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hauntedhokage · 2 years

Text

Pollen Count

Kakashi Hatake/F!Reader

Summary: While on a mission to deliver documents, you and Kakashi stop for the night in a place where you probably shouldn’t. Something in the air didn’t feel quite right, despite everything else feeling perfect. Cross posted to AO3

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: sex pollen, dub!con, f!receiving oral, blindfolds, fingering, unprotected sex, outdoor sex

Note: I was struck by Kakashi brain rot during my Naruto re-watch.

It was supposed to be a simple delivery task. There was a chance of enemy ninja, which made it not quite so simple as just delivering a couple pieces of paper. The nature of the documents required that two jounin be sent to take care of it. You didn’t know who the other jounin was, Tsunade said she had to do some reorganization of some squads to get you the backup you’d need since this document was now top priority over a couple reconnaissance and recovery missions.

It wasn’t your job to know what was in it that made it so important, but you were very interested in who your partner would be. Hopefully entertaining but at the very least could keep up conversation. It was a long journey to the Hidden Sand, to spend it in silence felt like a fate worse than death. Team compatibility could be what made the difference between a mission’s success and failure, after all.

“Oh, sorry I’m late.”

Kakashi? Oh this was going to be interesting, indeed.

“Helping an elderly woman with her shopping? At dawn?” you take your guess as his excuse, smile on your face as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Sure, let’s go with that. You have the cargo?”

You only pat your vest where the scroll was contained, and he nods before he suggests that you get going. And so you set out, being sure to act as casual as two shinobi heading out on a mission could. Nobody knew about the scroll, so it was imperative that you not act like you had anything that anybody else would want to see.

“We should probably think about camping somewhere or finding an inn to stay at for the night,” Kakashi suggests as the sun begins to set, and you nod before stopping to stand on a tree branch. “Which would you prefer?”

“Let’s get back on the road, and if we can’t find an inn by nightfall then we can set up camp.” At this time of year, it’d be dark in about forty-five minutes. Time wasn’t on your side if your hope was to sleep on a surface softer than your bedroll on the grass. Though there might have been an inn nearby, but you weren’t confident that you hadn’t passed it already due to how fast you and Kakashi had been moving.

For all your hoping, you’d been proven correct in your assumption that’d you’d passed the inn you’d been thinking of and that left you only moderately deflated as you turned off the main road with Kakashi to find a suitable campsite. Off the beaten path but flat was the goal, and you look through some tall shrubbery and smile when you see a clearing. It was really quite the scene with healthy grass, some flowers, and the river wasn’t too far away. The trees provided ample coverage, too, so it really did feel quite secluded. There was something in the air, too, something that put you at ease. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but you also knew that you needed to stay on your guard while on a mission even if the environment told you otherwise. Something about deception and things being too good to be true.

Kakashi offers to take the first watch, and you tuck yourself into your sleeping bag with hopes of getting some rest. Only it’s too warm, so you remove yourself from within the sleeping bag to instead lay on it in hopes that it’d be more comfortable. Only now it’s your vest that feels too heavy, so you sit up to remove it and take a moment to roll your shoulders. Kakashi was here, you were safe to lose that protective padding to get some sleep if that’s what it took.

“Are you alright?” He asks from his perch in the tree, and you look up to see that he’d been watching you. “You seem uncomfortable down there.”

“Does it feel hot to you, Kakashi?” you ask, almost tempted to pull your shirt off but knowing that wasn’t the wisest move you could make. But it was so hot and starting to rub you the wrong way so it needed to go. Sooner rather than later. “It’s so hot out here.”

“It’s a bit warm, yeah, but I’ve been trying to tune it out.” He’s kneeling in front of you now, pressing his wrist to your forehead. You can’t see the frown, but you hear it when he sighs before he tells you that you’re running a fever. “You’re just hot, though? Not nauseous or anything else?”

“I honestly felt fine until just now when I was trying to lay down.” But you’re acutely aware of the fact that he’s still got his wrist pressed to your forehead, and now there’s his other hand on your shoulder and contributing to the heat you felt. “But now I’m just hot, and my clothes feel wrong.”

“Does it feel heavy?”

“Kinda, just rubbing me the wrong way, y’know?”

“Yeah.” So he was feeling it too, and that both relieves you and horrifies you at the same time. What if your perfect campsite was just a massive trap? That’d be just fantastic if all this was your fault. “It’s not a genjutsu, and there are no chakra signatures anywhere near us either. It’s almost like there’s something in the air.”

Something in the air? That was what you had felt earlier, but that something wasn’t making you hot. Kakashi’s hands on you were not helping, but instead were contributing to a different type of heat in your core that was not easy to ignore either. Where was the light and easy feeling that you’d had previously? Where did that go?

“I have to get out of these clothes, Kakashi.” You hope you sound calm, like you know what you’re doing, but you couldn’t even really think straight.

“We have to get out of here, we’ll deal with our symptoms once we’re out of the hot zone.”

“I am the hot zone right now!”

“And we need to figure that out, but losing your cool is not going to help. We’re not going to go far, there’s another clearing nearby and I think we should be okay there. Let’s gather our things and move.” The instruction is clear and, despite how awful your clothes felt against your skin, you follow them without question. By the time you’ve settled in the new campsite you can’t stop yourself, taking your shirt off with your vest and laying back against the cool grass in hopes that it’ll help you relax - even just a little bit.

The air felt different here, sure, but you still felt too hot. A look to your left tells you that Kakashi was feeling the heat too, since he’d removed his vest and was trying to fan cool air onto his skin. There was another more obvious problem just south of the hem of his shirt, but you avert your gaze from your partner to keep from potentially making him uncomfortable.

“Doing okay?” he asks, and you shake your head since you were still feeling too hot even with your shirt being off and cool air hitting your skin.

“Still too hot, but I’m running out of layers,” you mumble, jumping nearly out of your skin when you feel his hand on your stomach. How he got there that fast was not a question you’d waste time on, since the man did train with Gai. What was more pressing was the physical contact he’d initiated, all he really needed to do was move that hand just a bit further south and you were certain that’d either fix everything and make the problem worse - but such was the shinobi way of life. “That’s not helping.”

“I thought not,” he mumbled, and you chance looking up at him only to feel yourself get so much warmer when you see him looking down at you. There’s something unfamiliar in his eye, and that has you equal parts excited and concerned at what that look could mean. “The air is different here, so we must have inhaled something back there.”

How was he still so functional? You couldn’t give a damn about what could have you feeling this way, there were more pressing matters such as your body feeling like it was on fire and the growing discomfort with how wet your underwear was getting.

“Please stop talking,” you whine, your hand grabbing his wrist. His pulse is racing beneath his skin, his thumb starting to move against your skin until you let out another whine at the contact. “But keep touching me.”

“You’re sure?”

“Only if you want to.”

He shakes his head, and you’re not sure what it is he’s trying to convey but you err on the safe side and release his wrist. You’re ready to sit yourself up, go hide behind a tree so you could rub this out and get it over with, but his hand stays firm on your stomach to keep you in place as he leans in to get close to your ear.

“We shouldn’t do this, but I can’t pull myself away from you when I’m like this and you’re so willing.”

If he wasn’t wearing that mask, you’d kiss him right now. But he is, and that brings you to let him go so you could move the placement of your headband so it’d cover your eyes. Kakashi had to be uncomfortable in the mask, this was how you could ensure that he could be more comfortable while you both were dealing with the side effects of whatever the hell you’d breathed in. You hear him sigh before his hand leaves your stomach, and you pick up on the rustling of his clothes before his mouth is on yours and his hand is pushing at the waistband of your pants. Your hand starts to move, but is quickly pinned into the grass by Kakashi’s other hand as he moves to straddle you.

“Please behave, I’m struggling to contain myself as it is.” The warning has you nodding, but your hips move of their own volition in an attempt to get some friction where you most need it. He pauses above you, then his hands are gone from you only to work at pulling your pants and underwear down.

Your mouth falls open when his fingers push between your folds, the fire burning inside sated by the contact that has you relaxing into the grass. You hadn’t realized just how large Kakashi’s hands were until he had two fingers inside of you working to stretch you open more, and you knew you’d be fixated on those hands long after this situation was over and dealt with. A bridge to be crossed later, if you remembered after all this was over and done with.

A forearm is pressed to your hip, those two fingers part your folds, and you sigh when his tongue slides through to lap at your essence while his thumb circles your already over-sensitive clit. Another orgasm comes and goes before you can process it, your hands moving to his hair to try and pull him away. Instead, his other hand comes to replace his tongue, two fingers pushing into your cunt easily while his thumb continues to play with your clit.

“Are you going to come already?” He sounds amused, but you can’t formulate the words that you need to tell him off or tell him that he was right. “You can come, it’s alright. Let me taste you.”

You’re going to blame your current state on the fact that you were able to come just by him telling you to, that truly had to be it. But he sounds pleased and you’re ready to cry when he continues to lick and suck at your quivering pussy until you’re practically begging him to pull back and fuck you proper. You just needed him to fill you now, fill you and keep you full and fuck the neediness out of you.

“Ask and you shall receive.” There’s more rustling, and you wish you could see what he was doing and how he was looking at you but the headband remains in place to keep your vision obscured.

The blunt tip of his cock coming to rest between your folds has your eyes closing behind the headband, your fingers digging into the soft soil beneath you as he presses forward and stretches you. There’s no time or consideration for adjustments, you’d wager that Kakashi’s patience has worn out given the situation, and you’re not complaining since this is what you needed.

“Just stay put,” he breathes into your ear, his hand taking yours and pressing it into the grass beside your head. He’s still moving his hips against yours even as he speaks, the heat and desperation radiating off of him in waves as he presses a kiss to your cheek before he gently bites at your jawline. “Stay put and let me take care of us, will you do that?”

You nod, your compliance earning you another kiss before he’s pulling out. Before you have the chance to complain, he’s turning you over and pulling your hips up so you’d be propped up on your knees in front of him before he’s pushing back into you. There was no gentleness, no careful consideration of the environment, this was Kakashi on a mission to get you both off and hopefully stop whatever had gotten you both so worked up. His hands grip your hips hard enough that you’re certain there would be ten little bruises decorating your skin later, and he muffles his own sounds of pleasure by biting into your shoulder, it hurts but in the best way possible as he fucks into you at a pace you could only describe as being brutal. There was no rhythm or thought to it, he needed to get off as badly as you did.

“You feel so good, y’know that?” he breathes into your ear, every other word punctuated by a grunt that has you weaker than the one before. There’s a new heat burning inside you, this one you knew how to cope with, and you move your hand so that you could rub at your clit only to hand Kakashi grab your hand and press it back into the ground. “I said stay put and let me take care of you. You need to come?”

You nod, your head falling forward into the grass when his fingers make contact with your clit. At this point you think your body may be too sensitive, and that has you arching back into him at the feeling of the rough pads of his fingers against the nerve bundle.

“Stop running from me.”

“Sensitive,” is all you can gasp out, fingers digging into the grass once again as Kakashi chuckles in your ear. “Please, I’m so close Kakashi.”

This time you stay put when his fingers graze your clit, and you feel all coherent thoughts leave you as your body continues to rock with his as his fingers begin rubbing quick circles while his thrusts increase in pace. All that mattered was him and your approaching orgasm, anything else would have to wait until you could breathe normally again. A thrust punctuated by a pinch to your clit has your body going rigid beneath his, and he’s talking you through the orgasm until his own hips stutter and he also stills.

An arm moves around your waist, bringing you with him when he moves to lay on his side. The headband is moved but you keep your eyes closed even though your back was to him, not wanting to chance seeing his face. Things felt a bit more clear, but now you weren’t sure where the source of the heat was coming from now - the unknown inhalant or the close proximity to Kakashi. The grass was helping, though, which told you it was likely Kakashi making you feel so warm.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah, a bit,” you whisper, staying on your side while he lies on his back. “How come you were so functional? We were both exposed for the same amount of time?”

“My mask must have acted as a filter. I had it off to eat, though, which was likely where I got truly exposed.” You’re quiet after that, really trying to think about it but your critical thinking still wasn’t truly there. You’d give yourself a headache if you tried, you were sure, so you choose not to think about it for now. “Well I’m going to keep watch, you need your rest if we’re going to continue the mission.”

“What if it’s not fully out of our systems? Shouldn’t we go back to the village for treatment?” You’re sitting up now, still looking away since you weren’t sure if it was safe to look at him yet, but the cold air on your back does feel nice.

“I think we’ve established that we’re pretty decent at dealing with the side effects, no need to delay by going back to the village if we can handle it ourselves.” That has you looking at him, not at all caring about whether he was masked or not. He didn’t truly mean he’d fuck you all the way to the Sand Village if that was necessary, did he? “I think that’s the fun part, don’t you?”

This man was going to be the death of you, you were certain of that.

#kakashi hatake/reader #kakashi hatake/you #kakashi hatake/f!reader #kakashi hatake smut #kakashi x reader #kakashi x reader smut #kakashi smut #kakashi x you #kakashi x f!reader #kakashi x y/n

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jakegooglyeyes · 2 years

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Hey, the thing about the ao3 "censorship" it's not actually censorship. She's trying to remove the p*do stuff. That's not censorship.

Okay, I'll try to explain this as clearly as I can. But this is the only time I'm going to explain this. Other people have said enough about why this person's platform is alarming. This is really long, and I hope you'll care enough to read it.

tldr: I and many other Chinese, SEAsian, or anyone who live under heavy-censorship laws recognize her rhetoric and dog whistles, please do not dismiss our fear as overreacting when we say she is pro-censorship.

Also please forgive any mistakes I made, English is not my first language.

Firstly, let's take a look at what Tiffany G said in her chat:

Well, I think a lot of external people are very concerned about the fact that some works contain child pornography, pedophilic content, and other illegal content. If possible (this is not entirely possible after I chatted with people from PAC though), I am interested in providing extra help to the PAC team and Legal team to update the ToS and policies on those.

OK this is a follow-up to the last question – people think we host child porn content and such things. This issue is actually closely related to the incident when our service is banned in my home country. It might also be helpful to clarify that to the public. I am not an expert but look forward to discussing it more with respective committees.

She never clarified what other "illegal" content is. If you're familiar with China's censorship laws, illegal content includes anything from NSFW (depicting intimacy below the neck), LGBT in all rating, things that lower morales and promote nihilism (violence, tragedy, horror, talking about corruption of authority, painting law inforcement in bad light, you name it). So aside from underage content, what else does she consider "illegal"?

In her follow-up answer, she twisted the fact, claiming that it was banned for cp and such things (once again, never clarify what "such things" was). Except it wasn't, it was banned for hosting sexual content, and, you guessed it, lgbt content.

About the incident that got AO3 banned in China: This user summed it up quite well

As I have mentioned before, AO3 is no longer accessible in my home country due to some incident related to a piece of pedophilic work that is posted at AO3. This makes users very difficult to read and write with AO3. When I was reading the comments about the incident, a lot of people seemed to have a negative opinion about us. So, I think there is at least something we can do to help build a better image for us in my home country.

This is naive as best, China is very clear on what they deem unacceptable, and unless somehow all nsfw, lgbt content is removed, the "image" WILL NOT get better. If she genuinely wants to build a better image of AO3 in her home country, getting rid of underage content is like scooping water out of the sea with a spoon.

One more extra point, let's take a look at her language:

I support 100% “maximum inclusiveness of content”, yet there is always a boundary to everything. Since OTW is already an influential org, we need to protect our image and hold a better image to the public. I want the public to think of us as an inclusive and socially responsible community.

For someone who is familiar with Chinese fandoms, or know how China's censorship laws work (or any retrictive censorship laws in general), all the phrases in bold are familiar dog whistles used by the govt when they enact these types of laws.

The nuances might be lost to you if you aren't used to these types of pro-censorship language, but if you do, this is how they target lgbt content and sexual content. Starting with something everyone agrees is bad, then linking that too queer/sex positive people.

While we’re on the topic of sex-positivity, there is the question about misconception people have of AO3 and how to change that misconception, this is what she chose:

I have been a user of AO3 for a long time. And as a person who reads and writes stuff from Asia, I noticed a lot of people including myself (before) only used it to post stuff with adult content. It is still only used as a substitute for many people. I think we should change this. Fan fiction has all kinds not only just the adult content. And also yes people think AO3 is the only thing we have. We should definitely let them know about our other projects.

It's factually wrong to say users only use AO3 to post NSFW content. However, even if it was. What is she planning to do to CHANGE what content is put on the site? And also why is it a problem if people think AO3 is for porn unless porn is a bad thing?

Even if I were to agree with you that we should remove underage content, I simply couldn't help but see she meant more than just pedo stuff. That comes from my experience with pro-censorship language and how censhorship NEVER STOPS at what they start with.

Secondly, just like many others, I strongly believe in 2 things: 1. There is a difference between real life and fiction, 2. Fiction censorship destroys creative spaces.

If you argue that fictions involving minor is equal to actual cp, then where do you draw the line when fictional things = real life crime? Are horror movies equals to superstition practices? Will violence games and movies be banned because it contains murder? Is BDSM the same as torturing people (sure they both consent but the act caused real pain)? I understand you find certain things appalling, but that's what tags are for. You can block what you find unacceptable.

Censorship has never been a good thing. It's too much of a slippery slope. Let say you ban underage tag, and the rape tag for good measure. Done! The next person comes and says there shouldn't be NSFW content because children might be using the site too, it can be used for grooming children. Well, it makes sense, let's ban that too. Then the next person comes along, they say they find LGBT content unacceptable and you need to accomodate their freedom of religion, it makes them uncomfortable so it needs to go so they can browse the site. Then, another one comes and said violence in writing leads to violence behaviors (because remember, we've already established that fiction = reality). When is this going to end? The site can be free from censorship and everyone chooses what they want to see and not see, or it starts censoring things and has to keep up with anyone who wants to stop certain content.

So, are some content bad? Yes. But my stand is to let people have that creative space, that you can always filter things you consume, and that fiction is not the same as reality. I don't think banning underage content is her only goal (or her entire belief) and this person raised too many red flag for someone who live under extreme censorship laws and is familiar with Chinese fandoms scene.

Edit to add one final point: censorship does not always guarantee to remove the things you want to remove, take a look at Tumblr, visual porn is still everywhere; in fact, once authors choose to not tag things anymore fearing their work will get removed, the censorship system fails, the filtering system fails. And you’re left with one option, nuking an archive whose sole purpose is to just be a library of things people write.

#tiffany g #ao3 #otw #archive of our own #otw elections

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dragonwritersblog · 1 month

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I’m looking for an artist to collab with for an AU

Hello! If you don’t know me already, my name is Dragon, the author of the TADC fics 5+1 and Royally Screwed (and also a funnybunny shipper). However, I am coming up with a totally new AU, something similar to the carnival and freakshow au as well as inspiration from Bendy and the Ink Machine, Poppy Playtime and Amanda the Adventurer.

I call it ‘The Amazing Digital REDACTED’ au.

In this au, you ‘the player’ play as Jax, an ex-employee of C&A returning to the abandoned building in order to find the rest of your work employees after a mysterious incident years ago. With hidden knowledge that he must enter the game in order to find them, Jax does just that while managing to retain his memories. Along with his accomplice Bubble (a helpful AI who wants to free the rest of the trapped souls) and some help from his friend Winter (yes Winter from 5+1 will be in this but that fic isn’t canon to this au) on the outside, Jax tries to fix his past mistakes and save everyone – especially a particular jester he loved and lost long ago.

Yup that’s right, Jax will be the main character of this au and you will be playing as him. Let me explain, there is a feature on AO3 that allows you to make multiple choices on how you want the story to play out, like a telltale video game if you understand what I’m saying. You will get to pick and choose how Jax goes about his adventure and receive more than one ending (with a canon ending as well). And yes, this au’s main ship is funnybunny as I believe that it deserves more recognition and I find that these two in this au are very interesting to explore (especially with their past).

However, this fic is going to take quite a long time to make and is going to be bigger than anything else that I have written in the past. That is why I want to team up with a fellow TADC/funnybunny artist (since I am not an artist and do better with writing and characters) and create a separate blog for this au to come up with comics and art together. If you’ve seen the blogs for the Carnival and Freakshow au’s, you know that with their comics and art they explore more of the world, drop some lore, do character sheets and explain the pasts of the characters. This is what I’m hoping for if I team up with an artist. This au will mostly be on tumblr however if it does well I might add it to twitter as well since I’m putting this post on twitter as well.

Here are what I have pictured for the characters so far.

Jax: Past name; Jack. Ex employee of C&A, main character and who you the player will be playing as. Before the ‘incident’, Jax used to work at C&A as part of a coding team, to make sure that there were no bugs before any games were released. While C&A wasn’t on his list of jobs to pick, it was the only one that seemed best due to the pay and the fact that they could pay for schooling for those with children. Since Jax has a little sister named Jane, and has no parental figures in his life, he takes the job in order to help pay for the both of them and to make sure that Jane gets a good education. Unlike his canon TADC counterpart, Jax is more quiet, tired and while sarcastic, isn’t all out cruel to everyone unless they are bad people (think Mike from the FNAF movie especially with his relationship with his younger sister). He becomes quite close with his boss’s daughter however, Penny (Pomni) with him starting to develop feelings for the shy girl. However, after the day of the ‘incident’ Jax is left with nothing but guilt since he knew things that contributed to that day. Now he has a chance to make things right and save everyone, and Pomni.

Pomni: Past name; Penny. Ex employee of C&A and daughter of the CEO Abel, Pomni is an extremely introverted and socially awkward person, due to being traumatised by her mother’s death. She and her father don’t have a good relationship, with reasons that will become clearer later. She was quite close to the past version of Ragatha, but other than her father, she doesn’t really have a relationship with anyone. She likes to work alone to focus on the numbers and accounting part of her job (she understands numbers more than people) until she meets Jack. Though Jack is usually a bit standoffish, he is sweet to Penny due to her shy nature and helps keep an eye on her throughout their jobs so that she doesn’t feel too overwhelmed. Overcome by his sudden kindness and protectiveness, Penny starts to develop feelings for Jax. However, after the day of the ‘incident’ she is now trapped in the game, forever a jester trapped in a box…until Jax shows up.

If you’d like to be an artist for this au and collab with me, you can send me a DM or @ me. Do either of these and a sketch of the characters and I will reach out to you and confirm that you can be my partner for this project.

Here are some visuals on how I envision the characters.

Jax:

Sans the goggles, think of Jax wearing this over his grey and dirty overalls, he could also be holding a makeshift weapon like a bat or a stick so that he can fight off enemies. This version of Jax is much more serious and he is ready to fight in order to get the job done.

Pomni:

(on the last pic, focus on the makeup rather than the outfit)

Overly baggy and childish, with blue and black instead of blue and red. This design is a reminder of her past trauma and as so, is implemented into her circus features. Due to it being too big for her, it makes it hard for her to run and escape, and the ridiculousness of it all is a huge slap in the face that this is her new life now and is fully erased of her past. Even the makeup covers up any kind of normalcy on her face.

Well that’s it for now, I hope you guys take this into consideration and I hope you all have a lovely day/afternoon/night.

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jrob64 · 2 months

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Pet for Rent , Chapter 4/4 (The Happy Ending) A CS Modern AU Story

And so we've reached the end of this little journey. Thank you for reading this story that was one way for me to move through my grief of losing Zeke. Some of you have mentioned that you've lost a pet and reading this has helped you, and that makes me very happy

This chapter earns the story its M rating, but the smut is bracketed by double rows of asterisks and can be easily skipped.

Thanks one more time to @hookedmom, who helped me work out the ending until it was satisfactory to both of us.

Chapter Summary: Henry, Emma, Killian and Winston get their happy ending.

Chapters on Tumblr: Ch. 1 (The Meet Cute) Ch. 2 (The Idea) Ch. 3 (The Adoption)

Rating: M (See note above)

Words: 9319

Also posted to Ao3 and ffn

Story begins under the cut

Winston’s routine between the two households was firmly established during the next month. He spent weekdays with Killian at his apartment, and evenings at Emma and Henry’s house. On the weekends, all four of them spent as much time together as possible.

Emma and Killian were both happy to see that the dog was housebroken and didn’t require a lot of extra work. He did crave attention at times and demonstrated some behaviors that made them think he still had some puppy in him, but the three humans were consistent in their training to stop him from jumping up and barking excessively.

From the very first night he spent with them, he didn’t need to be put outside until morning, and slept soundly on Henry’s bed. The boy and dog formed a fast friendship and once again, Emma had her happy-go-lucky son back. He kept a picture of Ernie on his dresser and mentioned how much he still missed him from time to time, but the joy of having a new dog was healing his heart.

On Fridays and Saturdays, Killian would stay for a few hours after Emma got Henry into bed. They watched television, had lengthy conversations and kissed…a lot. Once they were sure Winston was acclimated to his new environment, they were able to plan another date to eat out and see a movie.

Their relationship was deepening, but they had yet to declare their love for one another. Killian was sure of his feelings for Emma, but didn’t want to spook her by saying anything. Emma wanted to make sure what she felt wasn’t just an infatuation. She had only fallen in love with one other man and had her heart shattered into a million pieces. She couldn’t afford to be wrong about her feelings again, especially since she now had Henry to take into consideration.

The bond between Henry and Killian was getting stronger as well. The two of them watched sporting events on TV, played video games, worked on training Winston and built Lego sets together. Emma was happy her son had a male figure in his life now, but worried about what would happen if Killian decided to move away from Storybrooke.

The first substantial snowfall of the season happened on a Friday in early December. School was letting out at noon due to the storm, which put Emma in a bind. Ashley couldn’t watch him because she was away for the weekend. Emma had already arranged to take off work at three o’clock instead of five, but she wasn’t able to leave another three hours early.

When she considered who else would be willing to help, the next person who came to mind was Killian. As she quickly placed the call, she tapped her fingernails nervously on the desk.

He answered before she even heard it connect. “Swan! This is a nice surprise.”

“You might not think so when I tell you why I’m calling.”

She could hear the instant concern in his voice when he asked, “Is something wrong?”

“They’re letting school out in half an hour because of the weather and Ashley is out of town. I can’t get off work until three o’clock and I need somebody to pick Henry up and watch him until…”

“Calm down, Love,” he interrupted. “Winston and I will pick him up and take him home.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? I don’t want to take you away from your work…”

“No worries. I’m finished for the day because I already put in extra hours this week.”

“Oh, good,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “I’ll call the school and tell them you’ll be picking him up. Since you’re not an authorized pick-up person, you’ll have to go inside to fill out a form when you get there. I’ll also text Mary Margaret and let her know. I really, really appreciate this, Killian.”

“It’s truly no problem, Love. I’ll get Winston ready to go right now. We should be there in about twenty minutes. Will that work?”

“That’s perfect. I need to warn you that it’s probably going to be a bit chaotic in the school office because of the early release.”

“Duly noted. I’ll send you a text when I’ve collected Henry and we’re in the car ready to go home.”

“Thanks, again. You’re a lifesaver.”

Ending the call, she sent up a prayer of thanks and went back to work.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Emma was right about the chaos in the office. Killian had to wait several minutes before they could verify who he was and hand him a form to complete. Just as he was signing his name at the bottom, Mary Margaret ushered Henry in the door, along with two of her other students, whose parents were also waiting.

“Killian!” Henry cried, spotting him immediately.

“Hello, lad. Your mom asked me to pick you up.”

“Yeah, Mrs. Nolan told me. Thanks!”

“You’ll have to sign him out,” Mary Margaret explained, gesturing to the line of parents who were waiting to do that very thing. “Be careful driving home.”

“Thank you. You do the same,” Killian responded, stepping behind the last person in line.

Once Henry was properly signed out, they slipped and slid through the accumulating snow to where Killian had parked the car. Winston started barking from inside as soon as he caught sight of his boy.

While Henry greeted the dog and got himself buckled in, Killian texted Emma, then started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. So far, the snow was just making the roads slushy, but with such precious cargo in the back seat, he drove with extra caution.

By the time Emma arrived home three hours later, the snow was making travel hazardous. Killian heard her come in the door and paused the video game he and Henry were playing.

She was stomping off her boots and shaking the snow out of her hair when he greeted her. “Did you have any trouble, Love?”

“The roads are terrible and the snow is picking up, which means they’re only going to get worse.”

He helped her out of her coat and hung it on one of the hooks on the wall. As she sat on a bench to pull off her boots, he scratched behind his ear and said wistfully, “Perhaps I should just go home now, if they’re getting that bad.”

She glanced up at him, then back down as she finished her task. Once both of her boots were sitting on the rug, she stood and looked toward the living room. “What’s Henry doing?”

“We were playing a video game. He’s probably waiting for me to rejoin him.”

“Let me go say hi to him, then I have something to ask you.”

“Okay, but first…” he said, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a tender kiss. “Welcome home, Love. I’m very glad you made it safely.”

“Mmm, me too, especially when I get a greeting like that.” After giving him one more kiss, she linked their hands and led the way to the living room. Henry was sitting on the couch petting Winston, who was laying beside him. Both of them perked up when the adults entered the room, a wide grin splitting Henry’s face, while Winston thumped his tail on the cushions.

“Hey, kid. How was school today?”

“Great! I wish we could get out early every day!”

Emma laughed. “I wouldn’t count on it. Were you able to go to art class? I know how you look forward to it.”

“We still got to go and I finished my Rainbow Fish project. It turned out really good!”

“Oh, yeah? Did you bring it home?”

“No, it had to finish drying. Mrs. Fisher said she wants to hang it up in the hallway.”

“Maybe I’ll schedule a day to come in and have lunch with you, and you can show it to me then. How does that sound?”

“Cool! I love it when you have lunch with me!”

“I know. I love it, too. Let me know when it’s hung up, okay?” She watched him nod his agreement, then asked, “What have you three boys been up to this afternoon?”

“We went out and played in the snow for a little while, but it got too windy and cold. Killian made hot chocolate when we came inside. Winston loved the snow, didn’t you, boy?”

“He was trying to catch all of the snowflakes,” Killian laughed. “Then he started eating the snow on the ground. He’s such a funny pooch.”

“Show her the picture you took, Killian,” Henry urged.

Killian pulled his phone out of his front pocket and opened his photo gallery. Holding it so Emma could see, he said, “I took several pictures and a couple of videos.”

As he started scrolling through them, he didn’t see the doey-eyed look she gave him before directing her attention to what he was showing her. When he came to the last picture, she burst out laughing. In it, Henry was kneeling on the ground beside Winston, who had snow all over his muzzle.

“He looks like he has a white beard,” she giggled.

“Aye, Whitebeard the Weird, distant relative of Blackbeard the Pirate,” Killian chuckled.

Emma laughed again, then asked her son, “Where did you put your wet clothes?”

“Killian put them in the dryer.”

“Henry showed me where it was located.”

“Thank you. He usually lets them lay in a heap inside the door.” Turning back to Henry, she said, “What else did you do?”

He picked up the Nintendo Switch controller, gesturing to the TV with it. “We played video games until you got home.”

“Sounds like you guys had a good time.”

“We did,” Henry assured her. “And don’t worry, Mom. I thanked Killian for everything.”

“Aye, he did. Henry has very good manners, don’t you, lad?” Killian said, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Yeah. Are you ready to finish our game?”

“Your mother wanted to talk to me about something first, then I should probably head home. She said the roads are getting bad.”

Henry’s shoulders drooped. “But I thought you would stay like you always do on Fridays.”

Emma said, “Henry, why don’t you play a game by yourself for a while, so I can talk to Killian?”

“Can I play Mario Kart?”

“You know the rules - only if you turned in all of your homework and didn’t get your card pulled for bad behavior this week.”

He jumped off the couch and grabbed his book bag from the recliner where he had tossed it when he got home. Unzipping it, he pulled out a folder and handed it to his mom.

She took it and pulled out the papers from the ‘keep at home’ side, placing them on the end table to look at later. Then she took a sheet from the ‘return to school’ pocket. After looking it over, she gave Henry a smile and kissed him on the forehead. “Good job, kid. I’m proud of you.”

While he was putting the folder back in his bag, she went to the closet and got the treasured game off the shelf above the coat rack. As soon as he got the game set up and was fully engaged in choosing his racer, Emma motioned for Killian to follow her into the kitchen.

She leaned against the front of the sink out of Henry’s line of sight, and Killian stood in front of her, his hands on her hips. “What did you want to talk to me about, Swan?” he asked, a concerned crease across his forehead.

Her eyes remained focused on the floor for several moments. When she finally looked up, there were tears in them.

He stepped closer, dipping his head to scan her face. “Emma, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she answered quickly. “I just…I…I think I love you.”

Killian’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Wh-what?”

“I love you. I’ve fallen in love with you, Killian Jones.”

He surged forward, claiming the lips that just uttered the words which were music to his ears. He could have kissed her for hours, but he needed to ask her a question. “When?”

“When did I fall in love with you?” she asked, seeking to clarify.

“Aye. When did you know?”

She licked her lips. “I think I’ve been falling for you since the first day we met, but I wanted to make sure it’s really love that I feel. I’ve been burned before, and with Henry to consider, I didn’t want to jump right into a serious relationship. Then today, I just…I realized…I mean, you’re there for me, for us. You’re wonderful with Henry and it…it’s not because you’re trying to impress me or win my affections through my son. You honestly seem to like spending time with him. You dropped everything to pick him up today and then, those videos and pictures…you took videos and pictures of my kid because you were having fun with him.”

She paused for a second and he waited, understanding she needed to gather her thoughts. “But it’s not just because of Henry. That’s important, but it…it’s the way you make me feel. I love every minute we spend together. I can never get enough of being with you. As soon as you leave, I immediately look forward to the next time we’ll see each other. I…I…oh hell, I’m rambling and not making any sense.”

“You’re making perfect sense. I completely understand what you’re trying to say.”

“You do?”

He framed her face with his hands, brushing the apples of her cheeks with his thumbs. “Aye, because I feel the same way. You’re the best part of my day, whether we’re texting, talking, or actually together. I truly do love spending time with Henry because he’s such a great kid and I would never use him to try to impress you, Emma.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’ve known for a while, too. That I love you. I’m in love with you, Emma Swan.”

The brightness of her smile was nearly blinding and it was her turn to initiate the fiery kiss. Afterwards, they stood with their foreheads pressed together, while her fingers played with the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck. “Can I ask you something?” she whispered.

“Of course, Love. Anything.”

She looked into his eyes. “Are you still thinking about moving away from Storybrooke?”

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “I’ve got every reason in the world to stay right here.”

“Good.”

He kissed her sweetly, then sighed. “I hate to ruin this moment, but I really should get started for home. The road conditions are probably worsening by the minute.”

“Actually, that was the original reason I wanted to talk to you. I was thinking that maybe…you could…stay here tonight.”

“Why, Swan,” he teased, “are you inviting me to a sleepover?”

“Well, it would be a very adult sleepover,” she said, watching him closely to gauge his reaction.

He tilted his head and studied her for a moment or two. “Are you saying…you want me to actually sleep with you?”

“I guess we would sleep eventually…”

“Emma, are you sure you’re ready to take that next step?”

“You’re not?”

“I’m not saying that at all,” he said quickly. “I just…would you be comfortable having me stay with you when Henry is right down the hall? We could…we could wait until we’re at my place, if you’d rather.”

“This isn’t spur of the moment, Killian. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I think Henry is too young to understand what it means for you to spend the night and still be here in the morning. He just loves having you here and is always sad to see you leave. I’m not saying it’s going to be something that happens every night…”

“I wouldn’t expect that, especially during the week, but perhaps on the weekends?”

“That’s what I was thinking. Of course, we might be jumping the gun to consider more than tonight. You might be appalled by my snoring, drooling, or what I look like first thing in the morning. Or maybe we won’t be…compatible…in bed.”

He grinned. “I highly doubt that will be the case, Emma. Ever since the day we met, I’ve felt like we have a connection to each other that goes beyond friendship. I can’t imagine that not transferring to the bedroom. As far as your snoring and drooling, I’m sure I’ll find it to be absolutely adorable.”

“Whatever you say,” she scoffed. “But when you wake up with my morning breath in your face, you might change your mind.”

“I’m willing to risk it,” he smirked.

She began playing with the buttons on his shirt. “There’s, um…there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“What’s that, Love?”

After stepping away from him to check on Henry in the other room, she returned to face him again. “I haven’t been…intimate with anyone since Henry’s father. Henry is my world and everything else has taken a back seat.”

“Which is quite understandable,” Killian said. “It’s been a while for me, too. After getting hurt like I did, I was in no hurry to be with another woman. You have changed so many things in my life, Emma, and I’m anxious to begin this next chapter with you and Henry.”

“Don’t forget Winston,” she quipped.

“How could I forget Winston?” he laughed.

“Okay, so how about we get some supper and watch a movie like we usually do on Friday nights? My guess is that after the excitement of the day, Henry will be asleep before it’s over.”

“That sounds wonderful, Love. What were you planning to eat?”

“I was planning to order pizza, but with the roads the way they are, I think we better go with plan B.”

“Which is…?”

“I have no idea.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Do you mind if I search your cupboards a bit?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and crooned, “You can search anything you want.”

“Swan, are you flirting with me to get me riled up?”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he teased.

“Perhaps I would,” she answered, before scattering kisses along his throat.

“Bad form, Love,” he groaned.

“You don’t like it?” she asked innocently, looking up at him through her lashes.

“I like it too much, that’s the problem,” he said, pressing his hips against hers so she could feel the effect she was having on him.

“Okay, I’ll stop…for now,” she said. She started to move away and he reluctantly released her. “Dig around to your heart’s content and I’ll go see what movie Henry wants to watch.”

Killian ended up making spaghetti with garlic toast for supper. Afterwards, they watched “Luck” on AppleTV, while munching on chocolate chip cookies Emma whipped up. She and Killian managed to make the food while sharing lots of kisses in the kitchen.

Henry didn’t question Killian staying instead of going home; he was simply happy to carry on with their usual Friday evening routine. He made it through the movie without falling asleep, but was reluctant to move when it ended. Emma realized that he wanted Killian to carry him to his room, which he did, making her heart melt as she watched.

While Emma took Henry through his bedtime routine, Killian put Winston outside to do his business. Although he had cleared the patio of snow earlier in the evening, it was covered again.

When he took Winston into Henry’s room after toweling him off, he reported, “I’d say there’s at least six inches of snow and it’s still coming down.”

“Oh, boy!” Henry exclaimed, perking up. “Can you come over tomorrow to play in it with us again?”

Killian scratched behind his ear, looking to Emma for help.

“Actually kid, Killian is going to stay here overnight,” she said.

“He is?”

“Yeah. The roads are pretty bad and I didn’t want him to risk driving home. Is that okay with you?”

Henry gave her a puzzled look. “Sure. Why wouldn’t it be okay?”

Emma shrugged. “He’s never spent the night here before.”

“Well, he should, because we’re usually together all day on Saturdays, too. It doesn’t make sense for him to go home.”

Killian and Emma exchanged a look, then he bid the boy goodnight, patted Winston and left the room so she could read to her son.

After kissing Henry and closing the door to his room, she found Killian sitting on the couch. “Well, I guess that answers the question of whether it’s going to bother Henry,” she said, plopping down beside him.

“Aye,” he chuckled, but she noticed he didn’t look at her.

“Hey,” she said, reaching to take his hand. “Is something wrong?”

“I, uh, I…if we’re going to take that next step in our relationship, I’m concerned about what to do because I don’t have any kind of protection.”

“Well, I obviously don’t have any STDs and I assume you don’t, either.”

“I don’t, but what about preventing you from getting pregnant?”

“Oh, that’s not a problem. I have an IUD. My doctor suggested it because I had such heavy periods after Henry was born.”

“Well, that is a relief,” he said, finally looking at her. “Did Henry fall asleep while you were reading to him?”

“He was out before I read half a page. He actually held out longer than I thought.”

“Tomorrow will be another fun day in the snow for him.”

She turned on the sofa to face him, draping her legs over his. “I was meaning to ask you - did you bring along clothes to wear out in the snow?”

“Aye. Liam advised that I keep extra clothes in the car during the winter months, so I changed into them once we came inside.”

“Did you dry them with Henry’s clothes?”

“I did. I hope that was alright.”

“Of course. I want you to make yourself at home here. I was thinking it might be nice to put up the Christmas tree tomorrow.”

“That’s a wonderful idea. I’m sure Henry loves doing that.”

“Oh yes, he really gets into it,” she laughed. “Although I’m sure you can’t imagine him getting excited about anything!”

Her sarcasm made him chuckle. “That’s one reason why I enjoy being with him so much. He’s enthusiastic about everything.”

“You clearly haven’t seen him do his chores.”

“Well, that’s true,” he agreed with a grin. “I suppose that’s typical for a kid.”

“Not just a kid. I hate doing chores, too.”

“You know,” he said, wrapping his arms around her to pull her into his lap, “I could think of much better things to talk about than chores.”

She adjusted herself so her knees were on either side of his hips, her hands on his shoulders and her forehead resting against his. “Like the fact that I love you?”

“Aye, that’s a much better subject,” he said, nuzzling her nose. They indulged in a long, slow kiss, while their hands roamed each other’s body. “I love you, too,” Killian murmured against her lips. In response, she deepened the kiss and adjusted her position, putting more pressure on his groin. “Swan…” he rasped.

“Maybe we should move to the bedroom,” she whispered in his ear.

The tickling sensation and implication of her words served to increase his arousal. “I like that idea, Love.”

She kissed him one more time, then pushed herself off of him. Threading her fingers through his, she tugged him to his feet. As they quietly moved down the hall, Emma stopped outside Henry’s door, listening intently. Giving a nod, they continued into her bedroom and she closed the door behind them.

“He’s out for the night,” she commented.

“You can tell that just by listening for a few seconds?”

“He’s a mouth breather, a loud one. He probably needs to have his tonsils and adenoids removed, but up until now, I haven’t had a job with good insurance. I just haven’t taken him to the doctor yet.”

“What about Winston?”

“If he needs his tonsils and adenoids out, I’ll let you pay for it,” she teased.

“You’re hilarious, Swan,” he remarked, trying to look stern, but failing to keep the smile from taking over his face.

“Yeah, I know,” she smirked. “Winston has slept through the night since the first night we brought him home.”

“In that case,” Killian said, sauntering into her personal space, “I guess the night is ours.”

“I guess so,” she said, then nervously pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

Tilting his head, he looked into her eyes for several seconds, then brushed some locks of blonde hair over her shoulder. “Emma, please don’t feel like we have to go ahead with this if you’re…”

“No, Killian,” she interrupted firmly. “I really want this, I’m just…out of practice, I guess.”

He put his hands on her waist and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “Relax, Love. Just let things happen naturally, and if they don’t, then we sleep instead. No pressure, okay?”

“You know, the first time I saw you, I had to convince myself you were real. I was sure no one as handsome as you could actually exist. And now, you say something like that and I have to convince myself that you’re real all over again. I mean, when a guy’s girlfriend is offering them sex, how many would say it’s okay if it doesn’t happen?”

“Probably more than you think. I would hope there are more gentlemen than rogues out there.”

Emma thought about that for a few moments, before saying, “I should wash my face and brush my teeth. Why don’t you, um, get comfortable in here and I’ll go take care of that.”

He watched her leave the room, then ran his hands through his hair. He longed to show Emma how much he loved her, but the last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable or pressured in any way. After stripping down to his navy blue boxers and white T-shirt, he sat on the bed to wait for her to return.

Meanwhile, in the bathroom, she was quietly berating herself in the mirror. “You have this sweet, sexy, perfect boyfriend in your bedroom and you come running in here like a scared rabbit. What is wrong with you?” she asked her reflection. When she didn’t receive an answer, she sighed, tossed a washcloth into the sink and turned on the hot water.

After she finished in the bathroom and padded back to her room, she tapped lightly on the door before entering. Killian looked up at her from his seat on the bed, concern etched on his face. “Alright there, Swan?”

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. I, um, I laid an extra toothbrush out for you if you wanted to, um, brush your teeth,” she stammered.

“Thank you, Love.” He stood up and slipped out the door.

Emma used the time to change out of her clothes and into a turquoise nightshirt that barely covered her underwear. She was standing in front of her dresser brushing her hair when she heard a soft knock on the door. “Come in,” she said, when it didn’t open right away.

As Killian entered, she saw his reflection in the mirror. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him before he left the room; but now, she saw that he was utterly tantalizing in very little clothing. It made her mouth go dry, but at the same time, made all of her nervousness vanish.

Turning toward him, she saw the anticipation on his face and quickly crossed the space between them. Standing in front of him, she reached up and cupped his face, then pulled him down to connect their lips, trying to pour every ounce of her love into the kiss.

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her snugly against himself. She’d been in his arms many times, but there were always more layers of clothing between them. Feeling his well-defined chest pressed against hers and his strong back under her roaming hands, she could feel her own body reacting.

Finally breaking the kiss, she said breathlessly, “I’m sorry for being so hesitant. I asked you to stay and then I let my nerves and insecurities get to me. It’s just that, in the past, people were always letting me down…”

“Let me assure you, Love,” he said, softly stroking the tips of his fingers over her cheek, “I don’t intend to let you down or hurt you in any way. You mean far too much to me to ever let that happen, trust me.”

Her eyes searched his, knowing she would see nothing but sincerity and love in them. “I do trust you,” she whispered. Taking his hands, she backed up until the backs of her knees hit the bed, then sat down and pulled him down beside her.

*********

“I’m yours,” she said. “Make love to me, Killian.”

Twisting his body, he embraced her, then rolled them until he was on top of her in the middle of the mattress. “As you wish,” he grinned.

They took their time undressing each other between impassioned kisses, their lips finding the skin that was revealed with every discarded article of clothing. Killian paid special attention to Emma’s bare breasts when he removed her shirt, his mouth and calloused fingers on the sensitive flesh making her body sizzle with desire.

When she pushed his boxers down his legs, her eyes widened as she took in the size of his manhood. Her hand wrapped around it, the smooth skin feeling like satin on her palm.

As she slowly stroked him, his fingers moved between her thighs, feeling the damp heat. She widened her legs as one finger made its way inside her. “Killiannn,” she whined.

“Does that feel good?” he murmured into her ear.

“Yesss…so good.”

“What you’re doing feels good to me, too,” he assured her. He pushed himself up to lean on one elbow, sweeping his eyes up and down her form. “Gods, Emma. You’re the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen,” he praised. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

Her hands moved to his chest, fingers swirling through the generous dusting of hair. “So are you.” The fingers of one hand followed the dark trail of hair down his belly and between his legs to fondle his testicles, satisfied when she heard his sharp intake of breath.

They continued to explore, working one another up until both were panting and pleading. Killian took his time ensuring that Emma was prepared, using his fingers around and inside her opening to make her slick with arousal. At the same time, her attention to his cock and the way she scratched her fingernails over the skin of his chest and back made him the hardest he’d ever been.

As he sucked love marks into the soft skin of her breast and rubbed his thumb over her clit, she gasped, “Killian, I…I’m ready.”

He looked up at her through his long, dark lashes. Her skin was flushed, her tongue licking at her kiss-swollen lips. As his eyes connected with her lust-filled green ones, a rush of love and longing crashed over him. “I love you, Emma,” he said, moving up to seal the declaration with another kiss.

“I love you, too. So much,” she replied, running her fingers through his damp strands of hair. Then she shifted on the bed so he could settle between her thighs.

Holding himself above her on one elbow, he reached down to grasp his cock, rubbing it through her slick, wet folds, then slowly began pushing forward. His eyes scanned up her body to study her face, hoping to catch any sign of discomfort in her features. He halted his progress when he detected a slight grimace. “Does that hurt?” he asked.

“No, no,” she assured him. “It burns a little, but mostly it feels…amazing. Please don’t stop.”

He was happy to hear those words, because being only partially inside her felt incredible, and he yearned to keep going. Dropping his elbow down to the other side of her body, he pulled back a little, then pressed forward again, going deeper inch by inch, until he was fully engulfed in her warm, tight sheath.

Resting his head on her chest, he ground out, “Bloody hell, Emma. You feel fucking fantastic.”

She skimmed her hands through his hair. “It feels like you were made for me,” she whispered. Bending her knees, she pulled her feet up beside his hips and gave a slight thrust of her pelvis.

He got the hint and began rocking slowly, savoring every moan and gasp from her. Sensing that she had adjusted to his size, he pulled out until only his tip was still inside, then slid all the way back in with one stroke, gradually picking up the pace.

“Faster…deeper,” she begged.

He obliged, thrusting into her several times in quick succession. Her hips raised off the bed to meet him every time, while her fingers gripped his hair almost painfully.

“Killian, I can’t…I’m going to…”

“Let go, Love,” he encouraged, knowing she was right on the edge.

Throbbing heat and a sudden flood of wetness around his cock told him that she followed his command. She crossed her ankles behind his back, trying to pull him closer, while her head thrashed back and forth on the pillow.

He stilled within her, trying to delay his own climax. As good as it felt to have her pulsing around him, he didn’t want it to end so soon.

“T-top,” she mumbled.

“You want to be on top?”

“Mmhmm.”

After wrapping his arms around her, he carefully rolled them over. Emma planted her hands on his chest and pushed herself up, her knees tight against his hips. His hands gripped her forearms as she began lifting and lowering her pelvis, his cock sliding in, then almost out of her over and over again.

Killian was muttering a steady string of praises, telling her how perfect she was and how good she felt. Raising his head, his mouth found one of her nipples, alternately rolling his tongue over it and sucking hard. The effect caused her rhythm to stutter and she threw her head back, letting out a long, guttural moan of his name.

Feeling his release growing imminently closer, he started thrusting up into her. His hand moved down to find her clit, rubbing it roughly as he groaned, “Come again, Emma. Please come, Love. I…I can’t…”

With one final slide down on him, she did, shuddering and shaking as she cried out, “Yes! Yes, Killian!”

Watching her ecstasy, hearing her shouts and feeling her pulse around him brought him to his peak, too. He jerked and spasmed, spurting hot streams of cum inside her.

When she collapsed on top of him several moments later, he held her close, murmuring words of adoration into her hair. Gradually, their breathing and heart rates returned to normal, and Killian groped around the bed, finding the blanket and pulling it over the top of them.

*********

Emma sighed happily, pressing kisses to his throat and collarbone. “That was amazing! I know it’s been a while, but I don’t remember sex ever being that good.”

“Well, that’s because you’ve never done it with me before,” he chuckled. Hearing her hum of agreement, he added, “It’s never been like that for me, either. Then again, I’ve never loved anyone like I love you. I think that’s what made it so much more intense and meaningful.”

She lifted her head and rested her chin on his sternum, looking into his face. “I’m sure you’re right about that. I’m very glad we decided to take this next step. I feel like we’re more closely connected now.” She wiggled her hips, causing his softening length to shift inside her. “In more ways than one.”

He grinned and reached up to tuck her hair behind her ears. “Meeting you and Henry is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Leaning forward, she kissed him; a slow, tender kiss that communicated her feelings more than words ever could. They cuddled a while longer before Emma slipped her shirt back on and went to the bathroom to clean up, bringing a warm washcloth back so Killian could do the same. After he put his boxers on and visited the bathroom himself, they burrowed under the covers, intertwining themselves and sharing more kisses until they finally drifted off to sleep - content, sated and thoroughly in love.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Emma awoke slowly the next morning, the smell of coffee tickling her nose. When her foggy brain remembered what happened the night before, she reached over to find the other side of the bed empty. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and stretched.

She felt pleasantly sore in all the right places and smiled when she remembered how she had awakened in the middle of the night to find Killian watching her sleep. The sliver of moonlight seeping in through the slight opening between the curtains illuminated his mischievous blue eyes. It was then she realized he had worked her shirt up above her breasts and was gently massaging them. Soon they were engaged in round two, finding more ways to bring pleasure to one another.

Flinging back the blanket, she grabbed a robe out of her closet and put it on as she walked down the hall. She could hear Henry chattering before she reached the kitchen.

“...and after we play in the snow, we can play more games and watch movies and…”

“Slow down, lad,” she heard Killian say, his gruff morning voice sending shivers down her spine. “I think your mother has some plans for us today.”

“That’s right,” she said, joining them. “I think you’ll like what I have planned.” Peeking over Henry’s shoulder, she asked, “What are you eating, kid?”

“Killian made egg in a basket!” he said excitedly. “It’s really good and he told me he would teach you how to make it too, if you want.”

“Is that so?” she asked, passing behind the ‘chef’ and discreetly pinching his side.

“Bad form, Swan,” he chided playfully. “And to think I made coffee and breakfast for you.”

“Sorry,” she said, stretching to her tiptoes to kiss the underside of his scruffy jaw. He turned so her next kiss was to his lips.

“You guys are being gross,” Henry complained, making the couple laugh. “So what are we doing today, Mom?”

She poured herself a mug of coffee, splashed some creamer into it, then leaned against the counter to take a sip before answering, “I thought we would put up the Christmas tree and decorate it. How does that sound?”

“YAY!” Henry shouted. Winston started barking from where he lay under the table.

“Winston, enough!” Killian commanded and the dog quieted immediately.

“Good morning, sweet boy,” Emma said, bending down to ruffle his ears. “I didn’t see you under there.” Straightening up, she asked her son, “Did you already feed him?”

Henry’s ears reddened. “Uh, no. I forgot.”

Emma gave him a stern look. “You know you’re supposed to feed your dog before you sit down to eat, young man.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” he said, hopping out of his seat and going to the pantry where the dog’s food was stored.

“Apologize to Winston, not me.”

Henry scooped out the food and dumped it into Winston’s bowl. “I’m sorry, boy,” he said, as he set it down beside the refrigerator where the dog sat waiting.

Killian laughed as he watched Winston inhaling his food like he was afraid it was going to disappear. “I think he forgives you, lad.” Looking at Emma, he added, “I already put him outside to do his business. The snow is up to his belly, but he found a spot by the side of the house that wasn’t quite as deep.”

“How long have you been up?” she questioned.

Killian glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Almost an hour.”

“Wow, you’re a morning person. It usually takes me half-an-hour just to pry my eyes open and get out of bed, especially on a Saturday.”

“Well, you know what they say - opposites attract,” he said, setting a plate of food in front of her and sitting down beside her with his own.

As they began to eat, Henry returned to the table and asked, “When are we gonna put up the tree, Mom?”

“You can help decide. Do you want to do it before or after we play in the snow?”

He thought for a second. “Let’s go outside first. Can we bake gingerbread cookies like we did last year, when we decorated the tree?”

“I’m afraid not. We don’t have the necessary ingredients for that kind of cookie.”

Seeing Henry’s disappointed look, Killian said, “I know a good recipe for sugar cookies. Do you like that kind? I know your mother has all the ingredients for them.”

Henry perked up again. “Yeah! Can we decorate them? We have sprinkles left from when you tried to make cupcakes for Avery’s birthday, remember?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me of that fiasco,” Emma groaned, making Henry giggle.

Killian looked between the two of them. “Why was it a fiasco?”

She covered her face with her hands as she answered, “I forgot the baking powder.”

“Do you mean to say,” he began, trying to contain his laughter, “that you baked cupcakes and didn’t put any baking powder in them?”

Dropping her hands, she replied indignantly, “Hey, it happens to the best of us. I’ve seen episodes of the Great British Baking Show where the bakers forget to put in key ingredients.”

“Point taken. Did you take the cupcakes to the party?”

“Are you kidding? They looked like hockey pucks! Of course I didn’t take them to the party.”

Killian laughed heartily, while Emma tried and failed to give him a reproving look. Instead, she dissolved into laughter, too.

“Mom picked up cupcakes at the grocery on the way to the party,” Henry said, then shoved another bite of food into his mouth.

“Well, I promised to bring them, so I had to do something.”

“Very resourceful, Swan.”

By the end of breakfast, they had the day’s schedule worked out. They played in the snow as soon as they were all dressed, then drank hot chocolate and baked cookies. While waiting for the cookies to be cool enough to ice and decorate, Henry and Killian brought the small artificial tree in from the garage.

As they were setting it up, Emma explained, “Henry wants to have a live tree, but I told him he needs to be a little older, because I don’t think I could get one unloaded and set up by myself.”

“Ah, well, if it weren’t for the fact we’re snowed in today, I could have helped you with that,” Killian said. “Perhaps next year.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “I hope we’ll still be together by then.”

He pulled her against him, wrapping her in his warm embrace. “I have every confidence we will, Love.”

The day was the most fun any of them could remember. They decorated cookies and the tree while listening to Christmas music, played some board games, then watched two Christmas movies with only the lights from the tree and television illuminating the living room. Killian sat on the couch between Emma and Henry, both of whom were snuggled close to his side.

Emma and Killian shared many affectionate caresses and kisses throughout the day, unable to keep from touching each other. That evening, after Henry and Winston were in bed, they spooned on the sofa, quietly discussing plans for the next day, Christmas and New Years Eve.

Both of them were hopeful and excited about their future together.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Eight Months Later

“Great pass, Nicholas!” Killian shouted, running along the sidelines to coach his players. “Keep it under control, Grace! Get open, Henry! There he is! Pass it, Grace!”

As Henry’s kick sent the soccer ball flying into the goal, Emma leaped from her seat with a cheer, causing Winston to jump up and start barking. Everyone around them laughed, used to the excitable black dog who was always at the games to watch his young master.

When the game ended, Killian’s team was victorious for the third week in a row. Henry shook hands with the other team, then sprinted over to his mom and Winston.

“Good game, kid!” Emma exclaimed, returning his hug. “Your team is doing great this year.”

“That’s because we have the best coach in the whole world!” he beamed, taking Winston’s leash from her as the dog jumped around him enthusiastically.

Emma watched Killian gather his clipboard and Henry’s water bottle. Several parents approached him to offer their words of appreciation, and she smiled as he humbly accepted them.

He really was too good to be true, except that he absolutely was…and he was hers.

She turned to fold up her lawn chair and collect Winston’s favorite ducky toy, and soon felt two strong arms wrap around her from behind.

“Congratulations, coach,” she said, twisting in his arms to kiss him.

“Thank you, Love. The team is really starting to gel, don’t you think?”

“That’s because, as Henry just said, they have the best coach in the world.”

“He said that?” Killian asked, rubbing self-consciously behind his ear.

“Yeah, and I agree. They love playing for you, Babe.”

“Well, they’re fun to coach. I’m glad you talked me into it.”

“Pfft,” Emma scoffed. “I’m not the one who did it. It was that nine-year-old con artist who lives with us.”

“He can be quite persuasive,” he conceded. “Takes after his mother.”

“Hey!” she said, lightly slapping his chest. “I never talk you into doing things you don’t want to do.”

“That’s very true,” he murmured into her ear. “I’m always up for what you want me to do.”

She giggled and engaged him in another kiss, only to be interrupted by a loud, exasperated, “Mom! Killian! You guys are embarrassing!”

They broke apart with a laugh. “Sorry, kid,” Emma said, not sounding one bit apologetic. “Ready to go home?”

“Actually, Henry and I thought it might be fun to go to the nature preserve this morning,” Killian said. “Is that alright with you, Swan?”

“Sounds good to me. I’m glad I wore sneakers instead of sandals.”

They headed to the car and were soon on their way to the preserve. Emma noticed Killian shifting in his seat and nervously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Oh, um, aye. Just working out some energy left over from the game.”

She studied him for several more moments, then shrugged slightly and turned to ask Henry what he wanted for lunch when they got home, later.

There were several cars in the main parking lot at the preserve, so Killian kept driving until they reached a more remote section. Winston always got distracted if there were too many people around, so they tried to stick to the paths that weren’t likely to be as busy.

Once they found a place to park and were out of the car, Henry and Winston started along the path that led into the woods. Emma and Killian trailed behind, falling into easy conversation, as always. Their current topic was Belle and Liam, who were due to return from their honeymoon the following day. Despite being wed at the beginning of June, the couple waited to go on their trip until August, because Liam could get airline tickets for a much better price late in the summer.

“Bloody wanker, always after a discount,” Killian grumbled, not for the first time. “Even for his honeymoon!”

“Belle didn’t seem to mind,” Emma pointed out. “She was excited because the best time to see Beluga Whales in Alaska is during the month of August. I hope they were able to see some.”

“Aye, me too. That’s probably the reason Liam booked it for this month, anyway. He just wants to make everyone think he’s a miser.”

Emma wrapped her arm around his more tightly and leaned into him. “I definitely got the better brother,” she stated playfully.

“That you did, Love,” he grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple.

After hiking for twenty minutes, they came to their favorite spot on the path - a small fishing pond surrounded by tall, reedy grass and cattails. Henry and Winston started exploring the perimeter of the water, in search of frogs. Ever since finding one at this pond earlier in the summer, they were determined to find another.

“Care to sit down for a bit, Love?” Killian asked, indicating a wooden bench.

“Yeah. I’m sure the two of them will want to stay here a while.”

They sat together in comfortable silence, listening to the chirping of birds and buzz of insects. Finally, Killian turned to her and said, “We’ve known each other for almost a year now, haven’t we?”

“We met in September, so it’ll be a year next month.”

“It’s been the best year of my life.”

“Mmhmm. Mine, too. Especially these last three months when you officially moved in with us.”

“Well, I did have to live somewhere, since the lease on my apartment was up,” he teased.

“Oh, so now the truth comes out,” she shot back with a giggle.

“Aye,” he sighed dramatically. “I only love you for your house.”

“You’re so full of it, Jones,” she said, elbowing him in the side.

He leaned back and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side, both of them watching Henry and Winston chasing what looked like a dragonfly.

“Those two are something else,” she remarked.

“They’re both good boys. I’m very lucky to be part of their lives.”

Emma hummed. “We’re all very lucky to have you in our lives.”

After another lengthy pause, he murmured, “I love you, Emma.”

“I love you, too.”

He slipped from his seat and knelt in front of her. “Enough to marry me?” he asked, looking up into her eyes, widened in surprise.

“Killian…wh-what are you doing?” she stammered.

“Isn’t it obvious, Love? I’m proposing. But I guess I’ve forgotten something, haven’t I?” Unbuttoning the pocket on the side of his cargo shorts, he reached in and withdrew a diamond solitaire ring, holding it up between them. “Emma, we may have met because of a mistake, but I don’t think of it that way. I’m convinced it was God’s plan for us to meet in just the right place at exactly the right time. You, Henry and Winston are the center of my world and that’s where I want you to be for the rest of my life. So, Emma Swan, will you marry me?”

She brushed at the tears trickling down her cheeks as a huge smile crossed her face. “Yes, Killian! Of course I’ll marry you!”

He took her trembling hand in his and slid the ring into place. Then he wrapped her in his arms, kissing her hair, eyes, cheeks, and finally, her lips, salty with her tears.

Their celebration was cut short when Henry asked, “Did she say yes?”

Both of them dissolved into laughter. He was notorious for interrupting them when they were kissing, whether out of disgust or because he was simply oblivious.

“Aye, lad. She did,” Killian answered.

“Wait, you were in on this?” Emma asked her son.

“Yeah. Last night, Killian asked me if it was okay for him to marry you. I said it was, so that’s why we decided to come here after the game today - so he could oppose.”

“Propose,” Killian corrected, as Emma laughed.

Henry shrugged. “Whatever. So you’re getting married? We’re gonna be a real family?” His excitement grew as he realized what it all meant.

“Yeah, kid. We’ll officially become a family. What do you think about that?”

It wasn’t a surprise to either of them that his answer was a loud, “YAY!” while Winston barked his approval, too.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Emma and Killian were married sixteen months later, the day before the second anniversary of when they first declared their love for each other. Fortunately, there was no snowstorm on their wedding day.

Henry proudly walked his mother down the aisle to meet Killian at the altar. The boy shook his soon-to-be stepfather’s hand, then nearly tackled him in a hug, before taking his place beside Liam.

The ceremony was beautiful and perfect, which in Killian’s mind, matched his bride. Everyone had a wonderful time at the reception afterwards, celebrating the couple with food and dancing. Liam’s best man speech caused Killian’s face to turn red with embarrassment, as everyone else’s turned red with laughter.

The traditional father/daughter dance was replaced with a mother/son dance instead. As the two most important people in his life moved in small circles in the middle of the floor to the song “How Long Will I Love You?”, Killian repeatedly swallowed past the lump in his throat and wiped away a stray tear or two.

While the newlyweds enjoyed a honeymoon in a tropical climate, Henry and Winston stayed with Belle and Liam. The boy and his dog slept in the spare bedroom that was in the process of being turned into a nursery for Henry’s future cousin, due to arrive in two months.

Emma and Killian purchased a larger house, two blocks from the Storybrooke harbor, six months after their wedding. While they were signing the final legal papers for the sale, they were beginning another legal process.

One morning in October, Henry came into the kitchen and gave Winston an extra helping of food in celebration of their pet’s ‘gotcha day’. Sitting down at the table, he was excited to find his favorite breakfast of French toast with bacon on his plate, and folded pieces of paper beside it.

After drowning his food in maple syrup and taking a huge bite, he picked up the papers and asked, “What are these?”

“Open them and see,” Emma said, her face glowing with excitement as she met Killian’s eyes across the table.

Henry did as he was told, scanning the page until he realized that the first one was a certificate of adoption. His eyes shot up to land on Killian. “Does this mean you’re officially my dad?”

“Aye, lad, I’m legally your father. I signed the final papers a couple of weeks ago. We’ve just been waiting for that other paper to arrive before we told you.”

Henry slid the second paper out from underneath the first, his eyes widening even more. “It says Henry Andrew Jones. Is that really my name now?”

“Yeah, kid,” Emma answered. “That’s your new birth certificate and it names Killian as your father. What do you think?”

In answer, he jumped out of his chair and ran around the table to fly into Killian’s waiting arms. “I think it’s the best day of my life!” he exclaimed. “I love you, Dad!”

“I love you, too, my boy,” Killian replied, a slight catch in his voice at hearing Henry call him that title for the very first time.

Henry turned to give Emma a hug, also. “It’s pretty cool that Winston and I both have the same ‘gotcha day’,” he said.

His parents laughed. “I didn’t think about that,” Emma admitted.

That Christmas, their friends and family received a card which included a picture of Henry, Emma, Killian and Winston in front of their decorated, live Christmas tree. It was signed:

Happy Holidays! With love from the Jones family.

🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾

Thank you so very much for reading!

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#pet for rent #chapter update #chapter 4 #complete story #jrob64 #art by jrob64 #csff #cs fluff #cs smut #CS modern AU #Captain Cobra #ouat Captain Swan fanfic

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absurdthirst · 2 years

Text

Blooming Passion {Javier Peña x F!Reader}

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 5.8k

Warnings: Dub con due to sex pollen, mentions of masturbation, oral sex (male receiving), vaginal sex, unprotected sex, mentions of violence, cream pie, mentions of violence.

Comments: While working on the ranch, Javi encounters a plant he’s never seen before, and he saw a lot of drug plants in the DEA. When then pollen sac bursts in his face, Javi finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. And you, the lovely housekeeper just happen to be there when he gets home to take care of it.

A/N: Happy birthday to the wonderful @storiesofthefandomlovers !!!! You are a true gift and a wonderful friend! I thought it fitting to continue to gift you sex pollen on your birthday! Love you!

|| MasterList ||

gif credit @pedropascalsx

Click Keep Reading only if you have read the Rating and Warnings and understand the warnings may not be complete to avoid listing spoilers. As AO3 says 'creator chooses not to use warnings'. You also agree that you're the right age to be consuming anything here.

Javi’s eyes widen and the air is punched from his lungs. The inky black of his pupils blow wide, turning the ring of hickory hued iris into a sliver of color as they dilate. Letting in as much light as they possibly can as he seems to float in the air. His body burning as shock floods his system.

“Fuck.”

****

Panting, Javi jabs the shovel into the dry, hard packed earth. Straightening up and pressing his hand to the small of his back with a groan as his other arm comes up to wipe the beading sweat off his brow. The heat of the Texas sun was beating down on him and making the distance a shimmering haze.

Fuck, he is getting old. The ache in his back is the result of the ever laborious job of trying to keep this ranch cobbled together with mended fences, blood and sweat mixed with tears. He can’t imagine how tired his pop was every night. He had held on here alone while Javi was off chasing bad guys, catching Escobar before deciding that he was done.

Looking back at the hole he had dug, he sighs and turns to trudge back to the pitted and dirty work truck. The thing was ancient, one that his dad had managed to keep running since he was a teenager. Javi had offered to buy another truck, he had a fair amount of savings from his time with the DEA, but Chucho was just as stubborn as his son and had said no. The damn thing runs and that’s what counts out here on the Peña ranch.

Grunting as he lifts a fence post, his eyes wander over towards the river automatically. It was hard to pretend to ignore the boats that were crossing the muddied waters of the Rio Grande. To pretend he didn’t know that these are drug mules, moving cocaine to their US counterparts before scurrying back to Mexico for the next shipment.

Closing his eyes, he reminds himself that it’s not his problem anymore. As long as they didn’t come onto his land - or his father’s land - they could do whatever the hell they wanted. He was tired of trying to fight a war that was hopeless. Tired of losing friends, tired of being blocked by bureaucracy and bullshit. It was why he was no longer Javier Peña, DEA - instead resuming his role as a rancher.

It was completely by accident, his eyes opening and landing on a random patch of land that was normally hidden from view from the fence line where he was working. A cluster of plants that were far too green to be native to the dusty scrub brush and patchy grass. The most luscious areas were right along the banks of the river and it was mostly weeds. This was a vivid, almost forest green along with a bright coral bloom. Something that he might have found when he was trekking through the jungles in Colombia.

Eyes narrowed, Javi drops the fence post onto the ground and his first instinct is to scan the entire area again. Searching for someone watching, someone with an AK pointed at him. His hand automatically goes to his hip, reaching for the gun that isn’t there. Some ranchers wore holsters, but he had purposefully kept his firearms to a single rifle on the seat of the truck.

Looking down when he doesn’t feel the weapon, he scoffs at himself and reaches up to remove his sunglasses with his glove covered hand to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He wasn't. Still he creeps forward. There’s no one here, he doesn’t sense anyone around. In Colombia there were plenty of times that he had this weird tingling sensation that told him that he was about to enter a world of shit. The ‘spidey senses’ that Steve had joked about. Jokes aside, that shit was real.

He’s identified plenty of coca plants, burned fields of them in hopes of stopping a fraction of the export of cocaine from Escobar’s labs. It hadn’t even put a dent in things. This, however, wasn’t a plant that he was familiar with. Nothing at least that was in the DEA archives of plants used to make various narcotics.

It’s pretty, whatever it is. The coral pods are a vivid hue and seem to get brighter as he creeps closer. Mistaking it for the shimmering haze of the hot day, he doesn’t realize it’s the equivalent of an ecological warning sign flashing.

Maybe it’s just a new plant. After all, shit gets carried along the Rio Grande every day, seeds aren’t beyond the realm of possibility. He relaxes slightly, leaning in and humming to himself as he pulls out a pocket knife. He’ll cut one of the pods and show his pops, ask the old man if he’s seen the plants growing before.

Exploding in his face, the pod bursts open and coats his face in dust. Deep coral dust clinging to his skin and being inhaled in a great, surprised lungful. No matter how hard he coughed or wheezed, the dust enters his lungs and his bloodstream. When it hits…..It’s instantaneous.

“Fuck.”

****

The truck barrels up the rough, dusty road towards the house. Bouncing and slamming back onto the path as the engine roars in an attempt to get to the low, wide ranch house. To the safety within and relative privacy it offers.

Skidding to a stop and throwing gravel up, Javi barely slams the gear shift into park before turning the key. Not bothering to pull it out and pocket it, he leaves the keys dangling in the engine. No one is going to steal the truck, not in front of his pop’s house nearly three miles from anyone else’s and a half mile from the main road.

Jumping out and groaning with his hands already fumbling with his belt. Needing to relieve the insistent pressure of his cock that is making him nearly bent over as he tries to hurry to the door.

He needs to cum. Feeling like he is about to explode, even the friction of the rough denim is making his cock leak and soak into the fabric. His skin feels like it’s on fire and he whimpers at the way it grinds against his cock.

Never feeling this fucking horny before, not even when hormones were raging as a pubescent teenager has he ever been this fucking hard. If he weren’t forty fucking years old, he would pull his cock out and jerk off into the dirt right now.

Instead, he’s skipping the second step on the stairs to the porch and rushing through the always unlocked door of the Peña main house. Not even noticing the bag that is set on the entry table, your car at ol’ man Pete’s shop again.

You come by a couple of times a month. Every week twice a week, but Javi sees you a couple of times a month. He was shocked that his pop had finally given in and hired a housekeeper or cleaner or whatever you wanted to call yourself - to come in and take something off the old man’s plate. Cleaning the house and taking care of whatever laundry was laying about. He had told Javi that it was nice to have the help, although the two men still cleaned up after themselves and did laundry when you weren’t coming by.

It’s why he finds you in the bathroom, kneeling down and bent over the tub, the thin material of your skirt pulled over your ass and the soft fabric flowing down into your crack to give him a perfect view of your cheeks.

“Fuck.” He hisses, making you whirl around in surprise, eyes widening at the sight of Javi with his pants already pushed down and his cock in his hand in anticipation of being able to jerk off while an icy cold shower tries to cool the fire under his skin.

“Oh!” You quickly whip your head back around and cover the side of your face with your gloved hand, sponge still in your grip. “I- I’m sorry, I- I’ll let you…have some privacy.”

Javi groans, a low, pained sound and he can’t help but give himself a quick tug, squeezing the base of his cock so he doesn’t just cum at the x-rated pictures flooding his mind. You turning around and taking him into your mouth like he was in a porno. He would cum within seconds. Hell he might still cum right now.

“I-I’m sor-ry.” Javi grunts, aware that this is wrong on so many different levels but he doesn’t care. All he can think about is how he needs to cum. “Fuck.” He hisses, stroking his cock again before you can even ask him what he is sorry for. “I can’t- it hurts.”

Your back is to him but he doesn’t try to stop, doesn’t try to tuck himself away. Instead a whimper escapes his lips when he pulls his hand away for a moment, spitting in his hand to give himself some slickness and the lewd groan when he wraps his hand around his cock again. Desperate to feel the relief from the intense ache of his balls. Watching as you turn towards him and your jaw drops open in shock again.

“Jav-”

“I-I’m fucking sorry.” He groans out, not stopping even though he knows that he should. He can't. His head tilts back so he doesn’t have to see the disgust in your eyes. Pretty sure that he will have to explain to his pop why you quit later on.

His eyes close, brow pinched in concentration, the slick sounds of his hand moving over his cock and his loud groans covering any kind of movement on your part. He doesn’t hear you toss down the scouring pad you were using on the tub or peeling off your gloves. He doesn’t hear you move.

Wet heat and pressure suddenly surrounds the head of his leaking cock, a firm press of something against the slit has him yelping and looking down. You’re still on your knees, but know you are in front of him. And just like out of that porno, you are all doe eyes, looking up at him with your lips wrapped around the head of his cock like it’s a fucking treat to suck his cock.

“I- fuck….” Javi can’t even voice the words in question. Too absorbed in the feeling of your mouth around him and how good it feels. His hand moves down his shaft, to the base and he groans again when your lips follow to take him deeper. “God, I love it.” Your hand reaches up and cradles his balls and the pressure of your tongue makes him whimper and his stomach heaves.

You just moan around him, apparently aware of what you are doing to him, making the base of his spine tingled in anticipation of cumming. He’s going to. Two fucking seconds of you sucking him off and he’s about to explode. “Shit- I’m-” With a strangled groan, he starts pumping his cum down your throat in hot ropes, not even able to breathe from the intensity.

He watches in amazement as you swallow it all. None of it escapes your lips and you are a fucking godsend. The fact that you are on your knees in a bathroom that smells like a hospital doesn’t even matter right now. All that matters is that you are here and apparently completely okay with the fact that you just gave him the best blowjob of his life.

Still, he’s not done. His cock still throbs and it’s not from cumming. It’s from needing to cum again. He gasps and his hips jerk forward and he thrusts into your mouth since you are still holding him there. “I - it burns.” He whines, reaching down and gripping your jaw to try to pull himself away from you, knowing it’s the right thing to do. He shouldn’t have done this at all, what’s wrong with him?

Your hands are on his hips, holding them and he doesn’t resist when you pull away to gasp for air, even if he didn’t have the strength to do it himself. “Fuck me.” You pant, making his eyes spring wide and dart down to you on the floor.

“W-what?” He chokes out, not expecting that response. He had been expecting something far different, more in line with telling him what a fucking asshole he is.

Your hand wraps around his cock and his head tilts back as you start to slowly pump him. It’s not enough for him to cum, but it helps the fire in his belly, the feeling of your hand making spurts of pre-cum bead up on the tip again. “You need to cum, Javi.” You purr, a low, sultry tone that he’s never heard before. It’s something straight from an x-rated dream and he nods drunkenly in agreement. He does need to cum. “So fuck me.”

You don’t have to ask him twice. His need to be buried inside you outweighs the disappointment when he pulls your hand away from his cock. Your cunt will be better than your hand, than your incredible mouth. “Fuck, you- you’re perfect.” He groans, pulling you up and off the floor, out of the bathroom and down the few feet to the door of his bedroom. He kicks the door open and rushes inside before slamming it shut. The last thing he needs is for his pops to walk in. He might be a grown man, but he doesn’t want to explain why he’s acting like a randy teenager right now.

Getting undressed is a blur, a whirlwind of need and flying clothes. Pretty sure that he ripped something but he doesn’t give a shit. His overheated skin is not even cooled by the absence of the fabrics, skin still itching to be touched. He feels like he’s been drugged, like there's some kind of ecstasy in his system, although he knows ecstasy isn’t produced from that plant.

Normally he would take some time, make sure that the woman he was with is ready or even offer to wear a condom, but there's no time right now. Your thighs part in welcome as you lay back on his bed - the queen replacing the twin bed he had when he was boy when he came back home - and he’s quickly between them.

He doesn’t even stop to admire the wetness of your folds, obviously turned on from sucking his cock. The need to bury himself inside you is too great to worry about that right now. When he’s exhausted and finally empty of this clawing need inside him, he will make sure to memorize the way your swollen cunt looks. Later, much later.

Javi cries out in relief when his cock notches at your entrance and pushes inside you, quickly bottoming out in your body and grinding deeper, as if he could work just a fraction of an inch more into your welcoming heat. Clenching his fists as they are perched by your head and finally giving in and reaching down to lift your leg up onto his hip so he can get deeper.

Your own cry is making his blood sing, turning his head and pressing his lips to yours. He doesn’t care that you had just had his cum in your mouth. He doesn’t care that the salty, bitter taste lingers on your tongue. He just cares about absorbing as much of you as he can. His cock throbs inside you and his body shudders when your tongue flicks against his own.

He’s frantic when he starts to move. No smooth and practiced swivels of his hips. He just moves, fucking into you like a boy who has just popped his cherry and is afraid the girl will push him away. His hands move, roaming over your body and gripping your hip before sliding under your back to pull you closer.

Every thrust comes with a groan, wrecked and loud as he rocks into you. The hot grip of your cunt feels like heaven and it pushes him closer to the sweet relief of orgasm with every flutter. Trying to make himself hold out long enough that you might experience some pleasure from this, although it’s hard when it feels like your walls are trying to squeeze him for every drop of cum.

The fact that he’s lasted five minutes seems to be a miracle. His pants echoing in your ear and he feels every moan you let out vibrating into his very bones. “So good, oh fuck Javi, you’re so good.” You whimper, making his dick even harder.

You fucking beg him for more. Your nails scrape down his back, making him hiss as his hips snap forward. Making him groan and bite his lips while he tries to give you what you want. Rushing headlong into another orgasm with a loud hiss of pleasure while he buries his cock deep and floods your womb with heat.

Toes curling against the sheets, he keeps rocking. Shallow thrusts that push his cum out to slide down your skin every time his cock plunges back into you. Still you keep holding him close, urging him on in a way that makes him want to just stay inside you, so he does.

“Wan - wanted you since I - I first saw you.” He confesses, kissing along your jaw, addicted to the way your skin tastes when you're sweaty and turned on. It’s easy to keep kissing your body when you arch up into him every time he fills you. Your moans seem to beg him for it and your sighs when he gives in spurs him on.

“Y-yeah?” You ask breathlessly, your giggle in his ear making him turn and press his lips to yours, readjusting his knees so he can push into you more forcefully after being slightly lazy during the slow cadence of his orgasm.

“Yeah.” He grunts. “Fucking skirt drove me crazy.” He remembers watching your ass nearly the entire time, making sure you didn’t catch him. It’s a nice ass, he’s definitely jerked off over it. His arm pushes down so he can grab a handful of it and he squeezes it with a grin while he’s buried in your cunt.

Still, that fire twists in his belly and he rolls his hips again to have your walls drag against his cock. By now, he would be smoking a cigarette, but his body won’t let him rest. The slick sounds of your pussy pushing out his cum are loud, obscene and he loves it.

“Good.” Your legs wrap around his waist and he moans when you lock your ankles around his back and your muscles squeeze him. “Want you to fuck me, Javi. Knew you’d be so good at it.” You praise, causing him to preen in satisfaction. “Make me cum.”

He does. Hard, deep thrusts that would push you up the bed if it weren’t for the firm hold he has on you makes the mattress springs creak and the bed frame hit the wall. Bam…Bam…Bam… it’s a rhythm all of its own. One that he knows better than any other besides stroking his cock and he likes this better.

One hand leaves his shoulder, reaching up and wrapping around the slate of the headboard, hanging onto it and making your tits bounce even more. Javi groans and it just makes him push harder, deeper inside you and watching as your eyes roll back every time his cock drills deep.

The slapping of skin gets louder. His thighs hurt from where they are hitting the back of yours but he doesn’t care. Nothing matters but the way he feels every time he slides against the resistance of your walls and breaks you back open. Nestled deep in your body like he wants to live there. Maybe he does. Maybe he will sleep inside you when he’s drained off all of the energy.

“Jav- Javi.” Your strangled cry catches him off guard, too wrapped up in the silken heat of your cunt. Right until molted waves of your pleasure coat him and your hold on him turns to iron. Your eyes are closed and your mouth is open with a wordless cry that he drinks in greedily.

You cumming throws him over the edge again. Pulling you close and rocking into you frantically while he races towards another burst of pleasure. Panting out your name while his body stiffens, another agonizingly sweet release making his entire being feel like he’s flying.

This time, Javi collapses on top of you, even though he’s still hard. Still feeling like he’s not spent or satisfied. He groans and kisses your neck while you hum and your hand strokes his back soothingly.

“Holy fuck.” Javi pants, eyes closed and mouth slack as he tries to catch his breath. “I- fuck, I’m still hard.” He complains, wondering what the fuck was in that flower. It was nearly lethal, he was going to die of a fucking heart attack trying to fuck it out of his system. He just knows it.

You giggle under him and he rolls off of you, bringing you with him about halfway as he flops onto his back. He reaches for you again. “Ride me.” He begs, wanting to see you bounce on his cock and he needs to slide back inside you again. His hands grab whatever he can reach of you, groaning when he squeezes your breast.

“You want me to ride you?” You tease, making him huff and nod, willing to beg to get you on top of him if he needs to at this point.

“Yes.” He grumbles, as if that is a stupid question, because it is. “Please, baby, need you to ride me.” Javier Peña has never begged for sex a day in his damn life and he is begging now. He would beg for you. “Please.”

You show him mercy, thank God. Swinging your leg over his waist and reaching down to wrap your hand around his cock so you can sink down on him. His legs tense and his toes curl as you take him again. This time he gets to watch the lips of your cunt stretch around his shaft and he’s entranced by the sight.

You put your hands on his chest and he hisses when you pinch his nipples, scowling even though you are grinning at him. It felt weird, but not in a horrible way. More like he was unused to someone touching him like that. He liked it, if the way his dick twitched inside you was any indication.

“Ohhhhh.” Your grin gets even wider, obviously enjoying his reaction he reaches out to slap your ass until you do a little figure-eight grind on his cock and his eyes roll back. “You like that, don’t you?” You coo and he can’t even deny it.

“L-love it.” He groans, holding onto your hips and trying to urge you to repeat that move. He could cum just from you grinding your pussy down on his cock and he knows it has to do something for you.

His hand glides over your hip, across your tummy to rest over your mound. He’s not so far gone that he doesn’t want you to have a good time as well. He loves sex, loves making a woman cum. It didn’t matter that most of the women he’s slept with in the last few years were ones that he paid.

The rough pad of his thumb finds your clit and with every swivel of your hips, he makes sure that your clit is circled. Needing to feel how tight your cunt can get when you let go again, when the hot juices of your pleasure completely coat him and make a mess of his cock. Just the thought makes another painful lurch of his stomach and his hips respond by bucking up into you.

“Javi…oh fuck Javi.” Your mouth falls open and he shudders while he desperately tries not to blow too soon. The fire in his veins still overwhelms his system, but he needs this as much as he needs to fill you up with another spurt of his cum to leak and be fucked out of you. You’re surrounding him, squeezing him tight every time your thighs lift you off him and he can’t wait to drag you back down although you seem happy to bounce on his cock. “Wanted this for so long.” You gasp out.

He groans, eyes closing and his lip curls up in pleasure while he struggles with keeping calm. Your words make him even more desperate, biting his lip between his teeth and moaning again when you lean down to trap his hand against your clit and your breasts press against his chest.

Your lips, fuck your lips are magical. Running along his jaw and the shock of your teeth makes his dick twitch inside you again, feeling the spurt of pre-cum burst out and his free hand slides up your back to grip the back of your neck. Your pace is nice, but he needs more.

Surging up, Javi drills his cock into you. Making the bed bounce so hard that there is a fair chance that he will break the damn thing. Not that he gives a fuck. The only thing that he cares about is the cloudy haze of pleasure that covers your eyes and the way that every punch of his cock makes his body hum in excitement as he pulls another moan out of your mouth.

The sharp slap of his hips and the way your body jolts accompanies the growls and curses that hiss out from between his teeth. Nearly unhinged as your mewls get louder, filling the house no doubt and the look in your eyes is wild while you try to push down on him.

The pressure on his chest makes him grunt, working even harder to fuck up into you. Not even breathing he’s jerking his hips up so fast with every thrust pulling his ass up off the bed and both of you bounce back down. “F-fuck.” He growls out, his grip on your neck tight and he drags you down to press your lips to his. Needing them mashed together while his thumb still rubs your swollen little nub.

Your cries against his lips are music to his year, accompanying the torrent of slick heat that makes his thrusts wetter, louder. “Good girl.” He moans, loving the way that his thrusts falter at how tight you are squeezing and shaking above him. “Good girl.”

Moments are suspended like hours, seemingly lasting forever while he keeps moving. Rushing towards his own peak and hopefully finding some relief from the fever in his blood. Thrusting and groaning, his eyes slide shut, losing sight of your beautiful face poised in pleasure.

“Gonna - fuck-” He can’t even talk, breathless and completely focused on cumming. His body knows what to do, even if his mind is still blank to everything but making sure he was buried as deep as he can go in your body. Your lips press against his again and again while he rips his hand out from your clit and wraps it around your body, holding you tight while he stiffens under you.

It’s like he’s dying. Seemingly tearing himself apart at the seams while he pours himself into you. It's the most intense orgasm he’s ever had in his life, even beating the previous ones. Drowning in the feeling of pleasure and every nerve in his body firing has him feeling nearly lightheaded.

Panting as you collapse against him and feeling his body relax for the first time in hours. The heat now just a warm hum of satisfaction and fatigue that leaves him unable to move while he tries to catch his breath. His arms fall away from you and with a whimper of overstimulation, you pull off of his softening cock and fall onto the sheets beside him.

Javi hums, hearing you let out a giggle that sounds close to a sob as he craves a cigarette with an intensity that he hasn’t felt in a while. He had quit when he came back to Texas. Stuck with the gum until he had felt those needs for nicotine slowly dissipate.

He wants to tell you that it was amazing. Explain what had just happened and why he had been so desperate, but he can’t even move. Too content now that his body has finally cooled down and the sheen of sweat actually feels cool as the fan whirls overhead. He hums again and he feels himself start to drift away, his breathing starting to even out and his heart rate slowing down.

His next breath is a slight sigh. That plant packs one hell of a defensive punch.

****

“Javi! Javi, come on!” Your voice makes him frown. It sounds so frantic, worried. He didn’t hurt you, did he?

His eyes feel heavy and it’s a struggle to open them. They don’t want to open after the soul stealing sex the two of you have just had. Relaxed to the point that his entire body feels like lead and he tries to lift his hand but he just can’t.

“Jav, man, open your eyes.” Steve’s voice breaks in, warmer - but still urgent. “You’re worrying us here.” The breezy little chuckle he gives is all for show, something that he is fully aware of.

“Wha-” are you doing here? It’s what he tries to say, but his tongue feels heavy, something that has never happened after sex. No way in hell would Steve ever be in the room when he’s having sex. Or in Texas on his pop’s ranch.

“Don’t worry,” Javi feels a hand on his shoulder and opens his eyes slightly, wincing at the bright light and immediately closing them again. The pat is reassuring and his mind sluggishly tries to compute. “We got the bastard that shot you.” Steve’s voice is stiff, angry and upset in that thick hillbilly accent of his.

Shot him? What the fuck is Steve talking…..

Javi gasps, his body twitching as the past few hours come rushing back to him. Chasing the sicarios through the streets and over the rooftops. Panting and cursing as he jumps from precarious metal roof to metal roof. Hearing you and Steve shouting from your own positions, your own targets being run down.

Until he messed up. LaQuica turned and squeezed off a shot. Hitting him and causing him to tumble off the roof. Thinking that he was dead as your scream of his name was the last thing that he remembered.

Now his eyes flutter open again, hazy and under sedation before they start to slowly clear. Seeing you and Steve hovering over him with looks of relief on your faces, like you hadn’t expected to see him again. Or at least have him opening his eyes again. “H-hey.” He croaks out, followed by a small groan and a cough as some of the pain bleeds through the drugs he’s been given.

“Jesus Christ, Peña.” You moan out quietly in relief, dropping down into the chair that is beside his bed and he realizes you are holding his hands, giving it a squeeze. “Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again.”

Steve chuckles, patting his shoulder again before the blonde runs his hand through his hair, already sticking up in multiple directions as if he had been pulling it for hours. “Should have seen it, Jav.” He glances over at you with a grin. “She’s the one who took out Otto and she got to you so quickly you’d have thought she was flying over those rooftops.”

“Just call me Wonder Woman.” You huff, giving a thin smile.

It’s said as a joke, but you had been terrified that you couldn’t get to Javi in time. Screaming at Steve to call for an ambulance while you got to Javi, thanking God he was still alive. The next few hours were both a blur and ticking by so slowly. Pacing in the waiting room after your partner had been rushed behind the double doors they had stopped you at, anxious and praying that you didn’t hear the news that you didn’t want to hear. That Otto hadn’t taken Javier Peña’s life.

His dark eyes find you biting your lip, looking slightly embarrassed yet unapologetic. He can’t blame you. He would have done the exact same if he had been in your shoes. Except that he now knows that the memories of the past few hours aren’t real. He’s not in Texas, laying in his bed after being exposed to some powerful pollen that made him take out every fantasy he’s ever had on your body.

No, he was apparently dreaming under the effects of whatever drugs they pumped into his system while they operated on him. Javi starts to chuckle darkly to himself, leaning back against the pillow and closes his eyes. He knows his partners will think that it’s just relief that he’s alive, rather than it being frustration. Frustration at realizing that he’s never touched you, that it was all a dream. One that he wishes he was still in.

#pedro pascal #javier peña #javier pena narcos #javier peña smut #javier peña x reader #javier peña x f!reader #javier peña x you #javier peña fanfic #javier peña imagine #javier peña narcos

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conkers-thecosy · 7 months

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Bagginshield-tober / Day 5 / Riddles

Hi folks! Here's my offering for day five of the "Bagginshield-tober" prompt list, by the lovely @smolestboop 💛

You can also find these little snippets compiled into one fic on AO3

It's unlikely I'll be able to post tomorrow because I have a stupid work thing in the evening that I can't get out of, but I plan to post a double-whammy on Saturday to make up for it!

~*~*~

“I have a new riddle,” Bilbo smiled over the top of his book, eyes darting up only quickly. “Would you like to hear it?”

Thorin had never cared much for riddles, in truth. It had always seemed a silly and frivolous waste of time to him before, labouring and weary under the burden of leadership as he had always been. Now he found himself more at leisure in the Shire, the only engagements not nearly pressing in any manner, and had learnt from Bilbo the joy of relaxation.

He had certainly found more time to read for pleasure than he had before, and he no longer gained headaches from the activity due to the spectacles Bilbo had somehow procured for him - something Thorin’ pride would never have allowed him to wear before, but somehow didn’t bother him here. He had begun to craft for pleasure again, finding much joy in the simplicity of using his skill for nothing but his own fulfilment.

Riddles, however, were Bilbo’s pastime. Thorin knew how much the Hobbit enjoyed making them up and seeing if they worked, or even sharing any he found particularly amusing. He found a willing audience in Thorin, who loved to see the mischief and excitement in his green eyes whenever the topic arose.

“I would like that,” Thorin replied, taking off his spectacles, then closing his book and replacing both onto the table beside his armchair.

Well. It was exactly his armchair, but it was the one he sat in each night, opposite Bilbo who was often knitting, or writing into a little notebook, or just reading himself. Sometimes he asked Thorin to read aloud, as though the sound of his voice gave him comfort of some kind.

“It’s not too tricky,” Bilbo said, not putting his own book away, turning a page delicately with one finger as he spoke. “Unless you look too hard at it, or perhaps don’t want to know the answer, that is.”

Thorin frowned a little. “Is this the riddle?”

“I suppose it sounds a little like a riddle all its own, doesn’t it?” Bilbo chuckled. “But no, I meant that only as a hint, of sorts. Are you ready?”

This one must be important, or particularly difficult then, Thorin reasoned to himself. Bilbo didn’t give hints usually, which meant he really wanted for Thorin to get the answer, or that he thought it might be too difficult. The dwarf lifted his chin a little, his long-sleeping pride pricked by the idea that Bilbo might think he couldn’t reason the answer without help.

“Please go ahead.”

Bilbo flashed him another quick smile, as though having meant to challenge Thorin and jostle his ego a bit, then turned another page. “What fills this smial, but takes up no space. It is fine for one, but better shared. It is mine, but it belongs to you.”

Thorin frowned hard, trying to puzzle this out. It didn’t really make sense, how could something fill up a home, yet take up no space?

“Air?” he hazarded, and Bilbo’s eyebrow quirked with amusement.

“Try again.”

Thorin went back to pondering, this time taking a little longer about it. Bilbo turned two further pages in the interim, before the dwarf spoke again.

“Pipe smoke?”

“There had best not be any pipe smoke in this smial, Thorin,” Bilbo chastised, though with a laugh. “One more try.”

“I did not realise there was a limit,” Thorin grumbled, watching as Bilbo continued to look down at his book. He turned another page, and Thorin petulantly decided he couldn’t possibly be reading it that fast.

“Do you give up?”

“Of course not,” Thorin frowned, irritated by the whole business now. Normally this was just a little fun, a bit of light entertainment and something Bilbo enjoyed, and Thorin liked being part of. This time there was something different about it. Something heavy. Important. He felt like he was being told a secret, but he couldn’t fathom for the life of him what it might be.

“Well,” Bilbo closed his book at last and smiled fondly across at him. “Perhaps you need more time. Tea?”

With that, Bilbo was up and wandering out to the kitchen to make them a hot drink, leaving Thorin to stew over his words like a frustrated child.

As it turned out, Thorin still didn’t care much for riddles, after all.

#bagginshield #bagginshieldtober #bagginshield-tober #the hobbit #bilbo baggins #thorin oakenshield #reshirement #fluff #conkers-theficwriter #stealing moments moments away

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bg-brainrot · 5 months

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Day 8 of the BG3 Holiday Challenge with some found family <3

Prompt: Chosen Family

Featuring: Astarion x Rogue!Tav

Series: Fits into Love at First Knife, AO3 link here

Premise: You don’t have any family left in Baldur’s Gate, so when it comes time to celebrate Midwinter, you invite the family you do have: all of your old companions that can make it. Shadowheart, Gale, Halsin, and a few others join you for a meal and gift exchange.

Tags: POV Second Person, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Fluff, Holidays, post-canon, chosen family, extended family of ragtag adventurers, even volo is included

Word count: ~1.4k

“My dear, I’m afraid that staring at the clock won’t make our guests arrive any faster.” You turn to see Astarion standing at the doorway to your drawing room, holding a stack of letters. He’s dressed impeccably in his holiday best, even sporting a small red poinsettia in his lapel. Initially, he’d resisted the festive addition, but you reminded him that, while mild, a poinsettia is poisonous. Not a moment later the flower had found its way into his outfit.

You’re also adorned festively, a bright branch of holly weaved into your belt. Dressed to impress and ready to party for the Midwinter celebration, all that’s left are your guests– which aren’t due for another ten minutes. You sigh at Astarion’s words, knowing that he’s right. “How else am I supposed to spend the time?”

Astarion walks over to your seat on the coach and hands you half of the stack of letters. “Well, I figured this might be a fantastic opportunity to make sure we had an accurate headcount. In case we need to ask Gale to conjure any chairs.”

You take the letters gratefully and pat the seat next to you. He sits and you begin to sort through the papers. “Good idea, let’s see…” The first letter is from Alfira. It’s a lovely little letter, thanking you for the invitation, detailing her Midwinter plans with Lakrissa, and ending with a short little poem for the holiday. “Alfira already had plans.”

“Oh good,” Astarion says with a small clap. “I don’t think my poor ears could take yet another rendition of the Twelve Days of Midwinter.” He waves the letter in his hand as he follows up with, “Rolan also already had plans, something about Cal and Lia wanting to travel for the holiday.”

“Maybe we should have done that,” you say to Astarion, filled with more dread at hosting a party for your closest friends than you’ve had fighting any monster.

He knows you don’t really mean it, but agrees anyway. “We still have time to escape! I hear the feywild has some lovely weather.”

“How would we get to the feywild?” you ask, taking a look at the next letter in your stack.

“I don’t know, we’d figure it out,” he responds, before rolling his eyes at the letter he’s holding. “Why did you even invite Volo?”

You shrug, honestly unsure what compelled you. “He seems lonely, I guess?”

“Well, he’s still a yes,” Astarion says, grimacing.

“Good, I suppose.” You wave the letter in your hand at him, before adding, “Dame Aylin and Isobel can’t make it. Something about seeing Midwinter's arrival in each others’ arms.”

“But of course. We could have done the same, you know.”

Your love gives you a suggestive look, which you smack with your next letter. “Stop tempting me! I know we can do this, and apparently the guests we do have are looking forward to it. Remember, Gale’s immediate yes? He’s even bringing Tara.”

“Do you suppose she requires her own chair?” Astarion asks, tapping his chin with what could only be Shadowheart’s letter, its writing neat and flowing.

“I think I already took her into account for chairs.” You’re positive you had, lest you offend the great Tara. “Is that Shadowheart’s response? Did she send an update?”

Astarion looks down at the letter, as if he'd forgotten that he was holding it. “Let's see. It says, ‘Don't worry, I'm still able to make it. Is it alright if I bring the owlbear? I wasn't able to find someone to watch him.'"

You stare at Astarion who only stares back. You break the silence to ask the question on both of your minds, "Where will we put him?"

"Perhaps Gale can shrink him for the night?"

"Good idea," you say with a nod and move on to the next letter in your stack. It's a short missive from Dammon. An appreciative message, though he already has Midwinter plans as well. “Dammon was a no.”

Your love smirks, giving you a knowing look. “Likely because Karlach couldn’t make it. Still can’t make it I take it?”

“Karlach and Wyll gratefully declined,” you say, holding up their letter. It’s been written quickly, has some scorched edges, and smells deeply of sulfur– truly no mystery as to why they couldn’t make it. “But Halsin said he would be here.”

"Someone, who I think is Withers, just sent back 'no'. Hmm." Astarion looks at the small piece of parchment containing the singular word and holds it up to you. “Why did you invite Withers? Scratch that, how did you invite Withers?”

You simply raise a shoulder in a noncommittal shrug and say, “It felt rude not to invite him.”

He looks at you for a second, as if pondering whether or not it’s worth digging into the ‘how’ when a knock sounds at the door. “Oh, I suppose our first guest has arrived. Would you like to wager on who it might be?”

“Why bother,” you say with a snort, setting aside the rest of the stack and heading to the door. “We both know it’s Gale.”

Astarion laughs at your confident proclamation, and laughs even harder when you open the door to a smiling wizard, dressed in what can only be considered a holiday robe, lit up with faerie lights. Tara stands next to him, proudly wearing a red ribbon.

“Welcome! Come in, come in,” you say, waving him into your house. Once they’ve entered, you give Gale a hearty hug and Tara a small bow, which she seems to appreciate. After you take his coat and they settle in, Astarion serves them both a drink, a wine for Gale, a bowl of broth for Tara.

You spend some time talking and catching up until your next guests arrive with a soft knock.

At the door is Shadowheart, wearing a markedly less ostentatious holiday outfit, a simple green sweater with silver pants, followed closely by a large owlbear. After a quick bit of magic from Gale, they both make their way inside to warm hugs and their own drinks.

They’re just about sitting down when another knock comes.

The night continues in much the same fashion as Halsin arrives, then Volo, then Jaheira with several of her children in tow. Then, just when you think no one else will arrive, Minsc shows up with Boo wearing a single jolly bell.

The entire group settles in for drinks, food, and merriment, discussing all that they’ve been up to since you’ve last gotten together. The company is lively, the atmosphere warm, and you’re immensely satisfied with the outcome of your efforts as you finally take a seat next to Astarion. You begin to wonder why you were worried about hosting this at all.

Ahead of the party, you hadn’t received a response from Lae’zel. She was likely too busy in the Astral Plane to respond, so you tried not to think too much of it. However, partway through the night you receive a message from her through a Sending spell: “This is Lae’zel. Apologies, I’m indisposed. I’ve been informed Midwinter is a celebration, so consider this my celebratory message.”

You laugh and send your own message back, “Thank you, Lae’zel. Hope to see you for the next one!”

Astarion smiles at you once you relay the message to the group, squeezing your hand in his. He knew you’d been worried about her despite it all, and knowing that she, too, was alive and safe would finally set your mind at ease. And it did– like something that was missing finally clicked into place and you could just breathe.

You knew that not everyone would be able to make it, and you’re still not confident in your hosting abilities, but somehow, you’re still so very content. Something about sitting in a room with your love, your closest friends, and even Volo, fills you with so much hope for the upcoming spring.

When the group lifts their glasses to cheer for all that you’ve accomplished this year, the trials and tribulations you’ve overcome together, you can’t help but add, “And to the family we’ve made along the way. May we always find our way back to one another!”

The night passes in a haze of joy and love– somehow, by the end of it, you've agreed to host again next year. You can feel Astarion's amusement as he chuckles and holds you close.

#astarion #astarion x tav #fanfic #rogue + rogue #astarion x reader #bg3holidayfluffle23

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local-anaesthesia · 9 months

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Family Stability: Adopting Bennett

A Kaeya x Fem!Reader fanfiction. This is also posted on my AO3 under the name corsalberich.

SUMMARY

___

Bennett, an orphan notorious as the town's troublemaker in Mondstadt, had long been shunned by others due to a perceived curse of bad luck that seemed to follow him like a shadow.

Then, one day, your husband Kaeya, made an unexpected decision—to take Bennett under his wing and train him in the art of swordsmanship. This unexpected act of mentorship gradually evolved into a heartfelt desire to offer Bennett a permanent place in your family through adoption.

The idea of adopting Bennett took you by surprise. As someone who hadn't previously considered the prospect of becoming a parent, this choice presented you with new and unforeseen emotions.

In this story, you, an assigned female at birth (AFAB) individual, find yourself married to Kaeya, and together, you navigate the complexities of adopting Bennett and integrating him into your lives.

___

Family Stability

Bennett, the youthful adventurer, found himself in the midst of a Wolvendom excursion, inadvertently nicking himself with his own sword due to his unfamiliarity with wielding his elemental vision.

Spotting the dilemma while on his patrol in Wolvendom, Kaeya promptly dashed over to him.

"Hey, lad, you all right?" he inquired with concern.

"Oh, Captain Kaeya! You see, I'm caught in a bit of a situation, as usual. No need to worry, hehe," Bennett stammered nervously, eager to avoid any reprimand.

Amused by the situation, Kaeya let out a sigh. "Very well, come along then. Let's find some bandages for you."

While the church did provide some care for Bennett, the townsfolk were wary of his presence due to his penchant for trouble. Certain establishments even went so far as to ban him, fearing he might inadvertently cause fires or other mishaps.

Bennett often found solace camping in Wolvendom alongside Razor's wolf pack or lingering around the outskirts of the church, as it seemed no one else was willing to take him in.

"If you're taking me to the church, I'll pass," Bennett remarked, his reasoning clear to him.

"Hm? Why's that? Don't the sisters look after you?" Kaeya queried, puzzled by Bennett's statement.

Bennett glanced to his side, feeling a bit embarrassed about confessing to Kaeya that his presence wasn't well-received.

"I tend to cause a lot of trouble," he replied, his voice slowing down and barely audible.

"I'll take you to the winery, alright? They used to look out for me when I was younger," Kaeya suggested, altering their course toward the Dawn Winery.

There, Kaeya helped Bennett clean up and applied some bandages. Although Diluc was absent that day, the staff didn't mind assisting the young adventurer. Afterward, Kaeya returned home and shared the story of his assistance with you.

"That kid... he's something else. We should lend him a hand," Kaeya murmured while munching on a snack.

"You mean Bennett? I heard he gets into trouble here and there," you responded from the kitchen, where you were busy preparing a meal.

"He has... some potential," Kaeya replied succinctly.

Over the passing days, Kaeya diligently kept watch over Bennett, even though the young adventurer spent most of his time outside the city. Kaeya frequently patrolled the areas where Bennett was known to stay. One day, after completing his duties, Kaeya approached Bennett.

"I see potential in you. I'm going to train you like a true knight. And if you excel, I'll gift you a sword that holds many memories for me. I've had some great times with this old fellow," Kaeya said, lowering himself to Bennett's eye level. He presented his worn yet still-sharp Skyrider Sword, a gleam of memories in his eyes.

Bennett's eyes sparkled with disbelief. To be trained by the head knight of the Knights of Favonius was a dream he had held for the longest time.

"Alright!! Benny's adventure team is finally coming together!!!" he exclaimed with joy, thrusting his fist into the air. Kaeya laughed warmly, responding with a smile as he playfully ruffled Bennett's hair.

You observed that Kaeya had been staying at work later than usual. While you might assume he was at the tavern, he would return home without any signs of drinking, though he appeared dirtier and more exhausted than usual. Despite your curiosity, you refrained from questioning him about his late evenings.

As the clock struck 11 PM, you heard the front door open, prompting you to hurry downstairs. There stood Kaeya, covered in dirt from a long day's work.

"Darling... where have you been? Why have you been coming home late these past few days?" you asked, your concern shown from your tone. He removed his shoes and leaned his worn sword against a nearby chair.

"I've been training Bennett in proper combat techniques," he replied, his voice carrying a hint of fatigue.

Taken aback by his response, you wondered why he had kept this from you; after all, it wasn't something that would upset you.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you, and you even brought your old sword along for it," you remarked, taking note of his actions.

You patiently waited for Kaeya to finish his shower and unwind after his long day at work. Seated on the bed, you engrossed yourself in a book, but your mind couldn't shake off the nagging question of why Kaeya had been concealing these actions from you. Uncertainty lingered around whether his words were truthful or not.

Emerging from the washroom, Kaeya entered the room, a towel draped around his lower body. The lingering steam from his hot shower surrounded him as he moved. He changed into his sleepwear and settled back into bed, his long cerulean hair brushing against your shoulder.

In a hushed tone, he spoke, "You know, I believe Bennett could use some stability... like a family."

Taken aback by the unexpected revelation, you closed your book and shifted closer to Kaeya, lying down beside him on the bed. Gently, you cradled his face in your hands, even though his eyes remained shut, seeking a connection through his gaze.

"What are you trying to tell me, my love?" Seeking clarity, you needed to hear the words directly from him. It was hard to gauge if he was speaking sincerely or if sleepiness was affecting his words.

With a hint of weariness in his voice, he murmured, "I... think we should consider adopting Bennett." As the words left his lips, exhaustion quickly overcame him, and he drifted off into slumber.

Despite initially dismissing Kaeya's words as the product of sleepiness, a nagging feeling in your heart led you to reconsider. His behavior over the past few days and the memory of your recent conversation began to make sense. You and Kaeya had been hoping for a child of your own, trying for a long time without success. The possibility of adopting had never crossed your mind, and the idea of Bennett becoming part of your family seemed unexpected and almost fated.

The following day, as you and Kaeya were getting ready to leave for work, you stopped him in his tracks, determined to seek clarity about his late-night revelation.

"Kaeya, about what you said last night... about adopting Bennett, did you mean it?" You grasped his fluffy scarf, your grip firm as you looked into his eyes, searching for sincerity.

His response was immediate, his voice carrying genuine enthusiasm, "Yes, my love. I truly meant it. In fact, I'd like you to join us in Bennett's training after work. I plan to ask Diluc to help train him using his pyro vision." His words held a depth of care and consideration that surprised you, confirming that his intentions were indeed heartfelt. With a nod, you acknowledged his decision, your heart opening to the possibility of expanding your family in an unexpected way.

After finishing your work for the day, you accompanied Kaeya to the training grounds located behind the Dawn Winery. Diluc was already present, arms crossed as he observed Bennett's practice of pyro skills. Kaeya's arrival was marked by his distinctive clap, a way of announcing his presence.

"Ready to give it your all, Benny? Your determination is truly exceptional, embodying the spirit of a true knight," Kaeya praised, eliciting a wide grin from Bennett.

As you watched the two brothers guide Bennett through his training, it became evident that Kaeya had a genuine and caring approach towards him. However, despite witnessing this bond, you felt that you hadn't spent enough time with Bennett to make a firm decision about adopting him. During a break in their training, you took the opportunity to approach Bennett and initiate a conversation.

"Bennett, right? I'm Y/N, and I work in Mondstadt's public relations department. You probably know me as Captain Kaeya's partner. How are you finding the training so far?" With a friendly smile, you settled down beside him, curious to hear his thoughts.

"Miss Captain! Training has been amazing. I've actually stopped accidentally burning my own clothes, and look! I can lift the sword properly now!" His voice brimming with enthusiasm, Bennett eagerly demonstrated his improved swordsmanship and proudly displayed his now-faded scars.

Observing Bennett's boundless enthusiasm, you comprehended the reason behind Kaeya's optimism for the young adventurer. Despite his unfortunate streak of bad luck, Bennett managed to maintain his unwavering optimism, a rarity in these times.

"How about we treat ourselves to some ice cream afterward, and then you're welcome to join us for a sleepover at my place tonight? How does that sound?" you offered, a warm smile on your face. Bennett's eyes lit up, clearly feeling the wave of good luck that had befallen him today.

"Absolutely! I haven't had ice cream in ages! This is going to be fantastic!" He exclaimed, his excitement causing both Kaeya and Diluc to glance over in curiosity.

Catching Kaeya's eye from a distance, you playfully mouthed the words "He's so adorable," to which Kaeya responded with a silent yet knowing nod, his agreement evident in his expression even without words.

After completing their training session, you, Bennett, and Kaeya embarked on a cheerful stroll back to the city. Your laughter resonated through the streets as you headed to the ice cream parlor, where Bennett was in awe of the array of flavors available.

Despite Kaeya's initial reservations about indulging in ice cream due to his self-proclaimed 'strict' diet, you playfully coerced him into taking a bite, remarking, "It's not dieting if you're still drinking alcohol!" Your actions earned a hearty laugh from Bennett as he watched the playful exchange.

Amid the joyous atmosphere, Bennett couldn't help but sense a feeling of belonging and warmth among the three of you. As he observed the interactions between you and Kaeya, he found himself considering the idea of you being a family. The thought prompted Kaeya to jest, "Benny, can you imagine if she were your mom? Would she be intimidating?"

Bennett, his face adorned with smudges of chocolate ice cream, responded with a grin, "If Miss Captain were my mom? She'd definitely be the coolest mom ever!"

After returning home, the three of you embarked on a cozy evening. Bennett seemed to relish the lengthy shower, possibly due to the rarity of such indulgence. As he freshened up, you prepared an assortment of snacks and entertainment to enjoy together.

Creating a makeshift sleeping area in your living room, you laid out sleeping bags to accommodate everyone. You handed Bennett an old shirt of Kaeya's, now snug on him due to his increased muscle growth, and you and Kaeya settled down on the floor.

Amid the comfortable setting, Kaeya initiated a heartfelt conversation. With his hand resting on his knee, he turned to you and gently inquired, "So, I'm assuming you've fallen for him as quickly as I did, am I right?"

A genuine smile graced your lips as you met his gaze. "Yes, you're right. Bennett's infectious joy brings so much happiness. I see it now."

With a reassuring nod, Kaeya wrapped his arms around you, and you leaned your head on his shoulder. "Well, let's take things at your pace. When you're ready to officially welcome him into our family, we can notify the city registry. Until then, let's enjoy the moments we have together."

The evening carried on with warmth and laughter, as the newfound sense of togetherness enveloped you all in a comforting embrace.

Shortly thereafter, the sounds of Bennett's snores resonated from across the room, where he lay sprawled on the couch, arms and legs outstretched in slumber.

Nestling yourselves into the sleeping bag, you and Kaeya found solace in each other's hug. As you held one another, Kaeya's voice broke the silence, revealing a vulnerable side you hadn't often witnessed before. "You know… I've always wished for moments like this. It's reminiscent of my own past, and seeing Bennett brings out that desire for the best in him. I don't want him to follow the same path I did."

His fingers brushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear as he spoke, his earnestness evident in his gaze. The unexpected revelation allowed you to see deeper into Kaeya's heart, understanding that his motivation stemmed from a desire to redeem himself from his troubled history. Providing a loving and stable family to those who lacked it held a profound significance for him.

Touched by his honesty and sincerity, you gazed into his eyes and held his hand. "You have a heart of gold, Kaeya. The love and care you show Bennett, and your willingness to offer family and support, speak volumes about the kind of person you are."

In response, you leaned in to share a tender kiss, a silent exchange of love and understanding that bound your hearts together even more tightly. As your lips met, you realized that your journey to build a family, while unconventional, was a path filled with compassion and hope.

After that pivotal moment, you and Kaeya welcomed Bennett into your home with open arms, allowing him the freedom to come and go as he pleased. However, Bennett was still a bit puzzled by the sudden generosity, not fully comprehending the true intention behind your actions. He had been taken care of by various individuals throughout his life, leaving him somewhat skeptical of the genuine motives behind your kindness.

Weeks of dedicated training came to a triumphant climax as Bennett achieved his final task: defeating the hilichurls near Windrise. With fervor and determination, he faced the challenge head-on, even if it meant putting himself at risk with his charged attacks. Despite the toll it took on him, Bennett emerged victorious, his passion and resolve shining brightly.

A thunderous applause erupted from Kaeya, his admiration for Bennett evident in his enthusiastic cheers. As you watched, you couldn't help but feel a swell of pride and joy for the young adventurer who had come so far.

"Benny boy, your journey has been nothing short of impressive. Allow me to present you with the Skyrider Sword, a reliable companion for your future endeavors. Take good care of it," Kaeya declared, offering the sword to Bennett with a proud smile. The gesture left Bennett speechless, his world finally falling into place as the significance of his journey with you and Kaeya became clear.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Bennett couldn't contain his emotions any longer. He hugged Kaeya tightly, tears streaming down his face as he poured out his feelings. "Thank you both so much! You've cared for me in ways I never imagined. I've come to see you both as my parents. I'm sorry for doubting your intentions!"

As Bennett's words filled the room, Kaeya's heartwarming embrace offered solace and reassurance. His voice was soft but filled with sincerity as he replied, "You're not wrong, Bennett. You are family to us, and that's exactly what Y/N and I wanted. Welcome to the family, my boy."

In that heartfelt moment, the bonds of love and support between you, Kaeya, and Bennett were solidified, turning a chance encounter into a tale of unconventional yet unbreakable family ties.

The three of you enveloped each other in a warm and heartfelt embrace, the shared moment feeling like a true family gathering. Joy and contentment radiated through the air as Bennett's voice wavered between gratitude and overwhelming emotions.

"Thank you, Captain—Dad! Mom!" Bennett's voice was muffled by his tearful face nestled against Kaeya's chest, his words a mixture of heartfelt appreciation and newfound familiarity.

As the embrace lingered, you whispered softly to Bennett, your voice carrying the depth of your emotions. "We care for you deeply, Bennett. You're a part of our family, and we love you wholeheartedly."

With determined steps, you three embarked on a journey to the city registry, where the paperwork to formally adopt Bennett was set in motion. The once wayward adventurer, who had found a new sense of belonging in your and Kaeya's care, was finally released from the guardianship of the church. As Bennett became an official member of the Alberich family, your hearts swelled with a sense of fulfillment that words couldn't capture.

Despite the initial skepticism from some of Mondstadt's residents about adopting someone with a reputation for causing trouble, their opinions held no sway over your decision. You understood that beneath Bennett's streak of mishaps was a spirit yearning for guidance and stability, and you were more than willing to provide just that.

What had started as a passing notion during a late-night conversation between you and Kaeya had blossomed into a beautiful reality. Bennett, now officially part of your family, found himself in an environment where he could truly thrive.

As days turned into weeks, Bennett's transformation was evident. He no longer referred to you as "Miss Captain" but instead embraced the role of a beloved son, calling you "Mom" with a warmth that melted your heart. Yet, his playful nature still surfaced as he occasionally reverted to calling you "Miss Captain" whenever he felt a mischievous streak.

United by love, the three of you embarked on a new chapter in Mondstadt, a family bound by a deep and unbreakable bond.

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moonshine-nightlight · 4 months

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Hello! I Just wanted to let you know that I LOVED the published ver. of "Don't Shoot the Messenger". And I was so excited to hear that Dale and Sana's story might get published too.

At first I was really unsure about getting the book, as I didn't want to be disappointed if the changes made didn't translate well compared to the original. BUT YOU KNOCKED MY EXPECTATIONS RIGHT OUT OF THE WATER!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm so excited for your future projects. And I wish you luck on your future publishing endeavours because I will be buying all future published books by you. And no one can stop me haha >:D

I also wanted to ask if there's a chance that any of your other previous works will also be published? Of course it's a huge effort of time and resources to publish something. But I do hold out hope that I might one day hold Heshi's story in my hands because truthfully it's such a comfort to me and I go back to it periodically to reread. I love that snakey boi. NO PRESSURE THO. If that's not in the cards, just the fact that it exists as a story is wonderful. Thank you so much for all the writing you do.

anyway, bye

@annjo-wolfe

hi! thanks so much! i really liked what DSM actually was and focused on my own edits and that of my editors just honing it to be the best version of itself - so i'm glad that came through and you liked it!

if ur interested in too much info about my self-publishing plans, pls see under the read more

Dale and Sana's story definitely will be self-published,its just a matter of when. it's also probably gonna get more tweaks than DSM due to the length and the way the story evolved over 2 years lol

thank you so much for your support and encouragement with publishing! i'm so happy people are excited about actually buying my stories lol

As for previous short stories that getting published, the answer is yes, i do have plans to publish them as well, they're just a lower priority for multiple reasons. firstly, me and everyone wants NWWD the most so its #1.

For 'Finally Woken' i actually already have the first 2 chapters converted to 3rd POV, however, its shorter than DSM and so would cost nearly as much to have edited but would sell for less (and amazon will try to tell me the spine is too narrow lol) so my current thoughts are to bundle it with 'Selfish' (helpfully already in 3rd person) and make a Naga Novella (called like 'Tangled Up in Tails' or something lol) with both of them in it so i can release it priced similarly to DSM.

For 'Sacrifice', i actually have plans to make that a 5 novella series about different forgotten deities returning to the same town, with 'Sacrifice' likely being offered as a cheaper, first book about a month or so before the second is published to get people into the series. the rest of the novellas would likely not go up on tumblr/AO3 at all and would only be published. i'd like to use this hypothetical series to see how that sort of model would work for me. i've planned out the 5 novellas to some extent but nothings really written yet besides 'Sacrifice'. as a complete project, its very low on my list after everything i'll b posting here and NWWD publishing, so since 'Sacrifice' is tied to that, its not likely to get published anytime soon.

For 'Snapped', i'd likely do something similar to 'Finally Woken' - write another short Sci-Fi/Alien story and bundle them together for publishing. However, i dont currently have anything written that would work so that's also a low priority evn if 'Snapped' is already 3rd POV.

I'm really excited to self-publish my work, but its expensive and what I've made from DSM has come nowhere close to covering my costs and likely won't. the only good thing is basically all the costs are up-front so its easy to jsut keep the books out there and making money when ppl buy it. i have a good job and am happy to spend my money to get my work out there and hope over time self-publishing will break-even, but that will take years at a minimum so it'll be slow going in the beginning.

my goal is to get everything self-published so it'll just be a matter of time - i too want to hold a copy of Heshi's story in my hands lol

thank you for all your support and giving me a chance to ramble about all my self-publishing plans!

#asks #self-publishing #nothing's wrong with dale #finally woken #sacrifice #selfish #snapped #my plans #who kows if they'll work out #if only i had lots and lots of money lol #i'm so glad people are interested #and i appreciate the chance to ramble a bit because i hav been thinking about all this #let me know if anyone has any other questions about all this #and i'll do my best to answer them

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jaime-brienne-fic-exchange · 5 months

Text

The Festive Fest Collection is open for posting!

It's hard to believe it's already that time of year, but posting for the 2023 JB Festive Fest is now open! What does that mean for you?

If you've already completed your gift, incredible job. Just upload to ao3, make sure it's in the collection and gifted to your prompter, and Bob's your uncle. And if you aren't, don't worry--you have until January 1st to create and post your gift, the with potential for small extensions. Just reach out to us if you know you can't meet the deadline and we'll talk through the options.

How does posting work?

It's super easy.

The simplest is to go to your ao3 dashboard and select ‘Assignments’. Select 'Fulfill’ and upload as usual–ao3 will fill in all the prompter and collection details for you.

Alternatively, go to the collection and select the Upload To Collection button (or take the direct link here) OR upload your fic (or link to other art form) to AO3 as usual, and make sure you enter JBFestiveFestivalExchange2023 in the collection field.

From here, the process is the same as any other upload. Fill in the relevant details and ensure you tick the 'Does this fulfill a challenge assignment’ box so the work is gifted to your prompter.

If you’ve already made an AO3 draft before today, make sure you add it to the collection and put in your recipient’s username in the fields mentioned above, and make sure you change the date when posting (or your gift will be buried). Be aware it can cause some shenanigans where the gift may not appear at the top of the page.

After that, it’s as simple as clicking Post! Your gift will be submitted to the exchange.

What about Stocking Stuffers?

A Stocking Stuffer is a gift made by anyone (you don’t even have to be signed up for the main exchange) for anyone (who also doesn’t need to be signed up for the main exchange). Like other Festive Fest gifts, they can be any size and shape. It can be art! A video edit! A moodboard! A fic of any length! The collection will open TOMORROW, with a separate Tumblr post. This is due to a family emergency, I apologise for the late change in plans.

What if I don’t receive a gift?

Everyone gets a gift. Authors have until January 1st to post, and there might be a slight delay if your gift needed to go to a knight writer (or artist, because there are no rules). We promise someone is working very diligently to complete it.

What’s the etiquette around thanking my author?

A person spent time working on something just for you, so make sure you show your appreciation! A kudos and comment is pretty standard; comments can be intimidating or time consuming, but even a short comment from the heart lets the gifter know you've seen the gift and appreciate it.

Can I promote my story?

Yes, go wild!

Can I rec my gift story?

Absolutely! Share the love!

Any other questions? Just reach out! We can be reached via Tumblr, Discord, or [email protected] and will get back to you ASAP!

#jaime x brienne #braime #asoiaf #game of thrones #jaime lannister #brienne of tarth #jaime x brienne festive fest #jb festive fest

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bearhugsandshrugs · 9 days

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Bearhugsandshrugs Update – April '24: Discord, beta reader match ups, WIPs, book writing!

Hey all, it's been a while since I shared an update!

TL;DR: Updates on fics, community things, and my life!

Last time I told you about the book proposal I wrote for my agent, and I managed to complete that and submit it! Even better news was that she liked it. So I will refine parts of the story I wrote to incorporate her feedback, and then in a month or so it'll go out to publishing houses in the hopes that someone buys it! Keep your fingers crossed for me so your girl gets published :)

Admin: Discord Server, Community, Pinned Post

In case you missed it: I launched a discord server where we hangout to talk about Gort and writing. Last week we finished the first writing buddy match up, where I paired six writers with a buddy so they can beta each other's fics. It made me super happy that the community came together in that way!

There will also be a super cool event coming soon that @littleplasticrat came up with, I'll share more on that next week when I have more headspace to give this the hype post it deserves. Just teasing a bit: it does involve Gorty and fashion :3

I also published a new lore & theory masterlist for BG3 and I'm working on compiling the drabbles and headcanon lists, too.

WIPs

In March I already told you that I was moving all WIPs to May, maybe even June. Since I'll be traveling in May, I might or might not have time to work on the WIPs.

Worthy Chapter 3: Structure is drafted. ETA hopefully in May

Folie Chapter 7: I scrapped the entire structure. While I'm motivated to write Raph and Haarlep again, I'm not particularly fond of my original idea so I have to redo the last chapter, ETA probably June

Durgetash series (concept linked) and Raphael series (concept linked): on hold for now. Neither of them grabbed my attention long enough for me to do more with it.

There's one fic/art trade I'm going to write for @tatterings and it's likely either going to be Astarion or monster fucking. So keep an eye out for that.

Series

Both MAD and Gorsimp are continuing! I'm sketching out Act 3 for MAD which we're about to enter. Due to life stuff I changed to posting schedule to every two weeks for MAD, while Gorsimp continues to update 1-2x a week (mostly thanks to @bloodlessbhaalbabe's incredible discipline on keeping us on a schedule).

And in more MAD news, I made a playlist for that fic! Give it a listen if you want to cry.

Other stuff

I'm slowly coming back online after a few really bad months of physical and emotional health turmoil. I'm okay for now and I've been taking care of myself, creating some distance from the fandom to protect my peace of mind, and I'll probably continue to take it slow for a while.

Last time I said I'd do another giveaway when I hit 1k followers. Since I've barely been on I haven't made much progress – it's about 50 followers or so away, but this blog isn't really growing right now. Guess I'm getting a much needed break from taking on too many WIPs :D anyway, I just wanted to say it's still on my mind, but I don't particularly feel the need to promote it because it'll happen when it happens.

Something cool to celebrate in the meantime: Folie à Deux hit over 1,000 kudos on AO3! Crazy to me!!! Thank you all so much. I can't believe that many people pressed the kudos button on my unhinged monster fucking fantasies <3 And to give you a peak behind the curtain here are the non-public stats for that fic:

Last but not least: If you do want to show me some love consider tipping me on Ko-fi? I promise for every coffee you buy me I'll share a pic of that beverage on here or the discord!

Hope you all take care of yourselves!

– Em

#bearhugsandshrugs #pinned #bearhugsandshrugs update #m.a.d.#gorsimp #my writing #worthy #folie a deux #fic writing #bg3 fic

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peach-and-bugs · 1 year

Text

❤️Natalie Scatorccio SFW Alphabet❤️

❤️Read the NSFW Alphabet here!❤️

Fanfiction master list

disclaimer: don't repost my work. I only post on Tumblr and on Ao3. anything else is stolen and should be removed immediately

Warnings: Brief mentions of sex/sexual themes, but nothing in-depth/detailed, mention of drug use/overdose

Word Count: 2,151

A/N: Hello loves! I'm here with the first of Natalies two alphabets, starting with her SFW alphabet! honestly, Nat is a hard one for me to capture because I don't want her to sound like she's a bad partner, but the reality is that she probably wouldn't be a great one. Thats about all I have to say though so as always, feel free to leave questions or comments in my comments or ask box, and happy reading!❤️

Natalie Scatorccio Tag List:

Yellowjackets Tag List: @frasersgf

General Tag List: @summergeezburr

-❤️-

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Natalie isn’t naturally all that affectionate these days. Well, not exactly at first glance. It’s something that would take her some time to get into. She’d not be one for small talk or offering you surprise gifts. However, her love language is quality time. She’d prefer sitting quietly in the same room as you or having a lowkey night out for dinner rather than anything too extravagant. She’s also a physical touch enjoyer, though she keeps it minimal. She’ll offer small touches now and then, like a trailing of her fingertips over your hip as she moves past you or a soft peck to your scalp when she isn’t thinking about it.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Natalie isn’t going to initiate a friendship. She’s more likely to get involved with people out of convenience than anything else. Say you frequent the same bar as her often enough, then maybe a relationship would form from there as you slowly learn new tidbits about one another with each drink.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

She isn’t all that into it, but if you like it she won't argue. She just might not wrap herself around you like you would with her. The farthest she goes is an arm over your shoulders or an arm wound around your back. She’s not very touchy-feely after all, but when she does let herself care for you she’ll become more lenient over time.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Oh, hell no. Natalie is not the domestic type, try as she might. She doesn’t like consistency in her life ans she needs things to be different and moving. A sedentary life is out of the question for her, and the worst part of that is it’s not her fault. No matter how hard she could try, a domestic life would eventually bore her.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

She’d be very upfront and blunt about it. She’d not into relationships in the first place and never really has been, so while a breakup is going to be awkward and uncomfortable, I don't see her having an issue with the actual act of breaking up. However, if she's in a situation like her and Travis, it’s going to be so rough and might send her spiraling, which is honestly when she fights so hard against making those kinds of bonds.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quickly would they want to get married?)

This girl is not committing. Like before, she doesn’t want to make those kinds of strong bonds with people out of fear of ultimately hurting or pushing them away, so marriage is out of the question unless she has a complete 180 that I'm not expecting and seeks out a lot of therapy to get over her trust and commitment issues.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Emotionally, she's hard and blunt. She doesn’t sugarcoat anything and tells it how it is. But surprisingly, she does have quite a gentle yet hesitant hand. It’s likely due to what she’s done with those same hands in her past, but it goes to show that she still has a softness within her. She doesn’t want to hurt people. It’s just kind of easy for her.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

She aint a hugger. Her hugs are stiff and awkward and there is no way for her to relax. But she’ll endure it if she cares.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

If she had it her way, she wouldn’t. But if she does feel so inclined, it'll take a long time. And I mean a long time, mostly because she doesn’t know if she means it. She likely wouldn’t say it till you have more times over, because she needs the assurance that she’s reading the situation correctly.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

If she’s attached she gets jealous. She doesn’t like sharing. But if what youve got going on is strictly casual, she couldn’t give a shit. She’s probably doing things with other people too. However, if by some strange majesty she does feel some claim over you oh how the jealousy would burn. She’d become brash and mildly aggressive with whoever thought it was a good idea to come on to you and would pull you away, likely to a corner of some kind to make sure you were both on the same page when it comes to your relationship.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

I can only describe her kisses as firm, but let me explain. Natalia has never been the soft type. She takes what she wants and puts her foot down without hesitation, and some of that is reflected in her physicality, one being her kisses. She’s in control and makes sure her partner is aware of that, and what better way to do that than by demeaning her when you kiss her? Her kisses often devolve into gnashing teeth and puffy, red lips.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

She's not as bad as she could be, but she’ll never have any. Poor thing didn’t have anyone to raise her, so there is no way in hell that she feels she’s capable of raising a kid herself. However, that being said, she’s pretty good with kids. Well, older kids to be exact. She has no idea what to do with a baby. But once they’re old enough that she can teach them the reality of the world and how to properly swear she becomes the awesome, fun aunt that takes you out for joyrides and ice cream when mom/dad said not to have sweets before dinner.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Natalie doesn’t get up at least till noon and that's on a good day. The only exceptions are for fresh coffee, breakfast, or morning sex. Other than that, she’d stayed splayed out under the covers for as long as she can. This often results in a headache from sleeping too much, but that’s nothing a little advil can't fix after all. It’s nearly impossible to get her up early, and if you do she won't be happy about it, so don't bank on her joining in on brunch plans.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Natalie would stay out all night if she could. She loves the nightlife and all the little things that come with it, like meeting new people once who will become shadows in her mind, the drinking, and the loud music found in clubs. She’d love to take you out, and honestly, it's far more fun going out when she’d got arm candy to strut around and show off

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

She keeps practically everything close to her chest. Learning anything about Natalie is like pulling teeth. She’d remain a complete mystery to you if that was possible. Often a new fact about her is either dropped out of nowhere by her or someone else reveals something which requires a more lengthy and irritated explanation from Natalie herself. You're more likely to learn about her by talking to her friends, and even then its a challenge

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

This woman’s fuse is shorter than a stick of dynamite. She blows up at the smallest inconvenience, and often that gets projected onto those close to her, both physically and emotionally.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing or do they forget everything?)

Girlfriend isn’t the best with her memory, however, now and then she surprises you with some tiny tidbit that you likely didn't even mention remembering. That's what she thinks about, the small stuff.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

I think a fond memory she’d hold onto is watching you dance. Seeing that pure joy on your face, laughing with a drink in hand as you move with whatever music might be playing. It would be an even fonder memory if you convinced her to dance with you

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

She plays coy like she doesn't care, your actions are your own. But best be ready for if she's ever around when someone treating you in any way she may deem as wrong. She has a very serious justice complex and is not afraid to cut a bitch or throw hands when she needs to. And that is extremely sexy of her if you ask me,

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, and everyday tasks?)

Probably not a lot because she's not really into those kinds of things. She seems like the type to settle into a comfortable routine ans stick to it. If there's a restaurant you both like, that’s where you nearly always go when you feel like having a dinner out. She gets kinda weird about trying new things sometimes, but if you’re gentle enough she’ll do her best. That's where her efforts go in trying to be more flexible for those she cares for.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

She cant communicate for shit and she’s notorious for the disappearing act, which is when she doesn't text or call for some time. It could be because she doesn't feel like it, you got into an argument, she's feeling out of it. Anything that could set her off will hinder her ability to communicate how she feels and what she needs, and it's frustrating for her. She doesn't like feeling or needing

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

She’s not vane in any regard. She's stuck with most of her teenage style, which is probably a comfort thing at this point to avoid further change. She's the type to wear the same outfit more than twice in a row and that's valid

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

I think that depends. Recently (in the last few episodes of season 2) we've seen a shift in her. I think over time there might be a chance of her growing to the point where she’s ok being a little dependent on someone else, but if we’re looking at Natalie at the start of the series id have to say no. at that point, she didn't want to hold on to that kind of relationship or bond with someone else. But now I think there could be a possibility for her. Again that’s after girlfriend has a lot of therapy.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

She has chronic nightmares of her partner dying, specifically from overdose even if her partner doesn’t use whatsoever

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like in general or in a partner?)

I think she’d be against someone hellbent on trying to change her. Yes, there is room in her character for growth, but sometimes people look at that room and see it as a challenge. Natalie should be in complete control of her growth and development for betterment. But to do that she needs both hands on the wheel and maybe a partner in the passenger seat reading over the map. Control of her person is a huge thing for her. She can't have someone trying to take that over from her, even if it's with completely positive intentions

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

Natalie seems like the type to be very reserved and to herself in her sleep. She doesn’t like touching and will often roll over and face away at night. I also think that she runs hot, so it's common for covers to be thrown off of her at night and I doubt she wears a lot of clothing when she’s going to sleep except for when she comes home after a long night out. We've seen it before, she's willing to sleep in jeans if she’s tired enough

#fanfiction requests #fic request #masterlist navigation #◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ kay's at it again♡#yellowjackets fanfic #yellowjackets x reader #yellowjackets #natalie scatorccio x reader #natalie scatorccio #character headcanons #character alphabet

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lo-fi-charming · 10 months

Text

Jondaisy Fic Req List

So today for @jondaisy-week, I wanted to finally sit down and make a proper recommendations list of some of my favorite jondaisy fics!

This list will include fics that fall under a wide variety of ratings; I'm leaving it up to you guys to take note of warnings and tags if something here catches your interest, since all necessary info will be on the fics on ao3. If you see anything you like, please consider commenting if you give it a read! A lot of these don't have nearly as many comments as they deserve <3

Swans Down by KingOuija

Daisy feeds Jon an entire cake. This one feels special, in how it is a moment both mundane and odd, quiet yet charged; intimate not only due to the physicality of the actions, their bodies, but also the trauma these two now share. I feel like it's impossible to pitch without underselling this one!

Tell Me To Tell You by BeneathSilverStars

Jon and Daisy explore being able to say 'no/stop' and have someone listen to them. I love this one for how it explores boundaries and trust, both with and without the aid of kink... There's just something so distinctly jondaisy about it, considering their history.

Going Soft by Prim_the_Amazing

An A/O/B setup herein Daisy's traumatic experience in the Buried causes her to shift from an alpha to an omega. This one is REALLY soft and sweet and features one of my favorite scenes from any tma fic!!

live wire by bluejayblueskies

Jon is a researcher who stumbles upon the temple of an old hunting god. Really love how Daisy is portrayed here, it's a very fun take on a jondaisy chase with interesting consequences~

Stay here under my tail by RavenXavier

Worried that Basira might be interested in more drastic measures to prevent Jon from taking live statements, Daisy offers an alternative. I love this one because I think it offers a slightly darker (yet somehow, sweet?) trajectory for Jon and Daisy's post-coffin relationship. They're till trying to be good, but maybe not doing the best job. I especially love how, in most cases, Jon is portrayed as a major element in Daisy's ability to 'behave herself', while in this one Daisy takes it upon herself to be that role for Jon. Delicious...

Blood and Quiet by PitViperOfDoom

Another take on god-of-the-hunt Daisy, though this time we also get god-of-the-hunted Jon. This one's got a bit more plot involved; it's a fun setting and explores Jon and Daisy's dynamic really nicely! And I'm a sucker for anything that's got a bit of Watership Down in its DNA.

if you're lonely- by blackwood (transjon)

A 'high school' AU where Jon and Daisy meet as kids and become friends. A big theme in this one is how both of them dealing with Gender Feelings, which holds huge appeal for me~

Heartbeating by chshrkitten

This one is short but it captures the sort of intimacy I really love with these two, something quiet and secret that happens in the dark... I love anything exploring the tightrope walk of Daisy trying to be normal about being close to Jon and wanting him in ways that might not be very appropriate, but she's trying to be better...

THERE ARE PLENTY MORE, but I need to make myself keep this list a bit short or I'll be here all day. Maybe at some point, whenever I finally do a thorough re-read of all my bookmarks, I'll come back with more! Who knows, by then there might be brand new jaisy fic I'll be dying to share~

#jondaisy #jaisy week #fic recs list

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meraki-yao · 7 months

Note

Hi! Thank you for reflagging my little rwrb ask game. Here are some numbers as another thank you and because I’m a little bit curious :)

1, 2, 11, 12 and 16 💜

Feel free to ignore the ones you don’t feel like answering, if there are some!

First and foremost thank you so much for making this ask game!!! and also thank you for asking me!!! Writing this was really fun :D

What was your introduction to Red, White and Royal Blue? How did you become aware of it, what was your first impression of it?

It was completely coincidental. The day the trailer came out it popped up on my recommendation, and I was intrigued so I watched it, and then I couldn't stop watching it. I swear, within like, three days, I watched it at least 30 times, and I ran to get the book two days later

My first impression after watching the trailer for the first time was that it looks a little cliche, like something I'd find on Ao3, but it also looks like a genuinely fun and delightful movie, and I think I would have a really good time watching it. And I did!

2. Team Alex or Team Henry? (I know you love them both equally but choose anyway. OR choose depending of the circumstances. Like, "I’d go shopping with Alex but I’d marry Henry. Or I’d hug Alex but I’d go karaoke with Henry. I don’t know. Try something.)

I love both boys in both universes/mediums in different ways, but I'd say I personally relate a lot more to Henry, particularly movie Henry

11. Choose your prison. Would you rather live in a royal palace or in the White House?

If we're talking about the buildings themselves, I'd say the palace, mostly because I grew up with fairy tales and I like that regal, medieval/classical/romantic aesthetic.

12. Share one of your unpopular opinions about the book and/or the movie.

Ooo, this is gonna be a slightly longer one. I was thinking about making a full post on this but I might as well just answer it here.

This has to do with the bonus chapter: I didn't really like it? Or more accurately, it made me feel kind of... disappointed or sad. With all due respect to Casey of course.

It took some time but I came to terms with Alex wanting to work in smaller law firms, especially after talking to my law student friends. My issue is Henry's abdication.

It's just, so much of the original book is about making history, about being in a prominent position AND being gay. Henry keeps track of gay monarchs, and they tend to have to hide or give up something one way or another: King James I had to commission the translation of the bible and sort of... lie about his relationship (I'm technically not religious, but I did read the bible a lot as a kid, and I really don't think the relationship between Jesus Christ and John, namely teacher and disciple is comparable to a very, very homoerotic relationship), and King Edward II (Yes there are two gay kings in Henry's name) had to exile his lover. So to have Henry finally be a royal who can keep both his title and his love would be historical, just as they said they wanted. Henry can step back from royal duties without stepping down: irl Princess Beatrice while still a working royal, had a full-time job in 2017 and split her time between New York and London. Henry could have done something like that. I understand that in the book the royal family is a lot stricter, rigid, and overall awful than in both real life and the portrayal of the movie, but I thought that with Princess Catherine coming back to take charge at the end, things would improve, fixing the system instead of going "fuck the system". Also this might be because of certain things happening in my life right now, but I'm kind of sick of seeing stories where you have to choose one, instead of coming to a compromise. You don't get all the good, you don't get all the bad, you find somewhere in between, and that's okay.

Plus given the more benevolent portrayal of Henry's family, especially his grandfather in the movie (I wrote a whole essay about it), if we get a movie sequel, I really don't want Henry to abdicate, and it also makes less sense.

But then Casey posted a story about their thoughts when writing the bonus chapter, about the boys taking a break from making history, not giving up; preserving their flame instead of letting it burn so hard that it burns out. That made me wonder if my perspective and opinion on the bonus chapter are affected by me being young.

16- Pick a line and/or a quote for each:

-You have to sell the book/movie to someone who doesn't know anything about it.

Bith "But you're the one who decided to put your dick into the heir of the British throne!"

yeah I think that summarizing the initial selling point pretty well

-The quote that makes you the most emotional.

Romance/ Love wise:

Book: the entire fucking list, but also "give yourself away sometimes, sweetheart. there's so much of you." (I started sobbing when I read it)

Movie: "I'll break the sound barrier for you. "

Lines that make me emotional for personal reasons:

Book: "I honestly have never thought I deserved to choose. But you treat me like I do."

Movie: "But Henry, Nothing will ever happen to you."

(I feel like just from that you could tell what my personal issue is lmao)

-A quote/line that could be a life lesson to you.

Both: "Sometimes you just gotta jump, and hope you're not standing on a cliff."

This was so much fun! Again thank you for sending in the numbers, and if anyone else wants to ask me (the list is here!) please do!

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb movie #firstprince #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry hanover stuart fox #rwrb book #rwrb thoughts #rwrb ask meme #I really like talking about my thoughts and I have a lot of them

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unseededtoast · 1 month

Text

Turtle Doves | Joel Miller

Part Ten

Chapter Directory

Series Summary: In which two broken souls connect so deeply, that if one should perish, the other would surely die of a broken heart. (slow burn, timeline changes. After TLOU1, before TLOU2, assumed knowledge of infected, uses elements from both show and game)

Series Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death, and sexual content.

Also cross-posted on Wattpad and AO3. Link to my masterlist for everything else I’ve posted!

We continue on our route, leaving the cursed town behind us.

The shelf scrapes the floor with a loud squeal as we move it out of the way. Thankfully there are no infected around, otherwise this would have drawn all of them right to us. My body still aches from yesterday, and it'll probably continue to get worse today. Once the shelf is out of the way enough for us to squeeze through, we begin back on our route.

The morning sun is just barely peeking up over the horizon, meaning the air is still cool. I know it won't last long, so I savor it now. If my thoughts are correct, we should be passing through the town marked with a star within an hour or two. Something inside me is wary of this location, but the optimistic part of me is hoping that we find something useful.

As usual, our journey begins with more silence. If we're going to be going to Omaha together, I might as well start trying to break the silence to hopefully make him more comfortable talking to me. However, I will give him credit where it's due, he was rather talkative yesterday. Twisting my neck side to side, it cracks and relieves some pressure; and I wish the rest of my bones would do the same.

"Not as young as I used to be." I say as I try to get my back to crack. After trying two more times I give up and just accept that I'm going to be in pain. Joel lets out what sounds like a small laugh.

"You're tellin' me." He turns to face me, a faint trail of humor shown on his features.

"Finding a car would be nice." I say with a huff, thinking about the luxury of even the most run-down car. Joel nods his head,

"I guess you want a night at a five-star hotel too?" His humor catches me off guard, and I laugh at his joke. He looks ahead once more, focusing on our route.

"Hey if the opportunity comes around I wouldn't say no." The two of us fall into a silence once more, but this one feels comfortable and not forced, I don't feel like this one needs to be broken.

As Joel walks I notice how his shoulders aren't as tense as they have been the past few days. He doesn't make an effort to stay several paces ahead of me either. Maybe he's warming up to me after all, or maybe it's just the exhaustion. Tearing my eyes away from his figure, I look ahead and see the faint silhouette of buildings. That must be the place we're looking for.

"Look." I say and point out the buildings. Joel's eyes squint to see what I'm pointing at before he nods.

"Gettin' close. We should try to scope it out before we walk on up." He says, thinking tactfully.

"There are some trees off to the right, we could take cover in those." I spot a small area of trees off the road a ways up. The town is still rural enough to where it's not all concrete, there's still some traces of nature, unlike the QZ. He nods his head and changes our course so that we head for the trees.

Once we reach the woods, we both crouch down to muffle our footsteps. At first glance the town seems to be empty, but my instincts are telling me there's more than meets the eye here. There are several buildings that people could be hiding out in, and we would never know from this vantage point. Joel's eyes stay intensely focused on the town as I try to pick up on anything that suggests life.

After fifteen minutes of silent surveillance, I still can't find anything. Nudging Joel with my arm, I silently ask if he wants to move forward. His face looks apprehensive, but he ends up nodding. We cautiously make our way to the conglomerate of buildings through the woods. Though I'm not sure if anyone is here, going in this way is still our smartest bet.

I get to the edge of the woods first and crouch down again to check the surroundings. It's like a ghost town. But then again, it's still early enough that the occupants of this place might still be sleeping. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just feels off. My head turns to Joel behind me,

"Something isn't right." My concerns come out as a whisper, and I wonder if he's picking up on the same thing. His eyes are narrowed, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Stay close, we go in quiet." He says and walks in front of me without another word. The curved knife finds its way in my grasp and I follow Joel out into the town, trying to keep my breathing calm and collected. We enter the town from the side, finding an alleyway to sneak down instead of taking the main road.

As we come to the end of the alleyway, my eyes land on a barrel sitting out in the middle of the main road. The black soot on the rim suggests to me that it might be a burn barrel. The windows of the buildings have all been boarded up, blocking our vision of any possible inhabitants. Carefully, Joel rounds the corner of the alley and we're out on the main road, sticking close to the front side of the building.

I see cars lined up at the end of the main street, almost like a makeshift barricade. Confirming my suspicions, I turn around and see a similar barrier on the other side of the main street. There's most definitely someone here. I tug on the back of Joel's shirt and point to the cars, seeing his face darken as he reaches the same conclusion as me.

Before we have time to duck back down the alley, a door opens across the street from us. Three men walk out lazily. My body freezes in place and I watch with wide eyes how the men turn left and go away from us. The men all look very unkempt. Their hair is long and stringy, their clothes tattered and worn. I'm willing to bet they've been out here a while.

Joel grabs my hand and pulls me into the building we're standing in front of. The space is dark, and I can barely see in front of me. But I do see a shadow move behind Joel. As my eyes adjust to the dim light, I swear I see something duck down behind the counter.

My grip on my knife gets tighter, and my elbow nudges Joel again. His head whips over to me, and I just silently point to the counter. From the looks of it, this place must have been some sort of diner. There are tables scattering the floorspace and an old menu board hangs crooked on the wall.

Keeping my footsteps silent is my top priority as we go towards the counter. Joel walks in front of me, his own knife secure in his palm. I try my best to listen for movement on the other side of the counter, but I hear nothing. However, Joel rounds the corner of the counter and I hear scurrying. Peeking around the corner, I see a man in the arms of Joel, being placed into a headlock. Too stunned to move, I watch as Joel chokes the man out until his body goes limp. Joel leaves the body and we continue our way to clear the rest of the building.

As we go deeper into the building I see several sleeping bags on the floor and supplies scattered on shelves. My hands grab what I can hold and shove the supplies into my bag. Luckily, it seems like nobody else is in this building. Unfortunately, that means they're probably all lurking out there somewhere. Once we're in the kitchen area of the diner, I whisper to Joel,

"What's the plan here?" I have a good idea of what the plan probably is, but if we're both certainly on the same page, then there's less of a chance that I make a wrong move.

"We take what we find and kill who we have to." He replies nonchalantly, like this is nothing new for him. And truthfully, this might be a regular occurrence for him. If that's the case, then I should be thankful he's here with me, and not against me. I nod my head and we continue moving.

Joel opens the back door to the diner so that we're in a back alley, not the main road. There's a door slamming across the street, followed by several voices. They all sound like men to me. I swallow my nerves and focus on the task at hand; surviving. I follow Joel closely as we move into another building, seeming to be some sort of old hobby store.

"Yeah man, he told me he was going on patrol today. Fucker keeps getting all the good shit." A voice loudly speaks as the front door opens. Joel ducks behind a shelf and I'm forced to take cover behind a display case.

"Would be a damn shame if he came back and all his shit was gone." Another gruff voice speaks. They're getting closer to us. The metal of the knife's hilt digs into my palm and I prepare myself for what has to happen. My eyes stay trained on Joel, waiting for his signal to move since he has the better vantage point.

Heavy footsteps fall just in front of the display case I'm behind, and a hand slams on the top of it, making me jump. The man's hand is large, dirty, and thicky callused.

"You know there would be hell to pay. Crazy bastard would kill us all to find his stuff and you know it." My breathing is shallow. Joel slowly motions for my to stay calm and I nod, showing him that I'm not going to do anything rash. He turns around and throws something, causing a clashing in the front of the store.

"The hell?" One of the men say, but only one of them moves to check it out. The hand on the display case stays put.

"What is it?" The man in front of me asks, his hand finally moving off the case.

There's no reply, they must be skeptical of something. Only the soft sound of footsteps can be heard, but I can't really tell where they're at. My breath catches in my throat as I see a leather boot step in front of me. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I make eye contact with the man, and he looks startled.

"There's a woman over here!" He yells out as I lunge forward with my knife. I catch the man's abdomen with the blade's curve and he cries out in pain, doubling over. My hand goes back to wind up another strike, but the injured man stands to his full height and grabs my arm. Thinking quickly, I drop the knife from my incapacitated hand and catch it with my free one, and I waste no time in slashing the man's arm, cutting it wide open with the sharp edge.

The man puts up a fight, but he's losing too much blood too quickly, and soon he falls over. There will be more coming after his tip off, and so I move towards Joel, who took down the second man without any issue. The two of us go to leave through the back of the hobby store, the way we came in, but there's something wrong with the door's lock and it won't budge.

"Shit." Joel grumbles as he tries to force the door open, but to no avail. In the front part of the store, the door opens and there's several people that come rushing in. They're all shouting incoherently and causing chaos in the small space. Joel and I split away once more, trying to hide the best we can.

Luckily I had reloaded my gun just outside of Boston, the night Joel found his stash in the store. So I know I have bullets if I need them. However, if I can use stealth to my advantage, I'm going to do that over wasting bullets on live people.

I try to tuck my body closely underneath the clerk's counter, but my bag is just a little too bulky for me to be able to fit all the way in. The approaching men round the corner and one of them spots me right off the bat. Two men come at me and before I can reach for my gun, they're on me.

Wildly, I slash my knife back and forth, trying to fend them off. They keep backing off quickly to dodge the blade, but one of them moves too fast. He tackles me to the ground, my knife falls from my hand. I reach for my gun in a last ditch effort, but my hands are pinned above me. Across the store I hear gunshots ring out and I can only hope they're Joel's.

I use my legs to try to throw the man off of me, but he's too big. His hips hold my torso down and he's got a sick grin on his face.

"Look what we got here boys!" He announces as I struggle to get free from him. I thrash and twist my body in any way that I can, but it's no use. Soon, another man's face hovers over top of me, his face full of curiosity and perverted thoughts. He licks his lips and smiles before he speaks to my captor.

"Oh she's a pretty one too. Whole team can have fun with her for weeks." He claps my captor on the back and my body is frozen to the ground, no longer able to put up a fight. Hot tears stream from my eyes and the man standing above me crouches down, his finger wiping the tears. Instinctually, my body flinches away from his touch.

"Awe don't cry now hun, we're gonna take care of you." He says sickly sweet before moving out of my field of vision. The gunshots on the other end of the store still ring out, and I hear what I think is a body hitting the floor. My chest heaves up and down in a panic as I feel someone's hands on my hips.

"She's armed to the teeth, look at all this." I feel my hunting knife being taken out of its holster and my gun is tossed from my thigh. My captor chuckles and looks down at me, his black eyes raking over my body while the other man disarms me. If he didn't have to keep my hands pinned to the ground, I fear to imagine what he'd be doing to me.

With no more weapons on me, the hands drift to the button of my jeans to undo it. I try to thrash and kick and fight back to get them off of me, but I think it only makes them more excited. My captor laughs as I sob, the man behind him trying to tug my jeans down.

Suddenly, the hands are gone from my hips and a shot rings in my ears. My captor whips around and I see a bullet go right between his eyes. The man's full body weight falls on top of me, making it even more difficult to breathe. Luckily, the weight is moved off of me and I go to hit whoever is coming for me next.

My swinging fists are caught and I'm looking into familiar brown eyes. It takes a moment to register that it's Joel looking back at me. His eyes are wide and there's blood splattered on his face.

"They're gone, they're gone. It's okay." His voice tries to soothe me but I can't stop the sobs that come through me. He lets go of my fists and I lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling as if my body had become permanently bonded to the linoleum underneath me.

After a few fleeting moments, my breathing has started to level out, though the tears continue to fall. I muster up all the strength I have and sit myself up, quickly redoing the button of my jeans with trembling fingers. My dirty hand wipes my nose and I gather my weapons, putting them all in the correct places.

Without another word I stand to my feet and stumble out of the store. I hear Joel behind me as I turn the corner of the store and get sick in the alleyway. My hands are on my knees to support me as my body ejects whatever was in my stomach. Ragged breaths shake me and I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

When I find it within myself to open my eyes, I turn around and see Joel standing away from me, a concerned look on his face. I readjust the straps of my backpack and wipe my mouth on my shirt.

Though I would love nothing more than to get out of here, I still have to search these buildings and the corpses for anything useful.

I go building by building and search all that I can. Some buildings have canned goods, others are full of old shoes, old clothes, and other old items. It looks like they used these buildings for anything and everything, there's no organization to this chaos.

As I walk to the last building, I see Joel going through the corpses in the store we were just ambushed in. He's checking their pockets and taking their ammo. With quiet gratitude, I focus back on clearing this building so we can get out of here.

I open all the drawers and go through the shelves, only to find a deck of playing cards. There's nothing useful here. My hands grip the edge of the counter and I close my eyes in an attempt to keep my composure. If we went through all of that for nothing, there will be no words to describe my anger.

Joel comes back out to the street and I meet up with him, still sniffling. He offers me a small smile and tilts his head,

"Ready to get out of here?" He asks and I nod.

We continue on our route, leaving the cursed town behind us. The day is still young, so we have the rest of daylight to travel. Hopefully we get as far away from here as possible. My eyes stay trained on the road below me, and I count my steps to keep my mind occupied on anything except what just happened in that town. For once I'm thankful for Joel's silent nature.

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