#like her coat gloves and glasses look so cool | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

valkyrielevitt · 8 months

Text

Several Perspectives on a Certain Dance

Sebastian Sallow x MC x Ominis Gaunt

Part 1 - Sebastian's Perspective

Summary: When the founders ball had been announced at the end of their 6th year, Sebastian Sallow hadn't even thought to consider who he would attend with. It seemed so obvious - he did everything with his two best friends, so why would this be any different? Unfortunately for him, his two best friends didn't quite get the memo. (aka Sebastian realises he doesn't know how to function when he's not the centre of attention, and all three friends verge on discovering they all harbour crushes)

Sebastian Sallow had found a place to hide. Or, if he was to be totally honest with himself, he had found a place to sulk.

Cool moonlight shone through the fragmented stained glass, casting an earthy green glow across the covered walkway he now sat in. He was focused absent-mindedly on the way the light gleamed as it reflected on the surface of his dress shoes, how it rippled as he rolled his foot.

It was Ominis who had to remind him to polish them before they left the dorm for the evening; he didn’t need sight in order to know Sebastian had forgotten. These were the sort of finer details that Ominis always thought of, and which never seemed to occur to Sebatian.

Through the door left ajar at the end of the glass walkway Sebastian could hear another bubble of students loudly making the journey from the great hall to their common rooms, all draped awkwardly in hand-me-down tail coats and floor length gowns. Sebastian had also struggled to make the lapels of his jacket sit flat against his chest, fought valiantly (and lost) against his bow-tie, and, at the insistence of his well-groomed best friend, attempted to tame his hair with pomade for the first time. He felt like a little boy playing dress up with his father’s clothes, suspended somewhere between a man and a child.

His mood had first started to sour as he and Ominis waited outside the Slytherin common room for MC. He was aware that his eyes were boring holes through his companion as he tried to identify the differences between the two of them. How did Ominis manage to look so well-adjusted in his sharp suit? It frustrated him to no end, and he could feel his cheeks reddening with agitation. Ominis had helped Sebastian to purchase his clothes for the ball, insisting that no, he couldn’t just wear his school shirt to the founders' ball. There are different types of shirt, Sebastian he had lectured him. The tailor at Gladrags had praised Ominis’ taste continuously as he listed off the types of cuffs, collars and gloves that Sebastian would need. The well-versed instructions of his pureblood family informing his every choice.

‘Ominis’ a far-away voice steals Sebastian’s focus from the sheen of his shoes and a tightening replaces the numbness he had been attempting to nurture in his chest. Somewhere outside of Sebastian’s line of sight, MC approaches their friend. She says something too quiet for him to hear, and he feels his nose scrunch with the effort of remaining indignant. Sebastian knows he’s failing miserably.

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Ominis replies, and he can hear the smile in his voice.

‘What a shame,’ she says.

MC steps away from Ominis, and for a moment Sebastian catches a glimpse of her skirt through the gap in the door.

‘You know you look very handsome tonight, Ominis. Very refined’

Sebastian’s chest feels like it’s going to cave in on itself.

‘I’ll have to take your word for it’

Sebastian remembers how excited they had all been when the theme for the ball had been announced. Professor Black, with as little enthusiasm as possible, had declared the theme to the students ahead of dinner one evening. A Night of a Thousand Stars was the order, sending the students into a flurry of excited whispers. Black’s spot at the dias was replaced by the choirmaster who rattled off the usual ball rules to a crowd of students wholly uninterested in anything but their own conversations: 6th and 7th year students only, don’t let down your house etc etc.

With a wave of her hand, the choirmaster brought the barren tables to life. Silver and deep blue fabric seeped across the dark wood, intricate glass plates covered in food crystalised out of thin air, and a miniature galaxy of stars, nebulas, and planets hovered low above the spread - a taste of what was to come. Sebastian remembers how MC’s hand had squeezed his arm in excitement.

‘I have to learn how to conjure things like this’ she had said to him, passing her hand through a constellation and knocking its stars out of place.

Suddenly MC moves, and Sebastian can see all of her through the gap in the door. Though she hasn’t noticed his hiding spot, he decides not to risk being caught. He knows he can be erratic when his emotions get the better of him, and he’s in no mood to be told how petulant he’s being.

He can already hear what she’d say to him.

You never asked me to the ball, Sebastian. You can’t be annoyed at me.

Instead he stands up from the stone bench he’s been sulking on, and turns to escape further into the castle. Far away from Ominis and his suit, the great hall and its silver gilded walls, and her. His hands reach the handle of the door at the far end of the walkway, but before he can push, there’s a groan of wood and metal hinges from somewhere behind him.

‘Sebastian?’

He freezes. It feels like he is being lowered slowly into the frozen black lake and suspended before his head is submerged. A fierce heat settles across his freckled face as he turns to look at his friend. MC stands at the entry to the walkway, and once more Sebastian scrunches his nose with the effort of remaining unaffected.

When MC had finally emerged from the common room, Sebastian felt his suit-related woes slip away. Following the theme to the letter she was a star personified, swathed in white satin that rippled with an opalescent sheen in the torchlight. A misty shade of tulle, speckled with shimmering applique lace formed short ballooning sleeves, and the whole ensemble was dusted with silver sequins, the beading swirling across the fabric like the milky way. Sebastian realised he had never seen so much of MC before, and tried in vain to avoid staring too intently at her bare arms and shoulders.

‘You look lovely’ Ominis said, and MC’s eyebrows twitched.

‘How would you know?’ she gave a playful tug at the blind boy’s waistcoat.

‘An educated guess based on Sebastian’s lack of snark’ his lips curved into a sly smile ‘No comment, Sallow?’

MC hasn’t let go of Ominis’ waistcoat, using her thumb and forefinger to keep him tethered near her side as she grins at his jibe. Sebastian feels his ears burn as he tries to think of something witty to say. Tries to ignore how handsome they look beside each other.

‘You clean up nicely. If you put this sort of effort in everyday, someone just might make an honest woman out of you’

A white-slippered foot shoots out from beneath MC’s skirt, swiping in Sebastian’s direction and narrowly missing his shins. He grins like a cat as he dodges her, enjoying how her face pinches with mock anger; clearly no amount of silk and corsetry can tame his rebellious friend, and the revelation soothes him.

‘I hardly saw you tonight’ MC probes gently, stepping into the walkway. Sebastian shrugs and makes an uninterested noise.

‘Hey,’ she says, coming over to him, her voice laced with quiet excitement ‘the Gryffindors are opening their common room for the evening, Leander has more firewhisky there’

The marginal amount of calm that her closeness had brought fizzled out in an instant. Those hushed tones and cautious glances were supposed to be for the two of them, for sneaking out of school after hours or traversing the forbidden forest without telling Ominis. Not for scheming with Prewitt or Weasley. The fact that she has invited him as an afterthought makes the pierce of jealousy more poignant. Puffing out his chest a little, Sebastian tries to deflect.

‘I’d rather not. I try to keep myself in dignified company’

Together they walked towards the great hall, Sebastian flanked on either side by his dearest friends and preening at their attention. He fakes annoyance when Ominis recounts Sebastian’s sartorial struggles, but his whole body hums with the satisfaction of their undivided attention. The conversation lulls, and Sebastian finds his attention captured by the crown of small, floating stars that MC has conjured across her updo. They wink at him, stoking his mischief, and he reaches out to pluck one for himself. MC wrestles it out of his grip and allows it to settle back in its proper place. Out of the corner of her eye she shoots him a look - his favourite one - a non-verbal promise that she secretly loves his meddling.

As they approach the great hall, more and more students litter their path. The doors are flung open, revealing a sumptuously decorated ballroom where the walls have been gilded in silver and draped in deep blue velvet. The sky that hovers above the great hall today displays the cosmos in its full, colourful glory, the planets mingling with the wafting trails of smoke that pour from perfumed torches across the room. The heady mix of aromatic herbs hits Sebastian’s nose before they even make it to the door.

‘Wait’ MC stops before they go any further ‘I should wait here’

‘Why?’

She suddenly goes sheepish. It doesn’t suit her, Sebastian thinks.

‘I have a date’

Beside him, Sebastian feels Ominis tense up. This is the first that either of them had heard about a date, and Sebastian almost can’t help the disapproving scoff that escapes him. Sure, they had never explicitly said they were going together, but hadn’t it been implied? They did everything together, why should the ball be any different? MC bristles at Sebastian’s response.

‘That’s what people do at balls, right? Ask someone to go with them’ her voice is unimpressed.

‘Who are you going with?’ Ominis’ tone softening MC’s defensive stance.

‘Prewitt.’

‘And you said yes?’ Sebastian snips.

MC’s gaze hardened once again, but before she could retort, her name was called. Leander, flanked by a few fellow Gryffindors had arrived. He looked sensible enough, well turned out in his suit, but the sight of his pale face made Sebastian’s throat seize up.

With a slightly softened gaze she said goodbye to Ominis, leaving Sebastian with only a flash of a warning stare. As MC and Leander disappeared into the incensed ballroom, Sebastian could only stare. It felt as though something was trying to pry its way out of his ribcage, something brutal and unreasonable, something that demanded attention.

‘That was unexpected’ Ominis hummed, his emotions unreadable.

Sebastian spent the entire ball trying to satisfy that beast within his chest. He tried to ignore it at first, grinning and smiling through conversations with friends from the crossed wands club but to no avail. He tried to placate it with a substitute, offering to take Nellie Oggspire on a few spins across the dance floor but the feeling hardly waned. He tried to pretend the whole ordeal had never happened, that Leander Prewitt of all people had never asked MC to the ball, and that she too had never said yes.

He tried to imagine that the three friends really did attend together, and that Sebastian was simply being gracious enough to let other people borrow her for a dance. When things got dire he even tried to imagine that she had gone with Ominis, which was far more preferable than anything the Gryffindor common room could spit out.

Eventually he decided that what he and the beast in his chest needed was a place to sulk, and he set off from the hall in search of solitude.

MC’s head tilted slightly, the green-tinged moonlight settling against her cheek.

‘I’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow, then,’ she says, electing to ignore Sebastian’s petulance. He nods in response but MC doesn’t move right away, instead she pins him to the spot with her gaze.

Sebastian watches as she lifts her finger up to the halo of stars arching across her head, knocking one free from its orbit and guiding it down to his hand. It hovers over his open palm, and Sebastian doesn’t know what to do with it.

‘Goodnight,’ she says, and disappears back towards the hall, searching for the gaggle of loud and unruly Gryffindors who had adopted her for the evening. With numb fingers Sebastian opens the door behind him and makes the journey back to the Slytherin common room, balancing the little star on his outstretched palm the whole time.

#hehe jealous seb #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt x mc #sebastian sallow x mc #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt x you #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x you #hogwarts legacy #my writing #sebastian sallow x mc x Ominis gaunt

96 notes · View notes

fanficshiddles · 3 months

Text

The Redbridge Hunts, Chapter 22

Claire was in the kitchen cooking dinner, Loki was coming round so she said she would cook. He had requested her beef stew, which Claire was delighted to make again for him.

It was cooking in the slow cooker, it would be two hours. She wasn’t sure when Loki was coming round, he would no doubt just appear.

In the past week since finding out about him being a vampire, she’d never been happier. Loki seemed so relaxed and more of his true colours was coming out, he was so affectionate, more so than he had been before.

He hadn’t drank from her again since the first night, he told her that he wouldn’t do it regularly, as it would make her ill. Which she understood. He didn’t seem to be struggling with his instincts to feed from her, the first feed definitely seemed to have sated his needs.

Though his other needs, they satisfied plenty of times. She had the same needs too, of course. The sex with Loki was incredible, to say the least.

Claire had just poured herself a glass of wine when the buzzer went off. She skidded through to the front door and just pressed the button to open the main doors, she knew it would be Loki.

She felt like a giddy schoolgirl as she waited for him to come upstairs, she couldn’t resist opening the door and popping her head out to look for him coming along the corridor. She didn’t have to wait long, soon enough he came around the corner and made his way towards her.

Her heart started beating a little faster and her knees began to feel weak, and he wasn’t even in her flat yet. He just looked so confident, in control and powerful as he took large, quick steps towards her. He was wearing all black, his cosy looking coat and leather gloves, which of course drove her wild, it was those gloves after all.

Loki smirked when he saw her peeping out her door. He could also smell her already, plus slight arousal. He noted her glancing at his gloves, which made him chuckle a little.

As he reached her, her cheeks were a delightful shade of red.

‘Hello, my darling.’ He purred and slid his hand to the side of her neck, holding her as he leaned down to kiss her.

She reached up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Loki slid his other hand round to her back and under her top, gently stroking across her back. The feel of the cool leather on her skin drove her mad already.

‘Well, someone seems keen to see me.’ He chuckled over her lips.

‘I’m always keen to see you.’ Claire grinned.

‘Mmm, me too, darling. May I come in?’

‘Oh sorry, I forgot you need permission to enter.’ Claire laughed, then paused for a second and stepped backwards. ‘Hmm… maybe I’ll just leave you here at the door.’ She teased.

Loki raised an eyebrow at her. ‘Are you sure about that? I get the feeling your hand wouldn’t be enough to satisfy your needs tonight. Wouldn’t you much rather cum all over my cock, repeatedly?’ He growled seductively.

Claire felt hot again all of a sudden. ‘Come in, come in.’ She blurted out quickly with a laugh as she darted off through her flat.

Loki ran inside, quickly shutting the door behind him before chasing her through to the living room. He pounced for her straight away and she tried to fight him off, but had no chance. Loki laughed as he wrestled her down on the sofa, she still tried to get away from him, but he soon had her trapped beneath him. He grabbed both of her hands and pinned them down above her head.

‘Got you.’ He growled and leaned down to kiss and suck her neck, making her whine as she let her head fall backwards to give him better access.

He chuckled against her skin and gathered her hands into one of his large ones, so he could slide his free hand down her cheek, then he brushed his thumb over her lips before pressing into her mouth. She looked up at him and fluttered her eyelashes at him as she suckled on his thumb and tasted the leather.

‘You look so innocent, my love.’ He chuckled.

‘Why don’t I show you how innocent I can be?’ She whispered over his thumb, then sucked on it again and swirled her tongue around to show what she meant.

Loki grinned widely as he leaned up and let go of her. She shuffled off the sofa as Loki sat down on it properly, legs splayed open with an obvious bulge. Claire knelt down between his legs and quickly unbuckled his belt, then undid his zipper.

As she pulled his cock out, Loki reached down to stroke her hair, she closed her eyes for a moment to revel in his touch, feeling like she was purring. The feel of his gloves against her scalp felt so good.

She opened her eyes to focus on him, he was hard and straining towards her. So she parted her lips and took him slowly into her mouth. Loki let out a groan and his soft touch turned into a tight grip of her hair as her wet, warm mouth surrounded him.

‘Ohhh, fuck.’ He growled as he let his head fall backwards.

Claire took her time and enjoyed sucking him off. She swirled her tongue around the tip of his cock, then worked her way down his shaft, then licked him like a lollipop for a while before slobbering all over him and taking him as far down her throat as possible.

Loki could smell her arousal, it was thick in the air along with his own. Knowing that she was getting off so much on giving him a blowjob was enough of a thought to make him cum, never mind the way she took him down her throat as far as possible before gagging a little on him and easing off slightly.

Claire was squeezing her thighs together as tightly as possible, the way he was grunting and growling was so erotic, and the feeling of being able to turn such a powerful being into an absolute mess with pleasure was so mind blowing for her.

She could tell when he was about to cum, he went silent for a few seconds and when she glanced up at his face, his eyes were shut and he was raising his hips upwards. She did her best to take him down as far as was comfortable, sucking steadily as he came with a loud groan.

Claire swallowed as much as she could, though some dribbled down her chin, but she grabbed a tissue from the table at the side to clean her mouth. Loki took a moment to gather his thoughts back to him, then he looked down at her, his eyes were darker and he licked his lips.

‘Oh, darling. That was… exquisite. Your mouth is such a wonder. Get your pretty little ass up here, let me repay the favour.’ He growled at her and patted his thigh.

She didn’t hesitate to climb up onto his lap, though was a little confused when he turned her around and positioned her so that her back was flush against his front. He draped her legs over his at either side, then spread his legs so hers was forced open too.

He slid both gloved hands underneath her top, reaching her breasts and squeezing them together. Claire let out a moan and her head fell back against his shoulder while he played with her nipples, making them perk up instantly under his cool touch.

His hands didn’t stay there long, his large, dominant right hand started to wander south down inside her leggings and knickers. She let out a squeak at the feeling, she was so turned on with his leather gloves being on.

Loki slowly slid two fingers through her folds, then pulled his hand back out and held them up on front of them both. His glove was glistening with her arousal.

‘My my… What a little slut you are, so turned on just from sucking me off.’ He chuckled in a dark tone, his words only turned her on more.

Loki sucked his fingers with a moan before delving his hand back down her knickers and touching her again. She began squirming so much on his lap, so he left her breasts alone with his left hand and just wrapped his arm around her waist, to keep her in place. She held onto his arm for something to grip.

He teased her slowly at first, circling her clit for a little while, then inserting two fingers into her and curling them against her g spot. He rubbed firmly against that sweet spot, his palm rubbed against her clit at the same time and she began panting like mad.

‘Oh my god.’ She cried out as her entire body coiled up, ready to explode.

‘You may not be innocent, but you are definitely my good girl.’ Loki purred into her ear.

He was a little surprised, yet delighted, when he felt her body clench around his fingers hard and her orgasm hit her like a rocket, his words being what sent her over the edge so quickly.

‘Definitely not innocent. Cumming all over my gloves like that… Look at the mess you’ve made.’ He growled low as he removed his hand after a few last slow strokes. He held his hand up again and it really was soaking.

She blushed hard and turned a little so she could hide her face into his neck, making him chuckle.

‘Well, have you always liked being called a good girl or is this a new kink unlocked? Hmm?’ Loki asked as he removed his gloves, tossed them to the side and then smoothed her hair back from her face and gripped her chin to turn her face upwards to him.

‘Uhm… I think… another kink unlocked. It’s you! You seem to be… awakening something in me.’ She said shyly and tried hiding her face again.

Loki chuckled and let her hide, he stroked her hair gently instead.

There was a beeping noise that suddenly came from the kitchen, which made Claire jump, she scrambled like a cat that didn’t want to be held off of Loki’s lap and ran for the kitchen. ‘Shit! The stew needs stirred!’ She called out.

Loki laughed and got up from the sofa. He tucked his cock away, then slipped off his jacket by the door to hang it up, he hadn’t even had a chance to take that off before they’d pounced for each other. He walked into the kitchen and his stomach grumbled at the delicious smell of stew in the air while Claire stirred it.

‘I can’t wait to eat.’ He said as he walked up behind her and put his hand on her hip.

‘I didn’t add garlic this time, knowing now what I know.’ Claire laughed.

‘Aww what? I can handle a bit of garlic.’ Loki whined.

‘I thought it made you go to the toilet a few times last time you had it?’ Claire turned around to face him, she wrapped her arms up around his neck as he slid his arms around her waist to pull her flush against his body.

‘It did… but it’s worth it, it’s so delicious. Please add garlic.’ He pouted.

Claire laughed and shook her head. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Very sure.’ Loki nodded.

‘Well, it’s a bit late… maybe if I add in garlic granules it will still give the taste but maybe not be quite as strong?’ She suggested.

‘Good idea.’ Loki nodded in agreement, but didn’t let her go even when she removed her arms from his neck.

‘Well… you need to let me go so I can do that.’ Claire teased.

‘Do I have to?’ Loki whined again.

‘You’re very whiny tonight.’ She laughed.

Loki shrugged. ‘I just enjoy getting my own way.’ He smirked.

‘So I see.’ Claire laughed again. She attempted to walk over to the cupboard where the granules were kept, dragging Loki with her who still didn’t let go of her, even as she made her way back to the slow cooker to add it into the stew.

‘Thank you, my darling.’ Loki said happily and kissed the top of her head.

‘I like making you happy.’ Claire said as she leaned into him.

‘I like making you happy, too.’ Loki hummed softly, burying his face into her hair and taking in her scent.

Loki and Claire lazed about in bed the following morning, they had lazy sweet sex, then showered together before going back to bed to snuggle for a while since it was a Sunday.

Though around nine, Loki’s phone rang and he tried to ignore it, but when he saw Severus' name flashing up on the screen, he thought he’d best answer.

‘Severus never calls. It must be important.’ He said to Claire with a frown.

He sat at the side of the bed as he answered his phone.

‘Hey, Severus. Is everything ok?’

‘No. Meet me by the river, just down from the bridge.’ Severus said quickly then hung up on him, before he could ask any questions.

‘What’s wrong?’ Claire asked, noticing Loki’s face change to one of concern.

‘I’m not sure.’ He frowned.

#tom hiddleston #loki #loki x ofc #loki fic #vampire Loki #the redbridge hunts #fluffy Loki

37 notes · View notes

iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 year

Note

sorry i have to brainfart this somewhere but mersault chuuya wearing almost damn near similar clothing to his youth got me thinking about dazai and chuuya's fashion choices.

dazai, in all the eras where he was in the mafia....never changes his outfit. it fitting, given his character and such.....so his ada outfit makes him look like a rainbow. dark blue vest, blue gem(?) bolo tie, striped shirt and a tan coat similar to oda's. i think it's cool, to show the stark contrast between his pm days and how he's faring now, aswell to show how much effect oda had on him.

chuuya.....is the complete opposite. boy changes his clothes all the time. but it's so interesting.

his fifteen outfit is very "him" in a sense. street kid, street kid style- red shirt, grey hoodie, green leather jacket, bright blue sheep armband. he fits right in with the rest of the sheep, and hes so...colorful here. almost similar to ada dazai's outfit. and then theres the outfit he wears in the mafia- the first one we saw back in the manga where he seems to be wearing like a..."beta" version of his current outift- but the way it was drawn (disregarding the anime for a second) it looks like its almost ill fitting for him. the vest is too big, the coat looks so heavy, the tie isnt properly tucked, and his pants are baggy. like hes struggling to "fit in".

then theres sb outfit- hes wearing the standard mafia outfit like higuchi, but with his own touches- rolled up sleeves, glasses tucked in his breastpocket, choker, gloves. its not much, but even higuchi doesnt do anything to hers. we kinda see him "getting into" the mafia work, and theres no pop of color here. the dragon head conflict outift is different though- hes wearing clothes that are "his style" again. simple shirt, jacket, choker, gloves. he also has his red petticoat (i think thats what it is? whatever that long cloth underneath his jacket) that, once again, gives him some color. i dunno what spured the outfit change, but i honestly think the red color is his own touch- his own "color"

and then current chuuya. no color at all, maybe safe from the ribbon on his hat. he wears his coat on his shoulders, similar to pm dazai. (also, slight off tangent here- he always loses his coat whenever hes dealing with dazai?? i think?? which is. interesting. given with how glued pm dazai's coat is to his own shoulders. like he actively takes it off/gets it taken off and i SWEAR this only even happens when hes with dazai. idk. ever since asagiri said beast dazai wearing his coat fully to signify him accepting his role as the pm boss ive been. thinking about it. a lot.)

where was i going with this?? oh yeah. why is mersault chuuya wearing his old clothes?? specifically fifteen clothes? like was it his off day or something. bc if you look at chuuyas various outfit as his progression towards the mafia then him wearing his old non mafia clothes either means two things : 1. this is to signify chuuya, under vampire influnce, is well. obviously not loyal to the mafia atm. or 2. something might happen in the future that makes him swear allegiance to someone else which i dont find possible but??? who knows. im overthinking this

Oh my god I opened my asks to find this monster in here and scrolled through it like ?????????

Please feel free to do this anytime this was an absolute joy to read hahaha

"dazai, in all the eras where he was in the mafia....never changes his outfit." His outfit stays pretty similar, you're right, though he does actually change it once during his mafia days. The left image is the outfit he wears in Fifteen and Stormbringer, while the right is what he wears in DHC and Dark Era.

The difference is the blazer jacket he adds under his coat. It's a minimal change but I think it's significant. I mentioned in this post how I believe the change might be related to his change in pronoun from boku to watashi, but really it's more the added layer of distance that makes this significant. Dazai just looks a little... odd, in the first outfit. The coat hangs off him loosely, his shirt is a little baggy. He looks very boyish, and that makes his deceptive tendencies and deeply concerning outlook all the more disturbing to others.

The second outfit makes one change but his clothes now look like they fit him (still with the exception of the coat, which never fit and never will... in this universe anyways. You mentioned Beast so... you know already hehe). In the case of the second outfit, he looks more mature and formal, which lends itself to a person who withdrew further and further away from people (with the exception of the other two at Bar Lupin); who became a terrifying executive in other's eyes, moving away from the "creepy intelligent child" image he had earlier - even though he is still very much a kid. No one knows Dazai - I think the added image of formality and authority here is just one of the many barriers he constructed to keep people from getting too close.

"so his ada outfit makes him look like a rainbow. dark blue vest, blue gem(?) bolo tie, striped shirt and a tan coat similar to oda's."

hjdfvbdjf rainbow - entering his no longer closeted gay era (sorry lol i couldn't resist)

No but you're right about the coat looking a bit like Oda's. He cared for and respected that man like no other and I think when Dazai thinks of "a good person" Oda is the first person who comes to mind. His shirt in the manga is also stripy like Oda's, a little detail that got lost in the anime. :')

"his fifteen outfit is very "him" in a sense. street kid, street kid style- red shirt, grey hoodie, green leather jacket, bright blue sheep armband. he fits right in with the rest of the sheep, and hes so...colorful here."

Yeah. He looks every bit the street kid and blends with the Sheep near perfectly - more than fitting in though, I think it's more than implied that he wants to fit in and changes his look to do so. Chuuya goes to great lengths to give the appearance of fitting in - because he never felt like he truly did (and certainly the Sheep did not treat him like an equal or a friend).

"and then theres the outfit he wears in the mafia- the first one we saw back in the manga where he seems to be wearing like a..."beta" version of his current outfit- but the way it was drawn (disregarding the anime for a second) it looks like its almost ill fitting for him. the vest is too big, the coat looks so heavy, the tie isnt properly tucked, and his pants are baggy. like hes struggling to "fit in"."

YES you get it!! And adding onto that, Chuuya doesn't really have a lot of reason to want to fit in yet. He hasn't found his personal groove yet, because he has little personal attachment to the mafia at this point in time.

Yeah in Stormbringer he's got a few personal touches but is still pretty non-descript (though you're right, it's much more than Higuchi... something to think about for her character too, and how it seems the mafia may be more of a job than an investment to her). By Dead Apple though, Chuuya's outfit is... well, back to his punk vibes, just a little more mafia-classy, I guess. (I don't know fashion I'm sorry, please don't kill me)

"but i honestly think the red color is his own touch- his own "color""

Red makes a lot of sense as a colour for Chuuya. It's energetic, emotional, fierce and aggressive. It's also considered protective, so yeah it suits him for sure. Red clothes, red ability... red camellias...

"and then current chuuya. no color at all, maybe safe from the ribbon on his hat." Ooo ok. So in the anime, this is true but in the manga, I believe his vest is actually a pale red.

Well. Brown with red undertones. Your point still stands though because the colour is very muted. It's not like Fifteen or DHC Chuuya for sure.

"(also, slight off tangent here- he always loses his coat whenever hes dealing with dazai?? i think?? which is. interesting. given with how glued pm dazai's coat is to his own shoulders. like he actively takes it off/gets it taken off and i SWEAR this only even happens when hes with dazai. idk. ever since asagiri said beast dazai wearing his coat fully to signify him accepting his role as the pm boss ive been. thinking about it. a lot.)"

Oh. Thinking on this. Um. Embarrassed to say - I don't think I noticed that actually. Like obviously he loses the coat a lot and that was already something to think on but... only around Dazai, is that right? Hold on, I'm gonna check.

Ok so my check wasn't super thorough (read: I am too tired and drained to go through each and every panel he appears in) but...

By god, I think you're right.

That's. Hm. I'm going to join you on thinking about that for awhile.

I see the coat as a representation of his role and responsibility he takes on, really, so it's interesting that the formality and symbolism of his service to the mafia gets quite literally discarded in the scenes with his foil and equal. Fascinating.

He's also not wearing it in any of these now infamous panels from Chapter 101:

Huh. Well. Thank you anon. You've just given me a whole new thing to whir about.

"why is mersault chuuya wearing his old clothes?? specifically fifteen clothes?"

Honestly, I'm still waiting to figure this out too.

Because of the purplish hue over this piece of new art, I find it hard to tell what the actual colours of his outfit are but it does look awfully similar to his Fifteen outfit. It could just be his "day-off" outfit but I think there's got to be more to it than that. It could have to do with allegiance, like you suggested. May I also suggest the return to a sense of inhumanity?

These are also the clothes he wore when his journey to find answers on himself began. Might he be entering a new arc where he has to "find" himself again?

I still feel we don't have enough information to make a solid judgement. As the meursault pov continues, I think we'll have a better reason as to why he's dressed like this.

#thanks for the ask!#feel free to dump thoughts at any time whoever you are anon this was so fun #also i'm so annoyed with myself that i didn't notice that bit about the coat earlier but also so happy you pointed that out!#things to think about when i am less tired...#bsd #bsd chuuya #bsd dazai #soukoku #skk #storyrambles #as always if i screwed up somewhere... just tell me. rip the bandage off lol

249 notes · View notes

toweroftickles · 1 year

Text

No Ticket, No Entry

(Miles/Gwen Tickle Fic)

If you're a cop's kid, they say there are only two possibilities: you become a cop yourself, or one of the crooks he chases. For Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, it was a little bit of both. Equipped with an arsenal of stickers and spray cans, Miles was always the more prone to troublemaking of the two. Gwen usually required a little more prodding.

But what kind of self-respecting teenager, at some point, hasn’t snuck into a movie theater?

The two perched high on lampposts on the street outside, perfectly hidden from passerby behind the blinding lights. It was one of those small local Queens theaters that had been around since the dawn of time, the kind that still used traditional signs, where even the color on the bricks had started to chip off. Red neon letters flashed cheerfully at them above the marquee. It was a chilly spring night.

"Alright, Spider-Boy; let's see whatcha got," the ghostly white Gwen teased with a wink.

“‘Spider-Boy?’ C’mon, that’s a low blow,” chuckled Miles.

“Hey, invisible guy successfully nabs us some snacks; then we can talk about upgrading your moniker," she giggled. With a flick of her wrist, a thin strand of web fluid whisked Gwen up to the roof, and left Miles alone on his vantage point, where he vanished with perfect camouflage. His gloves and boots squeaked on the glass foyer windows. There was quite a crowd...he had to squeeze quickly between the doorframe and a very fat woman in a fur coat, but no one was the wiser.

Both he and his girlfriend felt the pulse-pounding thrill of breaking the rules. A little bit of the old anxious butterflies flitted around their stomachs…what’s worse than getting caught? But they really shouldn't have worried. This was a world where superheroes, aliens, gods and monsters all ran around New York like it was their own personal Super Smash Bros. arena. All that Randall the overweight 15-year-old counter clerk thought about, when he saw a haunted bag of popcorn mysteriously sliding away around the gaudy orange wall corner, was the fact that he didn't get paid nearly enough to care.

Getting through the doors, crawling up the ceiling and behind the counter, and grabbing armfuls of food undetected was the easy part. The tricky thing was getting it all into the screening room. He & Gwen were already a few minutes late...a strategic maneuver. The way-too-loud trailers were audible outside the door. All Miles had to do was hide behind the back counter, wait for a break in the crowd, and sprint in and up the wall, resisting the urge to hum the sneaky Castle Garden music from Ocarina of Time while he did so.

All the popcorn bags, hot dogs, drinks, and what-have-you were webbed up all nice and snug in the back right corner of the theater's star-covered ceiling, opposite from the door and behind the other seats. A soft metal clunking sound that only his enhanced ears could pick up, like a knock on a metal door, lured Miles up back across to the overhang above the entrance. Even the walls were coated in carpet, but there was a single rectangular hole covered by a cheap iron grate, which led to the building's ventilation ducts. And behind it, smiling and waving at him, was his girlfriend.

"Hey there," she whispered. Miles' mask was lifted just enough that his mouth was visible. Even under the mask, though, he was clearly raising his eyebrows in that classic Dwayne Johnson way.

"Heeyyyyyy," he replied, trying to look cool and unaware that his face was wearing a patchy beard of popcorn kernels. Gwen bit her lip and tried not to smile too much...she thought it was cute.

“I can’t believe these dorks still haven’t noticed the opening is unscrewed!” It took nearly a full 30 seconds to crawl out and slide the grate back into place with as little noise as possible. Miles tossed Gwen a box of M&Ms, careful of the rattling. If the guy in the projection booth had looked down through the window, he might have noticed the snickering teenagers crawling along beneath his shadow.

It was like any other movie night, only huddled in the far corner of the room and fifteen feet off the ground. (It was some comedy movie, the details of which they barely cared about. Something to do with horses, a wedding, and Danny McBride eating a truck tire.) They whispered. They laughed. They stole each other's food. They tried to sneak looks at their smartphones, and always chided the other for doing the exact same thing. Miles almost tried the cliche "accidentally hold hands via popcorn bucket" trick, but he was too embarrassed...so Gwen smoothly slid her gloved palm into his anyway. In the dim blue glow, after all, he couldn't see her blush.

"Man, sitting this way is startin' to hurt my back."

"Heheheh...I'm gonna watch from here. You think someone'll notice?" Gwen said playfully. Grinning, the Ghost Spider raised from her place at Miles' left, crawled up above ("Hey! Where you going?") and sat down Indian-style right on the ceiling at his 10:00 position. Twinkling glow-in-the-dark stickers lit up the area around her. Despite her years of experience, she never really got over the novelty of being able to hang upside down whenever and wherever she wanted. When she fully demasked, both of the heroes laughed quietly at the sight of her blonde hair dangling toward the floor.

"Oh, so what, now you don't care about anyone seeing you?" Miles perked up instantly and tossed popcorn her way.

"Shhh! We've gotta still be quiet!" Gwen laughed back at him. The tension in her shoulders had wound down throughout the evening...she was feeling a little more mischievous.

"Oh, we do, huh? Yeah, we do?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Miles' left arm reached up and poked her in the side.

These skintight superhero catsuits were many things, but one thing they were NOT: tickle-proof. Thankfully, a character in the movie had just cracked a joke, and everyone in the audience was in a fit of laughter…no one heard it when Gwen’s chipper giggle blurted out.

Her eyes bugged out of her head. Her hand slapped over her vulnerable spot. She tried not to show it, even (especially?) in front of Miles, but the universe-hopping Stacy daughter was remarkably ticklish; even gentle back scratches could make her squeak and writhe like a bowl of jello. And deep down, she hated the sound of her throaty, husky laugh. She always gasped so much; it almost sounded more like hiccups than laughter.

"Quit it!" she snapped, looking back at Miles. Her mouth looked happy...he loved seeing that little gap in her buck teeth when she grinned; it was so dorky...but her eyes were panicked. Which, of course, just egged him on.

As soon as she wasn't looking, her boyfriend stretched out his arm again and squeezed her belly with all five fingers, and Gwen doubled over, giggling fiercely.

"HNGHEE!!" she exhaled hard; all the wind was knocked out of her.

She kept shoving his wrist, hissing at him, trying to get him to cut it out, but he was acting like an obnoxious little brother in the back seat of a car...all that was missing was for him to squawk "I'm not touching you!" on repeat. Every time she moved Miles' hand aside to one place, he swung his arm back and pinched her side or jabbed between her ribs. Limbs flying everywhere...it was practically a slap-fight.

Poke...poke....poke. Over and over.

All these little touches were making her all tingly, building up a storm of hysterics that Gwen was struggling to contain. Her Spider-Sense was blaring a full four-alarm siren, for all the good it did against someone who was just as fast as her.

"Tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle," Miles teased her in a cartoonishly high-pitched voice.

“S-stop it! We’re gonna get caught!” She was frustrated now. It was true…down below, patrons had begun looking around in circles, trying to determine where that annoying noise was coming from, and who exactly they should pelt with half-eaten nachos.

Sealing her lips tightly, Gwen held her breath and swiveled to face the screen again. She was anxiously rubbing her crossed ankles while fixated on the movie, an action that drew Miles’ eye to the seafoam green ballet shoes which lurked, upside-down, just above his hair.

Meh...that'll work.

Just when she started to take her mind off the chortles, Gwen gasped. A finger was tracing along the outer lip of her right shoe.

"Don't...you...dare..."

Miles' hooked digit clawed around inside Gwen's slipper and gently scratched the arch of her foot through her black spandex tights. She could almost feel the electric tingles of his venom-touch buzzing up her leg…it made her whole body jitter, and she jumped nearly hard enough to unstick from the ceiling.

“HAA-Huh! *gasp*wheeze* Huhuh-Heheh, Haha! St-hop!” Gwen snorted loudly and clapped her hands over her mouth. Her flailing legs untangled from their self-made pretzel. “Heehee-Heh, Huh-Huh! *gasp* Heheh!”

She froze. A cold fear dripped down Gwen’s neck. Internally, she was shooting off every curse word she could think of. After a moment to catch her breath, once her laughter subsided, Gwen slowly opened a single eye…

…and there, below her, was her worst fear. The crowd was staring up at her, trying to make out the girl-shaped shadow in the theater’s back corner.

"Hey, it's Spider-Woman!"

"Woo! Spider-Girl, down here!"

"Wait I thought she was called Ghost-Spider..."

Thank god it was dark enough that no one could see her face properly; her mask was back on in milliseconds.

"Oh, shit shit shit; Miles, we've gotta - " Gwen quickly snapped her head to the side, but there was nothing there...nothing but an empty, dark corner where her boyfriend had once sat. He’d gone invisible and slipped out. The eyes of her costume narrowed into burning little strips of pink, like a pair of furious electric earthworms.

".....oh, you've gotta be freaking kidding me."

THUD!! BANG! Hard aluminum sheets buckled and wobbled under Gwen’s fingertips. She scurried through the air vents at a blistering pace, often sliding too far around a corner - CRUNCH! ow, that’s definitely an elbow bruise - and doubling back. Her legs nearly outran her arms, throwing themselves up and over each other, rushing to an ever-closer window of purple moonlight.

Her heart beat a thousand times a minute.

Freedom.

On the rooftop, Gwen yanked up her mask and sucked in the foggy night air. Breathing hard…whewwww….over and over. Its cool touch soothed the burning in her cheeks. Her slippers slapped against the stone and plaster. Alongside her own weary gasps, Gwen eventually heard another sound…one that made her temperature rise once more.

Miles, chuckling to himself right beside her.

“Heh-Heh…kind of a big change-up from how we met, huh?” he offered, a smug smile on his face.

"Miles!!" Gwen hissed under her breath, and slapped her boyfriend on the arm.

"Ow! Why you whispering? We're up here by ourselves."

“Uuugh. This is why you get in trouble with your dad! You are soooo lucky this universe doesn’t have mine. You seriously can't stop goofing around for more than 2 seconds even when...”

“So is that like your Kryptonite? You can’t win a fight if you’re being tickled?” laughed Miles. The question made Gwen go red in the face again. She was about to garble some kind of flustered protest, but something caught her eye and stopped her...from inside his sleeve, Miles produced some sort of shiny metal stick. It was kinda like those memory-erasers from that one dumb alien movie her dad liked.

"Well, you know...I was thinkin' while we were up here, maybe we could have a....uhhh, private show." Miles flipped over to the brick lip of the roof and squatted down. At his feet he placed the little silver tube, centered it, and clicked a button. "C'mere; check this out."

Along its side, a narrow slit opened up, pulsing a deep yellow color. Inside it, glowing photons waved back at Gwen like a sea of tiny stars, humming softly. A shower of light rushed up from the strip like an inverse waterfall until the little particles reached a rectangular shape, then scurried in all directions to paint the night sky alongside their far-off galactic brothers. Draped above Gwen & Miles, like a canopy, floated a holographic screen just for them. (Unknown to Gwen, exactly twelve feet below them, inside the projection booth, a red, spider-shaped, USB-compatible goober clicked into place against the room’s laptop. Its feed was being copied and streamed perfectly.)

"Wow......" Gwen seemed impressed, but paused when she realized….

"Wait, was this whole night just so you could show that gizmo off?"

"Ehhhh....maybe," shrugged Miles. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head with his left hand. But as she thought about it, Gwen wasn’t even mad. She just laughed all over again.

A little web pillow was all it took to make the setup complete. Grabbing a fistful of popcorn from the sole leftover bag that Miles had carried with him, Gwen laid back against the nearby roof fan and shoveled the snacks into her mouth, excitedly looking up at the big projector above. And her boyfriend plopped down just to her left side, arms crossed and relaxed.

Strangely, the noise of the insomniac city streets below, the feet clicking on pavement, the rushing and honking of cab horns, didn't bother them. The movie played perfectly alongside the calming sounds of New York, and there was something strangely enchanting about it. Reaching up, Gwen’s hands came to rest behind her head and propped her against the pillow, and she sighed contentedly. A sweet smile washed over her.

"You know…" she said, "...I think I do kinda like this better, Spider-Man.”

Miles often made himself sick with worry about how their relationship was going. She was sooo much cooler than him. What was the next step? What if he did something to embarrass her? But for a few moments, all those fears melted away while he watched the projector's light dance reflected on her cheek.

He also realized, as his prankster side whispered in his ear, he was in a perfect position to sneakily tickle her armpit without her noticing. Both her hands were behind her head.

Almost on a reflex, his index finger bent and slowly hovered toward her...

….but he suddenly thought better of it.

Nah. Let's just enjoy the movie.

199 notes · View notes

ukthxbye · 1 month

Text

All That Glitters and Gleams

So it has been over a year since I writer Sherlolly. Thought I might be done because of my focus on my two books and trying to get an agent... life is funny.

When this photo showed up in the sherlolly discord,

the wheels started spinning and 24 hours later, you're welcome.

cw: semi-public sex, fingering, light dom/sub, begging

Glittering.

Gold and silver statues and everything shiny draped dramatic fabric in this room normally spare dingy blue white.

And he hated it.

But impressed all the same. The banquet hall of St. Barts transformed to another age. Sherlock scoffed when Molly asked him to this 1920s fundraiser, rattling facts about all the false opulence for what.

"It's fun to pretend," she'd said in the wry, sad resignation he knew like a drug. Nearly as unpredictable. She might tell him to forget it and go with someone else. She might let him rattle off facts as they walk in and still pull him along, suffering the embarrassment.

She blessed him with the latter.

He couldn't refuse anymore what she asked for. His life depended on her happiness… like a new addiction.

But he'd denied her the one thing she craved. She denied herself more.

"They shouldn't have spent so much money, you were right," she said at his side. "You've every right to hate this. It's dancing and talking to higher ups. We can go home."

"Well, at least the champagne is cheap," he said glancing at woman walking by with two green bottles in had. But home, where is the adventure in that? Can't critique and complain until we have the facts," he said, slipping off his long wool coat, handing it to the hired coat clerk… no wait, it was a boy from the cafe.

"Gerald, they roped you into this?" Sherlock frowned at him.

"Ticket sir, you try to have a good time, eh?" the boy said, coats piling up on his right.

"Yes…yes." Sherlock offered him a cocked tightlipped smile.

In instinct he turned to Molly, and without interrupting her conversation with a heart surgeon he disliked, his hands reached around her shoulders, grasping the lapels on her equally long coat.

The lights, low in the room but travelling across a mirror ball, landed at her back as he slid the dark fabric down like a curtain.

Glittering.

But he liked it.

He vibrated, her scapula bones meeting like wings of an angel as she dropped the coat off her arms.

She'd not let him look at the dress until now. Beadwork in a line down the straps, down and across her waist. Shadow and bones and gold. Champagne dripped down her frame, soon like on her tongue.

She matched the room and enhanced it to a mind numbing quality.

"Come on, there's Stamford," she said with a half grin, and grabbed his hand.

Like fire on a golden pyre.

He accepted her lead, lost in the light playing off her skin. He'd mapped it before. He mapped everything. But why does it look different here?

Do her nerves jump when his hand drifted up to her elbow, gripping like a secret, waiting? Lost to the bunching pale satin, but… she responded each time, ending the conversation.

She let him hold her hand absently as she tugged him from one corner to the next. Satin gloves threaded in his fingers, robbing him of hers.

But her back, exposed, and his touch strayed there often to catch her attention, drawing her into him so he could mutter in her ear some amusing observation he'd about someone she chatted with.

Her skin cooled like a glass of cold milk. He craved it the same. But he feared his hand gave him away, warming more with every risked caress.

She flinched the first time, her wings shrugging him away.

But now she let it lay there, even as he chased a shadow up the nape with his finger.

Her shiver is not from the room now.

He smiled to himself, but the oncologist next to him took it as an opportunity to speak. I can do two things at once. Sherlock kept his fingers near her scalp, his fingernail grazing along the hairline until she quivered, and fanned herself with her purse.

They made many more rounds, each one more exhausting. The satin under his hands, the hand on her lower back enticing. Every man who tried to insult her field of study with backhanded compliments boiled his blood.

His mask slipped, and he half insulted the last surgeon they spoke to.

"You're getting rude," she said, dragging him down by his collar to her ear.

Oh, don’t do that…

The tug switched on a part of his brain he'd kept safe from her. They'd both been so good since his sister nearly destroyed everything.

Such respectable friends, open with their emotions except for…

I'm going to ruin that now.

“Sherlock, are you listening to me?” She searched his face for understanding in the dark.

“I thought you said all surgeons are like footballers, egotistical and overpaid,” he sniffed.

She leaned back and frowned. "You said that."

“Hmm…” he matched her frown, then smiled, running his tongue along his teeth. “Oh, yes… I did. But you might have agreed.”

He gasped. She snatched his collar again, with a curl twisted in it now, setting a delightful tingle across his scalp.

“Why is it so hard for you to behave…”

He turned enough so she could meet his stare. "You like me when I don't… why change that now?" His tongue strayed across his lips, letting his gaze drop to hers.

In the dark and flashing light of the room, it hit perfect timing for the scarlet of her lips to show. Her teeth parted and her tongue licked her own lips as well.

“Come with me,” she said, low, releasing him when someone glanced their way.

They reached the bathroom on the front left corner of the room, with no one around. “You know what? Wait here for a moment and then we'll talk.” She stepped in and his hand caught the door as she pushed close it.

Wide-eyed, she let him push it back and close it behind him, meeting her stare.

"Sherlock, what are you—"

His finger to his lips and she clamped her mouth shut. His lips lifted into a sly smile.

"Is there something wrong?" She moved to him and glanced at the door, his hand going back behind him and clicking the lock.

“No, I wanted to talk… privately.”

She sighed out in relief. “We could have gone outside.”

“Then I couldn’t look at you in that dress.”

The bathroom decorated for the theme, feather arrangement, lights low. The cream walls normally boring matched her antique faded gold satin. He soaked in the room along with her.

One last look before you leap…

"Oh, don't be silly…" she chuckled, crossing her arms, and his eyes dropped to the cleavage.

He remained wordless, a hand in his pocket, waiting for her to catch up.

She squinted, shaking her head as she whispered, "Oh… no."

"Molly."

She ran a hand through her short cropped hair. How soon might I do the same?

“Are you really going to do this here? This dance for… god I thought we'd settled this,” she said, the plead in her tone only urged him on more.

“Oh, my sweet Molly, like ice cream on my tongue, freezing every word… until this dress.” he shifted near to her, and she stepped back near the sink.

"I'm not sweet," she said with folded arms, looking down at the cleavage, realising the effect and moving her arms, bracing on the sink basin. “We should go… before you say something you shouldn't.”

"I'll be the judge of that."

She turned toward the mirror with a scoff. “Your judgement is terrible. I don't trust it. But yes…you always thought me too sweet… is that all compassion is to you?” Her gaze went down as she said it and he counted the vertebrae in her neck, concentrating.

How did I get here? How do I get out of it?

But he was bored with ignoring the chemicals running under his skin when she was near.

He closed the distance behind her, and she stiffened. His eyes travelled from the hollow of her throat, slowly following the pink path each capillary displayed with the pump of her heart. Those lips, red and not yet swollen as he'd make them.

His gaze lifted from there up as he spoke his stare meeting hers in the mirror. "My mistake then… I do confess to the two mistakes you accused. But then I recall less gentleness when your hand stuck hard," he raised his hand, tenderly tracing his thumb along her cheekbone, and licked his lips when she shivered. “Do I deserve it again?”

The beadwork, gold and silver sparkling in the low light, entranced him. He traced down with a finger, following along its path, ending in a v, breast swelling with her heightened breath. Her heartbeat was so strong the pulse beat a rhythm under his fingertips. But he never broke his stare, and she held it, her eyes dark and shining.

Gleaming.

And he loved it.

Would she imagine him closing the gap, a canyon between what they've been… and what they will be? Never letting his lips touch, but he assured his breath and its heat performed the same duty as he spoke into her ear… and then her jaw.

"But tell me… did you know how I fought every urge and when it changed… how many times we've almost. When we considered all the possibilities and said no…was it not because you were so principled?" He said with a smirking grin.

Crack.

She’d spun around to face him and struck his left cheek. She gulped hard, and he sighed, waiting for her words to catch up with her hand.

“If this is a game… It's very cruel. You can read what I want without touching. You know every ache, every want… you…” She drew a deep breath through her nose. “Always did. Question is… will you be too high minded … or will you…” She squinted as she spoke, but the tremble he expected was absent.

But this was the Molly he'd fallen for all along, in her own power and never under his. Quite the opposite. Her lips parted, her eyes on his lips as well.

Her breath matched his, and his lungs ached for them to share the same air.

“Which one of us will break… that delicious thick tension we’d spun for years… but…” he tipped his nose against hers and with his hands on either side of her on the washbasin, holding on to the porcelain for dear life, he said near her lips, “It was always yours to take… stop asking for permission.”

Come on now, my Molly.

He let her kiss him, and answered the swell in his chest deepening until his entire mouth encompassed hers, his tongue licking the champagne sugars off hers.

“You kiss like you want me, Sherlock Holmes.” She sighed into his throat, breathless. She'd pressed her body against him when the kiss deepened. He couldn't dare put his arms around her… I might never let go.

He swallowed hard. "The easiest thing I've ever done. You'd be correct… you always were."

“Oh, yes… too sweet. Then…” she said with a huff, leaning back, robbing him of her nearness, and he missed it.

He met her knowing stare.

“You're correct… you always were.” Honesty at last. But he couldn't see if it would help or harm the mood.

She shook her head slightly. “Don't be like that. I don't know what to do with that. It can't fuck me properly.”

“Then tell me what you want. As in to say… I'm done thinking for now. It bores me.” He spoke into her neck, “Tell me the fantasy… I can only read so much from your breath and skin singing under my touch… instruct me to see how to get you there. New memories.”

"Beg me. On your knees. And make sure you say please.”

He sighed. “Now Molly… I wanted to tease you more before I have use of my knees… have you lost patience—”

Her hand covered his mouth, and she pushed him down until her knee dug into his shoulder hard, on his knees in front of her.

“Beg… it's the least you can do if you want me so much… wanted me so long. We're both ignoring our principles now…” she said, each word strong ringing in his mind. “So beg.”

Her mouth is so pretty when she says…

"So beg."

He quieted his mind, a singular focus now. Every sense dialled in to her rich floral perfume, her touch and heartbeat.

The light played on the satin before him, transfixing. “Please,” he said low, running his hands lightly along the golden sleek cloth, seeking her bones underneath like a lost road. “Teach me, tell me what to do.”

“I don’t want to ruin this beautiful dress… put your jacket next to the basin.”

He lingered his hand fascinated with the precise folds of the skirt, shining and shadowing, like the folds he’d soon… he trailed a finger along one close to her hip.

“Now will you be a good boy…and do what I asked or do I…?”

He looked up into her eyes, so far above him like a goddess’ blessing. He held her stare as he snatched the coat off and handed it to her to arrange.

“Now set me—oh!”

As he stood, taking her with him as he grabbed her hips and arse, fingers digging the slippery dress and sat her on the counter so hard she bounced.

He smiled sly as irritation on her skin coloured the same as her blush. I like both too much.

He held his hands up in false surrender.

She huffed out, “Are you going to take instruction or are you gonna improvise your own here?”

“I’ve matured, I like collaboration.” He shrugged a shoulder, leaning over and snatching an ostrich feather out of the full vase next to her. How perfect for the theme this evening. The sheen on the feathers caught the light golden as her dress. He twirled it between his fingers, waiting.

“Nothing else unless I say so,” she said. He didn't miss the gravel and struggle to breathe. Her stare unblinking on the feather.

“Then…” he held the feather out in front of her and lowered it, leaning in meeting her half lidded gaze. “Tell me what to do.”

“I think you guessed I like a tease.”

He nodded, “Oh do I ever…we've done years… little kisses on the cheek like friends,” he let the end of the feather fall across her face, moving it in time to watch the colour rise deep scarlet. “But since we remedied that… … but what's a little more?” He lowered the feather across her neck and she turned her head, opening up and he imagined her nerves jumping.

That neck was like cream he wanted to lick and bruise with his teeth.

Ah, there is the demon I've always feared.

He teased with the feather down between her breasts, and she shuddered with her sigh. Her eyes closed, and he trailed the feather up again, teasing her clavicle, the bones showing their angles in shadow and he wanted to add his own shadow there as well.

She leaned back, head against the mirror. “More,” she whispered out.

The feather up her throat, and he trembled, the tip of it caressing her lips. Now I'm jealous of a feather. He wanted to kiss her again but now bound by the agreement. She'd broken so many rules for him. I can keep this one.

Her breath shuddered as she leaned back over and looked up into his eyes.

“That's enough. Kiss me… kiss me so hard I might bleed.”

He shook his head, and squinted, “Don't ask me to do that. I'll do anything you ask… it is what you deserve, but… those demons don't need to come out yet.”

She gritted her teeth under her lips, “Then kiss me like you love me.”

I'm gonna ignore those tears. They're not here to stay.

He kissed her so tenderly he thought they both might break.

She stopped for a breath, and spoke into his ear, “I love you too… Now that's out of the way, kiss me however you want… but I want your hands to move this skirt out of the way.”

He lifted her and shoved it out of the way behind her, and she helped gather the top. He hates the skirt now. Should have encouraged her for a short flapper dress, one with a delightful fringe he could have twirled in his fingers near her knee.

No matter. The music kicked up loud outside the bathroom, the low beat thumping under his hand resetting just beside her thigh like a heartbeat.

“Tell me what you want… my touch or my tongue.” He licked his lips, drying from his breath increased as much as hers. Oh, to find out how sweet she really is.

“Touch… I think that's all I can stand for now,” she said with an unsteady voice. “Talk to me. Tell what you want… tell me what you will do… your voice is the only sound I want in my head.”

His thumbs strayed to her thighs, bare and like silk. Circles and caresses, and he leaned into her ear, “Can you please…” he caressed over her knees. "lean back to the wall, my love, I don't want you to hurt that pretty head."

“Yes… more,” she said, exposing that creamy throat again.

“Can I kiss your neck… please?”

“Yes… god yes, but… I need your fingers,” she reached a trembling hand and grasped his, setting it on inner thigh. "I need them inside me." The fire like heat pulsed against his palm. She's so wet for me…

But first, he raised his fingers up to his mouth, letting her observe him wet them, meeting her stare.

He tugged her soaked knickers aside. Two fingers found her folds. So ready for him, his knees nearly buckled. He turned his fingers and met her clit with his thumb, gently as she was so hard. She pulled and tugged on his fingers, whimpering, calling him like a siren's song.

She's always been the rock I'd dash myself on.

His lips on her throat, and she burrowed her nails in his curls and scalp. Those low moans barely reached his ears, but they vibrated under his tongue, the salt of her skin mouthwatering.

Bang bang.

The lock jiggled.

They both glanced at the lock, wide-eyed, but it held.

Oh, that will not do.

Her movement on his fingers wavered, but he pressed further, finding the spot that nearly made her cry out and he grinned into the hollow of her throat and flicked it with his tongue.

Her moan louder, but he clamped his hand tight over her mouth, every knock urging him on, his thumb playing with clit, soaking wet dripping down as his fingers curled. Her panicked peeks at the door replaced as she closed her eyes and smiled into his hand, her sigh hot and panted.

He turned her face and leaned into her ear, nipping as he spoke. “Is that adding to the effect? There'll be no mistake what I did to you when we leave together… they’ll know… shame they can’t hear the crying moan I want to hear… A shame for me. Tell me. Harder or softer… how long do you want them to wait?”

She panted into his hand. "Harder… oh god… I'm so close. Don't stop that or I'll hit you again."

The brat in him wanted to tease her. But this wasn't the time.

But his deep voice, he knew its effect, and he spoke, meeting her lidded stare with his own.

"They love our brilliant brains, don't you think? But they don't see us as humans. Never will, but we can see and feel it now. It's our little secret how human we can both be."

She whimpered and tightened but… no it's not quite there.

“Can you come for me… please?”

“Kiss me one more time… I… oh…” she said with a shudder, her legs tightening on his hand.

And kiss her he did, so hard she might bleed and she cried out into his mouth and shuddered down into her orgasm, pulsing so deliciously around his finger he almost came himself.

She slumped, and he stared, pulling out.

When she met his gaze, she whispered, “You can taste the results… and think about when we get home.”

He sucked his fingers clean, not blinking and her smile, slight, ended with a shivered whimper.

Much too sweet… I can't wait for more.

#ukthxbye is ficcing #sherlolly #molly hooper #sherlock holmes #bbc sherlock #angst and smut #feels #angst is their kink and they've sorted that out

15 notes · View notes

thedryswan · 26 days

Text

Mr John Tracy refrained from rolling his eyes. Once again his brothers had urged him to join them at the assemblies and despite all his arguments against, including the necessity of remaining in Marlborough Square as companion to his youngest brother, the Captain, Mr Virgil and Mr Gordon had somehow transported him to the carriage and the frankly overcrowded rooms.

As was usual, the rooms were filled with ambitious mothers, anxious daughters and gentlemen navigating a dangerous and delicate path between both. For this, he thought, his books and research were left unattended at home? At least he was not bound to remain at his brothers' sides and so he began to weave his way through the ballroom towards the refreshment rooms where a cool glass of lemonade might be had.

He glanced at a small group standing near the dance floor, his eye instantly caught by a young lady with eyes as bright and vibrant a hue of blue as his eldest brother. Her dark hair, so dark a brown as to be almost black, was piled high on her head, curls delightfully framing her face. She wore an elegant and fitted gown of pale purple silk, the latest in Paris fashion, and long white gloves, an ivory fan held in her hand. He knew how well the cut of his own coat fitted him, the fabric the colour of the night sky, and that the knee breeches and stockings showed his form to full advantage.

If he was surprised to notice her, her surprise at noticing him was no less and the pair blinked at each other for what felt like an eternity. Not pausing to bow, Mr John returned to where his brothers and Lady Hannah were standing, profiting from a moment where the Captain and Mr Virgil's attentions were elsewhere to ask Lady Hannah quietly who the group might be, certain that her encyclopedic knowledge of the Ton would include the strangers.

"Who?" she asked, looking to where he was discreetly pointing.

"Let me think, ah yes. Miss Shore, Lieutenant George Sheridan, Captain Troy Tempest, both naval officers from America I believe and who most likely will be returning to New York at the end of the season, and their English cousins Mr Adam Tempest and Miss Selene Tempest. Son and daughter of Sir Rufus and Lady Celia Tempest. They have an estate in --shire."

Looking at Mr John in some amusement, Lady Hannah smiled. "Are you feeling suddenly inclined to dance this evening, Mr John?"

"Uh, well, uh. Perhaps. I'm not sure I know all the steps, but-"

"But with the right partner, Mr John, an incomplete knowledge of the steps is immaterial. Shall we walk?"

She took his arm and moved down the room, inexorably leading him onwards until she suddenly stopped with a quiet cry of delight.

"Miss Tempest! Miss Shore! I had not thought to see you here, how delightful. Captain Tempest? Mr Tempest? May I have the honour of presenting Mr John Tracy?"

At that moment, the orchestra struck up for the next dance. Lieutenant Sheridan invited Miss Shore to dance, Captain Tempest smiling benevolently at them. Moving to where Mr Tempest stood by his sister, lowering her voice, Lady Hannah spoke.

"I do apologise, Mr Tempest, for my audacious request, but Miss Tempest, would you by any chance have this next dance for Mr John?"

Mr John blushed at Lady Hannah's forthright request, Miss Tempest gave an elegant curtsy and allowed herself to be led into the dance and with a nod of thanks, her ladyship returned to her own party where Captain Tracy and Mr Virgil were standing, quite amazed at the sight of their younger brother, apparently entranced, following the dance surefootedly and without the slightest mistake.

"How did you manage that?" asked the Captain.

"The magic of a ballroom combined with the beauty of a young lady, Captain."

@selene-tempest @willow-salix

#regency tracys #selene tempest #thedryswan #thunderbirds fanfiction

14 notes · View notes

misabeauwrites · 6 months

Text

With the Tide chapter one

Wattpad link Word count: 2322 Summary: An heiress left widowed at just twenty years old leaves her family to find some peace in the seaside cottage left to her by her late aunt. But when she saves the life of a half-man creature, she finds herself becoming a part of the best kept secret in town and the more time she spends with him, the more she starts to fall in love with the creature until she's faced with a choice; stay with him and lose her inheritance or return to the comfortable life she had before.

New England, 1899

“We’re here, miss!”

The driver’s shout over the wind stirred Margaret from her dreamless sleep. She opened her eyes to a dark sky over endless fields of beach grass slowly passing by the carriage window. Margaret sat up, wincing in pain from the awkward position she had slept in. The barely padded seats of the rickety old carriage must be responsible for her aching back, as well.

But the pain was quickly forgotten when she looked out the window and caught sight of the cottage at the bottom of the hill.

Her cottage.

She pressed her face to the glass, her breath fogging the window as a small, but no less excited smile spread across her face. Even at a distance, she could make out the white wood of the tiny home where her most treasured childhood memories were made.

The twin horses at the front of the carriage trotted down the hill and Margaret fixed her dark coat, preparing to finally get out and stretch her legs after being in the cramped carriage for so long.

The horses slowed to a stop by the cottage’s worn down white gate. The driver, a kindly old man by the name of Mr. Ben, carefully hopped down from his perch. He patted one of his horses’ hindquarters, looking over them both with a concerned eye. It had been a long ride from town to the coast but his horses were still going strong and he had no doubt they would make it back home alright.

Mr. Ben moved to the carriage door, pulled it open, and held out his wrinkled hand to his passenger with a kind smile. Taking his hand, Margaret smiled at him in return and took in the sight of the cottage as she stepped down from the carriage.

It was more melancholic and even smaller than she remembered. Her rosy memories didn’t include the horribly overgrown garden or the dilapidated rooftop due to neglect. It was a far cry from the grand estates she was accustomed to.

But it was hers and hers alone. And that was enough for Margaret.

Her pristine black shoes were immediately dirtied when she set foot on the ground, her heels slightly sinking into the soft dirt. It had rained all through the night of their journey. The heavy dark clouds lingering overhead promised even more rain.

The driver let go of her hand when she was steady and he reached up to the top of the carriage, undoing the ties keeping her bags in place. It prompted Margaret to start searching her handbag slung over her wrist for the key to the place. When her gloved hand brushed against cool metal, she pulled it out and held it tucked into her palm as she moved to the low picket gate. It opened with a weathered creak at her gentle push and she walked down the short cobbled pathway leading to the front door, Mr. Ben trailing behind with one of her bags over his shoulder.

Once she stood before the small, dark door aged by the salt in the air, Margaret slid the bronze key into the lock, turned it, and the door opened with a similar, painful noise as the gate.

Margaret pushed her inside, leaving the door wide open for Mr. Ben.

The cottage’s interior was almost pitch black, lit only by the faintest light coming through the doorway. Margaret blinked, forcing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, and familiar shapes started to appear. White sheets covered the furniture, but she could make out the large bed pushed up against the far wall.

Next to the bed was the large window that she remembered overlooked the sea. It was sealed shut by the shutters, like all the other windows. She could make out the woodstove sat on the bed’s other side, a stack of wood neatly placed beside it.

She looked to her right to see the small kitchen where she learned how to cook and a bittersweet fondness swept through her at the memory.

“That’s about it, miss.”

Mr. Ben’s voice pulled her out of her nostalgia and she turned to watch the old man drop the last of her bags on the floor. He rubbed his hands together, breathing heavily, and looked at her with a slight worry deepening the lines on his face. “Are you sure you’ll be alright on your own, little miss? It’s quite a ways from town.”

His concern for her, despite them being perfect strangers, touched Margaret. “I’ll be fine, Mr. Ben, don’t worry.” She reached into her handbag for the money she owed and held it out to him with a genuine smile. “Thank you so much for all your help.”

The driver took it and tipped his cap to her. “You’re very welcome, miss. But if you ever get lonely, there’s a fishing village about two miles that way.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “If you can handle the smell, you can get your groceries from there, too.”

His little joke got a chuckle out of her. “Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Margaret saw Mr. Ben off from her doorstep, waving after the carriage as his horses went back the way they came. She watched him disappear over the hill and dropped her arm to her side.

It was just her and the sea now.

Margaret expected to feel immediately lonely, but being alone didn’t sound as dreadful to her as it once might have.

It was almost… comforting after the chaos that had been her reality for the past year.

She turned and went back inside, closing the door behind her. The sound brought a sense of finality. This cottage would be her entire world for the next few months.

Exhausted from the road, Margaret pressed her forehead against the door and let out a deep sigh.

She couldn’t rest just yet – there was work to do.

So she set about opening the shutters to let some light in, starting with the bay window looking out over the water. Fresh, salty air filled the cottage for what must have been the first time in years. The sky was still overcast, but the storm seemed to be moving away from the coast so she opened every window. Once she was done, she stood in the middle of the open space, looking around her new home.

The cottage was still a little dreary in the light of day yet the fresh air was a marked improvement. The white sheets over the furniture fluttered in the breeze and dust floated in the air. It would need a thorough cleaning after so many years of abandonment.

Margaret reached up and started removing her wide-brimmed hat. But her hat was the only thing keeping her hair in it’s poorly done style and when she took it off, her dark hair came tumbling loose down her back. Margaret tsked, deciding to leave it be. Nothing frustrated her more than doing her own hair.

She shrugged off her traveling coat, revealing a heavy black dress. Margaret scowled at the sight of it.

The dreadful color had latched itself onto her like a disease.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wear it for much longer. There was no one around to chastise her for breaking tradition now.

Margaret threw her black hat, coat, and gloves down over her bags and pushed her sleeves up as far as they would go. She moved to the closest piece of furniture and pulled the sheet off, revealing an old, dated sofa she knew for certain was the same one from her childhood. Aunt Violet was never one to let go of things.

That old, heavy weight settled in her heart at the thought of her beloved aunt, despite how long it had been since she passed. As Margaret gathered the sheets, she found more echoes of her. From the doilies covering every available surface to the knitting tools in a box by her favorite armchair – even the walls were painted her aunt’s favorite shade of pale blue.

When her father had read out his sister’s will all those years ago, it hadn’t made any sense at the time why Violet had left her seaside home to Margaret. The most she thought her aunt would leave her were a few dresses and some jewelry to remember her by.

A home on the East Coast was the last thing she expected – what use would Margaret have of an old little cottage?

Perhaps Violet knew she would need an escape someday.

Throwing the last sheet onto the pile, Margaret took a breath and looked at her progress so far.

The furniture was uncovered, the cottage was being aired out, and after some dusting and washing that would take the better part of a day, she would only have to find space for her own trinkets and her easel. And the bay window looked like the perfect spot.

Margaret turned around to search her bags for her box easel, but her attention was stolen by a long, thin table against the wall she hadn’t noticed before. Three dusty photographs were arranged in frames in front of a vase of dead, withered flowers. Margaret slowly walked over and picked up the middle one, tilting the intricate frame towards the light.

It was a photograph of her. No older than six or seven years old, dressed in her finest clothes without any of her siblings or parents. The younger Margaret had a bright smile on her face despite how long she remembered she had to pose for the photographer.

Margaret startled a little when a drop of water hit the photograph and she realized it was her. Tears had filled her eyes for reasons too many to name.

She set the frame down on it’s face, sniffling as she wiped her eyes dry with her fingertips.

Deciding she needed some sort of distraction, she kneeled down and started going through her bags. She quickly found what she was looking for – her folded easel, along with her paints and oils. The easel was a small thing, stained with every color imaginable, but it stood taller than she did as she extended it.

She carried it over to the bay window, setting it just right so she had a perfect view of the ocean. Dark clouds still lingered on the horizon and the waves crashed against the shore only a few dozen meters from where she stood.

It was a stunning sight – one that would make for a perfect painting.

The scene brought her again back to when she was a girl, playing in the shallows as her aunt and mother watched over her from under a canopy pinned in the sand.

How she longed to feel so carefree again.

Margaret then realized she had the power to do whatever she liked. Her mother wasn’t there to stop and scold her. Perhaps she was too old at twenty to go frolicking in the sea, but in that moment, she didn’t care.

The warm wind swept her hair off her shoulders as she stepped out the door, not even bothering to close it. Remembering the shortcut through the garden, she took care not to trip on any greenery as she walked around the white cottage. It pained her to see Aunt Violet’s once meticulously maintained vegetable garden reduced to this, but she didn’t have the faintest idea how to deal with plants. Maybe she could hire someone in the village to at least clear away the weeds.

Upon reaching a small gate at the back of the house, Margaret opened it and started on the wooden planks leading to the sands. The closer she got to the sound of crashing waves, the more she picked up her pace until she was nearly but not quite running, holding up her black skirt to her knees.

For the first time in months, she allowed herself to smile – a real smile.

When the wooden planks started to be covered in sand, she slowed down, catching her breath. She couldn’t remember the last time she had run outside. Or at all, really. Margaret stared out at the water stretching out for miles, her smile growing wider. There wasn’t another soul on the beach. Her only companions would be the seagulls and the crabs burrowed beneath the sand.

Not fancying a twisted ankle, Margaret kicked off her shoes and tentatively pressed her bare foot onto the sand. The cool, brittle sensation made her giggle and she gathered up her skirt to take off running down the beach.

Freer than she had been in years, Margaret’s feet barely touched the ground and in the next moment, the waves were rolling past her ankles. The cold water raised goosebumps along her skin and she shivered in delight. As the waves retreated, her hands went to the belt on her waist. She hurriedly undid the clasp, her dark skirt falling away and leaving her in just her petticoat, and she threw the skirt behind her where the water couldn’t reach it.

It was scandalously indecent, but in her haste to escape, she had forgotten to pack a bathing suit.

It was still early morning so the sea was calm, the waves barely having any force behind them. But Margaret knew all too well how quickly that could change and so she stopped when she was knee-deep in the sea, the waves crashing against her thighs.

Margaret closed her eyes and the ambience of the ocean to wash over her. The sound of waves, the cry of sea birds, the wind carrying the salty air into her lungs – it was a peace she had longed for without even realizing it.

At that moment, Margaret couldn’t imagine being happier anywhere else in the world.

Even as her traitorous mind warned her it wouldn’t last.

#writing #writers on tumblr #merman #monster boyfriend #monster romance #cover by me!#project: with the tide

13 notes · View notes

falconcoast · 1 year

Text

the charity ball | kaeya x reader

day six. holiday party ft. kaeya

event masterlist

after a teasing night, kaeya meets you out by the fountain for one last dance.

a/n: a day late but at this point i don’t really care because i put it off in order to absolutely crush my biz law midterm 🙌

tags: wine, a lil jealousy

you didn’t understand why you were so jealous.

the knights’ charity ball only came once a year during december. the soldiers from all over mondstadt came to the goth hotel to raise additional funds for the organization. silent auctions were held, with pieces given by the finest artists in teyvat. talks were held by the most preeminent knights, including the acting grandmaster herself, jean gunnhildr. and of course, the charity ball included the option for dance.

it was really supposed to be a wondrous night. but in your corner, you stewed with envy and bitterness, hiding your displeasure behind a flute of champagne. all dressed up, with white gloves, a shined sword at your sword, and a gold and blue coat.

the second of the ragnvindr brothers was the reason for your anger. as his second-in-command, you were displeased by his actions. as the cavalry captain, he should have been presenting himself with the utmost decorum, especially at a formal occasion like this. yet here he was, swinging around another knight on his arm, twirling her around. they exchanged laughter, making you clench your glass.

he had been doing this all night, making himself just out of your reach. even at the start, when you arrived, he spared a mischievous glance before disappearing into the crowd.

you knew it wasn’t just that your field partner was enjoying himself a little too much tonight. kaeya’s sly comments and flirtatious compliments were recently getting to your head. as a knight by his side for nearly two years now, you reflected that it was inevitable. no one, not even you, could resist the charms of the cavalry captain.

frustrated, you turned on your heel in an attempt to cool down. there was no use in staying, not when you had done your duty for the night. giving your graces to a passing sommelier, you pulled at your white silk gloves, pat your sword, and set off into the night.

outside, barbatos’ breeze was gentle but cold. passing the fountain, you stared at your reflection. you tucked your hands behind your back, looking at the mirrored moon. a figure voiced your reflection, staring at you.

“the moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” the figure asked, making you nearly jump out of your skin. drawing your sword, you held it up against the person’s chin. a soft chuckle came out of their chest as you processed their voice. “my, you’d think after two years of working together you’d know my voice by now.”

“oh,” you breathed, dropping your sword. “captain kaeya. it’s just you.”

“that it is,” he said, brushing off his suit coat. he wore a white and blue suit, with fitted gold buttons and navy blue sash. you sheathed your sword, relaxing your tense body. “you walked out so quickly. i was wondering if something was wrong.”

“there is nothing wrong,” you disagreed, hand still on the hilt of your sword. “i have completed my work at the charity ball tonight, so i decided to leave. surely, you’re familiar with it; you leave at six o’clock promptly to go have a drink at angel’s share.”

“always hitting it where it hurts,” he mused, pursing his lips into a thin smile.

he didn’t leave you alone. his eye shone down on you, carefully observing your pensive look. you stared back with an equal intensity. “are you planning on interrogating me, or can i go home?”

“you acted differently today. i just wanted to make sure that you were alright.”

“well, i certainly am as i have previously stated, so you can go back to your-your frivolous dancing and drinking,” you replied, turning around and making for the stairs.

“oh, i see. is that what this is all about?” kaeya asked, grabbing your hand. “were you jealous?”

“what?!” you exclaimed, snapping your hand back, clutching it to your chest. “no, you’re preposterous.”

“ah-ah, i think your face is telling, my darling.” darling?! you screamed internally, turning your head away from him. taking your chin into his hand, he smiled. “admittedly, it is quite cute to see you get flustered. but, i will indulge you.”

“i never said--”

quickly, he swept you by the waist, bringing your hand up into the waltz position. he wolfishly grinned as he took the first step. “they say that all knights should know how to dance. you know, just in case they ever need to fulfill their fairytale duties.”

on the cobblestone path, you and your partner slowly danced. you ducked your head down, bashful. “i suppose that is one area in which i lack, then,” you admitted.

“no, i think you’re a wonderful dancer,” he said. “and a pretty one at that.”

you wanted to throw down your gloves out of embarrassment from his words, but you didn’t. instead, you searched his eyes for earnestness and found that that was all there was to it. swallowing, you let yourself be moved by him.

kaeya was warm, much warmer than the chilly air outside. his pulse beat faintly against your wrist. if you could, you wanted to stay in his embrace forever. slowly, you both came to a stop. leaning down, he kissed your hand. “we should not be doing this,” you faintly whispered, looking down at him. “what will one of your admirer’s say when they see us like this?”

“what does it matter what an admirer thinks when all i want is you?” he replied, tilting his head with a knowing smile.

“you mustn't be so forward…”

“and you mustn’t deny what you feel,” he murmured, standing up straight. his face neared yours, tilting your chin again. “may i kiss you?”

all you could do was nod. his lips were on yours in an instant, and a new feeling settled in your chest. after months of denial, you finally let yourself embrace him, denying duty in favor of your heart. pulling away with a heaving chest, you looked at him expectantly.

“once more?” he asked teasingly. “we do have all night.”

“yes, once more,” you whispered, before kissing him again.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya alberich x reader #kaeya #genshin impact reader insert #genshin impact imagines

81 notes · View notes

savemefromanepicoftimewasted · 10 months

Text

It's Your Burden To Carry

Detective Joel Miller X F!Reader

Joel wished he had the answers, to figure out exactly why someone was attacking innocent women for their own sick pleasure. It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened, and it definitely wasn’t going to be the last. A/N:this fic deals with VERY heavy topics, please read with caution! there is also an alternate ending so if you would like to read it let me know and i will post that seperately! warnings:mentions of murder, descriptions of murder, violence, gore, blood, death, crime scenes

Joel was tired, he’d been staring at the crime scene photos for nearly two hours at this point. Not to mention his phone had been going off since he took off at four in the morning, sending a text to the two teens that they’d be cooking breakfast for themselves. It was the usual for them, Joel would get called into the office when the world was still asleep, and the girls would wake up to another text from him. It was a painful reminder that he’d started to neglect them, that he’d chosen this life when Sarah was just four years old.

It paid the bills though, and right now that was the only thing that mattered to Joel, he could deal with everything else in due time. Tommy was often the one telling him to go home, that he could pick up the slack and call if there was a break in the case. When was the last time he’d had a full day off with no interruptions? Shit, maybe he did need to take some time off and come back to everything with a clear head.

“Been another murder, already got the area taped off,” Well, there went Joel’s hopes of going home for a few hours.

“Let’s go,” Joel threw his coat on, following behind Tommy and Bill as they made their way out to their cars.

The drive wasn’t long which unnerved Joel to no end, the killer was getting even closer to home, and there was no way in hell they would get close enough to Sarah or Ellie. Tommy had given him the quick rundown of what the cops had found during the drive. She was the youngest victim yet, at barely twenty years old. What kind of sick person chose people that were barely even adults themselves to murder?

“They’re trying to keep this one from the press, said she was mutilated when they found her,” Goddamnit, it really was too early for this.

“How bad?” Joel had seen some horrific scenes in his day, but this would land at the very top.

Tommy didn’t say anything as he pulled up beside Bill’s car, shutting off the engine with a quiet sigh. The air was thick with humidity as Joel slipped outside of the car, hopefully the girls were staying cool at home. As he followed Tommy and Bill down to the area, the scent of rotting flesh hit him full force. It was something he’d never been able to get over, the way it lingered on his clothes and skin hours after he left for the day.

They were photographing everything that looked like it could be evidence, from the body, to the small blood trail that led down to the body. It was draining him slowly, day by day Joel could only handle so much before he would break.

“We got a name?” Joel slipped on his glasses, making sure there weren’t any smudges so he could take a look around for himself.

“Found her purse nearby, her license says Lily Evans,” Bill held out the thin plastic card, waiting until Joel slipped on a pair of gloves to safely take the card.

She really was just a kid, or what Joel would consider a kid at least, just a few years older than Sarah and Ellie. No, don’t start thinking like that, focus on finding the goddamn killer and stopping them from hurting anyone else. The media were having a field day with the fact that no one had been able to catch the killer, comparing them to people like Bundy, and Dennis Rader. It wasn’t for lack of trying, they would spend hours scouring the crime scenes for any signs of a clue that would lead them in any positive direction.

“Jesus, girl didn’t even hit twenty-one,” Joel sighed, handing the license back over to one of the agents that was collecting evidence.

“You know that’s their schtick, they go after the girls that can’t defend themselves,” Tommy had made his way down to the body, eyes taking everything in.

The sight was nearly enough to make Joel sick, mutilated was too kind of a word to describe the horrors that lay in front of him. The other bodies had at least been intact, this one was clearly a personal vendetta.

“She’s got bruising around her neck, can’t tell if it’s from their hands or something else,” Bill knelt down further, carefully turning her head.

Joel recognized that type of bruising, it wasn’t something that was done to cause any true harm to the poor girl.

“That’s not from the killer, the marks are too far down,” Joel’s face heated up, what a way to announce that he’d been on both ends of those types of marks.

“That solves at least one of the many questions we have, but why cut her body apart?” Bill had always been the first at every crime scene, nothing prepared him anymore.

Joel wished he had the answers, to figure out exactly why someone was attacking innocent women for their own sick pleasure. It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened, and it definitely wasn’t going to be the last. Maybe he could get transferred somewhere else that wasn’t so intense. Sarah and Ellie deserved someone that could be home for longer than an hour a day.

“Found something guys,” Bill waved Tommy and Joel over, keeping enough distance to not disturb the evidence he’d found.

It was a white card, Joel’s name written in calligraphy across the very middle of it. Joel nervously reached out, gingerly picking up the card and turning it over. A photo of him and his two girls was pinned to the back. Whoever this was had gotten too close and now his family was in danger.

“Get this to evidence, I’m going home and getting the girls down to mom’s” Joel handed the card to Bill before all but sprinting to his car.

The drive over was nerve wracking, Joel’s heart was racing as he swerved between lanes to cut off a few more minutes of driving. What if he was too late and the girls were gone by the time he reached the house? Fuck! He parked haphazardly, yanking the keys out of the ignition before running to the front door. As he turned the door handle his heart dropped, it was unlocked. He’d definitely locked it this morning, right? He pushed the door open harshly, barely wincing as it slammed against the wall.

“Sarah?! Ellie!” Joel could barely hear anything over the heartbeat in his ears.

“Dad?” Sarah’s head popped out from the kitchen, brow raised as she stared over at her father.

“Grab your suitcase and pack a bag, you and Ellie are going to grandma Miller’s for a little bit,” Joel didn’t want to worry either of the girls, but right now his biggest concern was keeping them safe.

Sarah looked flabbergasted, the last time she’d seen her dad this scared was back when Ellie came into their lives and Joel was now outnumbered. This was completely different, this was a fear she’d never truly seen.

“Whoa, what’s going on?” She ran over to him, placing her hands on his arms to stop his frantic pacing.

“I just need you guys to pack a bag for me, please,” Joel wasn’t above begging, he’d done it many times before.

“Okay, I’ll tell Ellie,” Sarah headed up to her bedroom, stopping by Ellie’s and letting her know the situation with the very little information she had.

Today couldn’t get any worse, it seriously couldn’t get any fucking worse. What would he do if something had happened to them while he was out checking another crime scene? No, they were both fine and he’d make sure nothing bad happened to them. He’d be able to spend more time at the office without worrying if the girls were in danger at least.

“Alright let’s go old man,” Ellie plopped down her bags with Sarah following close behind.

“Go get in the car, I’m gonna lock up,” Joel waited until both the girls had left before following close behind.

A Uhaul truck caught his attention, was he finally getting a new neighbor after nearly a year since the Adlers had moved out? The house had been renovated from what Joel had heard from when he would get his mail. Okay maybe it was Sarah who actually found out but that wasn’t important right now.

“Looks like we got a new neighbor,” Sarah threw her bags into the trunk, helping Ellie with hers.

“We’ll make our presence known later today, for now let’s get in the car so we can go,” Joel ushered the two girls into the car, sending a friendly wave to the pretty…very pretty neighbor.

She waved back excitedly before rushing back onto the truck. Joel’s luck truly was running out, he finally gets a new neighbor but he’s too worried about work to think of anything else. Maybe he’d introduce himself when he got back home. Ellie and Sarah kept up a constant conversation as Joel drove down to his mom’s place. There was no way the killer would know where she lived, considering she lived more in the countryside. Shit this was not how he’d wanted his day to go, or his entire week to be honest.

“Now I’m gonna need you two to behave, you hear me?” Joel glanced over at Sarah, knowing that Ellie was also listening in.

“Yes dad, we’ll behave for grandma,” She’d never had anything bad to say about either of the girls, even when Ellie had shown up for the first time.

“Thank you,” Joel needed to keep his blood pressure from rising. The last thing he needed was to have a heart attack in the middle of solving this damn case.

The scenery on the drive was gorgeous, enough to help ease his mind for the time that he would be out of the office. Tommy could hold down the fort and get everything organized until Joel finally got back.

“I’m not gonna be able to stay, so if she’s not home use the key that she gave you okay?” Joel needed to get back as soon as possible, and right now he was still nervous.

“You know she’s gonna end up calling you to ask for answers,” Sarah was too smart for her own good sometimes, but that's besides the point

“Yeah I know, and I’ll tell her as much as I can later,” Joel pulled up to the house, waiting until the girls got out before bidding them a quick goodbye.

Everything would be perfectly fine, he just needed to get back and discuss everything with Bill and Tommy and see where they needed to go from here. Maybe he should stop by the house and grab something to eat, he was practically running on fumes.

Now if you had asked Joel how he managed to make the drive back without crashing, well he wouldn’t be able to properly answer as he wasn’t sure how he’d done that. The Uhaul next door was gone when he parked, was he really gone that long? Shaking his head Joel slipped out of the car, stumbling up to the front door. The new neighbor was standing outside looking through a couple of boxes.

“Hello! You must be Joel,” How the hell did she already know his name?

“Umm yeah, you our new neighbor?” Joel walked over to the edge of his yard, unsure of how she would feel with him in her space.

“I am, pardon my manners, my name’s Y/N,” Your face flushed as you realized you were staring at this man who looked like a walking zombie at the moment.

Joel liked your name, the way it sounded slipping through your lips so easily.

“Nice to meet you, and welcome to the neighborhood. If you ever need something don’t hesitate to stop by, just make sure the lights are on before you do,” Joel nodded and turned to head back to his house before you called out his name.

“Well if there isn’t a Mrs, do you think a date could be in order?” You’d never been so bold before, but something about Joel drew you to him.

“Well I might have to make an exception for someone as cute as you,” Joel smirked as you became flustered, maybe the new neighbor wouldn’t be so bad?

~~~

It had been nearly a week since Joel had dropped off the girls, and besides trying to keep himself sane during work, the moment he left and was reunited with you? Everything was finally alright. The two of you were practically inseparable after that very first date, even if Joel couldn’t tell you much about what he did for work. You understood of course, he was working with some very serious topics and didn’t want to upset you. You’d told him your boring job of being an accountant at one of the local law firms. While the job was boring the pay was wonderful and you were able to afford a house on a single income.

You had gone out to nice places, and had even gotten a midnight dinner at a local diner Joel took the girls to from time to time. You knew it was too early to really decide what the two of you were, but god you were infatuated with him. Joel on the other hand was ready to admit that he really liked you and wanted to move things along.

Neither of you said anything though, not wanting to rush the relationship and scare off one another. So here you were, driving home after yet another amazing dinner date. Joel was going to head into the office and see if there was anything new found at the most recent crime scene. He wasn’t holding his breath, but there was always that small sliver of hope that things would finally look up for him.

As much as Joel liked to call himself a gentleman, he didn’t hesitate to walk you to your front door after each date. Tonight was no different, even if you could feel his hand grazing your lower back gently.

“Thank you again, tonight was absolutely amazing,” You turned to face him, a bright smile on your face.

“Thank you for letting me take you out,” Joel leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your lips.

You sighed softly into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck. The two of you stood there for what felt like hours, getting lost in the feeling of one another. Of course you didn’t want to pull away from the embrace, but your lungs were burning for air.

“Get inside before I get us in trouble,” Joel patted your ass, chuckling when you playfully slapped his chest.

“I’ll hold you to that, next time,” You pressed one final kiss to his lips before rushing inside.

Joel was on cloud nine, listening to the crickets sing their own songs as he made his way into the house. There wasn’t anything else that could bring down his mood, maybe they’d finally make a break in the case and he could bring the girls back home. He kept the lights off, heading towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water. As he reached for the glass he’d left on the counter earlier that day, a sudden pain spread through his neck. Reaching up he felt a syringe sticking out of his neck.

“Oh fuck,” Joel’s eyes rolled back as he hit the ground.

~~~

Joel’s head was pounding, vision blurry as he struggled to take in his surroundings. The last thing he could remember was going on a date with you. He’d dropped you off at your house before heading back to his own, Sarah wanted her teddy bear. Shit, did they know he was going to visit Sarah and Ellie? No, he’d been keeping their communication to a minimum because of what had happened.

His head whipped around as the sound of creaking floorboards caught his attention, so he was in someone’s basement. Glancing around the dim and musty basement Joel tried to take everything in that he could actually see. A washer and dryer sat in the far corner, a drying rack directly next to the two machines. Shit, there wasn’t enough to give him any idea of who this could be.

There was one thing that suddenly caught his eye, a coat he’d seen more times than not in the last few years. He’d given them shit for not fixing the rip in the shoulder, saying it would be ruined by the end of the year. Oh shit.

“I wondered how long it was going to take you to find out, but clearly you’re not as smart as you claimed,” Her voice sent chills down his spine, this couldn’t be happening.

“Lovely to see you as well,” Joel kept his gaze straight, refusing to acknowledge she was even in the room.

She snickered lowly, footsteps echoing as she came to a stop in front of Joel. A knife held loosely in her right hand should’ve made him more nervous than he was. This was how it was all going to end, he wouldn’t be able to tell Sarah or Ellie the truth.

“Why kill so many young women? What did they ever do to you?” Joel swallowed thickly, palms sweating profusely.

“It should’ve been obvious after you found the first body, why do you think Tommy was so unnerved around her?” Maria leaned down slowly, her presence was enough to make Joel feel sick.

“Anyone that’s sane is going to be unnerved around a dead body, don’t act surprised,” Maybe he shouldn’t be so snarky, but right now he was terrified.

Maria sighed, leaning away from Joel and the only light source she’d turned on. Joel was bathed in the light, giving him enough vision to see himself and a few feet in front of him. However once Maria had gotten far enough away he had no idea where she had gone, what was she planning on doing?

“He had been sleeping with her, each and every girl was a fucking bootycall for him because I was too busy with work,” Maria’s tone was venomous, she was murdering innocent women because Tommy was unfaithful.

“They did nothing wrong, if you’re going to be angry with anyone be mad at him!” Joel would defend Tommy with his last breath, but knowing he was the reason Maria had snapped? It sickened him.

Maria sighed to herself, setting down the hunting knife and slipping on a pair of thick black gloves. Shit, this was starting to get too real for Joel.

“I did confront him when I found out he’d slept with three different women, he got down on his knees and begged me not to divorce him. If he only knew what was going to happen,” Maria ran a finger along the edge of the blade, humming softly.

Joel grunted as he pulled against the restraints, blood pooling against the coarse rope binding his wrists together. The hold was loosening ever so slightly but he couldn’t do anything to let Maria know he was trying to free himself.

“He’s always been too proud to admit his faults, but Jesus, Maria, divorce would’ve been the more logical fucking answer,” Joel damn near screamed as his right hand was freed, grabbing the rope to prevent it from hitting the floor.

“And let him go after girls even younger? He’s a sick man, Joel, and the sooner you see that the better,” Maria turned back towards him, her eyes looked so lifeless.

“Then let me do my own investigation on him, get him off the street so he can’t hurt anyone else,” Joel would do whatever it took to get back to his two girls, begging be damned.

Maria’s smirk was enough to send the fear of God through Joel, how had he been so blind to see that she was behind all the gruesome murders. The knife suddenly caught his attention, a small flicker of light glinting off the blade before it was embedded into the soft plush of his stomach. Joel coughed violently, dropping the rope and struggling to free his left wrist. Maria had clearly not realized Joel’s wrists were free until he swung a fist towards the side of her head. He managed to hit her temple, knocking her to the ground.

Joel groaned, grabbing the handle of the blood and pushing up and off the chair he’d just been bound to. Maria didn’t move as Joel limped towards the stairs that lead up to the kitchen, maybe he’d gotten lucky enough to knock her out. Each stair brought on a pain that Joel never knew he could imagine. Just get out of the house and get to the station.

There was a set of keys sitting on the kitchen table, without thinking Joel grabbed them and ran out to where Maria’s car sat. All but throwing himself into the passenger seat, Joel locked the doors immediately. The last thing he needed was Maria managing to wake up and coming after him before he could actually escape. His vision was beginning to get spotty, darkening on the sides as he managed to get the car started and pulled out of the driveway.

If his calculations were correct he was only about a ten minute drive from the station, all he needed to do was survive until then and warn everyone about Maria. Joel wished he was in one of the cruisers, able to get through the traffic with ease. His shirt was nearly covered in blood, even though he’d left the knife in his stomach blood was pumping out steadily.

Joel could have cried the moment the station came into view, parking haphazardly as he threw the door open quickly. Getting out of the car was much worse than getting in, his body was growing weaker and he could hardly keep himself upright anymore. His face paled even more as he saw Sarah and Ellie inside talking with Tommy. Why the fuck were they were and not at his mom’s?!

“Tommy!” Joel’s voice was hoarse, hands pressed against the wound to help prevent anymore blood from seeping out.

Tommy’s brow furrowed as he stared out the double doors, eyes suddenly widening in fear as he noticed the state his brother was in.

Joel could barely remember the events that followed, his body slumped against the car as he waited for the end to finally come. Tommy had gathered as many officers as he could, running out to get Joel help and make sure he’d be alright. Sarah and Ellie were terrified, each of them crying as they watched Joel get taken away by ambulance. What the hell had happened to him, and what were they going to do until he was alright?

~~~

The sound of beeping is what caught Joel’s attention first followed by the absolute agony that was his right side. Was he finally in hell? Cause nothing could be worse than what he was currently experiencing.

“Gave everyone quite a scare there,” Tommy was sitting beside him, a cup of coffee held loosely in his hands.

“Yeah, well that’s what happens when your sister-in-law ends up stabbing you,” Joel said it so nonchalantly that even he was shocked.

Wait! He hadn’t gotten the chance to tell anyone that Maria was behind all of the murders!

“We already know, Joel, ended up figuring it out after you pulled up in her car. All the evidence was in the fucking basement,” Tommy was sickened by himself, he was the reason so many women were dead.

“She been taken into custody? I want to make sure that my girls are safe,” It was more than that, but Joel wasn’t going to spill any more information than needed.

“Yeah, they’re still scouring the house for anything else they might find. I’m a fucking suspect by the way,” Shit, that meant Joel and the girls were going to be questioned as well.

“Make sure they don’t go after Sarah or Ellie without me present, they’re still kids,” Tommy flinched at the word kids, why did that bother Joel so much?

Tommy didn’t stay long after Joel finally woke up, mentioning how he needed to be interviewed since the murderer happened to be his own wife. He was sure they’d come to interview him while he was stuck in a hospital bed, that way they’d get all the answers they needed. The stab wound wouldn’t be enough to prove he was innocent, people had done crazier shit before. As long as the girls were safe Joel could sleep a little easier.

“Hello?” You popped your head in the door, right hand resting against the doorknob.

“Hey, didn’t expect to see you,” Joel pressed the button on the side of his bed to help lift it more.

“Sarah told me what happened, I came over as soon as I got the chance,” You frowned as you walked closer to him.

The damage was hidden under the gown he had on, leaving everything to imagination except for the man who’d been dealt the wound.

“I promise it sounds much worse than it actually is,” Joel knew everyone was going to worry over him, especially Sarah and Ellie when they got to visit.

“You don’t need to act strong for me,” You grabbed onto one of his hands, lacing your fingers together before plopping down in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs.

“Just being honest darling, I know better than to hide anything from you,” Joel was happy that you had come to visit, it was a nice break from all the pain and anguish.

Two FBI agents showed up, and as much as Joel tried to hide his shock, he could only keep it together for so long. The woman standing before him was someone he’d lost contact with after he went into the academy. Though he couldn’t be surprised she’d managed to work her way up to the FBI.

“Nice to see you too Miller,” Tess smiled at him, her hair was so much shorter than the last time they’d seen one another. “Could say the same to you, but I doubt this is what you’d call good circumstances,” Joel gestured to his side that was covered.

You were still holding onto his hand except now you were nervous on who this new person was, from the way they spoke to one another it was obvious there was a deep past. She didn’t keep up pretenses though, diving right in to asking Joel any and every question she could. He kept it straightforward, giving any kind of detail that would help in the case against Maria. It sent chills down your spin listening to the harrowing tale that was Joel’s near death experience. He of course acted like this was a normal tuesday for him.

“If we need any more information we’ll be in contact, stay safe,” Tess and her partner left with a quick goodbye, leaving you and Joel to settle back into silence.

Joel didn’t want to worry anyone, let alone you or the girls, and right now his biggest worry was making sure Maria was behind bars. There were other fish to fry, but that was the main one.

~~~

Joel was downright exhausted. From dealing with the murder trials, to having to go to physical therapy to help get more mobility in his right side. Everything was becoming too much and Joel was over it. Sarah and Ellie had come back from his moms when he’d been home for nearly a week, each of them taking turns yelling at him. He just reminded them that sometimes his job was deadly. They were still gathering evidence to charge her properly, most people were demanding the death penalty since she’d murdered as many as twenty different women.

Joel was thankful his name was kept out of the limelight, that no one had known he was related to the murderer's husband. It was more to keep Sarah and Ellie’s names out of the press and prevent anyone from coming after them as revenge. The families had poured into the courtroom, crying silently as each name was listed amongst the victims.

It wasn’t until the fifth day of trial that Joel was finally called up onto the stand to give his testimony. He told them everything that happened, images of his wounds being pulled up to show the jurors. It was a harsh reminder that Joel was even still healing as he sat in front of everyone, pressing a hand against his side as though the wound would reopen.

“Mr. Miller, is it true that you and your brother both work for the detective agency?” Maria’s lawyer was a scummy bastard, he’d given off bad vibes from day one. “Yes,” Joel wasn’t sure where they were going with their questions, as the defense was doing everything they could to make sure she didn’t go to prison.

“And is it true that you were always the first one on scene?” What the hell?

“Not always, sometimes it would be my brother Tommy, or other times it would be Bill,” Joel slid his hands down to his lap.

The courtroom was nearly silent as David, Maria’s lawyer, turned to face the jury. He had to have had evidence to disprove something Joel was saying.

“Now Joel, it’s no secret that you or your brother had an interest in younger women before,” Joel was taken aback, he hadn’t so much as dated since Sarah was a child.

“Objection!” Marc, one of the DA's, shouted loud enough to cut off David’s weird tirade.

“Stay on track Mr. Winters,” The judge even seemed annoyed with wherever David was taking his bullshit.

“Apologies, now if I may reiterate my statement, your brother had been sleeping with the victims prior to them being murdered, correct?” David turned to face Joel suddenly, a sickening smile on his face.

“Yes, Maria strictly went after those women because he had been sleeping with them during their marriage,” There was clearly some kind of bullshit statement he needed to make.

Everyone became tense as they waited for David to drop the bomb that was sitting on the tip of his tongue.

“And is it true you knew one of the victims personally?” Joel’s brow furrowed, he’d only known one of them from the diner he frequented with the girls.

“She was a waitress at a diner I take my two daughters to, we didn’t know each other outside of her employer,” David clearly had not liked his answer if the way he suddenly scowled was any answer.

Did he think that Joel was sleeping with all these random young women after his brother had? What kind of sick fuck did he take him for?

“No further questions your honor,” David quickly went and took his seat, Maria angrily whispering into his ear.

Joel stepped down from the stand, heading back to sit in his original seat while the jurors headed off for deliberation. With all of the families now knowing who Joel was, keeping Ellie and Sarah safe was going to be his top priority. What if they tried confronting him after the trial?

“The jury reached their verdict,” Marc leaned back to where Joel was sitting, whispering softly enough so no one else heard him.

Shit, that was quick.

Each juror took their original spots, standing up and waiting until the judge had been given the slip of paper that held their answers. Joel waited with bated breath, hoping the news would give him some peace of mind.

“In the charge of first degree murder of Lily Evans, we the jury find the defendant guilty,” The rush that fell over Joel was euphoric.

Each name spoken was followed by a guilty, all the victims that had suffered were getting the justice they so rightfully deserved. The families were crying louder, thanking the heavens their children’s deaths were not in vain. Joel couldn’t look at Tommy, to see the reaction he had after hearing the woman he’d loved was being charged.

The first thing Joel was going to do would be take a damn vacation and get the girls out of the town for at least a week. It was a good thing it was summer which meant they didn’t have to worry about school, but right now he wasn’t thinking about that. The clawing notion that there was something his brother was hiding still bothered him. He wouldn’t ask Maria what that meant, the last thing he would do is associate himself with a murderer.

“I’m gonna head home and see how the girls are doing,” Joel slipped his overcoat back on, fixing his tie so it looked more presentable once more.

“Alright, tell ‘em I said hello,” Tommy’s voice was void of emotion, nearly lifeless.

Joel didn’t waste another second before rushing out of the courtroom, narrowly missing the reporters that were waiting outside to get any information. He’d probably spill the beans to you after he saw the two girls and got a decent meal in him. Sarah had been worried about him since the incident, and now she could rest a little easier knowing he’d be home more. Maybe he could order in and they’d sit and watch a movie together. As soon as he pulled up to the house his entire plan was washed away.

You were standing outside with Sarah and Ellie, laughing at something one of the girls had said. Normally Joel wouldn’t be upset if his girls were talking to someone, as long as he knew about them or of them, but your relationship was too new. Had they heard about you through one of the neighbors? No, Joel had been careful not to kiss you while the two of you were outside at all.

“Dad!” Sarah ran over the moment Joel had parked the car, throwing her arms around his middle carefully.

“Hey sweetpea, you behaving like I told you to?” Joel hugged her a little tighter, letting her know he was here to stay.

“Yeah, Y/N’s been keeping us company for a couple hours since it got late,” That made sense, the girls were probably worried he wouldn’t be home again.

“Why don’t we go inside and order something for dinner, it’s been a long few weeks,” Even though he was beyond exhausted, Joel was going to make sure his girls were happy.

Sarah ran inside with Ellie, leaving you and Joel outside to talk. Well, Joel assumed that’s what it was at least.

“Hey there handsome,” You smiled up at him, pressing a hand against his chest. “Hey, they cause any trouble for you?” Joel needed to make sure everything was alright, parental instincts always on high gear.

“No they were perfectly fine, I wanted to keep them away from the news during the trial,” Well that was a relief.

“Thank you, it means a lot,” He would tell them eventually, but right now he wanted to put this all behind him.

Joel offered to let you eat with them, but you politely declined, saying that you had plans with a couple friends and would see him for your next date. Joel watched you until you were safely inside your house, pulling out his phone to order in some food. He might have gone overboard and ordered both pizza and chinese, but the girls deserved a little treat.

“Food should be here in a half hour, why don’t you guys get a movie set up,” Joel headed up to his bedroom, leaving the girls to their own devices.

He stripped down quickly, throwing on his comfiest pairs of sweats and a threadbare t-shirt that had definitely seen better days. Just because it had paint from before Sarah was born didn’t mean it had to be thrown out. He had talked with Frank about taking a couple weeks off once the trial was over, and now he was going to cash in on that.

“Food’s here!” Ellie’s voice was loud enough to carry up into Joel’s room.

Joel grabbed his wallet and headed back down to pay for the food so the girls could start eating and relax. He was surprised to see both delivery drivers already but it meant not having to get up multiple times to pay. Joel quickly paid for both meals, along with a hefty tip and handed the girls the food to separate. Ellie was screeching about how excited she was for the chinese, whereas Sarah was more excited for the pizza.

Joel let the girls make their own plates before getting any food for himself, they had gotten a movie ready to go while he was getting changed. He chuckled when he realized it was one of the new Star Wars movies that had come out recently. It was better to just let the girls choose instead of arguing for something else.

“Sarah keeps picking this movie cause she thinks Poe’s cute,” Ellie giggled when Sarah threw an eggroll at her.

“Shut up!” Sarah was nearly mortified, immediately shoving another bite of pizza into her mouth.

“Huh, he kind of looks like the ADA I met with today,” Joel was shocked at how similar they looked, the man was a real doppelganger.

Sarah’s head whipped around, he just opened a whole can of worms hadn’t he?

“No I’m not introducing you to someone I probably won’t see again for a while,” Joel scooped a forkful of rice into his mouth.

“Please? You won’t take me to meet Oscar Isaac so I have to make do!” Sarah wasn’t above begging to get what she wanted.

“I’ll take you to meet whoever this actor is as long as you don’t misbehave, got it?” Joel wouldn’t admit he’d bought tickets for the three of them to attend the con they had been talking about for ages.

“Thank you!” Sarah was all but vibrating in her seat.

Joel knew that he was doing the right thing, the girls would be much happier with the surprise that they were going. And once they got back home he would be starting his own investigation on the last person he wanted to do this to.

Tommy.

#the last of us #the last of us fanfiction #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #the last of us angst #the last of us fic #tlou fic #joel miller angst #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller comfort #joel miller father figure #joel miller fic #joel miller hurt/comfort #ellie williams #sarah miller #tess servopoulos #bill the last of us #frank the last of us #david the last of us

48 notes · View notes

lostonehero · 9 months

Text

I was going to head to bed but I have an idea.

Scooped Micheal YouTube thing.

"Hey, did ya hear your mom got some big YouTube guy to visit the kids in the terminal wing." A female nurse walked next to the older blonde man.

The man sighs. "I keep telling her she has to retire." His blonde hair was short and didn't hide the large scar around his eye into his hair. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because you have that shift when this big shot comes in." The nurse giggles. "Heard he's a looker."

The blonde rolls his eyes. "I'm not looking for any relationship right now, especially some young guy." He sighs. "I'm done chasing ghosts, and I don't need you to keep setting me up on blind dates."

"It's not my fault. Everyone here knows you're lonely." She smiles. "Just ask the guy out, and I'll leave you alone."

"One date, and I'm off the hook?" The blonde smirks. "Alright, fine, I'll ask this influencer on a date whoever he is."

......

"A friendly zombie?" One of the mothers whispered to another. "I guess it makes sense the kids like this guy."

"His makeup is really good wonder how he'll seem in person."

"Nurse Jeremy!" A kid shouted from his bed as a blonde nurse walked over.

Jeremy smiles. "Hey there, Oliver. Everyone's so excited, tell me why that is."

The little boy beams. "Our favorite youtuber will be here, and he will talk to us."

"Really, that's very exciting." Jeremy smiles as the little boy points, and the parents get quiet.

There was a man wearing sun glasses inside and a face mask. Brown hair seemed to leak out from under his hat. He seemed really skinny and the clothes hung off of him like a dress. He nodded as he made his way to where Jeremy and Oliver were. His voice was all too familiar to Jeremy, albeit raspy. "Hey, you're Oliver, right?" He pulls out a knitted hat and gloves. "I dunno why you guys wanted to meet me, but I made you a hat and gloves happy birthday."

"So cool." Oliver puts the hat on immediately. "Thank you so much."

The man nods. "Do you want to ask me anything?"

The man seems to jump as all the kids raise their hands. Oliver nods. "Yeah, can we all ask you stuff?"

The man pauses and nods. "Sure, I don't really have anything else I need to do."

A girl Jeremy knows who barely speaks due to the pain spoke up for the first time in a month. "Can I see your face?"

The man walks over. "Are you sure? I know it's not pleasant, I didn't do any makeup."

The girl nods. "My face isn't pretty either."

The man turns his back to Jeremy and pulls down his mask, and takes off his glasses. "See, not pretty. Your face is much better, you have normal colors."

The girl smiles the first time Jeremy has ever seen that girl smile. "You should do pink stitches next."

The man chuckles, pulling his mask back up and putting his glasses back on. "What kind of pink?"

"A pretty pink." The girl giggles. "Lesie, go ask your question." She points to the girl who was missing her arms.

The man turns around to see her.

The girl smirks. "Did you bring something in your pocket? The one in your chest."

The man hums, reaching under his coat, and a soft zipper noise is heard. He pulls out a large flashlight, a notepad, and a sketchbook with several pens and pencils. "Not much today, some art supplies, a notebook full of notes, and uh my flashlight that I forgot to take out from last week."

"Cool." Lesie smiles. "Can you feel them inside?"

"Not really. My sense of touch is selective at best. I can use my hands and stuff internally. I don't really feel anymore. You probably got a better hand than I do."

Jeremy was about to lecture him about the off-color joke, and then a few kids started to giggle.

Lesie was smiling bigger than she ever had. "I don't have any." She barely gets out before she was cackling. "That must suck."

The man seemed to relax a bit. "Aren't you guys young for dark humor? I ain't going to complain."

One of the kids that had been here the longest glares at the man he was a teenager and almost made it out, but his cancer just came back. "Have you ever had to reattact something? Does that still work?" Jeremy wasn't really understanding these questions anymore.

The man nods. "My left foot took a bit of fishing wire, but it's back on and works. I did put wire through my hands, I don't want to lose any of those bones. My nose, however, isn't the original one I had, but I can still smell. Took me a bit to figure out the best way to rebuild it."

"Does it hurt? Stitching yourself." The teen sits up now has her full focus on the man.

The man shrugs. "Sometimes I feel it, and sometimes I don't. I don't, no, I can't feel pain anymore. I think the worst was when I had to reglue my ribs together."

"Did you find all the pieces?" Olkver speaks up.

"No." The man sighs. "I had to improvise the smaller bits."

Jeremy watches as the kids ask more questions, and the way the man answered, he knew exactly who this guy was. Didn't really understand the whole zombie thing, but it made these kids happy.

......

Jeremy grabbed the man's arm, stopping him from running out. "Hey, wait a sec."

The man pauses and turns around to see the male nurse from before. "Oh, hello, I uh was just on my way out. Did one of the kids ask for me?"

"No, I just wanted to talk. The parents really enjoyed seeing their kids happy again. I just wanted to get your name." Jeremy smiles. Did he no longer recognize him?

Micheal sighs. "You already know who I am, Jeremy. Your accent gives you away."

"I thought it would be my lovely scar." Jeremy pauses.

"I'm sorry." Micheal sighs. "I'm sorry about everything. You were right, and then I just ran away."

"Micheal..." Jeremy steps back when Micheal takes off his glasses.

"Look, I'm nothing but a corpse now. I'm happy you moved on." Micheal sighs, putting his glasses back on. "It was nice to see you again, but I have to go. Again, I'm sorry for everything I put you through." He turns and walks away.

Jeremy bit his lip and took a breath. "Coffee!?"

Micheal froze. "W-what?" He stared back at Jeremy.

"Coffee, you can't have it, but you owe me at least one conversation, and you have to come back to visit the kids." Jeremy crosses his arms.

Micheal pauses. "I do have a lot of free time. Alright, a coffee." He sighs. "I'll look better and put on makeup and a fake eye. So it's not too weird in public for you."

Jeremy took a breath. "Tomorrow the little cafe by the lake, the one that's always been there around 10?"

Micheal nods. "Alright, I will see you tomorrow."

#scooped michael #jeremy fitzgerald #five nights at freddy's #fnaf #micheal afton

19 notes · View notes

prettypiggytiffany · 3 months

Note

Billy paused as he listened in, his thoughts raced and his head ached. He would do anything to shut his thoughts out.

He quitely leaned his head against the floor board listening in quitely, upon hearing they planned on going out he quickly moved back into a sitting position, and stood up.

He quickly walked over to some of the boxes his hands trembling slightly, he looked through it and found a brown winter coat and some other clothing for going outside in the Canadian winter.

He remembered getting ready for school when he was younger, as he got the winter clothing on, however he only grabbed a scarf, shoes, a coat, and gloves, he didn't change his old green turtle neck, or his bell bottoms.

If they were going out he'd follow them, he knew that's what he was going to do. He didn't want his pretty piggy going off with just any stranger he didn't trust.

Once Billy knew it was safe to leave the attic, he quitely snuck out of the attic and outside, hiding in the brush, and waited for the women to come outside so he could follow them....

Tiffany pulled her jacket on with a soft hum, grabbing her hat as well before she fixed her jackets collar, zipping it up. "Yeah!" She nodded, fiddling with her glasses before she opened the door, closing it behind them.

The cool air immediately hit Tiffany, her cheeks already turning red. The chill breeze brushed against her pale skin, and tussled her hair.

She was nervous, but also strangely excited. She had never imagined anything like this would happen, and Tiffany certainly thought Camille was nice company, it was unfortunate that they met in such a strange situation.

Tiffany fumbled with her jacket as they walked, pulling on it as it was a bit too tight around her chest. She placed her hands in her pockets and looked out at the snowy scenery. She had a strange feeling settle in her stomach though. The feeling of an unknown observer was clear, and burning in the back of her head.

Tiffany glanced around a bit behind them, just in case.

#🐷pretty piggy #🐷attic dweller #🐷camille.....❤️❤️❤️#🐷asks

3 notes · View notes

atths--twice · 1 year

Text

Chapter Nineteen

It's New Year's Eve! Fox, Dana, and Ivy will be celebrating at the diner with their little core of friends.

December 31st

“Happy New Year!” a woman said to Fox as he walked past her on his way to the diner.

“And to you!” he said with a smile and a nod.

He pushed his hands further into his coat pockets to warm them, his gloves having gone home with Dana and Ivy yesterday.

They had been ice skating, Ivy unsteady on her skates until he had taken her hands and slowly demonstrated how to do it. She had not let go of his hand until ten minutes before they left, skating slowly around the rink and grinning at him every few seconds.

Getting some hot chocolate to warm up and discuss the day’s events, Ivy had picked up her cup and it slipped, spilling onto her new gloves. Tears had filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she stared at the wet panda faces.

“Oh no,” she had cried. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey,” Fox had said, reaching for some napkins. “It’s okay. It was just an accident.”

“I was talking to the pandas!” she had cried louder and dropped her head down as she sobbed.

He had looked at Dana, not knowing what to do, and she had smiled softly as she rubbed Ivy’s back.

“Honey, let’s go into the bathroom, okay? We can rinse your gloves and try to clean them.”

“Oooookay,” Ivy had said, breathing deeply and crying again.

“We’ll be right back,” Dana had said and they walked to the bathroom, Ivy sniffling and crying quietly.

“Poor kid,” he had said under his breath, sighing as he thought of the sad expression on her face.

He had cleaned the table and ordered another hot chocolate when they had walked back to the table, Ivy’s face still sad. She had sighed as she sat beside him and he had put his arm around the back of her chair as he leaned close to her.

“It’s okay, Ivy. Don’t worry. Your mom will get your gloves washed up even more at home and they will be okay.”

“Yeah,” she had said quietly, nodding as she looked down.

Her new hot chocolate had been set down and she had stared at it before looking up at him, her blue eyes filling with tears.

“Excuse me,” he had said to the waiter. “Could we have a straw please?”

“Sure,” he had said, taking one from his pocket and setting it on the table.

“Thanks.”

Picking it up, he had ripped the paper off the end of the straw and then smiled at Ivy.

“Do you want to see a magic trick?”

She had nodded, blinking away her tears and wiping at her eyes. He had carefully pushed the wrapper down the straw, keeping it in a tight accordion shape. When it had reached the bottom, he had taken it off the straw and laid the wrapper onto the table and put the straw into his glass of ice water.

“So, this is a trick my mom showed me when I was little and I always thought it was so cool.”

He had lifted the straw until it had been barely in the water and then placed his thumb over the top of it. A small amount of water had remained held in the bottom of the straw as he had brought it toward the wrapper.

“Ready? Watch.”

He had tapped a tiny dot of water on the wrapper and it began to expand, growing bigger and stretching out. Ivy had gasped and sat forward to look at it closer. He had tapped another spot and it moved again, the wrapper expanding further.

“How do you do that?” she had asked, smiling as she had looked at him. “It’s like a snake!”

“It’s magic. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Can you show me how to do it?”

“Sure,” he had said, smiling at her and then at Dana who had been watching them with her chin resting on her hand and smiling happily.

The waiter had been flagged down and more straws had been given to them to try out the magic snake trick.

Demonstrating how to drip the water carefully on a used wrapper, Ivy had then done it on her own new wrapper and it had expanded, as she had laughed excitedly.

As she had played a bit more, drinking her hot chocolate through two straws, he had picked up one of the abandoned straws and wound it up until it had been one large bubble in the middle. Turning to Dana, he had held it out towards her and she had grinned. Flicking it hard, it had popped and he had smiled as she leaned around Ivy and pulled at his sweater, bringing him closer to kiss him softly.

“You’re a wonderful man,” she had whispered and he had smiled against her lips, kissing her again before he had leaned back and smiled.

When they had left, he had placed his gloves on Ivy’s hands, making a show out of looking for her fingers and causing her to laugh. She had held one of his hands, and Dana the other, as he had walked them home.

“So your hands don’t get cold,” Ivy had said, squeezing his hand gently.

They had, however, as they were exposed to the cold wind, but he had only smiled, not saying one word about it.

He laughed under his breath at that memory and then smiled as the diner came into view and his steps quickened. Knocking on the door, he waited for it to be opened. The diner was closed to the public for the evening, aside from those who had been invited to celebrate the New Year.

The blinds parted and Lucy, wearing a pair of neon pink New Years glasses and a large brightly colored rainbow boa, grinned as she unlocked the door.

“Password?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Umm,” he said, not remembering a password being given. “Happy New Year?”

“Bingo!” Lucy said, closing the door and locking it once he had stepped through it laughing.

“Happy New Year, Lucy,” he said again, and she nodded as she took off her boa and threw it around his neck. “Oh… thank you?”

“Joe’s wife, Sharice, brought in a whole box of them. This one suits you better than me. I’ll go grab a different one. Happy New Year to you too, Fox. Your girl’s around here somewhere.” She grinned with a wink and he smiled back as she danced away from him.

He chuckled as he looked down at the boa and flipped it around his neck like a scarf as he stepped further into the diner.

Everyone in attendance was dressed up, talking and laughing with one another as sounds of singing came from the back of the diner where a karaoke machine had been set up. A massive amount of food and drinks were set out and people were grabbing what they wanted, before sitting down at the tables and booths around the diner.

He said hello to a few of the regular patrons who had been invited. Most of Manny and Joe’s family members were there along with the majority of the staff and their families.

He spotted Dana and Ivy dancing in the walkway between the booths, Ivy laughing as Dana dipped her down low and then stood her up, spinning her quickly. She was wearing a new dress, with a black top and a rainbow skirt at the bottom that fanned out around her.

Dana, her long hair down, wearing a red and black boa around her own neck over a midnight blue dress that stopped at the knee, black leggings and tall black boots, caught his eye and smiled. Pulling Ivy close, she bent down and whispered in her ear, while keeping her eye on him. When Ivy turned her head, she grinned and ran toward him at full force.

“Fox!” she shouted as he caught her and lifted her up. “You’re here! You have a rainbow boa! Did you see me spinning?” She squeezed him around the neck, laughing as the boa feathers tickled her nose, and then pulled back to look at him. “Watch me spin.”

She shimmied in his arms and he set her down with a chuckle. Raising her arms up, she spun around and around, the rainbow skirt twirling out very far above her black polka dotted tights. She laughed as she stopped, slightly dizzy and off balance.

“Did you see that?” she asked him, bumping gently into a table.

“I sure did. It’s the perfect twirly dress for you, Miss Ivy.”

“Yes, it is,” she said matter-of-factly and he laughed.

Someone called her name and she took off running, her long hair whipping behind her. Shaking his head, he looked at Dana with a smile.

“She’s having fun,” he stated.

She smiled, but did not answer. Instead, she stepped closer to him and reached her arms, wrapping them around his neck. He smiled as he pulled her close, breathing in her scent of coconut and the body spray she wore.

“Hello,” she whispered. “God, you smell good.”

“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” he whispered back, nuzzling her nose with his, breathing in again.

“I like this boa you chose,” she said and he laughed.

“It was bestowed upon me, actually. I might have picked something more… muted.”

“No such thing when it comes to feathered boas.”

“True,” he agreed and she smiled. Bending his head, he kissed her softly.

“Hmm,” she hummed, kissing him back with a bit more force, opening her mouth to capture his bottom lip.

He breathed out through his nose and pulled her closer, just as he was grabbed around the waist. Pulling back in surprise, they both looked down to find Ivy grinning with an arm around both of them.

“You love Mommy,” she stated and he laughed, looking at Dana with a nod.

“I do,” he replied.

“And you love Fox, Mommy,” she said, looking at Dana.

“I do, honey.” She smiled as she stared at him and he grinned back at her.

“That’s good. It’s nice to love people,” Ivy said, squeezing them both.

“That’s the truth,” Fox said, raising a hand to cup Dana’s cheek, his thumb brushing her jaw tenderly as she nuzzled into it.

Ivy had been exceedingly happy when they had told her they were in love with each other.

“We’ll be dating, Ivy,” Dana had explained on the train as they had ridden home, squeezing Fox’s hand under the table. “That means that-”

“I know what it means,” Ivy had said with a knowing nod. “We do it at school.”

“You… what?” Dana had asked, looking perplexed.

“Mrs. Morgan tells us every day to put the date on our papers. So we make sure that we’re dating them.”

Ivy had nodded, her expression serious and he had felt Dana squeeze his hand tightly as she had fought back laughter. He had squeezed back and cleared his throat.

A discussion had then taken place as to what Dana had actually meant by dating and also what it would entail for them.

“Fox will be at our apartment more?” Ivy had asked, blinking her blue eyes.

“Yes, or you’ll be at mine,” he had said, smiling at her.

“Oh good. I like your apartment. It makes me feel comfortable.” Ivy had smiled and he had gotten up to sit beside her and give her a hug.

“That is a very kind thing to say, Ivy,” he had said. “Thank you. I’m glad to know you feel that way.”

“I like you a lot, Fox. I’m happy that you love Mommy.”

He had looked at Dana over the top of Ivy’s head and smiled at her.

“Me too,” Dana had said, blinking her wet eyes.

“So,” Fox said, looking down at Ivy now as he smiled and patted her back. “I see you aren’t wearing a boa, Miss Ivy. Would you like to wear mine? Or do you have one somewhere?”

“Uh huh. I have a pink sparkly one by our jackets. I took it off because I don’t want to forget it later.”

“Smart thinking,” he said and grinned at them both. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.”

“Yes!” Ivy shouted. “Mommy, can I have some cake?”

“Whatever you want tonight, honey. It’s a special holiday night, you can eat and drink whatever you want.”

“Whatever I want?” Ivy asked, stopping in her tracks and staring at Dana. “Even candy and chocolate?”

“Yup. Anything you want.”

“Sparkly apple juice? Cookies?”

“Whatever you want, Ives,” Dana said, laughing as she tapped Ivy’s nose. “And you don’t have to ask each time. Have whatever you feel like eating.”

“Wow,” Ivy breathed, looking toward the tables full of food. “Anything I want…” She let out a deep breath and then smiled, hurrying to grab a plate and make her choices.

“She’s going to be on quite the sugar high,” Fox said and Dana laughed in response.

“It’s New Year’s Eve. Eating too much food is the best part about it. My mom used to make fudge, candy, cookies, this amazing caramel popcorn that I can never duplicate properly, and so many casseroles and sandwiches.”

“So your family went all out, huh?” he asked with a smile as he picked up a plate. “My mom also did that, but she didn’t cook it herself. One of her friends catered it and she made the most delicious food. The white chocolate peppermint fudge that she brought was my favorite. When she found out, she always made a special batch just for me.”

“Very kind of her,” Dana said, smiling at him as she glanced at Ivy and nodded when Ivy asked with her eyes, if the piece of cake on her plate was okay. Ivy grinned and walked away with a plate full of desserts, and little else, to join the other children.

“You know what I love about having a child?” Dana asked as they walked to a table with their plates full of things to share.

“What’s that?” he asked, smiling at her.

“Things like this tonight. Letting her decide on food and drinks, giving her that responsibility and knowing it’s made a core memory within her. I gave her my trust and because I know that she’s had a foundation built of good choices and what happens if too much sugar and sweets are eaten, she will know her limit and pay attention to her body. She will definitely eat more than her fair share of sweets and treats, but she will also have some ham and some of the green beans, as I know she loves them both. I know that she will remember this night and the feeling it gave her to be responsible and aware of her independence. Then, one day, maybe she’ll do the same for her own child.” She shrugged as she set her plate down at a table and he did the same, taking her hand before she sat down.

“I think you’re absolutely right.”

“I usually am. I think it’s time that you knew that about me,” she teased and he chuckled, squeezing her hand and then letting it go so they could sit and eat, their boas taken off and placed beside them.

Throughout the night, they drank, ate, visited, sang karaoke, danced and laughed at any and everything. Ivy asked him to dance and he spun her around the room, singing along loudly to the song that was playing while Lucy and Dana danced together, singing along as well.

The younger children began to tire out around half past ten, yawning and rubbing at their eyes. Ivy nodded off, and was led to a booth, where she slept, covered by a fleece blanket Dana had brought for such an occasion.

“She never would have made it to midnight. I’m surprised she lasted this long,” Dana said as she smiled down at her.

“Sugar will do that to you,” Fox agreed, smiling at Dana when she looked at him. “Come on, let’s dance.”

As midnight approached, champagne was poured into glasses and set out on a table. Every adult took one, except for Lucy, who took two, dancing around without spilling a drop.

“One minute!” Joe yelled and everyone stood waiting.

Fox took Dana’s hand and squeezed, grinning and giving her a wink.

“Do you make wishes or resolutions for the new year?” she asked.

“Neither, usually,” he answered, rubbing his thumb over her hand.

“We do both in my family. At midnight, we make a wish, which stays private, and we make a resolution, which is stated without worry over how out there it may sound or if it is attainable.”

“I love that idea.”

“Hmm,” she said with a nod. “So get yours ready.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he teased and gently pulled her closer to him. “Although, I’m perfectly happy with my life at the moment. I don’t really need to wish for anything.”

“Well, the wish is private. It could be anything.”

“A pony?” he teased and she smiled.

“If you like.”

“Hmm, or maybe something better.”

“Maybe.”

“Thirty seconds!” Joe yelled out and people cheered.

“You got it?” she asked and he nodded, cupping her jaw and running his thumb over her cheek.

“Yeah. I got it,” he said, smiling as he stared into her eyes, knowing he had thought of nothing as he already had everything he needed.

“Good. Me too.”

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” Everyone shouted, cheering loudly and blowing horns.

Dana smiled and squeezed his hand, closing her eyes as her lips moved silently, reminding him of Ivy on her birthday. He smiled as he watched her, wondering what she was wishing for.

Her eyes opened and she licked her lips quickly. Placing a hand on his chest, she raised up and kissed him gently.

“Happy New Year,” she said before kissing him again.

“And to you,” he said when they had broken apart, his hand now at her neck.

“What’s your resolution?”

“Oh, I have to tell you now?” he asked and she smiled.

“Usually we share them right away, but if you want to wait, you can.”

“Do you want to share yours?”

“Hmm… I will when you do.”

“Seems fair,” he said, smiling as he kissed her again, one arm around her waist as he held her head with the other, his fingers tangling in her hair.

Festivities were shared with the others, hugs and kisses given as they laughed and teased one another. Manny and Joe thanked everyone for coming, the employees for all their hard work and dedication, the patrons for showing up every day, and their family for all they did to make everything possible.

Seeing that as a cue to head out, they gathered their items, and said goodbye, thanking everyone for a fun and enjoyable evening.

Dana put on her coat and added all of their fluffy boas to the backpack before putting it onto her back. She then slipped Ivy’s coat on her, zipping it and putting on her beanie, all as Ivy did not wake or even stir.

“She’s out,” Fox laughed, lifting her into his arms, her head on his shoulder. He adjusted her to carry her more easily.

“She is. She had fun tonight, that’s for sure.”

“She did,” he agreed. “Ready?”

“Yup. Lead the way.”

They were all going to his apartment as Dana and Ivy were sleeping over in order to attend the town's new year’s parade the next morning. Being closer to the center of town, his apartment was on the parade route, so they could sleep in a little and then join the crowd as it gathered outside of his apartment building.

Dana unlocked his door and he carried Ivy into the guest bedroom, waiting for Dana to take off her boots and then join him. She smiled as she came in and pulled the covers back, taking off Ivy’s shoes before he set her on the bed.

He stepped out of the room and let her finish the task of putting Ivy to bed, not wanting to be in the way. Taking off his shoes and then his coat, he hung it in the closet. Leaning against the door jamb of his bedroom, he waited for Dana so he could tell her goodnight.

She came out soon after, closing the door behind her and smiling as she approached him.

“Barely stirred at all when I changed her clothes,” she said, crossing her arms and letting out a sigh.

“That’s good,” he said with a smile.

“Yeah,” she agreed, nodding her head.

“Well,” he started to say, thinking she was probably tired and ready for bed, but she spoke over him.

“You know, I was thinking… I’ve seen every room in your apartment, except for your bedroom.”

“Oh?” he asked, looking through the open doorway and into his room. “It’s just this.”

“Hmm,” she said, not looking at it, but keeping her eyes on him. “I can’t really… see it from here. Maybe you could give me a tour?”

“Of my bedroom?” he asked with a chuckle. “Not much to it, really. Just what there is to see here.” He gestured and looked back at her with a smile.

“But could you show me around? So I don’t miss anything?” she said, raising her eyebrows and waiting.

“Show you around…” he said, looking back into the room and then back at her. She opened her eyes wider and rubbed her lips together. “You mean… oh… oh.” She nodded and he drew in a shaky breath.

“I uh… I… oh,” he said, his heart racing and mouth suddenly dry. “I wasn’t… I didn’t…” He shook his head and she tilted her head slightly. “I haven’t… given anyone a… a tour of my room in a long time. A very long time.”

“Okay…”

“Tours require… safety precautions and I… I don’t have the… necessary resources to… guarantee that safety, should you want to take that tour. I haven’t needed it and to have it here… well, if I had, I would have felt it was presumptuous and pressing my agenda over yours or setting an expectation that you may not be ready to… I…” He shook his head and let out a deep breath. “I didn’t know you’d want a tour of the bedroom tonight.”

“I do,” she whispered.

“Oh.”

“Unless you don’t-”

“God! No, that’s not it at all. I just didn’t think… didn’t know…” he said, tripping over his words.

“So if the necessary… safety precautions… were taken, I could have a tour?”

“Oh yes, most definitely. I would… would like to give you a… a tour. Love to, in fact.”

“Hmm,” she said, stepping closer to him and uncrossing her arms. “Well, it just so happens that I was presumptuous. I knew how I wanted this night to end.”

“Did you?” he asked, breathing harder.

“Oh yes,” she breathed, placing her hands on his chest. “I purchased the necessary safety items earlier today and I have them with me at this moment, in case you felt like taking me on that tour.” He stared at her, watching her smile grow and he exhaled through his nose.

“So this is the doorway,” he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her through it. She laughed as he did and then closed the door behind them. “It has a good door.”

“And a lock, I’m assuming… and hoping,” she said with a giggle.

“It does. See? It locks like this, so people are safe while they are inside.”

“Good detail,” she laughed and he nodded.

“This is my dresser, where I keep my clothes and stuff,” he said, reaching for her and kissing her deeply, pulling her flush against him.

“The nightstands,” he said, walking her towards the bed. “I was going to just get one, but I like the way they frame the bed.”

“It is framed nicely,” she said, pushing his black sweater up as she held his gaze. He pulled it off and tossed it behind him, leaving him in his undershirt and dark jeans. He kissed her again, needing to taste her lips.

“The rug,” he said, taking a second to catch his breath. “It… it uh…”

“Really ties the room together,” she said, not looking at the rug at all, but grinning at him, her eyes shining.

“Absolutely,” he said with a grin.

“I like it,” she said, putting a hand out as he reached for her. “Um, I just wanted to say first… it’s been a long time for me. Over six years. And I…” She shook her head and he nodded in understanding.

“Me too. A long time.”

“So…” She smiled and he stepped closer as she dropped her hand.

“I was going to paint this room a dark gray,” he said as he kissed her temple, keeping up their ruse of a room tour. “But then I thought-” He kissed down her cheek, under her jaw and to her ear, her breathing becoming quicker as she moaned softly. “Do you care about the paint color?”

“Not at the moment,” she whispered and he laughed before kissing her and causing her to stumble into him, just like the first time they kissed. “God, you’re so good at that.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, reaching around and searching for a zipper on the back of her dress.

“Just lift it,” she said softly and he stepped back to stare at her. “No clasps or zippers. Just…” She lifted it and took it off in one fluid motion, tossing it near his sweater.

“Jesus,” he breathed, licking his lips at the sight of her in leggings and a black bra. “You are so beautiful.”

“Yeah?”

His head snapped up and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes as she stared at him.

“Yes,” he said, cupping her face in both of his hands. “If you’ve ever heard, or felt differently, then it was a lie because you are stunning.” He kissed her forehead. “Achingly beautiful.” Her closed eyelids. Her nose. “Perfect.” Her lips, once, twice. Soft kisses that made him ache for more. “So perfect.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, opening her eyes to look at him, her lashes wet.

“It’s the truth. Anything else, at any time, was a lie,” he said again and she nodded, her hands going to his waist.

“I love you,” she said and he smiled as he moved his hands from her face to her shoulders and then her arms, meeting her hands at his waist.

“I love you too.”

__________

It was the way she breathed that he found so arousing. Fast paced breaths and then quick gasps, slow intake and equally slow release, and then the moment she stopped breathing entirely as she gripped his arms tightly, her body going rigid before she began to shake, drawing in whimpering breaths.

“Fox,” she whispered. “Oh, Fox.” Humming, she kept him from moving, her legs around his waist, still shaking slightly. “I’ve never… not like that, never that quickly and easily. Not ever.”

He kissed her throat, nipping gently at her pulse point and causing her to gasp once again. He smiled against her skin, her gasps of pleasure immediately becoming his new favorite sound.

__________

He pressed his nose into her shoulder, breathing in the scent of her skin. She hummed in her sleep and he smiled, kissing her shoulder before pulling her close and exhaling against her hair.

God, she’s so soft, he thought, his fingers skimming the skin beneath her navel, where he had planted kisses against a pale brown birthmark, something she told him she had always been subconscious about.

“I’ve hated it all my life,” she had said when he had fixated on it, trying to deter him, but he had ignored her, touching it with the tips of his fingers. “I’m always aware of it being there. It stopped me from wearing a two piece to my first boy/girl pool party when I was thirteen, because Hallie Owens made fun of it a few days before when we were changing in the locker room.”

“Hallie Owens,” he had murmured against her skin, kissing the birthmark again. “I’ll have to enlist your sister's help in tracking her down. I’d like to have a word with her.” She had laughed softly, running her fingers through his hair. “I’m serious. I’ll do it.”

“Hallie lives in Montana, on a ranch, with her husband and two boys. She actually reached out to me a couple of years ago and apologized for how she behaved towards me when we were younger. She had a rough life and she was acting out back then.”

“Doesn’t erase how you felt and how it affected you,” he had said, looking up at her, his gaze landing on her naked chest instead, watching it rise and fall as she breathed.

“No, it doesn’t,” she had agreed, and he met her eyes, finding she had been smiling at him and he smiled back.

“I think it’s beautiful. Looks almost like a…” He had looked back at it and tilted his head to the side. “Hmm… like a seahorse?”

“A seahorse?” she had asked with a disbelieving chuckle. “I don’t know about that.”

“No. It’s there. If you look from this angle, and…” He had run his finger gently around the edge of the birthmark, following the pattern it took, causing her to gasp and her stomach to clench. “Definitely resembles a seahorse.”

“I’ve never seen it that way before.”

“Hmm,” he had hummed, kissing it again as she let out a breath. “It suits you.”

“My birthmark? A spot on my body that I’ve never liked?”

“That it resembles a seahorse,” he had said, kissing it once more before moving to kiss her lips and settle himself between her legs. “They symbolize patience, strength, and persistence. They’re small, but tough. They don’t give up, but remain steadfast and determined. I’d say the shape of your birthmark definitely suits you. As if it was placed there as a reminder of who you are.”

“Goddamn,” she had murmured, pulling him closer and kissing him hungrily. “I’ve hated that all my life and now it feels like battle armor. How did you do that?”

“Hmm,” he had said, running his hand down her side to stroke the birthmark with his thumb. “I’m very good.”

“Yes,” she had said, looping her arms around his neck and smiling slowly. “Yes, you are. Show me again.”

Her gasps and moans had then filled the room, his name falling repeatedly from her lips.

______________

He woke as he heard muffled laughter coming from somewhere in the apartment. Sitting up, he blinked and then smiled, remembering last night and then Dana’s kiss goodbye when she had left his bed to be with Ivy before she woke up.

He got up and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower and get dressed for the day. As he went about his tasks, he could not stop smiling as he thought about Dana.

Opening the bedroom door, he smelled coffee and pancakes and his stomach rumbled. He grinned at the sight of Ivy sitting on a barstool in her pajamas, her hair wild and messy, as she ate a pancake.

“Good morning,” he said and she turned to look at him with a grin.

“Hi, Fox! We’re going to the parade today!” she said and he nodded, stopping to give her a side hug, mindful of her food and the puddle of syrup on her plate.

“We are, indeed,” he said, looking at Dana who stood in the kitchen, dressed for the day in an emerald green sweater and black jeans. Her hair was damp and she was not wearing any makeup, and he thought she looked absolutely breathtaking. “Good morning.”

“It is,” she said with a smile. “A very good morning.”

“Agree completely,” he said, grinning as he kissed the top of Ivy’s head. “Could I get one of those pancakes?”

“If you come around here and pay the toll.”

“Oh, what toll is that?” he asked, rubbing Ivy’s back as he stepped away from her and walked into the kitchen. Dana waited until he was directly in front of her before putting her arms around his neck.

“Three kisses.”

“Only three?”

“Hmm,” she hummed with a nod as he pulled her close to him. “Or whatever you feel is fair.”

“We’d miss the entire parade if it was left up to me.”

“No! I want to see the parade!” Ivy called out and he chuckled as he looked at her.

“So what do you say then, Ivy? Is three kisses enough? Or should I make it five?”

“Five!” she shouted with a giggle. “Kiss her five times.”

“Five sounds good to me,” he said, and pressed his lips to Dana’s, kissing her softly.

“One!” Ivy shouted and he smiled, kissing Dana again. “Two! Three more to get to five.”

Loud music suddenly played outside and they all looked toward the balcony, Ivy clambering down from the stool to see if she could see out the window.

“The parade must be starting soon,” Fox said, swaying them slowly. “Better finish my kisses so I can eat my breakfast.”

“Yes, you better,” Dana said and he kissed her again, her tongue touching his gently and causing him to pitch forward. “Oh look at that, I can make your knees weak too.”

He looked at her and she grinned, scratching her nails along his neck, his mind conjuring images of the night before, when she had done the same thing as he had used his mouth to bring her over the edge again.

“Hmm. Maybe… maybe three kisses is enough for now,” he said, nuzzling her nose with his own.

“The agreement was five,” she said, pecking him twice on the cheek and he laughed softly, as he pulled her in for a hug.

“I love you. So very much.”

“And I love you. Come on, we have a parade to get to.” She smacked him playfully on the ass and he laughed again.

They ate and she hurried to help Ivy dress and then dry her hair and put on her makeup. He and Ivy donned their outerwear and he assisted her with her coat zipper when it got stuck, biting back a swear as he fumbled with it.

Laughing as they left the building, they joined the crowd of people gathered for the parade. Finding a spot, he lifted Ivy onto his shoulders as she cheered and waved to the people walking in the marching band that started the parade.

Squeezing Ivy’s leg, he then reached for Dana’s hand. She interlocked their gloved fingers together and he smiled, tugging her closer.

“Should I tell you my resolution now?” he asked, leaning slightly to say it near her ear.

“Yes, please,” she replied.

“To love you forever,” he said, looking at her and smiling. “Both of you.”

She smiled as she reached up to touch his cheek, kissing him softly.

“Thank you,” she said, just loud enough for him to hear.

“And what was yours?” he asked.

“Oh… not nearly as poignant or thoughtful as yours,” she said with a chuckle.

“Hmm, this should be good then,” he said, bumping her shoulder gently.

“To get in your pants.”

He pulled back and looked at her in surprise as she grinned and shrugged.

“Well,” he said, letting go of her hand and putting his arm around her shoulders. “Well… in one day your resolution has been reached. Not everyone is as successful. You started the year off quite well, little seahorse.”

“With a bang some might say,” she said with another chuckle, wrapping her arm around his waist as he laughed heartily and nodded his head.

“Indeed,” he said, smiling as he held her close, the drums from the marching band reverberating in his chest. “Indeed.”

#the x files #xf fanfic #alternate universe #modern setting #new relationship #new years eve #dancing #kissing #spending the night #flirting #flirting and kissing #msr #happy times

38 notes · View notes