Tumgik
#as of finishing this we don't yet have ao3 but this will be put up there once we have it and its ready
creatively-cosmic · 2 months
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POSTGAME
Red has won the championship. A prequel of sorts to the greater story of Missing Numbers. Told from Blue's POV.
CW: Suicidal ideation.
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Before he got any closer, I made a grand effort to compose myself, puffing my chest out and shutting my eyes in what I hoped looked like a cocky expression, rather than me holding back tears.
“Well, I THOUGHT I hadn’t made any mistakes raising my Pokemon. But darn, I guess you’re the new Pokemon League Champion…”
I sneered at him, “Although I don’t like to admit it.”
I stuck my hand out, offering a shake as if to officiate yep, you did it, you’re better than me, good job in the way that I’d seen grown-ups do on TV. He just stared at it, still looking like someone had died, not like he’d just done the greatest achievement any Pokemon trainer could ever hope to do?
What an idiot. I couldn’t understand why he cared so much. It wasn’t like HE was hurt by any of this. He should be ECSTATIC. 
He opened his mouth, as if somehow this warranted him using his words. Before he could, though…
The door opened behind him.
If my stomach had already dropped, well. Now it was digging itself a grave.
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breannasfluff · 7 months
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Fanfiction Comments: Why Bother?
Genuine question: If ya’ll like a story, why not comment?
This question, born out of previous discussions and Discord chats, is one writers have been dealing with for a long time. Feedback/reblogs on art tends to be more common than on fics. Yet writers continue to beg for comments on stories. So what's stopping people?
Don't know what to say/an emoji/script feels too impersonal
Forgot to comment
Read everything and how do you pick out one part?
Rather give feedback personally
Feels like an expectation/I owe them
Send me a string of emojis? I love it. Send a single heart? I love it. Keyboard smash? I love it. Copy/paste a "thank you for writing"? I still love it. "I don't know what to comment or how to put my feelings into words." Then put that! That's a compliment! Can't think of anything to say, then "I don't know what to write but asgfdhgf I liked it." is fine!
Seriously, I don't care WHAT you put, because it shows me you cared enough to take a few second to show that love. I recognize and look for my regular commenters, even the ones who leave just a heart or "extra kudos".
Forgot to comment? Leave the fic open on your phone or get in the habit of dropping SOMETHING right as you finish. If you had time to make it through the last 100 words, you can probably tap an emoji. It's likely more of a habit to build up than anything.
Read it in one go and it's all a blur? "I read this all in one go and it's a blur, but I loved it!" We don't need specifics; just tell us you loved it on the chapter you stopped on. That in itself is a compliment because Hey! You loved it so much you had to keep reading!
Personal feedback? Well, I'll never say no to friends gushing about stories to me! And it might not be the same for everyone, but if you stop commenting on AO3 and only tell me personally...my assumption is you don't like it enough to say it publicly. I've spent many a time wondering why people stopped giving that support and what I should do better. If it's a friend, try asking them which they prefer! We can go back and reread (and do!) AO3 comments. Much harder on discord/dms/etc.
Owing authors? Look, we put a lot of time and work into writing and providing content for free. Hours of idea planning, actual writing, editing, catering to requests, etc. My partner once said I have a second job, writing, but I don't get paid. If you read and enjoyed something that someone put a lot of work into, it's nice to take a few seconds and tell them that.
You don't owe authors comments. They also don't owe you free writing. Sometimes, you forget there is an author at all when you're reading. But there is. A real person put out a story hoping you'd love it, or connect to it. You'd see yourself in the writing and feel less alone, or cheered up when you have a bad day.
Writing is art, and all we want to do is connect with you. Comments help bridge that gap.
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genshinluvr · 1 year
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Suitors
Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader
Summary: Many people in Teyvat knows about your relationship with twenty-five men. Though, they disregard it and continue to try to set you up with someone they know. What happens when one of your "suitors" ends up being wanted by the Fatui?
Note: I guess this counts as a filler-ish story, not entirely sure 🤔 For those who are wondering about the new smut series poll and when it'll close, I will close it when the fic is about to be written and it's planned out. So far, the first chapter isn't planned out but I do have the top 10 so far with the most votes. I've been busy with submitting assignments for my final week of winter classes, so this fic may not have turned out how I wanted it to. 🥲 Anyway! I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).
Warnings: Would the reader drinking three glasses of champagne count as a warning?
Word Count: 9.1k
It’s a known fact that you’re dating these handsome twenty-five men of all forms of life, from humans to archons to Onis to half-animal beings, etc. You’re never alone when you’re in Teyvat. When shopping for ingredients, you’re accompanied by Thoma and sometimes another man in your relationship circle. Oftentimes, when you go to the Akademiya, Al Haitham, Tighnari, Kaveh, and Cyno are the ones walking you to school. Everyone at the Akademiya knows you’re close with the Acting Grand Sage. You like to tease Al Haitham for his title and call him by it, knowing it’ll annoy him a tiny bit when you call him by that title.
But just because you’re dating these twenty-five handsome men does not mean your relationship with these men is going to last long, according to the people that have approached you (and disregarded the men’s presence) to ask you to do a favor for them. When they ask you for a favor, you assume it’s to assist them with something! Like homework, if you’re at the Akademiya. But it’s something else you never think about.
The elderly man holds your hands and gives you a sweet smile. “You’re young, intelligent, and very social! Are you single by any chance?” He asks.
You smile at the man. “Thank you! And to answer your question, I—” 
The man cuts you off.
“Wonderful! I have a grandson who is around your age! I think you two will make a fine couple!” He says, giving your cheek a squeeze. 
Childe lets out a fake laugh, his eyes twitching while holding back from smacking the old man’s hand off your cheek. Childe turns to look at the other men, his lips pressed into a thin line, his face turning red from holding his breath. The other men were giving the elderly man a strained polite smile.
Childe grabs your bicep and pulls you to his side. “I’m sure your grandson will find someone amazing! Unfortunately, that amazing person for your grandson will not be our dear lover,” Childe says, wrapping his arm over your shoulders.
Gorou nods. “Childe is right! We’re sure your grandson will find someone almost as amazing as [Y/N], but [Y/N] is not single!” Gorou says, looping his arm around yours protectively.
The old man looks at Gorou and Childe, surprised by their comment. Before the man could open his mouth to reply, Childe and Gorou whisk you away with the other men close behind. It was supposed to be a lovely day in Sumeru with your boyfriends. You all had finished lunch an hour before and were about to go cloud-watching. But this old man approaches you and your boyfriends, starting a conversation with you. 
The conversation started with him asking you about what it’s like to be in the Akademiya because you were in your Akademiya uniform! He then started talking about his grandson, telling you how the man is in his mid to late twenties and yet still doesn’t have a significant other! You joked and said maybe the grandson will find someone as magnificent as you one day, and now here you are. 
Heizou chuckles. “You’re quite the talk around Teyvat, aren’t you? I’m starting to think we should put you in disguise when we go outside the abode,” Heizou jokes.
“Aw! Trying to hide little ol’ me?” you tease, reaching toward Heizou and pinching his cheek. “What if someone asks you where I am and would assume I’m single?” You ask, batting your eyelashes at him.
Everyone stops in their tracks and thinks for a moment. You weren’t wrong. If they put you in disguise to hide you away, many people will assume you either broke up with the twenty-five men, or they’re cheating on you with someone else. Okay, so maybe putting you in disguise or going out into Teyvat without you would be a bad idea. 
Aether shoves Heizou to the side and gives you a smile. “We’re not going to do that! In fact, let’s all get necklaces of [Y/N]’s name on it, and [Y/N] will have necklaces of our names!” Aether suggests, propping his hands on his hips with a weary smile. 
You blink at Aether. “I don’t think twenty-five names would fit on a single chain. Plus, if all of you were to put your names on necklaces for me to wear, the chain is going to get tangled,” you say.
While you don’t mind wearing necklaces with their names on them, you kind of wish you never mentioned it to your precious twenty-five boyfriends. Because now there’s a huge chance these men are going to make it happen without your knowledge and have you wear it when you go out, which you don’t mind, but switching out necklaces feels like a chore.
“How else do you expect others to know you’re in a relationship with all of us?” Venti asks, gazing at you curiously. 
You scratch your cheek. “I think it’s obvious for outsiders to see I’m dating all of you,” you say, gesturing toward the twenty-five of them. “I’m not sure if you all realize it, but you’re all clingy and are not afraid to profess your love for me,” you giggle.
Xiao huffs and crosses his arms over his chest. “Well, if it’s obvious, then why do people continue to approach you and ask you to date their sons, siblings, grandsons, and cousins?” Xiao demands, frowning at you.
You purse your lips and turn away. You sort of thought it was obvious why other people wanted you to be with someone they knew. The people that approach you assume your relationship with the twenty-five men is temporary until you’re able to live on your own in Teyvat. Then again, whenever these people approach you, they would whisper it to you before talking at a normal volume.
You smile at Xiao and stroke his hair. Xiao blushes and looks away nervously, reaching for the hand that’s stroking his hair and lacing his finger with yours. Xiao is so cute! Xiao tugs you forward from Childe’s arms and wraps his arms around your waist, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulders.
You sigh and close your eyes. “I’ll explain it to you all once we get back to the abode. Do you guys want to continue to hang out in Sumeru, or do you just want to go home?” You ask, tracing the tattoos on Xiao’s biceps.
“I kind of want to explore the desert to search for scarabs, but after what happened today, I want us all to return to the abode and avoid old people,” Itto huffs dramatically and sticks his nose in the air.
You nod. “Back to the abode, it is!” You say, clapping your hands.
Having people randomly approach you and ask if you’re in a relationship is something you never expect. Mainly because people in your world never approach you and ask you that question, ever. The first time it happened was a surprise, but the more it happened, the more you grew tired of it, and so did the men.
You and your twenty-five boyfriends are sitting at a restaurant in Mondstadt, celebrating your eight-month anniversary! Yes, it has been eight months since you and the twenty-five men have been dating! Time went by faster than you expected. Here you are, dressed up and looking cute for the occasion, while the men are looking dapper in their custom-tailored suits.
Diluc leans close to you and whispers, “You look beautiful tonight, sweetheart.”
You blush and smile at Diluc shyly. “Thank you, honey! You’re looking handsome yourself!” you reply.
Diluc reaches for your hand under the table and gives your hand a gentle squeeze. You squeeze Diluc’s hand in return and press a quick kiss on his cheek. Diluc smiles and nuzzles the tip of his nose against your cheek. You cover your small laugh with your hand and lean against the redhead. 
The sweet moment between you and Diluc was interrupted when someone tapped your shoulder. You and Diluc turn to look in the direction of the person that tapped you on your shoulder, assuming it was Zhongli that needed to speak to you about something. But when you and Diluc turn to the right, there is a blond man standing behind your chair, looking anxious. 
You and Diluc sit properly in your seats, acting as if you two didn’t act like a high school couple just a few seconds ago. You grab the menu and point at the dish you want to order, assuming the anxious blond man is a waiter at the restaurant.
“May I have the—”
The man’s eyes widen. “Oh! No, I’m not a waiter here!” The blond man says, waving his hands in front of him and shaking his head with a nervous smile.
You blink at him and close the menu, putting it back on the table. “Oh, well,” you trail off, looking at the men quizzically. “Is there anything I can help you with?” You ask, placing your hands on your lap and giving him a polite smile.
“I noticed you from afar and couldn’t help but feel this… Connection between us!” The blond man says dramatically.
Zhongli raises his eyebrows at the blond man skeptically. “You feel a connection between you and [Y/N]?” Zhongli asks, sipping his drink without taking his eyes away from the man behind you. 
The man looks at you in awe, and a smile appears on his face for a brief moment. “[Y/N]? That’s your name?” The man asks breathlessly.
You nod in response. “That’s correct!” You answer lamely.
He gulps and tugs at his shirt collar, his pale face turning redder the more time ticks by. The conversation around you slowly dies down as the men start to direct their attention to the man behind you. Diluc did not look pleased, knowing what the man was up to.
The man exhales slowly, his cheeks almost as red as Itto’s horns. “I was wondering if perhaps after your meal with your coworkers, you would be free?” The man asks.
“Coworkers?” Thoma chokes on his drink, coughing into his elbow.
You blink at the man before you and sigh, reaching for your drink and lifting it to your lips. “I’m not free after dinner. I’m celebrating my and these men’s eight-month anniversary,” you reply nonchalantly.
“Of being coworkers?” The blond man asks dumbly.
Dainsleif snorts from across the table, covering his mouth with his hand. “You haven’t even introduced yourself to [Y/N]. What makes you think we’ll allow you to leave the restaurant with them?” Dainsleif asks, narrowing his eyes at the anxious Mondstadt man.
The blond man’s eyes widen, and he clears his throat. “I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, [Y/N]! My name’s Lukas Schmidt, a native to Mondstadt and an owner of a local brewery!” Lukas says, holding his hand out for you to shake.
“Oh? A brewery, you say?” Kaeya interjects, resting his elbow on the table with curiosity.
Lukas nods. “That is correct! I own a local brewery, and business has been quite busy that I wasn’t able to go out and meet someone,” Lukas sighs dramatically.
Ayato makes a face. “Interesting. Now, do tell us about this connection you supposedly feel between you and our precious [Y/N],” Ayato says, crossing his arms over his chest. 
You lean back in your seat and let yourself drown out Lukas’ explanation to the twenty-five men sitting around you. Lukas assuming you and the men to be coworkers, is something you did not expect to hear. 
Quite frankly, you’re surprised that Lukas didn’t know about your large dating circle with these handsome men. Then again, Lukas did claim that his brewery business has been busy, so maybe that could be the reason? Either way, you’re wondering how you and your boyfriends even look like coworkers when you and Diluc were very cuddly just a few minutes before Lukas approached the table. 
“I don’t know how to explain it! I feel drawn to [Y/N]. It’s like there’s a string attached to the both of us, pulling me toward their direction!” Lukas says, his cheeks turning bright red as he attempts to explain this so-called connection between you and him.
Albedo turns to look at you, propping his chin on the palm of his hand. “What about you, my comet? Do you feel any connection with this man?” Albedo asks, looking at the brewery owner from the corner of his eyes.
“The only connection I’m feeling right now is between me and this mushroom pizza!” You said, reaching toward the pizza tray.
A smirk appears on Kaveh’s face as he flicks his hair off his shoulders. “You were saying?” Kaveh asks sassily.
Lukas sputters while you take a bite out from the slice of pizza, swaying in your seat as you happily chew the cheesy mushroom pizza. Al Haitham looks at Lukas with a small glare, leaning back in his seat with his arms over his chest.
“Since [Y/N] has indirectly confirmed that they do not feel any connection toward you, it's best you leave all of us alone,” Al Haitham says, closing his eyes.
A small gasp can be heard coming from Lukas. He turns to look at you, placing his hand on your bicep and giving you a pleading look. Zhongli and Diluc reach for Lukas’ arm, gripping it so tightly that they could snap his arm in half if they were to apply any more pressure.
Lukas whispers, “Please, [Y/N]. Perhaps if I explain it to you a little more clearly, you’ll understand what I’m saying!” 
You scratch your head awkwardly while holding the slice of pizza in your left hand. “Lukas, even if you explain what this connection feels like, I won’t be able to feel it. Besides, I’m in a relationship,” you say, taking another bite of your pizza.
Lukas was about to respond when Cyno stood up suddenly, walking over to Lukas. Lukas gives Cyno a weary look, slowly backing up from your seat. Tighnari sighed and rubbed his temples, unsure whether he should stop Cyno from intimidating Lukas for letting Cyno continue out of pure entertainment and as a lesson for Lukas to learn. Tighnari decides not to interfere this time, watching the scene unfold.
Cyno stands behind your seat, his arms crossed over his chest. “It’s evident that [Y/N] is not interested in you, Lukas. No matter how much you try to convince them that you two are a perfect match, they’re in a relationship with all of us,” Cyno gestures to the twenty-four men sitting at the table.
“They’re dating twenty-five of you?! How is that even possible? How does the relationship even work?” Lukas exclaims, looking at everyone in disbelief.
You shrug your shoulders and reach for your drink. “I’m dating all of them, but to them, I’m dating them individually, you understand? They’re not dating each other, either. They’re only dating me,” you explain, sipping your drink.
Lukas laughs in disbelief, running his hands through his blond tresses. “So, what you are is Teyvat’s biggest whore, is what I’m hearing,” Lukas sneers.
“Okay, that’s enough!” Tighnari says, slamming his hands on the table and standing up.
Scaramouche, Kazuha, and Baizhu escort Lukas out of the restaurant before Lukas can cause any more scenes. You sit there, contemplating what Lukas had called you just a few seconds ago. You poke the inside of your cheek, letting out a soft “huh.”
“All because I’m in a relationship and all because a man like him can’t handle rejection,” you comment, putting the cup on the table.
Pierro sighs and shakes his head. “Please do not take offense to his words. He is a weak-minded man who gets his feelings hurt easily,” Pierro spats, glaring at the restaurant door.
If you weren’t interested in Lukas Schmidt in the first place, his calling you a whore was a cherry on top. You wanted to burst out laughing in his face. You weren’t sure if he called you that because you were dating these men or because you rejected him. 
Either way, you weren’t surprised that Lukas went from being infatuated with you to calling you Teyvat’s biggest whore. How typical for a man of his caliber. It’s laughable and pathetic. Kazuha, Scaramouche, and Baizhu soon return to the restaurant, looking visibly irritated. Scaramouche wipes the blood in the corner of his mouth and plops down in his seat.
Scaramouche clears his throat. “I made sure that he won’t be bothering us ever again,” Scaramouche states, tapping his fingers on the table.
“Oh? How so?” You ask, looking at Scaramouche curiously.
Kazuha clears his throat. “We can’t tell you what happened, or else it’ll ruin the element of surprise,” Kazuha says, shooting you a smile.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?” Baizhu asks.
You shake your head. “I’m pretty sure I should be the one to ask you three that question,” you said, eyes landing on the faint blood stains on their ironed tuxedos.
Pantalone leans back in his seat with a glass cup of wine in his hands. “They look fine to me! I’m pretty sure the blood stains on their clothes don’t belong to any of them,” Pantalone chuckles, sipping the red wine.
You and the men continue the anniversary date as usual. This time, instead of you sitting between Zhongli and Diluc, you switch seats with each man so you can sit beside every man without making them move. Though the seat changes happen every time you finish eating something, whether it’s a slice of pizza, a sweet madame, 
You didn’t mind changing seats every now and then. As long as you get to eat something, you’re not complaining. The anniversary dinner has come to an end, and you were on the brink of passing out.
“Someone ate a little bit too much,” Dottore snickers, watching Capitano scoop you in his arms and carry you bridal style out of the restaurant.
You snuggle up against Capitano’s chest. “Can you blame me?” You mumble, closing your eyes before covering your mouth with your hand and yawning. “At least I’ll get a good night's sleep when we get back to the abode,” you say.
“You didn’t eat too much, did you? Do you remember the last time you did that?” Capitano asks, not taking his eyes off what’s in front of him while carrying you in his arms.
You shake your head. “I didn’t overeat, I promise,” you reply.
The last time you ate too much food was at the Windblume festival. There were many festival-themed foods at the concession stands, and you wanted to try every food and snack the vendors offered. And what happened three hours later? Your stomach started hurting a lot, you could barely breathe, and finally, you threw it all back up for the next three hours. Since then, you have been a little bit cautious with the amount of food you ingest.
The second time someone approached you was more…. Interesting and things were offered to you. And by things being offered to you, you mean Mora. You’re at a party on the Pearl Galley with your beloved boyfriends. At first, when you and the men received the party invitation, you were a bit miffed when you saw where the party was located. The Pearl Galley is an interesting boat, and you’re not a massive fan of it. But for this party in particular, there were no prostitutes— much to your surprise, but you’re relieved.
Although despite the prostitutes not being on the boat for the party, you continue to feel uneasy about being on this particular boat. To be frank, you would rather be on the Crux than the Pearl Galley. Anyway, back to the party. It’s a black-tie party. Everyone is wearing the fanciest dresses and tuxedos they have, and everyone on the ship looks dazzling. Even with the fanciest clothing you have on, you continue to feel out of place.
“You can all roam around the boat if you’d like. I’m not forcing any of you to keep me company,” you say, sipping on the champagne.
Ayato shakes his head. “We know how you feel about this boat. We want to keep you company and make sure you’re okay,” Ayato replies.
“Besides, it's not like we’ll wander off and find a prostitute to sleep with while the party is going on,” Childe laughs.
You press your lips into a thin line and stare at Childe. Itto smacks Childe upside of his head with a glare. You take a deep breath and down the champagne. The men look at you worriedly. You’re not the type to drink any alcohol or liquor, but when you do drink it, it means something is bothering you, and you need to distract yourself.
You hold the empty champagne glass up. “Oh, my! Empty already? I’m going to get another drink,” you say, giving the men a fake smile before walking away.
The men watch you walk over to the snack and drinks table, keeping yourself distracted with food and drinks. 
Itto sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “You really couldn’t keep your mouth shut on that one? Now [Y/N] is going to be overthinking and drink away their worries with champagne,” Itto says, gesturing over to where you’re standing.
“For once, Itto is correct. That comment was unnecessary, Harbinger. Even if it is a ‘joke.’ You know how they feel about the Pearl Galley,” Xiao huffs.
While the men are scolding Childe and trying not to draw attention to themselves, you’re currently taking small sips of your second champagne of the evening while snacking on cheese, ham, and crackers. It’s a simple snack at the event, but you need something to keep you occupied. Therefore you are crafting your mini snack sandwich while taking occasional sips of the champagne. You’re so occupied (thankfully) with the snacks you don’t notice an older gentleman approaching you at the snack table. The man clears his throat to grab your attention. You look up from your small plate of cracker sandwiches and blink at the man owlishly.
The older gentleman before you has salt-and-pepper hair and a beard, and he is wearing a black suit (like every other man on this ship). You couldn’t tell what region he came from for this event, but he looked too old for your taste. Wait a minute—
“Excuse me, are you perhaps [Y/N]?” Asks the older gentleman.
You nod robotically. “Yes, you’re speaking to [Y/N],” you say, taking a sip of your champagne without taking your eyes away from the man.
The man’s eyes light up. “Wonderful! May I ask you to do me a huge favor for not only myself but for my son and my family?” He asks, clasping his hands together in front of him. 
Back to where the men are all standing, Heizou notices you talking to a strange man at the snack table. You look shocked and flustered, tucking your hair behind your ears while trying to find a way to speak to the older gentleman in front of you. Heizou narrows his eyes and holds his hand up, grabbing the others' attention from scolding Childe.
“Who is that man, and why is he speaking to [Y/N]?” Heizou asks, pointing in your and the man’s direction.
Aether shrugs. “I have no idea who that man is, but he looks like an important figure,” Aether murmurs, stroking his chin while leaning against the railing of the ship.
“Should we step in?” Thoma asks nervously, watching you give the man a smile that didn’t reach your eyes.
You reply something to the man before grabbing the plate, beginning to make your way toward where the men are standing. The look of panic flashes across the man’s face for a brief moment before he runs to stand in front of you, blocking your way. You stop in your tracks and stare at the man with a deep frown, your shoulders tensed, and your grip tightened on the plate and champagne glass. Your reaction reminds Gorou of a hostile kitten, back arched, fur standing up, tail puffed out, claws ready to strike.
Scaramouche clenches his jaws. “Guess we’ll have to teach someone a lesson tonight,” Scaramouche grumbles, pulling up the sleeves of his buttoned-up shirt.
“Please, [Y/N]! My family and I need you to do us this huge favor! Without your help, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goal!” The man says, his hands twitching, getting ready to grab your wrist to prevent you from walking away from him.
“Sir, I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in your offer.” You stated firmly.
You begin to walk around the man, only for him to grab your biceps.
“Please! You can’t just pass up on the offer! What do you want from me? I can give you whatever you want!” The man sputters.
You look at the man and tug your arm from his grasp, but he tightens his grip, leaving finger indentation on your arms. You sigh and take a deep breath. Great. Now, what are you going to do with this man? He’s very desperate for your help, and you’re not sure what else to do. You have rejected his offer prior, but his desperation is sad.
You clear your throat. “What I need you to do for me is to leave me alone, sir. I declined your offer a few minutes ago. Nothing in the world can convince me to do you that favor,” you said.
With one final tug of your arm, the man lets go, and you turn to walk away, only to almost walk into someone’s chest. You step back and see Pierro and the other men standing there, glaring at the man behind you. None of the men looked too pleased with what they had just witnessed. 
Pierro crosses his arms over his chest. “May I ask what’s going on here?” Pierro asks gruffly.
The man huffs loudly. “It is none of any of your businesses!” The man retorts, rolling his eyes.
Dainsleif glares at the older man and gestures for you to walk to him. You walk over to Dainsleif without hesitation and stand behind him while holding onto his right arm, peeking from Dainsleif’s shoulders.
“It is certainly our business when the person we love is involved,” Dainsleif states, tightening his grip on your hand.
Kaeya smirks and steps forward. “You look like a knowledgeable man. How come it’s hard for you to accept no for an answer?” Kaeya asks, raising an eyebrow at the older man in front of him.
“What did you ask them that made them react in such a way?” Kazuha asks, standing beside you and wrapping his arm around your waist.
The man looks away, refusing to answer. He sticks his nose up in the air with a loud huff of breath, crossing his arms over his chest. The men rolled their eyes before turning to look at you worriedly. You shake your head and down your second glass of champagne of the night. You don’t know how many glasses of champagne you’re going to need to drink to forget about the man’s offer.
Diluc places a gentle hand on your shoulder. “I don’t think you should be drinking too much, sweetheart. Remember how you hate alcohol and how it tastes?” Diluc reminds you.
You poke the inside of your cheek with your tongue before answering, “I do hate the taste of alcohol, but after hearing the man’s offer, I’m going to need a couple of glasses to forget.” 
Zhongli stares at you quizzically, his eyebrows furrowing. “What did he offer to you?” Zhongli asks slowly, turning his head to the side to look at the man.
You look over at the man and gnaw on the inside of your cheek. The man stares at you, waiting for you to respond to Zhongli’s question. The way the man was looking at you is like he’s challenging you in a way. You don’t like it. It feels like he’s mocking you. You let out a slow deep breath, looking at your empty champagne glass.
“Why don’t you all keep me company at the snack table. I’m in need of another cup of champagne,” you say nonchalantly.
You walk toward the snack table, brushing past the older man after giving him a side-eye glance. The men give each other looks before following after you, making sure to bump shoulders with the man when they walk past him. Scaramouche smirks and not-so-subtlely zaps the man in his ribs, causing him to jolt and yowl in pain.
Cyno snickers and high-fives Scaramouche before tucking his hands in his slacks and walking to the table where you and the other men are standing. You shove two cracker sandwiches in your mouth and reach for a napkin and another glass of champagne. 
“Now, care to explain to us what happened between you and that old man over there?” Kaveh asks, looking over at the man from a distance.
Cyno reaches forward and wipes the crumb off the corner of your lips. “And don’t eat too fast. You’re going to choke,” Cyno mutters, shaking his head.
You swallow the cracker sandwich and wipe your lips with the napkin. “I would rather die from choking on the cracker sandwiches than take up on that old man’s offer,” you groused, sipping your third glass of champagne. 
“What did he say to you that is making you drink your third cup of champagne?” Al Haitham demands, towering over you while looking at you with concern.
You sigh loudly and place your plate and champagne on the table. “To be honest, I’m still trying to take time to process what he offered to me.” You reply, scratching your arm.
“What did he offer?” Tighnari asks wearily.
You purse your lips and debate on whether you should tell them what the man offered or if you should tell them to forget it and continue to enjoy the party on the… Pearl Galley. On second thought, perhaps you need another drink. You reach for your champagne, preparing to down your third champagne of the night, but Albedo quickly snatches it from your grasp with a head shake.
“I think you’ve had enough drinks for the night, starlight. Drinking too much isn’t good for you, and you know that,” Albedo chides. 
“Great, what am I going to drink now?” You mumble, sticking your bottom lip out.
Venti pats your shoulders and gives your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sure you can drink water! We’re worried you’re going to drink too much and have a nasty hangover the next day,” says Venti.
“Now, spill it. What did that old man say to you?” Pantalone demands, narrowing his eyes while tapping his finger on his biceps.
You sigh and lean on the table. Here goes nothing. “The man begged me to marry his son so his son can live, and be a permanent citizen, in Inazuma because his son has been studying abroad there for almost a year, and he doesn’t want to return to his home country,” you reply. 
“Marry his son?” Baizhu asks, looking at you incredulously.
Dottore shakes his head. “No, you are not going to marry that man’s son just because he refuses to return to whatever region he’s from,” Dottore states, clenching his hands into tight fists.
“Plus, you’re not even a citizen of Inazuma. What gave him the impression that you’re an Inazuma resident?” Capitano asks.
You run your fingers through your hair with a shaky laugh. “I don’t know! I told him I was not going to do it! And then….” you trailed off, closing your eyes and rubbing your temples with your fingers.
You’re starting to get a headache. You’re not sure if it’s from being on the ship for too long, if it’s the champagne, or if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the things that had happened within a few hours of you being at the party. Either way, you want to leave the Pearl Galley, return to the abode, and sleep.
“And then….?” Gorou repeats, anxious about hearing what else you’re about to say.
You open your eyes and let your hands fall at your sides. “This man is so desperate for his son to live in Inazuma that he offered to pay me twenty million Mora. Twenty million Mora just to marry his son and for their entire family to be citizens of Inazuma,” you conclude, propping your hands on your hips.
“Twenty million Mora for that? Quite frankly, I have way more than that,” Pantalone mutters, puckering his lips, taking a cracker sandwich and eating it.
Diluc shakes his head. “No matter how much Mora that old man offers you, do not take it. It’s sketchy, you’re already in a relationship, and you’re not a resident of Inazuma,” Diluc says, clenching his jaws.
You give Diluc a weak smile. “Don’t worry about it, Diluc. I shot down his offer the minute he presented it to me,” you say. 
“But he’s been persistent about it,” Ayato mutters, looking over at where the man stands with a glare.
You nod in response. “Unfortunately. The old man has been very persistent, and I don’t know what else to do! I told him no, and he won’t accept no for an answer!” You say. “I need a drink,” you muttered.
“Did he even tell you his name? If he’s willing to offer you twenty million Mora to marry his son so he and his entire family could be residents of Inazuma, then he must be an important figure in Teyvat, no?” Aether asks, stroking his chin.
You shrug in response, take the champagne glass from Albedo, and chug it. You’re starting to feel buzzed, but you don’t think three glasses of champagne is strong enough to make you forget about the offer. That and the fact you’re on the Pearl Galley. A boat where many go to sleep around and gamble their life savings away. Or something like that. 
“Do you want us to find out who his son is? We can do that for you if you’d like! After all, it’s part of our job as a Harbinger,” Childe offers, propping his arm on your shoulder. 
You sigh and wave your hand around. “I don’t really care who he or his son is. I just want to go home and go to bed,” you say.
“Yelan is going to be disappointed. She invited us all to the party and looked forward to seeing us there. Especially you,” Xiao mutters, looking at the woman from a distance.
Your hands are itching for another champagne. Archons, you just want to go home. You’ve been here for a short time, and many things have gone to shit faster than you expect them to. You didn’t even get to speak to Yelan about the party, but it looks like you’re going to have to call it a night. Plus, the longer you stay at the party, the more you’ll be drinking, and you’re not usually the type to drink alcohol.
You shove a cracker sandwich into your mouth. “If you all want to stay at the party, you can stay. I’m not forcing any of you to go home with me,” you say with your mouth full. “Plus, if any of you stay, please tell Yelan I said hello and apologize for me because of how early I left,” you added.
“We’re not going to let you return to the abode alone while you’re almost as drunk as that old geezer over there,” Thoma says, gesturing toward another party guest, tripping over his feet.
You roll your eyes. “Oh, please. I only had three glasses,” you mutter.
You turned around and made your way toward the exit of the boat. You weren’t sure if its because the ship was on the water, but you were having a little bit of a hard time walking. You’re swaying on your feet and can barely walk in a straight line. Kazuha chuckles and wraps his arms around your waist, helping you step off the Pearl Galley.
Kazuha murmurs into your ears, “I believe three is your limit in alcohol,” Kazuha murmurs.
You rest your head on Kazuha’s shoulders and close your eyes. “Not gonna lie, I kind of regret drinking three glasses of champagne,” you whisper to Kazuha.
“That’s right, [Y/N]. You should regret it! Did you learn from your mistakes now?” You hear Tighnari ask from a distance.
Oh, right. You forgot that Tighnari and Gorou have a keen sense of hearing. How could you forget about that so easily? On to Tighnari’s question: did you learn from your mistake? Well, you chugging three glasses of champagne wasn’t a mistake. You knew what you were doing, and it was not a mistake. Therefore, not really, but did you regret drinking three glasses of champagnes? Yes, because now you can kind of walk in a straight line, but with Kazuha’s help.
You wave off Tighnari’s comment, saying, “All of you can scold me when we get back to the abode.”
Fast forwarding to the next day, you woke up with a headache. While you didn’t drink too much alcohol, you certainly drank more than what you usually consume. And that is three glasses too many. You bury your face into your pillow and pray that no one knows you have a hangover. They’re going to say, “I told you so,” and basically rub it in your face while scolding you simultaneously. 
Your thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the door. You peek from under the pillow, hesitating on whether you should answer or you should continue to pretend that you’re still sleeping.
“We know you’re awake,” You hear Gorou say from behind the door.
You toss the pillow off your head and sit up. “How could you tell!?” You ask, staring at the closed door with shock.
The door opens, revealing Gorou, Itto, and Baizhu. Itto points at Gorou and toward the hallway.
“Gorou and Tighnari say you breathe a certain way when you’re asleep and when you’re awake. When everyone is asleep, their breaths are even and steady compared to when they’re awake,” Itto explains, walking toward your bed and plopping down beside you with a grin.
Baizhu hands you a pill and a glass cup of water. You give Baizhu a tight smile before taking the medication and glass cup from his hands. You pop the pill into your mouth and chug the water, wincing when you feel the pill get caught in your throat for a second before going down your throat when you chug as much water as you can.
Baizhu props his hands on his hips. “How are you feeling today? Do you have any pounding headaches, feel nauseous, or feel like you got hit by a mitachurl in any way?” Baizhu asks.
“I do have a headache, but it’s not as bad. I don’t feel nauseous, thankfully. Nor do I feel like I got hit by a mitachurl,” you reply, wiping your lips and putting the cup on your nightstand. 
A knock is heard on your door. You lean to the side and look at the door to see Heizou standing there with a smile. You returned the smile and waved for him to enter your room. Heizou runs his hands through his hair and waltz into your room.
Heizou clasps his hands in front of his chest. “I have news regarding the man who wouldn’t leave you alone last night,” Heizou says.
You look at Heizou with wide eyes, shocked and surprised to hear the men had identified the man from the party at the Pearl Galley the night before. Actually, you didn’t expect them to track down information about the older gentleman. I mean…. Knowing Childe and the other Harbingers, they would definitely hunt the older man down for what had happened the night before. That, and because of the twenty million Mora being offered to you just to marry his son.
“I have a feeling everyone is going to need to know about this, so I’ll get up from my bed now,” you mutter. “Oh, but let me brush my teeth first,” you say.
You quickly brushed your teeth, combed your hair, and used the toilet. Thankfully, you can feel the medicine Baizhu gave you start to kick in. You walk out of the bathroom, and Itto offers to carry you downstairs. Since you did have a hangover, you might as well let Itto carry you down the stairs to where everyone is waiting for you. Itto squats in front of you, his back facing your direction. You hop on Itto’s back and wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck.
Itto, Gorou, Baizhu, and Heizou walk out of your room with you in tow. You bury your face into Itto’s back when you feel a faint pounding in your head. While the pain medication Baizhu gave you did help ease your headache, you can still kind of feel it. It’s there, but not as present as it was when you woke up today.
You hear Venti chirping, “Ah! There they are! And they have [Y/N] with them as well!” 
You wince and continue to press your face against Itto’s back, tightening your arms around his neck. Itto gives your arm a reassuring squeeze.
Zhongli sighs. “And I see they have a hangover. Luckily, I brewed some tea for you to drink while we discuss this matter,” Zhongli says.
Itto lowers you to the ground, helping you sit on the seat between Dottore and Cyno. Zhongli slides the teacup over to you. You give Zhongli a grateful smile, take the teacup and begin sipping from the ceramic cup. The tea is still warm. It’s very herbally with a hint of ginger. You’re not an avid tea drinker, but you needed to drink some tea for your hangover.
You clear your throat, wiping the small droplets of tea from the rim of the cup. “Heizou informed me that you guys have some information on this man?” You murmur.
“That we do,” Pierro nods.
Everyone goes silent after Pierro replies, making you suspicious of what they are going to say next. They all traded looks with each other as if they were debating on who would be telling you the news and who was not going to be the one to do it. It’s almost like a silent argument between twenty-five people, and you’re just watching them make weird facial expressions at each other while mouthing something.
Dottore lets out a long exhale, rolling his eyes. “Fine! I’ll do it!” Dottore says, turning in your direction before giving you a sweet smile. “[Y/N], darling, the man who has been bothering you is Boris Ivanov. He is from Snezhnaya. While his record is clean in Snezhnaya, his son, not so much,” Dottore explains.
“What’s his son’s name?” You ask anxiously.
Capitano props his leg on the ottoman in front of him. “His son’s name is Aleksei Ivanov. A few months ago, he borrowed millions of Mora from the Northland Bank in Liyue but failed to pay back the bank. He is currently on the run and is trying to seek refuge in a closed-off region. Hence why he wanted to marry you, even though you’re not a citizen of Inazuma,” Capitano says.
You did a double-take. “Hold on, you guys said that this Aleksei man borrowed millions of Mora from the Northland bank and failed to repay the Fatui. How come his father offered to pay me twenty million Mora to marry his son?” You cocked an eyebrow at the men. “I don’t know about you, but something is not adding up!” 
“Aleksei’s father refused to give his son money after getting in trouble with the law many times. While Boris can help Aleksei pay off the debt he has with the Fatui, Aleksei does not want to put that burden on his father,” Scaramouche replies, rolling his eyes.
You pursed your lips. “And yet Aleksei wants to put that burden on me? A complete stranger who is also dating a few of the members of the Fatui?” You raise your eyebrows. “It’s going to put a target on my forehead, too, you know?” You ask, poking the center of your forehead.
Kaeya chuckles and ruffles your hair. “Relax, you’re not going to get harmed,” Kaeya says, giving you a suave smile.
You stare at Kaeya blankly and turn to look at the others. “What is Kaeya implying, and why do I have a bad feeling about this?” You ask, pointing at the tanned man behind you.
“On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your acting skills?” Al Haitham asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Oh no, they’re up to something, and you know they won’t tell you what they’re up to until you answer their pressing questions. You pinch the bridge of your nose and down the tea that Zhongli had brewed for you. You put the ceramic teacup on the table, wishing the tea was champagne. Just when you thought you were going to finally have a break from the things that have been going on for the last few days (maybe even weeks, you lost your sense of time since the first incident).
“I don’t know? A five, maybe? What are you buffoons up to?” You ask, sitting back in your seat with your arms over your chest, poking the inside of your cheek with your tongue. 
“Baby, we love you, and we care about you a lot. Can you do us a huge favor?” Kaveh asks, batting his eyelashes at you.
Your eyes widen. “Baby? Oh, this must be a big deal because you’re not calling me an abyss mage this time!” You said, reaching forward and pinching Kaveh’s cheek.
Dainsleif interjects, “Technically, you’re doing a favor for the Harbingers. I’m against you doing this because it’s dangerous.”
You give the men a weary look. “What do you have in mind?”
The men give you a fake smile while the Harbingers start explaining to you what you’re tasked to do. This is your first undercover mission for the Fatui, and it’s weird and nerve-wracking. Dottore and Pantalone jokingly called you an honorary member of the Fatui, earning a heated glare from Diluc and him immediately shooting down the title. And now here you are, sitting in Komore Teahouse, waiting for Aleksei to show up to the teahouse a few days after the men devised a plan on how to capture Aleksei.
You let out a shaky sigh and start to mess with the small decorations in the teahouse. “I’m not going to be alone with Aleksei, am I? I don’t feel comfortable with being alone with him,” you confess.
Albedo squeezes your hand. “We’re not going to leave you alone in the teahouse with Aleksei. All of us will be in the teahouse but hidden from plain sight,” Albedo explains.
“You have nothing to worry about. All you need to do is talk to Aleksei and get to know him. You don’t have to do anything else after. One of the Harbingers will jump in and take it from there,” Tighnari reassures you, squeezing your shoulders. 
Cyno crosses his arms over his chest and analyzes the teahouse with disinterest. “Are you sure this is going to work? Aleksei has been on the run for who knows how long. Do you think he’s stupid enough to fall for it?” Cyno asks.
You shrug. “One way to find out is to wait and see,” you reply.
Everyone ends up leaving the main room you’re sitting in. Because Thoma is familiar with Komore Teahouse, he volunteered to play as the host of the teahouse. About fifteen minutes later, Aleksei finally shows up at the teahouse. You expected Aleksei to be on edge and constantly looking over his shoulders to see if there were any looming Harbingers in the shadows. Still, he looked relaxed and did not seem to be tensed at all. 
Aleksei sits across from you, his back facing the entrance, while sipping on his tea happily and eating the onigiri with eagerness. The way he ate the onigiri made you assume he didn’t eat anything on the way to the teahouse.
“Your father begged for me to marry you so you and your family can be citizens of Inazuma,” you said nonchalantly, tracing your fingers over the rim of the cup.
Aleksei rolls his eyes and swallows the onigiri in his mouth, wiping his mouth on the napkin. “How much did he offer you?” Aleksei asks, tapping his fingers on the table.
“What did he not offer me? I was taken aback when he almost got on his knees for me to marry you,” you reply, resting your head on your hand. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Aleksei shrugs his shoulders. “Well, what do you think? Are you going to help me and my family, or what? I… did something stupid, and now I can’t do anything to get rid of my problem.”
You raise your eyebrows. “I don’t know, Aleksei. I had many suitors in the past, and many people begged me to date or marry their son, cousin, grandson, and nephews. I’m a picky person when it comes to finding a significant other. What makes you so special out of all the candidates?” You ask, tapping your fingers on the table.
Aleksei smirks and leans forward, mimicking you by resting his head on the palm of his hands and tilting his head to the side. You look at Aleksei skeptically, waiting for him to answer your question. You don’t like how he’s looking at you, nor do you like how close he is to you. The distance between you and Aleksei seems to have gotten smaller.
Aleksei reaches across the table and places his hand over yours. “Other than my father offering you Mora, I have a few things in mind to convince you,” Aleksei winks at you, lacing his fingers with yours.
You suddenly have the urge to puke. You swallow the bile that slowly made its way up your throat and give Aleksei a fake smile. Aleksei reaches toward you and brushes your hair away from your face, tucking a stray hair behind your ears.
You look away from Aleksei and let out a sigh. “And what do you have in mind exactly, Aleksei?” You whisper.
Aleksei gets up from his seat and walks around the table, sitting beside you. You look at Aleksei with wide eyes as he closes his eyes and slowly leans forward. Right when Aleksei is about to press his lips against yours, a hand suddenly reaches out from behind the curtain and rips Aleksei away from you. You nearly let out a loud sigh of relief when Childe seizes the blond Snezhnayan man.
“Sorry to interrupt your little date, but I don’t appreciate seeing another man having the gall to kiss the love of my life,” Childe says, squeezing Aleksei’s shoulders tightly.
“Love of your life?!” Aleksei sputters, gazing at Childe in disbelief before looking at you with wide eyes. “You’re in a relationship!?” Aleksei shrieks.
You puckered your lips and looked away from Aleksei, twirling your hair around your index finger while pretending you didn’t see a thing. “Oh please, he’s one of my many other suitors. Did you forget about that already, Aleksei?” You ask, scratching the back of your neck.
“You—”
Childe rolls his eyes and signals for the other Harbingers to enter the room. Aleksei’s face turns pale with fear and realization. He begins to thrash around in Childe’s grasp, only for Childe to tighten his grip around Aleksei’s wrists.
“Aleksei, it’s been a while. Care to chat with the five of us?” Pantalone asks, raising his eyebrows at the blond man before him.
Childe drags Aleksei out of the room, the other four Harbingers circling around Aleksei to make sure he doesn’t escape. You sigh and rest your head on the table. You look over at the menu, contemplating whether you should order alcohol or not. Wait, do they offer alcohol at a teahouse?
“That went on longer than I thought,” Aether says, walking into the room with his hands in his pockets.
You roll your eyes. “Yeah, no kidding. Aleksei almost kissed me! He has fish breath, too,” you shuddered. “What took you guys so long to intervene!? I was suffering and nearly broke character so many times!” You throw your hands in the air.
“I’m impressed you were to stay in character for this long. You looked like you wanted to throw a teapot at his head,” Cyno commented, the corners of his lips quirking up.
“I did. Being alone with Aleksei for some time is torturous.” You mutter, getting up from your seat and stretching your arms. “What would’ve pulled this performance together would be if you all stepped into this room one by one, professing your love for me, but that would be suspicious and weird..”
“We could, but we wouldn’t do that,” Ayato says, giving you a teasing smile.
You pout and look away. “I know, can’t someone like me dream?” You grumble.
Scaramouche leans in, placing his hand behind his ear. “What was that? We didn’t hear you,” he smirks.
You roll your eyes. “I said I need a drink!” You huff, making your way toward the exit. “I need to forget Aleksei and his fish breath,” you said.
Albedo wraps his arms around your shoulders. “Did you happen to forget that you made a promise with us that you wouldn’t drink anymore?” Albedo asks.
You rest your head on Albedo’s shoulder and close your eyes. “Unfortunately, I do. I also made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t be drinking as well,” you mumbled.
You and the men return to the abode, making sure the citizens who would usually approach you in the city wouldn’t see you leave the teahouse. You’re not prepared for another proposal or matchmaking from anyone. But if anyone does dare to propose to you or beg you to marry their son, nephew, cousin, brother, etc., you will start asking the men when they will pop that question. How else will other people in Teyvat know that you and the men are committed to each other? You don’t need any other suitors at the moment. You already have twenty-five suitors and are unsure when you’ll expand your dating circle.
Note: Not gonna lie, I kind of want to make a taglist just for the new smut series, but I'm not sure if I should do it or not 🤔 Not sure how I feel about this fic overall since I typed it out while having to deal with turning in multiple assignments in one week before my spring break 🥲 Hope it's at least decent. I just know the ending is meh, but anyway, I will be keeping the poll open for Burning Desire until further notice. I'll let you all know when the polls are closed! Anyway, to my new and/or returning readers, please keep in mind that I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!
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Fall For Me (Poly! Sleep Token x Fem! Reader) - Part II
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Thank you to @spookyghostjelly for beta reading and letting me be insane in her DM's ❤️❤️❤️
WARNINGS: None
Part I ~ Part III
My Masterlist! ~ AO3 Link!
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You sigh as you finish your closing duties, giving the door one last pull to make sure it was locked with a tired sigh. You walked around to the back of the building, heading up to your apartment that was very conveniently located on top of your store. You kick the door shut behind you, haphazardly throwing your shoes in the entryway. You put the kettle on the stove, leaning against the counter and looking out the window as you waited for the water to boil. Your mind immediately wandered back to Vessel, your short interaction had left you with so many unanswered questions. Where did he come from? Why did he choose this sleepy little town of all places to settle down? Was he actually part of a cult? He was so different from what you had imagined. Hearing all the reports in the paper you had been terrified to run into any of them. Vessel, in what scraps of his personality you had seen, seemed so gentle. You were snapped from your thoughts by the sound of the kettle singing.
"At least our mystery man has a name now." You chuckle to your empty apartment. You guess you would just have to wait and see what tomorrow brought.
Music blasted through the speakers in the empty store, you sang along loudly with your favorite songs as you worked on restocking the shelves. You groaned as you hoisted one of the heavy crates of produce off the counter. You screamed, oranges scattering across the floor as you lost hold of the crate. There standing at the door was Vessel. Seeing that he had finally caught your attention, he pointed to his wrist as if he was motioning to a watch. You paused your music and quickly headed over to open the door for him. "I'm so sorry, I completely forgot to tell you we close early tonight." You blurt out the second you open up. Your eyes land on Vessel, this was the first time you had been standing in front of him without the barrier of the counter. He was a lot taller than you had realized, you stumbled back slightly to put some distance between you and the absolute wall that was his body. "Every Sunday I have to restock the store, I close at four."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll just-"
"No!" You exclaim, waving your hands wildly in front of you. "No, really, it's my fault. You come in and get what you need, just don't mind the mess. It'll take me a couple minutes to reopen the register." You motion him inside, he follows you hesitantly. He looks around the store, various pallets and stacks of crates are organized into neat categories waiting to be put away. From what he could see it was definitely more work than one person should be handling by themselves.
"Is it just you that works here?" You nod in response as you drop onto your knees to start collecting the oranges you had dropped. Your hand jerked back as your fingers bumped into Vessel's. Your eyes dart up to look at him, "it's my fault you dropped the crate, I'd like to help you pick up a little if that's alright." He says softly as he remains completely still. He could tell being so close to him made you nervous, yet it was somehow different than interactions he had in the past. You weren't scared, more… shy.
"You don't have to go to all that trouble, Vessel, really." You try to reassure him.
"And you shouldn't be alone trying to restock all of this inventory by yourself." You almost rolled your eyes at the statement.
"I've been managing just fine by myself for the last seven years, I think I can handle a spilled crate of fruit." He chuckles at your determined tone.
"I never said you couldn't," he returns to the task of picking up produce as he talks. "I'm saying you shouldn't have to. You work hard, I can tell by how meticulously your store is always maintained." He trails off for a moment, not exactly sure how to phrase his next statement. "I guess I'm just curious as to why you don't have any help."
"There isn't anybody I like enough to have them work here with me." You smile. "This place is my home, literally, my apartment's upstairs." He shakes his head with a slight laugh. "If they aren't someone I would invite into my home they're not someone I would want to spend hours upon end in here with them. Besides, I like working, it keeps me occupied." Vessel finishes helping you clean up. "You go get your groceries, I'm sure you have a long drive back to… your camp? House?"
"Camp works." He quips. You head up to the counter to get the register up and running again, knowing his supply runs never took long. You found yourself unable to tear your eyes away from him. The strange red sigil in the center of his white mask, the ornate detailing on the bottom edge, the black paint that covered every area of exposed skin, everything about him just made you curious. Your eyes snapped to your register as he glanced in your direction and you swore you heard the sound of him quietly chuckling. He carries his groceries up to the counter and lays them out.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"You can ask me as many questions as you want, I can't guarantee I'll answer." He responds bluntly.
"What made you decide to finally start talking to me?" He seemed a bit taken aback by your question, not expecting you to be so forward.
"It's no secret that a lot of people don't like the fact that we're around. Luckily, the only real nuisance we've had to deal with are the reporters, but I'm still worried about what would happen if we ventured too far into town. But, we needed supplies. We could only last so long on the sorry excuse of a garden we managed to start when we originally bought the land, your store is relatively close by and out of the way. As far as why I started talking to you, you're the only person I've met from this town so far that hasn't greeted me with hostility." Vessel laughs softly at your shocked expression. "I'm tired of running (Y/N). Tired of having to move from city to city every other month to try and keep ahead of the backlash from people who don't understand us. If I'm going to do that I need a place to come get supplies where I won't immediately get chased off, someone I can trust in my time of need… after some thought I think you might be that person. There's something special about you, I think we were fated to meet each other, I'm just not sure why yet."
"Well, I appreciate that." You can't help but smile at the admission. He trusted you. "If there's anything I can ever do to help you guys out, just say the word."
"Actually, there is something. Would it be alright if I start coming to grab supplies after you close, at least on Sunday's?" He asks.
"Of course you can. I was actually going to ask if that would work better for you." You admit with a chuckle. "I know that a lot of people around these parts tend to be pretty… close minded, to put it gently. I think it's smart for you to wait until you're ready to have those interactions." He nods his thanks at your agreement, collecting his belongings, and heading towards the door.
"Next Sunday it might not be just me, don't be intimidated." He dismissed himself with a chuckle, leaving you to finish restocking.
You pondered over who exactly he would be bringing with him. No one knew for sure how many members there were living in the woods, from what you had seen everyone except for Vessel dressed relatively similar. You were tempted to ask him throughout your daily visits, but you also didn't want to pry. As next Sunday arrived you kept anxiously looking up at the clock, waiting for closing time to roll around. You bid farewell to your final customer as you locked up. Just as you had pulled the key from the deadbolt you saw the familiar sight of an old, beat up pick up truck rumble into the parking lot. Vessel got out, talking to whoever was seated in the passenger seat before heading in your direction. You waved at him, opening up the door and stepping outside. "Is your friend coming in too?" You ask quietly as he gets closer to you.
"Yeah, he is. I just wanted to tell you something first. II isn't much of a talker until he gets to know people… He also has a staring problem." You laugh, Vessel returns your enthusiasm with a smile.
"If I can handle you giving me the silent treatment for a full week I think I can handle it big guy, don't worry." He waves at his friend to come join you. You waited in anxious anticipation as the passenger door opened, two heavy black leather boots thudding against the pavement as someone jumped out. The slam of the door echoes through the surrounding trees as you finally could see just who Vessel brought with him. II was a bit shorter than Vessel with a lean frame. His striking blue eyes met yours through the holes in his mask, black cloth with the same rune that adorned Vessel's, yet his covered the entirety of his face.
"II, this is (Y/N)." He slowly approaches you, you could tell he was studying you. He offers his hand which you timidly accept. His hand was warm around yours as he feigned the action of bringing your knuckles to his lips, his eyes never leaving your face. "Come on, I didn't bring you to flirt with her." You see the corners of II's eyes crinkle as he chuckles at Vessel's joke. He straightens up, moving swiftly to the door, holding it open and motioning for you to walk inside.
"Thank you II." You smile sweetly at him. Vessel claps him on the back as he walks past.
"We're here to help, what do you need?" He offers kindly.
"Oh, I couldn't ask you both to do that." II steps forward, offering you his arm. You cautiously take it with a curious expression. He leads you to your chair behind the counter, pulling it out for you to sit. He rolls up his sleeves, picking up the first box of stock he saw and searching for its tag.
"See? You don't even have to ask?" Vessel chuckles. You got your restock done in half the time you normally did with their help. Vessel stood in front of the register as you rang him up, smoking smugly. "Wasn't that easier than doing it all yourself?"
"What? You looking for a job?" You shoot back, you hear II breathe out a chuckle at your joke. You bag up his groceries, handing them off with a smile. "II, hopefully I'll see you next week." He nods his goodbye as he heads out the door.
"I think he likes you." Vessel jokes.
“He’s sweet.” You giggle. “If your whole group is this nice you’re welcome in my store anytime.” Vessel smiles at your statement.
“You’ll meet the others eventually, I think they’d enjoy getting to know you.” He starts walking towards the door, shooting you a flirtatious smirk. You waved goodbye to them through the window, catching II’s gaze as they drove off. The next night as you sat reading at the counter you smiled as the familiar sound of Vessel’s sputtering engine met your ears as he pulled into the lot. You looked up as the bell jingled over the door, your greeting froze in your throat as you realized it wasn’t Vessel who had entered the store.
“Hey II.” You couldn’t stop the smile that spread across your face at the sight of him.
“(Y/N).” He greets you with a slight nod. His gaze traps you in place as his eyes meet yours, he saunters up to the counter, his hands shoved in his pockets.
“No Vessel today?” You ask, trying to keep your flustered state a secret.
“He had something to take care of today.” You could hear the gentle intonation of a smile in his voice. “Call me selfish but I wanted the chance to see you again.” You let out a flustered giggle. He leans his elbows on the counter, bringing his face impossibly close to yours. His eyes slowly scan over your features before catching your gaze. “He sent me with a list, think you could help me out?”
“Yeah, sure.” You stutter, making your way around the counter. He hands the list over to you, trailing behind you to hold everything you pulled from the shelves. You struggled to reach something on one of the higher shelves, a shiver ran up your spine at the sudden warmth that spread across your back as II stepped closer to you.
“Allow me.” He gazes down at you, bright blue eyes studying you for a moment. You feel his eyes on you the entire time as you scanned all of his groceries. You handed the bags over to him, his fingers brushing over yours. You smile bashfully as your eyes lock with his. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon.” He gazes at you playfully.
“Yeah, hopefully.” He bows slightly as he heads for the door.
“Goodnight, (Y/N).”
“Goodnight, II.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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floralcyanide · 1 month
Text
ɪғ ʟᴏᴠɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜ ɪs ᴡʀᴏɴɢ, I ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ʙᴇ ʀɪɢʜᴛ — ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴘʀᴏꜰᴇꜱꜱᴏʀ!ᴊᴏʜɴ “ʙᴜᴄᴋʏ” ᴇɢᴀɴ (Part Two)
john “bucky” egan x fem!reader (nsfw)
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You finally have that dinner Dr. Egan promised.
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warnings: age gap (reader is 23-25, Bucky is in his 40s), smut, unprotected sex, penetrative sex, face riding, cum eating
word count: 1.5k
author’s note: as requested, here is the second part of the fic part of the series!! I hope yall enjoy (:
masterlist | divider credit: @cafekitsune
based on this song | (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Wanna Be Right - Barbara Mandrell
(the use of "Dr. Egan" is dropped by pov towards the end of the fic.)
this fic has been cross posted to ao3.
ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴄᴏᴘʏ, ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇ, ᴏʀ ᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀs ᴏɴ ᴛᴜᴍʙʟʀ, ᴀᴏ3, ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏ ᴡᴇʙsɪᴛᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ɪɴ ᴀɪ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀᴛᴏʀs ᴏʀ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀʀᴛɪғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʟʟɪɢᴇɴᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ᴜsᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴛᴏ sᴇʟʟ ғᴏʀ ᴀs ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛɪᴏɴ.
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You’re very much aware of Dr. Egan’s eyes on you, drinking in your appearance. You had decided on a nicer dress for the dinner that your superior had promised. And ever since you’ve arrived at the table he had reserved, his eyes have done nothing but wander. You couldn’t help but stare as well, admiring the patch of chest revealed by Dr. Egan’s button-down. He had some graying hair there, and from what you could see, he was still very toned. Dr. Egan had let his hair be natural today without much product, and it curled stunningly. You wanted so badly to run your hands through it. You had not forgotten why he had offered dinner in the first place. And apparently, neither had he. After you had finished your meals and glasses of wine, you felt a hand on your knee.
“What do you say we get out of here?”
So here you are, walking into Dr. Egan’s home yet again. This time, the purpose is different, and the tension is thick. He walks over to the record player and puts on something before sitting on the couch. He pats a hand on his thigh, motioning for you to sit. You nervously walk over to where Dr. Egan sits and slowly perch yourself on his thigh. His hands find your hips, comfortably massaging your flesh through the fabric of your dress. You look down at him- there’s a small smile resting on his face and something gleaming in his eye.
You boldly take hold of Dr. Egan’s face, eagerly pressing your lips to his. You can feel his light stubble underneath your palms. He moves you up further along his thigh until your knee is flush against him, and the contact makes him groan into the kiss quietly. You take the opportunity to slip your tongue through Dr. Egan’s lips, battling him for dominance. You willingly let him take over, nearly jumping out of your skin when he presses your hips down against his leg. But your shock is quickly replaced with pleasure as Dr. Egan guides your body against his thigh. The movement of your hips brings your knee into his slowly hardening bulge at a delicious angle. 
“Just like that,” Dr. Egan sighs, “So pretty sitting on my thigh like this.”
“I’d be prettier sitting somewhere else,” you say out loud, not entirely meaning to.
But your words hang in the air like a promise.
Dr. Egan pauses his movements, his grip stilling on your hips, “Like where?”
You gulp, bravely running your hands across his face and through his hair, “Here.”
“My face?” Dr. Egan smirks, and you feel your ears burn.
“Yes,” you bite your lip, “Is that okay?”
“Couldn’t imagine anything finer,” Dr. Egan grins, moving you off his lap so you could stand up and he could lay down on the couch.
He takes a pillow and shoves it under his head as he makes himself comfortable, his hand reaching out for yours, “Ready?”
You slip your fingers underneath the band of your underwear, letting it slide down your legs before you step out of them and your shoes. You carefully climb over Dr. Egan’s face, planting your knees on the sides of the pillow as you hover. He grabs your thighs, pulling you down flush against his mouth, where his tongue immediately darts out to lick a stripe up your slit. 
“So wet already? All for me, hmm?”
“All for you, Dr. Egan.”
He pulls away momentarily, “I told you to call me John, sweetheart.”
You chuckle, wiggling your hips against his nose, “Okay, John.”
John hums contently as he laps up your wetness, moving his tongue to swirl your essence around your clit before he suckles it gently, making you moan quietly. He does the action again, suckling a little harder to make you moan louder. He succeeds, and your hips buck against his face as you grow louder with every sharp suck of your bundle of nerves. John starts fucking you with his tongue, letting his nose prod your clit. as you ride his face without shame. Your fingers grip his curly hair harshly as John eats you like he’s starving, and your cunt is his first meal in forever. You feel yourself growing close to the edge as the older man doesn’t let up on eating you out.
“I’m close,” you warn, panting as you snap your shaky hips forward.
John moves his head from side to side, flattening his tongue against your clit as he brings you to your orgasm. You feel yourself gush on his tongue as you ride his face slowly, letting your orgasm fizzle into a high. John licks you clean of your cum and arousal, despite your mewls of overstimulation. 
“Your turn,” you say, catching your breath as you climb off John’s face and settle on his lap.
You palm him through his dress pants, causing him to grab your wrist.
“I wanna ride something else now, John,” you say, a mischievous smile taking over your features, “Is that okay?”
John’s grip on your wrist loosens, and he allows you to unzip his pants and pull him out of them. You lazily stroke him a few times before moving up on his lap, gathering your wetness on the tip of his length before slowly pushing onto it. John hisses at the feeling of you enveloping him, your cunt swallowing every inch of him greedily. His hands grip your hips as you take him fully. 
“Been thinking about this view for a while,” John admits, and you can’t help but smile.
“Really?’ you ask, letting yourself adjust to the feeling of him inside you before pulling off and slamming back down, “How is it?”
“Fuck,” John curses, “It’s good, very good.”
His hands move to squeeze your breasts through your dress, and much to John’s delight, you aren’t wearing a bra underneath. His thumbs brush over your pebbled nipples as you gain a steady rhythm, rocking yourself against his hips. John runs his hands all over your clothed body, wishing he could see you naked. But he’s too distracted by the dragging of your walls along his length to think about doing anything else. 
“I’m glad to impress you, John. Or should I say Dr. Egan?”
John growls lowly at that, snapping his hips upward to match your pace. 
“I hope my performance is everything you hoped for,” you tease, your hands finding the buttons to his shirt and popping them open. You let your palms move across his chest, your nails grazing the hair that scatters the expanse of it. 
“Never thought I’d see the day that my star pupil would be riding me,” John plays along to your professor-student comment, “I’d like it even better if she came on my cock like the good girl she is.”
Your moans are audible by now, the pleasure becoming too much to remain silent. The feeling of your older counterpart hitting your cervix dead-on is dizzying. Your nails start to press into the skin of John’s chest as you feel your second orgasm creeping up into your abdomen. You raise your stuttering hips up almost entirely off of John’s body before pushing back down as hard as possible, fucking him with what energy you have left. 
“You relax, baby. I got the rest,” John flips the two of you over, hiking one of your legs over his shoulder as he pounds into you.
This maneuver takes you by surprise, but you allow him to take you on the couch like you dreamed of ever since you felt that spark between you. You never would have guessed your pursuit for your M.A. would end up like this, but the feeling of you sinking deeper into the couch with every thrust makes it worth it. John feels himself losing control as your cunt flutters around him, on the edge of convulsion as your orgasm begins to take hold. You cry out, gripping John’s biceps as you feel him hit the spot inside you perfectly, and it sends you to the point of no return. You cum around him hard, causing him to finally spill inside you with a groan. 
You’re gasping for air as John pulls out of you, rushing to the restroom for a hand towel to clean you with. He’s gentle and waits for you to come back to Earth on your own time.
“You alright, doll?”
You nod, putting a hand on his cheek as he leans down to give a soft kiss on the lips.
“I just thought I’d remind you your thesis is due to me next week,” John cracks a smile, and you throw the pillow behind your head at him.
“Ruined it,” you roll your eyes, “Ruined my high, John. But thanks for the reminder.”
Then you realize you have another year and a half to spend working alongside John- Dr. Egan. And you wonder how that will work out after all of this.
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musings-of-a-rose · 4 months
Text
Weighted Blanket
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Pairing: Will Miller x f!reader
Word Count: 860+
Rating: Mature - 18+ ONLY!
Warnings: Just like ao3, “creator chooses not to use warnings.” If you click Keep Reading, that means you agree that you’re the age to handle mature themes. Also by clicking Keep Reading, you understand warnings may not be complete in order to avoid spoilers for the story. 
Notes: Chatting about what a great weighted blanket this man would make and so I dedicate this to @laurfilijames. This was not beta read.
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**Reader is not described
Main Masterlist
Will Miller Masterlist
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Today had been the day from hell. You knew it would be, especially since you’d been out for several days being sick. Morning meetings ran long, everyone scrambling to prepare to open, and then the patients? Don’t even get me started. 
When I finally get into my car at the end of the day, I turn on the ac and rest my head against the headrest taking several deep breaths, just listening to the vents pumping cool air into my hot car. I just have to make it home. A shower is waiting for me and Will should be home today.
Will. 
My amazing boyfriend of a year and a half. Will had to go away for work for a few days and was finally coming home. I know a few days isn’t that long but it killed him to leave me when I was sick. And to be honest, I hated not having him there, sick or not. 
His truck is in the parking lot when I pull in and I smile knowing he’s upstairs. I hurry to our apartment and push my key in the lock, quickly shedding my shoes and tossing my bag down on the little side table before heading towards the kitchen, where sounds and a delicious, heavenly smell were emanating from. I lean against the door frame, just taking in the sight of him. Will, standing at the stove with his back to me, casually making my favorite food, his hair still wet from a shower, navy blue shirt stretched thin over his broad back and thick arms, grey sweatpants hung low on his hips. He clicks off the burner and divvy’s the food onto 2 plates before turning, his face lighting up when he sees me.
“Hey, sweetheart. How was work?” When I don’t answer right away, he let’s out a low whistle. “That bad, huh?”
I nod, pushing off the door frame. “Nothing I didn’t anticipate. Still sucked though.”
“You hungry?”
“Starving. But first I need to shower. I feel so gross.”
Will sets the plates down and takes a few large steps towards me. He moves for a hug and damn do I want one, but I’m gross. People actually spit up on me today. So I sigh, stepping back and Will puts his hands up, freezing in place. 
“Must have been really bad.”
“You don’t even want to know.”
He winks and blows a kiss at me, turning back to finish up dinner. The shower was glorious, the hot water and bubbles relaxing me somewhat, and washing away all of the gross from my skin and hair. I don’t linger, my stomach grumbling as I pull on some pajamas and head straight for the kitchen table, where Will had just set down drinks for us. Before I sit, he pulls me to him, pressing a soft kiss to my lips, his hands cradling my face. 
“I missed you, sweetheart.”
“I really missed you too, Will.” He starts to deepen the kiss, but is interrupted by the loudest grumble yet from my traitor of a stomach. He laughs, placing a hand on my tummy. 
“Let’s get some food in you.”
—----
Dinner was delicious, as usual when Will cooks. It’s not just that he follows the recipe to a t, but he has his own personal flair to it. Will’s cooking can make any sour mood turn sweet. Or maybe that’s just me. 
After our bellies are full, we sit on the couch and I curl my body against his, feeling his large arm wrap around me, the warmth from him seeping into my bones. He kisses the top of my head and rests his own there, both of us content to just be with the other. But my day was hard and before long, I feel my eyelids drooping. Will must have noticed because I swear I blinked and somehow ended up in bed, Will pulling the blankets up around me before crawling in next to me. He tries to pull me to him, but it’s not what I need. He crooks his finger under my chin, lifting my head to look at him through sleepy eyes. 
“Do you need Will blanket?” I nod, my eyes barely open. 
Will helps me lay down on my back, making sure my pillow is adjusted before he drapes half his body over mine, linking one of his muscular legs with mine as he tucks himself over me. His arm drapes over my body, rubbing small circles into my opposite arm. I turn my head and realize my nose is in the perfect spot to nuzzle into his hair, so I do it, inhaling the scent of him. The weight of him on me settles my nerves, the last bit of overstimulation and wired emotions leeching from my body the longer I feel his breathing, his body pressing into mine. 
“I love you, sweetheart.”
“I love you too.”
It’s so tender and loving, full of care and I think about how much I love this man as he gently lulls me to sleep.
In the morning, he has different plans for me and I’m so glad I got the rest I needed.
—----
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ggomos-maribat · 11 months
Text
Secrets, Masks, and Family Gatherings
Cross posted from AO3
It had been nearly a year since she moved to Gotham City, but the skyline seemed new each time she went out for night patrol. Ladybug zipped to another building with Red Hood to gain a higher vantage point. Her wings fluttered slightly with the breeze behind her.
"All clear here." Red Hood pressed on his comms.
"Okay. We'll wait for an update from Robin and Spoiler then we're finished for tonight if there aren't any problems," Batman replied.
"Yeah, it's a miracle we get to finish up early." The vigilante rolled his shoulders and stretched his arms. "So LB . . ."
"This small talk again?" Ladybug groaned.
Red Hood put his arms up. "Hey, I'm just curious."
"What is it now?"
"I was just wondering what made you transfer to Gotham." He perched on the ledge right beside her. "You defeated your city's villain, right? You had nothing to do anymore."
He's not wrong. She often thought about it herself. Her past and responsibilities clung to her like unshakeable nightmares. Ladybug knew the moment she gained guardianship that her life had no chance of reverting back to 'normal'.
"I think you know how it feels," she said.
"How what feels?"
Ladybug sighed, slumping. "When we defeated Hawkmoth, I thought we could finally rest easy. But I couldn't. I was restless, and between that and taking care of the aftermath, I realized I was missing the superhero life." She shrugged. "That's why I'm here now---it's inescapable. As the guardian, I decided it was better for the Miraculi to be used for good instead of sitting unused."
"Ah, classic PTSD like all the Bats." Red Hood nodded.
She snorted. "But that doesn't mean I still live a restless life. In fact, I've gotten used to life in Gotham."
"But why Gotham of all places?"
"The Miracle Box told me something. I can't divulge anything more."
"Just like you don't divulge anything about your civvy life."
She rolled her eyes, elbowing him on the side, which caused him to flinch dramatically. Bats and their nosiness. "Hey, we're not that close yet for me to reveal my identity. And it's a fair game. I don't know any of you either."
"I'm surprised B hasn't dug up anything on you. And he has contingency plans for all the JL members."
"I told you, the glamor protects us."
At first, she'd been hesitant to work with the vigilantes and at the same time, Batman had been wary around her especially when she was entering their territory. But she had gotten to know them well over time, despite not knowing who were behind the masks. She could also tell they'd grown to trust her like one of theirs.
"All clear near Crime Alley," Spoiler reported over the line.
"Good. Thank you for your help tonight, Ladybug. Everyone else, back to the cave."
Ladybug stood up abruptly. "Thank you too. I'll join the Signal during the weekend. He mentioned he might need some help."
"Oooh, you seem in a hurry to get back home." Red Hood tilted his head.
"No, I'm not spilling anything about my plans for the night," she huffed. "And I need to go because I'm hungry and my timer's running because you forced me to use my Lucky Charm to win that bet with Red Robin."
"The look on his face was priceless."
Ladybug threw her yoyo. "Good night, Hood."
After double checking that none of the others had followed or tracked her, Ladybug detransformed and walked back to her apartment building. She could practically hear the coffee calling to her; she'd drown in it endlessly whenever patrol nights ran late and she needed commissions to finish afterwards.
In the empty elevator, Tikki hovered up to her shoulder. "It's a good thing patrol ended early, Marinette."
"It's not a good sign, Tikki." She smiled grimly. "I think something big's going to happen. A massive breakout or a big plan by the Rogues."
The kwami hummed. "You can try to get plenty of rest before that happens."
"No promises. I have twelve designs I have to submit to Audrey by next week."
Just as she headed to her apartment door, her phone rang a familiar customized ringtone. Tikki also gasped in excitement upon seeing the caller's name.
Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder while jamming her keys through the doorknob. "Hey, Adrien. What's up?"
"Hey Nette. Done with patrol?"
"We finished early tonight. The Rogues are suspiciously silent. How are you? How's Plagg?" Marinette stepped into the room and Tikki turned on the lights.
"Currently pigging out on cheese. As always." She could almost see her best friend's eye-roll. "Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll be visiting Gotham on Friday. Wayne Tech is partnering up with our brand and Chloe and Kagami are coming with me."
"That's great news, Adrien! I'll bake something special---or should I take you out to a restaurant? I know some good ones near my place."
Adrien chuckled. "Pick anything you want. I'll tell Chloe to send you our schedule so we can reserve lunch or dinner with you and----no, Plagg! I'm not telling her to buy extra cheese!" He heaved out a breath. "At night we can have a short . . . run. You can introduce me to your new partners."
"They're not my partners. It's just you, kitty cat," Marinette said pointedly. "We're just allies."
"You gush about winning prank wars against them."
"It's fun being around them but that's it!"
He laughed. "It's okay. I'm glad you're enjoying your time over there. Send my regards to Damian."
A knock suddenly sounded on the door.
"Speaking of Damian, I think he's here. Gotta go, and say hi to Plagg and the others for me!"
"Pfft, you keep stroking his ego."
With one last goodbye, Marinette threw her phone on the couch and ran to the door. She hadn't expected her boyfriend to drop by, but she was glad he could make time for her. She knew Damian was as busy as her and she was worried he'd end up not taking care of himself like she always did.
"Dames, I thought you had work at the company for the whole night." She gave him a tight hug and a light kiss as soon as she opened the door.
Damian pecked her cheek, winding his arms around her waist. "They let us go early and I thought I should surprise you."
"Good, because I'm surprised," she beamed. "Are you staying the night?"
"Of course, habibti."
Damian Wayne had been an unexpected addition to her Gotham life. They had met in the park while they were working on their sketches---him, a portrait drawing and her, an inspired dress design. Before she knew it, she was with someone who she believed she could spend the rest of her life with. Damian was her support, her confidant in all aspects except her secret identity (though the thought of finally telling him had crossed her mind too many times).
"Are you hungry? I haven't had dinner yet and I was just thinking of cooking instant ramen . . ."
"We can have dinner together, but . . . there is something I need to talk to you about." Damian rubbed her arms, gazing at her intently.
Marinette's heart quickened as she subconsciously thought about all types of bad news. Did he get hurt? Did I do something? Is he going to break up with me?
"Habibti, love, I can already read your thoughts." He kissed the tip of her nose. "It's not anything terrible."
"What is it?"
Damian took a deep breath. "I think it's time for you to meet my family."
Marinette felt her jaw drop. "Your . . . your family? Are you sure about this?"
For the longest time, Damian had expressed his distaste at the thought of her meeting the Waynes. At first, she'd thought that it was the status difference, but he seemed more worried about his father and brothers doing something crazy.
On the other hand, they had both flown to Paris four months ago for Damian to officially meet her parents and friends. It had gone smoothly, and Damian was convinced that the opposite would happen if she met his family.
"Yes. I've thought about it." He sat down with her as she ran her thumb over the back of his hand. "They're already asking about you and if I stall for any longer, I know they will start prying into your life."
"Oh . . ."
Damian had talked about his brothers before, and Marinette saw them sometimes in news and tabloids. In her impression, they didn't seem too bad.
"But don't worry," he assured her, "I will be with you the whole time. We'll have lunch at the manor tomorrow---"
"Wait, tomorrow?"
"Is it too sudden? I worked with your free schedule and---"
"No, no, I'm definitely free tomorrow." Her eyes widened. "Let's meet them tomorrow. It just caught me off guard. I have to prepare my outfit and buy a gift and----oh no, what would your brothers like? What about your father and Alfred?"
Damian smiled gently. "You don't have to concern yourself with that. You’ll make a wonderful first impression."
"But---"
"I have to warn you about my brothers instead." His lip curled. "They will be a handful."
She laughed a little. "You already warned me a million times."
"Because I can't overstate how troublesome they'll be."
Instead of her reply, Marinette's growling stomach echoed in the room. She blushed as Damian pulled her from her seat, kissing her cheek. "It seems that we have an emergency to take care of first. I'll help you cook."
---
Marinette smoothed down the remnant wrinkles on her skirt. She'd chosen a simple pleated dress to wear to her first family lunch with the Waynes. At the same time, the car pulled up in front of the Wayne Manor. It was just as intimidating as she remembered---she'd only ever been to the manor once, to wait for Damian.
"Nervous?" Damian touched her hand.
"Should I be?"
"Never," he replied firmly. "If anything, I should apologize ahead of time. Also, there is no reason to be nervous. If they aren't busy acting insufferable, they'll be impressed by you."
Though the words were warm, they did little to calm her heart. These were the Waynes, royalty of Gotham. She even found it hard to believe that she was with Damian in the first place.
"Come on." Damian helped her out of the car and guided her to the front steps. He pushed through the large wooden doors and they were both met with a broad-shouldered man rushing down the main hallway.
"Todd," Damian called out. "Where on earth are you going?"
The man---Jason, she assumed---stopped, glanced at them, and gave her a quick once-over. Marinette noticed the motorcycle helmet he held on one hand.
"Demon brat." Jason tilted his head. "I have work to do."
"But lunch---"
"I promised to drop by. I didn't say I'll stay." He gave Marinette a single nod and went off.
"I bet he had another fight with Father," Damian muttered under his breath. Marinette squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
"Don't apologize. Let's go," she told him softly.
Damian led her to the dining hall where the others were already sat around the table. Curious stares burned through Marinette, making her duck her head away. Damian himself was unfazed, wearing a half-scowl as he helped her to her seat.
"Master Damian, Miss Marinette, welcome." Just in time, Alfred strolled in with the food. She gave the butler a meek smile.
Then, she took a look at the Waynes one by one. The poised Bruce Wayne was at the head of the table, his presence the most prominent  in the room. Across from her was Dick Grayson, who looked like he was studying her. Positioned beside him were Tim and Stephanie, both whispering to each other. Finally, Barbara was at her other side, offering her a small smile of comfort.
"I'm glad to finally meet you, Marinette," Bruce greeted. "Damian talks a lot about you."
Marinette momentarily eyed the array of silverware near her plate which she did not know how to use. "The pleasure is all mine . . . sir."
"Please call me Bruce." He gestured to the food at the center. "Go ahead and help yourself. Alfred cooked a feast for us."
She cleared her throat. "Thank you, Bruce."
"How did you both meet?" Tim questioned.
"In the park, Drake. We were both drawing. I already told you," Damian butted in.
Tim waved him off. "I want to hear it from her, not you."
"I---"
"It's okay, Damian." Marinette nudged him a little. "I was sketching in the park when Titus came to me. Damian was drawing a picture of me while I was absorbed in my designs and accidentally let go of his leash. Titus led me to him and it all started there."
"You design?" Barbara asked.
Warmth crept to her cheeks. "It's my dream to become a fashion designer. I just do a few commission pieces here and there. I'm trying to take small steps to reach my goal."
A quick glimpse at her boyfriend told her that he was radiating all the pride in the world.
"Little D mentioned you came from Paris?" Dick sipped on his drink. "Why did you decide to leave?"
"Oh, please don't get it all wrong. I know Paris earned a bad rep after the Hawkmoth fiasco but that was years ago. I just decided to move here to find more opportunities for myself," Marinette answered smoothly.
"Why Gotham of all places, if I may ask?" Bruce chimed in. "Admittedly, this isn't the friendliest city in the country."
"Father, stop with the interrogation," said Damian.
"It's okay, Dames, I don't mind. Promise." She squeezed his hand under the table.
"Fine. But do not answer anything if you're not comfortable."
Marinette looked at Bruce. "One of my friend's parents who works in fashion suggested Gotham. There's a low competition among the designers here so it might be easier for me to make a name for myself."
"That's not a bad move actually," Tim remarked.
"So back in Paris, did you get to meet any of the heroes?" Dick leaned in.
"Grayson," Damian warned.
"That's---"
A sharp ring blasted out, cutting off her statement. Bruce fished out his phone, a muscle on his face twitched, and he abruptly stood up. "There's an emergency at WE."
"Emergency?" Tim peered at his phone as well.
"Yes, Tim. You're needed. Also Stephanie." The eldest Wayne looked around the table and uttered monotonously. "I apologize for cutting this short. We have an urgent matter at the company---"
"Father."
Bruce shook his head. "This absolutely cannot wait, Damian."
The three filed out of the room in a flash. Marinette, stunned at the sudden interruption, saw Dick also checking the emergency.
"Sorry, Babs and I need to go." He stood up and picked up his coat, going around the table to help Barbara. "It's nice to meet you, Marinette."
"Let's go out for drinks sometime, okay?" Barbara reached over and patted her shoulder before they left.
The disappearance of the Waynes left her fidgeting with her fingers and wondering what the big emergency could be. She peeked at Damian hesitantly. "Do you need to go too?"
His jaw clenched. "I think so."
"You can go." She cupped his cheek, pecking the other.
"I can't tell you---"
"I know. I won't ask, I promise," she assured softly. He didn't have to explain anything to her; she'd gladly wait for him to open up. "Go."
"I'm sorry."
"Damian."
He pressed a firm kiss on her forehead. "Alfred will drive you to your apartment. I'll come to you later, alright?"
"Okay."
She could hear Alfred offering her food to take home and guiding her to the car, but it was all a blur. Marinette knew she had nothing to do with what happened yet she was afraid that it would sour Damian's relationship with his family. Her fists clenched around her skirt as she looked down, feeling Alfred's keen eyes checking on her through the rearview mirror.
"Please do not take it personally, Miss," Alfred said softly.
"Yes. Thank you," she whispered.
Finding nothing better to do than to check her phone, Marinette noticed the numerous alerts plastered all over her screen. Arkham breakout. Fuck. No wonder it was so quiet last night. There were a number of messages from Red Hood (which was directed from her burner phone), asking her if she could help.
Marinette looked out the window. Sure enough, there seemed to be a racket coming from the other streets.
"Umm, excuse me Alfred?" She searched for a safe alley to transform. "Can---can you drop me off at the cafe over there?"
"Are you certain? There are Rogues running around the city at this time."
"I'll stay inside. Don't worry."
Fortunately, the butler did what she asked and she made a beeline to the cafe as soon as she stepped foot out the car. Transform. Connect comms. Head to the upper east side. The same words ran through her head.
Her phone rang suddenly right before she could say her transformation words.
"Adrien! Can't talk right now. Arkham breakout. Big emergency," she said hurriedly into the phone.
"Oops. Need backup?" He asked.
"Maybe not. I don't know." She massaged her temple. "Can I ask you guys to standby? You can take your power-ups just in case."
"That's fine. Stay safe," Adrien said, "How did lunch go by the way?"
"Gah! Not now, kitty!"
"Right, right, right. Emergency in Gotham. I'll hang up now."
Marinette sighed. "It was a disaster, by the way. I'll text the details later."
"Aaaand Chloe's yelling at me to spill right now. You should go."
---
Ladybug swiftly landed beside Nightwing when she arrived and the Bats had just finished capturing Penguin and his men. On the next rooftop over, she could see Robin with Batman---they were loud enough for her to deduce that they were having an argument but she couldn't make out the exact words.
"What's up with them?" Ladybug frowned. She had always known Robin as the cold, closed-off one in the group but it was her first time encountering a complete outburst.
"Personal stuff. Happened earlier," Nightwing replied briefly. "I'm surprised you came. I thought you had an appointment today."
She bit her tongue. "Uhh, it got cancelled."
Batman told Robin something which had him storming off, grappling away to another direction. Their comms buzzed to life.
"Ladybug, team up with Robin. The Riddler's in the next avenue," Batman ordered curtly.
Ladybug turned to Nightwing with wide eyes. The stress was obvious in the sag of his shoulders and tight grip on his escrima sticks.
"He's mad at all of us," he explained. "It's better if it's you who joins him."
Ladybug only nodded, throwing her yoyo to follow Robin. Her curiosity was growing by the minute, but she focused on thinking of ways to calm down her fellow vigilante. If he became too riled up, he could lose focus and get injured.
She followed him close enough for him to hear her. "Robin, you have to slow down."
"No, I have to get back as soon as possible."
"Get back to where?"
She only received silence.
Frustrated Robin equals not a good Robin. Ladybug leapt to match his pace and blocked his way. He glared at her. "Move."
"Look, this is the Riddler we're facing. He's still dangerous and if we're not careful, we'll get caught in his traps."
"I don't care. I just need to get this over with. Stay out of my way."
When he pushed past her, she had half the mind to wrap him in her yoyo and deliver him back to Batman for a time-out. She huffed as she followed him. You're not the only one having a bad day, grumpy boy. Robin anchored his grappling gun to a faraway building and at the second he jumped off, he careened to the side, swept away by an elaborate trap by the Riddler.
Before she knew it, Ladybug was after him. Her teeth gritted and her legs ran a mile as she groaned out loud. "This is exactly what I was just talking about!"
They were trapped in an empty little box with a puzzle lock on its door.
Ladybug released a shaky breath.
The worst argument I've had with one of the Gotham vigilantes was when I interfered with Red Hood's mission and he got overprotective. She stared at Robin, who was relentlessly kicking the metal walls. But that might change today.
"Robin," she called out. "I understand that you're mad at the others but it doesn't mean you can act reckless while you're in that suit."
"No. You don't understand." He raked a hand through his hair. "I told them. I already told them and they still . . .Do you know what they did?"
She opened her mouth to reason with him again but he beat her to it. "I only wanted at least an hour. No interruptions." Robin clicked his tongue. "For them, there is nothing more important than capturing these criminals even if there are other heroes who will help. And Father had to be the first to run out."
Ladybug gaped. She knew the Bats were somewhat of a family but it was Robin's first time referring to Batman as a father. "Are you sure you should be telling me---"
"Yes, so you know how unfair they acted earlier." He twirled his katanas, looking for a simple way out. "I only wanted them to meet my girlfriend. I brought her home. And they all left for this. Father didn't give a sincere apology and my brothers either don't care or are suspicious of her."
Wait . . .
She thought she'd stumble back, but her feet were surprisingly still planted on the ground. Lunch. Earlier. Girlfriend. Shit. Her breath was knocked out of her lungs as she processed Robin's words.
Damian's words.
She wanted to laugh. All this time, she'd been anxious about telling him the truth when he was already living the same life as her. The Waynes, the sudden emergencies, staying out late. Merde, it all makes sense now. It was ridiculous how she didn't recognize her own boyfriend.
"It was a mistake after all. I shouldn't have invited her to come," Robin sighed. "They're wary because she's a civilian---she'll be my weakness if anyone finds out about our connection. They know that, which is why they don't approve."
Her first instinct was to tell him that it wasn't true, but an identity reveal would be too much given their current situation. Ladybug pieced her words with care. "I'm sure they'll listen if you tell them how you feel. Your girlfriend will understand too."
"We don't communicate healthily, in case you haven't figured that out."
Her heart was still drumming against her ribcage. Damn it. Marinette would work better in consoling him. Ladybug's just a colleague. "I know. But a few words can go a long way. Tell them you'll be careful. Ask them to help protect your girlfriend if anything ever goes wrong."
As Robin lowered his gaze, an urge to come up to him and hold his hands washed over her. She counted the seconds of silence that passed. It looked like he was thinking deeply about it.
"I apologize for getting you involved," he said. "And for mindlessly telling you about my personal life."
She laughed nervously. "Ah . . . it's okay to vent out sometimes."
Yeah, and your story definitely did not reveal your whole identity.
Robin turned towards the puzzle lock. "Should we attempt to crack the code in his puzzle?"
It wasn't a simple coded lock---it was a six-wheeled puzzle that was embedded onto the door. "By the looks of it, it will take us hours if we go through that route. I think I have a better idea. Are there any cameras here?"
He surveyed the small enclosure. "I see two by the corners."
"Good. Break them and cover the lens." Ladybug touched her earrings while he did what she said. I have spare cookies in my purse. That should do. "We can't unlock the door by ourselves, but Tikki can phase through and let us out."
"The tiny god-being in your Miraculous."
"Yeah, that's Tikki." She smiled. I'll have to introduce them sometime. "Close your eyes?"
After making sure that the cameras weren't functioning and he couldn't see her, she detransformed, motioned to the puzzle lock and sent Tikki out.
"Before we were trapped, I saw other civilians captured in similar boxes," said Robin. "Riddler should be camped east."
Marinette crossed the gap between them and tapped on the back of his hand. GOOD. RIDDLER FIRST THEN FREE OTHERS.
"Morse?" Robin scrunched his nose. "Are you also cautious about revealing your voice?"
YES.
"Tt. That is too much. Most of us don't even use a modulator." He shifted. "I doubt that I will be able to recognize your voice."
She pursed her lips. We'll see about that.
---
Ladybug was lounging on the top of Wayne Tower as the vigilantes finished up catching the remaining inmates. She used the time to fully wrap her head around her discovery. Damian. Robin. One by one, she also pieced together the identities of the others. It was so stupidly obvious all this time.
She heard a familiar zip of the grappling gun. It wasn't Red Hood who she expected to check on her but it was Robin.
"The Rogues are secured. There are rumors that the Joker orchestrated the entire thing but he wasn't around during the attacks," Robin reported. "The injured civilians are being rushed to the hospitals. No deaths."
Ladybug didn't break her gaze at the horizon. "That's good."
". . . Ladybug?"
"Yeah?"
He sat next to her. "The people in Paris . . . did they get used to these kinds of incidents as well? When Hawkmoth was active?"
"With an akuma attack nearly every week, yes you can say we had no choice but to get used to it."
"Was there a lot of animosity towards Parisians after the truth got out?"
"Only a little." She looked down at her hands. "Mostly we receive pity. The press made it clear how the akumas affected everyone's lives."
"My girlfriend . . . came from Paris too. I always wonder what it was like but I never wanted to pry."
Damian . . . She bit her lip. She had been dodgy about the topic, but she should know better than to withhold her feelings about it. Damn it, this will be so awkward when he finally finds out.
"You're worried about her safety," she said.
Robin nodded. "I wonder if she feels afraid during Rogue attacks. Or just living in Gotham. I never want to find out that she was in a dangerous situation and I wasn't there to . . ."
"You don't have to worry. If she's from Paris, then she's strong. Everyone in my city had been on the edge of death one way or another. Our instincts were sharpened. We can block out our fears and emotions." Ladybug looked up at him. "I'm sure she can handle danger."
"But it's different here. There's no magic to bring things back to normal. It's permanent." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I won't know what to do if something happens to her because of me."
"I think . . . you should ask her first---"
"I should break it off with her."
"What?!"
Ladybug nearly slapped a hand over her mouth. I said that too quickly. Thankfully, Robin didn't seem to notice anything.
"I've been thinking a lot," he continued. "I can't bring myself to tell her about this. About me. The mere fact of her knowing puts a target on her back."
Dear kwamis, please keep me from pushing my boyfriend off this rooftop before gets the chance to find out about me.
"Wait." She began slowly. "Don't you think she deserves to know before you try to make that decision for her?"
"What am I supposed to do?" His eyebrows furrowed. "I . . . I expect her to react badly. I've learned from today that I should keep her from getting involved any further. It's either I drag her into this dangerous life or I keep hurting her with my lies."
"You shouldn't start assuming things without trying first. I'm sure she trusts you and she'll come to understand everything in time. There's always a compromise." Her lips spoke the words before she could think. "You're not doing any good by cutting yourself off all of a sudden."
"If I end it now, she can eventually move on and stay safe. Nevermind how I feel," he argued, "I can let her go and she'll be safe."
"When I told you about how Parisians are strong, that's not what I meant." Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she raised her voice. "She can stay in a relationship with you and keep herself safe because she's strong. Can't you trust her as much as she trusts you?"
"I can't risk it. She's important to me."
"If she is, then talk to her. If you don't give her a chance to decide, you're not any better than your father or brothers."
"How would you even know how she feels?"
Ladybug's face contorted into a sharp glare. "I just know. I know better than anyone, Damian."
Anger morphed into shock as he stared at her. ". . . What did you just call me?"
She made a quick sweep of the area to make sure that they were in a blind spot. Then, she wasted no time standing up on the ledge, shuffling until the balls of her foot touched the edge. Then,  "I'm not defenseless, merde. And I really wanted to wait until the end of the day but . . . Tikki, détransformation."
Marinette watched Robin's face go through a storm of emotions. His jaw hung slack and his fists uncurled while he stood up to look at her.
". . . Marinette?" he breathed out.
She gently touched his cheeks with both hands, peeling off his mask to reveal his glistening eyes. "I can't believe you wanted to break up with me."
"Marinette . . ." He pulled them both away from the ledge and held her, mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over again. His head was buried on her neck, with his hands pressed against her back.
"You. It's you," said Damian. "Of course it's you."
"It's me." She rubbed down his back. "For record, I only found out because---"
"Because I told you what happened."
She chuckled. "Yeah."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, habibti." He pulled away a little to touch her cheek. "I was going to make a stupid decision."
"Are you upset that I kept this from you?"
He shook his head, kissing her head. "I can't and I don't have the right to be. I was keeping my secret from you as well."
"Come on, let's go home first. Then we can talk about . . . everything."
---
Ladybug swung into the night with a weight lifted off her chest. She and Damian had a long talk about their identities and relationship. They'd both agreed not to tell the other heroes until they were ready to. For her, it was better that they kept their secrets between themselves first and slowly ease into revealing the truth to her friends and his family.
She breathed in the breeze. Robin wasn't anywhere to be seen, but a group of vigilantes were. Nightwing. Hood. RR. What are they doing there?
The three immediately fell into a hush when she landed next to them.
"Hey, LB," Red Robin greeted.
She put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"
The brothers shared a look before Red Hood spoke. "Robin told you about his girlfriend, right?"
"Yeah . . ." she trailed off, dragging the syllable.
"We think something's up with her," said Nightwing.
"I'm sorry?"
"Sketchy stuff," Red Robin explained, shifting on his feet. "Well, we can't tell you who she is---secret identities and all---but she's from Paris. She's friends with Hawkmoth's kid."
Ladybug scoffed. "Adrien? He's not like Hawkmoth. I know him personally and he had nothing to do with that man's crimes. Trust me."
"Hmm, yeah but she's also close with the mayor's daughter. That one who also sided with Hawkmoth."
"You mean Chloe Bourgeois? She's proven that she's changed." And unbeknownst to the public, she was a hero again, this time under another alias.
"But she's so secretive. There's definitely something going on with her." Nightwing rubbed his chin. Ladybug wanted to bang her head in the nearest wall or groan to the heavens.
"What's wrong with being secretive? Aren't you guys the same?" she narrowed her eyes.
"That's not the main cause of our suspicion," said Red Hood.
"We weren't convinced about her reason for moving to Gotham, so we dug around," Red Robin continued, "She said something about more career opportunities but that's just a cover. We found classified files on superheroes in her apartment, including info on Justice League members. I bet she already knows about Robin's identity."
"You snooped in her apartment?!"
"It was an investigation," Nightwing snorted.
Her eye twitched. A secret had never felt so difficult to conceal. "I can't believe you'd break the privacy of a civilian just because you had baseless assumptions."
Red Robin winced. "Uhh . . . if you put it that way . . ."
She crossed her arms. "No, I know what this is really about. You're being overprotective of Robin; you can't accept that he now has a significant other and you think he's being naive about his choices. You think he's going to get hurt badly." She paused for effect. "Because you don't want him to repeat the same mistakes as you all did."
The look on their masked faces told her that she had hit the target better than any therapist they might have encountered.
Red Hood was first to deny. "We're not protective of the brat. We're trying to eliminate a potential danger."
"His harmless civilian girlfriend?"
"Think about it, LB. Why would she have sensitive files on the heroes?" Red Robin asked. "You can't deny that that's suspicious."
I don't know, maybe because she's a hero herself?!
Ladybug sighed heavily. Damian is really going to kill them when he finds out. "Does Batman know about this?"
"Nope, but we'll tell him when we gather enough evidence," Nightwing answered. "We're just trying to get Oracle to crack into her laptop. The security on it  is so heavy, it's insane."
Why is it a curse that I asked Max to protect my laptop? There are files on the Miraculi in there!
She discreetly took her yoyo and put it on the recording function. "Let me get this straight. So you're all investigating and prying into the life of Robin's girlfriend without the knowledge of Batman even at the cost of your identities and everyone's safety?"
"We're not risking anyone's safety---"
"It's more of research but---"
She pursed her lips. "And you broke into her apartment, went through her things and currently you're trying to hack into her personal computer?"
"Regular vigilante work---"
"Good, we're on the same page then." She smiled widely. Sinisterly. "Tikki, détransformation."
Pale. Pale faces were all she could see as the three vigilantes were engulfed in utter shock. Marinette held her smile, clasping her hands together behind her back. I can't wait to see how they try to make it up to me. Mon dieu! I'm going to mess with them. 
And as a cherry on top, Robin arrived at the scene, immediately putting her behind him when he saw that she was in civilian form. He directed an accusatory glare at his brothers. "What is going on here?!"
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stevesbipanic · 6 months
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@steddiemas Day 8: Hanukkah Traditions
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Steve was nervous. He'd moved in with Eddie and Wayne a month ago since his parents told him in no uncertain terms to be out by the time they got back. The past month had felt so warm and loving. But Hanukkah was beginning tomorrow and Steve was freaking out.
"Sweetheart, you don't need to stress out about it, you don't even need to join in the traditions if you don't want to. Plus Wayne and I are very chill about it, I think Wayne just likes to remember his mother's stories the most, she would've loved you."
"But it is important, Eds! You and Wayne have been so good to me and I want to show you that I appreciate that."
Eddie sighed moving towards him, curling Steve's clenched hands and intertwining their fingers.
"We know you appreciate it, Stevie, and we both love you so much, secretly I think Wayne prefers you." Steve has a quirk of a smile for a moment.
"Only cause I don't burn the toast when I make breakfast."
"It was one time and I was 12, sorry for putting effort into father's day for him," Eddie joked. "C'mon let's go help Wayne finish letting up."
Later, when the menorah was set and ready on the windowsill, cabinets stocked with ingredients for all the food they'd make, and gifts wrapped for the week ahead, the three men sat with mugs of coffee despite the late hour.
"You ready for your first Hanukkah, Steve?" Wayne asked.
"I think so, Eddie has told me a bit but I'm excited to learn."
"That's good of you, son, don't worry if you don't get it all right away, Eddie tried lighting all the candles at once when he was little."
"Can we lay off poor baby Eddie, he was a sweet boy."
"A sweet boy that brought toads home as pets."
"The frogs are mean to them."
Wayne chuckled at his nephews antics.
"Would you like to hear the story of Judah and the Maccabees, Steve? My memory isn't as good as it used to be but I'm sure I can make it as exciting as my Ma used to tell it."
"I'd love to," Steve smiled. Wayne smiled softly, getting comfy in his chair and began to tell the tale. Steve leaned into Eddie as he listened, he might not know all the traditions yet, but it already feels more like home and family than Christmas with his parents ever did.
Ao3
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randomshyperson · 2 years
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High School Sweethearts - Cheerleader!Wanda x Reader [Kinktober]
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Summary: The new student captures your attention completely. She's perfect and she's everything you ever wanted.
Warnings: hints of corruption/innocence kink, first kiss, first time, virgin!Wanda, smut, teasing, some edging, fingering, strap-on use, top!reader, high school au | Words: 6.923k
A/N-> My first time writing something of this kink be kind. I'm absorbing the latest episode of She-Hulk yet, someone needs to send Jen hugs.
Kinktober Collection | General Masterlist | AO3 | Wattpad
--//--
It was Kate who told you about the new students.
It was Tuesday, and the school was full of burbs all over the hall. You were late and a little irritated because you had argued with your father on the way - Steve Rogers could be many things, and stubborn was most of them. - and so you weren't the least bit interested in the daily gossip that your colleagues might have.
Still, Kate was one of your favorite people and she was so sweet that you didn't have the heart to ignore her attempts to get close during her freshman year, and now, she was a sophomore and you were graduating, and even though you weren't in the same classes, you were inseparable. 
"I hear they're the mayor's kids, and Y/N, you have to see, the two of them look like they stepped off a magazine cover." She excitedly narrates her encounter with the new students in the cafeteria. "If they weren't wearing their Avengers High uniforms, I would have mistaken them for models, I swear."
You chuckle, finishing picking up your books and closing your locker.
"Be careful not to drool too much, Bishop. Or your girlfriend will get jealous." You tease, but Kate doesn't laugh, assuming a momentarily fearful expression and looking around to see if Yelena wasn't somewhere listening in on the conversation.
The reaction only makes you laugh harder.
It takes three periods before you finally see the new students. By then, you have heard half the school talking about them, and you know they are twins, and yes, really the mayor's children because Darcy Lewis shows you a picture on her cell phone with the whole family landing in the local paper.
"They're cute, but it's no big deal." You mutter to Kate after looking at the photo, and she and Darcy share a nasal laugh.
"You'll change your mind when you see them in person." Your friend says, looking forward again because Professor Harkness has just entered the room.
Darcy puts her cell phone away, and you sigh, "I highly doubt it, I study with the most beautiful girls in the world, I'm not easy to impress. " You compliment them charmingly and Darcy and Kate laugh softly, rolling their eyes in good humor.
It's not a lie what you said, yet when between the penultimate and last period, a lost-looking girl bumps into you in the hallway, you are momentarily speechless at the greenish irises in front of you.
"Sorry, I didn't see you." She mutters in apology, stooping to grab the book she has knocked over and return it to you.
As you pick it up, you don't let go. "But I did see you. You're the new girl, right?" 
She smiles in surprise, hugging her own notebook. "Yeah, that's me. I'm Wanda. We just moved here from New York-"
You raise a hand in the air and Wanda falls silent in confusion, but you smile gently.
"Why don't you tell me that, and whatever you want, over coffee?"
She blushes very hard, opening her mouth a few times before giving a shy laugh. "S-sure, I like coffee."
You move closer and take out the pen attached to her notebook. You take the cap off with your teeth, and Wanda watches the item with hot cheeks the entire time you are pulling out a sheet of paper and writing your number in her notebook.
As you return the pen, you smile at her. "Don't forget to text, I'm dying to know the end of your story." You tell her, offering a gentle nod before leaving.
Wanda sighs loudly, leaning her back on the lockers. A silly smile fills her face, and she stands for a good few minutes trying to understand what just happened and why her legs are so shaky. 
–//–
You go out for coffee after class on Thursday, and for thirty whole minutes, you try not to stare at the legs exposed by her cheer skirt.
Wanda is so beautiful it hurts, and her near cluelessness only makes her more attractive.
You clear your throat quietly because she is a really very interesting person and you want to know more about her.
You learn that she was born in Sokovia - which explains her delightful accent that distracts you with every word - and that she moved to New York when her parents divorced. She is the younger twin, but not the sister, as her father has another girl named Lorna who is in middle school. It is also Wanda's first time attending school, and when she says this you widen your eyes slightly.
"Are you kidding me?" You question pushing the coffee creamer with your straw, she laughs lightly.
"No, I swear." She assures you humorously, mimicking your movements without realizing it in her own drink. "My dad is the overprotective type, and Pietro and I have been homeschooled all our lives. But it's senior year and somehow we managed to convince him that it was an important experience. Pietro wants a scholarship for athletics and I, well, I'd like to do cinema."
You smile. "So you like movies?"
Her face lights up even more. "I love movies! I know it's a very competitive industry, but my dream is to work as a film director! I love writing stories, and it would be so amazing to bring them to the screen and... I'm boring you, aren't I?" she interrupts, her cheeks a little red. "Sorry, I get too excited-"
"No, you're not." You interrupt her, "I like hearing you talk, go ahead."
Wanda blushes, even more, lowering her embarrassed gaze to her own lap before smiling shyly.
She tells you more about her dream of being a filmmaker, and about her family not liking the idea of her not pursuing a more secure career, and you make a point of encouraging her to do what she likes and not what others think is right, and Wanda is so flustered she hardly knows how to thank you.
You realize that it is getting late, and if you don't come back now, your father will probably find a new problem to discuss, so you tell Wanda that you have to go. She seems sad about this ending, and yet is still too shy to call you out on anything else. When she builds up the courage to do so, you think your heart won't hold out from all the cuteness.
"We could... I don't know, have tea? Or soda?" She invites clumsily, and you laugh softly just enough to make the redness of her cheeks worse.
Finishing putting on your jacket, you retort:
"I have a better idea, filmmaker girl. Want to go over to the house for Netflix&Chill?" 
It's a test or a joke with real intent, and Wanda falls right in. 
"Of course! I have like a dozen recommendations, and we could watch something by Kubrick or maybe Burton..."
You bite your lip, you're the one who fell. For her, and it was in the blink of an eye.
"Sure, Wanda, any movie you want." That's what you answer, deciding to keep the not going to be much-watching part to yourself.
–//–
Wanda lived on the edge of Westview, which meant that you could use the subway. But part of you wanted to impress her, so when Bucky let you use his motorcycle, you didn't miss your chance.
"Don't scratch it." He repeated the instructions, the key at face height. You raised your hand to take it, and he lifted the item a little further. "And what's our deal?"
You rolled your eyes. "Three hours out of the house for you to have a date night with my father. I could sue you for the trauma." You joked making him laugh before you managed to steal the key.
"Just text me when you're on your way. And please-"
"No scratches." You completed with an impatient sigh.
While your stepfather had his date night with your dad - whom you were avoiding as much as possible mainly because the deadline for sending admission letters was coming up and you had no idea what you were going to do and didn't want him pressing ideas on you - you made your way across town to see Wanda Maximoff and her stupidly adorable face.
Just as you imagined, she was excited by your arrival on the motorcycle, equally so from Pietro who started asking you questions as soon as you properly introduced yourself, but you noticed that Wanda's father was not too happy.
"You must be Y/N." He said as soon as Wanda guided you to the fancy balcony like all the rest of the house and the well-molded garden.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Maximoff." You spoke, which made him chuckle slightly.
"Actually it's Lehnsherr, Maximoff is their mother's maiden name." He clarified, and you feigned interest, nodding softly. 
"Papa, Y/N, and I are going to watch a movie in my room." Said the girl - She was wearing a long sweatshirt and shorts that disappeared with the garment covering it, and you were having a hard time trying to not imagine what it would be like to slide your hand under there. 
Erik looked you up and down as if he could read all your naughty intentions at once.
"Open door always, Wanda." He warned with his arms crossed, and Wanda chuckled confusedly, pulling you by the hand toward her bedroom.
You heard Erik ask Pietro questions about you, but your gaze was more attentive to the movement of Wanda's hips leading upstairs.
"Your house is quite beautiful, Wanda." You comment once she leads you into the bedroom. "Not as beautiful as the owner, of course."
She giggles embarrassed at the compliment, and you take the opportunity to kick the door discreetly shut. "Come sit here, I've set everything up for us."
She did, you could see the laptop, the drinks, and the popcorn. A proper movie session with Wanda in her fancy room, and you sighed lightly as you took off your shoes and jacket to sit on the bed next to her.
"What movie did you pick for us, pretty girl?" Your compliments were visually making her flustered, but she still said nothing, adjusting herself on the bed to reach for her laptop. "I was thinking of watching some classic, so I've sorted out some options for us."
She showed you a list that made you smile warmly. All the movies were good, but none had what you wanted to do with Wanda.
"I have a better suggestion, and I'm sure you've never seen this one." You told her as you moved the laptop to your own lap to search. She tried to peek, and you pulled away with a laugh. "No peeking, it's a surprise."
She laughed, shaking her head but holding herself in place. " All right."
"You're Jewish, right?" Your question surprised her a little, but she murmured in agreement the next second. You noticed many things on the way to her room, including the Jewish items that filled the blanks in your head about what you knew about the girl next to you. "Another reason for you to love this movie."
"So mysterious." She murmured humorously getting a soft chuckle from you. Once you had chosen and the start credits began to roll, Wanda bit her lip curiously. "What's it about?"
You crossed your ankles together. "Temptation." 
Wanda looked at you. "What?"
"Watch the movie, movie girl." You retorted amused and she chuckled softly before turning her attention back to the screen.
For the first few minutes of Disobedience, Wanda was a little upset. The story is sad in its complexity, and dealt with the fanatical religious obsession of a Jewish community and the harm to the protagonists' freedom. And at first, she didn't catch what the film was really about.
She thought it was sweet that you had brought a movie about her family's religion until the first kissing scene made her cheeks blush.
"Oh, they were a couple..." The words escape you before she can count them, and you lick your lips to contain your own anxiety.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Your whisper is curious in totality, and Wanda laughs in confusion, taking her gaze off the screen.
"What? No, of course not." She retorts, turning her attention back to the film. " They are sweet. I mean, the story is sad as hell, but they're sweet."
You smile, a relief filling your chest. You are about to make a comment when the door opens, and the moody figure of Erik appears.
"I told you I wanted the door open." He reminisces as Wanda pauses the movie.
"Sorry, papa, it must have closed with the wind." She half-heartedly clarifies, and you bite your tongue to hold back the impatient sigh of having your moment interrupted. 
"I have a dinner with the Congress people now, I just came to say good night, dear. And please don't delay Miss Rogers' stay here too long, driving late at night is dangerous."
You are about to say you will go as soon as the movie is over when Wanda comments:
"She could sleep here." And Erik hesitates just as you do. Wanda swallows dryly. "If you want to, of course. What if it's okay with you, papa?"
You have trouble hiding your smile, and Erik looks ready to make up an excuse when his cell phone rings. He sighs impatiently.
"Sure, we have a guest room. Good night to you." He says before answering the phone and leaving the room, talking about work until his voice fades from the distance.
Wanda leaves the movie paused, a confused expression on her face.
"He's acting so weird. This bed is big enough, why would I put you on the other side of the house?"
You stare at her and give an impressed laugh when you realize that Wanda simply doesn't know why.
"Wanda, your father doesn't want me to sleep in the same bed as you."
She frowns in confusion, "Why?"
You tilt your head. "He thinks we're going to fu-"
"Hey, I'm going at Quill's, can you cover for me if Dad asks for me when he gets back from his fancy dinner?" Pietro interrupts your speech as he enters the room, already holding the keys to the white pickup truck you've seen him drive a few times to school. Wanda blinks away from your intense gaze, a bit flustered.
"S-sure, Pietro, good night." She says very quickly, and the other looks between you and her with a suggestive expression.
"You two behave yourselves, huh? Don't do anything I wouldn't do." He teases, and Wanda grimaces. You chuckle.
"Sure thing, mary jane." You retort without hesitation and Pietro stops smiling at that instant. Wanda doesn't understand and probably doesn't know that Pietro smokes pot behind the gyms, and so before she can question the nickname, Pietro is muttering goodbye as he leaves the room.
"What was that...?" She asks but you shake your head, giving the movie a play.
"Let's keep watching, it's getting to the best part." Wanda sighs a little as you adjust and stay close enough for her to smell your perfume completely, effectively taking all attention away from the movie.
But she had to pay attention when the first moans started. In an instant, her cheeks burned, and Wanda tried to look as cool about it as she could.
You were tapping your fingers on your stomach, completely at ease with the intimate scene playing out on the screen in front of you, and it is impossible for Wanda to do the same.
Once she shifts uncomfortably, and you notice her clenching her thighs, you sigh.
"How was your first kiss?" Your question almost makes her choke, but Wanda is thankful that at least she has an excuse to look away from the movie's sex scene.
"Hum, I've never..."
"Really?" You cut her off gently, adjusting your weight on her arm to face her, and Wanda feels very nervous about all the attention. She nods, and you smile. "It's really hard to believe you didn't have a line of suitors."
Wanda chuckles embarrassedly, shaking her head. "Well, I don't know many people, you know? It's not like I had classmates studying at home. And when I wasn't studying, I was at some officional event, being my dad's perfect little girl."
The hidden bitterness in her sentence made you raise an eyebrow softly, the interest burning in your mind. 
"I know the feeling, my father is a military man and loves to keep up appearances." You say, quietly closing the laptop in Wanda's lap. "But unlike you, I do whatever it takes to annoy him."
"Very naughty of you." She mutters half breathlessly because you are leaning over her suddenly. But it's only to put the closed laptop on the nightstand, and once you notice the way Wanda is blushing and breathing out of rhythm, a smile forms on your face.
"Wanda, I would like to be your first kiss." You whisper to her, and instead of pulling away, you rest a hand on the side of her head. "If you want that of course."
She chokes softly but nods almost frantically. "Yeah... I'd like that."
"Let's start with lesson one then. Close your bedroom door." You guide low against her lips, using every mental control to pull yourself away from her. Wanda gasps, but quickly moves in shaky steps off the bed to the bedroom door, and you hide a smile as you tuck yourself into her bed.
She surprises you a little when with trembling fingers, she locks the door.
"Just... for precaution." She clarifies embarrassed about the look on your face, but you just shrug.
"I'm not complaining." You tease. "Come here."
Wanda swallows dryly and wastes no time in obeying, walking back to the bed. She sits down a little further in front of you, and you hold out your hand for her to take, and once she does, you pull her gently to sit on your lap.
Wanda is trembling with nervousness, and her skin is warm to the touch. You lick your lips, trying to control yourself and not grab her right there and kiss and fuck her until she can't remember her own name, and it takes a lot of willpower when she looks so good all over you.
"You've never really kissed anyone, not even a small peck?" You ask sweetly, bringing your hand to her cheek for her to look at you. When she denies it with her head, you move closer. "Give me a peck then." She does so on the spot, and it's quick as expected, but it turns her cheeks into tomatoes. You smile, "Again. Longer this time."
She sighs, but nods and breaks the distance, pressing her lips over yours. 
Instead of letting go, you place your hand on her cheek and kiss her back firmly, eliciting a surprised and affected sigh in return. She opens her mouth to breathe, and you slide your tongue inside.
Wanda makes a noise with her throat, moving restlessly in your lap but you guide the kiss until she gets used to the sensation and soon her breathless sighs sound like gasping pleas, her hands move to your shoulders and she tries to deepen.
Everything in her body begs for more - more of your hands, squeezing her waist, more of your tongue sucking hers, and more of you, everywhere you can touch. She feels hot and bothered, and it is as new and fantastic as it is overwhelming.
You kiss her until she starts to move her hips impatiently against your thigh, and then you know you have to stop now or you won't be able to pull it off later. The way your heart speeds up when she looks at you with puffy lips and dark eyes once the kiss is over only confirms this.
"Is everything okay?" Wanda speaks first, her voice shaky and husky, her face inches from yours.
You take a deep breath, offering her a small smile.
"Sure, I should just go home." You say, and you are already moving her off of you in the next moment, missing the other's confused look. 
Once you have your shoes on, Wanda can't contain her concern.
"I...I did it wrong didn't I?" 
You frown, turning to her as you put on your jacket. Wanda looks down at her own lap. 
"You didn't do anything wrong, Wanda." You tell her, moving closer again to the end of the bed. "Listen." You say gesturing to her ear, and she is confused for just a second.
Next, she can hear her father outside the house, car noises, and something that sounds like complaints about a canceled dinner.
She looks at you again, and you are already kneeling on the bed to reach for her face.
"I'm just trying to keep you out of trouble." You explain as you caress her cheek. "I can't risk you getting grounded in this fancy mansion when I want to keep taking you out."
Her gaze glows hopeful. "You do?"
You smile, leaning in to kiss her intensely for a moment. "Of course I do." You assure her once you break the kiss, your gaze darkening afterward. "And I also want to come to your room, lie on your bed, and elicit all the delicious sounds you make when I kiss you."
Wanda chokes softly, leaning in to break the distance again, but you haven't offered her more than a peck, earning a grumble in return. "When are you going to kiss me again? For real."
"When do you want to?" you challenge back, and despite the pink of your cheeks, Wanda doesn't hesitate.
"Now."
You chuckle, pulling away. You open the door just before Erik comes up the stairs, and he grimaces, but you are already leaving the room. Before you do, you turn and offer a wink to Wanda, who once she is left in the room alone, sinks her face into her pillows, trying to make her heart stop beating so fast.
–//–
You wanted to take things slow with Wanda because in your experience, too fast burns and wears out at the same speed.
It is, however, quite difficult to keep your eyes off her.
Especially when she looks so irresistible in her cheer uniform.
"You're drooling." Yelena sneers beside you under the bleachers as you both skip chemistry class so she can smoke away from any teacher's attention.
"I definitely am." You retort without any concern, your gaze focused on the brunette from meters away. Yelena laughs dryly, taking a long drag on her cigarette. 
"When are you going to make it official?"
"Why, so we can end up like Nat and Carol, fighting about the damn weather." You retort half impatiently, and Yelena hesitates a moment. She puffs smoke before answering.
"Carol cheated on Nat." She declares, and you gasp in surprise, looking at your friend with wide eyes. She shrugs her shoulders. "It was with a girl from State, at last year's championship. Nat tried to forgive her, but it''s been the same since summer. They're not fighting because of the weather, they're fighting because they're lying to each other."
You bite your tongue, turning your gaze back to Wanda in the field. She looks beautiful and giggles excitedly with her teammates when she gets her steps right.
"That doesn't make me feel confident about your suggestion, Lena." You murmur to her, and Yelena laughs lightly, taking one last drag before throwing the cigarette on the ground. 
"Not every relationship sucks, Y/N." She begins. "Not everyone gets divorced like your parents, and not everyone cheats like my sister's girlfriend. Just look at me and Kate. I fucking love her, and I can't wait for us to be living in the same apartment."
You smile small. "I never said I loved anyone."
Yelena rolls her eyes, laughing softly. "It's in your face. And look where you are, simping over her while skipping class instead of doing anything else."
It's your turn to roll your eyes, a soft pink filling your cheek at being caught. "Shut up or I'll tell Kate you're looking for a place without her help."
Yelena laughs, "And I'll tell Maximoff that you're a stalker."
You grunt impatiently, leaving muttering that the field is a free-for-all, and missing the way Wanda looks through the rails to where you were sitting before.
As the weeks went by, and with the clear yet casual involvement between you, it was obvious to everyone how much influence you had in each other's lives.
You started showing up to more classes, and Wanda stole your leather jacket for her and learned to say no to her father when you learned to show up at family dinners.
She borrowed your clothes with the excuse that they smelled like you, and you brought home her classic DVDs almost every weekend.
And there was also a matching set of hickeys on your necks.
"Wanda, your father looks ready to blow up this car." You reminded her with a breathless giggle against her lips - because she insisted that you kiss her properly - before you dropped her off at home. She grunted impatiently, grabbing your chin so that you would take your attention away from the man with his arms crossed in the driveway, and focus on the girl sitting in the car seat gifted by your father after you said you had sent admission letters to colleges not so far from Wanda.
"I want to ask you something." She says, kissing you again briefly. "Do you want to sleep over at my place this weekend?"
You hum, kissing her again before retorting, "Is it some special occasion?"
She smiles, shaking her head. "Just missing you. And... it's the race finals weekend, so Dad and Pietro are traveling and we'll have the house to ourselves."
You choke softly, caught by surprise that it is Wanda suggesting such a thing. But she seems genuinely naive about it, waiting for your response. 
"Hmm, and what would we do with the house to ourselves...?" You tease, rubbing your nose against hers and Wanda chuckles shyly, one hand going up to your neck.
"I suppose whatever we want." She replies, and you smile before kissing her again, this time goodbye.
–//–
It seemed to take a lifetime, but the weekend finally arrived.
Wanda doesn't know why she was so nervous. You had been alone before, between classes, at movie screenings, at snack bars, or bowling alleys.
But then she remembered the feeling of your lips pressing against hers, the panting whispers that made her skin itch, and the way her knees gave way when your hands got bold and she guessed she knew very well why.
She prepares a typical movie session, all the food, and comfy pillows, and you praise her for her dedication before pressing her against the bedroom door.
Wanda loves those hungry kisses - they heat up her body like a furnace, and always leave her wanting more. And today you seem willing to give her as much as she needs.
Your mouth parted from hers only to trail along her jaw, marking your way down and Wanda already panting, threw her head back against the wood, shivering under your rough touch around her body.
"I drove all the way down here thinking about kissing you, princess." You confess huskily against her ear, and Wanda blushes heavily, a low moan escaping her throat. "You're making me crazy, Wanda. I can't stop thinking about you."
"I think about you too." She confesses equally affected, only to gasp when you press a knee between her legs and everything burns, and she can't control the sounds that escape from there, not when you move your hands to her waist and make her grind against your thigh next. "Oh. That feels so nice..." She whimpers overwhelmed by the sensations, and you gently bite the sensitive spot on her neck.
"If you want something, you're going to have to ask for it." You whisper, and Wanda moans in response, her nails digging into your arms.
"Please, Y/N. I just need...you to touch me." She tries with her cheeks burning as much as the rest of her body, her hips never failing against your thigh and making you shiver.
"I'm all over you, pretty girl." You tease back, meeting her gaze and swallowing Wanda's breathless moans with your mouth with each movement of her hips. "Unless you want me to touch you somewhere else..."
"You know I want to." She retorts naughtily, and to that, you bite her lip, a gentle tug that makes her choke on a moan.
"Don't be a smart-ass." You warn, sliding a hand to her thigh to pull it up, and the adjustment makes Wanda see stars. "You can't even tell me to fuck your pussy."
She whimpers at the teasing, closing her eyes and throwing her forehead against your shoulder. You laugh smugly as the wetness begins to stain your pants.
"Baby, please..." She whimpers again, urging her body against you. Her hips are out of rhythm, and the covered stimulation is delicious, but still not enough. She just needs some kind of push that you seem to know what it is and won't grant her. 
Instead of answering her, you grab her neck and kiss her hard, adjusting your body to hers until Wanda feels a hardness and jerks up with a surprised, affected squeal.
"It's a gift that I bought especially for you. if you're ready for it, of course." You clarify breathlessly, and she nods immediately, interlacing her hands behind your neck. But you kiss her slowly now and move your other hand down to lift Wanda between the door and your lap so that she now grinds directly against the strap instead of your thigh. She gasps in a whimper, meeting your eyes again as you break the kiss. " Fuck, you're so close and I haven't even touched you yet."
You were absolutely right. The knot in Wanda's belly was ready to explode at any moment, and when you slid your hand down to open your zipper, and the fake cock slipped out, the new pressure made Wanda growl hornily, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
You didn't penetrate her, letting her grind her covered intimacy against the toy until the moisture was enough to wet it. By now Wanda was jerking, holding you by the shoulders as you moved your hips against her. The strap pressed against her clit, sliding in a torturous back and forth over her covered pussy, and you seemed to be having the time of your life driving her to the brink of insanity with that tease.
"Y/N-fuck-I want-need it... inside-ah" She tried, delirious with anticipation, ever so close, and you panted softly in her ear.
"I love it when you cuss, it's so hot." You praise, slowing down and making Wanda moan loudly, her clit throbbing. "If you can ask me what you want, I'll do it."
Wanda whimpers affectedly, her cheeks blushing again. She is almost building up courage when you curse in her ear trapped in your own pleasure, and she is cumming instead of saying anything.
It is an overwhelming pleasure, almost terrifying her. She grabs you to keep from falling to the floor, dripping onto her panties. You grunt as you realize what has just happened and only give Wanda time to stop shaking before you get down on your knees.
"Babe, what are you...?" She falls silent as she chokes on her own breath, throwing her head back hard as her hips try to escape from your hands that hold her just for that. You press your nose against her covered intimacy, sniffing with a loud groan as Wanda whimpers. You don't give her time to complain before you move a hand to push the fabric away and sink your tongue into her.
Wanda practically screams, and you groan as you taste her. You fuck her messily, hungrily as you take your tongue between the folds of her pussy, pushing deep and then shallow to make her twitch, and when you suck on her clit she brings a hand to her hair.
"Oh-OH-blyat', tak khorosho!" Wanda gasps, and you groan as you hear her cursing in another language. It just encourages you to keep going, and this time, you won't stop until you get it out of her again. 
It didn't take long - Wanda was sensitive and you only had to slide your tongue inside and suck her clit a few times for her to spill into your mouth with a long moan, her nails digging into your scalp. You moaned too, delighting in her taste and licking her clean before making your way up again.
"That was..." She tries breathlessly, her eyes lazy, and you smile, kissing her and making her grunt for her own taste before turning into a surprised yelp when you take her by the thighs and lift her onto your lap.
"We're not done, pretty girl." You clarify between kisses on the way to the bed. When you place Wanda on the mattress, her hair spreads across the pillow and she stares at you with dark eyes, her chest heaving. You pause, momentarily speechless as you realize how much you care for her.
"Everything okay?" She asks at your hesitation, and you smile immediately, nodding and moving closer to kiss her with intensity. Wanda melts, trying to pull you up but you gently push her by the shoulders.
She thinks to question, but your hand traces its way between her thighs and any question becomes an affected whimper.
"The toy is small, but I still need to stretch you with my fingers." You whisper with a naturalness that doesn't match the way Wanda blushes heavily. She merely nods, shivering under your fingers scratching and teasing around the inner part of her thighs. "You'll tell me if it hurts, won't you, pretty girl?"
She nods frantically, choking softly. "Y-yes, but please, just..." The teasing was driving her insane, your fingers only touching around, never where she desperately needed it. "Please, Y/N, touch me."
You shushed her gently, kissing the corner of her mouth and then her jaw, and when you got to her neck and started sucking on the sensitive spots that made her squirm on the bed, your fingers find her intimacy and penetrated her.
Wanda whimpered, closing her eyes tightly to the invasion. One at first, and then you slid out, and when you came back, two sank into her and she bit your shoulder.
"Tell me when you're ready." You whispered into her neck, moving your thumb to stimulate her clitoris, and Wanda throbbed beneath you. After two orgasms, she was really quite sensitive, but that only made it better. "Wands?"
She sighed, opening her eyes to find your worried ones. Instead of answering, she brought one hand to your cheek and another to the wrist connected between you. She brought your lips together at the same time she moved her hips, and you took the cue, sliding your fingers out and then in to find a rhythm.
Wanda whimpered once you got it, with each thrust she gasped at the kiss becoming harder to return, but once you felt her close again, you stopped.
She grunted confused and annoyed, but you adjusted before she could say anything, and any complaint broke down into an affected moan as you lined up the strap on her and sank in at once.
"Ah, I knew you could take it, pretty girl." You praised her, in a slow rhythm against her as Wanda squirmed and dug her nails into your back, desperate for more. "Damn, you look so beautiful now."
Wanda's moans mingled with the sounds of the thrusts inside her, the wetness of her pussy creating a delicious friction. You firmed your hands on her waist, pushing deeper, and she arched her back, ready to fall over the edge. You fell over her, hugging her and kissing the skin of her exposed collarbone, and Wanda whimpered, moaning under you.
She let out a little squeal, and her body tensed and you gasped against her neck as you came too, your juices mixing and dripping down her thighs.
You stood there for a moment, just breathing against each other as you calmed from your climax, and you smiled as you felt Wanda draw patterns on your back.
Unhurriedly, you moved off her, biting your lips at the image of the soaked toy and the sigh that left her lips as she felt empty before you pulled away.
Wanda looks at you expectantly at once, missing your body on top of her.
"Where are you going?" She asks in a half-hoarse voice, but you smile, now standing in front of the bed, you begin to remove your pants.
"You came three times and we didn't even get to take our clothes off. I'm kind of impressed."  You humorously clarify, and Wanda giggles shyly, biting her lips as you take off your clothes in front of her. "How would you like to take a shower with me? And then, lend me something comfy so we can watch the movie you've picked up?"
She finds it incredible, honestly, but once you are completely naked in front of her, Wanda can only sigh and move closer again. She brings a hand to your neck and kisses you hard.
"Later. Now, I want you to do that thing with your tongue again." She asks with a sigh and well, it's not like you're going to complain.
–//–
You awoke to rays of sunlight on your face and a warm feeling on the tip of your stomach.
"Wands...oh...don't stop that." Your natural instinct was to call out to her, but it turned into something like a moan and a sigh as you felt the pleasure electrify your whole body at once. Wanda smiled against you, looking up at you as her hands held your thighs open for her. You squirmed on the mattress, barely finding time to grab her hair before you cum hard on her tongue. "Fuck, baby, that was amazing."
She giggles softly against you, kissing your thighs before moving up your body until she finds your mouth again. It takes a moment for you to recover from the orgasm and wake up properly, but when you do, your hands go around her and you spin Wanda around on the bed, getting on top quickly as she smiles.
"You're a fast learner." You comment against her jaw, tracing kisses downward. "I don't think I've ever cum so fast before..."
But suddenly, Wanda tenses and your hand guides your face back to her.
"I don't want to think about it." She says almost irritated, and you frown in confusion, "You with other people."
A smile breaks on your lips. " Hmm, is that right?"
But Wanda doesn't smile, sliding her legs between yours to switch positions and push you on your back on the bed, straddling your lap the next minute. Her hands at the side of your head, and her hair makes a curtain between your faces.
"I want you to be mine, Y/N. As I am yours." She whispers hoarsely, her gaze intense on yours. You blink impressed but are smiling.
"And who says I'm not already?" You challenge back, moving your hands to her hips and enjoying the feel of her intimacy against your thigh. Her breasts look incredible like this too, covered only by the half-open shirt of yours that she must have stolen during the night.  
Wanda studies your face as she risks, "You never made us official, I thought..."
You bring a hand to her cheek as she lowers her head in shame. "Wands, and who says labels are the only thing that makes us official?"
Wanda shrugs, looking away, "I don't know, it's just that the cheer girls have their partners, and they're always talking about going to college together or buying apartments and-"
You straighten up, sitting up and pulling her closer.
"We'll do all that if that's what you want." You tell her with sincerity. "We'll go to NYU together, and rent an apartment. And I'll buy you a shiny ring so everyone will know we're together."
Wanda smiles, blushing as she wraps her arms around you.
"But what do you want?"
You smile warmly, brushing your nose against hers. "Sweetheart, I just want you." You retort caressing her skin. "I don't care about social norms, I just want to be able to kiss and wake up with you every day. If you want a ring, let's buy a ring. If you want to meet me in secret so as not to upset your father, I'll accept that too."
Wanda chuckles softly, pecking your jaw and then your lips.
"There's no way I'm keeping you a secret, you're the best thing that ever happened to me." She confesses and you kiss her, again and again until she starts to heat up on you, breathless whispers leaving her lips with each kiss. 
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me too, Wands." You retort to her before deepening the next kiss, and this time, you don't stop.
3K notes · View notes
desert-fern · 1 year
Text
A Gun Amongst Daggers - Jake “Hangman” Seresin X Fem!Navy Seal Reader
Part 5: Flyboy On My Mind
Summary: When Jake meets a woman at the Hard Deck, the last thing he expects is for her to be a Navy Seal. And not just any Seal, the Commander of Seal Team 3. She’s beautiful, smart, dangerous, and everything about her just makes him want to get close. Her name? Bear. When the Seals need backup, Cyclone puts the Daggers on their radar and now, Jake has to work with Bear and her team, all the while trying to stay professional. Can he do it? Or will he end up falling for the Navy sniper and mission Commander?
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MINORS DO NOT ENGAGE! 18+ ONLY. MINORS & BLOGS WITH NO AGE/EMPTY BLOGS WILL BE BLOCKED.
Warnings: swearing, mentions of death (it’s a training exercise, so not really), guns of the paintball variety, 'hostage taking' (Please let me know if I missed anything!)
Word Count: 2.8k
For reference, 2100 is 9 pm to all of you who don't know or use 24 hour time.
Read on Wattpad or AO3
Masterlist >> Part 4 >> Part 6
===
Because Bear was nice, she gave her people the day to complete the intel searches and paperwork that was necessary for the mission. But she didn’t account for the Dagger pilots catching up to them and spending the next hour chatting and exchanging stories. “Bear, you good?” Bug asked, nudging her Commander in the side. 
“Hmmm? Oh yeah, I’m fine,” Bear said, checking her watch. “Just keeping an eye on the time. We have dark training tonight, so I hope that y’all get to your paperwork soon.” She shared a grin with her second, knowing full well how shitty late night dark training could get. 
“Aww come on Bear!” Hangman’s complaint rose above the din of the group. “Let them have some fun.” 
The woman just raised an eyebrow before replying. “Last time I checked, you pilots had paperwork too. Or did you forget?” There was a playful edge to her voice, one that teased yet still commanded. 
“We do, but Mav gave us the day to finish it,” Fanboy chimed in, peeking around Coyote to be seen and heard. 
“Mav also gave permission for you to help us in a few drills over the next few weeks. Ones that require your active participation.” 
A groan rose from the pilots, interweaving with the snickers from her Seals. It made her smile, watching her team get along with the pilots. And if she was being honest, the view wasn’t terrible. The sunlight glinted off of muscular, toned arms and shoulders, and if she was being honest, one pilot was set apart from the others. The light turned his blond hair into something resembling spun gold, green eyes hidden behind sunglasses that had slid down his nose. The man had a reason to be cocky, Bear thought as she stood and observed. But this was not the time, nor the place for that. “Team 3, say your goodbyes. We will see the pilots tonight, at 2100,” she spoke, eyes glinting in amusement behind her own sunglasses. 
Hangman maintained his eye contact with the Seal Team Commander. He’d caught her staring and shot her a wink in response. All the response he received came from a crooked smirk and the woman uncrossing her arms to usher her team away. “Damn…” he muttered as he followed her retreating figure. 
“Like what you see?” Coyote teased, clapping his friend on the back. “You might have a staring problem.” 
Jake huffed. “Can you blame me? Look at her.” 
Phoenix cleared her throat, making Jake freeze. “Really? This woman just handled a meeting like a fucking boss, has excellent control over her team, but is also extremely fair and is genuinely a decent person. And your dumbass is like ‘she’s hot’?” The woman in front of him shook her head in disappointment. “You’re lucky that I found my forever girl, otherwise you’d have some serious competition, Bagman.” 
Bear wasn’t quite out of earshot when Phoenix tore into Hangman, making her snicker. “Take them to the room we’re usually in, Bug. I have a flyboy to straighten out,” she remarked with a mischievous grin.
Her second mirrored the grin. “Sounds good, Bear. Be gentle with his ego.” 
Bear turned to walk back towards the group. “Whoever snagged you is a very lucky woman, Phoenix,” she said once she’d gotten close. 
“Shit…” Hangman exhaled, making Rooster laugh. 
“You're screwed, man,” the older man said with a chuckle. “Bear.” 
“Rooster, give me a moment with him?” 
Glancing at his friend, Rooster gave her a knowing smirk before walking off to rejoin his group, each of them stealing quick glances in her direction, amusement dancing in their eyes. 
“You know,” Bear began. “I don’t mind you looking, but I’ll be damned if my ass is my best quality.” She knew that the look on her face was teasing, but Jake still looked chastised. 
“Well then, Teddy. You should know that it isn’t just your ass,” Jake flirted back. But it was a lot less self-assured than usual. 
A smile crossed her lips. “Oh yeah? Like what?” 
“I don’t think we have enough time for that, sweetheart.” 
“Careful there, Jake. Can’t have someone overhearing you, especially since I outrank you and I’m in charge of our mission,” came her playful reply. But under her sunglasses, her cheeks and ears had flushed pink at his words. 
Jake’s face heated at her words. She never used his name, always his call sign or rank, so it felt like a step in the right direction. “Well you know where to find me when all is said and done.” With one final wink and appreciative glance, he turned and walked back to the group. Jake could feel her eyes burning holes between his shoulders, before she finally walked off. 
“Smooth bastard,” Bear mumbled as she followed after her team. “Making me feel things.” Her blush must have still been present when she walked into the room because a few chuckles sounded upon her entrance. 
“All good, boss lady?” FAK asked. They had a mischievous look in their eyes and from experience, Bear knew that that was just begging for teasing. “You’re looking a little pink there.” 
Bear shrugged. “It’s warm outside. What can I-” 
“You done eye-fucking the walking Ken doll?” Hazard spat, cutting her off. The man looked thoroughly put out by the whole situation. 
Her stare had him backing down pretty quickly. “Watch your tone, Lieutenant. I am your superior, so you would do well to get over whatever prejudice you hold around women in charge. And who I, as you said, eye-fuck is none of your business.” The edge in her tone left no room for argument and the air had quickly become suffocating as Hazard stalked back to his seat, glowering at the floor.
Hazard grumbled something about women and incompetence before Fireball reached over and slapped the back of his head. 
“Well then. That took a turn,” Bear remarked casually. “Finish up the forms, and Flare, send out that message to your contacts for that data, and you all can have the rest of the day to do whatever you need to. I need you back and dressed for night ops training at 2100, sound good?” 
“Yes Ma’am.” 
“Great. Get to work, I’ll be in my office if there are any questions or concerns.” With one final glance around the room, Bear left, shutting the door behind her. Walking down the hall, she had a chance to ponder Hangman’s words. You know where to find me echoed through her head, making her curse silently. That smooth fucker practically had her tripping over her own tongue whenever he was close. It was only thanks to the Bear personna that she had cultivated over her years in service that allowed her to flirt and tease back with minimal blushing. She sat down with a groan, burying her face in her hands as she thought about the mountain of papers to sift through. Guess there was no time like the present to get started. 
===
It was some time later that a knock sounded at her door. Glancing up from her papers, Bear checked her watch before calling out “Come in!” 
“Commander, I was hoping to go over a few things before night training tonight. Just so my people know what to expect,” Maverick said. 
“Of course, take a seat,” Bear gestured at one of the chairs by her desk. “What did you want to know?” 
Maverick nodded. “Just whatever you can tell me. I’ve had nonstop questions all afternoon and didn’t want to send them to harass you. All I said was that you would explain it to them tonight.” 
Bear chuckled “No worries at all, Maverick. It’s a hostage rescue scenario just to test the skills my people already have, basically a refresher course.” She gestured at the stack of folders on her desk before continuing “They will get more difficult as time goes on, but your pilots will likely be hostages or maybe poorly trained enemy forces, it really depends. If I decide on the latter, I will come and meet with your people and give them very basic weapons training.” 
“Are actual weapons being used for this?” 
“Oh god no. Sorry, I should have made that clear,” Bear replied hastily. “We basically have these retrofitted paintball guns that look like our service weapons to use in these exercises. The worst injury you can get from one of those is a gnarly bruise.” 
“Okay good. I was worried. I really don’t need Hangman or any of them really being weapons trained,” the pilot laughed. 
Bear gave him a grin. “That is a legitimate concern of mine too. I just won’t tell them that the skills are applicable to real weapons.” 
“Please don’t. Oh, and do they need to be in uniform?” 
“Nope, civilian clothes will work. Just make sure that they are comfortable and easy to move in.”
Maverick glanced around the office almost suspiciously before stage-whispering “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but thank fuck.”
She laughed. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” 
“I think we’re good to go,” came his response. “I will see you and your team at 2100.” 
“So you will. See you then.” 
He slipped out the door leaving her to the quiet office. It was nearing 1800 and she still hadn’t eaten, so she figured that taking a quick break wouldn’t hurt. 
Stretching as she stood, Bear grabbed her phone, wallet, and keys before leaving, locking the door behind her. The air was still warm when she ventured outside, the setting sun coloring the sky a beautiful orange that bathed the base in swaths of the color. 
The mess hall was quiet. Only a few stragglers remained on base, she noted. It took her no time to grab something to eat and she settled herself at the table in the far corner of the room. Bear hadn’t been there long before a loud clatter rang out, shattering the bubble of stillness she had been reveling in. 
Jolting up, Bear glanced over to watch a new recruit pick up the cutlery that had hit the ground. Willing her heart to slow its frantic beating, she went back to her food. 
Time slowly ticked by and eventually Bear realized that she had to get going, much to her chagrin. The peace had been nice, but she had a warehouse to arrange and equipment to locate. 
===
2100 came quickly. Night had fallen and only a little residual light cast a haze over the warehouse. Dressed in full tactical gear, Bear stood outside the large warehouse they used for indoor raids. Most of her team had arrived, all dressed identically to her in a deep dark blue gear, helmets tucked under arms as they stood and chatted. “Bear!” 
Turning towards the voice, she saw Bob and Flare leading the group of pilots over. They had all dressed in loose fitting, comfortable clothing, making it look like they were ready for bed. “Bob. Daggers. Welcome to your first night exercise,” she said with a grin. “You’re right on time, I was just about to start the explanation for tonight’s proceedings.” 
“Awesome. Glad we didn’t miss it,” Phoenix replied. She was excited for this, ready to see her friend in her element. “Been looking forward to this all day, haven’t we boys?” 
“Hell yeah.” 
“Totally.” 
“Damn straight.” 
“Great. Let’s get into it.” Bear clapped her hands and waited for the pilots to approach. “My people, same teams as last week. Platoons three and four are our hostage takers, the red team. Which makes everyone left to make up our blue team. Pilots, you guys have the honor of playing our hostages. Make sure you grab a vest before heading in there,” she told them, pointing at the pile of vests by her feet. “Hostages, hostage takers, head on in. Check your scenario, make sure you know how this plays out. Daggers, there are cards inside that have ages and certain characteristics that you need to remember. Once you have everything, fasten the card to the vest. I’ll be by in a second. Does that sound good to everyone?” 
“Yes Ma’am.” 
 “Red team, take your prisoners away,” Bear announced with a broad smile. Hangman had a stupid grin on his face, clearly loving the opportunity to get this close to Bear, seeing how she worked. 
Once the group had disappeared inside the building, Bear turned to the remaining platoons. “Alright. You know the drill. Bottom to top. Stick together. Two strategy attempts this round. No heroes, and no killing hostages. The goal here is to get everyone out alive, you know, the usual. I follow Bug’s lead. I know what has to happen, and therefore I make no calls, I follow what she has,” she informed them, glancing around at their faces. “You have until I come back to make a plan.” 
Bear pivoted on her heel and strode into the building, weaving through the maze set up inside to reach the open space on the topmost floor in the makeshift layout. “Flare! You ready?” 
“Hell yeah!” The woman yelled back, head poking out around the corner to watch her Commander approach. “You finally let me be the mean one, not Shrike.” 
“I did, so don’t abuse your power,” Bear laughed. Flare had always had a dramatic personality. It didn’t show much, but when given a role during the exercises, she always made it work. “Or else I’m giving it back to her.” 
Flare let out a feigned gasp. “You wouldn’t.” 
“Oh I would and you know it,” Bear retorted. “Is your team confident with your method?” 
“Yep. We got this.” 
“Great. Let me check in on the ‘hostages’,” Bear told her, throwing air quotes around the last word for emphasis. “Gotta make sure everything is all good on their end.” 
“No worries, boss lady. We tucked them through there,” Flare told her, pointing at the small opening in the corner of the room. 
“Maverick, you guys have yourselves sorted in there?” She called out. 
Silence. Then a small “maybe” sounded making her snort. 
“I’m coming in.” The sight made her laugh and turn away for a moment. All 13 of the pilots were crammed in the tight space, forcing Fanboy to be sprawled on top of his teammates. “Okay. I guess I thought some of you were smaller than you actually are.” 
“Yeah, there is definitely no room in here,” Rooster replied, gesturing with his head as his hands, which, like everyone else’s, were tied loosely in front of him. 
Bear hummed in amusement, crouching down to peer at them. “Before we get started, do you guys have any questions?” 
“Ummm yeah I have one. Why are we tied up?” It was too dark to make out the speaker, but it sounded like Payback. 
“Because you guys are playing your roles, and also you are not allowed to fight back. The bonds make sure of that,” Bear answered honestly. “It’s for your safety as well as ours.” 
Hangman, who was settled right next to the opening where Bear was crouching, spoke up. “You sure it isn’t just because you don’t want to get hurt?” He was looking at her face, but his gaze wandered down, down, down to her legs and how her tac pants were pulled taut across her muscular thighs. His eyes fell to her sidearm holstered to her leg, giving the impression and warning that she was far more dangerous than she appeared. If he wasn’t already turned on seeing Bear in her gear, the gun definitely did it. It finally made sense to him why women (and some men, let’s be honest) were all over the uniform, because if he looked even close to a fraction as hot as she did, it was a miracle any thought happened at all. 
“Watch the ego, Flyboy. Mouthing off might not be the best idea in this scenario. Flare gets to be mean, and she may or may not… react strongly,” Bear chided, but her face split into a grin. She caught his appreciative gaze, especially noting his fixation on her thighs and it made that small part of her brain start whooping and hollering at the fact that Jake had noticed her. 
Phoenix called out from the back of the room “What did the tactic thing on the back of the card mean?” 
“Oh, right. That’s the communication tactic that the rescue team needs to use in order to gain your trust and get you out safely. Some of them should say things like ‘proof of affiliation’, which just means proving who they say they are. Or they might say ‘female interaction only’, that one is self-explanatory. Does that clear it up?” 
“Yep.” 
“Great. I did forget to mention that you guys are allowed to talk quietly, and that live video of our movements will be played on the wall here for you guys to see. Was there anything else before we got started?” Bear asked one final time, standing up to lean against the entryway. “No? Awesome.” The woman gave them a wide smile, so very unlike the demeanor she used when first interacting with Hangman only days earlier. 
He was in for a real treat.
===
A/N: I decided to give you all a treat! Thanks again to @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s and @dakotakazansky for giving me your feedback!
Any errors are mine though 😂
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Taglist: @startrekfangirl2233 @sarahsmi13s @dakotakazansky @horseshoegirl @roosters-girl @lovinglyeternal @lavenderbradshaw @bobby-r2d2-floyd @bradleybeachbabe @twsssmlmaa @roosterforme @footprintsinthesxnd @fandomxpreferences @dempy @gizmodear @fighterpilothoe @eli2447 @iwantmyredvelvetcupcake @djs8891 @rhirhikingston @sisterslytherinog @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak @thegoddessc @sgt-barnesveins @taytaylala12 @urmom-999 @formulapierre @pinkpantheris
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esamastation · 7 months
Text
Part fifty-two of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.
Ao3 link.
Previous parts: forty, forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one
-
"I don't doubt that it's important, but… are you sure this is the right time to leave Midgar? With what is going on in the Science Department… we need all the hands we have here."
"That's why I'm recalling Reno and Rude," Tseng answers, as he finishes tidying up his desk. "I'll take over for them and they'll take over for me. You'll take the lead for now, fill them in."
Cissnei sighs, clasping her elbows loosely, glancing around the office. It already seems a little emptier. "You're the best informed on the situation here, Acting Director Tseng."
Tseng gives her a look and picks up his suitcase. "I know it's a lot to ask this suddenly, but you'll be fine. You have good instincts, Cissnei. And you won't be by yourself for long - Reno and Rude will be here in a day. They'll help you."
"I know I will be fine," Cissnei says with a smile. "The Science Department is usefully sexist, they won't even notice my existence. I just don't like the implication that whatever is going on with Sephiroth trumps what's going on here. That recording must've been bad news."
She hadn't understood more than a few words, her Wutai was still rudimentary - but just hearing Sephiroth, of all people, speaking the language fluently was a bit startling. And judging by Tseng's reaction…
Tseng hesitates and then turns away from his desk. "There's a very real chance that Sephiroth might be thinking of deflection. He's certainly showing sympathy towards the Wutai cause - I don't have to tell you what kind of disaster that would be for the company."
"... No, I get it," Cissnei says and sighs. "It would be a disaster."
"Reno and Rude aren't equipped to handle it. I am not either, no one is, but at least I can offer an alternative view on the situation."
"Alright," Cissnei hums with understanding. "... I'm not put in charge of the office, right?" she then asks and offers him a smile. "Be a bit weird, to put the rookie in charge."
"Rude will be in charge of the office once he gets back - Reno will manage operations. Anything more important than the usual fare, you refer it back to me," Tseng instructs. "But this ongoing situation with the SOLDIER program, I want you to stay on top of it, alright?"
"Of course," Cissnei agrees. "I'll keep watch. I'll message you about any new developments."
"Mn," Tseng nods, and together they head for the elevators.
Cissnei is quiet until they make it inside and begin the slow ride to the top.
"So, what is really going on with Sephiroth?" she asks curiously, giving her boss a sideways look.  "I've heard so many rumours. He's developing new magical abilities, right? Ones he doesn't need Materia for."
"Mn. There are many theories," Tseng says. "It's impossible to say which one is closest to the truth. The most common is that he's learned to… read the Mako in his veins."
Cissnei arches her brows and leans against the side of the elevator. "Read it, like… read the memories in the Lifestream?"
Tseng gives her a look. "Don't let anyone from the Science Department hear you say that."
Cissnei grins cheekily. "I won't! But that's it, isn't it? The same Ancient knowledge that makes Materia produce magic is in Mako, right? And Sephiroth has more Mako in him than anyone. So he has the most potential knowledge. Right?"
Tseng shakes his head. "That's the theory."
"Oh, so you don't think that's it?"
"Hmm. I don't know what to think yet. I haven't had the chance to fully observe him. But based on Reno and Rude's reports… no, I don't think that's it. Or at least, it's not all of it."
"Oh?" Cissnei asks interestedly, clasping her elbows again and looking at him closely. "What then? Is it the Ancient blood in his veins?"
Tseng casts her a sideways look. "Where did you hear that?"
"Oh, it's going around! Rumour has it he's a descendant of the Ancients - that's why he looks the way he does, all mystic and ethereal."
Tseng hums noncommittally and looks up at the floor counter. "Is that right?"
Cissnei grins at him. It absolutely is. "So, is that what's going on? Sephiroth coming into his own as an Ancient?"
"I wouldn't know," he says flatly. "And I won't make any conclusions until I see him. As it is, wherever is going on in his head isn't as important as what he will do going forward. He can sprout horns and tail, for all I care, so long as he stays on the right side when he does it."
"How cold," Cissnei says teasingly. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you didn't like him."
"I don't like him. I don't dislike him," Tseng says, not looking down from the counter. "But he's a valued part of the company."
"Mmhmm. Very valued," Cissnei agrees, smiling mirthlessly and then shakes her head. "You know, I kinda pity him."
"... For his upbringing?" Tseng asks.
"For his everything," Cissnei says and sighs. "I read his file too, you know - the unclassified bits, anyway. Sephiroth is like this refined concentrate of everything Shinra stands for. It's a lot for any one person to handle."
"... I guess that's one way to view it," Tseng muses, looking away.
Cissnei chuckles. Not even a bit of sympathy on his face. "So cold," she says and looks up as the doors open. Together they step out of the elevator and Cissnei walks Tseng towards the helicopter waiting on the pad. She hangs around while he goes about pre-flight checks and the startup sequence.
"What about the girl in the slums?" Cissnei asks. "Should we check up on her for you while you're away?"
Tseng hesitates between flicking switches. "If you have the time. Just make sure she and her mother are alright. Keep your distance," he says.
"Of course, she won't even know I'm there," Cissnei agrees. "I don't suppose there's a file on her we should make notes on?"
"Make a new one."
Cissnei smiles and steps back away from the helicopter "Alright, alright, keep your secrets," she says. "Hope you have a safe trip, Tseng. Have fun in Wutai!"
"I won't," Tseng answers, pulling headphones on. "I never do."
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iamtheholyghost · 8 months
Text
My Rebecca Welton x Reader fic is finished!
AO3 link here.
Title: I could do the shit that he never did
Rating: Explicit, NSFW, 18+ ⚠️
Summary: The sun rays hit Rebecca's skin as you both lay in her bed. You watched her gently breathing and the beautiful glow on her skin.
Rebecca pulled you into a kiss and you moaned when her hand slid between your legs. You arched your back and your hand gripped her neck while the other held on to her shoulder.
The after effects of the alcohol still lingered and you reached over to grab the glass of water on the side table. The sun rays hit Rebecca's skin as you both lay in her bed. You watched her gently breathing and the beautiful glow on her skin.You gently played with her hair and shuffled closer to her warmth. She stretched out and wrapped her arm around your hip. Rebecca's phone buzzed on her bedside table and she grumbled reaching over to grab it.
"Aw fuck," she said sitting up.
"What's wrong?"
She showed the caller id which read "Keeley" you laughed.
"She set us up and it fucking worked," you chuckled.
"I don't like giving her the satisfaction," Rebecca smirked.
"I'm gonna find my clothes and make up an excuse to work as to why I'm not in the office again," Rebecca smiled in response and stroked your back before you left her bed.
"But you're not working til Monday?"
"Yeah it's to prepare them, I'd rather extend my stay here than go home," You arched your brow and smirked. Rebecca gave you a cheeky grin then focused on her phone.
You heard Keeley's screeching down the phone and laughed. Rebecca of course told her you spent the night. She screeched again and then Rebecca just sighed and said “yes.”
You gathered your clothes and gave your boss a text saying you'd be working from home on Monday. You tossed your phone onto the side table and placed your clothes neatly where you'd find them. You didn't want to get dressed yet. You enjoyed the fact that you and Rebecca were both completely naked, lipstick marks and bites were dotted over your pale skin. Rebecca had some marks on her shoulders and on her chest. You wished you remembered last night more vividly, rather than the random flashbacks.
Rebecca put her phone under her pillow and sighed. You laughed and straddled her, her slender hands slid up and down your waist.
"I say we don't give a shit what people say and we finish what we started last night,"you said in between kisses across her neck.
'Ha, I believe you're the one who finished dear," Rebecca smiled.
"Just means I fucking owe you doesn't it," You bit around her collarbone and down her chest. Rebecca gasped and tried to remain composed.
"Yeah, it does," she grinned. "I do have my own ideas first,"
Her slender fingers pushed between your folds and rubbed teasing circles around your clit.
"God." you moaned.
Rebecca attacked your neck with bites and kisses. You rocked your hips into her hand making soft low moans that made her grin.
"I'm going to make you beg me to make you come, then you can have your fun," Rebecca growled in your ear. The only reply you could muster was rocking your hips harder into her hand. You could feel yourself coating her fingers with each movement of your hips. Rebecca slid two fingers inside you and you gasped, loudly whining into her neck. She dug her nails into your hip as you rocked yourself on top of her.
"Jesus christ, fuck." you panted.
"Are you going to beg me?" Rebecca teased as she pulled you in for a deep kiss still working her fingers between your legs. Rebecca repeated what she said but slowed her movements which caused you to cry out needily.
"No, don't stop." you cried.
Rebecca wrapped her free hand round your throat and sat up so you could use her to balance. It also gave her more control which she wanted. Those manicured fingers dug into your throat slowly and her eyes pierced into yours. The hand between your legs had stopped and you had to give in, you wanted her badly.
"Please 'becca, fuck me," you gasped wrapping your smaller hand around hers.
Rebecca grinned and flipped you over so you were on your back. You took a moment to take in Rebecca's beautiful body, muscular arms, strong shoulders, long legs and incredible breasts. She truly was breathtaking. You went to put your hands between your legs but Rebecca grabbed your wrists pinning them above your head. Her tongue traced over your collarbone slowly and you whined.
"I begged you, what's with the fucking teasing!?" you exclaimed, wriggling underneath the taller woman above.
"I didn't tell you to touch yourself, you didn't get permission so you're being punished for being a bad girl," her silky smooth tone almost melted you and you swear you made a mess of her sheets.
"Fuck," you whined shuffling under her grip.
Rebecca smiled, eyeing the very vulnerable position you were in. Her lips ghosted yours as she took in the situation. You could tell she absolutely loved this, loved being in charge and loved that you did as she asked.
"Leave them there," Rebecca ordered. She let go of your hands, you didn't dare move them. You ached for her touch so badly. She straddled you showing off her beautiful curves. Her green eyes scanned over your body, she took your breasts in her hands and you whined. Her slender fingers kneaded and caressed them. She took great pleasure in teasing your hardening nipples. Rebecca attacked your neck with bites and sloppy open mouthed kisses marking her territory.
"You fuckin' marking me huh?" you grinned though shaking breaths.
"You're full of attitude this morning aren't you?" Rebecca grinned resting her forehead on yours. "What if I don't let you come and I make you watch me? You watch me touch and moan but you have to go the whole day unsatisfied and dripping, with no release," Rebecca sneered. She had such a sinister tone to her voice and pressed light kisses to your neck.
Rebecca sat up right, adjusting her position. Those muscly thighs squeezing your body a few times while she straddled you. Her hand dipped between her long legs as she started to moan. Fuck she looked utterly gorgeous.
"Can I touch you, please, Rebecca?" you asked. It took everything you could not to touch yourself or her without permission. Rebecca grinned and gasped as her long fingers worked between her folds.
"Move your hands to my hips."
You did as she asked and placed them on her body, her soft skin and beautiful shape under your touch. You watched in awe as Rebecca moved her fingers through her folds moaning and shuffling on top of you. You almost lost your mind when she bit her bottom lip. You wanted to taste her again, it would take your mind away from the aching between your legs. You could hear how wet Rebecca was by the motion of her fingers, moving around her and sliding inside her. She gasped and grabbed her boob. You dug your fingers into her hips, tightening your grip possibly leaving marks.
"Bite me," she gasped repositioning so you could get into the soft flesh of her breasts.
You didn't need to be told twice, you nibbled at her skin and used your tongue to sooth the gentle bites and Rebecca moaned deeply. You sucked and bit being careful not to leave any marks. You sucked on her hard nipples hearing a low moan that escaped her parted lips.
"Can I cup your face?" you muttered on her skin.
"Yes," she gasped. You could feel the breathy moans building up and the changes in her demeanour as she started to give into her pleasures. Her green eyes half lidded and how she bit her bottom lip. She was utterly gorgeous and you wanted to help guide her to orgasm no matter what. You cupped her face and worked biting kisses along her jawline and down her throat being sure to bite harder when her moans got louder.
"Fuck, I'm close," Rebecca groaned, her hand working harder between her legs as she rubbed her now throbbing bud.
"Let me help you," you said.
You latched onto her nipple again, biting harder. You were sure you'd leave marks but you didn't care now. You wanted her to finish.
"Oh my god, fuck," Rebecca gasped. Her whole body tensed as the warm feeling shot through her body. You felt her wetness on your skin and you'd be lying if it didn't make you crave your finish more. You held her face and let her slowly come down from her high. She gave you a pleasant smile and you kissed her softly on the lips. You pulled Rebecca into you so your chests were pressed together as she caught her breath. You drew patterns across her soft skin.
"You are so gorgeous Rebecca,"
"So are you," Rebecca smiled. She sat up and ran her hands up your thighs to your hips and your ribs stopping when she reached your neck pulling you into a deep tongue kiss. You moaned into her mouth digging your nails down her back rocking your hips into her body trying to gain any kind of friction.
"Please." you muttered.
"What was that?" Rebecca grinned.
"Please!" you huffed. "Fuck me."
"That's what I thought," Rebecca made her way down your body kissing and biting. You groaned at the contact and tangled your hands in her blonde locks. She parted your legs gripping your inner thighs and grinned at your soaked folds.
"Didn't think seeing me orgasm on you would have this effect."
"Yes, you did. " you breathed.
Rebecca arched her brow and you avoided her gaze. You just needed her to touch you. Her tongue lightly traced across your folds. Your hips bucked into her mouth immediately, you were desperate and she could tell. Her mouth latched onto your swollen clit and you let out a scream of Rebecca's name. Fuck finally she was giving you what you wanted. Two of her fingers slid inside you with ease and you rocked against her rhythm. You could hear how wet you were and Rebecca lapped up every drop of you. You were wound up so tight, it didn't take you long to finish.
"Oh my god, oh my god," you panted as the warm feeling spread through every nerve and your eyes shut tight. Rebecca rode out the wave with you until you were nothing but a sweating panting mess beneath her. She wiped her mouth and you grabbed her hand, sucking her fingers clean. She grinned while you did it and drew patterns across your stomach.
Rebecca pulled you on top of her and you pressed a lazy kiss to her lips. She kissed you harder and you let her explore your mouth. The kissing turned to lazy makeouts, you broke the kiss to snuggle into the nape of her neck. She rested her hands on your hips and drew patterns across your back.
"Holy fuck, you're amazing," you smiled.
"Plenty more where that came from darling," Rebecca grinned stroking your hair.
A/N I had this thought that Rebecca would be such a tease and love it. Of course she’s got her dom boss energy.
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eternalglitch · 1 month
Note
Hiya! Just our of curiosity-
I know you have to log into Ao3 with an account to read LFLS now, I promise this isn’t about that. But I’m curious. I saw a previous post of yours that said “if LFLS had taken place over a longer time span just would’ve switched I it/it’s pronouns for green” and I was wondering, since I haven’t kept in touch with your blog (I’m sorry 😭)
have you decided to discontinue writing LFLS? Or do you still have plans to write more chapters in the future? I know you decided to put it on hold a while ago since you needed a break (which is ok, always prioritize yourself and your needs/health) I’m just wondering now if you’ve decided to completely stop writing it, or if you’re still just on a hiatus from it (and again, it’s ok if you are- it’s your life, you’re choice and time I can’t tell you what to do lol)
I wouldn't say that I've made the decision to discontinue it yet, no. There were several factors that led to where we are right now, one of the more important ones an interest in exploring new stories and getting more into ttrpgs after losing general interest in Rise of the TMNT, but Like Father Like Son is still very near and dear to me and I would like to see it finished. All of the story beats exist, after all, I just have to finish writing them.
I was hoping to start writing in general again around this time to ease back into it, but I made... choices and started taking a night time class every week night on independent Hollywood Screenwriting and Directing because why would I make a normal decision on how to spend my evenings. This isn't exhausting and eating up my free time at all (lying).
((I hope to eventually make my own indie cartoon pilot, so. Working on some skillsets and all that jazz.))
But, yeah! I would say you don't need to write lfls off as permanently unfinished just yet. There's still some plot points and moments I really hope everyone will enjoy. I miss the feeling of releasing a chapter out into the world.
In the meantime, I appreciate everyone's patience and maybe even interest in other stuff I may create in the interim!
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albertasunrise · 1 year
Text
Look for the Light - 4
Masterlist
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Summary: Four years ago, Joel saved you from certain death. In return, you followed him faithfully. Always ready to do and give him whatever he asked, despite the hurt it inflicted on you, body and soul. Agreeing to go with him to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies… this would be the last time you’d follow him… After this, your debt would be paid.
Relationships: Reader x Joel Miller, Joel Miller & Ellie, Reader & Ellie
Warnings: Like AO3, I choose to give none. Read at your own risk. 18+ (So excited to share this with you. So much to come folks! 🙊😍)
Series Masterlist - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
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Joel stared at you for some time. His mouth opened and closed as he processed what you'd just told him.
"Joel?"
"Where did you find a pregnancy test?" He asked and you rolled your eyes.
"Does it really matter where I found them?" You asked and he shook his head.
"How did this happen?" He asked and you shook your head.
"Pulling out isn't exactly 100 per cent effective but I guess we've not been that careful."
"What do you mean?" He asked you you sighed before answering.
"I don't think that night... the night we got pissed on whiskey... I um..."
"You what?"
"I don't think you pulled out." You finished and he groaned.
"Shit." He breathed as he leaned back against the tree behind him.
"I know this is not ideal but-"
"Ideal?" Joel blanched "This is a fuckin' nightmare."
You shrunk back at his statement, hand resting on your belly as you waited for him to say something.
"Those tests must be nearly twenty years out of date." He continued "What if it's a false positive?"
"Unlikely. Besides, they're both positive." You stated as you pulled the second test from your pocket.
"Shit." Joel gasped as he looked at the stick of plastic in your hand "This can't be happening." He said, shaking his head and you felt years prick at your eyes "There'll be a doctor somewhere that can fix this!"
"What do you mean, fix it?" You growled and he looked up at you with teary eyes.
"Terminate it." He answered as he reached out to put his hand on top of yours but you shrank back "Wha...." His eyes widened at your reaction and his stomach twisted "You're not seriously thinking we should keep it?"
"We... don't have to do anything!" You scoffed "I want to!... If you don't want to do this with me then that's fine. I'll find somewhere safe to raise them on my own."
"Come on, you can't be serious darlin'? This world is no place for a baby!"
"And it never will be." You growled "Yet life has to go on." You finished before snatching the tests back and stuffing them into your pocket "Good to know how you feel about all this." You grumbled as you stood and quietly made your way back to your sleeping bag.
That was that then!... you were in this alone.
Joel didn't move from his seat on the forest floor. His eyes were glued to you as he watched your shoulders silently shake... knowing you were sobbing to yourself about his reaction to the news you were carrying his child.
Truth be told, he'd never imagined he would have the chance to be a father again after he'd lost Sarah. His wife had died just a few years after she was born and then, on that fateful day, his world had ground to a halt. Not for one second in the twenty years that followed had he allowed himself to hope that perhaps one day, he might get the chance to be a dad again.
Now he was going to be and he wasn't sure he wanted to be.
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Morning came and you and Joel spoke all but one word to each other.
"Coffee?"
"Sure."
Ellie watched the two of you with what looked like an exasperated expression but you dared not push her for why. You didn't want to think about anything more than getting back on the road and finding somewhere to settle.
"This seriously how shit's going to be between you two?" She finally piped up when the tension became too much to handle.
Joel was finishing packing the truck whilst you washed the tins clean of the breakfast the three of you had finished consuming.
"What?" You grumbled as you proceeded to stack the tins and stuff them in the pack you'd originally pulled them from, eye not leaving the task at hand.
"Well, I'd hoped after being woken up to you two boning behind that tree over there that you'd at least worked your shit out." She grumbled and both you and Joel stopped dead in your tracks "What happened? He blow his load too quickly?" She chuckled and you felt your face burn with embarrassment.
"Ellie." Joel warned but the teenager ignored him "Clearly, the news that you two are having a baby together really got your motor running huh?"
"She knew?" Joel expelled and that's what pulled your gaze back to your two companions.
"Joel-"
"Ohhhh..." Ellie trailed off, her eyes widening as the realisation hit her "You weren't fucking cus of the baby news."
"Ellie!" Joel snapped but your head was swimming, eyes filling with tears as you looked down and noted the tests were still stuffed in your pocket.
"We had differing opinions on the baby." You piped up, finally rendering the child speechless "So the next town or QZ that we find is where we'll be parting ways." You stated, turning your attention to the teenager.
"No!" She choked, shaking her head and you gave her a weak smile.
"It's for the best!" You stated plainly "Joel will get you to where you need to be." You finished as you slung your pack over your shoulder and walked to the truck, climbing into the back without a word.
Ellie and Joel watched you as you climbed into the car and slammed the door shut behind you. Then the teenager's eyes were burning into the older man as she glared at him.
"The fuck you say to her?" She growled and Joel scoffed at her before tossing the last of their supplies into the truck bed "Joel?"
"None of your business." He grumbled and that set the girl off, her eyes burning as she stomped up to him.
"Like fuck it isn't!" She snapped "What did you do? Accuse her of fucking someone else? Tell her to get sell it?... Was obviously bad because-"
"I told her we need to terminate it." He barked and Ellie stared at him slackjawed "I told her we should get rid of it." He sighed as he scraped a hand over his tired features "It's for the best."
"For who?" Ellie scoffed "Her?... Or you?"
She didn't wait for the man to reply. Just jumped into the front seat and sat in the car with you. Waiting for him to get them back on the road and en route. He glanced up and caught you smiling at Ellie, your eyes sparkling as you laughed at no doubt a joke from that damned pun book the kid was carrying around with her. His heart ached at the knowledge that he'd hurt you. He never wanted to do that but he honestly couldn't see how keeping this baby would end any way other than badly. He also knew that changing your mind was futile.
He was gonna be a father again... If you let him.
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Ellie pushed the door to an abandoned office open as you and Joel stepped in behind her. The events of that day had caught up with both of you. Ellie had had to shoot a kid to save Joel and you had been able to do nothing but watch through the small hole in the wall that Joel had made you both climb through. You'd felt so helpless, watching his legs kick as the kid strangled him within an inch of his life, that you hadn't even noticed Ellie pull out a gun she'd stolen from Bill's and slip through the larger hole in the wall. The three of you had then hidden out in an old bar and waited for a chance to slip into the shadows and avoid the search party that was currently occupying the streets.
So when you had all managed to make it to the building you were now taking refuge in, you'd breathed a small sigh of relief, your hand resting on your stomach as you caught your breath.
"Holy shit." Ellie breathed as her eyes scanned the dark room you all now occupied.
"Yeah." Joel panted as he slip down the wall, his age getting the better of him.
"Thirty-three floors. That's good." Ellie enthused and you chuckled at her condescending tone.
"It's gonna have to be." Joel grumbled as he squeezed his eyes shut and willed his heart to slow.
"Come on." Ellie called out as she motioned for him to get up but Joel simply shook his head.
"Gimme a minute."
"Get up, you lazy ass." Ellie chuckled and Joel grunted in reply.
"Lazy ass." He scoffed as he allowed the teenager to help him to his feet
"Fifty-six years old, you little shit."
You smirked at his statement before turning and walking further into the room, eyes scanning for anything that could be turned into a bed for the night. Nausea had taken up permanent residence and you noted what looked like a small cloakroom. You slipped off silently, hoping no one would notice before emptying little contents of your stomach into the toilet bowl.
Ellie had, however, noticed you disappear and her gaze drifted to Joel before shrugging off her bag and placing it onto the stained, twenty-year-old, carpet.
"She's not going to be safe here." She stated simply and Joel nodded.
"I know." He replied simply, his eyes looking off in the direction he knew you were.
"We can't let her go." Ellie pushed "She's safer with us."
"What about when the baby comes?' Joel grumbled, "What... you gonna help babysit?"
"We'll have found the fireflies long before then." Ellie scoffed but Joel shook his head.
"You don't know that for sure."
"Joel-"
"We don't have a truck." He continued "We can't expect her to keep walking when she's heavily pregnant with my kid."
"So you admit that it's your kid?" Ellie needled and Joel sighed.
"We need to find somewhere safe for her and then continue on." He finished, ignoring the teen's question.
"Then what?" Ellie grumbled "She raises that baby on her own?"
"I don't know Ellie." Joel barked and the girl's mouth snapped shut "I don't know what to do okay?" He choked and Ellie's expression softened "I love her and I wanna do right by her but I don't know if I can do it again." He confessed, his voice wobbling "I don't know if I want to."
Ellie's brow furrowed at his statement but didn't push him for more. She knew the man wasn't one for sharing his past and just the fact he'd admitted to her that he loved you, was enough for her.
Your heart thundered in your chest as his confession swirled around in yours. On the one hand. He has confessed to sharing the same feelings you felt for him. On the other, he admitted that he wasn't sure he wanted this baby. You were filled with conflicted feelings and you weren't sure what to do. When you were sure that they wouldn't be suspicious of you eavesdropping on their conversation, you made your way back out into the room, noting the makeshift cots that Ellie had started to put together. She gave you a smile when she noticed you enter and you returned it before glancing at Joel, finding your heart twisting in your chest as you allowed what he'd said to consume your every thought.
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"JOEL!"
The older man rolled over and froze when he saw a child pointing a gun at him. Hands raised, he looked to his right and saw you and Ellie standing with your hands behind your head whilst a nervous-looking kid pointed his gun at you both.
"Eyes on me. Eyes on me." The kid ordered and Joel complied, his expression a difficult one to pinpoint as you studied him "You don't have to worry about what to say. We don't wanna hurt you. We wanna help you." He rambled as his hun switched between you and Ellie "Okay. Okay, um... I don't know what the next step is with something like this, but if I lower my gun... we didn't hurt you... so you don't hurt us... right?"
"That's right." Joel replied and you wanted to groan at the manner in which he spoke.
"That's a weird fսck¡n' tone, man." The kid replied nervously and Ellie's eyes widened.
"That's just the way he sounds. He has an asshоlе voice." Ellie snapped as she looked directly at the older man "Joel, tell him he's okay."
"Everything is great."
"Dude." Ellie grumbled and you shot him a warning look.
"Fսck!"
The kid was growing more and more nervous, the longer he and the child with him had their weapons trained on the three of you. It was clear that he was new at this and that helped you feel a little less worried about this situation. You truly believed they didn't want to hurt you.
"Okay... listen... I'm gonna trust you." He said as he lowered his weapon "Yes. But if any of you guys try anything... yeah? Yeah?"
"Yeah." You replied, nodding your head as you glared at Joel again.
"Can I sit up?" Joel asked as he looked over at the kid again
"Yeah. Slow. Get up slow."
"Who are you?" Joel asked as his eyes drifted from the Kid, back to the older one.
"My name's Henry. That's my brother, Sam." You looked at the child before sharing a silent stare with Joel.
Your eyes pleading for him to not do anything stupid.
"I'm the most wanted man in Kansas City. Although right now... my guess is you're running a close second." This grabbed Joel's attention and his back straightened as he leaned forward a little more "Why do they want you?"
"Long story." Henry replied "You got any food? My brother's hungry."
"Yeah." You replied softly, hoping to relax the situation a little more. "We got some food."
Henry's face seemed to light up at his and he watched as you make your way over to your pack, pulling out some rations you'd portioned up for the morning and splitting it into five small shares. It wasn't much but it was something.
You then all sat and ate in tense silence, Joel's eyes never leaving Henry.
"Where'd you get these?" Henry asked, breaking the silence.
"From Bill." Ellie answered, "He's dead."
Your head shot up when you saw Joel move from the corner of your eye, your heart softening when you saw him give the little boy the last of his meal. Despite his hard, gruff, exterior, the man could be soft when he wanted to be. The boy signed his thanks and you smiled warmly.
"He says thank you." Henry said, noting that your companions likely wouldn't know ASL "I'm guessing you don't have much, so... this means a lot."
"How old is he?" Ellie asked as she grinned at the younger boy, watching closely when Henry signed her question "He's eight."
"Cool." The child gushed, bouncing with excitement at being around another kid "I'm Ellie." She finished before looking over at you, smiling when you gave the brothers your name also.
You both stared at Joel, eyes wide and expectant and the man rolled his eyes before growling.
"I'm Joel. Look, you ate, we didn't kill each other, let's call this a win-win and move on."
You smirked at your companion's response before looking at the older brother again.
"Well, I'm betting... that y'all came up here to get a view of the city and plan a way out. And when the sun's up... I'll show you one."
"You can do that?" You asked and Henry nodded.
"Sure can."
"You can get us out of this city safely?" You pushed, your hand resting on your tummy again.
"She's pregnant-" Ellie piped up and your eyes flew open.
"Ellie-"
"She needs to get out of this shit show city as soon as possible!"
"Congratulations." Henry started and you gave him a small nod "I will do my best to help you get out of the city safely." He continued "But I'll need your help.
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You and Joel stood at the window and looked out at what had once been a bustling city.
"Welcome to Killa City."
"No FEDRA?" Joel asked and Henry shook his head.
"Not as of 10 days ago, no."
"We always heard KC FEDRA was... Monsters? Savages?" You piped up, pulling Joel's gaze to you for a moment.
"Yeah, you heard right. Raped and tortured and murdered people for 20 years. And you know what happens when you do that to people?" You both stood and waited for him to continue, your stomach twisting in knots at the information you were learning "The moment they get a chance, they do it right back to you."
"But you're not FEDRA?" Joel pushed.
"No... worse." Henry signed and you both gave him a bemused look, waiting for him to elaborate "I'm a collaborator."
"I don't work with rats." Joel spat, glancing at you a moment.
"Yeah, you fucking do." The older brother all but ordered "Today you do... 'cause I live here and you don't." He stated plainly, rendering you both speechless "That's how I followed you here. I know this city, and that's how I'm gonna help you get out."
"Why help us?" You asked.
"I saw what you did... the way you killed those men." He paused, studying Joel's face a moment before continuing "Now, I know where to go but I don't know how to make it through alive, not if it's just me and Sam."
"You seem capable enough." Joel scoffed "You're armed."
"You're wrong and wrong." Henry argued "Never killed anyone. And pointing an unloaded gun at you was the closest I've ever
come to being violent." He confessed, eyes drifting to you "So that's the deal. I show the way... you clear the way."
The sound of laughing dragged your attention over to the table where Sam and Ellie saw, looking through the girl's joke book and completely unaware of what the three of you were speaking about.
"Haven't heard that in a long time," Henry said wistfully, as he looked over his shoulder at his brother.
"So how are we gettin' out?" You asked.
Henry started to draw out a small map and you watched as he marked out certain areas before explaining.
"Highways... Downtown. Us." He circled the area where your building sat "This whole area belongs to Kathleen."
"She's in charge?" Joel asked and Henry nodded.
"Leader of the resistance." He confirmed before looking down at his rough map again "You can see the way we're bounded by highways!" He continued as he pointed at each one "They got people posted all
around the inside perimeter. If we get close, we get caught... No question."
"So how do we get across?" You asked and he glanced at you a moment before drawing a tunnel.
"Boom."
"Kansas City has a subway?" Joel asked, brows pulled together and forming a tight frown.
"No, but they do have maintenance tunnels." Henry clarified "There's a bunch of buildings all put up by the same developers. And they share these tunnels, including... a bank building here." He said as he drew where the building sat "So we enter the tunnels here... travel underground, and pop up here." He circled the area again before looking up at you and Joel "Westside North. Residential. There's an embankment on
the other side of the houses... We head down, pedestrian bridge over the river... free as a bird."
"You're right. It's a great plan." Joel replied sarcastically "So what do you need me for?"
"You noticed anything strange about this city?" Henry asked, eyes flitting between you and Joel "I mean, other than the strange shit you've already seen?"
"No Infected?" Ellie piped up and you look to your right, noting how she and Sam had now joined you.
"Oh, there's Infected." Henry replied "Just not on the surface." He paused to let you both take that in "FEDRA drove them underground 15 years ago, and never let them come back up. It's the only good thing those fascist motherfuckers ever did."
"So you want us goin' into a tunnel?" Joel snorts and glanced at him a moment, heart racing as you wait for Henry to answer.
"Everyone thinks that it's full of Infected, including Kathleen, which means that we're not gonna be running into any of her people.
"But you see, what I know is... it's empty."
"You've been down there?" You asked, heart, thumping against your ribcage.
"No, but the FEDRA guy that I worked with told me that it's clean, completely clean... They cleared it out. All of it."
"When?"
"Like... three years ago."
Joel scoffed.
"Okay, maybe, there's one or two, but you handle it." Henry urged, eyes pleading with you.
"What if there's more?" Joel asked.
"Or one of those blind ones that sees like a bat?" Ellie added.
"Wait, you... you ran into a Clicker?"
"Two of 'em," Ellie answered.
"And you're still alive." Henry pointed out "You see? You're the right people... If it gets bad down there, we turn around, and run right back out the same way we came."
"Oh, that's your great plan?"
"No, that's my dicey-as-fuck plan." Henry growled "But as far as I can tell... it's our only shot."
Sam asked something, just out of your line of sight and you watched as the older brother answered his concerned sibling.
"They're saying they're going to help us escape." he signed back, giving his brother a firm nod "Right?"
Joel let out a sigh before glancing at you, silently willing you to give him some sort of guidance. Despite how tense things were between you both right now, he still looked at you to help him keep his footing. He relied on you to steer him straight at this was no exception.
"Right." You replied surely as you gave Joel a small nod before looking at Henry "We'll help you get out."
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"Do you know where we are?" You asked Henry as your eyes scanned the area, gun firmly in hand.
"Yep." Henry replied, a grin painting his features "The other side."
"No. No one is here." Ellie pointed out pulling a face when you tried to hush her.
"No one's gonna be here because... my plan worked." Henry boasted, grinning at the teenager.
"So much goddamn talkin'." Joel grumbled and you smirked at his statement before returning to surveying your surroundings.
"I'm just saying... I delivered." Henry stated, "Make this right, go down the street, embankment behind the last house... and we're out."
"So we cross the river and then what?" You asked, "Where ya gonna go?"
"Don't know yet." The younger man replied, shrugging as he glanced at his brother.
"Well, we're goin' to Wyoming." Ellie announced, pulling a face when Joel glared back at her "What? It's a huge state. It can fit two more people."
"Yeah... maybe we just call this one a success and say our fond farewells." Henry chuckled.
"No, he'll change his mind. Trust me." Ellie upheld "This is how it goes... He's like, 'No, Ellie. Never, ever, ever happening.'..." The girl started, lowering her tone in an attempt to mimic Joel "And then I'm like, 'I'm gonna ask you a million more times...And he's like-"
Ellie didn't get to finish. Bullets started to ping off the car beside them.
"Move, move!" Joel ordered "Go!" He barked, the five of you ducking for cover.
"The fuck is that comin' from?"
"Shut up." The older man yelled. "- Fuck."
"Let's move. Let's go." Henry shouted as he nudged his brother to move.
"What are you doin'?!" You almost screamed, watching in horror as the two young boys attempted to escape.
"Gettin' the fuck outta here!" Henry replied before throwing himself back when bullets reigned down on him "Oh shit, oh shit!"
"What do we do?" Ellie asked as she turned to look at Joel, eyes shining with fear.
"All right." Joel stated, as he noted the house the shots were coming from "Stay here."
"What?" Ellie squeaked.
"If you don't move, he's not gonna hit you." The older man stated, "I'm gonna go around, try to get in the house through the back, and then I'll take him out."
"But if you go out there, he's gonna kill you." She choked, holding onto Joel for dear life.
"It's dark, and he has shit aim." Joel replied, trying to lighten her mood a little "Nobody's gonna kill me."
"Then he's gonna kill us." She argued.
"Do you trust me?" He asked and Ellie nodded "Take care of them all! He ordered, giving the girl a small smile "That includes my baby!"
Your eyes widened at his statement, something Joel spotted when he glanced at you a moment before sneaking off. You both shared a workless conversation before he went off to take out their attacker. The look said, "We will get through this."
And you believed him.
So you watched as he snuck off and you all remained where you were, waiting for it to be safe to move. Ellie huddled close to you, hand gripping yours tightly as you gave her a reassuring smile.
"We're going to be okay." You whispered to her and she nodded.
"Us and the baby yeah?" She asked and your heart swelled at the mention of the tiny being inside of you.
"Us and the baby."
A gunshot echoed in the air and you all looked up, hoping that it was Joel taking out the target and not the other way around. Ellie looked at your frantically, eyes wide and wet and then you heard shouting.
Shouting that sounded a lot like RUN
Headlights illuminated the abandoned street and large vehicles stormed through the abandoned cars that littered their path.
RUN
You did as Joel told you, running for your life and you and Ellie fired upon the vehicles as they came surging towards you. Joel fired upon the vehicles as you all continued to sprint and took out the driver of the lead vehicle, it veered into one of the ramshackle houses before exploding. The blast throwing you and Ellie to the ground.
Henry was at your side, helping you and Ellie back to your feet again.
"You okay?" He asked and you both nodded.
"Yeah."
"He's up there," Henry stated as he pointed to the window where Joel was situated and you gave him a small nod before sprinting for cover beside another truck.
The flames from the burning house at your rear threw off a heat that reached you all from across the street. The clicking sounds the fire made mingled with your heavy breathing and you all prayed that Joel would be able to give you enough cover to run for safety when the time came.
"Dead end, Henry." Came a soft voice... the voice you assumed belonged to Kathleen "Gonna step on out? Save us some time?"
You all looked at each other, wondering what to do and coming up empty.
"No?" She continued, her tone high and whiny.
Not the voice you'd expect from someone so terrifying.
"That's all right. Doesn't matter."
"I'll come out!" Henry called out, shaking his head when you pleaded for him not to go "Just let the kids go!"
"No." She replied "Sorry... The girl is with the man who killed Bryan. And Sam... well, Sam's with you."
"You don't understand!"
"But I do." She interjected, taking on a mocking manner "I know why you did what you did... But did you ever stop to think that maybe he was supposed to die?"
"He's just a fucking kid!" Henry yelled, his anger rising to the surface.
"Well, kids die, Henry." She replied, the statement making your stomach twist "They die all the time... You think the whole world revolves around him?" She scoffed "That he's worth... everything?"
Henry looked at you and then Ellie, silently communicating that he was okay with whatever happened next.
"Well, this is what happens when you fuck with fate." Kathleen finished, her voice wobbling a little.
"Get ready to take him and run." Henry stated as he put Sam's hand in Ellies "Yes." He urged when she shook her head. "Do it."
"It's time, Henry." She called and then the man stood, hands above his head
"Enough!" He called out, stepping out into her line of site.
Your eyes drifted up to Joel who was watching you from above. Your body ached from the fall and your heart thundered in your chest. You weren't sure you were going to make it out of this one but you were going to do all you could to try.
For Ellie... And for the baby in your belly.
"It ends the way it ends."
Groaning cut Kathleen off and you all turned your heads to look over at the crashed truck, watching as it sunk into the ground. Then...
Chaos.
The next however many minutes of your life became a fight to survive. You managed to take cover beneath a car, your eyes locking with Henry and Sam who had done something similar. You fired upon any infected that tried to come near you but some were taken out by an invisible force yet you knew who it was... Joel.
As soon as an opening showed itself to you, you were running towards Joel who was standing just outside the house he'd been shooting from, grabbing Ellie's hand as Joel urged you to run.
"Come on, come on!" He ordered, nudging you in the direction of the bridge just visible in the distance "Go, go!"
"Stop!" Kathleen's voice had you all stopping dead in your tracks, turning slowly towards her with your hands raised.
Then, your eyes all widened collectively as you noticed the infected child creeping up on her and she turned just in time to see her doom before it pounced on her. Screaming as it slashed her to ribbons.
"This way now! Move!" Joel ordered as he motioned for you all to run, his eyes locking with yours a moment before you all run for your lives.
Leaving the burning and blood chaos behind you.
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The adrenaline was starting to wear off by the time you found an empty motel to squat in for the night. Ellie and Sam were given the twin bedroom and you the master. Joel and Henry opted to make themselves comfortable in the lounge area of the suite.
You could hear Joel and Henry talking between themselves, Joel's voice sounding wearing as the adrenaline from the evening's events wore off. You were glad of the chance to have some time to yourself, your own body sore and bruised. Your back ached and you rubbed as you eased yourself down onto the bed. Hoping a good night's sleep would help.
You were asleep in minutes.
...
You weren't sure if you'd been woken by the screaming, or the pain, but both of them had made you almost fall from your bed. Your hands shook as you looked down, the sight making you let out a sound that you'd never heard leave your mouth.
"Henry, no!" Joel's voice travelled through the thin door and then...
BANG
...
Joel stood in shock, eyes staring at the lifeless bodies of two boys much too young to have met such fates. Ellie's eyes were trained on Sam, the blood that was pooling beneath his head.
She'd failed him.
She had promised to stay awake with him and she hadn't...
As the gravity of the situation started to settle, Joel looked over to Ellie again, eyes glittering with tears as the tried to inspect the child for any signs of injury.
"Ellie?" He whispered, almost pleading for the girl to look at him and she did, tears falling freely down her cheeks.
Joel didn't hear the door open behind him... He was too focused on Ellie. But when the teenager's eyes flicked to something behind him and widened, he allowed himself to shift his focus.
"Joel." You choked and he turned to look at you, stomach dropping at what greeted him "Something's wrong." You finished as you held out your bloody hand "Something's very wrong."
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ooihcnoiwlerh · 2 months
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New chapter is up for my Feyd-Rautha/Reader fic. I'll provide the AO3 link here: And I Don't Want Your Heart - Chapter 3 - ooihcnoiwlerh - Dune (2021) [Archive of Our Own]
But if you'd prefer to read it here I can provide it under the cut. As you can imagine, there are trigger warnings for this fic in general as well as this chapter.
TW: arranged marriage, forced marriage, dubious consent, implied/referenced self-harm, implied/referenced child abuse, implied/referenced incest, heavy violence, first times, rough sex, blood kinks, and of course Feyd-Rautha who is his own walking content warning.
If you haven't read my fic yet I do recommend reading the prologue and first chapter to get what's going on. It's all on AO3.
CHAPTER TWO: THE MOMENT YOU'VE BEEN DREADING
“It’s time, Na-Baroness.”
You turn to look at her.  She keeps her head down.  “We need to get you to your bedchambers to prepare,” she adds.
You take a breath.  He and everyone else need you to be living and healthy at least for the time being.  You’ll be able to manage whatever happens tonight, you tell yourself.
You give a small nod, reach for your goblet, and finish the contents in three big swallows before setting it down.
Your mother sees you get up and her eyes widen just a fraction.  You smile at her as you make a detour to wish your family a good night.
“I’ll see you in the morning for breakfast,” you tell your parents.  Afterwards all off-world guests will be going home, and you’ll have to deal with the fact that this desolate killing field of a planet is your home now.  You try not to think about how you probably won’t be seeing any of your family again until the next wedding or funeral as you give each of them a crushing hug.  When your younger sister hugs you back, you wonder if she’s thinking about her future, if she’s terrified that she’ll have an even worse match.
“You look beautiful, Y/N,” Father tells you as you pull away from his embrace.  When he looks at you, you can tell he’s thinking, I’d give anything right now for you to have been born a son.
“Thank you, Father,” you tell him, thinking, Come on, now.  You can’t put me up to this marriage in the first place and then act as though I’m going to my execution.  You need for them to have hope that you’ll be okay.  One of you has to believe that I can get through this.
You sense the Baron watching you.  You can feel his distaste at the open sentimentality but he doesn’t say anything, so it seems that he’ll allow it.  How kind of him, you think bitterly.
When you start to move past them your mother tugs at your wrist one last time and you turn to face her.  She doesn’t say anything, so you end up speaking for her.
“It’ll be alright,” you say softly, taking her hands.
She almost smiles, then swallows.  “I should be the one saying that to you,” she says.  You just give her a small smile of your own and kiss her cheek.  You end up letting go of her hands first, but it takes only the first tug for her to relinquish yours.  You resume your trek out of the Great Hall when you reach the head of the table and stop, remembering one last obligation before you go.
You need to pay your respects to the Baron first and it makes you hesitate.  You don’t want to talk to him, don’t want to look at him, don’t want to even think about him.  His nephew strikes fear in you, but there’s a kind of revulsion that the Baron inspires that is tangible even as you can’t quite explain it.  Even if you didn’t know his reputation as a bloodthirsty warmonger that makes your father seem like a pacifist by comparison, even though you’re sure that there’s more you haven’t discovered yet, even with the limited interactions you’ve actually had with him, he makes your skin crawl.  You step forward, eyes downcast, incline your head, and dip into the deepest curtsy you can manage in your gown.
“Thank you, Baron, for your gifts, your kind reception, and your hospitality,” you tell him.
After a pause he seems to think you’ve expressed an adequate amount of gratitude and says, “May you continue to please my lovely nephew,” he responds, voice low enough that your family won’t hear but the people next to him will.  He knows that you know what he means.
Contempt and shame war within you.  You refuse to look up at him.  “Yes, Baron,” you manage, face flushing.  Your hands shake.  You rise and turn away.  Idrisa’s there within arm’s reach to escort you out.
It’s a long stretch of silence to get from the Great Hall to the Harkonnen private chambers, but neither of you know quite what to say that you’d be willing to risk anyone hearing.
She guides you back into your bedchambers.  Once there, you stand in the middle of the room, frozen and useless.  “Will he want me in this?” you ask after a moment.  You picture him tearing the fabric of your underskirts, maybe slicing your bodice with one of his hidden blades.  It’s easy to picture him desecrating a symbol of your union.  It’s also easy to picture him simply pulling down your undergarment, bending you over the nearest flat surface, and debasing you as you’re still fully clothed.
Idrisa shakes her head.  “The Na-Baron had some specific requests.  He’d like you out of this,” she says.  “I’ll help you.”
She’s so gentle with her touch and the meticulous way she undoes your bodice and arranges your skirts that it unnerves you rather than soothes you.  It’s such a contrast to how you’re certain you’ll be touched as soon as you leave these chambers that you tremble at her fingertips.
“It’ll be alright,” she says softly.  “You and the union between the Houses is too important for him to seriously hurt you.”  You don’t miss the disclaimer of ‘seriously’.  You have nothing to say to that, only watching as she sets the gown back on the mannequin it arrived with and turns to you, in just your boots and undergarments.  
You sigh and take care of your boots and the stockings underneath as Idrisa reaches into your drawers for a chemise and robe.
“He wants you to take off your undergarments,” she says over her shoulder.
“Of course he does,” you mutter, working on those next, stripping down bare.  “For ‘ease of access.’”
“It’s not an unreasonable request,” Idrisa says mildly, taking your discarded clothes and handing you the chemise to put on.  “We’re almost done.”  She sets down a pair of slippers for you to step into and gives you your robe before taking a step back and taking inventory of you.  She tilts her head and bites her lip.
“Hair down, I think,” she says.  “Your make-up held up well, so we won’t need to reapply anything.”
“We could, you know.”  It’ll buy me some time to collect myself.  Although that isn’t entirely true; you’ll still be just as nervous an hour from now as you will be five minutes from now, and you both know it as Idrisa quietly arranges your hair into a style she thinks your groom will find suitable.
His chambers, as it turns out, are just next door.  “Thank you,” you tell her when you get inside.  It’s a large room, as austere as all the other rooms but the limited furniture within it is of high-quality.  A black armoire against the opposite wall with dressers and a desk and chair to match, and then of course the bed.  
It’s a massive four-poster with a steep headboard.  You can’t help but notice rings and hooks lining each bedpost.  You don’t think you’re ignorant by any means, considering your overall lack of experience, but you’re not sure what they could possibly mean.  In the next room you can faintly hear the sound of running water.
“The Na-Baron is finishing up in his bathroom.  He’ll be ready for you in just a moment,” Idrisa tells you, before reaching for your robe.  You instinctively move away, wanting the barrier between your skin and the suddenly oppressive air of an unfamiliar room.
She holds on, undeterred, to your sleeves.  “The Na-Baron said that he would have his wedding gift already unwrapped and in bed waiting for him,” she says apologetically.  
You think of your father’s words from days ago (“oiled and trussed up before being thrown into his bedroom”) and take a breath before shedding the robe and stepping out of your slippers yourself. You don’t look at Idrisa as you raise the chemise up and over your shoulders before tossing it to the floor and once you’re completely bare try to cover yourself with your arms as you take a few steps back.  It feels dumb; she’s already seen you naked and so will the man on the other side of the bathroom door in just a minute, but you want to hold on some semblance of modesty in this unfamiliar room.
Idrisa looks away as she picks everything up.  “I’ll leave you to your privacy, then,” she says.  
“I’ll be nearby,” she adds, folding your clothes and setting them on the dresser and the slippers on the floor just beside it.  She glances over at you one last time as if to say, Good luck, before turning and leaving.  The door clicks and you’re left in silence.  The water stops.
Better get moving, then, you think as you stare at the bed.  You wonder briefly what such an intimidating piece of furniture has seen over the years, and you’re honestly not sure how to present yourself once you reach it.  Do you lie on your back, like you’ve been told, is the civilized, kind manner in which to take a bride?
You think of the way your groom prowls, the way he kills.  He’s barely civilized and he’s certainly not kind; the animalistic way he moves and looks at you suggests that he’ll fuck you like an animal too, on all fours and without preamble, but the idea of getting into that position, of presenting yourself to him in such a way, makes you wince the moment you imagine it.
So you compromise and settle on your side, facing the bathroom entrance where he’ll soon emerge.
Your heart races as nearly a full minute ticks by before the door opens and Feyd-Rautha emerges, as naked as you are.
You try to stay composed and keep a sense of demure composure about you as you take inventory of him and what is meant to go inside of you tonight.  He is indeed smooth everywhere, and half-hard.  You digest the fact that even without a full erection, he's larger than the limited sample size you've witnessed.  You think that it’s kind of funny that he looks more powerful naked than he does in his armor, or even in his undergarments but to your relief he’s also as unarmed as he can possibly be.  And if this is to happen, it is a comfort knowing that it will be with a man whose body you find beautiful to look at.
His eyes drift over yours, mapping everything as he takes his fill,of the rest of your body.  “Have you ever taken a man inside of you?” he asks.
You shake your head and try not to let your nerves get the better of you as you wonder how much this is going to hurt.  He sees the fear in your eyes, though, as he crosses over and slides into bed alongside you without another word.  Your breath hitches, your heart pounding.  Not for the first time he makes you feel like a rabbit in a field.  It’s hard to reconcile that and the excitement within you; perhaps it’s adrenaline.
He slowly angles you to lay back as he props himself above you.  Your pulse thuds in your ears and you hear your own gasp as if it’s coming from somewhere else.
There’s a moment he’s looming above you, and you’re caught between fear and a growing heat between your legs, your nerves on end, before you surprise the both of you.  Without allowing yourself to think about it you lean up, cup the back of his head and pull him into a kiss.  This much you’ve done before, anyway.  You hope that it’ll help ease you into everything else.
It catches him off-guard, which gives you a brief sense of satisfaction, feeling like the playing field has been leveraged, before he kisses back.  He seems to like it, the hint of a challenge, and responds in turn by deepening the kiss and pressing his tongue into your mouth.  After a moment’s hesitation, unsure where to put your hands, you find that trailing them along his arms and back feels right.  
For the first minute it actually feels nice.  Then the first brush of the tip of his cock against your stomach makes you gasp.  You can feel him filling out the rest of the way and try not to look down.  It won’t help settle your nerves at all to see just how large it is when fully engorged.  The soft skin of it bumps against your bare stomach again before he shifts his legs so both are between yours, forcing you to spread your thighs around his hips.  He breaks the kiss and watches your face as he shifts one hand from beside your head to between his legs, taking himself in hand.
You clench your thighs and gasp, heart racing.  Without thinking you give a small cry when he guides his cock along your slit.  You feel stupid for it; he’s not even inside of you yet, but you can feel yourself seize up.
He pauses, as if trying to gauge something. Then he releases himself to slide his fingertips between the apex of your thighs instead.  Your chest heaves as you think about how you’re the only one who’s ever put a hand there, and even then only a few times.  You have enough time to think that you’ve never felt more helpless in your life before he brushes his fingers along your slit, all the more sensitive for the lack of hair, and then brings a thumb to the bud between your legs you only discovered for the first time a few years ago by accident.  He circles his thumb lazily, watching your stomach clench and your lips part in a gasp.  You shut your eyes, the intimacy of it already more than you could’ve anticipated.
“Look at me,” he says sharply, and you force your eyes open.  He tilts his head ever so slightly as his thumb presses down and your hips arch up.  You hold onto him, your hands gripping his shoulders as you bite your lip, trying to breathe normally.  He blinks as he takes in your reaction, his gaze traveling from your face to your hips before moving his hand, shifting his fingertips to your entrance.
The press of one finger inside of you is a stretch, unfamiliar but not unpleasant once you adjust to the feeling of being penetrated for the first time, and you want to look away, embarrassed at just how exposed you are to this man but as soon as you do, he repeats, irritated that he’d have to say it again, “Look at me.”
Your eyes snap back to his.  He curls his finger inside of you and your mouth falls open in a silent cry, your stomach clenching, and he tilts his head slightly, pulling his hand back to add a second finger alongside it, and this time the burn of it’s just a little too much.  You try to pull your hips back, face pinched in discomfort, and he gives a frustrated exhale as he tries twisting his fingers, only to get the same reaction.  He pulls his fingers out, and seems to think about what to do next.
He glances down at your chest, at your stiffened nipples, and lowers himself down onto his forearms, his head down to your breasts, teeth and tongue scraping against one, then the other.  As you whine and cradle the back of his neck you wonder if this is like a game for him, trying to see what noises he can pull from you where, and doing what, as he travels from one part of your body to another.  You try to collect your breath as he stops, traveling lower, his body sliding almost serpentine along the length of the bed and you can’t help but watch the muscles in his back and shoulders.
You briefly notice that there are old scars there that you hadn’t been able to see properly in the semi-darkness of the fighting halls.  They look like lash-marks that span from his shoulder blades to the tops of his buttocks.  But that’s the last coherent thought you have before Feyd-Rautha’s face disappears between your spread legs and you cry out, back arching at the first contact between his mouth and your lower lips.
You were expecting and fearing a lot tonight but hadn’t accounted for your groom licking your newly-shaved privates.  It’s shocking enough that it takes you a moment to understand how nice it feels.  You pant and squirm, your moans pulled out of you with each swipe of his tongue along your slit, each flicker of it against your bud.
“Oh!” you manage, incapable of saying anything else as your thighs shake and you wish he had hair that you could bury your fingers in as he laps at you.
When the heat of it really starts to build and your whines start sounding more desperate, the very core of you slick along his lips and tongue is when he stops.  It’s all a means to an end and as far as he’s concerned he’s done more than enough to prepare you. 
He ignores your whimper of protest as he pulls away and props himself up above you again, taking inventory of your flushed face and chest, your parted and kiss-swollen lips.
Good, you’re ready, he seems to think.  He lines himself up, and your breath hitches as you shut your eyes.
“Keep ‘em open,” he says immediately, and you relent, gazing up at a pair of eyes that glint nearly silver, pupils wide.
The blunt head of him is wide, and you realize that the preparation, his fingers and tongue, weren’t enough to ease the passage.  He’ll tear you open.  He watches your face and the growing panic in your eyes and presses forward.
Fear is the mind-killer.  It is the little–
The first press of him knocks the air out of your lungs in a sob.  You lurch up, clutching at his back as your inner thighs clench around his sides as he thrusts in the first couple of inches.  You squirm around him, shifting, hoping to get unstuck like you’re a worm on a hook.  He just pushes in deeper with a grunt, his hand clutching your hip to keep you still so he can bury himself within you the rest of the way.
It hurts, you want to protest, as if he can’t tell already.  As if he doesn’t enjoy how he’s skewering you onto him.
You’ve been in worse pain than this.  Remember when you broke your arm when you were nine?  If it weren’t for the fact that you’ve never felt more vulnerable in your life to the most frightening man you’ve ever met who–you hope–is now fully inside of you, you’d almost laugh.
Virgin sex: not as painful as breaking an arm.
You dig your nails in.  Feyd-Rautha gives a breathless laugh and a sharp thrust that has you crying out and digging your nails in deeper.
“Does my little pet want to get her claws in me?” he says, the first time he’s spoken in several minutes.  You try to relax your hands, just gripping onto his back.  “I didn’t say ‘stop,’” he adds.
He likes pain, the Reverend Mother told you.
Well, alright, then.
You grit your teeth and scratch down the length of his back.  He groans, a rumble deep in his chest before pulling out nearly to the tip of him and pushing all the way back in again.  It helps, in a way, the feeling of reciprocating the pain.  The difference is that you’re barely tolerating it, but he’s enjoying it.  He seems to like the pressure of your kneecaps digging into his sides, the nails down his back.
Curiosity strikes and you reach up and pull him down close enough to bite down on his collarbone and he gasps, hips stuttering for a moment, a moan pulled out of him before he resumes thrusting into you with deeper rolls of his hips.
You’re not sure when the moment happens that you start to adjust, the sting of it fading to a sore stretch.  You still feel impossibly full, but the ache of it feels like a minor tear, not like you’ve just been split in half.  
It’s soon after that he draws the first real moan out of you since before he entered you and it gives you pause; the stroke of his hips had been just right, you’d tilted yours in just a way that actually felt good in a way that tugged at your insides.  After a moment he tries again and you can’t help but make the same noise, holding onto him as the push and pull of his thrusts finally starts to feel right, like an act that’s natural rather than a punishment.
It’s then that he pulls out, and you yelp in shock; you were only starting to get adjusted to having him inside of you and he hasn’t spilled his seed yet.  You barely have time to understand what’s happening as he flips you onto your front and hauls you up, grabbing your hips.
It feels like another invasion, the angle tighter.  You won’t be able to hold onto him or take your pain out on him.  You scramble to get your forearms under you as he well and truly starts fucking you.  You hadn’t realized that he’d been holding back at all.
You do realize, though, that he not only tolerates your hair but likes it, when he wraps your tresses around his hand and sharply tugs like your hair’s a harness.  You can’t help any of the desperate noises that you make, shaking, as you’re repeatedly pulled back onto his cock.  The heat of tears builds in your eyes as you lower your head, only for him to tug it back by your hair. 
You give another cry, which spurs him on.  Pleasure, pain, it seems like it’s all the same to him so long as he can keep pulling desperate sounds out of you.  He speeds up, goes harder, the snap of his hips against your ass loud to the point of obscene within the echoes of his room.
And then you feel it, warm and viscous inside of you as he gives a choked moan, grunting as he thrusts into you one last time and holds still, his hands still on your hips.  You gasp, freezing, before moaning even though you're not entirely sure if you like the sensation of it or not.
You feel him pull away from you and twist onto your back, your legs bent to avoid colliding with him, as he kneels on the edge of the bed and wipes his bloody cock off on the sheets.
You catch your breath as you bring a hand against your forehead, trying to think.
It’s done; you got through it. 
He turns to look at you, at your parted lips, your breasts rising and falling as your breath evens out, your inner thighs where a small smear of blood remains, and wordlessly brings a thumb to the tacky skin there.
You blink, eyes widening as he looks you in the eye and licks off the already-drying blood.  He tilts his head, still looking between your legs, when his fingertips slide against your slit, collecting both a little blood and a dribble of his seed that leaked out of you.  Without a word he settles back over you and brings his fingers to your lips.
You try to think about what he’d want from you at this moment, and all that comes to mind is to mirror him.  You try to shut out the part of you that feels revulsion at the sight and the smell and part your lips.  
You can’t look away from him as he presses the calloused pad of his thumb on your lips and pushes further, onto your tongue.  You want to flinch away at the salt of your blood mixed with the viscous salt of his seed, but with his other hand he cups your jaw.  His movements could be seen as gentle and if he were a different man this act could be seen as intimate, but no, not with him.  He’s trying to humiliate you, you’re sure.  Because he then says, quietly, “Close your mouth,” and you hesitate, face heating up with shame, before you do.
For a moment you want to pull back and spit the mixture back out into his face.  There must be a flicker of that want in your eye because he tilts his head in a silent challenge.
Go on.  Try it, he seems to say.
You want to, but you do the opposite, the new goal to be to catch him off-guard again.  You force yourself to taste the residue from both of your bodies off his fingers.  You lick delicately around the digits and watch his eyes widen just a fraction.  You do it again, slowly, realizing that you’ve surprised him again.
He pulls his fingers out, his full lips parted.
“Don’t swallow,” is all he says before crushing his mouth against yours. 
You didn’t think you were ignorant, but you don’t fully understand what this is, what it’s called, why he’s enjoying it so much.  It’s a tool you think you might have but don’t have any frame of reference for and aren’t sure how to use as he groans as the liquids merge between you in a desperate open-mouthed kiss.  You just know that you’re learning enough to keep him interested.  He lays fully against you, and you have enough time to think that his chest feels nice pressed up against yours before he reaches in between your legs to feel the puffy, bruised apex where he’d buried himself.
Is he already getting aroused again?  
You get your answer when he flips you onto your stomach for the second time and pulls your hips up just enough for him to settle behind you.  For a moment you lurch forward, away from his grip but of course he pulls you back.  Alarm sets in.  I need time.  I���m still recovering from the first time you split me open.  You hear yourself whine as he slides his rapidly-stiffening cock in between your tender folds as if to plead for his mercy.  He doesn’t grant it, moaning at the desperate sound.  You realize that he’s working himself the rest of the way in his own hand before pressing it back up against you and pushing inside of you in one sharp thrust.
In some ways it’s easier; you’re sufficiently stretched out at this point to take him inside of you, and the combination of blood and semen’s added second and third coats of lubrication.
But then he’s rougher; there’s no preamble, no brief moments of letting you adjust to the intrusion.  He goes hard and fast on your torn and bruised insides, and this time he doesn’t say a word.  All you hear are beast-like grunts as he pulls you onto him.
Just finish.  Please just finish and get it over with, you think as your cries become hoarse, and then nothing more than pathetic whimpers.  That in itself seems to spur him on, how much he’s wearing you out and taking you to the very limits of what you can handle. 
You collapse the rest of the way onto your front, panting and sweaty, and you shut your eyes when you can sense he’s almost done, shuddering as his thrusts become more erratic and he finally–thankfully–comes, filling you up a second time and you could cry with the relief of it.
He holds on for a moment, as if trying to make sure as much of him as possible stays inside of you as he settles down, his front against your back, his breath against the nape of your neck.  And then he pulls out and you wonder if this is how it feels when a person who’s just been stabbed feels the knife leave their body right before you sense him turn and fall onto his back against the sheets.
You remain on your front,  the side of your face resting on your forearm as you just don’t have it in you to move again.  You just hope that Feyd-Rautha’s finally done for the night.  You turn your head to the other side to look at him and confirm.
His penis looks a lot less intimidating when it’s soft and resting against his thigh.  You watch his chest rise and fall and briefly think about running a hand over it, and long the ridges of his abdomen even as you can’t say you’re proud of yourself for the instinct.  He just seems almost docile now, reclining on his back, after he’s rutted inside of you twice. It's almost like wanting to pet a sedated dog that had been trying to bite you.  You watch him raise one leg slightly, enough to bend his knee, and you notice more scars along his inner thigh that are even paler than the rest of him.  They don’t look recent, but not as old as the ones on his back.
He turns his head and looks at you, and reaches out, bringing a hand to your backside, lazily caressing a cheek before bringing his palm down in a hard smack.  He smirks at how the soft flesh jiggles and at your responding yelp.
“It was right there,” he says by way of explanation.  You’re tired enough that you can’t help but snicker as you keep your head pillowed on your forearms and try to focus on the softness of the sheets under you rather than the unrelenting ache between your legs.  You look at each other, him likely surveying the damage as you catalog him in what is probably the closest he ever gets to a relaxed state.
“Can you stand?” Feyd-Rautha asks after a moment.
You’re not entirely sure you can move your legs.  “In a moment, maybe,” you admit.
“Then take a moment,” he says.  “Then you can call your girl to take you back to your quarters.”
You get up on your forearms to get a better look at him.  “You’re sending me away?” you ask.  You don’t mean the hurt tone in your voice.  Not that you even want to stay the night, but his dismissal feels insulting.  You’re the one whose insides are sore and bleeding, after all.  Is he not even going to give you more time to recover and just relax here?  Maybe kiss you one last time?  
“It’s more practical if I do,” he says.  “I’ll be up a few hours before you tomorrow.”  His tone is so matter-of-fact that any trace of intimacy over the past couple of minutes dissipates into thin air and you remember who you’re with.
“Right.”  You look over at your clothes on the dresser.  You wince at the effort, but turn to your side and sit up facing away from him.  You can feel his stare burning into your back.
You wince as you sit forward and try to get your limbs to coordinate with you as you shift your legs.
You look down at the sheets and wonder if Feyd-Rautha’s going to have someone come in to clean them immediately after you leave.
No, you realize.  He’ll have someone come in to put down new ones, certainly, but he’ll be holding on to the bloodied sheets.  They’ll serve as a trophy, proof that he deflowered the heiress to the House of Y/H.
You don’t look back at your new husband as you get up, shakily at first, needing to hold onto the bed to stabilize you.
You need to walk gingerly, and the feel of Feyd-Rautha watching your discomfort makes it worse.  You feel tears build again, this time from anger.  You think to yourself that you might’ve been able to handle everything else tonight better if he were a little kinder to you afterwards, and gave you something to temper the roughness as he’d prepared you beforehand.  And here he is smugly watching the pain you’re in because of him, congratulating himself on how he wrecked your virgin cunt.
This is fucking undignified.  I’m part of a Major House, too, you think as you pull on your chemise and step into your slippers.  Finally you’ve decided that you’re not going to let this insult pass and turn to him.  He’s sitting up, his knees drawn up and his arms wrapped loosely around them as he watches you and that somehow makes it even worse.  “Is this amusing for you?” you demand, thinking, Of course it is, you stupid girl.  He and his kind get off on this sort of thing.
He looks neither embarrassed nor smug, but leans forward a little as he considers you.  “You did well tonight,” he says. 
“Thank you, Na-Baron,” you say coldly as you reach for your robe.  
“I like it when you call me husband,” he adds, and you glance back at him.  “That’s what you should call me when we’re alone together.”
You look at him a moment longer.  You realize that this is just about the closest he can get to being kind to you, at least tonight.  Whatever tenderness he’d shown when he first touched you was to serve his own purpose.  Now that he’s taken what he wants there’s nothing else to give you.  It’s not even intentional cruelty on his part, you don’t think.  It’s just the absence of everything else.
With a resigned sigh you pull on your robe and give him a curt nod.  “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow, husband,” you tell him, pad over to the door, and open it just far enough to see Idrisa standing post just outside.  You head into the hallway and shut the door behind you without another word or glance backwards.
“How much of that were you able to hear?” you ask her.  
She tries to spare you.  “The walls are thick, Na-Baroness,” she says, and you’re even more grateful for the short distance to your chambers than you’d been before.
At your bedside you notice that there’s a jug of water and a glass, then beside them a dish.  You head for it to inspect closer and it turns out there are two small white tablets.  You turn to look at her.
Idrisa shrugs one shoulder.  “Part of the benefits of being promoted to your attendant,” she says.  “I felt it would be safer to take precautions and assume you’d need pain relief after…” she trails off, realizing there is no polite way to say getting fucked hard for the first time by a man who delights in your pain and just repeats, “after.  I spoke with a Healer who agreed that it would be safer to plan for that.”
As you reach for a tablet she adds quickly, “I wouldn’t take more than half if I were you.”
You pause, the tablet to your mouth.  “Why?” you ask.
She hesitates.  “I wasn’t sure how severe your pain would be afterwards,” she says.  “I really didn’t know how to predict so I requested two tablets.  Looking at you now, half a tablet should suffice.”
You look down at the dish and then back at her.  Just how badly did you think tonight would go for me? you want to ask, but then realize that there are some questions you don’t actually want answers to.  
You smile at her in gratitude, snap the tablet in half, and wash it down with the offered water.  “Will it help me sleep?” you ask.
She inclines her head in the affirmative.  “Now let’s get you cleaned up and ready for bed,” she says.  
“It’s alright.  I can handle the rest myself,” you tell her.
Her brow furrows and she frowns.  “It’s my duty to look after you,” she says.  
“I understand, but right now I need to be alone,” you tell her.
She looks nervous, as if her dismissal is some kind of failure on her part and something for which she’ll be punished later.
“You’ve done a great job,” you tell her.  “But the best way to take care of me tonight is to let me do this myself.”
“Whatever you wish, Na-Baroness,” she says finally.  “Good night, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
……………..
You pad over to the bathroom and a minute later find yourself sitting on the edge of your bathtub with a warm, wet towel in one hand as you inch up the hem of your chemise with the other.  
You wince at the first press of the towel against your tender skin.  You don’t want to look directly at the damage, wishing you still had hair down there to obscure some of it.  You shut your eyes as you wipe around your inner thighs.  You wipe directly between your legs and the sharp bite of the pain makes you briefly double over.  After a moment you look down at the used towel; there’s not as much blood as you thought, as it feels like it was spilled out of you, but you’re going to have to wring it out and start over if you want to feel clean.  Maybe you won’t feel clean again.
The reality of it all hits you, sharply, and you feel like you’ve been stabbed and a part of you realizes that the worst is yet to come.
For the first time since finding out you would be linked to Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, you break down and cry.
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afternoonsociety · 1 year
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*ೃ༄ The Sound of Two Different Hearts - Part Two - Neteyam x Human!Fem!Reader
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warnings: fluff, neteyam denying his feelings, so does Y/N, mentions the word blood, neytiri being a bit mean, Tuk being a „cockblock“, but not really because she is cute
please excuse any errors, English is not my first language. I hope you like part two
word count: 5k
synopsis: Y/N and Neteyam become closer during a feast for the Iknimaya of the other clan members, but both are oblivious to their hints and feelings.
— Part One — Part Two — Part Three — Part Four
Other websites: ao3 // wattpad
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The group arrives with the injured Y/N at the Omatikaya clan. Neteyam helped her down and escorted her in the direction of the Tsahík's tent, but the two were stopped by his father Jake. He stood directly in front of them, put his hand on his son's chest to signal him to stop, and called to his other son who was still standing with Miles by his ikran. "What do you think you're doing? Disobeying my orders and just going to this place?" "Dad," Lo'ak tried to interrupt, but this one was of no use. "Don't even get me started Lo'ak. I expected better from my children and even more so from my eldest son" At the same time he looked at Nete with a deadly gaze. "Tuk told me where you were going and that it was your idea, Lo'ak!" turning to his youngest son. "I'm really disappointed in both of you and then for you to drag two others into this is even worse. What's actually going through your little brains?"
This time Nete tried to interrupt his father and save his little brother from his anger. "Dad, it's my fault" he hung his head low. "I should have been more persistent. I should have made them understand better that it was too dangerous and I should have taken more care of Y/N. Then she wouldn't be hurt now either."
Jake's eyes suddenly got big and his ears started to twitch. In his fury, he hadn't noticed the girl in his son's arms. He gently grabbed her shoulder and examined her. When he saw the claw wounds on her back, he immediately called Kiri over to help her to Mo'at. But before she arrived, Y/N grabbed Jake's arm. "Jake, it was my fault. Everything was going fine. Neteyam had been checking to see if there was any danger, but there was nothing. If I hadn't just run away, none of this would have happened. Please, it was my fault" He just gave her a dismissive nod before a loud shout of her name rang out. "Y/N! Are you alright?" Kiri came running up and looked at her with concern. "Just a little scratch," the young human woman tried to play it down. Kiri turned her around and looked at her back. "That's not just a little scratch, Y/N. That looks like you were attacked by a thanator!" Y/N pressed her lips together and gave her an affirmative nod. "Say, are you three nuts! How can you just stand there like that when she's hurt. You're all so stupid!" "Kiri, it's fine. Can we patch me up now, please?" Y/N reassured her and they both walked to the entrance of the hut. `Teyam wanted to follow her but his father wasn't finished with him yet.
In Mo'at's tent, Kiri set Y/N down on a wooden stool, which was placed in the center. The Tsahík, came out of the shadows and asked, "What happened to the human child?" It was not meant derogatory towards Y/N, that's just what Mo'at had always called her. She liked the human because she didn't see any bad intentions in her either. Tuk, who had followed the two chirped in, "She was attacked, by a palulukan, grandmother" Mo'at then continued to walk towards the seated Y/N and grabbed the t-shirt rags. "I see, you know child not everyone survives an attack like that. Even our warriors succumb to the injuries of such an animal. You must have been very lucky" "No luck. I had Neteyam" she replied. Neteyam the mighty warrior. Her mighty warrior. The Tsahík then gave a `hmm` and gestured Kiri over to her. "Kiri, I want you to take care of her. I'm sure you're prepared already" Kiri nodded briefly and began to gather her things. She looked for several herbs and ointments which were distributed in differently woven baskets. Suddenly the curtain, which served as a door, moved and the head of Nete came to light. "Is she well?" asked the young warrior.
Mo'at replied, "She's fine, it's just surface scratches, not too deep. Kiri will take good care of her, but you have to wait outside. She needs concentration" Kiri had tried to pull the blood soaked shirt over her head in that time and a painful moan from Y/N followed. Neteyam's head snapped in the direction of the sound.
"B-But I want to be there. She's in pain."
"I said Kiri needs concentration and the human child needs rest. You wait outside"
With that the might word was spoken and `Teyam left the tent with a sigh.
While the Na'vi girl took care of Y/N, a conversation occurred outside between Neytiri and her husband.
"Don't you see, Jake? She could have put our children in danger"
"It was an accident, Neytiri"
"Yes, an accident Eywa caused as another sign that humans don't belong here. She just wanted to keep the balance and saw her as a threat"
Jake was getting tired of listening to all of this. Of course he knew of his wife's opinion and that she was unhappy that he still kept this "monkey", as Neytiri referred to her, with him. But it was just an accident that could have happened to anyone.
"Neytiri, please. It was an accident. You saved me quite a few times too, when I was new to it all. Don't forget that I was once human too"
"That's different" Jake just shook his head. "It's nothing different. I was like a baby to you that had to be taught everything. Y/N grew up with Spider here and they've been through a lot. Just look at them then like toddlers who didn't know any better yet" `Tiri was stunned by her mate's statement, how could he yell at his own children, like that and then come to the defense of the two monkey kids. She was fed up with the conversation, but it wasn't over yet. With a slight hiss, she retreated. Jake grimaced, in reaction to her behavior. Sometimes he was really afraid of his wife.
Tuk continued to worry about Y/N and took her hand to show her that she was there for her. She was sorry to see her human sister - that's how she liked to look at her - in such a state. Of course, she had witnessed this before when her brothers were once again injured, but with Y/N it was different. Tuktirey had grown up with her. Ever since she could remember back, Y/N had always been there. And Y/N was always the only one who wanted to play with her when her brothers were annoyed with Tuk again.
The care of the wound hurt a lot and Y/N pressed Tuk Tuk's hand again and again if the burning became too strong. When Kiri finally finished applying the ointments, she made something like a bandage out of certain leaves and wrapped her upper body with it. After a short time, the herbs began to work and Y/N was able to put on her ragged t-shirt again on her own.
Nete racked his brains about how she was doing in the meantime. He was glad to have been there. He would never have been able to cope with it if something worse had happened to Y/N. His Y/N. His head rose when he noticed that Y/N came out of the tent of the Tsahík and immediately ran towards her. Kiri tried to brush him off. "She needs rest Neteyam. Let her."
"It's all good Kiri, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't be standing next to you right now. My strong warrior saved me" she said with a smirk in her tone. `Teyam's ears perked up and he felt that warmth in his body again. She had called him, her strong warrior. He wanted to grab his cheeks, as he could have sworn they were now purple from her statement.
"If you need anything, you know where to find me, Y/N" Kiri replied to her and made her way to the other Na'vi women in the clan.
But before any of them could say anything, Jake intervened again with Miles and Lo'ak in tow. "I think it's better if you go home for the day. A lot has happened and you need to rest, Y/N" Miles and Y/N nodded and went on their way. "And you two will be grounded for a week for your actions today, just so we're clear about that." he added again, pointing his finger at his two sons.
For Y/N and Miles, the day was as good as over. Y/N just wanted to go to bed and sleep and Miles just wanted to go home, that was enough action for him today too. When they entered the lab, the scientists were already waiting for them. Norm immediately ran towards the door when he saw Y/N. "What kind of stuff are you doing, Y/N?" he asked. "Do you actually know how worried I was when Jake let us know you were hurt?", Mary came to her side and took her in her arms. "I can imagine, but I'm better Kiri took good care of me. I guess the shock was worse than the actual injury" Y/N said "Let me look at it again please though. Come" She led Y/N to a doctor's room and began to examine her. There was no doubt that the Omatikaya medication would not work, but Mary's maternal instinct would not let her go and wanted to examine the her herself.
In the aftermath, there was no punishment for the two young adults, but it was stated with an cautioning tone that they shouldn't pull another stunt like that in the near future and that their adventures can wait.
It took a few days for Y/N to recover and stand on both legs again. The herbal paste had helped her very well. Nevertheless, she preferred to stay at home for a few more days to be really sure that she had recovered. Miles, on the other hand, had already decided to return to the forest after two days. He was also the messenger between the two sides, telling the Sully family every day that she was already feeling better. During the time Y/N spent at home, she was allowed to help out in the labs and she was finally able to digitize her new notes from her little book. Furthermore, there was another new achievement of the researchers. They had done several tests and invented a new type of respirator. Instead of a mask like the conventional exopack, they had now invented an oxygen nasal cannula that would deliver enough oxygen to the body without the need to place a mask on the face, tightly enclosing the nose and mouth. It was only a prototype but the researchers were sure if they worked more on it, it would come to a new breakthrough and provide more freedom of movement. This type of device consists of a lightweight tube which on one end splits into two prongs which are placed in the nostrils and from which a mixture of air and oxygen flows. The other end of the tube is connected to an oxygen supply as a portable oxygen generator, that could be placed on the hip just like the exopack.
Y/N was the first to find out about it, as Miles once again strayed somewhere. Norm came to her room one afternoon to show her the new device. She was very excited for him and his research colleagues that they had discovered a new way to provide oxygen to the body. Norm also asked her in the same moment that she be allowed to test it first, but they were not sure yet that it would work consistently, so she would have to keep her actual exopack with her at all times. She felt honored and accepted the opportunity directly. She would have loved to show it to her friends right away. The thought immediately brought Neteyam to her mind. She had missed him very much and couldn't wait to show him. It would be the first time he could see her face properly.
"Norm, can I go out today?" she asked while playing with her hands in her lap.
„Are you feeling any better?"
"Yes much better, it doesn't hurt anymore."
"Well then, nothing can stop you now. Go on, but this time come back without any injuries," he encouraged her and Y/N quickly got up to gather her things.
In the meantime, the Omatikaya clan also experienced a sense of achievement. This year, especially many young people had reached the age for the rite of passage to begin. It's a ritual phase that every young Na'vi must go through, wether it be to be an aspiring warrior to a practitioner of amor making. Once the Na'vi enter into the intermediate phase of adulthood, they will undergo training in their desired skill they wish to focus on. They are taught by a senior member of the clan. Once they completed their first kill, like Neteyam did when he killed the sturmbeest, their rite of passage begins. They must tame a banshee, the Iknimaya rite, by roping an Ikran and preforming the bond to tame it before having them fly. After this they must seek their spirit animal in the dream hunt. Once the young Na'vi has completed all of their tasks and training, they are then honored with a ceremony in which they will be inducted and considered as an adult among the Omatikaya.
For the clan members, the large number of adolescents was a sign from Eywa that the losses of the last decade were being recovered. Which is why they decided to hold an especially large feast today. After the now adult Na'vi were allowed to make their bows from the Hometree, the preparations began. At first, Neytiri was against Miles and Y/N being allowed to participate in the festivities. But after a long struggle and persuasion of her youngest daughter she had given in.
The arrangements were already in full swing and Kiri's plan to finally get Neteyam to confess his feelings to Y/N was getting closer and closer. While she had already gone through the rite and kept out of everything, she got the idea to dress Y/N like a real Na'vi at the festivities. Already a few days ago she searched together with Tuktirey for materials to make clothes for her. They came to the decision, since Y/N did not feel comfortable to show herself so freely in front of the Omatikaya - which they somehow did not understand, but Kiri then remembered that humans felt the sensation of shame - to make a top that would cover her chest best. It consisted of small green hollow rods arranged horizontally, from a shrub that was used to make most of the garments. In the middle, they decorated it with colorful beads that Tuk still had with her, from her last trip to explore with Y/N.
For the clothing for her lower area, they decided on a normal loincloth, just like they would wear. If Y/N felt too uncomfortable in it as well, she would still have the option to leave her underwear on.
They also prepared a blue color paste that resembled the blue of the Na'vi to give her the distinctive stripes as well, as Spider always wore them. For the hair, Tuk had come up with something. Since she wasn't very good at braiding yet, she wanted to only braid a few small braids in her hair, which she would then decorate with feathers.
Y/N barged right in the middle of the preparations. All the members quickly scurried from one place to another so they would be ready in time. Y/N admired the graceful movements, they almost looked like rehearsed choreography. Kiri noticed the unfamiliar contrast between all the tall blue people and quickly pulled Y/N out of the crowd to join her. "There you are, we missed you so much", she replied and pressed her human friend very tightly against her, so much that Y/N had to tap her several times on the arm, so that Kiri did not crush her. Kiri could only laugh, sometimes she forgot that she is not like her. "Come along. Tuk and I have a surprise for you".
Thus she pulled Y/N with her up a root to drag her along into a hut.
"Y/N!" exclaimed Tuktirey with excitement. "Tuk Tuk and I have thought of an idea. Since today is the feast and you're back here for the first time after your accident, we decided to dress you up like us. Look" said Kiri with full anticipation and Tuk pulled a cloth away from a stool to reveal the beautiful handmade clothes. For Y/N, it was an honor to be given this opportunity and she was thrilled. "Oh no, how great. Thank you!" and without hesitation Y/N began to undress and the two girls helped her put on the Na'vi clothes. After Y/N looked herself over she almost got tears in her eyes. It was unusual for her, but she never felt so beautiful as she did now. Next came the hair and Tuk put extra effort into it. Now it was Kiri's turn again and she started to paint the stripes on her body with the color paste. The paste was cold and Y/N started to shiver when Kiris fingers touched her body. "Now you have to hold your breath for a moment. I still have to paint your face"
"I don't have to do that now" the human said. Kiri was confused. Humans could not breathe the air on Pandora. So why shouldn't she have to hold her breath now? "What do you mean?"
"Wait I'll show you" thereupon Y/N took out of her pocket a device that reminded Kiri of the exopack Y/N had hanging on her hip, but it looked different. "This is a new device to breathe. With this the annoying mask is finally gone. Norm gave it to me to try out."
Y/N took in one last deep breath of air in the mask before taking it off her head and setting it aside. She then took the nasal cannula and placed it in her nostrils, placed the two tubes over her ears and then turned on the device. The first breath was unusual but hadn't felt any different. "Wow, how cool is that?" exclaimed Tuk, sitting down right next to Y/N. "And you can breathe normally through that? There's really nothing happening?" asked Kiri. "The way I understood Norm, yes. I'm supposed to try it out and I thought I'd show you guys first" The girls were happy to finally see their human friend's face without a mask. Tuk couldn't stop herself from touching her face and started to giggle while doing so.
Kiri continued with the painting and when she was finally finished, she let out a little comment. "Neteyam will like the outfit for sure and even more when he will see you without the mask for the first time. His eyes will probably fall out, as beautiful as you look" The girls laughed and Y/N's cheeks turned all red. Would he really like her like that? If that was true, then she would definitely wear this more often. But then the doubts came again. "Oh Kiri, Nete does only like me as a friend and no more. Please don't picture more there. Some day he will be the Olo'eyktan of you and for this he needs a strong Na'vi woman at his side and not me" Kiri was sure, however, that the two had more than just friendly feelings for each other. Even if they thought that they would be secretive about it, it was not so. It felt like everyone who was even near the two of them saw it. "Sure, haven't you seen the way he looks at you? The way he talks to you? Or the way he touches you like you're about to break?" Kiri made the signs clear to her, but deep inside she still didn't want to believe it. Kiri noticed Y/N looking down at the floor with a sad expression. "Just get out there and you'll see I'm right. He will only have eyes for you"
It was slowly becoming evening, the pandora sun was beginning to set and the festivities were starting to begin. Several fires were lit over which the food from the hunt was grilled. There was singing, there was dancing. But most of all, there was simply celebration that more than a dozen of the Omatikaya teenagers were now finally adults. Neteyam celebrated his friends, but when he saw Y/N in Na'vi clothing leaving a tent by the tree, he only had eyes for her. He could hardly have imagined that she could be more beautiful than usual. Yet it was possible. She was breathtaking. Seeing her simply embrace and respect the ways and culture of his clan only made her more beautiful. He was sure she must be a gift from Eywa herself. As if hypnotized, he walked up to her and when he suddenly stood in front of her, he suddenly became quite shy.
"Hey," he greeted her. At first he didn't even notice that she wasn't wearing a mask, but when she started to speak, he noticed that her voice was clear and understandable and wasn't muffled as usual.
„Hey, `Teyam"
"Y-you're not wearing your mask. Can you breathe normally with that thing in your nose?" She laughed. Her beautiful smile reappeared and that just for him. "Yes, it's a new invention. It's supposed to become an alternative. But that's not so important now, what do you think of my outfit?"
"You look beautiful. Let me see you" Then he took her hand and turned her once so he could see her beauty completely. At his compliment, her face became all rosy again and she felt a tingling feeling in her stomach. "Would you like to dance? Or eat something?" he asked her, still enclosing her hand with his big one.
"I'd love to celebrate, but I haven't seen you in so long and I'd rather spend some time with you. Let's go to our place, shall we?" she suggested. In this sight he couldn't deny her any wish and pulled her directly with him. They had to walk a while but soon they arrived at the meadow, which they named as their place.
At night, the meadow looked even more beautiful than during the day, even if you could see the sunrise from there, the luminous plants, which sparkled in several colors were much more dazzling. The two found a secluded corner behind a tree trunk and sat down. Y/N was magically drawn to the glimmering plants and couldn't resist tapping a leaf. Her finger twitched back for a moment, but as soon as the neon pink color spread across the leaf she couldn't help herself and had to touch it one more time. For Neteyam, each time was like watching a child discover for the first time that the plants here respond to touch. He considered for a brief moment before reaching out and touching her cheek with his finger. Like the plant, Y/N's cheek turned red and filled with warmth. She flinched from her friend's unfamiliar touch. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. But it looked too inviting" he quipped. "That's all right"
"This thing looks much better than the mask. I can touch your face with this for the first time" he gushed to himself. She could only smile sheepishly. "And does it feel like you imagined?"
"Much softer" He continued touching her. This time her other cheek, then he stroked her forehead, the bridge of her nose and then her lips. He hesitated, but after a long heavy breath, he touched those too. First her upper lip, over her cupid's bow, then to her lower lip. The moment just felt magical. Y/N got goosebumps all over her body and Neteyam pulled his hand back to touch her arm. He had never seen anything like this before. He stroked her arm and the little hairs stood up. "What's that?" he asked. "That's goose bumps. People get that when they're cold or when they're excited. Then these little bumps appear."
"Are you cold?" he continued to ask. She laughed and he was confused. "No, `Teyam. The touch of you had caused that" He made an ‚Ahh‘ sound, he understood. "Can I touch you too?" now she asked. He nodded his head slowly and she moved closer so that her knee touched his leg. If he had been a human, he would have gotten goosebumps now, too.
She was doing the same movements as he was. She stroked his marks on his forehead, on his cheek and stroked his nose. He closed his eyes and enjoyed her touch. She noticed for the first time how beautiful he looked in the light of the glowing plants. His little freckles, how they sparkled in a light white-blue. He was a beautiful. She had nothing more to add. If only there wasn't her cowardice that prevented her from kissing him now. She would do anything for a kiss, but the fear that he would not feel the same was just too great. As a result, she asked him something else. "May I touch your fangs?" He opened his eyes and hesitated for a moment, but allowed her to continue touching him. She changed her position and sat in his lap. To him, it felt strange to have someone else so close and touching his teeth, but at the same time, her warm hands felt so welcoming. Her face came closer to his and and he would have loved to kiss her as well as she looked. How she examined him with curiosity and large pupils. But the thought that they were from two different worlds became prominent again and the same depressing thought flashed through his mind again, that the two of them didn't belong together.
He rather tried to focus on something else, like the tree in the background with long vines hanging from it.
But his body betrayed him as his tail began to twitch and lightly tapped the grass beneath them. Y/N eyes averted at his movement and her gaze fell on his tail swaying from side to side. He tried to control his body, but it was just too hard when one of the most beautiful creatures was sitting on his lap.
Her hand moved in the direction of his tail and when she touched it, he only started twitching more. She let her hand slide over it until she got to the soft end. Neteyam's stomach felt strange at that moment, like there were lots of little crawlers moving around in his stomach. She lifted the tail slowly and stroked the black hair. "It feels all fluffy," she remarked. His whole body began to stiffen when she started to play with the fine hairs. He never felt this way, when he was with other girls from his clan. This was different. Not that he was often with other girls, but every now and then they came to admire him. Only for one reason, though. Because he was a great warrior. Now he only wanted to be her warrior. He would love to save her again, just to get that one sentence from her again. "My strong warrior"
He whispered her name very softly, barely audible. She let go of him and looked Nete in his eyes. His pupils were quite large, from the darkness and from the excitement of her touch. Without another word, the two took each other in their arms. They lingered for a moment, but to them it felt like an eternity. His big arms encircled her body and she snuggled against him. They both felt each other's heartbeat. At first they were fast, but over time the heartbeats became calmer and beat almost in unison with each other.
Unexpectedly, Y/N's shoulder began to tickle. She first tried to get rid of it with a movement, but then it also tickled her other shoulder, then her head. And only shortly after that, Neteyam started to squirm as well. The two interrupted their embrace and looked around.
Around them, in the time of their closeness, have gathered many small woodsprites, atokirina. Who decided to rest on the two of them. "Wow, look Neteyam," Y/N exclaimed as she raised her hand and played with the little flying seeds. Her eyes reflected the white little lights. That was the last sign Neteyam needed, if even Eywa gave them a sign and blessed them, then it must be true. Then Y/N must feel the same as he did. Now he would just have to take the last step.
He took her chin between his fingers and turned her head in his direction. He would have to do it now. He wouldn't get this chance again anytime soon. He brought her face closer to his. His lips ghosted over hers. But before he could really kiss her, a voice rang out from the bushes behind them. "Y/N, Neteyam, food is ready!" And Y/Ns eyes shifted away from him as she looked into the distance. She smiled as Tuktirey came running to get them to eat.
`Teyam winced when he heard his little sister's voice. She really knew how to destroy special moments. Y/N then jumped of his lap and came towards Tuk. "Come on, Neteyam. Otherwise Lo'ak will eat everything!"
Thus, his chance was probably gone. Still, he now had certainty that Eywa would also approve if he liked her as more than a friend.
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