniff, sneeze, and keystroke. You close your eyes as you wipe your fingertips on the edge of the napkin, only half-finished your pretzel. 
“Looks good,” a deep voice cuts through the blaring din. 
As you recognise the timbre, your heart squeezes and the world pinpoints at the centre of your skull. You open your eyes and slowly raise your head. You blink dumbly at the unfamiliar man stood in front of you. You think you’ve seen him before, or at least he sticks out from the typical convention attendee. 
It isn’t that he’s too old, there’s lots of older geeks hanging around but they have neckbeards and greasy combovers. His hair is tidy and his beard trimmed close. His clothing also lacks the typical Dorito dust or anime character. You remember, he was outside in the line. 
“Uh, hello?” You utter. 
“Sorry I’m late,” he says as he pulls out the chair across from you. He sits as your insides plunge. You know his voice. 
“Jacob?” You murmur in shock. How? Why? This isn’t the stringy teenager you met online. 
He nods, his jaw tensing, and he crosses an arm over the table, pointing to your half-eaten pretzel, “what’d you get on yours? I can’t decide between sweet or savoury.” 
“Who... are you?” You croak, head spinning as your eyes prick. You knew something was weird. You knew you weren’t talking to Jacob or whoever that boy was in the pictures. 
He takes a breath and lets it out slowly. As his chest deflates, you do too. He’s older than you, bigger than you, and by the looks of him, a lot better off. Why the hell would he be chatting with you? Why would he lie to you? 
“You’re right. I’m not Jacob,” he confesses, the colour draining from his face. He steeples his fingers and considers his next words carefully. You sit back and hug yourself defensively. This is fucked. “My name is Andy, Jacob is my son.” 
“Your son?” You eke out, “why-- why would you lie?” 
He cringes and takes another breath, “he was my son,” he corrects himself, “he... passed.” 
You feel like you’ve been struck. Your mouth falls open, stunned. Not only did he hide behind his son’s photos, but his dead son’s. Oh, god. You feel sick. No, you feel stupid. 
“Look, please, just hear me out. I just—it wasn’t meant to go on this long. When I first lied to you, it was supposed to be that one time. I was... I was lost. I just lost Jacob and I was going through his things. I started playing because I missed him. I wanted to feel like he was still there--” 
“No, no, you got on discord and you started talking to me. As him!” Your voice shakes and your eyes tinge. “That’s not just missing him.” 
“I know, you’re right. I lied but... I got lonely playing by myself so yes, I went onto that discord. You were nice. You didn’t call me a noob or whatever. And... and after work, looking forward to hearing your voice, it got me through a lot of pain. Being alone in that house after so long, I couldn’t cope--” 
“So you lied to me?” You stand and snatch your phone, nauseous to the core, “you manipulated me. How do you know—if you had just been you that I would’ve been any different? If you just wanted to play games, to be friends--” 
“I was scared--” 
“I don’t care if you were scared,” you hiss as you stomp forward. “You’re an adult.” 
He stands and blocks your path. You recoil, put off by his height. He’s a lot bigger on his feet. 
“Please, move or... I’ll scream,” you breathe. 
“You don’t have to do that. Just hear me out,” he pleads. 
“I don’t want to hear anything else from you, Jacob. Or Andy. Or whoever you really are,” you sneer, “move.” 
He shudders and hangs his head. He makes himself seem small as his shoulders round and he backs out of your way. You bite down and march past him.  
You need to get to a bathroom. Now. You’re going to spew up your guts. More important, you need to get yourself together before you go find Kara. She can’t know this happened. It’s too embarrassing. 
162 notes · View notes
leasstories · 3 days
Text
It was a personal issue
Based on @creativepromptsforwriting ‘s prompt “why did you never tell me”; “It was a personal issue.”; “you being in love with me kinda involves me.”
Eddie Munson x gn!reader
No trigger warning.
WC: 0.8K
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You and Eddie are best friends. You have been for years. You also have been keeping a secret from him for a long time: you are in love with him. Not a simple crush no, you are head over heels in love. But you keep this information to yourself. You would rather have Eddie as a best friend than not having him in your life at all. The thing is that being around Eddie is getting harder and harder with time. You and Eddie are both touchy people, you always hug, play with each other’s fingers when you are anxious or play with each other’s hair during movie nights. Since a few months, every touch exchanged with Eddie sends a shock of electricity through your body and ignite a desire, the desire to be with him.
You currently are at Steve’s Harrington birthday party. You are currently nursing a beer, sitting right next to Eddie, your thighs touching.  Eddie also casually hooked an arm around your shoulders while casually talking with Robin. You don’t even listen to whatever they are saying, too focused on Eddie’s arm around your shoulders.
“Sweetheart?” Eddie asks, waving his hand in front of your face.
“Hm?” you ask.
“Tell Robin that Eddie Van Halen is cooler than Bon Jovi.” Eddie pleads, looking at you with his puppy dog eyes.
You raise your hands in surrender. “I don’t want to be in the middle of a musical argument between you two.” You say, chuckling and knowing damn well that as much as you love Robin, if you get involved you are going to take Eddie’s side, especially with the puppy dog eyes he gave you. Robin and Eddie keep going back and forth in their little argument for a little while, and you zone out again.
Once Eddie and Robin agreed that they would never convince the other, Eddie gets up from the couch for a smoke. When Eddie gets up, but you don’t follow, as usually do, nor react, he frowns.
“Sweets?” he asks, putting his hand on your shoulder to get your attention.
“Sorry…” you tell him earnestly, shaking your head as to clear your head.
“Where d’ya go?” Eddie asks, a bit concerned.
“I was just thinking.” You answer.
When you and Eddie walk through the kitchen, you take this as an opportunity to refill your glass.
Then, Eddie and you step outside by the back door, Eddie leans against the wall before lighting his cigarette. Meanwhile, you take a sip from your drink.
“So,” Eddie starts. “What were you thinking so hard about?” he asks, always the curious one.
“Nothing interesting.” You answer, embarrassed and blushing.
“Tell me. Pretty please.” Eddie borderline begs, doing the puppy dog eyes. When he sees that you are not about to share with the class, he adds. “I am your best friend!”
You take a huge sip of your drink for courage before saying. “Promise me that no matter what I say it is not going to change things between us, promise me it won’t make you run away.”
“I promise,” Eddie says, putting a hand over his heart before adding. “Scout’s honor.”
You snort at that. “You have never been a scout!”
Eddie wraps his arm around your shoulders before saying your full name and insisting. “What was going on in that pretty little head of yours.”
You blush hard and sway from one foot to the other.
“I might…” you hesitantly start before taking a deep breath and blurting out. “I love you, Eddie.” As soon as the words leave your mouth, you close your eyes, bracing for impact.
“Duh! I’m your best friend!” Eddie says, not catching the real meaning of your I love you.
You sigh, embarrassed. “No Eddie, you didn’t get it… I mean I love you more than a friend should.”
“Since when do you know?” Eddie asks, kinda shocked.
“I have been sure of it for a year.” You confess.
“Why did you never tell me?” Eddie asks.
“It was a personal issue!” you protest.
“You being in love with me kinda also involves me.” Eddie says, amused.
You chuckle at Eddie’s answer. “Yeah but I wanted to sort it out on my own before telling you.” You answer a bit embarrassed.
“Sweetheart, your love for me is not unrequited.” Eddie confesses.
“Really?” you ask, skeptical.
“Really.” Eddie breathes out, his face inching closer to yours. You both breathe heavily, so close that you can feel the other’s breath. When the tension becomes too much, your lips crashes onto Eddie’s. You both kiss passionately and make the most of it. A few hours earlier, minutes even this seemed impossible for the both of you. Even in your wildest dreams, you never thought you and Eddie would ever be more than friends. But now, even though you have not put a label on your current relationship, you know you have crossed the boundaries of friendship. There is no going back now.
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Taglist:@abellmunsonmovie
158 notes · View notes
enwifen · 1 day
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PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR PRETTY GIRLS 𓂃𓏲࣪ ˖࣪
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🍃 ˖࣪ ──── a pretty girl like you has no reason to be insecure about the way you look but, you still feel self conscious anyway… luckily your lovely husband is here to help.
pairing. artist!sunghoon x fem reader wc. 1.8k
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𝒯oday just wasn’t your day.
You could just feel that something was off, your usual happy-go-lucky mood absent from the moment you woke up. ‘It’s okay, everyone has those days’ you say to yourself, trying to find a small spark of happiness inside you as you get ready for the day.
Sunlight spills through the windows and seeing as your husband was known to be a morning person, you weren’t surprised to see the space next to you empty. He was most likely in his art studio downstairs, inspiration often hitting him first thing in the morning.
Your eyes flicker up to your reflection while you brush your teeth. What you see in the mirror only seems to further sour your mood. To anyone else? You look the same as you did yesterday and all the days before that. To you? You don’t.
It’s little things too. Your skin texture just slightly more noticeable, dark spots more prominent… even that pesky pimple on your forehead looks more red than it did yesterday even after the cream you put on it.
Again, you try and push all the negativity to the back of your mind. Hoping to spit it all down the drain as you exit the bathroom.
As expected, you find your husband sat in front of his easel with a palette and brush in hand. He greets you with a smile though it quickly fades as he almost immediately picks up on your low mood.
“Morning sweetheart, is everything alright? You seem a little…”
A sigh leaves your lips, as much as you want to say you’re fine you know you can’t hide anything from Sunghoon.
“No…” you pout. He frowns and puts his supplies down, wiping his hands before opening his arms. You walk over to sit on his knee, allowing him to hug you.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asks softly.
“I just…” you bite your lip, trailing off.
“It’s okay, take your time baby.” Sunghoon says, one of his hands coming up to stroke your hair.
“I feel really ugly today… I woke up feeling off this morning and as soon as i saw myself in the mirror I—”
“Shh, shh, it’s alright… I hate when my girl is so upset, what makes you think you’re ugly, princess? You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.”
Sunghoon listens attentively as you list your insecurities. He shakes his head a little as you talk. He doesn’t mean to invalidate your feelings but, at the same time, he also can’t fathom how someone as ethereal and angelic looking as his wife could possibly think they’re anything but that.
“Oh Y/n… if only you could see what I—, you know what? Why don’t you take a seat over there.” He says, nodding over to the stool a few feet behind his easel.
“Hoon I really don’t feel like being painted right now—”
“Please, my love? If you really don’t want to I won’t push you but…” you gnaw on your bottom lip, on one hand you don’t want to have your insecurities drawn but at the same time you know Sunghoon would never do anything to upset you further so… you kinda wanna see what he’s getting at.
You lift yourself up and go to sit in front of him.
“Perfect…” he mutters, picking up his brush and watercolour palette. You always loved whenever Sunghoon would use watercolours.
Throughout the course of your relationship, Sunghoon had drawn you countless times. Doodling you in his notebook during classes when you still went, sketching you during one of your picnic dates… the list goes on. He was precise with each and every stroke, wanting every piece of art to be perfect.
So even though it didn’t take him long to finish, you could tell this wasn’t just some half assed piece of artwork he was drawing just to boost your self esteem.
“Love? I’m finished, why don’t you come and take a look?” And you do, rising from your seat and walking to stand beside him.
The painting is… unreal. Simply saying that it’s beautiful is an understatement. Simply saying that you were beautiful is an understatement.
Splashes of your favourite colours serve as the background, making you seem vibrant even on your dullest day. Each pencil line that joins to create you and your features is soft, eliminating the harsh critiques you had for your face. Sparkles replaced your dark spots and even that pimple you hated so much was replaced by a small flower. With everything you hated about your face, Sunghoon made his love blossom from it.
He turns to look up on you, hand on the small of your back rubbing soothingly. “Do you like it?”
“I… I love it but… hoonie this isn’t me.”
“You’re right, it’s not just you, it’s how I see you.”
Tears began to well up in your eyes at that.
“Now do you see? How it’s impossible for me to see you as anything but the pretty girl you are? I never understood back when you used to ask me why I stayed with you… why wouldn’t I? Y/n, you’re beauty itself.” He says earnestly, you can hear how Sunghoon means every word as he wipes your tears away.
“You’re too sweet.” You sniffle, Sunghoon chuckles lightly in response.
“I only speak the truth, baby.” He says, standing to pull you into a proper hug. When it came to feeling insecure, hearing ‘stop, you’re literally so pretty’ wasn’t enough sometimes. You could smile and nod but it didn’t actually make you feel better. Now, having such a loving husband by your side, your insecurities could easily be pushed to the side.
Maybe they would come back later, maybe they wouldn’t. One things for sure, with the way Sunghoon looks at you as if you were the prettiest painting in the gallery, you could care less about how you looked right now.
───────── ౨ৎ ─────────
Thanks to Sunghoon, you didn’t feel as bad as you did this morning which meant you were still good to attend the opening of his new art gallery.
“Are you sure? You know you don’t have to, love.”
“Of course I do! You know I wanna come and be supportive of my favourite artist~”
A pink hue spreads across Sunghoon’s cheeks. Cute, you thought. Even after being such a successful painter and getting compliments on his work daily, still he would blush at any praise given to him by you.
“You look beautiful, by the way.” He says, laughing at you being the one to blush now. Being an artist meant Sunghoon had a keen eye for detail which always came in handy when it came to buying dresses for you.
It was probably best you didn’t ask how much your dress cost, choosing to smile and accept the gift instead. It fit your frame perfectly, the light material flowing in the wind as you walked out into the night.
In Sunghoon’s eyes you were truly something out of a dream. His dream come true.
You watch as the city lights pass you by, tuning out the sounds of your husband on the phone making some last minute arrangements, you assume.
A sense of pride fills your chest as you take in the full gallery, watching the various people admire your husband’s artwork. He deserves it, every single bit of praise as he stands by one of his paintings, smiling and humbly accepting all the compliments.
You’re perfectly content standing on your own for a little while, sipping on a flute or champagne. You smile at the memory of Sunghoon basically showing you off to everyone an hour prior.
“Ahh, with a pretty wife like that I’d wanna show her off all the time too…”
“It makes sense, he’s a handsome guy, of course his wife is beautiful too.”
“No wonder they’ve been together so long, I’d do anything to keep a gorgeous girl like that by my side.”
Those were just a few of the comments you heard. Safe to say your low self esteem was nowhere to be found.
A glance at the clock tells you the event would soon be coming to an end. You were sure everyone had gotten a chance to look at all the different pieces your husband made, all except for one…
A glass case stood in the middle of the room, inside a white sheet covering what seemed to be a statue…? Of some sort.
The chime of Sunghoon’s fork tapping his glass garners everyone’s attention. He gently tugs you to stand beside him again as he speaks.
“Hello everyone, once again I’d like to thank you all for coming tonight… it’s always been my dream to open my own gallery and even though this one isn’t the first, I’m still so grateful for all of you that have attended.”
You both smile as Sunghoon receive an enthusiastic round of applause. You both bow politely.
“Special thanks to my parents who have always told me to follow my dreams and, of course, to my beautiful wife Y/n for always being my biggest supporter and source of inspiration.” He says, you’re sure your cheeks hurt from smiling so big but you can’t help it.
“This last piece of artwork is really special to me, I love all of my art piece but this one holds a special place in my heart, just like the certain someone it was created after.” Your brows furrow a little in disbelief but you keep smiling, body vibrating with excited nerves as you start to catch on. “I’ve only just started to get into sculpting so it may not be the best but, I’m proud of it regardless… now without further ado, allow me to reveal my newest masterpiece.”
Sunghoon smiles, leaving your side to open the glass case. Carefully tugging off the white sheet.
You turn around to look and your jaw drops, covering your mouth you feel tears begin to pool in your eyes.
The sculpture is you. And not just you, but the painting Sunghoon had made of you earlier that day. He must’ve drawn it from memory but it still looked beautiful regardless, it was Sunghoon behind the easel after all.
The lights in the gallery darken to allow a spotlight to shine on the sculpture though it also highlights you. Every single detail is highlighted and all the audience can do is stare and awe.
Sunghoon walks back around to you, smiling warmly.
“How do you like it, baby?”
“I… hoonie are you kidding me? I love it!” You exclaim, ignoring the tears that fall. You don’t realise how they sparkle under the spotlight, as if your tears were made out of crystals. Softly, Sunghoon wipes them away. Another round of applause ensues, though you’re still in your small little bubble with him.
───────── ౨ৎ ─────────
The gallery is empty now, you and Sunghoon being the only ones left. Sat on one of the benches, your head resting on his shoulder, still admiring the sculpture he made of you. You don’t think you’ve ever felt so loved before.
“It’s beautiful…”
“You’re beautiful.”
You giggle softly. “Stop it.”
“Never.” He grins.
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kymerawrites · 1 day
Text
Sugar daddy Simon x OC
Ghost was sat in a room with his team while they were being debriefed about their next mission. His attention was dragged away from his captain speaking once he felt his phone vibrate insistently in his pocket. He pulls it out, already irritated at the interruption and ready to hang up when he sees the contact name. Shym. Ah, hell. He can never resist shym is his only real weakness.
He excused himself and stepped out into the hallway where he answered the call. “ Hey, sugar. “
He leaned back against the cold wall. He missed her so much, it’s been a while now since they were last together. He wanted nothing more than to see her face even if it’s through the phone. That’s why he never let her send him pictures, in case he lost his phone. “ I’m sorry for not calling earlier.” He said lowly, his English accent slightly thick now with his tiredness.
“It’s fine Simon, never apologize for keeping the world safe.” I laughed
That’s the reason why he loved her so much. Even though she doesn’t know what he does she still understood and respected it. She never pushed him for answers, never nagged him while he was gone and was still by his side when he had his bad days. He chuckled lowly. “ Have you been behaving? “ He asked with a teasing smirk.
“Hmmm, give me an example?”
His smirk widened. He could practically see her pout through his phone and just the image of it made his chest feel tight. “ Have you been taking care of yourself, eating and sleeping well? I haven’t been there to make you. “ He replied.
“I’m doing amazing, the girls are going shopping today, sort of challenge but I’m not participating.”
He hummed and crossed one foot over the other. He hated hearing about her being with the girls, especially when he knew how rowdy they got. Just imagining her in a club or bar with drunk men circling her made that possessive feeling in his chest grow. “ Oh yeah. And why aren’t you going?” He asked, his voice a bit lower.
“They have this challenge, ask their partners for a creditcard and go on a shopping spree.”
He raised a brow at that. He wasn’t surprised that those girls came up with something like that, but the thought of Shym doing it rubbed him the wrong way. “ And you’re staying home because you know I’d never give you my credit card. “ He mumbled.
“No not at all, ofcourse I need some new clothes, want to look all dolled up for you when your back, but I should do that with my own money.” I mumbled
That made him freeze. Now he imagined her dressed up pretty for him and it sent a flare of want and need to his chest. He clenched his jaw and shifted on his feet, trying to ignore the thoughts that suddenly filled his mind. “ Don’t worry about looking dolled up for me. “ He muttered in a tight voice. “ I’d rather take the clothes off of you anyways. “
“Some new lingerie would help with that won’t it? Change of scenery” I whispered
He bit back a curse at her words, trying to keep his voice steady. “ And why is it that you want that all of a sudden. “ He said, even though he already knew the answer. The images filling his mind were sending a slow wave of heat through his body, his eyes fluttering shut.
“Oh baby, haven’t you forgot that the knife play you do torn a lot of my lingerie and clothes” bastard I thought
A smirk tugged at his lips. He knew she was a bit miffed about him damaging her clothes and lingerie. But that just made him smile more. “ I’ve noticed you complaining about it too. “ He stated, keeping his tone calm. But he couldn’t help but tease her a bit, his voice lowering into a low whisper. “ But when it’s happening you don’t really protest now do you?”
He could practically her blush through the phone at that tease, his smirk growing more now. His hand moved up to the back of his neck and rubbed it absently. She was too easy to tease sometimes. “ You like it don’t you, sugar. “ He said, his voice coming out more rough now. He couldn’t stop the images that filled his mind as he spoke, they were starting to effect him too now.
“ You like when I leave marks all over you. “ He continued quietly. “ Leaving you all bitten and bruised in the shape of my hands. “ He knew they were both getting effected by his words. He could hear her breath hitch slightly on the other line and it made his pants tighten in response, biting his lip under his mask.
“ You don’t complain when I rip through your clothes to touch your body. “ He said, his voice barely a whisper now from the huskiness of his voice. He wasn’t sure he could stop the words even if he wanted to. Her soft breaths against the phone was making his chest tighten with need. “ When I use my knife to- “ he stopped himself before his voice got too ragged.
“Amex gold in the 3rd drawer, buy some nice stuff.” He said out of no where
Ghost froze, his mind momentarily distracted from his own lust and his smirk faltered slightly. Was he really giving her his credit card? He didn’t have to. She certainly didn’t need it. But when he thought about it, his eyes darkened. The thought of her buying something with his money and wearing it had his blood heating. He took a slow breath in, trying to push down the possessive feeling in his chest.
“ Are you sure about that sugar? “ He muttered, moving his hand to his jaw and rubbing the skin there. He knew he should be telling her no. But that damn possessiveness he had was making him hard to think clearly. He wanted her in his clothes and in his things.
A grin formed on my face “I’ll make sure I’ll look perfect when you come back.”
A shiver went down his spine at her soft reply. He could practically see that cheeky grin on her face. And he hated the fact the the thought of her in anything of his was making him needy and wanting. She was going to be the death of him. “ Don’t tease me, sugar. “ He muttered, his voice coming out as a near growl.
I laughed “go back to your debrief baby, I’ll talk to you soon.”
Ghost couldn’t keep the grumble from leaving his throat as she ended the call. He was going to be useless in the debrief now. His mind had now been filled with the image of her buying clothes with his credit card. It was almost like she did this on purpose. He put his phone away and took a moment to compose himself before heading back to his debrief.
He was definitely turned on. But he tried to force it down as he walked back into the room. His captain picked up the conversation but he barely even heard it. His mind was filled with thoughts of Shym spending his money, wearing his clothes. It was driving him insane thinking of it.
And I went crazy on my shopping, but kept it on a limit. 5k max, the poor man’s credit shouldn’t become a issue in the future.
I got a facial, new hairstyle, shoes, clothes, makeup and the cherry on top expensive lingerie.
Despite only having a limit on the credit card, it didn’t take long for the charges to appear on his account with every purchase she made.
He groaned when he pulled out his phone to check his credit card usage and saw all the transactions. 5k was gone within an a few hours. But he couldn’t deny that he liked it. She was using his money and buying things they both would enjoy. He bit his lip as he checked how much he had left and decided it wasn’t a problem. He could just ask for an increase if he really needed to.
But the fact that she had just spent 5k on makeup, shoes etc. made him smirk. His mind immediately went to imagining the amount of things she would buy with a higher limit. But he couldn’t let himself dwell on that at the moment. He had a meeting to go to and his captain would notice his distracted state if he didn’t compose himself quickly.
That evening he FaceTimed me, still with his mask on and getting ready for bed, we had a little timezone difference as I was in New York and he was in Chile on a mission
“Enjoying the summer weather right now in chile?”
He was in the room they gave him for the mission. He had just finished changing into some clean clothes after a long debrief and was just sitting down on his bed, checking his phone. He chuckled at her words and leaned back, laying against the headboard. “ You could say that. “ He replied as he shifted on his bed, getting comfortable. “ The heat wave has been a pain to deal with while in the field. “
I scoffed “English lads cannot deal with shite, when can I finally take you to my parents in the Seychelles without complaints?”
He rolled his eyes as she teased him, knowing full well that he absolutely hated the heat. It was ironic given that the first place she wanted him to go to was to her parent’s villa in the hottest place in the world. “ Never. “ He replied. “ Can your parents even handle me, sweetheart? “ He shot back teasingly.
He could tell by her expression that she was pouting at his response. He chuckled at that and felt a pang of wanting in his chest. He missed her face. “ Stop pouting love. “ He chastised, his voice quieter now. “ Can’t believe you’d rather take me to a hot sunny island than a cold snowy one. “
“You want exotic, you get exotic!” I exclaimed. “Wait let me turn on my camera, look at my hair!”
He groaned in response, already knowing that she was just taking the piss now. “ exotic huh? “ He retorted, shaking his head in fake disappointment as he watched her turn on her camera. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the new look, his eyes darkening as he took in the new colour. “ Well… looks good. “ He said, his voice coming out a bit strangled.
His pupils dilated quickly, his hands clenching into the sheets. He didn’t expect her to do that so suddenly. “ Christ… “ He mumbled, his voice coming out in a rough whisper. “ You’re cheeky… “ he said, his tone slightly scolding as he swallowed hard.
He could feel himself growing hard from the brief view and he growled softly in frustration. “ Shouldn’t have done that when I’m not there to touch you sugar. “ He hissed, his grip getting tighter on the bedsheets.
I started to touch my bra “means you need to come back fast.”
His eyes followed your hands as you started to touch your bra. He wanted to touch it. “ You’re not making it easy. “ He grumbled, shifting on the bed and grabbing his mask. “ You’re being naughty when I can’t even touch you. “
He pulled his mask off and raked a hand through his hair, trying to push back the lust building in his body. His eyes were dark as he looked at her. “ You’re being extra cheeky, sugar. “ He said, his voice sounding more rough now.
“Send more cash and I’ll behave..” I laughed
He cursed silently in his mind when she said that. He hated how damn easy she could rile him up, and even more how easily she could get him to cave to her demands. He didn’t even hesitate before he quickly logged into his app and transferred more money.
He wasn’t even sure how much he sent as he was too hasty in giving in to her. The second it was transferred, he looked back up at her, his eyes darker than before. “ Should I send more. “ He growled, his voice coming out as huskier than usual.
I smiled and let me camera see my thighs, red pantie with gold chain on my belly “maybe..”
His breath hitched at the sight of her thighs and the red panties. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to try and compose himself. But it didn’t really help. “ You’re going to drive me insane… “ He muttered, his voice coming out as a low growl. “ I bet you bought them with my card as well.”
“All for you baby, you know I’m your sugar.” I whispered
He felt his chest twist at that and his eyes darkened further. “ Too damn sweet for me. “ He grumbled, his gaze roaming over all the exposed skin on the screen.” When I come back I swear I’ll leave your skin bruised.”
He felt the possessive feeling grow in his chest. This wasn’t fair. She was thousands of miles away and he couldn’t even touch her. “ Teasing me when I’m not able to even hold you. “ He growled as he stared at her. “ You’re going to be the death of me, sugar.”
My hands traveled over my belly towards the rim of my panties
His eyes immediately followed the movement of her hands towards her panties and his breath hitched again. He bit his lip, trying to control himself but failing miserably. “ Jesus Christ… “ He muttered, his eyes glued to the screen.
“Can I touch myself for you si?”
He growled when she asked that, his eyes darkening even more. “ Christ…. “ He was struggling to keep his voice in control now, his chest tightening. “ You want to touch yourself for me, sugar? “ He asked, his voice coming out as a gruff whisper.
He ran a hand down his chest, wanting the touch her so badly it was driving up insane. “ Do it. “ He said, his tone commanding now
He leant back against the headboard, getting comfortable as he watched her intently. “ I wish to Christ you were here in front of me. “ He bit out, his voice coming out as a huff.
My finger making circles, aroused, in need of touch, arched back. He saw it all “I miss you too baby.. but I can’t stay dry forever.”
His breath hitched at the sight before him, his mind starting to race at the sight of her arching back. “ God you’re beautiful.” He choked out, his voice strained as he watched her. “ Keep taking your time… I want to watch every movement you make.”
I started to whimper “send some more money baby I’ll give the best show you want..”
He groaned at the sound of her whine but wasted no time sending more money. “ How much more do you want, sugar. “ He growled out, his eyes glued to the screen, watching her movements.
“Make it… it… 1k” I whimpered
He grunted but obliged, sending the money immediately. “ You’re getting spoiled. “ He muttered as he watched her on the screen. “ But goddamn do I like spoiling you.”
He shifted on the bed, his sweatpants starting to get tight with his growing need. His eyes were fixated on her, his hands clenching the sheets tightly. “ Keep going.. “ He encouraged, his voice coming out as a ragged whisper.
He ached to be the one touching her instead of her own hands. His chest felt tight with want as he watched her movements on the screen. “ Tell me what you’re thinking about.” He asked, his voice coming out in a low growl.
“I’m thinking about you, how you should be ripping my clothes now..”
He growled at her words, his eyes darkening even more with possessiveness. “ Goddamn it… Wish I was there to rip those new clothes to shreds. “ He muttered, his grip on the sheets getting tighter.
He shifted slightly on the bed again, his body feeling like it was on fire. “ You wearing anything that’s mine sugar? “ He asked, his voice coming out huskier than normal.
I kept circling and showed my new heels, clear glass and high “I hope you like them..” I started to moan as I became wetter
He growled softly when she showed him the heels. “ I like all the things you bought with my card. “ He said, his gaze darkening as he watched her move. “ But your new moans are the best thing you’ve gotten with my money so far.”
“It’s VIP..” I started to arch again and it became intense “si…”
He groaned at her arching, feeling himself straining in his pants. “ God… “ He muttered out, his body feeling like it was on fire from desire. “ You’re being extra needy when I’m away. “ He said, his voice coming out as a rough grumble.
“I can’t hold it any longer..” I moaned
He felt the need to touch her growing stronger as he watched her on the screen. “ Don’t hold it anymore.” He ordered, his voice coming out as a ragged whisper. “ I want to watch you….”
And I released, I felt hazy hands wet and sticky from myself
He inhaled deeply at the sight of her release, his body feeling like it was burning with need. He wanted to touch her so badly. “ Christ… “ He muttered as he watched her, his eyes darkening further.
He shifted again on the bed, trying to get some relief from the tightness in his pants. “ I wish I was the one giving you that cum. “ he growled out, his voice ragged. “ Goddamn it… “
He clenched the sheets tightly, his body feeling like it was being consumed by her. “ You look so goddamn beautiful when you come. “ He choked out. His eyes were glued to the screen, taking in every movement she made. “
You make me want to break opsec and come home so bad. “ He growled softly, his body feeling like it was on fire.
“Then make sure those enemies are dead in no time. Now go focus on your job I’m tired baby..”
He nodded, reluctantly agreeing with her. “ Fine. “ He huffed out, his body still feeling like it was on fire from desire. “ Get some sleep sugar, I’ll finish up and be home soon. “ He said, his tone coming out gruff and rough.
“Will do Simon, I love you and stay safe..” I gave a kiss trough the camera
He chuckled softly when she gave him a kiss through the camera. “ Love you too, baby. “ He returned the kiss with one of his own. “ I’ll call you tomorrow, okay? “ He said, his tone still sounding a bit rough, but softer now.
He looked at her for a moment, his eyes softening. “ Sweet dreams, okay? “ He said before reluctantly ending the call, his body still feeling like it was on fire with need.
90 notes · View notes
taizi · 2 days
Note
okay just because we were talking about this - how do you think an asl reunion at alabasta would look like?
i hope its ok that i took this as an excuse to write an au no one asked for :')
read on ao3
x
A lot of the problems in Ace’s young life—most of them, if he was being honest—could be attributed to the shitty choices that adults around him made. 
When Bluejam grabbed Luffy by the scruff, the business end of a pistol jammed painfully into the nape of his neck, he was talking a bunch of shit about how Sabo’s dad ripped him off. He was paid to kill Ace and Luffy but he’d been short-changed, and for a man who seemed to think he was entitled to a certain lot in life, it rankled. 
“But that noble brat doesn’t make a bad ransom,” the man said, shaking a weepy Luffy in one meaty hand to shut him up, like Ace’s baby brother was nothing but a piece of dirty laundry. “If his family won’t buy him back, I’m sure someone will.”
Ace’s blood turned to ice in his veins. Whatever time Ace didn’t spend in the jungle he spent in the gutters and outskirts of the city, where every unwanted, street-sharpened child knew the risk a certain kind of stranger brought with them. 
If Sabo ended up with a slaver, Ace would never get his brother back. Pieces of him, maybe. But not the same golden boy he was right now. Not the brave, proud, secretly soft-hearted person Ace loved so much. He’d come back different if he came back at all. 
He had to compartmentalize. He couldn’t act rashly until he had Luffy back. His mind raced frantically, but he made sure it didn’t show on his face. He snatched Luffy up when Bluejam finally let him go and made his own body a wall between his brother and the men who had no compunctions about hurting him to prove a point. 
They were left to spread gasoline throughout the terminal, while the pirates made their way back down to the beach. Not one of them lingered to make sure Ace and Luffy did as they were told, and Ace should have wondered about that. Should have wondered why they were making themselves scarce, why the city gates were barred, what all those fuel canisters are for, but his thoughts were too full of other things.
That was why, the second the coast was clear, he tossed his gasoline drum aside and seized Luffy by the arms. He stooped to look right into his eyes, trying to ignore the way his chest panged at how wide and red they were. 
“I have to go get Sabo,” he said firmly. “You have to stay here.”
“Let me come!” Luffy cried immediately, predictably. “Don’t leave me behind!”
“It’ll be faster if you wait,” Ace snapped, because he didn’t want to say that Luffy was going nowhere near any ship bound for the slave market, because then he would have to explain why. Even without the Fruit that made him a special novelty in the Blues, Luffy would be snatched up by evil hands in a heartbeat. “You’re too little, you’ll just slow me down,” he said instead. 
It wasn’t nice, and when Ace had time later, he would feel bad about the way Luffy’s lip trembled. But for now, it was important that he got his point across. Every second he lingered was another inch ahead Bluejam’s crew got. Ace’s world would literally end if their ship left port without him. 
So he gave Luffy’s shoulders a push that propelled him back a step. Then he pointed in the direction of the treeline. He made his face mean and forbidding. 
“I mean it, Luffy,” he said. “Go wait for me at home.”
Luffy finally tucked his chin in a miserable little nod. Ace gentled despite himself and reached out because there were two people he would always reach out for and one of them was right in front of him.
He flicked the brim of Luffy’s hat up enough that it fell off his head, and then ruffled his hair. A gesture so familiar and well-practiced it was like muscle memory to him now. Luffy didn’t smile, but it kept the tears at bay for a bit longer, and Ace left him with another firm point back at the jungle. 
Ace was a child, doing his best to keep his tiny family together. He had a half-formed plan that he would sneak about Bluejam’s ship and find Sabo wherever he was and they would fight their way out and escape together and reunite with Luffy in time for a midnight dinner. He was a pragmatic youth, and was made wiser by the world than any ten-year-old should have been, but he was still only ten years old. He couldn’t have guessed what was going to happen. 
He would piece it together later—that Bluejam had been commissioned by the kingdom to make sure the Gray Terminal burned down, a noble title he planned to come back to collect once he had auctioned off Outlook’s eldest son to the highest bidder—that Ace had chased after one brother and left the other alone in a place that was about to go up in flames. 
When he climbed aboard the Blood Batako, he didn’t realize it would be the last time he saw Dawn Island for almost half a year. 
He didn’t realize that Luffy would wait for him right there where Ace left him, even as the fire spread into walls of flames much taller than a scrawny seven year old—frightened and crying, little hands bunched in the front of his own shirt as he choked for each breath in the thick, acrid smoke. That Dadan would find him there and haul him away kicking weakly but not screaming, because there wasn’t enough oxygen left in his body to scream. That the asphyxiation, not the fire, is what nearly killed Luffy that night. That he would spend the next week in Foosha Village tended to by their only doctor and wake up with some of his memory intact, but not all. That he would recognize Makino, but wouldn’t know Dadan. 
Ace had no way of knowing, when he and Sabo finally made their way home, well-traveled at the tender young age of freshly eleven, and relieved to see journey’s end for the time being, and looking forward to reuniting with a certain crybaby who had probably been miserable cooped up in Dadan’s country or at Party’s Bar without them, that Luffy will have been gone for months by then. 
“A cruise ship docked further up the island,” Makino says fretfully, “and a little boy who worked in the kitchens came down here to play because he said he didn’t like the way the kingdom smelled. He and Luffy were fast friends. I had no idea Luffy was planning to leave with him until I found the note he left in his room, and by then they were long gone.” 
It’s a good thing Sabo is there, because Ace’s head is just a roar of white noise. Sabo is the one who chokes out, “But—what—did—did you call Gramps? What did he say? Is he going to find him?”
“I don’t have his direct line. I’ve left a dozen messages with his office, but you know how he is,” Makino says, forgetting that they don’t, actually. “He hardly remembers that he has an office. And the number Dadan has for him is no good.”
“Why would Luffy wander off like that?” Sabo says, progressively getting louder. “Why wasn’t someone watching him?”
“He’s just been so restless since the fire,” Makino replies. “There wasn’t anything keeping him here anymore, and it seemed like he just needed one good excuse to leave.”
Sabo looks as gutted by that as Ace probably feels, hurt and confusion racing their way across his face. And Ace finally makes his contribution, in the form of a choked, “What do you mean?” which is when Makino realizes there’s something they still don’t know. 
She sits them both down at a table and holds one of each of their hands in hers, and gently explains that while they were gone, the world as they knew it had changed forever, and the happy little boy who always ran to catch up to them wasn’t running after them anymore. 
———
Ace still forms the Spades, and Sabo still falls in with the Revolutionary Army, and the only reason they don’t sail together the way they promised when they were young is because the ocean is awfully big. They have a lot of square footage to cover, and splitting up is the only way they could even hope to cover it all. 
It doesn’t occur to either of them to give up at any point. As Sabo climbs ranks, as Ace gathers a crew, both their bounties increasing every day, they continue to search faithfully. Either they’ll find him one day, or they’ll simply spend the rest of their lives looking. 
Masked Deuce says, “What about the cruise ship he left on? Did you track it down?” 
“Boarded by pirates that same year,” Ace replies. “According to the official report, it sank in a storm.”
The loaded silence says everything Masked Deuce will not say. Ace doesn’t care what someone who has never met Luffy thinks about his odds of survival at sea. If Deuce knew Luffy, he would understand. Since he doesn’t, Ace’s first mate can believe his captain is delusional all he likes as long as it doesn’t keep him from doing his job. 
Deuce turns out to be a better friend than Ace deserves. One day when Ace leaves his crew to party with some locals and sets off into town to distribute flyers and put his ear to the ground, he hears someone rumble something under their breath about a hopeless cause. He doesn’t even have time to turn around before Deuce has seemingly teleported across the bar and knocked the dissenter out cold. 
“Anyone who shares his opinion is free to get their shit and leave,” he says calmly. 
The only voices that rise up are ones who sound very offended that Deuce would lump them in with that guy, and Ace refuses to look as touched as he feels. 
When he hears word of Red-Hair Shanks in nearby waters, he tracks the man down to a wintery island and leads his crew up a small mountain to meet him. In part, he wants to thank this man who saved his little brother all those years ago. But also…
“I heard about the fire,” Shanks said grimly. “And Makino kept me updated about little Anchor until he disappeared. I’ve got eyes out looking, too, Ace. The world is big, but not so big that we’ll never find him.”
It’s a relief to know that Luffy is so loved, that more than just his brothers care if he’s ever found. But in true Luffy fashion, he explodes onto the scene when he’s good and ready. 
Ace is woken up by Deuce kicking the door of the captain’s quarters off its hinges and shoving a crinkled Wanted poster into Ace’s bleary face so that a toothy, stretching smile is the first thing he sees. 
He accidentally sets half the room on fire, a slip-up the likes of which hasn’t happened since the first week after he ate his Fruit, and there’s a lot of screaming, and someone shoves a baby Den-Den at him so he can call Sabo. From the way his nakama were carrying on, you would think it was their long-lost brother in the paper.
“I was about to call,” Sabo says breathlessly in lieu of a hello after only barely half a ring. “You saw it?”
“I saw,” Ace replies. The newspaper is rattling noisily in his hands but he can’t get them to stop shaking. “He took down Arlong Park. There are all these witness statements from the villagers. They’re saying he did it all for his friend.”
“If anyone even thinks about coming for his bounty, I’m killing everyone on the Grand Line and then myself,” Sabo says. It takes knowing him as well as Ace knows him to be able to tell over the phone that he’s crying buckets. 
“Get in line,” Ace says. If anyone so much as looks at Luffy wrong he’s burning this goddamn planet down. He can’t tear his eyes away from the poster for more than a few seconds at a time. At the urchin grin, the pencil-mark curve of a scar, this bright young man he’s never met who is so, so familiar. 
“They’re calling him Straw Hat Luffy,” Deuce says. He’s a pillar of serenity in a sea of absolute chaos, leaning on Ace’s shoulder to read with him. There’s a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Now I’ll finally get to meet him.”
Which turns out to be easier said than done, because Luffy and his merry band of lunatics won’t seem to stay in one fucking spot for longer than an hour. It takes weeks to finally track that cute little caravel down to a summer island about halfway through the Grand Line, and by that time Sabo has taken a leave of absence from the Army to join him. They’re close now. They’re so close. 
Wait for me, Ace would beg him if he could, wondering if this was how Luffy felt all those times his big brothers ran ahead and left him behind. 
———
Ace never knew how heavy a heart could be when he was a child, a half-feral, angry, touch-starved thing. But now his heart is full—now it bursts at the seams, spills through his ribcage, until there’s no part of him that isn’t touched by it—and it’s the heaviest thing he’s ever carried. 
A precious burden. He’s twice the man he would have been without it. He will never, not one time in his life ever, entertain the idea of putting it down. 
But gods, Ace thinks, it would be easier, so much easier, to rip the stupid thing out of his chest and walk around a hollow shell of someone once-loved than it would be to stand here for one more minute and look down at his baby brother looking up at him like he’s a total stranger. 
“Who’s this guy?” a blond man behind Luffy mutters. With the touseled hair hanging in an artful curtain over half his face and the cigarette between his teeth and the well-cut linen suit that makes it very clear he never skips leg day, blondie gives off an air of Do Not Fuck With Me just by breathing in a way that reminds Ace of Sabo at that age. 
The swordsman beside him, called Roronoa Zoro on his bounty poster, is scowling outright, gray eyes sharp, ready at any moment to leap over Luffy like a faithful hound and dig into Ace with his teeth the second he presents as danger. 
It makes Ace feel kind of nostalgic, like he’s looking at an old photo of himself. 
He tries to focus on the nostalgic feeling, because all the rest of his brain is drowning in guilt and grief. 
Somehow, he wasn’t prepared for this moment. Years of searching, nearly half his life, and he’s finally standing in front of the person whose absence tore a hole clean out of his whole future, and he has no idea what to say. 
You look well, springs to mind, because Luffy does. His hair and skin and eyes are all different shades of brown that gleam with good health under the desert sun. He’s still skinny, but not in the waifish, underfed way of all the Gray Terminal kids. He looks like he’s been eating well. It settles something in Ace’s heart in the one tiny corner of it that isn’t breaking. 
I should have been there, is the next-most immediate thought, and it almost takes Ace’s knees out from under him. He should have been there to make sure Luffy ate well. He should have been there to save him from the fire, to help him recover from the smoke sickness, to hold him when he cried in his sleep and to take his hand when he wandered aimlessly around the village with no one to play with and nothing to look forward to. 
I’m sorry I left you, is what it boils down to, what Ace has held close and carved into his heart over the years, hating himself, hating the child he was who thought he knew better, who thought he could conquer everything without losing anything. I never should have left you. 
But Luffy doesn’t know him from any other person in this busy marketplace, his head tilting to one side like a curious little bird’s, and Ace can’t think of anything to say to him that he’ll understand. 
He needs Sabo. He’s about to become a walking fire hazard, and he’s about to mess this whole thing up, this reunion that was almost a decade in the making. Luffy’s two friends are eyeing him with mounting suspicion the longer he stands there and stares at their captain, every line of their body still the way a predator’s body stills in preparation for a pounce. Luffy, for his part, is still engaged, but only barely. His interest is slipping away—there are too many sights and smells and things bustling all around for him to want to stand still for a gawking stranger that doesn’t even have anything exciting to say.
His little brother. Crybaby Luffy. The boy who crawled under Ace’s blanket when their treehouse quaked in a storm, who held Sabo’s hand when they stayed out too late and walked home through the jungle in the dark. He’s a pirate now, a Wanted person, with a crew and a ship all his own, and he got this far without them. The last time Ace saw him was that last night in the Gray Terminal, when Ace was being mean on purpose to make sure Luffy stayed away from certain danger. 
It occurs to Ace, for the very first time, that Luffy doesn't need him anymore. That tiny seven year old grew up. 
“I saw you in the paper,” he finally says, making a concentrated effort to sound like a human being. “You’re pretty cool.”
Luffy brightens immediately. “Yeah? Are you a pirate, too?”
“I am. Made a promise to my brothers when I was a kid that we’d sail the seas together one day.”
“Wow!” Luffy says, suitably impressed. “We made a promise like that, too.” He loops both his arms through one of Blondie’s and one of Roronoa’s. “We decided way back when we were little that we were gonna stick together and become the pirate king, and the greatest swordsman, and the man who discovers All Blue!”
So one of his two guard dogs must be the little kitchen boy from The Orbit who spirited Luffy away from Foosha. The other must have come along not much later if they were all children together. Ace wants to hear the story so badly he has to clench his jaw to keep from asking. He wants to hear about everything. 
Instead, ignoring the way Roronoa’s hand closes around the hilt of one of his swords, Ace reaches out and flicks the brim of Luffy’s hat so that it slips backwards off his head. Luffy squawks, and tries to free his arms in time to catch it, and then freezes in place at the touch to his hair.
Ace ruffles it fondly, muscle memory that hasn’t corroded even after a decade, and says what he should have said the first time that sunshine child in a worn straw hat shared a wild, impossible wish; 
“I hope I’m there to see it when all those dreams of yours come true.”
If he had stayed a second longer, he would have seen the way Luffy mirrored Ace’s touch with his own fingers, frozen in place. 
Instead, Ace has officially reached his emotional threshold, and formally retreats to find his twin. They take turns being the stable one and Ace is calling dibs on being a basket case for the next month. Masked Deuce is just going to have to deal. 
Sabo got back to their meeting spot first, an outdoor table outside a tavern that hasn’t yet opened for the day, and already has their map rolled out and pinned down at the corners by various junk from their luggage. He’s marking something down and calls over a distracted hello, and Ace bleakly replies, “I found him.”
His tone is all wrong for the remarkably momentous occasion he’s announcing, so it’s not really Sabo’s fault that it doesn’t click right away. Sabo says, “Found who?” and Ace just looks at him with all his helplessness and weariness plain on his face, and Sabo drags an ink mark all across Sandy Island on the map as he whirls around and says, “You found him?” 
“It’s not going to be how we thought,” Ace says, trying to manage his brother’s expectations. They share everything, but Ace would keep this heartbreak to himself if he knew how. “It’s—I think we took too long.”
“What do you mean?” Sabo asks, hands clenching into fists and unclenching. The fountain pen is dripping ink, ruining the fine leather of his left glove. 
“He didn’t know me. I knew he wouldn’t, not really, but he—he didn’t recognize me at all,” Ace tries to explain. He feels stupid and childish and ungrateful, but really he just has no idea what to do. Luffy doesn’t know him and doesn’t need him and how is he supposed to fill a place in that kid’s life that doesn’t exist anymore? “We’ll have to—to start over from scratch, but how? How are we supposed to make someone like Luffy care about people like us? He’s sunshine personified, and deserves to have everything he wants and the best this shitty world has to offer, and we’re just—two selfish idiots who couldn’t even take care of one little kid between the two of us.” The awful truth, delivered quietly: “Luffy doesn’t need us anymore. I can’t see why he’d want us around now.”
Sabo is watching him like something carved from marble. Ace would never tell him, because it would hurt his feelings in a way nothing else ever could, but there are times when Sabo looks every bit the nobleman his biological family wanted him to be. The line of his jaw and the fall of his hair and his deep set eyes are regal, especially when he’s focused, when he’s working through a problem, when he’s the last sane voice in a room and he’s waiting for the morons wasting his time to run out of breath. 
And then his eyes flicker past Ace’s shoulder, and his expression transforms. The breath leaves him in a rush like it was punched out of him, his lips parting, blue eyes widening in a way that seems to shave whole years from his face. 
Something causes him, impossibly, incongruously, to smile. 
“Would you put money on that?” he asks. 
“What? Yes,” Ace says, thrown off by the inappropriate lightness of his tone. He feels himself start to bristle defensively. “Are you even paying attention?” 
“One of us has to,” Sabo says, only smiling wider, and Ace feels sparks falling off his fingers in sheer aggravation as he turns around to see what is so—
He has three seconds at most to take in the sight of Luffy hurtling up the hill at top speed. It’s been years and years, but three seconds is all he needs. His arms remember how to reach out and catch him. 
“I waited where you left me, but you never came back!” Luffy shouts. “You can’t be mad! I waited and waited, and then I went out to find you instead! I didn’t remember you but I had to find you! I still don’t—I still don’t know some things—but I know it’s your fault for taking too long!” 
Sabo lurches over and Luffy’s rubbery hug wraps around them both and Ace is too shell-shocked by the last minute to do anything but hug back. 
Luffy shoves his face in Ace’s shoulder, and there’s a hot, wet smear of tears there. It gives away that Straw Hat Luffy, the pirate captain worth thirty million berries, is maybe not as grown-up as Ace had initially feared. 
Sabo presses his face against the crown of Luffy’s head, too overcome to do anything but hold him. The regal young man from moments ago is long gone. The one standing here with them is that street-rat from Dawn who knew the best places to steal food from, who always made sure they never went hungry, who once shrugged off his fine winter coat at the market and traded it to a vendor for a pair of sturdy boots for Ace and thick woolen mittens for Luffy. He had shivered all the way home, where there was an extra coat in the treehouse he could use, until Luffy had the bright idea that they should all bundle into Ace’s oversized cloak together for warmth and whined until Ace agreed just to shut him up. That had been the most annoying hike up Mount Colubo in history. It’s a memory that Ace cherishes beyond reason. 
Ace whispers, “Of course I’m not mad, Lu.” It’s been ages since he was that hostile, hateful little thing who would take a bite out of anything that dared to show its soft underbelly to him. He presses as close as he can, cheek to cheek with this piece of his family that’s gone missing for far too long, and adds, “You’ve never been obedient a day in your life. If I expected anything different, that’s on me.”
Luffy laughs, and it’s snotty and choked and pure music to Ace’s ears. The kid worms closer, makes himself smaller, and lets himself be held. 
He doesn’t need his brothers. His shoulders are broad, and his arms are solid and strong. He’s already made a name for himself, and even now those two friends of his are lingering watchfully further down the road—far enough away to give the respectful illusion of privacy, near enough to make Ace and Sabo’s day a living hell if they try anything fishy. It’s probably been a long time since he’s needed someone to hold his hand or carry him home. 
But if, by some insane, undeserved miracle, Luffy still wants them…
It’s enough. It’s more than enough. It’s more than Ace has had in ten years. 
What one piece? he thinks, arms full and aching. I’ve got it all right here. 
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mikedfaist · 23 hours
Note
can you do mike w their baby? pleeeeaase😕💘
He is considerably reluctant to hold her for the first time. Petrified, actually. He lets her grip his finger from the safety of her mother’s chest. Before, she was protected by you, nestled inside where all he could feel were her stubborn kicks during her sleepless nights. The same nights he’d stay up with you because he couldn’t fathom resting while you were kept awake. He watches her grimace as a cold burst of air hits her exposed shoulders, and how you instinctively soosh her, kissing her gently on her covered head. It came naturally to you, and he dreaded the thought he wouldn’t be good enough for her.
When he does hold her for that first time, which came quickly after you became noticeably flustered that her father found excuse after excuse to not hold his child, the tears were quick to follow. She was tiny, and incredibly so. 6 pounds 3 ounces feels light as a feather when you can rest it comfortably in one arm. He was mesmerized by her eyelashes, and her fingernails, and how much she looked like her mommy. You were insistent she had his eyes, but he thought she had your everything else.
Dressing her for the first time was a painstaking task. You would have thought your child was made of glass. It took Mike nearly 45 minutes to decide on an outfit for her to go home in because, “Gotta make a good first impression for Austin.”
He drives 10 under the speed limit the entire drive home, and every little bump and pothole has him wincing. “She still asleep, baby?”
When they get home, he demands you go upstairs and rest. (Of course, you weren’t going to argue). He holds his baby girl, snuggled in a blanket his own mother gave her, and gives her a tour around the house.
“This is the kitchen…we make food in here. You won’t have human food for a while—I don’t mean you aren’t human. I know you’re human. I mean big people food—adults. You can’t have adult food for a while—I mean you can have it before you’re an adult—”
“This is the living room…this is where your mom cries when she watches This Is Us. We have strict crockpot rules because of that show.”
“This is our bedroom…this is where you were made.” Mike received a very disheartening scowl. “With so much love.”
“And this is your room…I hope you like it. It took your mom and I weeks to decide on a color. I made you your crib, too. I’m sure it won’t fall apar. I put Austin there and it seemed okay.”
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Text
The Fuck Up Chapter 3
Summary:  Bucky fucked up.  A few times.  Will his best friend ever be able to forgive him?
Warnings: language, smut, mentions of war, injury, pregnancy
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The next morning Bucky woke to a loud buzzing. He shifted around until he could find his pants and rummaged through his pockets, pulling out his phone and trying to see who was calling him.
“Hello?” he said hoarsely.
“Where are you?” Becca said, her voice sounding worried and annoyed.
“What? I…” Bucky turned and looked around, remembering the night before. He looked at Y/N, still asleep next to him. “I fell asleep at Y/N’s,” he said quickly.
“God, of course you did,” Becca sighed exasperatedly. “You’re supposed to leave for the airport in an hour. Are you even packed?”
“Yes, yes I’m ready,” Bucky said quietly as he got up slowly and gathered up his clothes. “I’ll be home soon.”
“Okay. Is Y/N coming to the airport with us?”
Bucky froze at that. He didn’t know how he was even going to have this conversation with her as he left, let alone if she were to come with him to the airport to say goodbye. “Uh…I’m not sure.”
“Alright, well, get home soon, Mom is freaking out as usual.”
“I will. Bye.”
Bucky hung up and slipped his clothes on quickly. As he fixed his hair and put his shoes on he looked back at Y/N. He didn’t know if he’d be able to handle waking her and saying goodbye. Last night had been so perfect, he didn’t want to ruin it. He sighed as he walked to her side of the bed, kneeling down to look at her. She snored lightly, her eyes moving behind her eyelids as she dreamed. He smiled at her, carefully moving some of her hair back in place and out of her eyes. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“I’m leaving,” he whispered. “I don’t think I can handle saying goodbye to you again. So I won’t wake you. Either way, you’ll hate me for it. But I’ll be back,” he kissed her shoulder, adjusting the blankets around her. “I’ll come home to you.” A tear slid down his face as he stared at her one more time. “I love you.”
Bucky sent her a text after he left basically saying the same thing that he had whispered to her. He knew this was a massive fuck up, but it was too late now. He’d come home to her and fix it, and everything would be okay. It had to be.
10 months later
Bucky came home hurt, both physically and emotionally. He was grateful it was his final tour. He and Steve had survived, barely. The landmine had thrown them both and killed two of the other troops on his team. He had made it out alive, but the shrapnel that had embedded into his back had taken two surgeries to remove. He was still healing when he got off the plane and was greeted by his family.
“Oh you made it,” Winifred cried heavily, George and Becca hugging him and crying. “You are never going back, you hear me? No more, I will not allow it.”
“I’m done, Ma, I’m done,” Bucky chuckled. “I’m officially discharged. Retired.”
“Good,” Winifred said, patting down his uniform and looking him over.
“Where’s Y/N?” Bucky asked, looking around expectantly.  Becca then punched his arm. “Ow! What the hell?” he yelped.
“We will talk about it when we get home,” she hissed at him.
When they reached the house Becca rounded on him. “What did you do?”
“Excuse me?” Bucky asked.
“What did you do to Y/N?” Becca snarled. Bucky’s eyes widened. He hadn’t heard from Y/N since he left, which was out of the ordinary because she always wrote to him, but he thought for sure she would have been there to greet him when he got home. He hadn’t been able to worry about it too much, what with special operations and the whole trying-not-to-die-part, then healing from nearly getting killed.  “She disappeared after you left. I’ve tried calling, her number is disconnected.” Winifred sniffled next to him. “I tried going to her apartment, the landlord says she no longer lives there.” Bucky’s brow furrowed. She loved that apartment. “I even reached out to her adoptive family, who of course know nothing.  All her social media is deactivated. We haven’t been able to find her. So I will ask again, what did you do?”
Bucky was afraid. He knew it wasn’t the right thing to leave her without waking her up and saying goodbye, he just couldn’t bear it.  And now she is gone? “I…we…”
Becca’s face twisted with recognition. “Oh my god…you fucked her.”
“You what?!” George and Winifred exclaimed.
Bucky hung his head into his hands. “Yes, okay, the night before I left. But you make it sound so gross, it wasn’t like that,” he said, running his hands through his now short hair.
“Explain,” Becca demanded.
“I…look, it just happened. I was leaving and we were both sad and when I woke up the next morning I just couldn’t…I couldn’t stand to wake her up and say goodbye again so I…I texted her and then I left.”
“You…you TEXTED HER?!” Becca screamed, jumping forward and hitting him again.
“Ow! I know, hey, I KNOW!” Bucky yelled back at her, pushing her hands away. “I know I fucked up! Okay? I’ve regretted it ever since. Not her, but leaving like that. I just thought…I don’t know what I was thinking. It was stupid and I was hoping when I got home I could fix it.” He took a shaky breath. “She never wrote to me. And I was worried when you guys had said you hadn’t seen her in a while but, now she’s gone?” He sat on the chair at the table next to him. “Gone…”
They all sat in silence for a moment. Becca was the first to move, sighing heavily as she walked over and took the seat across from him. “You’re right, you fucked up real bad.” Bucky scoffed as he wiped his face with his hands. “We’re still looking for her. If there’s anything you can think of that might help us, then great. Otherwise,” she reached over and grabbed his hand. “I’m happy you’re safe and you’re home, but I’m really angry with you.”
Bucky nodded, squeezing her hand.
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hanggarae · 2 days
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- hear the sea!
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based off that clip of shua fake gagging in the maestro mv behind 😭 not proofread, fluff
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you looked over at joshua, blinking a few times and calming yourself to get rid of the mischievous glint in your eyes. smiling to yourself, you looked at the text on your phone again, memorising the cheesy quote on it again.
something you’d learnt about your boyfriend over the course of dating him was that he was the biggest tease. but was also the best at making sure you could never tease him. anytime you did anything he simply had that same soft smile on his face. in your head he was faking it to one up you, but to joshua he was genuinely just so incredibly endeared by anything and everything that you did.
one thing that did always get him though, was incredibly cheesy quotes to flirt. whenever you used a pickup line on him you never failed to start giggling at the way he’d pretend to throw up at the words.
“shua” you smiled and made your way closer to him where he sat completely unsuspecting, “look at this resort i saw. it’s got a really pretty beach”
joshua hummed before looking over at your phone, “woah that’s really pretty. you wanna go there for our next vacation baby?” he chuckled, pecking your lips with a smile on his face and eyes full of love.
“it’s got a cool beach too, can finally show you my amazing surfing skills i picked up in hawaii with gyu” joshua added on smugly.
“you can teach me too!” you said excited at finally being able to say the lame quote but joshua assumed it was at the thought of surfing with him.
“the ocean must be pretty deep though, might get a little scared while i’m there” you pouted lightly.
“i’ll make sure you’re alright, don’t worry baby” joshua laughed, patting your head softly to not ruin your hair too much- he knew how much you hated getting the tangles out of it.
“yeah if i’m with you it’s fine. together we can get through any challenge, even if it’s as deep as the oce-” you couldn’t get through saying the entire line without breaking into a fit of laughter after seeing how joshua groaned while rolling his eyes and turning back to his own phone.
“i’m leaving you to fend for yourself from those sharks” your boyfriend furrowed his brows before breaking the facade at you giggles and planting a kiss on your lips, “alright maybe i won’t”
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ariseur · 3 days
Note
How do you think Arthur Morgan would react to a reader who has a great connection with animals? The reader knows how to calm animals, from horses to pigs and chickens, she also ensures that the animals have a good food and she will always be seen with a cat or a dog in her arms.
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animal whisperer 𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪
arthur morgan x reader
┊ ˚➶ notes 。˚ 🎼
this request was sooo cute!! sorry it took me a little while to complete it, i’ve been working on like fifteen different drafts at once !! 💗
┊ ˚➶ warnings 。˚ 🎼
mentions of animals ( dogs, cats, horses ), mentions of arthur getting bucked off of his horse 😭, intended lowercase, lmk if i missed anything!!
. ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄ . ˚◞♡ ⃗ *ೃ༄
❥ let me start this off by saying that i think arthur would literally adore you and your presence. like, he already thinks you’re such a beautiful lady and that you’re amazing within your own, but seeing you so domestic with animals does something to him.
❥ arthur’s lived a hard life, he’s calloused and struggles with letting himself enjoy some of the nicer moments in life alone. but when he finds you, it feels like all of the toughness that everybody sees melts away. all he wants is you, and now that’s he’s experienced the feeling of you, he never wants to let that go
❥ if you have a more curt and blunt nature to yourself, but you just melt around animals? oh, man— he’ll do anything to see that side of you. whenever it slips out and he sees you care so much for the horses or actually supply them with hay bales and proper necessities, his eyes will always follow you curiously
❥ and even if you’re a super sweet and outwardly kind person, he’ll still adore you!! he thinks it’s cute how you care so much for animals even if he wont say it to you, he has a fondness for animals too— except it’s more so updating his compendium and hunting them rather than taking them under his wing and feeding them 😭
❥ if you have a dog, he will love that baby to death let me tell you. doesn’t matter if they’re mangy or a mutt or even purebred, he will love them regardless. if we’re going based off what dogs you can get in rdo, i think he’d get along with a chill bigger dog— but even if your dog was energetic or more on guard like a chesapeake bay retriever or a labrador retriever, he will still adore them. i can just imagine arthur with a little guard dog by his side walking through camp as it follows him everywhere. having a dog will probably make him remember his old dog copper as he tells you tales of his journeys with him at night while rubbing your dog behind the ear as it lays its head on his lap.
❥ arthur’s not really a cat person but he won’t mind if you have one!! cats are very independent and he understands that so he’ll give them their space until one day they just like.. drape themselves over his lap and he has no idea what to do. he feels bad if he stands up but like.. he doesn’t know what else to do 😭
❥ and while i’m writing this i’m thinking of how in the game, micah would literally kick the crap out of cain in rdr2 and would scold him for no reason :(((. let me just say that arthur would literally not stand for that ( and yes i only write for high honor arthur, but i feel like regardless of his honor he wouldn’t be okay with it either way ). also why am i imagining micah getting bit or scratched and arthur just like laughing at him— like even him and your animal share a look because do you see this utter buffoonery? micah’s more of an animal than anyone if we’re being honest
❥ if you don’t like seeing him hunt or watching him skin animals, then he’ll suggest you turn away or he’ll point out something in the distance ( probably another cute animal prancing around or something ), and if it’s something small like a rabbit or a bird then it’ll be done in no time and he’ll redirect your attention back to him, jumping back on his horse and saying you guys should continue on with your journey
❥ if you need him to stop by to get any necessities or food for the animals at camp, he’ll stop by on his way back and get them the proper things they need. if you thank him, he’ll just brush it off and say it’s no problem— ( he was like two counties away but he’d gladly go back if you needed him to do so ).
❥ in summary, i feel like arthur would do really great with a partner with pets or a love for animals in general. he doesn’t get the fascination too much but he’ll support you nonetheless, as long as you don’t get hurt trying to pet something that looks cute when it’s not lmfao.
❥ holy crap i need jelp whyisa rthjrorhajgan so fne
。゚•┈୨♡୧┈ 。゚
“shh.. calm down, boy.” with your hands held out cautiously, you slowly approached ARTHUR’s bucking horse— the tennessee walker’s chestnut coat glimmering in the sun as it shone on its back. its alarmed neighs filled the air with only the distant rushing of water to accompany it, along with arthur’s huffs behind you as he caught his breath.
“‘s alright.” you cooed at the horse, waiting until its breaths slowed down slightly before you moved closer. your arms slowly extended out to reach his snout, his eyes widened and looking everywhere but you. you softly shushed as you halted your movements. your hand hovered over the white of his proboscis before finally placing a gentle hand on its nose, feeling its heavy breathing upon your arm.
“i still dont— fff.. get how you.. do ‘at.” arthur wheezed, bent over with his knees supporting him as he placed firm hands on them. he let out a breathy laugh, tipping his head up so you could catch a glimpse of his eyes under the brim of his hat. “i dunno what he even gotten spooked over.” he shook his head, watching as you pulled out a small carrot from your pocket and carefully fed it to his horse who munched on it in delight.
you didn’t pay him a glance as you were enveloped in the tenessee walker instead, smiling as you replied, “probably just somethin’ in the grass.”
“fair ‘nuff.” he shrugged, brushing himself off before placing a hand on his back while he winced. arthur sucked some air between clenched teeth as he struggled to stand upright. “think he got somethin’ in my back, too.” with a string of muttered curses, he hunched over once again.
your head turned this time, still focused on giving small pats to the horse’s nose as you tilted your head. brows furrowed, you asked, “need me to get you something from outta town?”
“naw, ‘s fine—“
“arthur, i was heading out that way already,” you pointed a thumb behind you— leading his vision to your horse stationary in the distance, tapping its hooves against the ground as it waited. he looked back at you as you held a gentle smile on your face and continued, “i don’t mind stoppin’ for something.”
arthur sighed, his fingers still kneading his lower back as he let out an occasional groan.
he let the silence take hold on the situation for a second, contemplating his options. letting his fingers twist and grab at the grass beneath him— his eyes flickered between the two horses, and then finally back to you. realizing it wouldn’t make a difference and you’d probably get it anyway, he waved a dismissive hand around and finally nodded his head.
“yeah, sure.”
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𐙚 taglist ; @maskedteaser
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writtenbymoonflower · 22 hours
Note
okay!! if you’re stilly up for smutty reqs, i have one! with james or peter or whoever you think fits best <3
secretly shy!reader who is generally outgoing and confident, but she loses that confidence in one-on-one interactions with her love interest. and her almost-not-quite boyfriend is always very sweet and doting until he gets her alone, and he can’t really resist bullying her a little for being secretly shy. “bullying” meaning dominant and teasing, ofc <3
Hi gorgeous! this doesn't have smut but it's implied at the end, hope that's okay! tasm!peter parker x fem!reader
500 words
“Sorry it took me so long, it’s like the mall at Christmas out there.” Peter groaned, setting his drink down on his chest of drawers. He shut the door behind him, muffling the blaring bass of the music that was playing in the main part of the house. 
“Don’t worry about it.” You sat up properly, pretending you weren’t half asleep before he came in. In your defense, his bed was really comfortable, perfectly soft, piled with pillows and warm blankets (and it smelled like him, but you weren’t going to linger on that particular comfort for long). 
He smiled at you in the boyish way he always did, but the effect it had on you was amplified in your solitude. You looked away as he stalked forward, flopping down on his bed next to you and looking up at you with his big brown eyes. “Hi there.”
“Hi to you too.” You played with your fingers. His hand found your thigh and you tried not to shiver. 
“How are you doin’, babe.” There was an edge of teasing in his tone that made your cheeks heat.
“‘M okay.” You said as he smoothed his hand up and down your leg, squeezing your hip affectionately. 
“Got nothing to say now?” He was smiling something wicked and waggling his brows at you. “You had a lot to say earlier.” If you were feeling more bold you would say something like ‘I would respond if you were saying something interesting’ but you couldn’t get the words off your tongue. He cooed at you in a way that made you turn to ash on the spot. You groaned, falling back against his pillows. 
“You’re so mean.” You covered your face. 
“I’m mean?” He scoffed. “What makes you say that, sweet thing?” 
“You know why.” You said from behind your hands. 
“Not sure I do,” He started to crawl on top of you, caging you underneath him. Your stomach started to heat. “Think I’m gonna need you to tell me.” You shook your head. He laughed evilly, reveling in your embarrassment. This was his favorite game, and your most hated. Though some part of you, deep in your core, loved it. And to your demise, he knew.
 His hand slid up your waist, feeling the flesh there before grabbing both your wrists in his one hand to uncover your warm face. “C’mon, baby. Talk to me.” He chuckled. You shook your head again. 
“You’re enjoying this too much.” You whispered. 
“I won’t argue with that.” He smiled down at you. “But I can think of something I would enjoy a lot more. ‘Think that you would too.” He winked. You groaned and tried to wrestle your hands back to cover your face. He just laughed at you. “Okay fine, I’ll be nice. You’ll be speaking up soon, anyway.” He gave you a knowing look before sitting back on his knees, looking at you like he was about to eat you. 
He was right, soon you were much louder.
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Text
End Game 1
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No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.
Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, stalking, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.
This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.
Summary: Your gaming buddy asks to meet up but it doesn't go exactly as planned.
Characters: Andy Barber
Note: get ready for the hate.
As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.
Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.
I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖
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The tunnel lights up ahead of you, revealing the cubic rock walls as you plant torches in your stead. The eerie soundtrack of night time and the ominous groan of zombies looming somewhere in the cave have you uptight. Silently, you press on, digging and mining mindlessly, fingers mashing the buttons on your controller. 
“Hey, where are you?” Jacob’s voice startles you. 
You nearly forgot you’re playing co-op. You sniff and shake your head, cursing aloud as your shock has you succumbing to the arrow of a sneaky skeleton. You sigh as your possessions scatter and you spawn back in your bed. 
“Back home,” you say glumly, “just ate it.” 
“Ah, damn,” his deep voice rolls in your noise-cancelling headset, “sorry, hope that wasn’t me.” 
“No, I wasn’t paying attention,” you hum and sigh.  
“Ah,” he accepts and lets silence linger before he clicks his tongue, “what’s going on? Everything alright?” 
“Yeah, yeah,” you put the controller down, your avatar sitting on the geometric bed, “I just...” you stretch your neck and massage your scalp around the thick band of the headset, “got a lot on my mind.” 
“Right. I thought you were all done exams,” he says. 
“I am, but... packing. Going home. I called my old boss and turns out I’m not gonna have a job this summer. Gotta start over,” you yawn and rub your eyes, “what about you? Final exam tomorrow?” 
“Uh... yeah,” he hesitates as if he forgot. You do wonder why he isn’t cramming right now. You could never play minecraft all night the day before a final. “Easy stuff. I’m not worried.” 
You scoff. You wish you could say the same. All you’ve done is worry those last two weeks. Exams, getting home, getting a job. Your grandmother won’t very happy to find out you’ll be slumming it for a while. At least you tucked away some money through the semester. 
“Hey, if you need a few bucks...” Jacob offers. 
“What? Are you crazy? No way,” you exclaim, “really, no, I couldn’t. I’ll be fine. I just... I hate looking for jobs. You know how it is. Friggin awkward.” 
“It’s not a big deal. My dad sent me my birthday money so...” 
“Uh uh,” you deny him again, “that’s way too much. I couldn’t-- we haven’t even met.” 
“Mm, yeah, about that,” he exhales into his microphone, “I, uh, got an extra ticket to this Con. I figured out that’s it like the midway point between us so...” 
“A con? Oh, wow--” 
“Yeah, but I get that it would be expensive so maybe I could pay for your trip?” 
“Jacob,” you wiggle the controller restlessly, “I can't accept that. It’s so nice but... it’s a lot.” 
“I wouldn’t offer it was too much,” his voice is soft, meek, and defeated. You feel bad but you would feel worse taking advantage of his kindness. “We’ve been talking all year. I just figured it would be a good chance to meet up. It would be in public and something we both like so...” 
You scratch your neck as it speckles with heat. You don’t know what’s more insulting; yes or no. 
“Can I think about it?” You ask thinly. 
The line is quiet. You look at the screen and it goes dim from your idling. You hit the analog stick and fix your headphones. 
“Jacob?” You murmur. 
“Sure, think about it,” he says, his voice raspy and rocky. It’s strange. You’ve seen him in pictures and his voice doesn’t really match his appearance. He sounds a lot older than he looks. “It’s next month so lots of time.” 
“I’m sorry,” you cringe. “I just wouldn’t want to waste your money.” 
“Trust me, it wouldn’t be a waste,” he insists, “this last year has sucked. So much. You got me through it all.” His microphone scuffs, “studying, exams, all that stuff. It’s tough making new friends. Seems like everyone here knows each other from high school.” 
“Yeah, totally,” you agree.  
You’re not exactly the most popular person. You have people you know in each class but not too many friends you hang out with outside the lecture hall or library. So far, not too many people want to spend hours mining digital gold or racing cartoon characters around a rainbow track. 
“Well, you should probably get some sleep,” you yawn, “you got your big exam and... I gotta keep packing. Gotta catch the greyhound tomorrow night.” 
“Sure, uh, yeah, right,” his disappointment is potent, “hey, will you text me when you get home? Just so I know you made it.” He snorts, “god, I sound like my dad right now.” 
“Oh, of course,” you chirp back, “I’ll try to remember. Might be late.” 
“That’s fine. Just as long as you let me know.” 
“Don’t worry about me,” you assure him, “not ‘til I have to face my grandma. Ha.” 
“Yeah, good luck with that,” he says, “well... er...” 
“Good night,” you finish for him, “let me know how the exam goes too.” 
“Will do,” his timbre gets even lower, “night.” 
You sign off and shut down the console. Another yawn flows through you and waters in your eyes. You should sleep, you got a long day waiting for you, but you know it won’t be easy. Not with so much on your mind, not least of all, Jacob’s invitation. 
🎮
You text Jacob as you get on the bus, to make sure he doesn’t worry. It’s so sweet that he does, even some of your girlfriends don’t bother that much. Not that you mind the ‘hey, bitch’ Janet sends you every now and again to make sure you’re still alive. 
You fall asleep on the bus. You’ve never been one to sleep while travelling but you’re exhausted from a night of anxious tossing and turning. After spending all day packing up the last of your things and scouring your dorm room, you’re beat to hell. 
It’s midnight as you get to your grandmother’s house. She’s up reading another Stephen King classic in her rocking chair. She’s always been a night owl and a voracious book hound. She grumbles at you but doesn’t bother to ask how your trip was. 
“Hey, grandma,” you hike up your bag and smile.  
She growls again, eyes not leaving the page. You should know better by now not to interrupt her. You shoulder on and head down to the spare room where you spent most of your high-school career. You shut the door gently as the old hardwood floors creak with your weight and you drop your bag on the squeaky bed. 
You fish out your phone and plug it in as the battery flashes red with only two percent left. You leave it on the night table and stretch out, not bothering to change out of your hoodie and jeans. It’s not long before you descend back into the same dreams that marked your journey home. 
You wake up to buzzing. Your phone shakes the nightstand, rattling it against the bed frame. You groan and roll onto your side, reaching blindly for offending object. You hit the side button to dismiss the call.  
You blink away the bleariness and focus on the screen. Along with the missed call are several text messages. You squint as you expand the notifications. Jacob! You forgot to message. 
‘Hey, you home?’ 
‘Checking in. Must be busy getting settled in. Just let me know when you’re safe.’ 
‘Not meaning to be weird but everything okay?’ 
‘Please answer me. I’m worried.’ 
You drag your thumb around the keyboard, letting it predict your words; ‘sorry! I was so tired. Home now and safe 😊' 
Three dots pop up then swoop away. You frown as the same thing happens several times before a response appears. 
‘Was really worried. Thanks for finally answering. Been up all night.’ 
You’re stunned by the terse response. Yeah, you forgot to answer but he doesn’t need to worry that much. You frown and shift onto your side. 
‘Srry again. Tired. Talk in morning. Night.’ 
You turn your phone on silent and plug it back into the cord. You do feel bad but you’re too exhausted to let it keep you up. Besides, you need your sleep. You have lots of job hunting to do in the morning. Not to mention, your grandmother to face. 
🎮
You let Jacob cool down after your return home. Rather, he doesn’t text and you’re too distracted to do the same. As much as you’d like to sit around and game, your grandmother was as disappointed as you expected with your employment status, even when you gave her the money you had left in your emergency fund. 
After a week, you finally get a bite. It’s nothing special. There’s a seasonal ice cream shop in a booth shaped like a vanilla cone that needs a cashier on weeknights. It’s less than full time hours but it’s better than nothing. It will be strange working with high school juniors but you can’t afford to be picky. 
‘Game tonight?’ The text interrupts your first shift. You don’t have a chance to answer as a family approaches the window to order. 
You get them the soft serve and take their payment, bidding them a good evening with their vanilla points already drooping in the summer heat. You glance around at the mostly empty picnic tables. Soccer practice will end soon and you’ll be overloaded with eight-year-olds. 
‘Srry. New job. 1st shift. Maybe tmrw.’ 
‘New job? Congrats. Why didn’t you tell me?’ 
You sigh.  
‘Time got ahead of me.’ 
‘Same. Catch up tomorrow then. Minecraft?’ 
‘Sure. Tmrw.’ 
You slip your phone away. A mother and daughter approach and ask for a sundae and a banana split. As much as you love ice cream, working with it hasn’t tested your cravings very much. In fact, you might be falling out of love with it. The smell of vanilla and overly sweetened strawberries is kind of gross when it’s all you breathe. 
As you watch the happy customers walk away, you smile. Maybe it will be good to get some mining done. It will take your mind off of everything else. Hell, it might even make you feel like you’re doing something useful. 
🎮
“Shit, oh, sorry,” Jacob corrects himself. You always think it's kind of funny how he doesn’t like to swear. “My diamond armor.” 
“Oh no,” you utter, “where are you? I’ll grab your stuff.” 
He gives his coordinates and you turn around, leaping over the green blocks to make your way there. Despite your reticence at the beginning, you’re feeling better about the session. He wasn’t as tense as he seemed in his texts. 
“So, uh, did you think about the con?” Jacob asks. 
“The con? I almost forgot. When is it?” 
He gives the dates and you hum. Your chest flutters at the thought still. You’re not stupid. Meeting people IRL is not like online, no matter how many hours you’ve mined together. As much as you enjoy chatting with Jacob, you don’t know about meeting up. 
“I get it if you can’t get the time off but my offer still stands to cover the trip. If you wanna stay the night, I’ll even get an airBnB.” 
“Oh, wow, that’s a lot. I’m working now. I could put in,” you offer.  
“Is that a yes?” He asks hopefully. 
“I don’t know... I mean, I’ll have to look into it,” you say evasively. “Talk to my boss and grandma and all that.” 
“Right, right,” he tries to sound unbothered, “makes sense. Of course, no pressure. How about I send you the ticket either way? Haven’t got anyone else to bite.” 
“Oh, well, hold off, I wouldn’t want to take it and not use it,” you collect his weapons and armor from the ground in the game. 
It’s silent as you focus on getting every little thing. 
“Sorry, did I freak you out?” He asks, “I’m really not trying to pressure you, just got excited thinking about it.” 
“I know, Jacob, it’s not that, it’s just... a lot.” 
“Totally get it,” he intones, “let me know whenever you got an answer. Uh, where are you? I’m tryna find you.” 
“Just stay there, I'll come back to the house,” you assure him, happy to focus on the game instead. 
Still, you can’t entirely lose yourself in it. You’re sure he’s a nice guy. From pictures, he’s less than scary, and he’s never been anything but friendly. It’s not like the other dudes you meet online who jump to asking about your bra size and all that. It just isn’t smart. 
Well, maybe if you don’t show up alone. You know what con he’s talking about and Kara from Econ lives near there. You could probably convince her to meet up. Hm, that might work. 
Just like you told him, you’ll have to think about it. 
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