#just looked at the replies and comments and realised the original question was more how it worked rather than how to...

[thelightsandtheroses]

seven: me and the devil, walking side by side

Your Hand In Mine | Joel Miller x female reader.

Chapter summary: an unwelcome visitor brings everything to a head Chapter warnings: Reader is a single parent to a teenager, mentions of breakups, discussions of cults/religious movements and violence within these, threat of a gun, tension, lightly implied panic attack/anxiety, 18+ blog mdni, Notes: Chapter title i

s from Me and the Devil, originally by Gil-Scott Heron but I have both this and the Soap&Skin version on my playlist for this fic. Thanks for all of your patience with this chapter. It’s a big one! Word Count: 5.4k

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You’ve been through breakups before. It’s nothing new. Usually you like to be the one to leave before you can be left. That takes out some of the salt in the wound.

Your separation from Joel hurts though. It physically hurts.

Your chest aches, your eyes sting, you miss him. Every small detail brings Joel to you; a flannel shirt, the soap everyone in Jackson.

You’re not sure if it’s because you’ve distanced yourself from a good man - and aren’t those rare to find?- or the impending fear of The Junction. Perhaps it’s both.

On the moments that Joel is not haunting you, your past is.

Beau once asked you whether you were sure that breaking up with Joel was a good idea, if it would perhaps be better to bring him on side. That’s Beau; a survivor, pragmatic to his core.

You can’t quite find the words to voice what it would have meant to you to tell Joel. You still feel complicit somehow in everything that Ethan did, you realised too late, you didn’t stop him. There’s too much shame ingrained in your body for you to tell Joel.

The pain of the breakup feels like a suitable punishment.

“Anything?” you ask Beau as you sip your tea in the kitchen.

Beau shakes his head wearily. “No sign on anyone yet.” He pauses. “If I had to say anything though, it’s almost too …. clean. There’s no sign of anyone, sweetheart, anyone or anything.”

“They’re cleaning their tracks?”

“Probably.”

“Shit. We should leave.”

“We’re better off here than out there,” Beau replies calmly, “‘sides, we can’t just haul Gabe off in the middle of the night now. He’ll ask questions.” There’s an unspoken question - will you ever tell your son the truth?

“I hate this.”

“Me too. We’re going to get through this though.”

“Are we?”

“Of course.”

“Who were you patrolling with?” you ask, eager to change the subject.

Beau shifts uncomfortably. “Just -”

“Joel?”

He nods. ‘Did he notice the clean-up?“

“Things like that don’t get past him. He’s … aware of techniques like that.” probably for the same reasons as Beau. Their chequered histories made them survivors and in some strange kept people they love safe - Ellie for Joel, Sean and you for Beau. “We both commented on it. Joel doesn’t know about the junction though, he’ll assume it’s more like raiders. He wants to raise it in the town meeting tonight - I think he’d mention it sooner if it was more than just a theory. Maybe that can work to our advantage though.”

“How?”

“Well, if he says to Maria then she’ll probably put a stop to traders for a bit. That might protect us a little longer if Jackson’s more closed. It’ll give us time to decide on what we’re doing.” Beau smiles at you. “You and Sean, you’re not alone in this. You, Gabriel, Sean and me … we’re sticking together.”

You nod, sniffing loudly. You won’t cry, you won’t.

“There’s a trader in,” Esther says casually, smiling as you look up from your books.

It’s probably nothing, it’s probably just one of the usual traders who passes through Jackson, but that doesn’t explain why your blood is turning cold and your palms are sweaty.

“A trader? One of our usuals?”

“No, no, never seen him before.”

“Oh, really?” you ask, schooling your expression as much as you can. “What does he look like?”

“Not as good looking as Joel Miller, how you let a man like that go, I will never know.” Esther sighs and you remember that when Joel first came to town, Tommy had been trying to match the two of them. It hadn’t lasted long. You’d asked Joel about it once but he’d been polite, a southern gentleman to a tee so you knew even if there was a story, it wasn’t one you’d hear any time soon.

“Well, I’m sure he’d be heartened to hear your support on that. So, the trader?”

“I don’t know, he had dark hair and he - he had presence, a slight limp though.”

“A limp?”

“Uh huh. Shame really, and some burns but other than that …. he seemed real friendly, had a Victorian doll for trade too, might have some things for your boy. I heard a rumour about coffee.”

You walk past Esther, barely letting her complete her sentences before you’re heading out of the library.

Beau’s on the way to the hall. He’s in the stables and you can see him chatting with Ellie as you approach them.

“Hey Beau, Hi Ellie,” you say, walking in and smiling broadly. You think it’s a normal, false smile but by Beau’s expression, and Ellie’s, you’ve failed miserably. “Beau, there’s a trader at the community hall, want to go check it out?”

Beau looks at you and you hope he’s noticed how you said trader, how you all but winked and raised an eyebrow at the gesture.

“Oh, really?”

“We were talking about trading some of our old stuff soon, right? From back when?”

He definitely understands now. “Of course. Ellie, it was real nice talkin’ to you.”

Before you can leave, Ellie grabs you arm. “Wait, can you just wait a moment?”

No, you think, but it’s Ellie and you’ve already let her down so many times recently, that you nod. “Catch up in a moment, Beau?”

“Okay. I’ll be outside.” If you know, he’ll probably be working on a plan, just in case. He’ll be looking for signs of more of them. You and Sean told him about Ethan’s strategies, about his plans if that first gated community failed.

Ellie looks worried, her arms are folded around herself and it reminds you she’s still just a child, only fifteen. Younger than your own son.

“How are you doing, Ellie?”

“I’m sorry, okay?”

“You’re sorry?”

“Yeah, over the whole arm thing and the accident. I know it made you and Joel argue and then - and then you broke up. I know it’s-”

“Ellie, it was nothing to do with that,” you say vehemently, “Nothing at all about you. I promise.”

“Then why? I thought you liked him?”

“I did.” You do.

“I’ll never understand any of this,” Ellie laments, shaking her head. “Why not just - why’d you come into our lives just to do this then?”

You would have preferred it if she hit you. “I never wanted to hurt you, or Joel. I promise that. I’m - I have to go, Ellie, but I - we can talk more.”

“‘S no point. Unless, is there?” Ellie looks up hopefully.

You shake your head, digging your hands into your pockets. “Take care, Ellie.”

You have to get to the hall, you have to hope your fears are unfounded.

You can’t feel your fingers.

You know.

There are fresh flowers on each table in the hall; it’s a simple gesture, one that intimates the security, the homeliness of Jackson. It’s a place where you can do that again, it’s about living not surviving.

It clashes with the raging survival instinct in you, the fear that your home isn’t as safe as you hoped. The knowledge that everything is about to come crashing down.

What if they’ve already infiltrated? What if there’s been a Junction spy reporting back for months? They would despise you for what you did. They would demand your blood. But what if he …

You look over at the crowd around the trader and begin moving forward with Beau, each step in sync, his presence an unspoken crutch.

You hope you’re wrong about this.

He is not who you remember. That is the first thing you think when you see him. His hair is longer now with his limp, thinning dark locks tied back in a scraggly ponytail. There are more lines on his face, a vicious burn on one hand and you know underneath his clothes will be the hidden scars you left him with - you missed the first time. The second time you hit his leg though.

His eyes widen with delight when he sees you walk into the building. “You,” he exclaims, “At long last, we meet again.”

In your imagination, this scene always was more obviously like a horror film. In your nightmares, you’d be bleeding, taken, surviving once more. The scene was always in some abandoned warehouse, cabin or barn too.

You watched too many movies growing up.

However, you could have never expected this moment would happen in Jackson’s community hall. You could never have expected there would be an audience either. People are still milling around, looking at his potential wares, going about their day like the world hasn’t just ended once more. You want to scream at them, you want to call the insanity of this situation out but your feet are rooted to the floor with thick tendrils of fear holding you in place.

You notice Joel and Tommy at one table. Joel’s eyes look confused as he seems to gauge your expression.

You can see Sean standing near Maria. Sean looks so uneasy; almost grey, and you cannot imagine how your friend is feeling right now, you know he suffered in his own way at The Junction. His face is calm though, he’s planning, waiting for the right moment. You recognise the way his hands are shoved into his jeans pocket though, the way his eyes move wildly around the room when he thinks no one is looking at him.

Your legs feel shaky but you refuse to lean against Beau, to show any weakness in this situation. This situation has been a long time coming.

It’s been seventeen years. You are not who you were then. You have been shaped by him and the Junction, that is true, but you’ve become your own person again. Each tragedy, each win, each memory has sculpted who you are at this moment, has trained you for this moment.

Beau whispers your name, gives you choices on how you play this. He’s on your side, that’s clear, that’s beyond question. Part of you wants to hand the situation over to him, to let Beau deal with it while you bury your head in the sand once again.

That’s not possible though.

You wonder if it’s only the four of you who are aware of the tension at this moment. It’s a secret that your neighbours and friends can’t see, that you never wanted them to see.

And Joel -

Everyone is in danger now.

“Hi honey,” Ethan says loudly with a smile, “It’s been a while. Why don’t you come on over and say hi to your husband now?”

His words have the desired effect; everyone stops, everyone stares, heads moving in a ripple of movement throughout the hall.

Next to Sean, Maria’s smile fades and her face hardens. You hear the hushed whispers around you as they realise Ethan is looking and talking to you.

It’s Joel you want to look at though. You feel drawn to him like Orpheus, knowing you can’t look and desperate to all at once. You remember how he was unable not to turn around in those Greek myths, how you’d argued in class it was foolish and inevitable all at once.

Is this you now? Are you the damned, foolish one? Is your failure, your doom, inevit

Seeing Ethan solidifies everything; Joel is the person you love, the man who loved you and you have lost him because of your secrets and past, in a foolhardy attempt to protect Gabriel.

Gabriel. He’s nowhere to be found as you look around you and you’re grateful for that. You can protect him for just a few more minutes.

Instead of your son, instead of Ethan, you finally allow yourself to glance at Joel. Joel’s face is pulled into a frown and he looks … hurt. You’ve hurt him once again.

You can imagine his thoughts right now - he’ll be wondering why he bothered to trust you, how you hid this from him and why.

“I -” you stutter words, your mouth opening and closing without making any sense. You exhale slowly. “How’s your leg?”

Sean bursts out laughing. It’s a strange, mangled giggle borne of surprise and worry that immediately stops as people look at him.

“So how’s that how we’re playing things, huh?”

“This isn’t a game, Ethan.”

“Isn’t everything you do a game?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t - you were married, you were married to him?” Tommy exclaims, looking at Joel and then you in the vain hope one of you will provide an answer. There’s an unspoken conversation between the two brothers, one clearly Tommy isn’t happy about. “Who is he?” Tommy says your name in a low voice, imploring you to confide in him.

“He shouldn’t be here, he needs to leave.”

“I need to leave?” Ethan asks, an unreadable expression on his face. “So you haven’t told them anything about who you really are then? They don’t know there’s a fox in the chicken coop?” He says your name, tutting with disappointment.

Whispers carry around you like leaves in the wind. You’re not sure what people are thinking right now. You’ve been too quiet, too secretive, it would be easy to wonder who you really are. In another world, maybe this is who would have been - his dutiful wife and spy.

You notice Maria saying something quietly to Tommy, how the two of them are subtly clearing the hall of bystanders. Joel is staring between you and Ethan with a blank face.

Do they think you’re a victim or the perpetrator in this scenario? You notice Beau take the smallest step forward, readying himself for something.

“I don’t think this conversation is serving our community right now,” Maria says flatly.

“Hey Joel,” you hear a familiar voice call. ”Has the trader got anything good? You better not have traded like half of everything you own for coffee again. I honestly don’t get the whole coffee thing anyway, it tastes like burnt- ” Ellie’s voice breaks off.

Your heart races as Ellie, Jesse and to your horror Sean walk into the community hall, completely oblivious to what’s happened but seemingly starting to realise that something is going on.

“Not now, Ellie,” Joel gruffly says.

“What’s uh -” Ellie breaks off.

Ethan is staring at Gabriel and your heart sinks. For sixteen years, you have convinced yourself that Gabriel doesn’t look like Ethan, that there’s no passing resemblance at all.

There is though.

You see it now and it feels like a glaring beacon, another lie come home to roost. A truth you couldn’t avoid forever. He’s yours, you know that, but together in the same room you can see the similarities.

“Mu-” Ethan begins warily, noticing the tension around the room. He looks alert, worried, ready to do whatever is necessary. That’s how it is in this world - you have drummed survival into him from an early age. It feels antithetical though, that the child you want to protect and nurture knows how to fight, how to endure this world you placed him into.

Sean immediately takes a step towards him, but Joel’s there first, a strange look in his eyes. “You need to go home, all of you. Now.”

“But -”

“No arguments, Ellie.” His tone is firm. To anyone else, they would think him a strict parent, a firm, resolute man who accepts no arguments. You can hear the worry though, the slight fear in his voice that Ellie is here. That you have endangered her. Endangered everyone.

“Ergh,” Ellie says but she holds her hands up and takes a step backwards exit with Jesse. She looks over at you and then Ethan and then Gabriel, a frown forming on her face and then she pauses.

“Well, isn’t today full of revelations,” Ethan says in a wonderstruck tone. “It’s curious. He really does look -”

“Oh fuck off.”

It’s enough though. Those few words and you realise Gabriel is putting things together. The betrayal and fury in his eyes eviscerates you.

You look at the ground, hearing the shudder of your breath. No. No.

“Holy shit,“ you hear Ellie mumble under her breath.

“Ellie!” Joel says, the desperation starting to become clearer.

How much does our -” Ethan continues.

“Ethan, shut the fuck up and just go,” Sean interrupts.

“You’ve got braver on the outside. It’s a shame you showed none of this in the Junction when -”

“Thank you for stopping by,” Maria says, her voice even and cool, “It’s time you head on out now though.”

Joel clasps Gabriel’s shoulder so he can’t pass, can’t get any closer to the chaos around you.

“Leave, huh? Well, I think that perhaps you’re mistaken. I didn’t just come here for my son after all.” Ethan sighs. “It’s been a hard winter.”

Joel tightens his grip on Gabriel’s shoulder. Beau and Tommy exchange a look.

You wish you had a weapon, had something to stop this.

You shouldn’t have missed the first time, you shouldn’t have aimed for his leg the second time either.

“So, how many settlements have you been through now?” Sean asks in a nonchalant tone. “I think after two or three, it really says more about -”

“The Junction goes where it is needed. I have heard it is needed here.”

“We don’t need the Junction here,” you say quietly. “No one needs that.”

“You’d rather be damned?”

“If the alternative is an eternity with you, with pleasure,” you say icily.

You hear a slight snort of laughter and turn to meet Joel. He’s still resting a hand on your son’s shoulder, but he’s looking at you. He nods, a subtle gesture anyone else might have missed but that fills you with relief.

You might get through this.,

“You got your fire back, I’d almost forgotten. Now, what was it you used to say when we discussed this. When we discussed what to do about reluctant participants, people who didn’t know they needed to be saved? You remember this is the nice way? It could have been very different after all, but I am here offering magnanimous absolution, even to you.”

“I don’t need your absolution. I don’t need anything from you but for you to go now. For you to leave this settlement, leave these people alone. That’s what all of them need, to be away from you.”

“You think it’s right that they’re here without the Junction’s Word, but maintain all these resources while your own-”

“Leave. While you can,” you say flatly.

“Do these people even know you?”

“You need to go, Ethan, now,” Sean says firmly. “We said we don’t need the Junction here. This can end amicably.”

“Amicably?”

“Yeah, no need for it not to, right? Democracy over depravity - that’s the Junction’s way, right? The old ways, the right ways as you used to call it.” Sean’s face twists into a tormented grimace at those words.

Beau scowls and you realise that while you’ve kept the Junction in a box for seventeen years, Sean hasn’t. He has told Beau, he has talked about it. It’s you who has been stuck.

“You dare speak of the ways when you -“

“Just go, now. Sean’s right,” you say firmly.

“Amicably, is that what he said?” Ethan asks, regarding you again with a scornful expression that turns your blood so cold, you’re amazed you’re not exhaling ice. “Amicably.”

“Ellie, all three of you, I am not playin’” you hear Joel say in a deadly tone.

The three teenagers make a move to leave, relief flooding your veins as you gratefully nod at Joel.

Gabriel is the last to leave, he hangs back until Joel nods at him firmly, but as he moves to the door - he’s almost gone, he’s almost safe - there’s a sound.

“Nope,” Ethan says coldly, “He stays.”

You look at Ethan, at the gun in his hand, pointed directly at you.

“Mum?” Gabriel asks, his voice shaky.

“I thought Eugene fucking searched the traders,” Joel yells at Tommy or Maria, or perhaps you or Beau. All you can see is the barrel.

You’ve always known how this is ends for you.

“You should leave now,” Joel says in a deadly tone. For a moment you’re not sure if he’s talking to you or Ethan. You spin around, meeting his gaze desperately.

His hand on Gabriel is firm enough to stop him from either fleeing or running towards Ethan. You notice the way his muscles are slightly tensed, not too tight, but you make out his vein snaking down his arm.

You’ve mentally prepared for a dozen reactions to what is going on around you: disgust, hatred, pity, but you didn’t expect what meets you. Joel’s face is steely, poised to fight but a flash of fear passes his eyes when you connect with them. He is afraid for you, he is worried. There is no hatred, no disgust, nothing you expected.

He is not asking for you to leave. He is trying to protect you.

It’s like a lead balloon in your stomach. Maybe, maybe you could have said something all this time ago.

“Trust me, she’s not worth it,” Ethan says conversationally. “This settlement, my son? Now those are different stories.

“Are there others here?” you ask suddenly as you piece more of the day together. You can barely recognise your flat voice, the way you’re not entirely in your own body any more. You’re existing, and now you know that because you’ve finally been living and now you know what that is, you’ll lose it all*. “Did they help you keep the gun?”* Someone could be here from the Junction and you need them gone too.

Ethan pivots, takes a couple of steps forward and turns around the room, observing the rapt, frozen crowd around you both. It transports you instantly to dusty rooms, to a younger, more vibrant man you thought wanted to do something good in the world. It takes you back to a place you wanted to belong in, to a time you believed and hung off every single word he said.

“Others?”

“Yes, are they already here?”

“Why would -”

“I know your plays, I know them all.”

“Do you?”

You stare blankly at him, raise an eyebrow slightly. “No. I thought I did, but I didn’t. I thought you were someone else.”

“I am the voice of -”

“You’re a tyrant, a hypocrite and a snake oil salesman all wrapped up. You don’t speak a word of truth and you never have.”

“I’m the vessel, and so is my -”

“If you speak about my son, I will rip you apart so violently it will make the infected look tame.”

“You didn’t have these teeth before. What a pity. It would have been useful.”

“Go.”

“We’re past that.”

You realise he’s right. He’s in Jackson now, this ends one of two ways. Tommy and Joel, they can’t let him leave like this. You can recognise the desperation in his eyes, the hunger, the plans and strategies.

“You’re my wife. I am not going without you and my son.”

“We’re staying here.”

“No. I’m not,” Gabriel says, “Not with her.”

“Gabriel, shut up,” Sean snaps uncharacteristically. “Just leave it now.”

“My son ”

“You want to talk about the Junction? Let’s talk about it then. Gabriel, did you want to grow up in a place that would kill you if you -” You zone out as Sean continues, unable to fully bear the full truth of life in the Junction being exposed to the people around you.

You remember being hungry so much, the fear of breaking a new rule or tenet that your husband came up with. You remember how the inclusive, welcoming commune it was supposed to be shifted. How it became radicalised, against any sign of difference or subversion of what Ethan thought a person should be like. You remember the sexism, the way your voice began to become quieter and quieter.

You remember that Ethan scared you, that his move to the Vessel was antithetical with everything you knew about him. How his words, his dreams became literal, how he looked like he hated you by the end. You remember the violence of the Junction, you remember the lack of excuses.

In some ways, in many ways, it was worse than Kansas.

“Did I physically harm you? Did I not lead you to salvation, to the tenets of hope?” Ethan asks, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“The tenets? The ones that started off just close enough to normal and then suddenly you decreed that women couldn’t wear trousers because it affected the crops, or that if I spoke unless spoken to it would damn me, or that declared you the sudden voice of hope, or a - they never held hope, your rules. Not for anyone but you. You were dangerous, you are dangerous. You harmed us all without laying a finger, that was the beauty of your plan, right?”

“You never said a word to stop me from this though, did you? In fact, you -”

“I’m not finished, Ethan. You’re not a good person, Ethan, and I will never regret keeping my son from your dangerous, frankly nonsensical shit. That’s being a parent. So tell us who’s inside, who’s helping you and maybe we can figure a way out for you to leave.”

“You and I know they won’t let that happen. Do you remember the plan for then?” He laughs then. “I’m leaving and i’m leaving with my son. He’s the future of the Junction.”

“There is no way in hell that will ever happen.”

“He wants to. I can see it in his eyes.”

“No, Ethan, you know how this is going to end.”

Ethan sighs and nods. You exhale shakily and then look up as you hear the sound of the gun load. “Then I’ll take you with me to the eternal life instead.”

You don’t shut your eyes. You don’t look down. You will not cower for him.

You wanted to live. You’ve had more years than you expected. You wish you had more. It was always going to end this way though.

He will have to look at you. You will not make this easy for him.

“No, Mum -” your son’s voice is enough to make you waver, but perhaps, perhaps everyone else can keep him safe. If Ethan kills you, maybe they’ll protect him. It’s fine.

It’s fitting.

It was always going to be this way.

You wish you were outside though. perhaps by your bench and that quiet sanctuary you found. You want to hear birdsong, feel the sun on your skin one last time. You want to breathe in the fresh air and remember that.

Maybe they can scatter your ashes on the bench.

The bench bought you so much - peace on nightmare ridden nights, Joel, the difference between surviving and living. If it wouldn’t make Ethan happy, you’d tell Gabriel that now, or Sean. It’s too much for Gabriel.

Perhaps Joel knows. You hope he does. You hope he doesn’t.

You’re sorry. So sorry these people you love have to see this, have to mourn you. You should tell Gabriel you love him one more time, but you don’t want to burden him.

There’s a sudden crash, you feel yourself hit the floor and you finally allow yourself to shut your eyes as the gun goes off.

You expect to feel pain, to feel warm or cold, or something. Instead there’s nothing.

There are hands around you, pulling you away, words - Joel? Is she hurt? Did it get her? Words fade in and out. Something’s gone wrong. This doesn’t feel like death.

You open your eyes.

Ethan is on the floor and unconscious. Joel is shaking his fist and Beau squeezes your shoulders before heading over to a shaken looking Sean. Next to him, your son stares at the floor.

“So yeah, we used to be in a cult,” Sean says, running a hand over his hair and shaking his head.

You hear an almost laugh, a polite but awkward acknowledgement, from maybe Tommy or Beau, but you’re still glued to the floor, still reeling from this day.

You feel eyes on you and look up to meet your son’s gaze. Gabriel looks at you as though he has never seen you before, through you in fact, and immediately runs out of the room.

“Wait, Gabriel.” You make a move to go after him, to explain. If you can just talk to him, then maybe it will be enough. You shouldn’t have avoided this, you should have told him this.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ve got him,” Sean says, moving quickly.

“Where do we put him?” you ask flatly, staring at the unconscious form in front of you.

“The jail,” Maria says quietly. “The jail, Joel.”

“Guess we’ll finally use it,” Tommy replies.

“He can’t stay,” Joel says. “Tommy, he’ll -”

“I know, brother, I know.” Tommy looks down and then at Maria whose lips are pursed.

“He tried us,” Maria says, “We have to do what we have to do.”

“I’ll handle it,” Joel says calmly, authoritatively. He isn’t looking at you and you feel ashamed of what you have bought into his life. Blood, anger, pain. He’s bought you peace and calm and love and this is how you repay him?

“Me too,” Beau replies calmly, examining his nails in a pseudo casual pose. “It won’t be a problem at all.”

The two of them each grab one of Ethan’s unconscious arms, dragging him outside and towards the bank. Beau nods at you on his exit.

They’ve left you. Sean and Gabriel are outside somewhere, Joel and Beau are gone and while Tommy and Maria are here, they are not your people.

You feel empty and numb. You brace the edge of the table and fight back the racking, great gasps of breath as shock courses through your body. You’ve been fighting tears, fighting back the fear and emotion of the past weeks.

It wasn’t just this moment, it wasn’t just today. It was the anticipation, the fear, the secrets that have lasted seventeen years.

“You need to let Gabriel, Sean and Beau stay,” you say, “I know you won’t want me here and I’ll go. I’ll go, but please let me see them from time to time. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry because I bought them here with my secrets and I’m sorry, Maria, please, please know that -” You cough, a sob Breaking through. “Please don’t make them leave too.”

“We’re not making you leave, we still want you here,” Maria says in a gentle voice. She’s looking at you in the same way as someone would a startled deer, trapped in the headlights. “We need to understand more - if you’re right, if there’s anyone here, what we need to worry about it, what this - this group could do. You can help though. And you’re not leaving. This is your home, you didn’t do anything -”

You feel warm, soft hands around you, hear soothing sounds as you finally allow yourself a moment to feel.

Tag List

YHIM: @orcasoul@pedropascalsbbg @yoursoulsunbreakable @iamskyereads @genetics4life @everyth1ngfan @frickatives @perennialdoll247 @joelsgreys @pedrobaby @missladym1981 @noisynightmarepoetry @picketniffler @titlee78

Everything Pedro tag-list: @harriedandharassed@pedrostories@hiroikegawa @pedrosaidsheispunk @pastelnap

#joel miller x reader #joel miller x you #joel miller x female reader #joel miller #the last of us fanfiction #pedro pascal character #joel miller fanfiction #the last of us #your hand in mine fic #fic: your hand in mine

[yelenasdiary]

Secret Mission

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff, Carol Denvers, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Yelena Belova & Kate Bishop x Reader (All Platonic)

Summary: You & the girls go out for the monthly ‘secret mission’ 

| Fluff | No Warnings | 0.9K | 

AC: This idea comes from @libraylove754 sending me gifs of Wanda, Yelena & Nat followed by a gif of a cup of coffee! I hope you enjoy this x – sorry about the ending, I found this rather tricky to right for some reason!

Once a month, you and the other girls get together for coffee, something normal, away from the boys to just chill, chat and relax. Originally it was Kate's idea, trust the most social one to drag you all out, right? The boys back at the compound always questioned where you all would get too but none of you told them that it was just a simple coffee catch up, so, like men, they joked about it and called it "The Girls Secret Mission". 

As you walked into the local coffee shop, the staff had already reserved a table of 8, ready for you all. You couldn't see anybody else insight has you stepped on it, your eyes searched the small shop that was slightly busier than usual but still, you couldn't see any of your friends. 

"Ah, you made it!" Carol came up behind you, almost giving you a fright. "Me? Looks like you're late too!" you chuckled, the two of you walking over to the reserved table, "I wouldn't say we're the late ones by the looks of it" Carol smiled, pulling her chair out.

"Actually, you guys are kind of late" a Sokovian accent made you turn slightly to see Wanda smiling softly with a donut and coffee in hand, "I have a feeling you were craving this?" she ask before placing the coffee mug and donut in front of you. "Thanks Wands! How did you kn-" you paused when you realised she'd read your thoughts, "never mind" you added with a chuckle. 

"What about mine?" Carol jokingly pouted, "well, maybe when you make up your mind on what you want to drink then I'll get your order too" Wanda replied with a smirk before taking a seat next to you. "Nat's in the bathroom and Yelena is finding a park" Wanda added. 

"Good morning! Sorry I'm a tad late, I couldn't get Tony to shut it about his new project!" Pepper sighed lightly before taking a seat across from you, next to Carol. "Don't stress" you smiled, "Yelena, Maria or Kate aren't here yet" you added before taking a sip on of your latte. 

After a good solid 10 minutes, everybody was finally seated and waiting for their order, well, not everybody. Kate came into the café, hands full of shopping bags that she dropped at her feet before taking a seat beside you, "Kate Bishop, nice of you to finally join us" Yelena looked at her friend. "Yeah, sorry about that! I was trying to do a quick shop around for clints birthday, I couldn't decide what he'd like best so Natty Nat, I need your help" Kate smiled proudly at the red head across from her. 

Natasha looked up at the young Avenger in an almost disgusted look, "did you just call me Natty Nat?" she questioned with a cocked brow. 

"S-sorry, I didn't think" Kate slumped down into her chair before the rest of you all chuckled. 

The café was already loud enough but ask any other customer, most the of chatter and laughter was coming from the table full of Avengers. "I could go for another latte, anybody else want anything while I'm up?" you offered as you stood from your seat. "A latte isn't a real coffee, Y/n Y/l/n" Yelena commented before taking another sip of her coffee. 

"And boxed mac n cheese isn't a real meal" you looked to the blonde with a smirk. 

"I'll come up with you" Maria smiled before downing the rest of her coffee. 

You and Maria took the others second order while the others started to secretly talk about the surprise that had been planned for you. 

"They have no idea!" Kate smiled proudly once more, "yeah the excuse for presents for Clint worked a charm" Carol replied. 

KB: Uh? Oh no, most of these are actually for Clint. 

NR: But his birthday is still two months away?

KB: I know but he is so hard to shop for! 

YB: She always shops months early for people, the apartment is currently full of crap she needs to return once she works out the perfect gift.

KB: Hey! it's better than what you gift people

YB: Nothing wrong with gift cards, they get whatever they want, and I don't have to think too much about it.

NR: I'm with Yelena on that one.

PP: Guys, the surprise party. It's tonight, do we have anything ready?

CD: Yeah, the boys are setting up the compound now.

NR: Peter said something about Aunt May had been up since 5am cooking.

PP: She has, that's where I'm headed after this. Maria too.

NR: I'm taking Y/n bike shopping so that'll but you all more time.

CD: Shh, they're coming. 

Carol's shush wasn't as quiet as she thought, you took your seat and looked around the table at the others. "Did I miss something?" you asked, they all shook their heads, "Why are you guys all acting weird all of a sudden?" you added. 

"We were just making fun of Yelena and her love for mac n cheese" Kate pitched in before pulling one of her shopping bags onto the table, "do you think Clint would like this?" she asked, distracting you from the odd behavior from the group. She showed off a new arrow sack. 

"He has that one" Natasha replied, causing Kate to sigh. "It's a lovely idea though" you patted Kate on her back. 

For the next hour, all of you enjoyed your last cups of warm goodness before all parting ways. You and Natasha went motorbike shopping, not that she was really looking for anything, but it was enough to keep you from guessing what was really going on. Your birthday was just around the corner, 2 weeks away in fact and for once the entire team wanted to surprise you without you finding out like you always did. 

Safe to say, the surprise went undetected and you even made Natasha buy a motorbike!

#marvel #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #carol danvers #Maria hill #pepper potts #yelena belova #Kate bishop #x reader #fanfiction

[harley-sunday]

August Rush [09]

Summary: You’ve known Carlos for almost as long as you have been working in Formula One but you never expected it would take you seven years and a concussion to realise that maybe you like him as more than just a friend.

Pairing: Carlos Sainz jr x reader (OFC nicknamed Pip) | Max Verstappen x reader (best friends)

Warnings: Language. NSFW. 18+. It gets a little- Intense, ok? Ok. 

Word count: 5.8k

AN: I guess four months between updates is how I roll now… But no, seriously, it’s been a long four months, believe me, I know. I have been (very publicly) struggling with getting this next part written but it finally happened. Today. Weird. Anyway. More good news - the next part is almost done as well. I don’t know how that happened either. So yeah, what was originally going to be a four-part story has now turned into a ten-parter that I love with all my heart. I hope you do too. Please feel free to come yell at me in the comments :) ♥

Masterlist

The sound of your alarm pulls you out of a deep sleep but before you have the chance to reach over Carlos to grab your phone from the night stand he’s already turned it off and mutters something that sounds like, “Too early.”

“I know,” you whisper as you slide one of your legs in between his and snuggle into him, “but I have that press release to put out, remember?”

“Hmm,” he agrees half-heartedly and presses a kiss to the top of your head, wrapping his arms around you. “Isn’t that at ten?”

“It’s getting sent out at ten,” you reply in a whisper, feeling your eyes getting heavy again, “but I have to brief Graham and Franz before that. We have a call at-” you let out a yawn and feel Carlos tighten his arms around you, “-at nine.” 

 “It’s only seven-”

“I wanted to be prepared,” you try to counter, but you know it’s a losing battle. Dinner with Carlos’ parents was always going to be a long affair but after Carlos told them you were dating, the champagne came out and you didn’t make it back home until at least two in the morning. 

Carlos reaches behind him and unlocks his phone, “I’m setting my alarm for eight-fifteen, ok?”

“Hmm-”

“Hmm,” he echoes, pressing another kiss to your hair. “I just want to have my girlfriend to myself a little longer, cariño. Is that so bad?”

“Must be nice, “ you mutter against his chest.

Carlos lets out a quiet laugh, “What?”

“Must be nice to be your girlfriend,” you whisper as you put your hand up to his face and let your fingers dance over his temple and into his hair.

He chuckles and turns his face towards your hand, kissing the inside of your palm, “I sure hope it is.” 

***

“That’s everything,” you tell Graham and Franz, the team manager and team principal of Alpha Tauri, after about fifteen minutes or so of briefing them. “We will send out the press release, add your statement to it, Graham, and if they have any further questions we will redirect them to the press conference on Thursday.” 

“Sounds good,” Graham says with a nod. “See you on Tuesday then.” 

“Yep,” you give him a quick wave and watch as he ends the video call, not surprised he doesn’t stick around for some chitchat. Graham is a busy man and in the almost seven years you’ve worked together he’s always been like this, always very much straight to the point.  

It’s just you and Franz then, the older man leaning back in his chair and scrutinising you from his home office in Trins. He looks at you with a mischievous smile when he asks, “So-'' he draws out the word, “-how was your summer?”

“Good,” you admit easily enough, but also hoping it will deflect any further questions he might have. Unlike Graham, who is much more guarded, Franz is an open book and expects the same from everyone in the garage, whether it be his drivers or any supporting staff, and so you offer, “Except for the concussion, of course, but I got cleared by the doctor this week so-”

“Back to normal,” Franz offers.

“Back to normal,” you agree with a smile. 

Franz nods, “Good. I’ll see you on Tuesday, yeah?”

‘Yes sir,” you confirm with a nod, knowing this is his way to politely let you know the call is over. It’s ok, you still have to call Pierre and Yuki anyway, so you can remind them of what to say should the press contact them. They’ve already received all the information from you in an email last Thursday but there’s a fifty percent chance they’ve actually read it, so you like to make sure they know what you expect of them. 

When Franz says his goodbyes and ends the call, you lean back in your chair, mentally preparing yourself for the ball of raging energy that is Yuki Tsunoda.

***

Once you’ve logged off you make your way to the kitchen where you find Reyes at the breakfast bar, enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. She looks up at you with a smile, “Good morning, mija.” 

“Morning,” you reply, mirroring her smile. After you help yourself to coffee and some breakfast you sit down across from her, not surprised when Piñon sits down next to you, hoping for some treats no doubt. You give him a quick scratch, “Hi buddy.”

“He likes you,” Reyes says as she watches you from across the table. “He doesn’t always, you know?” You must look a little confused because she quickly explains, “With Carlos’ last girlfriend, he didn’t really care, never really went to her for attention but with you it’s different. He seems very-” she searches for the right word, “- attuned to you.” 

You can’t help but smile, taking the paw Piñon offers you in your hand, “Good thing I like him too then.” When you let go you look at Reyes, “Maybe it’s because I’ve first met him when he was just a puppy-”

“No,” Reyes quickly interrupts, shaking her head. “It’s not that, I think. He sees you as part of his pack. Like he knows you belong with Carlos.”

Your heart melts when Piñon lets out a quiet whine, as if he wants you to know he agrees with Reyes, and so you pat your lap and wait until he puts his front paws on your legs before you press a kiss to the side of his head, “Aw, I love you too, buddy.” 

Reyes smiles as she takes a sip of her coffee. She leans back in her chair then, “So, I think the boys will be out for most of the day-” She lets out a sigh, “I don’t understand what it is about golf they like so much but at least it gives us a chance to do something fun with just us two, right?” She waits until you nod before she continues, “I have a friend who has a beauty salon in Canyamel, I could call and see if she can squeeze us in for a massage and facial today?”

“Sounds perfect,” you agree easily enough. 

***

It’s almost five when you finally drive back from Canyamel, feeling more relaxed than you have in a while. Next to you Reyes is quietly singing along to some Spanish song on the radio and not for the first time you wish summer break could have lasted just a little longer. You like being here, not just with Carlos but with his parents as well. It’s so- It’s so easy somehow, like you’ve been a part of their family for years already. Technically you guess you have, after all you first met Carlos and his parents in December of 2014, when they came to Faenza for a factory tour at Toro Rosso.

Max was there for the tour as well but he only brought his father and it wasn’t until the Spa Grand Prix the following season that you first met Sophie and his sister Victoria, taking an immediate liking to the two women in Max’s life. His father was a different story and it took you a while to realise he was all bark and no bite. 

From the moment Carlos Sr. and Jos met each other however there was some serious tension between them, Carlos Sr. being the more calculated of the two while Jos was always much more emotional. Sometimes you’re still surprised Max and Carlos even became friends with their fathers looming over them so much those first few years.

“Where’s your head at?”

You look at Reyes and smile, “Just thinking back to when I first met Carlos, back in Faenza. God, we were so young back then-” 

Reyes lets out a laugh, “You still are.” She puts her hand on your arm then and gives it a gentle squeeze, “This is only the start, mija. Just wait and see.”

***

By the time you make it back to the house Carlos and his dad have returned from the golf course and are enjoying a cold beer on one of the lounge sets on the side of the house. When Carlos sees you his eyes light up and he holds out his free hand to you, “You look amazing, cariño.” 

You give Carlos a kiss before you sit down on his lap, leaning into him when he wraps his arm around your waist, “Thank you. I feel very relaxed." 

“How was golf?” Reyes sits down next to Carlos Sr. and pats his knee, “You boys play nice?” 

“Always,” Carlos Sr. shoots back with a grin that suggests he’s not telling the whole truth. “Right, Carlito?”

“Hmm,” Carlos agrees before taking a sip of his beer. He lets out a heavy sigh then, “Papà won. Twice.” 

“Ai,” you say as you press a kiss to his temple, pouting a little then for some added drama. “You ok, babe?” 

“I’ve been better,” Carlos deadpans, throwing his father a look that you know means he wants a rematch soon. 

Both you and Reyes laugh, Reyes flicking her husband’s arm with her thumb and middle finger, “You need to let him win every now and then, mi amor.” She winks at Carlos then, “Just like he does with chess.” 

Carlos lets out a laugh when he sees his father’s shocked expression but doesn’t say anything, simply raises his beer before he takes another sip, “Cheers, papà.”

Carlos Sr. says something in Spanish that you don’t quite catch but that makes Carlos laugh even harder while Reyes tuts and shakes her head. She turns to her husband then, “Did you guys at least get everything for dinner like I asked you to?”

“Sì, mi vida,” Carlos Sr. answers as he takes Reyes’ hand and brings it to his lips. “Like you asked.”

“Good.” Reyes gets up then and pulls Carlos Sr. with her, “Help me get dinner started?”

“Of course.” Carlos Sr. puts his beer down and follows his wife to the kitchen.

“Dinner at eight?” Reyes suggests from over her shoulder. “The meat needs at least two hours to cook, so-”

“Eight is fine,” Carlos says with a kind smile before he looks at you, “We can take Piñon for a walk in the meantime.” 

***

“Come on,” Carlos holds out his hand to you and helps you down a particularly large rock and onto the sand. He’s taken you to Cala Rotja, one of the few sandy beaches around Cap d’es Pinar and about a thirty-minute walk from the house. Piñon’s already running towards the water, barking excitedly at the waves whenever they roll up on the beach. 

“This is beautiful,” you say to no one in particular as you take your shoes off and enjoy the sand between your toes, the beach empty except for an older man fishing on the rocks further down. The bay is surrounded by large rocks and pine trees and the water is an incredible blue colour that you wish you could capture in a photo. 

“It doesn’t compare to you,” Carlos says from behind you as he wraps his arms around your waist and lets his chin rest on your shoulder.

“Oh, nice one, Sainz,” you tease. “I see why they call you the Smooth Operator.” 

He chuckles and squeezes you closer, foregoing his usual witty comeback for a much sweeter, “I mean it though.” Before you have a chance to say anything he continues, “So I was thinking-”

“Hmm,” you hum, taking his hands so you can turn around and face him. “What were you thinking about?”

“Tomorrow is our last day together, right?” He waits until you nod before he continues, “I want it to be special, just you and me-”

“But you’re parents are here-”

“Ssh,” he puts a finger to your lips and laughs when you pretend to bite it. “I already talked to them, they are fine with it.”

“With what?”

He tuts, “So impatient-” When you raise an eyebrow at him he quickly continues, “I’m not going to tell you everything because it is a surprise. But I need you to pack your things already today so we can leave after breakfast tomorrow and I can drop you off at the airport on Monday.”

“So,” you draw out, “we’re not coming back here?”

“Nope,” he says and kisses your nose. “We’ll have breakfast with mamà and papà tomorrow morning and then we leave. Piñon stays with them, so it’s only you and me, cariño.” 

“Hmm,  you hum again. “I’d like that.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you agree easily enough as you let your lips ghost over his. “I’d like that very much.”

***

Dinner is another drawn-out affair but still time flies by and before you know it it’s after midnight and Reyes and Carlos Sr. get up to go to bed. You offer to clear the rest of the table together with Carlos and so you find yourself loading the dishwasher not much later. 

“That’s everything,” Carlos says as he hands you the salad bowl and two more wine glasses. He waits until you’ve selected the program, put the tablet in and close the door before he takes your hand and leads you to your bedroom, shutting off the lights in the house as you go along. 

You can’t help but yawn when you step into the bedroom and laugh when Carlos throws you a look, “Sorry, I’m just-” another yawn, “-I’m just tired, I guess.” 

“That’s ok,” he says with a mischievous grin and puts his hands on your hips, “we can make up for that tomorrow.” He leans in then, pressing butterfly kisses all over your face and you feel him smile against your skin.

“Hmm,” you sigh contently, tilting your head back when he moves down from your jaw to your neck. You run your hands through his hair and push yourself against him, “I could probably stay awake a little longer.” 

He chuckles at your suggestion, his warm breath hitting the skin just above your collarbone, and moves his hands to your face and cups your cheeks, making you look at him. Even in the dim light you can see his pupils are blown and so for a moment you think you may have won him over but then he presses a chaste kiss to your lips and shakes his head, “Tomorrow, mi amor.” 

***

“It was really good to see you again, mija,” Reyes says as she smooths down your hair before she lets her hands rest on your shoulders. “We will see you in Monza, ok?”

You nod and pull her in for a hug, “Can’t wait. Thank you, Reyes. For everything.”

“Ah, nonsense,” she replies and shakes her head. She pulls you even closer then and whispers, “No se lo digas a nadie, tú siempre has sido mi favorita.” 

You know enough Spanish to understand what she says and so you can’t help but smile, “Gracias.” 

She lets go of you and takes a step aside, Carlos Sr. stepping forward then. He kisses your cheek before he gives you a hug, “See you soon, sweetheart.”

"See you soon," you reply as you let go of him. 

Carlos is already waiting by the car and so you join him, smiling at him as he holds the door open for you. You hear him tell his parents he'll see them tomorrow before he sits down and looks at you, "Ready?"

You smile and nod, "Ready."

***

He still doesn't want to say where he's taking you, keeps saying you'll find out soon enough and so you sit back and enjoy the drive that takes you from Son Servera to Manacor to Algaida to- "We're going to Palma?"

Next to you Carlos nods, "Yes. I couldn't let you leave without visiting here first."

You sit up in your seat and lean forward a little, taking in the city appearing in front of you as Carlos navigates through the narrow streets with ease before he pulls up to a beautiful building marked 'Es Princep' which turns out to be your hotel for the night.

The room they've assigned you is a suite on the top floor with an amazing sea view and entirely too much space for just the two of you. There's an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne waiting for you on the balcony and even though it's only just after twelve you let Carlos pour you a glass, whispering a quiet, "Thank you," when he hands it to you.

He puts his arm around your waist and presses a kiss to your temple before he touches his glass against yours, "Cheers, cariño. To us."

"To us," you echo with a smile.

Carlos lets go of you then and sits down on one of the chairs, patting his lap. Once you've sat down he tells you, "I have made dinner reservations for eight tonight but that's the only thing we've got planned today. We can do whatever you like."

You look at him with one eyebrow raised and can't help but laugh when his eyes darken as you say, "Whatever I like, huh?" You take another sip of your champagne, letting the glass dangle between your fingers then as you lean against him, "I would feel really bad if we came all this way and all I would see was the inside of our hotel room-"

Carlos swallows hard, "Don't forget the restaurant."

"-and the restaurant," you continue with a sigh for some added drama. Reaching out you take his wrist in your hand and look at his watch, "Then again, it is still early-"

You don't even get to finish your sentence because by then Carlos has already taken both your glasses and put them on the table before he picks you up and carries you back inside bridal style.

"Carlos!" You playfully slap his chest, "What are you doing?"

"Making sure we don't lose any more time," he replies, growling almost.

***

"Oh, fuck, right there, baby," you pant as Carlos latches on to your clit with his mouth, his tongue circling around your sensitive bud as he scissors you open with two fingers. Your hands are in his hair, holding him there where you need him most, with your knees pulled up to give him better access. 

He groans against your skin, looking up at you with hooded eyes, and you can just tell from the way his eyes crinkle that he's smiling. He pumps a little faster and watches as you start to come undone, biting down ever so slightly as you hook your feet over his shoulders to pull him even closer.

"Carlos, I'm gonna-" You try to warn him but it's no use, the orgasm that has been building ever since he put his fingers inside of you now washing over you, wave after wave of pure pleasure making you tremble, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as you let yourself go slack.

His fingers still inside of you but his mouth is still going, helping you get down from your high with the utmost care. Once he's satisfied you're back on earth he kisses the inside of your thigh before he pushes himself up so he can capture your mouth in a kiss.

You're still trying to catch your breath and so your lips are parted and when he slips his tongue inside and licks the inside of your cheek you get to taste yourself and it's filthy and hot and maybe you won't make it out of this hotel room after all because you need him inside of you. Now. You pull back a little, your lips barely touching his when you tell him, "I need you."

He grins against your mouth, his fingers now circling one of your nipples, "Patience, mami." 

"Carlos-" you warn him, taking his lower lip between your teeth and pulling on it slightly. You gently bit down to make your point, "Now."

He seems to get the urgency and starts to push himself off, but you stop him with another kiss.

"I'm on the pill," you try, not sure if he'll agree with what you're suggesting, "and tested. I'm good if you're-"

He curses in Spanish before he pulls back and looks at you, pupils blown wider than you've ever seen, "I'm tested and clean too." He kisses you with a renewed hunger, "You sure?"

"Very," you whisper and let your nails rake over his back as he positions himself. When he looks at you then you nod, "Make me yours."

He does.

It's fast, a need behind his thrusts that leaves you breathless in a matter of seconds. He buries himself deeper and deeper inside of you every single time and it isn't long before you feel your second orgasm coming and you can tell from the way Carlos' moves become more and more deliberate that he isn't far behind. 

"Keep going," you breathe, letting out a loud moan then when he suddenly hits the right spot. "Right there, don't stop, don't-"

"Oh fuck." Carlos is panting now and slows down just enough so he can pull out all the way before he slams back into you again. 

"Almost there, baby," you tell him, sneaking your hand in between your bodies so you can rub your clit. It's then your orgasm hits and you can feel your walls clench around him and fuck, it feel so good. You watch Carlos, know he's right on the edge, and so you put your free hand on his cheek, "Come for me, papi."

***

You make it out of the hotel room eventually, a little self conscious because you're still a bit sore and you feel like everyone can tell what you and Carlos were doing earlier and so you hide behind your sunglasses as you stroll towards the cathedral. It feels almost sinful going in there- After. 

Carlos must feel the same way because when you reach the entrance he hesitates for just a second before he makes the sign of a cross and then steps inside anyway, pulling you along with him.

"Oh, wow." You look up in awe, admiring the way the sun hits the stained glass windows and casts a colourful glow throughout the open space surrounding you. "It's beautiful."

You take your time walking around the church before you stop at a small altar where you light a candle for the people you hold close to your heart. Next to you Carlos does the same and you stand together in silence for a bit, both of you a little lost in thoughts. When he takes your hand in his again not much later you're surprised to find him looking at you with his eyes glossed over and so you lean into him and give his hand a squeeze, "I love you."

He swallows hard and nods but doesn't say it back and for a moment there's this evil little voice inside your head that tells you it's because he doesn't feel the same way, but he presses a kiss to your temple then that makes you believe he does.

Once you're outside again he guides you through the small streets to the town square where you stop for a coffee for him and an ice cream for you. There's an endless stream of people walking by, mostly tourists, and you enjoy watching everyone go about their day, sometimes commenting on something that catches your eye. 

From the town square you slowly loop back towards the sea, stopping at a few cute shops you pass along the way, before you walk back to your hotel over the boardwalk and through a small park. 

It's almost seven when you make it back to your room and so you take a quick shower and get changed into one of the dresses you bought, a colourful maxi dress that you know goes well with the pale blue button down shirt Carlos is wearing, and pairing it with your trusted sandals. You opt for some light makeup and a simple hairstyle, yet Carlos still lets out a low whistle when you step out of the bathroom.

"You look gorgeous," he says with a proud smile and holds out his hand. "Ready to go?"

***

The restaurant he takes you to is only a short walk from the hotel and when you get there you're somehow not surprised to have the chef greet you personally after Carlos has let you know he's a good friend of his father. 

There are only a handful of tables scattered throughout the restaurant, each far enough apart from the other to offer some privacy, but still you're glad to get a table that's almost hidden away in an alcove. The chef introduces himself as Santi and tells you he's prepared a seven course menu just for you and Carlos as he pours you each a glass of champagne and tells you to enjoy your evening.

As always, the conversation between you and Carlos flows effortlessly and at times it feels as though you're the only ones here. He seems a little on edge at times though, but it's probably because the second half of the season is about to start, you decide after Carlos declines a second glass of wine and orders a water instead.

The food is amazing, each course better than the one before and yet the portions are small enough to let you keep your appetite. By the time you've finished the last course it's close to midnight and despite enjoying yourself immensely you can feel your eyes starting to grow tired. 

Carlos seems to pick up on it and reaches over the table for your hand, "We can go back if you like?"

"Hmm," you agree quietly. "I think we should."

"Before we go though," Carlos says and pulls back his hand, reaching for something in the pocket of his jacket that's draped over the back of his chair. He takes out a small, rectangular box and hands it to you, "I have something for you." He looks up at you, "I know you want to wait to tell anyone in the paddock about us but-" he smiles a shy smile, "I just want you to know that you're mine."

You carefully open the box and gasp when you see what's inside, whispering a quiet, "Carlos-"

His smile grows wider and he nods, encouraging you to take it out.

"I love it," you tell him as you take the bracelet he's gotten you out of the box, admiring the charm that's attached to it. It's a chess piece but it isn't until you hold it closer that you see what it is- The King. 

"I have this," Carlos says as he opens up two buttons of his shirt and pulls up a necklace you had no idea he was wearing, showing you the small charm that's hanging from the chain. "So you’re always close to me. My queen.” 

You hold out your hand to him and watch as he puts the bracelet on, the charm unsuspicious enough to not be able to link it to Carlos right away yet holding such a special meaning for you. You watch as it sparkles in the light and smile at Carlos, “Thank you.” 

***

The streets are much quieter on your walk back to the hotel and you enjoy the comfortable silence between you and Carlos, your hand in his as you walk side by side. It’s still warm outside and so once you make it back to your room you step onto the balcony and admire the view of the bay at night. 

Carlos comes up behind you and wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you into him. His mouth is close to your ear when he whispers, “I love you.”

“Carlos-” you start, but he squeezes you closer to let you know he’s not done yet.

“I felt so bad for not saying it back to you, earlier but-” he lets his lips ghost over the skin just below your ear, drawing goosebumps, “I do. I think I always have.”

You turn around in his arms and look up at him, “I love you.” You stand up on your toes then and kiss him, gently at first but it quickly turns into something more heated, a need behind it that you know he understands when he starts walking you back inside the room. 

He keeps kissing you, his tongue finding its way inside your mouth, the taste of the chocolate dessert still lingering. Your hands find their way to his shirt and you slowly start to undo the buttons before you push it off and let your fingers dance over his skin. You find the necklace then and pull away so you can press a kiss to where it’s hanging on his chest, muttering a quiet, “My king,” that makes him groan. 

Carlos cups your face and brings you back up to meet him and there’s a hunger in his eyes that you’ve seen before and can’t wait to satisfy. He places small open-mouthed kisses from the corner of your mouth to your jaw and further down to your throat and collarbone, sometimes sucking and biting on your skin before running his tongue over it to stop it from hurting. 

You throw your head back to give him better access and moan when he cups one of your breasts over your dress, his thumb rubbing over the fabric creating a wonderful sensation. “Carlos,” you breathe, not sure what you’re trying to tell him because you don’t want him to stop but you know you don’t want him to linger either.

“I want to try something,” he says against your skin. “Do you trust me?”

You nod, words momentarily evading you at the promise of- Something. 

He pulls back then and takes your hand, pulling you along with him to the ensuite bathroom. He stops in front of the double sink and stands behind you, catching your eye in the large mirror that covers the entire wall. Hooking his fingers under the straps of your dress he slowly slides them down and starts kissing your shoulder, still looking at you.

When the fabric falls to the floor, leaving you in nothing but your panties, it sends a shiver down your spine and you lean back against Carlos with a heavy sigh. 

“I want to watch you watch yourself come undone,” Carlos says, his voice low and a little dangerous. “Want you to see what I can do to you.”

Your throat goes dry but you can feel yourself grow even wetter at his words and so you nod in response.

“I need to hear you say it,” he whispers, both hands now cupping your breasts. “Do you want to come undone? Do you want to watch yourself as I make you mine?”

“Yes,” you breathe. Then, because you know what he wants to hear, “Yes, papi.” 

***

He’s got you bend over the sink, the porcelain cold against your hot skin, and you watch him in the mirror as he drives himself into you. He’s taking his time, going much slower than earlier today, but he hits your sweet spot on every single thrust and you can feel your orgasm rapidly approaching. 

“Don’t stop,” you plead, locking eyes with him. “I’m almost-” A moan then when he bottoms out again, “Fuck.” 

Carlos bends over and places a kiss between your shoulder blades, “I’m right there with you.” He picks up the pace ever so slightly, his breathing becoming a little more laboured as he holds onto your hips for leverage. 

“Yes! God yes,” you scream, feeling the pressure build inside of you, your orgasm ready to explode and fully engulf you. Without thinking you close your eyes and immediately Carlos reacts, one hand under your chin to make you look up.

“Open your eyes,” he says, the tone of his voice letting you know it’s not a question and so you comply immediately. “Good girl,” he praises and as a reward he sneaks one hand down to your clit, where he presses down his thumb. 

You let out a whimper, “Please.”

His thrusts become more irregular and you know it’s because he’s chasing his own orgasm as much as you're chasing yours. His pupils are fully blown now and there’s a sheen of sweat on his face, his hair no longer as carefully coiffed as it was ten minutes ago and God, he looks absolutely spent and more beautiful than ever. He grins at you through the mirror, that wicked smile that you love so much, “Come for me, mami.” 

You do.

He groans on the final few thrusts but then he stills inside of you and you can feel him coating your walls with his release. He’s muttering something in Spanish that you don’t quite catch but seem to understand all the same as he puts one arm around your stomach and pulls you up and against him. His other hand moves to your throat where he curls his fingers around it gently, his thumb tilting your chin up. He puts his mouth to your ear, “You see that?”

You lock eyes with him in the mirror, see how he’s panting, how completely blissed out both of you look, and so you nod, a satisfied smile tugging on the corners of your mouth.

“We did that, my love.” Something changes then in the way he looks at you, a softness falling over him as he turns your head towards him and kisses you, “My queen.”

***

All too soon it’s Monday morning and Carlos is driving you to the airport for your flight to Bologna, the silence filling the car a little more charged this time. When he pulls up at the departure terminal he looks at you and shrugs apologetically, “It’s only for a few days, cariño. I’ll see you again on Wednesday, no?”

“I know,” you agree easily enough. “I just wish we could stay here for a little longer.”

Carlos chuckles, “That would only make it harder to get back into the real world, I think.” He reaches for your hand then and presses a kiss to the back of your hand, “We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” you say as you turn towards him and cup his face. “We will be.” You lean in then and give him a kiss before you tell him, “I was thinking about telling Max about us this weekend. And once Max knows-”

“I can tell the world that you’re mine,” he finishes with a grin. Another kiss then, deeper and more intense, like he wants you to remember him, like he’s worried you’ll forget what it feels like. 

When you pull back you smile at him, “Can’t wait.” 

=== 

Notes No se lo digas a nadie, tú siempre has sido mi favorita. = Don’t tell anyone but you’re my favourite (at least, that’s what I hope it translates to...)

Taglist:  @shes-homeward-bound | @chiogarza | @oyesmendes | @thatchickwiththecamera | @sanne-p | @your-favourite-blonde | @internetgremlin | @watermel0nsugarhigh | @fictional-l0v3r | @nochillnel | @dr3lover | @dan3avacado | @idkiwantchocolatee | @nicke0115 | @desperate-and-broken | @iamasimpingh0e | @guardians-ofthe-lastyoungkilljoy​ | @vroomvroommbtch

#Carlos Sainz fanfic #F1 #Carlos Sainz jr #CS55 #Carlos Sainz x reader #Harley Sunday x Carlos Sainz jr

[czenzo]

Missed Call

[ao3] Skullyle Internet Friends Series: [1 – Pretty Boy] [2 – Missed Call]

summary:

[00:13] Missed call from Skull Lucy frowned at her phone for the hundredth time that morning. “Has he said something horribly controversial again?” Holly said over her shoulder. “No, nothing like that," she said. "He, er— he called me. Or, tried to. It was just gone midnight, I was asleep.” “And this is bothering you because…?” Lucy finally looked up from her phone. “We’ve never spoken over the phone before.” One missed call sends Lucy spiralling. She begins to question her feelings towards her strange, snarky online friend.

words: 3,440 rating: T

notes: to all the lovely people in the comments for Pretty Boy who said they’d read more, this is for you!

[00:13] Missed call from Skull

Lucy frowned at her phone for the hundredth time that morning.

“Has he said something horribly controversial again?” Holly said over her shoulder. Lucy jumped so intensely she almost pulled a muscle; it was easy to forget how quiet her coworker could be when she wanted to.

“No, nothing like that,” she replied after her heart rate steadied. “He, er— he called me. Or, tried to. It was just gone midnight, I was asleep.”

“And this is bothering you because…?”

Lucy finally looked up from her phone. “We’ve never spoken over the phone before.”

“Ever? You’ve known each other a while though, right?”

“About half a year.”

“And you talk every day?”

“Near enough.”

Now it was Holly’s turn to frown. “And you’ve… never called? Never heard each other’s voices?”

“No.”

“Not even sent a silly voice note here and there?”

Lucy shrugged. “I’m not a voice note kind of person.”

A long, slow nod was her only response, which was more unnerving than Lucy would’ve liked to admit. “Is it weird? That we only ever text?”

Holly made a vague gesture. “If I were in your shoes, I’d think it a little odd, but—”

“Can I get some service, or is this establishment closed for gossip hour?”

Lucy’s head whipped around to find a customer waiting at the till, red irritation blooming high on his cheeks. She bit back an instinctive snarky response.

Luckily Holly had a knack for dealing with difficult customers, and rushed over to serve him with a beaming smile. “Of course! I can’t apologise enough for being distracted. What can I get for you?”

Lucy decided she was in dire need of a break. She set a timer, threw together a cup of tea and drifted off into the break room, finding comfort in the battered settee with with so many cracks and tears the original leather was barely visible.

She drew her phone out of her apron pocket. The missed call notification still sat there, taunting her for not knowing how to reply. Skull himself hadn’t said anything, either, which was incredibly unusual for him. It was bobbing on three p.m.; normally by now he would have sent at least two obscure memes, three colourful insults, and one post from their shared paranormal forum with added commentary on how stupid OP was. Instead, she hadn’t heard a peep from him.

‘Unusual’ was a massive understatement.

Her teeth worried the skin of her lips. What if something serious had happened, and she was too hung up on a silly missed call to check up on him? What if she’d done something to severely piss him off, and the missed call was his last attempt to hash it out?

Or—the most likely scenario—what if he clicked the call button without realising, and she was making a huge deal over something hilariously insignificant?

She took a swig of her scalding tea, let her head fall back to stare at the ceiling for a long, excruciating moment of contemplation, then eventually opened their chat.

The cursor blinked. Lucy steeled her nerves and reminded herself that she was being a complete tit.

[Joan] did you mean to call me?

There! Message sent; she was officially no longer a cowardly over-thinker. She relaxed and sunk further into the chair, but stiffened as soon as she saw that Skull was typing. Okay, scratch that—she was definitely still a cowardly over-thinker.

[Skull] yea we need 2 talk

Shit.

It took an embarrassing amount of time to type her response.

[Joan] shit, is everything alright? [Skull] no its p serious [Skull] thought it wldv been easier 2 talk abt it over the phone [Skull] but ur probs at work rn so ill just text it [Skull] hold on

Lucy straightened and waited with bated breath, tea all but forgotten about. In the time Skull took to type, Lucy involuntarily went through all of her worst-case scenarios one more time, and suddenly felt the need for a drink much stronger than tea. Christ—why was this bothering her so much?

[Skull] ive been diagnosed with [Skull] huge dick syndrome [Skull] its fatal. im so sorry

Lucy slowly placed her phone on the settee, counteracting the urge to lob it directly at the nearest wall. She gave herself a moment to breathe—in through the nose, out through the mouth, just like Holly taught her to do when a customer really got on her nerves—before cautiously picking it back up again.

[Joan] you’re a fucking menace [Joan] don’t pull that kind of thing again. [Skull] HAHAHAHAHAHA [Skull] dont lie joanie. i got you GOOD [Joan] I knew you could be a proper knob sometimes but I didn’t think it was this bad [Skull] clearly u gotta get 2 know me better [Skull] in all honesty tho i didnt mean to call u [Skull] the call button is right next 2 the block button [Skull] an idiotic design choice if i ever saw one [Joan] you ought to send the developers a strongly worded email [Skull] who the fuck says ought in a casual conversation [Joan] it’s a perfectly normal thing to say?? [Skull] yea if ur from the middle ages [Joan] ok shut up we’re not changing the topic [Joan] if you didn’t mean to call me, why did you go radio silent? [Joan] surely the normal thing to do would’ve been to say “Oops, my bad, didn’t mean to call you” [Skull] Oops, my bad, didn’t mean to call you [Joan] dick [Skull] huge one, yeah [Skull] its a serious condition [Joan] 🖕 [Skull] i didnt even realise id butt dialed you lmao [Skull] fell asleep right after. woke up like 10 mins ago [Skull] im a different creature past midnight [Skull] unaware of and unliable for my actions [Joan] good luck getting that to hold up in court [Skull] id charm my way into acquittal [Skull] all the lady judges would love me [Skull] actually so wld the non lady judges [Skull] im just that irresistible [Joan] more like irritating :/ [Joan] they’d declare you guilty so they never have to see your ugly mug again [Skull] u have no proof i have an ugly mug [Skull] for all u know i cld b on magazine covers [Skull] flexing. smouldering. [Skull] rock hard jawline [Skull] rock hard abs [Skull] rock hard thighs [Joan] I’m stopping that list right there [Skull] buzzkill. [Skull] i bet your manager keeps u in the back so ur face doesnt scare off the poor customers [Joan] I’m practically the face of the company [Joan] everyone loves me [Skull] this is some next level delusion [Skull] does ‘everyone’ include Pretty Boy [Joan] this is some next level obsession [Skull] im not obsessed with him [Skull] im far superior than him anyway [Skull] if he saw me in the street hed drop dead [Skull] out of pure shock [Skull] from seeing my rock hard jawline, [Skull] rock hard abs, [Joan] STOP [Skull] my sexy voice alone could crush his ego [Joan] I wasn’t aware voice cracks and nervous trembling could do that [Skull] kiss my arse joan [Skull] you have no idea what i sound like [Joan] and same vice versa

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. She had an opening here—should she take it? She took a sip of her tea, now disgustingly lukewarm, and decided to go for it.

[Joan] is it weird, that we talk so regularly but only ever over text? [Skull] cant say its ever crossed my mind [Skull] why wld that b weird [Joan] I don’t know [Joan] it’s just something a coworker mentioned [Skull] so THAT’S why the missed call got under ur skin [Skull] ur so painfully transparent [Joan] no I’m not? [Skull] denial is not a good look on u [Skull] if it bothers u so much we can just call [Skull] like any normal fucking ppl wld do [Joan] I suppose [Skull] its not a big deal [Skull] unless u swoon so hard at my voice u get a concussion or smth [Skull] which is highly likely [Skull] considering ur delicate disposition [Joan] wtf is that supposed to mean [Skull] last time Pretty Boy called u by ur name u almost dropped ur phone in coffee [Joan] in hindsight [Joan] mentioning that to you was a mistake [Skull] it wasnt [Skull] its a great addition to my joan blackmail bank [Joan] har bloody har [Joan] you’re a comedic genius [Skull] oh em gee its so nice 2 see my talent finally b acknowledged

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Her break was up. Startled that the time had flown by so quickly, she checked the clock on the wall, only to find she was indeed due back on the shop floor.

On the bright side, she no longer had to worry about the possibility of Skull being a) dead, or b) eternally pissed off at her. Instead, her mind focused on the very real chance that she’d be talking to him on the phone in the near future.

Lucy was by no means completely inept; she could handle a phone call when it was necessary. However, phoning her old insurance provider to get them to remove her from their annoying mailing list and calling a close (could she consider them close when she knew so little about him?) friend acquaintance for the first time were very, very different things.

A hot burst of air greeted her as she emerged from the back and settled behind the counter. She’d been a barista at this cafe for so long everything was muscle memory. It was a mostly handy skill, until someone once switched the syrups around and she almost handed a hazelnut latte to someone with a severe nut allergy. Besides that, and… her tendency to text on the job… she swore she was a virtue to the company.

“Got a clearer head now?” Holly said over the sound of milk being steamed.

“Yeah. I brought it up, and now we might actually end up calling.”

“Ooh, how exciting!” Holly beamed, then added quietly, “Unless he turns out to be a creep, that is.”

Lucy took moment too long to reply. “I’m sure he isn’t.”

“…Yeah!” Was Holly’s response, full of fake optimism that was far from convincing.

A third voice—one Lucy was becoming more familiar with these days—came from the other side of the counter. “Who might turn out to be a creep?”

Lucy rushed to meet Lockwood at the till. Even on a Saturday, he was still dressed smartly. “Oh, no one. Just— er, a friend of mine.”

“They only ever text! He could be anyone,” Holly stage-whispered to him.

Lucy gently batted her out of the way. “You don’t need to spill my private life to customers, thank you.”

“But he’s our best regular.”

Lockwood beamed. “Glad to hear it.”

She playfully rolled her eyes and tapped the till screen out of standby. “Your usual?”

“No, actually,” he said, sounding ridiculously pleased with himself over something so trivial. “I’d like to try that new gingerbread latte, please.”

“A sucker for a Christmas special, are we?”

He shrugged. “Who can’t resist a bit of seasonal marketing? I’ll also have a slice of lemon drizzle too, if you’ll allow it.”

A huff of laughter escaped her. “Wow, you’re really branching out today.”

He gave her another one of his toothy grins. As he paid, he quirked a curious eyebrow. “What’s this about a maybe-creep you only ever text, then?”

“Oh, I can’t believe Holly told you about that.” Actually, she could—over the past month or so, Lockwood’s visits had become less by-the-script, and the two of them had learnt more about him than they ever expected to. Of course, it was a two way street, and as a result Lockwood gained a firm grasp on Lucy’s sarcasm, weakness for confident smiles, and now her friendship with a random guy on the internet.

She’d managed to avoid mentioning Skull to him, up until now. She was surprised the secrecy had lasted this long, though she was unsure why she’d been so keen to keep quiet about him.

“We met online,” she said slowly. Thankfully, putting Lockwood’s order together kept her hands busy and her brain occupied, which meant she had less energy to overthink how she’d explain her situation. “Met through a shared interest. We were— er, well, honestly we argued a lot, at first. I’m not sure how it turned into a friendship, but it did, and now we talk pretty regularly.”

“Every day,” Holly added.

“For…?”

Lucy shrunk in on herself slightly. “…Six months? Ish?”

Lockwood whistled, long and slow. “That’s quite a bit of time.”

“Exactly!”

“Holly, shut up,” Lucy said with very little venom. “We’re going to call. We’re going to talk. It’s not an issue.”

He leaned on the counter, watching her dust ginger onto his drink. “Right now?”

“What? No, not right now. That’d be mad.”

“Could be interesting.”

She slid the drink and plate over to him. “Don’t be nosey.”

“It’s in my nature, Luce.” He winked, taking a sip of his drink. “Gossip at heart.”

Lucy’s stomach did a funny flip. She playfully waved him off under the pretence she was in a rush to serve the next waiting customer, and was harshly reminded she forgot to put her phone on silent when her pocket was met with a barrage of vibrations.

As the atmosphere lulled once all customers had been served and seated, she returned to her chat with Skull. Most of it was pure gibberish, a poor attempt at grabbing her attention again by way of spam.

[Skull] did u fucking die??? [Joan] when will you get it into your thick skull that I have timed breaks [Joan] and once said timed breaks are over [Joan] I go back to work [Skull] yet here u r, still txting on the job [Skull] what a rebel u are, joanie [Skull] its cute u spend ur entire allocated free time talking 2 me [Skull] clearly u have ur priorities straight [Joan] if that were true I’d have blocked you ages ago [Skull] oh no, my ego [Skull] has PB swung round yet today [Joan] he just did [Skull] and? [Skull] come on. give me the details [Skull] don’t deprive me of the gossip [Joan] nothing really happened [Joan] he changed his order up [Joan] asked about you [Skull] he fucking what [Joan] my chatty coworker told him :/ [Joan] and he got curious [Skull] did u tell him abt my rock hard jawline, [Skull] rock hard abs, [Joan] stfu that wasn’t even funny the first time [Skull] lies + slander [Skull] what did u tell him [Joan] I didn’t expect you to care so much about what he thinks [Skull] i dont. [Skull] im looking for openings to bully him [Joan] I just told him how we ‘met’ [Skull] is that it?? [Skull] thats so fucking boring [Joan] I mean [Joan] we also briefly spoke about the whole Only Texting situation [Skull] christ. what did he say to that [Joan] he thought I was going to call you right there and then [Joan] on the shop floor [Skull] is he stupid [Joan] hypocrite [Skull] my intellect is vast and varied tyvm [Skull] y is everyone obsessed with the calling thing [Skull] whys it such a big deal

Lucy glanced at her phone sidelong as she wiped down the counters. Why was it such a big deal?

She dwelled on it for a moment or two, but was cut short at the sight of the whole screen lighting up with Incoming call: Skull.

At first, she simply stared. Pressing the red decline button would mean everything stayed as it was—no awkward first phone call, no pressure to make their casual, stupid online friendship something more meaningful, no caving to the expectations of the more socially well-adjusted people around her. But pressing the green pick up button would mean… well, it would mean talking to Skull. Like actual friends. What would they even talk about?

Curiosity gnawed away at her.

Lucy pressed the green button.

“You were staring at your phone wondering if you should pick up, weren’t you?”

She wasn’t sure what she expected Skull to sound like, but it wasn’t quite this. He didn’t sound significantly older or younger, though his voice had a slight rasp to it, and she could hear his smile—knowing him, it was more likely to be a smirk—through his words. It was unfamiliar, yet so undeniably Skull that she couldn’t help but smile a bit herself.

“No. I told you, I’m at work. Busy day.”

“Busy enough that you picked up the phone in the middle of your shift?”

She rolled her eyes fondly and signalled to Holly she’d be back in five minutes—emergency, she mouthed, gesturing to the phone at her ear—and Holly gave her a knowing look in return.

London’s wintery chill nipped at her skin as soon as she stepped outside, but the fresh air was nothing short of lovely.

She squinted up at the sky; grey clouds loomed overhead. “Why now? Why not call later?”

“Got sick of you awkwardly bringing it up over text,” he said, then added: “Wanted to see if you’d pick up.”

“Well, here I am. I picked up. Now what?”

A short pause. “You were the one that was so bothered by it all.”

“I wasn’t that bothered.”

“Er, yeah you fucking were. So, my voice: what’s the verdict? Are you swooning?”

She gave a harsh huff of laughter. “You bloody wish.”

“I can hear you moved outside. Needed some fresh air to cool your blush?”

“Shut up? You’re not funny. Besides, my voice is miles better. I bet you almost tripped over your own feet when I first spoke.”

“I’m nothing but elegant and graceful,” he said, playfully indignant, “even when faced with a really annoying, nasally voice.”

“Charming.”

A beat, then: “I didn’t know you were northern.”

A small, ugly snort escaped her as she contemplated this. At the beginning of their acquaintanceship they’d stuck to an unspoken rule of avoiding delving into their personal lives, but as time passed and they became more comfortable with brutally bullying each other under the guise of friendship, details had come out here and there. They were both English. She worked at a cafe. His go-to drink order was an espresso martini (I’d had you down as a guinness kind of guy, Lucy had said, to which he responded thats the worst fucking insult). The drops of info were random and sporadic, and ended up so Lucy knew Skull had a really stupid tattoo on his left arse cheek, but he didn’t know she was northern—and this, in her opinion, was downright hilarious.

“You do now,” she said. “Look, I really can’t talk for long. I already spend way too much of my shift on my phone.”

“This was an emergency,” Skull said dryly, “you had to succumb to social pressures and modern friendship conventions.”

Lucy huffed in disbelief. “Friendship?”

“Slip of the tongue. I meant rivalry.”

“Of course you did. Denial is not a good look— er, sound, on you.”

He scoffed playfully. “Don’t throw my own words back at me. It’s not my fault you’re desperate for my attention and companionship.”

“And it isn’t my fault you’re projecting.”

“Ooh, you’re pushing it,” he said, and Lucy really could hear his smile. “I could just hang up right now and never contact you again.”

She sighed wistfully. “That would truly be the dream.”

“A nightmare for you, more like. You couldn’t survive without m—”

Lucy took great satisfaction in hanging up on him, and waltzed back into the shop with a lazy smile on her face. To her surprise, it wasn’t Holly whose eye she caught first upon her return, but Lockwood’s. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before flashing a grin—it was his split-second of hesitation that made Lucy wonder if he’d been watching her call Skull through the window.

“So,” Holly drawled, leaning in close as Lucy returned behind the counter, “how was the emergency?”

“Awful. Three wounded, one fatality.”

Holly’s teasing smile froze; it was clear she still hadn’t fully accustomed to Lucy’s sense of humour.

“It was fine. It’s nice to just have that over and done with. Now I can stop thinking about it.”

“What was he like?”

“Exactly how he is over text— no, wait, his ego was actually more inflated. He’s a bit insufferable.”

“The smile on your face counteracts your words, Luce.” Holly playfully nudged her before diverting her attention to a waiting customer, and together they fell back into their routine. After the line had gone back down, she stole a glance at her phone, and held back a snort at the notifications waiting for her.

[Skull] how DARE you. how fucking dare you [Skull] next time we call I’m getting my revenge

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co fic #lucy carlyle #the skull #skullyle #czenzo.fic #skullyle internet friends

[not-poignant]

hey pia! i love your work, hi!!! im a young writer interested in posting some of my big projects online (not that i really expect them to get any traction lol). i was wondering how you protect your work from plagiarism, or how you deal with people plagiarizing your work. it seems like the internet is kind of the wild west, and that’s only sometimes a good thing :/ im probably a bit too poor to afford any sort of copyright or whatever online authors do, but maybe i can save up? 🙏🙏

PS - i didn’t actually care whether or not this ask was anonymous, but from my experience on tumblr it seems like an unspoken rule🤨 so i guess i’ll turn it on🫡

Hi anon!

Tbh the only real difference between anon and attaching your name is that I have the choice to reply to you privately if you send an ask under your name (which is sometimes preferrable if the question is personal or really niche!) and that gives me more options. Anon forces me to only answer publicly (which is probably why you're seeing that so much!!), but the downside is that sometimes I have to delete anon messages when I don't want the responses or even the ask/s on my public blog.

Anyway! This is something I'd respond to publicly anyway, because I think this is a fear a lot of new and young writers have. The tl;dr is that copyright is often assumed on the internet, provenance makes it easy to send DMCA takedowns, and letting a fear of piracy stop you from putting your work up is one of the biggest ways I see new authors handicap themselves on the web currently (idk if it's confirmation bias or what but it seems like I see this several times each month atm from specifically new authors), and it's like...not a thing...to be hampering yourself with.

Okay, now for the longer explanation:

The first thing with copyright is that it by and large depends on your country and what you want to do with the story. In Australia, every created work by default has legal copyright protection simply by being created by someone. We don't need to pay to apply for copyright on creative works, we automatically have it and if we can prove provenance (i.e. if we can demonstrate we created it first, with like a document date etc.) we are legally protected.

So I can't answer for the country you're in, anon, but honestly, this is how it works on most of the internet where you're likely to put a project online. AO3 will respect that a work is yours if it gets stolen, if you can prove you came up with it or published it before another person did (literally all you need is a screenshot or a link). In the Properties or Details of most of your documents, the 'date created' is your best friend.

I've had my work stolen quite a few times over the years. It's been stolen the most from AO3 over to Wattpad (it's almost like Wattpad authors don't realise that sometimes we look lol).

In one case, blanket commenting on one of the fics that the original fic was on AO3 *and complete and not stolen* was enough for the author themselves to take it down. x.x Otherwise what you generally do is send a DMCA takedown notice, which almost all creative sites give you access to when reporting theft (your readers cannot do this for you, you must do it.)

Similarly, on AO3, if this happens, you can just report it. The big downside here is that it can take the volunteers there some time - sometimes up to two weeks or more - to get on top of that, so it might feel like nothing at all is happening. Patience is recommended.

Look, theft happens, you can't avoid it. It is a normal part of putting your work out there in the world. And I can't tell you how many new authors I know who kind of shoot themselves in the foot trying to prevent the acts of thieves, while not realising they're hampering themselves in the process.

Pirating is the worst, but so is never putting your work out there, or waiting for a magical protection from piracy. It doesn't exist - and there's a general rule where the more steps you introduce to stop or reduce piracy, the more you actually alienate your general readers - think about how having right-click disabled on a website can feel, for example. It's considered hostile internet architecture that is often very inaccessible.

(There's also a phenomenon where the authors most scared of theft are the ones least likely to encounter it, because their works are new, and they'll need a lot of time to build up readers and engagement in the first place. Most of the time, those who plagiarise don't want to take the works of new/young authors over the works of experienced authors who just won't think to check the sites they're using. By the time you're popular enough for that to be an issue, you'll probably have more confidence in yourself and your ability to handle this. I will say theft of ebooks on sites like Amazon etc. is way more common than theft of original stories and fanfics on AO3, but both happen more often than they used to, that's just...sadly a part of life.)

Also, applying for copyright doesn't mean your work won't get stolen. You'll still have to send DMCA takedowns, and you'll still have to get in contact with websites. A lot of the time websites have a form you can fill out. You still have to do all that labour and pay to register copyright. The filing of copyright is sadly not a magical shield against theft of a creative work. It does make it easier to take someone to court, but that's expensive, often not worth it, and the labour someone can spend chasing down thieves is often better spent amongst the readers who actually give a shit (they're the ones who often notice the theft in the first place when it comes to serials).

If you plan on publishing ebooks, there's software and organisations you can pay a monthly fee to, who just exist to issue takedown notices to piracy sites so you don't have to. I've never used these personally, but from what I've read on Facebook writing groups, they're often not worth it compared to the past, because new sites spring up all the time. But different authors have different experiences with online theft (and different levels of income to combat it) so you'll hear different things on that front.

I'm...pretty zen about it. To me, it's only a worry when I have to send someone a notice about it, which I don't actually have to do all that often. Like, it sucks, but almost always it never happens as much as a new author like yourself fears it will. That doesn't mean you won't hate it when it happens, but you'll live, and your works will keep finding readers, and it won't be what you're likely imagining it will be. It's for most authors, just an occasional giant pain in the ass that we forget about a day or two later sdakfjdsa

#asks and answers #pia on writing #pia on publishing #it depends on what path you're taking #ebooks are more prone to it than serials or subscription-locked works #but as a result there's also more protections available for ebook authors #there's less protections for someone like me #except i can prove provenance #and i can be like 'hey i put this up 10 years ago and this person published it today so can you do something about it please' #and sites do because legally they have to #though some drag their feet sdlfkjas #but anyway yeah i'm very 'eh whatever it happens' #some authors will take it very seriously #but i am...more interested in my writing and my relationship to my actual readers #then the actions of people who aren't giving me a hard time #until they *actually* give me a hard time #and then i have things i can do y'know #maybe i'm too flippant but being too anxious about theft #seems like a one-way ticket to not putting yourself out there

[perxywonderland]

Endorphins

Willow has strong “painkillers” since an accident, without them she is in absolute pain, physically and mentally. Unfortunately, these "painkillers" are opiates and you get addicted to those very fast because of the endorphins (pleasure, pain and stress relieving hormones) production, but your body gets used to it, so you get higher doses, again and again, your body tolerates it for a moment, until it can't, and you collapse. That is the case of Willow, who wakes up puzzled at Kuras' clinic. Kuras, her doctor and her dear friend, will find alternatives for Willow, some are quite intimate.

Take cautions as there is spicy content at the end, but TS is major people only so if you are minor, dni.

Relationships: (mainly) Kuras/Willow (oc), Leander/Willow Characters: Kuras, Leander, Willow, Nessie (Willow's cute doggo) Details: Substances addictions, withdrawal, hurt and comfort, angst, penetration, massage, soft, POV third person, Kuras is so soft and attentive I love him

Word count: 4780

Huge thanks to @captain--miracle for the proofreading bc my brain goes so fast and without them the writing would have been wacky

Eyes twitching and hands grasping at the cloth of her shirt, Willow woke up from the acute pain in her whole body, but particularly her tummy, heart and head. She recognized the familiar ceiling from Kuras’ clinic, and realised she was in the room for patients to rest. But why? As far as she remembered, despite her very foggy brain, she was home, it was keeping her puzzled, because she already checked Kuras not so long ago for her monthly blood draw and blood test. So why was she there, sleeping in the rest area, and in such pain. Speaking of pain, her body screamed for its painkillers, her solution to everything, from the physical pain to the mental pain. She tried desperately to stand up, wincing only by rising from the bed into a seating position. Her head felt so heavy she instantly fell to her former position. Where did her balance go?

“You should stay still, I have to draw some blood of yours.”

Willow rolled with effort her tired eyes to the origin of the calm and collected voice she knew so well, Kuras. He was standing there, with blood test supplies.

“…Did I faint again?”

He didn’t reply, instead preparing the stool next to the bed to sit on it and settled the supplies on the bedside table. His silence wasn’t so appreciated by the weak monster.

“Hey. Kuras, why the fuck am I here? What time is it? What day is it?”

With a sigh, he glanced at the clock on the wall for a few seconds.

“Right now, It is Saturday, nearly 3am.”

And then eyed back at his patient, replying with a colder tone.

“You collapsed.”

“Collapsed? I was doing all good the whole afternoon. Well, maybe some heart ache but the tablets did the work! I am fine! I probably just fainted, it's nothing, I am used to it! Ahah… You know how I am! But right now it really hurts, can you bring me my tablets please?…”

Her gaze was frantic, looking everywhere, except his harsh and lecturing glaring.

Kuras remained silent, focused on preparing her arm for the blood test. His gestures were confident, but not gentle.

Willow felt a drop of sweat running from her forehead, rolling down the bridge of her nose. In this situation, Kuras was dominant. Willow stammered her question again, almost begging for her request.

“Could you… please, bring me my painkillers… Kuras?”

“Absolutely not.”

Kuras finally replied, and dug the syringe into the prepared vein of her arm. Unprepared, Willow winced and frowned.

“Ow! Hey, that was too rough! You usually make them more gentle!”

“I changed nothing, you are just clean from all substances.”

He inhibited himself to add a comment, but reminded himself he was also at fault, he stayed shut.

“…This is kind of why I need my tablets. Come on Kuras, when someone is in pain, you give them painkillers. That’s common sense, you’re a doctor!”

By using logic to not appear desperate, the purple haired entity didn’t realise she was doing the absolute opposite. Her whole body, voice and eyes screamed for her sweet instant solution. But the doctor wouldn’t let her, not this time.

“Or…”

Kuras started his sentence while removing the needle from Willow’s arm, and bottled the golden liquid into a vial, looking up at the beautiful liquid some would price high by its deceiving appearance.

“You find the origin of the pain.”

He resumed, staring straight to Willow’s guilty eyes, which instantly turned away from Kuras.

“…I tried… I really tried, but… this is too hard, too painful, if I try again, I think I’ll go mad..”

His gaze softened. Of course he knew, he truly believed in her and trusted her. Kuras changed the topic.

“You don’t remember anything from last night?”

“I don’t…”

“The opposite would have been surprising, your blood test 5 hours ago was… interesting. There was no way you would have been lucid in such a euphoric and sedated state.”

Willow slowly realised what the doctor meant by that. Her eyes widened but quickly turned away when they met kuras’ again. Only the angel’s stare is enough to lecture her about what happened, despite the warm honey colour, his gaze was cold and concerned. But he didn’t let Willow escape this time. He grasped her chin and angled her to face him.

“I told you to be careful.”

His tone was soft, worried even. Willow’s eyes were stinging, tears forming but she rubbed them away before they could roll.

“I am so sorry, Kuras… uh, it’s the pain that makes me cry. I wish I could end this suffering…”

“ I know, I am sorry Willow.”

Kuras’ gaze hinted at sadness, he knew how it was to be stuck forever with a burden. He had his own to carry, and a quite heavy one. He let her chin go and corrected his posture on his stool to a straighter position.

“When Leander found you, you were wobbling on your feet, your look was absent, saying rubbish, until you dropped and convulsed. You should thank Nessie, he is the one who alerted him. He is still a bit in shock. ”

“…Fuck…”

A silence settled for a long minute, the lady stared down at her feet, holding her head between her hands, desperation and guilt won her. Her sentence came tearing up progressively.

“My pain even affects my closed ones… How can I make it end? If even the tablets cannot do anything anymore…”

Kuras grabbed one of her hands and cupped it between his. His touch radiated warmth, in contrast to Willow’s ice cold body.

“We will find a solution, alternatives. I promise.”

In reply to his support, Willow reached to hug him close, no matter how painful it was to move. A sign of immense gratitude.

“Leander is waiting outside, I’ll tell him you have woken up, do you want to see him?”

By her scared look, he understood the little visit would be for later. However he knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep right now, due to the pain. She needed a strong distraction, a book wouldn’t be enough. He picked from one of his pockets a little wooden horse, staring at it before handing it to Willow’s yellowish hands.

“It reminded me of you, I found it in the stands of Amaryllis District, it is a puzzle, find the solution while I am away.”

Willow shrugged and inspected precisely the horse with her eyes and fingers, at least it might shift her sensations on to the puzzle rather than the pain for some time.

Not long after that, Kuras stood up and went back to the main room to study at his lab her blood and compare it from her former blood draw.

A few challenging days passed, challenging for Willow and her urges. Challenging for Kuras to handle such a difficult and violent patient. Ais wouldn’t do good as he is used to smoking, it would be counterproductive. Leander looked after Aerilynn and Nessie. But it paid off, the urges were less frequent, but the pain remained, her mood was quite unstable but most of all, she was depressed. The goal now she was sober from opiates was to find a natural alternative to the endorphin painkillers produced.

For now, Leander seemed to be an option. It was time for a little visit after this isolation. In no time a ball of black fur rushed to Willow into a big bear hug with little whines, meaning “I missed you so much”. Nessie couldn’t hold still, his happiness was contagious as it made everyone smile. The sun after the tempest.

“I missed you so much, big boy!”

Willow chuckled and pet Nessie tenderly.

“May I have pets too?”

Leander said as he sat on the bed too, leaning with a smile, his radiant eyes were starving for attention as well. But her eyes widened at the sight of Leander, remembering he was the one who witnessed and struggled with her overdose. Before she could say anything he rubbed her cheeks into a reassuring way.

“You do not need to be sorry, I am good now. However I wish it will not happen again, for you, I mean.”

His hands slid to hers, warming them, caressing them tenderly. Giving them a little warmth and softness despite his gloves.

“I will make sure to check on you and spend more time with you now. But you know my suggestion to join the bloodhounds still remains, we all can check on you and it can distract you from your chronic pain.”

Leander said as he gently brushed with his lips the knuckles of her hands.

“I would love to spend more time with you, but not as a bloodhound, I wouldn’t fit in. And I have my own business to handle, I am better at this.”

“Okay, I understand. Then I got something for you.”

His hands let go of Willow's hands, and he searched into his pockets for three pieces of paper, those were tickets. He presented them to her.

“Those are tickets for the upcoming play in the high town, remember how we used to go there, Kuras, you and I back then?”

Willow, positively surprised, nodded in agreement. Leander added with a smirk and pointing with his thumb behind his back:

“Not to mention it is highly recommended by the doctor, plays like those can help to produce endorphins and cheer you up.”

“Then this is with great pleasure that I accept, thank you, Leander, for everything.”

With a warm and gentle tone, the owlish eyed lady cupped his cheek with her hand, the other one replied with a gentle smile;

“Always there to catch you, Willow.”

The play was outstanding and humorous, just what all three needed, before the clerics could find them the trio was already away heading to lowtown.

Leander waved at the two others before going into the Wet Wick to join his peers, and the two yellow eyed creatures headed back to Willow's place. But Willow remained frozen in front of the tall building. Kuras gave her a puzzled look.

“It’s just… I’m scared that… Well… my stashes, and the smell.”

Her worried stare turned to the doctor, now she was out of this, she clearly didn’t want to relapse. The urges were horrifying, the sweat, the vomiting, the pain, the cries, the begging. She didn’t want to wiggle like a worm in pure agony because of her body cleaning the mess inside again.

“Leander and Ais have taken care of that.”

Sudden relief found Willow as she sighed and gave a slight nod. “But if you do not feel ready, or safe, to be on your own yet, you know you can stay at the clinic for some time”

Kuras proposed into a calm and reassuring tone, to that, the lady held the doctor’s hand gently, in agreement.

Kuras led the way to the clinic, and enjoyed the warm temperature of the room in contrast to the fresh and cool air from the night. As the doctor adjusted his sleeves, he asked his patient:

“Do you feel any pain right now?”

Willow hesitantly replied as she undid her coat and carefully settled on the coat rack. His generosity triggered her needs to not disturb him. “You’re doing so much already, a little pain is okay.”

“It doesn’t answer my question, as a doctor, I should relieve my patients from their pain…”

He began, remaining calm while sitting on his stool near the examination table.

“…You said it yourself, Willow.”

Willow fidgeted with her boots while undoing them.

“Do not hesitate to say when it hurts.” Kuras added. He patiently waited for her answer, not pushing her, nor ignoring her. Kuras was such an amazing listener as much as a rambler, but he knew very well when to listen, and when to ramble, Willow admired him for that. So collected, so calm and gentle, empathetic, it was everything she loved in a person, or a monster. Since they met, she felt safe and trusted this angel with her whole body and soul despite their opposite origins. Not many angels were like him, he was special, special to her.

“I feel like my body contracts so hard it will break into pieces…”

The doctor let out a thoughtful hum while holding his chin and crossing his legs. He could prescribe some muscle relaxant, but the elements in those could potentially trigger new addictions in the current situation. Something more therapeutic would be better than medication.

“How about a massage?”

Willow arched her brows at his idea. A massage? It felt off topic at first, he explained:

“Massages can trigger endorphin production, relieve stress, and muscle contractions. Leading to relaxation and pain relief as well as a feeling of wellness.”

He turned with his rotating stool to face the cabinet full of bottles and boxes with different sizes, colours, and shapes. Settling carefully his glasses ready to prepare the supplies he’d require for his remedial activity.

“You never told me you did those.” Carefully reading the labels on the bottles, turning them into his hands, he answered:

“I do them for a more close, private sphere of people I like. Depending on if they agree or not. It can become more… intimate.”

Realising what he meant, Willow’s yellow blood rushed through her cheeks, nose and ears giving those a deep golden blush. With a few blinks of her wide opened eyes, she approached him.

“Do I… Do I need to wear something specific ?” “Your usual nightwear will do. Don’t worry, I will not push your boundaries.”

Willow nodded and headed to the resting area to change into simple nightwear, a soft white wool set composed of a tank and a short. She undid her lamb-like hairstyle and let her curly hair free in no time due to her curiosity, she never had such things before. She tiptoed her way on the cold floor back to where Kuras was and waited for his instructions. Multiple bottles were on the counter, Willow knew some of them, as they were essential oil based. Kuras didn’t wear his glasses anymore, he gestured to Willow to lie down with front body on the examination table. Willow obeyed and carefully lied down, and pushed her hair away, revealing a long vertical lightning-like healed scar from her neck to her lower back. She wasn’t able to see much with her head turned to the left, watching the doctor’s tidy counter. He stood up while warming up some oil between his hands. He pressed a warm hand on her shoulder blade, and announced with a low and comforting voice:

“I will start with the legs and go upper, tell me when it hurts, or if you have enough or feel uncomfortable, I will stop immediately.”

Willow motionned a yes by nodding with eyes closed. Without even starting, his words and touch were relaxing, she left her whole body to him with no fear or apprehension.

The doctor faced the tall lying body from the end of his examination table, and started his manoeuvre by gently caressing one calf with his oily hands, warming the body part up to a comforting temperature. Kneading, pushing carefully the skin and muscle in slow motions of back and forth and circles. Sometimes pressing his hands on the whole calf and running them towards the back of her knee multiple times, to then going back rubbing different local places on the one calf, he repeated the motions on the other. The gesture wasn’t strong or painful, it was gentle, attentive, confident, just like him. The body he was meticulously taking care of instantly became putty between his beautiful long fingers.

Kuras’ hands made their way to the back of her thighs, warming them up and giving them the same treatment as the calves. Because of the shorts, sometimes his hands required going under the clothes to reach the top part of the thighs, but it didn’t disturb Willow. Despite her flimsy appearance, Willow had quite toned muscles, running was the main reason, because of her atypical blood compatibility with no one, she had to train her heart to adapt to blood draw and blood loss. The heart of a runner would pump more blood than a normal one thanks to its strength and size. Kuras asked before moving to face her back horizontally:

“How does it feel?”

“That is interesting, I mean,I like it a lot, it is relaxing for sure.”

She answered into a slightly drowsy voice.

“Do you want to go further? Are you okay with my hands going under your tank? For the back.”

“Mhm.”

She nodded, giving her agreement to his upcoming gestures. Kuras reapplied some oil between his hands for the large surface he was going to take care of. The doctor began with the lower back, putting pressure into his circle motions with his thumbs, and covering her whole waist with both his hands in his back and forth motions. The silence during his work was comfortable, a sign of safety and trust. But Willow couldn’t hold her curiosity. “Does the pressure you add at certain places give that feeling of relief? “

Never missing an opportunity to teach, Kuras answered his question:

“Yes, like those weak spots I taught you, the human body has nice spots, they enhance endorphins and serotonin production. This is called acupuncture.”

“I see, well, you sure are producing a lot of serotonin and endorphins there.”

She replied satisfied, a little melty as Kuras slid his warm hands more between her skin and clothes. Kuras escaped a little chuckle to her dozy comment. He didn’t focus on the scar, he kept his treatment even on the whole surface of her back, he knew if he focused on it, it would be counterproductive and trigger anxiety and even pain to her. He worked as if it wasn’t there, despite its big presence and eye-catching striking shape. Kuras gently pinched the straps of the tank, asking again for consent before going further, or stopping there. “May I?” “Yes.”

Kuras proceeded to slide them away with Willow’s help, passing them under her arms. She rested her head on the table and her arms were parallel to her body. He resumed his treatment on the shoulder blades, free from obstacles. The upper back and shoulders and neck seemed to be a sensitive spot for Willow who accidentally escaped a relaxed low moan, it tensed her up a little. Kuras reassured her. “This place does feel nice, yes.”

“I wish you could teach me, so I can do it to you as well.”

Willow requested, a little scared her advance for giving affection would be declined, but he didn’t. Kuras replied with a warm and pleased tone: “That would be lovely.”

Slowly but surely, they pushed their boundaries to something more intimate together. Expressing interest into one another above the friend type.

Kuras slid his hands through her whole right arm. Meticulously massaging every finger and the palm. He appreciated the colour of her natural nails that some would believe polish laid on them. Her nails and hand veins were pearly golden. Her body in itself looks like a valuable item with its rich yellow tints. Her peculiarity and intelligence were the things he loved the most in her. It saddened him that she didn’t recognize the beauty of her uniqueness. Going upward to her forearms, and then upper arms, he finished his treatment, or almost.

“That was amazing, thank you, Kuras.”

Willow complimented him after opening her eyes and sitting up on the examination table, she readjusted the straps of her tank, and smiled warmly to Kuras with her eyes half closed, relaxed; she was just drunk on natural endorphins. It was a much better view than her drunk on endorphins triggered by drugs or alcohol, she was completely lucid and truly feeling well. He couldn't help himself, he carefully took her hands into his, caressing them. “I finished, but as a doctor. As an intimate partner I haven’t.”

He began, invoking a surprised reaction to Willow, even if she seemed positively surprised, he resumed:

“But I will not go further if you do not want to or do not feel comfortable with this.”

Willow remained silent a moment, her hands escaped his to reach his shoulders, making Kuras bent a little to her. “Well, I am quite curious.”

She smiled and looked deep in his eyes as one of her hands stroked his back, the other one reached his cheek to caress it tenderly. “Curiosity is one thing, agreement is another. I want to be sure you want this, that you are okay with this.”

He knew Willow was extremely curious, and sometimes it led to impulsive behaviours and actions. He let her think for a moment, with both hands resting on each side of the table.

“Then yes, I want to.”

She replied before kissing his jaw gently, moving up to the corner of his lips. Kuras pressed their lips together, tilting her head backward as he held her back into a firm hug.

They broke the kiss while Kuras took the hand on his cheek to guide her to stand up and follow him, leading her upstairs to his bedroom. Willow never ever found or caught him sleeping no matter the hour she came for troubles she’s been in, or her friends. At best, he was in his bedroom but on the armchair near the fireplace to read. But the bed seemed to be barely used. Willow gently sat on the bed. She fiddled with his partner’s coat, as a question if she could undress him a little. He didn’t refuse, he even helped her by removing his coat and shoes before laying a knee on the bed, guiding the lady to lie down. Pressing some light chaste kisses there and here, from the neck to the shoulder, he made his way to her flat chest and stomach with his free hand, caressing those areas tenderly, another form of massage. Willow stroked his hair at the back of his neck, watching his every move, and his beautiful face, lashes and amber orbs were lightened by the warm light of the lamp next to his bed in a golden orange-ish shade. He truly was beautiful. She took his caressing hand in order to guide him to crawl on her to lie down next to her. She went on top of him and began undoing his top, revealing his toned torso she caressed with both hands. She crawled backward to be at the eye level of the belts to undo them as well. “This is not very fair.”

Kuras slid a mocking comment with a slight smile. To that, Willow made eye contact with him again, raised up and took off her tank, tossing it away in the room with a slight smile too.

“Better?”

She asked in a playful way. Her playfulness didn’t last long as Kuras lightly stroked his large hands lightly on her sides, sending shivers down her spine. It clearly was pleasurable by her weakened look. He pushed her on the side to lay down again next to him, cupping his cheek with her hand, she kissed him again, introducing her tongue progressively. One of his hands reached down her lower back while the other slid into the shorts to remove it progressively. Their limbs intertwined together into a tight embrace with only their underwear left.

Kuras hand played with the last cloth remaining on Willow, looking deep in his eyes, she gave him her consent on going further with a soft nod and a kiss on the neck. He gently moved her to lay on her tummy again like on the examination table, she did so and helped him to remove her last piece of fabric. His hands stroked her back into gentle caresses, back and forth as he progressively reached her butt, massaging it tenderly. Her thighs got the same treatment again, until his hand slid between them to brush with the tip of his index and middle finger her private parts. It automatically caused a low moan escaping Willow’s mouth. She and he constated she was more than ready by the sound her lower abdomen made as he stroked it. A finger made its way into her entrance, then a second. Together they massaged her inside, it felt wonderful, too wonderful that Willow tried to muffle her moans and yelps of pleasure. But it was unsuccessful when Kuras nimbled her shoulder and neck. His own pleasure built up too. He removed his last cloth as well, revealing his own private parts. Pinning her hands together in one hand, and pinning her hips with the other, he stroked his private parts slowly on Willow’s behind, before slowly entering Willow’s entrance smoothly thanks to the preparation. Both escaped a louder moan of pure delight. He moved first in slow back and forth, adventuring to find her most sensitive spot. In no time her legs twitched, found it. He pumped into the spot again and again, a little harder but still passionate. He bent to reach her neck to kiss it again and went even deeper, his breath and moans tickled her ear. Willow desperately tried between the moans to praise him but felt she was about to reach climax. Her whole body twitching was a sign for Kuras to stop and get out before she reached the sky without him. Getting free from his grasp, she rolled to face him with watery eyes due to the pleasure, she pushed him to lie down next to her and stroked his genitals with a hand.

“You’re very good at this if you want my opinion.”

Willow praised him with a low voice, almost a whisper. Kuras grabbed her chin, brushing her lower lip with his thumb.

“Don’t mean to be rude, but you seemed the kind of person with no experience.”

Willow joked with a slight smirk.

“I just keep my intimate partners and my interactions very private, the world doesn’t need to know that, it is very valuable information for the malevolent and foolish ones.”

Kuras simply replied. Keeping eye contact with his partner with similar orbs, Willow said thoughtful

“Mmmh, I guess I am less private about those. Maybe I should, Vere is a bit teasing too much about that, but he is no better. ”

Noticing a slight frown on Kuras’ face at the mention of the fox’s name, she added before reaching to kiss him:

“But I don’t do much with Vere, no worries about that, he joined us once when I was with Ais.”

Stroked his lower abdomen more actively again, moaning in her mouth. Willow positioned herself to his length and he did the motion to enter again. In this tight embrace they moved and moaned in unison. Giving praises to each other, eventually they reached climax, Willow pressed their mouth together and cupped his head with her hands. Little teardrops of delight formed on both their eyes.

Heavy breaths were the only sound left in the room, Willow rested her head against his shoulder, he stroked her hair while she caressed his back. Something Kuras found interesting with Willow is no matter where she was, her smell always remained the same: the french humid air of the forest and fields of flowers at dawn. It was refreshing. His smell was more spices, Willow always found it comforting. Willow broke the comforting silence.

“That was another amazing massage, how many times a week do you recommend it?”

Kuras smiled at her little prescription metaphor.

“For the first one, twice a week, the second, depends on the availability and will.”

“Good.”

Willow replied as she snuggled closer, eyes closed ready to sleep.

“Do you sleep?”

“I don’t, I have no need as an angel. But I can close my eyes and think.”

“That is interesting, but can you? We faeries have no need to sleep, but we can.”

“I call it more like resting.”

“Oh, I see.”

She released a mocking chuckle

“A faery and an angel, polar opposites, together in the same bed, how ironic.”

Kuras listened to her, with closed eyes, his nose burrowed in her hair.

“At least I’ll not bring your fate, I don’t want to hurt you, Kuras, I like you. A lot.”

At her last words, he opened his eyes and was about to reply - but she was sleeping already. Her love was at worst deadly. She just liked some people, a lot. But no true love.

THANK YOU IF YOU HAVE READ EVERYTHING I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT

#leander #red spring studio #kuras #touchstarved #touchstarved oc #touchstarved game #kuras x reader #kuras x oc #leander touchstarved #touchstarved leander #kuras touchstarved #touchstarved kuras #perxywonderland #Willow #touchstarved willow

[theflyingfeeling]

because I'm bored and due to the lack of content from the tour & on Aleksi's twitch (didn't he say he filmed material worth of at least 4 bonus videos? or does my memory fail me 🤔), I made a compilation / list of all the cute Olli/Allu moments from Aleksi's twitch streams, (because what else would I be doing with my time off 🤡) because I for one didn't expect the streams to be such a goldmine for Olli/Allu content right from the beginning 🤲 I mean, I knew they were special to each other, but to find out they're this special... 🥺💕

(and yeeeeesssss I knoooow we've been over all of these so many times already, but unfortunately I'm still thinking about these moments alright, so bear with me will you 😇 at least I'm putting it behind a read-more for y'all's scrolling pleasure, which I couldn't have done in @sparfloxacin's askbox where I originally wanted to dump all this 🤧)

already on the first stream we had Aleksi texting Olli about his bass tracks being played on the stream and Olli answering immediately (because of course he answers his bf immediately <3) and Olli telling Aleksi how good his stream looks (because of course he went to look at it immediately <3) and communicating with the stream / the viewers via Aleksi by asking if they wanted a bass tutorial (because of course he'd want to contribute to his bf's new hobby <3) and then later Aleksi making a duet with said tutorial (I'm still not over how cute that was 😭)

Aleksi for some reason answering a question about Olli's gag reflex?? of all the questions he could pick from the chat, this is the once he chooses to comment on?? 👁️👄👁️ (fair enough, he probably just saw Olli's name and started reading the comment before he could help it because Olliiiiiiii 🥰💕💞)

Aleksi revealing he had texted Olli about a cool shirt he had seen 🤲

Aleksi texting Olli about merch and looking sad bored when he didn't answer, but once he did, the biggest smile spread on Aleksi's face 🥹 (and then he immediately changed the subject because he probably realised he let his crush show a little too much 😭), and wasn't this the one where Olli gave him a call mid-stream? because I guess Olli didn't have anything better to do than discuss merch ideas with his bf and that's just what they do apparently, just spontanously call each other whenever aaaaaaaa boyfrieeeeeeeendssss 💞💖💕💗

Aleksi talking about Olli's socks that "somehow" ended up in his suitcase? uh-huh yeah sure, how to say I'm fucking my bandmate without saying I'm fucking my bandmate 😌

then there was the spooky stream which I'm also still not over, tragically 😩 I'm just so weak about the fact Olli was Aleksi's first option to ask about ghost stories for his stream in the dead of night, and that Olli really had nothing else to do but join in his bf's spooky shenaningans and putting actual effort in it too (in general I'm trying soooooo hard not to overthink the fact they both chose to be texting each other about silly stuff rather than, idk, sleeping next to their girlfriends or whatever, but I guess this is completely normal behaviour for them and should not be over-analyzed)

not to mention how happy Aleksi was about Olli replying to his texts in the middle of the night, just HOW in love could they be?!? 😭

the bonus video about the remix Aleksi made in which he used Olli's guitar loop and had also named the project file after Olli 💖 (he totally didn't listen to that guitar loop over and over again thinking about Olli and how much he loves him and maybe drinking some red wine and missing him a lot and perhaps even crying a little 😭)

the amount of Olli included in that mini vlog 🥰 because they just can't stay too apart from each other <3

just in general name-dropping Olli so so often 🥺💞

did I forget something crucial? 🤔 in any case, even without shippy glasses on I dare you to argue they aren't a little bit special to each other, because how many times had Aleksi mentioned / interacted with Olli on these streams in comparison to all his other bandmates, INCLUDING the ones that live in the same city as him and with whom he thus gets to spend time even off-tour / when they're not actively making music/recording? yeah, that's right 😌

#nothing new to see here. just the regular olli/allu propaganda 🥰 #look it's not my fault new content is scarce okay? a girl gotta fill the void somehow 💀 #ollixallu

[ironmanfridgemagnet]

Sitting On The Shelf - Marcus White x Reader

Part 16.b - Oh, Simple Thing 

SOTS Masterlist

"What's going on between you and Marcus?"

The question alone made you freeze up entirely. Not only were you unsure of what was going on between you and Marcus, it was Jonah you were speaking too. Jonah who had had a crush on you yet still cared just a fiercely for you after you turned him down.

It didn't feel fair to talk to him about stuff like this, especially when it could've been him you felt this way about.

"I don't know what you mean." You weakly tried to refute, as though you'd be able to convince Jonah in the slightest when he had his mind set on something. Idea, conspiracy or task, if Jonah was determined to get to the bottom on it, he would.

"Don't give me that, peach." Jonah replied, pulling you closer to him by your linked arms so that you couldn't just escape his questioning gaze. "I saw that whole little thing back there."

"Seriously, I don't know what you're on about." You rebuked, face becoming redder and redder the more Jonah asked you about the nature of you and Marcus's relationship.

Sure you had something going on - you'd shared many a moment too close for friends: you'd nearly kissed when he dropped you back home after you'd waited all night in the ER for him, he'd come to look after you when you were sick, he brought you flowers and just before he had pretty much stated that he was 'working on' making the two of you a couple. But the mind can quickly wonder, and with any more then a seconds reflection on those moments they all seem as though he's just being friendly, trying to keep the peace.

"That whole, 'ooo come and sit with me handsome Marcus, I love your nickname for me and your handsome face. Aren't these puppies so cute? Not as cute as you!' thing." Jonah mimicked in a high pitched voice, as though he had been trying to replicate the conversation he had witnessed earlier.

Bursting out into a fit of laughter, you leaned heavily on Jonah to continue standing. "That was the worst impression I've ever heard."

"Yeah well, that's what you sounded like." The two of you laughed with each other, still finding humour despite the originally awkward tension of the conversation.

"Besides," You continued now the shared laughter had died down between the two of you. "It was a movie reference not a nickname."

"And you're not going to comment on the other stuff I said?" Jonah teased, your face becoming red once more as you realised that you'd failed to dispute any of the 'handsome' comments about Marcus. Sure, you found him good looking, but that didn't have to mean you had a crush on him or anything.

"Well- I- no." You stumbled through the words, sighing defeatedly as Jonah laughed at your struggle.

"Seems like you have got yourself a little crush there, peach." Jonah accused, poking you teasingly in the side as you walked further away from the store and towards the movie theatre where Jonah had convinced you to come and see something with him.

"What are we watching by the way, I didn't catch the title before when you asked."

"Oh, don't try and change the topic y/n." Jonah chastised, shaking his head gently from side to side as you looking up at him with a downwards smile. Why was it so hard to talk about how you felt to him?

Taking in a deep breath, you decided it would be okay to at least try and talk to Jonah - he had asked, it wasn't as though you were just dropping it on him. "Marcus, he- I- I don't know J."

"Well, do you like him?" He asked, running his thumb along the knuckles of your joined hands.

"Yeah. I do. I really do." You answered, looking down at your feet as you walked, avoiding Jonah's eye contact. "There's just something about him y'know. He's definitely a bit odd, but it's endearing... kind of."

"Hmm, and it seems pretty clear to me that he likes you too." Jonah probed, trying to judge your reaction to his outsider opinion. Though you found it hard to believe that Marcus would return your feelings, whatever they were, you couldn't find any reason that Jonah would lie to you about something so substantial; you highly doubted he would mention something he didn't think was entirely true. "He likes you, you like him. Date. It's that simple."

It was never that simple. You would never tell Marcus of your feelings just in case he didn't reciprocate them - you'd rather have him as a friend then not at all. Sometimes you wished you had Jonah's almost stupid, blind bravery; maybe that way you'd actually get stuff done, get things moving with Marcus.

"You've got all the wisdom of a coffee pot, J."

"Is that an insult or- you know what? I'm taking it as a compliment." Jonah's self confidence made you let out another laugh, something you couldn't seem to stop doing today.

"It's an insult." You deadpan, eliciting a loud gasp from Jonah as he gently pushed you away from him, a feigned hurtful expression crossing his face.

"No I think you meant I'm well mirthed and loved by all." Jonah teased slipping his arm out of your own, and replacing it by intertwining your fingers as he pulled you into the movie theatre.

As he approached the concession stand, buying the tickets and an armful of snacks for you to share, you dwelled on Jonah's words. It could be that simple, if you wanted it to be, but god knows you'd never do anything that could potentially compromise your friendship.

If keeping him as a friend meant you got to keep him at all, then friends is what you would be.

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☆: .｡. Tag List .｡.:☆ @write-from-the-heart @despicablylara @whatafreakingloser @flowercrowns-goodvibes​ @millieb-3199 @lolawassad @catarina-trouxa @falsegodofmischief @thepurplebutterflythings @littleboysmile @sibsteria @quinn-7007 @aashy723 @maeisonline @lizziel1410

Want to be added to the taglist? send an ask to let me know <3

————————————————————————

Hey guys!!

Sub-Part Sunday to help conclude the last part - finally getting a bit more of an insight as to what is going on in y/n's head regarding Marcus as some so-called awesome advice from Jonah.

Part 17 will be out Wednesday!!

As always, have a lovely week <33

#sitting on the shelf marcus white x reader #superstore x reader #cloud 9 #superstore imagine #marcus white #marcus white x reader #marcus superstore #marcus white imagine #superstore marcus imagine

[delusion-of-negation]

so I am watching a video debunking someone who was calling it delusional to hold the opposite opinion to them on this topic, the responding person brought up how the word doesn't apply here, wasn't defined by the original person, and is irresponsible to use.

I don't disagree - calling religion or lack thereof (the original clip actually was a guy calling atheism a delusion) is wrong, that's an irresponsible use because those things are cultural. but the guy brought up the dsm criteria about beliefs resisting evidence and coincidentally my reply on a post about that got some nice tags around the same time, and I wanted to repeat the points again:

delusions resist evidence. you should not try to "reality check" or badger a delusional person unless they have asked you to do so, because you're more likely to make the delusion worse and it's a violation of their boundaries if they haven't asked you to do that.

by definition, by the way:

"unquestioningly", "even when evidence suggests the contrary", "overwhelms other elements of [their] psyche", etc. and notice 6 there, you're going to emotionally harm people and put them in defence mode, where they'll reinforce the belief, at best. you're probably going to cause an argument, as I detailed in the post I mentioned a minute ago (linked below). you can't magic it away.

as the very nice tags I mentioned say, it's as real as gravity to us. you're walking over and going "gravity isn't real, look at birds, it's clearly not pulling them down" and we go "well, they use the air resistance and stuff to-" and you go "yeah sure 'air resistance' :)" obviously we get frustrated. the disorders make this thing seem completely fundamentally true, and so when you argue it will do everything in its power to explain away anything you present. it's simply how they typically work (again, people vary, each episode potentially varies from the last, etc). and as that wiki notes a bit below that, it doesn't mean reasoning is inhibited in any other circumstance or topic, it's not that somebody is "just stupid" ffs. (btw screens are from the wiki for delusional disorder specifically, disorders and individuals will vary a little, fucking obviously. I'm diagnosed with different disorders myself, shit's complicated, however your one friend who does like being corrected isn't the typical presentation and doesn't refute the medical consensus.)

if you're reading this going "well what should I do???" the post I commented on (that I mentioned earlier) goes over it in general, basically the whole "don't add to beliefs but don't argue, just be neutral and loving to people, and talk to them about what they actually want you to do, before and during" it's that simple. talk.

as an aside, cultural beliefs can't be diagnosed as delusions, it's reasonable to believe what you're raised to believe. it's also very irresponsible to decide other people are delusional for them, as insults/attempted insults, or seriously, unless you're the medical professional specifically working with them to diagnose them. it doesn't matter how weird you find them, it's just not responsible.

as I've said a million times, you just want to own delusional folks with facts and logic, if you insist on "reality checking" when you don't have prior consent to do that, because if you wanted to be helpful and supportive you would realise that when a symptom literally means "this will not respond to counter-evidence" and a symptom of it is often "gets especially upset around this" you're probably not going to help by starting a fucking debate about it. especially when you also say "don't encourage it" because you'll understand that enthusiastic "how do they hide the cameras?" questions will give it opportunity to build, but you don't see how sarcasically saying that in an emotionally tense argument is far greater opportunity for the delusion to build upon itself. my guy.

edit: and if you're going "well don't therapists treat it by-" firstly, depends on the therapy and situation and relationship there, but more importantly, secondly, you're not their therapist. my dude.

[big19boss-blog]

Damien hears the Truth

This is a one-shot canon from a Korean web novel called "LUCIA". It contains spoilers from the novel. Read at your own risk.

If you want to read it, you can DM me for the link or just search for RubyMaybeTranslating. It's a classic arranged marriage in European setting kind of story and Ruby had done an amazing job translating.

----------------------------

Damian felt nervous. Father and Mother had called him for tea in the evening. They haven't mentioned anything serious but his instincts told him it is something serious.

'Did they find about her?' he thought, 'No they couldn't I have done my best to hide her.'

He stood outside his mother's recieving room. It was nothing like the receiving room in Raom but it had the same warmth.

"Come Damien, let me pour you some tea. How did the meeting go?" His Mother asked him. She looked just as she did all those years ago and so did his father who sat next to her.

"The meeting went well Mom." He replied and took the tea his mother had made for him. He took the first sip and noticed how his father had motioned for all the maids to leave the room.

"Your father and I, we wished to discuss something with you Damien." Lucia broke the silence after taking a sip of her own tea, "Hugh tell him in detail." She elbowed her husband.

Damian always wondered how his very fragile mother rulled over the formidable Duke Hugh Taran. The world feared him and he worshipped her.

But for the first time he saw geniune delimma on his father's face. It made him worry more about what they wished to talk about.

"I never wanted to tell you this. But your mother believes you need to know this. You-"

"Remember before your father tells you anything. We love you Damien. You know that right?" Lucia cut him off in panic.

"I do mother, I do." Damien answered not only to reassure his mother but also because he felt her love. He knew that Lucia loved him as much as she loved Eve. That it didn't matter to her that he wasn't her biological son.

Damien noted that Lucia kept glancing between Hugh and him as if she wished to hold both of there hands.

"Let me start from the start. You might have realised this as well Damien, we Taran aren't like normal human beings. Our strength, mind, nature are very different from ordinary people. That is because we aren't completely human atleast not in the normal sense. I will explain you in detail later of our origin. Just know we are a fucked up bloodline that got glorified because of our-"

"Hugh!" Lucia warned him. "Damien, you and your father are not messed up. You are not just what your blood makes you. Okay?"

"Yes Mother." Damian replied. He looked at Duke to continue his story not minding his comments. He was more interested in this story. Like he was finnally getting the piece about himself that he was missing.

"Anyways children are hard for our bloodline. Boys can only be born between step siblings and girls can only be born after a tedious process. And to keep this secret hidden a lot of sacrifices and dirty play was done."

Damien paused, he felt like his world pause. But his mind was running faster than ever. "So I-"

"Keep you questions boy," his father objected, "let me finish first."

"So when the former Duke had twin sons he technically didn't need both of them. So he decided to throw away one of them. I, Hue, was given to mercenaries and my brother, Hugh was here studying as the next Duke. All was good for them untill there realise Hugh wasn't like the rest of Taran. He was gentle and kind and generous. He didn't exhibit the traits of Taran bloodline. "

Hugh paused to let everything sink into Damian. "But that wasn't acceptable so they start looking for me. Hugh already knew I existed we were brothers after all. We loved each other a lot in our own ways."

This story Damien knew. But he never knew that his father wasn't actually Hugh rather he was Hue. The son that was discarded. He suddenly realised how much his father had suffered as he could guess what was about to happend next.

"So, we both were threatened by our own parents. I was told to live as Hugh because I was what they called the perfect Taran male. And he was made to live in shadows. You know what happened next."

Hugh paused once again, this time taking a big breath. Lucia's hand come up to his back as she comforted him silently. "He loved me, and he knew that we both will be used for eternity by these people. So, he did his best and killed them all. And left me just one note. I truly hated myself then. I felt anger, sadness and helpless for the first time in my life. I-"

Hugh couldn't continue anymore. Damien felt his heart squeezing seeing his father like that. His father was truly a strong man. To endure all of this at the age of 18. He was 18 too and he couldn't even fathom how lonely his father might have felt.

"Anyways I thought my bloodline would end with me. I truly didn't want any child. I didn't not want another Taran boy with black hair and red eyes to exists."

Damien stiffened. Afterall he was the stark contrast of his father's wishes. He didn't knew when but his mother had come to sit next to him and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"But to my surprise, came you. You were brought by the Taran Doctor called Philip. He brought you in front of me and said that my brother had a son."

Damien stopped breathing. It was him, he was the brothers son. That means his father wasn't his father. But rather his father was dead, dead years ago.

He felt his mother's hand tightining on his arm and it made him snap out of his spiral. Both his mother and father were looking at him in worry.

"My brother had told me he loved a woman, he didn't know she was his step sibling. He truly loved this woman. Your mother went away after your father died and I never looked for her. She must have handed you to Philip as he informed me that she passed away shortly after your birth. So I decided to lie. No one knew the truth that I wasn't Hugh. No one knew you were the real Hugh's son. But I knew you desrved to live from the first moment I saw you."

"You looked exactly like him when he was young too. And this might not make sense to you cause afterall we were twins but he was like Sunshine and innocent to fault. And you radiated that energy too. But it was also a fault in my plan to be the last living Taran."

"I am sorry Fathe- Duk- Hugh uh" Damien fumbled still feeling that everything was surreal.

"Oh don't start kid. I am your father, and I will be your father." Hugh insisted.

"And I am you mother, and nothing will change that. We love you." Lucia reassured him again.

"I struggled with my resolution for a long time. But then I saw you and your mother together. And I realised that Taran bloodline will end with me. Because you are not like us, you are just like that idiot. So, instead you will start a new Taran legacy. "

"I am so proud of what you have become Damien." It was not often that Damien hears his father talk so softly to him, "He would have been proud of you too."

Damien felt someone whipping his face. He didn't even realise he had shed a few tears and that his mother was whipping them. Lucia was also crying but she was trying her best to comfort him.

"Mom, I am okay. I really am." Damien assured his mother because he wasn't a small boy anymore and can comfort his mother back.

All three of them stayed silent for some moment. Damine as he took in these truths about his life. He could feel his mother staring at him and his father looking at him occasionally too.

"...Mother and father" Damien say hesitatingly, "I am okay. Don't worry." He reassured his mom.

"See I told you he would be alright, you were worried for anything." Hugh commented.

Lucia laughed at him and so did Damien. He really was shocked for a second but as he saw how much they were worried for him and how much they loved him. He knew he would take time to let that sink in but he would be okay.

"Damien, you are young but don't worry when you get married, and if you want to have children in future we know appropriate measures to take."

"MOM!"

Hugh snickers at his son's embarrassed face. He had told Lucia to hold that piece of information for later but his wife ever so curious doesn't realize that her little boy isn't little anymore.

"I know I know so whenever you have a woman you like tell us."

"Yes Mom, I will." Damine answered still red in the face.

Seeing her showering so much love on their son, Hugh felt a little mischievous and wanted to mess with Damien a little.

"Oh you would tell us. But I don't we know about her then, the one from the academy."

Both Damien and Lucia looked at him, one in disbelief and other in confusion.

It took a moment for Lucia to realise what Hugh meant but she added two and two in her head and shot Damien.

"Damien, do you have someone you like? Why didn't you tell me?" Lucia asked him visibly upset.

"Mom, I would have. But I couldn't find her, she had disappeared. So I was hesitant to tell you anything." He explained briefly.

"She had disappeared? So why aren't you going to search for her? Did you tell her you like her?"

"No I haven't told her Mom. I was studying at the academy not doing this." He said.

"You are just like your father. Let me tell you how we got married. So I was the-" Lucia started her story.

But at some point Hugh had come behind her and he promptly covered her mouth and lifted her in his arms. "You go prepare for meeting. Your mother and I will meet you for dinner."

He could hear his mother's muffled voice as his father laughed and he left the room. He wished to find love like theirs someday.

--------------------------

Hope you'll enjoyed it.

#cannon #lucia #Hugh Taran #Taran #webnovel #korean #knovel #Ridibooks #Skye #Rubymaybetranslating #Damien #romance #kids #adopted son #arranged marriage #duke #duke of north #oneshot #duchess

[y2kfashiongirly]

✰ MY THOUGHTS ON THE Y2K FASHION COMMUNITY ON TWITTER ✰

For this activity I chose to look at content on twitter to respond to. I did this as I felt the most conversation about this aesthetic was taking place on twitter. It is also where people share a lot of articles, and this was useful when re tweeting as well as sharing my own findings. 

When tweeting and retweeting, I made sure to include hashtags so that my conversations could be found easily when searching for my topic. I used #y2k the most as it is a direct link to my topic. This is also how I found tweets to retweet and quote tweet so I felt that by using this hashtag my comments would be seen. I also used #fashion as my topic is about y2k fashion and the current state of fashion. I felt this was also a good linking hashtag for my topic that would help the searchability of my tweets. The last hashtag I use was #trendy as the y2k aesthetic is extremely trendy at the moment, I felt this would also make it easy for my tweets to reach the right audience. 

[My original tweets]

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to gain any attention on my tweets. I feel like maybe the content I was adding to them was interesting enough for an average user of the platform to comment on. I wasn’t provoking anyone to leave a comment or asking the audience a question so maybe there wasn’t enough substance to my tweet to make it worthy of a retweet or like. The hashtags I used in each post were extremely specific to my topic and where used a lot on the platform. The time of day that I tweeted may have also made an impact on the little traction my tweets got. I posted them midday and late afternoon as these were the times I was able to do so. I do feel that if I had posted them in the morning when people are first on their phones or later in the day I may have seen more interaction. From my personal experience of social media most activity on platforms happens in the morning before everyone’s day starts, for example before work or school or late afternoons/night when most people have free time or are travelling home from their day. I included links to articles I found interesting so that the image link would catch the attention of users scrolling but I still didn’t gain any attention. 

 [My quote tweets]

My quote tweets and retweets gained slightly more attention however the only likes or retweets that they got were by the original posters. I found some y2k inspired car cup holder coaster and quote tweeted saying “I absolutely love these, fun way to accessorise your car and bring the current Y2k style into something that isn’t fashion.” The company that made and tweeted the original post retweeted my post and liked it but that was the only attention it gained. Another quote tweet I did was the only other post to gain attention and that was once again just the creator of the original tweet liking my post. 

I found twitter an interesting platform to use. I found it very difficult to gain likes or retweets on my posts. I also found the site a bit challenging as I would reply to a tweet and then realise, I made a typo. I couldn’t edit the tweet so I would have to delete it and tweet it again. I also found that a lot of the tweets that I was commenting on also didn’t have many likes or retweets which made it hard for me to popularise my own tweets. I did enjoy the platform experience but I think you have to find the right communities to start a flowing conversation on the platform. 

#y2k vibes #y2k nostalgia #2000s aesthetic #y2k #twitter

[clone-whore-99]

Troublemaker

Chapter 2: Work, Armor and... Clones?

The Bad Batch x f!Reader

Warnings: I don't think there is any warnings in this? Not as much angst, more chill. Crosshair is being an annoying tease. LMK if I missed anything

Authors note: Who, me? Writing fanfiction instead of dealing with my real life issues? It's more likely than you think. This chapter was originally going to be way longer, but I decided to split it into two chapters instead. Also, thank you guys so much for the love I've received on the first chapter! It was so amazing, I never could've thought people were actually gonna be interested in this! So thank you guys so much!

If you like it, please do let me know by liking and commenting and maybe even reblogging, it would mean a lot to me 🥺👉👈

Chapter 1: Arriving at Kamino

-

Chapter 3: Let it out

Chapter 4: You shouldn't have done that

Chapter 5: Talk about it

Chapter 6: The 20 Questions Game

Chapter 7: Crosshair

Chapter 8: Echoes of the Past

Chapter 9: The Fight

Chapter 10: A Nice Change of Air

Chapter 11: Sore Muscles

Chapter 12: Heavy Rain Weights the Mind

Chapter 13: Waste of Time

A loud noise woke you up. You had fallen asleep on the floor and now your body was punishing you for it, making every muscle ache as you slowly stood up. What time was it? How long had you been asleep?

Another loud noise, matched with flash of light. You looked out the window. To say it was pouring down would be an understatement. The rain was so heavy, you could barely see the sea right below you. But at least you quickly found the source of the noise and the lights. Surprise, surprise, it was thunder and lightning.

Realising you hadn't had anything to eat since you left Coruscant - not that a rations bar was much food in itself - you decided to head towards the kitchen. Even with the lights off, the hallways were still unsettling to walk through. They were so bare, so white, too much like a hospital and nothing at all like a home. How could anyone comfortably live like this?

"Hello, miss," Lazie greeted you, as you entered the kitchen. "Have you come for your meal?"

"Eh... Yea, I guess? How'd you know?"

"Living organisms need food in order to fuel their energy source. You have not eaten since leaving your home on Coruscant, meaning you have gone far too long with no fuel. I tried to bring you some food earlier, but you were asleep, another necessity for regaining energy."

You just blinked slowly at the small droid. You were definitely not awake enough for this conversation.

"Sooo.... Food?"

"Ah, yes, apologies for my ramblings. It will be ready in a minute, please do have patience."

The kitchen and the living room was actually just one big room. And for a room so big, it felt so empty. It had furniture alright, but they were clearly never used. You smirked to yourself. Seems like it was up to you, to give this furniture a reason for it's existence.

"Here is your food, miss. Please enjoy." Lazie said, carrying a tray of the most boring, bland-looking food you had ever seen. Was this what your dad always ate?

You thanked the droid and sat down at the small table, that was designated for eating. While eating, you stared out the big window that covered an entire wall, letting yourself get hypnotised by how the rain hit large glass.

It's not that it didn't rain on Coruscant. It did. But never this much, and the rain would rarely reach down to the level you lived in. You had pretty much only experienced the rain, when you were heading up to the higher levels for school. That was one of the only good things, having a parent working for the Republic. You actually managed to get a decent education out of it.

"Mornin' sweetcheeks!" Your dads voice pulled you away from your train of thoughts. "Finally getting some grub, huh? Is it good?" His voice was awfully chipper, considering it was barely 0400.

"it's.... Edible," You reply, turning to face him. Stars, he looked old. He had only been gone 3 years, but he looked at least 10 years older. How hard were they working him? "I'd much rather have some of your famous blue-milk pancakes."

"Maybe another time," he said, as he made himself a cup of caf. "You should probably hit the 'fresher and then put on the suit I left on your desk. You're coming to work with me."

"Work? I don't even know what you do, Dad." You stood up, walking over to get yourself some caf. Your dad quickly moved to stand in the way, giving you one of those annoying cheeky dad smiles.

"Well, then you're about to find out. You're not here for a vaction Y/N, you're here because you assaulted someone. Which is serious. Maybe getting some structure and work ethics would be good for you. Now, get going, we can't be late." Your dad grabbed your shoulder and lightly pushed you towards the refresher.

You wanted to interrupt him, reminding him that you hadn't done anything wrong, that the bastard deserved to get punched, but you didn't get the chance. Instead, you just walked towards the refresher, while yelling in the most annoyed-kid voice you could muster: "You're such a dad!"

"That's my job!" He cheerfully replied.

Your shower had been cut short. Just as the warm water was about to ease your tense muscles, your dad had pounded on the door, demanding you hurried up. And you had barely been able to put on the gray jumpsuit and black work boots your dad left on the desk, before he was pulling you out the door and towards his job. Which, he had still not told you what it was.

Dad was grumbling about being late, while he was walking fast steps, causing you to semi-run in order to keep up with him. You had suggested that he could just head to work without you, which he apparently did not find amusing. Old him would have.

"Ha! Told ya he'd show, you now owe me two credits!" A voice boomed through the hangar.

You stopped moving, as a man larger than life was heading towards you. Or, more precisely, towards your father. You had never seen a man so big - at least, a human man - and you were pretty sure he could just snap you half, if he wanted to.

"I never agreed to that bet, Wrecker! I was just stating -" the stranger from yesterday was following the giant, his index finger raised in protest.

Your stomach was pulling knots, as the memories from the previous day came flooding back with the stranger. He seemed to be friends with the giant, and you silently prayed that he wasn't mad about how you treated him. You were never one to shy away from a fight, but you definitely wouldn't be able to win one against him.

"See anything you like, Dollface?" the hot breathe hitting the shell of your ear, was contrasting the rather cold voice that spoke. It caused a shiver to run down your spine and land deep down in your stomach.

You squeeled out a yelp, as you instinctively reached up to cover your ear and spun around with a step back. That caused everybody's attention to land on you. Great.

The owner of the voice had leaned down to reach your ear, but now that you were facing him, he straightened back up. He was slim and tall and had this annoying smug smirk on his face, clearly amused over the reaction you gave him. At least he had been kind enough to tattoo a big mark around his right eye, giving you something to aim for when you hit him.

"Right, I should probably introduce you," your dad cut in, stopping you, before you even had the chance to raise your hand. He placed a hand around your shoulder and pulled into a somewhat sideways hug. "Guys, this is my daughter, Y/N. Y/N, this is Wrecker, Tech, Crosshair, and..." he had pointed at each guy as he announced them, but stopped in his tracks to look around. "Where's Hunter?"

"Still testing out the new filters you added to his helmet." Tech answered.

"Oh well, you'll meet him later." Your dad continued, giving you a small squeeze. "This is Clone Force 99, also known as The Bad Batch." "Clones!?" you could not hide the shock in your voice or the surprised look on your face. If you had seen one clone, you had seen them all, and these guys definitely did not look like any other clone.

"Surprised?" you managed to catch the yelp in your throat this time, as the hot breathe once again hit the shell of your ear. It had once again caused a shiver down your spine and for you to protectively cover your ear from the man named Crosshair. He just gave you another smug look and you just glared back at him. It was like he was begging for you to hit him.

"Yea, clones," your dad laughed. He started walking over to his workshop and you quickly followed suit, wanting to create some distance between you and Crosshair. "They're defective clones, with desirable mutations, which is why they come here a lot."

You scrunched your nose at his description. How could he ever describe another being as 'defective'? Like they were objects, rather than people. The dad you knew would never say such a thing.

"I make adjustments, upgrades and whatnots to the clone armor." He said, as he opened up the door to his workshop.

A wave of relieve came over you at the view. This felt more like home. The walls were still blinding white, but they were covered in artwork and family photos and pieces of armor that has been painted in all kinds of weird ways. It was clear your dad obviously spent most of his time here.

With a pat on your back, your dad brought your focus back to him. "You can help Wrecker. I worked with him last on that workstation," he pointed to a table with a holo projector connected to it. "So his blueprints should still be there."

"I still don't know how any of this works, though..." You reminded him.

"You'll figure it out." He was already starting up his own workstation. When he noticed you weren't moving, he gave you a stern look. "This is not a democracy, Y/N, it's a dictatorship. Now get going!"

"Yea, a dictatorship, alright.." You muttered under your breathe, as you walked towards the workstation. Your dad shot you a warning look, but you ignored it. He always used that phrase, when he didn't want to fight with you. It always annoyed you.

Wrecker jumped onto the worktable, which surprisingly didn't cave under his weight. He drummed his fingers against the side of the table, as he looked everywhere but at you. You kinda appreciated it, since you were struggling to figure out how to work the kaminoan technology.

"Soooo....." Wrecker dragged out, not even letting a minute pass in silence. "What's it like being a girl?"

You couldn't stop the laughter that erupted from that question. It was so genuine and so innocent. "I can honestly say, I don't think I've ever been asked that before. Well, how much time have you got?" You say, as you quickly catch your breathe again. You smile at him.

Wrecker smiles back and by the maker, it was the most genuine and sincere smiles you had gotten in a long time. It made you ease up a bit. Maybe being here wouldn't be so bad anyways?

You finally managed to turn on the projector and a blue holo of Wreckers armor lit up in front of you. So far so good.

"So, what's the issue?" You ask, studying the projection.

"Erm, it's my vibroblade. We tried attaching it to my wrist gauntlet, like we did Hunters, but it gets in the way of fighting." He said, as he took off the armor piece that was covering his left forearm.

You pick up the gauntlet to study it closer. Stars it was heavier than it looked. But you had to agree with just the looks of it - the blade was too big for it's placement to be convenient in any way.

"Yea, it's a bit.... A lot." You chuckle, at loss for a better word to describe it. "So, what should we do about it?" You looked hopeful at the clone.

Wrecker chuckled. "You're the one who's supposed to figure that out!" He gave you a friendly slap on the shoulder, definitely leaving a bruise in it's wake.

"Well....." You rubbed your arm nervously, both to soothe the spot he hit, and as a way to calm your nerves. You suddenly felt very exposed with how little you knew of this job. You looked at the gauntlet again, then back up at the blueprints. "How about you tell me about your fighting style?" you looked back at Wrecker, hoping he could spark some confidence in you. "That way, I might be able to figure out where it would be best to place the blade, without it interfering with your fighting style."

The giant man lit up like the streetlights on Coruscant. He was more than happy to tell you about his fighting style, which often got sidetracked with stories of different missions he and his brothers had gone on. It was fun to hear, even if it made your work take longer.

As the hours passed, Wrecker continued to tell you about how he would fight. And your dad only had to do his classic fake cough to get the two of you back on track with the job a couple of times.

In the meantime, your dad continued to work with Tech, trying to find a way for him to carry as much as possible on him, in as little packaging as possible. And although Wrecker managed to make you feel more relaxed than you had in a long time, there was still this unsettling feeling creeping up behind you.

Ever since you entered the workshop, Crosshair had kept his distance. He had found a wall on the opposite end of the shop to lean against. And he hadn't moved from that spot since. Nor had he taken his eyes off of you. You could feel them piercing through the back of your head, no matter how much you tried to ignore it. What even was his deal? Didn't he have anything better to do, than to chew on toothpicks and stare you down?

"Are we done yet?" Wrecker complained like a big child. "I'm hungry!"

"Almost. Just one more thing," You said, as you typed something into the keyboard. The hours spent with Wrecker wasn't completely used to listening to him, you had also managed to figure out how to use the workstation. "When you kneel, which knee do you usually go down on?"

"Erm..." Wrecker jumped off the table he was sitting on and knelt down a couple of times, just to be sure. "The left one. Why?"

You gave him a big smile. "Then, how about we place the blade on the side of your right calf? With the handle facing up towards your hand, of course. There, it shouldn't be getting in the way of your fighting, while you'd still have easy access to it. What do you think?"

"Oh, YEA, that sounds great! Who knew you were gonna be pretty and smart!?" He scooped you up in a big celebratory hug.

"You think I'm pretty?" you teased, once he loosened the hug enough for you to breathe again.

"Well, you know, I mean..." He bashfully rubbed the back of his head, suddenly appearing very shy. It was adorable. He then looked up at you again, with a glint in his eyes. "How about we get some food? I'm starving!"

You looked back at your dad with pleading eyes. He nodded in approval, and you smiled back at the friendly giant who were more than ready to show you the way to the cantine.

Dividers by: @firefly-graphics and @djarrex

Taglist: @rain-on-kamino @zoeykallus @thebadbatchscyare

#star wars #star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #sw tbb #sw #tbb #star wars fanfiction #the bad batch fanfiction #bad batch #clone force 99 #clone troopers #tech #wrecker #crosshair #clone trooper crosshair #clone trooper wrecker #clone trooper tech #fanfic #troublemaker #chapter two #x reader #female reader #the bad batch tech #the bad batch x you #the bad batch x reader #the bad batch wrecker #the bad batch crosshair

[beccascribbles]

can you please do an omegaverse fic with inarizaki having an omega manager that goes into heat during a game and she tries to leave but some guys from another team stop her and harass her but the bois pull up and protect her <3

a/n - right, just a warning, i’m a big atsumu simp and this became abundantly clear to me when i was writing this... it’s less inarizaki and more miya twins (with the addition of kita). whoops

warnings - harassment (unwanted touching, sexual implications)

In hindsight, leaving the house without packing heat suppressants, or at least being aware of your own condition, was reckless of you. It wasn't your fault you had woken up late and had to rush to ensure you looked presentable by the time the twins came by to collect you. Though you would have loved to make the twins late (considering it was their fault - they didn’t have to get you hooked on a new TV show and leave the call midway through the season finale), you weren’t so keen on having any of Kita’s disappointment directed towards you. Therefore, when the twins arrived, Atsumu with a wide smirk at your slightly dishevelled self, you settled on directing a swift punch to their stomachs as revenge.

“Ouch,” whined Atsumu, rubbing his stomach with a pout. “What was that for, stupid?”

“Obviously she’s pissed off that we let her stay up late,” Osamu grumbled, also rubbing his stomach, though, instead of a pout, his lips were tugged downwards in a frown. “Although I don’t see how her terrible sleep schedule is our problem.”

“Don’t get me hooked on a new show next time,” you muttered, looping an arm through Osamu’s and beginning to pull him down the road. In your other hand, you held a cool bag with some snacks for the team. The only reason you had grabbed Osamu with your free arm was to prevent him from peeking into the bag. If he had hands free to look, he had hands free to eat the food within. Atsumu was less likely to eat the food, though that didn’t stop him from unzipping the bag and peeking inside.

“Oh, tasty!” he exclaimed, zipping up the bag and making eye contact with Osamu, whose head had turned in his direction once the words left his mouth. He was clearly pleading with his twin to reveal what was in the bag. Atsumu simply stuck his tongue out. “Why don’t ya use your nose to figure it out? You always boast about having a better sense of smell than me anyway.”

“Because I do,” snapped back Osamu, quickly becoming irritated, muscles tensing as he prepared himself to leap towards his twin. Your arm tightened around his, and you shot him a look, eyes holding a warning. With care, you let your scent wind through the air around the three of you, the twin alphas calming at the subtle shift in the air.

Atsumu looped an arm over your shoulder, pulling you closer to him, the bag you were carrying bumping awkwardly against his legs in the process. This action almost caused your arm to slip from Osamu’s, but he quickly tightened his hold. Atsumu was not going to pull you away from him. Almost in sync, they both turned towards you, noses nuzzling into the crook of your neck. You let out a slightly frustrated sigh, but let them continue scenting you. After all, when they were able to do this, they were at their calmest, and you still had a long bus journey ahead of you where keeping arguments to a minimum was preferable.

When you began to approach the school gates, you pulled out of their grasp, walking ahead of them. You began to walk faster, shooting a look over your shoulder to see the pair of them watching you with confused expressions. It was when you finally broke into a sprint, hefting the bag holding the food at a weird angle, that they realised what you had in mind. Letting out a laugh, Atsumu took off after you; Osamu quickly followed. If you had managed to get a bigger head start, you might have won. However, on this occasion, both twins pulled ahead of you, darting around a bewildered Kita and launching forward to touch the bus with their fingers.

“I won!” they declared in unison, an argument breaking out between them that you tuned out in favour of focusing your attention on Kita. Aran had already walked over to the twins, grabbing them by the backs of their jackets and hauling them away. It was this sudden movement that jerked them from their argument.

“Hey,” you greeted, giving Kita a weary smile as he reached forward to take the food from you. Together, you walked towards the bus. Kita, having arrived ridiculously early, had already packed away everything that the team would need. The only thing not within the bus was most of the team, their individual athletic bags, and whatever you had brought with you. You climbed in, reaching up to place the bag on the overhang above you. Once you had finished, you turned to face Kita. “I think we’re going to win for sure. I did some research on this team and they’ve put forward a series of underwhelming performances in official games, as well as practice matches. They’re no match for Inarizaki, especially with our captain ready to step in if the second years on court get too excited or lazy.”

The latter comment was directed towards Suna, whose head poked up from behind a seat near the back of the bus. He raised his middle finger up in response before refocusing on the phone he was holding in his other hand. You yelled over at him, “Good morning to you too.”

“Whatever, y/n,” he sighed, looking up at you once again. “Just sit down somewhere, preferably a place where the two idiots can argue over who gets to sit next to you.”

You just rolled your eyes, taking the seat you were planning on claiming originally. Kita stood in the aisle, giving you a small smile. “I’m glad you’re confident we’re going to win, especially with all the practice everybody has been putting in.”

“I know,” you grinned. While continuing with the conversation, you motioned towards the seat beside you, indicating for Kita to take it. You’d rather sit next to Kita than have to deal with the twins for the journey anyway. “Everybody has been putting in so much more effort. I swear I’ve had to physically drag Atsumu out of the gym most days.”

“He just doesn’t listen,” sighed Kita, resting his head against the headrest. “I keep telling him practicing too much is bad for his health. He even got a fever because he was practicing too hard.”

“He’s stupid like that,” you shrugged, a yawn cutting through whatever you were about to say next.

“You better be talkin’ about Samu,” interrupted Atsumu, taking the seat in front of you and turning around to face you. Osamu collapsed into the seat beside him, flicking him in the forehead.

“She was obviously talking about you, dumbass,” he quipped.

Osamu turned to you for confirmation, only to see your head resting against the captain’s shoulder. He questioned, “y/n?”

“Of course she’s asleep,” laughed Atsumu, nudging Osamu with his shoulder, previous comment forgotten in favour of teasing you. “She can’t take the late nights.”

“Keep it down,” Kita said, adjusting your head so that it was rested against him more comfortably. In response, you moved closer to him, an arm sliding around his waist to hug him as you mumbled something incoherent in your sleep. A furious blush spread along his cheeks, and he ducked his head to hide from the twins. Luckily, their attention was fixed elsewhere, on a video Suna had sent to Osamu, too lazy to get up to walk down the coach to show him. Kita let out a sigh, dropping his head to rest atop of yours. He chided, not that you could hear him in your slumber, “You should really try to sleep earlier.”

It was fortunate for you that you slept for most of the journey. You missed Osamu moaning about being hungry, and then proceeding to search up pictures of food to drool over. Consequently, you also missed Atsumu hitting his twin and being scolded by Kita, something that always made you laugh. However, Suna had got up to draw on your face, which would have been an unfortunate consequence. Luckily, it was only to shuffle back to his seat sheepishly, the sight of Kita beside you a deterrent.

“You had to fall asleep on Kita,” grumbled Suna, walking along beside you as you entered the gymnasium. You trailed behind the rest of the team, your footsteps unusually sluggish. You blamed it on your late night. “Why couldn’t you have fallen asleep on Atsumu? He would’ve let me draw on your face.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad you didn’t,” you responded, transferring the food bag to your other hand. The weight, though it wasn’t abnormally heavy, was beginning to make your arm ache. In fact, your whole body ached. Eyebrows furrowed, you continued switching the bag from hand to hand. It made no difference. You still ached.

“You look constipated,” observed Suna, though he took the food from your grip. You gave him a thankful smile, which he waved off. “I’m not being nice. I just don’t like walking beside someone with such a stupid expression on their face.”

“I didn’t ask you to walk beside me,” you snapped, crossing your arms over your chest. They still ached, even without the bag. All you wanted to do was collapse on the bench at the sidelines.

“It’s not my fault you decided to walk so slowly today,” replied Suna, glancing over at you briefly. Something about you was off, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. It was probably a consequence of your late night, but even when you had stayed up late before, you were never this sluggish. Usually, you walked at the front beside Kita, or with the coaches. It was rare for you to be at the back unless you wanted to annoy him, which evidently was not the case this time. “I didn’t voluntarily choose to accompany you.”

“Leave me then,” you snapped, eyes narrowing in a glare, your scent suddenly spiking. He let out a grumble, releasing some of his pheromones in the air to soothe you. Suna hated being on omega duty, one of the reasons why he was glad you usually opted to walk at the front.

“You know I can’t just leave you,” he sighed, placing a hand on the small of your back to urge you forward. “The sooner we get to the gym, the sooner you can leave me and sit on the bench.”

That caused you to perk up somewhat, which also had the effect of pulling your scent back to its’ ordinary level. Your scent may have regulated, but the ache in your body persisted, each movement making you fight back a wince. It was with gritted teeth that you sat on the bench, and pulled your clipboard towards you. Suna gave you one last assessing look before beginning to warm up.

Your gaze was unfocused as you stared down at the words you had written on the page. They swam in front of your gaze, coming apart and then joining again in dizzying confusion. As you stared, you found your mind wandering, nose twitching as you found yourself seeking out any scent that felt comforting, felt familiar. Your head snapped up from the clipboard, falling on a pile of discarded jackets. From the pile, and wafting towards you in the air, was Atsumu’s rich scent that made you recall moments where you were held in his arms and shielded from the rain, Osamu’s that brought forward memories of laughing in the kitchen and collaborating on random food creations, and Kita’s that filled you with comfort, reminding you of his quite support.

Before you could process what you were doing, you were moving towards the pile, hand clutching the first jacket you found. You buried your nose into the material, breathing in Atsumu’s scent, a soft whine escaping your lips. Your own team, too engrossed in warming up, missed the sound. It did, however, attract the attention of the team on the other side of the net.

You were unaware of the sudden, and unwanted, attention, shrugging off your jacket and pulling on Atsumu’s. You turned your head into the collar, taking in a deep breath. Though the scent satisfied you emotionally, the joy at being wrapped in Atsumu’s scent, caused you to release your own pheromones, made you feel slightly dizzy. A sudden spiking heat rushed through you, and a quiet ‘shit’ slipped from your lips. Hurriedly, you began to head towards the exit, keeping your head ducked and trying desperately to stop sending pulse after pulse of pheromones into the gym. You figured that, once you were safely in the confines of the bus, you could send a message to one of the coaches, apologising for having to leave and explaining that your heat had suddenly started.

A large hand wrapped around your wrist, causing you to come to a jolting stop. The owner of the hand yanked you back into his chest and you let out a surprised squeak. His arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close to him as he let out a pleased hum. His nose ran along the scent gland at your neck, making you stiffen suddenly. Fear made you kick out, knocking against one of his teammates who was standing beside him.

“Get off me,” you panted, weakly thrashing in his grip, a sharp and bitter scent escaping from you. Across the gym, Atsumu and Osamu’s heads snapped in your direction. “Just want to leave. Need to leave.”

Twin growls ripped through the gym, sending shivers down the spines of many people in attendance, including the male currently holding you. All you could feel was relief. He looked over his shoulder, making eye contact with the furious twins. Their fury had caught the attention of the rest of Inarizaki, who all suddenly stood to attention.

“No need to be aggressive,” chuckled the male, though he made no move to release you. “I was just going to take care of this omega.”

“Like fuck ya are,” spat Atsumu, lunging forward and grabbing the male by the back of his shirt. His eyes were dark, expression twisted as another growl ripped from his throat.

“Get the fuck away from her,” growled Osamu, who had taken the distraction Atsumu provided to step in front of the male. The rest of his teammates had wisely backed off. One who had been about to pull Atsumu away had been stopped by Kita, his grip tight as he had pulled the man away by his shoulder. Despite the warning, the male’s arm remained around you. Despite Atsumu at his back and Osmau at his front, he had the nerve to push his nose against your scent gland and breathe you in deeply. A nervous whimper escaped your mouth, all Osamu and Atsumu needed for any last bit of restraint they had to evaporate. He muttered darkly, “I gave you a warning.”

Osamu’s hand curled around the male’s wrist, yanking it upwards harshly and twisting. His other arm went to catch you, pulling you away as Atsumu finally snapped. His arm wrapped around the male’s throat, his muscles prominent as he tightened his grip, crushing his windpipe. It was clear Osamu was frustrated too, eager to leap at the male. Yet, you were beside him, looking up at him with fear, and his first instinct was to protect you. He pulled his gaze away from the scene in front of him, scanning the gym until he finally found Kita. Kita was already walking towards you, anger prominent in the lines of his body. He took you from Osamu, letting you wrap your legs around his waist and snuggle your head into the crook of his neck as he held you. Kita left Osamu with a nod, giving permission the other man had not needed, but appreciated, to attack the male who had harassed you. He would let the coaches break it apart. Right now, you were his concern.

Kita walked from the gym, heading towards the bus. It was fortunate he was always prepared. Though he was certain you would be responsible enough to bring your own, he had packed heat suppressors in the buses emergency kit just in case. You let out a soft whine, hands curling into the material of his shirt.

“Atsumu… Osamu… Are they okay?” you questioned, needing to know. Kita let out a comforting purr, coupled with a release of soothing pheromones. The scent wafted around you, easing your racing heart, though it did little to cut through the haze of your heat.

“They’re fine,” he reassured, hand rubbing a soothing circle into your back before he placed you gently on a seat in the bus. You wrapped your arms around yourself, nose immediately pressing against the inside collar of the jacket, breathing in Atsumu’s scent deeply.

“Want the twins,” you whimpered. It was normal for you to want to be close to them. You had been with them since you were born, the three of you inseparable as soon as you were able to toddle. It was their scents that made up the majority of your nest, with the occasional addition of something Kita or Suna or another member of the team had scented.

Kita ignored your comment in favour of grabbing the heat suppressants from the bag. He turned towards you, grabbing a water bottle from where the spares were kept. Deciding it might be better for you, more peaceful and less painful, he also decided to include a sleeping pill. Kita handed them to you. “Have these. It’s heat suppressants and a sleeping pill.”

He watched as you took the medicine, carding his fingers through your hair affectionately. He gave your fingers a reassuring squeeze, “I’ll be back, along with the twins, when the match is finished.”

You nodded, barely registering his words as you let sleep overtake you.

When you woke up, strong arms were wrapped around you, holding you against a chest. You snuggled into the warmth, letting the distinct scent of Atsumu wash over you. Fingers stroked your hand softly, tracing its shape before sliding between your own. Your hand was lifted up, soft lips pressed against it before a face nuzzled into your palm. Sleepily, you looked up, blinking up at the twins. Even in your half-awake state, you could see the slight bruising that peppered their skin. Despite it being two-against-one, the male had landed a few solid hits before the coaches got involved.

“You’re awake,” cheered Atsumu, brushing a kiss to the top of your head as his fingers ran up and down your back, sliding beneath his jacket and your t-shirt to rest against your bare skin. Osamu gave a small cheer as well, a warm smile overtaking his features as he gazed down at you. That warm smile didn’t stop him from scolding you, something you were expecting from Kita and not him.

“And an idiot for not realising you were starting your heat,” he said, reaching over to give your hair an affection ruffle.

“We always know when our ruts are so you should know when your heats are,” chimed in Atsumu, ignoring the weak punch to his chest that you gave him with the hand not being held in Osamu’s.

“That’s because I always remind you,” you grumbled in response, though your anger was short-lived. The pheromones they were pumping out were so distracting any emotion but bliss was hard to feel, let alone hold onto.

“Considering how long you’ve known each other,” said Suna, deciding to add his two pence to the conversation, “I would’ve thought you two dumbasses would know what her pre-heat symptoms are.”

“You’re her friend too,” protested Atsumu, the only thing stopping him from engaging in a fall-blown argument was you in his lap. “Maybe you should have realised.”

“I did realise,” smirked Suna. In a quieter voice, he continued, “I just thought she was tired.”

“Can you all shut up?” snapped Aran, to which Kita was quick to agree, explaining that you would appreciate the peace and quiet.

That put a stop to any argument that could have broken out, both of the twins refocusing on you. Osamu resumed lazily playing with your fingers, while Atsumu nuzzled into your neck, rubbing his face against your scent gland. You let out a content sigh, finding comfort in their touch and the scents of the team wafting around you.

#haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x manager reader #haikyuu x you #haikyuu x y/n #haikyuu x omega reader #haikyuu omegaverse #inarizaki omegaverse #inarizaki x reader #inarizaki x y/n #inarizaki x you #atsumu miya x reader #atsumu x reader #atsumu x y/n #atsumu x you #osamu x reader #miya osamu #osamu x y/n #osamu miya x reader #kita x reader #suna x reader #inarizaki manager #hq requests #inarizaki fluff #atsumu fluff #osamu fluff #kita fluff

[uramichislefttiddie]

Uramichi Omota

||Contains: Uramichi Omota + some of the cast||

||Warnings: sexual themes, public sex?||

I’ve tried to keep it as gender neutral as I can but I am sorry if it doesn’t seem so but I have tried!

Reminder! Please don’t comment anything that implies your age, I cannot stop who reads this unfortunately but I can at the very least give out a warning that this contains sexual content.⚠️

Finally it was nearing the end of day, everyone was lazily sprawled out in the lounge either doing their own thing or talking with someone else. However Uramichi was the only one doing absolutely nothing apart from staring into space. You couldn’t blame him, after all he was the one that got worked the hardest and latest. You had known Uramichi for quite awhile now, you were both neighbours but neither of you even realised you lived next door until you both ended up walking the same exact way home thinking the other was following the other, to say the least you were both absolutely scared until you could make out the others face in the dark and from than on you just grew closer with one another, sharing the same interests and not being a pain to another.

“Take a picture it’ll last longer you know” A smirk had formed onto Uramichis face as he turned in your direction, you hadn’t realised but for the past minute or so you had been staring at him whilst lost in thought. You felt a burning sensation rise through your body at the fact you had been caught staring at him without knowing. “I’m only joking, anyway come here I’ve got something to show you.” You knew he wasn’t really joking he had said that to save you the embarrassment even though it hadn’t saved you it at all. You stood up making your way over to where Uramichi was sat, having to move his leg so you could sit down, you didn’t mean to but you touched the inside of his thigh at the same time causing a red hue to surface his face as he looked down to where your hand was once.

“Ah sorry Uramichi wasn’t looking, my bad.” He looked at you with a straight face and quickly turned to his phone going to find the thing he was originally going to show you. His movements had become shaky and tense and his breathing had become rapid, all in all it was very unlike him to act in this way. Before you could ask, Iketeru had already began asking. “Hey Uramichi are you ok? Are you not feeling well?” Uramichi frantically looked up to find the voice and just quickly nodded his head before continuing finding whatever it was on his phone. Without warning he arose off the couch and ran down the hallway, you and Iketeru both giving each other a confused look at how Uramichi, the normally stoic man was behaving.

Utano had gave you that look of “to go check up on him” you looked around at everyone else who was also giving you the same look. Having no other option you made your way down the hall opening each door to see if Uramichi was there but after a couple of doors you still couldn’t find him. The last door was the bathroom, you thought it’d be best to leave him alone but your movements went against you and you had already knocked on the door waiting for someone to reply. Nothing was heard but the door was still locked meaning someome was in there, you began worrying not knowing what could’ve happened.

“Uramichi are you in there?” Finally the door unlocked and slightly opened just enough for a voice to be heard clearly. “Is there anything you need help with?” In one sudden movement you had been pulled inside by an arm and pushed against the wall. Your eyes had gone wide from the abrupt movement, Uramichi’s eyes had a glaze over that had took your attention. He had one hand on your waist keeping you in place whilst the other was against the wall, both your hands on his shoulders. It was as if nothing else now mattered to him except you, his lips met yours, you hadn’t pushed him away but instead brought him closer. You weren’t sure what you were actually doing but you let the moment take over everything, forgetting about all your worries and now only focusing on Uramichi in the moment.

Uramichi stumbled over to the cabinets with you still in his grip and grabbed the underside of your thighs to lift you up onto the top. He trailed his lips from yours down to your collarbone leaving marks that were quite visible to the eye, as he pulled away he looked to you and held your head softly in his hands. “Are you sure your ok with this, tell me if your not and I’ll stop?” You nodded your head in reply to his question.

“No I need an actual answer from you.” “Yes I’m sure Uramichi.” As soon as those words left your mouth he hurriedly began undressing the both of you and peppering you with kisses every so often. He wrapped his arms around your waist sliding you closer to him and grabbed your legs to wrap around him for support.

I may in the future write into more detail but I just cannot find the will to actually go into detail because it all sounds too funny to me and I end up just laughing to myself for ages so we’re just gonna you know skip ahead a bit)

Uramichi’s head was now resting on your shoulder as he was trying to regain his breath back, his hands still wrapped around your back holding you close. You lifted his head to face you to check if he was ok, his eyes were half lidded and hair all over the place. He smirked at you before giving you a kiss and pulling out to clean the both off you off.

Once you were both fully dressed Uramichi was about to open the door but turned to you with a confused face. “What?” You had asked as he was still looking at you with the same expression plastered on his face. “I think I forgot to close the door and lock it.” Your face had dropped and was now in the form of shock and slightly worried. Trying to pay no mind to the fact someone could’ve possibly walked past you both walked back to the lounge where everyone was still seated at. Everyone smiled in the direction of both of you, glad to see Uramichi was ok and with you, none of them realising what had actually gone on just down the hallway. Except one face stood out to you, Usahara’s face had looked as if he had seen a ghost, compared to everyone else he looked almost lifeless, he never once brought his head up to look up at you or Uramichi deciding to keep it held low, with his hands trembling ever so slightly.

#life lessons with uramichi oniisan #life lessons with uramichi #uramichi oniisan #uramichi omota #omota uramichi #uramichi x reader #uramichi omota x reader #omota uramichi x reader #uramichi oniisan x reader #uramichi smut #smut #life lessons with uramichi oniisan hc #anime x gender neutral reader

[dysfunctionalcrab]

chapter two: i guess you’re not so bad

previous chapter | next chapter | masterlist

pairing: dream x reader

pronouns: gender neutral

word count: 2.4K

description: after spending your friday evening cleaning up the science lab due to your little accident, you and dream get to know each other a bit better.

the principals office wasn’t as bad as you had expected, it was mostly just hearing him scold and ramble on about his expectations from seniors and how you were the ‘role models’ of the school and younger years looked up to you. all sorts of bullshit you really didn’t care about. he didn’t tell your parents either which was a relief, because you knew something that they didn’t want to hear on a friday evening was that their child blew up a classroom

you arrived at the classroom where the incident happened, the bubbles had transformed into brown coloured marks which grossly stained the ceiling and the desks. you sighed at the realisation of how long this was going to take.

dream followed after with the equipment: sponges, soap and water buckets. he placed the buckets down in front of you, and threw a sponge in your direction.

you caught it quickly in mid air, shooting him a look. “you could’ve passed it to me like normal person,”

“it’s a sponge, it’s not going to hurt you,” he said in a tone as if you were pathetic for even complaining

as much as you wanted to fire back with an equally sarcastic comment, you knew he was still in a bad mood as he was missing practice, especially when he was the captain. in your defence, it wasn’t your fault he’d passed you the wrong product, he only had himself to blame for missing practice. however, if you were going to be stuck with him for the next half an hour, it was a smarter option to remain neutral.

“where should we start?” you questioned

dream hummed in reply, dipping his sponge into the water and beginning to scrub on one of the desks. “desks?”

you complied, dipping your own sponge into the water bucket and rubbing it on the desk. it wasn’t coming off

“why isn’t it going away?” you asked desperately, scrubbing it harsher. “did you add the soap to the water?”

dream pursed his lips. “was i meant to?”

you sighed. that was enough of an answer for him, he grabbed the liquid soap and poured it in the water bucket, swirling it around with the handle until tiny soap bubbles had formed. “there, happy?” he asked sarcastically

you ignored him and dipped your sponge into the soapy water again, rubbing it on the desk with much more force and strength than before, after about 20 seconds, the colour started to fade. “finally,” you mumbled to yourself.

so the two of you scrubbed that classroom like your life depended on it, both of you didn’t speak unless it was to make a comment about how stupid it was you were spending your friday evening doing this. thankfully however, you were done within under an hour. the desks were back to its original colour, so were the floors and even the teachers table. it was a hell of an arm workout, for sure.

“don’t forget we have to do the ceilings too,”

you turned your head upwards, looking at the brown marks that’d stained the ceilings. “neither of us are tall enough for that, how are we going to get it?”

“i could pick you up and you can scrub?” dream suggested

“no way, you’re not picking me up,” you told him. “just get a ladder from the janitors closet?”

“there’s nothing to lean the ladder on, just let me pick you up,”

you pettily weren’t going to let him touch you. so instead, he watched as you grabbed two stools from the front of the classroom and stacked them on top of each other, adjusting them so they were as stable as you could’ve possibly got them

“you’re going to stand on that? it looks unstable, you’re gonna fall,” dream pointed out

“i will if you keep distracting me,”

he didn’t bother to stop you after that. you climbed the stool tower you’d created and carefully placed your leg on the seat, shaking slightly as you found your balance. you were now standing on top, you just had to make sure you didn’t move too much otherwise it would most certainly collapse

“hand me the sponge,” you held your hand out. dream passed you the sponge. easily, you were already scrubbing the ceilings. “see? i’m a genius,” you commented.

you continued to wet every spot on the ceiling that was stained, scouring the entire thing as much as your arms were able to do. but there was one spot which you just couldn’t reach, and so hesitantly, you stood on your tip toes so your reach would extend further.

“uh, [y/n], that’s not a good idea,”

“it’s only one more spot,” you said, arms finally nearly reaching the area. but now the stool tower had shifted out of place, and was now stacked unevenly

“you’re literally going to fall!”

“it’s only one more-,” your sentence was cut short by your foot slipping as you tried to reach further. you fell forward as the stool tower caved in and collapsed onto the floor simultaneously. instinctively, you tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing. a terrified scream burst from your lungs as you fell and you closed your eyes shut.

but, you didn’t hit the floor. you didn’t feel your body come in contact with the hard, terrazzo ground as you’d expected.

you gasped slightly as the feeling of falling through mid-air was replaced by the feeling of pressure around your waist. your heart was thumping louder than ever as you came to conclusion that your feet were hovering above the floor, and dream had caught you.

you opened your eyes, his green ones were gazing directly into yours. you two froze for a moment, staying the position you were in, face to face, and somehow your arms had found their way around his neck. huh. you never knew he had freckles, you thought as you unintentionally inspected his face.

“you okay?” he asked you.

you snapped out of your trance

you’d never been this close to anyone before and it scared the hell out of you. his face was expressionless but you knew he was a second from saying ‘i told you so’

“you can put me down now,” you said quietly.

“not even a thank you?”

you swallowed. “thank you,” you whispered and he placed you back on the ground. you straightened out your shirt, clearing your throat quietly.

“we can leave that stain there, nobody will notice,”

you nodded, unable to speak since you were still in shock from falling earlier. pushing down the lump that was forming at the back of your throat, you watched him kick the water bucket and sponges to one side.

“i guess we’re done then,” his voice was a little high, but you shrugged and headed to grab your bag.

dream felt strange, he pushed his hair out of his face as he watched u pick up your bag, accompanied by a new feeling in his gut.

he whittled it down to the fact that the feeling was just out of fear. you scared him when you fell, and god knows what could’ve happened if you landed on the floor and cracked your head despite him trying to warn you.

you two collected your stuff, ready to leave. you took the lead and left the classroom with nothing but a ‘see you tomorrow,’. he wondered if it was best to change into his uniform and join his team for practice for the last hour, or head home.

his eyes landed on you again when he walked out, you were already at your locker, putting in your combination and shoved in a few textbooks, before slamming it and walking away. he knew his brain was messing with him when he felt the urge to call you over before it was back to not talking for the both of you.

he could miss one practice, plus he’d see sapnap later on anyways.

“[y/n]?” dream called you, you spun around.

“yeah?”

“are you hungry?”

you quirked a brow at him confusedly. “why?”

“because, i am. maybe we can go get something to eat?”

you pondered for a moment, your hand found it’s way to your stomach. yeah, you were definitely hungry, and you probably didn’t have anything at home to eat anyways. but why on earth was he asking you to go out and eat with him?

“i don’t have any money with me,”

“i’ll pay,”

free food, you were sold.

“i guess so,” you smiled at him, a real smile, which he gladly returned

you’d walked past this store a couple times before, but never had you actually gone inside. it was nicely designed, pretty marble counters and laminated floors. you followed dream up to the counter. it was like a super fancy subway where you make and buy your own sandwiches.

“i usually get number 4,” he pointed towards the poster that held the menu, “with extra cheese though, because there’s never nearly enough,”

“what do you recommend i get?”

“whatever sounds nice to you, i guess,”

you sighed to yourself, you didn’t want to take forever picking something out, after all, it was your treat from him. “i’ll get the same as you then,”

dream nodded and ordered both your sandwiches while you took a seat in the back corner of the place, the seats were oddly comfortable. only a couple minutes later he joined you, holding two sandwiches wrapped in paper, he placed one in front of you on the table

“thanks,” you beamed at him, unwrapping the sandwich immediately as he took a seat directly opposite you. you hummed in approval as you took a bite into the sandwich, chewing it slowly. “this is... really good?”

“i used to go here all the time in middle school,” he said, biting into his own. “i kinda stopped after i started playing football, didn’t realise how fatty some of the sandwiches were,”

you stopped chewing for a moment. “so why did you come here now? you have the national game in three weeks?”

“i work out, and one sandwich isn’t going to affect me,”

he sounded confident, so you just tilted your head and continued eating. damn, you really were hungry.

dream wiped his mouth with a napkin, before putting down his sandwich to stare at you. you ignored him for a moment, hoping he would stop being weird and stop watching you eat, but he didn’t. you met his eyes and blinked at him blankly

“can i help you?”

“whats your problem with me?”

you swallowed down another piece of the sandwich. “pardon?”

“i asked. ‘whats your problem with me’?”

“i dont have a problem with you?”

“it was obvious you do before you blew up the classroom,”

you scoffed. “you mean before you blew it up,”

“okay before I blew it up, whatever,” he corrected. “just answer the question,”

you darted your tongue and licked your lips, beginning to bite on your bottom lip as you thought of a response. what were you going to say? you hadn’t exactly heard positive things about him.

“i’ve just- heard things about you,” you mumbled, avoiding eye contact

“like what?”

you took a deep breath, overwhelmed by all his sudden questions. “just stuff. you know...you used to bully people, treated your exes like crap, all that,”

dream pursed his lips. “and you believe all of that?”

you knitted your brows together in confusion. “should i not?”

you didn’t know where this conversation was going. you never cared for dream but the gossip in the hallways was hard to miss. “i mean..”

“[y/n],” he put his hands together, his green eyes looking dead into your with a serious face. “none of that is true. it’s all bullshit and gossip you hear because i’m that stereotypical asshole of a jock who messes around and treats people like shit,”

“really?”

“really.” his tone was serious. “but i promise you, that’s not me. i just want to play the game with my friends, stay at home with my family and pet my cat,”

you swallowed. “why are you telling me this?”

“guess someone should know,” he shrugged it off

this was news to you. his words sounded so genuine yet all those times you walked through the hallways just to hear dream was involved in some sort of new drama rang in your head. you guessed you could give him a chance, what was the worst that could happen?

you didn’t realise you’d gone silent until dream coughed to make ease the awkwardness in the air.

“anyways, enough about me, how about you?”

“how about me what?”

“as ignorant as i sound, and i’m sorry. but how come i just... never noticed you?”

you let out a fake laugh, inhaling sharply. “i don’t blame you, i don’t really put myself out there that much,” you told him. “i don’t really like talking to people,”

“why, though?”

“s’pose that’s just how i’ve always been,”

“i don’t blame you, people at this school are real dicks sometimes,”

yeah, and i thought you were one of them until six seconds ago.

oddly, your conversation ran smoothly from then on.

he told you about his family and about himself while you listened carefully. you started to think that maybe the things you heard about him were untrue, since never had you heard of a ‘bully’ talk so passionately about his pet cat. and even exchanged phone numbers for the purpose of ‘sending you pictures of patches’.

he learnt a few things about you too, some of the books you’d been reading, your plans for the summer, it felt like you were talking to a friend. an actual friend.

time had gone quickly, and you noticed only when your phone lit up from a notification. a text from your parents asking where you were.

“oh shit,” you murmured

“what’s happened?”

you exhaled, “nothing, just my parents are expecting me home,”

dream pulled his own phone out of his pocket, looking at the time and raising an eyebrow. “yeah, i’m supposed to be meeting sapnap here right now,”

you pulled back your chair and stood up, grabbing your bag and slinging it over your shoulder. “thank you for the food,” you said

“no problem,” he grinned at you

for the first time, you felt truly happy, and you were going to come home from school an actual smile on your face.

at the exit of the shop, you noticed sapnap as he was just about to enter.

“hey sapnap!” you greeted unusually enthusiastically, you turned back to dream and waved at him “see you tomorrow, dream!”

you skipped away joyfully, grinning ear to ear, 

while sapnap watched as you disappeared off into the distance. his eyes narrowed at the back of your head, sending you a scowl as you continued to walk away, before going inside to meet dream.

———

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#dream x reader #dream imagines #dream x you #dreamwastaken x reader #dreamwastaken imagine #dreamwastaken imagines #dreamwastaken x you #mcyt x reader #mcyt x you #mcyt imagine #dream imagine #techno x reader #technoblade x reader #dream smp x reader #dream smp imagine #dream smp imagines #dream smp x you #dsmp x reader

[bakugohoex]

“when he put the what, in the where...”

pairing: katsuki bakugo x female reader

cw: swearing becuase its bakugo, kissing, implications

word count: 1300+

a/n: this was originally a headcanon with todoroki and shinso but i could only think of an idea for bakugo and the bakugo part was getting too long, if you guys want a todoroki and shinso version then just comment or send a request

summary: in which you’re in a secret relationship with bakugo until one fateful night in the dorms

↞ back to my hero academia masterlist

Your relationship with Bakugo would be classed as unconventional, you were dating, and every moment spent together was like paradise. Even with him not wanting to tell the class about your relationship he kept his promise to always make you feel needed and not ignored. To him you weren’t just some stupid extra.

You were his girlfriend which meant you were permanently his, you didn’t really care for people to know. As long as both Bakugo and you were happy you didn’t need other people’s feelings to interfere. And he just didn’t want stupid Deku to know to put it in his own words.

You had thought that when your relationships had gotten out that it would be on your terms, not at a Friday movie night after you and Bakugo had spent your afternoon making out.

“Katsu we have to go down soon, they’ll wonder where we’ve gone.” You were breathless with your exposed collar being bitten by Bakugo, his hands placed on your waist as you could feel the glands of sweat on his hands get hotter and hotter.

You didn’t mind the marks that his quirk left it was almost a hidden secret to the both of you, he murmured a small no as his lips travelled to another area that hadn’t been covered by his teeth, your hand had rested in his hair, as his hand moved further down.

He went past your shorts reaching your uncovered thighs as his quirk left more bruises and marks, a clear hand print evident on your waist and inner thigh. You loved seeing him on you and proving that he was yours and you were his.

Even with the lack of physical contact at school and in front of people, when in the comforts of each other’s rooms you were free to be together and be at peace.

You heard the ding of your phone knowing it was Mina asking where you were, “we really have to go down.”

“Whose fucking idea was it to have a movie night? I could’ve been sleeping or even better fucking you, but instead I’m spending my Friday evening with some dumb extras.” He huffed as he let go off your skin, he stood up towering on top as his legs were between your own legs.

“Those dumb extras are friends’ baby.” You encased his face in your hand caressing it as he put his face further into your palm.

“They’re still dumb extras.” He mutters standing up, he helped sorting the both of you out, as you still wore the shorts and a hoodie.

You both had been staring at the mirror in your room, as he got his phone checking to see the consistent messages of Kirishima asking where he was. You’d taken your phone going onto your camera as you wanted to saviour the moment of having alone time with Bakugo.

You took a couple mirror pictures, ones with Bakugo not paying attention before the last one had him grabbing your throat as he kissed your cheek, it was cute something that you wished you could post without anybody finding it

You both walked towards the elevator, holding hands until you both let go, acting as if you’d both met in the elevator, both thinking of excuses that were viable, Mina had asked for you to grab some food for everybody.

Following, you watched Bakugo sit on the couch next to Kirishima being his angry self as he called everybody extra’s. You saw pervy Mineta trying to look up the girls shirts before Momo kicked him in the chest and he fell to the ground being made to sit next to Denki and none of the girls.

“So, I heard our resident loud boy has a crush.” Mina says as she grabs some popcorn putting it in the microwave.

“Who? Bakugo?” You question knowing that must be who she was talking about.

She smirks leaning against the counter top, “Of course I mean Bakugo, Kirishima said he heard him talking on the phone last Saturday.”

You remembered the conversation; you had gone back home to visit your parents and Bakugo had been acting clingy without you there. He was alone without you and as much as he’d hate to admit it, you were the only good thing among the extras around him. He’d left consistent voice notes to you and when you finally called him after a long day out with your parents you spoke for nearly four hours.

“Can you two fucking hurry up?” You hear Bakugo shout as Koda puts the film on, you deciding to bring the food that Sato had made, mainly brownies and cookies as Mina bringing the popcorn.

“Yeah coming lover boy.” Mina shouts as the final bag of popcorn was done.

“What?” Everybody questions staring at Bakugo.

Izuku is the first one to speak cheerily, “does Kacchan have a girlfriend?”

Bakugo glared at the class, “I fucking don’t.”

To clear the silence, you walked with the brownies and cookies towards the group “Sato, the brownies smell amazing.” He thanks you as you go over to Bakugo.

“Move up then.” You sign as he rolls his eyes before letting you sit down; you had half your body on him but in the dark nobody could see.

You went up to his ear whispering, “Kiri heard you talking to someone, maybe you should be quieter lover boy.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t moan so loud then.” You could almost feel his smirk through the dark.

The movie being a boring one as everybody talked and ate, even Bakugo was engaging in the conversation mainly talking to Kirishima.

“It’s so cold.” Mina shivers in her seat.

“Here you can wear mine. I’m warm.” You offered as you stood up, Jiro putting the lights on for you to see where you would pass it too.

Standing up you pulled the hoodie off your body, wearing a tank top underneath, as you raised your arms up, your thighs were exposed, and your waist was visible.

No sound is heard, the shuffling and shouting of Mineta as if someone was covering him, as you finally take your head out of the hoodie, you pass it to Mina who just stares at you with the rest of the class.

“What’s up?” You asked as you noticed Mineta had been covered by Ojiro.

“Are those?” What you also hadn’t realised was the marks that Bakugo had left on your neck were visible to everybody. The question coming from Denki as you instinctively covered your neck with your hands.

“Nothing.” You whisper, “let’s watch the film.” Is all you say.

“Wait a minute.” Mina grabs Bakugo’s hands as she lifts the shirt up, you give a look as she puts his hand to the hand print on your waist. “That’s Bakugo’s hand print”.

“No shit Sherlock.” He says smirking as he sees his work, almost admiring it, oh how you wanted to rip that smirk off his face.

“Katsuki.” You shouted out.

“You should’ve kept your clothes on.” Is all he says

“Was that why I heard that weird noise coming from the couch a month ago?” Denki questions. 

“That was when I had to put my belt in your mouth.” Bakugo spoke reminiscing.

“When he put the what, in the where...” The classes eyes widen. 

“I fucking hate you.” You finally speak as you go to sit down next to him but instead he grabs your arm pushing you onto his body, his arm wrapping around your waist as he missed the contact you both had had hours ago.

“No you don’t.” He whispers kissing the top of your head.

Nobody asked questions they continued to watch the film as both you and Bakugo laid in each other’s arms he fell asleep holding you as if you were a bear, you smiled at his sleeping figure kissing his cheek as you snuggled up closer to him.

If you guys want to be a part of a tag list, just reply to any post and I’ll add you xx

@samusimp @alaina-rose13

#katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki x y/n #katsuki bakugo headcanons #katsuki x you #katsuki x reader #katsuki bakugo fluff #katsuki bakugo x y/n #katsuki bakugo x you #bnha bakugou #bakugou headcanons #bakugo #bakugo x reader #bakugo x you #bakugo x y/n #mha bakugo x reader #mha bakugo katsuki #mha katsuki #my hero academia #my hero academia x reader #my hero headcanons #my hero academia x you #bnha headcanons #headcanon #scenario #imagines #bnha x y/n #bnha #bnha bakugo x reader #masterlist #bakugohoex