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#and then the editing is apparently too difficult for me
mushrooms-n-frog · 1 month
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made my first item of clothing this week. third ever project and i had to look up like half the words in the patterns cus it was advertised as advanced but im an idiot
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whumpacabra · 5 months
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*head in hands* it turns out the link limit for a post is 100
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aleakybiro · 2 years
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Gris; A new way of using a medium
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So I recently played through the game ‘Gris’ (2018), and I would 100% recommend! The gameplay was enjoyable, the puzzles challenging, and was a good general experience. The story centers around a girl who has been through a traumatic experience, with each of the game’s chapters focusing on one of the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. 
The first thing that stood out to me about this game was the art. Painted in a loose, watercolour style, it’s beautiful and rather unique, and combined with the music creates an overall immersive effect. But as well as setting a gorgeous backdrop, the art plays a key part in the story.
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Gris’ journey begins in black and white, in a barren landscape. Every step is slow, every button results in her slumping to the ground. This immediately resonated with me, evoking a feeling of hopelessness the way a painting or a piece of music perhaps would, but not one I’ve felt so strongly from a videogame before this.
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As you travel, Gris gains abilities relating to her environment. One of these is her dress becoming a heavy block, a grounding force against the winds of anger which allows slow, but steady steps forward through the storm. Later, this ability can be used to generate large amounts of force, the anger becoming a grounding force as harsh actions like breaking through stone allow her to move past places where she would otherwise find herself stuck. The application of real world advice and aids is an important part of Gris, with the need for patience, balance, seeing the bigger picture, and trusting yourself to jump even if you can't yet see where you'll land.
More importantly though, as the game progresses, you restore colour to the world. As Gris reconnects with each emotion, no matter how terrible, colour returns, moving away from the empty wasteland of grey to eventually fill the world with all the colours. The beauty of watercolour skies and painted backdrops are directly relevant to the storyline, with the restoration of each colour allowing you to directly connect with different elements of the world (water, nature etc.) 
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However, what I did find quite unusual about Gris, was the lack of fighting, or the ability to die. There is no game over. If you fall, you are just set back. You have to climb up again, yes, but you don’t die. Because this is a journey through the mind, Gris does not fall and break. In fact, falling plays an important role in the story, with the opening credits having her fall through the endless sky. This is, I think, one thing that makes the game feel very close to real life. You can be set back, you can fall, time and time again, but the fall is never what kills you; giving up is. You can give up on Gris, become frustrated that you can’t find your way back up, and leave. But the game always gives you the option to just get up and give it another go, right from where you fell. 
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Even the game’s “boss” is not a traditional battle. On your first encounter, you run away. I mean, of course you do. The big, inky black crow is an obvious symbol of the trauma, and that’s what anyone would try to do - escape. Your battle is merely pushing him back while you try to get away, get further into the sky. Eventually though, you do face him. But it’s not by punching through him or shattering him into a million pieces. No, instead we watch, as Gris comes to terms with the creature. There are parts where we just watch, watch the beautiful scenery rush by during a chase, watch the story piece itself together without our input.
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The game is also paced very well, the mystery of what happened gradually revealed as you walk time and time again through one particular place, yet notice how it changes each time, and how with your new experience and abilities you gain access to paths previously out of reach.
It is in these parts where I wonder if Gris would have worked as something other than a game. And the answer is, in my opinion, probably yes. Gris is an art piece, more than anything else. Game or not, it still would have been a beautiful one. And yet, I think the videogame part is what made it so effective. It captures us, fully, in its world, its stakes becoming our own. We feel grounded by the block the same way Gris does, it's weight allowing us to keep moving. We feel the same frustration she must every time we fall down, every time we have to try again. And I think it’s because of this that during my playthrough, it felt more as if I was immersed in a piece of art than playing a game. 
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Gris is, of course, not the only game to do this, but it is a stunning example. Despite the simple premise, the experience it gives the player is very meaningful, because it isn’t trying to be anything more complicated than what it is. It tells you a story, shows you the art of beautiful, abstract worlds. But it also takes you into that, wrapping you in music and evoking emotions that we have all felt before, reminding us of our own experiences and relating to us in a way that feels more on the level of a movie than a videogame.
I think that it’s amazing to see the medium of games used in this way, and it really shows that the industry will always be one full of innovators. I really do hope that in the future artists will be able to show us their work in this way more.
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Emergency Contact
I saw Across the Spiderverse for my birthday last week and this idea has been plaguing my brain since I made my spidersona so I figured I can give you guys at least a tiny serving of a meal. Also this was absolutely triggered by the song Emergency Contact by Pierce the Veil. Take that as you will. 
Miguel O’Hara x reader.
When a mission to catch an anomaly wrecking havoc in your own dimension goes very wrong Lyla is forced to call the person listed in the system as your emergency contact. That person? Your boss. Spiderman 2099. Miguel O’Hara.
I don’t think there’s actually any ATSV spoilers in here but to be safe I’ll tag it. Graphic depictions of violence as well. 
Miguel uses Spanish three times in this and I tried to check multiple sources to ensure I wrote them correctly (accents and such). If something does need fixed please alert me and I’ll edit it to the correct one. 
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The day Lyla informed you of a rule you’d never heard of among all the people in HQ was an interesting one. Her exact words to you? 
“Every spider person is required to have some kind of emergency contact listed in our system. Miguel does it for safety purposes. They’re kinda a last resort if things go bad. Everyone uses another spider person because y’know we can’t just be telling everyone who you are and what you do.” 
And apparently you were one of the few that still hadn’t logged one through her. Even the most rebellious and rule breaking, Hobie, followed this specific guideline. Somehow you’d managed to miss it completely throughout your handful of years as a spider person. The small projection of Lyla in front of you just stared in silence as she waited for you to give her a name. 
It took you a whole of three days to properly come to a decision. It was a very important thing and you had to make sure you thought it through. You knew it needed to be someone who you could rely on. Someone who you could see coming to your aid. Preferably, someone who liked you. Only, your pick didn’t really meet that last one. 
Telling Lyla your choice was even more difficult. The way she stared at you with a big smile ready to run off and inform whoever you picked made you a little tense. Of course a part of the rule had to be that the emergency contact was alerted to the fact that you’d put them down. So they could always be ready if they got that call and know who to find. 
“Everyone had to do it so don’t worry about whoever it is being mad at you-”
You cut Lyla off, “I don’t want you to tell them.” 
“Well I kinda have to. Miguel’s rules not mine,” she held her hands up in defense at the pleading face you gave her, “Unfortunately he’s my boss too.” 
She took your silence as an act of rebellion. Who could you even be thinking about that you’d be so adamant they didn’t find out? She had enough understanding in her code to wait until your were comfortable to continue. She wouldn’t pry. There was a few moments of nothing but silence between you two as you picked at the fabric of your suit over your fingers and the cogs in your head turned painfully. You didn’t particularly want your choice to know. It made sense why they had to be informed but you were embarrassed. 
“Lyla,” you finally spoke. 
She geared up to input the information and gave you a hum. 
With a sigh, you said, clear and concise, "Spiderman 2099."
And that was that. Lyla had to gawk at you for a few seconds before she could actually log him under your file but she didn’t say much. She should have figured. You totally had a thing for him. She knew it. 
Maybe you did have a thing for your boss, he was pretty, smart, not to mention incredible at his job and an art piece to watch on the battlefield, but he certainly didn’t like you all that much. It wasn’t even like you’d done anything to make him dislike you. He thought you were too cheery and lacked seriousness. As did most spider people. For whatever reason though you struggled to pick up why he actively showed his distaste for you. 
You wanted him to like you. Truly. You’d heard the way Peter B occasionally got those light and airy chuckles out of him before noticing you’d entered his office. Seen the fleeting edges of smiles on his lips before that signature frown would take over like a plague once more. Watched his eyes light up in the cafeteria when his favorite meal was still available and he thought no one was watching. He was just a guy like most of you but he refused to let that be seen and you wanted nothing less than to make friends with him. 
You waited for the second Lyla would go and spill to him leading to him chastising you over whatever he deemed a problem. You waited an hour, a day, a week, but Miguel never once mentioned it to you. The few times you were around him were just the same as usual. Concluding that maybe you had just overreacted about how he’d feel, you let it slip from your anxious mind. He was reliable so at least if you were ever in trouble he’d most likely come help. 
Weeks went by and you’d practically forgotten about the entire situation. So much happens in the daily life of a spider person that there was no need to actively think about it. So it was gone. In the wind. Nothing to worry about. 
Miguel had given you an important mission less than five minutes after you arrived at HQ. An anomaly had infested your canon universe and was tearing it open and if you didn’t take care of it soon things might fall apart beyond repair. He had decided to send you alone which was certainly odd considering how bad things seemed. He even made a passing comment about how he might be overestimating your ability and had accidentally lit a fire under you. It frustrated you when he said things like that. So instead of requesting help like you wanted to, you blew him off and left HQ without another word. 
You could handle a little old anomaly just fine and then Miguel would have no choice to stop looking down his nose at you. 
Normally, your calculations of your own abilities weren’t so wrong. However it seemed this particular mission wasn’t one you should have ever tried to tackle alone. 
It was a mad scramble. A blind panic. The anomaly was more aggressive than anything you’d ever handled in a group let alone by yourself. It wasn’t like you didn’t put up a fight either. No more were your skills sufficient. You’d run out of plans. You’d run out of clever quips. Nothing but fear for your life filled your veins. 
Your watch had been busted, flying off your wrist in shards hardly reminiscent of what it once was. Just barely, with a speck of luck, it stayed enough in tact that the collision of it against the wall had triggered a call to Lyla. Like normal, she appeared with a smile and her happy voice ringing out in the air. Within a second it was drowned out and she was forced to spectate as you were thrown this way and that. 
She shouted for you once, twice, anything to try and get your attention. You could hear her, barely, her voice struggling to raise above the pounding in your ears. You couldn’t move your mouth to respond. It felt like every bone in your face had been busted apart and the rest of your body was slowly following. Pain tore it’s way through every muscle, every joint, until all you could feel was the fire burning beneath your skin. Blood caked your suit, dark, giving your body a chill as the cold are hit it. 
This was exactly the type of situation you needed an emergency contact for. 
The sight of Lyla forcing herself open on Miguel’s desk was a shock but the completely panicked and fearsome look in her eye even as an AI was worrying. 
“No time to explain. This is an emergency contact call,” a portal opened behind Miguel in an instant, “go.” 
Lyla joked around a lot but Miguel knew better than to even try and question what was happening when she looked so scared. He sighed, of course someone needed his help when he was busy, and he tugged his mask on in a sharp movement. There were a few spiders who had him as their contact and he tried to wrack his brain for who was out on missions as he leapt through the spiraling lights. 
Sounds of a struggle hit his ears before he could focus on what he was seeing. He landed in a crouch on a pillar high in a dank and cold warehouse and zeroed in on the two forms on the ground. The anomaly, large, spikey, loud, and obviously not feeling even the slightest bit threatened was hovering over someone much smaller and frantic. He recognized that spidersuit instantly and when a gargled scream left your lips his blood ran cold. 
You had him as your emergency contact? 
There was no time for him to even think about it before the anomaly was tossing you across the room once again. A solid crack rang out when you collided with the wall. Your beaten body crumpled to the ground and Miguel watched as you tried you hardest to get a grip on the floor and drag yourself away as it came after you. At your new angle he could see your face, your mask having been ripped off at some point. Blood mixed with salty tears as you sobbed and screamed in agony. 
Both of your arms lifted out and Miguel could only assume you were trying to shoot your webs at the anomaly. Only, nothing came out. You were so worn down and broken that it didn’t work. You looked between your wrists in panic, flicking them a few more times in a failed attempt to at least slow the damn thing down. It was no use. You twisted onto your stomach and tried to get away. 
The anomaly grabbed onto your foot and he clenched his jaw as your breathing sped up and you clawed at the ground, the words “Help me!” escaped your mouth. Miguel was quick, calculated, and above all, violent, when he took off from his spot. In an instant he was on the anomaly, fangs bared and claws ripping at it, webs wrapping it up nice and tight. It took him all but three minutes to finally end the fight and he knew deep in the back of his mind that one of the only reasons he was able to do it alone was because you’d wore it down. 
“(Y/n)!” Miguel called, running to your side, “(Y/n) you’re okay get up.” 
You had curled up on your side and the most response you gave him was a  gargle from breathing. He tried to make you look at him with a careful hand on the back of your neck but only saw your eyes, half lidded and bloodshot, showing that you were completely spaced out. You weren’t even conscious enough to notice Miguel was the one in front of you. 
“Stay with me now,” he said hooking his arms under you and standing up, cradling you to his torso.
He couldn’t stand seeing you so injured. As well as hear you be so silent. You always had something funny to say, a joke to make, but at the moment there was nothing. 
“Let me hear that voice come on,” Miguel practically threw himself through the portal back to HQ, “¡Di algo! (say something)”
He tore through the hallways quickly, shouting for help from one of the medics immediately, everyone knew that when Miguel used a specific tone of voice he wasn’t kidding. And he was using that voice. Even the couple of spider people resting in the med bay silenced themselves the instant their boss burst into the room. Miles, on an order of bed rest for an hour or so, and Hobie who had joined him for a card game, watched Miguel as he gently laid you across one of the beds. 
Miguel yanked his mask from his head and put both hands on with side of your face, careful to not get you with his claws, and lifted you up slightly. His face got close to yours. 
“Open. Your. Eyes. (Y/n). Open them,” he ordered. 
Your head merely hung there as you made no movement. A few medics swarmed around your bed and Miguel, blocking any bystanders view, and they worked as fast as they possibly could. To everyone’s surprise, Miguel didn’t back off to let them do their job. He stayed right next to you, cradling your head, and trying his damnedest to wake you up. 
This was a nightmare for him. 
To say you were special to Miguel’s heart was an understatement. Ever since you’d joined the spider society he’d tried to distance himself from your light. You were bubbly, attentive, and not to mention beautiful inside and out. It had enchanted him and he knew the dangers that could come with letting himself into your life as anything beyond coworkers. He was scared of opening back up. Letting his emotions be put through damage that he’d already sustained once. It was safer if he kept you at an arms length. 
But that didn’t stop the way you wormed your way into his everyday thoughts and feelings. You didn’t even have to do anything. Just you being there was enough for him to feel that once so unfamiliar thump in his chest. Your smile, your voice, everything about you enticed him beyond repair. And it didn’t help that you actively showed that you looked up to him. Seeing you praise his work always had him in a twist. 
A total of two people had picked up on his attraction to you over the years. Peter B and, of course, Lyla. Peter could see it in the gentle glances Miguel would offer you when you walked away from him. Lyla found it in the way he spoke about you to her when he prepared a mission for you. He didn’t talk about the others that way. Just you. You made him want to smile. 
“Mi luz (my light),” Miguel mumbled, pressing his forehead against yours, “mi ángel (my angel).” 
He didn’t want to lose you. He couldn’t. His heart raced wildly as he continued to beg you to wake up. For once, Miguel didn’t care who saw. He just wanted you to be okay. The last thing he did before sending you on a death mission was question your abilities. He knew he shouldn’t have sent you alone. He should have gone with you. He had to apologize. 
It was a couple of hours before you finally woke up. A perk of your spider powers was fast healing but that didn’t make the ache go away. It was a struggle just to peel your eyes open but when you did you first noticed that the lights in the med bay were off. That was unusual. Typically they remained on at all times. You could only recall one time in your spider career that they’d been off. 
That was also the only time you’d ever seen Miguel in one of the beds. He was always so stubborn and pretty much never let himself be stuck in the med bay but it had been a bad fight and with a gaggle of you (you, Miles and co.) ordering him to rest he was forced to accept. And the lights had been turned off for his comfort due to how sensitive he was to brightness. 
You glanced off to your left to see Pavitr staring you down from a bed not far away. His leg was raised up in a sling and he gave you a wave. Waving back to the kid you mouthed ‘you okay?’ to which he called out in an awkward whisper shout, “Broken leg. I give it two hours at most.” 
How he was always so relaxed about things would continue to baffle you until the end of time. Pavitr’s eyes bounced from your and a little to your side before he used his head to motion your attention to your right. He seemed excited about whatever it was. Like he’d been waiting for you to wake up just for you to look. Which, to be fair, is exactly what he’d been doing. He was a bit of a fan of drama. 
When you turned to look at the opposite side of your bed you were met with Miguel’s hunched over form in a chair. Suddenly it made a lot of sense why the lights were off. He was slumped with his elbows on his knees and his head hung low, fluffy hair blocking any kind of view of his face. If you had to guess you’d think he was asleep. Traces of blood had dried on his hands and you weren’t sure you wanted to know whose it was. 
Your head whipped back to Pavitr, eyes going wide from confusion, and you gave him your own shouting whisper, “How long has he been there?” 
“Whole time according to Hobie, but don’t tell anyone I told you that,” Pavitr said, he jabbed a thumb in Miguel’s direction and continued, “I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” 
What had you missed? The last thing you could recall was Lyla’s voice calling out for you after your watch had busted. Did the anomaly escape? Was your canon universe safe? Your family? Your friends? 
“Oh he’s awake,” Pavitr gasped, quickly turning his face away knowing he’d been caught spilling secrets. 
Miguel was still in the same position the only difference was the fact that he’d lifted his head up and was giving the teenager a death stare. His hair framed around his face giving you one of the most beautiful sights you’d ever seen. His eyes shifted off of Pavitr and to you, softening instantly. 
“How are you feeling?” he asked. 
“Like I got hit by a truck” you answered. 
Miguel shrugged lightly, “you basically did.”
“What happened?”
“Lyla showed up and ordered me on an emergency contact evac,” he explained, “I managed to take that anomaly down before he could do too much damage.” 
You felt a wave of relief wash over you. At least your universe was safe. Miguel watched your facial expressions in silence. The dried cuts on your face were difficult to handle but he tried not to linger on them in case it made you uncomfortable. He just wanted to caress your cheeks and make the injuries go away. Wash that pain from your skin and make sure you were safe. 
“I failed,” you mumbled. 
Miguel’s eyebrows knitted together. 
“You were right about overestimating me.”
He hated that he made you feel that way. You always did your job well and it had been his fault that you got hurt in the first place. And it was always okay to need a rescue now and again. There were times when even Miguel needed saving. 
“You did well. You always have. I knew better than to send you alone and I should have gone with you. I was stupid, too busy worrying about myself.” he said. 
That was the first time he’d ever praised your work. Your effort. Acknowledged that you could do a good job. And it made heat spread through your cheeks and your chest. How was one supposed to handle the man they were crushing on telling them they did a good job? 
“I didn’t know you had me as your emergency contact,” Miguel spoke softly.
You tensed up. He didn’t? But didn’t Lyla have to tell him? It wasn’t like Miguel to simply forget something like that with how serious he took his job. Which had to mean that the AI didn’t go tell her boss like she was supposed to. Though you didn’t know at the time, Lyla had made the executive decision herself to keep it a secret. She could see just how badly you didn’t want him to know. She was only trying to help you feel better. 
“I didn’t want you to know,” you said. 
“Why?”
That was a good question. Why didn’t you want him to know? And why exactly had you picked Miguel in the first place? Because you liked him? Because you thought it would get you on his good side somehow? Because you knew he would come rescue you if you needed it? 
“Didn’t want you to see just how much I rely on you.” 
He waited in silence for you to elaborate. 
Eventually, you sighed, “I feel... safe when you’re around. And I thought if you found out I relied on that security you’d think I was pathetic.” 
Which was the truth. Miguel, despite his dislike of you (or so you thought), was a protective man. And even when he was chastising your work you felt safe simply being in his presence. Like if something happened he’d jump into action to protect those around him. 
Miguel took a moment to think about your words. They were like music, catching onto his heartstrings and forcing him to soften up immeasurably in front of you. You could see him physically lean closer to you, eyes trained on your face with an emotion you couldn’t decipher. 
“I make you feel safe?” he asked in a whisper. 
Like it was a question he worried you’d say no to. You’d tell him it was a joke. It was just for laughs. And that spark that you’d just lit would die out.
“Well yeah. When Lyla told me I needed to log a contact I figured it was best to use someone I could trust. I knew that if I needed you, you’d come for me.” 
And Miguel almost broke at the feeling of the flames licking though his veins. His jaw went slack and he watched for all kinds of signs that you were lying. Pulling his leg. But you weren’t. And he felt a sense of happiness and pride swell inside of him that had long buried itself away under pits of trauma. Someone, a person he was falling in love with as time ticked by, trusted him with their life. He felt tears prick at his eyes, burning to be released, and he held them back only just, dropping his hand on yours. 
“I’ll always protect you. As long as you’ll let me.” 
He meant it too. 
Pavitr was about to have the biggest tea spilling session with his friends the minute he got discharged. 
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owliellder · 8 months
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All Pent Up
MDNI 18+
Puppy Hybrid! Leon Kennedy x afab! Reader
Word count: 3.85k
Warnings: Porn w/ plot, unprotected p in v (stay safe), no use of y/n, spanking, crying, slight ass-play.
Description: After a long night at work, you come home to a very pent up Leon. A trip to the park to help with that energy turns a little sour.
Tags: Submissive! Leon, neck biting/marking, begging, cunnilingus, knotting, mommy kink, fluff, near illegal amounts of praise AND aftercare, a lovely creampie to end the morning
Not proofread. I am once again sat here bored at work. More self indulgence since I work the same kind of job aforementioned in this lmao.
Also VERY much inspired by @abp0rns art of puppy Leon, specifically the two I put below the crop. Please check out their art they gotta be one of my favorite doodlers out there.
Edit: cross posted onto Ao3 if it's easier for you to read there (cause it is for me)
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It had been an incredibly boring night at work for you. Working graveyard at a gatehouse meant you did practically nothing. Easy money, sure, but you can only watch so many movies and doodle so much before it becomes redundant.
The only thing keeping you going was making sure your puppy, Leon, stayed happy and comfortable. You'd found him at the shelter a few months back, and though you never considered yourself to be a hybrid kinda person, Leon was just too damn cute at that shelter.
After adopting the hybrid, you quickly fell into a nice afterwork routine; come home, get jumped by Leon, make breakfast while he asked a plethora of questions about your night and made sure you knew just how much he missed you by licking and slobbering all over you. He was the sweetest boy, but man was he excitable.
Some mornings, you'd come home a bit more awake than others. It was random and you're not sure what made that so, but today was apparently one of those days.
~
"-sosososo glad you're home, mommy! I've been so lonely and bored without you!" Leon happily talked on after you'd walked through the door, his golden fur covered tail thumping loudly against the back of the couch. You remained quiet as you let him ramble, reaching up to pet through his messy bedhead with a smile. "I chewed on my toys, broke one of the squeakers though, but you've gotten me plenty of other toys for me to play with!! I really like this fluffy red pig you got me-!"
He continued to talk loudly about everything he did after you left for work only 8 hours prior, running around to grab and show you his chewed up toy and his favorite toy, tail continuing to wag avidly all the while.
"Alright, alright.. settle down, Leon.." You spoke up, cutting off his talk about laying in your bed so you could take a moment to shed your work clothes in favor of some more comfortable lounge wear; an old, faded graphic tee and a pair of soft sweatpants.
The hybrid followed you throughout the apartment while continuing to ramble, albeit a lot quieter now. Clearly Leon had a lot of energy this morning, which wasn't unusual by any means, but since you weren't all that tired this morning you decided that a trip to the dog park would be a good way for him to get some much needed exercise and enrichment.
After making breakfast, you dressed your puppy in a cozy outfit since it was always little chilly in the mornings where you lived, damn cold desert. You only had to reach for the leash for him to start jumping and yapping enthusiastically, making it rather difficult to hook it onto his collar.
You decided to stay in your comfy clothes, seeing as it would keep you warm enough until the sun warmed the air outside.
"Do you think Chris will be there?! Can you text his owner?? Who else is gonna be there?! I can smell the park from here!-" Leon rambled excitedly as he tugged you along to the park, smelling every bush and tree the two of you passed thoroughly. His tail never stopped wagging, those soft floppy ears perked forwards as he moved his head every which way, focusing in on every movement and sound while beelining to the park. He knew the way there, the leash was just to make sure you didn't get lost.
The air was cool the, sun beginning to warm you up. It was starting to bring out your exhaustion, but you wanted Leon to get at least half an hour of playtime in so he wouldn't bug you while you slept later. The thought alone made it easy for you to power through that brain fog that threatened to settle in.
You and Leon walked across the street once the tall chainlink fence that bordered the dog park was in view, the Golden Retriever hybrid practically dragging you to the other side of the street as his excitement grew. There were always other hybrids out early in the morning, the cool mornings were nicer for walks compared to the hot afternoons, at least in your opinion.
Leon was rubbing himself along the side of the fence, sniffing with a large goofy smile on his face. He had playmates that were normally here around this time, namely Chris, a German Shepard hybrid. Though Chris was a little bigger than Leon, they always played nicely, never having gotten into any sort of scuffle.
Chris was quick to notice Leon, running up to the fence so he could sniff him. They rapidly got each other riled up, so the moment you made it to the gate you unhooked the leash from Leon's collar. This wasn't so he didn't get choked out when he launched into the park, no, it was because the last time you forgot to unhook his leash first, you were yanked face first into soggy grass and mud.
The second you unlatched the gate, Leon pushed it open. He sprinted into the grassy park, Chris not far behind before tackling the smaller hybrid with a playful growl. The two roughhoused, chased each other, and played tug-of-war with a stick Chris had found.
You decided to sit on a bench not too far from where the boys played, looking up from your phone every minute or so to make sure their play didn't turn ugly.
Only 30 minutes had gone by before- "Mommy! Mommy!" Leon shouted from across the park, prompting you to look up from your phone. It only took a moment for your eyes to nearly bulge out of your head when you spotted a now brown Leon. His tail wagged, slapping loudly against the thick puddle of mud he was laying sideways in. "Looklooklook! Chris and I found a ball!" he yelled with a grin, Chris holding up the muddy ball high in the air so you could see it.
You sat there dumbfounded for a brief moment before letting your head fall back, breathing in and letting out a deep sigh as your eyes closed. You tilted your head forwards again, letting your eyes open slowly as your annoyance showed clear on your face.
Your puppy could see your expression change even from where he was, his ears drooping more than they were as the mud had weighed them down a bit. Seems like playtime was over.
Chris' owner wasn't all that happy either, walking over to the filthy hybrids only a few seconds sooner than you did. You pulled Leon from the mud by the collar since he seemed a bit stuck, glaring weakly at the now cowering puppy.
"Leon is always getting Chris into some sort of mess." Chris' owner huffed out, clearly irritated with the situation. You frowned, running your free hand over your face with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry, Leon just seems to really like the mud lately. I can't help that Chris follows, but I'll try to keep Leon from the mud." You didn't really care for someone implying your Golden Retriever puppy was a bad dog, but the idea of confrontation mixed with your ever-growing exhaustion was enough to have you just let it go.
After apologizing again, you let Leon shake off the excess mud from his body before hooking the leash to his collar once more, beginning to pull him towards the gate. He was very resistant to leaving, whining and whimpering something fierce. "I'm sorry! ImsorryImsorry! Please I'll be good! Let me stay a little longer mommy! Please I'm sorry! Mommy!"
As pitiful as he sounded, you now had to squeeze a thorough bath in for the hybrid before you were even able to think about sleeping. You continued to drag him along as he fought against you, crying out softly as you finally got him through the gate, closing it before he could run back through.
Your exhaustion was making you irritable, and having to fight to get Leon back home was enough to make you angry. It got even worse when he growled at you.
You stopped walking, the entrance to your apartment building only a few feet away. Turning around to face him, he immediately shrunk down at your furious glare. "Bad boy, Leon." Your voice was harsh, yet also so calm, it scared him. He hated being a bad boy, he never wanted to hear those words together again.
After you started walking again, he followed obediently, staying silent all the way into your apartment. He stood stiffly by the front door once you closed it, watching you stomp away. The puppy was on the verge of tears, his muddy tail tucked between his legs and his ears flat against his head.
Leon's bottom lip trembled the longer he couldn't see you, his ears twitching a bit as he picked up on the sound of the bath faucet turning on. His hands were clasped in front of his legs, head down in shame.
"Leon!" You called out from the bathroom, your tone still laced with irritation, he could definitely tell that much. The hybrid quickly shuffled to the bathroom, trying his best not to get clumps of dried up mud on the carpet along the way.
Leon stood in the bathroom doorway before you gently dragged him in, making silent work of his clothes that were absolutely caked in mud. He knew what to do afterwards, quietly seating himself in the bath, shoulders slumped. The bath was silent except for Leon's weak attempts to apologize, his voice faltering every time once he looked at your face. Your eyebrows were furrowed and you just looked so disinterested.
After the bath, you shooed the puppy off with a towel draped over his shoulders, lazily washing off his collar in the dirty bath water before unplugging the tub.
Leon sat in the living room, drying himself off as best as he could with the towel. Even after, he shook himself off on instinct, the towel left discarded on the floor. He had sat himself on the couch, still slouched with a strong pout on his face.
He knew he was in trouble. His stomach sank when you walked out and stood in front of him with that same irritated look. You then walked and sat next to him on the left. "Lay across my lap, Leon."
The Golden Retriever hybrid whimpered, though he did as he was told, laying himself so his abdomen was laying on your lap, his tail still tucked between his legs. He yipped when you grabbed the base of his damp tail with your left hand, roughly untucking it so you could get a clear view of his ass. "Look at me, Leon."
He turned his head and tilted it back slightly so he could look up at you, his eyes sad and watery. He didn't have anything to say for himself. "You growled at me. You've never growled at me before." You sounded upset, and you were. You didn't want to punish your sweet boy, but him growling at you for something so insignificant deeply bothered you.
Sighing, you pulled his tail up away from his ass even further, grip tightening on it as you felt him try and tuck it back between his legs again. Wordlessly, you drew your other hand back, a sharp smack along with a cry from Leon ringing out in the quiet apartment. You hated having to do this, but he needed to learn.
A few harsh spanks later and the hybrid's ass was bright red and sore, tears spilling down his face as he sobbed out barely comprehensible apologizes in between loud cries every time you brought your hand down on his tender behind. His hands gripped the couch cushion tightly, those pitiful sobs of his tugging at your heart.
Once you feel Leon'd learned his lesson, you gently ran your hand along both his ass cheeks, soothing the hot and red skin while your other hand caressed the base of his tail. You waited until his crying quieted to talk to him again, listening to him sniffle wetly as you let go of his tail to wipe away his snot and tears.
"Okay, okay... there you go, sweet boy. All done. I'm all done..." you whispered to the whimpering puppy hybrid in your lap, shifting your body sideways so he could climb up and lay his head against your chest. You combed your fingers through his hair with one hand while the other stroked the side of his face, clearing the few stray tears that continued to fall.
Leon buried his face into your chest, hiccuping out muffled apologies as he brought his hands up to wrap around you. "I'm sorry mommy. So-.. sososo sorry... Didn't mean to, mommy..."
As he trembled against you, you couldn't help but feel terrible for punishing him that way. He'd never been bad before, the punishment really shouldn't have been so harsh..
You waited until he quieted to speak up again, tilting your head to the side slightly so you could see his face a little better. "...you took that so well, Leon. Such a good boy for mommy, huh?" Despite the suggestive undertone, you made sure to talk softly, careful not to upset the delicate puppy on your chest.
He lifted his head up slightly, nodding weakly as his eyes turned glassy once more. "Please.. I'll-I'll be a good boy for you m-mommy. I'm sorry- I'm so so sorry mommy- I didn't mean to growl- ImsorryImsorryIm-"
You shushed him, running your hand from the side of his face up through his hair as he began to cry again. "You're a good boy, Leon. I forgive you, baby.."
All Leon wanted to do was make this right. He never wanted to be a bad boy again. He hated the way you spoke to him, the way you had looked at him. It was so scary, he wasn't a bad boy, no, he wasn't.
His mind was flooded with everything he could possibly do to make it up to you, tears falling onto your shirt as he pulled himself up off of you. He crawled backwards and sat back on his haunches, giving you a wary look as he tucked his fingers under the waistband of your sweatpants.
"Oh, Leon, sweetheart, you don't have to-" "Please..." Leon's meek voice cut you off, making you pause for a moment before nodding with a smile. His hands trembled as he pulled your sweatpants down, taking your panties with them. The hybrid hiccuped again before bringing his head down between your thighs, putting your legs over his shoulders as he cautiously placed his hands onto the points of your hips
It only took a second before he shoved his face into your cunt, whimpering at your smell and taste as he licked between your folds. You gasped, feeling his tongue eagerly lap up your slick as it leaked out of you, his low whimpers vibrating deliciously against you. "Leon~... oh~.. easy, boy..."
You reached a hand down to gently stroke his hair, attempting to get the puppy hybrid to calm down a bit still. He was obviously so eager to please, though he was still shaken up by the punishment; tears falling from his eyes, quiet sobs muffled by your pussy, eyes closed, and cheeks flushed a beautiful pink. His tail had started to wag again and you were relieved to see it sway slowly. You just wanted to see your puppy happy and excitable again like he always was.
Leon continued to lap at your cunt, keeping himself firmly buried in it. His breathing was a bit shaky but you just let him do what he needed to do, reaching your hand to the right a bit so you could stroke one of his soft floppy ears. He sighed at the feeling, his tail wagging a little faster.
"That's a good boy, Leon~... god- such a good boy for his mommy.." You praised the hybrid as he worked his mouth on you, the praise causing him to whine into your cunt. His eyes peaked open, looking up at you as small tears fell from them. "Good boy~..." You ran your hand down to stroke your thumb between his eyes, prompting him to close them again with a sigh.
Your words encouraged him further, sucking at your clit when his tongue wasn't buried inside of you. The puppy hybrid licked all around, making sure none of your sweet slick was left to waste. He eased his grip on your hips, partially worried he would hurt you, but mostly cause he adored the way you writhed when you drew close to your orgasm. He relished in how you pulled his head impossibly closer, practically grinding against his face, using him. What a good boy he was.
Leon was in heaven when you came, whimpering into your cunt as you gushed against his face. He made sure to lick up everything he could, even dipping down to your ass for a minute, tongue flat against the puckered hole. He'd be mad if he saw the couch got some of your juices.
After a moment, he pulled his head away, resting the side of his slick covered face against your thigh as he looked up at you with those puppy-dog eyes that you just couldn't resist. You knew what he wanted, and who were you to deny him?
"My good boy wanna fuck his mommy? Show his mommy what a good boy he is?" You whispered, to which he eagerly nodded in response, his ears perking up. You could hear his tail thump lazily against the back cushion of the couch, all the while watching him lick his lips. "I-I'll be a good boy for mommy. I'm a good boy-..good boy for mommy.." he mumbled quietly, hoisting himself up onto his haunches again after carefully laying your legs down off his shoulders. His thick cock was leaking pre-cum, flushed red at the tip while his knot was fully swollen. It was hard to look away.
Leon continued to mumble to himself, almost like he was trying to convince himself that he was a good boy. His breathing was still shaky as he watched you flip over, your ass up in the air while you rested your elbows on the armrest of the couch.
The poor thing was practically drooling at the sight of you, frozen in place, just staring at your glistening pussy. Your voice snapped him out of his trance, a hushed "Pretty boy..." causing him to lurch forward and mount you without further hesitation.
You cried out as he shoved his cock into you halfway, stopping only to grab the skin right above your collarbone with his teeth. He made sure he was positioned properly, shifting slightly before pushing his throbbing dick all the way. He whined at the way your slick walls gripped him, his knot pressed firmly against the outside of your cunt.
Leon's teeth broke skin as he began to piston in and out of you. He was drooling, whimpering, moaning, and his tail was wagging so fast. He loved the way his mommy felt, gripping his so tightly, sucking his thick cock in.
His let go of your skin to lick at gently, which was a stark contrast to his fast and rough thrusts. "So sorry mommy- sososo sorry.. never growl at you again- ah~..! I-I'll be mommy's good-.. good boy.."
The hybrid panted next to your ear, reaching his hands up and under your loose shirt to grip and massage your breasts. His fingers pinched and tugged at your sensitive nipples, causing you to moan loudly. You could feel every bit of his cock as he slammed it into you over and over again, the tip kissing your cervix which made you hiss at the slight pain it caused.
"Gonna- hnghh~.. gonna fill mommy up.. gonna be mommy's best boy again..." Leon whined, tilting his head to the side so he could nip at your neck, kissing and licking under your jaw. He sucked numerous hickeys down your neck, making quick work of the other side as well. He wanted you to remember how good he was for you, how much he was willing to do to make things better, what a good boy he was for you.
It didn't take long for him to near his own orgasm, his chin resting over your shoulder as his hands had worked their way back to your hips. He was so close; the sounds of your moans, the sinful way your pussy squelched with slick as he fucked into you, your smell, the lingering taste of you on his tongue, everything was just so overwhelming.
The puppy hybrid didn't have the words to give you warning, only a long drawn out whine as his hips stuttered forward, knot stretching you open. You came again from the feeling, barely being able to clench around his knot. It was just so big.
With his cum pumping into you, you could only groan pleasantly at the feeling of being so full, his knot having basically plugged you to the point that none of it could escape.
You could partially register Leon running his hands up and down your body, anywhere he could reach in his position, bunching up your shirt in the process. His large hands felt nice, helping you come down from your high. He was whispering something, you couldn't make out what, but it was probably the same thing he'd been spewing before.
~
After Leon was able to pull out of you, you made sure to reassure him over and over that he was your good boy, and he'd always be your good boy.
You made him a little snack once you'd cleaned yourself and him up, seeing as the park and your at-home playtime had influenced his appetite quite a bit. You loved to see him happy again; those beautiful blue eyes crinkled with a smile as that fluffy tail of his wagged.
Your body finally realized how tired it was once more, your brain catching up with that as well. You waved Leon, who was elated to follow you, into your room, practically bounding in like a deer. He begged to lay the way you two did on the couch, and again, who were you to deny him?
You laid back, head on your pillow as Leon nestled himself on top of you. He laid his head on your chest, turning his head to the left as he rested his arms on either side of you, his hands just barely tucked up under your pillow after pulling the blankets up over the both of you.
"You're the greatest boy anyone could ask for, Leon. Always taking such good care of me.." you whispered as his eyes closed, his tail going from a lazy wag to a stop as he fell asleep.
"I love you, my sweet boy.."
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norrussell · 4 months
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Hello darling I have Lando x fem!reader’s request✨🥹
Sooo I HAVE THIS “You must need to be fast on track, but you can’t get me so fast” ON MY MIND
So the reader and Lando are pretty close and very touchy, she works for McLaren, maybe as a lawyer idk; so they spent some time together, especially in UK, but she always goes to Monaco. ANYWAY during a party (maybe after one of his podium) he gets very close to her, always a hand on her back, and at some he trying to express his feelings for her, idk he would do something very clingy soo she stopped him and said *that*.
So that night they come back together to his hotel room, kissing each other, but they finished cuddling. Because he wants to do the things seriously.
I'M BAAAACK!!! Don't know for how long tho, I had this sitting in my drafts for two weeks and felt like editing while Lando's stream played in the background. I thought I'd get so much more writing done once the winter break begins, but it looks like apparently I'm on a break too cause no matter how much I want to get things done, my brain is just like nope keep watching that show until the guilt of all the requests eats you away. So, my apologies to this anon for waiting for months and all the others that have sent requests, I'm not ignoring you, I'm just going through some difficult time currently, but hopefully it will get better soon. Not really satisfied with this, if I'm being honest, but really liked the idea which required a lot of research and banging my head against the wall to make it all work and fit, and really wanted to get it done. So I hope you enjoy! :) ♥
Trackside Temptations | Lando Norris⁴
The atmosphere in Silverstone was electric during the peak of racing season, filled with the aroma of success and bubbly champagne. Lando Norris, rising star in the world of Formula One, had just secured a spot on the podium, his heartbeat echoing in sync with the joyful cheers of the crowd, and was eager to join his team at the luxurious after party to celebrate their victory.
Navigating through the throngs of people, Lando couldn't ignore the rush of excitement mingled with a hint of anxiety. Though he prided himself on his unwavering confidence and determination behind the wheel, there was one individual in the room who could effortlessly rattle him – y/n, a sharp-witted lawyer whose support had been vital to Lando's success in his career.
As Lando made his way over to you, he couldn't help but feel the butterflies in his stomach begin to flutter. He had always admired you from afar, but tonight, he was determined to make a move.
You were dressed in a stunning red dress, your hair cascading in loose waves around your shoulders. You looked up as he approached, and he couldn't help but feel a jolt of electricity shoot through his body at the sight of your eyes.
"Congratulations, Lando!" you said, opening your arms for a hug. "You were incredible out there today."
Lando felt his heart skip a beat as he pulled you into a tight embrace, inhaling the intoxicating scent of your perfume and feeling the softness of your body pressed against his.
"Thanks, y/n," he said. "I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you for always being there for me." he pulled back, his hands lingering on your arms.
"Of course, Lando. It's been an honor to support you through this journey." your voice was warm and sincere, and your smile reached your eyes, making them crinkle at the corners.
"Come on, let's join the others," Lando said, gesturing towards the rest of your team who were celebrating nearby.
You smiled and took Lando's hand, feeling a thrill run through your body at the touch of his skin against yours. As you made your way over to the group, Lando kept his hand firmly in yours, his fingers intertwining with yours in a silent show of possession.
The British Grand Prix after party was in full swing, and amidst the cacophony of laughter and clinking glasses, Lando and you found yourselves standing by a makeshift stage, watching your colleagues perform an impromptu karaoke session. The sight of your usually serious team members belting out pop classics with reckless abandon brought a smile to both your faces.
"Never thought I'd see the day when our chief engineer would sing Spice Girls," you remarked, your eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Neither did I," Lando replied, chuckling. "I bet they'll never live this down."
As you shared a laugh, Lando felt grateful for the easy camaraderie he had with you. You could always find something to laugh about, even in the most stressful situations. It was a testament to the trust you had built over the years, and it only seemed to grow stronger with each passing day.
"Seriously though, y/n," Lando said, his tone shifting to one of sincerity. "I just wanted to extend my gratitude again for everything you've done for me. You've been a true ally, both on and off the track."
Your cheeks flushed slightly at the heartfelt praise, but you brushed it off with a playful grin. "Well, someone has to keep you in line, Lando. You're lucky I'm so good at it."
"Indeed, I am," Lando agreed, smiling warmly. "But truly, your guidance and support have made all the difference in my career. I can't imagine where I'd be without you."
"Probably still driving go-karts," you teased, eliciting another laugh from Lando. Despite your jest, you appreciated the sentiment behind his words. Your bond was special, and it wasn't something either of you took for granted.
"Hey, don't knock go-karts," Lando retorted, feigning offense. "They're where it all began, after all."
"True," you conceded, your smile softening. "But we both know you were destined for much greater things, Lando. And I'm proud to have been a part of your journey."
"Thank you, y/n," Lando said, his voice warm and sincere. "Here's to many more victories together."
"Cheers to that," you replied, clinking your glass against his.
As the night progressed and the party continued, Lando found himself drawn to you like a moth to a flame. Every time you laughed, his heart skipped a beat. Every time you touched him, he felt a jolt of electricity course through his veins.
The music pulsed through the air, a rhythmic heartbeat that fueled the euphoria rippling through the crowd. McLaren team members and fellow racers moved with infectious energy, their laughter and conversation melding into an intoxicating symphony. Amidst it all, Lando and you swayed in unison to the beat, your eyes locked and smiles mirroring each other's elation.
"Hey, champ," called out a familiar voice, momentarily tearing Lando's gaze away from you. It was Carlos Sainz, a fellow racer and close friend, passing by with a wide grin. "Fantastic race today! You really showed them who's boss."
"Thanks, Carlos," Lando replied, his chest swelling with pride. "Couldn't have done it without everyone's support."
"Especially mine, right?" you chimed in playfully, a mischievous glint in your eyes.
"Of course!" Carlos exclaimed, laughing. "You're the true mastermind behind this achievement!"
As Carlos continued on, Lando gave you a knowing look, warmth radiating between you. You both knew the truth in the jest – that you had been instrumental in bringing him to this point.
"Shall we dance?" Lando asked, extending his hand with a cheeky grin. You nodded, accepting the invitation as you danced like no one was watching. The room around you seemed to blur, leaving just the two of you amidst the swirl of colors and sounds.
You found yourselves gravitating towards each other, your bodies moving in perfect sync as you danced to the pulsing beat of the music. Lando couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he watched you move. There was something about the way you moved – confident and sensual, yet somehow innocent at the same time – that made his heart race.
"I can't believe I'm dancing with you," he said, his voice low and intimate.
"Why not?" you replied, your smile teasing. "I'm just a lawyer, remember?"
He shook his head, his eyes darkening. "You're so much more than that, y/n. You're the reason I'm here, the reason I'm successful. You're the one who's always had my back, even when things were tough."
"And you're the reason I have a job," you teased, but there was a flicker of something more serious in your eyes. "You've made my work here worthwhile, Lando. You've given me purpose."
Lando's eyes searched yours, and he saw the truth in them. You weren't just colleagues or friends – there was something deeper between you both, something that had been simmering beneath the surface for years.
"Congratulations again, Lando," murmured a team member as he passed, patting him on the back and interrupting the moment between you. "You've made us all proud."
"Seriously, man, you were on fire today!" another added, clapping Lando's shoulder enthusiastically.
"Thank you, guys," Lando responded, his voice filled with gratitude. As he looked at you, he couldn't help but feel that part of it belonged to you as well.
"Can I just say," you began, your voice barely audible over the thumping music, leaning in and resting your arms on his shoulders "how incredibly proud I am of you?"
Lando's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise and pleasure, his heart racing as he gazed into your eyes. The dim lighting of the party accentuated the curve of your lips and the sparkle in your eyes, making him feel like he was gazing upon a work of art.
"Thank you, y/n," he said, his voice hoarse.
Your eyes met his, and in that moment, Lando knew that he had to have you. He didn't care about the risks or the consequences – he needed you more than anything.
The attraction between the two of you had always been undeniable, but up until now, Lando had resisted the urge to act on it. He had been so focused on his career and his goals that he had never allowed himself to explore the possibility of something more with you.
But as the night wore on and the champagne flowed freely, Lando found his resolve slipping. When he saw you dancing with one of the other drivers, a pang of jealousy burned in his chest. He wanted to be the one holding you close, he wanted to be the one making you laugh, he wanted to be the one kissing you senseless.
Without thinking, he made his way towards you, his heart racing with anticipation. As soon as he was close enough, he slid his arm around your waist and pulled you near, swaying in time with the music.
"Come with me," he whispered, his voice low and seductive.
Your eyes widened, but you didn't protest. You simply followed him as he led you away from the crowded dance floor and onto the terrace.
Once outside, Lando pulled you closer to him, letting his fingers caress your cheek as he looked into your eyes. His expression was a mixture of emotion - desire, longing and something more that neither of you could put into words.
"Remember when we first met?" Lando asked, his gaze fixed on you. "I was just some rookie driver signing a contract, and you were this intimidating lawyer."
You chuckled, recalling the memory fondly. "You've come a long way since then."
"And so have you," Lando replied, glancing over at you. "Your legal support has been invaluable, you know," Lando continued, his voice filled with gratitude. "All those contracts and negotiations... I couldn't do it without you."
"Hey, that's what I'm here for," you responded, a hint of pride in your tone. As a top-notch lawyer, you had played a significant role in helping Lando navigate the world of Formula One. From ironing out sponsorship deals to ensuring his rights were protected, you had been a force to be reckoned with.
"Sometimes I think about how different things would be if we hadn't crossed paths," Lando mused, his thoughts drifting. "I'm grateful every day that I have you by my side, both professionally and personally."
"Me too," you agreed, your gaze softening. You reached out, gently squeezing his hand in a show of solidarity. "We make a great team, Lando. But you didn't bring me out here to talk about contracts and negotiations," you said, your voice low and sultry as you leaned in closer to him. "What did you bring me out here for, Lando?"
Lando's breath hitched as he felt your hot breath against his neck. "No," he admitted. "I was... I just... I saw you dancing with George and I just couldn't stand there and watch any longer."
You grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over you. You had known for a long time that Lando had harbored feelings for you, but you had never expected him to act on them so boldly. "Is that so?"
Lando nodded, his eyes darkening with desire as he reached up to brush a stray strand of hair out of your face. "I want you, y/n," he said, his voice low and intimate. "I've wanted you for a long time, but I've been too scared to say anything. But tonight... I just can't resist anymore."
Your heart was pounding so hard you could feel it in your chest. You had never seen Lando like this before. The way his eyes bore into yours, the way his breath mingled with yours, it was all so intense. And you wanted him too, more than anything.
Without another word, Lando cupped your face with his hands and lowered his lips to yours. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but it quickly escalated. His tongue swept into your mouth, exploring every inch, and you moaned into the kiss.
The terrace was dimly lit, but it felt like you were the only two people in the world. Lando's hands roamed over your body, pulling you close as he deepened the kiss. You could feel him pressing against you, and you couldn't help but grind against him.
"Lando," you gasped when the kiss finally broke, your lips swollen from the heat of it.
"Come back to my room with me," he murmured against your lips as he nipped at them. "I want to show you how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."
"Woah there, champ," you said, pulling back slightly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's take this slow."
"How slow?" Lando asked, his voice a bit impatient.
"I know you're used to fast things," you said, a coy smile playing on your lips, "and you must need to be fast on track, but you can't get me so fast."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." Lando began, your words slapping him back to reality.
"I'm just teasing," you said, placing a finger on his lips to silence him. "I know you didn't. And I'm not ready for that either, yet. But I want you to know I feel the same way about us." you whispered, tiptoeing to plant a soft kiss on his lips. "I just want to take this slow."
"I know, y/n," Lando replied, his voice deep and rumbly. "I want to take it slow too."
"Alright," you said  finally. "Let's go back inside. We can head back to your room after everyone goes home..."
Lando's grin widened. "Are you sure you don't want to go now? It's pretty late."
"I'd love to," you said, titling your head and looking up at him through your eyelashes. "But I want to give everyone a chance to congratulate you first." You giggled, looping your arm around his. "Then we can go back to your place and... celebrate."
"I like the sound of that," Lando said, pulling you in close and placing a lingering kiss against your lips. "Come on," Lando said, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the heart of the festivities.
You allowed yourself to be swept up in the excitement, unable to suppress the grin spreading across your face. As you weaved through the jubilant crowd, the warmth of Lando's hand in yours was like an anchor, keeping you grounded amidst the whirlwind of sensations.
"Oi! Norris!" a voice called out, cutting through the noise. "That was some race you had today! You've got to teach me your tricks!"
"Maybe next time, mate," Lando laughed, giving the fellow racer a friendly pat on the back before continuing on.
"Hey, y/n," another voice chimed in, one of your colleagues from the McLaren team. "You're doing a fantastic job with all the legal stuff. Keep it up!"
"Thanks," you replied, a blush creeping up her neck. "I'm just doing my part for the team."
As you reached the center of the celebration, Lando pulled you into a spontaneous twirl, eliciting a delighted giggle from you.
"Are you having fun?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.
"Definitely!" you felt a warmth spreading through your chest. That moment, the joy of victory and the intoxicating atmosphere, was something you knew you'd cherish forever.
"Good," Lando said softly, his gaze never leaving her eyes. "You deserve it, y/n."
Finally, everyone said their goodbyes and the two of you were left alone in the open air. The night sky was alight with stars, and the city below twinkled in the distance. Without a word, the two of you made your way to Lando's hotel room. He opened the door and stepped inside, pulling you with him. As soon as he closed the door, his hands were around your waist and he pulled you into a tight embrace.
You both sank down onto his bed without breaking contact. Lando enveloped you in his arms as he kissed your neck and shoulders hungrily. You felt so safe in his embrace, as if nothing else mattered in that moment but him holding you close. The intensity of it all was overwhelming, but comforting at the same time.
"Can you believe it?" Lando asked, his breath hot on your skin. "All those years, all that work, and here we are."
You looked up at him, a soft smile playing on your lips. "It's been quite a journey, hasn't it?"
"Definitely," Lando agreed, his eyes reflecting the pride he felt.
The two of you entwined in each other's arms until the early morning hours, savoring every moment together. His kisses sent shivers down your spine and his hands explored every inch of your body hungrily. Every touch was tender but passionate, as if he wanted to show you how much he cared for you. He cuddled up against you, whispering sweet words of affection into your ear.
It was clear that Lando wanted more than just physical pleasure from this encounter, and you felt the same way about him. You both wanted something real and lasting--something that went beyond the heat of the moment.
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yuikomorii · 7 days
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Happy Birthday, Ayato! ❤️
// Today is the golden boy’s birthday!! Sweet and spicy visual god, you are the reason of my unattainablly high standards… and also of my questionable financial decisions, lol.
This looks more like an Ayayui shrine than an individual Ayato one, but I couldn’t fit all the items in one pic, therefore I chose the ones that were the easiest to find in my room. :”)
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Nevertheless… I did try to prepare a SCENARIO too! I used my nsfw edit as the cg, although I didn’t show everything. The romantic part is really cheesy and cringe, but if you’re into fluff, you will like that. 💕💕
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~Operation: Ayato-kun’s birthday~
Yui: ( Haa… it feels as if there’s no ending to these anymore… )
( I woke up earlier today, hoping to finish all these exercises, yet I really can’t bring myself to understand how to solve them at all…! )
( My mind is completely in a whole different place right now. Today is Ayato-kun’s birthday after all. )
( Unfortunately, all the assignments kept me so busy this week that I wasn’t even able to bake a cake for him… )
( However, it’s still not too late for that, right? )
( Once I’m done with this page, I will definitely try to best to prepare it as soon as po—)
Reiji: Komori Yui, are you slacking again?
Yui: …!
R-Reiji-san!
( Oh no, he picked up my notebook! )
Reiji: Good grief, there are mistakes everywhere! Do I need to remind you that you are not permitted to bring disgrace upon the Sakamaki family as long as you reside under this mansion's roof?
Yui: Uuh… I-I’m really sorry, Reiji-san. I promise I’ll—
Reiji: Silence. I recently received your report card as well, and I must admit that I’m not pleased with your performance in the slightest. I was expecting such indifference from my brothers, but it’s rather disheartening for a human girl not to care about her education.
Yui: Y-You got it wrong! It’s not like I don’t care about school, but… simply put, the teachers have been giving us much too many tasks lately, and I find them quite difficult to solve, which stresses me out a little, to be honest.
Reiji: Hmph, excuses. I find it incomprehensible how such simple exercises cause you mental difficulties.
Nevertheless, I shall teach you then. Even if it requires the whole day to achieve that.
Yui: You will? Woah, thank you so much, Re— W-Wait, no! We can’t do that today!
Reiji: Pardon? Are you rejecting my offer to tutor you?
Yui: No, no! Not at all! It’s just that today is Ayato-kun’s birthday, and well… I would obviously want to celebrate it with him.
Reiji: Denied.
Yui: Eh—?
Reiji: You truly are a fool. Vampires show no interest in the day of their birth. Now, take a sit.
Yui: …
( I know Reiji-san is not in the wrong, but… I really do want to celebrate Ayato-kun’s birthday. That day may not be special to him but it’s so special to me. )
( Am I being selfish, I wonder…? )
*Timeskip*
Reiji: It appears that you’re finally able to understand how to solve this exercise. The next ones are similar to it, therefore there shouldn’t be any obstacles.
Yui: Yes, I see…
( I appreciate Reiji-san’s help, yet too many hours have passed by and baking a cake from scratch is not possible anymore… )
Place: Living room
Yui: ( Hmm… apparently I still have enough pocket money to buy a cake. I know a self-made one would have been more meaningful, but I really couldn’t… )
Kanato: Yui-san, are you spacing out?
Yui: Eh—? Ah, Kanato-kun, I didn’t see you there. I’m fine, but I’m a bit in a hurry, so… see y— Kya!
( He grabbed my wrist! )
Kanato: You’re going to buy a cake for my brother, aren’t you?
Yui: Uhh… well yes, I mean, it’s his birthday after all.
Kanato: My birthday was yesterday and I didn’t see you get any cake for me, nor for Laito. Teddy thinks you forgot about us. Tell me, Yui-san, is that true?
Yui: T-that’s not it!
Kanato: So you’re going to buy a cake for me as well after all? I might forgive you if you do that.
Yui: ( What did I get myself into…! I’m sure Kanato-kun will throw a tantrum if I say “no”. )
But… I don’t think I got enough money for two cakes.
Kanato: Please don’t worry about that, Yui-san, I know my ways. Or what, are you doubting me now?
Yui: …!
— shakes head —
Kanato: Good, now let’s go.
Place: Demon World Cake shop
Yui: Woah, I’ve never seen such big cakes before!
Kanato: Please don’t shout. Your looks already make you resemble a servant, you don’t have to act like one as well.
Yui: ( Hey, that’s mean! )
Cake shop owner: Welcome, how can I help you?
Yui: We’re searching for a birthday cake, but uhm… one a bit smaller than the ones displayed here, if possible.
Cake shop owner: Any flavor you got in mind?
Yui: ( Speaking of flavor, I don’t think Ayato-kun has ever told me anything about his favorite. He would probably say Takoyaki but a Takoyaki cake… that doesn’t feel right. )
I think he likes straw—
Kanato: Raspberry!
Cake shop owner: Wonderful! We just finished a raspberry cake a few minutes ago!
— brings cake —
Yui: ( It truly looks delicious…! Besides, it’s red as well, which is Ayato-kun’s favorite color, so I believe he would truly like this one! )
Kanato: Alright, we’ll take it!
Place: Mansion
Yui: Phew, I’m glad the cake didn’t get crushed on the way.
Kanato: It’s time to eat!
Yui: Wha—! No, Kanato-kun, you can’t!
Kanato: Excuse me, but who do you think you are? This is my cake, therefore I’m allowed to eat it whenever I want!
Yui: W-Well, don’t you want to wait for Ayato-kun too? This way, you two will be able to eat it together like bro—!!
(He pushed me in the cake!?)
Kanato-kun, why did you do this!?
Kanato: You ruined the cake!
Yui: Me!? But Kanato-kun was the one who pushed me there!
Kanato: Teddy says you’re annoying, and I agree. Now how will you fix your mistakes?
Yui: ( I can barely see anything…! )
Kanato: Fufu, look at her Teddy! She’s full of cake from head to toe! Now, let’s give it a taste che—
Yui: You can’t!
— moves cake away from him —
Kanato: I can!
— moves cake back —
Yui: No!
— moves cake away —
Kanato: Hmph, just give up already, will you!?
— pushes her away —
Yui: Wait, no—!!!
???: Oi, what the—!
— cake falls on them —
Kanato: Noooo, the cake!!!! Ngh, this is no fun anymore!
Yui: Uuh… Why is the floor so soft…?
Ayato: ‘Cause it’s not the floor, you idiot.
Yui: Ah! A-Ayato-kun!
Uhh… Happy birthday…~?
Ayato: Geez, c’mere, you’re an even bigger mess.
— picks her up —
Place: Bathroom
Yui: ( This is so embarrassing…! )
Ayato: Haa… You’re finally not covered in cake anymore.
Yui: I… I’m sorry…
Ayato: Huh? What are you apologizing for? I’m not mad that you dropped that cake on me.
Yui: That’s not the only thing I’m sorry about…
If it weren’t for my carelessness, you would have gotten a nice birthday, but now… you don’t even have a cake anymore.
( Ah, I’m feeling as if I’m about to cry right now… )
Ayato: Hey, c’mon that’s not worth the tears. I’m a vampire, remember? I don’t care about my birthday, so there’s no need to worry about such stuff.
Yui: Maybe you don’t care about it but… I do. I know that I’m about to sound selfish, but your birthday is very special to me. It represents the day you were born and I… I simply can’t imagine not celebrating it.
Ayato-kun is important to me, therefore that automatically makes his birthday important to me too.
Ayato: You klutz…
— hugs her —
Yui: W-Wha—! Ayato-kun…!
Ayato: Seriously, are all humans really that sentimental? Or does this only apply to cute girls like you?
Yui: …!
(He… he called me cute! )
— blushes —
Ayato: The day’s still not over, y’know? There’s still time to celebrate it if you’re really that obsessed with it.
Yui: …! So, are you really okay with that?
Ayato: Yeah? If I weren’t, I would have told you, idiot. On top of that, it’s not like I got anything better to do anyway.
Now tell me, Chichinashi, what exactly do you have in store for today?
Yui: Hm… uhm… nothing comes to my mind at the moment, but for now… I can’t say I mind spending time like this with Ayato-kun.
Ayato: Heh~? You suddenly don’t mind being in my arms while naked?
Yui: P-Phrasing it like that…!
Ayato: Well, if that’s the case, then… you wouldn’t mind if I sucked your blood either, right?
Yui: Go ahead.
Ayato: Hah? No talking back? Are you really that easy to convince today? Or, could it be that you finally admit enjoying the pleasure these fangs give you?
Yui: It’s not only about your fangs, Ayato-kun. I really like you as a whole.
I wasn’t even able to find a gift for you, therefore giving you my blood is the least I can do.
Ayato: Heh, I see… I don’t need your blood as a gift though.
Yui: You don’t…?
Ayato: Nope, ‘cause I already got the best gift ever.
Yui: Is that so?
( Did someone already give him something for his birthday? If that’s the case, then who could it be? )
( Ah… I guess I’m just overthinking, but now I’m really curious. )
Ayato: You really wanna know, don’t you? It’s already written on your face.
Are you getting jealous~?
Yui: T-That’s…—!
Ayato: Pfft, you really did get jealous, huh?
Yui: ( Ugh… he’s making fun of me now! )
Ayato: Anyway, there’s no need to. After all, the best gift I’ve ever gotten…
It’s you, Yui.
— Smooch —
The end
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targaryenmarvel · 2 months
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Fallin' All In You (Part 3) - Wanda Maximoff x Reader
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Summary: You’ve known Wanda Maximoff since you were children. She was the shy and exceptionally beautiful twin sister of your best friend, Pietro. For the most part, you two never interacted, but that changes when against your better judgment, you begin to develop feelings for the girl. 
Warnings: Cursing
Note: It's a bit late, but here's part three! It was initially longer, but I didn't want to make you guys wait too long. I hope you enjoy it, and I'll post the next part as soon as I finish editing it. Also, credit to the creator of the GIF.
Word count: 4,377
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Voices echoed through the halls as students lounged around before classes. Some were engaged in lively conversations, while others scrolled through their phones. 
The air remained charged with energy and excitement from the previous day's win, as proved by the many praises you received from students and teachers. The elating compliments usually made you smile in glee, feeding into your ego. Yet, today, you could only muster a mediocre half-smile. Fatigue overran your body as a result of a sleepless night. Thoughts of Wanda had invaded your mind with no plan of ever leaving.
How could they when you nearly kissed the girl? You had spent the night overanalyzing the situation. Initially, you thought Wanda wanted to kiss you, but you were unsure after her speedy escape. God, you were an idiot. You had ruined any possibility of her ever liking you. She probably thought you were a creep. The fact that Wanda couldn't even look at you throughout the day attested to your thoughts. Even now, as you were seated with your friends, you could sense the uncomfortable tension that had taken over before she left your car. You just wished your friends wouldn't notice anything, especially Pietro. 
"We should do something today." It was Natasha who saved you from your agonizing thoughts.
"What do you have in mind?" Steve asked, slinging his arm over her shoulder.
"Let's go to the movie theatre," she glared at you, "and you can't find an excuse not to go this time."
"I wasn't going to third wheel you and Steve," you defend yourself with a pout, crossing your arms.
"You wouldn't have to third wheel if you accepted a date from the many guys and girls who have asked you out," Natasha refuted. Wanda, who seemed to have been tuning out the conversation, instantly looked at you, causing you to feel more self-conscious.
"Ahh, you never told me this," accused Pietro, looking at you like you had just run over his cat.
Steve leaned on his elbows and playfully whispered, "She's quite the heartbreaker."
"I am not!" You snapped, feeling the heat in your upper body increase by the second. The three are stifling laughs, amused by your embarrassment. Wanda simply looked curious. "I am not, okay. I've never gone out with anyone-" you looked pointedly at Natasha, "-and you know I wasn't interested in dating."
"Are you interested now?" She provoked. When you didn't answer, she continued tormenting you. "Common Y/N, there's gotta be someone you like."
You rested your head on your arms, trying to hide from their analyzing gaze. You wanted to deny it but couldn't find it in yourself to lie, especially in front of the girl of your affections. Moreover, if the girl felt anything akin to your feelings, such denial would probably make her feel relieved you didn't kiss. So instead of answering her, all you said was a muffled, "Shut up."
Later that day, the five, along with Pietro's date, met at the movie theater and, after a majority consensus, bought tickets to the new Conjuring movie. The two couples sat together, leaving you to sit next to Wanda. You didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. However, one thing was for sure: it would be difficult to focus on the movie when there was an apparent superior sight.
You really tried to concentrate on the movie; you swear you did, but you couldn't stop yourself from noticing Wanda's discomfort throughout the film. At first, you thought you were the problem, that your presence caused her state. Then, you noticed her ragged breathing and clenched fists, or how she would seal her eyes shut during the frightening scenes. 
Despite your qualms about your relationship with Wanda, you made a bold decision. Shielded by the darkness of the theater room, you dared to slide your hand over until your pinky touched hers. Wanda's already irregular breathing stopped at the action, and you expected her to move her hand in rejection. When she didn't, you summoned the last of your courage to entirely place your hand over hers, feeling Wanda's turn intertwining with your own. 
You struggled to contain the smile that threatened to bloom on your lips, but there was no controlling your racing heart and the swirling happiness that erupted in your stomach. You held hands for the remainder of the movie, and least to say, you paid even less attention, finding more comfort in the soft feel of her silk skin. 
You again offered to drive Wanda home, considering Pietro had to drive his date home. You reasoned that it would be awkward for Wanda to third-wheel her brother. Unlike the previous day, only the sound of the radio filled the atmosphere—neither of you daring to say a word of last night's occurrence or the hand holding. Feeling the increasing tension, Wanda finally decided to break the silence. 
"Have you started the book?" She asked, fiddling with her hands, keeping her eyes on the road. 
"No." You internally cursed yourself, having already forgotten about the reading. You had been too preoccupied with preparing for the game. "I need to check if they have it at the library."
"I figured you hadn't started." She giggled, and your heart skipped at the sound, "I can lend you my copy, don't worry."
You raised an eyebrow at her, "You're already done?"
"Mhm, besides, I've read it so many times I know it by memory." Once again, you pulled over in front of her home. "Wait here," Wanda instructed, hastily exiting the car. 
You assumed she didn't want a repeat of last night. Yet, not even two minutes later did Wanda return, walking to your side of the car. 
You lowered the window, taking the book from her outstretched hand. "Thanks."
"No problem. Though I am warning you, if I see so much as a scratch or bent page, I will kill you," she threatened, menacingly pointing her finger at you.
You scoffed and chuckled amusedly, "Wanda Maximoff threatening me over a book."
She shrugged nonchalantly and justified, "My books are my babies."
"Fair enough."
You expected her to bid you farewell, but she fidgeted in place, lips opening and closing before finally whispering, "Thank you- what you did in the theatre." Then, she quickly leaned in, kissed your cheek, and took off before you could react. 
You were left flabbergasted as your fingers brushed the burning imprint her lips had left on your skin, a sigh of delight leaving your lips. Wanda certainly had a way of spicing your nights. 
You returned home, Wanda's copy of 'Pride & Prejudice' in hand, still feeling giddy and dazed enough for your mother to notice.
"You okay, honey?" You hummed distractedly before biting your lip to contain a grin. Your mother recognized the lovesick expression you wore. "What's their name?" You furrowed your eyebrows at her question, and she clarified, "The person who has you love-struck."
You froze in place. Were you really that obvious? No matter, it wasn't a conversation you wanted to have with your mother. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mom. I'll be in my room." You could hear her laughter as you went up the stairs and into your bedroom. You stayed up until your eyes could no longer stay open reading, trying to distract yourself from Wanda. 
The next out-of-school opportunity you get to spend time with Wanda is Friday. One of your teammates was throwing a victory party while her parents were traveling. You weren't much for partying, but knowing Wanda would be there was motivation enough to assist. Knowing Pietro would probably drink, you decided to pick up the twins.
The three of you decided to find Steve and Natasha upon arriving. Once you did, Natasha offered you alcoholic beverages. You only took a sip of yours since you were the designated driver, and you had work early in the morning the next day—an easy weekend job at a flower shop. You noticed Wanda was also not keen on drinking, so you got sodas for the both of you. 
The five of you remained together until Pietro's girl arrived. Then, Natasha and Steve left, leaving you and Wanda alone. 
Finally, you took the opportunity to admire Wanda fully, from the black combat boots and ripped jeans to her signature red leather jacket covering yet another band teeshirt. Though you loved her outfit, your favorite part was her bright green eyes brought out by a sexy black eyeliner. You were a gay mess, to say the least. 
"You don't seem happy to be here," you commented, noticing her pout. Damn, she had such pretty lips.
"That's because I'm not. I'm only here because Pietro bribed me with new books. Now that I'm here, I realize it's not worth it, considering he left me alone," Wanda whined, playing with her rings.
"Alone? Am I that bad of a company?" You teased, enjoying the slight panic in her eyes before bursting out in laughter. "Don't worry, I won't leave you alone."
Wanda felt grateful for your company as she wasn't one to party, especially since her friends weren't there. Shuri, Peter, and the rest of the science club had left on a trip. Monica had planned on coming until she came down with the flu. It was funny how things changed between you two. How, years before, she would have panicked at the thought of being so close to you. Now, she could only feel her chest flutter with butterflies as you rant about your thoughts on Pride & Prejudice.
Not long after, Peggy Carter interrupted you both, wanting you to meet someone. You reluctantly agreed after Wanda said it was fine, and you promised to return quickly. Peggy led you into the kitchen, where a muscular boy your age stood with a red solo cup. She introduced him as Sam Wilson, her friend from another school, before leaving you two with a mischievous smile. 
"I think she's trying to set us up." Although you appreciated the noble gesture, now more than ever, you wished to return to Wanda. 
He nodded and said, "Look, you're beautiful, but I have my eye on someone else." His eyes looked over your shoulder, and you followed his eyesight and came upon James Barnes, Steve's best friend.
"Don't worry, I do too. You should go talk to him."
"We don't even know eachother." He lowered his head, avoiding your eyes.
"I can help with that." You took his hand and led him towards Bucky. "Hey, Bucky. I wanted to introduce you to my friend, Sam."
Bucky immediately smirked as he eyed Sam. Pleased with your work, you dismissed yourself, ready to return to Wanda's side. But, much to your dread, the brunette was gone when you arrived. Maybe she was tired of waiting for you? Perhaps she had found Pietro? No, but what if it was something terrible had happened to her? 
Not willing to take your chances, you decided to search for her. You looked throughout the entire first floor and even outside with no success. You were going up the stairs to scour the second floor, your concern threatening to detonate at any moment. Then, you heard her voice.
"Get away from me!"
In a panic, you followed the voice, leading you into one of the more isolated corridors. Your sight immediately landed on Brock Rumlow, backing up Wanda against the wall. Your blood boiled at the sight, and you clenched your fist, ready to attack. Before you could interfere, Wanda raised her knee, striking him between his legs. Rumlow tumbled down as he groaned in pain.
"You bitch!" he cursed, attempting to reach her on all fours. You were sure she could handle him herself, but you were consumed with rage as you ran forward, slamming your foot into his stomach, causing him to curl into a fetal position. You were about to deliver another blow to his face, but a gentle touch on your arm pulled you away. You are met with Wanda's pleading eyes telling you it was enough. 
You lowered yourself, yanking Rumlow by the hair and saying, "No means no, you fucking piece of shit." Before succumbing to your desire to injure him further, you intertwined your hand with Wanda's and led her to the front porch. 
You sat on the porch swing, closing your eyes and resting your head on the wood. Your lips were pulled into a tight line, fists clenched, as you tried to control your labored breathing. Your mind had a different idea as it drifted about what could have happened if you hadn't been there. Wanda handled the situation well enough, but the knowledge didn't lessen the anger. For fucks sake, all you wanted was to go back in and rip him apart. 
"Are you okay?" her honey-sweet voice broke you from your thoughts, a dry chuckle falling from your lips.
"I should be the one asking you that." You glanced at her. "You're the one who that asshole was..." You had to stop to take a deep, shaky breath, "I just want to go back in there and-"
Wanda lifted her hands to your cheeks, gently turning your head so you would look at her. "I'm okay," she whispered, thumbs caressing the skin of your cheekbones. You were instantly entranced by her intense stare, soothing voice, and the addicting feel of her skin on your own. Her lips turned upward, causing you to glance at them briefly. "You know you're always saving me. First, Trent Griffin, and now this idiot." She lowered her hands, making you immediately miss her touch. 
"I won't take credit for Rumlow. You had him handled before I interfered." You smirked at her, "Perfect kick, by the way." Your compliment evoked laughter from you both, Wanda's hand falling on your own. This time, you took the liberty of interlacing your hands. 
"So, who'd you meet?"
"Huh, oh, one of Peggy's friends, Sam. She was trying to set us up."
Wanda's head whipped around so fast, you thought it would fall off. "What?" She questioned, all playfulness was gone from her tone. 
"Yeah," you responded, unwilling to look at the girl. "Total waste, though. He looked like a nice guy and all, but definitely not my type. Besides, he had his eye on someone else." Your answer quelled the uneasiness in the brunette. 
"Really? Who?" She asked, disinterested but trying to seem unaffected by your words earlier. 
"Bucky," you answered with a grin, thinking of the cute couple the two would make. You missed the double take Wanda made. 
"Really? Bucky?" She questioned, perplexed. Although she didn't know Buck that well, she was highly intimidated by the man. The way he appeared to scowl at anyone except Steve. 
You found her incredulity hilarious, but you loved teasing her even more. "Do you have something against Bucky?" 
"What? No," she hastily replied. "It's just," she sighed, looking down, embarrassed, "he's kind of scary."
You burst into laughter as Wanda pulled her hand away to cover her face. As your giggles quieted, you uncovered her face, lacing your hands again. "Wanda, don't let the mean face fool you. He just has one of those faces. Bucky is a literal teddy bear. He would dare hurt a fly unless you mess with Steve or Alpine."
"Alpine?"
"His cat. See, totally safe," you assured.
Wanda sighed. "Sorry. I'm not actually scared of him; it's just that he appears intimidating."
"He does, doesn't he," you agreed with a smile.
"Anyways, this Sam," she dragged out, playing with your fingers. "You said he wasn't your type," Wanda took a deep breath. It was now or never. She looked straight at you and asked, " Tell me, who is your type?"
You felt the wind knocked out of your lungs as you gasped for an answer. What were you supposed to say? That she was your type? That all you could think about day and night was her? Or how anyone paled in comparison to her? You didn't dare to say any of those things yet. 
Instead, you nervously laughed as you rubbed your neck. "I don't know.'
"Not, Natasha?" Wanda pressed.
Your eyes shot to her, looking at her as if she'd grown a second head. "No, no, no. That's not- No," you vehemently denied. "Nat, she's amazing, but no."
You took a deep breath, furrowing your eyebrows in thought. "Pietro, he's my best friend, and while you and I didn't speak much, I always appreciated your presence." Wanda listened quietly, yet still confused about what that had to do with the conversation. "So when the two constants in my life left, I felt lost. I didn't know what to do with my best friend. Then, Natasha came along. She's kind of been to me what you are to Pietro. Someone who grounds me and pushes me to do better. It's because of her I got into soccer, you know? She basically dragged me to tryouts."
Wanda nodded understandingly. The quiet remained for a moment.
"What about you, Maximoff?"
She shrugged, "I haven't dated either."
"Really?" You asked, surprised that the goddess before you had not dated either. However, it was cut short by her following words.
"Actually, I did go on a date with this guy in California. It didn't work out."
You weren't jealous, no. You were curious about who was the idiot who let her go. "Really? Why"
"Jarvis came from an affluent family. All that money made him quite pretentious. To tell you that on the date, he took me to his mansion to show off all his money."
"Jarvis? His parents were definitely setting him up for failure with that name." Wanda laughed and playfully bumped your shoulder. 
When your laughter died down, you were left in silence, facing forward with a hint of a smile remaining on your lips. It wasn't uncomfortable like in your car, but peaceful and reassuring. You stayed in that position until you realized how late it was.
"Let's find Pietro so I can take you home." 
It didn't take long to find Pietro and his date, Crystal. The two were engaged in a competitive game of beer pong. Only two cups were left closest to them, while four remained on the opposing side. From his intoxicated state, you deduced they would soon lose. Pietro's uncoordinated throw needed more momentum, and the ping pong ball landed inches from the red solo cup. It wasn't long before the game ended.
You and Wanda walked in hand towards her brother, only separating as you threw your arm around his shoulder. The other took the alcohol-filled cup from his hands and set it down on the counter. "Okay, buddy, that's enough. Let's go home."
"Oh, come on, guys. It's still early."
"Seriously, Pietro. It's eleven," Wanda scolded with crossed arms. 
Pietro wrapped his arm around Wanda, so you were both on either side of him. "Sistra, aren't you enjoying yourself?"
Wanda shot daggers at Pietro, and you had to stop yourself from laughing. "No," she gravely responded.
"Okay, okay, okay." Pietro squeezed you both. "We can go... after you dance with Y/N." He looked down at you with a grin. "It's a party, and you two haven't done anything fun. Come on." He released you and took Crystal's hand, leading her to dance. 
You and Wanda watched, taken aback. Wanda scoffed, but you felt humored at Pietro's suggestion. Despite the loud music filling the atmosphere the entire night, it was the first time you cared to listen. Suddenly, all you wanted was a dance with Wanda. 
 You turned to Wanda, outstretching your hand. "He's right, you know? Let's have a little fun. Dance with me?"
She glanced at your hand, hesitation clear in her viridescent eyes. Wanda was not much of a dancer; back in California, when Pietro forced her to go to parties, she spent her time in secluded corners with her friends. She regretted not accepting the countless invitations to dance; maybe she wouldn't be destined to embarrass herself in front of everyone. With that thought in mind, she picked up Pietro's discarded drink and gulped it down in one go. A little liquid courage is all she needed, Wanda thought as she dropped her hand into your own and followed you to the dancing group.
You saw the nervousness in her eyes; you won't lie, you felt in yourself. Your coordination only functioned in the field, not on the dance floor, but you didn't care. You wouldn't mind making a fool of yourself for Wanda. You had half a mind to follow her lead with a drink but held back.
You stood still among the dancing teens sticking out like a sore thumb. You were unsure of what to do with your hand. Should you hold Wanda by her hips? Would that be too audacious? Wanda felt the same, uncertain of how to proceed. Wanda found it comical that you continued to be a nervous mess despite your newfound friendship. Although she didn't mind, she enjoyed seeing the all-mighty Y/N and confident Y/N from her childhood shy because of her definite ego boost. It made up for the millions of times she had to hide away in fear of embarrassing herself when you were near. 
Wanda bit her lip, looking up at you from under her lashes, and she swears she could hear how you take a sharp breath. With foreign confidence, Wanda wrapped an arm around your neck and, with the other, took your hand, placing it on her hip.
"Is this okay?" 
You nod stupidly, flushed by the action. Frankly, Wanda's boldness turned you on. It took a few mental reprimands to let loose and get into the rhythm. The music took over your body as you moved in sync, each beat resonating in your chest. Your body came alive with the music and the electrifying touch of the woman holding on to you. Nothing else mattered as you gazed into her hypnotizing eyes.
Your body tingled as she brought you closer, locking her hands around your neck. You could feel the silk-smooth skin of her hips as your hands reached under her shirt or her fresh mint breath on your lips. You felt drunk on the feeling of Wanda. 
Similarly, Wanda felt euphoric like never before, and despite her earlier concerns about dancing, her body moved so naturally. Every cell in her body is reinvigorated by your touch and the way you slightly scratched at her swaying hips. Suddenly, she couldn't remember why she hated parties. Was it because you weren't there? It didn't matter, not when she could feel the tension building and building to a place of no return. She licked at her lips, alternating her gaze from your lips to your half-lidded eyes.
You couldn't hold back any longer as you raised a hand to cup Wanda's cheek, like water slipping through a broken dam, your restraint torn down by need. Wanda leaned into your touch with a sigh, relishing the softness of the action. At any other moment, the brunette would find it unimaginable to act in such a way, but she figured it was the alcohol feeding into her boldness.
The two of you had stopped dancing long ago as you engaged in a battle of who would make the next move. It wasn't that you weren't dying to taste her lips. In truth, the need became nearly paralyzing. Maybe if you had acted sooner, you could have saved the moment. 
As you leaned in to kiss her, a drunken stranger crashed into you, and you staggered back with Wanda in your arms. It seemed as if the universe had a vendetta against you by how it intervened. For a second time, you were deprived of her lips by the consequence of outer forces. 
The blow knocked you out of your daze, and with regained senses, you took in the frantic, inebriated man thrashing around. Wanda turned around in your arms, confused by the commotion. You protectively pulled her closer to your body and stepped back to prevent getting struck by the man as his friends tried to pull him away. The situation only got worse as the drunk man noticed a laughing group.
"That's our cue to leave," you said, ignoring the near kiss, more apprehensive about the unfolding scene.
After collecting Pietro and Crystal, you bid farewells to your other friends and made your way to your car. You and Wanda lead the way in silence, yet not uncomfortable. Though the near kiss rested heavily on your mind, unlike last time, there were no doubts. Of course, you felt disappointed in the interruption, yet some of you acknowledged it wasn't the place or time. You were sure the moment would come soon enough.
Your hand itched to reach for her, but you held back, unsure what Pietro would think. When you got your car, you rushed to open the door for Wanda, sharing a smile as you did so. Behind you, Crystal complained to Pietro about his lack of chivalry and how she needed to be more like you. 
The ride to Crystal's place was short, but the couple in the backseat made the ride feel eternal as they made out. You and Wanda looked at each other disgusted while playfully gagging. You chuckled, poking fun at the couple. After dropping Crystal off, you made your way to the Maximoff residence. The collective exhaustion became visible in the lack of conversation. Pietro's usual talkative self hummed to a song on the radio while Wanda closed her eyes and rested her head on the window.
On the other hand, you used the time pondering on your next move. Should you talk to Pietro first before asking her out?
The twins thanked you for the ride as you stopped outside their place. Wanda kissed your cheek goodbye when Pietro was distracted like the other night and left without another word. Pietro followed, but not before making plans for him to come over the next day. As they walked away, you could only stare, entranced by the brunette. She would be the death of you.
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theabigailthorn · 8 months
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Hi Abi!
I was watching your video on Nebula to get the non censored version, and once again, the subtitles felt like they are auto-generated, which makes it harder for me to engage. I know that the YouTube subtitles are much better (they are honestly pretty great), but it is rather frustrating that this is a trade-off that even exist.
I remember you have been asked about this before, and I know it's a problem with videos on Nebula in general (and I did send them a letter today), but is there anything you can do, so we won't have to choose between the uncensored version and accessibility?
At the moment there's nothing I can do besides bug them about it, which I do every time I upload. They tell me they're working on it but apparently it's actually quite difficult to create a system whereby creators can upload and then customise our own subtitles.
The way it works for YouTube is - I upload the video and then send an unlisted link to a subtitling service. I pay them a lot of money and they send me back a .srt file with the subtitles precisely timed to the video. I then upload that .srt file to YouTube, where I can customise it by correcting misspellings and adding the jokes and commentary over the credits.
But Nebula has no facility to add a subtitle file and then customise it. I can't send them the .srt file I get from the subtitling service because it's timed to the YouTube version and it'd be out of sync and incorrect when displayed under the Nebula version. I can't pay the subtitling service to create a second .srt file for the Nebula version because A) Nebula is paywalled so the service can't be linked to it, and B) that would double the cost of what is already a very expensive part of the process. I also can't even just write the .srt file myself and save the money because there's no facility to do that in the Nebula Uploader.
The ideal scenario is I upload the YouTube version's .srt file and then edit it myself to fit the Nebula version - basically the same way it works on YouTube - but apparently that requires a system that's currently not in place and extremely difficult to build.
I'm looking into some way I can maybe get the subtitling service to create two versions of the .srt file - one for Nebula and one for YouTube - but that'll double the cost on my end so I need to look at the budget.
I'm sorry this is frustrating; it's a pain in my ass too. It's one of those problems that looks like it should be easy to solve but turns out it's a bit of a Gordian Knot.
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honestly-oceanie · 1 year
Text
Marked me like a bloodstain || the dangerous ones edition + some additionals
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Synopsis: drawing something on them
Warnings: if you are in a relationship where you are scared of your own significant other, leave the relationship already before it becomes more difficult. A romantic relationship must have mutual respect, trust, comfort and security with one another, it is not always about the butterflies and blushing.
《Dion Agriche, Jeremy Agriche, Rezef Hill, Dylan Sean Blade, Eros Orna Vasilios + two additionals | gn!reader》
{Supposedly fluff♡ | ▪︎imagine/scenario▪︎}
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The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother
Dion Agriche
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🦋 You decided to do this for no apparent reason. Or you just wanted a reaction from him.
🦋 You asked Dion for him to hand you his arm, he stared at you first as if questioning you why... now you really started to regret asking as his sharp gaze was rather uncomfortable.
🦋 Before you could retract your request, Dion reach his hand out to you without a word, indicating that you may do as you please. It took you awhile to process his action but you chirpily did as you initially planned. Using the pen against his skin.
🦋 You proudly showed him your artwork and explained it to him knowing that he definitely does not understand it. He just nodded then ruffled your hair before leaving. Now you're left wondering if this was even worth it at all.
🦋 Meanwhile outside the door, Dion stares at the doodle you did on his palm. It felt weird having the pen's ink on his skin though it did no much harm on him except painting some part of his skin black, he certainly won't use a pen as a weapon as he deems it useless.
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
The Way To Protect The Female Lead's Older Brother
Jeremy Agriche
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🦋 "You will do anything for me, right?" You asked your boyfriend and he nodded vigorously.
🦋 You asked him to sit still and closed his eyes and Remy followed you obediently. He could feel something poking on his cheek that seems to have a liquid substance but he didn't dare peek as you haven't told him to open his eyes and he trust you with his life.
🦋 After you completed your drawing, you let him open his eyes and you pass him the hand mirror so he could see it. Jeremy's eyes widen as he sees what you have done, he takes a close inspection of it.
🦋 You're growing anxious and scared, had you crossed Remy's invisible line? You had always been free to do as you please with him as he allows you too that you forgot about boundaries. But before you knew it, he tackles you with a tight hug and started showering you with kisses, he tells you to do it again. After both of you are satisfied, you ruffled his hair as you professed your love for him, grateful that he still allows you to do things.
🦋 Remy won't mind whatever you want to do with him as long as you do it within the confines of his safe and private room.
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
The Villainess Is A Marionette
Rezef Hill
"Prince of Eldyme Empire"
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🦋 You've been so bored out of you mind these past few days, you can't talk to anyone unless you want them to be gone, your servant's changes almost everyday depending on their loyalty to their master, whom is your partner, Prince Rezef.
🦋 Kayena does visit you at times to keep your sanity intact but not for too long, for some reason Prince Rezef just knows when to interrupt.
🦋 Since you pretty much have no one but him then he should be your target right? He doesn't want you to rely on anyone but him then so be it.
🦋 You ordered your current personal attendant to call for him, after a few Rezef finally came and told the servant to leave you alone. He then sat down beside you and asks why you called for him, you told him that you wanted to spend some time with him and asked him to give you his hand and he didn't hesitate, glad with your willingness and obedience.
🦋 He was quite amused when you started drawing on his palm. He knew you like art so much, maybe he should give you an art room as a reward for reciprocating his love. After you finished, you gave him a kiss on the cheek and thank him for his cooperation, you tried to be as lovely as you could with him to avoid upsetting him and might get yourself killed
🦋 He gave you that prince charming smile again and told you: "Anything for my princess." As he kisses your cheek too.
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
I Tamed A Tyrant And Ran Away/ The Taming Of The Tyrant
Dylan Sean Blade
"The 13th Prince"
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🦋 Dylan had receive losses in his life, first his mother, next his master, and now he obviously won't allow the same with you.
🦋 As the ink of the quill pen that you are holding spread across his skin, it reminds him that you are still there. As your warm hand holds his arm to keep him steady, it assures him that you are a real existence and not just a fragment of hallucination of his fever dream.
🦋 Soon you completed your work, Dylan kissed your palm that once held the quill pen previously. He swore to you in his heart, anything you wish upon, just order him at your will and he is eternally at your service. That is if you reciprocate the same loyalty to him.
🦋 He'll do anything you say as long as you stay and don't run away.
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
Your Throne/ I Want To Be You, Just For A Day
Eros Orna Vasilios
"Crown Prince of the Vasilios Empire"
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🦋 As the assistant of the Crown Prince, it was customary that you will meet other people, yet however, the Crown Prince seem to disagree. For some odd reason he likes to keep you to himself, he normally doesn't allow you to meet other people, which you're actually glad about as you don't like to socialize anyways.
🦋 Today is unfortunately an exception, you are forced to be a part of a meeting. You know it's going to involve a lot of people but you didn't expect it to be this many. Your social anxiety is getting the best of you, you're really really trying your best to seem normal as possible. Still, you can't help it when you fidget.
🦋 You subconsciously started swinging the pen that is in between your thumb and index finger. You didn't notice that the point touches the Crown Prince skin as you swing it.
🦋 Eros suddenly grabbed your hand, forcing you to a stop. You flinch at the sudden contact (hopefully no one noticed), you turn to look at the Crown Prince beside you. He put the meeting to a halt and asked everyone to scram.
🦋 After all others had left, he turned to you, his hand still holding yours while his other hand held your jaw. His gaze on you was so sharp and intimidating you couldn't face him at all so instead you looked down and there you saw what you had done.
🦋 Your nervousness and shock was completely visible to Eros who laughed at the sight. It wasn't helpful at all, you know what kind of person your boss is and it made you feel scared of him, already overthinking of what may happen to you, yet Eros only calmly stood up from his seat and held your jaw stronger, making you look up at him.
🦋 He merely told you to calm yourself first before you return to his office. With that, he patted your head before leaving you alone with your thoughts.
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
2 Additionals 《Callisto Regulus, Cale Henituse》
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess/ Villains Are Destined To Die
Callisto Regulus
"Crown Prince of the Eorka Empire"
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🦋 Since you had nothing to do, you decided to go annoy your partner. As you arrive in his office, you just slam open the door and there, revealed your peacefully sleeping partner resting on his table with his arms as his pillow.
🦋 But you weren't just gonna stop there just because he is sleeping. After closing the door, you approach the table Callisto is sleeping at. Your eyes comes across the pen that lays beside him.
🦋 Grinning evilly, you pick up the pen and started doodling on Callisto's face. After some time, you notice his brows furrowing, indicating that he was going to fully awake soon, so you place back the pen from where you found it to avoid suspicion and skedaddled before you get caught.
🦋 Callisto stretched his arms that he used as his pillow. Finally getting the motivation, he stood up from his seat and decided to walk around a bit, as he walked past a mirror he noticed something and stopped on his tracks, he walks back to the mirror and saw his face now covered with doodles.
🦋 There is only one person that he allows to enter in his office without needing permission nor knocking and that person is most certainly the culprit of this. But he needs to wash his face first.
🦋 Callisto finally found the culprit, reading a book at the library as if they hadn't done nothing at all. A dark shadow looms over you thus you couldn't read properly anymore, you were going to scold whoever it was yet it turned out to only be your partner, Callisto, who was smiling back at you.
🦋 I suggest you sleep with one eye open tonight, he warned, and you were obviously gonna take this advice as you know very well what was gonna happen on your beauty sleep.
ଘ・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦・┈┈・✧・┈┈・✦
Trash Of The Count's Family/ Lout Of Count's Family
Original! Cale Henituse
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🦋 You and Cale have known since you were just little kids, you two had grown with such a strong friendship, you both were unseparable and unbreakable.
🦋 Lately you've been noticing that things have been a little different between you and your great friend. You both had barely spend time with each other not even trying to check up on the other. You've been busy with your duties as the heir of your family, and Cale busy doing his own stuff. Even when you both happen to cross paths with each other, he acts as though he doesn't notice you at all. Today however, he couldn't turn around anymore.
🦋 You were sitting on the tree you and Cale had claimed as your own, accompanied with leaves dancing with the wind as you compose poems on your newly-bought notebook yet you feel so uninspired. Your heart couldn't help but feel restless as you began to comprehend the growing distance between you and Cale.
🦋 Had you done or said something insensitive to him without realizing? No that couldn't be possible, you're aware of topics that are deemed taboo to Cale. Is it because you haven't spend a spare time with him? But Cale is knows how you are busy with your duties and you did promised to him that if you had the chance, you'd take a day off with him. Is it because you hadn't checked up on him? You know how reckless he can be yet miraculously he can still stand on his own two feet. You trust him a lot to know that he'll be fine though you still feel worried about him everytime.
🦋 And speaking of the devil, there he is, standing beside you with wide eyes as he didn't expect to face you today. You grab his legs and forcedly plop him down beside before he could run off, you are on top of him with your hands on either side of his head to avoid him from escaping. While you are determined to bring back the bond you both once shared, Cale's face is almost of the same color of his hair, he is extremely flustered from the position you're both in, if anyone could see this they would surely misunderstand.
🦋 You confronted Cale and he explained to you that he just didn't want to bother you at all, you sighed in relief, you thought you had done something wrong to him. You moved back to the place you were originally sitting as Cale finally gets to sit down properly.
🦋 You fiddled with the pen you were holding, then suddenly you remembered a memory from your childhood with Cale. You indicate to Cale for him to give you his hand and he did, wondering what you were gonna do but didn't dare ask. You started doodling on his wrist, a stickman and a stickwoman both holding ice creams.
🦋 "Is this–hmm... is this suppose to be us?" Cale guessed, you nodded cheerfully then asked him if he still remembered that day, and he cracked in a fit of laughter remembering that time you both tasted ice cream for the very first time, your reaction was most amusing.
🦋 The sun had already set to let the moon shine for the night, yet none of you bothered as you and Cale were too busy remembering memories you both share since your childhood up until now.
🦋 Who would have thought that happiness can be cut short that easily. Those laughter that you should cherish fades into mere memories. It was only yesterday but today is a new day, and new day can come new beginnings.
🦋 You didn't expect that your friend who just came back to normal, is not him. Your friend you've had a strong bond with, is not him anymore. Your friend you grown to love, will never be him. But is it really over just like this?
🦋 Same bodies but different souls. Can you really not be happy with him anymore? Are you really gonna lose this friendship? Could there really be no bond that may form at all? Is it really impossible to fall in love with the new him as he is? Or will you still cling to the hope for him to return as he was?
⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
╔══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╗
Honestly, Oceanie
╚══ ≪ °❈° ≫ ══╝
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ultra-violet-heart · 4 months
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Fanfare for Frieren (a fan translation)
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This is the English fan translation of Fanfare for Frieren (奏送), the accompanying short novella for the opening theme of the Frieren anime, Yuusha by Yoasobi, written by Jirou Kiso with the supervision of manga writer Kanehito Yamada. The images here are from its print/digital version, which has been a bonus from the special edition of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Volume 12.
Disclaimer: This translation is made by me for fandom purposes only. This unofficial translation is not affiliated with the official Frieren franchise or with Yoasobi. All rights reserved for Frieren: Beyond Journey's End to its respective committees, committee members, staff and rights holders.
Please ask my permission and credit me+this post if you will be re-translating this to other languages. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST THIS OR ITS IMAGES TO OTHER SITES. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE ESPECIALLY ON YOUTUBE AND TIKTOK. Please take the fan translations here with a grain of salt. 
I'm posting my Ko-Fi here as currently, I've been having financial trouble regarding my medicine, so if anyone can donate, I would be much grateful for the help, thank you very much.
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1.
Five years after the death of Himmel the Hero.
Central Lands, the Capelle [1] Region.
A small city, commonly referred to as “Music City”, was located not far off west of the Royal Capital.
Many renowned musicians, who had established the foundation of court music, went there to study, and they each created orchestras there which continue up to this day. Day and night, orchestral and operatic performances kept theatres crowded, and these performances were well-known in the Central Lands.
The hymns that could be heard from the church also evoked such amicable ties between culture and religion. The singing voices and the performance, both tranquil and powerful, were pleasing to the ears.
There’s unexpected magic in places like this, huh, Frieren thought while walking through the streets with light steps.
She couldn’t visit this place during her journey to defeat the Demon King, but she thought it would have been nice to have taken a detour on the beginning. The journey started from the Royal Capital to the east, she recalled with a little regret.
To that extent, the city was much of a beautiful and isolated place.
The cobblestone pavements reminded one of a flowing music score, while the radial houses reminded one of a well-organized orchestra. The entire city had this atmosphere of welcoming people, so that there was music there for people to listen to.
There might be a wealth of music-related magic in this place. She wasn’t particularly knowledgeable when it comes to music, but folk magic rooted in a distinctive culture was worth collecting for that reason alone.
Following the signboards that were shaped like sheet music and musical instruments, Frieren continued walking.
Just near were an opera house and a museum adjacent to it, and the sound of some rhythm coming from somewhere.
Various sounds overlapped the whole city, however, strangely enough, there was no cacophony at all.
Suddenly, among those sounds, one of the most awkward sounds caught her ear. The timbre sounded like it was carefully walking on ice.
Apparently, a small marching band was passing by in front of the church located in the city’s center. The boys and the girls were preparing for their practice that day, carrying brass instruments too big for their stature and with more percussion instruments than their hands could handle.
A boy wearing a red feathered military hat―or rather, was made to wear one―had this desperate expression as he continued blowing his horn, unconcerned about his reddening face.
Even though from a very young age, all this city’s people had been living together with music.
The sound the boy made while carefully holding the horn, which was said to be the most difficult instrument in the world for humans to play, was not the clearest at all.
However, sometime in the future, that sound will reverberate gallantly and kindly.
Frieren felt it was a timbre suitable for the city.
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Frieren continued to walk, as if the small orchestra was pushing her back.
The rustling of leaves, the gurgling water of the fountain, the happy hubbub from the cafeteria. All the sounds of nature and the noise of daily lives here and there gave the impression they were all pleasantly tuned.
It might be said she could stay in here for years while exploring the city thoroughly.
In one corner of the city, there stood an old-looking music store. Its appearance, reflecting its long age, made it stand out.
For some reason, she entered the store. It was a place she wouldn’t normally stop by, but her feet were strangely drawn into it.
Beyond the store’s creaking door, however, a strikingly different but still atmosphere hung about.
Beautifully polished wind instruments. Stringed instruments without a speck of dust. They were placed on a cramped space, lined like capillary vessels. The store’s appearance made it feel like one could hear the breathing of the old craftsman running the store alone.
As she searched for a narrow foothold and was about to head deeper,
“You.” A voice said. Frieren felt it was a matured voice that carefully aged over many years.
An old man, whose white hair was tied up clumsily, peeked out from the back of the store. His sleeves were still rolled up, as if he was still tending to his instruments a short while ago. She caught a glimpse of the old man’s muscles, which were well-toned for his age.
“You… seemed to have lived a life unconnected to musical instruments.”
Adjusting the monocle on his eye, the old man fixed his gaze on Frieren.
“How can you tell?”
“Because you are a face I have not seen before. Those who love music and those who are loved by music will have visited this place sooner or later.”
The old man asserted his words with such sincere belief.
“Those who love music will immediately be obsessed with the instruments here. Those who are loved by music are people my eyes immediately recognize. So, yes, I can tell. Will you let me see your face?”
And then he beckoned her to come closer.
“My, my, I am surprised. It seems like you are the latter.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your ears, the corner of your eyes, your features. You appear to be an elf.”
“I am an elf, but…”
Frieren didn’t immediately catch the drift of the conversation.
“I have something I want people like you to have.”
After saying, “Wait for me,” the old man turned on his heel and took out a small wooden box from the back of the store and opened it. Inside was a palm-sized ocarina-like musical instrument.
The instrument’s intricate design was obvious even to the untrained eye.
“This is the Möglich. [2]”
“Möglich?”
“Its other name is ‘the Impossible’ [2]. It’s an instrument said to take a hundred years to master.”
“I once heard the horn is said to be the most difficult instrument in the world for humans to play.”
Frieren replied, recalling the boy from the marching band earlier. She remembered him struggling to play.
“That is a topic for ordinary humans. This instrument, however, was originally made by elves. You seem to be unaware of this.”
“That’s right. I didn’t know. Though it’s not strange if some elf did invent something like that.”
Frieren knew some of her own kind who spent so many years just killing time. [3]
“My great-grandfather inherited the Möglich, and he analyzed its structure. Apparently, it is impossible to produce a sound with this instrument unless they continue infusing in a small amount of mana while maintaining a perfect equilibrium. It would take more than ten years to produce a proper sound on this instrument. Fifty years is not even enough for an experienced mage to play one tune with it.”
“Really?” Frieren replied vaguely, not making it clear whether she was interested or not.
“I heard after one hundred years of diligently studying it, the sound one can play from this instrument is unparalleled.”
In fact, the old shopkeeper spent his life trying to master it. However, it was impossible for him to master the instrument as he did not possess any magical power. He could not even make it produce a sound.
“There is yet no one who has mastered it, much less know how to play it, so this instrument is still for sale, waiting for a buyer.”
The instrument had this eye-popping price tag. It was an amount that could already buy a house, and there was no way Frieren could afford it, not with the travelling-expenses-money she had on hand.
Of course, Frieren had no intention to buy it.
Certainly, it was rather interesting a fellow elf spent part of their long life in the form of developing this musical instrument. What kind of elf are they? Why did they give it to humans?
Most likely, she felt that this might be no more than a prank. It was an instrument that made sounds that could not be produced within the very short, fleeting lives of humans, after all.
“I am here because I want to hear the Möglich’s melodies one day. I have long sought for that timbre no words can describe. For so many years, this whole time. I eagerly awaited any who loved music or is loved by music to come here and finally fulfill my wish. It might be an impossible dream now, but I feel the guidance of the Goddess is at work that I am able to meet you, an elf.”
“I’m sorry, but…”
“I have no need for your money.”
“I can’t pay, then.”
“I want an elf like you to have it.” The old shopkeeper said with a strong tone.
His eyes held no arrogance on them, as if he was pushing his impossible dream onto someone else, but instead were filled with unadulterated hope.
“………”
After some hesitation, Frieren replied.
“If there’s no other buyers, I’ll think about it. This should be bought by someone who should own it though.”
“I see… Come back. I am sure you will.”
“I’ll be back. I plan on staying here for a while.”
The old man, as if to remind himself, called out to Frieren as she was about to leave.
“What is your name?”
“Frieren.”
“What a fine name. A name loved by music.”
2.
The dusk was casting its shadow over the city by the time she left the music store.
Frieren felt how the city’s tune changed between day and night.
Unlike the bustling daytime and the soundless midnight, the comforting evening was like a soft breeze caressing her cheeks.
Let’s have dinner, Frieren thought.
During the time she traveled with Himmel and their party, Himmel always decided where they would eat. He had this exceptional ability to find out any restaurant that had what Frieren and the others wanted without them telling him what they were in the mood to eat.
How did you know? She once asked him at the dinner table.
“You all have this way of showing what you’re thinking on your faces.”
Himmel smiled as he said this.
“Heiter’s face now has the color of a ditch.”
Eisen took a glance at the drunkard next to him.
“What?!”
Heiter looked back at Frieren, his face looking like an undead. He was so dead drunk he couldn’t tell the difference between Eisen and Frieren.
“You reek of booze.”
Frieren kicked him while Himmel laughed.
“Frieren, you see, I enjoy nothing more than having a meal with the four of us like this. I choose the food every one of us like as I want to make sure we all have a good time.”
She recalled wondering even then if it was the answer to her question.
She then looked at the restaurant now in front of her and thought it had the same appearance and atmosphere as the one from that time.
This restaurant, called Parlante [3], was such a calm place it was like it was not her first time entering it.
“What did Himmel like?”
Thinking back, Himmel always ordered his food last. It was often a different dish from theirs, or he would choose a dish that was easy to share between the four of them.
After that, he would portion out his food little by little, share that, and say, “Isn’t it more fun to have a variety of dishes at once?”
They had eaten around the table in as many places as she could remember. They partook of seafood when they were in coastal towns, they ate wild greens and hunted game in campgrounds, and they particularly were fond of each region’s local specialties.
“The food that can only be eaten in the place you’re in becomes a shared memory with the people you went in with. Even if you forget, you’ll remember again when you go there and eat the local food. That’s how I want to travel.”
Frieren remembered them talking about this one day, so she then called the waiter.
“Is there any dish you can only eat at this restaurant?”
Would Himmel be surprised to find out she had started thinking like that? Or would he laugh and say, “It’s written on your face,” as if he had already predicted this would happen?
The waiter flipped carefully through the menu pages.
“Our specialty is the l'oeuf omelette [4], made of ten chicken eggs. This dish has four servings, so shall I bring you a quarter of that?”
“No, I’ll order it as it is. If I can’t finish it all, I’ll have the rest on take-out.”
This dish, which was loved by well-known musicians, was bigger than expected and took up a large space on the table.
The evening for one person went on, her recalling that lively dinner table she once shared with others.
3.
It has been a month since she stayed, but she had been so distracted by the magic tool shops and the cityscapes, she wasn’t able to fully explore the small city.
Every time she passed the music store, however, the old shopkeeper would enthusiastically call Frieren’s name.
It had become routine for both of them to exchange small greetings.
It wasn’t particularly a trouble to Frieren, but somehow, she felt like going somewhere a bit different for today.
Not far off the city center, there was a street lined with monuments of musicians. Some were well-known, but others were unknown to Frieren.
At the end of the line, however, she found a rather out-of-place statue.
It was a bust of Himmel holding a violin. It was probably commissioned by the time he was travelling alone in neighboring countries after the Demon King’s defeat.
“He was here, too…” Frieren muttered unconsciously.
His eyes were closed, but his facial expression on the chin rest conveyed such a strong will. This must be the work of a skilled craftsman. One could tell a lot of time was spent making the statue. The finish it had was unique even among the more than one hundred types of heroes’ statues.
“So, he could play such a musical instrument.”
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She muttered those words to herself, not wanting anyone else to hear, but from behind her came an unexpected response.
“It’s just as Master Himmel said.”
When Frieren turned around, she saw the speaker was an old woman. There was quite a gap between the woman’s voice, which was quite youthful, and the woman’s elderly appearance. The woman continued with a well-projected voice.
“Might you be Lady Frieren?”
“……?”
For a few moments, Frieren couldn’t understand the words directed at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Master Himmel said that when he came here before.”
The old woman, using skillful vocal acrobatics, reenacted her and Himmel’s state during that time.
“One day in the future, a mage named Frieren will visit this city. I want to make a statue that will serve as a landmark for her.”
“A landmark? Won’t everyone just stop in front of Master Himmel instead?”
“I’m sure they will. But I’m also sure they’ll recognize her immediately as she gazes at me.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Yes, it is.”
The old woman cleared her throat once, ending her little performance. Frieren felt it was strange, given the woman was surprisingly good at imitating voices. She was then told the woman was a former star performer at a circus troupe. It was no wonder that the woman’s voice carried through strongly.
“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Flöte [5]. I got too excited at meeting you, Lady Frieren. This is embarrassing…”
Her cheeks blushed, a complete change from moments earlier when she was still acting with different voice tones.
“I witnessed a good performance.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Flöte smiled like a blooming flower.
“It seems like the statue was worth making.”
“Master Himmel lamented the statue wasn’t enough to convey his charm to the public.”
“Himmel would probably say that.”
Frieren then wiped the rust off the bronze statue’s flowy hair with a rag she carried.
“If only there was a ‘spell that removes rust from bronze statues’, this clean-up would be easier.”
“Let me help you.”
“It’s all right. I can do it on my own. So, why did Himmel say that?”
As all the rust was wiped off and the statue’s smile returned, the old woman answered Frieren with a mysterious look on her face.
“I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Frieren.”
She said it so apologetically that Frieren got an anxious expression.
“…What’s the reward?”
“A grimoire with the ‘spell to record sounds in a book’.”
At that point, Frieren broke into a smile.
“All right, I’m in.”
4.
“So, you want to dispel a spell that will not dispel until the caster dies?”
Frieren asked again, repeating the old woman’s words.
“That’s rather difficult. Nearly impossible, even.”
 “’I’m sure Frieren will do it’, that’s what Master Himmel told me before.”
“That’s absurd.”
“I’m also embarrassed to say… I am the caster in question.”
“I’m not getting the situation. What do you mean?”
“I ought to speak in order, then.”
 As the old woman said this, she began narrating her personal history.
Flöte was not born in the Capelle region, but in a family of mages, and her parents moved to the area as they hated the horrors of war, and there they established a magical circus troupe. She didn’t originally want to join the troupe, but due to the education she received, she was able to use various magic spells back then.
One of those spells was the ‘spell to erase one memory until death’. It would be a terrible spell if abused by others, but the spell was restricted so that it can only be cast on oneself.
There were many rumors about its effectiveness, which were never true. Some people said it reminded them of the moment of death where one’s whole life flashed before one’s eyes, while others said it meant like being buried in eternal darkness.
In any case, it was a mysterious kind of magic.
One day, when she was 15 years old, having mastered the spell at such a young age, she then cast it upon herself.
Since then, Flöte had lost that one memory, even until now.
“In short, I want to dispel that oblivion spell I casted upon myself.”
“What memory did you erase?”
“That’s the thing: I don’t know. I did erase it, after all.”
With downcast eyes, she connected her words.
“However, I began to wonder if I did lose something important on a whim, especially as I grew older and get closer to death. If, due to the heat of the moment, I buried that memory I shouldn’t have lost with the magic spell I learned, at least, I want to remember what it is before I die. I’m sorry, you might think of this as a selfish request.”
The old woman finally spoke in a voice appropriate for her age.
“When Master Himmel was in the city, I got an opportunity to tell him about it. He then told me about you, Lady Frieren. That Lady Frieren is sure to do something about it.”
Observing Frieren carefully, the old woman then appealed to her.
“Please, will you grant my request? I want to spend the little time I have left, which will pass in the blink of an eye, without any regrets.”
The old woman spoke eloquently, but Frieren didn’t reply, seemingly getting lost in her thoughts.
She walked through the city after, letting time pass, and when night came, she booked a room in a tavern.
Late at night, when the tavern earlier filled with cheerful music finally went quiet, the events of the day came to Frieren’s thoughts as she leafed through the pages of her grimoire.
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5.
“This journey must have been a blink of an eye for you,” Himmel said.
The comment came as perfectly natural as picking vegetables in the market.
“I’ve almost died so many times, but now that I’ve made it here, everything feels so nostalgic.”
After the Demon King’s defeat, Himmel continued on as he rode the shaky carriage back to the Royal Capital.
“Frieren. I know you don’t think of this as nostalgic yet, but the day will come when you remember this journey, us, and this moment. I don’t know when that will be. Maybe after I die. Even so, I’m sure you’ll be able to laugh and say, ‘That was a silly journey, wasn’t it?’”
“It’s too early for the serious talk! We haven’t truly defeated the Demon King until we return home!”
Heiter continued to tease them while smiling.
“Well, we still have requests to fulfill.”
On his return to the Royal Capital, Himmel received many requests. He took on small tasks to help people, fixing roads, even searching for lost things.
Their current request back then was from the village undertaker, who asked them to eliminate a monster that only reacted to human corpses.
When asked for more details, the undertaker said there was a dragon blocking the only bridge that connected the village and the town. Since the dragon damaging the area only occurred when corpses were carried away, it was concluded that the dragon had the tendency to target only corpses.
It didn’t respond to scarecrows, and pretending to be dead didn’t work on it either. Since it only paid attention to real human corpses, Frieren guessed it might have eyes that could detect whether a person is alive or dead.
“I’ll act as bait.”
Himmel spoke resolutely, as he always did.
“You just defeated the Demon King, and you want to die here?” Eisen said. “Stop being reckless!”
“Even Eisen, who doesn’t die even if he was eaten by monsters, is useless this time, huh.”
“Heiter, shut up.”
Frieren looked at the two badmouthing each other and then asked.
“Can’t we just borrow a corpse?”
“We can’t do that, Frieren.”
Himmel continued, as if to admonish her.
“A dead person is the image of a life lived fully. We can’t recklessly put that in danger. Besides, even if I’ll be acting as bait, I won’t truly die. Frieren, you can put me in a state of suspended animation, yes?”
“A state of suspended animation?”
She once casted the ‘spell to encase a living creature on ice’ on a ferocious enormous fish. Himmel must have that time in mind when he said this.
“Are you sure? If I make a slight mistake, you’ll truly die.”
“You can do it, right?”
“I don’t know.”
Frieren shrugged her shoulders and…
“Just do it this time. You’re capable of it, after all.”
“Go for it!”
Heiter and Eisen happily cheered.
“I don’t know what will happen.”
Himmel stood on top of the bridge as Frieren took out her staff.
“Frieren. Fire at me.”
A flash of mana concentrated on the staff’s tip then enveloped Himmel. The air around froze, and Himmel quietly collapsed.
Soon after, a very large shadow appeared on the bridge. A dragon came on sight. As it circled the sky above, it went straight at Himmel, as if it had set its sights on him. Its piercing eyes and the sharp claws it brought out now loomed nearer.
Facing that, a large swing of the warrior Eisen’s axe violently exploded.
A heavy, dull sound echoed throughout the area.
White smoke and cold air blended, then wafted away as if they were thawing. One could see that Eisen was the last one standing.
Frieren then promptly used the ‘spell to warm up the skin’ on Himmel’s cold body.
Regaining his breath, Himmel smiled at Frieren with a reddened face.
“See? I told you; you can do it.”
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6.
Frieren snapped her grimoire shut.
“The ‘spell to erase one memory until death’, huh.”
The next day, as the morning sun rose, the city became slowly filled with sound.
Frieren woke up on the hard floor far from her bed, and with bed hair she went to Flöte’s house.
It was to put a theory into practice. This was a drastic measure, but in Frieren’s opinion this measure would work.
“Lady Frieren, good morning. Did you find out anything?”
The old woman’s voice seemed refreshed.
“You’ll have to die.”
“Huh?”
“That’s why I’ll put you into the state of suspended animation.”
“……”
There was a moment of confusion from the old woman, then silence. However, after a while, she looked like she had made up her mind.
“Please. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
As soon as she heard those words, Frieren gently raised her staff.
“Lie on the bed. I’m starting.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes, indeed, but are you all right with this…?”
“I’ve done it once before. I can do it.”
“If Lady Frieren says so, then it will be all right. Please do so.”
The spell Frieren casted on the old woman enveloped the latter’s body, and for a moment her body stiffened.
Soon after, however, the old woman’s body regained movement, just like how coloring paint flowed when dissolved in water. She then wore this childlike expression, showing a trace of the young girl she once was.
“How are you?” Frieren asked shortly after. “You technically have died once, so your memory should be back.”
“Hahaha… I was worried like a child…”
The old woman seemed to have recovered her lost memory.
As an adolescent, she didn’t want to join the magical circus troupe. Instead, she yearned for a particular musical instrument.
“The Möglich, the instrument said to take a hundred years to master…”
She strongly yearned for it, but it was too expensive, and she could not spend a hundred years on it, so as a child, she thought she could just forget it existed.
So, she sealed that memory instead. She put the lid on that unattainable wish and began to live on reality.
“I’m glad I remembered… I’ll put my life on the line even if it takes years before I reached my dream, and I’ll start learning from now on.”
“I see. Then, you should have that instrument.”
As the Möglich was an instrument which used magical power to produce sound, without doubt, it would be a good match for Flöte, who was a mage.
“I’ll tell the music store shopkeeper. That there is this customer who has wanted it for a long time.”
“Oh, no. Are you truly sure?”
“I want someone who loves music more than me to have it, you see.”
“Thank you very much. Lady Frieren, I cannot thank you enough.”
“I get rewarded anyways, so…”
“Yes, you’re right.” The old woman took out a grimoire from her bookshelf. “This is the grimoire with the ‘spell to record sounds in a book’. I’m ashamed to say I have already recorded various sounds in this book…”
Flöte’s eyes went downcast as she said this, just like when she and Frieren first met.
“It sounds like a strange hobby, isn’t it? As it was routine for me to travel to various places as part of the magical circus troupe, I had a lot of once-in-a-lifetime chance encounters, and I wanted to preserve them in some form. The local people and the sounds from nature became my source of support. Among these are the recordings of my meetings with Master Himmel.”
“This isn’t a strange hobby. Himmel would have said the same.”
Frieren said she would return the grimoire when she finished reading it, then left the room.
On the same day, Frieren went to Restaurant Parlante, which was now a completely familiar place for her, and ordered an omelette. When she went to bed with a full stomach, she then opened the grimoire the old woman gave her.
Just as Flöte said, the grimoire had sounds from various ages, places, genders of people… some of them were sounds from nature, some being the noise of daily lives.
“You… you look familiar.”
Was this how the old music store shopkeeper sounded like when he was younger?
“I’ll have the ten-egg l'oeuf omelette, please!”
The voice of a very well-known musician continued.
“This time, I’m thinking of starting a marching band in this city.”
“One day in the future, a mage named Frieren will visit this city. I want to make a statue that will serve as a landmark for her.”
She heard Himmel’s voice as she turned a page. His voice was a bit different from the last time she met him, but it was still Himmel’s voice from her memories. It felt nostalgic, too.
And she realized that Flöte’s voice imitation before was a bit exaggerated.
“Please pose quickly! You’re just holding a violin…!”
This was probably the heartbroken cry of the craftsman who made that Himmel bust.
It seemed like Flöte, as a young girl, followed her interests and recorded these sounds from the various places she went, and the chance encounters she cherished. Frieren could just imagine how she looked like during then.
“………”
It might not be a bad idea to retrace that journey with everyone, she thought, looking at the east towards the Royal Capital.
In the end, Frieren decided to leave after staying in the city for around three months.
When she said goodbye to the music store shopkeeper, he excitedly said, “Flöte loves music and is loved by music.” He said the old woman mastered producing sounds on the Möglich at an extraordinarily fast pace, something that would have normally taken ten years.
After all, it was appropriate for those who should own it to have it.
As she was preparing herself to leave with these thoughts in mind, a marching band passed by in front of the tavern.
The boy playing the horn had grown taller in a short time, and his hat now fitted him better. His fingers holding the horn now had calluses on them, and his blowing on it sounded less labored than before.
The sound was brave and gentle, but eventually became grainy.
A celebratory fanfare sounding like a parade salute echoed on Frieren’s back as she left the city.
(END)
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Written as カペッレ in katakana. I decided to translate it as “Capelle”, as the word means “the private orchestra or band of a prince or church”, which is a reference to the marching band in this short novel.
[2] Written as メークリヒ in katakana. In German, “möglich” means “possible”.
[3] Written as パルランテ in katakana. “Parlante” means “a piece of music to be sung or played in the style of a recitative”.
[4] In French, "l'oeuf" means "egg". In short, this word is just a fancy term for "egg omelettes".
[5] Written as フレーテ in katakana. In German, “Flöte” means “flute” or “whistle”.
[6] Frieren was most likely thinking of Milliarde, an elf friend of hers who first appeared in Chapter 69.
244 notes · View notes
builtbybrokenbells · 4 months
Text
CAPITAL VICES | GREED
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Greed: an intense and selfish desire for something
Masterlist
Pairing: Jake Kiszka x f!reader
Word Count: 14k
Warnings: SMUT 18+, unprotected sex, semi public sex, pretty public sex briefly 😭, quickies, fingering (f!receiving), sir kink, lots of dirty talk, touch of degradation, touch of praise, lots of flirting, teasing, cum play I suppose?, name calling, mentions of toxic relationships, brief mentions of abuse/abusive relationships, mentions of cheating, drinking, swearing, fluff, sorry if i miss any!
hi!! i got internet today and finally finished this up. so happy to get back into the swing of things. my second roommate finally moved in and life seems pretty okay for once. as always, enjoy, be kind, and don’t mind any grammar mistakes 🫶🏻 also this chapter is a wholeee lot, some fluff, lots of filth, and for once, not really much angst!! (Lightly edited too, my apologies)
😈: Call me?
The text tone rang through the air, immediately breaking your focus from the screen of your laptop. You read over the message a few times, hating that it immediately prompted a rush of emotion straight through you. It was despicable that he had so much power over you by simply existing, and the fact that he barely said a word made it all the worse. Perhaps the most incriminating notion of it all was that you were ready to drop everything you were doing in exchange for a moment of conversation with him. Instead of feeding into the temptation, you typed back a simple response.
You: Busy.
The read receipt immediately sold him out, letting you know that he was sitting in the chat awaiting your response. Somehow, he knew you wouldn’t comply. It was a tell tale story, him giving you an order and you doing whatever you could to ignore it. Eventually, he got his way, but you did always seem to put in a good effort. Within seconds, his name lit up your screen with an incoming call. You rolled your eyes, debating on whether to answer or decline. After a few moments of awkward staring, you hit the green button. Before you could even utter a greeting, he was already speaking.
“What’s got you so tied up that you can’t talk, angel?” He asked, the sultry tone immediately sending a wave of butterflies through your stomach.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Jacob.” You snipped, setting your phone down beside you on the table. After a moment of silence, the vibrations began again, showcasing his request for a video call. This time, he really did begin to get on your nerves. Reluctantly, you accepted. “You’re needy today.” You rattled off the astute observation in an attempt to get under his skin, but it did not seem to bother him. He remained silent instead of spewing out a counter argument, looking a bit tense as he studied the screen. “Christ, what is your problem?” You asked, propping your phone up against your laptop screen.
“What are you doing, sweetheart?” He asked again, relaxing once he’d recognized the familiar paintings hanging on the wall of your bedroom.
“Working.” You said, biting down on the inside of your lip as you zoomed in on the photograph you were editing. Your eyes flickered back to your phone, the sight of his face nearly knocking the breath from your lungs. “I, uh, I’m just working on some wedding pictures.” You found it difficult to keep your rigid exterior when your eyes connected with his, the soft brown immediately warming your cold expression. “Why the video call? Worried there’s another guy in my bed?” He let out a chuckle, but did not deny the accusation. You knew that’s exactly why he called, but he refused to admit to his jealous tendencies. Although there was no relationship between you two, it was quite apparent that the two of you were only concerned with seeing each other.
“It’s nearly six; why are you still working?”
“Just want to finish these up. I’ve had them for a couple weeks now, and I usually don’t like to keep them this long.” You explained, touching up the lighting in the background of the photo. “Someone has been distracting me.”
“I wonder who that is?” He smirked, happy for the recognition.
“Yeah, I wonder.” You rolled your eyes. “Is that why you called? Looking for some late night entertainment?”
“You always think the worst of me, darling.” He smiled, rustling with something off camera. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
“You know you don’t have to compliment your way into my bed.” You glanced at your phone, noticing his eyes lingering over you as you spoke.
“Maybe I just wanted to be nice.” He offered, knowing that his compliment had nothing to do with his desire for sex. You were both aware that all he had to do was show up and he would get exactly what he wanted, but it was more than that to him. He liked to call things as they were, and if that meant flattery in any sense, he was more than happy to dish it out.
“You? Being nice?” You raised an eyebrow, unbelieving that the compliment was without any deeper significance. Even after days full of sweet words, you still had difficulty trusting that he was sincere rather than doing all he could to keep you on his hook.
“Oh, shut up.” He dismissed you. “What are you doing in an hour?” Your eyes flickered to the clock in response to his question.
“Well, that depends if you mean exactly an hour from now. At 6:47, I’ll probably still be sitting here working, but at 7, I’ll be cozying up with a bottle of wine, wondering when you’ll come knocking on my door.” He laughed at your need for theatrics, finding your wit incredibly alluring.
“How about at 6:30, you have your hair done and put on a pretty little dress, and at 6:45, you answer the door and let me take you to the bar for a few drinks?” He offered, unwilling to take no for an answer.
“Why would I come with you to the bar when I can get drunk at home?” You questioned, already knowing that you would obey his wish and be waiting for him well before he arrived. It still proved plenty of fun to push his buttons, and you couldn’t resist. “It would be much more peaceful; I wouldn’t have to listen to you all night.”
“You’d love to listen to me all night, don’t fool yourself.” He brushed you off. “I know I’d love to listen to you all night.” His tone dropped as he added the second part, letting you know that conversation was not something he was expecting to come from your mouth by the end of the evening.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” You rolled your eyes. “Why waste your money on drinks when you can come fuck me right now?” You posed the idea, hoping that he might comply with the request so you didn’t have to waste time dressing up. It was a fruitless endeavor anyway, knowing that when he got his hands on you, the dress would be long forgotten and your makeup would be ruined.
“Because I’m going to the bar with my brothers, angel, and I’d really like it if you came, too.”
“That seems awfully domestic.” You muttered. “Meeting the family definitely isn’t my definition of casual.”
“It’s my definition of friends.” He argued. “Besides, you’ve already met Josh. I know you’ll have a great time.” You heaved a long sigh, saving your work and facing the phone fully. He gave you a smile when he noticed your attention was focused on him.
God, how he loved to be the center of attention.
“Then I’ll take you home,” he explained, making sure you were listening carefully “and I’ll fuck that attitude out of you, all night long.” Your cheeks dusted pink at his vulgarity. Although you had effectively said the same thing, it always seemed dirtier coming from his lips. “Sound like a deal?”
“6:45, Jacob. Don’t be late.” You warned.
“For you? Never.” He smirked, ending the call with no formal goodbye. You sat for a moment, shaking your head at the strength in which he affected you. Without any further debate, you closed your laptop and stood from your chair, making your way to the bathroom to hop in the shower.
It had been about three weeks since the fateful night at the bar left you tangled in Jake Kiszka’s web. Three weeks of constant certainty that the two of you would remain solely connected through intimacy but neglect any romantic feelings. It was working out well, but your excessive indulgence had been pushing boundaries of greed since the first night you met. Now, it was uncommon for you to spend a night without being immersed in him, whether than be at your own home or at his. Your bed smelled like him and his memory was embedded in the fabric of your pillowcases. And in your shower, and your kitchen counter, and even your living room furniture. There was no part of your home that was free from the mark of his memory, and even if you tried to convince yourself to hate it, you knew it was there to stay.
There was not a surface in your household that was free of his touch, and not a fiber of your being that was free of his deadly charm. He had a hold on you stronger than anything you had felt before, and it was welcomed, even if you refused to admit it to him. Jake’s company was fantastic, and the fact that you could indulge in it without worry of further commitment or heartbreak was comforting. He was not in love, and neither were you, and you were both content with the knowledge that you did not have the intent to be with each other in such a way.
He had become your friend despite your reluctance to accept it. On top of that, he’d become the very thing that haunted every thought and dream that crossed your mind. You were a woman gone mad, desperate for a hint of attention and begging for the grace of his hands. The concupiscent nature between you was near embarrassing to choke down, and the strength in which you felt for him was incomprehensible. You needed Jake in the same way a starving man needs food, and the pleasure that he gave you had long surpassed a need for survival; sometimes, it felt as though it was the very thing that your being was put on earth to receive. Pleasing him went hand in hand for all he gave to you, and you were fine knowing that the two coincided with perfect unity.
He was placed in your life for many reasons, and sometimes you believed none of them were good, but you knew that you would go to the ends of the earth to reward him for the service he provided you. It was a relationship built from sin, yet even the barren depths of hell could not scare you away from him, because an eternity filled with suffering would be worth the moment of euphoria you felt at his hands. He was the devil, and you were the worshipper that in turn, gave him all of his power. He would be nothing if you were not feeding in to him, but the chains that bound you to him were so tight that they had fused to your skin. It was a vicious cycle that both of you were aware of, yet cared little about freeing yourself from it.
Love, although not something that you wanted to admit to, seemed to be creeping up on you with the utmost of silence, trying it’s best to kill you before you ever noticed it’s company. You were not in love with him, and even when he was wrapped around you in the most intimate display, you still did not feel the emotion. But, just because you did not feel it, did not mean it did not exist. Love was everywhere, surrounding you at all times and existing within you even while asleep. It was not love in the traditional sense, and nowhere near close to the kind that made you want to get married and settle down with children. It was the love of his company, and the love of his sharp tongue and sweet words. It was present in the shared jokes and coffee in the morning after spending the night together (Coffee and lunch had become routine, because you did well to adhere to your no breakfast rule).
It was different than any love you had experienced before, because it was not the type that made you willing to sacrifice yourself on his behalf nor go insane trying to love someone who did not love you. It was enjoyment in his company, and the laughter that hung in the air. You loved him as a friend, and you were in lust with him as a person. You were not dependent on his help to survive, but you did not want to picture a life without him in it. He was a great companion, and a fantastic friend, but you could not seem to view him as anything more. You did not want to blame it on his character, because it was simply not true. Jake was fantastic, but it was your own personal issues and morals that stood in the way of anything further than casual sex. So far, despite your limited time apart, he hadn’t seemed to overstep any boundaries or push your limits. As far as you could tell, he was content with the same things you were, and he had no interest in anything more.
For now, it was a comfort to know the both of you wanted the same outcome, but perhaps it was the most dangerous thing of all. The only thing that was worse than one person falling unwillingly, was both of you falling unknowingly.
You climbed out of the shower, drying off as you checked the time on your phone. Once your body was free of any water droplets, you wrapped your hair in a towel and moved on to your closet. Your eyes scanned your wardrobe, landing on a cute little black dress. You slipped it on, settling your arms in the long sleeves and straightening the front. It had a plunging neckline, the bottom of it reaching just under your chest on your sternum. You searched your room for tape to hold the soft fabric in place. When you were certain it would not move, you fixed the bottom, settling it mid-thigh. You took a quick look in the mirror, content with your choice and ready to move on to makeup.
In the bathroom, you had a constant eye on your phone to ensure Jake wasn’t texting or calling. He hated to be kept waiting, and you liked him enough to not want to push that button. You ran a comb through your hair as you blowdried it, adding a few loose curls to the ends for some volume. With little time to spare, you dusted some eyeshadow over your eyelids and put some mascara on your lashes after dabbing on a touch of foundation. You picked through your lipglosses and rushed through the application after hearing a knock sound on your door. With a small smile on your face, you rushed to greet your company for the night.
When you opened the door, you nearly fell to your knees at the sight. Jake was dressed in all black, with similar clothes to the night you met him, but somehow he seemed even more beautiful than he did then. There was a chain dangling from his neck and a few rings on his finger, and of course, the familiar cocky smirk adorned on his lips. You began to realize that Jake would not be himself without it. “6:45 on the dot.” You noted, your brain finally catching up with the moment.
“Told you I’d never be late for you, angel.” He recalled, taking a long look over you. “Seems like we match.” He tried to hide the lustful staring, but his eyes were permanently fixated on the exposed skin on your chest.
“I guess so.” You said, your eyes just as focused on the unbuttoned portion of his shirt. The need you both displayed for each other was shameless, and it was the loudest thing in any room you entered.
“You look fantastic.” He said, taking a step forward and letting the door close behind him. When he did, you caught a strong scent of cologne that was unfamiliar to you. It was new, it seemed expensive, and it was so heavenly that it was difficult not to tear his clothes off right then and there.
“Is this what you had in mind for a pretty little dress?” You teased, giving him a smile.
“Even better than what I had in mind.” He corrected, snaking his hand to your hip and pulling you into him. He brought his free hand to your chest, gently running the knuckle of his index finger down between your breasts and stopping at the same spot that the fabric resumed. A shiver went down your spine at the light tickle of his touch, and your skin ignited with a fire that could not be contained. “All of this just for me, sweetheart?” His tone was low and gravely, overtaken by desire for you.
“Don’t be so full of yourself, honey.” You brushed off his claim, yet both of you knew the defence was weak. You dressed to impress him, and his eyes and hands were the only thing you wanted on you. “Maybe I just wanted to make a good first impression.” He raised an eyebrow at your statement, challenging you without saying a single word. You nearly faltered under the weight of his stare, but you remained strong despite your tendencies to submit to him.
“Your idea of a good first impression is dressing like a whore?” He questioned, but the harsh words did not match his stature nor his tone. It was incredibly playful, almost as if he was trying to initiate foreplay already. Your cheeks burned red at the statement, but you continued holding his unwavering stare.
“Worked on you, did it not?” You asked, a small smirk playing on the corner of your mouth.
“So you’re trying to get them into bed, too?” He did not lighten up on his intense gaze, but somehow you were just content that you seemed to catch his undivided attention.
“If I remember correctly, you were doing all of the trying that night. I wasn’t interested in taking you home.” You reminded him of his relentless efforts and your continuous rejection as if it hadn’t been playing on repeat in his head since it happened. His hand slipped to your ass, bringing you closer to him with a force that made your head spin.
“Are you trying to get yourself in trouble again?” He asked while his fingers pressed into the skin that was already bruised from the night before. The pain held little importance compared to the mess that was beginning to form between your legs. “Why is it so hard for you to admit that you want to look good for me?”
“Because I’d hate to fuel your ego any further.” You snipped, but your hand was in search of him, landing on his side as you attempted to pull him closer. “And I’m not a liar.” You were, but neither of you needed to point out the obvious.
“That’s okay, angel. You don’t have to say it. Your body does all the talking for you.” He loosened his grip, giving you a small pat on the ass. You couldn’t help the frown that took over your face as he began to pull away. He caught sight of your expression, pausing for a moment as a glimmer of joy filled his eyes. “So that’s what it is,” he muttered, his gaze flickering to your lips. “You were hoping to piss me off enough so I would fuck you before we left.”
“No,” you shook your head, rejecting the idea even if he hit the nail straight on the head. He gave a low chuckle, leaning down and pressing his lips to your own. Your eyes fluttered closed, finding your prior arguments ceasing to exist within seconds of his touch. When he pulled away, the smile had returned to your face as if it never left at all.
“I missed you, sweetheart.” As domestic as the statement was, you couldn’t argue with it, for you had missed him just as much.
“I know.” You hummed. You did not have to say it back because he knew you did, too.
“Get your stuff so we can get going.” He ordered.
“Pushy,” you muttered, but turned to do as he asked.
“The faster we get there, the faster we can come back here.” He explained, watching you intently as you walked away from him. He was already itching to get that dress off of you, and it was no secret. You could see it in his eyes.
“Could just stay here.” You offered, calling out from your bedroom. You weren’t opposed to meeting his brothers; far from it, really. You quite enjoyed Josh’s company when he showed up unannounced at Jake’s apartment, and you could only assume you’d get along just as well with the others. What you did like more than drinking was the sex Jake had to offer, and you knew sitting tipsy in a bar booth was nowhere near as enticing as having him alone in your bed.
“You don’t sound very excited.” He noted, holding his hand out for you to grab as you walked out of your room. With little hesitation, you slipped your own into his and flicked the lights off.
“I am excited to meet them, but more excited about what comes after.” You corrected, pulling your keys out to lock the door behind you.
“Trust me, angel, if you’re good for me tonight, I’ll be good to you.” You nodded, knowing that he wouldn’t lie to you about that. As for being good, you weren’t sure if you could uphold the standard, especially to his expectations. Holding your tongue had never been a strong suit for you, but you could definitely give it a shot.
“So what do they think we are?” You asked, letting him guide you to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for you, allowing you inside. Once you were settled, he closed it and got in the drivers seat. “Do I have to pretend that we’re in love, or do they know what we’re doing?”
“Sam and Danny think that we’re friends.” He chuckled, starting the car before looking over to you. “Josh only knows better because he saw you in my apartment.”
“Ah, so I’m a dirty little secret?” You raised an eyebrow. He smirked, giving a shake of his head as he slipped his hand to your thigh. You rested yours on top of his, hoping that he would keep it there for the whole drive.
“No, sweetheart.” He said, backing out of your driveway and into the road. “I just wanted to avoid them having any impression of you in their heads before they met you.”
“What does that mean?” You questioned, looking out the window as he drove.
“That means,” he paused, turning up the radio only slightly “you’re more than just someone I have sex with. I didn’t want them to know you as that, because you have way more to offer.” You couldn’t deny the tugging of your heartstrings as he spoke, finding his response genuine and sweet. “I don’t want them to like you because they feel like they have to. I want them to like you because they got the chance to know you like I do.”
“No pre-existing conditions,” you whispered “thank you, Jake.” Instead of a verbal response, he gave your leg a light squeeze. “You must bring home some interesting women if you’re scared they’re going to feel required to like me.”
“Why do you think I don’t date?” He quipped. His tone was light, but it didn’t seem like he was joking. For a moment, you felt like you could see straight through him. For another, you felt like you could relate to him. You did not know how to respond, so you didn’t. You were not in the game for comfort or therapeutic measures, and neither was he.
As you looked out the window, a strange feeling washed over you. You did not know Jake nearly well enough to be so entranced by him. You had pegged him as a whore without really knowing who he was, and you had built your walls up so high that you could not see over them for long enough to understand Jake for what he truly was. He did not seem to want a relationship with you, but he did want to be involved with you, and so much so that he hadn’t let you forget it since the minute he walked into your life. It did not appear that he was entertaining anyone else, and in truth, you did not fear he was simply because you knew he did not have the time. Between working, texting or calling you, or being with you, he seemed pretty preoccupied. More than that, he seemed content. In some strange way, you were, too, and one of the biggest problems you had with dating had already been conquered without you even realizing it.
Jake was integrated in to your daily routine so well that it almost seemed empty without him, and it was not in the negative way you perceived it to be in the beginning. He was a positive addition to your routine rather than a distraction, and he did not interfere with the things you believed he might. When you found clothes he forgot, you washed them and folded them alongside your own to return to him at a later date. He watched whatever you put on the television without a complaint, and offered you new music rather than forcing it upon you. He took up space in your bed, but did not impede on your own. He did not keep you up at night by snoring or stealing blankets, and often times, you slept better with his lazy arm slung over you. You did not want to wed him, but he had certainly proven that he was not a waste of your time.
Denial is a stage of grief, after all, and grieving your former self was all you had been doing as of late.
“What’s your favourite color, Jake?” You asked, looking back over at him. He glanced at you from the drivers seat, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he processed your question.
“What?” He laughed, still unsure of your words.
“Your favourite color.” You repeated as if it was a completely normal inquiry.
“Uh… red, if I had to pick.” Fitting for the devil, you thought.
“Okay.” You nodded, looking back out the windshield.
“Why do you ask, sweetheart?”
“I guess I just feel like I don’t know enough about you sometimes.” You explained, feeling a small spark of embarrassment ignite in your chest. “We spend so much time together and I don’t even know your favourite color or which brother is your favourite, or anything like that.” He let out another hearty laugh at your words, finding your desire to know more about him intriguing.
“So you want to know me, now?” He asked, surprised that you were asking questions first.
“We’re friends, are we not?” You snipped, your tone sharp and defensive.
“I’d like to think so, but you seem to disagree.” He chuckled. “Ask me whatever you want angel, and I’ll answer.”
“Whatever I want?” You raised an eyebrow, wondering if he realized the extent of his promise. He did not try to take back the claim. Instead, he nodded his head to show you he was being truthful. “Okay, I guess I will, too.” Although begrudgingly, you thought it was only fair to be open and honest with him if he was willing to do so with you.
“What’s your favourite colour?” He asked, curious himself.
“You’re pushing it.” You warned, a smile on your lips to show you were joking. “Green. Dark forest green, like the way the trees look when the sun has just set.”
“Good to know.” He said, making sure to store the information in his mind.
“Do you do this often? Or am I just one of a kind?” You finally spewed out the most pressing question in your head.
“No, you’re one of a kind.” There was no room for doubt in his answer, because his tone was laced with utmost certainty. “I’ve never done this before, actually.”
“So why am I so special?” He looked back over at you, studying your face as he formulated a proper response.
“You’re different than anyone I’ve ever met.” He started slow, trying his best to word it properly. “I don’t like dating, and I don’t like commitment all that much, but I liked you from the minute I saw you. I wanted you, but for some reason, I wanted to know you even more than I wanted sex. I didn’t want to leave in the morning and never see you again.” He said, focusing on the road as he spoke. “I figured I’d shoot my shot and if you turned me down, no harm no foul. Then I started talking to you, and I knew there was no way I was walking away without you. Your snarky little comments and your sarcasm was impossible to ignore, and your lack of interest was just making me more interested. You had a comeback for everything I said, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who I clicked with like that.” He shrugged. “The sex was mind blowing, and you get along with Josh really well. Was kind of a no brainer for me.”
“Oh,” you nodded, feeling your cheeks warm with another blush. You hated that you always seemed to be blushing when he was around. “I, uh, I don’t like that stuff either, and I really don’t like one night stands, but I liked you too. I’m pretty stubborn, and I think I just assumed you were lying to get what you wanted.”
“S’okay.” He gave your thigh another squeeze. “I get it. People suck.”
“Yeah, they do.” You agreed. “I told myself a long time ago I would never date anyone again, and I still feel that way, but I do like you and I like what we’re doing.”
“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to, but I’ll always listen.” He promised, pulling into the parking lot of the bar.
“It’s not a very long story, but I wouldn’t want to bore you with it.” You shrugged.
“I’ve got all the time in the world.” He assured you, putting the car in park and turning his attention towards you. When you caught his eye, it was astounding how much care was held in his gaze.
“I’ve gotten my fair share of strange looks and whispers around town for the last few years.” You explained. “Usually when you’re divorced before 25, people talk. At 22, it was even worse.” He did not change his expression, nor did he make a move to speak. He was listening, and he knew he would listen to you until long after the sun came up with no judgement and no interruption. In the three weeks he’d known you so intimately, never had you mentioned a word about your past so bluntly. He was desperate to know you, and he felt lucky that he was even getting the chance.
“I was stupid, and I married my high school sweetheart. At eighteen, he bought a cheap ring at the nearest pawn shop, and I wore it proudly, just like it was the most expensive diamond in the world. By nineteen, we were moved in to a shitty house in the poor part of town and I had his last name. Life wasn’t glamorous, and it certainly wasn’t easy, but I was happy. I worked part time as a server ay diner off the highway and made the rest of my money taking shitty pictures off my dad’s old camera from the 90’s.” You said, looking down at his hand burning into the skin of your thigh. It looked prettier on you than your ex’s ever did, and even in the short time you knew him, you knew that for certain. “When you’re that young, you don’t listen to anyone. No matter how many times I was told I was making a mistake, I didn’t listen. Kids never do.”
“What happened, angel?” He asked, noticing the disdain growing in your eyes.
“People change.” You finally looked up to meet his eyes. “Sometimes for the better, but most of the time, it’s for the worst.” You weren’t sure why you felt so comfortable telling him everything, but you didn’t feel the need to hide anything from him, and you knew that no matter what, the story would be safe with him. “By twenty, he’d already slept with half of the women in the neighborhood; it didn’t seem to matter if they were married too. If anything, I think he liked the thrill more than he liked getting off. Before I turned 21, he stopped saying I love you and turned to fists and raised voices. I was lucky that my sister opened up her spare room to me when I finally found a way out, and I was even luckier that he had a good job and lots in his savings account when I took him to court. I got a restraining order and changed my name, and bought a house on the other side of town with the money I got in the settlement.
“I had no idea, y/n.” He said, a spark of sadness showing in his eyes.
“Of course you didn’t. I’m not that person anymore, and I never will be. I don’t talk about it because it’s not who I am, and it’s not something that holds any value anymore. I changed, and I got over it; it was five years ago, but I don’t date anymore because I don’t think I could ever give anyone any power over me again.” You were lying through your teeth, because you knew he held a power over you, even if it was not romantic. Your strength astounded him, and as much as he wanted to voice his willingness to protect you for the rest of his life, he knew you did not need it. You seemed like you had more strength at 27 than he could ever comprehend in his lifetime. “It doesn’t change the person sitting next to you; I’m the same as I was the minute before I opened my mouth, and I don’t want you to think differently.” You took in a long breath. “Friends know each other, Jacob, so don’t ever doubt our friendship again. You know more about me than most of the world.”
“Understood.” He smiled. “Friends it is then, angel.” He was estatic to finally hear the words come out of your mouth without hesitation.
“What about you, then? Dating isn’t your game either, so I hope your story isn’t as tragic.” You joked, trying your best to lighten the mood. The tension was heavy in the air, and unlike usual, it was not sexual in any way. The weight of your confession was crushing the both of you, and you desperately wanted to change the subject.
“No, not quite.” He chuckled, understanding that you wanted to joke your way through the hurt. “Cheating takes a toll after a while, and I guess lots of people find it a fascinating hobby.” He explained. “After it happens so often, you get sick of pouring your heart into someone who doesn’t really give a shit in the end. I dated a girl for a very long time. We met not long after I graduated and we stayed together until about a year before I moved here. Loyalty wasn’t her thing, and I think I was too blind to see her for what she was. The guys hated her, but love makes you stupid.”
“That it does, Jacob. That’s why I don’t do it.” You said. “I value my sanity far more than I care about being alone.”
“Right,” he nodded “I spent a few months heartbroken, and then I just stopped caring. I had a few one night stands, but I didn’t really like it. Sex is fun, but when you told me there was no point in getting to know someone only to try and forget them in the morning, I couldn’t have agreed more. When I met you, and you felt the same ways I did, and you understood that sex is different than a relationship, it was like a breath of fresh air.”
“It was.” You agreed. “I like being friends with you, Jake, and I really like having sex with you, but that’s why I was so stern about not falling in love. I’m not ready for it, and I probably never will be.”
“I get it, and I feel the same way.” He sighed, happy to know the truth about the situation.
The only unfortunate part of the truth was that it did nothing but open the next door that was in the way of falling for each other.
“I’d like to know you, Jake.” You admitted. “Really know you, like more than what we’re doing now.”
“I’d like that, too.” He smiled.
“Still no breakfast, of course.” You informed.
“Of course not. Wouldn’t dream of it.” He laughed, genuine happiness radiating from his features. You felt a flutter of warmth in your stomach, finding yourself almost too excited to see him happy. “Would you like to go inside?”
“Yeah, sure.” You nodded, unbuckling your seatbelt. He got out of the car to open the door for you, holding your hand as you steadied yourself on your feet. When he was certain you had your balance, he slipped a loose hand to your lower back. “I’m excited to meet them.” You assured him, knowing that he had fear of you going because it felt obligatory.
“Good, I know they’re excited, too.” A small smile crossed your lips as he opened the bar door for you, allowing you inside first. When he stepped in beside you, his eyes drifted across the filled booths. Ray caught sight of you from the bar, sending you a wave as he studied the sight before him. Not once in the last five years had he seen you walk in the bar with someone by your side, but he was happy to see the smile on your face. Usually it was hard to get one out of you until you were a few drinks deep.
Jakes eyes landed on a familiar face and he began guiding you towards your company for the night. You drew in a deep breath, settling your nerves as you tried your best to convince yourself the night would be good. “Hey!” An excited voice called out. The familiarity was nice, and you looked to meet Josh’s eyes as Jake pulled up a chair at the end of the booth. “I was beginning to think you’d never show up.”
“Sorry, that was my fault.” You chuckled. “I was caught up with work.”
“No need for apologies, you’re here now.” He assured you. You looked to the other side of the booth, catching the curious eyes of two more boys. You gave a warm smile, extending your hand out to shake theirs.
“Hi, I’m y/n.” You said, shaking the first boys hand.
“I’m Danny.” He smiled, his eyes lingering over your face. He seemed sweet, and you didn’t even need to talk to him to sense his kindness. It was radiating from him. You did the same with the next boy, already knowing who he was without him saying his name. If you ran into him on the street, you were certain you’d recognize him. He looked so similar to Jake that it was nearly alarming.
“And you’re Sam?”
“So he’s told you about me?” You had to laugh at the similarity between his statement and the one Josh gave you when you first met.
“Only good things.” You promised.
“I can say the same.” He grinned. “I hear you play piano?” He raised an eyebrow, curious about the fact.
“You heard correctly.” You nodded. “My mom thought it would be a good way to keep me busy, and she was right.”
“I’d love to hear you play sometime.” He said, genuinely curious.
“I’m sure we can arrange something. I hear you’re quite talented, too.”
“You should come to our next show.” Josh offered, cutting in with his grandiose idea.
“I’m sure she has better things to do.” Jake chuckled, rolling his eyes at his brother.
“No, I’d love to, actually.” You shut his notion down. “I haven’t even heard him play yet, so maybe we could kill two birds with one stone.” Sam nearly choked on his drink at your words, looking over at his brother with wide eyes.
“He hasn’t played for you yet?” He asked, looking back to you. “I have a hard time believing that.”
“Guess we just never got around to it.” Jake said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck while he hoped they would drop the subject.
“Are you nervous?” Sam asked, even more baffled than he was before.
“No,” he snapped, shutting him down. “Quit it.” You chuckled at the altercation, finding their banter funny. Seeing them so close and comfortable with each other made you miss your own sister. She had moved a few towns over the year prior, and you hadn’t seen her much since. Sam seemed to back down at his sharp tone, settling back in his seat while he sipped on his drink. “Do you want a drink?” Jake asked you, prompting you to sit down beside Josh in the booth.
“Yes, please.” You smiled, following his order. Jake nodded, already knowing what you wanted. He hadn’t managed to forget a single thing about you since you first met. Sometimes, it felt like the knowledge plagued him and he would die from the sickness of needing more.
“So, y/n.” Sam said, watching as Jake disappeared from sight. “What do you do for work?”
“People pay me to take their picture.” You explained. “Weddings, maternity, cheesy family portraits, all that fun stuff.”
“Ever do photography for a band?” He asked.
“No, but your brother has been trying to convince me to do your promo shoot for the new album.” You admitted. “It seems like it would be fun, but I don’t know if I’m what you’re looking for.”
“Don’t say that.” He scoffed. “I’m sure if Jake is okay with it, you’re more than fantastic. He’s pretty picky when it comes to band stuff.”
“Oh yeah?” You asked, intrigued by his words.
“Yeah,” all three agreed, the response heavy. “The whole music thing was his dream, so he’s pretty specific. He must like you a lot.”
“Oh.” You cheeks tinged red again, almost flattered that he thought highly enough of you to want to work with you. “Who knows, maybe he can talk me into it.” You shrugged. “So you’re the bassist and he’s the drummer?” You asked, pointing to Sam and Danny for their respective roles. They nodded, confirming your words. “That’s cool that you all get along so well.”
“It’s tough by times.” Josh admitted, not willing to pretend it was always sunshine and rainbows. “Do you have any siblings?”
“Yeah, one. She’s only a year older than I am.”
“So you get it.” Sam chuckled.
“I do. She’s my best friend, but we do hate each other. Just part of the sibling relationship, I think.”
“Exactly.” He nodded. With that, a drink was sat in front of you and Jake took a seat in the chair at the end of the table. He gave you a small smile as you thanked him, but moved on quickly. “Water for you? That’s new.”
“Driving tonight.” Was all Jake replied, uncaring about having to stay sober. Getting you home safe was his only priority.
The group descended into small talk, starting first by trying to get to know you, then slowly moving on to joking and laughter. It was nice feeling like you fit in straight away, and during the entire night, you never felt out of place. Jakes brothers were arguably easier to get along with than him, and you were happy you hadn’t shied away from the invitation. For once, company seemed to make your night all the more memorable rather than put a damper on it. You found the boys fun to be around, and you could not remember the last time you laughed as much. Somewhere between drink three and four, Jakes hand slipped to your knee underneath the table. You barely paid any mind to it, and if anything, it was welcomed. You could never seem to convince yourself to disregard his touch, and often times found yourself searching for it.
The group joined together and purchased some shots for the table, which only began a gruelling game of quarters. The tension was high and the competition was fierce. Josh and Danny started, then you and Sam went head to head. Even though Jake wasn’t drinking, he stepped in for a few rounds, which eventually landed Josh in the chair at the end of the table and Jake taking post in the booth next to you. The innocent hand on your knee steadily grew more comfortable, which then provoked him to move his fingers further up your thigh. His touch was searing, and quickly turned into the only thing you could focus on. You were stuck on the inside of the booth, knowing that you would not be able to step away to calm yourself down unless he allowed it.
In essence, you were trapped, but it was not striking a fear within you; instead, there was an excitement to see how far he would take things before he backed away.
When Sam and Danny found themselves in an argument with Josh over something so small and trivial that you had missed it entirely, you felt Jake’s hand sneak even further up your leg. He settled his hand under the hem of your dress as his fingers were nearly brushing against the fabric of your underwear. Your breath caught in your throat, but you could not deny your desire for him to keep going despite the very real possibility of being caught. It was always the same with him; no risk was too high, because the reward would outweigh the risk any day.
“Jake,” you whispered, glancing over at him through the corner of your eye.
“What’s wrong, beautiful?” He asked, his expression nearly fooling you into believeing he was doing nothing at all.
“Behave.” You warned, but you were hoping he wouldn’t listen. He never did, and you weren’t truly expecting him to, anyway.
“What ever do you mean?” He smirked, turning his head down towards you ever so slightly. With a little help from your own neediness shining in your eyes, he managed to push your legs apart just enough to run his finger over your clothed cunt. You let your eyes flutter closed, trying your best to keep a straight face while he continued on his torment. He took in a long breath, nearly feral at the feeling of the arousal pooling between your legs. Your departure was long overdue, and he had been waiting to get you out of the dress as soon as he showed up at your door.
“You guys want to play a round of pool?” Sam asked, his attention suddenly on the two of you. You opened your eyes, trying extra hard to make sure your expression wasn’t giving away the incriminating act Jake was doing under the table and out of sight.
“What do you think?” Jake asked you, clearly trying his best to push you to the limit. As he asked, his touch grew stronger and more pronounced, focused intently on the thin lace that was covering your clit.
“Sure, why not?” You breathed, hoping that a quick answer would divert the attention away from your flustered expression. “I suck though, I’ll warn you now.” You gave a nervous laugh through clenched teeth, trying your best to ignore Jake’s antics.
“You okay? You seem a little… distant.” Jake pressed, hoping you might crack under the pressure.
“Yeah, think I just drank too much too fast.” You brushed him off, now determined to prove him wrong. “Might take a little break for a while.”
“Wouldn’t want you getting sick.” He sympathized, although clearly fake and only offering the statement to keep you in the position for as long as possible.
“Of course not, I’ll be alright.” You said, holding his gaze. There was a fire in his eyes, dangerous and mischievous, and yours were pleading with him to surrender. You were caught in a stalemate, neither of you willing to back down, yet neither of you able to win.
“Shall we play?” Josh asked, also seemingly invested in yours and Jake’s staring contest.
“Sure, just give us a minute. We’ll meet you over there.” He assured them, not looking away from you as he spoke.
“Okay.” They agreed, sliding out of the booth and making their way towards the pool table. Once they were out of earshot, you opened your mouth to speak.
“You trying to get us in trouble, Jacob?” You scolded, noticing that he still failed to withdraw his hand.
“No idea what your talking about.” The smirk on his lips was infuriating, but what even worse was how badly you wanted to lean over and kiss him. The devil made his presence known in the inviting warmth of his brown eyes, falsely claiming peace and serenity despite the invitation being nothing but filthy underneath the surface. “What’s wrong, angel?”
“Don’t play dumb with me,” you scolded, but could only care about his finger that had dipped underneath the fabric he had been teasing you through.
“Jake,” you hissed, but it was not with discontent.
“If you give me a kiss, I promise I’ll behave for the rest of the night.” He informed you, watching your lust clouded eyes with a type of longing you could not begin to comprehend.
“A kiss? That’s it?” You questioned, squirming underneath his stare.
“Yeah, haven’t gotten once since we got here.”
“Because your brothers think we’re friends!” You argued.
“Think that jig was up a long time ago.” He laughed, finding his power over you near comedic.
“Christ, kiss me then.” You rushed out, nervously watching to make sure nobody had picked up on your obscene display. He leaned down, pressing his lips to yours in a sweet exchange. It was nowhere near the same intensity of what he was doing beneath the table. As he pulled away, so did his hand. His promise was kept, and you finally felt like you could take a full breath of air. “You are needy today.”
“Get over it.” He gave your thigh a squeeze, humour laced in his tone. “Let’s go kick their ass in a game of pool.” You nearly had whiplash at the sudden change in direction, but you couldn’t seem to find it within yourself to be upset with him. He extended his hand out for you to grab, helping you to your feet as you straightened out your dress.
“I told you I suck at pool.” You warned, praying that he didn’t get his hopes up.
“Even if we lose, I still consider it a win if I have you as my partner.” You thought your face was going to ignite in flames from the intensity of the blush on your cheeks. He led you towards the rest of the group, keeping a steady hand on your back so you didn’t stray too far from his side. When you rejoined the rest of the crowd, you realized they barely noticed the length of your absence, too busy hitting balls aimlessly across the green velvet of the pool table. As you watched Sam line up a shot, you realized that you might actually have a chance at winning. He seemed worse at the game than you, if it were possible.
“Good thing they don’t pay you to play, Sam, cause you’d go broke.” Jake said, watching a striped ball bounce of the side and crash into the 8 ball, sending it straight into the corner pocket. You giggled at the sight, watching Sam shoot his brother a glare as he straightened up.
“I’d like to see you do better, then.” He held his arm out, prompting Jake to grab the cue. He obliged, taking a long look over the table before settling on a solid ball. He lined up his shot, and with one swift moment of his arm, the white ball knocked the blue one into a side pocket. With a cocky smirk, he handed the cue back to Sam, rejoining you without saying a word. “Show-off.” He muttered, fishing the balls from the pockets and racking them in the middle of the table.
“Just admit you suck.” Jake laughed, pulling you into his side even further without even realizing it.
“You just want to impress her,” Sam snipped. “Let’s play, then we’ll see who sucks.” Jake opted not to respond, but he went to the rack on the wall and grabbed a cue for himself. He motioned for you to pick one for yourself, which you did with great hesitation. If Jake thought Sam was bad, he certainly wouldn’t be pleased with your performance.
“You’re up first, sweetheart.” He said, gently nudging you towards the table. You let out a long exhale, taking a step towards the table and bending over to line up the cue with the ball. From behind you, you heard Jake take in a sharp breath, unsure of what his issue was. As you broke the rack of balls and straightened up, you turned to look at him. The far away look in his eye was familiar, and your eyes widened at the realization of why he reacted so strongly to the innocent moment.
He had worked himself up teasing you at the booth, and was almost brought to his knees from the sight of you bent over the table.
‘So much for the boys thinking we’re friends.’ You thought, but you could not seem to be upset at him. The knowledge that you drove him crazy was nothing short of an ego boost, and you understood that you had a chance to get revenge for his merciless actions just moments earlier. You took a few steps towards him, turning to watch Sam take his shot. As you did, you made sure you were close enough for your ass to brush against him gently. His hand shot to your hip, holding you firmly in hopes that you wouldn’t move any further. You bit back the smile begging to break on to your lips, knowing that it would not take much to get him in the same state he had you in before starting the game.
“Easy, angel.” He whispered, his voice low but the warning clear. “Wouldn’t want to get us in trouble, would you?”
“No, sir.” You replied, just quiet enough for him to hear. But, trouble was the only thing you wanted to get into, and you weren’t sure how much longer you were willing to wait. He gave your hip a gentle squeeze, happy you were in clear understanding. With that, he stepped towards the table and started his turn. Josh was sat on the table opposite of your own, watching carefully in hopes of calling someone on an infraction of the rules. When he returned to you, he seemed a little more relaxed and forgiving of your actions.
“Another drink?” He asked, noticing that yours was nearing the end.
“Sure,” you nodded, looking up at him with a smile. “Thank you.” He nodded, leaning down and pressing a small kiss to your lips. You knew it was to satiate his own need for you, and the small contact would give him enough satisfaction to make it through the rest of the night. You watched as he walked towards the bar, a small smile stuck on your face as your head swam with intoxication.
“Not a girlfriend, eh?” Josh said, raising an eyebrow. Your head snapped towards him, almost embarrassed at his confrontation.
“Not a girlfriend.” You confirmed, firm on your stance.
“Can you be?” Sam asked, laughing at your response. “We like you.” Your heated with a blush (or the alcohol, you couldn’t really tell), happy that they seemed to take to your company well. You would be lying if you said you weren’t afraid of rejection.
“You can like me without me being a girlfriend, you know.” You said, watching as Danny finished up his turn.
“Obviously,” Sam rolled his eyes “but I think we can all agree we would like for you to be one. Don’t want him to fuck it up.”
“He can fuck it up just the same with a label.” Your counter arguments barely seemed to phase the three.
“I never thought he’d find someone nice. Everyone else was… well, horrible.” Sam chuckled, turning his attention to you fully. “He seems to like you a lot. He talks about you all the time.”
“He does?” You questioned, shocked at the statement. He nodded in response, looking to make sure Jake wasn’t already on his way back to the table. “Didn’t think we were that serious.” You said, making a note to discuss it with him when you were alone.
“I don’t think he does, either.” Josh laughed. “We just think it’s a shame you’re not. He has a pretty bad track record, and he kind of swore off the whole dating thing. He was insufferable for a little while, and then he met you. Seemed like it cleared his head a little bit. It’s nice.”
“Oh,” you said, feeling dread settle in your stomach. The cold feet you got from his simple statement was astounding, and you felt like running out the door and never looking back. You were not ready for feelings, and he promised to abide by the rule. If he was acting differently when you weren’t around, you weren’t sure you would be able to keep up at the same intensity without setting some boundaries.
“He’s on the same page as you, friend who is a girl.” Josh assured you, wanting you to know that you didn’t have to worry. “I think we all just like you, and we hope that you stick around for a while, at least.”
“Okay,” you calmed slightly, happy that Josh recalled your statement from the first time you met. “Because friends is all I do, Joshua.”
“Right,” he agreed, but it did not seem like he believed you. “You’re the friend that so happens to be a girl, and he’s a boy that is indeed just a friend.”
“Perfect, you got it.” You laughed, nodding in agreement. Just as you settled back into silence, Jake made his return from the bar with your drink in hand. Somehow, when he was back in sight, the fear disappeared and was replaced with a sense of calm. His eyes caught yours, and that little smile on his lips told you that everything would be alright and you need not worry about a thing. When he was a few feet away from you, the gravitational pull that constantly surrounded him seemed to pull you in, muting the rest of the world and allocating your energy solely on him.
“My turn?” He asked, handing you the whiskey glass.
“No, it’s mine. Too busy talking.” You admitted, your eyes never leaving the entrancing features of his face.
“Or were you just waiting for me?” He teased, his eyes watching you with the same intensity. “Am I your good luck charm, angel?”
“You wish.” You brushed him off, but your smile told him his comment was welcomed.
“And?” He raised an eyebrow, appalled that you ever thought differently and wondering what your issue with it was. He loved being needed by you, and that had never been a secret. You smiled, giving him a slight smack on the arm before turning towards the table. You looked over your options, but not in hopes of winning the game. Instead, you pondered the best spot to lean over the table to drive him just as crazy as the last. You were like two sex-crazed demons, doing whatever you could to instigate the inevitable and making each other suffer in the process. Greed had become you long before the night of drinking ensued, but your infatuation with each other seemed to hit an all time high, for not even a public setting could keep your hands away from each other.
You walked to the other side of the table, making sure you picked a ball that was in front of him. You leaned down, low to the velvet and lined your stick with the cue ball. Your dress left little to the imagination as is, but with the help of gravity, anything left to wonder was quickly answered. Jake had a tight fist around his cue, knuckles white as his eyes fixated on the fabric ever so slightly pulling away from your skin. You drew your arm back, putting a little more force than needed into your strike, making sure that you looked up at him to see his reaction as the top of your dress struggled to remain secured to your chest. He caught your eye, his jaw clenched tightly as he tried to remember where you were and who you were with. When you returned to your upright position, you gave him a subtle wink so he knew your intent was personal.
Sam moved to take his turn, completely unaware of the silent battle between you and his brother. You brought your drink to your lips, so invested in your own game that you let a dribble of whiskey fall from the cup and trail down your chin. You swallowed down the burning liquid, knowing that his stare hadn’t once broken from the obscene display you were putting yourself in. The cold droplets fell from your chin down your neck, eventually reaching the valley between your breasts. Slowly, it melted into your skin and disappeared into the fabric resting on your sternum. When you withdrew the drink from your lips, you thought you might have pushed him too far. As he watched, it almost seemed like his brain was short circuiting as he tried to keep up with the vile thoughts he was having about you. The interaction was so small that nobody noticed it other than him, but he was so invested in you that not a single motion would ever be missed.
Your skin was ablaze with desire from the thought of his hands alone, and neither of you were interested in the game of pool anymore. Reluctantly, Jake took his turn, glancing at you intermittently between his shots. By the time Danny took his, there was only the eight ball left.
“Can you help me?” You asked Jake, giving him a small, innocent smile.
“Nuh-uh,” Sam shook his head, shutting it down. “That’s cheating.”
“How so?” Jake asked, uncaring for any rules and itching to get his hands on you.
“We can’t do that!”
“Actually, you can.” You corrected, walking over to meet Jake by the cue ball. “You just don’t want to. Or, you didn’t think to ask first.” Sam gave you a glare, clearly not liking the two against one outlook.
“Grand chancellor will allow it.” Josh interjected, finding Sam’s discontent hilarious. Even more than that, he was hoping Sam would actually ask for Danny’s help if you missed.
“Who made you the grand chancellor?” Sam argued, clearly fighting a losing battle.
“I did,” Josh said, giving him a smile. While Sam argued his point with Josh, you and Jake had taken it upon yourselves to lean down over the table to line up your shot.
“You’re being a brat, sweetheart.” Jake whispered in your ear as he settled himself behind you. “That’s not very nice. Thought I told you to be good for me tonight?” His hand came up to your arm, fixating them in the correct position as his other one held your hip.
“I think you’re just horny.” You shot him down, completely ignoring his accusation. “I’m just trying to play pool.”
“No, you’re just trying to be a cocktease.” He corrected, his tone quiet but his delivery harsh. “You want me to take you into the bathroom and fuck you?” You could not deny the dull ache between your legs that stemmed from his question. “Is that what you want, sweet girl?” He hummed, his mouth settled just over your ear. A shiver ran down your spine, completely unfocused on the shot he was supposedly helping you take. “Answer me.” He hissed, guiding your arm back to fake the shot, getting you used to the motion.
“No, sir.” You lied through your teeth, knowing that it was exactly what you wanted. You did not think you could survive the drive home without a taste of what he was offering. As you spoke, you made sure to push your hips back into him only slightly; it was not enough for anyone else to pick up on, but the erection growing against your ass told you he’d noticed it as clear as day.
“What do you do to me?” He muttered, flickering his eyes between the white and black ball. “This is how it’s going to work, okay?” He said, taking a deep breath. “After we win this game, you’re going to go to the bathroom. Stay there for a while, I’ll pretend you aren’t feeling well. Then, I’ll come and check on you, and I’ll fuck you so good that you won’t even remember where we are.” A light gasp left your lips as your cunt clenched around nothing. “Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” You muttered.
“Good, now hit the fucking ball and get this over with.” Instead of responding, you drew your arm back and hit the cue ball with just enough force to send the eight ball into the corner pocket. As you did, he made quick work at adjusting himself before anyone else noticed. Sam was so busy fighting with Josh that he didn’t even notice your stellar victory.
You straightened up with a smile on your face, knowing that Jake was the reason behind your success, yet still feeling proud that your hands made the winning play. Danny, who couldn’t have cared less about competition, applauded you and offered a high five. You responded with the same energy, jittering with excitement. When Sam turned to face the table, his expression was filled with disappointment at losing. You did not have the desire to console him over the loss, instead muttering a quick word about a good game before excusing yourself to the bathroom. You bustled to the other side of the bar in the direction of the bathroom, estatic when you found it vacant and awaiting your arrival.
You closed the door and clicked the lock, taking a quick look at yourself in the mirror. You straightened your hair and wiped away any specs of mascara that had fallen. Your foot was tapping against the ground as you waited for the knock, feeling like the seconds were more similar to eternities. Eventually, there was a soft knock on the door. With a breath of courage, you unlocked the door and opened it. You barely had a spare second to greet Jake, because he was already pushing his way inside and slamming the door behind him. He was in such a rush that one hand was already reaching for you as he fumbled with the lock.
You did not have the chance to say a word before his lips were on yours, desperate and angry at your relentless efforts to get under his skin. His hands shot to your hips, pulling you into him as the kiss dissolved into a messy and sloppy display of emotion. You let out a moan into his mouth, already descending into euphoria from the feeling of his body so close to yours. His fingers snaked under the skirt of your dress, forgoing any formalities as he bunched it up over your hips. Once your lower half was uncovered, he gave a hard tug on the elastic of your underwear by your hip, destroying yet another pair in wake of desire. In truth, you did not care; the only thing you cared about was him being inside of you, and you feared you would go insane if you had to wait a minute longer.
He gripped at your hips again, picking you up and roughly settling you on the counter while never breaking the kiss. You locked your legs around him, drawing him closer while hoping he never had to leave. If you could stay tangled amidst the web of his sinful touch forever, you would never have to search for anything more. “Did you think you were being smart pulling a stunt like that?” He asked, finally parting from you in a mess of heavy breathing. “Did you think being a tease would get you want you wanted?” He pressed even further, stopping his tornado of inquiry to bring his hand to his mouth and spit onto his fingers. “That you would get away with it without any punishment?” He lowered his hand to your cunt, the feral energy finally bubbling to the surface and ravishing his expression.
“I’m sorry, sir.” You pleaded, painfully aware of his touch that was so close yet just out of reach. “Didn’t mean to upset you.” You rushed out, looking down at his fingers just inches away from your heat.
“No?” He asked, his jaw hard set and his eyes dangerous. “Then what did you want, angel?” He was withholding any reward until he got a suitable answer from you. “Tell me exactly what you wanted, and I might be nice enough to give it to you.”
“I wanted you, sir.” You said, looking up to meet his eyes. “I wanted you to touch me. I need you to touch me. I can’t wait any longer.” You whined. You could not find it within yourself to be embarrassed about your own desperation, because your need for him far outweighed your own ego.
“Yeah? You want me to touch you, sweet girl?” He questioned, moving his hand just a little closer to you. “You just wanted me to take care of you? Make you cum all over my fingers right here in the bar?” Your face flushed at his vulgarity, but it only turned you on further. You could listen to him say nothing but filth all day and you would hang on to every word.
“God, yes.” You nodded, leaning forward and resting your forehead against his. “Please, Jake. I promise I’ll be good for you.”
“So fucking needy.” He growled, but his hand connected with your aching core as he spoke. You gasped at the sudden change, not expecting him to give in so easily. He spread your arousal to your clit, slipping his thumb over the sensitive bundle of nerves as he dropped his middle and index finger to your entrance. You bit back a moan as he began pumping his fingers into you, moving his thumb in time with his fingers. “I love it.” He confessed, nearly breaking down from your sounds of pleasure. “You know I’ll always give you what you want, baby. Just have to say the words.”
“Feels so good, Jake.” You whimpered, closing your eyes in bliss as he remained on a steady pace.
“As much as I’d like to stay here and fuck you all night, we have to make it quick. Don’t want people wondering where we are, do we?”
“No sir,” you agreed, using his body as support to keep you upright. You had an iron grip on his bicep, your skin electrified when his nose brushed against yours. You were only concerned with the pleasure steadily rising in your belly and the boy who was standing before you. When he was with you, with his skin on yours, nothing else in the world mattered, and nothing to come in the future would ever matter half as much. He was everything, and you were slowly coming to terms with the notion. Jake was the only man that held any importance in the entirety of the world, and the only one you ever wanted to touch you like such. He was an addiction, a disease that ravaged your whole body and left nothing behind. He was more evil than you could begin to comprehend, but you felt blessed to have him around.
The devil was the master at the game, convincing you that his company was a virtue when in reality, it was only the beginning of an eternity of suffering.
“This is what you needed, angel?” He crooned, watching his own work unfold in real time. His eyes were locked on his hand, his breathing laboured and his mind lost within the fantasy of fucking you again. “This is what you wanted so bad?”
“Yes, sir.” You groaned, feeling your heart thud against your chest. Your entire body was no longer under your command, now completely subject to whatever he felt inclined to do to you. You did not care, and you didn’t think you ever would. Even if he decided to bestow suffering, it would still be better than any kindness from another.
���You gonna cum for me, sweetheart?” You nodded against him, your legs trembling with the threat of your climax. “Don’t be shy, baby. Let the whole bar know how good I make you feel. I want to hear all of those pretty noises.” You were trembling under his touch, and his words struck the nail into the coffin. Without ever loosening your grip, you descended into an orgasm stronger than any you had ever felt before. You tried to cry out his name, to thank him for the grace he had given you, but you could not speak anything coherent. Even in the mess of jumbled thoughts where his name was most prominent, you could not seem to find the strength to speak it. As you rode out the high, he used his free hand to undo his belt buckle while continuing to pump his fingers into you. Before you had time to calm down from the excitement, he had freed himself from his jeans.
He withdrew his fingers, but you didn’t have time to grieve the loss of contact before he was pushing himself into you. Once he bottomed out inside of you, he brought you closer to the edge of the counter, allowing for easier access. “Fuck.” You cursed, letting your head fall back as you focused on the feeling of him. Sometimes, when you thought about it for too long, you convinced yourself that he was perfectly crafted and put on earth just to please you. The way your bodies moved in sync, moulding together in perfect harmony and pleasing each other just how you needed without even having to try. It was so hard to deny that it made your head spin, and the intensity in which you felt it to be true was nearly overwhelming.
“Tell me how good it feels, angel.” He purred, burying his head in your neck as he sucked at the sensitive skin.
“So fucking good, baby.” You sighed, tangling your hands in the hair at the base of his neck. You tightened your legs around him, hoping to bring him even closer than he already was. “You fill me up so good.”
“Such a dirty little whore.” He groaned, losing himself to the pleasure. You were both pent up, ready for a release before you ever made it to the bathroom. “Do you like being a whore for me, baby?”
“I love it,” you confessed, feeling the knot tightening in your belly, ready to let go at one slight movement. You were holding back, wanting to experience the height of the pleasure at the same time as him. You did not care that the entire bar likely knew what the two of you were doing, and you didn’t care about the awkward stares that would ensue when you emerged to join the crowd. You only cared about the boy you were wrapped around, and the fact that you got to spend the rest of the night with him after you went home. “I’m gonna cum, Jake.” You warned, a sharp gasp sounding as he pulled you towards him as he thrusted into you. The tip of his cock slammed into your cervix, sending a jolt of pain through you that was satiated by intense pleasure afterwards.
“Yeah? You want to cum with me?” He hummed, straightening up to catch sight of your face as you descended into your second orgasm. You nodded, your fingernails clawing at the fabric of his shirt to hold you in place as if you were scared of floating away. “Let go, angel. Cum for me.” You bit down on your lip, suffocating the moan that was trying to break free as he continued on his relentless pace.
“Oh, god.” You muttered, your eyes squeezed shut in bliss as your limbs began to tremble. He leaned down, capturing you in a kiss in hopes to silence your cries. He was only willing to share so much of you before the greed began to take over. He wanted you all to himself, and he wasn’t shy of that fact. Your moans fell directly into his mouth, feeding into his already wicked ego. The fire that burned in his heart was directly acreddited to you and your pleasure, and he survived solely of the way his name rolled so beautifully off of your tongue. As much as you were addicted to him, he knew that he was just as much, if not more of a victim to you.
The orgasm washed over you at the same time as his, both of you reaching your peak in a mess of curses. You sung his name like a hymn, and he uttered yours like a repentance. Neither of you could withstand the weight of the sin, but you were happy to die in each others arms. As you came down, he slowed his pace, careful not to make a mess of both of you. You let out a collective sigh of relief, the ghost of your orgasms still tingling over your skin as he pulled away. You couldn’t help but let out a whine of discontent as he pulled out, already missing the feeling of him inside you. He chuckled at your expression as he watched your face.
“Don’t be greedy, sweetheart.” He said, heaving a long sigh. “You’ve got a long night ahead of you, yet. Don’t think you’re going to get away with all of that teasing.” Your cheeks burned red at the thought, knowing that once he got you out the door, you wouldn’t be able to escape the repercussions of your actions. Even so, you knew that the punishment would be pleasurable, and you were already itching to take him home. He helped you off the counter, but stopped you as you made a move to clean yourself off. You looked up at him, confused at his intent. Before speaking, he grabbed the fabric of your dress and pulled it back down over your hips.
“What are you doing?” You breathed, looking up at him.
“That’s my way of making sure you say a quick goodbye.” He smirked.
“I don’t think so,” you shook your head, making a move to get past him again. He held you a little tighter, giving a disapproving tsk.
“Get out there,” he ordered, clearly showcasing his seriousness. “Finish your drink and say goodbye without making a mess, and then I’ll take you home and finish what you started.” You held his stare, both of you intense and unwilling to back down. “Clocks ticking, angel.” He reminded.
“Fine,” you huffed “but you better not pull any tricks once we’re out there.”
“Me? Never.” He grinned, a sparkle of adoration in his eye as he tried to gauge your comfortability with his request.
“Wipe the lipgloss off your face. Don’t think pink is your color.” You snipped, straightening your hair and your dress before stepping out of the bathroom without another word. He laughed at the fire in your eyes, doing as you asked and straightening himself up, too. When he left the bathroom, he watched you walk back towards his brothers with nothing short of love for you in his heart.
Although he’d never admit it, he was falling just as hard as you were. Greed had finally played its fatal part in the impending outcome of your situation, and sealed your fate of being infinitely intertwined with Jake Kiszka in a way you had been desperate to avoid.
TAGLIST:
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ohthewh0rror · 4 months
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YOU TOLERATE IT.
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˚₊ ⋆ ☠︎︎ ⋆ ₊˚ prompt — “hey i love your writing. Can you write a tom riddle x reader with tolerate it by taylor swift”
Pairing: Tom Riddle x Reader
Word Count: 1.3k
A/N: I’m starting to realize Tom is perpetually broke in most of the one-shots I write about him, but like, it’s the late 40’s and bro is working in retail while living in the city. My man is not gonna be rolling in money by any means (lmao). Also, let’s act like living together unmarried is cool in the 40’s.
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“I know my love should be celebrated but you tolerate it”
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The bitter December winds left you shaking, the cold seeping beneath the layers of your clothes and settling deep into your skin. Winter was never your favorite time of year, it was far too cold and wet for your liking. The only good thing that came out of this wretched month was your lover's birthday, which is what brought you out of your flat and out into this dreary weather.
Tom may not care much about celebrating his birthday, seeing it as just another day of the year, but you always tried to do something special for him anyway. The past three years you had bought a cake and a handful of little gifts, but money was tighter than usual this year, as your hours had been nearly cut in half, leaving the two of you to rely more on Tom’s salary at Borgin and Burkes, so just a single present with no cake would have to suffice this time. To make up for only getting one thing, you decided to get him something special, and it took almost 3 months of saving and cutting corners in certain areas just to save up for the gift you were getting for him.
It was a limited edition book Tom had been eyeing for a while. You weren’t exactly sure what it was on, as Tom wasn’t one to share his work or research with you, but it seemed awfully important to him. So, with the little money you had saved you set out for the day to purchase it. Luckily the store was fairly empty, letting you get in and out quickly, now all that was left was to get home and find the right time to give it to him.
Stepping through the door of your shared flat had never felt like such a relief from the biting cold that was unable to reach you here in the warmth of yours and Tom’s place. You were careful to hang your coat and purse on the appropriate hooks, knowing Tom would ask you to straighten it if it wasn’t placed in the correct spots. You placed the bag containing his gift on the countertop, not bothering to hide it, as you knew Tom wouldn’t ask about it.
While you were happy to see Tom, he didn't seem to share the sentiment as he only spared you a quick glance before going back to reading the documents that sat before him on the table, the work before him apparently far more interesting than you at the moment. You tried not to be disappointed as you walked to him, rounding the table to where he was sitting. You least hoped to receive a ‘hello’ kiss from him, but, as you dipped down to place a kiss on his lips he flinched away from your touch causing you to stop where you were.
You could feel his breath fan across your face as your face hovered close to his, a feeling of hurt spreading through you. Tom must have seen the look on your face because he quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, darling, you took me off guard.”
Meeting you the rest of the way, he gave you a quick kiss, but you were still unsatisfied. His kiss seemed detached, almost impersonal, as if he was doing the action out of obligation and not love. You tried not to think too hard on it as Tom has never been very passionate, but it seemed like lately the love that was once there was being replaced by indifference. You knew every relationship had its ups and downs, but it was still difficult to work through as your presence felt as if it was being merely tolerated instead of sought after.
“Have you eaten lunch yet? I can make us something,” you offered, hoping he’d agree to it, as you couldn’t guarantee he’d be here for dinner and you wanted to give him his present. Tom gave you a simple ‘that’s fine’, before going back to his papers, leaving you to get to work.
As you made lunch you told Tom about your day and other small happenings in your life, just trying to make conversation with him. What Tom was working on must have been important because he was quieter than usual, not giving more than a one or two word answer. “—I mean, can you imagine?” You asked with a giggle drawing your lengthy story to an end, expecting to hear Tom’s amused voice in response.
Instead you were met with the opposite, “come again? I didn’t hear what you said.” Tom sounded unimpressed, making you falter, another wave of disappointment sweeping through you at the fact that he wasn’t listening to a word you said. “It’s nothing, just something silly that happened…” you trailed off at the end, not wanting to even bother finishing your sentence. Tom said nothing, and you didn’t bother saying anything else.
You and Tom sat in silence while you both ate, and though it wasn’t tense, it wasn’t exactly comfortable either. At least not to you, who now worried about giving Tom his birthday present. While you shouldn’t be worried about giving it to him, as you knew it was something he actually wanted, you couldn’t help but worry that you’d be met with the same unimpressed response.
You couldn’t just keep the present all night though, and if there was any time to do it, it was now. So, you got out your chair and grabbed the book from the bag it was in off the counter. Walking up to Tom you stopped just before him, causing him to set his fork down and look at you expectantly. You took in a breath before forcing the words out, “Happy 22nd birthday, Tom.” You held the book out to him, and he gently grabbed it from you, reading over the title.
You weren’t sure what you expected. A passionate kiss? A genuine thank you and declaration of love? Or maybe even just a grateful smile? Because what you got was none of that. No, you were met with a strained smile and a small thank you before he went back to eating.
You stood there for a second longer before going back to your seat feeling embarrassed. You saved for so long and put so many of your own wants aside in order to save up for this gift only to get nothing in return. You bit down harshly on the inside of your cheek to keep yourself from crying at how truly unappreciated you felt by him.
Maybe it is time to leave and end things for good, you’re sure he wouldn’t be bothered by the absence of your presence. You could leave and start over, get a new job, a new place and find someone else.
Someone who actually loved and appreciated you.
But as you looked up from your plate and gazed upon his face you knew that you’d never be able to just up and leave. It would only leave you with a heavy ‘what-if’ hanging in the back of your mind. What if you were just overthinking his actions lately and this was just a normal rough patch? What if you hadn’t left? Would it have worked out?
You didn’t want to live with that ‘what if’, you would stay until he forced you away. So you keep quiet about your displeasure and just sit and watch him flip through the book, dreaming of a life where Tom is as madly in love with you as you are with him.
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spnhunter4life · 1 year
Text
Familiar
Summary: Sam, Dean and Y/N are on a case, and it turns out Y/N is just the monster's type.
Word Count: 8.2k
Warnings: reference to nonconsensual sex, canon typical violence
A/N: I've had this one done for a couple of weeks, but things have been very busy and so I just finally got around to doing a reread/edit of it. I hope everyone enjoys it!
This one includes the writing prompt "character A flipping positions and shoving B against a wall 'now this seems more familiar doesn’t it?'"
I don't remember where I found this. I have a list of prompts I saved, but didn't include who posted them, so if you happen to know where this came from, let me know and I'll give credit to that person.
Also, I've had someone ask me to be tagged in new stories I post. I am happy to do this, so if anyone else is interested in being tagged, let me know!
Masterlist
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I met the Winchesters for the first time five years ago when I was 22. I was in college and had just moved to a new dorm building that turned out to be haunted by a ghost. I had been the next intended target when Dean and his dad stepped in and saved me. That was the last time I would see either of them for a long time, but I never forgot the faces of the people who had saved my life.
After that experience, I was obsessed with the supernatural. Dean and I had talked a little bit before they left town, and he told me about how he and his dad traveled the country killing monsters. I wanted to do that too. I wanted to be able to save people’s lives the way they had saved mine.
So a couple months later I dropped out of school and started getting ready to hunt. I signed up for a gym membership and started going everyday as well as taking boxing and Krav Maga lessons. My life had given very little opportunity for me to build muscle or learn to fight. But I wasn’t stupid enough to go into a fight with a supernaturally strong creature completely unprepared.
I gave myself a year to get in shape and learn to defend myself. During this time, I put every spare minute I had into research. I looked into what kinds of monsters were out there, how to kill them, which ones were most common. While doing all this research, I ran into a man named Bobby Singer. He had all kinds of helpful information and taught me how to track them down. I started the process of purchasing weapons I would need and also saving up money.
Once I felt ready, I set off on my first hunt. The overwhelming satisfaction I felt at saving a person from the ghost that had been haunting them was too much to ignore. I knew without a doubt now that this is what I should be doing with my life. So I went on another hunt. And another. 
Things were a little rough going at first and I got more injuries than I cared to admit – fighting a trained professional in a controlled environment wasn’t the same as going up against an angry monster – but my fighting skills improved and things started going smoother soon enough. I didn’t regret my choices.
I ran into Dean a little over a year later. I was looking into what I suspected to be a witch and had stopped for lunch at a local burger joint when I saw him. I recognized him immediately and went to talk to him. It took a little bit for him to remember me, but he did. When he asked what I was doing so far from home, I told him what I’d been up to since the day he saved my life. He seemed surprised and impressed. Apparently the people he saved didn’t often take up hunting afterwards. 
When I asked after his dad, he told me that they were starting to work separate cases on occasion. They still hunted together too, but not as often. 
Since we were both in town for the same reason, we agreed to work the case together. It was difficult at times, learning to rely on another person and factor their thoughts and opinions into what we were doing. I’d never hunted with someone else before. In other ways, though, it was so much easier. I decided I kind of liked having a partner. Dean and I worked well together.
He must have thought so too, because the day after we finished that hunt, he asked if I wanted to come with him to look into a string of suspicious murders a couple states over. I’d been hunting with him – and occasionally his dad – ever since. 
About nine months into our new arrangement, his dad went missing and so we picked up his brother Sam from school to help find him. Adding him to the mix had been another adjustment. That was two years ago now though, and we’d all found an easy rhythm together.
“We should go check this out,” Dean said, sliding the newspaper he’d been looking at across the table to Sam and pointing at one of the articles.
We were at a diner waiting for our breakfast to be brought out. Sam scanned the article.
“I don’t know, Dean,” Sam said, passing the newspaper to me when I motioned for it. I skimmed the article Dean had found. 
“Come on, Sam. Three murder suicides in under two weeks. That’s weird,” Dean insisted.
“It is weird. I just don’t see how it’s our kind of weird,” Sam answered. 
“Y/N? What do you think? You agree with me, don’t you?” Dean asked, confident I’d back him up. We typically saw things pretty eye to eye. Not always though.
“Well, actually I agree with Sam. There’s nothing here that really makes it sound like our kind of thing. But,” I continued, saying the word a little louder to stop Dean’s protest. “It’s only a few hours away and we have nothing else to do right now. So we might as well go check it out.”
“Alright, fine,” Sam agreed, sighing at the triumphant look on Dean’s face. “But I really think we’re wasting our time.”
“Right. Because we’ve got much more important, productive things going on here,” Dean said sarcastically.
“It’s never a waste of time,” I said. “Even if it ends up being nothing, making sure people aren’t being killed by something supernatural isn’t a waste. What if we decide it’s not worth checking out and it turns out it is our kind of thing? Then those deaths would be on us.”
“Ok, yes, you’re right. I already said we could go check it out,” Sam said.
“Well thanks for the permission, Sammy. I really don’t think we could’ve moved forward without it,” Dean snarked.
“Bite me,” Sam answered.
“Alright, cut it out you two,” I scolded.
The waiter brought our food out and we spent the meal trying to come up with ideas of what we could be dealing with. We didn’t come up with much since we had so little information to go off of. Dean paid our bill and we were just heading out the door when something occurred to me.
“Oh! What if it’s a siren?” I suggested.
“A siren? From Greek mythology? Like in The Odyssey?” Dean asked. 
“What?” Sam looked at his brother in surprise. 
“What?” Dean asked, a little smug and a little offended.
“What do you know about sirens?” Sam asked me, moving past his shock at Dean’s knowledge.
“Not much,” I admitted. We reached the car and I climbed into my usual spot behind Sam. “All the vics have been couples though, right?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Dean confirmed, turning in his seat to face me. “Is that important?”
“All I really know about sirens is that once they infect you they convince you to kill someone you love. The only siren case I’ve heard of had several husbands killing their wives before it was stopped. So maybe in this case once the men realize what they’ve done, they kill themselves.”
“Seems like the best theory we’ve come up with,” Dean said. He backed the Impala out of the parking spot and headed out of town towards the highway.
“Let’s get there and do some digging around before we settle on a theory,” Sam cautioned. “But say you’re right. How do we kill it?”
“I don’t know. I’ve already given you the extent of my knowledge on the subject.”
“Okay. Well at least we have a starting point. We can look into it more if that still seems like the most likely scenario after we’ve investigated things a little bit,” Sam said.
Apparently deeming the conversation finished, Dean turned up the music. I leaned my head against the window and watched the road blurring by.
~~~~~
The bar we were at was crowded, the music was loud, and the guy I was talking to was cute. Not stop and stare cute, but cute enough that when he came over to where I was standing at the bar and started flirting, I flirted back.
“So how long are you in town for?” Cute guy asked. I vaguely noted Dean in my peripheral vision, making his way to the bar. If I’d been paying attention, I would have noticed how irritated he looked. But I was trying not to notice him. He and I were just friends and would never be more. I’d accepted that. It meant I couldn’t let myself be distracted by him when there was a guy standing right in front of me who was interested.
“Don’t know yet,” I answered, giving him my best flirty smile. “I’m definitely here for the night though.”
“Alright, that’s enough,” Dean interrupted. “Come on Y/N. Sam’s waiting for us.”
“Woah, hey, come on man,” cute guy protested. “You can’t just come in here and force her to leave. We were in the middle of a conversation.”
“You were, were you? Sorry pal, but we’ve got important things to do. Go find someone else to bother.” Dean grabbed my arm and pulled me with him, away from the bar and towards the exit.
“Dean!” I hissed as I was forced to follow along behind him. “What is your problem?” I asked when we made it outside.
“What’s my problem?” Dean echoed, letting go of my arm and turning to face me. “What’s your problem? You know what we’re after here. What made you think it was a good idea to offer to go home with some random guy who for all we know could be the siren?”
I scoffed and started to walk towards the car, but Dean grabbed me again and pushed me up against the building. He stepped in close and put an arm on either side of my head, effectively caging me in.
“What are you doing?” I asked. It didn’t sound quite as irritated as I wanted it to. His close proximity mixed with the few drinks I’d downed had me too overwhelmed to hold on to my anger.
“Next time you’re wanting to scratch an itch in the middle of a case where the monster we’re after seduces people into murder, just save us the trouble and come to me instead,” he instructed. Then before I knew what was happening, he leaned in and kissed me.
I gasped in surprise and he used the opportunity to lick into my mouth. Finally catching up to what was happening, I wrapped my arms around his neck, threading my fingers through his hair and eagerly kissing him back. I never could have predicted this, but I was so thrilled it was happening. 
He made his way to my neck. He kissed a couple of different spots before finding a spot he liked and starting to suck and nip-
I woke up with a jolt and a gasp. I quickly took in my surroundings and realized I’d fallen asleep in the back of the Impala. 
“You ok?” Dean asked, turning in his seat to look at me. I realized we were parked outside a motel. The engine turning off must have been what woke me. I briefly met his eyes and was immediately bombarded with the images from my dream. 
“Yeah,” I told him. I managed to successfully fight the blush that tried to rise in the presence of the very man I’d just been dreaming about. It wasn’t the first time I’d had this sort of dream about the older Winchester. I doubted it would be the last.
Dean went inside to get us a room. We unloaded our bags and made a plan. We decided the boys would drop me off at the police station to talk to the sheriff while they went to question the medical examiner. We would meet at a diner a few blocks away from the police station when we were done. 
“What’s the connection between all of these people?” I asked Sheriff Jones once I’d introduced myself and explained why I was there.
“Connection?” He asked.
“Yeah. This many murder suicides in this short of a time, there’s something going on here. Maybe you’re wrong about the suicide part and it’s just flat out murder. Maybe it’s some sort of messed up pact these people made. There has to be something that connects them though. So what is it?”
“As far as we can tell, there is no connection between any of them. Sometimes these things just happen,” he said.
“How long have you been sheriff?” I asked. He was starting to get up in age, probably in his mid to late 50s at a guess. I assumed he’d been a police officer for a long time.
“Almost 20 years,” he informed me proudly.
“And in those 20 years, how many times have you seen something like this? Three different couples killing each other and themselves. One after another.”
“Well… never,” he admitted.
“Right. So what’s the connection? Graduated from the same high school? Go to the same gym? In a bowling league together? There has to be something that connects them other than them all being married.”
“Actually, they weren’t all married,” Jones corrected.
“I was told they were,” I said. 
“The last couple wasn’t. They were roommates, but as far as I’m aware, that’s as far as the relationship went.”
Damn. Did this throw a wrench in my siren theory? Not necessarily. Just because they weren’t together doesn’t mean one of them wasn’t secretly in love with the other. Or maybe they were really close and loved each other in a non romantic way.
“Great. I’m gonna need a list of close family and friends of all the victims,” I requested.
“What for?” He asked.
“To find the connection. You figure out the pattern, you have a chance of stopping it from happening again,” I said frustratedly. How were these idiots not investigating this further? Did they really believe it was just all a coincidence? 
Jones gave me a list of names and I left. I scanned the list on my walk to the diner, trying to figure out where to start and how long it might take to talk to these people. I rounded a corner and ran into an extremely attractive man. 
“Sorry!” I apologized as he nearly spilled the coffee he was carrying.
“No worries,” he said, flashing a charming smile. “No harm done.”
Had I not spent every day of the past three years sharing close quarters with the most attractive man I’d ever seen in my life, I might have been caught off guard and turned into a mumbling mess. But my time with Dean mixed with the quick thinking and lying that was sometimes necessary for hunting meant I was able to keep it together.
“Still. I should have been watching where I was going.”
“Well in that case, I was just on my way to get some lunch. How about you make it up to me by coming with?” He offered. It only took me a few seconds of consideration to make a decision.
“Sorry, but I’m busy. I’m on my way to meet a couple of colleagues for a kind of work lunch,” I told him.
“Ah. Well, maybe next time,” he smiled.
“Maybe,” I agreed, knowing there wouldn’t be a next time. I sighed as I continued my walk to the diner. He was awfully good looking. Under different circumstances, I probably would have taken him up on his offer. 
I walked the last couple of blocks and noted that the familiar black car wasn’t in the parking lot. I went in, found an open table that would fit all three of us, and sat down. I had to wait about ten minutes before Sam and Dean walked in. 
“Hey. What did you find out?” I asked once they were seated.
“Not much. There wasn’t anything unusual about the bodies as far as anyone could tell. The ME did say that based on the most recent body, she wondered if the suicides weren’t actually suicides though. She’s looking over the other two bodies again to see if it could have been staged to look like a suicide,” Sam told me.
“That qualifies as not much to you?” I asked. “I mean, granted it doesn’t really up the weird factor. But what if they missed something else too? Something they wouldn’t know to look for?”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Dean said smugly.
“Whatever. I’m not having this discussion again,” Sam told his brother as the waiter came over. We rattled off our orders to him and waited for him to leave before continuing.
“Did you find anything?” Sam asked.
“No. I do have a list of people for us to talk to though,” I answered. I took the list out of the pocket I’d tucked it into after folding it up and handed it to Sam.
“What, the cops have a suspect list?” Dean asked.
“No,” I snorted. “Whether or not this ends up being our kind of case, I feel bad for the people in this town. Their idiot sheriff doesn’t even think it’s worth looking into. It’s an open and shut case as far as he’s concerned.”
“What’s your list then?” Dean questioned, leaning over to read over Sam’s shoulder.
“Close family and friends,” I answered. “I’m hoping we can figure out what connects them all.”
“Right,” Sam said. “It’s not like we can monitor every single married couple in this town on the off chance they might get murdered.”
“Actually, they weren’t all married,” I told him. “I guess the last two were just roommates.”
“There goes the siren theory,” Dean sighed.
“Not necessarily. It still could be,” I said.
“How?”
“Sirens don’t target married people specifically,” I explained. “They just make you kill someone you love.”
“So you’re saying they were living together as friends but secretly in love?” Dean asked.
“Maybe. Or maybe not. Love doesn’t have to be romantic.”
The waiter brought out our food and we made a plan as we ate. Dean wanted to check out the crime scenes first. Sam argued that we might get more information from talking to people. I wanted to side with Dean because I really wasn’t looking forward to interviewing ten different people, but I had to agree with Sam. Might as well get this part out of the way. We could look at the victims’ houses after.
~~~~~
Several hours and too many interviews full of crying loved ones later, we stood in our motel room going over the information we’d gathered today. The ME had called an hour ago and confirmed that it was flat out murder, not murder suicide. We hadn’t gotten any useful information out of any of the people we talked to today though, and we were all a little frustrated. 
“Alright, well the roommate vics were extremely close,” Sam recapped, thinking out loud. “Which means Y/N’s theory on them loving each other pans out, leaving a siren as the most likely culprit. But how are we supposed to find it? We still don’t have anything that links these people together,” Sam grumbled.
“And why is it killing people?” I added. “Usually they leave the killing to their victims. Maybe we missed something.”
“Or,” Dean cut in, standing up from the chair he’d been in. “We'll find the answers we need at the crime scenes. Which I said we should look at four hours ago.”
“Yeah, Dean. We know,” Sam snapped.
“Let’s just figure out our next step,” I interjected. 
“Maybe we should do some research on sirens. It would be easier to track it if we can figure out where they live, how they make people do what they want, that sort of thing,” Sam suggested.
“C’mon Sam, we’ve spent all day doing research on the victims. Now you’re telling me you want to do more research?” Dean complained. “What we should do is go to their houses. I’m telling you, if we want answers, that’s where we’ll find them.”
“Maybe, but we still have to know what we’re up against,” Sam pointed out. “Why don’t you and Y/N go check out the houses. I’ll stay here and research,” he suggested. 
“Fine. Let’s go,” Dean said, satisfied with this compromise. He went outside and I heard the Impala’s engine roar to life a few seconds later. 
Sam grabbed his laptop and settled in to work while I grabbed my coat.
“Let us know if you find anything,” I said. Sam assured me he would and then I followed Dean out the door.
We decided to split up to cover ground faster. Dean would drop me off at the first house and head to the second house himself. When he was done there he would pick me up and we would look at the last place together.
Dean parked outside the first house, a small blue one with a row of flowers planted along the front of it.
“I’ll call you when I’m on my way back,” he told me as I was getting out of the car. He drove away and I walked into the house, ducking under the police tape strung up on the door.
The first room I walked through was the kitchen. Other than a few unwashed dishes in the sink, it was spotless. I knew the murders had happened in the bedroom, so I didn’t expect to see much in the rest of the house, but I was looking for any sort of clue that would lead us to the siren. I took a quick look at the pictures on the fridge but didn’t see anything that would help.
The next room was the living room which was also clean. A cursory scan of the room told me these two were huge movie fans. There were several movie posters hanging up on the walls, an entertainment center overflowing with DVDs, and a little box full of old movie tickets. I didn’t know how this could be a connection with the other couples, but it was clearly a big part of their lives, so it was worth making a mental note of. Other than that, I didn’t see much. A brochure for a yoga class stuck underneath a pile of magazines on the coffee table. A framed picture of the two skiing was hanging on the wall. I noticed a coffee mug with what I assumed was the name of a local bar printed on the side. I made another mental note of both the yoga class and the bar just in case.
Then I moved on to the bedroom. Even if I hadn’t known ahead of time what happened in here, it would have been pretty clear. There was a bloodstain on the bed and the blankets were rumpled, like there had been a struggle on top of them. One of the pillows was knocked on the floor. The nightstand on the left side of the bed had been knocked over, a picture frame shattered beside it. And there was a second blood stain on the cream carpet.
I braced myself, turning off the part of my brain that wanted to be horrified and turn away from the scene. I looked around the room for any sort of clue as to who the siren might be or where it might have gone. It would be a lot easier if I knew what exactly I was looking for. Sam was right. We should have done the research first. 
After thoroughly searching the bedroom and the bathroom and finding nothing, I made my way back out of the house. I wasn’t quite ready to give up yet, but I was getting more doubtful that this wasn’t something the real FBI should be handling. I stepped back outside and saw the cute guy from earlier walking past. He heard the door close behind me and looked over.
“Oh, it’s you,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” he answered as I walked towards him. “I do believe that’s a crime scene you just walked out of. Not exactly legal.”
“It is when you’re FBI,” I told him, pulling out my badge. It identified me as agent Y/N Perry.
“That explains why I haven’t seen you around before,” he said, not seeming overly surprised by the news.
“What are you doing here?” I asked again. 
“I live next door,” he told me. “I didn’t really know them. Terrible what happened though.”
“It is,” I agreed. My phone rang and I took it out of my pocket, seeing Sam’s name on the screen. I excused myself to answer it.
“Hey, Sam. What did you find?” 
“Have you heard from Dean?” He asked urgently. 
“No, why?” I asked, immediately worried. Before he could answer, everything went dark.
~~~~~
Sam’s POV
“What do you got, Sam?” Dean asked immediately upon answering my call.
“Not much, but I think I’m starting to figure out more about this siren,” I told him. I hadn’t had time to gather much information yet, but what I had found mixed with a quick phone call to the ME was starting to clear things up.
“Like what?” 
“So get this. When sirens… put you under their spell or whatever, it leaves high levels of a hormone called oxytocin in your blood.”
“So?”
“So, I called the ME and asked her about it. There were high traces in three of the victims. The female victims. For whatever reason, this siren is going after the women, not the men.”
“Son of a bitch! Please tell me you called Y/N before you called me,” Dean said.
“Why? Aren’t you together?”
“No,” Dean growled out in a tone of voice that suggested stress and frustration. “We split up to move faster.”
“Alright. Well don’t worry. I’m sure she’s fine. I’ll call her now,” I said, trying to calm him.
“I’m going back to get her. I’ll call her on the way.”
Before I could argue that he was already worked up enough and should just focus on driving I heard a thump, Dean grunting, and then the sound of his phone clattering on the ground.
“Dean!” I yelled. No response. I hung up and headed outside. I needed to find a car. Once I had one ready to go, I started driving to the closest address on the list.
~~~~~
Y/N’s POV
The first thing that registered in my mind was the way my body was shaking. I heard a distant voice calling my name as consciousness slowly found me. It took a few seconds for me to fully wake up and process what was happening. The shaking was due to the hand on my shoulder, trying to jostle me into consciousness. The voice was Dean’s, and it wasn’t distant. It was right in front of me.
My head was pounding. I tried to remember what happened. I was outside waiting for Dean. Sam called. Then what?
“Y/N!” Dean said a little louder. I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again, hissing at the pain that shot through my skull from the bright light in the room. Someone must have hit me over the head. Who? No one else had even been around. Except for that guy I bumped into earlier. He must be the siren then.
I felt a surge of frustration at my stupidity. How did I miss it? I knew it was weird that he just happened to be outside that house.
“C’mon. We should get out of here,” Dean encouraged, pulling me to my feet.
“Just a minute,” I pleaded as a wave of dizziness rushed over me upon standing. I braced my hand on the wall beside me.
“What happened?” He asked. “You didn’t answer the phone.”
Once the dizziness passed, I slowly opened my eyes. The pounding in my head was intense, but it was more manageable when I took things slow.
“Where is he?” I asked.
“Who, the siren? Dead,” he told me. That was good news I guess. I didn’t know how much help I’d be in a fight right now. He was almost entirely supporting my weight. Then something occurred to me.
“How?” I asked, looking up at his face. “We don’t know how to kill them.”
“Well I had a machete with me. I couldn’t walk in here completely defenseless. When I saw him standing over you, I cut his head off. Apparently that’s all it takes,” he explained.
I looked around the room, searching for the body, and realized this was the house of the first murdered couple. We were in the living room.
“He brought me in here?” I asked.
“Well. It was close by. And there isn’t much chance of anyone walking in. Made it easy for me to find you, too. How are you feeling? Ready to go?” He asked.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I told him. My head was still pounding, but the dizziness was gone.
“Good,” he said, carefully turning me to face him. “I was really worried about you.” Then he kissed me.
I so badly wanted to be able to enjoy this. I’d dreamed about it so many times but never imagined I’d ever build up the courage to tell him how I felt. Or that my feelings would be reciprocated. 
I placed one hand on the back of his neck and gave myself a couple of seconds to be sure my balance was good. Then in one quick motion I stepped to the side and used the hand around his neck to shove him face first into the wall.
“Ow! What the hell?!” He yelled, clutching a hand to his bleeding nose. 
“Where’s Dean?” I asked, watching closely for any indication he was about to run or attack.
“I am Dean!” He insisted. He held a hand out placatingly and took a step towards me.
“Stay back,” I warned him. I reached into my boot and grabbed the silver knife I kept there at all times. “I know a shapeshifter when I see one.”
He dropped his hands and stood up straighter, a cocky smile gracing his mouth. He started to walk in a slow circle around me.
“What gave me away?” He asked casually.
“A few things,” I answered, rotating my body to keep him directly in front of me at all times. 
“Like?” 
“Where’s Dean?” I asked again.
“Oh, he’s fine for now. Just a little tied up at the moment,” he smirked.
I lunged for him, hoping to catch him by surprise. He easily blocked the knife I had aimed directly at his heart and threw a punch that caught me in the stomach. The force of the blow knocked the breath out of me, but I recovered quickly and slashed out with the knife at the hand that was reaching for my hair. He hissed in pain and quickly withdrew his hand.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” the fake Dean growled. “You know you can’t win. Might as well save yourself some of the pain.”
My head was killing me and the dizziness was threatening to return and become a very serious problem. I waited for his next attack. I didn’t have to wait long. I saw his muscles tense to move and then he closed the distance between us quickly. 
He reached out for the hand that was holding the knife, trying to force it out of my grip without touching it. I took advantage of the way he focused on the knife to kick his knee as hard as I could. His knee buckled and I used all the strength I had to push him into the wall behind him. I pressed the knife to his throat.
“Where is Dean?” I demanded.
“What gave me away?” He asked again. I couldn’t believe the arrogance. Did he really not care about anything but the fact that I’d seen through him?
“I’m not going to ask again,” I threatened, pressing the knife just a little harder into his skin. “Where is he?”
“Quid pro quo,” he offered. “Answer my question, I’ll answer yours.”
I seriously debated just killing him, but decided to humor him just this once. He wasn’t going anywhere and I’d get the answer out of him one way or another.
“First of all, Dean wouldn’t just sit there waiting for me to wake up. He would have just carried me out. Secondly, he has a scratch on his jaw that hasn’t healed all the way yet. That particular scratch is missing from your face. Third, if he’s not sure which weapon to bring with, he always chooses his gun. Silver kills a lot of things, so it’s usually the safest bet. Also, where’s the body? You said you killed the siren, but there isn’t a body. And as far as that goes, you don’t have a machete either.”
“Hmm. You’re observant,” he said. “Not observant enough though. Otherwise you probably would have seen this coming.”
His hand shot up and grabbed my wrist, pushing the knife away from his neck. He pressed hard on the tendons there until I was forced to drop the knife. Then he spun us around, pressing me up against the wall. He pinned both of my wrists to the wall and leaned in close, his breath brushing my face.
“Now this seems more familiar, doesn’t it?” He smiled.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I spat.
“No?” He mocked, pressing his cheek to mine and talking directly into my ear. “You’ve never dreamed about Dean pressing you into the nearest wall and kissing you breathless? I think you have. Many times. As recently as just a few hours ago.” 
I whipped my head to the side to look at him. He grinned triumphantly. 
“That’s right. I’ve been inside your head. I know exactly how you feel about this pretty boy of yours.” 
I bristled at the way he had stolen Dean’s face, tried to use it against me, and was now flaunting that fact.
“You don’t know anything,” I spat. He just continued as if I hadn’t said anything.
“That’s why I chose you. It was pure coincidence running into you, but you’re a very attractive woman, so I figured I’d give it a shot.”
“Give what a shot? Murder? News flash, you’ve already done that. I’d suggest branching out and finding a new hobby.” I pushed lightly against his hands, testing the possibility of breaking free. That wasn’t an option. He was holding on tight, and I wouldn’t be able to beat him in a battle of strength.
He smiled and kept ignoring me.
“You see, I had to turn into you first to get in your head and see if you fit what I was looking for. It was a shock, of course, to find out that you’re a hunter. But it turns out you did fit my needs, and you and your friends were so far off the mark, I knew I’d be safe enough.”
“What do you mean, I fit your needs?” I asked. I had a plan to escape his hold, but as long as he was content to talk, I wanted answers.
“Well you’re in love of course,” he said.
“So?” I didn’t bother denying it. Like he said, he’d already been in my head. 
“So,” he answered as if I was being extremely stupid. “Isn’t it so much better being with someone when you’re in love?”
I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. Being with someone? What was he talking about? What did it have to do with murder? 
I felt a wave of horror and disgust wash over me as I understood his meaning. He’d posed as the men the women were in love with and slept with them before murdering them both.
“If it’s any consolation, they died happy,” he told me. “Well,” he amended. “The women did, anyway.”
“So what?” I snarled. “You thought you’d come in here looking like Dean and I’d just take my clothes off for you? Just like that?”
“Well, not just like that. But I figured you’d be willing enough once I had some time to convince you.”
I remembered how he had kissed me before. I assume that was the kind of convincing he was referring to. 
“We still could, you know,” he offered. He brushed his lips gently against mine and I jerked away. “You can pretend I’m him and I’ll give you what you’ve always wanted.”
“Right before you kill me, you mean?”
“Well obviously I can’t let you live,” he said.
“I think I’ll pass,” I said. I drove my knee up as hard as I could into his crotch. He may not have been entirely human, but he still went down as hard as any human man.
I dropped down to pick up my knife, doing my best to ignore the pain the quick movement caused in my head. I didn’t give the shapeshifter time to recover. I immediately turned to him and drove the knife into his heart. He gasped in shock and pain and then collapsed, unmoving.
I rose to my feet and made my way – a little unsteadily – out of the house. I was pretty sure I had a concussion and that fight had taken all the strength and energy I could muster. As I stepped out of the house, a car came screeching down the road and parked next to the only other car on the street. I didn’t know if I could really handle it, but I prepared myself for another fight.
The driver door opened and a tall man stepped out. Sam, I realized when he called my name. And the car he was in was the Impala. How had he gotten it? Sam ran over to me and put a steadying hand on my shoulder.
“Are you ok? What happened?” He asked.
“Where’s Dean?” I asked, ignoring his questions.
“I don’t know. I’ve been looking for both of you,” Sam said. “I found Dean’s car at the second house, but no sign of him. I was hoping I’d find him here with you.”
Just then we heard a muffled banging noise coming from the other car on the street.
“Stay here,” Sam told me, drawing his gun as he walked towards it. I was in no position to argue seeing as the dizziness was returning and I was struggling to keep my balance. He stopped by the trunk of the car. “Dean?”
“Sam! Get me out of here,” I heard Dean say from inside.
“Just a second,” Sam breathed out in relief. He tucked his gun back into his jeans and went around to the front of the car in search of the keys. He pulled them out of the ignition and then opened the trunk. Dean jumped out, fuming. He was down to just jeans and a t-shirt, the shifter having stolen the rest of his usual layers.
“Where is it? I’m gonna kill it,” he seethed, marching towards the house. He paused momentarily when he saw me swaying on the sidewalk and then hurried over to me. He wrapped my arm around his shoulders and put his own around my waist to help me stay balanced.
“What happened? Did the siren do something to you? Where is it?” He asked.
“It was a shapeshifter, not a siren,” I told both him and Sam who had followed close behind his brother.
“Was?” Sam questioned.
“It’s dead,” I said.
“That explains why my clothes are gone,” Dean said irritatedly. “Why is it that we seem to be leaving behind a trail of shapeshifter bodies wearing my face?”
“Well, you’re an objectively good looking guy. Maybe they just can’t resist all the girls they know they’ll get with a face like that,” I teased.
“Alright, well you’re obviously in even worse shape than I thought,” Dean said, half teasing half genuinely worried. I guess I haven’t ever said anything to him before about him being attractive. This concussion was loosening my tongue apparently. “Sam, you mind getting the body? I’m gonna get Wobbly here to the car.”
“Why can’t we just leave it?” Sam asked.
“Because I want my clothes back for one thing,” Dean replied. “And for another, I don’t want to be blamed for yet another set of murders.”
“Good point,” Sam agreed. He headed for the house.
Dean turned us towards the car and the movement caused me to trip a little on my own feet. The adrenaline was fading away, leaving me helpless to fight off the dizziness that I thought had disappeared.
Rather than let me stumble my way to the car, Dean moved the arm he had around my waist a little higher on my back and put his other arm under my knees, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me. I couldn’t be bothered to keep my head held up and rested it against his chest.
“What happened?” he asked, referring to my balance issues.
“He caught me by surprise and hit me over the head. I think I have a concussion.”
“You thought he was me, so you didn’t see it coming,” Dean said. He adjusted my weight so he was able to open the car door.
“No. He looked like someone else. I turned my back to take a call and he hit me. When I woke up he was pretending to be you,” I explained.
“I’m sorry, Y/N,” he sighed as he gently set me down, careful not to hit my head.
“Why?” I wondered.
“He took me out too. Only I didn’t even know he was there. If I’d been paying attention better, I could have stopped him before he got to you,” Dean said, ashamed.
“Not everything is your fault, you know,” I told him. I saw Sam step out of the house, a large body tossed over his shoulder. “This isn’t on you. And it doesn’t matter anyway. It’s over.”
I could tell he didn’t agree with me and he would beat himself up over this for a while. But he left to open the trunk for Sam and I was too exhausted to try and convince him otherwise.
~~~~~
An hour later Sam was watching over me while Dean went to take care of the body. I sat on the lumpy couch and held a bag of frozen peas to the back of my head in an attempt to bring down the swelling. I’d taken Ibuprofen as soon as we got to the motel and both the headache and the dizziness were slowly starting to fade. I’m sure finally sitting still helped the situation too.
“Why do you think it killed them?” Sam wondered aloud. “I mean, how did he choose his victims?”
“He chose women that he considered beautiful and that were in love. He turned into the man they loved and when he was done with them, he killed them,” I answered even though he hadn’t actually been expecting an explanation.
“He told you?” He asked, surprised.
“In way too much detail,” I said.
He was quiet for a moment.
“You know what I don’t get? If it wasn’t a siren then where did the oxytocin come from?” 
“The what?” I asked.
“Oxytocin. It’s a hormone that sirens infect you with,” he explained. “Actually, Dean was on his way to warn you when he got ambushed. I told him that all the women had high levels and so it looked like they were the ones being targeted.”
My face drained of blood at the reminder of what that thing had done to those women. Of what he’d tried to do to me.
“I know what it is,” I told him. “And it’s not specific to sirens. It’s a naturally occurring hormone in the body. Ever heard of the love hormone?” At his nod I continued. “It occurs during childbirth, breastfeeding… and sex. That’s why he wanted women that were in love. He said it’s so much better that way.” 
Understanding showed on his face alongside a mix of horror and protective anger.
“Y/N… he didn’t?”
“No,” I assured him quickly. “Not me anyway. I figured out what he was too quickly.”
Relief replaced the other emotions on his face and he stayed silent as he processed this new information. Then he wrinkled his brow in confusion.
“You said he chose women that were in love,” he said.
“Yeah,” I confirmed.
“So why did he go after you?”
I was practiced enough at hiding my feelings for the older Winchester from both brothers that I didn’t even have to hesitate to come up with an explanation.
“I guess he found me attractive. Per his usual pattern, he turned into me to see if I was in love with anyone and found out pretty quickly that I’m a hunter.”
“Then why did he turn into Dean?” He asked.
“He was pretending to rescue me,” I answered.
“Right, but why? What’s the point? If he wanted you dead, he had the chance. There was no reason for him to mess with you that way.”
I didn’t have a reasonable explanation for this, so I stayed quiet.
“He wasn’t just going after you because you’re a hunter. You fit the profile he was after and he wanted to-” he cut himself off and considered his wording. “He wanted to… complete his usual pattern. Because you’re in love with Dean,” he surmised, smiling a little bit at this conclusion. 
I decided silence was the best option here. I couldn’t possibly contradict his completely accurate deduction. I wouldn’t outright confirm it for him, but I wasn’t going to deny what we both knew to be true.
“Y/N.”
More silence.
“Tell me I’m wrong and I’ll drop it,” he promised. I sighed.
“You know you’re not,” I told him.
“Then why don’t you do something about it?” He asked.
“There’s nothing to do about it,” I answered. “He doesn’t see me that way. And that’s fine. I’ve accepted it.”
“How do you know he doesn’t feel the same if you don’t tell him?”
“Sam, I’m really not in any condition to do anything to you right now, but I swear if you say anything to him, there’s going to be hell to pay in a couple of days,” I warned.
“I’m not going to say anything,” he said, offended by my assumption. “But I really think you should tell him. You guys are so great together. I think you would be good for each other. And I would be very happy for you.”
“Thanks, I guess. My head hurts too much to even consider thinking about this right now,” I told him.
“Alright, fine. I’ll let it go,” he conceded. “For now.”
“That’s all I ask.”
After that we sat in companionable silence while we waited for Dean to get back. Sam turned the TV on. I closed my eyes to block out the light and just listened to it, finding it to be a suitable distraction from the day’s events.
Dean got back probably twenty minutes later by my estimation.
“Hey, how are you doing?” He asked as soon as the door was shut behind him.
“A little better,” I told him. 
“Good,” he said. He took the peas from my hand and gently felt the lump that had formed on the back of my head. “I think the swelling might actually be going down a little bit.”
He took the now room temperature peas to the freezer and switched them out for a fresh bag. He handed it to me and then sat down beside me, putting his arm around me. 
“Is this ok?” He asked. He didn’t know the details that Sam did about the shapeshifter’s intentions, but he knew that I had been attacked today by a guy wearing his face. 
“You don’t have to tiptoe around me,” I told him. “I know it wasn’t you. For the record, I knew the whole time it wasn’t you. I’m fine. I’m not traumatized and I’m not afraid of you.”
“A simple yes would have been fine,” he teased, pulling me closer into his side.
Movement from Sam’s direction had me glancing at him. He just smiled at me, looking meaningfully at Dean and then winking at me. I would have rolled my eyes if the action wouldn’t hurt my head. Instead I pointedly looked away from him. Things with me and Dean were fine the way they were. I wasn’t going to mess it up now just because Sam knew about my feelings.
A romantic relationship with Dean was something I wanted, but not something I needed. This right here – sitting together with my two best friends, knowing that even though I was temporarily unable to defend myself should it be necessary I was still safe and protected – this was all I needed. At least, that’s what I’d continue to tell myself.
Chapter 2
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@123passwort
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sinner-sunflower · 29 days
Text
A HH Lucifer-centric AU 4/?
PART 1 , PART 2, PART 3, PART 5, PART 6, PART 7, PART 8, PART 9, PART 10, PART 11, PART 12, PART 13, PART 14, PART 15, PART 16, PART 17, PART 18, PART 19, PART 20, PART 21, PART 22
Thanks to your support, I am so committed to this. When I finish this, I plan to make it into a long, proper, one-shot- better format and everything!
I've been doing these chapters in the middle of work lmao, so if you see a typo or some edits, it's me rereading it after work.
I'm trying to include more Alastor but he's pretty hard to write.
I used Velvette so much here cos I love her as that bitch you love to hate. She is obviously the spokesperson of the Vees
---------------------------------------------
The hotel lobby is filled with unbearable silence as hell's overlords and high members of the Ars Goetia arrive one by one.
Just a few hours ago, Alastor heard from Carmila Carmine that the king had called a meeting for the top ruling people of hell. Charlie doesn't know why her dad called for it in the hotel.
The Ars Goetia (minus Stolas) were whispering among themselves and shooting the sinner overlords dirty looks every now and again. The overlords were good at pretending they couldn't hear anything. Apparently, they at least have the sense to know that that would be a fight they cannot win.
The hotel's residents collectively claimed it as their spot. Husk is talking with Angel quietly, keeping him distracted and out of view of Valentino, Vaggie is holding her spear as she keeps a close eye on the strangers in their home, Nifty is obsessively cleaning a corner of the bar (Husk keeps telling her that it is still dirty just so she won't venture elsewhere), and Cherri is playing with an unlit bomb in her hand.
Rosie and Stolas decided to approach Charlie and Alastor at the bar at the same time, both slightly bowed to her.
Charlie: Prince Stolas. Rosie.
Stolas: Hello, princess.
Charlie: How's Octavia?
Stolas: Via misses your outings together. But she is fine. She's with her mother today.
Rosie: Not that I'm not happy to see ya, Alastor. But why exactly are we here? Our Carmila has not stated a reason why.
Alastor: You know as much as me, my dear.
Stolas: It must be dire. His majesty rarely calls for the Goetia's presence. He is not here yet?
Charlie: No. He went down in Sloth earlier. I'm worried. After what happened yesterday, I..
Rosie: Yesterday? Did something happen, sweetie?
Charlie realizes the slip up and backtracks.
Charlie: Nothing, Rosie!
Rosie gives her a look that tells her they're going to be talking about it later. She gives the overlord a weak thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Velvette decides enough is enough and they have wasted too much time waiting.
Velvette: Ugh! Vois, let's go. This is a fuckin' joke.
Carmila: Velvette, calm yourself.
Valentino: Why should she? I had very important shit to shoot today and me being here is making me lose money.
Alastor: Then perhaps you should step down. Having to attend the bare minimum duty of their title must be so difficult for someone so... undeserving.
The Radio Demon has a giant patronizing grin plastered on his face. Alastor's comment prompted Vox to speak up.
Vox: Oh, you timely piece of shit! Fight us right now, Alastor!
Alastor: How unbecoming. Throwing tantrums in front of royalty!
Velvette: I for one, don't want to sit here waiting for a no-show fossil
Charlie's demon side flares as the demon insults her dad.
Charlie: How fucking dare you?!
Random Goetia: You shall know better than to disrespect your king, insolent pest.
Velvette: Ha! You think we're scared of a bunch of birds?
Alastor: Should have known you three cannot behave for a simple meeting haha!
Soon everyone was yelling obscenities at each other, filling the hotel with chaos. Before a proper fight could break out, the door opens with a bang, silencing every demon.
Lucifer has arrived, following him were the other Sins. They were arguing amongst themselves from behind him. Charlie can only catch glimpses of what is being said as voices overlap each other.
Beelzebub: Bel-
Mammon: Are you fuckin-
Satan: Wrath is-
Leviathan: We cannot-
Asmodeus: Evacuation-
Belphegor: Grown another mile-
Lucifer says nothing the entire time and just takes a seat in the middle of the semi-circle table he conjured up. With the way the table was placed in front of everyone else, Charlie gets the feeling of deja vu of her hearing in heaven. But now her dad will be the one passing judgment.
Most of the sinners in the room back up as the Sins continue to argue with their full form.
Lucifer sits back and raises a hand and the yelling stops.
Back then, she never really understood why demons were afraid of her dad. He was always a silly and happy guy when spending time with her. But one time, she sneaks into his rare meetings with the Sins and sees why he was called the devil.
The anger she saw then could have given her Uncle Satan a run for Uncle Mammon's money.
Lucifer: Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I will cut to the chase. I have called you all here because something is brewing at the very depths of hell. Something that may affect us all.
Stolas: The Ars Goetia is at your disposal, sire. But may I ask what is this about?
Belphegor: I can answer that. A few months ago, an anomaly appeared at the edge of Sloth. It was not a problem until-
She pressed her touchpad and a hologram screen appeared showing the infected ground.
Not a single demon didn't widen their eyes.
Angel: What the fuck is that?
Belphegor: We wouldn't have called you all here if it was not this severe.
She taps and shows a mutilated demon pig.
Belphegor: This is Patient Zero. An animal on a nearby farm made contact with the anomaly. It instantly infected the whole body, controlling the creature whilst killing it slowly. If it can affect an animal like this, we fear what it may do to-
Velvette: And what do you expect us to do about it exactly? Why the fuck would we care about some old place we can't even go to.
Belphegor is briefly stunned by the interruption but ignores the sinner's disrespect.
Belphegor: Because you would have to be naive to think that it will stop in Sloth. We cannot be too careful.
Velvette: So you think we would risk our lives? Yeah. No thanks. How do we even know that it will affect us? It's just a pig. The worst we can get is horrible floor decor.
Lucifer stands up and moves silently towards the middle for everyone to see.
Lucifer: Free will does not mean you are free from consequences.
The king starts to remove his shirt to everyone's panic, except Belphegor.
Mammon: Woah woah, mate. The fuck ya doin?
Lucifer shrugs off the last piece of clothing to reveal the glowing, infected marks. It has not been a day since he touched it but the veins are already covering the entire right half of his torso.
Charlie: Dad!
The princess attempts to go to her father's side but Vaggie holds her back.
Lucifer: Shall we proceed without any more interruptions?
---------------------------------------------
What to look forward to in Part 5:
the rest of the meeting
more dialogue from the other Sins. Cannot decide what personality to give to Leviathan.
My HC for Satan is he's like one of those old butler types but has a jacked body (I know he has that workout app, but I'm leaning more of the liver king type of a gentle strongman with anger issues. I don't want him to be a fuckboy gymbro)
more badass lucifer
the Vees getting scolded like the children they are
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bellaxgiornata · 9 months
Text
All These Years [Part 8: "Planting a Seed of Thought"]
Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader
[You can find the full series summary and masterlist of installments for All These Years here.]
Warnings/tags: 18+ for this series; contains emotional hurt with no comfort until the final installments, angst, pining, friends to lovers, slowburn, and eventually smut
Word Count: 6.6k
a/n: I basically wrote this long ass monster today and NEEDED to get it up. So I hope it is edited enough and none of the writing is too awkward. Normally I edit vastly more before I share but I was too excited. Feedback is always appreciated!
Tag list: @acharliecoxedfan @theetherealbloom @rotscinema @magnumstyles @roseallisonparker @ofmusesandsecrets @readerhead @paracosmic-murdock @v4leoftears @why-always-me-gosh-please @redbircl @keepingitlokiii @yarrystyleeza @mattkinsella @ms-murdockswift @margoo0 @1988-fiend @lockleywife @strangeobsessed @justalittlebitbored @am-3-thyst @buckybarnes-1917 @thora-jane @lionalsowrites
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Making your way down the dimly lit hallway, your eyes were focused on the door at the far end. 'Nelson & Murdock' was no longer a paper sign taped to the door with their name written in Sharpie, but a proper, professional sign adhered to the glass of it. 
After a lot of hard work and frustration over the past few months, Foggy and Matt’s law firm had really managed to take off. It had all been thanks to the pair of them–along with Karen and apparently the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen–taking down Wilson Fisk. You'd watched for months on the sidelines as they struggled and many times almost lost hope that they'd ever succeed with getting Fisk arrested. You'd even endured the time fairly recently where the firm, and Matt and Foggy’s friendship, had briefly broken up. 
Those few weeks had been a very difficult few weeks for all of you. Even Karen had gradually grown closer to you during that time. And both Foggy and Matt had fallen back on you for support when they didn't have each other. You'd done your best to split your free time between the pair of them, but you'd never gotten a straight answer as to what had happened. All you knew was that it must have been bad if Foggy had been willing to end the friendship you'd watch grow over the years. And all Matt would ever tell you was that it was his fault, whatever it was, and to not be mad at Foggy.
The whole thing had seemed strange to you, especially because Matt had just been in a car accident when everything had happened. Your heart had broken when he’d stopped by to see you shortly after; you hadn’t heard the news ahead of time and it was a shock to see him limp into your apartment. Though something had seemed off about his flippant explanation of what happened, especially considering he’d been sporting bruises and cuts more and more frequently this past year. He’d told you they were because he was blind and clumsy and had gotten into a lot of accidents, but you had a feeling that was bullshit even if you never pushed for answers. Because he’d certainly not had that many accidents at Columbia. 
Yet again it hurt you that it felt like Matt was hiding something from you, something you were sure he’d have told you about back when you’d both been in college. You felt like he was drifting even further away from you. And that hurt.
As you came to a stop in front of the office, you knocked twice lightly on the glass of the door. Karen’s voice called out from behind it instantly, telling you to come in. You opened the door and stepped inside, immediately greeted with Karen’s bright smile from her place behind her desk. 
“Hey! Was wondering when you were going to show up,” Karen greeted you as she set aside a folder on her desk.
“I had to finish a few things up at the office before I could actually get out of there,” you told her, making your way over and sitting down in one of the empty chairs in front of her desk. “My boss loves to chat so I was sort of stuck listening to him ramble on about this problem he’d encountered coding–but I won’t bore you with the details. Needless to say, it took me a moment before I could find a way to slip out of the conversation.”
“Well we’re glad you’re here!”
You turned at the voice, spotting Foggy making his way out of his office. He was fiddling with his tie as he came over towards the pair of you, a smile on his face.
“And I hope you’re prepared to fight with Matt about places for takeout,” Foggy added. 
You laughed, adjusting your purse in your lap. “Fog, I’ve known you guys for a while. I already know how picky Matt is about exactly where we get food from.”
“Well he’s grown pickier since Columbia,” Foggy informed you.
"I'm not picky," Matt countered, appearing in the doorway of his office with a frown. "I just know what I like."
Your head turned in the opposite direction, taking in the sight of Matt leaning against the doorframe of his office. He was in a pair of dark dress slacks, his hands on his hips as he focused on Foggy. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up to just below his elbows, his thick and muscular forearms on display. He’d gotten new glasses recently you noticed–these ones had red lenses. 
"Yeah, that's called picky," Foggy quipped. 
The three of you laughed as a frown crossed Matt’s lips, an irritated huff escaping him. He was clearly not amused. 
"Well I for one am curious to see that billboard at your apartment Foggy told me about," you said, trying to change the subject for him. "I still haven't seen your place and you’ve been there for a bit now."
"Oh, it's obnoxious alright," Karen assured you. When she saw the confused look you gave her she added on, "The billboard, not the apartment."
Something stirred in your chest at her words, a twisting, uncomfortable feeling. Matt was a private person and you knew he didn't let people into his space easily. He’d always been like that. You'd known Foggy had been to his apartment often after Matt had moved out–it was a given considering how close they were–but you hadn't known Karen had been there. Especially when you never had been invited in the almost year since he'd been living there. 
"You've been to Matt's?" Foggy asked, rounding on Karen in surprise.
"Well, yeah," she answered. "Back when you guys took my case? The night the man in the mask saved me?"
You saw Foggy shoot Matt a quick look and you frowned, wondering what that had been about. But then Karen continued on and you weren't expecting what she said next.
"And we uh, did date,” Karen admitted, a blush rising to her cheeks. “Briefly.”
Foggy gasped beside you as your hands tightened on the straps of your purse. Your mouth felt like it had gone dry as you stiffened in the chair. Matt had dated Karen?
“When the hell did that happen?” Foggy exclaimed, his eyes darting back and forth between the pair of them. “How did I not even catch that?”
“It was a little bit ago,” Karen answered.
“For a couple weeks,” Matt added.
Fingernails digging into the faux leather of your purse, you fought the burn of tears in your eyes. He’d dated her? She’d been his friend–and his employee–yet he’d still asked her out? Slept with her? But yet you remained nothing but his friend, one that was steadily drifting away from him?
Would he really give everyone but you a second look?
“Realized we were just better as friends,” Karen said with a shrug.
Her attention landed on you over her desk and you saw the way her blue eyes narrowed curiously at your expression. Her sharp eyes lingered as if she had noticed the change in the way you were acting now since you’d come in. Swallowing hard, you forced a smile back onto your face before you rose from your seat. It was going to be difficult walking back to your place with Karen after this; you found yourself wishing you hadn’t planned that with her this morning. After learning that all you wanted to do was go home and stay there. Maybe cry alone on your couch. You didn’t want to make conversation with Karen right now, and you certainly didn’t want to go to Matt’s and have dinner with everyone. 
What you wanted was to rip your heart out and stop feeling what you felt for Matt once and for all.
“I should probably get back to my place and change if I’m going to be on time later,” you said, voice quivering a bit.
Karen slowly pushed her chair back, rising to her feet and smoothing down her dress. Why did she have to be so beautiful? That only made everything hurt even more right now.
“I’ll come with, like we talked about earlier,” Karen announced.
“Great,” you said stiffly.
You made your way around the chair, your eyes avoiding Matt and Foggy. You knew Foggy was just standing there giving you his usual sympathetic look after the news Karen had just dropped. You really didn’t need to see that look on his face right now. 
“I’ll see you guys later,” you said, eyes focusing on your feet.
You heard Karen’s heels clicking along after you on the floor, both of you making your way towards the exit as Karen said her goodbyes. But the pair of you stopped when Matt spoke up, saying your name. You froze at his voice, your head swiveling nervously towards him. He was still leaning against the doorframe to his office, his brows furrowed behind his dark glasses. His arms were crossed over his chest now as he focused on you.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Swallowing hard, you wondered how the hell he’d even noticed something was off. It’s not like he could see the look on your face like Karen had. Once again you forced the strained smile back onto your lips as you looked back at him, hoping the smile would somehow show through in your voice.
“Yeah, I just had a rough day at work,” you lied.
Matt’s head tilted to the side at your words, his lips drawing into a thin line. Somehow his brows had dropped even lower behind his glasses, a deep crease forming on his forehead.
“I’ll see you later though, Matty,” you said in a rush.
Picking up your pace, you ducked your head and darted out of the office. Karen sped up behind you in a hurry to catch up.
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The walk back to your place with Karen had been interesting to say the least. You’d practically power-walked the entire way back while she struggled to keep up with you. Every time she asked if you were okay, you only increased your pace. You didn’t want to talk about this with her because you swore she’d seen the look on your face back at the office and had already pieced things together. But when you’d finally gotten to your apartment and she’d followed you inside, you knew you wouldn’t be able to avoid her prying questions. 
“You want to tell me what that was all about?” Karen asked as she closed the door behind herself.
Chewing the inside of your cheek, you slipped your dress flats off and set them on your shoe rack. You turned, making your way towards your bedroom as Karen followed after you.
“I just was in a hurry to get back and get changed,” you told her. “Didn’t want to get slowed by the usual evening foot traffic.”
You made your way over to your dresser, pulling a drawer open and grabbing out a pair of jeans. Karen stepped into your bedroom, crossing her arms over her chest and shooting you a pointed stare. 
“Okay, let’s say I believe that bullshit,” Karen replied bluntly. “What was with that look back at the office?”
“What look?” you asked, feigning ignorance.
You tossed your jeans onto your bed and then made your way towards your closet, sliding the door open. Biting your bottom lip, you tried to focus on finding a shirt as Karen stepped further into your bedroom.
“The look back at the office,” she clarified. “When I’d said I’d been to Matt’s and that we’d– Oh .”
Breath catching in your throat, you stared even more intensely at your wardrobe hanging in your closet. She’d certainly figured it out now.
“You like Matt, don’t you?” she asked, her tone abruptly softening.
“We–we’ve been friends for a while, so yeah,” you answered, still refusing to look at her. “Obviously I like him.”
“No,” Karen said.
You heard her briskly closing the distance between the pair of you before you felt her hands reaching out, landing on your shoulders and turning you to face her. Chewing your lip even more nervously, you saw the realization in her wide blue eyes. And then seconds later–there it was. That same fucking look Foggy always gave you. It immediately drew tears to your eyes.
“Stop it, Karen,” you warned her.
“How did I not see it before?” she asked. “You like him. As more than a friend.”
“No,” you replied, your voice cracking on the word as you swiftly shook your head. “No, he’s just my best friend.”
“Oh shit, I didn’t know,” she said quickly. “I wouldn’t have–wouldn’t have gone on those dates with him if I’d known you liked him.”
“I–I don’t like him,” you said weakly.
Karen sent you a sad smile, her hands still gripping your shoulders. You felt a tear slip down your cheek and you abruptly wiped it away with the back of your hand. 
“Don’t lie to me,” Karen replied. “You care about him a lot, don’t you?”
A loud sniffle fell out of you, your eyes dropping down to your bedroom floor. Crossing your arms over your chest, you tried to control the threat of tears. How many times had you already cried over Matt since you met him now?
“Yeah,” you whispered. “I’ve…been in love with him for years.”
Karen gasped audibly at your confession, her hands tightening on your shoulders. You sniffed again, blinking rapidly and trying to force the tears back down.
“And he doesn’t know?” she asked.
You shrugged lamely, still refusing to meet her eyes. “Foggy does, but I don’t know about Matt,” you answered. “I’ve never told him, but I’d flirted with him in the beginning. Or at least, I thought I had. I’m not really good at it,” you admitted. “Not with him, at least. But he’s never taken an interest in me. He goes out on so many dates, I’m sure if he actually liked me he’d have asked me out by now. I just–” you paused, fighting hard to keep your voice even, “–just have never been good enough for a second look from him. He’s always wanted everyone but me. And I’m just–just passed over.”
Karen said your name gently, trying hard to catch your eye. Slowly you looked up, meeting her eyes with your own. 
“Maybe he just doesn’t know,” she told you. 
Panic flooded you instantly, your eyes going wide at what you thought she was saying. 
“I’m not going to tell him I’m in love with him!” you exclaimed. “And neither are you! That would kill our friendship in a second!”
“Well, you don’t exactly know that ,” Karen replied. “But okay, if you won’t just tell him, why not try to flirt instead?”
Mouth dropping open, you stared at Karen in complete shock. She wanted you to flirt with Matt? Not only did that sound ridiculous, you didn’t exactly know how to flirt with him. Because if he’d been unaware of your attempts before, he certainly still would be now.
“I can’t flirt, Karen,” you told her. “Not with him. My brain short-circuits if I try. And if he didn’t catch on before–if that’s even remotely the reason–he’s definitely not going to now.”
“I’ll help you flirt!” she said brightly. “He caught on when I flirted with him.”
Your face instantly fell at her words, your heart dropping to your stomach. You didn’t need a reminder of that right now.
Catching on to what she’d just said, her eyes went wide again as she quickly shook her head. “Oh shit, I’m sorry!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t mean it like that. But hey, for the record?” she continued in a rush. “Nothing happened between us. I mean, we kissed like twice but that was it. Nothing more than that, okay? We just didn’t work together. We both realized that.”
“Right,” you mumbled awkwardly.
“Look, he viewed me like a friend for a while, too,” Karen told you. “Until I started more openly flirting with him. Try to compliment him. Maybe touch his arm a few times or something–that’ll certainly catch his attention.”
“Or make him think I’m being absolutely weird,” you said. “I don’t compliment Matt unless we’re having heart to hearts. And I definitely don’t just touch his arm.”
“Well there you go!” she chirped. “He’ll pick up on something then tonight.”
“Wait,” you began, panic flooding you yet again. “You want me to flirt with him tonight ? Where you and Foggy can witness my terrible attempts?”
Karen shrugged a shoulder easily. “I don’t think they’ll be terrible attempts, but why wait? Do you want to risk losing your chance?” she countered.
Shoulders dropping, you realized she had a point. Matt often worked fast with finding a new fling or someone to take on a date. And it’s not like you saw him frequently enough to know you’d have another opportunity soon.
“Fine,” you relented with a sigh. “I’ll try to flirt with him tonight.”
“Great!” Karen replied, a wide smile spreading over her lips. “I’m excited to see how it goes!”
“That makes one of us,” you grumbled, focusing back on your closet.
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Karen knocked on Matt’s apartment door as you stood next to her, trying hard to focus on your breathing. You felt like you were going to be sick with the way your nerves were fluttering in your stomach. You didn’t even think you’d be able to eat the meal you’d all be ordering tonight with the way it was churning and twisting. The thought of flirting with Matt had you wanting to turn back around and throw up in the elevator as more and more thoughts raced through your mind.
What if he didn’t catch on at all to what you were doing? Which seemed likely because you were terrible at flirting with him. You didn’t want to get your hopes up that he’d flirt back because you didn’t know what to expect–and you didn’t want to be let down.
Or what if he did catch on but you made him uncomfortable because you were supposed to just be his friend? Would it ruin the friendship entirely? And you’d just lose Matt forever? You didn’t even want to think about that.
But just as nerve wracking–what if he flirted back? Did it mean he liked you, too? What the hell happened after that? Did you ask him out?
By the time Matt finally opened his apartment door, you felt like you were inching closer and closer to a panic attack. It didn’t help that he looked handsome in a dark green tee-shirt and jeans. He’d left his glasses off, too, giving you a full view of his entire face. It had been awhile since you’d seen him without them on since he always wore them in public. And you hadn’t exactly been invited into Matt’s private space in such a long time yourself.
It hurt to remember that, too.
“Hey, Matt!” Karen greeted him brightly. 
“Glad you made it, Karen,” Matt greeted her with a smile.
Trying to swallow down the lump in your throat, you opened your mouth to speak. “Hey, Matty,” you said, wincing at how odd your voice came out.
You saw Matt’s head tilt to the side, the corner of his lip briefly twitching. But then he greeted you with a smile and your name before inviting you both inside. Karen stepped inside first and you followed after her, but as you slipped past Matt where he was holding the door open, your arm almost brushed against his chest and you’d quickly darted away from him before you accidentally touched him, eyes wide and terrified.
Karen had been at the end of the entryway hall and saw the entire awkward moment. She shot you a stern look as Matt closed the door. You swore she mouthed the words ‘stop freaking out’ before you felt Matt bump into you from behind. Jumping in surprise, you nearly flew out of your skin as you backed into the wall. Matt’s head instantly spun towards you, a curious and confused look on his face.
“I’m sorry, didn’t realize you were standing there,” he said.
“No, it uh, it was my fault,” you said awkwardly. “Shouldn’t uh, shouldn’t just be standing in a hallway.”
Matt continued to stare at you for a long moment, his hazel eyes scanning questioningly around your face. Biting your cheek, you shot him a sheepish smile even though you knew he couldn’t see it. 
“Are you sure you’re alright today?” he asked.
“Yeah, why?” you asked quickly.
“You seem…off,” he said slowly.
“Nope, no,” you replied quickly, shaking your head as Karen mouthed something to you behind Matt that you didn’t catch. “I’m definitely not off today, I’m certainly on.”
Even you cringed at how stupid you’d just sounded, watching as Karen’s eyes slowly closed. Flirting with Matt was a horrible idea. This wasn’t going to work out. You should probably stop before you even tried and ended up truly embarrassing yourself.
“Okay,” Matt said slowly, that unsure look on his face. “Well, Fog is already here so if you want to come in, we can figure out what to eat so we can place an order.”
Matt continued his way down the hall and you followed behind him, internally cursing yourself for how awkward you were becoming around him. It's like all those years you'd spent with him at Columbia had disappeared and you'd suddenly become a stupid, bumbling school girl with a crush. 
The moment you entered the living room, you spotted Foggy sitting on one of the chairs facing the leather couch Matt had opposite his coffee table. Foggy’s gaze immediately locked onto you, his eyes going wide when he did. You watched as he slipped his phone out of his pocket, his fingers flying across it rapidly. Brows drawing together in confusion, your focus shifted to the large industrial windows to your right–and then your jaw dropped.
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding about it being obnoxious,” you blurted.
“What?” Matt asked, pausing on his way to the kitchen.
“Sorry–the billboard,” you explained quickly. “The billboard is obnoxious. I wasn’t exactly expecting it to be so…”
“Obnoxious?” Matt supplied, a cheeky grin on his mouth.
You felt yourself flush as your attention shifted to him, cheeks burning partially from embarrassment and partially from how incredibly sexy he looked with that little grin on his mouth. Why couldn't he just become unattractive one of these days to make things easier on you? 
“Yeah,” you mumbled.
In your pocket you felt your phone vibrate, the feel of it catching your attention. Frowning, you glanced down and slipped it out.
“You two want a beer?” Matt asked as he opened his fridge.
“Absolutely!” Karen called out from where she’d settled into the chair beside Foggy’s.
“Uh, yeah,” you replied, distracted by the text you’d received.
It was from Foggy, which had further confused you since he was sitting in the room with you. You didn’t understand why he’d texted you until you’d read what was written in the message.
6:37 PM Foggy:  Dude, what are you doing???? You’re being so gd AWKWARD.
Biting your lip, you quickly typed up a response to Foggy and sent it. 
6:38 PM: Karen knows. She told me I should flirt with him tonight. I’m TERRIFIED.
You shot Foggy a meaningful look as you made your way around the couch, aware that he and Karen had conveniently left you the spot where you’d have to sit beside Matt. And as you took your seat, you saw Matt making his way over with two beers in his hands. He handed one off to Karen when she alerted him to where she was sitting on one of the chairs, and you’d been about to acknowledge him until you saw Foggy reading your text and typing up a response again. It wasn’t until Matt turned towards the couch, saying your name in a form of question as he focused on the space just beside you, that you’d realized you’d forgotten to catch his attention.
“Sorry, I'm zoning out,” you apologized, reaching forward to accept the beer from Matt. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” he replied.
Matt took a seat next to you, sitting closer to you than you’d anticipated, though you figured it was unintentional. It's not like he could see how close he'd sat. Across the coffee table, Karen raised her brows at you before her eyes darted pointedly over at Matt a few times. Ducking your head, you nervously drew the beer to your lips and downed a few sips. 
What the hell were you even supposed to say? How were you supposed to flirt with him? Especially with her and Foggy watching you like this so closely. They were only making you even more uncomfortable and awkward. You were so close to just aborting the entire plan.
Your phone vibrated on your lap as it received Foggy’s next text, breaking through your nervous thoughts. Matt cleared his throat beside you on the couch almost immediately afterwards, the noise startling you as he shifted beside you. As he moved, he spread his legs further open and his knee almost bumped into yours. Your eyes were glued to that minute distance between both of your legs, wondering how weird it would be if you just brushed your leg against his.
“So, should we figure out dinner before we lose track of time?” Matt asked.
Drawn out of your thoughts, your attention shifted down to your phone. As the three of them began discussing food options, you opened your text from Foggy.
6:43 PM Foggy:  OMG just tell him! Put us both out of our misery already and TELL HIM.
Glancing up from your phone, you caught Foggy’s eye. He sent you a very pointed look and you shook your head quickly. Out of your peripheral, you saw Matt’s head turn just a little in your direction as Karen was listing off options of nearby places that delivered. You panicked at that little movement, feeling almost like Matt knew something was going on.
But that was ridiculous. You were just being paranoid because you were freaking out about the prospect of flirting with him tonight. That was all.
Karen called your name across the room, catching your attention. Eyes darting up, you glanced over at her with brows raised. 
"I'm sorry, what?" you asked. 
She shot you an apologetic smile before she listed off the names of restaurants again. You were becoming increasingly aware of the way Matt was now focused directly on you as you listened to her. His sightless gaze was sending your heart into overdrive as he seemingly just stared at your chest. What the hell was he doing?
“So what sounds good to you?” Karen asked.
“Oh, uh–” 
Movement across from you had you glancing back over at Foggy. For some reason he'd sat forward in his chair, some strange expression crossing his face as he watched Matt closely beside you. He seemed to snap out of it though when he saw you staring. 
"Uh, why don't we just–just do one of the pizza places?" you asked Karen distractedly, brows now furrowing at Foggy. "We all like pizza, right?"
"I'm in," Foggy agreed quickly, nodding his head at Karen.
"I'm good with pizza," Karen said slowly, shooting Foggy a strange look before she focused on Matt. "What about you, Matt?"
You turned, looking at Matt where he sat beside you. His focus was still on your chest, his expression one of intense concentration. Nervous, you felt your palms beginning to sweat, your heart racing as that ever so familiar fight or flight sensation slowly began to kick in. If he didn’t stop doing that soon, you were probably going to bolt out of his apartment and run home. You were already terrified at the prospect of trying to find a way to work in touching his damn arm , you didn’t need him staring at you like that, too. 
“Matt?” Karen asked again.
Matt startled on the couch, his head whipping in the direction of Karen’s voice. 
“Hmm?” he asked her.
“Are you good with pizza?” she repeated.
“Oh, yeah, sure,” he answered. “Wherever is fine.”
Lips parting in surprise, you and Foggy instantly met each other’s eyes, the pair of you sharing a look. That was odd for Matt. He would have usually had more to say about food–what pizza place to pick depending on the day of the week, for starters. Which never made any goddamn sense to you or Foggy, but Matt was generally always adamant. His disinterest was…strange.
Karen abruptly rose out of the chair, her focus on her phone. “I’m going to step into the kitchen and order the pizza then,” she announced. “Foggy? You think you could help? I always have trouble with this app.”
Foggy’s head snapped over to Karen, a look of confusion on his face. He opened his mouth to question her, but Karen glanced up from her phone and shot him a purposeful look.
“Right, yeah, I can help,” Foggy said, rising swiftly from his chair. “They uh, they updated their app it’s–it’s a pain even for me to navigate now.”
He laughed, the sound awkward as he followed behind Karen over to the kitchen. That’s when it hit you that they’d intentionally left you alone on the couch. With Matt. Your focus instantly dropped down to your beer, your fingers nervously drumming along the bottle. Now was a good time to try flirting since you didn’t have an audience, but you felt like you’d suddenly lost your grasp on the English language.
“How’s work been?” Matt asked, turning a bit towards you on the couch.
“It’s been alright,” you answered a little shyly. “Busy. Stressful. How’s the law firm doing?”
“Good,” he replied. “Also busy and stressful.”
You looked up at him from beneath your lashes. He was smiling at you and you felt your heart nearly skip a beat at the sight. His head tilted to the side just a bit, the corners of his eyes twitching ever so faintly. 
“How’ve you been doing?” he asked slowly.
Licking your lips nervously, you tried to think of how to turn this into something flirtatious before Karen and Foggy inevitably meandered back to the living room. “I’ve been good, but I–I do miss seeing you and Fog.”
Before you could overthink the gesture and convince yourself not to do it, your right hand darted out and landed on Matt’s shoulder. You felt him instantly tense under the contact and you didn’t know what to make of that. Had you startled him? Did he not like this? Had he realized you were making some sort of move on him and you’d made him uncomfortable?
“I miss spending time with you, too,” he admitted. 
He was still tense beneath your touch and your mind was racing. Did you leave your hand there? Touch him somewhere else? Uproot and move to Mars? 
Why was this so goddamn hard ?
Glancing over to the kitchen, you saw Karen and Foggy staring at you over Karen’s phone. Both of them had wide eyes as they gawked at the pair of you. Karen’s eyes aggressively gestured to Matt. You could practically hear her in your head telling you to compliment him. 
“So how have–have you been?” you asked, your hand still resting on his shoulder. “Seems like you’ve been going to the gym more since Columbia.”
As the words left your mouth, you felt like your soul also left your body. Had you just complimented him on his muscles like that ? That was so incredibly not smooth. That was the furthest thing from a good compliment that you probably could have given him. You wished you could punch yourself in the face when you heard Matt’s amused chuckle in response. Internally you were screaming as your hand immediately recoiled from his shoulder.
“I suppose you could say that,” he answered. “Work has certainly been stressful and I’ve often needed an…outlet.”
“Right, yeah,” you said, shifting on the couch and intentionally sliding a bit away from Matt. “That makes sense.”
His head further canted to the side, the smile on his lips gradually falling away as he focused on you. You drew the beer to your lips, drinking more of it down as you glanced over the back of the couch. Foggy and Karen were staring at you like they’d just witnessed a horrific car accident. You sent them a look that was a clear cry for help as you lowered the beer from your lips. Thankfully they headed back out of the kitchen, saving you from further embarrassing yourself.
“Well the pizza should be about forty-five minutes,” Karen announced as she settled back in the seat.
“Great,” you replied.
The sooner you ate, the sooner you could leave. You did not think you could do this flirting thing much more tonight.
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Karen and Foggy had opted to leave when you had announced your departure from Matt’s shortly after finishing dinner. The two of them were clearly desperate to walk part of the way home with you so they could bug you about how the night had gone, which was why you’d been surprised when Foggy had almost immediately locked Karen into a conversation about work as soon as you’d all left Matt’s place. He’d enthusiastically kept up the conversation for a couple of blocks before it had suddenly fizzled out. That’s when the pair of them broke you from your moping thoughts and focused on you.
“What even was that back there?” Foggy asked. “I’ve seen you be vastly more charming than that.”
“Yeah,” you shot back, “with guys that aren’t Matt I can be.”
“And what was that compliment?” Foggy continued. “Were you going to ask him how to get a discounted gym membership next?”
Your cheeks heated at his comment as you threw your hands over your face and groaned. “It was awful, I know!” you whined.
“All you had to do was say ‘Hey Matt, you’re looking real good lately’,” Foggy told you. “Literally, that’s it!”
“Fog, stop, you’re not helping,” Karen chastised.
Foggy rounded on Karen next. “Do you know how long I’ve watched her pine after Matt?” he asked her. “And now tonight she finally decides to try to flirt with him? I thought this was it! This was the night my two best friends got together and the pining would be over!”
Hands dropping to your sides, you focused on your feet as you continued to trudge along beside them. “Sorry to disappoint,” you told him. “But I think it’s safe to say Matt is not interested.”
“Why do you say that?” Karen asked curiously.
Your attention shifted to Karen next to you, your eyes meeting hers. “Because that back there?” you said flatly, gesturing a thumb over your shoulder. “That’s not how I usually act around Matt. That was more flirty than I’d even been when I’d first met him–which yes, is sad because that was an awful excuse for flirting back there. But if he didn’t respond to any of that tonight, then clearly he’s not interested.”
“She has a point,” Foggy said with a sigh on the other side of Karen. “She’s never been like that with him before. Not that I’ve seen at least. If Matt was picking up something from her and felt the same, he certainly wasn’t doing a good job reciprocating.” He leaned around Karen, shooting you that goddamn sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, but I think you’re right.”
“Not like I didn’t already know he only liked me as a friend,” you replied, tears stinging at your eyes. “I’ll just forever be the one woman in New York City Matt won’t date. Or even try to hook up with.” You felt a few warm tears slide down your cheeks, biting your tongue to fight back the sob threatening to fall out of you. “I’m just–just so tired of feeling like this,” you whispered. “Of crying over him. It’s been years of this. And I can’t–can’t make it stop.”
“Maybe…cut him out of your life?” Karen hesitantly suggested. 
Your eyes widened as your gaze flew to hers beside you. “Just–just stop being his friend?” you asked in disbelief.
She shrugged a shoulder. “I mean, if it’s hurting you this much for that long, and it’s not going anywhere with him and you’re not getting over him with anyone else…maybe it’s something to consider?” she said gently.
“I don’t think I could ever stop being his friend,” you admitted, shaking your head. “Not while I’m in New York.”
“You know,” Karen continued, that hesitant tone back, “I really don’t want to suggest this, but if that’s the case…have you ever thought about leaving?”
Your feet faltered on the sidewalk, Foggy and Karen coming to a stop with you. Foggy was shaking his head at Karen vehemently, wagging a finger at her.
“No, you’re not suggesting she leaves Hell’s Kitchen,” Foggy told her. “She’s one of my best friends.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Karen agreed, tucking some blonde hair behind her ear as she focused on him. “I’d rather she never leave either. But I mean…do you like knowing that she’s hurting this much? For all of this time?” Karen’s blue eyes shifted back to you. “Are you even happy?” she asked.
You opened your mouth, about to answer, but the words wouldn’t come out. Because the answer was no, you weren’t. Not really. Sure, you liked your job. You had friends you enjoyed spending time with. And you really loved New York City–even Hell’s Kitchen had really come to grow on you since graduation.
But deep down you wanted Matt. It was a constant, neverending ache right in the center of your chest. All of the dates you’d ever gone on since meeting him had eventually failed before they could become anything more because no one else was Matt. They couldn’t compare. You couldn’t get him out of your head long enough to really see someone else. Even with Liam, one of the only relationships you’d had in years, you had been constantly comparing him to Matt. But you’d tried really hard to be happy with him, and yet ultimately that relationship had ended in disaster. 
“I’m just saying,” Karen said softly, her eyes on you, “it’s an idea. If you’re really not happy, if it’s that difficult for you to move on past Matt, you could always leave New York. It’s not like you couldn’t come visit us, too. But I can see it on your face.” Her hand reached out, landing on your shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze. “You’re hurting. And you really shouldn’t have to live like that.”
Wiping the back of your hands across your cheeks, you tried to wipe away your tears. With a sniffle you continued on again, both Karen and Foggy falling back in step with you on the sidewalk.
“It’s a thought, I suppose,” you muttered. “But I don’t really want to leave New York.”
“And you don’t have to,” Foggy assured you.
The chilly evening air bit at the tear tracks on your cheeks as the three of you neared the end of the block. It was the point in which you’d all soon part ways to head back to your own apartments. Beside you, Karen let out a deep sigh. 
“It was merely a suggestion,” she stated. “That’s all.”
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