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sometimesanalice · 1 month

Text

Between Friends

Summary: Bradley and you don’t talk about that Spring Break. But a single question asked during a night out at the Hard Deck might just change things between the two of you forever.

Pairing: Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x Female Reader

Length: 11K

Warning: smut (including loss of virginity), brief mention of underage drinking, and college!bradley in a backwards hat

(Author's note: Happy Birthday Jordan! I wrote this just for you! Look at me keeping secrets from you! Enjoy!)

𝐍𝐎𝐖

Rooster couldn’t control his bouncing leg.

That night at the Hard Deck had started out like any other: good music, good drinks, good people. Over the course of the evening, he’d found himself seated between you and Bob in a lopsided circle with the rest of the Daggers around a few tall tables that had been pushed together just shooting the shit.

It was all fun and games until swapping stories about embarrassing middle school moments turned into cringing over first kiss stories turned into Seresin grinning like a shark asking about how everyone’s first time went down.

Rooster felt his pulse kick up with every collective laugh and groan as his friends went one by one sharing how they’d lost their virginities. Because with each passing story, it meant that you were one person closer to going. And for the first time in his life- even after over two decades of friendship- he didn’t know what your answer was going to be.

So he is just as shocked as his teammates are when you tentatively reveal, “So, um, my first time was with Rooster.” He doesn’t miss the way all his friends’ heads snap towards him.

All eyes are on the two of you, and you’re pointedly looking anywhere but him.

Rooster had been anxiously waiting to hear the story of your first official time, the one that was with someone who wasn’t him. He didn’t realize that you still considered him your first. He’d figured that part of your history had long been overwritten by whoever had been lucky enough to catch your eye and make your heart race in a romantic way.

The two of you had never talked about it in the after.

Not once, not ever.

He didn’t care that people knew, he just wasn’t expecting it.

Jake starts the group out of its stunned silence by slapping a heavy hand on top of the table, nearly sending some bottles to the floor, “I knew it! I knew y’all couldn’t have been friends all this time and not have tried it out at least once.”

“Jesus Christ, dude, chill,” Javy mutters. He’s always been the better of the two about reading the room.

Trying to spare you from being put on the spot even more than you already were now, Rooster mumbles through the way he’d lost his to a girl from his AP Econ class after a playoff baseball game.

He stares at the way you’re nervously picking at the label of the Blue Moon he’d grabbed for you when he went to get a refill of his own. He can practically hear the way your brain is buzzing. He wonders if you wish you could take back the words from where they are sitting on the table with the collection of bottles and peanut shells for everyone to see.

Bob being the team player that he is starts talking about how he’d lost his one summer in college to another camp counselor, going into more detail than he’s ever given before, probably trying to redirect the attention to himself to give the two of you a moment to regroup.

Rooster makes a mental note to tell Penny to put all of Bob’s cream sodas from now on on his own tab.

He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do here. Or where to look. Or where to put his hands. He wants to talk to you, but there’s no good way for him to go about it without drawing even more attention to the two of you.

You were supposed to be going on a first date tonight, but he’d talked you into canceling to hang out with him instead. He likes having all of your attention on him. And maybe he’s been a little selfish with you, because he doesn’t like to share you with anyone else. You’ve always been his best friend.

Rooster likes that he gets to talk to you whenever he wants now, and that it doesn’t feel like a never-ending game of catch up anymore. In the year since the Uranium mission, he’d felt like all the fragmented pieces of his life had finally come together. He’d reconnected with Mav, he was living in the same city as his best friend, and he had a place he could finally call home.

He didn’t just want the highlights with you, he wanted everything in between too. There’s no more distance due to time zones and scheduling times to call because now you only live 20 minutes away from him. And the next time he comes home from a deployment, he knows he’ll get to look forward to seeing you there waiting for him.

He feels like he’s learned so much more about the grown-up version of you over the last year than he has in the last ten.

Jake jumps in barely a breath after Bob finishes telling his story. “Well, we all know it’s not the first who matters, but who was the best.” Rooster doesn’t trust the gleam in his eyes or the sharp smile on his face. “Since Bradshaw cut you off before, how’s about you go first this time, darlin’. You can tell us about who knocked your socks off. Maybe this time he’ll let you finish, if you know what I mean.”

It’s thinly veiled snooping disguised as chivalry, and it doesn’t fool anyone. Nat’s eyes dart to him briefly, trying to get a read on him.

He’d been 21 at the time. And while he knows more now that he did then, he also knows his name isn’t going to be coming out of your mouth for a second time tonight.

Rooster takes a sip of his beer, needing something to do.

He knows you’ve been with other people. You’d lived with your ex for over a couple years, for fuck's sake. But it was like an unspoken agreement between the two of you to not talk about your sex lives with each other.

His leg starts bouncing again and he realizes he really doesn’t want to hear this. Not because of his ego, but because he doesn’t know what to do about the knot that’s formed in his stomach.

Your mouth opens and closes a couple times before you speak, “That title would also go to Rooster.” The admission is soft, but sure.

Where his heart had been pounding before, now it feels like it had stopped completely.

It’s been 13 years since that Spring Break. 13 years and he’s still your best?

Barely five minutes ago, he hadn’t known where to look. But now? Now he couldn’t stop staring at you.

He just didn’t understand why you still wouldn’t look at him back.

𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊, 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟎

When you’d floated the idea by Bradley about visiting him at UVA for Spring Break during your weekly phone call, you’d been braced for the disappointment of him already having plans. It was his Senior year, it wouldn’t surprise you if he wanted to go out with a bang and make the most of it. Especially since he would belong to the Navy soon enough.

But he’d taken you by surprise when he started enthusiastically listing off all the places he wanted to show you, planning out your trip like a well-seasoned travel agent before you’d even booked a plane ticket.

You’d started looking up airfare before you’d even hung up the phone. And thirty minutes later you had a confirmation email flagged in your inbox after elatedly charging that aisle seat to the credit card you only used for emergencies.

It had been close to a year since you’d last seen him. He usually spent his Winter Break with your family, but this year he’d stayed on campus for the holidays and it was the longest the two of you had ever been apart since you’d first met him when you were 8.

And maybe that’s why it took you so long to spot him in the Arrivals area of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport.

You’ve always prided yourself in being able to pick Bradley out of a crowd anywhere, but in your cursory glance you hadn’t recognized the tall, broad guy with the UVA shirt pulled taut across his chest and wearing a baseball hat backward on his head. It wasn’t until your third searching pass that you’d caught the lips that were quirked up in amusement and those familiar brown eyes trained on you as he leaned ever-so-casually against the faux wood paneling on the wall waiting for you to notice him.

He’d filled out in the months since you’d last seen him. He was more toned than you remembered him being with definition in places where there hadn’t been before. His face had more distinct angles and less baby fat cushioned curves. Still a bit boyish, but he was well on his way to looking like a man.

Bradley raised his hand like he was going to wave, but then he’d mimicked casting a fishing line in your direction and reeling it in. And it was so endearingly stupid- so him- that you couldn’t help but take the bait and made your way towards him with the biggest grin on your face.

You’d ignored the jittery flutter in your stomach as you’d weaved between people and luggage. You’ve never been nervous around your best friend before. There was something that had on your mind a lot as the days to your visit inched closer, but you’d shoved that out of your mind, because you were finally standing in front of him in person for the first time in months.

“Hey, kid,” he’d greeted you, taking your bag, “Charlottesville must have known you were coming, because she’s going to be sunny for you all week.” As soon as you were within arm’s reach, he tugged you right into his chest for a hug. You could feel the unspoken I missed you in the way he squeezed you just that bit tighter before releasing you.

Then he was dropping an arm over your shoulders and steering you towards the exit and driving you into town in the beat-up car he’d bought after selling his prized Montero, the car that Mav had given him for his birthday.

You’re only there for a week and Bradley doesn’t waste a single moment of it.

After dropping your things off in his dorm room, he takes you straight to campus where he gives you the Official Bradley Bradshaw Certified UVA Tour. He buys you lunch from one of the food trucks in the Amphitheater “for sustenance” before taking you to see the highlights. You start with the Rotunda and then the academic village, making a special pitstop at the Whispering Wall for you to tell it a secret. And then he takes you on a more historical tour, like showing you the exact route he used to streak The Lawn and pointing out the place he’d puked after his 21st birthday.

It’s clear he’d put so much thought into your visit because it seems like there is never a down moment. By the end of the third day you’re more surprised that you don't wake up every morning with a printed itinerary on your pillow.

He sneaks you into the Slaughter Rec Center to rock climb, claiming he had a person on the inside with the right connections. But really from what you could tell, the pretty girl at the check-in counter clearly had a crush on him. He takes you to the batting cages he likes to go to before Dead Week, and spends the time there equal parts making fun of your power swing and trying to fix it.

You get your revenge the next day standing outside of the imposing columns and massive doors to the Fralin Art Museum. Skeptically eyeing the sculpture in the front of the building that kind of looked like a giant wisdom tooth, you mentioned, “I didn’t realize you’d become such a patron of the cultural arts.”

“Hey now, I like artsy shit,” he’d said, only mildly affronted.

You snorted at that. “Is there an exhibit on beer pong and blunt rolling you wanted to see?” Through the window you’d spotted some large landscape oil paintings in ornate gilded frames and carved marble busts of what you assumed were probably of some of the Founding Fathers.

“You just missed that one, it was last month,” Bradley lobbed back, opening the door for you.

“What a pity,” you’d said with a dramatic sigh, “Guess we’ll have to settle for some tasteful nudes instead.”

“If we’re lucky,” he’d muttered under his breath, as you passed under his arm.

And then you’d felt the corners of your mouth kick up.

Turning around you’d pressed your finger to his chest, whispering so the person behind the ticket desk didn’t hear you, “Twenty bucks says you don’t make it thirty minutes in there.”

He narrowed his eyes, taking in your sly grin, “You’re on, kid.”

It’s the easiest $20 you’ve ever made.

The two of you call it a truce only after he tips your kayak into the still chilly Rivanna River.

Later that night, he takes you to a party on “Mad Bowl” that one of his frat friends was hosting. The backyard was all strung up with red and green Christmas lights like they had been too lazy to take them down after the holidays and decided it added to the outdoor ambiance instead of packing them away.

He was still just as protective over you as he was back in high school. Spending the whole night keeping an eye on you and handing you drinks that he’d uncapped himself using the opener that he had on his keychain, the one that still had the little fighter jet charm you’d given him ages ago dangling from it.

The days pass all too quickly as he shows you all of his favorite spots.

You knew UVA wasn’t where he’d originally wanted to be- where he thought he’d be- but you were happy that he seemed happy here.

But in between the late-night microwave ramen and movie watching and crossing off all the things on Bradley’s Spring Break To-Do List, there’d been something you’d been wanting to talk to him about. But you were having so much fun with him, you’d missed your best friend over those long months apart, and you didn’t want to ruin the time you had left with him here.

It lingered at the back of your mind like a phantom hair that you can feel, but can’t ever seem to brush off no matter how many times you attempt to. You felt like you were waiting for the right time that you weren’t sure would ever come. And if you were being honest, you weren’t entirely sure you would even be brave enough to ask if the time came.

The two of you had woken up way before the sun this morning.

If anyone other than Bradley had asked you to wake up before 5 AM to go hike to watch the sunrise, you would have laughed at them. But because it was Bradley, you’d set the alarm without comment. Even though he did have to gently pry you out of his roommate’s bed- with the fresh sheets he told you he bought especially for your visit- and lace up your shoes for you.

The views at Humpback Rock had been worth the hour hike up to the outcrop of craggy rocks. The sunrise painted them a stunning shade of soft orange as the rays illuminated evergreen covered hills and valleys that extended in front of you to the skyline. You and Bradley watched it in silence, shoulders pressed against each other as you took it all in.

You’re cozied up on your bed for the week, flipping through a book you’d brought with you, but hadn’t touched at all until now when Bradley comes back from the showers. His hair is still damp and the ends are starting to curl a bit.

He drops a Styrofoam cup of coffee on the nightstand next to you.

You hadn’t been sure what rooming with him would be like, the two of you together 24/7 since his roommate had left to go home for the break. But it felt like you were two kids at sleepaway camp getting away with mischief rather than two broke college students only pretending to get away with mischief.

He sits down at the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his thighs, “So.”

“So?” you repeat, blowing on the hot coffee before taking a sip.

“Are you going to tell me what’s been up with you?”

You wince, and it’s not because the coffee tastes like tar.

“What do you mean?” you try to ask casually.

Bradley gives you a look that says you don’t fool me, kid. “You’ve been squirrely. I didn’t want to press it, but I can tell there’s something on your mind.” He takes a sip of his own milky battery acid. “Are classes going better since you switched majors?”

You nod, looking anywhere else other than at him.

“How are things with your Dad?”

You offer him a shrug.

He sighs your name in exasperation. You can tell he is trying to tamper his frustration at your lack of cooperation.

“Is it a guy?” Bradley tries again.

You swear you feel your heart stop, because you knew what you wanted to ask him, but you didn’t know how he was going to take it.

You fiddle with a string on his roommate’s comforter. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” you admit, tentatively, “But I’m nervous.”

Bradley’s eyebrows pull together as he sets his coffee aside, “C’mon, it’s just me. You can talk to me about anything.”

“It’s more of a question.” One you’re still deflecting from asking.

“Ok, well you know you can ask me anything.” His tiny dorm room feels even smaller as the two of you try to read the other’s face.

Taking a deep breath, you ask the question that’s been rattling around in your brain for weeks.

“Bradley, I was wondering if you’d be my first?”

Less than ten words. That’s all it takes to tilt Bradley’s world off its axis.

He’s loved getting to show you around UVA this week. It wasn’t where he thought he’d end up, but he hadn’t lost sight of where he was going. He was going to be a Naval Aviator one way or another. He just also got to have a normal college experience too, one he’d been excited to share with you.

Bradley had originally been invited to go stay with one of his friends at his family’s beach house, but when you called and asked about coming to visit Charlottesville, it was an easy choice for him. He’d pick you every time.

It had been even better getting to cross off some of the things on the bucket list he’d made for his Senior Year with you in tow, like the hike he’d taken you on this morning.

He loves the views from up there and thought it would be something you’d like too, but he’d never done the hike early enough to catch the sunrise before. It was actually something he was planning on going the morning of graduation as a symbolic way to end his time at UVA, but getting to do it with you was special in its own way.

And while he’d caught you lost in thought more than a few times over the last few days as he showed you around, he never in a million years would have ever expected you to ask him that.

Bradley knows all the words you just used, but they don’t make sense to him in that order.

His brain is working in overdrive trying to figure out if there is any possible way he could have misinterpreted you.

“Your first…”

You take another deep breath and tip your chin up in resolve before looking him dead in the eye, there’s so much vulnerability reflected in them, “I haven’t had sex before, Bradley. And I’m really hoping that my first time can be with you.”

Bradley wants to tell you to put your Styrofoam cup down because he’s worried the tight grip you have on it might crush it, but he feels like the wind has been knocked out of him.

He didn’t realize when his leg started bouncing until he sees you glance down at it.

Shooting to his feet and off his bed, he goes to lean against his recently decluttered desk. There’s too much restless energy coursing through him to just sit like he isn’t completely reeling.

“Shouldn’t you want to do this with someone special? Like with rose petals and all that shit?” He scrubs a hand over his face. Rose petals and all that shit? God, he sounds like such a fucking dumbass, but he’s struggling to keep up.

And if he’s being entirely honest, he’s pretty surprised to learn you’re still a virgin. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but he knows you’ve had at least one serious boyfriend since you’ve gone to college. He figured that you got asked out all the time. He saw the way that some of the guys in his buddy’s frat were looking at the pretty girl with the dimples and big smile.

The girl who just asked him to be her first.

He hates the way your shoulders have slumped forward, like you’re trying not to cave in on yourself, “So, you don’t want to?”

“I didn’t say that.” His answer takes him by surprise.

The only other sound in the room other than his pounding heart is the whir of the air circulating in his dorm.

“Would it help to make a pro con list?” you offer, less than helpfully with a little shrug.

“Jesus Christ,” Bradley mutters under his breath, looking up at the speckled ceiling trying to decode the flecks like tea leaves. “She’s cracking jokes like she didn’t ask me to make her come.”

“Technically, I didn’t say anything about that. I just asked you to be my first.”

“I’m not taking your virginity and not giving you an orgasm,” he states, and your eyes get wide. He runs his hands through his hair. “Sex makes things complicated, kid. We’ve got a good friendship.”

You sit up straighter on his roommate’s bed and bring your knees to your chest. It exposes the backs of your thighs and he has to shake the mental images of skin on skin out of his head.

There’s a look on your face that tells him you feel ridiculous even asking him, “Do you think you’re going to fall in love with me or something?”

“No,” Bradley says, honestly.

He knows you’re just trying to make a point.

The two of you have been friends for over a decade. He knows he cares about you- he always has- but he couldn’t imagine what anything other than just friendship would look like with you.

You nod in agreement, like you had been anticipating the answer before you’d even asked him the question.

“And do you think I’m going to fall in love with you?” you ask, your head tilting to the side.

He doesn’t even blink, “You can do better than me.”

And he means it.

Even if there was something more between the two of you, you’ve always been too good for him. And knowing him, he’d find a way to fuck it up. You’re the last person in the world he’d ever want to hurt. He’d let you down before, he doesn’t want to do it ever again.

You shoot him a disappointed look, like you don’t like hearing him say that about himself. And he’s oddly touched that you’re defending him against himself.

“You’d literally be doing me a favor.”

Bradley is still surprised that he hasn’t ended this conversation yet. The two of you were supposed to go to the movies, but that definitely wasn’t happening now.

“I’m not saying no,” he says, “But I need you to help me understand. Why me? Why now?”

“Bradley, I want it to be with you because there’s no one else I’ll ever feel as comfortable with as I do with you,” you explain.

He watches as you unfold yourself and climb off the bed, coming to stand in front of him. You gingerly reach out and put your hand on his forearm, like you don’t want to startle him. Not that he’d be able to move anyways since it feels like the soles of his feet are cemented to the floor.

“I keep waiting for it to not feel like such a big thing, but every time it seems like it’s going to happen, I freeze. And I know you’d take care of me, and I’m not talking about orgasms.” You stumble over the word a bit, not fully meeting his eyes as you say it. “It’s scary enough as a girl and I’m worried I’m going to be too in my head with anyone else. But I also don’t want to look back and have any regrets, and I know I wouldn’t have any with you.”

The mention of regrets makes his stomach twinge. His heart feels like it’s hammering in his chest. He doesn’t know what to say.

You are looking at him with such open sincerity. He has never been good with talking about his feelings, he’s always been the type to bottle things up, while you have always worn your heart on your sleeve. It was just another way that you were braver than him.

“I know it’s a lot,” you say, letting go of him to take a step back, like you want to give him breathing room, “So if it’s too big of an ask. Or if it’s not something you’re comfortable with-”

Bradley shakes his head cutting you off, “It’s not that at all, kid. I just haven’t done this before.” Your eyebrow scrunches together in confusion. “I mean, I have,” he corrects, “But it’s not the same. All the girls I’ve been with had already had experience. And if we were going to do this, I would want to make sure it’s as nice for you as it can be.”

“So you’d be my first and I’d be yours? Well, kind of.” You give him a little smile, it’s a shy but hopeful thing. There’s only a hint of your dimples, but it’s enough. And he feels that practical part of him that had been holding back soften at the sight of it.

He doesn’t think he’s ever said no to you, excluding the times you tried to get him to give you his beer at the house parties he took you to in high school, and that was more out of self-preservation from a healthy fear of your mom than anything else.

When you wanted to learn how to drive a stick shift? He took you to the abandoned parking lot, it didn’t matter that you didn’t have your learner’s permit yet. When you wanted to learn how to throw a punch? He was making sure you knew not to tuck your thumb under your fingers, so that you didn’t break your own thumb instead of someone’s nose.

He’s always had your back and you’ve had his. That’s how it was between the two of you.

You’ve already said it, but he needs to hear it again, “You really want to do it?”

“I really want it to be you, Bradley. I really want to do this with you. I trust you the most.”

He’s always been willing to help you with anything you’ve ever asked of him, why should this be any different? What’s a couple orgasms between friends?

“Ok,” Bradley nods. If it’s to reassure you or himself, he couldn’t say. “I’ll do it. We can do it.”

Your eyebrows raise in surprise, like you were fully prepared for him to let you down gently, “Really?”

You didn’t ask for his why he was agreeing, but he was going to give it to you anyway.

“I don’t think I’ve told you this, but I lost mine to Samantha Prescod after the game against Centennial that got us a spot at State that year,” he waits until he sees the recognition cross your face before continuing, “But I had also just learned about my mom’s diagnosis and I was trying to find anything I could do to not think about it.” He rubs at a spot underneath his collarbone, it never got any easier talking about his mom. “I think she assumed that I’d done it before, because we didn’t really talk about it. She was there and into it, so it just sort of happened. Actually, I’m pretty sure she only slept with me because she wanted to make her ex-boyfriend jealous, because they got back together like three days later.”

It’s probably for the best that Samantha Prescod lives on the other side of the country now because you look livid. Your eyes spark with anger and disbelief on his behalf.

“It was years ago, it’s fine, kid” he shrugs, trying to brush off your concern. “But if I had a do-over, I don’t know if I’d make the same choice again. And that’s not something I’d ever want for you.” You deserve the rose petals, but he’ll do his best for you. “So we can do it, but I have one condition.”

The relief on your face and the way the tension in your shoulder releases only solidifies his decision.

“Tell me,” you say, taking a half-step towards him, “I want you to be comfortable too.”

Bradley pushes off his desk and meets you the rest of the way, “If you even think you’re feeling uncomfortable- about any of it- I need you to tell me. And we’ll stop and figure out where to go from there. If it’s a change of position, if it’s a full stop and order pizza instead, we’ll do that.” He pauses and reaches out to tip your chin up. “I’ll do whatever you need, got it?”

You throw your arms around him, and his wrap around you just as easily. Your hair smells like the travel sized shampoo he’d picked up for you, figuring you wouldn’t want to use his 2-in-1. You murmur your thank you into his shirt followed by a fuck Samantha Prescod that makes him squeeze you just a bit tighter to him in affection.

When you step back and look at him, your lips twitch upwards, “What’s with the look, Bradshaw? Don’t tell me you’re going to lie back and think of England?”

That makes him chuckle, your joke lightening the mood in only the way that you can do. He rolls his eyes in equal parts exasperation and fondness.

“God, I haven’t been this nervous since I lost my own virginity. I was so stressed I was going to blow my load in two pumps and lose my street cred.”

You snort and send him a smirk, “Well, you must have done just fine. I overheard some glowing reviews in the girl’s bathroom on more than one occasion.”

“I maybe lasted ten trusts, but I had the good sense to eat her out after,” he admits, and then tacks on for good measure, “I’ve gotten better since then.”

“What a stud,” you tease.

This is easier, this feels like the two of you. This should be fun, it shouldn’t feel serious. He can make it good for you.

You look up at him shyly from under your lashes, “So how do we do this?”

He feels like he only just wrapped his head around the idea of it, but now he was facing the very real possibility of seeing you very naked very soon.

“You want to do it now?” Bradley blinks.

“I mean, if you’re up for it.” You scrunch your nose when you realize you’ve made a terrible double entendre. “No pun intended, I promise.”

He wipes his hands on his pants.

“You sure?” he asks again.

“I’m sure, Bradley. As long as you are too.”

He nods, “Then I guess we just…”

He’s not sure where he was going to go with that. But he’s spared from being roasted by you for making some sure to be lame birthday suit joke because you’re untying the bow on the soft lounge shorts you’d thrown on after your shower from the hike, and all the words get trapped in his throat.

You don’t look at Bradley as you slide your shorts down your legs. And you definitely don’t look at him when you pull your shirt over your head, leaving you in only a soft green mesh bra and your cotton underwear. They’re mismatched, but sex with Bradley wasn’t originally on the Spring Break To-Do List agenda for today.

In fact, you hadn’t even been sure you were going to go through with asking him until he brought up the point that he knew you had something on your mind because you apparently had no poker face.

While it felt like you had a swarm of butterflies whirling in your stomach, you also knew wholeheartedly that this was the right choice for you. Everything he had said had solidified that for you.

You weren’t sure how you were ever going to thank him for this, but you had a lifetime of friendship with Bradley to figure it out.

His room cast in the soft afternoon light, the blinds only partly closed. There are little streaks of gold that line the plaid comforter on his bed. He’d been right, Charlottesville had stayed sunny just for you.

As you climb into it and situate yourself against his pillows, you can help but notice just how much his bed smells like him. It’s not the spicy scent you associated with the High School version of him. The woodsy and warm scent embedded in the threads of his sheets suits this grown up version of him.

You feel equal parts overdressed and underdressed in your bra and underwear. You know the latter are going to come off eventually, so you make a split-second decision to just take them off yourself under his covers. The idea of Bradley helping you to pull them off later seems like it would be too intimate based on the way the thought of it makes your cheeks heat up.

It’s practical, you’re being practical, you think to yourself.

You chance a peek at him and are surprised to see that he hasn’t budged an inch. It’s almost like he is waiting for you to get completely settled before he dares to move a muscle. His eyes are trained on the pile of your clothes on the floor, he looks lost in thought.

“Bradley?”

The sound of your voice seems to kickstart him into action.

He shucks off his shirt in that kind of reckless way that seems to be ingrained in boys and then unbuttons his pants. You’re torn between feeling like you should give him privacy and wanting to watch. What you were expecting is the way he takes the time to pick his clothes up before folding them over the back of the chair at his desk.

Your mouth goes dry as you take in the sight of his body, the diffused light perfectly outlines the shape of him. His broad shoulders are rounded with the muscles he’s gained from whatever exercises the NROTC has been putting him through. Your eyes dip down to his defined chest and over the ridges of his abs. You’ve seen him in swim trunks plenty of times, but seeing the way the muscles of his thick thighs fill out the black boxer briefs he was wearing was entirely new to you.

Bradley approaches you and then pauses as he bends down to collect your pile of clothes on the floor, his hand hesitating only for a second when he reaches for your underwear. He drapes all of your things on top of his on the chair and makes his way back to you.

The gesture makes you melt a little like a soft serve ice cream cone on a summer afternoon.

You lift the corner of the cover for Bradley and he climbs in next to you. You move closer to the wall, trying to make more room for the bulk of him in his small bed, and he shifts in even closer into you until your bodies pressed tight against one another. The curves and angles of the two of you slotting together like pieces of a puzzle.

It feels like the two of you are teetering there on the edge of something. You both know exactly where it’s going, but are unsure of how to make it from Point A to Point B. Both waiting on the other person to make the first move.

He rests his warm hand on your stomach, the muscles there jumping on their own under his touch in anticipation. Your faces are close since you’re sharing his pillow. His brown eyes are searching yours, probably looking for any sign of hesitation that you don’t feel.

“Tell me how you’re feeling.” It’s not a question, but a request.

“Overwhelmed,” you admit, “But in a good way.” He runs his palm lightly up your stomach and back down, soothingly.

“Good, that’s good,” Bradley says, clearing his throat, “You’re supposed to feel a little ‘overwhelmed, but in a good way.’” You feel your lips pull up at his gentle teasing.

He smiles softly at you. His face has always been so familiar to you. The pink from his scars have finally faded, but you wonder when his eyes start crinkling around the corners.

You let go of the comforter to run a finger down the top of his nose, “I don’t know how this has stayed so straight.” He’d been in more than a couple fights in his teen years, including one that had sent him through a sliding glass door.

“Probably the combination of a little luck and the fact that none of those guys could throw a punch,” Bradley smirks. He shifts on his side, propping himself up on an elbow looking down at you, still running his hand along your stomach. “What have you done so far?”

His fingertips circle your bellybutton and your stomach swoops like it’s on the swing carousel ride at the fair.

“Some over the clothes stuff…” you stammer. You’re having trouble focusing because all your attention is on his big hand and how it feels against your oversensitive skin. “And I have a vibrator, but ah…”

You’re so keenly aware of his hand. With every lazy circle he makes, he has you wondering if this is going to be the one where he finally moves his hand lower. That part of you in flutters in expectation because you know it’s coming.

You let out a shaky huff when his fingers trails back up your stomach.

“What is it?” Bradley’s hand stops moving. “What are you thinking?”

“Honestly?” you say, trying not to squirm, “I’m getting really horny and you keep teasing me.”

He presses his lips together like he’s trying not to laugh at your overshare, and there’s amusement in his eyes.

“You know, some people call it foreplay,” he drawls. You’d roll your eyes but his fingertips are by your bellybutton again and you want him to keep going. “You ready for more?” You nod a few times because if he doesn’t touch you soon you might just crawl out of your skin. “Ok, gonna stop ‘teasing’ you now.”

This time his hand doesn’t stop at your bellybutton, it keeps moving down, down.

You stutter over a breath when Bradley’s fingers touch your clit. You feel yourself melt a little further into his mattress. He’s making easy circles, letting you get used to someone’s fingers other than your own on the most sensitive part of you. Your hands are clutching tightly to his comforter, unsure of what else to do with them.

“Spread your legs a little wider for me,” he murmurs. You feel your face heat up. He’d just given you a direction, but it sounds almost indecent coming out of his mouth.

You shift, moving your legs apart further for him, until he secures your left between his own, opening you up even more. You know you’re wet and now he does too. Bradley’s fingers slide easily over you as he increases the pressure on your clit. You can feel the intensity of his gaze on you watching for your reaction as he figures out what you like the most.

It doesn’t take him long to learn your body. You don’t know whether to be impressed with him or embarrassed with yourself at how quickly he’s worked you up.

Your breathing feels so loud in your ears in the quiet room, every breath and sigh is amplified. There’s a certain thrill in not knowing how he’s going to touch you next, your own fingers pale in comparison now.

His warm breath coasts down the side of your neck causing you to shiver at the sensation. It makes goosebumps break out along your arms and your nipples pull taut.

He notices. Of course he notices.

“Are you cold?” His voice is low in your ear.

“No, I-” Oh god, you’re right there. “B-bradley, I’m-” You’ve made yourself orgasm plenty of times, but you’ve never shared that part of yourself with anyone else before. No one knows what you sound like or what you look like when you come. But now, Bradley was going to have the piece of you too. A whine escapes you without your permission.

“It’s ok, kid, I’ve got you.”

You’re seeking and searching, but it’s Bradley’s fingers that have the answer.

And you come with your stomach twitching and hips jerking as he murmurs praise in your ear.

His fingers slow down, featherlight on your clit, but your heart is still racing when he rasps, “There’s one, you up for another?”

Bradley loves that moment during sex when he hears that first gasp or moan. He loves learning what sounds of satisfaction he can pull from his partner. He loves knowing he earned it. But he never in his life could have ever anticipated hearing those sounds from you.

In his bed. Because of him.

He didn’t expect the lick of heat that curled up his spine at the shape of your legs and the curve of your ass as you were stepping out of your shorts. He’d never seen anything so strangely endearing as it was watching you shimmy your underwear off under the shield of his covers.

Every hitch in your breath made his blood run hotter in his veins. He was trying to control his cock, but he’d started getting hard the second you’d pulled your shirt off. Your bra was some kind of sheer thing that left nothing to the imagination, and while he wasn’t trying to check you out- because that’s not how it was between the two of you- he couldn’t help the way his eyes flickered down.

You’re slippery, wet, and warm. And he knows he can make you come again.

“Do you want me to use my fingers now?”

You crack an eye open at him, it’s the first time you’ve opened your eyes since he first touched you. Your eyes are bright in that way that only comes with an orgasm. “I thought you already were.”

“Such a smartass,” he grins.

Bradley changes the unhurried circles he’d been making on your clit to the upstroke that made your hips jerk up into his hand the first time he’d tried it. The little noises you’re making have him fighting the urge to grind himself against you for some relief of his own. He’s still got your knee tucked between his own; where there had been a hint of polite space between your bodies, the way you’re writhing now has him pressed up against your hip.

You gasp, breathily, “Oh, you’re hard.” The disbelief is evident in your voice, but it’s the look in your eyes that he doesn’t know what to make of, something like surprise.

He’s been trying to be a gentleman, this is about you and not him. There might not be anything romantic happening between the two of you, but this was hot and he was more than a little turned on. And he knows you are too because he can feel how wet you are under his fingers.

“’Course I am,” Bradley says, nudging his nose against your temple, “I’ve got a pretty girl in my bed half naked.” He didn’t want you to feel like you were in this on your own, so he lightly rocks against you. He wants you to feel him, he wants you to know he is into this too. “Are you ready more?”

“I’m ready, I want more,” you confirm, wrapping your hand around his bicep.

Your breath hitches as he teases you with just the tip of his finger.

He’s been told before he has big hands and thick fingers, he’s always taken it as a compliment in the past, but now he’s scanning your face for any trace of discomfort as he sinks one into you.

Your eyebrows twitch then smooth out and your mouth drops open as he starts pumping his finger into you in a smooth rhythm.

“That feels nice,” you sigh, airily.

He knows you like it when your hips tip up just a fraction. His comforter is bunched around your waist and your nipples are peaked against the see-through fabric of your bra. He gets his thumb on your clit and you whimper as you tentatively roll your hips against his fingers.

Bradley hums his approval, “Atta girl. There you go, find what feels good for you.” His voice sounds low even to his own ears, a throaty rumble. He feels you clench around his fingers and it sets his pulse racing. It’s a piece of information he tucks away for himself.

He’s gentle on your clit, but now that he knows you’re into it he’s setting a more purposeful pace with his fingers.

You’ve got your bottom lip pinned between your teeth, like you’re trying to swallow down your sounds. He didn’t realize how much he liked hearing these new sounds from you until you started trying to muffle them. On the next slide of his finger into you, he knows exactly what he’s looking for.

You suck in a sharp breath of surprise when he finds it.

“Is that the right spot, kid?” He sounds so smug. You curse and your hand clutches at his shoulder. “You want to try a second finger?” he murmurs into your ear.

“Yes,” you rock into his hand, “Yes, please.”

“Whatever you want, Miss Manners.” His chest feels like he’s taken a shot of Fireball. “You’re so polite when you’re trying to get your way.”

“I’m always polite,” you challenged weakly, pressing your head further into his pillow.

“Mhm,” he indulges, fondly, “You’re the sweetest girl I know.”

And then he fills you with two fingers.

“Jesus, Bradley,” you gasp, offering more of yourself to him.

Your nails dig into the muscle of his shoulder as he lets your whimpers and whines guide his hands.

The two of you have your eyes fixed on the way the tendons of the visible part of his forearm are flexing before it disappears under the covers as he works you.

Bradley curls his fingers into that spongy part of you and your hand flies to his wrist, gripping him tight. It makes him pause, worried that he might have pushed you too far too fast.

“No, no. D-don’t stop,” you plead, desperately, “I’m so close. Keep going, please.” You squeeze his wrist encouragingly.

“Sorry, sorry,” he soothes. He focuses his efforts on that spot again now that he knows you weren’t wanting him to slow down, but rather trying to hold him in place. His fingers inside of you and his thumb on your clit working in tandem to get you there again.

“I just- yes. Like that. Oh fuck. Keep doing that. Oh my god. Please, Bradley.”

He’s heard you say his name a lot of different ways, but never like this.

Your back arches and you twist yourself towards him, burying your face against him and keening into the hollow of his throat as you come around his fingers.

You jerk and writhe into his hand, your knee slips free of his and your thighs clamp together around him. Bradley rolls off the arm he’d been leaning on and brings it to cradle the back of your head, pulling you closer and holding you to him as he steadily works you through it until you’re loose-limbed in his arms.

He waits until your rapid pants have evened out before he slips his fingers from you. The displeased sound that you make makes the corners of his mouth twitch. He should have known you’d be bossy. He rubs gentle circles into the divots at the base of your neck as you come down.

Bradley can feel your lips graze the side of his neck when you finally speak, “So, um, let me know if you need a letter of recommendation or anything. I’d be happy to pass one along to your next partner.” You languidly prop yourself up on his chest and he notes with pride that you look a little flushed. “But, seriously, I get it now.”

He huffs a laugh as he toys with the end of your hair, “I’m glad it lived up to the hype. Well, at least that part of it.”

You press your lips together like you’re deciding something, tracing idle shapes on his stomach, and he can’t decide if he thinks you’re doing it without realizing it or if you’re the one doing the teasing this time. Your eyes flick down to his visibly hard cock and he feels his face heat up, “Can I?”

“Do you want to?” Bradley wants this experience to be everything you need and want it to be, but something about the tables turning here and the idea of you being the one to touch him like that makes his heart pound.

“I want to make you feel good too,” you softly tell him, resting your chin on your shoulder. The tender way you’re looking at him makes his teeth ache.

“Ok, but only for a little bit,” he agrees. Bradley knows he’s walking a tightrope with this, he’s aching and more than ready to be touched, but he doesn’t want to come all over your hand.

He plants his feet into his mattress and lifts his hips enough to pull off his boxer briefs, sighing in relief as his cock bobs free.

“That can’t be average,” you mutter under your breath.

He doesn’t know if you meant to have said it out loud but he smirks all the same, “I’ve never been average a day in my life, kid, Grade A student here.”

A groan slips out of him as your tentative fingers grasp his cock. There’s a lack of finesse in the way you touch him, your hand isn’t nearly as well-practiced as his own. He wraps his hand over yours, guiding your strokes as he shows you just what he likes.

“You can grip it a little firmer,” he coaches. You nod studiously, like you’re going to be tested on it later. Together the two of you work him from root to tip.

Bradley had never given much thought to his size until now. He knew he was big, but seeing that your thumb couldn’t reach the tips of your fingers when your hand was curved around him was an ego boost he didn’t know he needed.

You get more confident with every glide up and down the length of him. Your tricky thumb sweeps over the tip, collecting what precum had gathered there, and it makes your hand slide easier over him. When he accidentally thrusts into your hand, you grin and there are those dimples again.

“Ok, ok,” he blows out a shaky breath, stilling your hand with his. “We gotta stop or I’m going to come. And I’m not about to be a one pump chump.”

“It sounded like you’re more of a ten pump chump, if I remember correctly,” you tease, looking all too pleased with yourself. “Don’t worry, Bradshaw, your street cred is safe with me.”

He shakes his head in amused disbelief, “You’re such a goddamn menace. I knew I shouldn’t have told you that part.” He surprises the both of you when he wraps an arm around you and rolls to pin you under him.

And it’s like all the air is sucked out of the room because your thighs are cradling his hips and his cock is resting heavy on your stomach.

Neither one of you dare to move. He’d give anything to know what you’re thinking right now, he feels out of his depth as he watches you watching him.

His tongue feels thick in his mouth, “Are you on-”

You nod before he even finishes the question.

“Do you have-”

He nods before you finish yours.

“What did you promise me?” he prompts, squeezing the dip of your waist.

You hold up your pinky to him, “I’ll tell you.” He wraps his own crooked one around yours and gives it a shake.

Bradley doesn’t know what comes over him, but he drops a kiss to your shoulder as he reaches over you into the drawer of his nightstand to fish out what he needs. He’s thankful when you don’t comment on it because he wouldn’t even know how to explain it.

He leans back on his knees and rolls the condom on with practiced ease, then flicks open the cap to the bottle of lube he’s also grabbed and drizzles it over his cock.

“Am I not…” you trail off. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard you sound this shy with him before.

“You’re plenty wet,” he assures you, pumping himself- once, twice- just enough to coat himself, “But this’ll be good too. I think you’ll like it.”

Bradley settles back over you, one arm braced by your head and the other on your hip, as your hands come up to rest lightly on either side of his ribcage. He rocks against you to demonstrate; the head of his cock nudges your clit with each silky pass. You exhale heavily at the sensation as he eases you into the motion of it, as he shows you what it’s like with another person.

You’re holding him close, and in just a moment the two of you will be the closest two people can be.

He makes only enough room to reach down between your bodies, only looks away from your face long enough to line himself up with you. There is such trust in your eyes as you gaze up at him, it’s not something Bradley takes for granted.

You nod, your fingers stroking his sides.

God, does he want this to be good for you.

He takes a breath.

And then he’s shifting forward and pressing in.

Bradley thrusts into you with all the careful gentleness you’d expect from him.

His thumb skimming along your forehead as he pushes in, in, in.

When he found that spot inside of you with his fingers, you thought you were going to fly away from the intensity of it, but then he’d pulled you into the safety of his arms and you felt like you could fall apart because he’d be keeping the pieces of you together.

He’s been so good to you. He is so good to you. He’s the best person you know.

The more of him he gives you, the less you feel like you can catch your breath.

You feel hot, hot all over. And much fuller than you’ve ever been.

Some sound must make its way out of you because Bradley offers you a low soothing noise before you feel his lightly chapped lips against your temple.

There’s something about this that reminds you of the time he tried to teach you how to skateboard. Always waited until you told him you were ready, until you found your balance. He’d held your hand as you cautiously rolled along the sidewalk, you were less worried about falling with him by your side. Only this time, his hand is on your waist and the only movements are his hips against yours as he rocks into you.

Little by little. Inch by inch.

You clutch at his biceps at the slight stinging sensation and you feel him hesitate.

“It’s just a lot,” you whisper. His fingers flex on your waist.

“You’re doing so good, just a bit more,” Bradley murmurs, encouragingly.

There’s pressure, there’s a give, and then there’s relief when his hips finally, finally meet yours.

“Shit,” he curses under his breath.

Your eyes had flickered shut somewhere along the way. You open them to see that Bradley’s face and chest are flushed pink, the muscle of his jaw flexing. The furrow between his eyebrows is so deep that you release your grip on him to smooth out the lines with an unsteady fingertip.

He reads the question in your eyes.

“You’re just really tight,” he grits out, voice strained.

You assumed that was a good thing, but he’s holding himself so tense above you that now you’re not sure. “Do I-,” you fumble over the words, “Does this feel good for you?”

He huffs an incredulous laugh, and brushes back some hair from off your face, “You feel really fucking good, sweet-”

Your whimper cuts him off when he pulls out a fraction and then pushes back in.

His brown eyes take you in as he does it again, more this time. Pulling out just a bit- just enough- and then filling you again. The discomfort fading more with each thrust as he guides his hips to yours until yours are tilting up to meet his seeking more.

It’s a conversation between your bodies, the give and the take of it all as Bradley introduces you to this new unspoken language. You feel yourself flutter around his cock, stretched wider than you’ve ever been.

You feel that heat spreading underneath your skin again as he surely and steadily pumps into you. It feels like your nerves are on fire. You didn’t expect to even come once and you’re well on your way to a third.

He reaches down and hooks your leg over his hip. His hand slides up along the outside of your thigh and under your ass, tilting your hips up towards his even more. He’s so much deeper like this. Your hands slide into his hair, tugging at his curls.

“Bradley, I-I think… I feel-”

“You’re gonna come,” he rasps, nodding at you. Encouraging, coaxing.

He grinds his pelvis against your clit with every deliciously slow roll into you.

Your mouth drops open at the feel of it, it’s better than anything you’ve ever imagined. You don’t think your faces have ever been closer than they are now. Bradley is breathing your air, and you’re breathing his. Bradley’s pupils are blown wide, his heavy-lidded eyes are locked on yours. You didn’t know there could be so many shades of brown. His curls are a mess and it’s all because of you. He licks his lips and your breath catches in your throat when his eyes dart down to your parted mouth.

His next thrust into you hits that spot inside of you just so right that it has you gasping.

It’s so good, it’s too good, it’s overwhelming.

You wrap your arms around his neck clinging to him, your face buried against him. Bradley drops his head to your shoulder, you feel his lips brush against your clavicle. Your head moves away on instinct, making more room for him if he wants to do it again.

You get lost in the feeling of his cock hitting you in all the places you’ve heard about and read about, but have never felt for yourself until now. He’s still got your ass gripped in his hand, whereas your hands can’t stay in one spot. They’re tangled in his hair, running over his shoulders and down his abs, gliding over his back aided by the sheen of sweat he’s worked up.

You’re not trying to hold yourself back, but it feels like you’re standing on the tallest diving board at the pool, your toes curled around the edge, but still too nervous about the drop to jump.

“C’mon, kid. You’re right there,” he breathes hard, “I need you to come for me. Just one more.”

He gets his fingers back on your clit and it’s the end of you. Your back is arching so much you think you might snap. Your toes curl so tights they may never unfurl. The force your orgasm overtakes you, demanding everything you have up to offer and then some.

You hear Bradley’s moan as you pulse around his cock, trembling under him as the waves of pleasure wash over you. His hips stutter against yours, finally losing that steady rhythm he’d set, you pull him tighter to you and it’s not long until he comes too.

It’s all white noise. All you can feel is your heartbeat pounding, until little pieces of the world come back into focus.

The hum of the fan.

The beam of warm afternoon light through the blinds.

The smell of the now cold coffee on his nightstand.

In the after, you’re all too aware of every place your body is touching Bradley’s.

He’d somehow managed to roll on his back and had taken you with him. He was literally just inside of you, but yet it feels like your leg draped over his thigh is somehow more intimate. A prickly self-conscious feeling settles over you. Unsure of what the rules were for friends who just had sex, you attempt to peel yourself off of him, but the heavy arm over your waist keeps you in place.

“Come back here, kid,” Bradley mumbles, his eyes still closed, “I need to cuddle after I come, so I’m gonna need you to indulge me here for a moment.” He strokes a soothing hand down your back. And while he says it’s for him, you know he’s still trying to take care of you.

He hums when you lay back down. You set a hand on his chest. He reaches for it with his free one and threads your fingers together. It makes you melt further into him.

You feel a little different. But mostly, you feel like a weight you didn’t know you’d been carrying had been lifted off of you.

Your first time was everything you hoped it would be. You were safe and cared for, and you already knew, you’d never have any regrets about it. And it was all because of him.

“Thank you, Bradley,” you say, softly.

“Anything for you, kid.”

Your early morning catches up with you as you lay there, warm and secure. Your eyelids get heavier with each pass of Bradley’s hand along your spine. And you drift off to the sound of his heartbeat under your ear.

You’re still you. And Bradley is still Bradley.

It was just… something between friends.

A few hours later the two of you are still in his bed.

Only now you’re clothed and swapping the cartons of Chinese food that he’d ordered while you’d napped against his chest, and fighting over the fortune cookies watching some reruns of old sitcoms. You couldn’t hear their laugh tracks over your own.

The last couple of days you had at UVA fly by just as quickly.

You don’t know how, but the two of you managed to cross of all the things on his Spring Break To-Do List. And before you knew it you were back at the airport.

Bradley had insisted on walking you in, wanting to see you off.

Neither one of you has ever been good with goodbyes. So you don’t give him one, instead you reach for your bag and tell him, “Ok, see you in June.”

Bradley doesn’t let go, clearly confused, “What the hell are you talking about?”

You grin because it feels like a checkmate.

“You didn’t think you’d be getting that diploma all by yourself, did you?”

He looks thunderstruck.

You and your mom already had the plane tickets and hotel room booked. Your stepdad wouldn’t be able to come, but he was planning on sending your mom with one of the cakes from his family’s bakery. You’d been tasked with finding out what flavor, carrot cake or peanut butter- Bradley’s two favorites- but you could iron out the details with him later.

You’d had a busy week, plus it was more fun this way.

Bradley tugs you into his arms, yours wrap around him just as easily as they always have.

“June?” he asks into the crown of your head.

“June,” you promise.

And when he lets you go- for real this time- it’s with a smile that takes up his whole face.

He doesn’t say goodbye either, “Be good, kid. See you in June.”

𝐍𝐎𝐖

You avoid Rooster for the rest of the night.

And Jake too, for that matter. Bless Javy for finding ways to distract him because you could tell than man was chomping at the bit for more details. But you’d already given him more than enough.

You could have lied, you probably should have lied. It might have been easier than feeling like you’d hung up part of yourself on the drying line for everyone to see. But in that moment, the thought of lying and saying anyone else’s name other than Rooster’s had made your stomach turn.

Because it was the truth, he was your first, but he was also your best.

When you come out of the bathroom, there’s no missing Rooster. He’s leaning against the wall by the entrance. It takes him a moment to notice you since he looks lost in thought, but when he does you feel pinned to the wall by the intense look in his eyes.

He stands to his full height as you approach, you know he wants to talk about it.

You shake your head at him, “We don’t need to do this.”

“No, kid, we really do.” He takes you by the arm and leads you to a quieter spot away from everyone else.

“It was just a game,” you start before he can, “And now I know more about everyone’s sex life than I ever wanted to.” He crosses his arms over his chest at your attempt at deflection. “Look, I’m really sorry if that was something you wanted to keep a secret or just between us. I should have asked you first if that was ok to share.”

“I don’t care about that.” Rooster waves you off and takes a step closer to you, his eyes searching yours. “All this time and I’m the best you’ve ever had?”

“Are we really doing this? Here and now?”

You peer around him to look and see if anyone is watching the two of you, it feels like a showdown. But all the Daggers are occupied, probably on purpose. You’ve never seen Mickey with such a serious look of concentration on his face.

“Here and now,” he confirms.

You feel flustered, “Rooster, it’s been 12 years and we haven’t talked about it once-”

“Bradley,” he cuts you off. He takes another step towards you, so you’re toe to toe with him. “I’ve always been Bradley to you.”

The tension that had crept up in your shoulders releases a bit.

“Bradley,” you say, softly. “Listen, I’ve had a lot of good sex since then. Great sex even.” He presses his lips together and nods. “And with other men, if I felt like they weren’t putting in their best effort I’d kick them out because the bar was set very high early on.”

You see him fight back a smirk.

“That’s my girl,” he murmurs, with pride.

Your breath gets caught in your throat, you know he hears it because his eyes take on a richer shade of brown. You both feel the shift, tension churning between the two of you.

Taking a deep breath, you continue, “But I was telling the truth when I said you were my best. Probably because of the way you made sure I knew that you cared. I don’t know how to describe it. It was just different with you.”

You feel his finger graze the back of your hand.

The sounds of the Hard Deck fade into the background as you stare at each other. Entire conversations are being had as you look into his eyes and he looks into yours. Words and sentences spoken with glances.

Just friends don’t look at each other like this.

“It’s never been like this,” you whisper, “We’ve never been like this before.” You gesture at how close he is to you.

How he’s almost got you backed up against a wall.

How he’s looking at you like you’re his.

“I know.”

He says your name and your heart somersaults in your chest.

“I want to see your tattoo. I keep finding myself looking for it when we’re all at the beach. And then I get annoyed, knowing that people have seen it and I haven’t.”

“My tattoo? Bradley, what-”

“I want to see your tattoo,” he repeats like it’s a fact. “And I want to punch Seresin in his smug face every time he flirts with you.”

You roll your eyes, “Jake doesn’t flirt with me, not really. He just likes riling you up.”

“What if I said I wanted to try this as more than friends.” Bradley settles a large hand on your hip. “What if I said that since you’ve moved here I’ve had a hard time keeping my head on straight.”

“Bradley.” His name falls out of your mouth so easily now that it can.

“I want to take you home with me. I want to kiss you. I want to make you come. I need to know if you sound the same in my bed. And then I want to take you out for breakfast and buy whatever fancy coffee you want and as many pancakes as you can eat.”

You’ve been told that you wear your heart on your sleeve, but he has always worn his on his face. There’s no mistaking the open want on his face.

“Bradley, it’ll be different this time.” For so many reasons.

Because it’s not a favor being asked. It’s not some new experience being tried with the person you trust the most, with everything. You’d be on equal footing. It wouldn’t be a friend helping a friend, the two of you would be crossing that line between friends and more because you want each other in that way.

“I want it to be different, sweet girl,” he says, cupping your face in his familiar hand, “I’m ready for it to be different, if you are.”

He looks from your eyes down to your parted lips.

“We didn’t do that last time,” you whisper. Feeling brave, you reach out and run your fingers along the buttons of his shirt.

“No, we didn’t,” he agrees. His eyes are trained on his thumb as he skims it under your lip. “And that’s a damn shame.”

Bradley’s face is all you can see. Warm eyes, a still-straight nose, and a soft smile that is for you and you alone.

He dips down and your eyes flutter closed, your head tipping up on its own in anticipation.

His lips brush your cheek. It’s not enough.

You tug on his collar, but he chuckles and kisses your cheek again, lingering longer this time.

“I’m not kissing you for the first time around the corner from a bathroom,” he rasps.

You open your eyes and see the amusement in his. He always did like teasing you.

“Oh, where do you plan on doing it then?”

“Outside your front door, like a gentleman,” he says, like it’s obvious.

You can’t help but grin because Bradley Bradshaw can’t wait the extra 10 minutes it would take to drive to his place instead of yours. He wants that kiss just as badly as you do. You watch as a matching smile to yours blooms across his face.

It feels normal to slide your fingers between his much larger ones. It feels right as you lead the way out of the Hard Deck with him only a step behind you.

As it turns out, he only makes it as far as the Bronco before he’s spinning you back towards him and pressing you against it. His hands are on your hips and yours are wrapped around his neck as he kisses you for the very first time.

Bradley kisses you like a man who knows what he wants. And what he wants is you.

It’s not tentative in the way that first kisses usually are.

He kisses you like he knows you.

Because he does.

Later, when he closes the door to the Bronco for you, it feels like the end of one thing. But as he slips his fingers into yours when he backs out of the parking space it feels like the beginning of something new.

That night tangled in Bradley’s sheets- he’d kissed you at every light which made those extra 10 minutes it took to get to his home worth it- he makes your back arch and your toes curl as he makes you come with his fingers and mouth and tongue and cock. His lips dropping kiss after kiss on every part of you that he can reach. Because he can, because you want him and he wants you.

The way he touches you tells you that he remembers it all.

He was you first, but what you wouldn’t learn until later, is that he would also be your last.

And he’d be the only man to ever have your entire heart.

Happy Birthday Jordan! An AU just for you! 💖 I adore you and I hope this year is the best one yet!

A big thank you to @callsignspark and @ofstoriesandstardust for their help and beta reading and their woogirling! I appreciate you two so much!

Author's Note: this was a "what-if" AU set in the 'Like I Can' universe! If you want to read about what really happens you can read it here!

You can read more of my stories here!

Taglist:

@gretagerwigsmuse @sehnsuchts-trunken @callsignspark @notroosterbradshaw @tongue-like-a-razor @laracrofted @ofstoriesandstardust @bradshawsbitch @starryeyedstories @top-hhun-main @startrekfangirl2233 @callsign-viper @teacupsandtopgun @angelbabyange @oneelleandaneye @mizzzpink @cornishkat @alana4610 @20th-centu-fairy-girl @pono-pura-vida @donttouchmycarrots @eg-dr3amer3 @whaledots-blog @a-beaverhausen @hangmanscoming @mandolin22 @theweekndhistorybook @lilpeekabooze @high-bi-imgonnacry @ahintofkiwistrawberry @ruewrote @spiderman-stilinski @jayniebop @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @imaginecrushes @keyrani @chicomonks @artemissunn @mayempress @eddiemunsonreader

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw x you #bradley bradshaw fanfiction #bradley bradshaw smut #top gun imagine #topgun fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw x you #bradley rooster bradshaw x female reader #bradley rooster bradshaw fanfiction #bradley rooster bradshaw imagine #rooster x reader #rooster x you #rooster x female reader

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damiansgoodgirll · 20 days

Note

please do damian cheating on reader!😩❤️

y’all want to cry i see 🤓🤓

damian priest x reader

likes, comments and reblogs are welcomed!

‼️ mention of sex, pregnancy, anxiety, infidelity and cheating, angst, body shaming, body issues, reader being self conscious

don’t hurt yourself

“i’m trying to save our family y/n!” damian screamed desperate, staring at the marriage counselor in front of him. she was watching with a deep look the scene in front of her. it wasn’t anything new to her but the way you both were behaving was making it hard for her to help.

“sure…you should have thought about that before fucking someone else damian…” you said, tears already dry.

one month ago

damian just came back from his wrestlemania trip. you would have loved to go but six months ago, you gave birth to your first baby and it was all new for you. you were still trying to get adjusted by how your body looked, how tired you constantly were and how scary the world suddenly became since you had your baby.

damian wanted you to go but he knew you didn’t trust anyone to babysit your daughter for so many days, so he didn’t force you.

the pregnancy changed your relationship a little bit, and, even if damian didn’t want to show it, it was affecting him a little.

it was your first pregnancy so he understood but still, he couldn’t get away from the feeling that something changed.

you became more paranoid, always scolding him for silly things, your mood was on a rollercoaster and the lack of sex between the two of you kept him on edge. your doctor told you that it was completely fine having sex during pregnancy but your anxiety made it impossible for you to have sexual contact with him. you tried and tried but you always had to stop him because it was hurting you.

damian always respected that but he couldn’t lie if he said that it wasn’t effecting him too. the whole nine months of your pregnancy, he felt like he was pregnant too.

he thought it would get better once your daughter was born but he was wrong.

you became more self conscious about your body, the way you looked and the struggle to keep a nice appearance up was hurting you. he didn’t know how to keep up with all of that.

he let himself go the night after he won at wrestlemania. he was partying and he was drunk and he didn’t want that, but, somehow he found himself naked, sleeping next to a complete stranger.

when he woke up his head was hurting but his heart almost stopped when he saw her, the stranger, sleeping naked next to him.

“no no no…” he whispered. he felt his heart breaking.

“good morning…” she whispered waking up. damian watched horrified the way she kissed his chest, only stopping at his lips when she saw the paralysed face he had “did you have fun last night?” she asked “or are you already regretting it?”

“what…how? i-i don’t remember…”

“you’re hurting me saying that you don’t remember our night together” she said, faking being hurt “you don’t remember what happened?”

“no…this, this shouldn’t have happened”

“but it happened damian…and it was too good” she said, smile on her face, remembering how good everything felt “you came up to me at the bar last night, you said how good i looked, how much you wanted to fuck me…then you went talking about how unhappy your marriage was becoming, how unhappy your little wife is, how ugly she think she is, witch, frankly, she’s quite right…you should give her some exercises to do to lose that baby weight she still carries by the way…” the stranger started blurting out “then you got quite boring so i had to shut you up with a kiss. that kiss definitely became something more, judging by the way we are both naked under the covers…” she smirked but all damian wanted to do was to vomit and hide away.

he couldn’t believe he just cheated on you.

he couldn’t believe he rambled to a complete stranger about your marriage, about you. your wedding wasn’t unhappy, sure things changed after your daughter was born and you both needed to work better on this whole family thing but he wasn’t unhappy with you.

he loved you and your daughter isabel more than anything.

“i need to go…” he said not remembering her name.

“sheila, my name’s sheila…” she smiled at him.

he quickly dressed up, took his bags and went straight at the airport, all he wanted to do was to stay with you and isabel, and hold you all night long.

rhea knew something was up the moment she saw damian’s face at the airport.

“man, you okay?” she asked him.

“i fucked up rhea…i fucked up” he said.

“what you mean?”

“i-i i can’t even say it…” he whispered “i slept with someone”

“what the fuck are you saying damian?” rhea almost screamed.

she was your best friend. the person who always stayed by your side during the whole pregnancy. maybe she wasn’t a mother but she understood what you were feeling, probably more than damian did. she understood your fears and never judged you. she stayed with you before you gave birth and right after it. she comforted you when damian didn’t, she held you while you cried your problems to her, too afraid of being rejected by the man you loved. she reassured you when you told her you felt ugly, when you told her that you wanted to change your appearance because you didn’t recognise yourself anymore.

she was there for you and you were always there for her, so, damian telling her that he just cheated on you, was a low blow.

“i’m so fucking sorry rhea…i don’t know how it happened” he said, regret evidently showing in his eyes.

“she needs to know” was all rhea said.

“don’t give the treatment silent rhea…please, i can’t handle it right now”

“what do you want to say? congratulations on cheating on my best friend? congratulations on cheating on your wife and mother of your daughter? that’s what you want me to say? i can’t even imagine what she’s going to feel when you tell her, she needs to know damian” rhea said before boarding flight.

the whole flight home damian thought about how to tell you that he cheated.

how can you tell the person you love the most that you just cheated?

his heart broke the moment he stepped inside your home.

you coming to greet him with isabel in your arms “isabel look, daddy’s home” you softly said smiling at him.

“where’s my big girl?” damian said pretending everything’s fine. he noticed how isabel wanted to be held by him so he gently took her from y/n’s arms and started rocking her.

“she missed you a lot” you said watching the sweet scene in front of you.

“and you didn’t?” he smirked.

“a lot” you smiled back “i’m so proud of you baby” you congratulated him and he smiled at you.

he took time after he came back home. he put isabel to sleep, he unpacked his bags, he took a long shower and he made love to you, hoping that in his mind, he could cancel his irreparable mistake.

a week passed and you couldn’t help but notice something was wrong. damian’s behaviour changed, he was more present and constant with his role - not that you minded but it wasn’t like him.

“what’s going on?” you asked one night after you put your daughter to sleep.

“what you mean?”

“i mean, what’s wrong? you’ve changed…after wrestlemania…something happened but i can’t figure out what” you said staring at him.

“i cheated…” he whispered.

you froze.

“you what?”

“i…i cheated i’m so fucking sorry y/n…i didn’t know how it happened, i didn’t want it to happen” he apologised, a few tears running down his cheeks.

you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. he just cheated on you. the man you loved, the man you married, the man you just started a family with just cheated on you.

“please say something…” he begged you.

tears falling down your face, your heart breaking in millions of pieces “what do you want me to say damian?” you sarcastically laughed “i just - i need some fresh air right now, i can’t even stand to be in the same room as you damian…isabel is sleeping in her room…”

“where are you going?” he asked you when he saw grabbing your car kids.

“away, i need to stay away from you right now” you said, more tears falling from your eyes.

“please…please don’t go…i’ll do anything, anything to gain your trust again…i’m so fucking sorry y/n” his eyes full of tears but you couldn’t be in the same room as him right now.

“i don’t care how sorry you are damian, i don’t give a shit. you want me to stay? fine. then you can go away, i don’t need you in this home, not right now damian…you just thrown away four years of marriage…we have a daughter, a daughter together…she’s only six months damian, how could you?” you cried all of your tears, not caring if you were screaming right now.

“i-i’m so sorry…”

“i don’t care! stop saying you’re sorry! i don’t give a shit! why? why did you do it?” you asked him.

“i-i don’t know…i was drunk okay? it was right after i won the title, i…was celebrating and - shit - i got drunk and you weren’t there”

“so now it’s my fault?”

“no…no, it’s not your fault y/n, that’s not what i said…” he tried to explain himself but only making it worse “it’s me, i’m the one who fucked up and you have no idea how sorry i am…i fucking love you and isabel more than anything, i love you so much y/n, i just made a huge mistake and”

“fucking someone else is not a mistake, it’s a choice…it’s a choice you made!” you kept screaming.

damian swore he never saw you so mad. you were usually the calm one in the relationship so seeing you so mad and angry was unusual for him.

“i know…i know and i’m…”

“don’t fucking say you’re sorry, don’t you dare damian…” you warned him “i can’t stay here with you right now, i can’t even look at you without feeling disgusted” you words broke his heart even more “you either go away or i take isabel and we’re going away…”

“don’t do this please…”

“you’re not giving me any choice damian…you made your choice that night, now you’re facing the consequences…it’s you or me and isabel, we can’t stay here all together like the happy family you want me to pretend to be…” you slowly dried your tears away.

“o-okay…i’ll go…but please, please, we can work this out together…please, i’m begging you y/n…i can’t lose you…” he said before leaving the house.

while he cried driving towards the hotel he just booked, you cried yourself to sleep, holding his pillow, and letting yourself fall asleep.

to be continued…

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solarmorrigan · 4 months

Text

Hands Where I Can See Them, Part 9

Pt 1 | Pt 2 | Pt 3 | Pt 4 | Pt 5 | Pt 6 | Pt 7 | Pt 8 | Ao3

Thank you once again to @azure7539arts for listening to me play relationship counselor for, like, an hour while I figured this chapter out <3

It takes a bit of driving before Eddie finds Steve.

He swings by Steve’s house just to be sure, then the overlook at the quarry, then the roadside where people park when they’re heading up to Skull Rock, then the park where Steve goes running sometimes, and then finally, begrudgingly, the lake.

Which is where he spots Steve’s car.

He parks next to the beemer and gets out, glancing out over the moonlit surface of the lake. He still doesn’t like it here; avoids it when he can. He wonders briefly, bitterly, if that’s why Steve chose to come here over anywhere else.

Eddie shakes the thought away and approaches the shore, where he can see a figure standing, the light of the moon glancing off the pale fabric of a members only jacket.

He isn’t quiet as he comes up behind Steve, letting his sneakers crunch across pebbles and dying grass to signal his arrival, and he watches as Steve bends to pick something up off the ground – a stone, Eddie realizes, as Steve draws back and flicks it out over the water, sending it skipping across the surface.

It bounces two, three, four times, and then sinks into the water several yards out.

“How’d you know I’d be here?” Steve asks without looking over as Eddie comes to stand next to him.

Eddie doesn’t mention how many places he’d checked before coming here. Instead, he glances around and finds a smooth, flat stone of his own. “When you’re sad, you go to Robin,” he says (or me, he doesn’t say; you used to come to me), “but when you’re angry, you want to be alone, because it still scares you. You’re afraid you’ll say or do something you regret, and you won’t be able to take it back.”

Eddie sends the stone skipping out over the lake; one, two, three jumps, and it sinks.

Steve scoffs, picking another stone up out of the dirt. “Yeah, you know me so well,” he mutters. He doesn’t bother skipping the rock in his hand; he hurls it like a baseball over a field of water, where it lands and sinks with a loud plunk. “So fucking well.”

“I thought I did,” Eddie says. “I thought I was doing alright, until tonight. That I could give you what you needed and make you feel like… like I see you.”

“Dinner in the park was nice,” Steve mutters. “The diner date was a shitty idea.”

“Yeah, I get that now,” Eddie replies ruefully.

“I just– Where was all of this before?” Steve finally turns to look at him, eyes demanding in the silvery light. “You know all of this about me, you were paying attention and you saw all of this, but you just – what? Ignored how I was feeling, anyway?”

“No,” Eddie says. “I didn’t– I wasn’t ignoring you, I was ignoring everything. You, me, the whole situation – I thought I had it figured out and I didn’t let myself think about it any other way.” Eddie pulls in a breath, trying to keep calm. “I’m not trying to make excuses, okay? I’m not saying it was okay, I know that I hurt you, and I’m trying to make up for it, and you keep saying you’ll let me, and then– and then I fuck up and you shut down again, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

Steve glances away. He kneels down to pick up another rock, but doesn’t immediately throw it. Instead, he stands for a moment, worrying the surface of it with his thumb.

“I’m sorry for jerking you around,” he says quietly. “That wasn’t fair. I thought I was ready, but I just– I still don’t understand why you’re doing this.”

“I told you: I fucked up and I hurt you and I want to make it better–”

“But why?” Steve pushes, looking back over at Eddie. “Why do you even want me? Is it that you miss the sex, or – just that I threatened to take everything away? Because I was there, for months, loving you, even before we slept together, and falling deeper after that, and you didn’t even notice. It wasn’t good enough for you then, so why is it suddenly good enough now?”

Steve’s voice cracks, and a little piece of Eddie goes with it.

“Steve, no. It was always good enough, you were always good enough.” Eddie turns and takes a step towards Steve, instinctively trying to bridge the gap between them; Steve doesn’t step away, but he watches Eddie warily. “I didn’t– I didn’t know what I was looking at. I didn’t understand.”

Steve doesn’t say anything, just crosses his arms over his chest, stone still clutched, forgotten, in one hand.

“I mean, it’s like I had the world’s most precious object in my hands, and I didn’t know what it was, and I used it as a fucking paperweight,” Eddie manages. “No one has ever loved me the way you did. No one has ever put as much work into – into making me feel good, making me happy, doing things for me and teaching me how to do them and – and bringing me fucking flowers. You’re like something out of a fucking storybook, Steve, and I didn’t think I would ever have or… deserve that, so I didn’t even let myself consider it.

“And that’s not an excuse, I get it. It’s not. It’s just– it’s the only reason I can give you. And I’ve–” Eddie breaks off, takes a breath, and pushes on; Steve needs to hear all of it, deserves to hear all of it. “I’ve never been in love before. So even though it was sitting right on my fucking chest the entire time, I didn’t recognize it for what it was. It should’ve been all yours, but I couldn’t even name it, and I’m sorry.”

Steve pulls in a sharp, shuddery breath at the end of Eddie’s confession, watching him now with wide and startled eyes.

“Can you say it?” he asks softly.

“What?” Eddie asks, thrown by the unexpected question.

“Can you say it? Tell me that you love me?” Steve’s voice nearly chokes around the words, and he’s staring at Eddie with so much trepidation that it’s almost smothering out the hope that’s there beneath it.

“I love you,” Eddie says automatically, without even having to think, because it’s true. “I love you. Of course I love you, Steve, holy shit. I love having you around, I love when you’re being selfless and kind and I love when you’re being petty and bitchy and I love when you listen to me and when you tell me about what you like and I love you when you’re in my bed and I love you when you’re angry at me and I can’t believe I’ve never said it before because now it won’t stop coming out–”

The problem is solved when Steve takes two steps forward, drops the stone he’s been holding at their feet, puts one hand on Eddie’s jaw, leans in, and cuts him off with a kiss. And in spite of the words that had just been streaming from Eddie’s mouth, he has absolutely no trouble immediately getting with the program and kissing back.

He can’t help the “I love you” that slips out when Steve pulls away, but then he grips the front of Steve’s jacket and reels him back in for another kiss.

“I love you, I love you, I promise I do,” Eddie manages between presses of lips. “I’m going to show you every day if you let me, I will.”

“Yeah,” Steve says shakily, finally breaking their connection so he can bury his face in the crook of Eddie’s neck, wrapping his arms around Eddie’s middle and holding him tight. “Yeah, okay.”

Eddie’s arms are around Steve’s shoulders in an instant, pulling him closer still. “Okay.”

“I love you, too. I still do,” Steve says, a little muffled.

Eddie inhales sharply. He’d had a feeling – Steve Harrington isn’t really the sort of person who ever stops loving someone, not really, but having it confirmed is like a burst of pleasant static in his chest. He lets one hand slide up over the back of Steve’s neck and into his hair, cradling his head, and Steve nuzzles in a bit closer, only to make Eddie flinch when the cold tip of his nose brushes his neck.

“Jesus, you’re cold,” Eddie says, running his other hand down Steve’s back and finally noting how little body warmth seeps through his jacket.

“Been out here a while,” Steve mumbles. “Told you I should’ve worn something heavier.”

“Shit, uh–” Eddie ignores Steve’s annoyed little sigh when he’s forced to pull away so that Eddie can shimmy out of his battle jacket and hold it out for him. “Here. Might help.”

Slowly, Steve lifts his hand to take the jacket, glancing up at Eddie and raising his eyebrows. “You wanna talk about recreating history…”

For a long moment, Eddie stares, uncomprehending, until Steve’s eyes flick out towards the lake and then back towards the vest.

“Oh, shit,” Eddie hisses. “Wait, no, I wasn’t trying to–”

“Relax,” Steve cuts in, smirking as he shrugs the vest over his own jacket and then steps back into Eddie’s space. “I’m teasing.”

Eddie tries to frown at Steve, but he can’t maintain it as Steve slips his arms under his leather jacket and around his waist and pecks him on the cheek.

“You making fun of my chivalry, Harrington?” Eddie grumbles, slinging his arms back around Steve’s shoulders.

“Little bit,” Steve answers, before resting his chin on Eddie’s shoulder and relaxing against him so heavily that Eddie has to readjust his center of gravity.

They stand there on the shore for a bit longer, swaying together in the comfort of what they’ve both been missing, until Eddie’s fingers begin to get cold. The late October chill is starting to bite, and Eddie can feel the cool breeze coming in off the lake.

“So…” Eddie says quietly, pulling reluctantly back from Steve; he knows they’ll need to go back to their cars soon, but he can’t leave without addressing one last thing. “If we’re really doing this... And– and we are?”

Steve nods. “Yeah. I want– I really want to try again.”

“Okay.” Eddie nods, unable to help the nearly reflexive little smile that quirks up at that. “Then I’m gonna do my best to be better and pay more attention, but I need you to tell me when you want something. When you need something.” He reaches up and cups Steve’s jaw, cold skin on cold skin, swiping his thumbs across Steve’s cheeks. “I know you’re not used to doing that with people, but I need you to. I want to give you what you want, but I can’t unless you tell me. Okay?”

Slowly, Steve nods. “I’ll try,” he says, a little hoarse.

Still smiling, Eddie leans in for a kiss, and Steve meets him halfway.

It doesn’t last long; it’s dark, and they’re both cold and tired, and Steve is the first to pull away, heaving another put-upon sigh.

“Okay, let’s go home,” he says, grabbing Eddie by the hand and leading him back towards where they’d parked.

Eddie spends a moment furiously working the statement over in his head, trying to figure out what “home” means—Eddie’s place? Steve’s place? Each to their respective houses?—but he’s saved from having to ask when Steve glances back over his shoulder at him.

“You go first, I’ll follow,” he says, and Eddie relaxes.

Home it is.

Though it genuinely hadn’t been his intent at the start of the evening, they do both end up in Eddie’s bed. Steve steals a set of Eddie’s pajamas and claims the same side of the mattress that he always has, and they both drift off curled into one another’s space.

It’s the best Eddie’s slept in weeks.

Part 10

Tag List: (Currently full! Message me if you'd like off the ride): @bushbees @y0urnewstepp4r3nt @gleek4twd @hellfireone @westifer-dead @anne-bennett-cosplayer @starman-jpg @mugloversonly @swimmingbirdrunningrock @alycatavatar @y4r3luv @rhapsodyinalto @vinteraltus @lilpomelito @tillystealeaves @noctxrn-e @pearynice @giverobinagfbrigade @novacorpsrecruit @hotluncheddie @strangersteddierthings @alongcomesaspider @theheadlessphilosopher @jettestar @rajumat @garden-of-gay @jamieweasley13 @dam28lh @oldwitcheshat @lololol-1234 @perfectlysensiblenonsense @salty-h0e @r0binscript @mavernanche @back2beesness @a-lovely-craziness @paintsplatteredandimperfect @redbullgivescaswings @emmabubbles @heartstarstar-blog @thesuninyaface @thatonebisexualman @fruitandbubbles @erinharvelle @m-owo-n @theystoodandplayedwithsilence @surroundedbyconfusion @luthienstormblessed @3ldr1tchang3l @pansexuality-activated

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #stranger things #eddiesteve #okay now let the fluff era begin #just a little more hashing out to do <3 #solar wrote

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whatdoeseverybodywant · 4 months

Text

All Falls Down - Chapter 6

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤

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“Go ‘head baby, cum on my fingers.”

“Hey, you alright?” Kiyana jumped as she was forced out of her daydream. She snapped her head over to Josh who was standing in the doorway of their ensuite bathroom. “You been spacing out all day, you good?” He stepped closer to her, worry written all over his face.

Since the ‘club incident’ she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Joe and she felt like shit, because here she was mad and talking about divorcing her husband and she was no better than him. She had decided to keep what happened to herself. Even when Samara asked she kept quiet.

She 100 percent did not mean for that to happen. Everything happened so fast, one minute she was drunk and dancing then next thing she knew she was getting fingered by her husband's cousin and she sobered up almost immediately. Kiyana had chalked it up to the fact that she and Joe were both drunk and that was that. They were drunk and clearly weren’t thinking straight. She was drunk and if she was sober none of it would’ve happened. But, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Her mind also kept going back to graduation night ever since Joe brought it up. And while yes, she and Joe did some things. She didn’t technically cheat on Josh- it was still wrong considering what happened between her and Joe took place 30 minutes after she broke up with Josh. But They were kids back then and they both promised that neither one of them would ever bring it back up especially since she got back together with Josh the next day and not to mention the fact that Joe and Josh were family.

“Key.” She jumped again and looked at Josh. Shit I spaced out again. She thought as she cleared her throat.

“I’m fine. Are you ready?” She asked to which he nodded his head. “Okay, I'll meet you downstairs. He nodded again before hesitating as he took a step closer to her, bending down to place a kiss on her cheek but she moved back. Clearing her throat again, she turned back towards the mirror and finished doing her make-up.

Josh had somehow secured them an emergency counseling session with the same counselor that tried to help his mom and dad before their divorce. The whole ride to Dr. Anderson’s office, Kiyana could feel Josh staring at her every so often and would try to place his hand on her thigh and she would fling his hand off of her.

“Are you going to at least try and listen to what Dr. Anderson has to say?” He asked once he put the car in park and she inhaled a deep irritated breath.

“I’m here aren’t I?” Was all she said before she exited the car, slamming the door behind her.

Dr. Anderson stared at the couple in front of him. Kiyana had scooted herself all the way down to the other end of the couch and had basically tucked her body into herself. Her body language was telling Dr. Anderson that she didn’t want to be there and she would not be open to anything he had to say. While Josh on the other hand had a semi-relaxed posture, he was nervously tapping his fingers on his knees but he was open and he wanted to see a change.

Dr. Anderson cleared his throat, getting the attention of the two of them. “Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for seeing us on such short notice.” Josh said, wiping his hands on his pants. Dr. Anderson observed Kiyana roll her eyes.

“Now, you told me a little bit over the phone.” He said, bringing his attention back over to Josh who nodded. “There was some infidelity?” Josh nodded again and Dr. Anderson hummed and wrote something down in his notebook. “From who?” Josh cleared his throat and raised his hand tentatively.

“I uh- I had a four month affair. But it’s over now and if I could I would go back and never give that woman the time of day.”

Kiyana snorted and rolled her eyes. “So hearing that your husband just said that, how does that make you feel?” Kiyana shrugged.

“I think he’s talking out his ass and I believe everything he’s going to say today will be a load of bullshit.” Dr. Anderson nodded again and wrote another note in his notebook.

“Okay, so tell me how was your relationship before the cheating and were there any noticeable signs of the cheating?” Kiyana inhaled a deep breath and snuck a glance over at Josh who was already looking at her. How was their relationship?

“It was normal I guess,” She shrugged. “I mean we were together since high school but I never thought that he would actually cheat on me, you know? We’ve had our problems in the past but it’s never led to anything like this.” Josh felt like his heart was being ripped out his chest as he watched the tears trinkle out of her eyes.

“Were there any noticeable signs of cheating?” Dr. Anderson asked again.

“No,” Kiyana shook her head. “Everything remained the same. I had no reason to suspect that he was cheating.”

Josh sank lower in his seat as he listened to Kiyana tell Dr. Anderson how good their relationship used to be, the more he listened, the more he felt like complete shit. All he wanted was to forget about Shanté and move forward with his wife. Because if he was being completely honest, He didn’t know how to live without Kiyana. So he hoped and prayed that this first session with Dr. Anderson would get them back on the right path.

Shanté stared at the house in front of her, she could actually see herself living there when Josh got rid of Kiyana and their kids. Nikkita had told her this was a bad idea but obviously she didn’t listen. She wasn’t let Josh go without a fight. He had blocked her on almost everything and this was the next step. She needed him to see that they belonged together and that she was the right one for him. She made sure her make up was right before stepping out of the car and walking up to the front door and knocked.

Kiyana had just left the kitsch after making her and Trin a drink so she could tell Trin all about the counseling session when there was a knock at her front door. She and Trin had stayed back at the house with Kairo while Jon and Josh took Kamari and Kaiden with them to go get food.

“Sis, you expecting someone?” Trin asked as her and Kiyana both looked in the direction of the door with confused looks on their faces. Kiyanna shook her head and placed both of their drinks on the coffee table before going to open the door.

“Hi, can I help you?” Kiyana asked with a friendly smile, but that smile quickly vanished as the women in front of her seemed irritated by her presence.

Shanté rolled her eyes when Kiyana opened the door. “Yeah, is Josh here?” She asked, crossing her over her chest and Kiyana felt her heart drop into her stomach. She took a good look at the woman and immediately knew this was who her husband had an affair with.

Shanté had a smirk on her face now. “Yeah, you know who I am don’t you?” She asked cockilly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. She looked Kiyana up and down with a look of disgust on her face. This is what he had to come home to? No wonder he decided to cheat. Shanté thought.

Kiyana closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “He ain’t here.” She tried to close the door in her face but Shanté pushed it back open. “Girl, i’m warning you, get the fuck outta here.”

Shanté pouted. “Is that anyway to talk to your kids' step-mom?” She cackled and Kiyana snapped, she landed a perfect right hook on Shanté’s jaw, knocking the other woman down to the ground. Trinity came running towards the door when she heard the commotion. She pulled Kiyana behind her and glared at Shanté. Before she could say anything Josh’s car pulled into the driveway. He rushed out of the car and over to Kiyana who pushed him away from her and stomped into the house.

“Hi baby,” Shanté said as she pulled herself up off the ground. “You miss me?”

IM SORRY IF THIS SUCKS 😭

NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE BETTER I PROMISE 🤞🏽

FYI: Kamari is 6

Kaiden is 3

Kairo is 2 (almost 3) months.

181 notes · View notes

justmeinadaze · 3 months

Text

My Little Man (Steddie X You) (Part of HFOD and SS Universe)

A/N: I guess you guys would call this season 3? Lol. My angst hella took over as well as some feelings I've been dealing with lately.

Enjoy please <3.

Part of this Universe

Warnings: Demon Steddie & Human Fem Reader, No SMUT in this one, FLUFF, they love each other and their son. Demon Steddie is navigating how to be human while taking care of a pregnant Y/N.

ANGST: More or less the normal level of angst that comes with this series. The theme is grief and PTSD (from a soldiers perspective). Y/N is still struggling with the notion of her parents not being there to see Ellis grow up and the guys (especially Steve) is struggling with being raised how they were and taught to fight. Eddie struggles with feelings of enabling because of everything they went through.

The dreams probably have the most feels. They talk to their loved ones and Ellis says goodbye. Steve has nightmares that involve his dad being a dick (of course) and something that happens within one angers Eddie (blood briefly mentioned).

Word Count: 6398

"Don't you know I love you more than life itself Don't you know that you're my pride And I would not have you walking through this world Without me by your side

Go to sleep my little man Don't you weep my little man"

3 Months Pregnant

Steve sits on the bench outside of the library he had just exited from, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes and threw his head back.

Ever since the three of you got home, he and Eddie had been doing research on which human job they would best be suited for in your realm but were struggling to find much of anything. For him, it was even more difficult since he was raised to be a solider. He genuinely didn’t know how to do anything else and it didn’t help that even though you explained a lot of human behavior, he still felt slightly ignorant with many things.

“May I sit?” The demon jumped at the sound of a gravelly voice beside him. “Oh, shit. Sorry, son. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, it’s alright. Um, please.”, he gestures towards the area beside him causing the man to flash him a thankful grin as he takes a seat.

“How long?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I asked how long. I know the look of a fellow veteran trying to figure out how to adapt to a civilian lifestyle. How long has it been since you saw combat?”

“Oh, uh, it’s…it’s been a few years. But I did it the bulk of my life.”

“I can imagine with you being so young. I bet one of your parents was a solider as well?”

“Wow. Yeah, that’s amazing. How did you…?”

“I told you, son. I know the look.”, the man chuckles as he extends his hand. “Truman Duvall; Ex Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army.”

“Steven Harrington. Um, Sergeant in the US Army. Well, Ex.”, Steve laughs nervously as he hopes his memory of things he’s learned about humans in the past is still up to date.

“Nice to meet you. If I may ask, what were you thinking so hard about specifically?”

“My girlfriend is pregnant and I’m trying to find a job so I can help support my family. I want my son to have a better life then I did but I have no idea where to start.”

“Congratulations on the little bundle! I have four myself, two of them grown and out of the house already. My wife pretends like she’s glad they’re out but she misses them.”, he laughs. “I don’t know if you would be willing but down the street here, we have a recreation center where veterans go to relax and let loose. They’ve been looking for a counselor to lead the group therapy. I think you’d be a good fit.”

“Yeah? Um, I guess I could…”

“Look, you don’t even have to make a decision right now. Why don’t meet me there tonight? We’re having a little party get together thing. Of course, you can bring the girlfriend and you both can meet the person in charge. See if you feel comfortable.”

“O-Ok. I, um…” Steve pauses as he debates on if he should tell the truth about Eddie. That was a fight they had when it came to going home. He had been afraid that they would have to hide their relationship and he never wanted to hide or be hidden when it came to the man he loved. But this is also where he wanted to raise his son and he didn’t want to cause a commotion before you four even had a chance to settle in. What would Eddie do?

“Can I bring my boyfriend as well? He’s a veteran to. We actually met during our tour.”

Truman’s mouth pouted out ever so slightly as his eyebrows lifted in surprise.

“Oh, um, sure! The more the merrier.”

***

“Steven, oh my God, that’s amazing!”, you exclaim as you wrap your arms around his neck. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Hang on, now. I don’t have a job yet but…”

“Don’t sell yourself short, bud.”, Eddie grins from his place on the kitchen counter.

“I hope it’s ok that I kind of…announced…our relationship. We actually didn’t talk about what we wanted to do but I know if we had stayed in our realm I’d want to be honest.”

The long-haired demon opened his arms and Steve promptly placed himself between his legs with his back against his chest while Eddie rested his chin on his shoulder.

“I’m glad you did. I love you and I’m not hiding that.”

“Me either.”, you smiled as they beamed right back.

Suddenly, the happiness drains from your face before you turn and bolt towards the bathroom. You three had been home for a couple of months and within the past week some of the normal symptoms of pregnancy began springing up such as the morning sickness you were currently experiencing.

“It’s alright, baby. Get it all out.”, Eddie tries to sooth as he holds your hair into a makeshift ponytail. As soon as you were finished, you fell back into his arms and thanked Steve when he handed you a bottle of water.

“This is normal, right? Humans get nauseas like this.”, he asked.

“Yeah, honey. It’s normal. I’m alright. I think I’m going to take a nap so I can be 100% for tonight.”

“Y/N, you don’t have to go.”

“No, Steve, I want to go. I want to see where you’ll be and the people you’ll be around.”

################

“Steve! You made it.”, Truman shouts excitedly as he reaches out to shake the boy’s hand. “You must be the girlfriend.”

“Hi. I’m Y/N.”

“Y/N. What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman and this is your…boyfriend? Right, son?”

“Yes, sir. This is Edward.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Steve said you’re a veteran as well. Were you a sergeant like himself?”

“Oh, uh, no. I was more of a private I guess you’d say. But we spent a lot of time together especially on the battlefield.”

“Wow and for you two to still be so close and find a relationship through all that chaos! That’s amazing. I always tell my wife if she met me during my tour she would have hated me. A lot of civilians don’t understand the headspace you have to fall into to do what we have to do.”

Both demon’s nod in understanding and you can’t help but softly smile as you watch them interact with the other people around them. Steve was definitely in his element and you could tell in some way he felt more comfortable in this setting because he was around beings who seemed to understand what they both went through. As his new friend spoke, his eyes remained intense and focused as he absorbed everything he said.

Eddie excused himself to grab some drinks but became distracted talking to another couple and began to laugh at something they were saying. The first time you met him he expressed a particular distain for humans but he seemed to open up more since they were freed, finding something interesting in each person he interacted with.

“Hey, this is my girlfriend Y/N.”, he introduces when you walk over to check on him. “Y/N, this is Lisa and Shawn Bennett. Lisa did a tour in the Air Force flying jets and Shawn was a DJ overseas.”

“Oh wow. For the military or just on your own?”

“For the military. I’m kind of like that Cronauer guy they made the movie about. I read the reports and played music I thought would lift the troops spirits.”, the man explains.

“Kind of like me.”, Eddie whispers in your ear making you smile. “What do you two do now if I may ask? Steve and I have been searching for employment but we have no idea what would fit us.”

“Well, I actually own a store of my own selling books and comics; things like that. I’m a bit of a nerd.”, Lisa laughs.

“And I teach media and music courses at the local community college up here.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun actually. Are they looking for another music teacher because Eddie is an amazing musician.”

“Yeah? Unfortunately, they aren’t but you should consider maybe starting your own business as well. You can teach kids to play guitar or any other instruments you know and you can do it from your house or maybe the music store downtown is hiring.”

“Are you looking for a job to, Y/N? I’m trying to hire someone to help me with my shop.”, Lisa offers with a smile.

“Oh, I’d love that. I’m, uh, I’m actually pregnant though and I wouldn’t want to leave you stranded after you just hired me.”

“That’s fantastic! Don’t even worry about it. You don’t seem very far along yet. I can teach you the ropes before you give birth and that way when you come back, you’ll already know what to do!”

As you glance at Eddie, his eyes widen with encouragement as he nods his head.

“Ok, I’d love to work for you.”

Lisa claps and gives you a big hug as your demon beams behind you.

***

“Hello fellow veterans, spouses, and partners! Glad you could all join us tonight. I hope you are having some much needed fun! I do have just a quick announcement to make. I would like to introduce you to Steven Harrington who is new to Hawkins and after speaking with him I feel like he will be a great addition to our center here as the group counselor.” The man at the podium smiles as he gestures towards the demon and everyone around the room claps. “Steve, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

When he hesitates, you gently push him forward, urging him softly before he relents and nervously climbs up the makeshift stage.

“Um, hi. Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve been seen by so many people.” The people chuckle as you and Eddie grin knowingly. “Like Thomas said, I’m, uh, new to Hawkins but my girlfriend is from here and my partner and I thought it would be better for her to be back home where she felt safe with her family so we can start raising our own. I-I-I…shit I used to better at this.”, he chuckles before glancing your way, your gentle smile comforting him.

“I was raised in a military household. My dad was a solider so that’s what I was expected to be. As soon as I was able, he handed me a weapon and commanded I train to be the best. There was no wiggle room there. It was all or nothing. When I saw war…I shut down and did what I had to. I took no pleasure in killing, contrary to popular belief.”

“The worst part about shutting down that way was how it flowed into my every day. I was as an asshole to everyone including women I dated and people I trained… except for some of the people closest to me…Robin, Chrissy, and Eddie. When Edward and I got out…I felt so out of control…so lost. I lost my identity and everything I knew. If I didn’t have him by my side… Then we met Y/N and without her we literally wouldn’t be here today.”

Steve paused, looking out into the crowd, and realizing he may be talking too much.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. Thank you so much for this opportunity and I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

The people in the room clap as he steps off the stage and you immediately wrap your arms around his waist as Eddie lightly caresses his cheek.

***

4 Months Pregnant

You beam at Eddie as he softly strums his instrument. That day after Shawn suggested it, he went down to the music store in town and applied for the job as a guitar instructor. After playing and showing off for them he got the job. He loved hearing the kids try and play reminding him of the children he watched over with Steve during their war.

Today was everyone’s day off so they were being lazy in bed with you in your pajamas and both demons in nothing but their sweats.

“Ok, this thing here says for humans you should be feeling him move around now.”, Steve announced as he gestured towards the book he was reading.

“I haven’t felt him move yet unless the occasional nausea is him saying hello.”, you giggle. Leaning over him, you grab his hand and place it on the middle of your stomach. “Talk to him.”

“Uh, I…hey, Ellis. It’s, um, your daddy. I’m not scaring him with my voice, right?”

“No, baby.”, you grin as you pet his head. “This is how he’ll get used to it though. Hearing and seeing you both in your demon form.”

“Buddy, you have no reason to be afraid of us in any form. I’m sorry your dads aren’t as beautiful as you and your mom but—”

“Hey, speak for yourself.”, Eddie teases making you laugh. “I’m a sexy motherfucker.”

“Oh.”

“What?”, Steve’s eyes shift up excitedly.

“You didn’t feel that?”

When he shakes his head, you place his hand closer to the side you felt movement, gesturing for the other demon to do the same.

“Say something else.”

“Hey Ellis. This is your other daddy and I assure you we are very handsome.”

“Holy shit.”, Steve exhales as he grins up towards his partner. “That’s amazing.”

“I’m glad you agree, kid.”, Eddie smiles.

***

6 Months Pregnant

Eddie growls at the crib he was trying to assemble as his glowing red eyes glare at the instructions again. Over these past couple of months, you three had made your dad’s old room your bedroom and begun shifting the room you used to sleep in into Ellis’s.

Going off his personality from your dreams, you painted the room blue with images of guitars along the base boards and up along the ridges of the ceiling. Near where his crib would be, you put up pictures of everyone in his family that loved him including Robin, Wayne, Dustin, and everyone who had passed that he had been conversing with these past six months.

The boys were able to get everything a baby would need from your realm but also from theirs including those books that Eddie had wrote and some toys demons normally played with at a young age.

“Whoever invented these contraptions should be tortured for eternity.”, Eddie grunted as he tried again putting a few of the pieces together.

“You guys don’t have cribs in your realm?”

“Yeah but they were like boxes essentially. Or at least mine was. I’m sure Steven had gold porcelain or some shit.”

“No.”, Steve chuckled as he took the wrong part from his partner’s hand and handed him the correct one. “I had a regular little wooden thing with soft blankets.”

“I wish I could see what you two were like as kids.”

Since they left Maeve, they weren’t able to snap memories into your head like they were before. It hurt them more than you because you always seemed curious about them and they wished they could show you everything from their point of view, not Henry’s or Mirage’s.

“How much did Mirage show you?”

“She showed me big events more than anything. Steve always looking for his parents especially your mom. She did play sword fight with you once and you looked so happy until your dad yelled at her for ‘ruining your training’.” You rolled your eyes as Steve pet your head and sighed. “Eddie, I did see what your uncle told me about with your mom singing to you.” The demon’s glow receded in his eyes as he glanced your way with a small smile.

“Until my father told her to shut up?”

Tilting forward, you crawled over his work to kiss his lips making his smile widen as he caressed your face.

“What about your parents, honey?”

“Both my parents were amazing. My dad always loved to make us laugh. He liked being a girl dad and my mom exploited that.”, you giggle. “She would make him wear tutus while I would do his makeup and they both would dance.”

A tear left your eyes and both demons promptly gave you their attention.

“I’m sorry you guys don’t have your parents here. You both deserve better.”

“Baby, it’s ok—”

“Eddie it’s not okay.”

“Will you let me finish?”, he jokes. “It’s ok because I had my mom and I had Wayne. Then as I got older I got my other family. Steven, Robin, Chrissy, and even Dustin. Now, sweetheart, I have you two and Ellis. I couldn’t be happier.”

“I agree. I’m thankful for the memories I do have with my mom but the kids I trained and beings I fought with…that was my family. I’m so excited to see what’s in store for us, you know. See what Ellis is going to do with his life.”

You smiled as you kissed their lips before you wince and lean away.

“Ow. Little butthead is kicking my side.”

“Hey, kid.”, Eddie teases as he tilts towards your tummy. “Why don’t you stop hurting your mother and come help me make your torture technic of a crib.”

###############

8 months Pregnant

You, Steve, and Eddie walked into the house you three had been in so many times these last few months except now it was completely empty. All the furniture and everything was completely absent as you entered the living room full of people.

“Ellis?”

Everyone in the room moved out of the way to where Eddie’s mom was hugging her grandson to her chest as he sobbed.

“I don wanna go!”

“You have to, baby. Your mommy and daddies need you now. They’ve been waiting so long to see you.”

“Mom?”, Eddie asked as he stepped towards her. “What’s going on?”

She softly smiled as she handed him to your father who spun him around as he chuckled but your son just buried his face further in his neck.

“Come on, little guy. Your parents have made you an awesome bedroom and knowing my daughter she’s going to show you so many amazing things.”

The little boy shook his head as your dad kissed his temple before handing him to your mom.

“Steven, remember, you once told me that everything would be ok and you were right. I’ve watched you both take care of my baby and I assure you, you both are going to be more than ok. You are going to be amazing parents.”

He beamed at him as he wrapped his arms around the demon and pulled him in for a hug.

Your mother grinned as she reached out to touch your face as you started to cry.

“I’m scared to do this without you.”, you whisper.

Your parent’s smiles widen as she kisses her grandson and places him in your arms.

“We’re not going anywhere. We’re always right here.”, she soothes as she points to Ellis’s forehead. “Right behind that door, honey.”

“I love you.”, you son coos as each grandparent reciprocates his affection.

As both your demons come to your side, you look down to no longer see a toddler but a newborn baby wiggling in your arms. Steve gently pets his head as Eddie reaches for his tiny hand that immediately clings to his finger.

All of your eyes shoot open but yours is followed by a grunt as you place your hands on your stomach.

“Fuck! I think…”

They don’t waste any time as they collect you and your things before rushing towards the hospital.

***

“How long are they going to keep him back there?”, Eddie growled as he held your hand.

“Calm down. Y/N said this was normal. They need to clean him, check his vitals, and all that.”

“Yeah, but Steven, what if something comes up in those vitals that frightens a human.”

The other demon’s eyes flash red in warning in his direction as a low rumble leaves his chest.

“Maybe we should have had him in your realm.”, you respond groggily as your heavy eyes shift their way.

“Baby, don’t let Edward scare you, ok? He’s fine. He’s got more human in him right now than anything. Dustin said he would grow into his demon parts.”

“He also said we’re the first couple ever to do this so…”

“Edward Munson, I swear—“, Steve’s anger was cut short when the door to your hospital room opened and a nurse casually sauntered in.

“Hey Munson-Harrington family.”, she smiles. “We have little Ellis here fast asleep and everything looks good. Mommy, how are you feeling?”

“Like I gave birth.” The nurse laughs at your joke as your demons roll their eyes. “I’m alright. A bit exhausted.”

“Yeah, that’s normal, sweetheart. Good news is your baby is in perfect health. Would you like to meet him?” Your eyes fully open as you sit up, smiling softly when she places him in your arms. “I’ll come check on you three in a bit.”

Tears start to fall as you fully take him in. Right now, he seemed like a completely normal child with soft skin and just a sliver of brown hair poking out of his blue beanie.

“Hey, honey. You’re so handsome. I’m your mommy.”, you coo in a whisper as you kiss his forehead. “Oh my god, he smells so good.”, you laugh as you look their way.

Eddie was the first to step forward, sitting beside you on the bed as he caressed his son’s chubby little cheek with his finger.

“Holy shit. He’s so soft.”, he breathes. “You’re perfect, kid.”

Steve finally takes a seat as well and reaches out to feel his tiny hand.

“He’s warm to. Is that normal?” When you nod, he almost breathes a sigh of relief. “Ellis, we’re your daddies. You ARE perfect, oh my god.”

The baby squirms a bit in your hold giving them pause before pulling away.

“I think that was his way of saying thank you.”, you smile.

###########

3 Weeks Old

“Fascinating.”, Dustin muses as he rocks Ellis in his arms while swaying around the living room. “He really does look just like a little human with the soft skin and everything. Nothing has stood out?”

“Can you stop analyzing our baby and just enjoy him?”, Eddie snaps as he sighs.

“No, nothing.”, you giggle, answering his question. “And so far he seems to eat but not as much as normal babies.”

“How so?”

“Babies are supposed to eat every two hours; we’ve been feeding him every six. I was worried at first but we just took him the doctor and she said he was healthy. When I tried to give him a bottle every two he would cry and push at my hands.”

“Interesting. That has to be hard, Y/N. Him not being able to verbally tell you things like that. I hated when my kids cried in general but you…you still have that whole trial and error thing going.”

Glancing towards your demons, Eddie had fallen asleep with his head nestled in Steve’s lap on the couch who was already napping when Dustin arrived.

“It is. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us though and I know they do to. I’ve been keeping a record like you suggested should this ever happen for anyone else.”

“Good.” When he notices your gaze shift again, he takes a seat on the floor beside you and lays Ellis on the blanket between you both. “Everything ok with you three?”

“Yeah, I’m just a little worried. They were both already so protective over me and now that he’s here… Steve’s been having nightmares. He pretends he doesn’t but I hear him groaning in his sleep and feel him wake up. I asked him the other night if he still has access to my dreams and he said he can’t find the door anymore.”

A tear fell down your check as Dustin reached out to comfort you.

“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Eddie’s attitude has been a lot shorter lately. He’s exhausted and worried about the three of us. He triple checks everything to the point that I find him asleep on the floor by Ellis’s crib because he’s too tired to make it back to our bed and would just rather be closer to his son just in case.”

“What about you? Besides the worry I mean.”

“I know I’m probably being paranoid but sometimes I feel like we’re being watched. It may just be because of our dynamic. I know not everyone is excepting like the new friends we’ve made but no one has said anything… I don’t know. Just…mom brain maybe.”

“Hm, maybe. Keep an eye on that. From what you’ve told me, you’re always pretty intuitive. Wouldn’t want to miss something you know?”

#########

5 Weeks Old

“Oh my god, Y/N, look at him.”, Lisa coos at Ellis as she holds him in her arms.

“Are you alright, Steve? You look like you haven’t slept.”, Shawn chuckles.

“Yeah, I’m doing alright. Just…little guy keeping me up.”, he forces a smile.

Your friends were having a get together for veterans and their families and since Steve worked at the center you suggested you three should go and be seen. Truthfully, you thought it would be good for them both to get out of the house as well as having him specifically spend some time with his new veteran friends to talk about anything that may be weighing on his mind causing his nightmares.

As the night wore on you noticed their soft grins return to their faces as he and Eddie mingled with the people around them. They radiated warmth as they talked about their son and everything he had done with his short little life so far.

“Have you guys started baby proofing yet? I swear when my daughter started crawling it was like she knew which areas were the bad ones!”

“Oh no, not yet. He did smile at Y/N the other day. Ellis has a beautiful little grin.”, Steve boasts.

“At that age usually it’s just reflexive. They see you guys smiling so…”

“Isn’t that all babies though? Like that’s how they learn?”, Eddie genuinely asks as the dads around him laugh.

“Yeah but who knows some babies are different! You may just have an extremely happy baby who couldn’t wait to show you guys how much he loves being here.”

Time passed and a few of the guests left, leaving the main few that you had really gotten to know. You all sat in the living room while Eddie patted his son’s back as Ellis slept soundly. Steve tenderly petted the baby’s head as you beamed at them from your place in the chair across from them.

“So how has everything else been going?”, Thomas asks as he chugs back some of the beer in his bottle.

“Everything has been good, man. Just focusing on them, ya know?”

“Yeah, I understand. When my son was born, that first night I checked on him every hour on the hour. Then for some reason I kept checking on my wife. I knew our son needed us both and I kept thinking ‘What if something happened to either of us?’”

“I can understand that. I, uh, before Y/N and Steve, I lost a lot of people I loved and there was nothing I could do. Now that Ellis is here…it would kill me if anything ever happened to him.”

“Do you have nightmares about it? About losing them?”

“I don’t but Stevie here does.”, Eddie answers causing Steve to toss a glare his way.

“I do but it’s fine. It’s not a big deal.”

“I had them to. Sometimes I would dream they were on the battlefield I fought in. I would run to them but I could never quite reach them.”, Thomas sighs at the memory. “What do you dream about?”

“It’s fine really.”

You’re not sure if anyone else heard but you and Eddie did as the demon’s voice fluctuated to his real one for a split second.

“Steven…”

“It’s ok, Y/N. Like I said, I get it. If you talk about it, it gives it validity right? You’d hate to manifest something like that into existence. Someone killing Y/N and your son.”

Steve’s eyes closed as his head ticked to the side.

“Ok, Tom, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but I’m putting my foot down. You’re going to push him too far and he’s already got enough on his mind.”, Eddie defended rising to his feet and handing you the baby.

“Ah, you’re the enabler I imagine. You allow him to shelter his feelings so he doesn’t have to deal with them.”

“You’re damn right I do. You humans have no idea what we’ve been through!”

“Interesting word choice. Is that how you separate people from your experiences?”

“Come on, guys, let’s head home.” As the long-haired demon grabbed his boyfriend’s arm, he remained frozen in place. Kneeling in front of him, he cupped his face in his hands. “Steven, it’s ok alright. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to. Let’s go home and get some sleep, huh?”

When the demon finally opened his eyes, Eddie’s widen in fear; he knew this look all too well. As subtly as he could, he got to his feet and towards the front door with you trailing after him.

“Steven—”

Once the wind of the outside hit your faces, he expanded his wings, cutting you off as he vanished into the air.

***

“Edward, baby, are you ok?”

Eddie nodded from his place on the floor next Ellis who was sleeping soundly beside him. After laying down as well, he softly smiles your way as he continues caressing the baby’s open hand.

“DO I enable him, Y/N?”

“Eddie…”

“I just…we went through so much… Every day I had to watch the man I love breakdown. Even when we were out, summoners never treated us with any kind of respect. They knew we wouldn’t be there for long. In our realm, he was hero and with one choice, he was banished and imprisoned…because of me.”

“No, Eddie. Everything you two went through was because of Henry. He killed Chrissy and framed you. Jason didn’t give Steve much of a choice. He was going to disobey orders and hurt you.”

“I always tried to make it up to him… I tried not to show my feelings, pretending I didn’t care we were trapped. Pretending I wasn’t scared and just as angry as he was. I’ve done that my whole life, Y/N. When my mom got sick, I did everything I could to make her laugh so she wouldn’t see how devastated I was. Every time my father came home upset, I acted like I was tough but I was fucking terrified, baby. I was so scared.”

A tear fell from his eye and your immediately wiped it away with your thumb.

“When he fled, I was afraid for my uncle. I didn’t even think twice when I signed up but I was positive I wouldn’t last a month out there on the battlefield. Steven and Robin helped me become a better fighter. With Chris I pretended to be more together than I was. She had enough on her plate at the time and I wanted her to feel safe.”

“It seems like that’s why you pretend, Eddie, so the people you love feel safe.”

Sitting up, he started to cry harder and you immediately crawled to him, curling up in his lap as you held him in your arms.

The sound you recognized as a portal opening grabbed both your attention as you called Steve’s name.

“Hey, no, sorry. It’s just me. I have him here though.”, Robin answered as she came around the corner with the demon leaning half-conscious around her shoulders. “My girlfriend sent me a message saying he was there at the bar. He had been babbling about how human drinks aren’t strong enough and something about you two and Ellis.”

After leading her to the bedroom, she gently placed Steve onto the mattress. When Eddie entered the room, she smiled when she saw your son’s wide eyes looking back at her.

“He woke up.”, the demon announced as Ellis yawned to emphasis his point.

“You need to let your parents get some rest, booger.”, Robin coos as she pokes his nose making him smile.

“Some of our friends said for human babies around this time smiles like that are a reflex.”

“Yeah but he’s not entirely human and that beautiful, drool filled grin didn’t seem reflexive.”, she responded. “It seems like he can handle the demon skin since he’s letting us touch him.”

“Yeah, I think that’s the potion.”, you nod as you reach out to tickle the baby’s chin. “Thank you for bringing Steve back, Robin.”

Softly smiling, she leans down to kiss your forehead.

“Seriously, you and Ellis are so soft—”

“Ay yi, ma’am. This human is ours.”, Eddie playfully scolds as he swats his hand in her direction.

***

Loud banging and clinking echoes behind the door you’re looking at as smoke occasionally slips through the seams. Taking a long exhale, you reach for the handle but someone tapping your shoulder startles you as you turn and smack the person’s face.

“Ow! Jesus woman. How many times are you going to pop me?!”, Eddie whines as he rubs his cheek.

“Edward, how did you—”

“I don’t know. I’ve been looking for the door for months. Maybe you finally calmed me down enough to know what I’m looking for.” Nodding, you kiss his lips. “So what’s the plan?”

“I think…this is Steve’s door. I don’t know. I’ve been trying to access his dreams but I haven’t been able to.”

Holding your hand, he carefully turns the knob and you both step through. Glancing down at his attire, Eddie realizes he’s suddenly in his old battle armor and you both are on the battlefield they fought on all those centuries ago.

“Why am I not in armor?”

“I mean, you weren’t there, baby.”

“What the fuck are you two doing here?!”, Steve’s father shrieks above you as he lands on his feet. “Leave. NOW. My son needs to learn his lesson.”

“YOU’VE been giving him his nightmares?”, you growl.

“Not exactly. He started having them on his own but I’ve been fueling them.”

Shifting your gaze behind him, you both watch as Steve slaughters enemy after enemy, panting as he slowly tires himself out.

“Steven! Do better! You think these fuckers are going to show mercy on your son?! You have to do what I taught you to get the truth!”

Eddie gripped Bill’s throat and angrily threw him to the ground.

“You made your hell his hell, you fucking asshole. He told me all about you and everything you did to him. You ruined his life enough! Leave him be.”

“Please. He’s doing this to himself. He’s worried about you two peasants and that thing. I’m making him better. Stronger.”

Grabbing a sword from the ground, you lift the handle and point the other end towards his throat.

“You heard him. Leave Steven alone or else I swear to God, Bill, I will find a way myself to keep you in hell.”

Growling under his breath, he tried to stand but you and Eddie forced him back down with your weapons. Huffing he suddenly disappeared as well as every other solider that had fallen around the other demon.

“Ed-Edward?”, Steve panted heavily when you noticed you both there. “Y/N? What are you…? It doesn’t matter. We need to get to Ellis or else Henry’s going to kill him. We have to—”

“Baby, look at me.”, Eddie tried to soothe as he cupped his cheeks in his hands. “You’re dreaming ok? Henry is gone and Ellis is in his crib fast asleep.”

“N-No. No? I can hear him. I can hear him crying! Can’t you hear that?!”

“Steven—”

“NO!”, the demon growls loudly as he shoves the man he loves hard backwards. “Who are you?! You’re not Edward. Y-You’re…You’re trying to trick me. Are you Mirage? Did Henry and his dad hire you to stop me?!”

“Steven…”, Eddie cried with worry as he threw the sword he was holding to the ground and held up his hands. “Sweetheart, please, it’s me. I promise. I would never hurt you like that. I would never keep you from our son.”

As he tried to step forward, the other demon shoved him to the ground.

“I-I-I need to get to my son.”, Steve sobbed as his voice cracked. “I know you’re not Eddie. Tell me where he is.”

When he didn’t answer, he pulled back and pushed his weapon downward.

The sound of your grunt filled their ears as your eyes met Steve’s wide glassy ones. When you both looked down, blood drenched his sword where it had pushed through your stomach and around your back.

“Baby?”

Looking up at him again, you smiled through the pain as blood dripped from your lips.

“Why…why does it hurt?”

The three of you opened your eyes at the same time as you sat up clutching your stomach. Lifting up your shirt, there was no wound but it felt so real. You could still feel the stinging pain lingering on your skin.

Eddie’s head slowly turned meeting Steve’s still shocked expression as is mouth hung open in shock.

“I—”

The long-haired demon’s growl cut him off as his eyes glowed bright red.

“Take us to another realm that we can fucking damage NOW.” You didn’t say anything as Steve rose to his feet with his head hung preparing a portal for them to go through. “Stay here.”

Coming around the bed, he waited for the other demon to finish as you peeked into the world they’d be going to. It was completely baron with nothing but white as far as the eye can see.

“Fitting.”, Eddie responded in anger as he and the other demon walked inside.

As the portal began to close, you quickly got up and jumped through right as it disappeared.

You knew Eddie may be mad but after what happened this wasn’t something you were going to let them handle alone.

##############

@tlclick73 @tiannamortis @steeldaisies @goodhappyfriday @paleidiot @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

@strangerthings64 @howlingco @eddiesguitarskills

@prettypeachsworld @nailbatanddungeon @notlempet

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gothicflowers · 5 months

Text

Philip x f!reader

“Breathe”

SFW - Panic Attack

There was so many people at the yearly shadow company banquet. The amount of shadows had doubled in the past years. There had to be at least 150 people here. And being the commanders wife meant the whole night was spent forcing out hellos and smiles until your cheeks hurt.

Socializing has always been a struggle for you. Always trying to run under the radar. Surprisingly that’s what attracted Philip to you. The loudest man in the room and the lady that never spoke. He found it adorable, much to your surprise he never pushed you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with when it came to socializing.

He knew that it was difficult for you to be in this sort of situation but always maintained positive physical contact with you to let you know he’s there. His hand on your back, hip or your favorite, arms loops together holding you close while rubbing your hand.

It was time for speeches and afterwards the real party would start. Philip as usual would close out speeches for the night, and here the man of the hour was wrapping things up.

“Gentleman I’d say we’ve had one hell of a good year. Partners of shadows I’d like to thank you all for your constant support so these men could go out and get the tough jobs done. And lastly I’d like to thank someone that goes under appreciated. Without her our operations would be an unorganized mess. She’s truly a shadow because you’ll never see all the work she does to ensure we are ready for battle.”

All the shadows knew who he was talking to. Over the past few years you became a mother figure to the company. Always checking in on them after missions. Acting as the company counselor in times of distress. Always cooking and baking because it was calming for you. Making sure all the ammunition and weapons were serviced and stocked. Piles of paperwork. You did the small things that could easily be overlooked.

Suddenly the everyone was standing and a loud round of applause filled the room. Shyly smiling and looking down at the table after realizing everyone had eyes on you. The kind gesture sent you into a sheer panic. Your mind headed straight for the worst. They must have been whispering about you. Judging your hair, dress, posture. Everything. The familiar feeling of being uncomfortable in your skin set in again a burning sensation.

“And on that final note please enjoy the rest of your night ladies and gentlemen.”

By the time graves made it back to your table your hands were shaking. And you could feel your throat start to tighten.

He nealed down infront of you when he noticed you were trying your hardest to disassociate.“Baby what’s wrong”

You choked the words out “they all looked at me, it was terrifying”

Philip quickly realized that what he intended as a kind gesture of appreciation sent you into a panic. He didn’t even realize what the consequences could be of drawing attention to you.

“Oh baby I didn’t mean for it to-“

“Can we go outside”

He gently grabbed your hand helping you up from your seat “of course”

After what felt like a small eternity trying to catch your breath Philip asked if you’d like to turn in for the night. It was an easy answer. Philip helped you into the car and went back in to retrieve your clutch and shawl.

The car ride back was silent until Philip spoke up.

“I’m so proud, you did so well”

“Everyone was looking at me Philip. I appreciate you mentioning me in your speech but I didn’t think they’d do that.”

“Baby, let’s both take a deep breath” Philip grabbed your hands and held them gently in his.

*inhales and exhales together*

You could still feel the tightness in your chest. Tears welling up in your eyes threatening to spill.

“One more for me baby”

*inhales and exhales together again*

His hand gives yours a gentle squeeze. His eyes are calm and relaxed, full of endearing patience and love.

“Good girl”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I panicked”

“You have nothing to apologize for baby girl.”

“I know, I could just feel all their eyes on me. I just hate that you have to deal with me freaking out over absolutely nothing. I feel like a burden.”

“Baby you will never be a burden to me. And they all were admiring how beautiful you looked. Hell I had three of the new guys ask how I managed to get such a beautiful woman to marry me. Still not sure how I did honestly. But everyone loved you baby. Now would you like your weighted blanket and headphones to help?”

“Blanket please”

#call of duty #phillip graves x female reader #philip graves #philip graves x reader #graves x reader #flowerwrites #warren kole

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zillasvilla · 2 months

Text

Beyond the lights

Chapter Six: Non-disclosure Agreement

Pairings: Jey Uso x Black!Original Character.

Summary: Let’s just say Soraya’s day started out fine, got better only for shit to hit the fan.

Warnings: Explicit, 18+ only. Minors DNI : use of foul language.

A/N: I use the same tag-list for all of my works.

Song: Megan Stallion x NDA

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since the release of Conceited. Soraya had sent the rap industry in an uproar over her debut to the hip-hop industry. It had also been a month since she last saw her man. She knew with the Royal Rumble coming up, he would be busier than normal. Although the recent praise she has been receiving comes to a standstill.

Soraya sat with her manager and lawyer in a meeting room. A Death Row Records conference area to be exact. Their counselors were present, along with them, and someone she was hoping she would never see again.

“My artist here is prepared to sign a non-disclosure agreement to never speak of her or their relationship in a negative light if she agrees to produce and compose his music.”

She lets out a surprised chuckle, confusing not only her team, but the men across from her.

“What’s so funny?”

She waves her hand amid her laugh. They were seeking to negotiate his career, and she thought it was laughable. He honestly thought she was going to write his music, let alone produce for him again? He has another thing coming. Soraya quieted herself down, wiping the lone tear that dripped down her face.

“Whew,” she exhales out with a smile. She turns to him, showing him an ounce of attention he’d been wanting since the minute she arrived. “Need I remind you? We signed an NDA two years ago.”

At the mention of the NDA, her manager pulled out several of the original documents they both signed, including the signatures of the advocates present at the time as witnesses.

“NDAs carry a statute of limitations them.” His attorney indicates, skimming through the various pages.

“That is correct. However, this one does not.” Naraya, her manager, speaks. Before his counselors could object, his mush mouth looking self spoke.

“You think you're the shit, huh bitch?” He stares her down, trying to intimidate her. She wasn’t budging, she turns to her advocate, while he whispers in her ear. She nods and rises up, collecting her things. Dame watches with a sneer. Soraya pulled out her phone, a slight grin forming on her face.

Jey 💙: Flight lands in a few hours.

Naraya continues, emphasizing the critical sections. “If you read section four, subsection b, it states that the business arrangement is void if he belittles or refuses to clear her name. If I can recall, two years ago, she received backlash from his fans and several others when he referred to her as a mistress.”

My place or yours.

Dame frowns, seeing the smile on her face. The same smile she gave him when they first got together. “No one belittled this bitch name. She did that herself by taking down my catalogue.”

”What my client is trying to express…“

It had turned into a battle of the counselors, everybody speaking over each other, until Naraya stood up and replayed his interview with Roxanne Wethers on the conference television. They fixate on the screen as he calls Soraya a deranged fan who took his act of kindness too far. Stamping her as the mistress. Soraya tunes out the rest of the conversation. Bouncing on her legs lightly, watching the three messages dance across her screen.

Jey 💙: surprise. Be ready at 8.

Soraya could feel him walking towards her: something she learned out of fear while being with him. He pauses a few feet away. A slight scowl etched on his face. She wasn’t afraid of him anymore; it was all behind her, and it was going to stay that way. Soraya needed to cut all connections with him.

“Weak ass bitch.” He initiates. Her eyes roll, glancing down into her purse, cutting him off while clutching object in her fist.

“We’re not doing this back and forth. I have shit to do, and you’re not fuckin’ my day up.”

“Tough shit.” He sizes her up, knowing the minute he called her out ther name, she would get riled up, and act out. Soraya was unfazed by his intimidation tactics.

“Dame, I think you forgot about the real reason we signed those NDAs.” Everybody is confused, but the way Dame’s face sank had her eyebrows arched into a knowing smirk. She brings the object between her fingers, a black, and red USB drive.

Dame was glaring her down, knowing what was on the thumb drive. He gets a step closer. She kisses her teeth and takes a step back. “We go our separate ways, and you still have a chance at a career.”

Dame, with a tilt of his head, let out a threatening chuckle, his fingers pressing against his bottom lip. “You trying to extort me?”

Soraya, with a shrug of her shoulders, drops the USB drive back in her purse and crosses her arms. “You keep my name out of your mouth and I keep yours out of mine, simple as that.”

Their parties are watching the interaction go down, hoping it didn’t escalate. They didn’t have time to deal with assault charges. His team was only worried about reviving his career. She just wanted this to be finished. A slow lick of his lips, and a nod of his head. He stares at her, seeing the icy stare in her eyes.

“Okay.”

She claps her hands together. “Excellent, we're done here.”

He watches her and her team leave. He was starting to think she was bluffing. However, he wasn’t about to test that theory just yet.

Soraya rushed into her home, tossing her shoes in the closet next to her door. She frowned at the messiness of her living area. She didn’t have time to clean like she wanted to. Soraya settled for putting everything back in place. The knock on the door had her anxious. Glancing at the time on the clock above her fireplace read three-thirty. She realized it wasn’t Jey. The hammer was relentless. Taking slow steps to the door, she opened it.

A look of annoyance plaster on her face. She leaves the door open and steps away to finish cleaning.

“Oi! Is that any way to treat your siblings?” Her oldest brother, Zyaire, expresses, leading the pack of them in the home.

“You could’ve called.” Soraya states, finally turning to peer at them.

“Oh, so you can send it to voicemail again. We gotta pop up.” Zyaire wanders up to her, tugging her into a tight hug. She softens in his embrace, hugging him back. Growing up, he always gave the best hug, and knew when to give them.

“I’m busy.” She mutters, pushing him back. He snickers and pats his chest. He takes a seat on her couch.

“You’re constantly busy.” Shiloh, her older sister, tells her, sitting next to her Zyaire. The two of them were well into their late thirties and looked amazing for their age. She had hoped to look just as good as them when she aged. It didn’t make it any easier when her twin brothers were born, well into their early thirties and looking like they were teenagers.

“She is a platinum recording artist.” Duke, one twin, speaks, his head stuffed in her fridge.

“Don’t forget, she’s a dancer, writer, and producer.” Dennis adds, in the kitchen right along with his twin, raiding her pantry. She had hoped they would leave Jey’s snacks that hid in the back alone. She bought them for him.

” Baby sis, stay busy.” Zyaire stares at her. “So who is he?”

Soraya glances at him, confused. “Huh?”

“Huh.” He mocks. “Who is he, Raya?” Zyaire had noted the men’s shoes in a bin next to her couch, the random bottles of cologne on her kitchen island. His sister was seeing someone.

“There is no he..” She starts, unsure if he was serious or just joking.

“She must think we dumb.” Zyaire cuts her off, laughing with the twins. Soraya tucks a lip between her teeth, feeling small under her brother's presence. She loathed communicating to him. He was constantly trying to be somebody’s daddy. Their own dad didn’t speak to them this way.

“Is it Dame?” He frowns at her now. He had hoped it wasn’t him. Zyaire couldn’t stand the nigga, and would rather lay hands on him for how he treated his little sister. Shiloh smacks his shoulder, seeing the overprotective part of him coming out. A part of him she knew all too well.

“What, she let this nigga bitch her out?” The amount of yelling that occurred gave Soraya a headache. She didn’t hear what they said as she raced up the stairs to her room. They could let themselves out, she thought. She goes in her bathroom and shuts the door behind her, locking it before sitting on the wall to clear her mind for a minute.

Soraya cared for her siblings, but sometimes, they could be too much. Especially with the large age difference between them. They were fun, but by the time she was old enough, they were already out of the house and experiencing life. They treated her like a baby. Gentle knocks on the door breaks her trance.

“Raya.”

She frowns, hearing her sister’s voice. “The boys left. Just me.” She stands, opening the door, she turns the light on to her closet. Shiloh watches her walk through the rack of clothes. Soraya was always a perfectionist, and it trailed into her everyday life. Her wardrobe was color-coded and by the season. The blue and white WWE gear stood out like a sore thumb. A small smirk forms on Shiloh’s face.

“It’s Joshua, isn’t it?”

Soraya wondered what gave it away, but it didn’t surprise her, she guessed, without asking questions. After all, she was engaged to his cousin, Joe. She smiles at the thought of the couple's dates with her sister and cousin Trinity. She grabs a dress from a hanger, letting it rest on her body.

“You think this is too much for a date?” She turns to Shiloh, glancing at her. Shiloh has a small smile on her face.

“Yeah, did he say where he was taking you?”

“Nope.” She sighs, tossing the gown somewhere, shocking her sister, as Soraya hated clothes on the floor. “He just said to be ready at 8.”

Shiloh had spent the better part of the day helping her younger sister get ready. Soraya had told her about how they've been together officially for a month now, and it had happened recently.

“So, are you guys going public?”

Soraya, putting on her heels, shakes her head. “No.” She stands up, running her hands through her hair, fluffing out the tight curls.

” Did he agree to that?”

A soft knock came at her door. Looking at the clock, it was eight on the dot. “I’m not ready to tell anyone.” She grabs her phone and purse, leaving her sister to watch her leave. The long trek down the stairs had her anxious. Her hand grasps the doorknob, twisting it open. On the other side, he stood dressed in a white shirt and light-washed distressed jeans. In his hands, he carried a vase of flowers.

“Hi.” she whispers, feeling giddy under his affectionate gaze. She walks closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. His lips press delicately to her cheek, inhaling her expensive scent.

“Hey pretty girl. Are you ready?”

“Mhm. Yes.”

“Hi Jey.” They glanced back, and her sister was standing behind her. “Don't worry. The secret is safe with me.” She lifts her fingers in scout's of honor. “Have her back home in a reasonable hour, yeah?”

Jey laughs lowly with a nod, holding Soraya’s hand in his own. “I got chu.” He leads Soraya out to his truck. Opening the passenger side for, he leans down. “You look sexy tonight, mamas.”

Soraya appreciated her deeper complexion, any brighter, and you would see the warm flush of her cheeks turning red. He plants a brief peck on her lips. The door slamming shut as he went to his side.

The ride was short, but agonizing. His large hand resting on her thigh, his thumb rubbing circles into her skin. The powerful scent of wood and musk filled her nose, making her eyes roll at how the smell suited him. His new mullet hairstyle shaped his head perfectly, stopping at the base of his collar. The black strands of hair curling wildly away from his neck

“Where are you taking me?” She eventually breaks the comfortable silence.

“A surprise.” He keeps it short. He shivers at her nails grazing the skin on his nape. He briefly closes his eyes, exhaling deeply. He puts his focus on the road.

“I don’t do surprises.”

His eyebrow arches in amusement, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze. “You’ll love this one.”

Soraya loved the surprise. His hands were placed on her waist as he guided her to a restaurant that had to be reserved months in advance. She had complained to him about being on the waitlist for just a reservation.

“How do you-How did you do?” She turns to stare at him. A triumphant smirk appeared on his face.

“I pulled a few strings.”

Their table wasn’t ready, so they remained in a secluded section, soothing music playing in the background. Soraya pressed her back against his chest, letting him hug her from behind, pressing tender kisses along the side of her face.

“Missed you so much.” He grumbles, swaying them side to side.

“I missed you more.” Soraya murmurs, turning in his arms. She wraps his arms around his neck, wishing to be buried in his skin, but this would have to do.

” We have to talk about it.”

“About what?” Soraya knew what, she had hoped he would forget about it.

”Us and the privacy of our relationship.”

She struggles to step back, but his grip on her was firm. He dreaded this conversation just as much as she did. They were living on the high of being together, and have yet communicated to each other about what they wanted from each other.

“I don’t want everyone to know.” She mumbles. “At least, not yet.”

He had a hint on why she remained private, and he was okay with that, or he thought he was. “We can at least tell our folks yea?”

The silence between them was thick. On one hand, her sister already knew, and she was bound to spill it to her family, more so because she wasn’t doing it the traditional way. Her Samoan culture refused to let her keep it from family, and she hated she was deep-rooted in her heritage, but embraced the gentle gestures that came with it. She realized it wasn’t fair to force him keep it from his family.

A sharp breath leaves her lips, his coarse hand smoothing up and down her back. Jey’s eyes never left her face, watching the subtle crease in her eyebrows when she took out out her phone. The vivid red lettering caught his eyes.

XL Artist, Dame has released several documents. In those documents, he implicates recording artist Soraya as an associate in his endeavors.

She places her phone back in her bag, not wanting to spoil the night. He could tell her mood was sour. He shifts her to his other side, guiding her to a chair, making her sit. She watches him, confused. Jey, with a slight tug of his jeans to adjust them, sits at one of the many pianos.

His finger glides smoothly over the keys, piecing together a melody of notes, using his skills as a way of distracting her. A soft smile on her face at the hidden talent. She uses her phone to sneak a quick picture before they were seated. Refusing to put any distance between them, He squishes her in the booth, making her giggle.

“No space, huh?”

“Nope. I haven’t seen or touched you for a month.” He leans down next to her ear. “I also can’t do this if I’m on the other side.”

Before she could ask what he meant, his hand closest to her found its way up the white dress she was wearing, fingers treading carefully in uncharted territory. The pads of his fingers teasing along the band of her underwear.

“Jey.” she warns, breathing hitching in her throat at the contact of his fingers drawing back the band to slip his fingers inside her soaked underwear.

He presses his lips to her ear, leaving delicate kisses along the shell. “Are you wet for me?” He murmurs, his tone dangerously deep. An appreciative sigh leaves her own, with a nod. He works her up gradually, moving his fingers in tight circles until her thighs crush his hand.

“So fuckin’ wet, princess.” He sighs, pulling his hand back. She watches him aroused at the way he sucked his fingers clean, wanting his mouth where his fingers were.

The meal was fairly nice. He splurged on the tasting menu, knowing she would have a hard time picking what she wanted to try first. They ate in a comfortable silence, bringing up their likes and dislikes, reminiscing about the moment they almost got together. So into each other, they hadn’t noticed the lack of people in the restaurant.

“What do you want from me?” He asks the question that was burning in the back of his head. He had hoped she could see a future with him. She was it for him and god willing, she would be his wife one day. Soraya, knowing what he was asking, shuffled into her seat. Her hands reached down to grab his own, intertwining their fingers together. “Long-term, short -term, or what do you want?” He questions.

She was surprised by the question. She figured they were together, and in an actual relationship. “I thought we made it official?”

Jey flexes his shoulders back, taking a small sip of the now watered-down coke. “We did.” He shifts around in the booth to lean back and look at her. Her soft brown eyes staring up at him. “We just need to set some expectations.”

She groans. “It’s that conversation.”

“Yes, it’s that conversation.” He chuckles, moving the arm that was holding her hand to rest around her back. His large hand rubbing circles on the bare flesh of her thigh. “I’ll start.” His legs instinctively spread on, allowing her own to drape over his thighs. “I want honest and open communication between us. I just want you to know you can trust and feel protected with me.”

She does. The moment he saved her three years ago, she knew he was a safe space. He was her safe space. He continues on about trust, and honestly, he rambles on making sure he forgot nothing. She places a tender smooch on his mouth, shutting him up. His lips moving against hers in a passionate kiss. Her hands rested on his chest before pushing him back when he tried to deepen the kiss. She needed a a minute to breathe. Just kissing him made her dizzy in the best way possible.

“You’re it for me Joshua.” It was entirely true. If this didn’t work out with him, she was going to stay single for life. She wasn’t going to find anyone like him. He disregards her calling him by his government, liking how it sounds when she said it.

“Good.” He whispers before kissing her again, distracting her from his movement and digging his hand in his pocket. A soft thud hitting the table pulls her back. “I have something for you.”

Soraya peeks at the small brown leather-skin box in his hand. A small smile forms on her face when she grabs it. The box wasn’t new, just new to her. The same box his cousin Joe had given her sister before they made it official. Her fingers smoothed over the flat corners, tracing the patterns of the ridged leather. He watches in anticipation as she opens the box. A surprised gasp leaving her lips.

“Joshua.” She whines.

”Mhm, open it.” He urges with a smile.

Lifting the piece of fabric in the box, her look of surprise turns into a small pout. She runs her fingers along the small white pearls that were woven around the band. It feathered down to the center where a white flower rested on a leather cut-out. In its center was a small blue-lavender moonstone. She realized he must have talked to Joe. He was the only person who knew about her family’s love of pearls and birthstones. A soft sigh leaves her mouth, leaning up to kiss him. He welcomes the kiss. Though, the present may be pointless to some. It was something they shared, being of Samoan culture. The gifting of jewelry to represent the new relationship. Usually, the present from the guy to the girl. There were countless other rules they were skipping. They would deal with the consequences later.

The constant buzzing of their phones frustrated them as they left the restaurant. Hand in hand, they both pull out their phones. His brows arched, confused. He felt her tense, and he didn’t have to look at her to know she was fuming.

Recording artist Soraya, mentioned in a recent court case against the mother of Dame’s child. She says Soraya knew the nature of her relationship with Dame and continued to pursue him. She then retaliated against him when he came out about the true nature of their affair. Hence, her name Fatal, Attraction. It is also said she was the one who fed his addiction, then sent him to rehab as a way of controlling him.

Rap artist Dame has confirmed these allegations with an interview at the breakfast club.” Yeah man, I met her in the studio, told her I had a girl. She didn’t care. I finally broke away from her crazy ass, and she pulled strings to get my catalog removed. Bitch is insane. I pray for anyone who’s tapping that.”

He thought she was bluffing and called her bluff. Don’t worry, she had a surprise for him.

Zilla’s Villagers:

@justazzi @yana3sworld @wrestlingprincess80 @abadbitchblogs @courtninacole @kill-the-artiste @destinio1 @kill-the-artiste @reci1996 @mindairy @jatriciablog @alichesmi @jstarr86 @minsheyaish @wonderingfashion @whatdoeseverybodywant

#jey uso x black!oc #main event jey uso #original character #roman reigns #black oc #black tumblr #fanfic #Jey!uso #He’s about to get it #Let the drama begin

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chernabogs · 1 year

Text

Ataraxia

N. A state of serene calmness; of freedom from worry, and anxiety.

They tell you many things about what happens when a mage overblots. Often it occurs in stages, contrary to the belief of many. It begins with an emotion, a negative, itching feeling, which worms into your mind and speaks in a voice only you can hear. Then, it finds power—through you, through other means. You don’t always notice the stone turning black until it’s far too late, and at that point it just feels better to give in than to try and fight back. So what if a phantom overtakes you? So what if you become this lonely, incomprehensible beast, with only a hunger to drive your existence? If you forget who you are, or who you were, and those who knew you once before?

See, what they don’t tell you is what happens to the mages that overcome a blot. Those few instances become side notes—something mentioned as an ‘oh yes, and—’ at the bottom of a page, which you need to squint at to read and half of the time you don’t see at all. No light is given to the aftermath, to the comprehension of what happened or the slow process of recovery. No light is given to those seeking out their new beginnings.

But they exist. They are a tale of their own.

Riddle

He would classify what happened as more of a slow build than an all-at-once incident. He considers it like a game of Jenga, where the blocks of his put-together persona are built up in a tottering manner, and it only took one small error to send it crashing in a fit of black, tar-like magic and overly aromatic roses. He considers blaming his mother for it—after all, it’s by her hand that he’s like this—and then he briefly considers blaming himself for it, as well. Martyr guilt, some might call it; he’ll fall on his own sword before blaming others for his behavior. But not every man is a martyr, and sometimes one needs to realize that they aren’t the designers of their own person. Personalities are like patchwork, and a mother who expects only perfection most certainly has a few threads woven in there.

When he came through, he wept. It was cathartic, to cry openly for the first time in a long time, to express himself in a way that was often frowned upon at home. It was equally surreal to receive comfort for those tears, whereas he’d often only receive scoldings if it were in front of his mother. Apologies were exchanged, a tea party was held, and the sun came out again.

But what about when the party ended?

It was an ironic rebirth of sorts. A light shining on a new path for him; his friends were more aware of his emotions, he saw more clearly that they cared, and this combined with the stifling meetings with a counselor functioned as a sort of rehabilitation. Did he still lose his temper? Yes. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks in a single day, it’s a gradual process. But did he collect himself more and take responsibility for these acts? Yes, because despite not being able to teach an old dog a trick in a day, the dog will still learn, nonetheless. It won’t be perfect, but it will be a start.

Even now, as he sits at the unbirthday party and watches as Ace and Deuce break yet another one of the Queen’s rules, he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. The white roses smell sweet today, the sun is warm on his skin. He hears his friends laughing and tastes strawberry tart on his tongue. He is okay. He is okay, and he can learn to let it go—even if he will certainly be making a comment to the duo later.

It’s a beautiful day.

Leona

Rather than address it, he prefers to pretend it never happened. In the back of his mind he knew what he had done, and what had happened as a result. He won’t say he was envious—after all, what does he have to be envious of?—but he will acknowledge that perhaps, just perhaps, he’d let his emotions get the best of him for once. The slow erosion of being seen as second to all for one’s entire life is unnoticeable right up until the cliffside crumbles, as it did when he overblotted on that field where the scent of sand and dead grass clung to the stifling air that surrounded them.

When he came through, he didn’t weep—not like some. Was he disappointed in himself? Absolutely. Did he, admittedly, feel a sense of concern over the wellbeing of Ruggie and the others? Absolutely, but he couldn’t tell them that. Ruggie would never let him live it down. Did he tell the counselor he was mandated to meet all these thoughts, this hurt, this feeling of inadequacy he privately battled since he was a child? In a way. He couldn’t give up too much of himself, you know.

He began to see it as a challenge. In the dawn of the coming days, of the new mornings, he took it as an impromptu educational piece. Yes, there were conversations with Farena in private about what happened—his brother was concerned, much to Leona’s mild interest—and this served as to form a sort of understanding between the two Kingscholars. He began to see Ruggies efforts in a new light, and even forced himself to interact with his dorm more. He attended classes (reluctantly, at first) and was more actively involved in extracurriculars. His overblot had, in a roundabout way, re-motivated him to try.

The grass doesn’t smell dead anymore. The air is a bit cooler as he rests on the sidelines, watching the rest of the spelldrive club warm up. A breeze rustles through his hair and he fights the urge to close his eyes and just fall asleep. He raises his water bottle to his lips, squinting out across the field, and exhales slowly. Someone calls out his name, and he looks their way.

It’s a beautiful day.

Azul

He thinks it may be a desire to have control that drove him to do it. At least, that’s what the counselor said.

When he was younger, his parents divorced—and it wasn’t amicable. There was conflict, arguments and chaos. He was shuttled from his mother to his father to his mother again and this, on top of the bullying he endured in school, made him feel like he had no say in anything in his life. He strove to become better than anyone else, not only to stave off the comments, but to make his mothers life easier as she carried a burden of newfound single parenthood. It instilled an anxiety in him, and when that anxiety was robbed in one, catastrophic moment, it sent him spiraling in a fear that impacted everyone around him.

He was embarrassed. It’s understandable, considering the cool, collected persona he’d presented himself with for so many years. To snap like that before all his peers and then to just cry left… a sour taste in his mouth. He had a fear that he’d lose a lot more than his reputation because of his actions—his friends, for example, and his role as a dorm leader. Jade and Floyd both told him they were sticking around, though, and no one else seemed too keen on taking over Octavinelle from him, and so he began to think that he could relax a little.

But he couldn’t. Every time he looked at that vault, he wanted to crawl under his desk. He drowned himself in work and hoped that by going back to what he was before, everyone would forget about the incident entirely. The twins called him out on it in a rare moment of seriousness from both—even Floyd was unusually composed—as they told him, quite frankly, he needed to speak about it. That they had long overlooked the situation, but he needed to sort things out himself before it can be concluded.

So he did. It was a weird journey of introspection on his end. He spoke with his mother, and with the counselor. He spoke with Idia, which was very strange, and the twins—although he’s not sure if they really were listening or just pretending to stave off work hours. But the more he spoke, the more he found himself feeling settled, and soon it was enjoyable again to speak of contracts, and business ventures, and all the possibilities before him that he could just grab as his own.

His pen taps a document as he reads it for the fourth time. It’s a new idea for the Lounge he’s been toying with for a while. Outside, he can hear Floyd’s cackling as he no doubt inflicts some terror on an unexpecting customer, followed shortly by Jade’s quiet chastising. His lips curl into a grin as he listens before he sits back in his seat and closes his eyes, for just a moment.

It’s a beautiful day.

Jamil

It’s Najma who finds out about it in the end, and he considers that as the worst possible result. In his mind, he had done an excellent job at shielding her from many of the harsher realities of the Viper’s roles; servitude, which it was, was not always gold plates and parties. When one is denied their own autonomy for so long and told to constantly put another on a pedestal before them, it’s understandable that the frustration would eventually boil over. They say that a naivety towards the imbalance between the world of the wealthy and the world of the poor is the most fatal mistake any nation can make—and Jamil considers that a hard truth.

When his overblot ended and Scarabia was in chaos, his mind immediately went to one thought: my parents. The consequences of his actions would create a ripple effect that wouldn’t only affect him, but his parents, and Najma, and the entire Viper family reputation. When Kalim told him not to worry, with that same sunny and forgiving smile on his face, Jamil wanted to scream. The rest of Scarabia treated him like a pariah for a while, as they should, but Kalim. It was always Kalim.

It took a while for him to come down from everything. Speaking with a counselor contributed a little, and then when Najma calls him and the ugly truth spills out, the unshakable bond between brother and sister rears its head at last—and he listens. Kalim grants him more spotlight and in turn, Jamil becomes more amicable. He doesn’t call them friends quite yet (Kalim does, though) but he’d consider them as competitive equals. The world continues to turn, and Jamil finds himself turning with it, just with a voice for himself now.

It’s on a particularly muggy day that it finally hits him. The scent of spices and cooking meat fill the kitchen as Jamil alternates between one pot to the next, his mind falling into that comfortable monotony that cooking so often brings him to. When he puts a lid over a pan of stir fry and glances up at the light of the kitchen, he pauses. A strange, and sudden thought rises, and he sets the spoon down, looking around the empty kitchen in a near state of wonder. He’s here, on his own accord, cooking for himself, and he isn’t feeling stressed. There aren’t a million thoughts or worries in his mind. He knows where Kalim is, he knows what the students are doing, and he’s just… here.

A small laugh escapes from his lips before he shakes the thought away and turns back to his dishes. How silly, how unexpected.

It’s a beautiful day.

Vil

When he was younger, he would watch his father perform, and ever since the first time he saw that curtain close at the end of a show, he knew that was exactly where he was meant to be. Hard work begets grand rewards—that’s the mantra he’s always lived by—but no one really talks about the giving one must do to get those rewards. Yes, he has success—he’s a renowned model and actor, after all—and yes, he has a reputation. But it isn’t for the roles he desired, and slowly, slowly, a seed of resentment began to grow. He always thought he was self-aware, but he isn’t, because he never noticed that seed growing into a tree filled with rotten fruit until the moment his magic lost control.

It was numbing. He remembers coming through, and then performing right after. He remembers seeing how exhausted everyone else was and knowing he was the cause. When the curtain finally closed and the lights went out, it felt like he was standing alone on that stage, staring at the burning pyre he had constructed from his own unchecked feelings. Was he proud? Was this what he wanted all along?

It was when his father called him with that parental fear in his voice, swearing up and down that he’d cancel everything and come to Vil right now, that Vil found himself pouring out his own feelings on the matter. The beautiful thing about a parent is that they’ll always forgive you, no matter what you’ve done. He was crying when he told his father every ugly, dredging feeling he’s experienced; every thought, every fear, and the more he talked, the more he felt that old tree with the rotting fruit within his heart begin to fall away. Eric Venue may not understand the complexities of magic himself, but he certainly loves his son, and it was after that long, long phone call that Vil came to realize a few things.

First, he apologized, and found that he was already well and forgiven. Rook was simply happy to have him back to his usual self, and although Epel grumbled a bit, it was hard to miss that glint of relief in his gaze as well. Then, he made amends. He paid for renovations, stormed into a reverse-anti-aging pit for a friend, and came to genuinely appreciate what he had, rather than what he didn’t. That tree with the rotting fruit was nothing more than an uncomfortable memory now—never forgotten, to ensure it never blossoms again, but no longer present, either.

Even now, as he readjusts yet another collar, raises an eyebrow at a student’s scuffed shoes, and makes a mental note of lessons to give, he finds himself not actually stressing too much about it. He breathes deep, takes a moment, and exhales again as he looks out over the Pomefiore dorm.

It’s a beautiful day.

Idia

It isn’t quite self-loathing, but it’s certainly close enough to be mistaken as such. He spent many years of his life avoiding reality to craft his own narrative; they don’t want to see him, they want to mock him. They don’t want to understand him because they’re friends, they want to do so to use it against him. He had been denied so many good things in his life that it felt almost hostile when something good was given, because nothing is free. So, could anyone blame him, when the opportunity to have the one good thing in his life given back arose? Could anyone blame him, when he overblotted to make amends for a tragedy he believed he caused? When Ortho called his nickname, his reality became only that sole moment. Could anyone blame him, truly blame him, for thinking in a moment that he could do it right?

Perhaps. When he found Ortho’s memory card in the aftermath, it felt like a slap, and he told the counselor such. He wondered if it was just situational irony when he plugged it in and brought his brother back so easily. Was this really all it took? Was the overblot ordeal really for nothing? It threw him for a crisis of existence; the counselor told him it was okay to feel like this, that forgiveness would come, and he had considered calling them out on that. He doubted anyone would forgive him for the near-catastrophic events he just caused.

But, as always seems to be the case, he was wrong. It began with Ramshackle, right after the events at STYX. When he was playing the game with everyone watching—Ortho commentating, Epel nearly ripping a pillow apart, Ace egging him on—an odd feeling of connection began. Then, it grew. He left his room more, he tried to use his tablet less, he took risks and accepted invitations; Ortho told him he was changing, and it was then that he realized forgiveness was never really needed to begin with. He had always had a place. Sure, he had been grouchy and reluctant about it, but it had always been there—he just needed a push.

He closes the door to his room, fending off the anxious thoughts he’s having, and glances at his phone again. There are several texts from Azul asking him to meet for the board game club. His lips twist into a wry grin as he clicks it off and looks out one of the windows in the hallway of Ignyhide. The sun is out, and although this makes him scowl, he can’t help but appreciate the view for a moment.

It’s a beautiful day.

Malleus

Grief is a funny thing. Whereas rage can be easily classified—passive, volatile, fear-based, pain-based—grief cannot. It manifests uniquely in every person who experiences it. Some may find themselves indifferent. Some may think they’re indifferent, right up until the moment they see what’s hurting them so much. Some scream, some cry, and some laugh because they simply can’t believe this is real. Some—the more magically inclined—try to do everything in their power to stop a loss before it happens.

When he came out of his overblot, for the first time in his many, many years alive, he didn’t have a clear plan. It was like shell shock for him. His mind was rattled, his blood ran cold, and all he could do was look around with wide eyes and ask himself: is this it? Granted, considering who he is, the extent of damage his overblot caused was well and above what a normal mage may do. He had been a man, he had been a beast—he had been everything everyone could fear because he was alone, and he was distraught, and he was grieving for the first time in his life.

It was surreal to sit before a counselor in the aftermath. As a Crown Prince, he’s to remain stoic—he can’t show weakness in front of others. But in front of the counselor, he wasn’t a Crown Prince. He was a student, a boy, still young, still trying to comprehend feelings he’s never had before because all his life people endeavored to hide him away from them. Words spilled from his tongue like gospel; how he felt his gut twist, how seeing Silver weep broke something in him, how imagining a world without those he had come to care for at short notice was too much all at once. He had been told this is normal—he had been told this is grief, and it was strange to step out of that office knowing he was the same as anyone else in this school.

He grew closer to others in the aftermath. Perhaps it was the shared experience, but he found his fellow dorm leaders more receptive to him than before; even Leona seemed to try and bite his tongue. And Malleus tried, too—tried to engage, tried to remember the times of events and capture as many moments as possible. He came to appreciate Silver and Sebek more, came to appreciate the rising sun and the fresh dew of every new morning. He came to appreciate the air he breathed and the family he had left. One day it would go, but he came to appreciate that as well, and as he took in a deep breath and glanced at the sky, he couldn’t help but think to himself:

It’s a beautiful day.

#twst #twst fanfiction #twisted wonderland #briarvalleyarchives #twst riddle #twst leona #twst azul #twst jamil #twst vil #twst idia #twst malleus #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #azul ashengrotto #jamil viper #vil schoenheit #idia shroud #malleus draconia #ok im done <3

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peterman-spideyparker · 1 year

Text

Dust to Dust (Matt Murdock x fem!Reader)

Author’s Note: Hey everyone! I have had this one in my drafts for *literally* ever, and I’m finally getting around to posting it. Enjoy! :)

Summary: You finally move in with Matt, working to make his apartment feel like a shared space that you both can call home when the unimaginable happens.

Warnings: Fluff, domesticity, angst, The Snap, hurt/comfort, mentions of grief, not proof read/edited as well as it could be

Other Characters: Foggy Nelson, Karen Page (mentioned)

Word Count: 1,519

“Hey, Matty?” you ask as you climb in the step stool.

“Yeah, angel?” he calls from the kitchen.

“Did I leave the duster on the barstool?”

“Why would it be on the barstool?”

You let out an exasperated sigh and smile as you twist toward him, watching how he stands and smirks in the kitchen, leaning forward on the butcher block counter. He is a sight to behold, truly. You never would have thought that if someone had told you two years ago that one of the alumni attorneys talking to your trial ethics class would become your boss for an internship and your boyfriend, you would have thought that you were living some fantasy—especially when you found out about his secret. Now that you’re officially moved in, fantasy and reality are meshing in the best kind of ways.

“Stop being sassy, Murdock. I can see it right there.”

“Then why don’t you come over yourself and get it?”

“You’re right next to it, Matty. I’d have to walk across the apartment.”

“Walking is good for you. It’ll get your blood circulating.”

“Uh, badgering, counselor.”

“Stating the facts of the case, counselor,” he smiles right back.

“If you bring the Swiffer over here, I’ll give you a kiss.”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“Mmmhm. I’m also gonna shower in a bit, so if you bring that over and help me, your reward might be more than a kiss.”

“That sounds quite nice, angel. It’s also bribery. It’s unethical.”

“But is it working?”

“With the promise of your kisses? Of course it’s working.”

“Then grab that duster and get that cute butt of yours over here.”

You both laugh, and you turn your attention back to the shelf, moving things down on the top of the cabinet bookshelf below for the time being.

“Would you be okay if I hung some pictures while I’m up here, Matt?” you ask, only to hear the soft plastic clatter of the duster hitting the floor. Matt doesn’t drop things. You turn around and see the Swiffer on the floor, Matt no where to be found.

“Matt?” you call into the apartment, every second where you don’t see or hear him making you grow more worried. “Matt?” You step down and slowly walk through the apartment. “Matthew, if you’re trying something, this isn’t funny!” You franticly move around the apartment, feeling nauseous as ice runs through your veins and your skin burns hot when you officially run out of places to look for him. “Matt?. . .”

He’s gone.

“I don’t know,” you sigh as you fiddle with the key ring, swinging the door open and just dropping your purse and keys on the table by the door, putting your briefcase in the living room as you move through the apartment. Even though it’s been five years and you’ve added some touches of yours here and there, the apartment still doesn’t feel it belongs to you in the slightest. The thing that’s missing—the person that would tie it all together—has been missing for five years, just like your friends and half of the population.

“I think I just need to shower and wash the day off,” you continue to tell your mom. “I’ll text a bit later. I have a lot of files I need to sort through for my case. Love you, bye.”

Hanging up, you let out a tired sigh and take off your clothes, letting the hot water roll down your body to loosen your tense muscles. You run through the things you need to do—which files to go through first, what you need to grab at the grocery store, how soon you can go to sleep. You hum as you scrub the shampoo deep into your scalp, like you’re trying to physically reach past your skull and smush your brain between your fingertips. As you do so, you feel a large pair of hands and hairy arms wrap around you, and you scream at the top of your lungs.

“Angel, angel, calm down!” you hear a voice you’ve missed for five years cut through your screams. “It’s just me! It’s me, sweetheart!”

Turning around in his grip, you see Matt, just like the day he disappeared.

“Matt?” you whimper, on the verge of tears.

“Yeah . . . (Y/N), what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

The tenderness in his voice, the way he says your name, the way he holds onto you, it’s enough for you to break down in tears. Matt just holds you, letting you cry into his strong chest, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. You don’t know how long you cry for, but it is long enough for the shampoo to be completely washed from your hair and for your fingers to be far past pruney. Matt kisses your forehead, grabbing a towel to dry you off before sliding his shirt from the floor onto your body. Picking you up as you cling onto him, he walks you to the bedroom and sits you down on the mattress.

“(Y/N), what’s wrong?” he asks softly once more, tucking a thick, wet tress of hair behind your ear.

“You . . .” you sniffle and wipe tears off of your cheeks. “Matt, you were gone for five years.”

“I . . . What?”

“I thought you heard something and had to run and help, but you don’t drop things, and you dropped the Swiffer. I couldn’t find you. I couldn’t find anyone. So many people just disappeared. Just gone, Matty.”

A million questions rush across Matt's face in a second, but he doesn’t ask any of them. Instead, Matt kisses you again, holding you into his chest. “How’d you get through it?”

“I threw myself into work. I kept the practice alive. It was hard, but, Matty . . . the people that come to Nelson and Murdock needed someone. If I stopped to think—if I didn’t help—I would’ve drowned in grief.”

“You . . . You kept it going? All by yourself?”

“They needed help. You had to come back. I had to do it.”

“Sweetheart . . .”

“I spruced the office up a little. I got a new table for the conference room, and a new coffee table. Some plants.”

“Doing well for yourself, there, angel,” he says with a little smile. “I mean, Foggy and I could never dream of office plants.”

You smile softly back at him. He’s actually here. “I always told you I was the better attorney.”

“I never doubted that for a second, sweetheart.”

As you lean in for another kiss, you gasp when a thought crosses your mind.

“What is it, (Y/N)?”

“Foggy and Karen! If you’re back, they’re back!” You lean over to where you threw your phone on the bed and call each of them quickly, hanging up as soon as they answer, but not without an excited squeal before you lean forward and knock down Matt with a hug, tears streaming down your face once more. “You guys are back! Oh my God! Everyone’s back!”

The way that Matt’s lips feel on your skin after so long is like heaven, a blessing that you never thought you were going to feel again.

“I’m not going to have to fight off any new boyfriends that walk in and see us like this, am I?” Matt asks softly into your shoulder, but you can sense the genuine nerves behind it, and it’s written clearly across his face when you lean back.

“No, Matt.”

“Because, I mean, I could always use the blind card.”

“It’s cute when you do that to get extra waffles. But it’s not something you have to worry about, Matty. I swear.”

“So, not once in five years?”

“No. Not once.”

Matt brings his lips to yours, rolling you over and letting you feel every muscle of his that you’ve missed. God, you’ve missed him. You’ve missed his warmth, his weight, the way that he knows exactly what to do make your heart skip a beat and feel like the only girl in the world. You’ve missed the callouses of his fingers, the hair on his arms, the rough stubble on his jaw, how his big, beautiful nose smushes against yours. But most of all, you’ve missed how everything feels right when Matt is with you.

“Matt . . .”

“We were already planning to do it, and my sweet girl hasn’t felt good in five years,” he hums as he kisses your neck. “Please. Please let me show you how much I love you.”

“I—ah.”

“Sweetheart?” he says softly as he pulls off.

“I just want to hold you, Matt,” you say, listening to how your voice cracks. “We can do that any time, but I just need to hold you some more.”

His face softens before he leans forward to kiss your forehead. “Of course, angel. I can never say no to your snuggles.”

“Good, because I’m not letting go.”

“And I’ll hold on tight.” You hear Matt let out a faint hum as he wraps his arms around you and gives you a gentle squeeze as you let yourself fall asleep, relaxed for the first time in five years while his heartbeat echos in your ear.

Permanent Taglist: @majesticavenger @steampowerednightvaler @themusingsofmany @just-the-hiddles @toozmanykids @dangertoozmanykids101 @clints-worldavengers @theburningbookshop @itwasthereaminuteago @peter1ismybrother@hellskitchens-whore @dpaccione @catnip987

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thestarstoasun · 3 months

Text

A short drabble of Will & the Apollo kids + a sprinkle of angst

PROMPT: Michael,Lee and the other apollo campers realizing the new tiny blonde kid in the hermes cabin is the son of the Naomi Solace and freaking out.

(A/N: I very loosely followed the prompt in the end)

It wasn’t surprising when the new camper, a small blonde boy with blue eyes, named Will Solace ended up in the infirmary. The first time Lee had treated Will he had been walked in by Maron, a satyr Lee knew brought back tons of demigods, covered in marks from where Stymphalian birds had attacked him. At the time, Will hadn’t said much to him, or anyone else, but he listened well. “It’s nothing too bad. Here,” Lee placed a small piece of ambrosia in Will’s hand with a gentle smile, “this will help you feel better. Just eat that and you’ll be feeling as good as new in no time.” Lee ruffled Will’s hair and walked over to check on a nasty cut that Sherman Yang of the Ares Cabin had gotten during training.

That had been two weeks ago. Will remained unclaimed by his godly parent, while it was disappointing (but unsurprising), several campers including Michael Yew did their best to cheer him up. Hermes and Apollo were at archery together, a new concept that Chiron had suggested. While two different cabins were put together for activities, all of the campers knew the real hope was that the Gods would find promise in one of their unclaimed children during an activity and claim them.

As it turned out, Will was better than other campers with a bow and arrow, though just barely above bar by Apollo standards. Michael found himself drifting over to the boy to help him more and more throughout the session. “You're stance is good, but you need to work on focusing your aim at your target. Why don't you try setting the bow down and throwing the arrow to see if that helps?” He suggested.

Will let out a huff of air and kicked at the ground beneath his feet. “What if I'm just really bad? I'm not even good at holding a sword!” His voice wavered with emotion as his eyes welled with tears. Michael couldn't help but feel bad for him. Unlike most campers, he had been claimed his first day after shooting an apple off of Luke Castellan's head. (If asked, he would swear it was an accident, but some other campers seemed to disagree.)

“Look, Will, I can't say what you'll be good at and what you won't, as your godly parent hasn't claimed you.” The younger boy sniffled and focused his attention on the ground. “But what I can say is that not every demigod is good at the same stuff. I can barely heal to save my life. Yeah, I can give someone nectar and ambrosia, watch over them, give them mortal medicine, all that jazz, but I don't have Lee or my big sister, Juliet's, skill in medicine.” This made Will's eyes widen in shock, because all of the Apollo children were so gifted. (Luke told him it was because their father was the God of a bunch of stuff.)

“My Mama says that everyone has their own skills.” Will spoke up after a few minutes of twisting the hem of his shirt in his fists.

“Your mama sounds very wise.” Michael smiled and picked up the bow Will had been using.

“She is! She's a musician!” Michael noticed how Will's blue eyes seemed to move like the sky when he mentioned his mom. He figured just because he didn't have the best relationship with his own at a young age, the same didn't have to be for all demigods.

“Oh? What's her name? Maybe I know of her.”

“Naomi Solace.” Michael almost choked at the proud tone, not that it wasn't completely appropriate. Naomi Solace was an absolute icon in the music industry. Their head counselor, Sam - a warm, ivory guy who stood at 5 '11, who would be leaving after this summer, had brought a ton of her records and CD's from home to keep in the cabin.

“Seriously? You're Naomi Solace's son!?” The other Apollo kids turned their heads in excitement and began to crowd around them. Will just nodded his head nervously, afraid he had said something wrong.

“That's fucking awesome! We all love her!” Catherine, an umber toned Apollo girl with heterochromia, spoke up.

“Will is still a child, watch your tongue, Cathy.” Sam scolded with a fond, exasperated expression. Will found himself bursting out into a fit of giggles. He had heard much worse while on the road with his mother, but he appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.

“You have totally got to introduce us one day, little buddy.” Another Apollo child, who Will had forgotten the name of, spoke up. The children of the sun God had never been anything but welcoming, so after pretending to think about it for a minute Will grinned widely. “Alright, just remember your manners.”

The rest of the day, the Apollo cabin borrowed, or rather stole, Will so he could join them in their activities. While the boy enjoyed the company of the Hermes kids, he felt a sense of belonging that he couldn't place when he was laughing alongside the talented Apollo children. That night at dinner, instead of offering his food to Hermes, he sent an offering to the God of the Sun.

Please, I don't know if I am your son or not, but I really hope I am. I know I may not be as great as Michael or Catherine, but I feel connected to them. They feel like home….like mama…like sunshine.

#I love the apollo kids sm #Literally come talk to me about them #will solace #lee fletcher #michael yew #percy jackon and the olympians #apollo cabin #luke castellan #apollo kids #apollo kid ocs #pjo

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elfqueen006 · 9 months

Text

The Lifeguard Part 2

Sunny Day Jack x Reader

--- Tags/CW: summer camp au, camp counselor au, aforementioned murder, angst, rivals to lovers, horror, slasher au. (ik I said "enemies" before but rivals is more fitting for their dynamic) A/N:I make Jack cuss a lot here, Idk if it's fitting. Minors DNI

Jack liked Skylar. He really did.

He liked Ian too, despite his less than effective counseling skills.

He liked both of them. But the stress had caught up with him in the worst way. The bar. Seeing them together. The mention of your name… It just sent him over the edge.

He would like to think that in another life he would’ve been great friends with the two of them. But the remnants of that sweet dream lay six feet under the dirt behind the shed.

It was getting late, so the counselors were wrapping up activities for the day. He snuck behind the cabins, treading carefully till he reached the outhouse shower. Jack spends a long amount of time soaking fully clothed. At first, its’ to see if this is all a dream. When he doesn’t wake up he discards the costume completely and scrubs furiously at his naked body. It doesn’t matter that the washrag here was used by several different people within the week. In Jacks’ mind, his soul is dirtier than anything within these four walls.

Knock, knock.

“Jack?”

Silence.

“Jack, you in there?”

“...What do you want?” He bites out.

“Where have you been, man? Bill’s got everyone in a frenzy! We had to wrap things up early til’ we found you!” You said.

“...I was where you sent me, where else?” Jack said.

“Oh…” a pause. “Oh.”

His blood pressure rises from the snicker you make behind the door. A slight creak indicates your leaning on it.

“Sooo, how was she?”

Jack doesn’t bother switching off the faucet as he flings the door open and stalks towards you menacingly. His yellow eyes are wide and erratic. It pierces something in your chest.

“How was she?” Jack repeated darkly, “How she was, is that what you asked me?”

You stumble back against the cabin wall. “I-I didn’t mean it like-”

“I went to see how she was and I caught your boyfriend between her legs, so you should ask him.”

Your eyes go wide as saucers. You searched his face for humor, a change in expression, fidgeting or any trace of dishonesty though all it held was the cold, hard, truth. Jack bit back a twitch of a smirk on his lips as he watched your face go through different phases of denial. Your ego along with your spirit was crumbling at his words. And he took a sick satisfaction in it. There was, though, still an air of guilt – or rather, a reminder to feel guilty. You had been cheated on after all. But he hasn't acknowledged it too much. After all, the offender was dead and the offended was suffering. It’s about as fair a trade can get.

“Tell Bill I’m taking a sick day.” Jack said coldly.

When he’s done, you are gone. It isn’t as refreshing as he’d hoped. Showering. Though he does admit, unintentionally sticking it to you did give him a needed amount of dopamine to get through the night. He tries not to look at his fingernails so much, though. They are still tinged red at the tips, with remnants of gore stuck underneath.

Jack waits till everyone has gone to sleep to use the lobby’s laundry room. He learned that blood washes out with cold water at a young age. So he’s sure to scrub out the extra dark spots before letting the rest rinse out via a wash cycle. Before putting in the pants though, a phone had fallen out of the back pocket.

Skylar’s phone. Shit.

He’d meant to toss it in the dirt along with Ian’s. But must’ve unconsciously held onto it… as if she’d need it back.

When Jack picks it up it vibrates with a message. From you. The ID reads ‘Bitch <;3’. He has to admit… it is very you.

sky, it reads, sky pick up wut happened at the shed??

…

i know you see this

jack says he saw you with ian. tell me he’s fuckin wit me

Especially with how long the dots float then stop, then float again, indicating you’re trying desperately to figure out what words to say. And then backtracking on them.

sky QUIT leaving me on read i’m so serious rn

…

I KNOW YOU SEE THIS BITCH!!!

Jack stops there. Pocketing the phone. He sighs, “Gonna be a long day tomorrow.”

—

You texted all through the night. Jack had to eventually turn it on silent and shove it in his nightstand drawer. Though when he woke up and checked it again, there were 50+ messages waiting for him. You hadn’t stopped until two in the morning. It was a virtual moodswing of desperate pleas, cusses, and threatening emojis. As he scrolled back up to the texts from a month before, it seemed as though emojis were really your whole thing. Most notably ones with hearts, laughter, and occasionally the wine emoji.

Jack was almost grateful Skylar wasn’t on the receiving end of either anymore. Whether it be by voice or text, you were a very chatty person.

It was business as usual. Kids clamored to him once more (some were crying, poor dears) and he got an earful from Bill again. The day was so… normal. It was almost as if the dear departed counselors never existed.

FFFFT!

A sharp whistle could be heard across campus. Jack looked over to your high chair and immediately picked up on the drastic change in atmosphere around you.

Instead of your usual lounging, you sat upright with your arms crossed stiffly. Your leg bounced impatiently. In addition to your usual red lifeguard leotard you now wore a pair of black sunglasses.

“Keep the water out of your mouth, David!” You shout, “You wanna catch something?”

A counselor - whose name tag read ‘Shaun’ - came up beside him. “What’s up with the lifeguard? She’s been in a shit mood all day…” He asked.

Jack shrugged, “I couldn’t tell ya.”

Every slight mishap earned the kids a taste of that shrill whistle. He felt bad they had to deal with your sour mood. Of course he knew the cause, and that only added to the guilt…

FFFFT!

He had to put a stop to this.

There was an odd sense of deja vu as he marched up to your high chair. This time he knocked on the ladder. You look down at him through your shades.

“What?” You snap.

“Get down here, I need to talk to you.” Jack said.

“Can’t you see I’m doing something?”

“Y/N-”

“As in my job?”

“Now.”

You narrow your eyes at him before hopping down the chair. You saunter up to him and snatch off your shades. There’s a venomous look in your eyes. “What is it?” You said.

Jack folded his arms. “First off, I appreciate the initiative you’re taking in your position as of late,”

“Thanks. Can I go now?”

“However… I can’t say I agree with the way you’re going about it.”

Your eye twitches and you throw your head back with a bitter laugh. “You’ve gotta be fuckin’ kidding me…” You mutter.

“Far from it, actually.”

“What do you want from me?” You said, “You say you want me to take my job seriously, but now you say you don’t like how I’m doing it? Can you make up your damn mind?!”

Jack then leans down just inches away from your face, “What I want is for you to leave your emotions at the door when mentoring these kids,” He hissed, “And if you can’t do that I will exercise my ability as a counselor to get you removed. Are we clear?”

You held each others’ gazes for a while. And with you already at your lowest, you’d been the first to give in. You sigh, “...Crystal.”

He nods and puts on a big smile, feeling a bit of smug satisfaction. “Good. Enjoy the rest of your shift, Y/N.”

He ignores your muttered demand that he “go to hell” and walks off. Though not without hearing your whistle once more.

FFFT!

“Hey, I’m not kidding about the lake water – cut that shit out!”

—

Though you loosened the reins, the kids had avoided you like the plague. The counselors gave you heavy side eye the rest of the day. And once it was time to eat dinner, you asked Bill if you could excuse yourself. He allowed it.

You sat on the steps of the lodge, staring out at the lake. The water was still and began to reflect the deep purple in the sky. Crickets chirped and you even spotted a few fireflies. It was such a calm scene, and yet the whole time you were feeling like shit.

You pull out your phone and go to Skylar’s contact which had been changed from ‘Whore<3’ to ‘Dirty skank die die’. Not your most creative nickname.

All the texts you sent were still on read. Though with all that you’d said, you now wonder if it were better this way. It was like you were a completely different person in these. You always liked to say you weren’t for the drama, but you were certain if you showed this to any reality show host they’d fire everyone on set and make you their star. You hung your head and groaned.

Before you could wallow any further the sound of an engine came close to you. You look up and Sunny Day Jack puts the Moke in neutral and leans over in his drivers’ seat.

“Hey, why the long face, camper? Lose your group?” Jack quips.

“You’re not funny.” You said blandly.

“Well, that’s why I’m a camp counselor first.” Jack said. “Why aren’t you inside?”

“I’m not feeling the menu…” You reply.

“Don’t you always go nuts for spaghetti night?”

“What’s it to you?”

Jack rolls his eyes, “You always scream out that spaghetti night “is your bitch”, so if you’re not managing it like a decent pimp something has to be wrong…”

A twitch of a smirk plays on your lips and you gesture blandly to the lodge with an exaggerated sigh. “My bitch knows her way around the corner. It’ll be fine.”

“If that’s the case then, I’m sure you’d want something to put on your stomach nonetheless…”

“That being…?”

He grins, “I’ve been wanting a change of palette myself. And the local Popov’s just started serving burgers. You in?”

#somethings wrong with sunny day jack #sunny day jack x reader #sdj x reader #sdj x you #sunny day jack x you #sunny day jack fanfiction #sdj jack #swwsdj #swwsdj x reader #summer camp au #camp counselor au #slasher au #the lifeguard #my fics

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yanderedollhouse · 23 days

Text

Part 3.5

Bonus Scene: Revenge

Demon!Yandere OC x Suicidal!Reader Summary: Andreas has a mess to clean up Warnings: IN ADDITION TO THE NORMAL WARNINGS, THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A GRAPHIC TORTURE SCENE. PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION. Yandere, Suicide mentions (ideation, failed attempt, urges), Obsessive behavior, needles, religious concepts (angels, demons, heaven, hell), delusions, fantasy horror/ gore, harm and recovery, hospitals, psychiatric ward, manipulation, medical malpractice, murder, harassment, medication malcompliance, noncon, kidnapping Resources: Connect with a trained crisis counselor. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Line is confidential, free, and available 24/7/365. Word Count: 2k

No lies and no deceiving

Man is what he loves

It was hours before Andreas managed to get your shaking form to sleep again. You wouldn’t take any of the medication he offered to help. He made a mental note not to ask next time. You needed this medication, and it was his job to provide it.

All you wanted was for him to sit in your room until you fell back asleep. So there the demon sat, 3 feet from you, pretending to read through a fashion magazine while he avoided drifting off himself. That bed looked awfully comfortable at a time like this, and it had been three days since he had taken the time to rest.

When he was just about to say fuck it and crawl up next to you, he looked up and saw that you actually were asleep this time. He stood, stretched, and pulled your blanket up further to keep you comfortable. Why did you have so much fight in you? You should see by now that your soul was his. Deal or no deal, you two were fated to be together.

Andreas left your room quietly and locked the door behind him. Just in case, he called Samson up to watch over the hall to ensure there would be no more unwelcome visitors as he made his way down to the third floor.

The third floor of the hospital was great, in his opinion. Well, great for what he was about to do.

A feeling of relief went through Andreas as he turned the corner to see Graves still standing at his post. Granted, he was scrolling through social media, but at least he was there. Andreas had learned that this was the best he could expect from the older man. Andreas was about six feet away when Graves finally noticed him.

“Jesus fuck man! You need some tap shoes or a bell or something on ya.” Graves ran a hand over what was left of his buzzed hair. “Am I relieved then?”

“Yes, you may leave.” Andreas confirmed and the guard scurried off.

Andreas opened the door to the supply closet and took a deep breath. He was going to enjoy this.

The closet was dark inside and Andreas let his human form slip a bit before he flicked on the harsh lights. Cordyline flinched at the brightness. She was lying right where he left her, and it was evident that she had been crying.

Andreas knelt next to her and gently undid the knots binding her hands and feet. He could see that they would leave bruises, but this was not enough for him. He sighed.

“You’re a pain in my ass, you know that right?” He asked, turning her hand over in his, gripping it tighter and tighter as she tried to pull it away. Her mouth formed a tight line as she held back tears, trembling in his grasp. He released her and stood back up, looking down as she inched away.

“You killed him.” Cordyline sobbed. “I just wanted a safe future and you murdered him.”

“He wasn’t going to do you any favors.” Andreas knew it would hurt her when he decided to remove Theo from the picture, but he didn’t expect her to be so stupid as to try to take revenge on him for it.

“I was going to tell him that night! Instead, he went for a drive and never came back!”

“You know he wasn’t the fatherly type. He never would have supported your decision.”

“That’s not for you to decide!” Cordyline spat angrily at him, but Andreas was done ‘caring.’

“Did you really think Theodore was going to stay with you and raise his child? When I caught him, he was on his way to his side girl–or I should say– one of them. He was planning to leave you for her before the pregnancy. Or wait, hadn’t he practically done so already? How long did you obsess over him? Stay loyal to him? And for what? You weren’t even the last thing on his mind.” Andreas looked curiously at her booted foot. “How long would you have lasted as his punching bag? That looks like it hurts.”

In an instant, the boot disappeared and Cordyline winced at the loss of pressure on her fracture. Andreas rested his own foot over the wound and pressed lightly, then harder, enjoying the pained look on Cordyline’s face.

“I’m not going to let you hurt me.” She told him defiantly.

“I know. You’re being so brave” Andreas mocked.

He lifted his leg and kicked down, hard, on Cordyline’s side. She let out a sharp breath but didn’t cry out. He let his foot rest there for a moment, confirming that the bones were broken as he felt the fractured pieces scrape against each other. She was holding her breath. Holding in her fear. For what? So that he could enjoy it less?

Andreas reached down and pulled Cordyline into a seated position by her messy ponytail. He crouched so that they were face to face.

“You’re used to this kind of treatment, aren’t you? I don’t scare you because I need you to live a long life? Well, you don’t need to be completely functional for that.” He watched as she brought a hand to clutch at her chest, the other holding her side. Andreas released her in frustration and she fell back to the ground. “What do you even have?” He pried her hand open, revealing a small, silver cross necklace.

Andreas couldn’t help himself this time. “You really think this is going to work on me? Where did you even get this?” He laughed loudly and snatched the cross out of her hand, tossing it in between his own hands before letting it fall to the ground. He heard Cordyline mumble something as it clattered to the floor.

“What was that?” Andreas leaned down to hear her.

“I don’t have that because it will work against you.” Cordyline said, “I don’t need it when I have this.” She flipped the small, military flashlight on. Right into Andreas’ face.

Andreas winced and took a step back, covering his eyes as a splitting pain formed in his head. It felt like his eyes were burning in his skull.

“You fucking bitch.” He let his human form drop completely. He dropped to the ground, pinning her down by her waist. Grabbing her wrist, he snapped the flashlight in half and let the broken pieces fall to the floor. “I’m really going to hurt you now.”

Andreas turned her wrist over in his grasp. Contemplating, until something caught his eye. Cordyline wore a dull, silver ring over his mark on her left ring finger. The mark would have to stay. After all, he was sure that he’d never release Cordyline from his contract now. But the ring? He slid it off her finger to reveal his barcode-like marking under it as she bucked and tried to twist away. ‘Too late for that,’ he thought.

“Don’t worry,” He assured her, “You won’t miss it.”

“F-fuck you.” Cordyline spat, panting and wriggling to get away, but his grip on her was solid and unyielding.

Andreas bit down on the finger at the knuckle, slowly at first, and Cordyline screamed. The sweet taste of her blood filled his mouth and excited him to the core. It had been a while since he’d been able to punish someone like this and to his displeasure, most people he contracted with didn’t dare to cross him.

Cordyline had been one of his favorites and her betrayal hurt, but he would make sure that the pain she caused was returned to her tenfold. He spit the finger out and released her wrist. He watched as the limp thing fell to the floor. Oops! He must have bitten it too hard. She held her hand to her chest, sobbing as the place where her finger had been gushed blood.

Andreas stood up and leisurely looked through the supply drawers as Cordyline scooted herself defensively into a corner. When he finally found the gauze, he tossed some down to her on the floor. She didn’t touch it.

Andreas sighed. Why did she have to be so difficult? He knelt down again and snatched the hand from her protective grasp. He placed the gauze over the bloody stump where her finger had been and wrapped a cloth bandage around the hand to keep it in place.

“Just what am I going to do with you?” He asked her genuinely. She only cried in response. “Deep breaths, it’s almost over.” He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and smiled to himself as he pulled away, seeing it smeared with her blood. That gave him an idea. “I need to mark you again, don’t I?”

“No, please.” She pleaded uselessly. Or not uselessly. After all, he did enjoy hearing Cordyline’s broken spirit in her voice.

“Close your eyes." He instructed. She shut them seemingly as tight as she could.

Andreas leaned down and placed another kiss over her right eyelid. He stayed there for a moment, not entirely sure if it was going to work. Then, he broke into a wide grin as she began to scream and claw at him, at her face, at anything. He pulled away and watched as she opened her tear-filled eyes, a ring of blackish lines surrounded the pupil of her right eye.

With a sense of satisfaction, Andreas released her face and Cordyline slumped against the wall. Panting and defeated. He stood up and grabbed a package of wipes to clean himself up with.

“Stay put, I’ll send someone to look after that hand.” He told her. Not that she was in any position to move anyway.

Andreas took the elevator back up to the sixth floor. He should really clock out and go home to rest, but he had been away from you for who knows how long and it's killing him! What if you’d had a nightmare? Ha made a mental note to add Prazosin to your medication regime.

He dismissed Samson via text on the way so that he wouldn’t have to answer the man’s multiple questions. Your room was still dark. That’s a good sign. He quietly unlocked your door and cracked it open. You really do look peaceful when you sleep.

He was about to leave when he saw that your bottle of water was empty. Worry flooded him. What if you woke up and had no water? Were you already needing it? He quietly walked over and retrieved the bottle. You stirred a bit, and he froze. Were you uncomfortable?

Before he could make a break from the door, you scrunched up your face.

“Dreas?” You asked groggily and his heart melted. You were calling out to him.

“I’m here, it’s okay.” He replied quietly. “I’ll be back. I’m just going to fill up your water.”

Your eyes fluttered open a bit and he could see that they were adjusting to the dim light. Then, you paled and sat back. Backing away from him. Why?

“Is- is that blood?” You asked in a shaky voice.

Oops, he must have missed something. He took a step back to not alarm you further.

“It’s okay, love. It’s not mine.”

“What did you do? Did you hurt someone?”

“Don’t be silly, I’m a nurse. People bleed on me all the time.”

“Really? On your face? Around your mouth?”

Andreas brought a hand to his face and felt Cordyline’s flakey, dried blood come off a bit. Shit! He turned away. “Just go back to sleep, okay? I’ll bring your water back in a minute.”

He left and shut the door behind him quickly. Just another mess for him to have to clean up.

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wrongcaitlyn · 5 days

Note

I WABT TO KNOW ABT KAYLAAAA. Tell me every single little hc u have for her pleasee🙏🙏🙏 I love her sm and the underatedness of her character is crazy. Tyt or canon anything pls😁😁😁

AHSDHFSDJFSD OMG YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HAPPY THIS MAKES ME. I LOVE HER. SO MUCH.

i made a post abt her music taste (in talk your talk, but could also be canonverse tbh) on her tyt birthday here - and now onto some other hc's

(AND LITERALLY SHE DESERVES SM MORE ATTENTION SHE IS SUCH AN ICON)

canon: (most of these are taking from my will series bc i put in a lot of cabin 7 hc's into there but that series is mainly focused on will!)

pretty sure this is canon or at least like a universally accepted hc but she was closest with michael, and having lost him hit really hard.

i also think even though she's younger, she arrived at camp before austin, but they both arrived at pretty close intervals so after the battle of manhattan, they were treated as a pair and went pretty much everywhere together

kayla and austin arrived just before the battle of the labyrinth

kayla was already better than most of her siblings at archery when first arriving at camp because darren had taught her - and she already knew she was a daughter of apollo when first arriving bc darren was one of the few parents who, like, knew who her dad was - and he told her before she had to leave

and speaking of darren, they're very close. i tried to convey that in tyt too but i just love a good healthy father daughter relationship and they have that!!

coach hedge brought her to camp

eventually she stops dying her hair green and switches it out for a few different colors, but then reverts back to green a few years later because it's her favorite

she often complains about teaching archery lessons because she's not the greatest teacher, but she's also the best of the apollo kids at archery - but when she eventually finds another apollo kid who's pretty alright at archery she jumps to get away from that role

however she does becomes cabin counselor after will because of seniority

i think she had longer hair when she was younger that darren always put up in two french braids, but then on her way to chb something happened that made her have to chop it off. then she realized she liked it better that way and kept cutting it shorter

talk your talk!

KAYLA AND NICO ARE CONCERT BUDDIES. i feel like i've already said that. but i love it. kayla "uses" him to try and see the artists backstage after the concert or get vip seating, but she's also a total pit girlie and will arrive at the venue hours early to get barricade (am i projecting? maybe)

most avid tiktok user, up there with leo with her social media addictionsdkf

is very easily recognized in public due to the redhead/green hair dye combo- and even though she's a pretty niche celeb she still gets recognized in public a lot

yet she still refuses to change her hair dyeJSDF

nicknamed "Daughter of Apollo" for obvious reasons

i mentioned this in my music taste hc's but she can sing. like. insanely well. she could've been a singer if she wasn't committed to archery. i think it's kinda funny bc i bet that when darren and apollo were still dating they had some kind of bet on which field kayla would go into (with no doubt that she'd be in some way famous) and so when apollo heard her sing at karaoke night for the first time he was like "goddamnit i bet if i had been in her life i could've convinced her to be a singer"- but not completely seriously bc like ofc he's still incredibly proud of his daughter

lovessss to be on podcasts. let her yap!!

she went to a very small (im talking like total <15 people in her class) private school in canada (paid for by apollo) because of all the media frenzy (even though it had mostly died down). that, along with eventually moving in with apollo and going to another private school, made it really hard for her to learn how to socialize / make a really solid friend group (totally not projecting again). i touched on this in ch 7 of greatest of luxuries but she had a hard time fitting into her "friend group" who didn't really contact her after she left - and she jumped at being homeschooled. michael is her first real friend and they are very much grumpy & sunshine coded, but michael really does care for her like a little sister after a while (aka like 10 minutes)

she is just so very youngest child codedLKSJDF

thank you for the ask!!! i absolutely ADORE kayla she deserves everything <3

#wrongcaitlyn #talk ur talk asks

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thisisasafezone0 · 9 months

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°˖✿˚⋆ 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 ⋆˚✿˖°

CHAPTER FOUR — SweetLies —

third person pov

⚠︎°｡(DISCLAIMER : CONTAINS A MENTION OF SUICIDE AND MURDER) ｡°⚠︎

The rest of psychology was not that bad in Y/N's opinion. She had asked Oko about his occult book that he started reading halfway through the icebreakers, leading to him rambling for about twenty minutes. The last minutes of class were spent with Oko apologizing for 'wasting her time' and Y/N assuring him it was fine. Long story short, the two exchanged numbers and Oko was very flustered when he left the classroom.

'Amao didn't tell me where to meet him, so I should probably check the cooking club first.'

Y/N gathered up her things quickly, almost stepping out of the room before Mr. Kina called her to his desk.

"Sorry, dear, but I heard you are also new to the school, correct?" The h/c-ette nodded as confirmation. "I was told by the guidance counselor to remind you to get to school early tomorrow for your meeting. Do you know where her office is? If not, I have a map of the school I can give you," the pink haired male smiled at her.

"I appreciate the offer, but I have my own map, thank you." Her teacher hummed in understanding and Y/N took that as her cue to leave. "Have a good day, Mr Kina." She waved and exited the room, knowing Nemesis was following her.

The cooking club was on the first floor and her classroom was on the second. How convenient that it was right next to the staircase she went down. She saw Osano standing right outside one of the doors, him angrily looking at his phone. Right before she opened her mouth to talk to him, his ringtone, a catchy J-pop song, started to play and he rushed off through the hall.

Nemesis walked beside Y/N and glanced at her. "That was certainly strange, wasn't it?" Y/N glared at him in return. The h/c-ette knocked on the closed gray doors, Saki answering the door.

"Oh hey, Y/N! Are you here to join the cooking club?" Her bright smile nearly blinded the aforementioned girl. As Y/N was about to respond, she heard her best friend exclaim her name.

Taeko Yamada swiftly walked up to her, intertwining their hands. "Saki, she's not here to join, Amao said he would give her a tour. I would come with, but I have to walk Hanako home today," the ravenette pouted, sighing dramatically. "I need to make sure that he doesn't get lost. You both know how he is."

"I didn't know you were in the cooking club, Tae." Y/N tilted her head at the thought of Taeko not telling her something as important as that.

"No, I'm not, but Osano is. Sometimes I stay here during club activities so we can walk home together. Speaking of," the ravenette's head poked out of the club doors and turned, her eyes looking for someone. "Where is Osano? I swear he was just out here."

"He left to take a phone call, it seems." Nemesis responded from behind Y/N, Saki jumping at how he suddenly appeared. "If this is the cooking club, why do I only see pastries on the counter?" The girl with teal hair sighed, her cheeks beginning to grow pink at Nemesis speaking to her.

'Hmm. How interesting. I'll have to ask about that later.'

Suddenly, a shout was heard from down the hallway. Nemesis wrapped his arm around Y/N's waist, pulling her into his chest as he stepped back. Hanako Yamada, the disturber of peace, flopped on the floor after trying to tackle-hug a certain h/c-ette. He groaned loudly as his face pressed against the tiles.

"Hanako! Oh my god, are you hurt?" His sister stepped forward and helped the boy up. "Alright, you aren't. But you could've gotten yourself or other people seriously hurt. Luckily Nemesis got Y/N out of the way, or she would've been on the floor with you." Taeko slightly glared at the fact that Nemesis was still holding Y/N, his arm having loosened its hold. Hanako muttered an apology, his face also falling at Y/N and the man behind her.

"Yeah, thanks, Nemesis. My hero." Y/N awkwardly chuckled and stepped away from him, right as the concerned cooking club leader popped out of the room.

Amao Odayaka did not look very pleased at the sight of the four students in the hall. He sighed and beckoned them into the clubroom with a weary smile.

"Can't say I didn't expect Taeko's sibling to already be causing trouble," the brunet chuckled. The first year in question hung his head and trudged into the cooking club.

Y/N followed immediately after, but not before another club room caught her eye. One of the doors wasn't shut properly, showing what looked to be a large pentagram in the middle of the floor, surrounded by unlit candles. 'Must be Oko's club.' She smiled at the thought. The occult club and cooking club being near each other was definitely strange, given the opposing aesthetics.

The cooking club room was entirely pink, it made sense that Osano had joined. Even the utensils and stand mixers were pink. It was almost blinding. All of the members with their either bright or pastel colors fit in perfectly. And then there was Nemesis, who was scowling and squinting at the whole room, not trying to hide his disdain for the interior decorating.

The members were all sitting at a table (pink, of course, are you seeing a theme here?) and sharing what looked to be a tray of calamari. There were only two girls, including Saki, which Y/N found to be odd. 'Isn't Amao Odayaka one of Akademi's golden boys? Don't a lot of girls like him?' She was brought out of her thoughts when a black haired girl waved at her and smiled.

"So, Y/N, these are all the members besides Osano and Raibaru Fumetsu. Kokona was in the club last year, but she preferred drama club, sadly." Saki wrapped her arm around Y/N's shoulders, a grin stretching from ear to ear. "I know you could choose something else, but I think it would be nice if you joined. Right Ajia?" Saki's eyes fell onto the same ravenette that waved.

"Oh, me? Yes, it would be cool to have another girl around. I am only a first year, though, so I don't know if I have any say." The girl sheepishly smiled and looked back at her plate, fingers fiddling with her utensils. "Would you like any octodogs? We just made them." Y/N's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, looking at Saki to explain.

"Right, you don't know what those are." Ajia murmured an apology, Y/N waving it off. "They're just hotdogs we cut into the shape of octopi." The h/c-ette glanced at Nemesis, who subtly shook his head. She politely declined and moved out from her place under Saki's arm.

Amao cleared his throat from where he was leaning against the counter. "We better get going if we want to see the whole school before club time ends." He bit his lip, the corners of his lips turning upwards. 'That's ho-', Y/N's thought was interrupted by a ginger barging into the room.

"Y/N, you're still here! Now I can show you around." He was panting, probably having run around the school looking for her. The other club members glanced between the two, smirking. Amao quietly protested that he, in fact, already said he was going to.

"It could be a group thing," Taeko smiled. "Hanako still doesn't know his way either so we can all go." She looked around at her friends in question, Y/N agreeing. Osano glared lightly at the male with brown hair but sighed and reluctantly nodded. Hanako grabbed Y/N's hand and began to drag her out of the room.

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

"This is the nurse's office."

"Yeah, I'm sure they could tell due to the sign right next to the door." Osano rolled his eyes at Amao, who, in turn, huffed and faced away from the ginger. Taeko and Hanako warily glanced over while Nemesis and Y/N didn't try to hide their stares.

The group hadn't gotten far - they were still on the first floor - since Osano kept bickering with both Amao and Nemesis (even though the latter hadn't said a word). Luckily, the brunet tried his best to keep the party going and they had made it fully down one of the hallways. Taeko steered the group into the courtyard.

"Oh, and here's where Taeko reads, like a dork." The ginger scoffed and put his hands on his hips, glaring at the aforementioned girl. Y/N nervously laughed and placed her hand on Taeko's shoulder.

"I think it's nice that she's an academic. It makes her more pleasant to talk to, unlike some people."

'Oh my god, did the sweet baker boy just throw shade? What is happening right now?'

Taeko smiled and appreciatively nodded at Amao. "I quite like reading. Osano, you only read what's required, which is why you don't like it." Osano made a few noncommittal noises but ended up slouching and walking away, the others following behind him. "He gave up because it's true," the ravenette whispered to Y/N, the two giggling.

"I heard that!"

⊹₊┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ✿ㆍ┈ㆍ┈ㆍ┈₊⊹

The tour, in Y/N's opinion, started to get boring once they got halfway through the second floor, after passing by the martial arts club. But the tour went on. Nothing had particularly interested Y/N. She could join the science club like her mother had, but what if the members didn't like her? She already cooked at home, so there was no need to do it as an extracurricular. Sewing, art, music, drama, occult, and photography. Wait... photography?

Finally on the third floor, Y/N stared at the closed doors in front of her while the others walked past the club, not bothering to explain. There were people in it, she could hear them. Her curiosity got the best of her and she knocked.

"Y/N? What are you doing?" Hanako skipped over to her and beamed. His black eyes fell upon the sign as he mouthed the words. "Oh! I didn't know you were interested in photography!"

She wasn't interested in photography. Prior to moving, she had exchanged emails with Megamo Saikou and he had told her to be wary of this club in particular. While, of course, they were only normal students, they were far too adamant about finding out the supposed murderer's identity. There had only been one corpse found on campus. Toga Tabara, found near the dumpsters, head split open, shoes left by the railing on the roof. People outside Akademi assumed he committed suicide. The students knew better. Toga, a boy so concerned about his future that he joined every club, wouldn't give it all up. The photography club, being their perceptive selves, decided to ditch being lazy and get on top of that supposed case. Due to them investigating, Megamo didn't want Y/N to slip up and have the club find out that they were to be married. Coincidentally, Info had told her the same thing about them.

'How strange that a lone hacker and the heir to a tech company could have the exact same opinion on a group of students. Disregarding the fact that Info used to be a student here, it's too close.'

A blond male answered the door, knocking Y/N out of her thoughts. Hanako had completely changed his stance and the others were now closer, meaning it took a moment for this guy to answer the door.

"Sorry, we aren't accepting new members. I hope you understand." The boy's pale blue eyes stared into Y/N's. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head.

"Oh, is it because it's the beginning of the year? Other clubs are taking in new people." She knew why they didn't want new members, but she wanted to hear his excuse.

"No, we are just choosing to stay as a group of five. We work the best that way." Before Y/N could get another word, he closed the door. She sighed and looked at her fellow students. Amao shrugged, as did Osano. Taeko just scratched her neck and laughed nervously.

"It's probably nothing personal. Maybe they're just in a bad mood. It is only the first day, after all." Hanako nodded along with his sister's statements.

"They're losers, anyway. You're too good for them, n/n." Osano's cheeks grew a few shades of pink upon realizing what he said. "Platonically, of course, not that I needed to say that, since it's obvious that I would-" The ginger was cut off by Amao placing his hand over the other boy's mouth and shaking his head while chuckling.

"Stop rambling and let's continue the tour, shall we?"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

sorry it took almost a month, I've been busy with school and haven't had tons of ideas but that should be clearing up soon <3

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ascendingtostardust · 1 year

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Angel Of Small Death (18+)

Josh Kiszka x F Reader

Words: 5.8k

Warnings: mentions of religion and religious trauma, religious themes, spanking (if you squint really hard), slight degradation, spitting, oral sex (m receiving), unprotected sex (wrap it up, y’all) **if I’m missing any please let me know!**

a/n: this was sitting in my docs, half finished, for almost a year and it was time to finally finish her. This is my first piece of full-on smut and the longest thing I’ve ever written, so please be kind to me. Any feedback is always welcomed!

+++

Spending the summer in the middle of the woods with a handful of adults your age and an overwhelming amount of kids somehow sounded like a good time when you voluntarily signed up. You had never been to camp as a kid and when the opportunity to be a camp counselor presented itself through your mom’s church, you knew you had to take it. You had grown up very religious - going to church every Sunday and youth group every Friday night, only surrounding yourself with people that shared your own views, and being expected to uphold traditional morals. As a teenager, you began questioning everything the church taught you and eventually started exploring the experiences you had missed out on for years of your life.

Although you had blown through your “teenage to-do list” by the age of 18, one thing that you couldn’t bring yourself to do was actually have sex. The guilt that came along with such intimacy before marriage was drilled into your subconscious from an early age and never failed to make an appearance whenever the opportunity arose. It’s not that you didn’t want to experience it, you had urges like everyone else, but you couldn’t bring yourself to break the barrier in your mind and push past the guilt. You had slowly gotten better about accepting the idea of being so vulnerable with someone over the years, but still wanted that person to feel “right” to you and you had never found that right person…until you met Josh.

His name came up frequently in your house, your mom constantly trying to set you up with the man that led the youth worship group at her church. Her attempts were always met with a groan and an excuse as to why you “didn’t want to get involved with a church boy.”

“But he’s a great kid, please just give him a chance!” Your mom would reply, getting more and more frustrated each time you wouldn’t give in to her incessant pleas but still not letting it go.

You didn’t even know what Josh looked like, let alone what his personality was like and blind dates weren’t exactly your thing, especially with guys that were as involved in their church as Josh seemingly was. Looking back, it was easy to see that your mom had a whole plan to get you two to meet one way or another and that was why she was so eager to help you sign up to be a counselor at the camp that a few local churches got together to host each summer.

The first few days at the camp were merely orientation for the adults that would be in charge of the campers for the next couple of weeks and you enjoyed the other girls in your orientation group and being in the little oasis in the middle of the woods.

However, a particular boy caught your eye from the moment you saw him get out of his car and effortlessly sling his duffel bag over his shoulder, the setting sun catching the curls that sat at the top of his head and creating a halo effect above him. As soon as he caught your eye, you looked away and felt your cheeks burn with embarrassment that he saw you practically gawking at the way the counselor t-shirt you were all given hugged his shoulders and chest just right.

It was two days after you had first laid eyes on Josh when he finally came over to you during lunch break, taking a seat across from you at the picnic table you occupied alone. You preferred to be alone during lunch, using the time to write in your journal, read a book, or quietly sit with your own thoughts. Startled that someone just invited themselves to sit at your table, you looked up from your book quickly to meet Josh’s warm brown eyes that stared into your own expectedly.

“Uh hi, Josh…” You said, giving him a questioning look and marking the page you left on in your book, slowly closing it and pushing it to the side.

“Hi, angel.” The nickname rolled off his tongue and hit you right in the stomach, leaving lingering butterflies.

The two of you had been introduced by one of the girls in your orientation group earlier and right away you were both intrigued and intimidated by the man. Josh looked at you as if he saw right through the “church girl” act you put on to better fit in, a smirk always playing at his lips when he observed you interacting with the other counselors.

“Do you need something?” You asked as nicely as you could, confused as to why he was looking at you the way that he was.

“I just came to say that I’m really happy we got paired up as age buddies. I’m interested in getting to know you a little better.” And there was that knowing smirk. He somehow figured you out without ever having a real one-on-one conversation with you lasting more than 5 minutes.

You gave him another questioning look, not knowing what he was talking about or why it seemingly brought him so much joy.

“Age buddies?” You prompted, letting your eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“So each counselor gets paired up with all of the girls or all of the boys in a certain age group, but the counselor of the boys and of the girls are buddies and have to plan activities and stuff together. Make sense?”

“Yeah, yeah that makes sense. So we’re really going to be spending a lot of time together then, huh?” You asked, already knowing the answer but trying to prolong the conversation as long as you could to be able to admire how his toned arms looked as he leaned his elbows on the wooden table.

“Oh loads of time, angel,” he began getting up from the table, “and I can’t wait.” Walking backwards for a few strides as he finished his statement before leaving you with a wink and turning around to jog back over to the small wooden chapel to finish preparing the welcome sermon for that night when the campers arrived.

Being “buddies” with Josh had its perks, but was just as draining and frustrating as it was exciting. He always seemed to find a way to leave a lingering touch on your arm or lower back as he walked past you or came up to mutter some complaint about his campers to make you giggle. It’s not that you weren’t doing your part to get him back for it, though. Moving your knee to “accidentally” bump his as you sat almost hip-to-hip next to the nightly bonfire, asking for his help applying sunscreen to your back and neck before a day in the sun, and letting your hand linger a beat too long on his shoulder when trying to grab his attention.

He knew you noticed his advances and you knew he noticed yours, but both of you lived for the back and forth and the tension that only got more and more unbearable as the first week of camp quickly came to a close and the second week threatened to only make things worse.

It surprised you how naturally you fell into a daily rhythm with Josh, contributing most of it to the fact that you had to spend every day together, but the very obvious spark between you two definitely contributed as well. Of course, you didn’t expect any sort of a “hook up” to occur while you were working a summer camp, let alone a church camp. However, after enduring a few days of Josh’s intentional teasing and testing you decided to let whatever was going to happen, happen.

The other surprising element to working the camp was how quickly you fell back into old thought patterns and behavior. You were long past the days of praying for guidance or clarity when life felt like it was way too overwhelming for one person, but yet…here you were. Having to bow your head and fold your hands with the kids during worship every morning left you grasping at it as a last resort after what happened earlier that day.

Yours and Josh’s groups were gathered together in an empty rec cabin that held no purpose other than storage for the various random pieces of equipment for games that the camp set up most days. That day, though, all of the rain that the sky had been collecting all summer began to pour down and oversaturate the earth.

Although no phones were technically allowed within camp limits, you and Josh realized that the two of you had both broken the rules after he asked for your number to “help coordinate plans for the day better” one the third day of working together. On this particular day, the rain completely ruined your plans for swimming and volleyball and your face lit up as your phone softly buzzed from its spot in the waistband of your jeans while you sat with a few campers at breakfast.

Josh: Meet us in the rec cabin. Tell NO ONE.

Collecting the kids and telling them the plan in a hushed tone, they followed your lead down the overgrown path to the cabin you hoped Josh and his campers were already waiting for you in. After arriving to find that it was, in fact, not Josh and his group trying to prank you again, everyone began grouping together as they typically did throughout the day and excitedly chattering about being in the “forbidden cabin.”

Josh slid up next to you, bumping your hip with his own. You looked over at him and tried to hide the grin that began to spread across your lips as the two of you took each other in for just long enough that none of the kids would notice and ask if you were “boyfriend and girlfriend” like they had begun doing a few days prior. The rain had made his curls even more unruly and the collar of his shirt sat wet and heavy against his skin from the drops of water that still dripped down his neck from his hair.

“So…” You started, attempting to prompt him into conversation.

“So?” He fired back while turning to fully face you.

“Why’d you drag me all the way out here, huh? Trying to get us caught and sent home early?” You raised an eyebrow at him but kept your voice soft so only he could hear you.

Josh stared at the ground for a moment before finally finding the right words to say. “Would that be so bad?”

What he meant by that, you weren’t sure. The shrug of his shoulders made you think that he didn't mean much by the response and maybe didn’t even think much about his response, he just said whatever came to mind. But on the other hand, it ignited your own thoughts and sent your mind racing with possibilities. They were only halted when Josh quickly surveyed the various small groups of kids in their own little worlds around the room and grabbed onto your hand, still damp from the walk though the rain. He didn’t even seem phased, though, as he lifted your fingers to his plump lips to kiss each knuckle so softly that you almost didn’t even feel it happening.

Just as quickly as it happened, the moment came to an end when a loud crash and the sound of each kid immediately blaming someone else filled the room. As confused as ever, one thing was for sure - sinful thoughts about Josh and his lips were going to be running through your mind for the rest of the day.

Being assigned the role of locking up the chapel each night after nightly group prayer also had its perks, as you realized that it was the only moment that you could truly just sit alone in quiet and stillness. The thought of Josh’s lips on your body hadn’t left your mind all day and began making you almost feel dizzy at the thought that maybe he wanted you just as bad as you wanted him.

You knelt on both knees on the second step leading up to the altar where dozens of candles from the nightly service still flickered and cast a deep red hue against each wall of the small chapel. With your eyes closed and palms pressed together, your forehead leaned against your connected thumbs as you mumbled a string of words only comprehensible to yourself.

Your attempt at asking for forgiveness for the impure thoughts you couldn’t seem to stop from dancing through your mind whenever you saw Josh was cut short when you heard the wooden door to the chapel creak open and light footsteps echo behind you. Not wanting to be bothered, you refused to turn around to see who was interrupting you and kept your eyes closed, but your thoughts raced as the mystery intruder continued closer and closer. Just from the smell of palo santo that wafted through the air, you knew that you were about to be joined by the subject of your sinful desires.

Although you sensed his presence, a warm hand placed on your cheek still startled you, forcing your eyes open to find Josh crouching in front of you wearing loose grey sweatpants and a baggy white t-shirt. It was the most casual outfit you had seen him in, considering the fact that all counselors had a strict dress code consisting of a camp t-shirt with jeans or khakis. One thing remained the same though, a necklace of white glass beads hung around his neck, the chunky white cross at the end falling just above his navel. Your mind began to wander as you stared at the man in front of you, wondering how the cross on his necklace would feel dragging across your bare-

“You okay, angel?” His voice pulled you back to reality, a look of genuine concern painted across his face.

“Yeah- yeah I’m fine, just…” you shook your head slightly, trying to put together a coherent thought, “just really got into prayer for a little bit there.”

“Ah, I can understand that.” Josh nodded, running his thumb softly across your cheek a few times before pulling his hand away and moving to kneel next to you.

“Mind if I join you? I feel like I have a lot of repenting to do lately.” He peeked over at you as if to gauge her reaction, but was only met with your wide eyes staring at the floor in front of you.

“Angel?” He reached his right hand to settle on the middle of your left thigh, keeping his touch light to simply grab your attention again.

“Uh-yes, yeah of course. Everyone is welcome in His house, right?” You let out a nervous chuckle and finally looked him in the eye, swallowing thickly when you realized that he never pulled his hand away from your leg.

The two of you remained kneeling next to each other on the scratchy, carpeted step, maintaining eye contact until you cleared your throat and bowed your head forward. Eyes now closed again and hands placed on either side of your legs, you once more asked for forgiveness for what you wanted to do to the man on his knees next to you. Focusing on repeating the words in your head got harder and harder once you felt Josh’s fingers twitch slightly to lightly squeeze your thigh. With your eyes shut, you couldn’t see the smirk that rested on his lips as he mirrored your posture and also bowed his own head to pray.

Minutes passed, yet his hand still burned through the material of your jeans, both of you sitting silently. Josh couldn’t stand the stagnant nature of the room anymore, the stillness killing him as his own mind ran a million miles a minute. It seemed that sinful thoughts were flooding his mind faster than he could pray them away. Almost without conscious permission, the hand that rested on your leg began rubbing up and down your thigh, his fingertips dancing along the seam of your pants. He could hear your breathing become slightly more labored and could practically feel your heart racing through the palm of his hand.

“Is this…okay?” He questioned with wavering confidence.

You knew it wasn’t right and shouldn’t be happening here of all places, yet you couldn’t stop yourself from whispering out a quiet “yes.” There was no going back now, you knew that. The wetness between your legs both mocked and encouraged your desire.

Your eyes were barely open for a few seconds before they were squeezed shut again and a pair of the softest lips you’d ever felt met your own. You couldn’t say you expected things to exactly progress slowly once the first kiss finally broke the tension that had been building for the past two weeks, but the speed at which Josh’s hand crept up to cup your clothed core still pulled the breath from your lungs.

His hands found your hips and pulled you to straddle his lap as he rolled back to properly sit on the step that you once innocently knelt upon. Your hands ran over the shaved sides of his hair, fingers catching his curls and giving them a tug to tilt his head back and leave Josh looking up at you.

The flickering flames of the candles still burning strong on the altar just a few feet away caught in your eye as he stared at you, wide-eyed, as if it was the first time he was really seeing you. For a moment, you simply sat staring at one another, taking in the moment. However, a beat later your hips began tilting forward and back while you sat lower to apply more pressure to Josh’s lap.

He groaned and let his eyes slip closed as your breathing picked up and you found yourself grinding down on Josh’s hardened length faster and faster just to hear another beautiful whine or whimper pass through his lips. Josh snapped back into himself after a particularly rough tug on his hair, causing his head to raise once again and his lips meet yours in a feverish kiss. His tongue battled yours once you finally let him in, bringing both hands to the back of your head to allow him some leverage.

You didn’t want to give away just how much Josh affected you so quickly, but once one of his hands left your head to crack down against the thickest part of your ass experimentally, you couldn’t fight the moan that ripped through your chest. You could feel Josh smirk at your reaction, getting exactly what he wanted from you in that moment. To get him back for making you slip so fast, the next time he brought his tongue to meet yours, you wrapped your lips around it and sucked lightly while giving the tip a few small licks.

The moment was over before you could complete the action as Josh quickly grabbed your hips tightly again to pull your body off of his and leave you kneeling while he stood. The sound of Josh’s sweatpants being pulled down his legs and haphazardly thrown behind him accompanied a both satisfied and impressed hum from you.

His cock stood at attention in front of your face, so close that you could press a soft kiss to the leaking tip if you leaned forward ever so slightly. Your gaze was broken when Josh brought a hand down to wrap around his length, giving it a few pumps as every muscle in his torso seemed to contract with the sudden contact.

“Go on, angel, give it a kiss. Be sweet for me.” Josh broke the silence in a hushed tone, running his unoccupied hand over the side of your hair to push some of it behind your shoulder.

You took a moment to admire how beautiful he looked like this, standing before you with a needy confidence. Quickly, your own confidence was replaced with a wave of nervousness and the shame that always came with any intimate situation you had found yourself in prior to this.

“Hey,” Josh said gently, grabbing your attention, “we don’t have to do this. We can go grab some hot chocolate or something and pretend it never happened.”

You smiled slightly at the innocent nature of the suggestion in contrast to the image right in front of you.

“No,” you whispered out, “I want this. I want you, Josh. Fully.”

His eyes searched yours for any sign of discomfort and, when none could be found, he smirked once more and gave himself a few more pumps before he felt your hands find the back of his thighs as you slowly leaned forward.

You pressed light kisses around the base of his cock, taking a moment before gathering the courage to finally flatten your tongue against the underside of his length and trail it up to his tip. Right away you realized how dry your mouth felt, nerves getting the best of you. He noticed the hesitation and cupped your jaw, encouraging you to meet his eyes.

“Need some help?” The question seemed innocent enough but given the circumstances, you weren’t sure what answer he was looking for.

“Open.” He nudged your jaw with his thumb as you opened your mouth for him, maintaining eye contact through your bare lashes. He gave you a small, almost mocking, smile and stroked your cheek before bending forward slightly and spitting directly into your open mouth.

“Now try again, angel.” His hand found the back of your head and guided you to your previous position, intently watching as your lips met the tip of his cock once again. He let his head fall back and a soft moan escape from deep within his chest, finding it harder to keep quiet the closer he got to the back of your throat.

Keeping his hand tangled in your hair as a means of grounding himself, he bucked his hips forward involuntarily as you bobbed up and down his length, varying the pressure you applied with your lips. Your nails dug into the backs of his thighs, leaving a welcomed sting to his skin and crescent-shaped reminders of how heavenly it felt to have his cock in your mouth.

Josh could feel himself crawling toward his edge faster than he’d anticipated and knew he needed to stop you before he ruined the chance to do everything he wanted to do with you. Reluctantly, he brought both hands to cup your jaw and led your head back, where a flash of disappointment on your face almost brought another moan to escape his lips.

Without a word, his left hand glided across your face, tucking a few strands of hair behind your ear innocently and admiring how pretty you looked with your eyes glazed over and a rosy tint covering your cheeks. Your lips fell into an involuntary pout as Josh ran his thumb over your top lip, then your bottom, coaxing your jaw open once more and slipping the finger into your mouth. Closing your lips tightly, you let your tongue drag across his thumb painfully slowly, watching as his confident demeanor faltered slightly.

When he had enough, he hooked his thumb on your bottom row of teeth to force your jaw down and release him, pulling his thumb out of your mouth and dragging it across your swollen bottom lip, leaving a sheen of your own saliva across the burning skin of your cheek.

“I knew those lips could do more than just pray, baby.” His smirk was intensified by the flames of the red candles burning on the altar, making him look anything but holy.

As if you weren’t blushed enough, his words brought even more blood rushing to your cheeks. You looked down, hands in your lap, almost embarrassed by the praise of your performance thus far. You were brought back out of your own head when you felt the bottom of your shirt being lifted as Josh bent at the hips to grasp the material, his face now centimeters from yours.

He took advantage of the position and pressed a soft, almost innocent, kiss to your neck before tugging the shirt off further. As if somehow holding you back, you could feel the bashfulness you once felt about what you were doing leaving your body when your shirt was carelessly tossed to the side and your chest was left exposed.

The new surge of confidence made you look Josh directly in the eye, your right index finger dragging up and down the length of his bare leg.

“Are you gonna fuck me now, Josh?” You questioned, lulling your head to the side.

A noise that could only be described as a growl rumbled from deep within his chest and before you knew it, you were lifted to your feet by your armpits and led down the few steps to the first row of pews. A gasp escaped you when you was spun around and pushed towards the maroon velvet pad that covered the seat of the pew. You found yourself thankful that Josh decided to show some kind of mercy and not fuck you into the scratchy rug covering the floor.

Your knees met the soft cushion and you climbed up on all fours, only catching glimpses of Josh quickly pulling his own shirt over his head before making quick work of reaching around to unfasten your jeans and slide them down your legs, taking your panties with them.

With how fast he was moving to get into position, you expected to feel him pushing into you within a few seconds...but felt nothing.Worried that he may be regretting everything leading up to this moment, you turned her head around to see Josh on his knees behind you, shamelessly letting his eyes travel the length of your spine to your ass. He bit his lip and shook his head side to side slightly, not able to believe that this was all for him. You wanted him.

“Okay, okay.” He whispered to himself, shuffling closer to your body and running his hands up your back across her shoulder blades, your skin burning at his touch.

“You’re sure this is okay? Seriously, we can stop and just go-”

“Josh, I’m sure that I want this.” Your eyes met his and he almost fell off the pew at the sight of your glossy lips and rounded eyes staring back at him.

“Please…” you breathed out, shifting your hips side to side ever so slightly and rolling your head downward to face away from him.

He mumbled something to himself before dragging his hand down your back once more, grabbing at your hip when his fingers met the flesh and moving closer until you could feel the head of his cock just barely grazing your core. The breath left your lungs when he caught your sensitive clit that had been begging for friction and you had to remind yourself to let oxygen in again when you started getting lightheaded.

Josh’s knuckles grazed your bare ass as he dragged his cock between your folds, gathering enough of your slick to begin pushing into you little by little before pulling completely out again. He loved being a tease, at this point you fully knew that, but in this moment you just wanted all of him. A whine escaped your throat and you could hear him chuckle at your impatience.

“I know, baby, I’m getting there. You really think I’m not going to take care of my angel?”

His voice helped put you at ease, and the feeling of his length slowly filling you up again, but now going further to bottom out inside of you, left your muscles completely relaxed. He gave you a few seconds to stretch and adjust to the size of him before slowly rocking his hips, a sensation you’ve never quite experienced in its entirety radiating through your body.

Each set of thrusts into you felt like there was more speed and force behind them than the previous until Josh’s hips snapped forward with such strength that you lowered onto your forearms, leaving your ass up for him. Your whines, accompanied by the sound of skin slapping against skin, echoed against the wood-paneled room just as hymns had only an hour or two prior. Josh wasn’t completely silent, though. He hummed and whispered out an occasional “fuck” or “so good for me” every now and then when the angle seemed to affect him more than before.

Wanting to hear you louder, he suddenly reached down to throw one of his arms across your chest, pulling you up on your knees so that your back pressed against his damp chest. His pace remained merciless as he held you there, his pants leaving his hot breath to fan against your face. You didn’t even think about where Josh’s other hand was until you felt a surge of electricity run through you when his fingers began toying with your deprived clit, expertly circling around the bundle of nerves.

Unable to spare the energy to hold your head up any more, you let it fall back onto Josh’s left shoulder, your right arm coming up to wrap around his neck lazily and provide more support. Your moans got louder with an increase in speed and pressure from his fingers until you felt your orgasm barreling towards you faster than you could process. Josh picked up on it immediately as you shifted your hips to sloppily meet his.

“You want me to send you up into the clouds? Hm? Does my pretty angel want to meet god?” His words barely registered as he held your head close to his mouth to whisper directly into your ear.

A weak nod was all you could give him in response, surrendering complete control of your body to the man holding you up in his arms. As your orgasm washed over you, your legs shook and your body tried to fold forward to find comfort in the plush velvet you still kneeled on, but Josh held strong and pulled you impossibly closer. The necklace he wore every day pressed so deeply into your skin, you could feel the cross pendant burning your skin to create a defined outline on your back. His pace slowed as he felt your walls fluttering around him, coaxing his own end.

When you opened your eyes again, Josh leaned his chin against your shoulder and pressed a wet kiss to your neck, moving your body in his arm to lay your back against the maroon fabric on the pew.

“Want to see that pretty face when I cum.” He whispered out, kneeling between your legs and taking in your naked body that laid on display in front of him. Bringing a hand over to brush against your cheek, you lightly grabbed his hand and kissed his open palm reassuringly.

You hummed in response, almost letting a small smile spread across your face until Josh surprised you by slipping his cock back inside of you, bottoming out without hesitation. He returned to the merciless pace that he kept just a few moments ago and he fought to keep his eyes from fluttering closed, allowing his hands to explore the expanse of your torso.

Josh grabbed your legs to bend your knees and push them towards your chest, allowing him to reach deeper inside you than you thought possible. His sloppy thrusts held no rhythm as his now quickened breath was accompanied with a small whimper every time his hips snapped forward.

“Come on, baby…” You breathed out, not wanting to disturb the little piece of heaven you and Josh shared by raising your voice any louder. Your hand lifted from its place on his arm to his pink-tinted, burning cheek to softly push some of the hair that clung to his forehead back into place.

Your words combined with the sensation of you squeezing around his sensitive cock pushed him over the edge and he quickly pulled out of you just in time for his hot spurts of cum to paint your stomach. He helped you lower your feet to meet the cushion of the seat on either side of him, but remained kneeling between your legs, head bowed as he caught his breath. Allowing your eyes to slip closed, you focused on your own breathing and the feeling of Josh’s fingertips pressing varying amounts of pressure into the skin of your hips.

Josh leaned backwards to retrieve any article of clothing he could from the floor that was within arms reach, which happened to be his shirt, and wiped his release from your stomach. It was a moment so sweet and tender, you almost forgot what the two of you had just done together…in the camp chapel, no less.

“So, I’m thinking…” Josh started, tossing his shirt to the side once again and pulling you up by your arms to face him. “Maybe we can get cleaned up and then you can let me make you that hot chocolate I suggested earlier?”

And there he was. The Josh you knew and loved was back. Your Josh.

His sentiment caught you off guard and you couldn’t help but giggle.

“You haven’t stopped thinking about that damn hot cocoa since you mentioned it, have you?”

He raised both hands at the accusation, an offended look now overtaking his face.

“I may have gotten a little distracted once I got here, angel, but why do you think I came looking for you in the first place?”

“You’re ridiculous.” You cupped his face in your palms, admiring his still fucked-out features. “We better go before someone wonders why these candles are still lit and comes to put them out, though.”

He looked over at the altar, as if he forgot where he even was.

“I mean…maybe we should pray for what we just did…” Josh looked at you with such a serious expression, you could feel your stomach drop.

“Kidding, I’m kidding! Come on, angel, hot cocoa is calling your name!”

With a laugh, he untangled himself from you and began collecting your clothes off the floor, tossing them towards you while he double checked that there was no trace of you two being left behind.

Now dressed and about to put your hand in his outstretched palm, you remembered the candles, somehow still glowing red. You shuffled up to the altar, looking up at the giant wooden cross presiding over the empty pews of the chapel. Quickly blowing each candle out with a puff of air, you were left in complete darkness, following Josh’s voice as he beckoned you towards him.

Taglist: @ashole-x @earthlysorrows

#this won’t be for everyone and that’s okay!#this is my magnum opus pls enjoy #josh kiskza #josh kiszka smut #gvf #greta van fleet #josh kiszka fanfiction #josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka imagine #josh kiszka fic #jake kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner

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