#but if anyone is able and willing to tip me a little bit

[starkidmunson]

glitter & crimson

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Realistically, Steve knows the band won’t hang around Chicago forever. He knows they’re out promoting a new album; knows they’ll have to move on and that Eddie has to go with them. It doesn’t stop him from wanting Eddie to stay; to live in the quick familiarity he’s built within Steve’s little found family.

Eddie and Robin seem to have already created their own secret language, all gestures and movement and eye contact Steve picks up on but can’t quite read. He’s already picking on the Party like he’s known them their whole lives; ruffling Dustin’s hair, elbowing Mike, throwing his arm around Will’s shoulders, and giving Lucas little shoves. 

It’s easy; so easy to get caught up in how charismatic Eddie is. Steve has a hard time keeping his eyes off him, and Eddie knows. He keeps making comments, throwing winks in Steve’s direction, seeing right through every wall he’s ever built around himself and Steve is caught between being obsessed with it and terrified. 

He stops drinking after the one beer, worried he’ll make things weird if he gets anywhere near tipsy, opting to stay as far away from the possibility as he can. If anyone notices, they don’t comment.

Lucas is chatting animatedly with Jeff, Max sitting close by, twisting braids into El’s hair. Dustin, Mike and Will appear to be grilling Gareth and Freak about dungeon and dragon campaigns Eddie used to run. Nancy has her arm looped through Robin’s, but her attention is on the phone in her hands, as Eddie and Robin talk about what touring is like.

“Where else are you going on this tour?” She asks as Steve tunes back into the conversation.

“This isn’t really a tour, we just haven’t been on the road in a while and we just stopped the album, so we lined up a few shows to get our feet wet before we hit the road for real this summer. One more show out in LA on Tuesday, then we’re done until May, for now.” Eddie explains.

“We’re in LA on Thursday!” Robin exclaims, and Steve’s stomach drops because, yeah. LA on Thursday. He trains his eyes on the glass in front of him, not willing to actually look at anyone they’re around. 

“We could totally meet up again if you guys are able to swing it?” Freak offers, and Steve forces a little smile onto his face and nods.

“We can figure it out later,” Eddie says after a few beats, and Steve is grateful for how the conversation rolls onto the next topic. When he finally looks back up, though, Eddie’s still looking his way. Steve hits him with what he hopes comes off as a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t seem to pay off the way he hopes.

Once the tab is closed and the staff is tipped well, Steve catches Eddie’s elbow on their way out the door. “I would like to meet up in LA, if you’re interested. I didn’t mean to get weird about it, it’s… I’ve been in my head a bit about that game since it was announced.”

“Oh, hey, no worries. We’re in LA the whole week, then we’re heading home. So no pressure, honest.” Eddie hooks his hand over Steve’s softly.

“Well, we should get in Wednesday, but we could totally do something after the game or even Friday?” 

Eddie smiles and nods, patting over Steve’s hand. “Text me about it.”

“I can do that. How much longer are you guys in town for, anyway?” Steve asks.

“Ah, the dreaded question comes,” Eddie’s playful, and it makes Steve’s face heat up. “We’ve got just under another 24 hours in the Windy City before hitting the road again.”

“Oh,” It pulls his chest in a way he wasn’t expecting, in a way that shouldn’t be happening for a rockstar he was adjacently aware of in high school. “Are you busy tomorrow?”

“Harrington,” Eddie’s teasing again, and it does nothing to help the blush on Steve’s face. “You can’t possibly miss me this much when I haven’t even left yet.”

“Shut up,” Steve shoves him away then, crossing his arms over his chest with a pout, only for Eddie to pull him in with an arm around the shoulder.

“We can grab brunch or something? We leave around 8 to avoid rush hour, so I’ll have to be in the bus by 6, or I’d say dinner.”

“Brunch works for me.” 

~~~~

The trip back to the hotel doesn’t go as Eddie expects; everyone is silently chatting amongst themselves, nodding and tapping along to the music and not causing a scene. He almost points it out, but elects not to bring unwarranted bullying upon himself instead. The guys had been giving him shit about Steve near constantly, so this was a nice change of pace after the last few days.

There was actually quiet as he made his way back to his room. A hot shower finally restored warmth to his bones the hockey arena had stolen, and he was drying his hair when he heard his phone vibrate with a text notification.

Steve: anything you're craving for brunch tomorrow so I can pick a place?

It’s practically too easy to flirt with Steve; he sets up lines without even seeming to realize. But Eddie still can’t get a real gauge on how Steve feels about the flirting, so he sidesteps the easy pass he could have made about Steve being enough of a meal, in favor of actually answering.

Eddie: French toast?

The next series of texts come before Eddie even moves his hands back to the towel over his hair.

Steve: sick, I’ll pick you up around 10:45

Steve: you mentioned going home, did you mean like, back to Hawkins?

Eddie twists his hair up in the towel, and lays down on the side of the bed he doesn’t sleep on before firing off an answer.

Eddie: nah, I’ve got a place in Nashville and no reason to go back to Hawkins anymore. My uncle moved to Indy, so that’s usually as close as I get.

Steve: any reason you moved to Nashville?

Eddie: are we playing 20 questions?

Steve: sorry.

Eddie bites his lip, and only hesitates for a moment before flipping over onto his belly and hitting the FaceTime button. Steve answers on the second ring, looking embarrassed, but Eddie doesn’t let him get a word in.

“My mom was born and raised in Memphis, but she always told me her favorite city was Nashville. I was there with her a few times when I was little and she’d just, like, light up. And music is so heavily engraved into every inch of the city, it’s hard to not find inspiration everywhere you turn. So. I bought a place in Nashville the minute I had enough saved up, and it’s kind of my home base now.” Eddie explains, watching as Steve’s face softens and he relaxes into his chair listening to Eddie’s answer. “Do I get to ask a question now?”

“I really wasn’t trying to be annoying, “ Steve looks ready to keep going with an apology, but Eddie cuts him off.

“Why do you play hockey?” It stops Steve dead in his tracks, and he genuinely looks confused for a moment. Eddie almost offers to drop the topic, but Steve fumbles his way into an answer.

“My, uh. My dad wanted me to play before I was even born. Because he played. Professionally for a few years when I was growing up, then he went on to coach.” Steve explains, and it sounds a little rehearsed. Eddie’s sure it’s something that comes up often if his father played and coached. “Gotta keep the Harrington legacy alive, I guess.”

There was a bite to Steve’s words that wasn’t lost on Eddie. “You don’t sound too thrilled about it.”

Eddie can see Steve working over how he wants to answer before he shrugs and sighs. “Because it’s all a show for him. The part we don’t talk about is how I got hurt and benched most of my senior season and he cut me off when I didn’t get full rides. Convinced me it was better to not go to college at all, despite the other scholarship offers, than to not get promised a spot on the ice. Convinced me to self-sabotage so I had to fight tooth and fucking nail to get into the league at all.” Steve pauses, then, and lets out a quiet laugh. “Sorry, that’s so unbelievably whiny of me. I love getting to play professionally, and I don’t take the opportunity for granted.”

“Not whiny. Dads can be the fucking worst.” Eddie offers, gently, and is grateful when Steve doesn't press on that particular bruise.

Instead, he takes his turn to ask a different question. “Why music?”

“This is lame, but the answer is once again my mom.” Eddie rolls his eyes at himself, but he smiles. “She was a musician. There were always instruments around and music was always playing and we traveled for her to perform. I knew my whole life I wanted to be a musician like her, but it wasn’t until after she died that I figured out that songwriting… telling stories and painting pictures with words and melodies and making people feel something…” Eddie trails off, lost in the thought.

“I’m sorry you lost her. It sounds like you enjoyed your childhood with her.” Steve offers, hopes it doesn’t sound like a forced nicety, but Eddie smiles and his nerves ease.

“She was a force to be reckoned with. Firing on all cylinders at once, chaos and home bundled into one.” Eddie’s soft a quiet for a moment, and Steve appreciates the silence by taking in how relaxed the other is to be talking about his feelings; it’s a refreshing break from many of his experiences with teammates or opponents who don’t know how to get emotional in a healthy way. Eventually, though, Eddie clears his throat. “Anyway. Back to 20 questions,”

“I wasn’t trying to start a game, really, I just… like talking to you,” Steve admits around a blush, tucking his chin into the collar of his shirt in an effort to hide the shade of his cheeks, but Eddie’s smile says his cover is blown.

“ANYWAY!” He announces louder, then taps at his chin. “Favorite and least favorite teams to play and why, go.”

“I’m not a dog.” Steve laughs but thinks about his answer anyway. “Favorite is probably the Flyers in Philly. Their fans are absolutely brutal, and their mascot is hilariously terrifying.”

“I have seen many a Gritty TikTok, so I completely understand,” Eddie gives him a few beats before he prompts. “Least favorite?”

“The Kings. LA. Billy Hargrove.”

“The…, what the fuck? How many guys from Hawkins are professional hockey players?” Eddie asks, because honestly, how had he not known there was more than Steve?

“He’s technically from LA, which is why he went back, thank God.” Steve mumbles, before dropping his head back against the wall behind him. “But, for whatever it’s worth, there’s me, Billy, and Tommy Hagan in the league.”

“Well isn’t that a fun bunch to surround yourself with,” Eddie muses out loud. Tommy and Billy were two of the biggest assholes Eddie had ever met, and it sounded like Steve wasn’t too fond of the other pair either.

“I actually…” Steve trails off, before trying again. “I was going to invite you guys to come to the LA game, but I’m really not sure it would be a good idea, so I’m… I’m actually going to ask you guys not to come, if that’s not too much of a dick move? I can get you tickets to literally any game you want for the rest of the season, just. I don’t think it’s worth it to get Billy started, and if he’s heard any of the press about us, I’m already going to hear it even if you’re not there.”

“Homophobe extraordinaire still, then?” Eddie guesses, and Steve chokes out a laugh, before covering his mouth and holding up a finger to ask for a moment to compose himself.

“He's… a lot of things.” Is the response Steve opts for, but Eddie can tell there’s more there. Whatever the two of them are doing, it doesn’t feel like Steve is ready to elaborate, so Eddie moves on. 

“I think it’s your turn.”

~~~~

Nothing changes after Corroded Coffin leave Chicago, though. Not in the ways Eddie had expected, at least.

Steve still texts him throughout the day, answers his Facetimes whenever he’s available. Eddie makes him the playlist he promised, and Steve gives feedback on which songs he likes and which ones he really doesn’t, after Eddie promises to not take Steve’s opinions personally. Which, to be fair, he tries really hard not to.

The concert in LA comes and goes, and Steve seems to send him every TikTok he comes across from the show. It’s a refreshing break, as every few videos in Eddie’s feed are of him cheering for Steve at the game, or Steve watching from sidestage in Chicago. 

A text from Robin eventually confirms their arrival in LA, and Steve and Eddie make plans to meet up after the game. Since Steve had expressed concern about Eddie going, he decides to just watch from the bar they agree to meet at. Televised games make it easier to track the puck, but Eddie decides he likes being there in person better.

Eddie’s sipping absently on his beer and in the time it takes him to look down at a text from Chrissy, several of the people around him react to something. Eddie looks around to make sure someone in the bar hadn’t passed out. When he looks back at the screen, absolute mayhem has broken out on the ice. The refs are trying to separate players from one another, and Eddie’s scanning through the numbers on each Blackhawks jerseys before he finally spots Steve, slightly off to the side from everyone else. The camera pans away from him, zeroing in on the fight, now between a Blackhawks defenseman and none other than Billy Hargrove. 

Billy’s helmet and gloves are off, teeth shining with blood as he grins like a psycho and starts to skate in Steve’s direction. One of the refs pulls him back, though, escorting him into the penalty box while another Kings player gathers his helmet, stick and gloves and clears them to the bench. 

The camera finally pans back to Steve, who is now sitting with his back against the boards. He’s got a gloved covering the lower half of his face, but his white jersey is covered in blood. A ref and the Blackhawks goalie are kneeling on either side of him as someone else speaks with him. The camera zooms in as the TV crews work to make out what is happening, just in time for Steve to lower his hand and shows off a gnarly gash along the side of his face. He leans forward a little and spits out blood onto the ice, and the TV jumps to the announcers in the booth. 

The volume is off, but they show a slow-motion replay of the few moments Eddie’d missed; Steve passes the puck off to another player on his team, just before Billy slams into his side. The impact sends both of them into the boards and down onto the ice. Billy swings his stick around and cracks Steve in the face with the blade heel. Steve reacts, throwing his whole arm into Billy’s face, before a sea of white Blackhawks jerseys sweep in and suddenly Billy’s a few feet away, with players from both teams piled up.

Eddie’s hand hovers over his phone; has no idea what to do in this situation. Texting Steve is useless; it would likely be hours, if not days, before he even thinks about looking at his phone. He doesn’t want to bother anyone, but he’s… well, he’s stressed. Even if Steve isn’t interested in him the way Eddie’s interested in Steve, they’ve still built a weird little friendship and that was an awful lot of blood.

So, Eddie ends up firing off a text to Robin. It’s just a simple 'let me know if there’s anything I can do,' but his phone lights up with a call immediately.

“How bad is it?”

“I’m not back with him yet, but just… meet us at the hospital, if you can?” She asks. While her voice waivers a bit, she’s calmer than Eddie expected her to be.

“I’ll be right there.” He agrees, hangs up and exits the bar before the game even returns from commercial break.

#hockeyplayer!steve harrington #steddie #rockstar!eddie munson #stranger things hockey au #glitter & crimson #sorry this took like 2 weeks #we're going to try to keep the momentum going here #steve harrington #eddie munson #robin buckley #platonic stobin #corroded coffin #steddie fanfic #starkidmunson writes #oh i almost forgot #one of the most important tags for this one #anti billy hargrove

[mrsjellymunson]

The Biology Tutor

📕 Lesson 1: Female Anatomy

Continue studying: Lesson 2: Male Anatomy | Lesson 3: Human Reproduction | Extra Credit 01: Communication Skills

Pairing: Virgin!Eddie Munson x fem!tutor!reader

Summary: Eddie’s failing class, so you decide to offer two different styles of biology tuition, textbook-based and *ahem* practical.

W/C: something around 4k (I didn’t do a word count after editing, sorry)

CW: 🔞 18+ MDNI!, NSFW, PWP, smut with a story. Exhibitionism (f), mutual masturbation (m+f), swearing, innuendo, pet names, slight sub/dom dynamic, subtle size kink? Both Reader & Eddie are overage. No y/n. Reader’s appearance is not described, it can be whatever you like.

A/N: A cute little bit of biology lesson-based smut. I’m a sucker for virgin!Eddie and wanted to see if I could write him. Let me know how I did! 😄

My masterlist

You’ve had a crush on the guy in your Biology class since the beginning of the year when you first saw him ranting on a table in the cafeteria. There’s something about him that’s so different from the guys you’d usually go for. You run in completely different social circles, you with the academically-gifted ‘Brainy Bunch’ (an eye-rollingly terrible moniker coined by the we-think-we’re-so-clever jocks), and him with his nerdy friends. Despite this you find him unusual and intriguing, not to mention hot as all hell. You guess the ‘freak metalhead’ look doesn’t work for everyone, but his long hair and rebellious dark ink are certainly doing it for you. You really want to discover what’s underneath those layers of denim, leather and torn shirts, your imagination only able to go so far as you ponder his form late at night in your bed.

However, girls talk, and you’ve never heard of him being with any of them, or even speaking to all that many. For all his bravado and apparent confidence, you’re reasonably certain that Eddie Munson is still a virgin.

And for some reason this draws you to him even more.

You’re pretty sure you’ve caught Eddie checking out your ass as it’s perched on a high stool while he sits behind you in the biology lab. On days when you’re in this class you’ve started to wear your tightest jeans, and your shortest skirts (though if anyone asked you’d insist it was a coincidence).

Somehow you’ve become inexplicably clumsy (but only in this class, how odd…), often dropping your pencil and having to bend over to pick it up, occasionally chewing on the end in contemplation when you know he’s watching, much to the chagrin of your teacher.

“Never put anything in your mouth in the lab, you should all know better by now.”

You smirk at the innuendo in Eddie’s direction and he quickly looks away, ears exposed by his lab-regulation tied-back hair a little pink at the tips.

You also often ‘forget’ or ‘lose’ equipment, asking him if he’s got a spare, or could he please get you a replacement from the cupboards, which he’s always more than willing to do (giving you ample opportunities to observe his denim-clad ass as he does so).

“Damn, I seem to be one test tube short. Eddie, would you be a doll and get me one from the cupboard?”, crossing your legs and subtly ensuring the hem of your skirt rides up just a little more.

Eddie looks you up and down (result!) and agrees.

“Thanks, you really are my knight in shiny, um, leather?” You wince slightly at your clumsy comment, but he takes it in his stride, continuing the bit by replying,

“Here you go, your majesty”, bowing theatrically and presenting the glassware to you atop his forearm, making you grin.

In another lesson: “Shit, I tore my filter. Eddie, do you have a spare?”

“Anything for the Princess of Biology.”

He gives you a little smirk, and you feel your cheeks heat slightly. You can’t help gazing at his strong, ring-clad hands as he hands you the little circle of absorbent paper.

It becomes somewhat of a game, you playing the Princess and he the rescuing knight.

But for all your teasing you genuinely do actually want to help him pass the class. You don’t want him to have to repeat the year - you’ve seen him play at The Hideout and you know he’s meant for greater things.

It’s just biology, it can’t be any harder than what little you’ve picked up about that complicated game he plays, which seems to be all numbers, convoluted plots and organising “campaigns”, whatever they are. You’re sure he could pass if he’d just apply himself.

Or, perhaps, he just needs the right tutor…?

You’d broached it with your science teacher, offering to help ‘any students who were behind’ for extra credits. After he’d agreed you’d approached Eddie that same day, offering to come to his home and help him with his overdue assignments.

He was confused and skeptical at first, thinking this could all be some elaborate prank, but you were gentle and persuasive, and he’d agreed to pick you up later that day.

You’re sitting on his worn-out sofa, draped with a well loved but soft blanket. You’ve spent the last hour trying to get Eddie to understand cellular respiration (“Isn’t it just, like, breathing in and out?” “No, Eddie, this is cell biochemistry, it’s a bit more complicated than that”), but nothing you attempt seems to be working.

He’s despondent, won’t look at you, and seems resigned to his fate of never passing this particular subject, interjecting with statements like,

“Look, it’s just not going in.”

“I don’t know how to make it stick.”

“I don’t think I’ll get it, Princess, even if you beat it into me.”

The innuendo (accidental or not) is driving you crazy. As is Eddie’s lack of self belief.

You’d even tried explaining it by using D&D analogies.

“Think of the chemical reactions like individual characters interacting in groups. Like, if this particular troupe disband and some make allegiances with another, the group has different skills and attributes now, right?” But after a promising start even that doesn’t seem to hold his attention.

In fact, the more animated you get and closer you sit, the more distracted and fidgety he becomes, unwilling to engage fully with you and shifting uncomfortably.

You move further towards him on the sofa, determined to give it one last shot, and force him to make eye contact with you.

Their colour and depth surprises you as you look into them properly for the first time, noticing their rich, swirling chocolate and whiskey hues.

Your eyes briefly drop to his lips, the soft pink, plump, velvety pillows looking mightily enticing. God, they’re perfect.

Goosebumps rise on your arm as you feel his surprisingly soft curls tickle your shoulder.

Okay, you knew he was cute, but up close? Fucking hell…

You lean across your notes and over to the text book that’s on his other side. Your thighs are touching, and as you twist the side of your breast makes contact with his arm. If he looked slightly down and towards you he’d be able to see right down the neck of your tank top. You kind of hope he does.

Huffing, you prod at the book with your hand, hoping that the diagram on the page might make everything clearer. The movement makes your boobs jiggle a little.

You hadn’t noticed he’d stopped breathing and he suddenly lets out a huff of breath, covering it with a badly faked cough. His cheeks have flushed a light shade of pink.

So, you definitely weren’t imagining all that stuff in class.

Fuck it. You consider this might be the only opportunity you might get to do this, so decide to grab it. After all, academic tutelage was only part of your motivation to get him alone, and something you’ve been thinking about for a long time, one of the fantasies that keeps you up at night, pops into your head. One that would definitely get his attention. And if you can’t help his confidence academically, perhaps you can help with it somewhere else. Call it interpersonal tutelage…?

With as much nonchalance as you can muster, you say, “Um, maybe we should take a break. Y’know, relax a little?”

You scootch away to the end of the sofa, putting your back against the armrest and bringing your feet up onto the cushion in front of you. You grab a couple of throw cushions and slot them behind you, getting comfortable.

Eddie seems to relax a little too once you’ve moved away, but still looks uneasy.

God, are you really going to do this? What if he screams and runs away, or worse, tells his friends, or your classmates..? No, you’ve been thinking about this for far too long. Oh, fuck it x 2…

Feigning a stretch, you arch your back and place your hands at the back of your waist, pushing your chest, and breasts, upwards. Then you move them to the sides of your ribs, glancing over the sides of your boobs, seemingly-innocently pushing them together. You move a hand underneath one of your breasts, cupping it gently in the crook of your thumb and forefinger.

Eddie is still sitting tensely on the front edge of the sofa cushions, stealing sideways glances at you through the curtain of his hair.

“C’mon, Eddie, get comfy with me. It’ll help, I promise.”

Self-consciously, Eddie shifts himself and sits facing you, cross-legged, at the other end of the sofa. You give him a soft smile, which he returns with a slightly bashful one of his own, afterwards rolling his lips inwards between his teeth.

Okay, it’s now or never. Are you gonna be able to concentrate on this, Eddie?

You hum quietly, and almost closing your eyes you run a palm down your chest and over your belly. You drop one knee slightly out to the side, and run your hand down the inside of your thigh and back up it, eventually pushing your fingers between your thighs and cupping your mound with your palm.

You see Eddie’s eyes widen and hear a stifled choke.

Your hand moves to fully cup your breast, and you lightly trace your thumb over your hardening nipple whilst the hand between your legs begins to apply gentle pressure, making you inhale deeply.

Eddie watches you, agape, bringing his hands together and clasping one hand over the other in front of him, you surmise to disguise his burgeoning bulge.

You open your eyes a little, keeping them soft and half lidded, and gently smile in Eddie’s direction, ensuring he’s still watching you.

Using both hands to pop the button and lower the zipper on your jeans, you tease yourself by running the pretty elastic trim of your your panties between your fingertips, pulling it slightly away from you and letting it snap back onto your abdomen.

“Uh…”, he swallows hard, and you internally groan at the sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing in that delicious neck, “What’re you doing..?”

“What does it look like I’m doing, Eddie? I’m… relaxing…”

Sighing out the last word, you choose this moment to slip your hand down the front of your underwear, sliding over your mound and dipping just the tip of one finger between your folds, feeling the wetness that’s already pooled there. Your forehead furrows a little and you let out a quiet, contented hum.

Eddie’s eyes widen further and his eyebrows disappear completely under his bangs, and he sounds a little like he’s suffocating.

He tries to move further away from you along the sofa, unsuccessfully however as he’s wedged against the other armrest.

“Uh, I can, y’know, leave, or you could use my room, or, I can take you home, or, or-”

He’s babbling, and looking everywhere but at you. That’s not what you want at all, and you’re also concerned that he looks so uncomfortable.

“I can stop, if you want…”

He rushes out a reply, almost shouting the first syllable.

“N-NO! Um, no, it’s okay, really.”

“Okay, Eddie, stay right there. Keep your eyes on me, I wanna give you a show.”

He looks even more shocked, jaw dropping open, and you think he might bolt. But after a moment it’s clear that despite being full of anxiety, fear and self-consciousness, his curiosity, hormones and horniness are winning out, and he fixes his gaze on you.

He manages to squeak out, “Ok-aay…”

You lift your hips, using both hands to push your jeans and underwear down your legs until they reach your ankles. You slowly splay your knees, finally exposing yourself fully to Eddie’s gaze. One hand comes back to your breast, and you pinch your fabric-covered nipple between your thumb and forefinger.

He takes in the sight before him, the soft fur around your core, your wet folds glistening in the dim light of his living room, your sultry gaze, the peaks of your hardened nipples now visible through the thin fabric of your top.

He lets out a stuttering breath as his hips involuntarily shift underneath him, trying to find some friction.

“Jeezus fuck, Princess, are you tryin’a kill me?”

You try to think of something that might help relax him.

“If it helps you can imagine that we’re still studying. How about a quick lesson in female anatomy..?”

You move your hand down and with featherlight touches trace your fingertips around your pussy.

“Now, this whole area is my vulva.”

Eddie gulps.

Making a vertical line you trace your fingers over your wet lips.

“These are my labia.”

Eddie’s lips press together and he lets out a stammering hum, closing his eyes momentarily before snapping them back open so he doesn’t miss a thing.

“Are you paying attention, Eddie? This part is really important. This-,” you inhale sharply as you trail your wet fingers upwards and make contact, “This is where you’ll find my clit- fuck-”

It feels so delicious you almost don’t manage to finish your sentence, and you let out a long, low hum. Part of you doesn’t want to stop, but you’ve got more planned. Moving your fingers down again, you say,

“And this, here? This is my vagina…”

With a smile, you watch him stare as you dip a fingertip into your sopping hole, letting out a low moan as you gradually slip it inside of you.

“You know what the g-spot is, Eddie? I can show you where to find it, if you want me to…?”

You slide your finger in further, curling it towards your front wall, almost managing to tickle that certain spot within and letting out a loud groan.

At the other end of the sofa Eddie gasps an inhale, whimpering slightly, and you see him press the heel of his hand into his crotch. The combination of his sounds and actions is making you impossibly wetter - the boys you’ve been with before didn’t do much of either, and you didn’t know how much it turned you on.

You watch his face as he stares intently at your weeping centre as you slowly, so slowly move your finger in and out a few times.

“D’you think you’ll remember that, Eddie?”

“I promise I’ll fuckin’ try, Jesus Christ…”

He swallows again, exhaling heavily.

Deciding it’s time for the main event, you bring the hand that was squeezing your breast down your body, moving your fingertips to your clit and applying gentle pressure.

“I want you to see how wet you make me, Eddie. I want you to know how much I enjoy you watching my ass in biology class, how often I’ve thought about it when I’m alone. How much I like checking yours out in those oh-so tight jean- oh!”

A particularly exquisite circle followed by a firm press on your clit makes you moan out loud. The combination of both your hands has you close, closer than you imagined you’d be at this stage. It takes much longer when you’re by yourself, and you’re surprised and excited by just how much you’re enjoying having Eddie watch you.

Eddie’s fully gripping himself through his jeans now and is breathing heavily through his nose. He looks big, and you salivate at the thought.

You really want to see what he’s been hiding inside that tight denim.

“Show me, Eddie, I wanna see you.”

Hesitantly, never having experienced anything even close to this before, Eddie mumbles,

“You, uh…?”

“I wanna see you. Take out your cock. Let me see all of you, please.”

He’s rubbing himself, and you can see how strained his jeans are, a wet stain now visible in the dark fabric.

Slowly, eyes never leaving your face and looking for any tiny indication that you’re uncomfortable or have changed your mind, he slowly undoes his button and pulls down his zipper.

His languid pace is killing you, but in a good way; you realise he most likely has no idea what this is doing to you.

He rearranges the front of his jeans, opening the fly wide and leaving nothing but a thin layer of checkered cotton covering his member. The tent it’s creating is impressive.

He watches you stare and run your wet tongue over your bottom lip.

Letting out a nervous breath between pursed lips, he pushes one hand beneath the waistband of his boxers, using his thumb and two fingers to hold his cock at the base. Using his other hand he slowly, agonisingly slowly, pulls the fabric out and downwards, gradually exposing his full member to the lights of the room and to you.

You pause your own movements and spend a moment taking it in. It’s long, with an impressive girth - you briefly wonder whether he knows what he’s packing - and it’s the prettiest shade of pink you’ve ever seen. Lengthy, veined, slightly curved, and thick, so thick.

Eddie watches your expression for a moment. Satisfied that you’re not freaked or about to run away screaming, he brings the rest of his fingers to join the others, wrapping himself fully in his fist and squeezing gently, causing a little bead of precum to collect on the tip.

You take in the sight before you for a few moments, then utter, completely honestly, “Eddie, in case no one’s ever told you this, you have a really beautiful dick.”

His face and neck turn the second-prettiest shade of pink you’ve ever seen.

“No one’s ever told me that before, Princess.” Adding, almost in a whisper, “In fact, no one’s ever seen it.”

He chuckles lightly through that last sentence, embarrassed at what he’s just admitted. The ego boost of your comments has clearly given him some confidence though, as he adds with a slight smirk, a little breathy as he runs the pad of his thumb unhurriedly over his tip, “You, uh, really think so?”

Oh, so he likes me watching him too?

You can’t take your eyes off of it.

“I really do, Eddie. It’s so pretty.”

As if to confirm your statement you resume your hand movements, adding another finger and resuming circling your clit with the other. You notice that Eddie’s started moving too, his hand moving over himself in a deft gripping and twisting motion, his hips bucking up every now and again.

For a few moments neither of you say anything, the only sounds in the room your combined panting breaths and the lewd movements of wet skin.

Your clit is swollen and supremely sensitive, and, pushing in a little further, your fingers just tickle that exquisite spot within you.

You moan as you imagine it’s Eddie’s pretty cock inside you. That he’s leaning over you, thrusting into you, hitting that spot effortlessly. Maybe even talking to you, telling you how good your pussy feels, how well you’re taking him…

Suddenly your eyes roll back in your head and your mouth hangs open, a gutteral moan emerging from your chest as you get closer and closer.

Bringing your attention back to him you mumble, hurriedly,

“Jeezus Eddie, I’m gonna cum, you wanna see me cum?”

“Fuck, sweetheart, I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire fucking life.”

Eddie’s words come out in a spluttering rush and on his last word your breathing halts, your muscles lock and you cum, hard, clenching around your fingers and letting out an involuntary strangled scream.

Somewhere in the back of your fuzzy mind you think you hear Eddie let out a loud, “Holy shhhiiiit!”

You come down a little, opening your eyes and locking them with Eddie’s. You ride out your aftershocks, humming as you feel your fingers inside of you and your juices running down them. You eventually remove your fingers from your cunt, leaving its puffy wetness fully on display, and trace them around your lips and clit.

“F-fuck, Princess, that’s the hottest goddamn thing I’ve ever fuckin’ seen…”

Eddie’s red-faced and panting, his cock still very much standing to attention in his now vice-like grip, the tip an angry red and leaking copious amounts of precum. His eyes are blown dark, the chocolate rims almost completely obscured. His face and neck are flushed and he’s covered in a sheen of sweat, and he’s clenching his jaw, looking like he’s trying desperately not to bust.

“Are you ok over there, Eddie?”

“Shit, yeah, yes, I mean, fuck.”

Breathily, you ask him,

“Do you wanna cum?”

“Fuck yes, I just, I didn’t know whether you wanted me to.”

“Oh I do Eddie, I really do. It’s your turn now. You gonna cum for me? Please, let me see you lose it, show me everything you’ve got.”

He breathes out a loud sigh in what seems like relief. You like how good he’s being for you, learning yet more about yourself that you didn’t know before.

His fist speeds up as his other hand comes to hold his balls, deftly stroking and rolling the flesh. His brow furrows deeply and his lips clamp shut around a low moan. He’s staring intently at you, eyes flicking between your face and your still-dripping cunt.

Suddenly his expression turns to one resembling surprise, as his eyebrows lift and his mouth opens, a string of expletives leaving those perfect, plump lips,

“Fuck, fuck, Jeezus, motherf-, oh my-, fuckfuckfuuuck!”

His jaw drops as his abdomen contracts, and his eyes fix on your cunt as he jets hot ropes of white cum into the air and over his fist and t-shirt. There’s so much, and it seems never ending.

The sight is even better than you’d imagined it might be and your hips buck up into your hand, making you press your fingers into your clit again triggering another aftershock, and you find yourself moaning along with him.

For a few moments there’s more silence, aside from your panting and heavy breathing.

Eventually Eddie chuckles a little, and you huff a breath out through your nose with a smile on your face.

You’re both a sweaty, sticky mess, but neither of you care.

“Fuck, Eddie, that was…” You’re lost for words.

“Amazing? Incredible?” Seeing the grin plastered across Eddie’s face is easily as gratifying as all the other stuff you’ve done tonight.

You both giggle as Eddie says, “Fuck me, Princess, you’re definitely the best tutor I’ve ever had.”

Neither of you really want to move, but some cleanup is definitely necessary. Eddie takes the blanket from the sofa and throws it in the washer, cleaning up quickly in the bathroom, letting you know when it’s free and returning in a change of clothes, throwing the others in with the blanket.

As you both process what’s just transpired you share timid glances and half smiles.

You both sit on the sofa again as you start to pack up your notes and books. In another unforeseen realisation, you’re surprised at how much you’ve enjoyed Eddie’s company, and the warm feeling you get inside every time he looks at you is entirely unexpected.

You realise you’re gonna have to be the one to say something, and give Eddie a smirk.

“So, how about next time we do some practical revision on, maybe, male anatomy?”

He looks a little surprised, but certainly not unhappy at the suggestion that there might actually be a ‘next time’.

“You really wanna, uh, tutor me again?”

Nodding in the affirmative, you reply, “Oh yeah, I think we’ve both learned a lot this afternoon.”

Holding his gaze, you suggest,

“Same time next week..?”

Continue studying with Lesson 2: Male anatomy

A/N 2: I’ve been having thoughts about making this a miniseries, so please let me know if you’d like to see a second “lesson” 😉

Thanks so much for reading!

Likes are great, but please also consider supporting writers with comments and reblogs - they help fics get seen, and it genuinely means the world! 🌍 ❤️

Taglist is open!

My masterlist

#virgin!eddie munson #virgin!eddie munson x tutor!reader #eddie munson #stranger things #eddie munson smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #Eddie Munson x you #biology smut #the biology tutor #female anatomy lesson #Eddie munson x fem!tutor!reader #stranger things fanfic #Eddie munson fanfic #Eddie munson smutty fanfic #smutty fanfic

[vcnillazelda]

can i req young! reader w 141, just like platonic headcannons and whatnot about like her being a rookie and sparring w ghost or konig or soap or alejandro n ect n stuff, ty!!

ghost team/141 + könig sparring with rookie! s/o

characters: ghost, soap, könig, gaz, alejandro, rudy, price

warnings: mild injury??? maybe?

a/n: aw omg i love this!! + alejandro’s walk omg 😭

✞———————❖———————✞

ghost

it was your first time sparring, and you went straight to him???

he’d rather watch you spar and give you tips, but the way you’re begging him to do it with you is swaying him

he’s so tense and worried he might hurt you but with your assurances he’s willing

he does it in more of a private setting, but he still makes notes on your techniques, strength, agility

gives you little tips if you’re dealing with larger opponents

at one point he had you trapped and he will never admit the way you let out a breathy giggle and struggled in his grasp made him fluster behind his mask

is all impressed if you manage to beat him, but on the inside he was going easy on you

ofc you find out after watching him spar with johnny and you’re like “why are you holding back with me???” and he admits he’s just scared he’ll hurt you

when you two are in private afterwards he’ll give you a soft kiss

at the end of the day, he’d rather watch you train rather than partake, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt you, even in a controlled setting

-

johnny

unlike his lieutenant, he’s into play fighting with you, so he’s all the way down to spar

ofc he knows sparring is training for you guys and not like a sport, but he still thinks it’s fun and wants you to enjoy it too

he won’t hit hard, he’s a gentleman, and he pretty much always lets you win even though he shouldn’t bc it’s meant to be a fair fight

his old partner in sparring was gaz, but now he has you and he’s actually really enjoying being able to spend extra time with you

the two of you make little jokes to each other as well as trash talk each other, but at the end of the session you’ll hug and be like “you did great :)”

he’s got amazing sportsmanship, so if you genuinely beat him when he’s trying he’ll congratulate you and offer to get you a drink

10/10 best training partner

-

könig

nope.

he’s a big boy with anxiety, he’s terrified of hurting you and (unlike simon) he will voice his concerns to you

it will take A LOT of convincing

he stays on the defensive and sometimes never even lands a blow on you, which leads to him getting scolded

you will have to sit down with him and state that you’re not made of glass and that you’ll be fine, so he eases up and genuinely spars with you

however… he got a bit carried away with adrenaline, and he pinned you in a way that pulled a muscle in your shoulder

apologies. all the time, even after your muscle heals

please assure him everything’s okay bc he will genuinely start crying as if you hate him now 😭

it will take him a while to start training with you again, and this time he’s more aware of his strength and keeps you from genuine harm

like johnny, he’s very sportsmanlike so if you beat him he’ll smile and kiss your forehead with some muttered congratulations in german

treats you to lunch afterwards all the time, bc he loves training in the morning, and will chat about techniques to help you out considering you’re still a rookie

contrary to people’s beliefs, he’s quite a chatty partner when he gets to know you, and will happily give you tips and tricks

-

gaz

yay! you’re both close in age! you both immediately click together. you’re like best friends

loves sparring with you, it’s his favourite activity when on base with you

it looks like the two of you are play fighting most of the time, but tbh kyle just wants to have fun with you whilst also working with you

you both need tips from price, who happily gives them, then observes as the two of you try to use them

you both get really competitive so it takes a while for anyone to tap out

i hc that gaz is into wrestling, so he’ll definitely imitate an announcer to make you laugh and hopefully catch you off guard

loves getting you in a headlock but never hurts you, as much as a goofball he is he’s very aware

if he manages to trap you under him he makes a few jokes in a low tone and steals a kiss

his eyes will always be slightly flirty, and he will 100% flirt between jokes

11/10 amazing partner in general

-

alejandro

immediately agrees, and because he’s been serving for a long time, he takes on the role of teaching you about sparring

always praises you, loves praising you for every little thing

he’s totally not using this as an excuse to be close to you

at one point in time he had you stuck in his grasp and the way he whispers to you is just 😩

(he definitely knows you’re weak for his voice and uses it to tease you)

no matter what happens in training, even if you’re the one who taps out, he will kiss your forehead and say that he’s proud of you

he’s another one that’s extremely aware of how much strength he’s using, but he won’t hesitate to be a little more forceful with you

you need to learn somehow

if you try to kiss him to distract him he’ll chuckle and ease up before getting back to training

he’s such a good teacher that when you’re not training with him you’re winning most of the time against other opponents

he’s so proud :,)

-

rudy

this poor boy is such a soft lover, so the idea of accidentally hurting you is always in the back of his mind

tries to go slow, but sometimes he doesn’t remember his strength and immediately backs out if you let out a small pained noise

hugs you after bc he feels bad

he’s skittish, but overall a good training partner once you two have a talk

uses techniques that alejandro taught him, and tried teaching them to you

he’s not an amazing teacher though…

still praises you

he’s quite young too, but he’s been serving longer so he’s meant to be able to teach you things

however… he still has a lot to learn, so sparring is a learning experience for both of you

wont admit it, but he gets a little jealous when you train with other people

cuddles 100%, cuddling is mandatory after training

if your muscles are strained he’ll give you a massage too bc he’s such a sweetheart

will 100% tell you to go rough with him bc it’s still you learning as a rookie, but if you don’t want to he understands

he just wants you to succeed :)

-

price

this papa bear is the one who offered to train with you

he saw you and gaz mucking about and decided to mentor you, much like alejandro he’s your teacher

gives you genuinely good advice and tips on how to break out of someone’s grasp and take them down

wont go soft on you, but he won’t go too hard either

he knows your limits and adapts around them, therefore he’s a really good teacher

will always assure you that backing down is okay, there’s nothing to kick yourself over

there’s no chance he’d ever actually hurt you, he’s confident in his abilities and knows his strength and limits

however, he can get too rough if you’re seemingly fine, he’s just trying to test you.

if you’re being quiet about him being a little too rough he’ll sense somethings up and encourages you to talk, sparring is meant to be affective and good for both people involved, it’s training after all

will apologise if he accidentally hurt you without realising, even if it’s just a minor bruise

always aspires to get you to the best of the best, wants to watch you rise in ranks because he knows you have what it takes to be an amazing soldier

he’s so good at sparring and enjoys it so much that sometimes it doesn’t even feel like training and wants you to feel the same way, he’ll help as best he can

#cod mwii #cod x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #simon ghost riley x reader #simon riley x reader #john soap mactavish x reader #johnny mactavish x reader #johnny mactavish #gaz x reader #kyle gaz garrick #kyle garrick x reader #kyle garrick #john price #captain john price #john price x reader #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas x reader #rudy parra #rudy parra x reader #rodolfo parra x reader #könig x reader #könig modern warfare #// 🍨 call of duty #// 🍨 vcnillazelda

[fairestwriting]

*KICKS YOUR DOOR DOWN*

IT'S 8 AM AND I HAVENT SLEPT. I FOUND THE WORD DOCUMENT SO HERE HAVE THE FIRST ONE IT'S THE SIMPLEST ONE I'VE GOT I'M GOING TO BED

Maybe Vil finding out MC is basically his equal in their world? A famous actor/actress, model, makeup artist, etc? Maybe they're super casual in this world so it's not obvious until it gets bright up what they did in their world?

MAYBE i am really simple maybe i will see a vil request and black out and go crazy.......anon please go to bed at regular times (<- guy who does not do this either)

Vil Schoenheit

He's not completely clueless, he does put in the effort to keep up with trends after all-- But it's exactly because of this that he ends up not really recognizing you.

The entertainment industry has no shortage of people, and in the end, Vil is still only human, no matter how much of an eye for detail he has. It's hard to remember other artists' names.

He does get a feeling that he might have seen you before, but he can't really figure out where. It sort of gets on his nerves for a bit. If you pay attention you can catch on to this hint of odd curiosity every time you talk to each other.

There's no way he misses your charisma, either. Still assuming you're not in the position you actually are, Vil is genuinely surprised at how good you are at dealing with people. Even when you seem tired or out of it, you still keep a smile on your face and a pleasant tone to your voice.

Of course, though, he'll still be stern sometimes, even as you grow closer. Maybe he ends up even being a little bit harsher than usual because he sees all that potential in you. At the same time, though, he's a lot more gentle outside of things like school projects. If you show that you know a thing or two about fashion or performing, he's absolutely willing to discuss.

Then, he eventually finds out. Maybe he stumbles upon one of your posts in social media. Maybe you straight up run into each other when he's doing a photoshoot. Later he'll think he should have seen this coming, but in the moment, you're getting the privilege of being one of the few people who really shocked this man.

He'll keep it together if you're both in public, but the second you're not, he's kind of a mess? He doesn't want it to show, but obviously now there's this whole new concern about your relationship hurting his or your career, and wondering if anyone's seen you two together already, and just how the hell did you fly under the radar for so long, he's not mad, he just really needs to know--

Of course, you talk, calm down, and it works out. And deep down, he's happy about being with someone who can really understand the specific struggles he goes through, besides being able to trade work tips and share stories. It feels comfortable.

Honestly though? He's not getting over how you just did that. He's too proud to say it, but he's forever baffled at how insanely good you are at blending. Sometimes you catch him staring. Mostly it's just out of fondness. Other times he's trying to figure out how to pull off your totally-not-a-celebrity aura so he can go to the mall in peace.

if you wanna support my work, you can buy me a ko-fi or commission me!

#twst #twisted wonderland #twst imagines #twst headcanons #twst x reader #vil schoenheit #vil schoenheit x reader #lis writing #vil you will always be famous to me...

[lady06reaper]

Drug Dealer! Kenny x Stoner! reader

This was requested by @mccormickgf ! I hope you enjoy it!

TW! MENTIONS OF WEED AND GETTING HIGH, IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THAT SORTA THING PLEASE EVACUATE NOW!

Kenny never thought he’d be in a situation like this, both romantic and work wise. I mean, yea, he does drugs, but he never thought he’d be slinging them for extra cash to be able to take care of Karen. But he really never thought he’d fall in love with one of his regulars either. You knew he wasn’t doing this for fun, he was doing this because he had to have the extra money, and of course you admire him too much to buy from anyone else. Weed was the only drug Kenny would sell, just straight bud and carts, and that was the only drug you would do. Truly a match made in heaven.

You had been buying from Kenny since high school really, you were the only girl who understood and was willing to buy from him instead of using your body as payment. You thought Kenny was attractive, but you would never stoop as low as that, and you had a good paying job so it wasn’t a problem. You and him had planned on meeting at his house when he got off work at the mechanics shop and picked Karen up from the babysitters, (it was really Kyle who said it’d be a good idea to have Ike and Karen play together). You got off work a little bit early so you swung by your house real quick to put comfy clothes on to be able to use the product as soon as you buy it. 

You got to Kenny's house just a few minutes after he did, you opened the door and braced for impact expecting a little ball of sunshine to come hurling towards you. But it never happened, you looked around and Karen was nowhere to be found, but Kenny was. He was sitting on the couch sorting out product and counting money. It was like an actual drug den but without the hardcore narcotics. There were beanbags and child friendly tapestries, so it could be Karen's indoor playground but also a safe area to get high. 

“Hey there hot stuff! What we looking for today? THC? Delta 9?” Kenny asked, looking up from what he was doing.

FIRST PERSON POV

“Got any indica carts by chance?” I questioned looking down at the table where all the Devils Lettuce products were sprawled out. Kenny nodded and handed me the cart, I pulled out my pen and twisted in the new indica cart. “Thanks Ken.” I turned on the pen and took a small hit to see how it’d affect me.

“It's on the house don’t worry about it,” Kenny shook his hand to emphasize the no money. I didn’t listen so without a word I threw down 60 bucks on the coffee table, it’s actually 40 but he deserves a good tip. He took one look at it and slide it back over to me.

“I said it’s on the house.”

“And I said it’s 40 plus tip,” I slid the money back to him, he slammed his hand on the money to prevent it from going back to him.

“I can’t take your money right now, it’s not that I don’t need it I do, it just feels wrong charging you seeing as how you’re a dear friend of mine.” Kenny looked me in the eyes when he said that. Dear friend of his? What kinda crack is he on? Kenny never spoke like that, and if he did he was high on something. He didn’t look like he was on something, but he’s also an experienced stoner so it takes a lot to even get him close to a high.

“Well then if you need it then take it, if not for you use it for Karen, I’m sure she’d enjoy some new toys or clothes,” I took my hand off the money and leaned back in the La-z-boy I claimed as my spot for when I come over. 

“You’re not wrong, I’m sure she would, but I just can’t take it.”

“Kenneth McCormick, if you don’t take this money I’ll just give it to Karen and take her on a candy shopping trip so she’ll be bouncing off the walls as punishment for not taking my money right here right now.”

“Jokes on you, I can just drop her off at Kyles and she’ll be his problem when she's on a sugar buzz,”

“Goddammit Kenny, why don’t you just take my money?”

“Because I love you!” Kenny raised his voice a little, he looked down in between his legs away from me as if he was ashamed. I was taken aback, we’ve known each other since elementary school so it wasn’t a huge shock, but it was to my mind. He wasn’t moving, he was waiting for my response to his confession. I got up, moved his arm away from his face, and sat down gently on his lap. He leaned back on the couch to make more room for us, I took his face in my hands to make him look at me.

“I love you too Kenny, and I truly mean it,” his eyes lit up, they moved down to my lips as if he was asking for permission. Before he could with his voice, I moved in and connected our lips. His lips were kinda cracked, but the chapstick I had on helped to lessen the friction between rough and smooth. We pulled away and smiled at each other, he leaned over on the coffee table to grab his pen and the remote to the TV. Kenny turned on a movie, took a hit of his pen, and leaned his head on my head that was resting on his shoulder. I took a hit of my pen and snuggled more into his shoulder, we both exhaled the smoke we were holding in and watched the movie for the rest of the night as stoner lovers.

#south park x reader #kenny mccormick x reader #kenny mccormick #fanfiction #oneshot

[pokenerd98]

Please give me any and all headcanons you can make for a gender neutral reader and my babygirl Guzma. Just general romance headcanons but of you throw in some mutual „unrequited pining that’s actually requited“ I would be delighted

Thank you for being my VERY first ask! I will certainly try to live up to your expectations! This turned out to be waaaay longer than I anticipated, so I've just focused on Guzma and another HC for the time being! I hope this is okay! Thanks so much again!

Romantic HCs: Guzma and Larry - SFW.

💀 Guzma 💀

As intimidating as this man presents himself to his grunts, and the rest of Alola for that matter, deep inside this capable trainers hard exterior, is a soft gooey centre that only surfaces when he is around you. In private, though. He won't admit it, but sometimes it does slip out when you're out in public together. The occasional soft kiss on the back of your hand without realising, or cinching your waist closer to him when around others. He'll quickly realise what he's done though, and relax his grip.

Patience is key with Guzma. Unfamiliar with reciprocated romantic love, you'll often catch him holding his breath and tensing ever so slightly when you take his hand into yours, and press your lips gently across his grazed knuckles. Your lips will linger, savouring his touch, whilst he simply doesn't know what to do with himself, other than shift awkwardly from side to side and gaze over at you with a twinkle in his eye. After a few moments of silence, he'll finally exhale. Emotion will swell deep inside him as he finally snakes his hand into yours.

He will do just about anything to have you close by at all times. He may not find himself wanting to completely abandon his Big Bad Boss image, but that won't stop him from internally yearning for your closeness. And you feel privileged to be able to see the gentler side of him, whether that be him tracing his finger tips over your waist, planting little pecks on your forehead or simply asking if you're okay after a long day. You can see he is trying, and that makes you swell with pride.

If you should find yourself sleeping beside him, like dozens of times before, you know he is a bit of a duvet hog. Perhaps this might be his pathetic little way of getting you to cuddle him close. You often find yourself being the big spoon in this situation, although it doesn't both you. You can feel his muscles relax beneath you, and him breathing a soft sigh of contentment. Sometimes you catch him sleepily nuzzling his face into your side of the blanket, if you got up in the night for whatever reason. It was simple things like this, that made loving him so effortless.

But despite what a complicated mess Guzma is, he genuinely wants to be with you as much as humanly possible. Whether that be accompanying you to Battle challenges, or simply grabbing a bite to eat, he doesn't care. As long as he gets to spend that time with you. He's even made a passing comment about you shacking up with him permanently in Po Town. Despite its reputation, you know you'd be just as happy there with him.

💼 Larry 💼

Larry never invisioned himself wanting to settle down with a s/o in his early 40s, but you came around and changed that almost straight away. He's finding the transition from a life long bachelor to a spoken for man, quite difficult; his routine quite literally flipped upside down. But as hard as this is for him, he is willing to make that change, because he's never felt this way about a person before. About you. And although emotionally speaking, he comes across as cold and distant, this is just one of the ways his love speaks to you. You know he wouldn't accommodate for just anyone, and this makes you feel special.

You find yourself sliding into Larry's monotonous daily routine without much fuss, knowing that compromise was tough for him. It worked out quite well that you started a little later than him, as it gave you time to show your appreciation for him by easing his morning chores. He often found you cooking eggs and bacon on the stove in one of his old shirts, when he eventually trudged down from the shower. Something that etched a small smile on this lips. They say that the way to a man's heart is through their stomach, and this certainly proved true with Larry. Setting his breakfast down in front of him, you could just see his face light up with excitement. He wasted no time devouring every last bite of deliciousness that you graciously prepared for him. Once finished, he would carefully pat his lips with a crumpled napkin, before taking your hand into his, and offering up a lingering kiss as thanks.

Time was of the essence in Larry's world. You hardly saw him most days because of his day job, and commitments to both the Medali Gym and The Elite Four. So the short time spent in the mornings together, and those long awaited evenings were precious. Sometimes he wouldn't wander through the door until late because Geeta had him working overtime. Something he was used to, and quite frankly didn't mind, but knew this might sadden you. He'd often make up for this by immediately abandoning his briefcase and suit jacket by the front door, loosening his tie, and slumping himself next to you on the sofa, his arms snaking around you for comfort. You could feel the tension in his touch as he tried his best to be gentle, the day clearly having took it out of him. You'd return his affection with gentle kisses along his jaw, before pulling a blanket over you both and nestling into his chest. He rarely spoke of his work day, but that's just how he liked it. When he was spending time with you, work was the last thing he wanted to bore you with.

#pokemon x reader #gym leader larry #larry x reader #guzma x reader #team skull guzma #big bad boss guzma #pokemon headcanons #pokemon larry #guzma pokemon

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA if I asked for a lock on my door?

The family recently-ish moved to a new house, and my bedroom doesn't have a locking doorknob. My old bedroom did, and while I wasn't allowed to lock it, it was nice to have the option. However, as an adult who, despite my best efforts that I really don't want to go into for fear of rambling, hasn't been able to get money or go places for months and likely the foreseeable future as well, getting a new knob to replace the one on my door is something I would need to ask my parents about.

Considering the fact that I'm an adult old enough to legally drink, I'm worried this will come across as me wanting Mommy and Daddy to do evewyting fow me because I'm sooo hewpwess 🥺, when the reality is that I'm wholly, unwillingly dependent on my parents for everything when I should have been able to at least drive myself to work or to visit friends for nearly a decade now. Can't learn to do a thing if your short-tempered parent stakes a claim on being the one to teach you, never teaches you, and gets angry when you suggest learning elsewhere!

…sorry bout that. All that to say, I can tell I'm chafing under my situation, but I can't tell whether or not I'm justified in doing so. I also can't tell whether or not I'm blowing this whole doorknob thing out of proportion. Logically, it's just a doorknob. In an otherwise-neutral situation, either it's a little thing of no consequence, or it's part of a fundamental human right…it's just that that right may or may not apply to me since my name's not on the mortgage. Not my house, not my rules, after all.

(And, yes, before anyone brings it up, I am working on remedying…literally everything I brought up outside the actual doorknob dilemma, I promise. It's just extremely slow going atm, and I've gone lockless for 2 years now. The lock thing would just be a quick little thing to fix at least a little bit right away while I'm chugging away at the rest. I'd rather focus on the lock here, unless anybody has some tips or tricks for becoming a sneaky teen in your 20s that they'd be willing to share.)

So, uh…WIBTA for asking for a lock on my door?

What are these acronyms?

#aita #am i the asshole

[am-i-interrupting]

hello first time asking! Could I get a Polycule with Sonia and Rauru with the reader. Maybe they are also a sage or maybe their a personal knight like Link!

Bonus points if Rauru and Reader fight for Sonia attention.

Commune

Tags: 1.3k words, jealousy, new relationship, nudity, communication, pet names

She was a beauty and for a long while you'd been under the impression that she would only be yours. For a while she was but right now? Now, here, in the present, you shared her.

It was simple. It was easy. You couldn’t say no to her, not when she looked at you the way she did.

The night it had come up in conversation had been nearly four months ago now. You were in bed together. Her finger tips trailed up and down your bicep. Her hair bunched up around her face as she rested her head on your shoulder.

“Darling,” she said into the night air, “I have to confess something to you.”

You squeezed her torso gently with the hold you already had around her. “Is everything alright, Sonia?” you asked.

You could feel the exhale of her breath against your skin. “Yes, everything’s perfectly fine. I’m just. . . worried about how you might react.”

It was your turn to drag your hands up and down her skin, along her spine. “Whatever it is, nothing could make me love you any less.”

“And nothing could make me love you less than I do,” she said. She pressed a kiss against your collarbone. “Do you recall my expression of attraction to Rauru?”

How could you forget? It’d come up in a teasing tone as you watched her eyes trail after him. A small question of if he was truly so captivating that he was able to pull her attention away from her work. She’d answered honestly and truthfully with a yes. You watched her a moment more and wondered briefly if that was how she looked at you when you didn’t see. Then you’d shaken your head and began to watch your surroundings once more.

“Yes, I do.”

“Those feelings have evolved as we’ve spent more time together into something more akin to how I feel for you,” she said, her careful, slow, and deliberate dragging of her fingertips never faltering. “It’s something I’d like to pursue but I wouldn’t want to betray your trust. At the very least, I felt it was something you should know.”

Your heart had stuttered and she no doubt felt it. She likely felt the pause in your fingers along the notches in her spine. She didn’t comment, however.

You placed a kiss to her hair. “How about we continue this conversation in the morning?”

“Of course, it’s late,” she said.

Now she was bent over maps with a pen in her hand which she twisted as she thought and Rauru’s hand on the small of her back as he peered over her. The contact was unnecessary but you could understand the want and desire for it despite the prickle of jealousy that sparked in your heart. You willed it down.

You were happy so long as she was. Truly, it was no lie to her, yourself, or anyone else. You’d noticed her brighten, seem a tad more radiant. It was nice. She deserved it. This was just something to get used to. Like all good things, it’d simply take time and that was one of Sonia’s specialties.

Some hours later, the day came to a close and you found yourself in Sonia’s bedroom. She was laying on the mattress as you straddled her thighs. She sighed and occasionally moaned as you worked the knots out of her back.

“Mmm. Higher, higher. A little to the left. No, that’s too far. A li— Ah, perfect,” she said.

Her hands clenched and unclenched around the bedsheets. Her body then went completely lax. She sniffed a bit and then nuzzled her head into the pillow.

There was a knock at the door.

“Who is it?” you asked before she got the chance.

“Rauru.”

You looked at her. Her body was bare. Her hair was pulled over her shoulder in a braid. Her top was completely gone. She had no underwear on.

She looked over her shoulder at you, who was in a similar state though you still wore your undergarments. You did have lotion on your hands but you were massaging that over her skin.

“It’s up to you, darling,” she said. “I don’t mind.”

You exhaled and steadied your breath. “Come in,” you told him.

The door didn’t creak as it opened but the dim light from the hallway did shine through. You moved off of her as she rolled onto her back. You both looked at Rauru around the same time as he processed what he walked in on, or what he assumed he had. His eyes went wide and his ears flickered back. His hand which still rested on the door handle tightened around it.

“Hello, Rauru,” she said, unaffected by what so clearly caught him off guard.

“Sonia. My apologies, I did not mean to interrupt something. I can leave,” he said.

“It’s okay,” you told him, extending a branch to him as he clearly drowned. “We weren’t doing anything important.”

Sonia gave you a look before she focused her attention back on Rauru. “Nothing that couldn’t bear interruption at least,” she corrected. “What brings you so late?”

He blinked several times and his grip on the doorknob relaxed. “You left your notebook in the council room,” he explained. “I tried returning it earlier but you weren’t here.”

Sonia got up to grab the book. “Ah, yes, well, can’t relax all the time.” She placed it on her desk. “It’s such a long way back to your room, Rauru. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable and stay for the night? We were just winding down for the night and I would love for you to join us. Although, darling, what do you think?”

You looked at her and then back at Rauru. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Her expectant eyes fell on him and he let go of the doorknob. “Nor would I.”

Sonia smiled. “Well, if you’ll both excuse me for a moment, I’d like to get ready for bed.”

She patted your hand and then his shoulder as she left for her bathroom. That left you alone with Rauru.

“I’m sorry,” he said after a moment, “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“It’s fine,” you assured him. “We really weren’t doing anything important.”

“I’m sorry anyhow.” He walked a step closer. “I can’t help but feel like I’m encroaching on grounds that I should leave untread.”

You shook your head. “I’ll admit—“ you swallowed down a lump in your throat— “sometimes it feels that way but just a look at her and I realize that you’re not. I want you around. You make her happier. That is all I want. We just need to get used to it.”

“I suppose so,” he said, “but do tell me if you wish to be alone with her. I don’t have to step in on everything.”

Your fingers twitched, tightened, another moment of unwanted emotion. “As long as you do the same.”

Sonia walked back into the room. She grabbed Rauru’s hands to pull him down so she could place a kiss to his nose. She coaxed you close and placed a kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“Let’s sleep, shall we? It’s been a very tiring day,” she said and she took both your hand and Rauru’s to pull you to the bed.

You found yourself in her arms. Her hand rested on your heart and her leg was situated between yours. Her breath ghosted your neck. She was squished between you and Rauru. You could feel his hand against the small of your back but you didn’t mind. It was almost comforting. You were sure soon it would be.

#rauru x reader #Rauru x you #sonia x reader #sonia x you #Queen Sonia x reader #Queen sonia x you #king rauru x reader #king rauru x you #rauru x sonia x reader

[rottenstrawberrymilk]

rhys strongfork x reader

9.1k words

        “God, you’re the best,” Rhys says with a sigh.         “Hey, you say the word and I’m here bossman. Anything you want or need, I’m on it. It’s the least I can do.”         Zer0 eyes you from across the office. Or at least, you think he is. You’re still adjusting to the faceless mysterious thing that hangs around Rhys all the time. He probably still suspects you. Were you being suspicious? You suppose you’d gone out of your way to be especially good for Rhys and earn his favor. After all, if you had betrayed Maliwan to defect over to Atlas, what was to stop you from betraying Atlas as well?         You didn’t exactly start here with a shiny clean record. But Rhys had been so kind and merciful, taking you in, giving you a decent position like this. You just want to express your gratitude anyway you can. Chances are his decision to let you into Atlas had saved your life. Thus, you figure you owe him every breath in your body. And a bagel. Anytime he wanted it. You don't think you'll ever repay your debt to him, and you don't think you want to either.

        You think you could be happy here, at Atlas. And that's not something you imagined thinking about any one of the soul sucking greedy corporations that had their eyes on the planets in this system. 

        As you turn to walk out the room, attending to some other business you'd been assigned, Rhys's eyes follow you. Zer0's head tilts ever so slightly towards Rhys. He heaves a bit of a sigh, regarding the bagel on his desk. And you remembered the cream cheese he likes. He wonders if he's about to make a mistake. I mean, how could someone as nice as you possibly stab him in the back? He looks back up at Zer0, and the assassin just gives a curt nod.

        Just do it. Gotta find out one way or another.

        Rhys nods as well, before sinking down low into his chair and burying his face in his hands. If this is the right, smart thing to do, why does he feel so goddamn guilty about it? He finds himself wishing he was more like the other CEOs. Ruthless, calculating, business first, success first, able to actually watch their ass. Willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto that seat of power. But then he finds himself wondering how those men live like that, on the edge, suspicious of everyone, so sure death was seeking them out at every turn. It had to be miserable, right? 

        Meanwhile, you were making your way down a hall. Rhys said he'd wanted you to go check on the new maintenance guys and see how they were adjusting, and then report back to him personally. You don't mind having to run around headquarters all day, it's good exercise and you feel productive. It doesn't feel like he's just giving you busy work either, he's just having you act socially in his stead. The guy can't be in seven places at once, although you bet he wishes he was. He's never been a micromanaging type, but he is a bit of a chatterbox. 

        Suddenly, a firm hand grabs your shoulder, shoving you up against a wall. Momentarily, you're winded, gasping out, as the razor sharp tip of a sword presses lightly to the center of your throat. Zer0 suddenly appears out of thing air. Confusion is obvious on your face, but it's not enough to fool him so easily. Anyone, traitor or not, would have been shocked getting caught off guard like that. 

        "Talk," Zer0 commands. If it's not elaborate haikus, it's equally cryptic one word sentences. 

        You shift a little under his grip and his fingers tighten, to the point where you know he'll leave bruises. You wonder what the fuck is going on. Best communicate that. 

        "I don't...what the hell are you doing?" you ask, sounding less outraged and more afraid. Good, Zer0 can use that. It should make this all easier. 

        "You are still very new./ Where do your loyalties lie?/ Tell me the real truth." 

        Your brows furrow. "My...my loyalties?" you repeat back, a bit dumbfounded.

         Are you being interrogated right now? Was Zer0 that suspicious of you this entire time? You couldn't get a read on the guy no matter what, even back when you'd first joined Atlas (at Rhys's own suggestion). You know it's his job to protect the CEO, and you figured he'd do it whether he was contracted or not, but what threat could you possibly pose to Rhys? You feel a bit stupid for not immediately jumping to your history--even if it had been months ago and the majority of the conflict and siege had settled, that didn't change how long you had worked for Maliwan before coming to Promothea. It didn't matter if it had been against your will to be sent here to fight, to die, for Maliwan's cause. All that mattered was that you had been initially taking orders from Katagawa Jr. 

        You take in a shaky breath, heart still racing in your chest. The sword point remains steady. It pricks at your skin, already warning you for taking such a long, rather suspicious silence. The visor hiding his face is blank. No stupid little emoticons, no text, just black. You can see your own terrified reflection in it. You don't know what to do other than to tell the truth, just like Zer0 had demanded. But what if he still didn't believe you? Doesn't matter. You come to realize you don't have a choice. You force your voice to be steady. 

        “I’m loyal to Rhys,” you say, jaw set. “I owe that man my life.”         Rhys, not Atlas, Zer0 notes. He’s not sure how to feel about that yet. Slowly, he leans a little ways back. He steps away, giving you some personal space back. And the sword withdraws from your throat. Silently, Zer0 sheathes the sword over his shoulder, and the blade fades away into nothing. You know it will only be a few moments before he does the same. He lifts a gloved hand, holding up a stern finger.          “Please do not forget/ I am always watching you/ do not fuck this up.”         You know you could have not replied at all. You could have just looked away and let this nightmare of an interaction be over. But heart pounding in your chest, you can't help but give a response. “I won’t. Second chances don’t come around often.”

        Zer0 regards you for a moment longer. Then, he vanishes. Creepy...you'll never get used to that. You take a moment to stand there, unsure if he's gone or if he's going to continue tailing you for longer, just to double check. All he'd be affirming is that you were telling the truth if he did that. You think about going straight back to Rhys's office and telling him what had just happened. But you remember he'd given you an assignment to do. As shitty as all this was...the least you can do is get that done before returning. Rhys should know Zer0 is suspicious of you. But he'd also asked about the new maintenance staff's adjustment, and that's important too when it comes to rebuilding and cleaning up some of the HQ.

        A sigh leaves you before you resume the direction you'd initially been headed in. Lucky for you, the new maintenance guys seem pretty capable. It's not that you didn't trust Rhys's judgement in hiring (after all, he'd brought you on as some extra help), it's just...things had been hectic and desperate, and his priority had been to replace the former staff which had mysteriously vanished. Rhys said he knew nothing about it, and then mentioned there were no bodies, before promptly cutting off his ECHO device and never speaking of it again. None of your business, and frankly you're not nearly nosy enough to care. 

        You tried not to seem like your mind was elsewhere, still shaken from the encounter with Zer0. Instead, you politely smile and nod along to whatever the new guys are saying.         

        "Uh huh...well, good to see you guys are so eager to get started. The CEO decided to have some of the Crimson Lance join you guys as bodyguards. They'll make sure you're safe while you sweep headquarters, uh, no pun intended. Not all of Maliwan has been booted out yet." 

        They nod, murmuring their thanks. 

        "Great, the boys should be up here any minute. Feel free to mingle. Rhys wants the overall sweep done by about six. You can come back here and report the damages and body count to me and I'll pass it up to the big guy upstairs." 

        Rhys had always instructed you not to be too formal. He said it "ruined the vibe" he was going for. It was odd, you've never worked for a company that was purposefully attempt to maintain such a lax attitude. Especially right after an attempted invasion, takeover, and then additional total destruction attempt by Katagawa Jr. But if he said he wanted it done a certain way, you were going to make sure you adhered to his preference. The little voice in your head once again reminds you with a guilty twinge that it was the least you could do. It still felt weird to drop all the "sir"'s and formalities after years of having to do it at Maliwan. 

        You wonder if a company with that kind of hierarchy could last long against the other ruthless giants. With Hyperion gone, Dahl still getting back up on their feet from when Hyperion had initially come to power, there's once again a central power void waiting to be filled. Could Atlas actually do it? If Rhys could genuinely return Atlas to it's former glory, that would be incredible. You don't know if it's possible for mega corporations that primarily compete in the gun market to ever reach peaceful agreements, but you certainly believe Rhys might be able to pave the way to that new frontier. 

        Then again...he has his own shortcomings. 

        You hadn't known him long, at least, not before he became a CEO. But you're aware of his weaknesses. One of them, maybe being that his pet assassin slash bodyguard seemed to be allowed to free roam and terrorize whoever he wanted on a whim of suspicion...okay that one might have been a little personal. But, you've got the report and gave your little speech to the new maintenance team, so now you have time to go and talk to Rhys. You can communicate those feelings and hurt instead of letting it rot you inside, like you would have done at Maliwan. You still can't help but feel bitter, almost automatically in a bad mood whenever you're reminded of working for them...

        Goddamn Zer0.

        Of course it's not fair for you to be allowed to forget. Not with all the destruction and innocent lives Maliwan had cost Promethea. And you'd been on the payroll. You try not to fall too far into your own head as you turn away and head back to the elevator that ascended to Rhys's office. It's an uncomfortable wait, and an even worse silence. Usually, you stop to gaze a little at the massive aquariums lining the way to the CEO's office. But this is urgent. 

        Rhys looks up from his desk at you and smiles, although you feel like there's something...wrong. 

        You practice some restraint, and decide to give him that report on maintenance first. 

        "So yeah..."

        Rhys pushes his chin into his hand. "I hope they don't find too much damage. I gotta be even more on top of it with the finances around here, what with how I'm gonna have to rebuild the city too. Or bodies," he gives a nervous laugh, "hope they find even less of those. Identifying, funerals, cremations, burials, finding the families, it gets pricey y'know?" 

        Right...that was the other thing about him. While he's not nearly as bad as the other CEO's you've heard about in your lifetime (you heard Handsome Jack was a total monster), Rhys can be a little callous at times. CEOs generally seem to have a disconnect between themselves and everyone else lower in the company. A special kind of corporate breed of lacking empathy that can be a bit disturbing. His isn't especially awful but...you worry. You hope he can keep himself on the right path. 

        At your lack of response, he shifts a little in his chair. "You...uh...are you alright, (Y/N)?" he suddenly asks. 

        Your eyes won't meet his. "Can we talk? Privately."

        Rhys wonders if it's the smartest idea to grant that request. He knows Zer0 is in the office right now, being weird and invisible as usual. They're a great bodyguard, but Rhys sometimes feels a little nutty talking to thin air whenever Zer0 doesn't feel like uncloaking. The presence is usually comforting but...

        You won't even look at him now? Uh oh...

        Fix this, Rhys, fix this, come on... he tells himself.

        "Yeah, totally, of course." He turns in his chair, to a corner he hopes Zer0 is in.

        Sometimes they like to hang out near the bookshelves or the couch. He clears his throat. Zer0 promptly reappears on the opposite side of the room, prompting Rhys to embarrassedly swivel his chair the other way. Had the bodyguard been trying to make him look stupid in front of you on purpose? Anxiously, he goes to check your face for a reaction, to see you judging him, or amused, or...or still staring at a wall, away from him. His heart sinks a little. 

        "Just for a minute or two, Zer0," Rhys calls after him, having a feeling he won't be too far away.

        "Later, bro," Zer0 replies, walking out the office, still keeping himself visible. 

         If the assassin wanted to he could easily cloak and sneak back in. Which Rhys sincerely hopes they don't. Even though Zer0 had reported back that you'd only reaffirmed your loyalties to him, Rhys knew they still didn't trust you completely. Which is...fair. Anyone can say anything if they're under enough pressure. And he's seen Zer0 work enough to know how terrifying the guy can be. As well as unpredictable. As much as Rhys trusts them, it always seems like they're thinking eight steps ahead...freaky. 

        Rhys returns his attention on you.

        You give a soft exhale, like you're preparing to say something you don't want to. "Look, while I was going to get that update on maintenance, uhm..." Zer0 had attacked you, basically, was the truth. But you decide to play things safe. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. God knows, Zer0 does his job incredibly well, and this is probably just part of it--you don't want Rhys suddenly not trusting his own bodyguard.         

        "I...ran into Zer0. Well, they ran into me, more like it, but, whatever. And he-"

        Rhys interrupts you. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I asked Zer0 to do that. I just had to be sure-“         Your eyes finally meet his. The crestfallen look descending on your face is heart wrenching. Like he'd just kicked a puppy in front of you or something. Rhys wonders if it wasn’t the right choice after all to ask Zer0 to check your loyalties, to make absolutely sure you could be trusted. But lord knows he wasn’t brave enough to do it, not scary enough to get the truth out of you like the assassin could. He also couldn’t bare the thought of pointing a weapon at you, whether you were a traitor or not. Ironic, considering he's in control of one of many powerful gun manufacturers.          He just…he knows he has to be careful from now and into the future. The bigger Atlas gets, the more enemies he makes. The Maliwan invasion had been a very quick, brutal lesson in that.          You try to hide the disappointment on your face. Your voice comes shaky. 

        He knew. 

        You suddenly feel very stupid for coming in here in the first place. You shouldn't have said anything at all. You should have just kept it to yourself and moved on with your life, with your job, with your career at Atlas. It would have ensured this awkward, sad, stupid conversation never had to take place.          “Oh that’s…that’s okay I guess. I just thought…I mean you always told me the past is the past and it’s all behind me. That you didn’t care and that it was all behind me.” The hurt in your voice makes this so much harder for him.         “I know, I know what I said,” Rhys said, looking stressed. He runs a hand through his hair. There's some gray streaks already beginning to form. Embarrassing considering he's only in his thirties. “But…I needed to be sure.”

        Even though he knows this was all for his own safety, and this whole test was initially Zer0’s idea to begin with, Rhys feels bad. Like, really bad. He still gave his bodyguard the go ahead. He scratches at his mustache momentarily, trying to think of how he could…         “I understand, Rhys” you say a bit softly. He notices that there's tears beginning to form in your eyes. He starts to talk again, but you cut him off. “No, I really get it. I mean…only a few months ago I was basically under Katagawa Jr.'s thumb. You don’t have any reason to really trust me. Not yet, anyways.”         Bitter but true. And an insecurity that’d always clouded your mind at night before you fell asleep. Sometimes you still had nightmares of bullets flying past your head and people screaming and dying around you. But you’d always wake up, knowing things were different now. That instead of racing to the training field, you just had to race downtown to grab some coffee or froyo or a bagel or whatever the hell Rhys wanted that day before work. That Rhys was different, that Atlas was different from Maliwan. He’d promised you that you’d never have to hold a gun again— once again, ironic as Atlas is still another soulless weapons manufacturer. But Rhys had promised and that’d been good enough for you.

        Rhys looked even more uncomfortable now. He wears his emotions on his face. Something your former, much more homicidal boss never did. You don't consider that one of his weaknesses at all.          “But I do trust you,” he insists, “I mean— I sent Zer0, but it’s -it’s, God, it’s complicated. I trust you so much I had to just see if that trust was for real, does that make sense?”         It really doesn’t. If he trusted you there’d be no reason to suspect you in the first place, in your opinion. It hurts. He sees that little heartbroken look on your face still isn’t gone, even after his super smooth save. The tears are still gathering in your eyes and you still won't look at him. If he can't fix this, it's gonna drive him up the wall for the rest of the day.          “Y’know what? Dinner.” He claps his hands together, grabbing your attention with another awkward laugh and you swear you see a flush creeping up his neck. “Yeah, let’s do dinner. On me. Food fixes everything, right? Best way to say 'sorry' ever.”

        Could food fix a complete lapse in trust caused by his paranoia? He looks so earnestly at you, fingers still clasped together, almost like he’s begging you to say yes. Begging you to move past this with him and forgive this slight. Why not say yes? It couldn’t hurt. And it seems like it’s gonna make him feel way better than you would.         Under any other circumstance you’d shoot this down. It's unprofessional to go out with your boss. It's wrong. It's not right to let him pay for your food. It's not rational to...to...         The look on his face…he really does seem apologetic. You remind yourself that a boss like him is a rare thing during these times. You remind yourself that if there’s no Atlas, you’d be forced back to Maliwan or forced to try and make it on your own. Neither of those are options. You must have been thinking for a long time, because Rhys clears his throat and stands up from his desk. He approaches you, like he wants you to believe he trusts you not to snap and murder him. Because, hey, you used to be Maliwan, and that's all that you'd ever be to him-

        “It’ll be super cas, no pressure at all,” he says, with another nervous breath of air, interrupting your rather horrible train of thought. “Uh, like a ‘yayy you’re not here to kill me’ thing.”         “Alright. That sounds nice.” You smile at him but he feels like it’s not one of your real ones. It doesn't match the look in your glassy eyes. Was he shoving this onto you too fast?

        “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I just wanna make it up to you-“         “Rhys,” you say, and he stops. “It’s okay. We’re cool.”         You hold out a hand for him to take, in spite of your racing thoughts. He does, giving you a firm squeeze. His hands are always so warm. He lets go after a brief moment. He takes a moment to fix his tie, which only skews it worse. You have to sometimes wonder how a guy like him holds a position like this one, much less built the formerly dead company up all on his own.         “I’ll pick you up at six, okay?” He says, and you nod.

        “But the maintenance team," you start and Rhys puts his head in his hand.

        "Right...right. Uh...seveenn?" he tries again.

        To his relief, you give another validating nod that didn't make him feel as stupid and dumb as he felt initially. "Can I ask where we’re going?”         “Nuh uh. Ruins my surprise. You gotta tr-“ He pauses. “Uh you’ll like it, okay?”         You give a light, exasperated shake of your head. Rhys breathes a sigh of relief at the bit of playfulness and the tiniest smile on your face. Seven gives you enough time to get that report to Rhys and go home for a few minutes. But until then, you have a slew of other shit to busy yourself with that Zer0's approach had totally distracted you from. The least you could do was throw yourself into your work for the rest of the day. There are some times where you spend most of your day at Rhys's side, waiting for a command or for him to need something. There are other days where you're out and about, in the halls of headquarters, or the streets of the city. Regrettably, you're relieved that it's the ladder today. 

        “Don’t worry, I do trust you,” you call out half heartedly as you leave.         Rhys wants to take one of the monitors off a nearby desk and smash it against his head. That couldn’t have gone any worse. ‘You gotta trust me’ seriously? After what he just did to you?         A bit of a groan escapes him and he goes back to his desk to sit down. Hopefully he can wrestle a reservation out of the place he had in mind. He figures you’re just telling him what he wants to hear— you’re a good employee like that. But before this all, you probably would have told him the truth. That dinner won’t fix him betraying you like this. That it’s not gonna magically put down the metaphorical middle finger he’d just put up to the months of time his relationship with you was built around. To the hours you spent basically at his beck and call. Doing whatever he told you to without a question or second thought. You'd always given off the impression you thought he was brilliant. And that made Rhys feel good. He's worried you won't ever look at him again like that. 

        He drums his fingers on the desk, resting his chin and mouth in his hand again as he shuts his eyes. 

        On the bright side…he’d finally had the balls to ask you out. Part of the reason he’d wanted Zer0 to interrogate you was because he’d really wanted to try going out with you. Obviously, he hadn't exactly jumped to let Zer0 know that. He still had a personal life! He was allowed to do that! CEO or not! He opens his eyes and reaches to the photo of Sasha on his desk, suddenly feeling guilty, and goes to place it face down. But he hesitates.         It’s…kinda lonely at the top. He feels it tenfold lately. And… well your smile had started kinda being the highlight of his day. Now he fears he's never gonna see the real thing ever again.          She’d want him happy right? He pulls his hand away from the picture. There’s nothing wrong with this. There’s nothing wrong with a guy like him wanting a girl like you. Of course there’s that pesky power imbalance, the fact that he’s your boss could make this messy… But other CEOs just do whatever they want, right? They don’t think about any of this shit. Although he doesn’t like thinking back to his time at Hyperion, even he remembers Handsome Jack’s reputation for fucking just about anything that moved. Whatever he wanted, he got. That was why Rhys had begun to admire him in the first place.

        Rhys rubs at his eyes. He doesn’t want to be like Jack though. Or Katagawa with that stupid ‘pleasure yacht’, or any other nutcase CEO. He doesn't want to just...just bend you over the desk and fuck you, like you're just something to use, he swears to himself it's not like that at all! It's more than lust that tortures him.          He wants you to like him. So desperately bad. He knows you like having him as a boss, that you like his stupid little jokes, that you like his mustache (he'd asked you once to be sure), that you enjoyed his company. At least once you did. But he wants you to like like him. The same way he feels about you. But it’d have been dangerous to let you in so fast without knowing for sure that you weren’t Maliwan’s last hurrah in an attempt to end his life. That you weren’t some super secret cute seductress spy attempting to exact revenge for Katagawa Jr. He wondered if it’d be rude to ask what your relationship with the other CEO had been. After how well everything else had gone? Yeah, probably.

        You'd been pretty low ranked in Maliwan, from what little you'd told him of it. He doubts that you'd ever received the high honor of boarding that stupid fucking pleasure yacht. He felt himself get a little angry still, at the notion of something he'd likely made up in his head and had no ground to stand on whatsoever. 

        “Should I follow you?/ She could still try to kill you./I know I would try.”         Rhys jumps a little as Zer0’s voice comes out of thin air. He’d forgotten that he'd sent the bodyguard out. And he certainly hadn't noticed him sneaking back in. Well not, sneaking, more like just sauntered right back in, plain as day and Rhys had been so lost in his incredibly frustrating thoughts he hadn't noticed. It'd been...a smart choice to have Zer0 leave the room. He’d have felt worse having him skulk around all invisible. Chances were the assassin had already listened in. And Rhys was none the wiser. What a powerful ally…He finds himself grateful Zer0 is on his side, even if he doesn't quite know what the answer is.

        “Ah, no,” Rhys says. “It’ll be alright. She’s not a Maliwan spy or anything— you heard it yourself.”         Zer0 gives him a look that needs no verbal explanation.         “I mean, you did interrogate her yourself. I don’t think she’d lie to you. Or me, as a matter of fact.”         Zer0 just shrugs. “I will still come with./ I will be outside the place./ Your foes still draw breath.”         Cool, a bodyguard outside the restaurant. And Rhys promises he’ll tell you too. Nothing but transparency from here on out! He can be better for you. Rhys wonders if it’s bordering on delusional to think he still has a chance with you after today. He’s reminded that you don’t have anywhere to go but Atlas. Anyone else would have breathed a sigh of relief at that security. But it only makes Rhys feel worse.

        What if you’d only said yes because you couldn’t say anything else? He’d never wanted you to feel as if turning him down wasn’t an option. You had seemed pretty genuine in accepting the offer. But if he brought up the idea of dating…should he just hold off on that? But he thinks about what Zer0 said, that poetic stuff about his enemies still breathing. He does have people out there who want him dead.         So if he’s gonna die, he’s gonna die like a man, dammit! And he’s gonna tell you how he feels because that’s the manly thing to do! Emotions are manly! Sharing them is manly!         So why does he feel like he’s gonna throw up on his desk?         Focus, Rhys, focus. The reservation hasn’t even been made yet.

        He hopes you'll like the place he picked. That is if you don't find an excuse by the end of the workday to flake out on him. He knows he might do something like that if he was in your position. Several hundred feet down, in the heart of the building, you do your best to stay busy and keep your mind off...everything. Every time you feel dread begin to rise, you beat the feeling back down.

        Free food. Free food. Free food. Free food.

        The repetition doesn't seem to help. 

        When the end of the day comes, time forever marching forwards no matter how badly you wish it wouldn't, you find yourselves at another crossroads. Maintenance had come back with their report. You knew you could take it to Rhys in person, as you usually do. It wasn't a formal policy or anything, it's just something the two of you had always done. In a company so absorbed in technology, it was important to have a little human contact. However you feel your stomach drop at the idea of jumping back on the elevator and going to his office...seeing him again. It's such a ridiculous turmoil--you have to see him again anyways later on in the night. But you just don't feel ready yet.

        You need some time to yourself. You need fifteen minutes to go home and cry on your bed, to get all the nasty horrible feelings chewing away at your insides out. Let yourself fall apart so you can string yourself back together, good as new. Then maybe, just maybe, you could handle dinner with Rhys. The last think you want to do is break down crying in public. It had been so hard to bite back the tears in his office, harder with every word out of his mouth. 

        You make the difficult choice just to forward the report to him via ECHO. If he asks any questions you'll just tell him you needed a little time to get home and get ready. Luckily, as you begin to head out the door alongside other Atlas employees, you don't receive any incoming calls from him. You wonder if he's up there, with that guilty dog-caught-eating-trash look, probably kicking himself for all this. It takes a lot of restraint not to turn around and go back into the building to check on him, like you've gotten so used to doing. 

        Maybe that's the worst part of today--is that you want to go crawling back. You want to sweep this under the rug, pretend like none of it happened, pretend like it's normal for someone you trust and maybe even love to do this to you. But you just can't. It'll take time. Or a way bigger gesture than dinner, you guess. 

        Dinner itself started off as awkward as you had imagined it to be. It's Rhys, so you figured there'd be a level of awkwardness whether what happened today had gone down or not. He still hadn't called you, to your relief, and had simply forwarded the address to the restaurant and the reservation time to your ECHO. You'd told yourself before leaving the house that if you really wanted to, you probably could have faked sick to get out of this or come up with some other brilliant excuse. 

        But you don't. You don't have the heart to stand him up like that.

        Oh also he's the CEO of Atlas and probably the man with the most power on all of Promethea. You'd weighed the possibility of him doing something drastic if you didn't show. You...you don't think he's that kind of man. But after the little loyalty test with Zer0, you're no longer sure. You're uneasy. So if sitting down for a little dinner with him takes that horrible feeling away, you'd do it. 

        He gives a bit of a weak, quiet whistle, hands in his pockets, somehow confident and nervous all at the same time. "Wow," he'd said to you, looking you up and down in your different outfit. "You look, uh, you look great."

        He gives you his signature 'ok' hand signal, a habit he'd formed lately. You'd just responded with a curt nod, still not sure what to say to him. You hate this. He hates this too. It feels like the two of you are strangers all over again. He's briefly reminded of your first week at Atlas, at his side. You'd rarely spoken to him, you couldn't look him in the eye, you flinched when he did speak, and everything you did, you did absolutely terrified. It'd taken half a month to get you to stop calling him sir, and even longer to convince you to address him as 'Rhys' rather than Mr. Strongfork. Was it gonna be like that again?

        What the hell was he thinking...

        He visibly seems to deflate, the smile flickering on his face. You feel bad for your coldness--it hadn't been purposeful.

        You clear your throat. "Y-You look good too, Rhys. Beautiful, as always." 

        That seems to perk him up a little. That dumb smile of his slips back onto his face. "Y'think? Parted my hair different, see?"

        You honestly can't tell the difference or if he's joking. But either way, you just nod again. Whatever, as long as that horrible ice is broken. It shouldn't be there in the first place. You painstakingly remind yourself that it's his fault it's there to begin with. He lead you over to a table, near the back of the restaurant, towards a large window that gave a rather nice view of the city. Well, what was left of it anyways. He has a lot to rebuild. 

        "This spot used to be the best in the house," he explains a bit awkwardly. "It's been a...a little bit since I've taken anyone here so I totally forgot that the city's, uh, destroyed--you ever been here before?" 

        He has this way of talking where every thought just goes straight to his mouth. Like you can follow his train of thought alongside him. That's why you'd trusted him so fast and warmed up to him so easily before. Now it makes you wonder how he'd been able to keep his plan a secret from you. Had he planned to do that to you for long? Or was it a spur of the moment Rhys thing? 

        Stop thinking about it.

        He was waiting on a response.

        You shake your head. "No. I haven't had the chance to check everything out here."

        Rhys wants to kick himself. Right. You'd practically spent most of your adult life working under Maliwan. You'd only come to Promethea to begin with because that's where you'd been ordered to go. Hopefully a waiter comes soon and saves him from this. Or...he could just be honest with you and say sorry. He'd been pacing the office, already planning out an apology in his head. He'd even written it down on a piece of paper, of all things, and then had promptly crumpled it up and threw it out. There's...there's a lot he wants to say to you and he doesn't have a clue where to start. 

        You watch Rhys call over a waiter with a rather brisk gesture that suggests the conversation is just as uncomfortable for him. Quietly, you put your order in. He orders wine-- a nice bottle from what little you know about fineries. You hadn't really imagined him to be a big drinker. He must be nervous. 

        "You can have some too. Obviously. As much as you want. My treat." 

        "Thanks," you say a bit blankly, finding your gaze wandering somewhere out the window. 

        He can wait for the alcohol to loosen him up a bit. To give him the courage to say what he need to. But he wonders if that might come across as inauthentic. If you'll think it's just the wine talking for him. 

        Fuck it.

        "Look," he says with a heavy sigh, regaining your attention.

        With your eyes on him, he's suddenly ten times more reluctant to continue. But he sets his jaw, he sits up straighter. His hand, the organic one, reaches across the table, in an attempt to mimic your forgiving gesture in his office earlier. You stare at it for a moment and Rhys heart stops in his chest. But then, gingerly, your arm lifts, and your place your hand in his. His fingers come to tighten around yours. 

        "I'm gonna be honest. No more lying, or hiding things from you. So I'll start by telling you that Zer0 is outside the building."

        He waits for you to snatch your hand away, to stand up outraged and storm away from the table, right back out the door. He feel him almost brace himself. But you don't move. 

        "I'll hear you out, Rhys," you say, voice still low. "But I'm not going to make any promises that I can just magically forgive you, or we can go back to how things were, no matter what you say. To be honest, I'm not even sure how I feel right now."

        "Of course, of course," he says, just sounding happy you haven't stomped off yet. "But you deserve an apology. So here it is. I'm sorry, (Y/N). I really am. It was a mistake to ask Zer0 to interrogate you like that. It was a mistake to ever doubt your faith in Atlas, in me. I know you haven't been with me long, but I honestly don't know how I would have stayed sane lately without you around. You're..."

        Your work at Atlas is important to me. Say that.

        "You're important to me," Rhys says finally. "Which is why I couldn't risk losing you if Maliwan was still...well, y'know, in the picture."

        You're quiet for a moment. His hand's warm around yours. You've made no motion to pull away. 

        "I have a question for you," you say.

        "Yes, anything," Rhys says, practically halfway across the table, he's leaning in so intently. 

        "If I had been a traitor, er, a Maliwan spy...what would you have done?" The question had been burning in the back of your mind. 

        Rhys hadn't even stopped to think about that. Maybe it's because even when he gave Zer0 the order, he hadn't imagine Zer0 would come back with anything suggesting you actually were a traitor. That made him feel bad again. He should have trusted his gut...he shouldn't have questioned you. 

        "I...I'm not sure. I wouldn't have had Zer0 hurt you, if that's what you're thinking. I think..." What would he have done? "I think I would have tried to figure out why. Why you were still working with Maliwan. Wh-which you aren't! I know that! But I would have figured that maybe they were blackmailing you, or-or threatening to hurt you, or something."

        Your head tilts. "Why?" For the first time that night your gaze meets his again and he feels relief thrum through him.

        "Because I still wouldn't want to lose you," Rhys said firmly. He gives a bit of a laugh. "No, I wouldn't give you back to Maliwan that easily, c'mon now. Who'd bring me all my bagels with the extra cream cheese and coffee and whatever stupid thing I'm craving if you weren't around?"

        Your shoulders also move in a bit of a laugh. You know that you do more for him than that. He knows it too. But he doesn't have to mention all that. 

        Rhy's thumb strokes over the back of your hand. "And...y'know when I first found you, hiding under my desk--which is where I was going, by the way--I figured...something tells me you were just as afraid as I was. Even if you'd been sent there to definitely kill me on sight. I don't think you'd secretly work for a corporation that scares you that much when there's a better option. Atlas is wayyy too nice to betray, right?"

        You give him a half smile. 

        "Okay, Rhys, you don't have to keep going. That...hearing that makes me feel a little better," you admit. 

        Your chosen drink and Rhys's wine arrives at the table. When he offers you a glass as well, you accept almost immediately. His apology, although initially hard to start, seemed to set your mind more at peace. You seemed to relax more, especially after a few more glasses of wine. Before long, the two of you are laughing and talking like you used to, over various plates of food that he's pretty sure neither of you will finish. Leftovers...nice. His suite's pretty barebones when it comes to fridge content because of how busy he'd been lately. 

        He had not known before offering you as much wine as you wanted that you were a bit of a lightweight. He realizes when he signals for a check from the waiter that the night may get a little more interesting. Especially when you were hanging on his cybernetic arm, finally outside the restaurant. It's difficult to keep an eye on you, the to go bag, and trying to pin down a ride all at once. 

        He manages and makes sure you gets into the car safe first. As he settles down next to you with a sigh, he glances over at you. You already look half asleep. He'd hate to wake you up, you look so peaceful...He turns his head to give the driver instructions but finds his words stuck in his throat. 

        He realizes he has zero idea where you actually live. “Uh…..”         Guess you could just come home with him? You’re practically asleep on his shoulder already, head leaned into the crook of his neck.

        He tries to stay as quiet as he can for the ride over, not wanting to wake you until he absolutely has to. You naturally come out of it when the car rolls to a stop outside the building. You don't really ask any questions as he guides you in with him. Either you're too tired, or you don't care enough to ask what's going on. Rhys feels a glow in his chest. Which means maybe you trust him again...? For real? Not in the fake, amicable way from before?

        Rhys shoulders open the door to his suite for you. He momentarily abandons the food from the restaurant on the marble countertop. He brings you to the first place he can think of, or at least the safest, the bedroom. Like you think it's your own room, you collapse onto the bed yourself, without any further prompting from him. 

        "Man, remind me not to go drinking with you," he mumbled, throwing some of the covers over you. "You get sleepy wayyyy too fast." 

        His response is just an unintelligible mumble. For a moment, he sits on the edge of the bed as you nuzzle into the pillow--his pillow. Somewhere in your mind, you wonder faintly why your bed smells like Rhys for some reason. His weight shifts, an attempt to leave. The couch in the living room is plenty comfortable. And so is his chair and his desk back in his office if he doesn't sleep well tonight. 

        He hears the covers shift. He feels your fingers suddenly wrap around his wrist, gently tugging him back to the bed.

         “(Y/N),” he starts, but he sees the way your eyebrows furrow, like you’re in pain. Much different from the peaceful mini-nap you had been taking on his shoulder in the backseat of the car.          “Please... don’t leave me here alone,” you say softly, eyes still shut. “I don’t... I don't wanna be alone.”         He barely catches the last bit your slurring is so bad, but his mind quickly catches up and connects the dots. Slowly, Rhys settles back down onto the bed. You keep pulling at him and with a sigh, he gives in fully, laying down next to you. A bit clumsily, your arms wrap around him completely. He lays, flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, as your hand rests on his shoulder, arm splayed put over his chest. You’ve turned on your side, face pressed to his arm.

        Rhys is careful not to move the entire night, although he can't help dozing off a few times. He doesn't even know how it's possible to do that with the way his heart is racing in his chest. This...this isn't usually what he has in mind during his weaker moments where he can't help but picture you here, on his bed, with him. He finds his hand reaching up to grasp yours on his shoulder, holding gently overtop. Not wanting to move and wake you up, he manages to turn off the lights, from the bed. The perks of keeping his cybernetics and ECHO eye in such a high tech city, he supposes. The curtains pull, as if compelled, completely shut, to block out any further intrusive light. 

        Was this professional by any means?

        No.

        But then again, he thinks, gazing down at you, ECHO eye allowing him to see slightly in the darkness... when has he ever really cared about professionalism?

        When you eventually wake, you feel like you just had the best sleep of your entire life. No screaming no nightmares, no clench of fear in your chest, no waking in a cold sweat. Could have been the alcohol, but it also could have been that you're not alone in the bed-...Wait a minute, where the fuck are you? Your fingers are resting on something, someone else’s shoulder. Your heart seizes in your chest. The last thing you remember was drinking with Rhys…his apology…wait.         Slowly and tentatively, in the pitch black room, your other hand, the one that had been placed on his chest slowly drifts up to touch over a cheek.

        You bite the inside of your own cheek, letting your hand travel slightly down until you feel thick hair under your fingertips, and a soft upper lip—it’s definitely Rhys.         What the fuck is wrong with you? You both get drunk and the first thing you do is fuck him?! Completely unprofessional. Would you even be able to look him in the eyes ever again after this?! This was the exact thing you'd always been trying to avoid in Maliwan. It was all too easy to sleep with a boss open enough to the idea and get an easy promotion through that--you'd always sworn you'd never be one of those girls, as lucky as they were. And you'd especially sworn to yourself that you wouldn't do that with Rhys, even if he was cute and funny in that weird way and-

        Jesus Christ.         You suddenly feel a warm hand grasp over yours, the non-mechanical one. Rhys moves your hand down, hesitating over his lips briefly, before he decides it’s safer to just hold it at his chest again. He’s still wearing his shirt from the night before. His tie isn't even undone. Which means…you think about all the various ways you could have had sex…which means absolutely nothing. But…your underwear is still in place and your dress is only askew because you had likely shifted in your sleep.         It’s like he can read your mind.         “We didn’t do anything,” Rhys says, voice a bit rough from just having woken up. “You just…I was gonna go sleep on the couch, but you said you didn’t wanna be alone.”         Your face heats with embarrassment. You said that to him?         “Oh…sorry. I just…” You trail off. Just because he'd been honest with you last night doesn't mean you owe him the same thing. You don’t want to tell him that every night when you go to sleep you have to relive Maliwan. You don’t want to let him know that there’s a personal hell waiting for you every time you close your eyes outside the workplace. You don't want-         “Why don’t you wanna be alone?” Rhys finds himself asking, interrupting your quickly spiralling train of thought. “Maybe it was just a drunk thing but-“         “Every time I go to sleep I’m back, working for Maliwan, people dying all around me,” you find yourself confessing anyways, like you can't help it. Like you're possessed by some obligance. “It’s awful. I kinda thought it would stop after awhile but it…I dunno.”         Rhys shifts a little. You think he might be looking at you. You see his pale blue ECHO eye glow a little in the darkness, fixed on you.         “Did it help last night? I mean, me staying?” he asks.         You nod. “Yeah. It did.” There’s really nothing else you can say to him.

        You can't see it in the dark, but Rhys frowns. Every time you close your fucking eyes you’re back, in the middle of a battle, being shot at? Being miserable because of your former corporation? And it follow you even today? It still haunts you? And here he was making an assassin go interrogate you, thinking you were going to betray him and go back to Maliwan?         He could not possibly feel sorry enough. He heaves a sigh, one that moves your hand on his chest with it.         “I’m so sorry, (Y/N). I feel like even more of an idiot now. I had no idea-“         You shrug. “How could you? It’s not like I was sharing my dream journal with you over lunch.”         You have a…? He realizes you’re just making a little joke. Awkwardly, he stays quiet for a few more moments. You feel him squeeze your hand a little tighter to his chest.         “I…I wouldn’t mind if you did. I want that. Uh…”         The mental health of my employees is very important to me!         He could save himself now. He could bail on this whole stupid crush. He could keep this professional and just find someone else. But he just... can’t.         “I really really like you, (Y/N). And you don’t have to say it back or pretend to like me to so you can keep your job. You’ll always have a home at Atlast, with me, no matter what your answer is.”         You’re quiet for a few agonizing moments that feel like hours to Rhys with the way his heart is pumping. It's too early in the morning for this shit. At least he thinks it is. He actually has no idea what time it is. He feels you shift in bed, sitting up. Are you leaving? Already his heart begins to sink. He’s glad it’s dark in here so you can’t see how red he is. He breathes out a soft sigh, shutting his eyes momentarily. You see his ECHO eye’s light disappear. At least he’d finally said something. At least-         He suddenly feels your lips at the corner of his mouth.         “Sorry, I missed,” you murmur, a bit embarrassed. “It’s dark in here.”         Rhys can’t help but take your chin in his hand, adjusting your position so he can kiss you fully on the lips. The first is light, experimental at most. The kind of thing you can wave off as a mistake and walk away from. The second kiss… not so much. It's passionate, deep, your lips moving against his, like you want him in his entirety. Such a desperate, lonesome kind of need...the nature of your feelings towards him becomes just a little clearer to Rhys right then. 

        He’s breathless when you pull away, chest rising and falling somewhat quickly.         “So…I’m guessing that means you like me too?” He asks, a hopeful twinge in his voice.

        You fall back into the mattress, at his side, hand still grasped in his. You have no intention of pulling it away. With a sigh, you respond.         “You have no idea.”

#one shot #borderlands #rhys strongfork #rhys strongfork x reader

[chronicbeans]

Jack Walten and Wally Darling have a Phone Call

Jack Walten somehow calls the main character of his children's favorite show instead of Felix Kranken. I NEEDED TO DO THIS OKAY-

TW: Mentions of Alcoholism, Missing Children, Suspected Car Crashes and Harm to Children, Anxiety and Despair, Mentions of Death

☎️Jack paces around the room, looking at his phone with a mixture of hope and dread. He has been calling Felix over and over again, never getting a response from the man. He's left massage after message, begging him to return his calls and get his children home. He told him to pick up his children THREE HOURS ago! Where are they?!

☎️Desperate for an answer, he picks up the phone and dials the number. He holds the phone up to his ear, grinning once Felix, or who he thinks is Felix, picks up the phone. If anyone walked in on him, they would think he was a madman... But he doesn't care. The euphoric feeling of hope, hope to see his children, fills him as he speaks. "FELIX! FINALLY! Where are my kids? You have to tell me, Felix! Did something happen to them?! PLEASE-"

☎️"Hello? I am sorry, neighbor. I don't know anybody named Felix. I think you have the wrong number. Try dialing the number you want again." Jack's eyes widen, before he mutters a soft "Sorry..." before dialing Felix's number, again. The same, strange man answers. "Hello? Did it not work, neighbor?"

☎️Jack shakes his head, despite knowing that the odd man can't see him. "No. I am sorry, I keep accidentally calling you. I'll just try again." "No, neighbor. Let's talk. You sound upset. It is good to talk about your feelings."

☎️Jack hesitates. He doesn't know this man and he really needs to get a hold of Felix, RIGHT NOW. However, the thought of how his last few voice messages have sounded comes to him. Perhaps Jack is acting a bit too emotional. Yes, he knows that he is justified in his fear and anxieties about his children's mysterious whereabouts. God knows he is justified in his anger and fear as to what happened to them, alongside Felix. He has a RIGHT to let Felix know that he is upset and to be emotional in his calls. However, could that emotion be what is causing Felix to not answer? Maybe he is just scared to tell him what happened, because Felix not telling him anything has already gotten him so riled up. He might just fear a far more emotional reaction when he finally answers.

☎️He's probably never going to hear from this strange man again, either. Talking to him, without having to fear meeting him in real life, alongside being able to vent his frustrations, might calm Jack enough to leave a message that is collected enough to make Felix willing to pick up the phone. To calm Felix down from... Whatever might've occurred to Jack's children... And just tell him what happened. "Alright. Let's talk."

☎️"Do you know who I am, neighbor, or do I need to introduce myself, again?" Again? Now that Jack thinks about it, the man sounds familiar. His voice has a comforting familiarity despite the monotonous nature of it. He just cannot put his finger on it. Did he meet this man before and just forget about it? "I am sorry... Do I know you? Have we met before."

☎️The man hums, shifting on something, perhaps a chair or some other piece of furniture. "We have met many, many times. It is alright if you don't remember, however. I haven't been around for a little bit. I understand that you forgot. One second. Let me see if you remember with this." There is the sound of the man placing the phone down, then walking somewhere. He returns alongside the sound of music playing from someplace nearby.

☎️It is so familiar... but so foreign. This man's identity is on the tip of Jack's tongue. It makes him so uncomfortable, but his disparity to have someone to talk to overrides his desire to just hang up and try calling Felix, again. Despite being so close to identifying the man on the opposite end of the line, however, it doesn't pop up, as he says "I am sorry. I still don't remember. Umm... My name is Jack Walten." There is a strange laugh, before the man on the other end of the line says "It is alright. I know who you are, Jack Walten. Let us start again. Ring. Ring. Ring. Click. Hello, neighbor. I am Wally Darling. It is so nice to talk to you. Now, tell me what is going on."

☎️Jack lets his emotions all flow out. Using colorful language to describe the situation, how Felix has been ignoring him, how his children are missing. His little angels... gone! A sudden thought occurs to him, and, without thinking, he asks "What if Felix crashed...? Oh, God! I... he sounded very upset when I asked him to drop them off and pick him up. I should've known better! He has a habit of drinking alcohol when he has a bad day... Oh, God, what if he crashed that car?! I'm a horrible father! I might've gotten them killed! What if they're dead...?" His chest tightens, as well as his grip on the phone.

☎️Wally lets out another hum. There is another shift, before his calming monotone voice speaks "I don't know what alcohol is... But it sounds bad to drink before driving, from your tone of voice and your words. I have also heard from my friend, Barnaby, that it is kind of like his smoking. You do it and, for some, you have trouble stopping. You have to realize that, if that did happen, it wouldn't be your fault. You asked Felix for help and put your trust in him. He could've explained, in more detail, how bad his day was or that he planned to drink it. I am still a bit confused on what alcohol is, or if my idea of what he could've done is right, but that is what I am getting from what you are putting down. If they are dead, whatever that means, then it isn't your fault. At least, not entirely. I am too confused to make a proper answer..."

☎️Jack takes a deep breath. It isn't much help, but... Wally's words are at least something. It is a bit better than simply wallowing in torment. Wally continues "I don't know what a father is, either. Can you tell me what that is?" "Well... a father is someone who has kids. You were a kid once, right? I don't have to explain it?" "Yeah. I met my friend Barnaby as a kid." "Well, a father is usually, specifically a man who has a kid. A woman who has a kid would be a mother. A father could also be someone who is more masculine and has a kid. Not everyone has a father... but I am one for my kids. I am doing my best... or was... I failed them..."

☎️There is an awkward silence, before Wally speaks in a quiet tone. "I wish I had a father. Actually, I wish you were my father, because you seem like a good father. You are doing good. To call and check in so much is good. Sitting on the couch and watching television with them is another way that you are a good father. You spend what little free time you have with them is a good thing to do as a father, right?" Jack has no idea where the mention of television came from, but he can't help but feel better that this man thinks highly of him as a father... Even if he didn't know what one was before he told him.

☎️"Yeah. That is another thing a good father does. You said we met before, right? How did we meet?" There is a creak on the other end of the phone. Wally mutters something, before he says "I am sorry to cut this short, neighbor. I have to go take care of Home. To answer your question, look in the old box of VHS tapes. You have one called Welcome Home. We met when our eyes did, neighbor. You'll understand. Goodbye, neighbor." There is one last click as Wally hangs up.

☎️Later on in the night, curiosity overtakes Jack. He's left a few more messages for Felix, mysteriously being able to call him and not Wally, again. He heads up to the attic, taking out the box of VHS tapes. He finds the one Wally mentioned. A flood of memories fill him, the colorful letters bringing a wave of both joy and sadness through him. He remembers putting this exact VHS into the television's VHS player for his little angels to watch. Maybe just one more time, for the memories? He barely remembers the show itself, anyways.

☎️He sits down on the couch, having placed it into the television. He sinks into the couch cushions, to distraught to be able to force himself into a proper posture. Nobody is watching, anyways. Rosemary went into bed a while ago. The theme song for the puppet show plays, causing him to perk up. That is the exact same song the Wally played over the phone...

☎️"Hello, neighbor." Jack shoots up, sitting on the edge of his seat. Memories are now flooding his head. Happy, joyous, and bittersweet memories of sitting on this couch, hearing that voice... Seeing those eyes stare into his own. "No..." he mutters "... That can't be the guy on the phone..."

☎️He is proven wrong, however, as the yellow puppet onscreen says "My name is Wally Darling. This episode's run shall be dedicated to my friend, Jack Walten 's, two children. We'll miss you, Ed and Molly Walten."

#welcome home #welcome home arg #the walten files #twf #jack walten #wally darling

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

December Drabbles

Prompt 10: Snowman Characters: Pomefiore + Sebek (Sebeppy my beloved) --------------------------------------------------

"Roi du Poison have you seen-" "Your hat?" Vil stood looking outside the window from the hallway in his dorm, watching something below rather intently with a fond smile on his face. "It's not like you to loose track of your things Rook. I don't think of anyone being able to steal something from you successfully though." His smile grew a little more as he nodded towards the outdoors, an invitation to look outside with him. Rook's eyes widened slightly before he laughed. "Ah, he must have taken it from my room when I was at science club. He's taken after the Trickster, though I can't say I mind." Vil glanced at Rook for a moment. "Well he shouldn't have gone into your room without permission, if you're willing to let it slide this once-" "Oui, my beautiful Vil. Look at how happy he is with Monsieur Crocodile. The rosy hue on his cheeks is not caused by the cold alone. If borrowing my hat brings forth the opportunity for connection, as well as such beauty and vitality to our little apple, so be it." Vil couldn't help but smile more at the two freshmen playing in the snow. --------------------------------------------- Sebek squirmed a bit as he watched Epel balance on his tip toes to add his upperclassmens hat to the snowman they had just built. It was getting a little nippy out, so Sebek buried the lower half of his face into his scarf and shoved his hands under his arms to keep them warm. But that wasn't why he was squirming. He could feel someone watching him and he didn't like it. He ignored it though, when Epel called him over to come look at the snowman they had made, complete with accessories Epel insisted he "borrowed." After they snapped a quick photo, Epel took he hat off and brushed it off best he could. "I have to put this back before Rook notices it's gone. If you want to wait in the lobby to warm up, I can walk you back to Diasomnia after....Sebek?" He pouted a bit, Sebek's attention clearly not on him until he poked his arm gently. Instead of the response he wanted, Sebek pointed at the dorm hallway window. "He already knows."

"......goddamnit," Epel squinted up at the window to see if he could tell Vil and Rook's expressions. Maybe it was a tender mercy he couldn't. "Ok....let me go see what I have to do to apologize..." He sighed dejectedly and held the hat a little closer to him. "I might be a while depending on Vil's mood. You don't have to wait for me." Sebek hesitated for a moment, before following closely behind Epel, hiding into his scarf more, trying to get his nose covered up. "I'd rather warm up first. I'll just sit in the lobby for a bit and wait for you." Epel looked back at him, blue eyes wide as saucers until he buried his face into his scarf, trying to hide the rising blush and the stupidly big grin on his face. "O-okay....if you want to." As he walked into the dorm though, his smile dissipated. Rook and Vil were standing there, waiting for him. He felt rather regretful now, kind of hiding behind Rook's hat. Rook's smile fell as well as he watched Epel's body language fold in on himself. "Monsieur cherry apple...why are you so deflated? You were having fun with Sebek, non? I'm rather impressed with you. I can count on one hand the amount of times someone has genuinely managed to catch me off guard. Well done. I'll be taking my hat back now dear Epel, and you can run along." He smiled brightly as he plucked his hat back from Epel and placed it on his own head cheerily. "Be back before 8pm. Have fun Epel." Epel was left dumbfounded as his two upperclassmen exchanged knowing smiles and let him off easy. He wouldn't give it too much thought though, turning around and beaming at Sebek, rocking on his heels happily and blushing a bit. "Looks like we get a few more hours together! I...If you're ok with it..." Epel tried not to come off as too eager, but Sebek seemed to enjoy the enthusiasm. "Of course! I shall show you all of my favourite photos of Malleus!" Sebek beamed. Epel looked up at him, a little confused, amused, but not surprised. "....Yeah I'd love to." Responding like a goddamned liar. However, as Epel fell into place next to Sebek, he couldn't help but feel any time with him was time well spent.

#v talks #twisted wonderland #twst #twst scenarios #twst fanfic #rook hunt #vil shoenheit #epel felmeir #sebek zigvolt #sebeppy #twst rook #twst vil #twst epel #twst sebek #december drabbles #twst fluff

[crazyk-imagine]

Rekindle with an Angel but, Don’t Break her Heart

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Pilot!reader (present), Natasha “Phoenix” Trace x Pilot!reader (past) - Briefly mentioned

Characters: Pilot!reader, Jake “Hangman” Seresin, Natasha “Phoenix” Trace, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Penny Benjamin, Eric, Jack, and Mark (Bartenders), Delilah (reader’s little sister), Larry (main range control man), Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (briefly mentioned?), Beau "Cyclone" Simpson, Bernie "Hondo" Coleman, Robert "Bob" Floyd, Reuben "Payback" Fitch, Mickey "Fanboy" Garcia, Javy "Coyote" Machado, Neil "Omaha" Vikander, Billy "Fritz" Avalone

Warnings: Angst, fluff, cursing, Jake becoming a softy for reader, not opening up to people when its necessary, jealous pilots being dicks, reader having a past with a few pilots (platonic and not), jealous pilots hurting the reader 

Word Count: 9,733

Gif is from @unicornships​

A/N: You guys have no idea how happy I am to finally be able to post this. I have had this in my doc for months... thank you for coming to my ted talk

*Was not expecting this to be this long. Definitely a surprise for me

Answers to RWAABDBHH

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You could say it was a bit of a surprise when Pete called. You haven’t heard from him for a few months (after your minor disagreement) and he really needed to speak to you and calling the bar was the only way he could make sure you wouldn’t screen his call... again. 

It was just about after the third ring; you pick up the phone. “Hard Deck, bartender speaking.” 

He smiles. “Good to hear your voice again, Angel.” 

You’re surprised, you didn’t think he’d call the landline ever. 

 He usually tries not to call the bar as much as possible, not wanting people to butt into your business since your coworkers know what you did before joining the Hard Deck. 

 You decide to be nice and put in the effort to have a conversation with him. “Finally took a break from the sky’s, did you?” 

He chuckles, “you’ve still got that sense of humor. Good.” 

You sigh so much for being nice. “What’re planning?” 

He lets out a faux noise of offense. “Why do you assume I’m up to no good?” 

You scoff through your nose, “I didn’t say that. But now that you mention it, are you?” 

He says nothing. 

“Goodbye, Maverick.” 

“Hang on-” He sighs, staring at the phone. ‘Please don’t hate me.’ He steps back into the room. “Did you speak to her?” 

“I did.” 

“And?” 

“She’ll be here soon.” ‘Don’t hate me, Angel.’  

A few hours later…

The lunch rush ends only for the midnight rush to begin, although when you think about it, it’s not actually midnight, but it sounds better than, it’s dark, drink up. And that’s when you stopped letting the other bartenders come up with names. 

You turn to call for Eric or Jack to help out with drinks only to find they’re busy taking care of their sections. 

Penny calls you over, “can you take care of anyone who comes over here while I go over there?” 

“Yeah. Go take care of the customers over there.” You finish making the drinks, keeping the customers satisfied and willing to give a decent tip. You walk over towards Penny, “I’m gonna start cleaning up a bit. Jack’s finishing putting the latest order away in the back and Eric is getting ready to start in the kitchen. We have a few minutes to do some of the “boring” work so we’re doing it when we can.” 

She nods, “got it.” 

-

A few more show up, the crowd starting to become livelier in your section. 

Penny walks over to you and helps you with cleaning the glasses and wiping down the counters after the customers move away and sit at one of the few vacant tables. “I need you to take care of that table over there.” 

You nod to Penny, walking away with the drinks for the group of pilots, “be back in five, Peggy Sue.” 

She shakes her head, sighing although she has a smile on her face. “Please, just once, use my name.” 

You turn to look over your shoulder, whispering “never.” You walk away before she could say anything else. 

-

“Here are your-” You happen to glance up and find one of your old friends from school, jabbing a mustached man (with a questionable fashion sense) in the gut, “fuck.” 

You hand the last beer to – one of the khakis, as you mumble to yourself, “why?” 

When she turns around to grab her drink, her eyes widen at the sight of you. 

“Hey, Phoxy. How’ve you been? I’d love to talk but-” 

She shakes her head, getting out of her thoughts as she grabs your wrist. “You are not getting out this. We’re talking right now.” 

You sigh, feeling yourself being pulled elsewhere. So much for not running into anyone from your past. 

She whirls around, facing you. “Where the hell have you been?! What happened to you? You graduated early, got a job at the best pilot school and leave with little to no contact. I mean seriously, what the hell, Wings?” 

You glance back at her angry face every so often unable to keep eye contact with her. “I can’t talk to you about this, Natasha.” 

“Now, we’re back on a first name basis. Is that what our friendship has gone down to? I thought we were closer than that.” 

You sigh, “don’t give me that attitude-” 

“I’ll stop giving you attitude when you talk to me.” She finally takes notice of your expression, her’s softens, “what happened?” 

You swallow the saliva that’s stuck in your throat. “I can’t talk to you about this right now.” 

She opens her mouth to say something else, but you stop her, placing a hand on her forearm.

“It’s a long story and I really don’t think now is a good time to talk about this, okay?” Your hand falls off her arm before you walk away. 

She sighs unsure of how to handle the situation. You obviously don’t want to talk about whatever happened and it’s throwing her off. Nothing like this ever happened before and she really doesn’t know how to help you. 

-

Jake furrows his brows, after watching you brush her off. A smirk appears across his lips. ‘Interesting.’ 

Natasha stands beside Bob, absent mindlessly watching the others play pool. 

“So,” Jake says, extending of the letter “O”, brings Natasha out of her thoughts. 

“What do you want Bagman?” 

“What was that about?” He asks, with a mix of a concerning and nosey tone. 

“It’s none of your business,” she snaps. 

He smiles, “I could easily make it my business, Princess Phoenix. You forget we all went to the same school.” 

“I am this close,” she pinches her fingers together. “To getting drunk so I can’t hear your ass.” 

“Your fingers are touching,” Bob points out. 

“I know.” 

Rueben sits beside her with Mickey playing pool against Jake and Bradley playing against Logan. “What do you think happened with her?” asks Reuben. 

“I don’t know,” she says, shrugging. “This is the first time I’ve seen her since we were in school together.” 

“So, you didn’t hear the rumors.” 

“What rumors?” She turns to him with raised brows. 

“One of the ones I heard was that she got in a fight and got kicked out.” 

“She wouldn’t do that,” Natasha says, defending you. She knows you’re not dumb enough to do anything like that.  

Two days later…

Thankfully today the bar opens a little later than usual as you decline Cyclone’s call. 

The door opening gets you to pause, you don’t want it to look like you’re on your phone and sigh, tucking the item into your back pocket. Although you didn’t see it, it was only one of the bartenders who does the late shift.

Penny walks over with new rags. “You okay?” 

You quickly give her a fake tight-lipped smile. “Peachy.” 

“They still trying to bring you back officially.” You shrug, not entirely in the mood to talk about this, as usual. 

“I know you don’t want to hear this but you’re good. You are… the only pilot that I like enough to call my friend and I know working here is making you miserable.” 

You open your mouth to argue with the classic, “no. I’m happy here.” 

She shakes her head, a gentle smile gracing her lips. “Don’t argue with me on this, I know you are and it’s okay. I’m not taking it to heart because being in the sky has been your dream for such a long time and you were miserable when your arm was healing, and you still are because you’re not in the air because that’s where you belong.” 

You clench your jaw, the burning sensation in your nose prevents you from answering her. 

“What if I’m not the same?” 

She tilts her head, trying to understand what you’re saying. 

“What if I’ve lost my speed or- or my quick thinking, you know. What if- what if I’m in the air and that’s when they realize that I’m not good enough to be at Top Gun anymore.” You sniff, wiping the corners of your eyes. 

“They’d be stupid to let you go.” 

“I know you’re just saying that but, thank you.” 

She knows you don’t like it when people try to comfort you, but her maternal instincts take over and she pulls you in for a hug and letting you take your time to calm down. “Better?” 

“No, you made me talk about my feelings. I’m upset.” 

She chuckles, “you’ll have to put those feelings on the back burner because we still have to get ready for tonight.” 

“Has anybody cleaned back here yet?” Mark asks. 

“Not yet, I’m coming over to help you.” She turns back towards you. “Are you sure you’re gonna be alright?” 

“Yep. Get back to work, Pegs.” 

The older woman shakes her head.  

Four days later...  

You were surprised when he tried the Hard Deck’s landline and calling the bar is the only way he can make sure you wouldn’t screen his call... again. 

It was just about after the third ring when you pick up the phone. “Hard Deck, bartender speaking.” 

He chuckles, “good, you’re still there... how are you?” 

“You’re clearly up to something that I’m not gonna like and with how many times Beau has called me, I’m gonna say that it involves Top Gun which I told you and him that I’m not coming back so stop calling me if you’re gonna keep asking about that.” 

“I’m- I’m not-” 

“Goodbye Maverick.” 

You slam the phone done onto the wall receiver before walking away, shaking your head. “Oh... you’re here.” You turn around finding your boss, standing there. “Why do you have that look on your face?” 

“What look?” She asks, setting her stuff down in the back office. 

“The look you have when you know stuff that involves me or my past,” you pause, searching for the right word. “Job.” 

“Well- I mean, there is this one thing.” 

“And that thing is?” 

“A group of people are coming here today.” 

“A group of who people?” 

“A teacher and his students.” 

“Children students?” You ask, hoping it’s not who you think it is. 

She shakes her head. 

You groan and drop your head onto the bar top.  

Two hours later...  

The sound of cars scares you and sends you to “find a broom” in the storage closet. 

You hope if you stay inside and hide long enough unit they’re gone so, you won’t have to deal with certain people (playboys or people you typically went to, for “guidance”). But then again, maybe it would be good to see Natasha again and her friends. 

You shake your head remembering the two separate times when she was paired with Bradley and then when Mickey and Rueben were put into their little squad... the smile falls from your face when you think about your old squad. 

You gulp, having a hard time swallowing the spit that built up in your mouth. 

Would it be a good idea if you looked for Penny and told her you weren’t feeling good? 

You know it wouldn’t end the way you’d want it to but that doesn’t mean you can’t- the clacking and snapping of flip flops and shoes has you pause. You don’t move as they all pass by. 

The sounds of their voices carrying throughout the bar fills you with a mix of sadness but you bite back your tongue because there’s no one else to blame but you; you’re the one who pushed everyone away, you’re the one who didn’t tell anyone the... truth about what happened but that’s the past; all you can do is move on and live whatever life you have. 

You still can’t believe you saw her. You knew it was bound to happen at some point and yet, it was still a sucker punch to the gut. And to hear that the reason they’re all here, being taught by the Maverick is for a life-threatening mission and they wanted the best of the best from your generation is still so crazy. 

Once you're out of your thoughts, you realize everyone’s moved outside and it’s okay for you to exit the closet now. You don’t find anyone else but Penny, who wipes down the counter. “What’re you doing in here?” You ask, taking careful steps closer to the bar. 

“Cleaning before tonight.” 

“I can do that,” you offer. 

She shakes her head, “no. I couldn’t leave you in here by yourself to clean. I should be doing it.” 

“That’s the good thing about having someone who’s ignoring people they knew. They’re very helpful and will clean everything.” 

She turns to look at you, “that’s not funny.” 

“You’re right, it’s not but you always say you want me to be honest and this is it.” You continue before she could get a word in. “Nope, you deserve to finish your book and check out the eye candy. I’m sure there’s a certain old flame of yours out there that wouldn’t mind you ogling him.” 

“Cheeky.” 

“It’s called the truth, neither of you can hide your feelings whenever either one of you glances back at the other.” 

“You think so?” She asks, sounding so unsure, something you’ve never heard from her before. 

“Absolutely.” 

A heavy sigh slips past her lips. “Are you sure?” 

“I am,” you nod. “Yes. Absolutely. One hundred percent. Please leave.” 

The older woman smiles, “okay, okay. I’m going.” 

-

All you gotta say is, Pete’s lucky you’re a nice person. No one asked for you to make anyone drinks but you know they’re gonna need something and you know water ain’t gonna cut it right away. 

You finish and set the drinks on a tray before heading out the back. 

You scoff, watching as the line of boys fall with the playboy raising his arms up in celebration at an “obvious” win. You shake your head at the sight and conveniently, it’s like he sensed someone watching him and looks over in your direction, giving you a cocky wave. 

You groan looking away, jumping at the sight of Penny sitting there. “When did you get here?” 

“You’re the one who told me to come out here.” 

You give her a suspicious look. 

“What were you doing out here?” 

You throw an arm out, gesturing to the scene in front of you, "watching as they get sand in places sand shouldn't be. I feel bad for them honestly." 

She covers her mouth, hiding her laughter, "that's what you're worried about?" 

You wrap your arm around her shoulder, leaning your head on hers, "sand is no joke, Peggy Sue." 

She shakes her head, "still not my name." 

"And, yet you respond to it." You start taking the drinks off the tray, setting them a few inches away from her book, not wanting it to get wet. The last cup, you set down in front of her. "Make sure they drink something." 

"Okay, mom.” 

"Hey, hey. Dehydration is no joke. Neither is-" 

She cuts you off, finishing your sentence, "getting sand in places it shouldn't be." 

You nod, "exactly." You take one last look at the group, the happiness you shared with Penny vanishes when you remember the different life you had a year ago. You sigh, shaking your head as you head back inside. 

Penny frowns, knowing you miss being a part of the pilot life, even if you don’t want to admit it. 

-

You clean a few glasses you missed earlier, preparing for the “midnight” shift. After cleaning the inside of the now, clean glasses you set them up so, they’re ready to go for later. You set the rag down on the bar top, reaching for the phone in your back pocket, annoyed at the person who keeps calling you. 

The Godfather Accept □ Decline □

You click the answer button. "I’ve told you once and I’ll tell you again. No. I won’t be in the air anytime soon. Stop calling." You hang up before Beau could say anything else. 

“How the hell could he have known to call now?” You groan, realizing what happened, “Maverick. Oh, you son of a-” 

The door slams open, putting Penny on high alert. 

-

"Mitchell! Hey, Mitchell!" You shout at the man sitting in the stupid lawn chair you just want to- You shove his chest before pointing your finger at him, “you are an absolute idiot! Do you know that?” 

“Hey, there’s no need for name calling, Angel.” 

“Do NOT use that name with me right now.” You stand a few inches away from him with a clenched jaw. “I told you and everyone else there, I’m done. I’m not going back in the air. I can’t.” 

He knows you’re hurting but you can’t keep pushing yourself away from what you’re good at. “You can, you’re just choosing not to.” 

“You don’t know what happened and you never will. So, stop trying to force me into coming back.” 

“I would but, you’re one of the good ones and anyone would be lucky to have you up in the air with them.” 

No one notices the blow up going on in the back as they continue with their game, well, except for Bob who happens to see everything going on. 

You bite your tongue, taking a step back. “You don’t get too sweet talk to me into coming back. If I feel I’m ready, you’ll see me in the air.” 

“But what if he’s right,” a deep voice says, walking closer to you. 

You glance back at your godfather and whirl around to face Maverick once more. “You called him?!” 

Now is when he struggles to give you an answer. “I didn’t- this isn’t how I wanted this to happen.” 

“But you made it happen.” 

“He didn’t.” Beau stands beside you. “I did. You know you’re good, and being in the air is where you belong. You know it, I know it, your parents knew it when you kept asking me about my job when you were seven.” 

You turn around, facing him. “If you wanted me to come back so bad, why didn’t you come to me yourself?” 

“I did-” 

You shake your head, “no, calling is completely different than you coming to me and talking to me.” 

“It’s hard to do that when one of you won’t talk about what happened.” 

-

A young girl runs out the back door. 

You turn at the sound of a child calling screaming your name, just in time as the short body tumbles into you. “Hey kiddo.” You pull back, bending down Delilah doesn’t have to stare up at you. 

“Hi,” she says, giving you a wide smile with her gap in her front bottom teeth that always gets you to smile. 

“How was school?” 

“Boring but, I did good on my spelling test.” 

You give her a high five, “awesome. See all that studying does pay off.” 

She groans, “I know. Can we go swimming now?” 

You nod, “I gotta change but I’ll be quick, okay?” 

She nods. 

You glance over your shoulder, talking to Pete, “and don’t break her heart again. She’s good for you and your, sort of, good for her.” 

He nods. 

“Come on, Del. We gotta get ready for some fun!” You bend down, lifting her over your shoulder. 

Delilah squeals, giggling while you walk back towards the table. 

Penny looks up from her book, “you want me to watch her while you change?” 

You nod, “please?” 

“Of course, but you gotta put her down first.” 

You set Delilah on the edge of the table, helping her hop down so she can sit beside Penny. You stare at the sand while walking back, the phantom pain in your shoulder returns. 

You hold your arm against your stomach, using your non dominant hand to open the door. 

-

Beau watches as you walk away, noticing how you’ve closed yourself off like you did when your parents died. 

-

“What was that about?” Bob asks Natasha when she sits down beside him at the table, reaching for one of the glasses. She shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe we should-” 

“That’s not a good idea,” Penny interrupts. 

“Why?” Natasha asks. 

“She’s-” she glances down at a distracted Delilah, “uh- she's still working through some things.” 

The younger woman doesn’t say much after that. 

-

You stand in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at your shoulder. 

You still remember what the asshole did to you, you may not remember the sounds, but you certainly remember the hand hitting your ribs, forcing you off the ladder. 

You slam onto the ground. The pain radiating in your shoulder, you couldn’t move it and you knew for a fact, it wasn’t good. 

The ladder fell on your calf, fracturing your tibia. And to top it all off, the asshole had the audacity to laugh as he knelt beside your head; his hand clamped on your chin, forcing you took look at him. 

You don’t remember how you got out of there. 

You don’t realize you’re hyperventilating until your body forces you to take quick, unsteady breaths. 

Jake walks in with a smirk, expecting to find you around somewhere, hoping to talk to you (partly to piss off Natasha and to see what’s got you so frazzled, you’ve never acted like this before). 

All and any humor fall from his face when he realizes you’re crying. He stands beside you, placing a hand on your arm. 

You jerk back, tripping over your foot. 

He’s quick to hold onto you, forcing you to stand up before you could fall. 

You can feel his hand on your cheek and know he’s asking you questions but you can’t get enough air into your system to reply. 

Jake wraps his arms around you, pressing you against him; he wraps one of your arms around his neck, the other flush against your waist. He hugs you. “It’s okay. It’s okay.” 

You close your eyes, trying to calm down. The tears roll down your cheeks faster than you would like but, Jake says nothing about it and continues to comfort you. 

You move your arm off you, wrapping it around his lower back, clenching his shirt in your shaky fist. You’ve calmed down enough to realize, Jake, the infamous flirty playboy is whispering comforting things in your ear. 

Your head rests two inches from the crook of his neck. 

“How are you feeling?” 

You sniff, “fine.” 

“You okay enough to let go of my shirt?” 

There it is. You give him one last squeeze before pulling away from him. You look up, wiping your cheeks, “how’s it feel?” 

“How does what feel?” He asks, pulling a paper towel out of the dispenser, wetting it in the sink. 

“Not being the reason, a woman cries.” 

“What makes you say that?” He cups the back of your neck, wiping your cheeks to get rid of the wet mascara streaks. 

“You say you bring all your hookups to tears.” 

The corner of his lips tugs upwards. “I knew you were listening to me.” 

Your roll your eyes, “yeah, because you take up half of my section.”

“Maybe it’s because I want your eyes on me.” 

You shake your head, taking it out of his hand; pushing past him to throw away the wet, black stained paper towel. You reach for another, making sure to get rid of any evidence that you were crying. “Why’re you in here?” 

“It’s a bathroom,” he shrugs. 

“Then go.” 

“I’d rather not.” 

“We all use a bathroom.” 

He chuckles, “it’s not that.” 

“Hookup?” 

He shakes his head, “no, not really my scene anymore.” 

“Is it because of the mission?” 

“Maybe.” 

You throw away the paper towel, turning back towards the sink; turning on the faucet to cup cold water in your hands and splash your face. You need a little more energy if you’re going to have a day at the beach with your favorite little girl. 

The sink turns off, you assume it was Jake. 

You open your eyes, staring down at the drain. Your chest heaves with every breath you take. You shake your hands, reaching up to wipe away the droplets on your chin. “You know,” you start, “I figured while you were here, you’d be waiting until later for some- uh- stress relief.” 

“You offering?” He leans against the wall with his arms crossed. 

“Yeah,” you look up, staring at him with no emotion. 

His smirks drops and he squints his eyes, trying to decipher whether you’re lying. “Really?” 

“No.” You snatch a paper towel and pat your face dry. “Seriously, thank you for helping me but- uh- could you not mention this to anyone else?” 

“It’s not my place to talk about it. You know that.” 

“Still, thank you. You’re oddly good at giving really good hugs.” 

He shakes his head, “I can honestly say, no one except you has been the one to tell me that.” 

“I’m happy to be the first.” 

Your phone buzzes again, you groan, yanking it of your pocket. You don’t even need to see the number before you press the power button, shutting your phone off. “Looks like I have to go back out there.” 

“Save my spot?” 

“Can’t promise you anything? Does it look like I’ve been crying?” 

He steps on front of you, staring into your eyes for a minute. 

You’re worried he’s seeing something you don’t see; his stare makes you nervous, butterflies in your belly, the whole nine yards... which worries you because you only ever feel this way when you like someone. Oh crap. You thought those were gone. 

He shakes his head, getting out of his thoughts “no, you’re good.” 

“You sure?” 

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” 

You weren’t expecting him to say that. “Okay.” You exit the bathroom, heading for the bar. 

-

“You alright? You looked upset back there?” Penny asks. 

You nod with a tight lip smile, “I’m good, Peggy Sue.” 

“Why don’t you take the night off? You know spend the rest of the day with Delilah.” 

“You need help behind here later.” 

“I’ve got it, besides Mary, Travis, and Jamie work tonight.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“You haven’t stopped working since I hired you. Take the night off. You deserve it.” 

“Are you really-” 

“Yes, I’m sure. You deserve to take the night off.” 

-

“You gonna play game with us or not?” Natasha asks, stepping away from the others. 

“I mean I could, if it’s alright with you and the others.” 

“After we swim though, right?” 

You tilt your head at your little sister who holds onto one Mickey’s shoulders. “You’re gonna have to climb off Mick in order for that to happen sweetie.” 

“Let me down. Let me down. If I don’t do it now, she won’t go out with me.” 

You scoff, “that’s not true.” 

“You did it last time.” 

“Because you were napping.” 

“I was... resting my eyes.” 

“Well, then lets’ go before you need to rest your eyes again.” 

“Can I come?” 

You glance back at the man with a buzzcut. “You want to go back outside? Aren’t you hot?” 

“Did someone call me hot?” Jake asks, placing his hand on your lower back, letting you know he’s right behind you. 

“No one did, Bagman,” Natasha chimes in. 

“I wasn’t talking to you, Princess Phoenix.” 

“You’re so nice,” you mumble.” 

“Only when it counts, sweetheart. You know that,” he whispers in your ear. 

You jerk your arm back, elbowing him in the stomach. 

“There’s that spark.” He wheezes out. “I knew you remembered.” 

“That’s payback for leaving me out to dry.” 

“It was one time.” 

“It was four times and each time I wound up saving your ass.” 

“We’re going swimming now,” Delilah interrupts, dragging Mickey behind her as Rueben laughs his ass off at the sight of a child dragging his grown friend outside, matching the same pace as her. 

“If you two can stop with the flirting, then I can talk to my friend.” 

“Not before I do.” 

“I thought you left, Maverick,” you say with a curt tone. 

“Just let me say what I need to say then I’ll stop trying to explain myself.” 

“Fine.” You huff, “follow me.” 

-

Natasha glances back at Jake with raised brows. “What?” 

“You know what? It didn’t work out the first time. What makes you think it would work again?” 

He doesn’t say anything because she’s right, if it didn’t work out the first time, why would anything be different now. “Nothing.” 

She takes note of his sad demeanor. “Wait- Jake.” 

He walks out before she could apologize. 

-

“What do you want, Maverick?” 

“You to not call me that.” 

He sees the little response he gets out of you and decides not to push it. “Okay, I’m gonna cut to the chase-” 

“You’d be wise to.” 

He purses his lips at the comment. “Cyclone wants you back because he thinks you’d be able to help show everyone that this mission is possible.” 

“No, he doesn’t.” 

“Okay, fine. Cyclone wants you back and I think you’d be the better candidate to help me show everyone its possible. I can’t tell you anything about it but, let me finish, I see the look you’re giving me. You can match the speed required for this mission. I know you can. This will be a walk in the park for you.” 

“As much as I enjoy you trying to kiss my ass. I’m gonna have to pass.” 

You spin around, slamming the door open; your foot hadn’t touched the floor when he asked, “so, you’ll be there tomorrow.” 

You step into the doorway, eyes wandering around the bar. ‘Is it really time for me to leave to leave this place?’ “I expect you to keep up with me.” 

He lets out a victory chuckle. 

-

You shake your head, biting your lip to keep you from smiling. “Pen?” 

“You’re covered forever. Let me know when you want to give in your two weeks.” 

“Wow! You sound excited to get rid of me.” 

“I am because you’re going back to do what you were born to do.” 

“Whatever,” you roll your eyes. “I have a current little problem who is probably trying to drown grown men right now.” 

“Yeah, please save them before you lose your friends.” 

“Not my friends.” 

“Fine, your squad!” 

You shake your head and smile as you walk out the back door. 

-

“Finally.” 

“Oh, hush.” You smile, lifting her in your arms. 

“Look who joined the party.” 

“Oh, Bagman. You joined us.” 

He smirks, one eyebrow rising about the frame of his sunglasses. “Who said you could use that nickname?” 

“No one but it’s better than anything I could come up with.” 

“And she admits it.” 

You scoff, setting Delilah back on the ground, letting her run back into the ocean so she and Mickey can have a splash fight. 

“Admit it, you’ve missed this.” 

You scoff, “I’ve missed nothing about you.” 

“See that’s where we beg to differ.” 

Natasha groans and drags you away from him, forcing you to sit beside her and Bob. “What’s got you so happy?” 

You shrug, “nothing.” 

She narrows her eyes at you before her eyes widen and jaw drops to the floor. “Are you- are you coming back?” 

“What? No.” 

“Yes, you are! You have your pre-flight glow.” 

“I plead the fifth.” 

“Fine, I’ll pretend like I don’t know you’re coming back,” she says and then throws herself onto you, hugging you tightly. 

You chuckle, patting the arm she has wrapped across your chest. 

“I’m so happy you’re coming back,” she whispers into your shoulder. 

“I know you are,” you lean back into her. “I am too.” 

Delilah calls out for her. 

“Aunt Nat duty calls. Get up.” 

You groan, giving her enough room to move out of the way. “You’re no fun.” 

“I am fun!” 

You enjoy the warmth filling your heart as you watch Natasha, Mickey, and Reuben playing with her as Jake observes. 

“How are you?” 

“What?” The one with glasses asks. 

“How are you?” 

“Me? You’re talking to me?” 

“There’s no one else here and you seem less likely to annoy me.” 

“Oh? I don’t know if I’m supposed to say thank you or not.” 

“It’s not necessary but you’re welcome,” you nudge his arm with your elbow. 

“I think they’d be mad if I tried to talk to you without them here,” he mumbles. 

You furrow your brows trying to figure out what he’s talking about. “I don’t know who they are, but I know they would, and they can suck it up.” You scoot closer to him, who holds his snack of choice to you, silently offering you some. “Not now, person who’s name I still don’t know. Thank you though.” 

He nods. “Oh, I’m Bob.” He quickly wipes his hand on his shorts before holding it out for you to shake. 

“Well, Bob, it’s nice to meet you. It’s always good to know the people watching out for your friends.” 

“Uh- oh- I’m not-” 

“I know,” you give him a small smile, so he knows not to worry. “You’re not a pilot but a back seater and I hear the way I said it hut I promise I mean nothing bad about it, I’m just making an observation. I’ve known a few good back seaters in my day. Do you have a call sign Bob?” 

He shakes his head, “ah, no. It’s Bob just- just Bob. Although the blond one with the sunglasses, he came up with an acronym for Bob.” 

“Of course, he did. What’d he say?” 

“Baby on board.” 

You groan. “That’s terrible.” 

“I know.” 

“I mean the acronym. Don’t get me wrong he shouldn’t be saying this to his fellow teammates but that was just, terrible. He did not put any effort into it.” 

“I guess not.” 

“I’m gonna give you a makeshift call sign, something special just for you... Bound outta buoyancy.” You shake your head, “that doesn’t work.” You mumble other potential words in your head. “Okay all I’m coming up with is something that ends in buoyancy, and I mean like no other word besides that one.” 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“No, I mean- why are you trying to come up with a call sign for me?” 

“You should have one that isn’t a shorter version of your name, even though Bob is a cute nickname.” 

“Oh... thanks.” He pushes his glasses up, “Natasha mentioned you were nice but, I didn’t expect you to be this nice.” 

You turn, staring at him with your head tilted. “She talks about me?” 

He nods, “yeah- I mean, not all the time though. Just- every- a little.” He grabs a handful of his snack and tosses it into his mouth. 

Now you know the perfect nickname for him and it’s most definitely not going to be an acronym. “Muchies?” 

“Yeah?” 

A quiet chuckle escapes you; you find it funny how he doesn’t realize what you called him. “What has she told you?” 

“You two went out a couple times.” 

You weren’t expecting her to tell him that. She must really like this kid. “And?” 

“She was surprised to see you here that’s for sure and misses you… so does Jake.” 

You nearly choke on your spit. “What?” 

He freezes, realizing he’s said the wrong. “Nothing- nothing. It's- people say the weirdest things to me.” He lets out a nervous chuckle, reminding you of a certain mother on “That 70’s Show”. 

“Bob, have Jake and Natasha talked about me before?” 

“Uh- no?” 

“Are you lying?” 

“No,” he nods his head yes. 

“I didn’t think Jake talked to you like you were friends.” 

“He mentioned you two went out.” 

“Nothing nice like Natasha, right?” 

“No, but she did say that you two agreed you were better as friends, and she doesn’t want you to get hurt because of something stupid he does.” 

“You sit quietly and learn all the gossip, don’t you?” 

“I don’t mean to.” 

“It’s okay.” You pat his back, “I believe you.” 

“It kind of feels like you don’t.” 

“Good.” 

A shriek escapes you as your little sister crawls into your lap. “Lilah, you’re wet.” 

“That’s what happens when you’ve been in the water.” 

“Okay, smarty pants. How are you? You tired?” 

“No, I just-” She yawns. “I just need a break.” 

“Sounds like they’ve tired you out.” 

“More like she tired me out. We had to do two hundred push-ups during training, and she was worse than that,” Natasha tells you as she sits beside Bob. 

Mickey sits in front of you, playing hand games like slide as Jake settles beside you with Rueben trying to steal Bob’s snacks while simultaneously trying to mess up their game.  

The next day…

“I thought you weren’t scheduled until next Tuesday,” Larry says. 

You ignore Pete and Bernie’s looks. An awkward cough escapes you. “Yeah, I was.” 

“You finally coming back?” 

“We’ll see.” 

“It’d be nice to have you back here.” 

You nod before walking ahead of the two. 

-

“I knew you were BGA. I told you.” 

“Shut up, Bernie.” 

“No, your godfather owes me ten bucks.” 

You whirl around to face the two. “You made a bet on me?” 

He sees the look in your eyes and quickly back tracks, correcting himself. “No, we all knew you’ve been coming here but your alias was the question we’d all been asking.” 

You start to walk away, not wanting to listen to them anymore. “You guys’ suck.” 

“Not when I know I have ten bucks waiting for me.” 

“Actually, that goes to me,” Pete corrects him. 

“Dammit Mav.” 

You shake your head and continue ditching the two as Bernie tries bargaining with the man. 

-

“You realize your putting your career on the line right.” 

“I could say the same thing to you.” You tell him, not looking up as you fiddle with the straps of your helmet. 

“I’m serious,” he says, adding your name so you understand the seriousness of the situation. 

“I fully understand what I’m about to do, Pete.” 

“And you’re not afraid of missing your chance to come back? Even if Cyclone is your godfather, which would have been nice to know beforehand.” 

You shrug, “you never asked.” 

“I didn’t think I had to.” 

“Hurry up, Pete. Or else I’ll take off without you.” 

-

During this time, your dearest godfather is informing the students about Pete no longer being their instructor. 

The monitor beeps, Beau turns around. “Who the hell is that?” 

Another beeping sound comes from the monitor, further confusing the admiral. 

“Maverick to range control. Entering point Alpha. Confirm green range.” 

“Uh, Maverick, range control, uh, green range is confirmed. I don’t see an event scheduled for you, sir,” Range control tells him. “We’re already aware of your partner but your name is not on our schedule.” 

“Well, I’m going anyway,” says Pete. 

“It’s a beautiful day to be in the sky.” 

“You say that every time, Angel.” 

Natasha, Mickey, Rueben, and Bob push themselves to the edge of their seat at the sound of your call sign. 

Jake uses his fist cover his mouth, hiding his smile. 

“And I will continue to do so.” 

“Nice,” Natasha mutters. 

“Setting time to target: Two minutes 15 seconds.” 

“2:15? That’s impossible,” Rueben says to himself. 

“Final attack point. Maverick’s inbound.” 

A hearty chuckle escapes you before you could stop it, getting the man to smile. “Let’s light ‘em up.” You maneuver yourself beside him, “if you can keep up.” 

“I think it’s the other way around. I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you.” 

“We’ll see.” 

“Popping in three, two, one,” he says. 

You follow his lead. You two try and wait until your target is locked but your’s isn’t quite there. “Gotta go in blind,” you mutter. “Do it, Mav.” 

“Bombs away.” 

Jake mutters to himself, “damn.” 

“Bull’s-eye! Holy shit! Holy shit! Mav!” You pull up beside him, taking off your mask, showing him how pumped you are that you were able to do this. “Aw shit.” 

“What?” He huffs. 

“You know what.” 

“Oh, that. We’ll be fine.” 

“I will blame everything on you.” 

“I see why you’re Angel now. You know just how to comfort someone.” 

“Don’t make me kick your ass.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” 

-

Once you're on the ground, you head over towards the class, with Pete slowly walking beside you. “He won’t do anything. He now sees what the other old man saw in you,” you tell him. 

“I don’t know.” 

“No,” you shake your head. “Goddaughter knows best. Believe me.” 

“I’ll believe when I walk out of here without being discharged.” 

“You know why they call me Angel.” 

He shakes his head. 

“I tell prophecies and you being discharged is not one of them. Coming back to Penny is the one I see.” 

He chuckles until it falls when he realizes how close he is to standing before his students. 

-

You pause in the wide doorway when you hear you call sign being called by a voice you never wanted to hear again. 

You slowly turn, face void of emotion as you stare at him. 

“Look at you all dresses up. You really think you can come back, and everything will be fine?” He stares at you waiting for a response. 

You blink once. “Are you done?” 

That throws him off. “What?” 

“Are you done because this whole douche persona is not working and honestly right now, you’re ruining the adrenaline high I have right now so if you could just go that’d be great.” You spin around, aiming to stand beside Pete. 

“How’s that shoulder of yours?” He grabs the shoulder you fell on because of him and quickly spin around, grabbing his hand, twisting so he feels nothing but pain and cries out as if he’s afraid you’ll break it. 

“This is getting pathetic. You have two choices, stop being a prick and harassing me.” 

He groans. “What’s the second choice?” 

“There’s a lot to think of but the first one would be ideal.” You barely move him, and he immediately agrees. “Good. Now, go away.” 

He gets up, cradling his arm to his chest. “You deserved it!” 

You shake your head at his idiotic and hot-headed behavior. “What was that?” 

He’s gonna get what’s coming to him if he keeps going. “You should be lucky all I did was push you off that ladder. It was great without you here.” 

You glance over Beau, “you get that.” 

He nods and calls for the jerk and Pete to follow him to his office. 

-

You’re then bombarded by people. 

“I told you. I told you,” she repeats hugging you. 

You smile, hugging her back. “Shut up.” 

She pulls back, shaking her head. “How are you not shaking or get stuck in G-Lock?” 

You don’t answer her. 

“You- you’ve been practicing?!” 

“Just because I wasn’t here doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have practiced and make sure I don’t lose my skills.” 

Mickey and Reuben push past her, giving you side hugs and shoulder pats. 

“You have balls,” the taller one of the two tells you. 

A chuckle exits your nose, “thanks.”

“No, I mean it. You and Maverick did that with sixteen seconds to spare.” 

“Sixteen?” 

He nods. 

“I was hoping for twenty,” you sigh. “Oh well.” 

Bob moves forward aiming to give you a high five. “That was... something.” 

“Thank you, Munchies.” 

“That’s my nickname?” 

“Yep.” For some reason you look over his shoulder and find Jake staring at you. You can the corners of your lips tugging upwards and the longer you look at him, the more you smile. 

Bob glances over his shoulder, catching sight of the blond. He leans in, whispering in your ear, “go over and talk to him.” 

You furrow your brows, “what are you-” 

“Just trust me.” He walks away, neither of you take the first step that is, until Javy’s had enough and shoves him in your direction. 

“So- uh,” Jake scratches the back of his neck. 

“You intimidated?” 

He scoffs, “yeah, right.” 

“Seems like you can finally have that rematch,” you tell him, reminding him of your first day in class together. 

“I can, can’t I? But I think that’ll have to wait until after I buy you a drink.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah, plus I owe your sister a piggyback ride.” 

You quietly groan to yourself. “You don’t have to, Jake. I know she asks everyone but you-” 

“I want to.” He looks like he says he wants to say something else and is holding it back. 

“Something on your mind.” 

He chuckles through his nose. “I know why they call you Angel.” 

“Oh, yeah? Why?” 

“There’s this glow you have when you’re in the air and on the ground.” 

“Is that a line you say to every pretty girl you see?” 

“No- no,” he stutters, struggling to give you a proper response. 

Warlock announces with everything that’s happened, it’s time for everyone to head to the locker rooms and rest until the mission. 

You pat his arm before walking away and all he can do his stare at your back, wondering what you’ve done to make him struggle with talking to you.  

Three weeks later... (after the mission)

You’re happy Penny lets you come in once a week for a shift, it’s good for you. Being at the hard deck gives you time to clear your head and keeps you occupied when you’re not at Top Gun. 

Plus, your shift is usually right around the time when the crew comes by. 

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve seen them and you guy’s plan on hanging out for most of the night since Delilah’s spending the night at her friends place for a sleepover. 

A few of them stopped by at the beginning of your shift, you glance over at the pool tables, watching as Mickey and Billy play against one another while Neil and Rueben count their cash, clearly placing bets. 

-

After a couple of hours, Natasha comes in and grabs a round before heading towards the back where the others are. She was the only to notice when Bagman came in and how he hadn’t left his chair to come over and sit by you as you chat with the others. 

It’s been half an hour and she watches the way he’s staring at you, surprised that he hasn’t walked over to you yet. So far, she’s counted six lingering glances, two long sighs, and one-half drunken beer. 

She can’t handle this anymore and heads over towards him. “If you’re trying to get back together with her, don’t break her heart.” 

He spins to face Natasha. “What?” 

She groans, taking a minute to think about her next course of action and jams her finger into his chest, “don’t act the same way you did before. You and I both know she deserves someone who’s...” 

“Not me and not a douche, right?” 

She sucks in a quick breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Although most of that is true and I’m not going to say what is and what isn’t. You- you've changed.” 

He furrows his brows. “I have?” 

“Yeah. When you’re around her, you act like a civil guy and not like Bagman.” 

“I mean, I don’t-” 

“Please shut up and just go walk over there. It’s pathetic.” 

“Says the one who couldn’t keep her.” 

She rolls her eyes, “you are not allowed to be near Bob anymore.” 

“He was just being a good guy and answering my question.” 

“She’s definitely got a hold on you, you’re saying Bob’s a good guy,” Natasha jokes. 

“I’m not even gonna respond to that.” He pushes himself out of the chair. “Wish me luck, Princess Phoenix.” 

She groans, shoving him in your direction. Once he’s at the steps just a few feet from you, she downs the rest of the beer he left behind. 

Penny raises a brow. 

“Add it to his tab.”

- 

“Look who finally decided to show his face around here,” Javy jokes as his friend tries to make a move on you.

“Don’t you have a bet to lose, Coyote.” 

His buddy only offers a sly smile. “Nope.” 

“Yes, you do. Come on,” Natasha and Bob pull him away from you two. 

-

You turn to him. “You know what that was about?” 

Jake shrugs, “not a clue.” But he knows and knows that everyone else, but you know. 

“How’s it feel?” 

“How’s what feel?” He asks, giving you his full attention. 

“Having two kills in your belt. You know, being a hero and all.” 

He chuckles, suddenly feeling bashful. “I- uh- it’s- its fine.” 

“Really? You’re not bragging about it like you’d been doing since you saved Rooster and Maverick. What’s with the sudden change?” 

He shrugs because he can’t even tell what’s going on with him when he's around you anymore. 

“Do you wanna go for a walk outside?” 

He nods. Maybe fresh air is what he needs right now. 

-

You two close the doors just as Bradley heads for the piano. “Are you sure you’re, okay?” 

He rests his forearms on the railing. “Yeah. The more you ask, the more it sounds like you’re concerned about me, sweetheart.” 

You roll your eyes, feeling a little happier now that he’s starting to act like his old self. “You wish, Seresin.” 

“Maybe I do.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Huh?” His head slowly turns in your direction, barely moving up from his arms. 

“What do you mean?” 

The two of you don’t say anything for a few minutes and continue staring at one another, you try to figure out the meaning behind what he said, and he realizes that he’s been an idiot ever since you two broke up before you two were shipped off to different places. 

You furrow your brows. “Are you trying to tell me that you like me because, I don’t know if you remember, but we tried this,” you point to the two of you. “Before and it didn’t work out.” 

“I can’t help what I’m feeling and honestly even if I could, I wouldn’t want to.” 

“Okay,” you gulp down all and any spit that’s built up in your mouth. “If you want to give this one more shot, I’m gonna need you to be a big boy and put on your big boy boxers.” 

His head drops, he’s fighting the urge to smile but you take it as he can’t tell you what he feels. 

You’re not gonna stand around and wait for him to tell you no so you this opportunity to walk away. 

He grabs your wrist pulling you into him. “I am not letting you go again.” His other hand brushes away the strands of hair that come flying into your face as the wind picks up. “Do you hear me?” 

You switch between his two eyes, seeing if he’s being serious or not. 

“I think the first time I was too scared to let you in even though I already had, and I thought breaking up was better than us trying to make it work because I missed out on a lot of things,” his voice slowly becoming lower and lower towards the end. 

You can’t fight the urge to hide your runny nose or your tears, but you could care less to wipe away the tears trickling down your cheeks and sniffle. “Yeah, you did.” 

“I wasn’t there for you, and you needed me.” 

“I didn’t need you-” 

“That’s my fault, you’re right. You didn’t need me, but I think we both know it would have been easier if I was there to help. I mean, I wouldn’t have been much help, but I could have definitely taken Lilah out for ice cream after school or something.” 

“Oh, yeah. Load her up either sugar. Grade A parenting, Jake.” 

His lips tug upwards into his soft, boyish smile that he only reserves for you. “I want to be there for you. Anything and everything, all of it.” 

“Ja-” 

He shushes you. “Just kiss me, please?” 

You roll your eyes, “I was going to say when did you become such a sappy guy, but you ruined it.” 

He leans forward pressing his forehead against yours. His breath hitting your skin as a chuckle slips past his toothy grin. “You love it when I beg you.” 

“I don’t know. My tastes have changed,” you shrug. 

“Bullshit they have.” 

“My, my. You’ve got quite the potty mouth on you-” 

“Just shut up and kiss already.” 

Your heads snap over at the door, seeing Natasha’s head sticking out of the doorway. 

You groan, hiding your head into his chest. 

“I swear if two don’t- no, let go- no-” 

“She’s gonna take a five-minute break,” Bob tells you before closing the door. 

“And you said, I ruined the mood.” 

“Oh, shut up,” you giggle, enjoying the warmth emanating from him. 

“You know you never told me, yes or no.” 

“To what?” 

“To me.” 

You pull back, leaving enough space so when either one of you leans in, the other isn’t too far. “Oh, I didn’t.” 

He narrows his eyes. “No, you didn’t, and you know that.” 

“I guess you’re right.” You tilt your chin up, waiting to see his next move. 

“Hey guys.” 

“Why are you out here, Chicken?” Jake asks, keeping his gaze on you. 

“Oh, you know, just enjoying the... scenery. Have either of you ever watched the way the moon just reflects off the water.” 

Neither of you turn your heads. 

“Because you should.” 

You two do as he suggests, not realizing that he moves closer. 

You turn back to look at Bradley with furrowed brows. “That wasn’t much different than other nights.” 

He shrugs, “guess you’re right.” 

Jake moves back to his previous position. 

Before either of you two can understand what’s happening, you’re kissing Jake and you start chuckling when you hear the mustached man whine for the others to let him in. 

“You find that funny, sweetheart.” 

“Little bit.” 

“Maybe I can do this to distract you.” 

“Are you jealous?��� You mumble against his lips. 

He pulls back, resting his chin on top of your head, enjoying this moment. “As I’ve I’d ever be jealous of Chicken. He doesn’t have what I have.” 

“And what’s that?” 

“The best thing I could have asked for.” 

You groan into his shoulder, trying to hold it together. 

“What’s that sound for?” 

You unwrap your arms from his waist to hold his cheeks. “Why are you so cute?” 

“I’m not cute,” he pouts. 

“Yes, you are.” A mischievous grin spreads across your lips. “You’re my cutie pie.” 

He shakes his head, “no. Get off me.” 

“You know I’m joking. Don’t be mean.” 

“I’m not mean.” 

“Well, you’re not being very good.” 

“You’re lying. I’m good, I’m very good and we both know it.” 

“You’re not making this moment any sweeter.” 

“I’m making it so sweet; Baby on Board is gonna get his firs cavity.” 

“Why are you still being so competitive? You’ve got me.” 

“This is just something you’re gonna have to get used to, sweetheart.” 

You let out a fake deep sigh, “guess I am.” 

He grins, pecking your lips. “I win.” 

“Moment ruined.” You shove him away from you only to be pulled back into his embrace. 

“Not so fast.” 

-

“Can you two tease each other later and come back in to play pool?” Natasha asks, pulling you away from Jake. 

You glance back over your shoulder, giggling back at him. 

He stands behind you as you wait for Mickey to take his shot. “You know what I realized,” he whispers in your ear. 

“What?” 

“You’re the future Mrs. Bagman.” 

“What makes you think I’d be the one taking your callsign?” 

“Sweetheart, do I seem like the type people would call angel?” 

“Yes.” You spin around, placing a hand on his chest keeping yourself from losing your balance. 

“Really? Who?” 

“Me. You’re my little angel baby.” 

The corner of is lips tugs upwards, you still remember your guys’ song, and the one that just so happens to be playing at this exact moment. 

“And, we’d have to be engaged for that to happen but before that comes boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Did that confession and kiss out there make you think I wanted to be your best friend or something?” 

“You didn’t ask me.” 

“Oh, sweetheart, there’s no one else I’m kissing tonight or any other night but you.” 

You squint your eyes at him. 

“I see the looks you’re giving me and I’m gonna confess another one of my truths to you,” he leans down, his lips a mere few centimeters from your ear, his breath hitting your skin causes goosebumps to rise on your skin. “When we were together officially and unofficially the first time, you were the only one I ever kissed.” 

“I was?” 

“Yep. It’s your turn.” 

You don’t know how you one the game after hearing that but when you shot the last ball into the corner pocket and looked up, you realized how you did and you don’t hold back the smile that stretches your lips wide from corner to corner as you look at Jake, who walks towards you, a sense of pride in his eyes. 

His hand cups your cheek as he pulls you in for a deep, long kiss, earning sounds whooping and hollering combined with the sounds of fake disgust. 

Neither of you cared what was going on around you as you enjoyed the others embrace. 

When he pulls away to catch his breath, you tell him, “guess I’m good too.” 

He smirks, “finally, I get someone worthy enough to be called my competition.” 

“Don’t get cheeky with me, Hangman.” 

“Say it again.” 

You peck his lips, “keep it in your pants, Jake. It’s your turn to play now,” you hold the pool cue out for him to take. 

He shakes his head as he takes it, heading over towards the table Bradley is playing at. 

-

“I can’t believe you’re with Bagman.” 

You grin at her, taking a sip of Jake’s drink. “I know.” 

“But I’m happy for you.” 

“Thank you. You spot the brunette eyeing you in the corner by the jukebox?” 

“No, thanks for the heads up. Don’t wait for me.” 

“Oh, believe me. I know the way you work, and I won’t, Phoxy.”    

#top gun #top gun maverick #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick imagines #top gun maverick x reader #Jake Seresin imagine #jake seresin #jake seresin imagines #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x reader #Jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin imagine #jake hangman seresin fanfiction #jake hangman seresin imagines #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin fanfic #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin x pilot!reader #jake seresin x pilot reader #jake hangman seresin x pilot!reader #jake hangman seresin x pilot reader #hangman x reader #crazyk-imagine

[skelitinonmyback]

Nice to Meet Ya

pairing: agent whiskey x fem!reader

synopsis: you were a bartender of a dive bar in the middle of nowhere, wyoming. you knew everyone and everyone knew you, so when a stranger happened into your bar, you were willing to do anything to get to know him better. unfortunately for you, he was a very busy man.

content warning: SMUT 18+, porn no plot, small spitting kink if you squint, oral sex (fem receiving), insert fic with no use of y/n, p in v sex, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms (3), pet names (sugar, darlin', baby, sweetheart), age gap (reader is mid 20s and agent whiskey is 40)

word count: 3.7k

Being a bartender in the Middle of Nowhere, Wyoming was just about as luxurious as it sounds. You spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, keeping old men just close enough to get good tips but far enough to stay out of their hands. Today was no different than any other. You were in the middle of hiding Old Bob’s keys from him while he was in the bathroom, too drunk to get there without running into every object on his way. Including a very cowboy looking man that just sauntered into your bar.

You’ve never seen this man before, which was surprising because all of your customers were the same people you saw every day. He sat at your bar and you could tell by the way he looked at you he thought he owned the bar. A smirk twitched up the end of his mustache and he asked for two fingers of whiskey neat.

You couldn’t deny that he was very attractive. Although, he was probably 15 or so years older than you. His playful eyes and pouty lips made you want to listen to everything he had to say like scripture and beg him to continue. And man did you have a thing for cowboys. You doubted he would want anything to do with you, however. He seemed the type to want something as mature as he was, not a young little thing like yourself.

You set down the glass with a napkin in front of him. “So what brings you around here?”

“What makes you think I’m new in town?” Oh so he was going to be withholding?

“In a town like this you know everything about everyone,” you smiled. “And I have a feeling I would know you very well if I’ve seen you before.”

Much to your surprise, or rather disappointment, he didn’t seem very fazed by your comment. He just raised his eyebrows a bit and took a sip of the whiskey. “Is that right, sugar?” Fuck, if pet names didn’t make you weak.

“Oh, I’d count on it.” You gave him your name, but he seemed distracted and didn’t say anything back. “And you are?”

“Jack. Memorise it,” he drawled, giving you a wink and went back to searching the room. Something was definitely taking over his mind that kept him away from you and you were not very happy about it.

“Are you looking for someone? I might be able to help you.” You desperately wanted him to look at you again. You cycled through anyone worth a damn in this town quickly, there were so few, and you rarely got visitors. You were sexually frustrated to say the least and you were not going to let this opportunity slip you by. 

“Alright, sugar,” he queried. “Have you seen a group of guys come through here? They would’ve showed up about a week ago, all around my height, a little bigger than me, a lot scarier.”

“Wait, are you like a cop or something?”

“Or something. Are you gonna help out an old man, sweetheart?” The sound of sweetheart in his deep, Texan accent sent a wave of blush across your face.

“Oh, sorry. Yeah, I do know who you’re talking about. You just missed them though. They bounced about two nights ago,” you stammered, overwhelmed by his undivided attention.

“Fuck.” That sounded so good coming out of his mouth. “Well, thanks for your help, sugar.” He took a twenty out of his wallet and left it on the bar and turned to leave.

“Wait,” you called out. You were panicked, you couldn’t let him leave without at least trying.

“You can keep the change sweetheart. I have somewhere to be.”

“It’s just,” you were stuttering, unsure how to get him to stay. “I’d hate for you to leave town so early without making your stay worthwhile, especially since you couldn’t find the guys you were looking for.”

He laughed at you and you loved the way that felt. “Sorry, sugar, that’s kind of ya but I really should-”

He was interrupted by a body running into him.

“Dammit, Bob.” Fucking cock blocker. “Does Maryanne know you’re here?”

“Aghhh,” gurgled out of his mouth as he slouched onto one of your stools, double tapping the bar.

“No, I’m closing out your tab and calling your wife to come pick you up. You better hope she’s in a good mood today.” This wasn’t the first time this month you had to call Maryanne to pick him up. 

You tried to refocus on Jack, the not cop, but he was already gone out the door. So much for trying.

—

You wrapped up all the tills, cleaned out of the bars, and scrubbed down the lounge. It was 12:30 by the time you finished and you were exhausted and honestly a little sad. You’ve never been turned down so abruptly and it wasn’t great for your ego.

You didn’t analyze the parking lot yet, too focused on locking up to notice the man waiting for you. It wasn’t until he cleared his voice that you knew anyone else was there and it was not gentle. You practically jumped out of your skin, not expecting anyone else to be out there. You turned around and noticed who was waiting for you. Your sexy stranger, Jack.

“Jesus Christ! Don’t scare me like that,” you exclaimed, hand on your chest feeling you pulse.

“Sorry, darlin’. Was waiting for you to see me, but I got a little impatient.”

“No worries. Was everything ok?’ You settled on being confused instead of scared that he would wait for you. You were racking your brain on what he could need from you. Maybe he had a question about the group of guys that came through town.

“Actually, sugar, everything is not ok.” Oh god, did you do something wrong? You started second guessing everything you had done that evening. Perhaps the intell you gave him was wrong. If that was the case then shit you were in trouble. You didn’t know what to say to him, you just gawked at him with wide eyes. “I’ve spent the past two hours tossin’ around in my shitty motel bed trying to get soem sleep, but damn the thought of my head between those pretty thighs has been keeping me awake.

I’m sorry?

“I’m sorry?” you squeaked.

“Oh you should be, little girl. You may not know it but I am a very important man and I don’t have time to do this. But of course you had to try so hard to tempt me, and after all I am a man.” What was he even saying? He must have taken your silence for rejection because he kept on going. “Come on, sugar. You were practically begging for this from me early. What happened? You get scared?”

“No!” you rushed out, making him chuckle. “I am still interested, it’s just a lot to throw on a person at once, Jack.” You couldn’t look at him, a little embarrassed by your outburst.

He walked directly infront of you slowly, a little hitch in his step as if just spent hours on a horse. A true cowboy. He brought his head down to the crook of your neck, letting his lips graze you a little before placing wet kisses there. “Come on, sugar. I give you the ride of your life.” You whimpered at the proposition and the feeling of his lips against you. Fuck you wanted this so bad. “There you go, baby. Why don’t you let me  take you home, ok?”

You took a step back and slowly looked up at his eyes, taking in every square inch of his body on the way. Fuck he was so fine. As you looked into his eyes, you recognized the darkness of desire and greed and it soured you on more. You nodded and fumbled for your keys in your purse and dashed to your car, squeaking when he smacked your ass along the way.

—

The three minute drive home was relatively tame. Sure his hand was glued to your upper thigh, but it didn’t go any higher. His thumb rubbed in a repeated pattern against your skin and that small movement wound you up so tight that you were sure any other touching would make you cum instantly.

He kept his hands off you the whole walk up your porch and you were practically buzzing with anticipation. You opened the door to your home and let him go in so you could follow behind. You slammed your front door shut and soon you were all over him. You had your hands tugging at the fabric on his shoulders and you were giving him brazen kisses. Much to your disappointment he only touched you to push you away from him. To show your distaste you whined and gave him a pout, looking into his eyes. He brought his face down to yours and his eyes shifted between yours.

“Sorry, sugar. I just gotta make sure you want this,” he rasped, already out of breath from your attack. You started grumbling a protest but he wasn’t hearing any of it. “No, I’m serious. Give it some serious thinking ok? I’m quite a few years older than you, baby, don’t-”

“Jack,” you huffed, “fuck me.”

He chuckled at you and shook his head, amused by your desperatness. “Darlin’ whoever said I’d be fucking you?” Before you could basically beg him for his cock, he took you in his arms and started kissing you. 

He was kissing you differently from how you were earlier. His mouth enveloped the expanse of yours in slow movements, no tugging, no biting, just strong kisses. Once he was satisfied with the feeling of your lips, he swiped his tongue against your bottom lip and nudged your nose with his, queueing you to open up for him. Which you did happily. His hand moved to the base of head, tilting you back just slightly, enough for him to have complete dominance over you. He used his tongue to skillfully draw patterns against yours that made your head spin.

You pulled away from him to take a breath and look at his face. If anyone else looked at you with the same deep hunger he had in his eyes you’d think you were being hunted. But coming from his sweet, brown eyes, it sent a shiver down your spine and you were convinced he was the single thing in this life you needed. And you so badly wanted to show him that.

You pushed forward, aiming for the button on his pants, needing to feel his skin against yours, but he held you back, pinning your hands to your sides.

“Nuh uh, sugar, gotta make sure you taste as sweet as you look,” he rumbled, a man on a mission.

A blush washed over your face,  not used to men just offering to eat you out. It’s only happened to you once, you had to beeg your boyfriend from two years ago to go down on you and even then he was  only down there for a few minutes before getting bored and stopping. It was probably one of your most awkward sexual experiences and you weren’t really looking to repeat that with him.

“Are you sure?” your voice shook as you wanted him to clarify what he wanted.

“Of course sweetheart.” He tugged you towards him, running the tip of his nose along your neck. “Bet I could make you feel so, so good baby.”

“O-Okay,” you stuttered, a little over taken by the implication of his words. “Just wanna make sure you have a good time too is all.”

“Oh, sugar,” he chuckled, raising his lips to your ear. “I would be more than satisfied if you would let me bury my face in that sweet sunt of yours for hours.”

Fuck.

You whimpered and shakily exhailed, never having a partner like this before.

“Really?” Your voice is high pitched, practically overstimmulated by his hot breath, tongue, and words.

“Why don’t you let me take you back to your room and show you.”

You just nodded repeatedly, words escaping you, and kicked your shoes off at the door and grabbed his hand, dragging him to your room. He laughed at your eagerness, but followed you nonetheless and kicked his shoes off next to yours.

“Eager are we?” You just rolled your eyes and whispered for him to shut up, whipping your bedroom door open. You felt the weight of your clothes on you and decided it was too much, pulling your shirt off above your head. “Come here, sugar, let me help  you with that.”

He grabbed your belt loops and tugged your hips against yours. He wasn’t making any moves to undress you quite yet. Instead he stood there, looking down at your body, taking you in. The intensity of his stare made your body heat up and you started to feel antsy, like you were about to explode.

“Fuck, if you ain’t a sight for sore eyes,” he muttered, eyes finally drifting back up to yours. “Lay down on the bed. Now.”

You giggled when he tapped your shoulder, nudging you towards the bed behind you. You crawled up the bed and turned around to lay on your back to see he’s already on top of you.

“Well, look who’s eager now,” you teased him.

“Oh you don’t know the half of it,” he said absentmindedly, more focused on how your body looked below his. He made a mental picture of the way your chest had risen  and fell with each breath.  

You were starting to get impatient and when you opened your mouth tell him to piss or get off the pot he yanked your bra down your torso, forcing it off your shoulders, letting it rest around your waist. The sound of his gutteral groan when he completely enveloped your breasts in his hands made you moan softly back at him.

“Softest fucking thing aren’t ya?” You nodded along, too enthralled by him to act coy and modest. The hairs of his mustache tickled your sternum when he started landing sloppy kisses over the expanse of your torso. He was jutting from place to place as if he couldn’t decide what he wanted to kiss more. 

Eventually they led down the middle of your stomach to the button of your black jeans. Your thighs tightened the closer he got to your center from anticipation. With a light hand he started undoing your jeans, lips not leaving you.

“Lift up for me, baby,” he whispered against your skin. “Atta girl,” after you did what he asked of you.

He rolled your pants and your underwear down your hips, down your legs, and eventually off of you. You couldn’t help the shyness that overcame you when you brought your legs together, pulling your knees up. He tutted his tongue, telling you not to hide from him. He brought his hands to your knees to separate them and get a good look at you.

“Fuck, look at you sugar.” He could see the glisten of your wetness seeping out of you and onto your thighs. “All from a little heavy petting, baby?”

“From you,” you whined, feeling somewhat exposed for your sensitivity to his presence alone.

“All from me, that’s right baby,” he growled. He rushed to bring his face down between your thighs to shoot a thick glod of spit on your cunt. 

Your thighs shook in surprise and you moaned at the feeling of it. “Fuck, Jack.”

He brought his tongue from the very base of your whole to the top of your clit, and repeated that movement four or five times. You weren't counting. You were so deep in confused bliss. The feeling of his thick, hot tongue proding against your cunt felt so fucking good. This is not what it felt like last time at all.

“Taste so sweet for me sugar. Could stay down here for hours.” And with that he went right back to work, his tongue taking scoops of wetness out of you with a slurping noise. It sounded so perverted but god did it feel good. He was truly eating you out.

And fuck it felt so good. Each nip and suckle on your clit made your hips squirm and moans vibrated off the walls around you. He never came up for eair, just kept forcing his face as close to your cunt as he could. 

He was a man so talented with his mouth that you were sure you could cum 10 times in five minutess if he tried hard enough. Soon you feel yourself getting closer and he could tell too by the way your legs began to shake and your hands clamped down on his hair, tugging at it. He groaned against you when your grip on him started to get rough and that sent you over the edge. Your abs started flexing in on themselves and thighs came around his head, holding him down against you.

When you came down from your high, Jack was still on you with just as much ferocity as before. 

“‘S too much,” you whined at him, trying to push his head away from you. He smirked up at you in response and left a few more kitten licks before finally letting off.

“Sorry, darlin’. You just taste so damn good,” he growled before climbing ontop of you and attacking your neck with more kisses. “Could’ve been my last fuckin’ meal and I’d’ve died a happy man.”

You whimpered at his words and suddenly you didn’t feel close enough to him. You gripped at his shirt and tried to pull it up over his head but you weren’t very successful. He chuckled at your struggle and pulled his shirt off himself. While he did that you moved your hands down to his belt buckle, wanting every inch of him against every inch of you.

He moved your hands away and took over for you, telling you to not “worry your pretty head about a single thing”. You realized you still had your shirt on so you took that off, ready for him. Finally he was bare for you but you weren’t expecting the worried look on his face when he finally met your gaze.

“Alright sweetheart. I didn’t bring any condoms with me on this trip so… Maybe you have some or-”

“I got an IUD, please baby I need you. I’m clean I swear, just need to feel you,” you practically cried at him.

“Are you sure, sugar? Don’t wanna make you do anything you don’t wanna do.”

“Please, Jack, it hurts I need you so bad,” you begged and boy did he like the sound of it.

“Aw you poor thinng, you need me that bad? This tight little cunt is thribbing for me ain’t it?”

“Yes, sir. Pleasepleaseplease.” Your voice was starting to choke up with how badly you needed him.

He ran the tip of his cock against your slit, getting the tip wet as he shushed you. “Don’t you worry about a thing, sugar, I’m gonna take good care of you.”

Finally, he started pressing himself into you and your pussy began to burn with the stretch of his big cock. You choked out a “so big” that sounded hazy coming back to your ears. It hurt a little but it felt so, so good feeling so full.

“Fuck, baby, feel so good. Taking me in so well. Doin’ so good for me,” he groaned at you. 

“Neeed you to go faster, Jack, please baby.”

As if on command, his speed picked up extraordinarily fast and he gripped onto your hips so tight you were they would be bruised tomorrow. “Such a needy little cunt you have, huh baby? Needs me to fuck her nice ‘n fast.”

It felt like you had transcended to another planet, you were so overstimmulated with everything going on you couldn’t form any words. You just moaned and whimpered and gave him little “fuck”s and “mhm”s. You were already feeling so close and you just needed a little push to throw yourself over. As if hearing your thoughts oof how close you were, Jack’s hand shot down to your clit and he started rubbing tight circles on it.

“You close, sugar?” he said in a teasing voice. “Come on baby, I barely got in ya.” You whined, trying to paw his hand on your clit away or else you would be cumming way too soon. “It’s ok, sugar, let me feel you cum around my fuckin’ cock.”

Being the good listener you are, you gushed around him, vision fading as you moaned the loudest you ever had. He continued to fuck you and his hand on your clit didn’t stop. Your orgasm dragged out for what felt like hours and soon it started to feel like too much. 

You dug your nails into his bicep and curled your fist around the wrist in between your legs, but he wouldn’t let up.

“Just one more for me, sugar. Fuck it felt so good, need to feel it again. Can you do that for me?” He was mumbling at this point. He just needed to feel you cum around him, the way your muscles tensed around him felt like absolute heaven. He was chasing your orgasm so he could have his.

“Fuck, I’m cumming. Fuck Jack I’m gonna-” Your tongue tied in your throat, unable to explain anymore.

“Yeah, sweetheart I feel it. Fuck you’re so good for me,” he groaned  and maintained his pace. If he picked up anymore he would be spurting hot white streaks in you before you got to cum again.

It didn’t take two long however, a dozen more thrusts and you were clinging to his back as your orgasm overtook you. Jack’s hips stuttered and he started cumming his a groan. His grip got impossibly tight as he held you up against him, shoooting ropes of cum along your walls. He held you against him still for a couple of minutes, collapsing his torso against you in exhaustion, keeping his knees up to not crush you under his weight.

Finally he pulled his knees back a little, before rolling off of you, making you whimper, feeling so suddenly empty.

“Not bad for a Statesman Agent, huh?” he questioned retorically with a little chuckle.

A WHAT-

#pedro pascal smut #agent whiskey fanfiction #agent whiskey x you #agent whiskey x reader #agent whiskey #agent whiskey smut

[lokisprettygirl]

Hope you are doing well! Could you do a soft baby Loki where reader is teasing him sexually all day long until he can’t take it anymore. So when they go into the library or somewhere he begs the reader and she obliged obviously because who can ignore a sweet begging baby lo? 🥰

Okay this got filthier than I wanted it to be but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless 💚

Warning : 18+ Minors DNI, Sub loki, Mommy kink, discussion of pegging, dirty talk, degradation

Teasing loki was your favourite pastime. You couldn't help it, the way he got so squirmy and whiny always swelled your heart, it also made you gush. You didn't think it was possible for a man to sound as sexy as Loki did, his heavy breathing, the way he was just eager to get down on his knees and worship you, how he was willing to do anything just so you would touch his stunning cock. 

 "Mommy you are being mean" he whispered in your ear and you bit on your lips. You both were in the library, you were standing in front of the book shelf, pretending to check out the books but your mind was unable to focus on anything when his hard cock was pressed up against your ass like that.

"Am I? You're the one getting so hard in the middle of the Library and distracting me" he wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed a kiss on your neck 

"You know why I am like that, you made me so, now lovee mee pleasee, please love Mee" he whispered in your ear and his soft little voice made you want to fuck him right there. He wasn't wrong, you have been teasing him all day long

During breakfast you sat on his lap and grinded your hips slowly just to rile him up, you wore a dress that showed enough to entice him. While watching the movie with other Avengers at the tower you purposefully rubbed your fingers between his thighs, close but not close enough. The library was fairly empty and you may not be able to fuck him but you can definitely play with him some more.

"I do love you baby, you know that" he furrowed his brows and you smirked in response. You placed your hands inside his shirt making him shiver, he pulled you closer to him and latched his lips onto your neck to drown the sounds of his moans, 

"What do you need, hmm? Use your words" you clutched his hair with your fist and made him look at you, he was so painfully hard and he needed a release

"Touch me please, touch my cock" he grabbed your hand and placed it on his bulge then he rubbed your hand up and down, the sensation made him grunt, his teeth gritted and jaw clenched as you have him a squeeze

"Right there mommy..yes right there" he whispered and it made you smile. Desperate baby loki was your favorite loki.

"I bet you are leaking in there aren't you?" you mumbled softly and he nodded.

"Yess yess, it hurts please" he begged softly and you unbuttoned his jeans, pulled the zipper down and thankfully he wasn't wearing a brief today

"I'd never want you to hurt sweet baby" he whimpered as you rubbed your thumb over his sensitive tip, smearing the precum to use it as a lube, your right hand sneaked inside his pants and you gave his cheeks a good harsh squeeze

"Mmm yes that feels so good, ohhh nornss" he threw his head back as the sensation started to build so quickly, he has been on the edge for hours. He was struggling with his hands, he wanted to squeeze something so he pulled the zipper down on your dress and palmed your boobs, his lips latched onto yours as you fondled him shamelessly in the corner of the library where anyone could walk in and catch you two. Your bodies were pressed together so close, you loved his warm panting breaths on your face, his whiny moans in your ears made you want to destroy him thoroughly.

"Sweet sweet whore, you're being so filthy, getting your cock played with in the middle of the library, so desperate aren't you?" 

"Yesss mommy, please don't stop..keep touching..I need to cum pleasee" he mumbled in your ears, then he pressed his right hand over your mound to give you a squeeze, the wet warmth coming from your heat made him want to take you right here but he wanted to be a good boy and take whatever you wanted to give him.

"That's it ..such a good boy" you moaned with your words, he wasn't supposed to touch you like that but damn you'd be lying if you said it didn't feel so good. He wanted to be good but he also wanted to be sheathed around you.

"Please let me fuck you..I need you please" he begged again and his eyes teared up, the sight of his broken ruined state always made you drip like a faucet 

"Go ahead baby" that was all he needed, he pulled your panties down, picked you up quickly and wrapped your legs around his waist, then he trusted inside you quickly.

"That's so not appropriate babyboy, you're such a slut, couldn't wait to get to our room now could you?" He shook his head as he pumped his hips in and out of you slowly, the sound of his cock moving inside your wet cunt made the most obscene noises.

"Fuck you feel good around me..so warm, so constricted. I love it when you suffocate my cock mommy..yess yess oh yess" he mumbled incoherently, you grabbed his perfectly sculpted ass in your palm and kneaded it, your fingers accidentally brushed over his hole and that made you both shiver in unison. Did he want to be touched like that? You wondered. You both had never discussed it before but the image of him giving himself like that to you was now engraved in your head.

"How do you feel about getting pegged by me?" he moaned so loudly as you asked him that. That almost worried you that you two will get caught like this 

"Mmm I'd let you do anything to me mommy, fuck me up in all the ways you want.. yess I want that, I want you inside me too" you kissed him as he said that, you pictured him on the bed, with his ass perched up while you'd open him up slowly, first with your fingers, then maybe a bullet vibrator,

"You filthy Little slut, my baby ..I'm closeee, I want you to cum with me please" you mumbled softly and he smiled as he slowed down his pace. You teased him so badly throughout the day, he wanted to have his fun too

"It excites you right? Me on my fours willing to take your fingers up my ass" 

"Fuck godd loki" you cursed as he made you imagine the filthy scenario

"I'd be so good for you I promise, would you fuck me with a toy too?"

"mmmm would you want that babyboy?" You bit on your lips as you allowed your imagination to run wild.

"Yess pleasee, I just want you to play with me"

"I know baby I know..god you are dirty,.. so dirty"

"Maybe the one you used for yourself before you met me" you gasped as he said that.

"it's so big and thick, are you sure you'd want that?" His cheeks flushed even more as you asked him that.

"I want that, ruin me yess, ruin every little inch of me..cum mommy, cum for me" 

And you exploded around him. The feeling of your walls clenching around him threw him off the edge as well. He couldn't wait anymore, he had to fill you up with his cum. He kissed you to drown some of the noise you two were making, you both were loud and unabashed but none of you cared about it. 

"Goddd that was so filthy..I love you lo ..you okay baby?" you mumbled softly as you caressed his cheek, the one on his face. Now your thoughts were all dirty because of the talk you two just had.

"I'm perfect..I love you so much darling, you are perfect" he smiled as he took a deep breath. He cleaned both of you up with magic and you both helped each other fix your clothes. 

On the way back to your room you linked your fingers with his, 

"We don't have to do it baby, it sounded hot in the heat of the moment but I never want you to do anything you would feel uncomfortable with" he nodded as you said that and kissed your lips softly.

However a week later on your birthday you found him on the bed, all naked with his plump ass perched up and the toy laying next to him.

Couldn't have asked for a better gift. 

#loki #loki x female reader #loki x reader smut #sub loki x dom reader #loki x reader fluff #loki x reader insert #loki x reader fic #loki x you #loki x reader #loki x reader angst #sub loki fics #sub loki smut #asks requests

[winchesterandpie]

You're Home

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x reader

Word Count: 1705

Warnings: Very self-indulgent, hurt/comfort with an emphasis on fluff, a little tiny bit of spice, it's pretty much just fluff

A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! I know it's been forever since I've posted a fic, but I started writing this after I saw Top Gun: Maverick and it's the first time in a long time I've been able to write this many words without feeling like I was hitting a wall, so I'm posting it in honor of that. I know I haven't written in a while and it's a different fandom than I've written before, so I didn't tag my usual tag list. I might do more writing for Rooster, so let me know if that's something anyone would be interested in. Gif is not mine!

“I miss you, Roose,” you spoke into the phone, your voice little more than a whisper.

“I know. I miss you too,” Bradley replied at a similar volume. “Not long now though. I’ll be home before you know it.”

It had been a long mission this time. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d been gone as long as a normal assignment, but it felt longer. You weren’t sure why this one in particular was hitting you so hard, especially now that he was on his way home. Just a couple more days until you could see your pilot again.

That time couldn’t pass quickly enough. Today, of all days, you wished he was here with you. You kept reaching for him, only to remember all over again that he wasn’t home. You were well aware that it was a ridiculous reaction, but you couldn’t help that the sound of his voice on the other side of the phone had tears building up in your eyes.

“You still there, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, sorry.” You were trying so hard not to cry.

“You okay?” He must’ve heard it in your voice, despite your best attempts. “Honey,--”

“I’m okay, Brad. It’s just been a long day.”

“For me too.” He let out a slow sigh before going quiet for a moment, like someone on his end was talking to him. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. ‘M sorry.”

“I’ll see you soon?”

“Very soon, I promise.” He said your name then, and you felt a tear slip free. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

You tipped your head back when he hung up, willing your eyes to dry. He’d be home soon, you were sure of it. With your eyes closed, you could almost convince yourself he wasn’t gone. Then you remembered the shirt of his you’d brought to the front room with you. It was one of the Hawaiian shirts he loved so much, one of the few that still smelled like him. You bunched it up in your hands, holding it up to your face.

A knock sounded at the door, bringing you back to reality. Quickly, you brushed away the tear tracks and pulled on his shirt before going to the door. You took one more breath to steady yourself, fixed a smile on your face, then answered the door.

“Hey.”

How could it be possible? Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw stood in front of you, two days early.

“Bradley!”

He caught you easily, crushing you to him in a desperate embrace. You pressed your face into the crook of his neck and inhaled the scent of him. One of your hands reached up into his soft hair to hold his head to you. You didn’t even realize you had started crying until he pulled back just a little--just enough for you to look at each other.

“You’re home,” you managed through your sniffles. 

“I’m home,” he assured with a soft smile. His hand cupped your cheek, thumb brushing gently at your tears as you leaned into the touch.

“You’re home,” you repeated, returning the smile as you held his face. His other hand squeezed your hip before shifting further around you to press you closer. You were the one to gently pull his forehead to yours, quietly drinking in his presence for a long moment. His eyes weren’t dry either, you noticed as you caught some of the wetness on your fingertips.

You let go a breathless laugh and hugged him again. You held each other tightly, the feeling of his arms around you enough to squeeze some of the heaviness from your chest. 

Eventually, you had to let go again, but he kept one arm around you, only letting you go far enough for him to pick up his bag. You kept your arm around him to stay tucked into his side as he closed the door behind the two of you and toed off his shoes. You knew he would want to change into more comfortable clothes, so you tugged him toward your bedroom. 

When you sat on the edge of the bed, he pressed a kiss to the top of your head. Brad’s arm tightened when he felt a shudder run through you, but he didn’t say anything. You took several steadying breaths, reaching with your free hand to hold his shoulder. The longer you spent pressed close to him, the more the lingering weight eased.

“I missed you,” he said at last, the murmur of your name close to your ear.

“I really missed you too, Brad. Today was just…” you broke off, shaking your head before you finished your thought, “just really hard.”

He sat beside you then, enveloping you in his arms again while you shook. You worked to regain control of your breathing, reminding yourself that he was here with you now. The smell of him, the warmth of him, the sound of his voice mumbling reassurances grounded you, and finally the knot in your chest came undone. Rooster must have felt how you finally relaxed into him, but he held you until you pulled back.

“Sorry, I know it’s hard for you too. I don’t mean to--” 

He cut you off gently, with a finger over your lips. “You have nothing to apologize for. Okay?”

You didn’t reply immediately, still feeling a little guilty. 

He repeated his question, tilting his head to catch your gaze, “Okay?”

“Okay.”

Holding your gaze for a little longer, he nodded to himself, as though confirming that you really were okay now. 

Every time he came home from a mission, things were a little different. Sometimes, you held him, or he held you. Others, you held each other. Your favorite days, he would come home grinning and he’d spin you around and play the piano for you while you laughed and sang along. 

Every return, even the happy ones, usually after you had both settled, there came a moment when you checked in with each other. It had taken time and many nights of frustration for him to learn to let you in, long used to depending only on himself. Nowadays, Bradley was much quicker to talk to you when he was hurting.

You could tell by the look in his eyes that it was time for that check in.

He brushed a lock of hair out of your face and then moved both hands to hold your face tenderly. You grasped his wrists, moving your thumbs back and forth across the backs of his hands.

“Are you okay, sweets?”

“I’m alright, now that you’re home. Are you okay, Roose?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“So we’re okay, then?”

“We’re okay,” he confirmed, smiling at you.

“I love you,” you said, leaning closer toward him as the tone of the day shifted. 

He picked up on your hinting, his smile turning into more of a smirk before he kissed you. 

The scent and feel of him against you became unignorably heady. You released his wrists, letting your hands slide back up along his arms. When your fingers tangled in his hair, his hands traced down your sides on an achingly slow path. The mustache tickled your skin, making you grin against his kiss.

“I love you too,” he mumbled against your lips as he caught his breath.

Bradley let you kiss him again, nipping at your lower lip to make you giggle before swallowing the sound. You melted into each other, the kiss becoming at once soft and demanding. His hands started to push his Hawaiian shirt from your shoulders and you shifted to help it along.

Then his stomach growled hungrily, and you couldn’t keep kissing him because of the force of your laughter. He pouted at you, and you managed to hold back well enough to kiss along his jaw. You followed that line down his neck and to his shoulder before resting your cheek against that spot so you could look at him.

“I suppose we’ll have to pick this back up after dinner,” he chuckled sheepishly.

“S’pose so, Lieutenant.” You picked your head back up, nudging his nose with yours.

Rooster kissed you again, on your lips, your nose, your cheek, then finally your forehead before he stood and moved to the closet. He pulled off his shirt as he went, which was perhaps a little preemptive, but you weren’t about to start complaining.

“Honey, darling, light of my life,” he started after a moment of staring at his nearly empty side of the closet, “where are all of my shirts?”

“I have no idea.” You tried very hard to look as innocent as possible when he turned to look at you with a grin.

“Is that so?”

“Maybe. Or maybe not, who’s to say?”

He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his bare chest and an eyebrow raised at you. You hopped up from the bed and over to him. Bradley grinned at you as you approached, pointedly not mentioning the shirt of his you were currently wearing.

“What’ll you give me if I tell you?” You stood on your tiptoes, hands on his chest to keep your balance.

“You’ll have to find out.” His stomach growled again, his face brightening with a laugh for a moment before returning to a playfully fierce stare.

“Ah, but I wear them better--you’ve said so yourself.”

“You do know where they are, then?” Bradley finally uncrossed his arms in favor of pulling you closer. Heat practically radiated from his skin and you went weak in the knees. He gave you a knowing look as he supported more of your weight.

“I do know where they are, but maybe I’m still waiting to hear your offer, Roose.”

“Well,” he started, leaning down to kiss you briefly, “I’m sure we can work something out.”

Your stomach growled then, reminding you that it was definitely time to eat. He laughed again and you couldn’t help but laugh too. You realized then, as you had realized many times before, that you would fight a thousand armies single-handedly to keep that brightness on his face. You didn’t know it, but he was having a similar thought about you.

“Dinner?” he asked when the laughter finally slowed.

“Dinner.”

#bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x reader #rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun #top gun maverick #I haven't had this much fun writing in a long time #hope you enjoy!

[starrysnowdrop]

26 please.

This one was also requested by @traveler-of-light, so thank you both so much for this one! I actually was able to write a little bit, so I’m incredibly grateful for it!! Once again, thank you @mimble-sparklepudding!!

26. Protection

Hali x Aymeric

During 3.1, after the attempted assassination of Aymeric de Borel; Hali is worried about Aymeric’s health as he intends on returning to his duties before he is fully recovered.

Hali lightly pressed her hand to his armored chest, sitting on the edge of Aymeric’s desk so that she could look him directly in his eyes. “Aymeric, I know you intend on fighting these fundamentalists head on, and you aren’t willing to have anyone else take the lead. But please, you can’t push yourself! You still haven’t fully healed yet!”

The lord commander placed his hand over hers, with a sigh. “Hali… I cannot promise you that I will not injure myself more. Not when so much is on the line, and especially when I am whom they have placed the blame. No, I must do my duty no matter the cost to myself. You must understand this.”

“Alright, if you insist on being reckless, then you leave me no choice.”

Aymeric looked at the tiny woman with confusion as she took away her hand from his chest at touched the tip of his nose with her finger.

“I will let you go, on one condition.”

“And what might that be?” He asked with a cheeky grin.

“I must accompany you. I am to be your personal healer, and you will be under my protection. That means no running off on your own, no insisting that I remain behind in trying protect me, and no placing me under someone else’s command. You and I will fight them together, and you are not to leave my sight. Understood?”

Aymeric nodded and gave her a gentle smile as he took her hand in his.

“Yes, my lady.”

#my writing #answered prompts #hali aloke #oc: drops of jupiter #hali x aymeric #ship: hold me closer