#decided to make a little something in honor of the pride month | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

changetyre · 11 months

Text

Experimenting || CL16 & MV33

SUMMARY: You’ve always thought Charles wasn’t fully straight, you could tell by the way he looked at certain men and maybe some things he liked in bed but he always seemed too shy to say anything. You decide to call for a helping hand. Charles Leclerc x Reader x Max Verstappen

WARNINGS: 18+ Terribly written Smut, Male oral, Fingering, Fruity behavior, A*s play, mentions of pinning Frotting, and some more stuff probably.

A/N: in honor of Pride month ig 😪 also want to make it super clear that this is not me imposing a sexuality on anyone, this is obviously a work of FICTION and nothing should be taken as real!

________________

“Fuck yeah right there” Charles whimpered as you stuck a finger in his whole while blowing him.

Ever since you first suggested trying ass play on his part to him a few weeks ago he quickly grew obsessed and you swore you’d never seen Charles cum so har before or emit the noises he did until now.

You knew having a man comfortable enough in bed to try anything didn’t have to mean anything other then them being comfortable in their own sexuality.

Except for you in your years of relationship with Charles you’d grown to notice more and more the way he behaved towards certain men, attractive in both your eyes. The way he got flustered or shy around them and how sometimes you noticed him get turned on by some.

Your suspicious only grew stronger when Charles asked you to try pinning. You could tell he was both exited and nervous watching you put on a strap on starting at a moderate size for him.

He was nervous you could tell but he fell in love with the feeling of having a cock inside of him and as much as he tried to convince himself it was simply the fact that you were doing this to him he couldn’t help but imagine what a real one would feel like.

No, he wasn’t growing bored of you or loosing attraction to you in the slightest it was only that as he grew more comfortable in your relationship, in bed, he had allowed himself to explore himself more in ways he hadn’t found the space too.

Little did he know how much you noticed this and how much it turned you on to see Charles become nothing but mush with all these things you were trying and how much you wished to continue and increase his pleasures as much as you could.

Which is why a few days ago you’d taken the liberty to invite a friend on an adventure with you hoping to get Charles to open up (quite literally).

“Fuck cherie don’t stop! Don’t stop! I’m gonna cum” Charles breath grew erratic as he came into your mouth, your fingers slowing down their pace in his whole.

“Did you enjoy that baby.” You swallowed before you left small kisses on Charles dick making him twitch and gasp from the sensitivity.

“Beaucoup trop” he chuckled as he wrapped his arm around your neck pulling you up to his lips for a kiss. It was hot, he could still partially taste himself on your tongue making his cock twitch slightly.

“I love you.” You whispered after pulling away from the kiss, both your lips swollen and sore from the hours you’d been going at it previous to Charles final release.

“Je t’aime amour.” Charles whispered placing a soft kiss to your temple.

“Charles I need to ask you something.” You propped yourself up on your elbows looking at Charles directly. Your tone was soft trying not to make him nervous.

“What’s up bebe?” Charles smiled, it comforted you.

“I want to try bringing someone else to bed…and I invited Max to come tomorrow.” You revealed.

Out of everything you could’ve said this was the last thing Charles could’ve imagined to come out of your mouth. His mouth opened in surprise trying to wrap his head around what you said also half expecting you to reveal it was a joke.

He felt like he should get angry or at least annoyed for you taking on such a big decision on your own but he couldn’t quite bring himself to feel that way because as much as it scared him to admit it the thought excited him, it aroused him more than he’d liked to admit.

You sensed his hesitation. “I can always cancel baby I don’t want you to feel pressured or do anything you’re -“

“No!” Charles sounded a little more desperate than he intended and you had to fight back the smirk that wanted to appear on your lips. “No…it’s fine I’m okay with it…let’s try it.”

This time you allowed yourself to smile. You also took note of the fact that Charles had no protests on Max being your invitee and instead you could see the twinkle in his eye at the mention of his name.

Maybe the lestappen fan base aren’t as delusional as they seem, you thought to yourself.

______________

“Are you sure you wanna do this baby?” You asked Charles one last time. Max should be arriving at any minute but you wanted to make sure Charles was 100% sure and comfortable with what was about to happen.

“Yes amour I’m sure. I promise.” Charles answered just as there was a knock at the door. His stomach fluttered but he couldn’t tell if it was nerves, excitement or both.

You rushed to answer the door, Charles taking a deep breath before following after you. It wasn’t until you opened the door and his eyes connected with Max’s did he realize he had no idea what you told Max.

Did Max know you wanted to have a threesome with him? Or were you both going to try to seduce him? Was Charles meant to play with Max or would that only be you?

He began to get caught up in his thoughts until he felt your hand on his arm. Your touch easing him significantly.

“Charles is a little nervous but I’m sure we can help with that right?” Your eyes remained on Charles even though you directed your question at Max.

“Of course, you know what Dani says this isn’t my first rodeo we can get him to loosen up in no time.” Max patted Charles's chest before letting his hand drop to Charles's waist as he walked past the doorway into your home.

Charles couldn’t ignore the way Max’s words and touch made blood travel right down to his center.

_________

Charles stood in awe watching Max's hand tightly around your bare waist as he made out with you passionately in front of him. He watched as Max's hand traveled down to your ass which was covered by nothing but your red lace before he gave it a squeeze making you let out a soft moan.

Charles wasn't jealous of Max, he was seriously turned on by the sight in front of him. In fact, he was slightly jealous of the fact that your hands were all over Max's abs and the way your hand rubbed up and down his bulge over his underwear.

He started doing the same to himself. Except his heart skipped a beat when he saw Max make eye contact with him while he kept making out with you.

He pulled away from you. "Come here, Charlie," Max called out to him nonchalantly as he carefully pushed you back towards the bed making you sit on it.

"Why don't you help him relax," Max spoke to you this time as he brought Charles in front of you, you got on your knees smirking at Max's proposition before you released Charles from his boxers.

Charles's head fell back as your mouth covered him and you bobbed your head up and down his shaft. His feelings intensified by the fact that Max was rubbing his shoulders, and chest and even letting his fingers flicker his nipples.

"Ah, I won't last long like this." Charles sighed as he grabbed your head softly pulling you off him.

"What do you want us to do then?" You asked as Charles helped you off your knees and you placed a short but deep kiss on Charles's lips.

Max walked around him joining your side as you both faced Charles. It was only then Charles realized Max had stripped completely and now all three of you stood in your full naked glory.

Max was big there was no denying it but he wasn't bigger than Charles which is something he took notice of, although Charles couldn't deny the girth Max carried which made him nervous.

"I don't think I'm ready for..." Charles stumbled on his words as his gaze remained on Max's length.

"That's okay...we can do something else for now," Max reassured him unable to contain the proud smirk on his lips at the way Charles admired him.

"I have just the thing." You couldn't hide your excitement and what you had planned, something you really had been wanting to try, and just the thought got you wet. "Baby lay down on your back for us." you instructed Charles.

He did as you told, trusted you enough not to question it.

"Max can you straddle his thighs please" you then asked Max as you climbed onto the bed kneeling beside Charles.

Max smiled quickly figuring out what you had in mind.

Charles felt tingling in his entire body as he watched Max climb on top of him and jumped slightly when he felt Max's length graze against his skin.

"Relax baby, you'll enjoy this." you leaned down whispering in his ear before leaving kisses down his neck, and chest.

"What now?" Charles breathed getting slightly impatient and frustrated at the urgent need for something to happen.

"Ready baby?" you asked as you kept trailing kisses down his body reaching his dick.

"Yes, please do something." Charles's dick twitched involuntarily as your lips neared it.

He let out a long sigh as you licked a stripe down his length before doing the same to Max. You repeated the step, blowing them a couple of times getting them slick enough for the next step.

Once you felt they were slick enough you finally did it. You had to use both your hands as you joined their dicks together rubbing them against each other slowly while you moved your hands up and down.

Charles let out a guttural moan at the new feeling, his head immediately falling back and pressing into the pillow behind him. His eyes shut tightly, he didn't have to see what you were doing the feeling was overwhelmingly pleasurable enough and he also thought that if he looked he would cum immediately.

It was embarrassing how wet you were from the pleasure you were causing both these men, watching Charles trying to hold back his release and Max's ragged breath as he watched and thrust into your hand.

You jumped when you felt two fingers inside of you not realizing Charles had reached around, of course, he was worried about your pleasure too. He moved his fingers in and out at a rapid pace curling them exactly where he knew.

You almost orgasmed when Charles pulled his fingers out of you and used your juices to coat over his and Max's dick making sure everything remained slick enough, repeating the process of wriggling his fingers inside of you and collecting your wetness multiple times.

"I'm gonna cum." Max announced after a few minutes.

"Me too." Charles and you sighed in unison.

You released first around Charles's fingers and only a fraction of a second later did Charles cum quickly followed by Max whose cum mixed with Charles on his stomach.

Charles finally allowed himself to see the mess he and Max created on him although the scene didn't last long before he watched you lick his stomach clean swallowing all the contents.

"Fuck that was so hot." Max chuckled.

As usual, Charles grabbed your neck pulling you into him and kissing you deeply tasting now not only himself but also Max in your mouth.

"That was...incredible." Charles sighed after you pulled away, he watched Max climb off him and begin to put his boxers on.

"Call me anytime, and whenever you're ready we can try more." Max winked getting dressed in such a relaxed manner like he hadn't just aided in giving Charles the most incredible orgasm of his life.

"Thank you." You sat up thanking Max, he leaned over pecking your lips quickly before doing the same to Charles and walking out the door.

You looked down at Charles watching the confusion on his face at Max's action before a small smile appeared on his lips.

Maybe next time would come sooner than you thought and you couldn't be more excited.

Part 2

#f1 #lestappen #xreader #f1xreader #f1smut #lestappensmut #f1threesome #f1 x reader #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen #charles leclerc #charles leclerc x reader #y/n #f1 imagine #smut

427 notes · View notes

presidentbungus · 9 months

Text

i’m still trying to decide what exactly demo does after the war. i do think he breaks the degroot cycle and i do think there’s a chance his mum disowns him for it. i think he realizes he’s too miserable to ruin a kid pretty early on in adulthood and decides it’s worth it to sit through every long lecture about bloodlines and grandchildren over birthing a child into a loveless marriage and making it just as miserable as he is (which, he eventually comes to terms with, is exactly what happened to him)

it’s hard. cleaving yourself from your family like that, your clan, the people that brought you into the world and half-raised you and filled your head with all kinds of funny ideas about honor. after the war i thjnk he just shuts himself off from the world and sulks for months and months and months regretting his choice, knowing he can never go back, figuring this is the path of unluck he was following all along, destined to die alone in his thirties to alcohol poisoning in a huge mansion he has all to himself. eventually, though, someone does come along. soldier or scout or engie, in town for a visit and they won’t take no for an answer when tavish tries to tell them he’s moved on and he’s not really in the mood for a drink. it’s just one night, they just go get smashed at a random dive bar off the street and probably end the night in jail, but he wakes up the next morning and realizes that whatever it was tipped the single upright nail barely keeping aloft this whole massive pile of misery and self-pity and for the first time in months he wants to live. he wants to know people. he wants to try to rebuild what he had even if it’ll never be the same again

i think he just packs his bags and moves closer to someone he knows, honestly. makes a few calls and picks up and goes closer to wherever everyone else he knew in the war fucked off to, the closest thing he ever had to a family (even compared to the people that raised him), and starts to rebuild his life from scratch. it’s hard but he’s got at least one friend near him who’s probably in need of a project anyway, and he finds out quickly he had much more family than he thought as his coworkers start becoming parents and uncles of their own, and he never ends up having his own kids but he might as well considering how many times he finds himself godfathered, after everything he’d done for everyone, which turns out to be much more than he thought.

i think eventually he manages to get a job teaching high school chemistry or something stupid like that. not for anything resembling loose change, but it’s something to do, and there’s just a little bit of pride in knowing his mum’s probably doing flips in her grave every time he goes into work. he’s not great at teaching what he’s supposed to, but somehow the kids always come out of the class scoring twice the national average on whagever standardized tests they have to take, and he’s basically paying the school to work there below board anyway, buying buildings and funding school supply initiatives with the millions he has stocked up from all that thankless work in his twenties and thirties. even if he doesn’t have a kid of his own he makes himself a part of so many kid’s lives, not just teaching but building relationships, helping with homework and checking on home lives and showing up on the soccer field afterschool to cause a disturbance. and well it’s hard to feel like you’re a horrible useless person when every student you pass on the way to the teacher’s lounge beams at you and tells you about their day. it’s not much to a lot of people but it’s everything to him, finally something he can do that has a tangible positive effect on people’s lives, and that gives him a reason to stay upright, too, keep on trucking, keep being a positive example for every bright eye that looks up to him. for the first time in his life he feels like he’s worth something, without pretending to be something he’s not, bending over backwards in work he doesn’t enjoy to please someone who never loved him for anything he was in the first place. ok that’s it i think i have to go cry now

#bungus headcanons #tf2 #tf2 demoman #copied mostly directly from discord im sure you can tell #IM NORMAL ABOUT HIM. IM AVERAGE.#and none of this is projecting whatsoever. i don’t even know what you’re talking about

197 notes · View notes

queenimmadolla · 1 year

Note

Vivi, I cant stop reading your penny verse writing! It’s so good and it like makes me glow with happiness! I literally hate children but you’ve somehow given me baby fever! Especially like being pregnant is just at the forefront on my mind and having my partner coo at a growing belly, petting it and kissing it! OMG VIVI YOU’RE POISONING MY MIND WITH THOUGHTS OF BABIES AND GROSS DOMESTIC SHIT LMAO! (But I love you for it)

I AM HONORED. That makes me feel SO relieved because I, too, hate kids. Like, other than my nieces and nephews, I can’t tolerate kids. I think the majority of them are gross and way too annoying for how expensive they are. Luckily my nephews and nieces are pretty good kids/babies so they make it easy for me to give everyone baby fever with Penny and baby Wayne. Also, I give myself baby fever lol I catch myself thinking I could be like Penny’s mom if I had a baby lmao and you didn’t SAY it was a request but uh . . .

warnings: fluff galore (eddie talking to Penny while she’s still in your tummy)

(eddie munson x pregnant!reader)

more pennyverse here

“What does it feel like?” Eddie asked from his position, laying a little further down near your belly. He was referring to the baby nestled inside and actively kicking against where his palm lay over the bare skin of your bump.

It had taken a while, but you were finally showing in an obvious manner. You’d only discovered you were pregnant about three months ago and you had been ridiculously far along at five freaking months but your stomach hadn’t changed to let you know you were even expecting. It was really only in the last month and a half that your baby shifted to press against the front of your womb. She’d apparently gotten so comfortable, she’d decided to remain there, meaning you’d grown quite the bump in a short amount of time thanks to her rapid development. You still weren’t huge, though, so you didn’t expect her to be a big baby. Or at least, you hoped not, for the sake of your vagina. “Mmm,” You hummed, eyebrows pinched together as you tried to come up with a comparison Eddie would be able to relate to. There wasn’t really one, it was an odd sensation to have her kick from inside of you. On some occasions, you swore you could feel her move, shift around in there. “This is gonna make no sense, but it feels like a fish.” “What?” He laughed out, warm brown eyes flickering up to stare at you in amusement.

“Have you cupped a goldfish in your hand?” “To put it in a bowl or something?” “Yeah!” You nodded, head resting on a stack of pillows on the floor. One thing about the sudden baby bump is your back was not used to the additional frontal weight, so you’d taken to laying on the ground pretty much anywhere, even at home. Your friends found it very amusing and so did Eddie, once he got past his concern. “It feels like how they wiggle against your skin. Just a little more firm. And in my tummy.”

Eddie made a sound of acknowledgment before another kick was pressed against the palm of his hand, drawing his attention back to his unborn child. “Damn, my girl’s got a pair of legs on her, doesn’t she?”

He caressed your swollen belly, a look of adoration plastered on his face. You’d never grow tired of watching him prepare to be a father, he already loved her so much. Plus, your hormones were crazy and seeing him like this really got you going. “Do you think she can hear me?” It was the billionth time he asked. He always did before he talked to her. “She’s surrounded by amniotic fluid, so you probably sound like you’re underwater to her but she only gets this active when you’re talking to me. Think she likes your voice.” It was true, while she’d occasionally move around, she only ever got active when Eddie was present, always loud and boisterous.

You could tell Eddie felt a lot of pride in that, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your belly, hiking your blouse up a little further as he began their nightly conversations.

“You already know you’ve got me wrapped around your little fingers, don’t you?” He cooed out, watching the area of your stomach she was focused on pressing against, rising before she no doubt retracted her little foot.

“I can’t wait until I meet you–I mean, I can wait so don’t go getting any ideas but when you're finally out here with us, I promise I’m gonna take such good care of you and your mom.” He promised, licking his lips as they formed a soft smile.

“You got really lucky with her, too. She’s ridiculously pretty. Gonna have to fight other people off once she’s a milf. You don’t know what that is, I forget. A milf is a mother I’d like to f–” “Eddie!” You laughed, hand reaching up to hide your smile.

“You’ll learn when you’re older, “ He smirked, though it dropped quickly when he remembered how kids could be dicks sometimes and if they spotted her pretty mommy picking her up from school, she might find out when she’s not so much older. “And you’ll let me know if anyone refers to her as one so I can fight them, yeah?”

He took the next kick as one of agreement.

“That’s my girl. Now listen, about the sleeping arrangements. Personally, I’d like to keep getting a decent amount of sleep after your mom’s done baking you in there. Actually, I’m pretty sure your mom would, too, so I'm thinking maybe you just immediately sleep through every single night. If you’re opposed to it, that’s fine ‘cause–ya know, you’re gonna get your way regardless but it was just a recommendation.”

“And of course, cuddles. It’s imperative you know the second you’re in my arms, I will not be willingly putting you down. Most of your naps are gonna be there, in fact, you’ll probably ignore my sleeping recommendation so you’ll be sleeping in my arms, too, which isn’t a bad thing. Your mom does it all the time and I haven't received any complaints or bad reviews yet. Kisses are also mandatory, only a select few people are allowed to kiss you ‘cause I’ve done my research but considering it’s all I want to do right now and you’re not actually out yet, I will be unable to refrain from smothering you with them. I just know you’re gonna get annoyed with me, but I won’t be able to stop.”

As if to make his point, Eddie pressed a smattering of kisses to your belly, chuckling when you squirmed underneath him. “I’ll teach you how to walk, I’ll teach you how to ride a bike, how to play an instrument–lucky for you, your daddy is multi-talented–I’ll take you on little daddy-daughter dates, your mom taught me how to braid hair so I can do that for you, too. I’ll do anything for you. Anything you want. So just finish up in there, okay?”

Eddie felt the heavy weight of your stare on him and once more, his gaze was flickering up to meet yours. “What?” “You’re so fucking cute. I’d offer to have your babies but I already am.”

Eddie smirked and pressed a kiss on the lower half of your belly, trailing a few even lower than that. “And I am soooo very appreciative of you, I think I should probably show you how much.”

834 notes · View notes

krnzysh · 1 year

Text

PRIDE OF A SCRIBE !

SUMMARY You stood there, under the rain, soaking wet, and face to face with the same man whose pride you loathed with every fiber of your being. Yet how come he stood there, eyes so soft for you?

CHARACTER Al-Haitham x gn!reader

WARNINGS major spoilers for pride and prejudice (I used the same dialogue for the confession heaurhisauf)!, OOC alhaitham (I based him off of Mr. darcy’s personality cus why not), arguing, angst no comfort, gender neutral reader, just angst<3, oneshot only. lmk if I missed any!

WORD COUNT 1229

PICTURE CRED Alhaitham's character demo

[💬] LOVE, AIKA I recently rewatched pride and prejudice heisdh and I wanted to write a little come home offering for Alhaitham so uhm yeah🧍 he just fits Mr. Darcy so well ahuehuehue (I actually have another idea for Mr. Bingley ehehsihd lmk if you want it hehehe)

Your idiocy is something you are not proud of. Now because of your decision, you stood there soaking wet, from head to toe.

It was a sunny morning, with no signs of a dark sky, or the feeling of cold droplets of water on your skin that fell from the heavens.

But here you were, running. Desperately seeking shelter from the harsh wind and the heavy downfall of the rain.

Moments before, you were just sitting in the House of Daena where you were reading on scrolls for your research. You were far too engrossed that you didn’t notice the abundance of scholars who left before the downcast of the rain.

As you think back, you make a mental note on making sure that you are more aware of your surroundings.

Exhaustion enveloped your body as soon as you leaned on the wall for support. ‘I need to get home’. Was the only thought that occupied your head.

But before you could stand once more, a certain figure caught your line of sight.

As the figure grew larger and larger, and as a presence drew nearer, there the grand scribe of the Akademiya stood in all his glory.

He was the last person you wanted to see. Especially in this state of yours.

You wanted to avoid him as much as possible, “Alhaitham... What are you-”

“Y/n, please.” He cut your inquiry off, his voice bled and beseech you to listen to him, his eyes scanning you, earnestly trying to make you stay and hear him out.

Deciding to hear him out, you stood in silence, breaking eye contact with the scribe. What could he be thinking?

Noticing your silent response, he took this as a sign to keep talking. Finally, tell you what he was keeping deep in his heart.

He began to speak, in a manner you most certainly never expected him in. His voice was filled with adoration and he spoke as if he cherished and loved you.

“Y/n, I have struggled in vain and I can no longer bear it.” He started, eyes locked on you. You saw how he badly wanted to hold you, yet he refrained from doing so.

You stare at him, awaiting his next words. Your ears perked and were ready to hear every last syllable that came from his mouth.

“These past months have been a torment, I repeatedly came to the House of Daena to see you…” He admits. Alhaitham stopped for a moment before continuing.

“I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.” He continued, albeit faster and his demeanor never faltered.

But you? You were confused. Oh so confused.

What was he saying? End his agony? You couldn’t understand. And with confusion in your eyes and in your voice, you questioned him;

“I don’t understand…” You didn’t understand. After he insulted your ranking and your position after he said all those words and after he asked you to end his agony.

‘Just what is this scribe pertaining to?’ You ask yourself

Sensing the confusion, Alhaitham, spoke, with more honesty and love.

“I love you.” He finally confessed, stopping for a second before continuing, “Most ardently. Please do me the honor of accepting my hand.”

The shock was painted all over your face. Eyes blew wide, mouth agape. Your head still hasn’t registered his words.

Alhaitham, the grand scribe of the Akademiya, the prideful man he is, confessed his feelings, to you…?

You had no feelings for the man, atleast that is what your mind wanted to believe.

Minutes felt like hours, the long cruciating silence that took over you both was silent enough that only the pitter-patter of the rain can be heard.

“Sir scribe, I appreciate the struggle you have been through, and I am very sorry to have caused you pain. Believe me, it was unconsciously done.” You finally replied to him after what seemed like ages.

Alhaitham whose face never changed still maintained that poker face, replied to your statement. With a curt “Is that your reply?”

The cold and monotone voice spoke through the never-ending sploshes of water

He maintained eye contact with you as you answer his question.

“Yes, sir scribe.”

“Are you… are you laughing at me?”

“No.”

“Are you rejecting me?”

You so badly wanted to let out a scoff, he still couldn’t let his pride now, even at this moment. Can he?

“I'm sure that the feelings which, as you've told me have hindered your regard, will help you in overcoming it.” You told him, blatantly rejecting him.

“Might I ask why, with so little endeavor at civility, I am thus repulsed?” He further inquired.

The irony. You thought that maybe he could’ve let his pride lower, even just for this moment. But no, he’s just that prideful, isn’t he?

“And I might as well enquire why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgment.”

“So this is your opinion of me. Thank you for explaining so fully. Perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty…”

Looking him in the eye, your rage grew, more and more so.

“My… pride?”

You questioned him, is this how he treats the person he cherishes and adores?

“...in admitting scruples about our relationship. Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?”

Oh, he just added fuel to the raging fire that you desperately tried to tame.

You knew of your status, you were well aware you were not born into an influential family nor were you raised with so much money. But for him to insult you and rub it into your face?

Hurt, you reply to him “And those are the words of THE GRAND SCRIBE.” emphasizing his title.

“From the first moment, I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.”

No, you know it yourself, you don’t hate him, you don’t loathe him. You adore him. So much so that you just wanted to embrace him and make him yours.

But what he said just hurt you, so much.

You both stood there, eyes filled with rage, but if you look closer, you can see how hurt you were.

Alhaitham wanted to hold you. He wanted to cherish you, to give you all the love that you deserve. But he had to mess up, maybe Kaveh was right.

You saw how he wanted to reach out to you, but he stopped himself.

You saw how he wanted to wipe your tears away and apologize, he wanted to comfort you.

“I… apologize for taking so much of your time. Please stay safe, Y/n”

He finally spoke up, breaking eye contact with you. Turning around to leave.

He gave you one last glance before finally, leaving you and your thoughts alone.

Too much thought ran throughout your head, still not fully understanding the situation. Still in confusion.

But you had one question for yourself. Did you really, not love him?

720 notes · View notes

prongslvl · 1 year

Text

BY YOUR SIDE, THAT'S WHERE I STAY - james potter

PAIRING james potter x gn!reader

SUMMARY a conversation between friends makes you question your boyfriend's career decisions. james reassures you.

a/n: just something short and sweet! i had a pretty long day so i thought writing something cheesy would cheer me up (it did). happy reading!

"say, i heard your boyfriend's pretty talented in magic?" your friend, whom you met working in hogsmeade, leaning towards you with a smile.

you weren't aware of the reason she brought james up, but you didn't complain. if anything, you're glad you finally have a reason to gush over him.

"yes, especially during our time in hogwarts, a little genius he is. especially in one of our old classes, defense against dark arts." you said with a grin, your pride for your boyfriend grew in your chest. "he even got scouted by the ministry of magic— they've never scouted anyone."

your friend gasped in amusement, "really? that must've been an honor! i presume he accepted it?"

you chuckle, "yes, but he decided he wanted to work with me in the shop."

"right, you own a bakery, yes?" you nod in confirmation. "that's sweet of him!" she placed her butterbeer on the table after she took a sip.

the memory of james declaring that he wants to spend more time with you and revealing that he quit his job to work in the bakery is one of the many moments of the curly-haired boy that made you giggle to yourself. it did worry that it might give him a bad record in the ministry of magic, but your worries were relinquished as soon as you brought it up when he showed you the departing letter he got from them.

ever since then, he'd be behind the till, managing the customers while you baked their orders. you two had unbreakable teamwork. it was way better than when you were alone.

"but it is a shame, though?" her words made you stare at her in confusion.

"what do you mean?" you asked, fiddling with the wooden mug.

"i mean, i'm pretty sure he got a really good position in his old job. it's just a shame he had to give it up. the ministry of magic could've gained a lot of help from potter." she shrugs, laughing to herself. "but that's just from my observation of my customers."

you weren't really sure what to say, and you were suddenly uncomfortable in your seat.

she seems to notice this, waving her hands. "but i'm pretty sure he knew what he was doing." if her words were meant to reassure you, they didn't really help.

you remained tight-lipped throughout the one sided conversation before she had to leave to get ready for her shift. you left the pub with a heavy heart and doubts in your mind.

you've known james since your fifth year at hogwarts and his love for the ministry of magic, specifically their auror job. there were times in your relationship where you'd both talk about your future together after hogwarts.

"once i get my job as an auror, i'll spoil you to the brim." james said as he held your hands, a grin on his face. "i'll support your business in every financial way."

"james, you do know you don't get a paycheck on your first day?"

"guess they'll have to make an exception for me, then." he joked, making you laugh at his antics.

but what both of you didn't know was how time-consuming it was for james to be an auror. in his first week, he'd leave in the afternoon and come back at breakfast. you'd be lying if you said you didn't hate it, because you did. you both rarely saw each other out of uniform, too focused on your respective jobs.

at first, you didn't mind it. it was yours and james' first time getting a job together, and you understood it always starts roughly. but when a week of not seeing each other turned into a month, even missing your anniversary, james knew it was the last straw. both of you haven't looked back since then, working happily together.

when you got home, your friend's words continued to echo in your mind.

has james ever regretted it?

was there a time when he talked to a rude customer and wished to be anywhere but here?

did he ever look at you mid-conversation, wanting to bring up his mind changing?

you frown, hugging yourself on your shared couch. the last thing you wanted to be for james was a burden, a shackle that prevented him from doing what he actually wanted. the mere thought of it made you teary-eyed.

you lightly sniffed as you wiped your eyes. this caught the attention of your boyfriend in the kitchen. james was writing down something for the bakery when he heard you. he immediately drops anything, rushing to your side.

"hey, hey. darling?" he kneels in front of you, holding on to your face. you didn't know what came over you; when you saw his face up close, it broke the dam in your eyes. tears began to fall even harder, no matter how you tried to stop it.

james furrowed his eyebrows in worry. he hugged you in his arms, burying your face in his chest. he didn't know why you were reacting this way, and concern was definitely an understatement. he kept hearing you mumble a bunch of sorrys, making him confused about whatever made you feel the need to apologize.

"don't apologize for anything. you didn't do anything wrong." he buries his face in your neck, tightening his grip on you.

you finally calmed down after a while, james sitting next to you on the couch. he still had his arm wrapped around you as you leaned on his shoulder.

"did something happen today?" james asked softly as he laid his cheeks on your hair, sneaking a kiss on your crown. you let out a ragged breath, preparing to answer.

"it's just— me and my friend from hogsmeade, we talked today." you start hearing and feeling james' hums as he continues to listen to your words. "she talked about your job, i guess, jobs." you chuckled bitterly.

it wasn't rocket science for james to realize what might've probably happened, he knew how sensitive a topic his decision was for you.

"i've never wanted you to give up on pursuing your dreams, james." you look at him, his eyes meeting yours. "i could never take that away from you, james, never. but i think my selfishness still did it."

he shakes his head immediately. james grabs a hold of your chin, caressing your cheeks.

"there wasn't a day where i regretted choosing you, choosing us."

"but it was your dream—"

"it was, my love. it was." james gently pulls your head towards him, giving you a kiss on your lips. "dreams come and go. a person can always change their mind." he gave your forehead a peck as he continued.

"meeting you made me change and realize what i really want, my love. you showed me the future i want to have as soon as you said yes to me." tears began to form once again in your eyes. james immediately caught them with a swipe of his thumb.

you sigh, interlocking your hands with his, "i don't deserve you, james."

he chuckles, "you deserve the whole world."

james pulled you into a hug once more.

"you're my dream and i'll never stop pursuing you."

#james potter fanfiction #aaron taylor johnson #james potter fluff #james potter imagine #james potter x reader #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders imagine #marauders era

279 notes · View notes

hyperfreaksating · 6 months

Text

NEVER LEAVE ME AGAIN - 8/9

Heyaaaa fellow buggy simps ! I wish y'all a wonderful day !

Here it is ! The penultimate part of Nerver leave me again ! I just came back from my vacations and I felt the urge of writting Buggy things, sooooo here we are (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Author Note : this was my favorite part to write I have to say ! I hope you'll enjoy it. As usual english is not my native language, just started the anime, didn't read the manga, not trying my best to write something good, just making myself a little gift as an author

Content : Buggy x FemReader + kids, no use of Y/n, no physical description except for hair color. Alcohol, sadness, angst, a bit of yelling & screaming buuuuut also a lot of fluff & cheezy at the end, trust the ride darlings (~˘▾˘)~

[ FANFICTION MASTERPOST ]

Take a DEPRESSED BUGGY ILLUSTRATION & let's go !

If you missed the ship I'm on

You will know that I am gone

You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles

Never leave me again - 8/9

Buggy was deathly hangover.

He was lying on his desk, drooling, his captain's hat falling on his face, an empty rum bottle in the hand. He couldn't remember having his mind clear for once in the last two months.

Two months. It's been two months since you disappeared. Two months without seeing his kids. Two months sleeping - more like trying to fall asleep between two panic attacks - without you by his side.

Ah, fucking Reddie, you did the things right this time didn't you ? You left a note on your pillow, a looooong letter explaining in detail why you decided to leave him, to take the kids away from him for their safety - at least the time of Skye's recovery, but that you were not sure to come back one day. Every word you wrote felt like another knife in his heart.

He never felt this much like a shit - and oh god, he often felt like a shit in his life. He was trying really hard to be mad at you, because you abandoned him again and took his babies away from him, but the fact was that he was mostly mad about himself. How fucking stupid he was. When he saw Skye crying and screaming on the floor, something broke in him. At the moment, he couldn't do anything but freeze and fly away from his responsabilities. Now, he would trade anything, his boat, his crew, his treasures, chasing the one piece, to come back in time and tell you that no, this kind of accident would never happen again, clown's honor. Fucking stupid pride. Fucking stupid ego. Fucking stupid broken mind.

A vivid pain came over his head when he heard knocks on the door. He stood up a little. This was probably Cabaji, coming back from his daily patrol to look for you and the triplets. He has been sending his crew to your research every day and night since you left, but hasn't received any results yet.

"Enter, enter" he grumbled, massaging his painful tempers.

Cabaji entered the room and nodded at him with respect. Buggy smirked when he saw what looked like concern in the eyes of his chief of staff. At least someone on this boat still gave a shit about him. He raised an eyebrow to him, a silent question on the face.

"Captain… we found them." Cabaji said.

Hearing these words, Buggy felt his heart exploding with hope. A manic grin grew on his face, from one ear to the other.

And without even realizing it, he started to laugh, for the first time in two months.

Life could have been better, life could have been worse.

Makino was really nice to you, the village was peaceful and Skye's arm was almost totally healed. You missed Buggy's presence every day and the triplets seemed to mourn life on the ship, but deep inside you knew you took the right decision. At least for a short time.

Two months ago, you were such a mess. You called Nami and asked if the strawhats could come to the island you were on as soon as possible to take you away. She accepted without any questions.

You ran away in the night, when triplets were too tired to be noisy. You took a moment to write a letter to Buggy. You were aware of the severe impact your choice would have on him and you wanted to minimize the harm the best you could.

Nami, Luffy and Zoro came in a small boat to take you away. Their jaws fell on the ground in front of you when they saw you, tired and messy with three kids with either red noses or blue hair - letting no doubt about their father's identity.

"Do I really need to explain?" You grumbled, and they silently took you aboard.

Skye, Rory and Blaze quickly felt asleep in the small cabin's hamac, and you started explaining everything to your old friends : how Buggy was a good father - you chose to ignore their puzzled expression as you said so - but how irresponsible he could be, how much you were scared for your kids safety after Skye's accident and how you needed a place to rest, at least the time of her recovery. Nami never stopped rubbing your back while you were crying.

"You did well calling me, Reddie." she said with a soft tone, "I'm so sorry. We will find a place for the four of you to stay."

She took a moment to think before pursuing.

"I could take you back to my sister's location, at Cocoyasi? You know her and now the village is free from Arlong it's a pretty good place to live."

You shaked your head nervously, and answer sobbing:

"N… no.. it's where Buggy and I started to flirt, I … he would know "

Zoro and Luffy raised an eyebrow to each other. Apparently they didn't notice your love story with the genius jester started there.

"Luffy …" you finally asked, looking at your former captain "you always talk about your birth village in positive terms… do you… do you think I could stay somewhere there with the kids?"

Luffy's eyes opened wide, and he sent you one of these big, warm smiles only him holds the secret off.

Road to Fuschia village was quite a long way, you had to spend two or three days on the sea. You were surprised to see how easily the triplets get along with your former crew. On the second day of your trip, they spent the entire afternoon playing with Luffy's gum gum abilities on the desk.

"They are adorable, Red'. I'm sure everyone gonna love them at Fuschia." Nami said as you were both watching Rory and Blaze running in opposite directions, each one holding one of Luffy's cheeks - Luffy laughing as hell all along.After playing a bit with her brothers Skye ran to you, asking for your arms, and you took her close to your chest, tenderly caressing her hairs. It would be clear for everyone who ever saw his wanted poster that Buggy was their father, and you were scared that people would somehow reject them because of this. Or that they would reject the twins because of their red noses, too. "I hope you're right, Nami" you answered softly.

Luffy introduced you to Makino, the village bartender, and you agreed to assist her at the bar in return for two beds for you and your children. She stared a little bit too long at the twins noses but didn't say anything, and you were thankful to her for this. Your old friends spent the night at the island to grab some forces and eat a bit before going back to their own journey. Spending time with them again was great.

The next morning you came to the beach to say goodbye with your three little rug rats.

"Thank you. For everything." You whispered to Nami, holding her in your arms.

"It's ok Reddie. I hope you'll find some peace of mind here."

Next to you, Blaze and Rory were jumping on Luffy's back, and Skye was looking at Zoro with sparkle in the eyes.

"Promise ? Next time you'll show me how to use a saber ?"

She asked. Zoro looked at her with a little smile.

"Of course, if you're tall enough to handle it." He answered, playfully rubbing her head.

You gathered the triplets around you.

"Come on kids it's time to say good bye ."

You whispered. You nodded at Luffy with gratitude, before looking at your former crew going back on their ship. You stared at their boat until it disappeared into the horizon. Now, it was only you, all alone with three kids who inherited their father's temperament.

All of this leaded you here, two months later, cleaning the bar all alone while triplets were sleeping upstairs.

It was a warm and peaceful evening. You took the night shift after putting the kids in bed. Becoming kind of a single mom made those little alone moments precious to you.

You were whipping the counter when loud stomps came from the outside. You raised your head and froze in panic.

Buggy, Cabaji and Mohji just entered the bar with brutal gestures.

You were so beautiful, and it made him so mad.

When Buggy saw you here, froze behind the bar, a wave of contradictory feelings hit his heart. In a first time, love , hope and relief. You were alive, you were doing well. And you were so pretty with your messy red hair around your head and he was so happy to see you again that he could feel himself falling in love with you for the second time. But quickly, all his anger, sadness, and grudge came back to him. You left him again. You betrayed him. You took his precious kids away. And shit, you chose this village to hide. Shanks village. Tooth grinding, he walked to the bar furiously, Cabaji and Mohji on his steps . For now he just wanted to see his kids.

"Where are they ?" He asked, looking you in the eyes, with a rough tone.

You looked nervously to Cabaji and Mohji before answering.

"Bugs I …"

He lost his nerves and walked closer menacingly, screaming at you.

"DON'T "BUGS" ME. YOU PROMISED TO NEVER DO THIS AGAIN. BUT WORST. YOU HAD NO RIGHT. NO RIGHT TO TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME."

He noticed a hint of guilt in your eyes, and he had to admit that it was satisfying.

"Please Buggy" you answered with a small voice, "let the crew go and I'll take you to them, trust me…

- Trusting you?" He sneered, "Why would I do something so stupid ?"

However he snapped and Cabaji and Mohji went away. You whipped your forehead with the back of your head with a sigh of relief. He looked at you, arms crossed. He couldn't help but love you. He couldn't help but be mad at you.

"Bugs I…, you started.

- Shut up, take me to the kids.

- No please I…

- I SAID SHUT. UP."

He screamed violently, hitting the counter. He immediately regretted it. This kind of impulse was what costed him his family. He let himself fall on one of the bar's chairs and put his head in his hands. He looked at you, desperate, almost begging.

"Why, Reddie ? Why did you leave again? Why did you take the kids ?"

Without him realizing it, the anger in his voice morphed into sadness and despair.

" In you I finally found someone I thought I could trust buy it's the THIRD time you leave me. I thought you loved me. I thought everything we shared meant something."

He swallowed in anguish before pursuing.

"I… I know I fucking messed up with Skye but I thought you… I thought we could… Damn Reddie you can't… just tell me why. What's so wrong with me that you can't stay by my side?"

Saying these last words he bursted into tears. You looked at him with a soft smile, full of compassion. Answering, you started to fill two glasses with beer.

"Buggy… it's not you." You put one the glasses on the counter in front of him, and he nodded thankfully before taking a sip. "Leaving you… it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I loved you, with all my heart Bugs. And I still love you. And every second without you is like missing a bit of my own heart.

- But… ?"

He raised a sad eyebrow to you, waiting for your answer with apprehension.

"But… I love them more." You said, looking at the stairs next to the bar. "I… I never thought I could love someone this much. Yes, the postpartum was a fucking hell, and yes, they often are fucking pains in the ass. But… but when I saw Skye crying in pain on the ground I… it was like a primitive instinct. I had to take her out of the danger. To take all my kids away."

Listening to you, Buggy couldn't resist and detached a hand, letting it run in your hairs. He smiled at you sadly and whispered :

"And this danger you ran away from… it was me ?"

As you answered, you caressed his hand with tenderness .

"I don't know… not really. Oh Bugs most of the time you were so amazing with them! I could never have dreamed of a better father for my kids. But that night… when you said you couldn't promise me they'll never get hurt again… I… I couldn't.

- If I knew I'd lose them… lose the four of you, I would have said something else. I was so fucking scared Red… I... "

Tears started running on his cheek again. With a soft gesture, you whipped them away. He shivered feeling your hand on his face. Damn he missed you so fucking much.

"Bugs I…" you started, screams came from the stairs and interrupted you.

"DADDY !"

Buggy looked over his shoulder and felt a manic grin grow on his face when he saw Skye, Rory and Blaze running to him, full of joy.

Buggy felt on his knees, gathering his kids in his arms, covering them in kisses and hugs, tears going down on his cheeks.

You looked at him from behind the bar, your heart shattered by emotion and guilt. Even though you knew the kids were missing their father, you didn't realize just how much until now. Skye, Rory and Blaze were all talking together in a nonsense mess of questions, stories of their life at Fuschia, and soft words to their father who couldn't do anything but cry under this love attack. He fell backwards and ended up sitting on the ground, Rory and Blaze in his arms. Their combined laughs filled the bar. He kissed his twins foreheads with loud noises, spreading red makeup all around their faces.

"Oh my little goblins I missed you so fucking much"

You laughed, allowing the swear to pass this time.

Buggy's eyes went to Skye, in front of him. He kneeled before her and put his hands on her cheeks, looking at her in the eyes, and his face became more serious.

"Skye my cotton candy princess I'm so, so fucking sorry, I promise I'll never let anything hurt you again sweetheart"

Skye jumped at his neck and he held her as hard as he could, paying attention to her injured arm.

You put a hand in front of your mouth. Seeing the scene made you cry as hard as you could, as your love for him came back to you like a boomerang.

Buggy stayed like this for a moment, his three kids in the arms.

A few minutes later, the triplets were tired and had trouble keeping their eyes opened.

"I think it's time for them to go back to bed, Bugs"

You whispered with tenderness.

Skye blinked at her father and asked.

"Daddyyyyy can you read us a story?"

Buggy turned his head to you, a silent question on the face. You nodded. He smiled, and jumped back on his feet. He somehow managed to grab all his kids in the arms.

"Alright kiddoes it's story time !"

He said joyfully, and you chuckled looking at him disappear in the stairs.

You finished cleaning the bar. When everything was done, you went upstairs. In your room, Buggy was sitting on the ground and reading a book to the kids, who were all snuggled under a blanket in the bed they shared.

"… Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning!"

His tone and gestures were theatrically over the top. Peter pan. Of course.

You smiled and lied on the door frame for a little while, looking at him, not wanting to break the magic. You realized how much you missed those moments, and how much you wanted things to go back to how they were. You went downstairs back to the bar, letting him ending his story.

When the triplets finally fell asleep, Buggy went down the stairs to the bar.

You were here, sitting at a table, drinking a glass of rum. He smiled at you, and you smiled at him. You raised the rum bottle to him.

"Wanna share a drink ? Like good old times."

He nodded with enthusiasm, and sat in front of you. You poured rum into a glass for him. He raised his glass to you before taking a sip.

"Damn I forgot how exhausting it was to put them in bed" he grumbled, and you chuckled. For a moment, it was like you never left.

You rubbed your glass nervously.

"It was a mistake."

You whispered, anguish in the voice.

He stopped drinking to look at you with a questioning glance. You bit your lips and looked back at him.

"Leaving you. Taking the kids. They love you so much. I.."

Buggy smiled sadly. All his anger for you was way behind him now, and he just enjoyed being by your side. He sent a hand to caress your cheek with tenderness while the other one was still holding his glass.

"It's ok Reddie." He whispered. "I'm the one to blame. I couldn't admit it but when I saw Skye on the ground… I felt like the shittiest man on earth. I could have punched myself in the face. I almost did it."

He chuckled nervously, drinking a bit of his rum. He couldn't remember being so vulnerable with someone before. But it felt easy. Natural. And being with you again… He felt the same feeling as when his limbs were detached from his body for too long and he finally got them back. For the first time in two months, he felt complete.

You closed your eyes and leaned against his palm, before looking him in the eyes.

"I missed you so much." You whispered.

Suddenly, all the weight he was holding on his shoulders since your departure disappeared. His thumb rubbed your cheek, right under your eyes.

"I missed you too Red'. More than words can express." He admitted, never stopping looking at you.

You fixed your gaze on him. In your eyes he saw an infinite tenderness, and a love that could beat any barrier on the way.

You shared an intimate silence.

It was so good to be at his side again. It was like having back a missing part of you. But you knew you still had serious shit to discuss. You took a deep breath and broke the silence.

"We have to find a way to make it work."

Buggy played with his glass, nervous.

"What do you mean ?" He asked.

You stood up and started walking around to chase away your nervousness.

"I mean…" your started, anxious. "I mean that I'm glad you're here. And I'm glad you apologized to Skye. And oh gosh, I never again want to take care of three toddlers without you by my side. But…"

He turned on his chair to look at you, and his face was filled with apprehension.

"But we have to make sure kids won't get hurt anymore." you finally said "Or at least that they could handle it, Bugs."

He stood up and went to your side. He held you by the waist, a protective gesture you missed too damn much. You crossed your hands behind his neck.

"I'm so fucking sorry Red'. For everything." He whispered, looking down.

You smiled and put your forehead against his. You changed so much. He changed so much. It was hard to believe you were the same idiots who flirted in a drunk burp contest, an eternity ago.

"I'm sorry too, for leaving, for breaking your trust, again and again." You whispered. You carressed his cheek tenderly.

"I love you, Bugs."

He smiled and captured you in a passionate kiss. You stayed like this a few moments. He broke the embrace and touched your chin.

"We will find a way to manage it, Red. I promise."

You were about to talk but he put an index on your lips, raising an eyebrow with a playful glance.

"But ! But. If you want me to keep this promise babe, you have to promise me something in return.

- And what would it be ?, " you asked, your hands playing with the hairs on the back of his head.

He looked at you in the eyes, and you saw all his insecurities, all his vulnerability coming back to the surface as he whispered to you :

"Never leave me again."

You cupped his face in your hands, and deeply kiss him again, and again, and again.

"I promise " you whispered in return. "I won't leave you again"

And for the first time ever, you knew this was a promise you could keep.

sorry for all the cheese I guess ! See you soon for the VERY LAST PART

｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

#buggy the clown #buggy simp #captain buggy #buggy one piece #buggy live action #op buggy #buggy #buggy fanfiction #buggy x female reader #buggy x you #Spotify

81 notes · View notes

dotster001 · 9 months

Note

HCs for Ace, Deuce, and Epel with a reader like Toa Qelsum from Court of Darkness? I just think the chaos that will ensue with another uptight mf would be fun to read about

CW:Mentions of raising a family in Epel's part

3k followers event Masterlist

Other Versions: Rio Voleri Reader Dia Akedia Reader Lance Ira Reader-coming soon

God, you're such a stick in the mud. A high achiever, smart, and a strict rule follower? Barf. He's so happy that you were busy doing your…teleportation trick or whatever when he was hiding at the entrance ceremony cause he knows you would have ratted him out. He has no doubt you would've been sorted into Heartslaybul…for all the "wrong" reasons.

That said…there's something intriguing about the look behind your eyes. A look that screams, "I want to have fun! But no one has ever let me!" And Ace decides he's going to save you. By being the one to break you.

The rest of in game events proceed as normal, cause Ace will always be Ace. He still is an ass, he still causes trouble, he still makes you his best friend, still drops cryptic lines like "who knew you'd be my type, kidding ha ha!"

Is there any world, any mc, any Y/N, where Ace wouldn't fall for you? Be honest.

It's a "when did we start dating? Who the fuck knows they never even asked me out" kind of thing.

He's trying to break you so hard man. He's the devil in your ear, whispering about how wouldn't it just be…so fun if you stole that last slice of strawberry tart that Riddle thought he'd safely hidden in the freezer. He brings out the absolute worst in you…but sometimes you bring out the best in him.

You're the honors student he's always wanted to be. You really get your connection when he asks you to start tutoring him. You're hard on him, but it only makes him strive to do better! He doesn't want to let his favorite teacher down!

Ace teases him for months about how he's such a simp for you, and gets all blushy anytime you tell him he did a good job. Deuce tells him to shut his fucking mouth every single time. Until one fateful day. The words are on the tip of his tongue, but they don't come forward. Instead, his mind is filled with thoughts of you, your big brain, your soft smile. He reflects on his best friend and favorite teacher. And then it's all over for poor Deuce.

Naturally he does the honors student thing. He avoids you. He's terrible at it, but he does his best. Until one day, you show up and berate him for neglecting his responsibilities, and your friendship. In the midst of it, he goes delinquent mode, and angrily confesses his love. At your shock, he apologizes and is sweet again. And how can you say no to sweet Deuce?

Deuce becomes much more of a snuggle bug when you're dating. You still tutor him, but now reward him with kisses when he gets answers right, and makeout and cuddle sessions when his grades improve.

Under your tutelage, he makes the dean's list. And ends school as an honors student, just as he dreamed. His mom couldn't love you any more.

You and Vil seem to have some sort of unspoken feud. Epel is living for it. Neither of you is ever outright hostile to the other, but the vibes…oof. It's like two very dominant personalities who should never have been left to try and work together. Epel is mad for you.

Lures you in with apple crumble 😉

Once you're hooked onto him through your sweet tooth, he is able to express his admiration for you. He also has a dominant personality. But for you, he's willing to chill out a little.

He's such an enabler. Oh sevens, anytime something about Vil pisses you off, he pushes you a step further. Sometimes, If Vil says something that hurts his pride a little bit, he'll stretch the truth, just to watch you go off on him. Sevens, he loves it. He can't help but feel so protected.

He takes you to visit his family with him…and is devastated when you're shocked by how kind and loving his family is. You deserve that love too! Meemaw unofficially adopts you as an extra grandkid, and makes sure that you get all the loving you have missed out on. Epel hopes you can trust him enough to have a family of your own one day, even if it is a small one.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #3k followers #ace trapolla #ace trappola #ace trapolla x reader #ace x reader #deuce spade x reader #deuce spade #deuce x reader #epel x reader #epel felmier #epel felmier x reader #toa qelsum

96 notes · View notes

coltermorning · 8 months

Text

The Freedom of Giving In (RDR2 Fanfic, Arthur Morgan x F!Reader, 18+)

Summary: After you and Charles fool around behind Arthur’s back, you say the wrong man’s name the very next night. Enraged, Arthur gets his due.

Author’s Notes: A request I was very happy to write. There is a bit of violence (a fight) but I wouldn’t describe it as graphic. There is one small mention of blood but that’s about it. Enjoy this fic that again makes me question my preference for high honor Arthur :)

Tags: Arthur Morgan x reader, smut, low honor Arthur Morgan, rough sex, spanking, fist fight

AO3 Link

The Freedom of Giving In

Word count: 2192

You really should not have done this. You should have stood your ground, strengthened your will, fought back. Not this.

For the first time since Arthur Morgan touched you all those months ago, he was not the only gang member to have done it. Thoughts of last night came swirling back to you, the same darkness and trees making your brain fog over with familiarity. There were hardly any differences to speak of between that night and this one, only that where Arthur now stood pleasuring you, someone else had not even a day ago. Even worse, you couldn’t find it in yourself to feel guilty about it. You were angry with Arthur. He was being a brat. Hence why you truly shouldn’t have let your desire get the better of you tonight. Not with him, at least.

You were still unbelieving last night had even happened. Most men were too intimidated to go near you, much less take a woman Arthur Morgan thought he owned. But Charles Smith wasn’t. He never had been. And it was this that got your attention, made you proud, even—proud to have landed him. Because you knew he was too cunning to butt into this spat you and Arthur were having under normal circumstances, but he was brave enough, confident enough, to do it anyway if your pleasure was involved.

“Ohh…” you droned when Arthur’s thumb found your clit, dragging against it. But it wasn’t Arthur you thought of. You thought of Charles’ eyes meeting yours, that lazy gleam in them that promised pleasure. You thought of how big he was, so thick you had ached all day from the stretch of him inside of you. You thought of finding your pleasure with him, not once but twice.

You still hadn’t decided whether you wanted Arthur to know or not. He didn’t deserve the pride he was likely feeling now, getting to do this to you. He didn’t deserve to think that he had won, that you were succumbing to him. You debated telling him all day that you had let Charles have his way with you. But you hadn’t, something about it being your little secret making your blood burn every time it crossed your mind.

You started panting when Arthur’s thumb rubbed against you lightning fast. Your pleasure built, and through tightly closed eyes, all you could see was Charles. Not Arthur, not the man who had demanded you obey him from day one. You had been outright ignoring him for a week straight because of it. And what did that get you? Nowhere near an apology and pushed against a tree deep in the woods, knowing Arthur would have his way with you soon. The controlling, infuriating bastard. So you didn’t think of him when your orgasm climbed toward its peak. You thought of Charles taking a full minute to seat himself inside of you because he was so big. You remembered his doting words, his thick, loving fingers. The way he made sure you found your pleasure before he ever sought his. Twice.

By the thought alone and under a different man’s hand, your release hit you hard, and you gasped in a breath at the weight of it breaking over you. Your mouth fell open, the ache within you burning—you wanted him.

“Charles,” you moaned. It took you less than a second to realize your mistake, to realize you didn’t want Arthur to know after all.

Arthur ripped his hand away, meeting your eyes with a blazing anger in his own. “What the hell did you just call me?”

“I- I didn’t-” You couldn’t find the words. He was never violent with you, but that didn’t make you cower any less under the look he was giving you.

“You been fucking Charles?” he demanded.

Christ, that anger. He might as well have made it palpable, cracked it like a whip across your skin. “I…”

He turned and started toward camp faster than you could react.

“Wait! Wait, Arthur.” You ran after him. “Don’t-” He slung your hand off when you caught up, barreling through you. An unstoppable force, headed straight for Charles. “He was- I didn’t mean for you to-”

“I’ll deal with you later,” he nearly growled, pinning you with a look so dark your arousal tangled through you again.

He stormed on, leaving you standing there. Watching, waiting for the inevitable.

Charles was just inside camp, sitting alone. Arthur rounded him with so much anger it was a wonder Charles didn’t feel it coming.

“Did you have her?” Arthur asked, dangerously quiet. Charles looked up at him. Stared too long.

“I asked you a goddamn question,” Arthur said through gritted teeth.

“So what if I did?” Charles shot back, standing. What a terrible thing to say. Charles was bigger than Arthur, probably stronger. But you knew the anger that plagued Arthur well, and with it burning this hot…Charles should have known better.

Arthur was on him in a second. Charles tried to shove him off, but Arthur was no weakling himself. He started punching. Charles tried to dodge, but he was too wide. Arthur’s wrath was too focused. When the first hit landed, you brought your hand over your mouth to hide your gasp—the cracking sound that met your ears was grizzly.

Charles hit the ground, and the other gang members came running. You didn’t have it in you to move a muscle, could only watch in the low firelight as the pair fought like dogs. Fought over you. You couldn’t deny that turned you on.

“Hey, hey!” Javier said, trying to pry Arthur off of Charles.

“Leave us!” Charles shouted, finding his footing and shoving Arthur over, gaining the upper hand. The second his huge fist raised in the air, the heartbeat before it came down on Arthur, you realized which man you wanted to win.

“Wait!” you shouted, but they were oblivious to it. Charles punched Arthur in the face so hard you winced. But Arthur was still moving, still so angry as to throw Charles to the side with ease. Before Charles could regain his balance, Arthur’s fist collided with the side of his head, a harder hit than any yet. Charles’ eyes rolled back, and he keeled over like a corpse, hitting the ground. Knocked out cold.

Arthur got to his feet and spit on him without a backward glance, his eyes immediately finding you. Time stopped with that look. Pure, unfiltered rage. But you weren’t scared of it—quite the contrary. You knew Arthur was a good fighter, but taking down Charles because of you…you wanted him for it. Your desire started burning hotter than you’d ever known when Arthur made for you.

The others tended to Charles as Arthur stalked you down, but you could hardly pay them any mind. Not when he stared like that.

He was on you in a heartbeat, grabbing your arm and yanking you along. You were silent, letting him do it for the sake of the heat burning through you. There was a cut on his face, a bit of blood running down his temple. Charles probably could have killed him. He definitely could have killed Charles. But for some reason, you didn’t care. You didn’t care that Charles was laying in a heap back in camp and that it was your fault. Call you evil-hearted, but all you cared about was Arthur’s hands on you. What he would do to you because of it.

He yanked you along until you were back in the woods. Deeper in the woods. When he finally let go, you expected him to demand answers from you, but he didn’t say a word before he forced you around, making you kneel to the ground. He lifted your skirts, revealing your barely-clothed backside to the world before you could so much as take a breath. He spanked you. Hard.

“Arthur!” you cried. But you couldn’t deny the arousal that shot through the word when he did it.

“Remembered my name, did you?” he snarled. Then spanked you again, your backside already burning like fire from the first one. You cried out, the edges of a moan pushing through. He had never been so rough with you, and by god were you loving it.

“Yes, Arthur, I-” He did it a third time, interrupting you.

“Just too damn greedy, ain’t you? I weren’t enough, so you had to go fuck Charles ‘cause you thought he was the only man I couldn’t take in a fight.”

“I never said-” He spanked you again, so hard you sucked in a breath to keep tears from pricking your eyes. You wanted him then. Wanted him to take you so hard you couldn’t walk after.

“I don’t give a shit how mad you are at me. Don’t you ever go doing that again, or mark my words I’ll kill him next time.”

Arthur spanked you one last time, and with it, you believed every word he spoke. After a pitiful whimper, you spun around, trying to show him just how much this turned you on. Only, you didn’t get an inch closer before he was on you, knocking your hands to the ground, ripping the rest of your clothes away. When you were bare, he forced you back over, the sound of his gun belt hitting the ground meeting your ears. You shivered with delight at the sound.

“You’re gonna take this,” he said, that low voice of his making you hold in a whine.

Without warning, he rammed his whole length inside of you from behind, so hard you cried out and fell forward. His hands brought you back up, holding you steady as he fucked into you again.

“That’s right,” he said through your moan. “Who do you belong to?”

“You, Arthur,” you breathed out.

His hand found your hair and pulled hard. “Louder than that, girl.”

“You, Arthur! I belong to you!”

He pounded into you, his pace brutal, his angle painful. You remembered then what you had been lacking with Charles—Arthur knew how to fuck you better than any man in the world.

“Still can’t hear you,” he said, releasing your hair and drawing your hips upward with his strong hands. He buried himself inside of you with a grunt, and you nearly came from the spot he hit so deep. You screamed his name.

“That’s right,” he ground out. “You’re fuckin’ mine.”

Your high was nearing when his hand found your ass and squeezed hard. His hips rolled into you with such force it was taking all of your strength not to fall forward, even with him holding you steady.

“You ever say another man’s name to me again and I’ll fuck it right out of your mouth.” You let out a loud moan. So damn close.

He leaned in, his hand finding your throat and pulling up. He spoke in your ear, voice rough, “You’re gonna take my spend for what you did.”

Your body shivered. He had never- would never.

Arthur let go of everything but your hips and slammed in deep. He went still and let out a groan so loud you realized how serious he was—he was spilling inside you. Worse still, you didn’t fight him, didn’t anger, didn’t do anything but feel your orgasm take hold at the thought of him forcing you to take it.

Your body shook with pleasure as you clenched around him, as good as saying you had wanted this all along.

After a few breathtaking seconds, Arthur let out a low laugh and circled his hips around, still buried so deep that every pass made you moan with overuse.

“You like that, girl? Like me breeding you?”

Hellfire. You were too high from pleasure for this. Too high to deny it.

“Who knew,” he joked. “Little miss independent wants my baby.”

“Shut the hell up,” you rasped, voice hoarse from all that yelling.

He laughed again and pulled out in one smooth motion, resulting in you falling forward the second he released you.

You sprawled in the dirt, uncaring that your womanhood was bared to the world, too used up to move.

“Minding me looks good on you,” he said, his hand squeezing your ass and teasing where he had spanked so hard earlier. He turned you over, making you lay flat out on your back to look up at him. “You remember this the next time you go testing my temper.” His grin took up his whole face then. Never in your life had you been more willing to let it stay. Not after what he had just done. In fact, if it were up to you, you’d take a different man every night just to have this again. And, unashamedly, you knew you would go crawling back to Arthur now, temporary spat long behind you. For you had forgotten just what made you crazy about him in the first place—that glorious body of his, and everything he knew how to do with it. There was no denying it now. You were his.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan smut #arthur morgan x reader #arthur morgan x female reader #low honor arthur morgan #rdr2 arthur morgan #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 #fanfic #writing #nsft #lemon fanfic

67 notes · View notes

olivefeuillu · 1 year

Text

Aemond X Male Knight / Kingsguard reader

Summary : Aemond and a male kingsguard reader having a passionate make out session.

Modification of the supper scene

Might write a part two

Already established relationships

Warning : cussing (?)

English is not my first language and It’s the first time I post more than a tiny imagine. Sorry if there’s any mistakes !

——————————————————————

The man in armor wore his white cloak with pride, being a royal bodyguard was always something he dreamt of being. A few months ago, he was promoted to the Kingsguards as he received the crown’s favor and recognition. He was given the honor to serve and protect the second born son, Aemond of house Targaryen.

During his months of service, he got close to the prince’s heart, very close. The knight didn’t only protect him, he also loved him. He gave him the love the prince never had in his own family.

Tonight was special, the royal family was celebrating unions between the house Velaryon and the house Targaryen. The kingsguard was far away from the big table full of food that was surrounded by the royal family. He watched the maids running with the plates of food, carefully. The guard listened to the conversations coming from all directions as he stood near Ser Criston Cole, until he saw a roasted pig on a platter being deposited in front of Aemond’s place.

“ Oh, oh,” he thought.

Lycerys sneered as he looked at Aemond. The prince stormed out of the room after he saw the smirk on his nephew’s face. If he could have fed his nephew’s eyes to his dragon, Vhagar, he would have done it. He didn’t want to make a scene in front of his mother. Revenge can wait. He can wait.

His guard followed him out of the room like he would normally do, but tonight his prince is furious.

“ This fucking bastard,” he clenched his jaw and took a deep breath to calm himself down. “ If he dares look at me again, I’ll-…”

“ My prince, I suggest you to not bring unnecessary drama to your family supper,” his knight softly smiled to help him calm down. “Do it for your king, your father. This is probably one of his last family reunions.”

“ I don’t give a shit. My father never did anything for me. He did nothing when this bastard took my-…” his eye hardened to this thought and his brows furrowed.

“ Then do it for your mother, for your sister,” he approached him and his armor made metallic sounds as the meters separating them disappeared, “ do it for me.”

“ For you ? mmh.”

“ Yes, for me,” he hoped this was enough to calm his lover’s nerves.

Aemond approached him, they were now closer, their chests were almost touching and the prince looked down to him. The knight was just a little shorter, but almost the same height.

“ What do I have in return,” he asked and took his hand in his.

“Whatever you want , my prince,” he looked at him for a little while.

The silence took place between the two men. They spoke with their gaze like they normally do around others, teasing each other without words. Aemond thought about everything he could do and decided to kiss him gently.

They began kissin in the empty hallway, a slow and soft kiss. The light coming from the torches were gently exposing their actions to the dark. Their lips were locking, the knight‘s hands placed themselves on the prince’s left cheek and neck to deepen their passionate moment.

“ My prince…” he kissed him back and Aemond pressed him between his body and the wall. He slowly lifted his head up and caressed the knight’s bottom lip with his thumb. The knight’s strong back was against the wall, Aemond’s lower body between his legs, their hands gripping whatever they could find like they never had enough of each other. The guard put his lips on the prince’s jaw and made a trail of kisses until he pecked his lips.

“ Aemond, I love you-”

Then the door suddenly opened. His sister, Rhaenyra Targaryen, still pregnant, was standing in the hallway. The knight’s heart stopped beating as he gasped and pushed away the prince : “ It’s not what you think, your highness !”

——————————————————————

#aemond targaryen #male reader #aemond targaryen x male!reader #aemond x male reader #aemond x you #aemond fanfiction #aemond stannies #hotd x reader #house of the dragon

391 notes · View notes

sakurapika · 6 months

Text

How the landfolk do their hair

Author's note: This, along with my previous short story, "Rose-Tinted Ego," are from an Azurido fanfic I started writing a couple of months ago. I'm not sure if I'll finish it (it's over 11k words long and I'm not even halfway done with what I planned), so I decided to post excerpts of a few of the parts I like the best for now!

Context: Over winter break, the Queen is hosting a gala and has specifically requested for the Rosehearts family to attend. Mrs. Rosehearts has come to NRC to collect Riddle, who she hasn't spoken to for months. Azul volunteers to come with Riddle, claiming that he would like to take the chance to learn magic from the perspective of a different member of the Great Seven. Is he coming for his own gain, or is he making an excuse because he is concerned for Riddle? Who knows? Mrs. Rosehearts agrees, pleased with the idea of another NRC student (one from a different dorm, at that) looking up to her son. At this point in the story, the three are about to set off.

One final note: Brief mention about Azul's dieting and Mrs. Rosehearts being strict about food. It's very mild, but I'd rather not make anyone uncomfortable, just in case.

Azul was nothing if not prepared for nearly every possible scenario. Although being dragged along on a whirlwind trip with his academic rival and his academic rival’s mom was not something he anticipated this winter, he still had some basic plans. “Floyd,” he said while collecting four of his best pairs of shoes, “You must keep everyone outside of my office. Don’t touch any of my personal belongings, or else I’ll make a big batch of unagi nigiri out of you.”

“You’re going to play at kingyo-chan’s house?” Floyd threw himself at the edge of Azul’s bed and began to bounce. “Without us?”

“What did I just say about touching my personal belongings?”

“Well, teeeeechnically, your bed’s the property of Night Raven College.”

“Oh, you want to be a little smarty-pants right now?” Sighing, he turned to Jade leaning against the door of his bedroom. “Jade, you’re in charge. Keep your brother in check, will you?”

Jade nodded. “That goes without saying.”

As he finished collecting his clothes, he retrieved a lengthy document from a locked drawer in his desk and gave it to Jade. It contained every single contingency plan for how to operate the dorm in his absence. There shouldn’t be much of a problem, given that most of the students were away for the break. Jade was fairly experienced as a vice-housewarden, so he knew that he was reliable. Floyd was…Floyd. If he felt bored, he could burn down the dorm for his own amusement. Azul hoped that he’d at least find students in other dorms, like Scarabia, to terrorize before such a dreadful thought crossed his mind.

After they had finished packing, Mrs. Rosehearts had immediately sent for another ferry out of Sage’s Island. It was seldom that such boats came to the island during the off-season, but for a woman with status, anything was possible. Realizing that the journey was long, Azul was almost going to mention the fact that they could easily teleport by magic mirror.

“Don’t,” Riddle grabbed his arm and whispered, “Or she’ll make me visit more often.”

The ferry had dropped them off at the Cite des Fleurs in the Shaftlands; from there, they took a first-class train all the way to the Queendom of Roses. The train was fast and impressive, traveling both on land and through a series of underwater tunnels. In the meantime, the passengers were served a complimentary dinner.

When the waiter approached Azul, he had said, “It is our deepest pride and greatest honor to serve the finest foods in all of the Shaftlands--please, be our guest!”

The hospitality was certainly memorable; the tableware was enchanted, and the train waitstaff cast spells to make the spoons and forks dance and sing. Throughout the whole affair, Azul was fiercely taking mental notes. Could they pull off something like this in the Mostro Lounge? The food, however, was abysmal, but that was his own doing. He had spotted a million lovely dishes on the menu, and ended up with the simplest salad known to man and merfolk. By all means, the ingredients were fresh and the dressing was well-made, but Azul had eaten plenty of salads every day, and they all tasted like nothing at this point.

“See,” Mrs. Rosehearts remarked, pointing to Azul, “he’s eating something nutritious.”

Riddle pushed around a chunk of aubergine in his ratatouille. His own meal was made of vegetables. How much more healthy was it supposed to get?

Although he kept silent, Mrs. Rosehearts continued to berate him. “Look at you, you’re using the wrong fork. That’s a salad fork, not a dinner fork! Have you forgotten your dining etiquette? And your meal simply has too much oil in it. You know what? I’m telling the waitstaff!”

Mrs. Rosehearts took Riddle’s plate and chased down one of the poor staff members as he made his way into the next train car. Riddle looked at Azul helplessly and said, “I could have sworn I picked up the right fork. See, look, my dinner fork is where my salad fork should be. Maybe something happened during the dinnertime show.”

He looked so helpless, like a boy who was lost to this world. For the millionth time that day, Azul surprised himself by speaking up. “You used the wrong fork, huh? You know, under the sea, we don’t really have forks, or spoons. We mostly eat things with our hands, fins, tentacles, by phagocytosis…you get the idea.”

“Really? How curious. Well, I suppose that’s the etiquette there.”

“Yes, that’s just how it is. I didn’t even have a chance to see how landfolk actually use forks until I immigrated to…erm, the land. I used to go to restaurants and treat forks like complimentary combs! I collected a few and would sometimes use them to comb my bangs like this," he gave an exaggerated demonstration of curling the ends of his seafoam-white hair. "Jade didn’t know any better and collected forks for me, but Floyd…oh, that sucker, he knew this whole time and didn’t say a word, no matter how many times people stared at me! He never bothered to say, 'hey Azul, that's not how the landfolk actually do their hair.' I would even sing to myself while sitting in front of the vanity…good grief.”

Riddle allowed himself a small smile. “Wow, my mother would see you a bit differently if she knew that.”

“Just a bit?”

“You’re right. She’d chuck you off this train if she could.”

They laughed together, just for a nice, long moment, until they grew self-aware. What were they doing here, two students from an elite school, who were constantly head-to-head on the exam leaderboards? They weren't even friends. Aside from discussing classwork once in a while and attending housewarden meetings, their paths seldom crossed. Why now did Azul have to be so involved in something so embarrassingly personal to Riddle, such as his family’s affairs?

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst #azul ashengrotto #riddle rosehearts #azurido #floyd leech #jade leech #twst fic #if you have constructive criticism for my writing I would love to hear it!#couldn't help making some Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid references :)

34 notes · View notes

neveah-llama · 20 days

Text

Usagi Yuichi: You Can Either Manage Your Caffeine Addiction or Fight a Mass Murderer From 500 Years Ago

This is just a little sneak peek from my new fanfic, it's a ROTTMNT x Usagi Chronicles crossover, and I have *some* plans for this one. Muwahaha!

Breathe in, breathe out…

There was no time for hesitation, no time to show any weakness, just grip your sword tighter and be ready.

Breathe in, breathe out…

The smell of the fire was getting to him, burnt wood and something unidentifiable choked his nose, it made his eyes fight back tears, made his stomach twist and turn in a sickening way.

If he was a lesser man he would have emptied his stomach the moment he set foot into this town. But thankfully he was not.

Breathe in, breathe out…

Usagi remembers visiting this village just a few months ago before the first snowfall, it was lively. Children were running down the streets with food in hands and masks on their heads. Parents and other adults were chatting, gossiping about the latest happenings of the small town. There was a festival, Usagi remembers, with a big giant pyre in the middle. It was charming, with a gentle feeling that grasps at his heartstrings. Jotaro would have liked it, he thought then, especially the decorative masks that laid on the small heads.

He can’t help comparing it to the before and the after. Now, most of the buildings in the outer ring were charred, a couple of their roofs caving in on themselves, a skeleton of what they were supposed to be. But surrounding him some of the fire still lingers, greedy with hunger. A wood crack under the fire behind him, if he was a lesser man he would have snapped his head to the side or maybe even jumped in fright. But he forces it down, forcing himself to block out all the noise and the distractions and focus on the enemy ahead. The smoke of the destruction blocking what would be a nice spring day, added with suspicious stains on the ground, was enough for Usagi to deduce what may have happened here.

Breathe in, breathe out…

So many candles have been burned out in such a short time, and for what? Was it really all for some grandiose delusions of being a messenger to the gods?

Breathe in, breathe out…

There was no time for hesitation, no time to show any weakness, just grip your sword tighter and be ready.

Behind him, the sound of wood cracking met his ears, but this one had a peculiar sound to it that made his ears perk up. There was a heavy force behind that crack, and though the force of a fire is great, it was never enough to make that sound.

Before he knew it, Usagi snapped around, sword at the ready, right in time for him to block the katana in his foe's grasp. The wolf let out a snarl, his milky white eyes showing the deepest depths of hell, promising Usagi that he will have a slow and torturous death.

The rabbit gave out his own snarl, pushing the wolf back with as much force as he could, kicking his legs to force the crazed swordsman to make room.

“Miyamoto Usagi,” The wolf said, taking his time to roll the vowels of his name. “I am honored by your presence, many of these sinners have proclaimed you of being the greatest swordsman in edo. And though pride is beneath me, I would like to test that theory.” There was something off about his smile, Usagi decided, one that reeked of bloodlust, something unbefitting of the wolf he used to be.

“Jei, please put down your weapon, you are not in the right state of mind at the moment.” Usagi tries to do this peacefully, truly he did. And it seemed like the wolf may be contemplating his offer.

But Usagi’s hope was dashed when the wolf shook his head. “I unfortunately can’t do that, Miyamoto. So much sin in this world and no one to purify it. The gods have given me the honor of being their messenger, they gave me the ordained right to purge this world and I intend to honor their wishes.”

“Even if it means cutting down innocents?” The rabbit questions, positioning his sword on the offensive.

Jei licked his lips, “I never cut down the innocent.” grimacing in disates as he sheathed his sword and pulled out a spear from behind his back, “Only those who have sinned and support the sin and unfortunately, you seem to be both of them.” The wolf shot off like a lightning bolt, quick and unyielding. Usagi barely had enough time to switch to a defensive position right before he had to block the blade from nicking his face.

The rabbit used the momentum from his dodge to then quickly disarm his opponent from his spear, careful at making sure the blade was far enough away from him. Unfortunately, it seemed that Jei had predicted what he was doing, twisting his spear in the process and getting out of his grip.

Usagi cursed in his mind, quickly jumping away to get more distance between them, just stopping when he felt the hot flames of the fire raging behind him.

His situation was dire, not only was he fighting against an opponent who seems to favor long-distance, but there was nowhere for the ronin to run too. He was well and truly cornered.

But Usagi forced himself to slow his breathing (breathe in, breathe out…) blocking all of his doubts and worries and focus on the task at hand.

Jei went and feinted right, Usagi blocking it. Jei did the same thing with Usagi’s left side and just like before, he blocked it as well. But he didn’t waste his chance.

Taking a risk, Usagi grabbed the shaft in the middle, using all his strength to twist, forcing Jei and him to switch positions. Usaigi even tried to forcefully pull the spear from the wolf’s grasp, but here this is where Jei drew the line. Usagi can feel him gripping the spear tighter and any minute now Usagi would have to let go.

But Usagi knows that this will make him lose the fight, he can’t let go of the spear. Besides, he didn't need to.

Usagi acted quickly, gripping the shaft in one hand and swinging his sword in the other. It was a precise blow, one that Usagi had mastered with great efficiency; it would have cut both of Jei’s hands off if the wolf didn’t hesitate. And not wasting this opportunity, Usagi pulled the spear out of the wolf’s grasp tossing it far behind him and into the fire, the wolf didn’t even have time to shout before Usagi’s sword pierced his chest.

The wolf looked up to the rabbit with a shocked look on his face, slowly slumping down when the energy was draining out of him, until finally…

Breathe in, breathe out.

“I hope you find peace.” Wherever that may be, he silently added. He closed the wolf’s eyes with his hand before looking around the area.

“You can come out now!” A boy barely the age of majority, poked his head from behind one of the burnt down houses. He was a dog with simple farmer’s clothing, looking lost at the destruction of his village.

“We are too late.” The dog’s eyes began to water with unshed tears as the situation finally seemed to get to him. Usagi solemnly nodded, there was no point in denying it, after all the best course of action is to feel the grief freely before it changes you in anger and revenge. He had learned that lesson the hard way.

“I am sorry that there is nothing more I can do.” Usagi says, making his way to the cursed spear. The dog looks at him with wide eyes.

“Miyamoto-san, you have done more than enough, I just wish I was enough to save them.” Usagi opened his mouth to say something, when out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement.

Without thinking, he shoved the spear towards the dog, the young man taking it with confusion. “Miyam-!”

“Run, go!” He felt something piercing his side, red hot searing pain pulsing in his insides as something long and cold slid out of his body. His body falters, but he forces his legs to be strong, pumping the last of his energy into them. He turns around to see the wolf smirking at him.

“You really think you could ever kill me?” Jei’s blade was soaked in blood, his haori caked in it, matching Usagi’s new stain.

“I think you may have forgotten, rabbit, but I was blessed by the gods. Nothing can kill me.” The wolf let out a scream, arching his sword high in the air before swinging it down. The last things he saw were his brown eyes staring back at him.

Usagi Yuichi woke up with a gasp, tumbling out of his bed and flinging Spot from his spot. His pet let out a ‘yip!’ in fright, shaking his head to chase away the stars.

Meanwhile Usagi groans, rubbing his forehead before looking at his darkened room.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

It was just a dream.

#fanfic #writing #rottmnt #yuichi usagi #miyamoto usagi #tmnt 2018 #rise of the tmnt #rise leo #rottmnt: divergence #This came to me in a dream

13 notes · View notes

yaut-jaknowit · 2 years

Text

Room For One More

Pairing: Gawtin (Female Yautja) x Reader (GN)

Word Count: 1736

Summary: After a long day of exploring the forests of Yautja Prime - within safe distance of Gawtin's dwelling, you come back. The planet is rough, harsh, hot, and humid. Your clothes stick to you a like a second skin. All and all, its uncomfortable. So you return home and find Gawtin in the massive tubs they have. You decide to join her. There's nothing she hasn't seen of you and vice versa.

Author Note: I fucking love Gawtin. She's my girl. She's spicy but so nonchalant about being with a human.

Masterlist

Ao3

Part 2

Blood and sweat dribbled down your body. An arm swiped at your forehead before any could get in your eyes. To be blinded forty feet off the ground doesn’t sound like something you would enjoy. You took deep breathes from your nose then exhale through your mouth. It helped slow your breathing as you sat on a sturdy branch.

On your side was a pouch, it held all that you’ve collected over the course of the day. Yautja Prime maybe a harsh planet to live on but you couldn’t deny the things you could find. At the end of the day – which is closing in – you were going to be sore and pink. The planet’s sun was harsh on your feeble skin. Clothes help but the moisture makes it stick to you like a second skin. It was one of the most uncomfortable things ever. The heat and humidity wrecked you. Even if you lived in a humid place before, there was nothing that could prepare you for the summer like months here.

With a joyful pat at the bag, you began your descent down the tree. Your moves were precise, eyes watching for the predators that would happily eat you. As a human, you’ve adapted as much as possible to Yautja Prime.

It was your second night on the planet when you adventure out into the wilderness. Bad idea. That night, you learned the hard way what lurks in the shadows.

That’s why you better make it back home before night falls. Or else Gawtin might find you in pieces.

Careful steps carried you through the forest. Along the way, you stopped and crouched when leaves moved without a breeze. Your head tuned into that direction, eyes sharp and watching all that could be. That’s when you saw the shimmer of light reflecting off something. It was a Yautja, but you didn’t know who. At that thought, you stayed still. Your hand slowly shifting down to your belt and grasped a knife. The sweat that coated your body almost made the weapon slip out of your grasp.

Then, you felt it.

Eyes stared heat at you from behind.

Something sliced through the air. After training with Gawtin almost every day since you landed on this planet, you dove to the side and lashed out. Your small blade cut through skin and muscle on the cloaked Yautja behind you. This battle was going to end poorly but you would die with honor and pride. The way that Gawtin taught you.

A pained roar pierced the thick air. You were quick to also attack again and sliced up their leg. Neon green blood sputtered out. Once more, you went in for another strike. But a large hand wrapped around your wrist and hauled you off the ground, easily. That wasn’t going to be the end of you.

The knife was dropped and traded to your other hand as you, again, tried to stab them. Unfortunately, they also stopped this, cloak falling the in process.

Enraged chitters and snarls poured from his mandibles. It was one of the males that live within your town. His biomask easily covered his face but from his tone, he wasn’t happy at all.

The grasp on your wrist tightened, making you drop the weapon. “Why did you attack me?!” you growled and kicked at him. The two of you don’t truly know one another but have talked. You’ve learned a thing or two from his stories. Two of those you’ve just executed. Go for the lower legs and stay behind a Yautja.

He scoffed and released your dangling form. You landed a little unbalanced then glared up him. “Did not attack. Just… played with?” he attempted with English. Not many Yautjas speak the language and let their masks do the work for them.

A harsh glare was set on him. “Played with? Seriously? So stupid,” you snarled and picked up your knife. From behind you, leaves crunched. You swiftly whipped around and faced down another male you know from the town. You maybe human, doesn’t mean you’re a plaything. As much as they think so, it wasn’t the truth.

“Moved too slow. Would kill-“ he motioned at you. You rolled your eyes and began a path back to Gawtin’s house.

“Say that to your wounds,” you snarked at him. The two just stayed there and watched as you walked off. You kept your weapon in hand, just in case one of them decides to pull a stupid action like that again. You did feel pride though. There was no way you would win against the two of them by yourself. Two full grown adult Yautja’s against an untrained human.

In the end, the damage had been dealt. It wasn’t a dire situation as you first thought. Just two stupid Yautja thinking it was smart to sneak up on you. You continued through the jungle with a huff, eye and ears still peeled for any movement or sound.

Nothing else stepped in your way as you emerged from the foliage. Gawtin’s dwelling stood before you in all of its glory. You smiled at the sight before walking up to the back door. It slid open without hesitance and let you in.

From your position, Gawtin couldn’t be seen in the living room or kitchen area. All the doors were open in the place. Maybe she wasn’t home?

That was something you’ll figure out later. First, you needed a bath. You reeked horribly, not even a Yautja could probably stand you. That’s what happens when you go exploring for ten hours. You do have to say, it was fun to collect.

As you entered the shared room and set down your bag, you could feel another presence nearby. It couldn’t be those males again, they wouldn’t dare step foot into here without wanting a death wish. You scanned the room.

Off to the side was Gawtin, eyes half closed, and body almost fully submerged in the bath. A smirk graced your features as you strut up to her. “Is there some space left in the bathtub for little ol’ me?” you questioned with your head tilted, eye sweet.

The water vibrated as a purr rumbled in her chest. All she did was lift up a single hand and reach it out towards you. With a giddy laugh, you peeled off your nasty clothes and was quick to enter the bath. To be honest, it was like a deep pond. They had to be for the size of these guys. Not that you minded. Not at all.

Gawtin pulled you towards her and forced you onto her lap. The water stung at your skin, barely tolerable at this stage. This was mild compared to what she usually soaks in. You were thankful nonetheless. You cuddled up against her bulky frame. Both arms resting on her shoulders, finger intertwined behind her head. “What have you been up to while I was gone?” you questioned and softly stroked at one of her tresses. She’s taken all of the trinkets and jewelry out, meaning this was a long, deep soak for her. The special necklace you made for her was sat upon all that used to adorn her body, making you smile at the sight.

“Everyday actions needing to be done,” she responded and leaned down. You felt her tongue run across your collar bone. A shiver went down your spine. “What have you collected today? Your bag seems quite full." One her hands gentle grasped the back of your neck, keeping you close to her.

Your gaze fell over to the bag close to entrance of the room. It laid on its side, some of the contents have spilled out. “Lots of stuff. I’ll show you afterwards.”

Nothing in this world could drag you from her or this beginning-to-soothe bath. After all the climbing and hiking you’ve done today, your muscles were sore and aching. The warmth of the water helping you both relax.

She clicks her mandibles at you in laugh and held you chest to chest with her. You did your best to accommodate her wide hips. A purr started up from her as she cuddled you close. Then she seemed to tense and push you half an arm’s length away. A confused look washed over your features as you stared into her purple eyes.

Her pink tongue slithered out and tasted the air between the two of you. She growled. “Hey, what’s up? What’s wrong?” You tried to calm her down and reach out to her. She spread her upper two mandibles.

“You smell of male Yautja. Why?” she snarled but the look on her face didn’t make her seem mad at you. Uh oh. Those males are going to be in big trouble now.

“About that,” you nervously started, “when I was coming back because the sun was setting, two males decided to play a fun game with me. Without my knowledge. Some things happened and I managed to cut one of their legs before leaving.”

Fire seemed to flicker in her eyes at this. “But, they got what was coming for them. At least one of them.” You hoped this didn’t turn into a fight or what happened at that festival… People still talk about it and know it was you. You only got teased once. Never again. Gawtin isn’t one to mess around with.

Then, something caught your attention. “Where’s Qui’oky?” He’s usually here with his mom but that didn’t seem like the case today. Gawtin held you close to her again. An arm underneath your butt to keep you face to face with her. She buried her face into your neck and shoulder area.

“Bziut-ty’s.” Ah, that makes a whole of lot sense. When the two of you know you’re going to have spicy time, Bee is always up to watching over Qui.

That just solidified that Gawtin planned this ahead of time. Now you knew what was gonna go down.

Sharp teeth softly latched onto the meat between your shoulder and neck. All of your muscles tensed at the action, a prey like mindset waking up inside of you. You squeezed your thighs. She growled in return, fangs biting just a little harder.

For tomorrow, there was no chance on you walking. Not that Gawtin minded. She liked to take care of you.

#yautja #female yautja #yautja x reader #yautja x you #yautja x human #predator #alien vs predator #female predator

254 notes · View notes

lexosaurus · 1 year

Note

Lexx, outta curiosity do you have an archive of all your past banners and icons? I'm curious to see the evolution if so

As a matter of fact, I do save them all!

Here is a history of the icons (no dates tho cuz im not digging that info up):

Technically the first icon I had was just a generic dp screenshot. I can't remember what is was now. I think it was like 6-8 months before I began making my own icons.

This was the first "custom" icon I made. I created this amazing look on an app called Pizap, which was the first photo editing app I'd ever tried. At the time, it was free to use (I don't believe this is the case anymore? I don't have it anymore so idk). As you can see from the incredible quality, I was truly a master from the start.

I could be mixing up 2 and 3's order, but I'm like 99% sure this was icon 2. I made it for Pride Month because I'm asexual, and I used that same app. I put this icon in every June.

This is icon 3, again still using Pizap. This is sort of the "base" icon that I use for everything now. I really should update this now, but part of me almost likes the retro meme aesthetic.

Here's icon 4, which is just icon 3 but with a Disney Princess hat on it that I put in using Photopea my beloved. I made this after the premier of the Disney soundtrack I participated in.

Icon 5, this was the one you made me in ms paint. Literally still obsessed with it thank u 🤌

After that I went back to icon 3 for a while. This one has always just spoken to me in a way that no other icon ever could.

When Apple threw the goddamn chains on Tungle dot gov and banned like 300 fucking tags, I quickly took icon 3 and threw a censored bar over it because Apple decided to ban the tag "Lex". This tag is still banned on my iphone, along with many others.

As of two days ago, this is now my icon, which will stay for as long as this meme is hot. Honestly, I am just honored that people are finally acknowledging one of my favorite movies of all time. The sound design on it was impeccable, and the score was a true masterpiece.

As for my headers, I've only ever had like 2 of them so they're not really an evolution. I plan on actually redoing it soon because there's something about this design (I'm not specifying what) that has always bugged me. So I can do the header evolution after I've sorted that out.

But honestly I love making little iterations to my icon. I just think it's really funny. The goal is always to be recognizable to those glancing by, but still different enough that someone who actually looks will be like, "wait a second..." (with the exception of pride month which has ace colors).

#danny phantom #lexx lore #what is next after goncharov?#will i finally redesign the icon to be an HD quality?#will i update the memes?#your guess is as good as mine

104 notes · View notes

wardenparker · 2 years

Text

Starting Over - Chapter 12

Marcus Pike x female reader Co-written with @absurdthirst

Recently arrived in Texas and only slightly removed from his divorce, Marcus finds himself smitten with the women at the housewares store that is helping him furnish his new Austin condo. It becomes a more complicated situation than he could have expected, but Marcus has never been one to shy away from a challenge when love is on the line. ✨This fic takes place *before* the events of The Mentalist.✨

Rating: Teen Word Count: 10.1k Warnings: *Blanket warnings for this fic will include divorce, past abusive relationships, deceased mothers, father issues/family trauma, unplanned pregnancy.* Cursing and food mentions, unplanned pregnancy, pregnant reader, Marcus being shamelessly flirted with, *Lisbon Alert*, fluff everywhere, Summary: Everything’s coming up roses in the wake of Amanda’s departure from your lives, and a trip to the farm comes with a sweet surprise. Notes: We’ve finally caught up with the plot of the Mentalist in the very last chapter! Marcus deserved better than the way Teresa Lisbon treated him, and hopefully the epilogue will show that he’s gotten it. 💗✨🥰

Ch 1 ~ Ch 2 ~ Ch 3 ~ Ch 4 ~ Ch 5 ~ Ch 6 ~ Ch 7 ~ Ch 8 ~ Ch 9 ~ Ch 10 ~ Ch 11

“Pike!” Section Chief Russell is a generally upbeat man, or at least relatively upbeat for a lifetime member of the law enforcement occupation, and when Special Agent Marcus Pike walks into his office on Monday morning his expression is downright jovial. “Sit down, son. I’m glad to see you.”

“Sir.” Marcus nods respectfully, nervous even though he knows he’s innocent. The accusations have been withdrawn but it could still leave a mark on his service record. Sometimes people were nicest before they delivered a crushing blow.

“I’m sure you’ve had a hell of a week, so I won’t poke the bear, but is everything all right at home now?” Russell’s own office is probably not far off from what Pike’s will look like in thirty years: photos of his family set in frames given to him by his wife and pieces of art by his grandkids displayed with honor. If he’s honest, that’s probably where his soft spot for Marcus Pike comes from. The younger agent is like a glimpse into his own past. Although Pike might have more good sense about him, which is one of the reasons that this whole domestic violence nonsense had seemed to come from so far out in left field.

There’s a small sigh of relief, shifting in the fore-mentioned chair to get comfortable. “Yes sir, fortunately, after retracting her slanderous allegations, my soon to be ex-wife signed the divorce papers and there will be no mistakes by the lawyers this time.”

“Good.” Russell picks up his coffee mug, draining the last of his second morning cup. “The new Mrs. Pike is well? Baby’s good?” The full explanation of everything that was going on at home was something Pike had given privately when news of the pregnancy came down the pipe, and Russell had been a little gobsmacked but shrugged his shoulders. To each their own, he always says. And Pike had plenty of his own.

“Very good.” Marcus nods, unable to stop himself from giving a soft smile. Even though Andrew had stayed until this morning, the spare room was officially starting to look like a nursery. No traces of Amanda were left anywhere in sight.

“Good.” Leaning back in his chair, Russell surveys his young agent with an appraising eye, seeming to take one last look before he decides to go ahead and say what he planned on saying this morning. “I’m sorry you were out of the office for a few days, but a few people wanted to nose through your business, and I wanted to make sure that there wasn’t a drop of ink out of place while they did.” The older man’s face betrays a wider smile, and an unmistakable expression of pride. “You’ve been on a short list in Washington for a few months now, and as of this morning, you’re at the top of it.”

He knows the shock on his face is clear, eyes widening, as he takes in the older man’s words. He’s looked up to him as a mentor over the short time he’s been here. “Sir— I, thank you for the consideration.” He gushes slightly. “It’s an honor.”

“Marcus,” Russell chuckles, a little charmed by the earnestness on Pike’s face. “I haven’t even told you what the short list is for. It could be Archives for all you know.” Not that it ever would be. Pike has an excellent arrest record and a high conviction rate. He’s as good in court as he is on the street.

He flushes slightly, aware that he might have jumped the gun. “I would take it if that was what was offered.” He tells him honestly. “My fiancée would love nothing more than to move back to D.C. She attended college there and it’s where we are planning to get married there.”

“You would hate the Archives.” Russell’s amusement turns into a full laugh, and he nods as he leans forward in his chair again. “There’s a task force being assembled to have our Art Crimes division collaborate with Interpol and Scotland Yard. It would be a lot of desk work and a lot of travel. But?” He waves one hand as though indicating a world of possibilities. “Do well and it becomes a promotional fast track.”

Marcus’s brows raise and he nods, aware that it’s essentially being groomed for a Director role. “I understand.” He tells him. “A task force could revitalize the close of Art Crimes cases.”

“I’ve already put in my recommendation.” And he stands by it, using the time that Pike was out of the office on the outlandish domestic charges to pull up the young agent’s record and make sure everything is spotless. “I don’t know what role you might be offered, or how soon, but I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.”

Understanding that he’s being dismissed, Marcus stands and holds his hand out to his boss. “Thank you for your guidance and leadership.” He tells him. “I have learned a great deal about being an agent from you during this time.”

“It’s been my pleasure.” Russell isn’t looking forward to losing his best agent, but he is proud to see Pike doing well and stands to shake his hand. “One more thing,” he remembers, wondering how this was a thing he forgot. “They’re doing a little renovation on our bullpen for the next week or two, so we’re sharing office downstairs. We’ll be using the conference room for interviews, so you can set up in there.”

“Yes sir.” Marcus nods and turns to walk out of the office, nearly floating on air he’s so excited. The idea of going back to D.C. had been a distant dream and he’s thrilled he can possibly make it a reality sooner than he ever believed possible.

******

The kitchenette downstairs is full to bursting, four other agents all bustling around making coffee and grabbing muffins including another member of his team. Isabel Cortez is making small talk with three women Marcus barely recognizes when he walks in. “Pike!” She calls his name, relieved to see him after a couple of days of no word from Russell’s office. “You came back to us!”

“I’m back!” He grins at her, always happy to see the cheerful agent. “What’s been going on?”

“We’ve got the interview for the gallery shooting in a half hour.” That’s not the good news, but it’s the work news, so Cortez makes sure she mentions it first. “And we have lovely new floor mates.” This is the good news, and she introduces the other agents easily. “Fisher, Wylie, and Lisbon. They have accepted our peace offering of muffins this morning, so now we’re all friends.”

“Nice to meet you.” Marcus smiles at each one. “Marcus Pike.”

“Nice to meet you.” The agent named Fisher puts her hand out to shake Marcus’s, and Lisbon gives him an extremely unsubtle once over before stepping forward to shake his hand as well. “I don’t recall having run into you before.” She says, offering him a small, flirtatious smile.

“I’ve been out of the office on personal business.” He offers, not elaborating on things beyond that. “But I’m here now.”

“You certainly are.”

“Ladies,” Cortez laughs, barely managing not to roll her eyes. “He’s engaged with a baby on the way, let’s let the man get back to work, huh?”

Marcus bites his lip to keep from chuckling at the disappointed expressions on their faces while the agent called Wylie looks oblivious. You would find that funny, although you will also tell him that they have every reason to be disappointed. “Speaking of working….” He glances around. “Where are we setting up?”

“Grab your coffee,” Cortez nods to the counter behind agents Fisher and Lisbon. “And I’ll show you the conference room.”

“Ladies. Gentleman.” Marcus nods and skirts around them to get to the coffee pot. He’s stopped making coffee at the house out of consideration for you.

“That’s a damn shame.” Lisbon mutters to her colleague on their way down the hall to the bullpen a few minutes later. “I’d climb that tree in a heartbeat.”

Fisher chuckles, agreeing with her. “He’s attractive and he seems nice.”

“You’re so polite about it.” Teresa laughs it off as they walk down the hall together, putting Agent Pike on the unattainable but fun to look at shelf in her mind and moving on.

******

Greater Rochester International Airport is just big enough to feel busy, but as you and Marcus step out into the sunlight of the parking lot of the car rental company to get into the little Ford Focus that you’ll be using for the weekend, it is abundantly obvious that the folks around here move at about the third of the pace of Austin. The twenty-year old snapping her bubble gum at your hands the keys to Marcus with a smile even though the reservation was under your name, and you roll your eyes in amusement as he hands them directly over to you. “It’s not too far,” you tell him as you climb behind the wheel. “Twenty-five minutes of country roads and we’ll be right as rain.” The visit to see your father is fast on the heels of Amanda’s departure from your lives and you honestly can’t remember the last time you felt so relaxed. The only worry is how your father will react to you already being pregnant, but since the ring is already on your finger you figure even a traditionalist like him will have to concede.

Marcus nods and shuffles the bags in his hand. “Are you happy or nervous to see your dad?” Marcus has his own reservations about meeting the man who he had both asked to marry him without getting permission and knocked up. Your father might have some strong feelings about it. “Hopefully he likes the gifts we’ve brought.”

“He’ll love them.” The collection of barbecue dry rubs and packets of various pickling spices that you and Marcus had put together will be right up his alley. You just wish you could have brought him a bottle of Texas whiskey as well. “I have to admit, I’m happy to be home for a couple of days. I know but the time we’re ready to leave I’ll be more than happy to retire from farm life again, but this will be nice.”

Laughing, he opens the trunk of the car and starts loading bags in. The two of you hadn’t traveled heavy, but there was plenty between you. “I’m interested in seeing home.”

“The cute little farmhouse that begot your cute little fiancée?” You joke, once he’s situated in the passenger seat beside you. “The best part of the whole place is my mother’s garden.”

“I take it your father cares for it religiously?” Marcus had a house plant once. It died a pitiful death, and he’s never tried again so he has no clue how to care for a garden.

"He does his best, and I check in on it whenever I'm home." You nod, turning over the rental car's engine and heading for the highway. "I always...I put out a vase of flowers every morning while I'm there. Like Mom used to."

“That’s good.” Marcus smiles and reaches over to rest his hand on your thigh. “I can’t wait to see that.”

The drive is quick, passing easily as you point out various landmarks or the sites of old memories to him along the way. Twenty-five minutes later exactly, you're pulling up in front of an old-fashioned farmhouse at the end of a long gravel driveway. Its white paint is chipped and worn but the shutters are the same warm red as the roof and door making the whole place look picturesque and inviting. "Home sweet home," you grin at Marcus when you park the car.

Marcus frowns at the two trucks in the yard. “Eric?” He asks, nodding towards them. “You said he still works for your dad?”

"Yeah." The bumper sticker of an angry red-and-blue-striped cartoon bee emblazoned with an M on its chest is faded but proud in the back window beside a sticker for the Buffalo Bills and one that reads Support Your Local Farmer in bold white lettering. "James Monroe High Redjackets." You explain, pointing out the first sticker. "I don't know who made that up but it's the weirdest fuckin' mascot."

“I’ve heard of Yellowjackets, but never a Redjacket.” He jokes, feeling a little nervous about meeting the dad and the ex in one go, but he owes you after the shit you put up with from Amanda. “I love you.” He murmurs suddenly, reaching for your hand to squeeze. “Your dad is going to love me by the end of this visit. I promise.”

"I have absolutely no doubts about that." And you don't, really. Your father may be a little bristly with new people but the only people he actually actively dislikes are the rude and ignorant. Marcus is neither of those things. Slipping your hand into his, you bring his knuckles up to your lips and dust a few kisses across them. "You ready to do this?"

“Of course.” Scoffing, Marcus shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “I’ve been in a standoff with a murderer, how hard can meeting your dad be?” He asks and then widens his eyes dramatically. “Shit, but I had a gun then.” He jokes.

"Yeaaah," you pat Marcus's leg with your other hand, smirking until it turns into an all-out laugh. "This time Dad has a gun, but you have the ultimate shield. You're giving him grandbabies."

“Very true.” Marcus concedes. “Plus…maybe the fact that I’m rich will help?” He is still getting used to that fact, the idea of using the trust fund, but it doesn’t bother him like it used to. He will use it to make sure that he gives you the best life possible. “Maybe I’ll buy him a tractor. Farmers love tractors.”

"I have a feeling that that factoid might piss off Eric more than it would help with my Dad." The two of you climb out of the car and you huff slightly, soothing your belly automatically with one hand as you straight up. "Just be yourself, baby. That's all you need to do and I promise everything will be fine."

“I just don’t want your relationship with him to suffer.” That’s what Marcus worries about the most. If his father-in-law didn’t care for him, he could live with that. He’s a grown man and knows sometimes people just don’t like each other. But the last thing he wants is to affect your relationship.

"I think you're worrying more than you need to." You try to reach for your own bag but get a dirty look from Marcus for the brazen audacity of thinking he would ever let you handle your own carryon. "Come on," you laugh, shaking your head at him. "We should be just in time for lunch."

“Okay.” Marcus makes sure the only bag you are holding is the one containing the gifts. That is fine. “You should be hungry. You haven’t eaten in two whole hours.”

"Har har har." Rolling your eyes at him as you climb the two steps to the porch, you stick out your tongue like the very mature adult that you are. "Go ahead and tease the pregnant lady about her snacking habits and then see if you get any tonight. I dare you."

“Wait.” Marcus comes to a dead stop. “You mean that’s on the table here?” He asks in wide eyed wonder. He had expected to be told hands off under your dad’s roof.

"I mean we should probably keep the volume down to be respectful, but yeah. I don't see why not." It's not like you and Eric hadn't lived technically in sin in this house for almost an entire year. There isn't any reason you can think of why you shouldn't be able to indulge with your fiancé over the weekend.

“Shit.” Marcus shakes his head. “I’m sorry baby. I know I’m starving.” He shoots you a grin and a wink.

"Well I can't have you starving for affection." You pull him close for a quick kiss - alright, two - before knocking loudly on the front door and barging directly inside. "Dad! We're home!"

Marcus follows you inside, shuffling bags and setting them out of the way as he hears footsteps coming from the kitchen. Wanting this to go as well as he possibly can, he turns towards the sounds and watches as your father moves into view.

“Sunny?” You hear him before you see him, your father’s deep voice ringing through the house easily, and grin when he strides through the kitchen doorway. “Well I’ll be damned girl, look at you.” He huffs, and anyone who didn’t know him would think he was annoyed. But that’s just how he sounds. “You look happy, Sunshine. Give your old man a hug.” It’s about the easiest request you can think of, even if your father is a full foot taller than you and it still makes you feel like a little kid to have to reach up to him in tip toes. At least, for now, you chose loose enough clothes that your belly isn’t immediately on display. He would have said something. “Dad,” you pull back from your father and turn to smile at your fiancé. “This is Marcus.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Marcus offers his hand, immediately taken in a very firm grip. Part of him thinks that it might be a test of strength but another part of him thinks that it’s just your father’s handshake. “She has been looking forward to this trip.”

“She doesn’t get home often enough.” Your father contends, surveying Marcus carefully before letting his hand go. “I guess I have you to thank for getting her back. Come on in, kids, we were just making lunch.”

Deciding that leaving the luggage in the entryway is the best course of action, Marcus follows you as you follow your father through the hall. Glancing at pictures on the wall that he will want to study when he has the chance. It’s obvious that they are pictures from when you are younger and he can’t wait to see them.

“Look at what the cat dragged in.” There is a younger man standing in the kitchen, tan and blonde with bright blue eyes and broad shoulders, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. There is a pot of soup on the stove and a cutting board laden with the ingredients for grilled cheese on the counter behind him, as he is obviously ensconced in everyday life here. “Hi Eric.” You’ll be civil, friendly even, because if what your ex means to your father in terms of the family farm - but any feelings you had for this man beyond passing cordiality have long since dried up. “Um— Eric, this is Marcus. My fiancé.”

Eric's eyes widen slightly in surprise. He hadn't actually expected the fiancé to be real if he was honest with himself. Your father had said something about a man, but he hadn't thought it was as serious as you had said. Recovering, he wipes his hand on his jeans and holds his hand out to Marcus. "Eric. Ex-fiancé." He chuckles.

"Except this time there's a date and a venue that doesn't involve milking cows between the ceremony and reception." You mumble, shaking your head. "So what is it that you do, son?" Your father has gone to retrieve a pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator and two more glasses. "Sunny here didn't give out too many details. Was it...law enforcement?"

Marcus lets go of Eric's hand and nods, shuffling slightly. "Yes sir, I'm with the FBI." He explains, wondering if they will be uncomfortable at the mention of federal law enforcement. Sometimes people are wary of any of the alphabet agencies.

"FBI?" Handing off two glasses of tea to you and Marcus, your father raises an eyebrow at you. "You really couldn't stand small-time anything, could you, Sunny?" "It was a coincidence," you take the glass easily, nudging Marcus toward the kitchen table so you're not all just standing around awkwardly. "He came into my store to buy furniture after he moved to the city, and I helped him pick some things out."

"She was a lifesaver." Marcus corrects with a small laugh. "Everything in my condo she helped pick out, beyond a few paintings."

"I'm kinda wishing I had talked you out of the leather sectional now that I'm living there," you joke, poking at Marcus a little as you sit down at the table. "I end up sticking to it whenever I fall asleep in the living room."

"We will be glad we can just wipe it off." He reminds you, smiling slightly at the upcoming mess and destruction of furniture that all kids seem to bring with them.

"She's a fairly tidy girl, I think you'll be alright." Eric is back to the business of making sandwiches, adding then one by one to a large pan. "No...uh..." Shaking your head, you reach over to thread your fingers through Marcus's and sit back in your chair. You definitely hadn't planned on doing this in front of Eric, but maybe it's worth it to get around what would otherwise be a gossip storm. "We have, uh...we have one more thing we wanted to announce. And then you can resume the interrogation."

Marcus squeezes your hand in reassurance. He had told you that he would tell your father, but you had insisted you wanted to be the one. “We are really excited.” He adds, wanting him to know that he is happy for the baby.

“More announcement than that you’re getting married?” Your father raises an eyebrow as he sets bowls of soup down at the table. “You kids running off to Vegas for this wedding or something? You can’t be in any kind of trouble with an FBI fiancé, right?” “Nobody’s in trouble, Dad.” You hang on to Marcus’s hand to steady yourself, but the fact is you’re so happy about everything finally going well that you know you’re beaming. “I’m pregnant.”

Marcus watches at Eric’s interested face falls -obviously not happy with the the news - turning to watch the cogs in your father’s head turn as his frown furrows his brow. Not the most enthusiastic response, but he knows it’s a surprise to him.

“But you said that you got engaged two weeks ago, Sunshine.” Watching your father put the pieces together is making your stomach flip - and it’s not the baby moving around that making you green around the gills. His frown is fully formed as he eyes your oversized shirt, and his gaze is disapproving where you were so sure he would be excited. “H-how…how far along are you?” “Twenty-two weeks. I’m due in December.” Gently smoothing one hand over your loose clothing reveals your noticeable bump, and the smile on your face is watery with happy tears. “We—we just found out last week. We’re having a boy.”

"I am fully aware that this is a shock and seemingly sudden." Marcus adds. "But I want to assure you that we have been nothing but thrilled to be preparing for the baby and expanding our family." He levels a look at your father - man to man. "I understand that you might be upset at me, and I deserve it. But I love your daughter and I want nothing more than to provide for and spoil her and our coming children."

“Sudden’s sort of an understatement.” Rubbing at the back of his neck, your father leans forward in his chair and surveys the pair of you carefully. “You know you don’t have to marry this man just because he gave you a baby, Sunny,” he reminds you slowly. “You can come home and I’ll take care of you and my grandson myself. Things ain’t like they used to be.” “Daddy.” It’s your turn to frown, but you understand that it’s coming from a place of care and concern even though it might not sound like it. “I love Marcus so much. I would have said yes to marrying him even without the baby, and we’re excited to be parents. We’re going to have a big family and bring your grandbabies up to visit as much as we possibly can. This is a good thing. All of it. I promise.”

This isn't going so hot. Marcus squirms, only comforted by the fact that this is what you want. "If she had chosen to not be with me, I still would have made sure that both your daughter and my child never wanted for anything." He promises, knowing that it would have broken his heart, but he would have done it.

That seems to mollify the older man slightly, and your father looks back at you with a slightly softened expression. “You’re happy?”

“Yes.”

“Excited?”

“Yes.”

“You love this man and you trust him?”

“More than anything.”

“Well shit.” One fist pounds the kitchen table exuberantly as your father leans back on his chair with a wide smile on his face. “I guess we’re having a party then.”

Thank God. Marcus blows out a silent breath of relief. Eric is still frowning, and he knows the man had hopes that you would come to your senses and come back home - to him. Marcus had just ruined that plan for him. He hates it for him, but you weren't going to ever give him that fantasy anyway.

“Barn party?” You grin at your father, knowing exactly what he’s thinking and he nods. “Mom used to throw barn parties with her friends.” Squeezing Marcus’s hand, you can give him sort of a quick outline of the kind of thing your father is talking about. “It kind of became town tradition. Anytime somebody has some good news they want to share, they call around and invite everybody over to eat and drink all night in whoever’s barn is hosting. We play music and the kids bring games. Everybody brings food. They’re a very casual way to have a lot of fun.”

A potluck in a barn." His brow raises, but he's not judging it. "I think that would be fun." He offers, smiling at you. I'll help in whatever way you need me to."

“You want to show him around town, Sunny?” Now that you’re father has decided that he accepts the situation, he’s all in - only regretting the fact that your mother isn’t here to celebrate with you, too. “I’ll make you a list of things to pick up for tonight and you can spread the word?” Of course he’ll make some calls as well and start setting up, but he needs to be at the farm to do the work in between chatting. “Congratulations.” Eric murmurs, not meaning it for a second as he puts the plate of sandwiches down in the middle of the table. “Jim, I’m gonna go and check on that bit of fencing in the east end of the pasture. I’ll meet you for the afternoon milking.”

Marcus frowns slightly at the man quickly walks to the door and opens it. Turning to you and sighing softly. He wonders if he should go talk to the man, or if it would make things even more difficult.

“Let him adjust.” You squeeze Marcus’s hand gently before turning to the food in front of you. The baby is basically keeping you in a constant of hunger lately and you’re not going to lie - your dad’s vegetable soup is comfort food. “He’s had a bomb dropped on him…I’ll go and talk to him before the party tonight.”

"Okay." Marcus doesn't like it, but there is nothing he can do. You and Eric have history and he respects that. "Your soup smells wonderful." He compliments your father. "She's been looking forward to some comfort food. The baby's been giving her a bit of a time with foods that don't agree with her."

“Her mother had a world of trouble.” It had been a part of her decision to only have one child, ultimately. That your mother’s pregnancy had been so difficult. “I swear by the time she was six months along there were only about five things she could eat without having trouble.”

“Oh good, so this is hereditary.” Despite rolling your eyes, you shoot Marcus a grin. Any difficulties you might be having are well worth it as long as the baby is healthy.

“As hereditary as your hair and eyes and smile.” Your father nods. He always liked to point out how much like your mother you look and since her passing it’s made you feel just a little bit closer to her memory. “So Marcus,” he doles out sandwiches and takes a sip of his tea. “What sort of work do you do for the FBI?”

Marcus sets the sandwich down and gives his full attention to his future father-in-law. “I work in Art Crimes.” He explains. “Stolen, copied or plagiarized famous works. Mainly working with museums to recover works from the black market.”

“So no drug dealers or gun runners or anything that’s going to make my daughter a young widow.” Jim nods his head. “Good. Not that I don’t have respect for those people, but my concern is for Sunny.”

“I won’t lie and tell you that there is no danger with my job.” Marcus tells him honestly. “But I will do everything in my power to come home to her everyday.” He promises. “And, while it’s a small consolation, if something happens to me, she will not be a bereft widow.” Before his father had left, he had the attorney’s draw up a will that would be iron clad and provided for you and any and all future Pike-ettes. Everything he had would go to you and there was no way anyone could contest it. Not even his father.

“Planning for the future important.” Jim nods solemnly, face momentarily drawn. “Everyday I had with her mother was precious. Lizzie was barely ever sick a day in her life besides being pregnant and getting cancer. You just…you never know what can happen.”

“I am very sorry that I never got a chance to meet her.” Marcus murmurs softly. “My own mother died when I was 17 from cancer and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through in my life, I can’t imagine if it was the woman I love.” His hand grips yours tightly wanting to suddenly demand that you go to every doctor’s screening available without fail.

“And we’re not imagining that now.” Holding onto Marcus, you squeeze his hand back reassuringly. “I’m fine, the baby is fine, everybody is good and we’re not worried.” In fact, since Amanda left, the only dark spot in your days has really been work. Even your morning sickness is starting to let up a little.

He smiles, picking up your joined hands and kissing the back of it softly. “All I want.” He promises you, not worried about showing affection around your father. He won’t grope you in front of the man who had helped create you, but he wasn’t going to hide his feelings for you.

“So,” he smiles, glad to see a bit of natural affection between you. There should be, between spouses. “When’s the wedding?”

“October 11th.” You brighten at what is easily one of your two favourite topics of conversation. “It’s a Saturday, and a long weekend, and Marcus and I will make sure that you have your own room at the hotel for as long as you want to stay. I know you don’t like to be away from the farm for too long, but we’ll take care of everything. All you have to do is show up and walk me down the aisle.”

He knows you will be heartbroken if your father claims that he can’t leave. He hopes that he won’t, but he also wants to make sure it doesn’t happen. “If necessary, I’ll be happy to hire workers to make sure that everything is running smoothly while you are gone.” He offers.

“Eric can mind the place for a few days. He and Ginny can hold down the fort.” He looks to you with a tilt of his head. “Long as you don’t mind your cousin missing your wedding in favor of your old man being there?”

“Ginny? Seriously?” Though you sound incredulous, you do nod. “I didn’t think any of Aunt Corinne’s kids ever went in for the farm life. That’s great, though. I’m glad you have good hands to help out and not just the seasonal guys.” Soup spoon back in hand, you lend your bewildered fiancé a grin. “Aunt Corinne is my mom’s sister. She and Uncle Rob own a cheese shop in town, and I thought all of their kids worked there too, but I guess not.”

Marcus hums, intrigued by the idea of a cheese shop. “I can see not wanting to work for the family business.” He quips, thinking about himself.

Your father catches Marcus’s tone and looks over at him. “What business did you leave behind to fight crime, then?”

“My father runs a technology company.” He tells your dad nonchalantly, as if it’s not a big deal.

“Hmm.” Though he doesn’t know why, that wasn’t the answer Jim was expecting, so he just nods. “Not everybody’s cut out for the same things are their parents,” he acknowledges, pointing at you. “My girl did everything we asked of her, but she just wasn’t happy on the farm.”

“I completely understand.” Marcus nods, not going into why he didn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps. “Running HP wasn’t my idea of a future. So I made my own path.”

The company name doesn’t register in your father’s mind, and he nods as he pushes his clean plate away on the table. “And the two of you together?” He asks instead. “You have a path together?”

“I think we do.” Marcus smiles and kisses your hand again. “I have told your Sunny that I will fully support anything she wishes to do, even if she would like to be a stay-at-home mom. Or become a powerhouse in the hospitality business.”

“Good.” When Jim nods this time, he pushes back from the table and picks up a notebook and pen from the sideboard nearby. A few moments of silence gives him a chance to jot a few things down, and after briefly reviewing the items he hands it over to you. “You kids head into town and pick up some supplies,” he tells you, digging into his back pocket for his wallet to get you a credit card which you immediately refuse to take. “Invite whoever you want while you’re in town, I’ll make a few phone calls myself. Tell ‘em 6:30.”

Marcus watches as your father kisses your cheek and then heads out the same door that Eric had left through. “Well that went okay, I think this means that he approves?” He asks, gesturing to the list of items to get for the barn party.

“I thought he’d be thrilled immediately and even I didn’t expect a party.” You haul yourself up from the table and give Marcus a kiss before you start to gather empty plates and glasses from the table. “Want to help me load the dishwasher before we go? Downtown isn’t big but I’ll get to show you all my old haunts.”

“Baby, you sit down.” He huffs. “You can point to where things go.” He knows you can do things for yourself, but he also knows you might get a little sick after eating so he wants you to let your food settle.

With Marcus following your direction, the kitchen is quickly cleaned up and you’re grabbing your purse from the entryway where you left it before you head back out to the rental car. “So, is it as quaint as you were expecting, so far?”

“I think that it’s charming.” Marcus looks over at you and grins. “I can see our kids running around out here.”

“Soon enough.” One hand on your belly makes you hum and return his smile. “First stop is Aunt Corinne and Uncle Rob’s shop. She’ll riot if she’s not the first to know about the party.”

“I can understand that.” Marcus grins at you and reaches over to cover your hand with his. “Family needs to be told first. And I’m curious about this cheese shop.”

******

“You looked at me like I was crazy when I went off on cheese knives and graters the day we met, but I come by it honestly.” The drive into town isn’t too bad, just average country roads that you’ve seen a million times but Marcus can’t enough of. The hand-painted East Rochester Cheese Co. sign above the retro-looking shop front on the corner of Main and Elm is an East Rochester institution since Uncle Rob’s father opened the place in the early 60s. Now they proudly sell cheeses made on your family’s dairy farm from freshly milked cows that get pampered more than any pageant queen. Aunt Corinne works the front counter while Uncle Rob handles the deliveries and stock, and puts his accounting degree to work on the books, and their sons do every job in between. It’s a full family operation, right down to your cousin’s kids colouring at a table in the corner when you walk in.

“Wow.” Marcus whispers as he walks into what he can only describe as a cheese haven. Every kind of tool and cheese board is stocked on the shelves and there are cheeses he’s never even heard of written on a board as a specialty.

“Saying the cheese course of our wedding dinner will be the most important plate was not an exaggeration.” Being back in such a familiar space with Marcus by your side is so relaxing that you actually sigh happily, right before a screech of “Sunny!” goes up from the doorway behind the counter and the blur of a short woman all in blue and white bolts out from around the counter to squeeze you in a crushing hug. “Careful!” You laugh, prying your aunt off you. “You can’t squeeze as hard as you want to right now.” With a grin at Marcus, you add: “Baby on board.”

To say that Corinne’s mouth drops open would be an understatement. Pulling back quickly and glancing from your stomach to your face and then finally over at Marcus. “Oh my God, what did your father say?” She breathes out in shock.

“He said ‘party at 6:30’.” You grin, reaching for Marcus’s hand. “Aunty, this is my fiancé, Marcus.”

"Fiancé." She hums in approval, looking Marcus up and down and the small grin grows wider. "You landed yourself a good looking man, Sunny." She tells you with glee. "You look natural together, unlike the last one you were with." She's not certain if you've told Marcus who you were with and she won't try to rock the boat by speaking out of turn.

“Aunt Corinne was never a fan of Eric’s.” You explain, offering Marcus a shrug that barely contains an accompanying smirk. “Clearly.”

She huffs and rolls her eyes. "Yeah and I hope to hell he doesn't turn his eyes on Ginny."

“Just because he wasn’t right for me doesn’t mean he can’t be right for someone else.” Pulling your father’s list from your purse gives you a little bit of focus and you squeeze Marcus’s hand again reassuringly. “We wanted to tell dad about the baby in person, and it was a good excuse to show Marcus where I grew up.”

“Of course.” She smiles at Marcus. “He should know where you get your crazy from.” She winks with her joke and looks over the list. “I’ll bring the cheese board of course.” She insists. “No need to put in an order. We will make sure it’s spectacular. A welcome to the family thing.”

“Can I talk you into putting an extra block of dill Havarti in with whatever you bring over?” You’re practically salivating looking through the case and Marcus grins at your enthusiasm. “It’s Marcus’s favourite and the baby is very into herbs.”

“I was actually thinking about bringing a fondue fountain.” Corinne shoots you a grin. “I have a new model I want to test out. How does that in dill Havarti sound?”

You nearly groan, realizing you’re salivating at the thought only a second later. “You’re a genius, aunty,” you promise her, with all the sincerity you can possibly muster.

“Anything for my favorite niece.” She gives you another wink, not mentioning that you are her only niece, and her eyes slide down to your stomach again. “How far along are you, hun?”

“Twenty-two weeks. Due in December.” With Marcus beside you at the counter, you’re suddenly wishing you had blocked out an entire day of this trip just to sit and eat cheese and see your family. It’s so much nicer to visit when there’s something happy to celebrate and right now you have double the happiness. “I’m just hoping he’s not late, so he doesn’t lose his birthday to the holiday season, ya know?”

"I'm sure you would never let that happen, even if he was a holiday baby." She doesn't miss the reference to it being a boy and she's practically shaking in giddy happiness. "You let me know what you are doing for a baby shower and I'll either be there or we will throw you one here."

“We’re not planning on doing anything big.” Having talked it over, you and Marcus had decided that getting everyone together for the wedding was more important than trying to do an additional shower, especially with that being busy time for you at work and everything. “But the wedding is going to be in October, and that’s really what’s more important to us.”

“You’re going to be a beautiful bride.” Corinne suddenly gets a little watery eyed and leans in for another hug. “I wish your mother could have seen it. Happy looks good on you.”

“Thanks, aunty.” You squeeze her shoulders tight, appreciating how easy it is for your family to see that you truly are happy. The ease with which they’re accepting Marcus makes everything more exciting on a level you hadn’t anticipated. “I’m, um…I’m going to wear her jewelry in the day. There are a few things in my jewelry box that were hers and I thought it would be a nice way to have her there.”

“I have her veil.” Corinne announces. “She - it had a small rip in it, from when you used to play with it as a little girl. Then she got sick and it became unimportant.” Her sigh is heavy and laced with the sorrow of a sister who had lost her best friend. “But I did fix it and packed it away for you. If you want it.”

“Hmm.” Your lips twist and you raise an eyebrow at your aunt in amusement. “Weird how that offer never happened when I was engaged to Eric.” Even Marcus has to laugh at that, although he politely stifles his while you and Aunt Corinne have an all-out giggle. “I would love that, aunty. Thank you. Any way we can have our mothers with us, we want to. That is, um…Marcus lost his mother as well. Younger than I did. So we’re trying to find ways to carry them with us that day.”

“I’m so sorry.” Corinne turns to Marcus and reaches out to hug him fiercely. “I know that there is nothing I can say, but I am sorry.”

“Aunty, we should get going on this list.” More hugs all around, and you reach for Marcus’s hand again. “We’ll see you tonight?”

“Of course.” She laughs and shakes her head. “I don’t want an angry pregnant lady because I didn’t bring the fondue.”

******

Nothing is forgotten that night, and it seems like the entire town has turned up to meet the man who managed to tie down the wandering farmer’s daughter and see if the rumoured baby bump is for real. Gossip spreads fast in small towns and everybody on Main Street today caught at least a glimpse of you and Marcus walking hand in hand between stores. The barn has overflowed out into the nearest pasture and every table has been piled up with food and drink. A few people came with gifts or morsels of long-standing family advice, and your cousins even showed up with sound equipment to be able to play music that’s far better than what happens when Stuart and Eddie from the hardware store have one too many and decide to reminisce about their high school band. Citronella torches keep the bugs at bay and the kids have been playing games for hours while their parents and older siblings dance and eat. It’s…well, it’s the most perfect engagement party you could ever ask for.

“Wow.” Marcus can’t believe this is the same barn he had walked into hours ago. “They manage to put together a party quickly.”

“It helps when everybody is allowed to pitch in,” you tease, seeing as Marcus hadn’t wanted you to overdue anything and wanted you to take it easy during setup. You had compromised by staying just in the barn while he brought you everything that needed to be set up on the tables.

“This is what you wanted.” He realizes this now that he sees how much you love it. You hadn’t wanted to be married here, but you wanted this. Your community celebrating your happiness.

“I feel like we’ve been haunted for months.” It’s silly to admit, and probably sounds stupid to have it said out loud, but as you sway with Marcus on the makeshift dance floor it makes perfect sense. “We can finally breathe. Breathe and laugh and be excited about the future without having to look over our shoulders. And that is cause for celebration.”

“Yes it is.” Marcus decides that right now is the perfect moment to tell you. “The lawyers called while you were in the house peeing.” He grins at the fact that you go to the bathroom every twenty minutes like clockwork now and strokes your back to soothe you when you tense up at the mention of the lawyers. “The court date has been moved up to next week. So the divorce will be final sooner than we hoped.”

“Oh, thank god.” The sigh that escapes you is audible, like air leaving a balloon. “It’ll all be over…”

“I know.” His lips brush over your cheek and find your lips. “I can’t wait to marry you.” He promises.

"It feels like it's taken forever to get here even though it's only been a few months." You don't let him get far, stealing another kiss before he straightens his back again. "Bet you weren't expecting to be married again and be a father within a year of moving to Texas."

“Not at all.” He shakes his head and gives you a smile while reaching up to cup your cheek. “I came to Texas believing I was starting over.” He murmurs softly. “But what I really did was find the life I am supposed to have, the woman I’m to spend the rest of my life with.”

"I love you, Marcus Pike." Turning your head ever so slightly lets you kiss his palm, and you smile again the warmth of his skin. "And I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

******

You may have gone a little overboard. A lot overboard. In the weeks since Amanda had invaded your workplace, even Marcus’s reinstatement, the trip to the farm, and the divorce and haven’t been able to smooth over the cracks in the rose-tinted glow of how you used to look at your job. Maybe it’s your second trimester talking, but long days standing on cement floors getting yelled at by entitled people who no sense of humanity or manners just isn’t something you can take anymore. It used to be something you took with a grain of salt, but the fact is – you never intended to be in retail for the rest of your life, and working for a corporation that gives you no room to accommodate or stand up to customers as the situation calls for it has finally run its toll on you.

Which is why, as you hustle around the kitchen at the end of Marcus’s workday, the entire place smells like Thanksgiving. It’s Marcus’s favourite meal in the whole world and since you’re basically going to tell him tonight that you want to quit your job, you thought he deserved his favourite foods. Hopefully you won’t be unemployed for long, but for now? For now, this is sort of your peace offering for telling him you might be a housewife for a while.

Marcus pulls up at the house, grinning to himself when he sees your car. Reaching over into the passenger seat to pick up the flower bouquet he had stopped to pick up on the way home from work. “Babe...” Marcus groans when he opens the door and smells the mouthwatering scent of dinner. “I’m home and it smells delicious in here.” He drops his keys on the table in the entry way and shuts the door behind him.

“Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread and sausage stuffing, green bean casserole, and Brussels sprouts with bacon and pearl onions.” When you pop out from around the corner wearing an apron over your oversized t-shirt and leggings, you offer him a proud smile. “Everything is homemade except the apple pie. I suck at baking pies.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Marcus protests because he feels like he should, not because he’s not appreciative. “But I am going to make sure that I rub your feet tonight longer than normal.” He walks over and drops a kiss on your lips before he offers you the flowers. “These are for you.”

“I wanted to. And they’re beautiful,” you hum, barely letting him pull away before you’re stealing another kiss. “What’s the occasion?” There are decorative vases in certain favourite spots in the house, but only recently have you actually been able to put flowers in them. You never did before for certainty that Amanda would destroy any buds outside your bedroom.

“Well, we closed our case today and I also have some other news that we need to celebrate.” Marcus murmurs, not wanting to give it away too quickly. “We can talk about it during dinner.”

“Everything’s pretty much ready, I just have to get the sprouts out of the pan.” Nodding toward the kitchen, Marcus followers you and – as you expected – immediately starts bringing things to the table. “We’re going to be eating leftovers for days, but I didn’t think you would mind.”

“My favorite kind of meal.” He loves when you can make enough to have leftovers for a few days. Some of them had made him extremely popular in the break room when he heats them up.

“There might be more of it to come soon.” There’s just no way to know, and you hope that he really meant those times when he assured you that he wouldn’t mind if you wanted to stay home with the kids.

“That sounds great, babe.” He murmurs, reaching into the fridges to grab the bottle of sparkling water so he can mix it with the raspberry lemonade. “But don’t overwork yourself.”

“I won’t.” That, you can promise him. In just a minute more you’ve fully loaded the dining room table with the traditional feast and you’re handing Marcus a plate to load up while you pour drinks. “So. Case closed?”

“Case closed.” Marcus shakes his head. “Jane was right, as much as I hate to admit it.” He hadn’t particularly cared for the consultant, even though everyone had sung his praises. He seemed like he would be a good con man - which he apparently was for years.

“Do you have to work with them again?” You don’t so much mind that apparently some of the female agents thought Marcus was attractive – because obviously you agree – but you know he didn’t care much for their consultant.

“I can tell you with certainty that I’ve worked my only case with them.” Marcus hums happily, a little pleased smirk on his face.

“Is your floor done already? That was fast.” It’s only been a bit over two weeks – you expected it to take a lot longer than that with how long he says the government contractors always take. “That’s exciting. You get your desk back.”

“Actually….” Reaching over, Marcus takes your hand. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“You look excited.” Carefully putting down your fork, you reach over and close your other hand over his. “Did you get something big? I mean I’m not hoping somebody got hurt or anything, but you’ve had a couple of long cases. Did you get a break in something?”

“I found out today that I’ve been selected to lead a task force that will work with Interpol and Scotland Yard on Art Crimes.” Marcus tells you. “In D.C.”

“No!!” Squeezing his hand in excitement, you’re practically propelled out of your chair and throwing your arms around him, babbling incessantly in between kisses to his cheeks and lips. “Baby, that’s— that’s amazing! That’s huge, and it’s so fast! I’m so, so so proud of you, Marcus. You work so hard, baby.”

He soaks up your affection like a sponge, happy that this has happened. Kissing you back and caressing the now very obvious baby belly that has grown over the past few months. “The only thing is…they need me there in a month. Five weeks at most.” He sighs and looks up at you. “If you want to take your time, I can go out there ahead of you.”

“No way in hell.” The proud tears in your eyes are threatening to spill over, and you sniffle them back with one more kiss before pulling back a little to look him in the eyes. “Work never got better even after the Wicked Witch left, honey. I’m still dreading every shift and coming home in tears, and it’s not because of the hormones. I— um, honestly? I was going to talk to you about wanting to give notice. I want to get back into hotels. So…this is actually perfect timing for a move.”

“Quit.” Marcus tells you immediately. “Give notice, walk out, whatever you need to do baby.” He reaches out to take your hand. “You know I will support whatever you want to do however I can.”

“I have the perfect excuse without needing to get into things now.” More than anything, you had dreaded knowing you would feel compelled to explain yourself. To give a reason why you no longer enjoyed your job. “But my amazing fiancé getting a huge promotion is all the reason in the world. I’m so proud of you, baby. Your own task force? That’s enormous.”

“I know.” He blows out a breath and looks nervous for the first time since he’s been given the news. “It will be a lot of work, especially at the beginning.”

“And you’re going to be incredible.” You have nothing but the utmost faith in him and you know it’s well founded. “I’ll tell them two weeks when I go in tomorrow and then we can be in DC as soon as you need.” The idea of that far-off, theoretical DC move suddenly being imminent is nothing but exciting for you.

“I’ll need to call my father so he can give the tenants notice.” Marcus tells you, before he gives a grin. “He showed me the house. You’re going to love it.”

“What’s it like?” So far all you knew was that it was a Victorian, but past that it could be absolutely anything.

“Dad sent me a link.” He pulls out his phone. “Apparently the trust has a page dedicated to the contents of the trust. They updated photos after doing some minor repairs.”

You scoot your chair closer to his at the table as Marcus punches in a password, so the two of you can look together. “Oh wow…” As soon as you look at the view from the front gate, it’s like it was built just for the two of you. The all-brick construction was probably intended to keep the house cooler in DC’s warm weather, but now it combines with the shoulder-height wrought iron gate surrounding the property to create an impressive historical facade. The garden seems to extend all the way around the sides, too, and includes a few fruit trees from the look of it. But it’s the dogwoods framing the entrance to the driveway that you really love. “I don’t even care what the inside looks like,” you joke as Marcus scrolls through the pictures. “It’s gorgeous.”

“I don’t think my father has ever owned an ugly house.” He admits, remembering how nice his house with his mom had been. He had wondered for years why he had obviously spent so much money, but had always written it off as guilt. “It will be modernized as much as design will allow too.”

“Holy crap, it has six bedrooms?” Glancing through the facts listed alongside the photos, you see a construction date of 1893, six beds, eight baths, and that central air was somehow installed in the historical home in the time since that became possible. “If it has a library I’m going to cry,” you tell him, starting in on your dinner with a laugh.

“Baby….” Marcus shakes his head and looks at you in delightful exasperation. “There’s a study – which is basically a library.” He flicks his thumb and takes the photos to the large study with build in bookshelves.

“If you ever can’t find me,” you look him in the eye very seriously. “I am either in the garden, or in my library. Goddamn, it’s sexy just saying it.”

“We will have to get very comfortable lounge chairs for you to curl up in.” Marcus muses with a grin. “And make sure we’ve got plenty of books to read on those rainy or snowy days.”

“I hope the fireplace is functional.” The ornate fireplace built into one wall of the study just cries out for a snowy day family cuddle pile featuring all four Pike-ettes. “Six bedrooms means each of the kids has their own room and we still have a guest room for when one of their grandfathers comes to visit.”

“That works even better than I ever could have imagined.” Marcus admits, knowing housing prices are outrageous for larger homes. He had anticipated children sharing a room at the least.

“We got lucky.” And you know exactly who to thank for it, considering Andrew explicitly put his childhood home aside for Marcus years ago. “I just hope the tenants that are there now are really okay with us moving in. I know Andrew said they had been looking for someplace smaller now that their kids are moved out, but this is short notice.”

“If they need longer, we can always stay in a hotel until they are ready.” Marcus smirks at you. “I don’t mind having you pampered for a little bit with room service and maybe spa treatments.”

“I guess we won’t have to worry about flying to DC for anything before the wedding.” Dinner is great, but now everything is great along with it and you feel like you’re buzzing in your seat. “But I think we should scale back the honeymoon. I doubt you’ll be able to get two whole weeks off with a brand-new task force.”

Marcus shakes his head. “I’ve already been assured that all my leave that already has been approved is rolling over.” He assures you. “I asked when I was told.”

“Well damn.” The smile on your face couldn’t possibly get any bigger, or it would just split you in two. “Got any other good news for me, while you’re at it? Did you go out and get a puppy on the way home and you’re just hiding it in your jacket?”

“No, I thought we would pick out a puppy when we get to D.C.” Marcus winks at you. “After the honeymoon so we don’t give the pup separation anxiety.”

“I’m never going to sleep again.” And yet? That doesn’t sound bad at all. Not when it comes on the heels of a happy family and a brand-new life that’s everything you ever wanted.

______

Master Tags: @pixiedurango @chattychell @winter-fox-queen @lady-himbo @artsymaddie @princess76179 @paintballkid711 @missminkylove @pedrosbrat @ew-erin @sarahjkl82-blog @sharkbait77 @justanotherblonde23 @lv7867 @recklesswit @mylittlesenaar @f0rever15elf @gallowsjoker @steeevienicks @athalien @sherala007 @skvatnavle @thatpinkshirt @jaime1110 @girlimjusttryingtoreadfanfics @goodgriefitsawildworld @greeneyedblondie44 @katheriner1999 @littlemousedroid @harriedandharassed @churchill356 @ajathegreats-blog @hardc0rehaylz @beardsanddetectives @kirsteng42 @ladykatakuri

Starting Over: @spideysimpossiblegirl @inspiringmelodrama @pedrilf @thevoiceinyourheadx @goodgriefitsawildworld @badassbaker @rebel-fanfare @canadianmaebe @amneris21 @kulicny @nagassia @bruxasolta @elfwriter1088 @mrsparknuts @graciexmarvel @maryfanson @what-iwish-you-knew @karlawithacapitalk

My Masterlist!

#Pedro Pascal #Pedro Pascal character fanfiction #Pedro Pascal fanfic #Marcus Pike #Marcus Pike x reader #Marcus Pike x you #Marcus Pike x female reader #The Mentalist #The Mentalist fanfic #tw divorce #tw unplanned pregnancy #pregnant reader

87 notes · View notes