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aynavaano · 17 days

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Heaven is here

Old Crosshair x f!reader

Rating: Explicit

Wordcount: 4.5k

Summary:

You live on Pabu together with your husband Crosshair, it’s been many years since you turned your back on the war in the galaxy and decided to build a peaceful life together on the Island. Don’t be deceived by the domestic fluff, this is filthy smut.

Notes:

Sooooo…I know you’re all waiting for my Old Hunter fic but what can I say, when this art dropped my hand slipped and here we are with over 4k Crosshair smut and fluff. There’s oral f recieving, unprotected sex, Crosshair is a tease as always. I don’t even know how to tag this, domestic kink? Wife kink ? Is it dubcon if he gives you more orgasms than you think you can take? Also Tech lives, because he does and I will die on that hill. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this and for all my Hunter girlies (gn) don’t worry I have not one but two drafts ready to go over.

Even with the risk of another sea surge, you and Crosshair took on the challenge of rebuilding a house in Lower Pabu many years ago. Perched atop a substantial rock, it offered seclusion, tranquility, and an unparalleled view of the ocean—a retreat away from the lively upper streets, precisely what you both had wanted when you decided to move in together. With your own private beach cove accessible from the terrace, and ample space for a garden around, it was a dream, that would have been impossible to fulfill in bustling Upper Pabu. Despite the misconceptions perpetuated by others, over the countless years of marriage, your love and attraction for each other have not faded; instead, they have grown deeper and stronger with time. You love the peaceful life you built together, as a former Jedi you had your fair share of war time yourself and when you arrived here you never looked back. If you are not occupied with helping the refugees on the island heal from their traumas, you spend most days swimming, cooking, baking and tending to the garden.

Today is a quiet Benduday morning, the weather is wonderful like almost always here on the island and you're already up, allowing Crosshair to sleep in after a late-night fishing trip with his brothers.

After your usual reviving morning swim, you whirl through the house and refresh the guest room's sheets, and the blanket in Batchers basket, so Omega can stay overnight whenever she wants. Occasionally, also Hunter stays for a night or two, seeking respite for his heightened senses, when he gets too overwhelmed or just wants to spend a quiet evening with Crosshair.

Preparations for the weekly family dinner, a tradition that you hold dearly since many years and rotate with Phee and Wrecker's partner, are well underway. Wrecker's favorite cookies bake in the oven, Techs favored wine is already in the fridge and the fully opened expansive glass doors, leading to the terrace and garden, invite in a refreshing ocean breeze, accompanied by your favorite tunes—a perfect start to the day, just how you like it.

With Crosshair seemingly still asleep, you choose to whip up his favorite pancakes for breakfast, relishing in the soft flow of the morning. As you gather all the ingredients und cut up the first Jogan fruits of the season, from your garden, you can't help but smile, grateful for the bliss of this idyllic day. You often spend time with the others but family dinner days are the best because everyone makes an effort to be there, even Echo comes by when he’s around and it’s always chaotic and fun. You decide to make some juice, a platter of fruit and finish up the pancakes before you go wake your husband, humming along and dancing around as you swirl through the big open kitchen.

*************

As the sun ascends higher in the sky, its warm rays peek through the bedroom curtains, gently nudging Crosshair from his slumber. Stretching lazily, he finds himself alone in bed, the absence of your warmth prompting him to go look for you. When he realizes the delicious aroma of fresh fruit and cookies fills the air, teasing his senses and drawing him downstairs, he already knows where to find you.

The last days were unusually hot even for Pabu, so he opts for a pair of lightweight black linen pants and skips a shirt for now as he makes his way down to the lower floor of your home. Passing by the guest room, he notices the neatly made bed and fresh sheets, a display of your thoughtfulness towards his siblings, who occasionally like to stay over. That you care for them as much as he does is something he always deeply loved about you.

Arriving down in the main living area with the big open kitchen, that you wanted and he was happy to build for you, he's greeted by the sight of you, happily moving through the space in one of his shirts, loosely cascading around your curves. Your hair, still slightly damp from the morning swim and wavy from the salt water adds to your radiant aura as you hum along to the melody of your favorite song. The scene before him fills him with a profound sense of contentment and he pauses, taking a moment to soak in the beauty of the moment, grateful for the life you've built together. It's a scene he never imagined could be his reality, and he still finds himself savoring every moment of it, cherishing the warmth and comfort of home in your loving presence.

************

As you begin to mix the batter, the vibrant aroma of baked goods and fresh garden fruits wafts through the air, filling the kitchen with a delightful scent. The table on the terrace is already set with two big glasses of fresh juice and an assortment of fruits harvested from your garden, ready to complement the morning meal.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps on the stairs interrupts your daydreaming, and you glance up to see Crosshair descending.

His distinguished grey locks cascade in gentle waves, slightly tousled from a long night and his linen pants hang effortlessly low on his hips, accentuating his body in all the right places. Despite the passage of time, he remained as lean and sculpted as ever. After experimenting for a while and despite Echos half serious attempts to convince him a scomp link would be best, he opted for a detachable cybernetic hand covered with a skin like texture, some days he likes to cover it with a glove and some days he prefers to not wear the attachment at all. The scars that once marked his skin have faded with the years, becoming mere whispers of the battles he's fought and the challenges he's overcome and the line of soft grey hair tracing a path down his belly never fails to draw your attention.

Gazing upon him, you're overcome with a surge of love and admiration for the man before you. Despite the inevitable march of age, he still exudes an undeniable beauty and sexiness and the effect he has on you only seems to deepen with time.

He leans against the dining table, a soft smile gracing his lips as he watches you dance around the kitchen, humming along to the lyrics of the song.

"You're like a dream," he says, his voice filled with admiration.

You glance over at him, a playful twinkle in your eye.

"Join me," you invite him, extending your hand.

With a chuckle, he shakes his head. "I'd rather watch you dance. You're mesmerizing."

As the song fills the air, you swirl around getting the cookies out of the oven, your movements perfectly synchronized with the music.

Crosshair's gaze never leaves you, his admiration visible in every glance. He knows that moments like these, watching you dance with such joy and abandon, are something truly special.

“…hmm…mhh…heaven is here if you want it…mhh..”

As the song reaches its peak, you sing along with passion, your voice intertwining with the singers.

"…all gilded and golden, yes, I'm your girl…Hell, if it glitters I'm going…," you sing, your voice ringing clear and true.

Crosshair's smile widens, his heart swelling with love and pride as he watches you, his partner, his wife, embracing life with unbridled enthusiasm and determination despite all you’ve been through.

"…hmm…with my gun in my hand, you know I always get my man..." you hum.

With a gentle smile, he approaches you, enveloping you in a tender embrace from behind before pressing his lips against yours in a sweet kiss. His head rests against yours as he inhales deeply, savoring the comforting scent that surrounds you both.

“I love you so much,” he whispers.

You dip your finger in the pancake batter and offer him a taste, letting him lick it from your fingers with a wide grin.

"Mm, Jogan pancakes…my favorite…you spoil me" he remarks with a smile, clearly enjoying the indulgent treat.

"They just started ripening in the garden, I picked the first ones this morning", you add watching as he savors the flavor.

“Let me help you, what can I do?”

"No, no. Go sit on the terrace, my love. I'll bring the pancakes and fresh caff in just a few minutes. Enjoy the sun before it gets too hot outside."

With a final lingering kiss, he reluctantly releases you and makes his way out onto the terrace, the sunlight casting a warm glow upon his features as he steps out, greeted by the inviting sight of the table already adorned with freshly squeezed juice and an array of meticulously cut fruits. The cushions in the lounge area are all arranged with care, and the blankets neatly folded. He flops down onto one of the big cushions, contentment washing over him as he takes in the salty breeze.

Through the open floor to ceiling terrace windows, he watches you move happily around the kitchen, effortlessly stacking the pancakes onto a large plate. The love he feels for you swells within him, a profound gratitude for the care and affection you shower upon him and his family and it’s not something you feel obliged to do but it actually makes you happy. It's a feeling he never grows accustomed to, despite all the years, he’s sometimes still in disbelief that he could be so blessed.

But this morning, there's a special glow about you, an aura of warmth and love that envelops everything you do, and he feels his cock growing hard in his pants watching you. As you reach up to retrieve the caff from the upper shelves, the hem of your shirt, his shirt, rides up, revealing a glimpse of your beautiful soft ass and he inhales sharply when he realizes you're wearing absolutely nothing underneath.

With each movement you make, each delicate gesture, he feels a surge of desire building within him. Unable to resist any longer, he begins palming himself through his pants, his arousal growing as he gives in to the intoxicating effect you have on him.

*************

The pancakes are done, each one perfectly cooked and stacked high on a nice plate. You pour two cups of freshly brewed caff, adding a drop of sweet syrup and a splash of blue milk to your own before gathering everything up and making your way out onto the terrace. As you step outside, you find Crosshair basking in the sunlight, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his body, his gaze lingering on you with an unmistakable hunger and a prominent bulge evident in his pants, that really don’t do a good job in hiding it.

When he sees you approaching he gets up and with a few steps he is right before you wrapping one arm around you, immediately sliding under your shirt and squeezing your ass, taking the plate and cups from you with the other hand.

He sets them down on the table, before quickly indulging in a sip of his caff. Then, without hesitation, he scoops you up into his arms, his lips meeting yours in a hungry kiss as he lowers you both onto the cushions, pulling you on top of him so that you are straddling him.

"Sorry love, forgive me but breakfast will have to wait," he says with a desire burning in his eyes.

With a swift motion, he removes your shirt, leaving you completely exposed to the warming rays of the sun. His eyes roam over your naked form, appreciating every curve and contour as your hair falls in soft waves around your shoulders. His touch is gentle yet possessive as his hands explore your body, his desire undeniable in the hardness pressing against your stomach.

"Do you know how utterly perfect you are?" he murmurs, his voice laced with adoration. "Always so good to me, always caring, always loving."

Before you can respond, his lips find yours once more, his tongue pleading for access before before he starts trailing down your neck with hungry open mouthed kisses and soft bites that will surely leave a mark. Despite the many years, he still enjoys marking you as a silent affirmation of your bond.

Crosshair's touch ignites a fire within you as he begins to explore your body with his hands and lips. His kisses are soft and teasing, further trailing down from your neck to your chest where he cups your breasts, massaging them with skillful fingers. You gasp as he takes one of your nipples between his lips, his teeth grazing the sensitive flesh before giving it a gentle nip.

"Oh, Cross," you moan, your voice a breathy plea as his ministrations send waves of pleasure coursing through you.

He hums in response, his hands continuing their sensual assault on your body as he moves to the other breast, lavishing it with the same attention. His touch is both tender and demanding, each caress fueling your desire and you can already feel how wet you are getting.

"Stars, you're so beautiful…mmh…let me take care of you" he whispers, his voice husky with desire as he gazes up at you with a hunger that leaves you weak in the knees.

Before you can fully process his words, Crosshair swoops you up, effortlessly lifting you until you are straddling his face.

“Mmh…so fucking beautiful”

Your breath catches in your throat as you feel his warm breath against your core, his tongue darting out to taste you.

"Fuck," you gasp, your fingers tangling in his hair, one hand reaching out, desperately searching for something to hold on to, as he begins to lick and suckle at your sensitive flesh. Each stroke of his tongue sends shivers of pleasure racing through your body, building the tension coiled tight within you.

“Stars…you’re so wet for me….let me make you feel good” he murmurs between two painfully slow licks up and down your folds, the vibration of his voice sending a jolt through your core.

"Please," you whimper, arching your back as Crosshair's tongue works its magic. "I need your fingers inside me…or your cock"

He lifts his head, glancing up at you from underneath, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. "Not yet, love," he says, his voice husky with desire. "I want to make you come first."

You moan in frustration, but his lips descend once more, and all coherent thoughts evaporate and your mind goes blank when he starts sucking on your clit.

Crosshair's movements are relentless, his tongue dancing over your clit with a practiced rhythm that leaves you teetering on the brink of release. He knows exactly how to push you to the edge, his touch driving you wild with need. His hands get a hold of your hips pushing you further down onto him.

"Fuck," you gasp, your fingers tangling in his hair. "I'm so close."

"Come for me, and I promise I’ll fuck you however you want," he growls, the vibration of his voice sending shockwaves of pleasure through you. "Just let go and give me everything."

His words are the final push you needed, the dam of pleasure breaking as you tumble over the edge into bliss. Your back arches, a guttural cry escaping your lips as you ride out the waves of ecstasy crashing over you, your pussy clenching around nothing leaving you desperate to be filled.

Crosshair continues to devour you, his firm grip on your hips steadying you so you don’t fall over and his tongue working tirelessly to prolong your pleasure until you are a panting and whimpering mess in his arms. As you come down from your high, he gently lowers you back onto the cushions, his hands caressing your trembling body with infinite tenderness.

"You're incredible," he murmurs, wiping away the remnants of your juices on his face and pressing soft kisses against your skin as he holds you close. "I'm so lucky to have you."

You smile, your heart overflowing with love for the man who knows just how to make you feel alive. But your whole body thrums with need, your pussy throbbing with desire after his skilled tongue brought you to the brink of ecstasy, even as your mind reels from the intensity of your orgasm, the ache for his cock remains.

"Don’t forget you promised me something" you whisper.

"Tell me, darling," he murmurs, his voice a husky whisper against your ear. "Tell me what you want."

Your breath catches in your throat as you struggle to form words amidst the lingering haze of your orgasm.

"I need you inside me," you manage to gasp, your voice thick with need. "I need you to fuck me, Crosshair. Please."

No matter if it starts with him being the one who’s horny, he always manages to make you the one begging to be fucked.

“How do you want me?” he asks, his fingers trailing down between your dripping folds, pressing against your entrance, desperately aching for his attention.

You can barely form coherent thoughts with him teasing you like this.

“Just…ahhh…just fuck me…please…Cross, fill me up”

With a satisfied grin, he scoops you up from the cushions, his strength and desire obvious as he bends you over the terrace railing. Your heart races as he positions you, your naked body exposed and vulnerable to his every whim. Gripping the railing for support, you arch your back, presenting yourself to him in all your glory.

"Stars, this IS the best view in whole Pabu" Crosshair groans, his voice thick with desire as he quickly sheds his pants and lines himself up with your dripping core, his tip deliciously pressing against you and a sharp slap landing on one of your cheeks.

"So fucking perfect."

You let out a lewd moan, when he slowly slides into you. His big cock stretching you in all the right ways until he is fully sheathed. It’s a feeling you can never get enough of.

You arch into him, making sure you take him as deep as possible. It feels incredibly good to finally get what you wanted, to be so full of him, but he doesn't move. Instead, he teases you, his fingers finding your clit, pinching and rubbing it in just the right way to send shivers down your spine.

"Please, Cross," you beg, your voice thick with need. "Move... I need you to move." the ache between your legs growing more furious with each passing moment.

He grins, enjoying the desperation in your voice, but he doesn't relent just yet. Instead, he slaps your ass, the sound muted by the waves crushing beneath you.

"Stars, I love it when you're so needy," he murmurs, his breath hot against your ear as he bends over you.

You whimper in response and finally, he begins to move, slow and deliberate at first, savoring the feeling of you wrapped around him. But as your pleas grow louder, more desperate, he picks up the pace, thrusting into you with increasing urgency.

Your body starts trembling as he thrusts into you with relentless force. Each powerful stroke sends shockwaves of pleasure coursing through you, driving you closer to the edge with every movement.

Crosshair's hands grip your hips firmly, guiding your movements as he pounds into you with primal need. "That's it, baby," he grunts, his voice ragged with lust. "Take me. Take all of me."

Your senses reel as pleasure consumes you, the rhythm of his thrusts pushing you closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy. Your body responds eagerly, meeting his every stroke with unrestrained enthusiasm as you surrender yourself to him completely.

"Oh, fuck, Crosshair," you cry out, your voice a symphony of pleasure as he drives you to the brink once more. "I’m close, don’t stop."

He doesn't hesitate to comply, his thrusts becoming even more forceful as he drives you towards another mind-shattering orgasm. With each powerful stroke, you feel yourself teetering on the edge, the pleasure building to a fever pitch as you chase release.

And when it finally crashes over you, it's like a tidal wave of pleasure, washing over you with an intensity that leaves you breathless. But even as you come apart in his grip, Crosshair shows no signs of slowing down, mercilessly fucking you through your high.

“Cross… slow down, it….it’s too much.. please” you whimper, your voice barely audible over the sound of skin slapping against skin and the waves crash on the rocks beneath you.

But he's unrelenting, his grip on your hips tightening as he pounds into you with a hunger that borders on desperation.

“No love, I want you to give me another one, I know you can do it” he growls, his words laced with desire as he continues to drive you toward another peak of pleasure.

With each powerful thrust, he pushes you closer to the edge, his hands roaming over your body as he praises you.

"Fuck, you're so hot," he grunts, his voice rough with lust. "You're doing so good for me."

His words send a thrill of excitement coursing through you, spurring you on to new heights of ecstasy.

He punctuates his praise with sharp slaps to your ass, the sting mingling with the pleasure to create a sensation that leaves you dizzy with desire.

"I know you like that…" he groans, his voice dripping with satisfaction as he continues to pound into you. "… my fucking beautiful wife, taking me so well."

You can only moan in response, the pleasure overwhelming your senses as he drives you relentlessly toward another orgasm.

“Now come for me, I… I want to feel this beautiful pussy of yours…clenching around my cock”

He watches you with hungry eyes, his own release growing closer with each passing moment, his thrust becoming sloppy and his cock tightening up even more.

“Let me make you come undone," he urges, his voice a husky growl as he thrusts into, lifting your hips, slightly changing the angle to pound against your most sensitive spot.

With his encouragement, you let go, your body wracked with pleasure as you tumble over the edge once more. And when you come, when that tension in your core snaps, your mind goes completely blank and all sounds fade into the distance. This state of mind is something you only reached in your active days, mid battle, when you had to center yourself in the force and with him. If it’s possible to become one with the force, this is how it has to feel.

Crosshair follows you shortly after, his own climax ripping through him as he feels you clenching hard around his cock and he spills himself inside you, his orgasm mingling with yours in a symphony of passion. You collapse against the railing, spent, sated and panting, your mind blissfully blank as you bask in the last waves washing over you and the afterglow of your lovemaking begins to settle in. Luckily he is holding you steady against him, as your shaking legs begin failing to hold you up.

Together, you hear the waves crashing on the rocks below, the sound a soothing backdrop. In that moment, with Crosshair's arms wrapped tightly around you, you feel complete, your body humming with satisfaction as you revel in the pleasure of being thoroughly and completely ravished by the man you love.

His touch is tender as he lowers you back onto the cushions, your legs still unwilling to support your weight.

He presses a soft kiss to your forehead before he disappears into the house but it doesn’t take long until he returns with a damp towel in his hands to clean you up.

He lowers himself back down on the cushions beside you, his fingers trailing gently over your skin.

“I love you so much” he murmurs looking at you, and you could loose yourself in his eyes, so full of love and adoration for you. He wasn’t good with expressing his feelings when you met but his eyes always told the truth.

“I love you too Cross” you say, cupping his jaw and pressing a soft kiss on his lips.

“Let me clean you up and get our breakfast over here,” he whispers with a satisfied grin.

With a loving care that fills your heart to the brim, he wipes away the traces of his cum that is leaking from your core and trailing down your legs, his touch soothing and intimate.

Once he's satisfied that you're clean and comfortable, he turns his attention to the abandoned food, gathering up the plates of fruit and pancakes and cups of caff that were left forgotten in the throes of passion, bringing them over to where you lay on the cushions. With a soft smile playing at his lips, he begins to feed you.

"Here, darling," he murmurs, his voice soft and affectionate as he offers you a piece of pancake. "Let me take care of you."

You accept his offering eagerly, too blissed out to eat by yourself, savoring the taste of the sweet syrup and fluffy pastry as Crosshair feeds you with a tenderness that takes your breath away. With each bite and sip, you feel the life coming back into your body and the warmth of his love enveloping you, wrapping you in a cocoon of blissful contentment.

As you eat, you bask in the afterglow of your lovemaking, the lingering effects of three mind shattering orgasms still thrumming through your veins. The terrace is bathed in sunlight, the gentle breeze carrying the salty scent of the ocean as it rustles through the air. In this moment, with your husband by your side, you feel completely and utterly at peace.

Together, you eat and laugh and as the last of the pancakes disappear and the caff is drained from your cups, you lean into Crosshair's embrace, savoring the feeling of his arms around you. In the quiet intimacy of your terrace, you revel in the simple joy of being together, your hearts beating as one in perfect harmony.

With a content sigh, you rest your head against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath your cheek. In this moment, surrounded by his love and warmth, you know that there's nowhere else you'd rather be than here, in the arms of the man who completes you in every way imaginable.

#crosshair smut #give this man a wife #he deserves everything #the bad batch #star wars #tbb #the bad batch season 3 #tbb crosshair #bad batch fanfic #bad batch smut #tbb smut #crosshair x reader #crosshair x you #soft dom crosshair #old crosshair #the bad batch happy on pabu #tbb pabu #pabu crosshair

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loveharlow · 14 days

Text

SEVEN [SEASON 2] - 001

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[10.9k] A whole month after John B and Sarah vanish at sea and the remaining four pogues are in for a jaw-dropping surprise that flips their world upside down (or right side up?) and it looks like they might be finding a way to the Bahamas

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of death, mentions of firearms, graphic depictions of drowning, unestablished relationship

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ woohoo season two!!

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

IT’S BEEN A MONTH SINCE JOHN B AND SARAH WERE LOST AT SEA. Nothing had been easy. At all. You hadn’t seen your mother since that night and you doubted she’d be eager to get you back home. You, Marley, and JJ had been holed up at The Chateau, honoring it for John B.

You and JJ have been bussing tables down at The Beach Club to keep the lights on and the water running, making a return to Pogue life actually offered you some odd kind of comfort. It had to have been around half past nine when the two of you arrived at work, getting yelled at for simply walking in late, aprons thrown at your chests.

Serving rich folks wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Well, at least when those rich folks weren’t talking about your two deceased - presumably deceased friends.

JJ was serving one half of the outdoor dining area as you tended to the other, both of you making your best efforts to keep your heads down as the guests badmouthed your friends.

“Of course it was a Pogue. Did you expect anything less?”

“He’s a murderer.”

“I’m glad he’s dead.”

Ever since John B and Sarah vanished, dealing with the pricks of Figure Eight had given you a much shorter fuse. Every other day — an argument with a customer here, a borderline fist fight there. It was as if all someone had to do was say or do the wrong thing at the wrong time and boom.

And today was one of those days.

You took a deep breath, approaching Topper’s table with your notepad in hand ready to take their orders when the girl at the left edge spoke, voice laced with disgust for a boy she never knew.

“You should be glad.” She directed at Topper. “John B got what was coming to him. And it saved them the expense of a trial…” She shrugged, sipping her mimosa as if the words that tumbled from her lips were casual. And they were. Casually cruel. “John B’s going to hell for what he did to Peterkin.”

Your notepad slapped against your thigh as you let your arms fall, head rolling to the side. Topper’s mouth opened immediately, noting your expression of annoyance as the table you were waiting on continued to converse as if you weren’t there or as if they had no idea who you were. “Guys, they’re still investigating…” He tried, laughing nervously.

“John B didn’t kill Peterkin.” You spat, eyes glued to the girl who took another sip of her drink, eyes fleeting before they came back to you, looking you up and down. She chuckled, stirring the small black straw around the circumference of her glass.

“There’s no need to defend a dead guy, sweetie.” She taunted you as if you were a child. “We all know your friend was a murderer.”

“You wanna see a real murderer?” You interrupted, leaning forward and planting your palms down in the wood of the table. “Take your Corvette down to Tannyhill and you’ll find two.”

Topper scooted his chair closer to you, laying a palm on top of yours. “C’mon, just…walk away.” You stood back up to your full height, snatching your hand from up under his with a look of pure disgust written on your face.

“Get the fuck off me, Topper.” You spat, the table rattling underneath your swift movements.

“Is everything alright over here?” JJ’s voice came from over your shoulder. You made no moves to look back at him, still glaring at the three assholes crowding the table.

“Your girl’s over here losing her shit.” Kelce chipped, always looking to pick a fight where he could. “Might wanna look into a leash. Maybe a muzzle, too-”

“The fuck’d you say?” JJ challenged, stepping out from behind you as Kelce rose from his seat. The two were toe to toe at this point.

“Now is not the time…” Topper tried, standing from his own seat but you blocked his path.

“Why don’t you sit down, Top?” You said, less of a question, more of a warning. The boy didn’t respond, simply looking down at you as he prodded the inside of his cheek with his tongue. As you two stared each other down, the other two boys got even more heated.

“Do something, JJ. Be a Pogue, man. That’s what got your friend killed, maybe you’ll get lucky-” Kelce’s words were cut off when JJ took a pitcher of water and threw it in his face, Kelce grabbing the blonde up by his collar as Topper went around you and attempted to intervene.

Within seconds, some of the older male guests pulled the young men apart. Raz, the manager, wasting no time in yelling both you and JJ’s names. The older, dark-haired man stood feet away watching the interaction occur. But he was never one to scold his high paying guests.

You and JJ both nodded in his direction in silent agreement, reaching around yourselves to untie the aprons and shove them into the manager's chest.

“You ready?” JJ directed at you. You simply grimaced and nodded, shrugging your shoulders.

“Let’s go.”

With that, you both walked out of The Beach Club and into the parking lot where JJ’s motorcycle was parked. Halfway there, JJ’s heavy breathing stopped you in your tracks, looking to your left to see the blonde with a hand pressed against his chest.

He’d suffered from panic attacks here and there after everything that had happened. You’d been helping him through them to the best of your ability. He refused to tell Kie or Pope about them, you suggesting he do so in case they happened when you weren’t around, something you weren’t completely on board with. But it was JJ’s decision.

Setting a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking, you rounded to stand in front of him. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah….” He breathed out, hand still on his chest as he shook his head. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”

“JJ.” You tried to ground him, stepping a bit closer. “Fuck those assholes in there, okay? They don’t know shit.”

“I know.” He nodded, gulping in whatever air he could gather in his lungs, shaking himself out of the oncoming panic attack.

“Alright?” You asked, needing to affirm that he was okay. He responded nonverbally with a strong nod before motioning for the both of you to continue walking. Reaching the bike, JJ handed you the helmet he’d bought you, letting you mount the back of the bike as he slipped his own helmet on and threw himself in front of you.

You wound your arms around his waist as he started up the motorcycle, the vehicle jumping to life underneath you both as he sped off, not before letting the back tire dig a hole into the soil of the plants decorating the Club’s parking lot.

RETURNING TO KILDARE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL WASN’T EXACTLY ONE OF YOUR TOP PRIORITIES AT THE MOMENT. You didn’t exactly know what to expect when walking through the doors but you figured it couldn’t be that bad…

You figured wrong.

You and JJ had just pulled up behind Kie’s SUV in your newly revived Ford Bronco, car doors slamming almost simultaneously as you all got out. Nothing had felt the same in the past few weeks. And you meant nothing. Walking into school used to be no big deal. Now it felt like a task to keep your head down.

Kie and Pope had been a few times since everything went down, so the kids were more focused on you and JJ.

The students gawked at the two of you like escaped zoo animals, pointing and whispering. Some not making any effort to conceal their gossip.

“I wasn’t sure they’d ever show up.”

“I heard they got arrested.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me.”

You heard Kie sigh heavily, trying to keep looking ahead. But looking ahead only made things worse.

The school had this big rock that sat in the middle of the front yard. It was blank before, maybe save for some graffiti here and there. Now, it was covered with pictures of John B and all sorts of memorabilia. For kids who all thought he was some kind of murderer, they were quick to write his name in spray paint and take pictures next to a glamorized rock.

“Think they had something to do with it?”

“They had to.”

Even now, the whispers and staring eyes were such a slap in the face. John B was everything to all of you and the audacity of all these kids who’d been going to school with you all for years to think you had something to do with anything that happened to him or what they were trying to say he did…

It made you so angry.

“Fuck this.” You spat, hiking your backpack further up your shoulder. “I’m not staying here for this shit.” You declared, ready to turn on your heels and leave. You didn’t have to stay here and be these kids' mascot for the day. You’d take summer school over this. You hadn’t even taken a full step away before a hand on your shoulder was pulling you back.

You looked up to see JJ, glaring at him with squinted eyes and a hard expression “Don’t leave.” He pleaded, looking you in the eyes. “Six hours.” He said. “Okay, you just have to sit through it for six hours and we can leave, go back to The Chateau, make noodles and watch that reality show you love so much.”

You stood there for a moment, not saying anything until Kie piped up. “He’s right. We gotta stick together.” You figured they were right. The four of you had already lost one friend. Better not to abandon who’s left.

You sighed. “...Okay.” You huffed. They all smiled smally. None of you had really smiled much anymore. But it gave you the smallest piece of hope that maybe one day everything would feel normal again.

“...AND THE SLAVE BECOMES THE NEW RULER.” Mr.Sunn read aloud, back facing the class as you took notes, trying to avoid the frequent fleeting eyes of your classmates made it a lot easier to do your schoolwork than you thought. You could still feel the stares, but as long as you didn’t see them, you couldn’t get upset, which means you didn’t do anything “impulsive” as Pope put it. “Now, Diocletian splits the sprawling Roman Empire-” The teacher’s words were cut off by a chorus of phones going off at once, the chimes all similar to yours, Kie’s, Pope’s, and JJ’s. You knew for sure that one of them was yours, the desk vibrating underneath your hand. “-Into four separate kingdoms.” He finished, now facing the class, eyes scanning the room. “...Whose phone was that?”

You remained silent, stealthily sliding the device off the desk as you sat your face in your free palm. “...Nobody?” The educator continued to press. “You will be tested on this.” He warned before nodding, turning back around to the chalkboard. “Now, who was Diocletian? An ex-slave who became the ruler of the Roman Empire…”

You leaned back in your chair as the man continued teaching, opening your phone to reveal a notification.

Unknown Number

1 iMessage

You looked up at your friends, Kie the closest to you whispering. “Did you get it?” She asked all of you. You nodded in her direction. Who’d be group texting the four of you only? Sure, you had your fair share of trolls since everything went down, but nobody had said much recently.

You and JJ shared looks, being the farthest two across the room, you both got out of your seats and crept quietly over to Pope and Kie, crouching in between the two. You all opened the text simultaneously, an image being the first thing to pop up.

It made your heart stop. It was a picture of Sarah and John B. A picture you’d never seen before.

“Oh my God…” Kie whispered, straightening in her seat. You and JJ shared a look, being the first two to practically bolt out of the classroom, Kie and Pope lagging behind. You darted out into the hall, almost bum rushing a janitor.

“There’s no way it’s real, right?” You panted, trying to keep with the blonde as the other two caught up. “Right?” You asked again as the four of you burst through the doors to the courtyard.

“I mean, is that even possible?” Kiara added, skipping down the steps. “Shoupe said that they didn’t make it. That’s what he said.” She worried, throwing her school bag down on the nearest table. There were only two people out here, a couple minding their own a handful of feet away.

You sat on the table top as you all crowded around one another, phones still in hand. “Maybe we’re overreacting right now ‘cause we can’t rule out the possibility that this could all be some kind of sick joke.” Pope said as he and JJ sat on a table across from you and Kie.

“What if it’s actually him, though?” JJ proposed, leaning his elbows on his thighs.

“We'll never know unless we ask.” You said with finality in your voice, opening up the text thread and typing.

You

Is this really you?

Moments of silence went by before you saw those three dots start to bounce on the screen. “He’s typing.” You perked up, eyes looking up from the screen for a moment when you heard the reply come in.

Unknown

Is JJ there?

Your brows furrowed, looking up from your phone and instead at the blonde looking down at his own. You saw him typing with a serious expression written across his face.

I’m here Bree

Moments went by once more as the person on the other end typed, it felt like you were all waiting for a bomb to go off when your phones chimed once more.

Unknown

Did you pimp my shortboard?

Silence went by for a few seconds before you all chuckled, one after the other. The saddest yet relieved chuckles you had let out in the last month.

“It’s him.” You tearfully laughed out, throwing your head back to look at the sky gratefully for a brief moment. You could feel tears in your eyes but they weren’t enough to fall down. Bringing your head back down, you looked over at Kie, both of you sharing bright smiles and throwing yourselves into a hug.

You released one another to go over to the guys. JJ had stood at some point and you couldn’t stop yourself from jumping on the blonde, wrapping your legs around his waist and arms around his neck as he held you tightly and spun you around, cheering.

You couldn’t contain your watery laughter, still latching to the boy when one of your arms reached out to dap up Pope. You unwound yourself from JJ, the Maybank boy setting you down gently. Your noses brushed against one another as he let you slide down the length of his body, your breathing hitching for a moment before you backed away.

Your phones chimed again, another message coming through.

Unknown

Laying super low in Nassau

“How the hell did they get to the Bahamas?” Kiara inquired, browns pinched together as she stared at the text on screen.

JJ just shrugged, a lazy smile on his features. “Can’t kill a pogue, dude.” He said gleefully, you and Pope laughing along. He had a point. Shoupe made it seem like John B and Sarah had zero chances of making it in that storm. But you figured his word was never to be trusted. Your thoughts were interrupted when your phone buzzed again.

Unknown

Can you clear my name? Wanna come home

You couldn’t do anything but roll your eyes, a sassy smile on your face. “Duh, we’ll clear his name. Is he joking?” You proclaimed. You’d torch the Sheriff’s Station if it meant John B could come home.

Unknown

Be in touch. P4L.

The four of you looked at the boy’s last text with smiles, JJ being the first to cheer. “P4L, man. That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” He cheered, snatching the baseball cap off of his head. The blonde jumped up on the empty table, the three of you laughing at his display of excitement. “P4L, baby!”

THE FOUR OF YOU HAD DECIDED TO DITCH THE REST OF THE SCHOOL DAY, going to the docks behind The Wreck. You were still kind of reeling. You don’t know how to describe the feeling of having someone you love basically come back from the dead, even if the dead part was only really in your mind.

“So, we goin’ to the Bahamas or what?” JJ asked, throwing his bag on the wooden bench as Pope and Kie sat down.

The brown-haired girl scoffed, leaning back on her hands. “There’s absolutely no way we’re getting to the Bahamas.” She dismissed the blonde, shaking her head.

“Well, John B is gonna get cuffed sooner rather than later.” You chipped in, standing with your arms crossed and eyes squinted from the harsh sun, the wind blowing your hair. “If we’re gonna clear his name, we have to do it, like, now.”

“I’ll tell you how we can do it.” JJ said, leaning over the wooden railing.

“Oh, you have it all planned out?” Pope poked, eyeing the blonde with a usual amount of skepticism.

“As a matter of fact, I do.” JJ stood up straight, in front of the three of you as if he was presenting. His usual level of theatrics returning in full swing. The thought made you smile a bit. “We kidnap Rafe.” That made your smile fall.

“I’m sorry.” You waved your hands in front of you, a look of bewilderment written across your face. "What?”

“We kidnap Rafe, tie him up and stick the gun in his mouth,” He reiterated, using his hands to mimic a gun. “And just wait ‘til he starts squawking.”

“Y’know, under other circumstances, I’d be fully on board with that.” You shrugged, looking at the other two who looked at you just as shocked as they were looking at JJ. “What? What’d I do?” You asked, to which they simply shook their heads.

“You know, torture’s a war crime.” Kie informed, eyes locked on you and JJ specifically.

“Yeah,” Pope added, agreeing with her. “So, how exactly do you plan to clear John B’s name from a prison cell? Because that’s a felony.”

“Okay, well, what ideas do you two have?” You asked, shifting your weight and giving the two opposers the floor.

“All we need is a material witness.” Pope put on the table. “We saw Ward’s plane fly right above our heads with the gold inside of it. He didn’t fly it. If somebody else flew, they were there on the tarmac. They saw Peterkin get murdered.” He explained, you and JJ both taking a seat as he continued on. “We just have to find whoever that was and get them to confess on record.”

Kie shrugged from her spot, her brown eyes on Pope. “How are we supposed to do that?”

Pope pondered on the question for a moment, head bobbing as he did so. “...A little light espionage.”

JJ smiled from his place next to you, sliding the baseball cap over his mess of blonde strands. “A little ghost recon.”

KIE TOOK IT UPON HERSELF TO DRIVE THE FOUR OF YOU DOWN TO THE PILOT’S HOUSE. It didn’t take much to figure out who he was — some middle aged white-man named Gavin, lived a couple miles out in a small house with his wife. You were all still on the road, still a good twenty minutes from your destination.

“If this guy flew planes for Ward, he'd be pretty tight-lipped.” Pope said from the passenger seat, Kiara driving with you and JJ in the back. There was still a lingering cloud over you two but nothing that hindered the friendship. Or whatever it was now.

“So, then direct approach gets my vote.” JJ said simply, cocking back the gun you didn’t even know he’d brought with him. Although, you weren’t surprised.

“JJ, no.” Pope scolded him like a child. “Put the gun down, man.”

“We gotta keep this simple or else we’ll never get John B off.”

“I agree.” You shrugged, eyes staring out the window as the trees passed by.

“Not helping.” Pope reprimanded you as well.

“Wasn’t trying to.”

“No guns, no violence. We’ll just simply tickle the wire.” Pope informed you all, holding an airpod between his fingers. “I plant my phone in his car, and then we listen in on your AirPods.”

Kie shrugged as she drove, both hands on the wheel. “Sounds like a solid plan to me.” The car pulling to a slow stop in front of the house. It was a decent sized home — two stories, a backyard, a garage, not any neighbors within walking distance. It seemed Ward had to have been paying this man well.

“I think this is his house.” Pope peeked out of Kie’s window to get a good look at the house, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Alright, uh, honk or yell or something if you see something suspicious.” He said, opening the passenger side door and getting out, crouching through the greenery to get around the house.

The car went silent as you all watched him disappear around the side of the house, JJ leaning back before speaking, his words directed at Kie. He wasn’t a fan of silence — no matter how awkward or comfortable. You’d noticed that over the years. “How’s it been goin’, Kie? Y’know, with Pope and all?”

“It’s good.” The girl replied shortly, not really able to see her face as she continued staring out of her own window.

“It’s good? All right…” JJ trailed off, tapping his fingers. You knew that meant another question was coming, a small smile making its way on your face. “In the bedroom, is he like, kinda freaky, ‘cause it’s Pope, y’know?”

At that, Kie turned around, looking between annoyance and disgust on her face that made you hold back a laugh. “Why are you asking?”

JJ just shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “I dunno. Just curious. Just spitballin’ here.” The girl simply turned back around in her seat.

“You don’t need to spitball.” She said, shoulders square. “We could sit in silence.” She suggested, staring back out the window once again. “Or we could talk about you two, since we’re spitballing.” Kiara threw out, the odd suggestion making you reel your neck back.

“What do you mean ‘talk about us’?” You asked, eyes fleeting towards JJ whose eyes were on you, the blonde taking a gulp and looking out of the window. You doubted he’d told Kie or Pope anything about what happened. But maybe he did?

Kiara just chuckled humorlessly from the driver’s seat. “Nevermind.”

You’d noticed Kiara’s odd behavior a few weeks ago. She kept dropping passive-aggressive comments as if she knew something but you’d chalked it up to John B and Sarah’s disappearance taking a toll on her. But there really was no excuse now. You’d wondered if you’d done something, but you kept drawing blanks.

Just then, Pope jumped back into the vehicle, the atmosphere having shifted in energy. “Okay, phase one complete.” He panted breathlessly with a smile, a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. Nobody replied or responded, causing the boy to look around the car awkwardly. “...We all good?”

THE SUN HAD GONE DOWN ODDLY FAST IN THE TIME YOU’D BEEN WAITING TO “TICKLE THE WIRE”. Pope figured it was best not to do it right away in case someone had seen him sneaking around the house. But almost an hour had passed and he was giving the green light.

“So, whose tickling?” The dark-skinned boy asked. “‘Cause I planted the wire so, someone else has to volunteer as tribute.”

“I drove.” Kie threw her hands in surrender, both pairs of eyes turning to you and JJ in the back. You rolled your eyes and grabbed the phone.

“I’ll do it.” You said, to which the blonde pouted and shifted in his seat.

“What if I wanted to do it?”

Your face twisted in a ‘are you serious?’ kind of manner before speaking. “Because you always try to disguise your voice as a woman and you end up sounding like a recovering female nicotine addict.”

“That is not true-”

“It is true-”

“I have a very lovely, feminine voice-”

“Guys!” Kiara shouted, eyes darting between the both of you. “Can we please focus?” You sighed and pressed call. The phone rang four times before it was picked up.

“Hello?”

“Uh- Hello?” You attempted in a deep, masculine voice that came out nothing like one. You decided to ditch the cover up and use your real voice. Clearing your throat, you spoke again in your regular voice. “Is this Gavin?”

“...This is Gavin. Who’s this?”

You looked around at the three people in the car with you, a second of hesitation. “I know what happened on the tarmac.”

The man on the other end let out a nervous chuckle, perhaps he was around people. “...Who is this?”

The first step was done — get him rattled. Now you had to let him know about the leverage, without letting him onto who you were. “I know it was Rafe Cameron who killed Sheriff Peterkin. And I know you knew about it and lied to the police.”

“Okay, who the hell is this? I’m not kidding around.”

“I have proof.”

“You’re gonna tell me who this is right now, or I swear-”

“You could’ve saved Peterkin, Gavin, and you didn’t. You chose not to. And you’re not getting away with it.”

“Listen to me!”

“None of you are.”

“Who is this?! Who-” The man’s yelling was cut off when you ended the call, heart pounding wildly against your ribcage. You sat the phone down on the center console, leaning back into your seat.

“Was that okay?” You asked, an air of uncertainty to your tone, hoping you didn’t say too much.

“Yeah, that was perfect.” Pope assured, JJ giving you a high five. “All right, we tickled the wire. Phase two complete. Now, we wait and listen…” He explained, pulling out the airpods. He was about to put both in when you stopped him.

“Give me one.” You said with your hand out, palm up. “I tickled the wire so I should get to listen, it's only fair.” Pope shrugged, seeing no flaw in your logic as he gave up an airpod. Gavin’s headlights shone through the bushes just as you put the airpod in.

“All right, here he comes. Stay down.” Pope whispered, all four of you sliding down in your seats. Gavin’s car drove by, all of you straightening back up as his car disappeared behind Kie’s.

“He didn’t see us. Hit it.” JJ declared, Kie putting the car into drive and following Gavin as stealthily as possible, but close enough that the bluetooth would work. Within a few minutes, you and Pope could hear from the inside of Gavin’s vehicle.

“Call Ward Cameron.” His voice boomed through the earbud, phone ringing echoing out next.

“What’s happening?” Kie asked, head whipping between Pope and the road, JJ’s eyes were glued to you.

“He’s calling Ward.” Pope said shortly, trying to focus on listening. The audio was muffled and borderline inaudible, you were only able to make out a few words.

“The audio is bad. Kie, you need to get closer.” You said, hand on the back of the driver’s seat.

“I’m trying.” The girl assured, accelerating the vehicle in the slightest. The closer she got, the clearer the audio came in.

“I need to be paid more, alright?”

“You need to stop and think very carefully about what you’re about to say here, okay,” Ward’s voice emerged. “Because I have treated you very well. And I can’t figure out why I should give you one more damn penny-”

“I’ve got something that could put you away for life, Ward!”

“What are you talking about?”

“I…I’ve got the gun, Ward, that your son used. I have it. I know you told me to get rid of it but I know how you work. So, I kept it.” You and Pope shared a look of astonishment, not going unnoticed by the blonde next to you.

“What? What is it?” You turned your attention to him.

“Gavin has the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin.” You told him, voice low as you continued listening.

“Somebody called me, okay?” Gavin continued, frantic and talking a mile a minute. “People are onto me. Somebody knows what’s going on.”

“Gavin’s trying to use the gun as leverage to get more money out of Ward.” Pope concluded.

“Nobody is onto you. There’s nobody that knows anything. Somebody is just screwing around with you, you just gotta calm down.” Ward tried to coax the man.

“I want triple and I want the plane.” Gavin told Ward, conviction in his voice.

“I can’t do that.”

“I don’t care.” Gavin cut him off. “You have to figure it out, I’ve got the gun!”

“Shit, he’s pulling over.” Kiara panicked, the SUV slowing in its movements. “Do I pull behind him? What do I do?!”

“Just go around the block.” You commanded quickly with little thought, hopefully you'd still be able to catch most of the conversation.

“I want the money, now. You need to meet me tonight.” As Kie passed Gavin’s truck and made the first turn around the corner, the airpods went static, no more audio passing through.

“I can’t hear anything. I’m losing the signal.” Pope warned, tapping the earbud as if that would make it work. And as if things couldn’t get worse, Kie’s car pulled up to a ‘ROAD CLOSED’ sign, rendering you unable to go around the block as planned.

“What the hell is this?” Pope exclaimed, leaning forward in his seat.

“I’ll just back up and turn around.” Kie stuttered, putting the car in reverse right before a construction truck blocked the path behind the car. Luck was not on your side tonight, you guessed.

“Fuck it.” You muttered before jumping out of the backseat and booking it through the grass, JJ calling your name the loudest as the sound of another car door slamming was heard in the distance, Kiara then calling out for Pope.

You booked it through some poor family’s backyard, triggering their motion sensor lights as you hopped the fence into the next. This time, interrupting some kid’s idea of a pool party.

“Hey, Y/N!” A girl’s voice called, you looking to the side to see a brunette girl — Samantha from your history class. You gave her a quick smile and wave, nearly tripping over your feet as you did so. You could hear audio again right as the squad of kids disappeared from your sight, stopping in the middle of an unclaimed patch of grass as Pope skirted to a stop next to you, sliding.

“Gavin, you can meet me now at the construction site near that surf shop. Do you understand?” Ward’s voice crackled through. “You bring the gun, I will bring you your money. And then we’re done.”

“Yes, okay. I’ll, um, I’ll see you there.” Then the call was ending and Gavin’s truck was driving off. You took the airpod out of your ear just as Kie and JJ caught up to the two of you, both out of breath.

“What?” JJ said, throwing his hands out and stepping closer. “What’s that look?”

“He’s meeting Ward like, right now.” You told them enthusiastically. “We gotta go. Now.” You instructed, walking up to him and patting his shoulder before running back in the direction you came. “Now!”

THE FOUR YOU FOLLOWED GAVIN TO THE MEETUP SPOT WITH WARD. Some old surf shop off an old street, fairly unoccupied considering a lot of the buildings were being renovated. It was pouring cats and dogs and Pope had some old-timey camera he was using to look at things from afar.

“Nice camera, where’d you dig up that relic?” JJ jabbed, raindrops making his hair stick to his forehead, despite the baseball cap on his head. “Why not just use your phone?”

“Well, first of all, I like my antique electronics.” He sassed back at the blonde, face concealed by the black and blue plaid hood he had over his head. “Secondly, this is a telephoto. It allows me to get a close image from far away.”

“Lord of The Dorks.” Kiara joked.

You shrugged, tugging your own hoodie farther over your head. “Gotta hand it to him. It’s comin’ in hella handy now.” Just then you spotted the unmistakable figure of Ward Cameron running down the road in the rain, large bag in hand. “There he is.” You pointed out to the others.

“Yo, get down.” JJ whispered, the four of you ducking further below the wooden fence you were hiding behind. “There’s Gavin.” JJ pointed just as the man in question came jogging in from the opposite direction, both men entering the empty construction site.

Pope stood his full height again, peeping through the camera. “Where are you going?...” He said to no one in particular as the two men disappeared within the building. “No, no, shit. I’m losing them.” He scolded, retracting the camera from his face. “We need to get higher.”

“I think I saw a fire escape back down the alley. Think it could get us to the roof?” You informed, licking the rainwater from your lips.

“Better than nothing.” Pope replied, the three of you scurrying to follow your lead to the rickety fire escape you’d spotted minutes ago. As you expected, it got you high enough to see more clearly within the unfinished structure, a clear outline of two shadows from where you stood.

Pope wasted no time in kneeling behind the wall, camera to eye as you all waited for him to say something. “Okay, I can see them.” The anticipation was killing you, nothing but the sounds of rain and thunder while you waited for Pope to notice anything, anything he could take a picture of and give to the police.

Even though, admittedly, you weren’t sure the cops were on your side after everything that happened. Shoupe considered Ward a good friend, so whatever you gave him better be damn good, or at least good enough for him to look into Ward himself.

“I wish we could hear.” You threw out, still waiting for Pope to say something.

“Ward just handed Gavin something. I think it’s the duffel bag he had with him.” The boy finally spoke.

“Guys, I think this a payoff.” JJ voiced his thoughts. You simply scoffed.

“Of course, it’s a payoff. But do we really think Ward is just going to give into blackmail? He has to have something up his sleeve…” You suggested.

“...Gavin doesn’t look happy about something.” Pope perked up, zooming the lens in even further. “He’s yelling at Ward.” You could see the silhouette of the men, the larger one pointing harshly at the other. Within seconds, it looked like the two men were fighting. “Shit…”

“What’s going on?” Kiara demanded to know.

“I dunno,” Pope replied frantically trying to steady the camera with their rapid movements. “It looks like they’re fighting over something. Ward’s kickin’ the shit out of Gavin…”

“What is it?” JJ asked, the question on the tip of your own tongue.

“Can you see what they’re fighting over?” You piped up.

“No, I…” Pope stuttered over his words, watching the men continue to fight like dogs before the smaller shadow, who you guessed to be Ward, threw Gavin into some kind of structure, his body hunched over in pain, it seemed. “Holy shit. Ward’s got a gun, he just took it off Gavin.”

“Probably the one Rafe used to shoot Peterkin.” You concluded, crouching closer to the edge as rain obscured your vision. Silence filled the rooftop, watching the two men from afar. It looked Ward was walking off until he stopped in his tracks, his figure turning around in one swift motion and shooting Gavin point blank. You audibly gasped, crouching behind the wall completely as the others followed suit, Pope letting the camera fall from his face in shock.

“Oh my God!” Kie whisper-yelled. “That did not just happen.”

“Pope…” JJ croaked, recovering from his shock as Pope edged back up the wall, putting the camera back in front of his vision. “Tell me you just got that.”

Pope nodded. “Enough to put this asshole away for life.” He said, still looking through the lens. Ward’s figure suddenly stepped out of the structure, looking straight and nearly catching the four of you before you all ducked. It looked like he was looking for something. The thought of him seeing you didn’t instill as much fear as you thought it would, almost like you wanted him to.

“I think we should go now.” JJ suggested, the four of you getting up before Pope spoke again.

“Hold on, he’s coming out now.” He told you all, watching Ward’s figure roam the flooded streets. “I think he’s looking for the gun.” He said curiously, the remaining three of you watching with naked eyes as Ward crouched over a sewage drain. “I think the gun just went down the drain. He’s trying to get it…”

“Hold this,” Kie threw her bag in you and JJ’s direction, the pair exchanging a glance as she stood up on the edge, cupping her hands over her mouth. “Murderer!” Your eyes went wide as you and JJ attempted to pull the girl down back behind the wall. What was she thinking? “What is wrong with you?! Killer!” You and JJ managed to successfully pull her down, the girl shrugging both of you off.

“The fuck’s wrong with you? That doesn’t solve anything or help us, at all.” You scolded, angry at the girl's impulsiveness. Lord knows what could’ve happened if he saw you all. And who's to say he didn’t?

“I don’t care if he hears me. He’s a murderer.” She spat back.

“Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure the murderer knows that he’s a murderer, Kiara. And I don’t think he really cares.” You retorted. “What? You want him to murder us next?”

“Guys…” Pope straightened, removing the lens from his vision once more.”He sees us!” He whisper-yelled.

“Are you serious?” JJ said, shooting a brief annoyed look at the brown-haired girl. “C’mon, we gotta go.” He instructed, Pope being the first to run down the fire escape, followed by you, JJ, then Kie. You don’t know what happened but, somehow, on the way down, JJ bumped into your back, which caused you to nearly fall on top of Pope, which caused the boy to drop the camera — the device taking at least a ten-foot tumble to the ground.

“No, no, no…” Pope cried, bolting down the last flight of stairs, picking up the camera out of the mud, which was now in pieces.

“Are you kidding? You fumbled it?” JJ threw his hands out, the boy with the broken camera in his hands whipping around to face you.

“Y/N pushed me!”

“I didn’t push you!” You argued back, annoyed. “JJ bumped me!”

“Kiara was rushing me down the steps!” JJ defended himself, the three of you turning the girl in question.

“I was trying to hurry!” Was her excuse. Just then, you saw a figure coming down the alley, still too far to be able to see any of you. Hopefully. Instinctively, you grabbed JJ’s wrist and dragged him as you ran.

“He’s coming!” You warned, the four of you jumping over a brick wall and running to where Kie had parked, wasting no time in jumping into the SUV. Sodden clothes sticking to the seats, an unwelcome chill coming over your soaked bodies.

“Can someone fill me in on what the fuck just happened?” JJ nearly screamed, Pope letting out an angry groan. “Holy shit, I can’t believe it. Wait, what were they fighting over?” The blonde asked, leaning over the passenger seat to look over at the camera in Pope’s hands.

“It was a gun, the one Rafe used. Gavin kept it.” Pope muttered, attempting to get the camera to work again.

“God, pick up, pick up, pick up…” Kie cried from the driver’s seat, all heads turning to her.

“Who are you calling?” JJ asked, face twisting.

“Who do you think?!” The girl spat back tearfully, thumbs pressing incessantly at the screen.

“The cops?” You asked incredulously.

“Who else am I supposed to call?!” She yelled towards you and JJ in the backseat.

“Why would you call the police? That’s Ward!-” JJ reminded her.

“He has the entire Sheriff’s department in his back pocket! What makes you think that’s a good idea?-” You reprimanded her.

“Shut up!” She basically screamed at the both of you as an operator picked up. All you could do was sigh. What makes Kiara think she can make decisions for the whole group? Especially with something like this. As if the police didn’t help to run John B into a storm that got you all into this mess in the first place… “Hi, hello? Someone’s been shot at the Grand Street construction site! You guys need to hurry ‘cause he’s dying, I don’t know if he’s already dead or not!”

You just sighed, sliding a palm down your face as she practically screamed at the operator before ending the call. “Okay, well, we can’t just stay here. We’re sitting ducks!” JJ pointed out.

“What do you want me to do?” Kiara cried, looking around the car.

“Just drive!” Pope told her, the girl changing gears and speeding away from the crime scene.

“LOOK, IT WAS RIGHT HERE. THIS IS WHERE THAT MANIAC CLAIMED HIS NEXT VICTIM.” Kiara tried to explain to Shoupe, who’d of course been the one to respond to her 911 call. He’d insisted on taking us to where the “alleged incident happened.”. You simply leaned against a wooden post, letting her rant about crime to a man who would never believe the four of you until the day pigs flew.

“Right…” Shoupe dragged on, eyes peering at the four of you individually. “And how long ago did you say this happened?”

“Like, forty-five minutes ago.” Kiara estimated, throwing her arms out in confusion.

“‘Kay…” Shoupe nodded, writing something down in his notepad before looking back up at you all. “And so, Ward Cameron just popped one off and shot him? Execution style?”

“I mean, not exactly execution style,” You jumped after not saying much of anything the entire time, shrugging. “But I digress.”

“And he cleaned it all up in forty-five minutes?” Shoupe asked, a look of disbelief shining through his eyes.

“Yes.” Kiara insisted. “We filmed the entire thing.”

This made the Sheriff perk up. “You filmed it?” He inquired.

“Yes,” Kiara sighed. “But we can’t show it to you because I rushed JJ down the steps and he bumped into Y/N and she fell into Pope then Pope dropped the camera and it…broke.”

“But we, we were there and we’re witnesses-”

“So, the dog ate your homework?” Shoupe sighed, planting a hand on his hip.

“No, Shoupe, I know how it sounds-” Kiara pleaded, looking up as she spoke.

“Look, I don’t know what you kids expect me to do with this!” Shoupe scoffed, shaking his head at the four of you.

“Your job, maybe.” You sassed from your place against the wooden beam. “But I, for one, barely expected you to do that.”

“You four dragged me out here in the middle of the night for nothin’.”

“No, it’s not nothing!” Kiara continued to fight.

“Except for some crazy stories about how Ward Cameron’s out on a random killin’ spree!” He explained.

“We’re not makin’ this up!” JJ jumped in.

“It’s not a random killing spree.” Pope backed him up. “Gavin was his pilot. He was paying him hush money because he was on the tarmac the day Peterkin was killed, he saw everything.”

“Gavin was blackmailing Ward because Gavin kept the gun that Rafe used to kill Peterkin.” Kiara added on, using her hands for emphasis.

“He called him here and tried to pay him off but it wasn’t enough so, he shot him. With the murder weapon.” JJ concluded, Shoupe listening to each of their testimonies. You, on the other hand, figured it was pointless. The police would never help out pogues, even if it came at no cost. Ward had Shoupe wrapped around his murderous little fingers.

“...How do you know that?” Shoupe asked the teens.

“Pope did this thing with his phone, he put it in his car and-” Kiara was cut off when Pope explained for himself.

“We heard their whole conversation,” He motioned between himself and you. Shoupe then pointed between you and Pope.

“Y’all wiretapped him?” He interrogated.

You simply shrugged, looking at Pope then back at Shoupe. “Is that bad or?” Shoupe simply held up his palm.

“Stop. Just stop.” He warned, pointing at all of you. “I’ve had enough.” He concluded, eyeing you all once more before walking off. You let a humorless laugh, pushing yourself off the wall. You expected nothing less. Or anything more.

“You’re just gonna look the other way again?” You shouted after the older man, the four of you trailing after his figure that was going down the steps.

“Why would we make this up?” Kiara whined, trailing behind you.

“Why can’t you believe us for once?” JJ shouted, heavy combat boots making the most noise against the unfinished wooden steps.

“All right, there’s nothin’ up there!” Shoupe told his guys as he exited the construction site, the extra deputies and officers piling back into their squad cars and turning their lights off. “False alarm, let’s all go home.” He said, walking towards his own police vehicle, the four of you still hot on his tail.

“What’re you gonna do when his wife comes looking for him? Huh, Shoupe?” You pressed the officer, watching as his hand touched his car door before he turned to you all, a cautious hand outstretched in front of him to keep you all at bay.

“Hey,” he said in a warning tone. “I know you’re upset and I know you think your friend was innocent-”

“He is innocent.” You said with finality, lowering your gaze.

“-But you weren’t there.” He said. “The only actual witnesses who are above ground say the exact opposite. And both of them have a hell of a lot more credibility than any of you, right now.” His eyes drifted towards Kiara. “I saw your little art project on Ward’s wall.” He told her. “Do not do that again. Gonna make things a lot harder for both of us...” He advised, opening his car door and getting in. “Go home.” He waved the four of you off as he shut his door and drove off.

“I told you this would happen.” JJ scolded Kiara, snatching the baseball cap off of his head as you and Pope walked in front of the two. “Like, you’re the one that had to drop the camera.” He turned his attention to Pope, who paid him no mind. Kiara, however, did.

“It was your fault!” She told the blonde, turning to face him.

“That was my fault?” He asked, unbelievably. “Why do you always take his side?”

“Oh, the same way you always take hers?!” Kiara spat back, prompting you to turn on your heels.

“What do I have to do with this?” You asked, pointing towards yourself. “You’re the reason the camera's broken!” You threw at Kie.

“Guys...” Pope tried to no avail.

“And of course you come to his defense! I wasn’t even talking to you!” Kiara retorted, throwing her arms out at her sides.

“I was coming to my own defense, thank you.” You sassed back.

“Guys!” Pope tried once more, all of your angry eyes snapping towards the boy. “We’re not out of this yet.” He told you three, turning back and looking down at the sewage drain in front of his feet. “We can still go get the gun.”

“WELL, IT’S NOT IN THE TRASH, SO…” JJ breathed out, throwing the last trash bag from the drain onto the ground. It was the next morning and the four of you didn’t waste a second of sunlight before heading for the creek where the drain let out. The boys had spent the last hour pulling trash bags out of the drain while you and Kie searched them with no luck.

“It’s gotta be in the storm drain, then.” Pope concluded, taking deep breaths with his hands clasped on top of his head.

“Of course it is.” Kiara scoffed, shaking the messy bun on top of her head. “So, what’re we gonna do? Play rock, paper, scissors?” She suggested, throwing her arms out to her sides. JJ retrieved a crowbar from his bag that he’d insisted on bringing before the two of you left The Chateau. He and Pope pried the crate over the drain open as Kie continued talking while you fanned yourself, the Outer Banks sun making you sweat bullets. “Or, like, oldest goes first?”

The boys groaned as the crate opened wide enough for one of you to fit through, standing up straight and panting, JJ spoke. “There’s this worm down there — it gets into your blood and has to come out through your pecker. So, that would be a hard pass for me.” He declared his stance, eyes squinting from the sun as he adjusted the cap on his head.

“That’s gonna be a no from me, too.” Pope raised his hand with the other on his hip, staring down at his feet.

“No, I get it,” Kie smiled mischievously. “You guys are scared.” She mocked.

“Okay, why don’t you go in, then?” Pope threw out. Kiara just shrugged, looking away from the group.

“I just spent an hour digging through trash, so,” She informed, pursing her lips as her eyes drifted to you, the other two pairs of eyes following her lead. You immediately threw your hands out, letting them slap your thighs.

“For the record, we both spent the last hour digging through trash,” You retorted, squinting your eyes at them. “But since you’re all a bunch of pussies…” You taunted, holding your hands up in surrender as you walked to the entrance of the drain, the three of them protesting behind you.

“Woah, now…”

“I just don’t want pecker worms.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Wouldn’t want y’all getting pecker worms, right?” You assured, getting on your knees as they hit the little puddle of water seeping from the drain, the dark tunnel staring you back in the face. The smell of the drain was already wafting up your nose. “Gross…” You muttered, shaking it off.

You didn’t waste any time crawling forward on your hands and knees, water splashing after each step. “And hey,” JJ’s voice sounded behind you before you got too far, looking back to find his face. “Just, uh, be careful. Alright?”

You looked the boy up and down for a moment, not judgmentally just observantly. You never noticed how blue his eyes actually were before now, or how his eyes resembled those of a puppy when he was genuinely worried. Realizing you’d just been staring, you swallowed and nodded, “Got it. Can’t lose any more pogues, right?” You joked, sending the blonde a wink before turning back around and continuing your crawl into the drain.

The drain smelled of rust and something reminiscent of stale cannabis. Although your frame was small enough to fit through, it was still pretty tight. You made your way further in, inch by inch, loose change and sticks scraping at your arms and legs. You’d had to have been crawling for a couple minutes by now.

“See anything?” Pope’s voice echoed into the pipe.

“Nothing yet.” You called back, coming up on the catch basin. You dragged yourself out of the tunnel, now sitting in at least six inches of rancid drain water. Above you was another sewer crate, allowing the sun to give you some light.

The water wasn’t exactly clear enough to see through, especially with all the soda cans and plastic floating around on the surface. Using your hands, you felt around the bottom of the basin — everybody knows a gun when they feel one. But all you felt was what seemed like rocks, pennies, and lost keys.

Some long, twine-like structure started to wrap itself around your fingers and your face twisted, lifting your hands to find someone's hair intertwined between your hands. “Ew, ew, ew…” You shook off the hair into a different section of the basin, shaking the disgust off and resuming your search.

All of sudden, you felt something large and hard, grabbing it in both hands. “I think I found something!” You called, lifting the object from the water, but it was no gun.

“Is it the gun?” Came Pope’s voice but you were too busy inspecting the object — it was heavy, smelly, hairy, and… bloody. Extremely bloody, you couldn’t contain your yelp that came out more like a scream.

“Oh my- ah, fuck!” You exclaimed, letting the thing fall from your hands back under the water.

“Are you okay?” JJ’s voice traveled through the drain. “What is it?!”

“There’s something dead down here!” You yelled back, now backed up against the ladder that led up to the drain exit.

“Don’t touch it, that’s how you get worms!”

“It’s a little too late, J!” You called back, hands slapping against the water in annoyance as you regained your composure. You were about to put your hands back under when your shoe slipped against something in the water. Your brows furrowed, kicking the object around for a moment. “Dear Jesus…” You prayed before reaching your hand back down and picking up the object from under the water — revealing a gun, dripping with water.

You let out a breath of relief, a small smile on your face as you twirled the object around in your hand. You could only hope it was the right gun. Something told you to inspect it — A Colt Rail Gun, serial number starting with 18J.

“Did you find the gun?” Kiara asked. “Y/N, did you find the gun? Is it Gavin’s?” You gathered your breath to respond when something in the way the water moved changed. The water startled to gurgle, the waves moving rapidly — someone was flushing the storm drain.

“Shit,” You cursed, the water getting warmer and more aggressive the more it came your way and you knew it was only a matter of time before it started to rise and you knew you didn’t have nearly enough time to crawl back the way you came. “Guys, the water!” You warned in a panic.

“Dammit! Y/N, get out of there, now!” JJ’s voice boomed over the gurgling of the water.

“I can’t, there’s no way out!” You told him, you figured your best bet was the sewer opening above you. You hoped by some grace of God that it’d be loose enough for you to push it up. So, you tucked the gun into the waist of your shorts before climbing up the ladder, the water attempting to push your body back through the exit.

You swore you could hear your friends calling out for you but there was nothing you could do but try and get them to where you were. Reaching the top of the ladder, you pushed and pushed to no avail. The metal wouldn’t budge.

Out of pure frustration, you started banging on the metal grate, the water below you rising by the second. “Help! Guys!” You screamed at the top of your lungs before fitting your fingers through the openings in the grate, wiggling them in the hopes that someone would see or hear you. “JJ! Guys, I’m over here!”

The water was at your chest when you saw what looked like three figures hovering above the sewage grate, a familiar set of fingers brushing against yours just as the water touched the base of your neck. “We’re gonna get you out!” JJ told you, all three of their fingers going through the opening as they attempted to pull as you pushed.

Your arms ached as you used all of your strength, the water touching your chin as you tried to keep your face as close as possible to the opening. “The water’s coming up, guys, come on!” You wailed right before the water went over your head, submerging you underneath as it came up through the grate. You held your breath and continued pushing before you felt the grate open, wasting no time in basically jumping out of the sewer and landing on the street.

You coughed up water, laying on your stomach before pushing yourself up to sit on your knees. You felt two strong yet lanky arms wrap themselves around your shoulders, pulling you into someone’s chest as you caught your breath. “You alright, princess?” JJ’s voice asked next to your ear. You couldn’t help but chuckle through a cough, pushing him off of you playfully, even though one of his hands remained on your shoulder.

Looking up, you didn’t miss the looks of suspicion on Kie and Pope’s faces but you ignored them, leaning back on your arms. Reaching around to the back of your shorts, you pulled out the gun, holding it up like a trophy. “Look what I found.” You taunted with a breathless giggle, wiggling the firearm around in the air.

Pope and Kiara cheered, smiles on their faces. “Oh my God! Holy shit!” JJ exclaimed, a boyish grin on his face as he pulled a bandana from his pocket and grabbed the gun from your hand gently.

“You actually did it!” Pope praised, dapping you up. Kiara outstretched a hand to help you up that you accepted, swaying on your feet slightly from dizziness. JJ must’ve noticed, planting a palm on the base of your back to hold you steady.

“Let’s get this baby to Shoupe.” He instructed, still giddy as he threw an arm over your shoulder, pulling you into his side as the four of you walked back to the car.

“Y’ALL ARE TELLIN’ ME THAT THIS IS THE FIREARM RAFE CAMERON KILLED PETERKIN WITH?” Shoupe inquired, leaning back in his desk chair. You and Kiara sat in the two chairs across from him while Pope and JJ stood on either side of you. JJ had presented the gun to Shoupe — the firearm sitting clean and dry on the man’s desk.

“That’s exactly what we’re saying, Shoupe.” JJ started.

“And it’s the exact same firearm that Ward just used to kill Gavin.” Pope told the man, slamming his hand on the wood of the desk.

Shoupe stuttered over his next words, letting out a sigh before speaking. “And where’s that body again?”

“Didn’t you check?” Kiara asked, an air of pity in her voice.

“I checked the hospital. I went by his house. He was out.” Shoupe nodded as he spoke, almost as he was trying to get himself to believe something.

“Well, of course he was out, Shoupe.” You piped up, still cold and damp from the sewer water. “He’s dead.”

“Just because he’s not in his damn house does not mean he was the victim of a homicide.” The officer told the four of you, lips curling in frustration.

“You gotta be kidding.” JJ scoffed, shaking his head and he snatched the hat off of his head.

“Are you even gonna send it in for ballistics ‘n shit?” You asked, leaning forward in your chair. “Or are you just gonna sit on your ass and continue to pin a murder on a kid who you know didn’t do it?” You pressed, voice biting.

“He’ll sit there and wax that mustache.” JJ taunted, throwing a hand out in the man’s direction.

“I’ll wax your-” Shoupe stood up from his seat, chair scraping against the floor as he pointed in JJ’s direction before Pope and Kie chipped in, in sync.

“Shut up, JJ!”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt his feelings?” JJ mocked as Shoupe made his way over to the door of his office, swinging it open.

“Get out. I got work to do.” The Sheriff ordered, motioning his hand outwards for the four of you to leave. “And y’all are smellin’ up my office.”

Kiara was the first to leave, pushing herself up from her chair and approaching the man at the door. “Did Ward pay you? This doesn’t make any sense…” She said sadly before leaving the office and walking out of the precinct.

“We brought you the murder weapon,” Pope spoke, walking towards the door. “There’s no logical reason for you not to turn it in.” He suggested and warned at the same time before leaving, leaving just you and JJ left.

You stood up from your seat, scoffing as you and JJ walked towards the man. “Protect and serve, my ass.” You spat, looking the man up and down as you walked out, JJ right behind you.

“You ain’t gonna do shit.” JJ taunted, walking closely behind you as you both left.

“Out!” Was the last thing Shoupe shouted behind the pair of you as you exited the precinct.

YOU CAME OUT OF THE BATHROOM AT THE CHATEAU FEELING A LOT CLEANER THAN WHEN YOU WENT IN. You had on an oversized shirt of JJ’s that you’d stolen some weeks ago, a towel wrapped around your head to keep your wet strands from dripping onto your shoulders. Marley greeted you warmly within seconds.

“I know you aren’t actually happy to see me again,” You told the animal, scratching behind her ears as she pawed at your thighs. “You liked it better when I smelled like sewer water.”

The retriever just panted, mouth open as she cuddled into your legs, appreciating the scratches. You looked up to find JJ sat on the worn couch in the living, eyes on the pair of you. You made your way towards him, Marley following close behind as the nails on her paws scratched against the wood. She hadn’t been properly groomed since you left home — you brushed and bathed her as you could here and there, but you were too cautious to go near her with a pair of clippers and razor for fear of hurting her on accident.

Taking a seat next to JJ, who’d taken a shower before you, you noticed the look of frustration on his face. Kie and Pope had ventured off after taking the two of you home. You nudged the blonde’s shoulder with your own, gaining his attention with a cocked eyebrow.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” You asked, unraveling the towel from your hair. You tried to remain casual. It hadn’t been hard to communicate with JJ after what happened between you both, but it was definitely different.

“We’re running out of options.” JJ sighed, running his fingers through his messy blonde strands of hair. He was shirtless, only in a pair of shorts he slept in regularly. “If we can’t clear Bree’s name-”

“We will.” You affirmed, the boy's eyes connecting with yours. “You know, I don’t know if you remember,” You started, fiddling with your hands in your lap, a small smile on your face as you spoke. “But my dad, he was a really, I don’t know…spiritual guy, I guess. He was really big on karma.” You explained. “He always believed that even if we couldn’t give people what they deserved that the universe would. That’s how he taught me to never lie as a kid, made me believe that his punishment couldn’t be worse than the one the universe would inflict upon me. That if I didn't take accountability for my mistakes on my own, the universe would find a way to hold me accountable. His form of punishment was just yelling and then ice cream anyway, but still,” You told him, both of you laughing softly.

“...All I’m saying is that even if we can’t clear John B’s name, Ward and his psychotic son will get what they deserve.” You said with finality in your voice. At that, JJ smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, I guess that makes sense.” He lightly agreed.

One glance at your phone had you realizing how late it’d gotten. Gathering your towel and phone, you stood from the couch, JJ’s eyes following your frame. “I should probably get some sleep. You, too.” You yawned.

“See you in the morning?”

You nodded, about to turn and head for the guest room that was technically his when something urged you to stop. Turning around, you took two swift steps and leaned down to peck the blonde on the cheek softly. “See in the morning, J.” You didn’t stick around long enough to catch his reaction, whistling for Marley to follow behind you, but you could’ve sworn his cheeks were bright red.

feedback is appreciated! thanks for reading.

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turtletaubwrites · 3 months

Text

A Good Catch ~ Part 2

Thank you so much for all of your support! This was part of my 600 Followers Celebration, and I am so happy y'all voted for Shanks. I adore him 🥰

Pairings: Shanks x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 5030

Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4 (End)

Ao3 Link

Summary: You've got a few burning questions for this charming captain, but soon you'll be answering his. Is it really safe to trust a pirate?

Rating/Warnings: Explicit Sexual Content, 18+ ONLY, MDNI, AFAB!Reader, She/Her Pronouns for Reader, Reader-Insert, Swearing, Smut, Fluff, Angst, Teasing, Flirting, Alcohol, Brief Discussion of Family Trauma, Hair Pulling, Vaginal Fingering, Penis in Vagina Sex, Unprotected Sex, (Be safe out there), Birth Control, Aftercare, Shanks is such a fucking tease

A/N: I just love this hungover pirate 😅

A key pressed into your palm. A gentle hand on your lower back. A whispered demonstration, keeping your secret.

Shanks stared at you through the doorway, looking down the hall before grabbing your chin with his thumb, another slow smile on those lips.

“Sweet dreams.”

His eyes crinkled as all you could do was nod, watching him walk away down that lantern lit hall.

The key still held the warmth of his skin.

Fuck.

The metal thumped onto wood as you tossed it on the desk, shoving the chair under the doorknob, just like he’d shown you.

Exhaustion pulled you down, and you rolled yourself into soft blankets, grateful that your mind only had the energy for a few more conflicting thoughts before sleep took you.

He’s done everything he can to make me feel safe.

He’s a pirate.

His crew are all so kind, it feels like they’re a family.

He’s a pirate.

He’s gorgeous, and funny, and sweet, even though he’s annoying as fuck.

But he’s a pirate. And he’ll be leaving in three days. I’ll never see him again.

Dreams of life on the high seas left you foggy in the morning, panic running through you until you remembered where you were.

Thank gods there’s a bathroom in here.

The guest quarters didn’t have a shower, but the toilet, mirror, and sink were a godsend. Cringing at your hair, you got to work, managing to tame it before you climbed back into Shanks’ clothes.

They smell like him.

Resisting the urge to sniff his shirt took more willpower than you’d like to admit.

Quiet.

There was hardly a sound on the entire ship as you struggled to remember the way out.

“Mornin,” came a gruff voice on the deck, waving from his perch on the railing. The light of the sunrise made his brown skin and dark blonde dreads seem to glow.

You would have thought he was attractive if your eyes hadn’t gone wide at the two large pistols on his hips.

“You’re up early,” he continued, tilting his body and moving his hands away from his weapons.

“Fisherwoman,” you choked out.

“That’s right,” he laughed, standing to take a few slow steps toward you. “I’m Yassop. I can bring you down to the beach if you’d like, but I'm sure everyone’s still snoring like sea lions.”

“Is the captain down there?”

“Oh, he’s down there,” Yassop teased, his smirk making you clench your teeth. “Yours might be the only face that could wake him up this early.”

“And why’s that,” you growled, following him across the deck.

“Oh no, I’m not getting into the captain’s business.”

You scowled at the chuckling marksman all the way down to the beach.

“Wake up.”

Shanks whined, weakly batting away the driftwood stick you were poking into his chest. You definitely weren’t getting distracted by the pull of those muscles as he stretched on his makeshift hammock.

The camp looked just as it did last night, except that every mug, plate, and pirate was now on the ground, quiet and still besides the orchestra of snores that Yassop hadn’t exaggerated.

“Get up.”

Shanks rubbed his hand over his face, somehow managing to look stunning even as he struggled to get his eyes open.

“Ugh, fish girl,” he yawned, keeping his hand over his eyes now, blocking out the light. “Are we under attack?”

“What? No. I need to talk to you.”

He peeked through his fingers at you, the hint of that teasing smile already showing.

“If you wanna spend time with me, all you have to do is– ow!”

Another quick jab to those lovely pecs had Shanks rolling out of the hammock, hanging onto your shoulder as he wobbled on his feet.

The driftwood stick fell to the ground as his pretty eyes, heavy lidded with sleep, came so close to yours.

“Sorry,” he rasped, letting his hand trail down your arm before letting you go. “Somebody woke me up too early.”

“I guess pirates are just lazy degenerates after all,” you said flatly, holding in the shivers his touch had caused.

“Degenerates,” he laughed softly, rubbing along his brow as he took in the sight of his hungover men sprawled across the sand. “I suppose that’s fair.”

Groaning, you picked up the stick, gasping as his hand gripped yours. He trapped your fingers around the dry wood, tracing his thumb along your knuckles as he prevented you from poking him.

“Please, fish girl, have pity on an old–” he cut himself off at your frown, “on a handsome, young, very hungover pirate.”

He chuckled as you tried to wrest yourself from his grasp, and he didn’t let you go this time.

“I can’t think this early, love. Not without breakfast, or a shower at least.”

“Fine, let's go take a– I mean you! You take a shower! You’re all sandy…”

His laughter followed you as you stomped your way back to his stupid ship.

Shanks’ laughter had been replaced by more whines as he held his hand over his eyes, getting you lost in the ship on the way to the bathing room.

Finally at the large door to that tiled room, the shaky captain spun to face you. He managed to catch himself on the door frame as he stumbled, then leaned against it as if it were on purpose.

You rolled your eyes as he pulled a scarf from his pocket, dangling it in front of your face.

“Guard the door for me?”

“What? Why?”

“Guess I’ll just go back to slee–”

“Fine,” you said through gritted teeth, grabbing the scarf as you slid to the floor. “Aren’t you too tired to be this annoying?”

“Not in the slightest.”

You could feel him crouch beside you, and saw his feet beneath the blindfold.

He traced around the scarf to check your work, rubbing his thumb along your temple before tugging the fabric further down your nose.

“No peeking,” he purred, and you hoped he hadn’t seen your toes curling, your feet still bare without clean shoes.

“Like I’d want to.”

“Lying is bad for the soul, fish girl,” he teased, tapping the tip of your nose with a finger before heading inside. The sound of his satisfied laughter made you want to crawl out of your skin.

Sitting there, listening to the rush of water as this man showered on the other side of the door, was making you absolutely insane.

He’s a pirate. He’s here for a reason. I can’t get distracted.

“Sorry, I forgot to bring a change of clothes,” his deep voice poured through the door. “Someone interrupted my beauty sleep.”

“So?”

“So, I’m in a towel, we’ll have to stop by my quarters. You can keep the blindfold on if you like.”

“You’ll get us lost again,” you complained, pushing yourself to your feet as you pulled the scarf from your face. “Besides, your shirts show practically your whole torso anyway, so it won’t be much different.”

The door opened wide, Shanks’ smile even wider as your lips parted.

“You really like my shirts, don’t you?”

You managed to frown at him as he grabbed his sandy clothes and shoes, holding them against his hip, just a towel around his waist.

And that line of dark, red hair.

“Mind closing the door for me, darlin’?”

You jolted out of your stupor, shutting the door before following him down the hall.

Some water still dripped from his hair, slow rivulets flowing down the muscles of his upper back, some trailing even further…

“What,” you chirped, trying to remember what he’d just said.

He clicked his tongue a few times, shaking his head to let more shining drops of water dance down his skin.

“Waking the captain up early just to ignore him? Did all your manners fall off your boat with your missing oar?”

“Shut up,” you huffed, standing to face him in front of the door to his quarters.

Shanks was not doing well at suppressing his self satisfied grin, and you were having trouble focusing on anything at all.

“Will you get the door for me, love?”

“Why,” you countered, still trying to keep your eyes glued to his face.

“You really argue about everything, don’t you?”

He shook his head, then dropped his clothes and shoes to the floor. The sound of the shoes startled you, bringing your eyes down.

Just in time to see his towel slipping, more of that dark red hair traveling down before you squeaked, turning around and clamping your eyes shut.

Shanks brushed past, the heat of his body, the scent of his skin, so close. He paused behind you as he opened the door, and you couldn’t hide your small gasp as he breathed that deep, dangerous voice along your neck.

“Guess you should have kept the blindfold on.”

You held your breath as you tried not to shake, listening as he moved away. Soft chuckles teased you through the air as he shut the door.

Breath came back to you, heavy, and too loud, as you turned to find his clothes and the damp towel on the ground.

It had just happened, but the memory of him breathing on your skin with nothing on his own sent heat twisting in your core.

He’s a pirate. He’s leaving. I’ll never see him again.

Shanks came out with a smirk, the shirt he’d chosen today not tucked or buttoned at all, just the sleeve tied off at his missing arm.

“What’s the point of wearing a shirt at all,” you huffed, taking the change of clothes he offered.

“Because you seem to enjoy it so much,” he called through the door as you changed.

It felt like your head was about to explode with all the shit he was doing to you. It was embarrassing, and you had to focus.

You crossed your arms when you faced him in the hallway, trying to shut down every part of your brain that wanted to fucking giggle when he looked at you.

“What are you–”

“That color looks good on you,” he hummed with a crooked smile, tugging the rolled up fabric of his shirt at your elbow.

You stuttered, but he turned on his heel.

“W-Wait!”

“Let’s talk over breakfast.”

That stupid red hair walking away almost made you scream.

The Red Hair Pirates were in various stages of wakefulness now, but many were already drinking, laughing, and singing as if the night had never ended.

Shanks moved through them with an effortless joy, clasping hands, patting backs, laughing and joking with every crew member that wasn’t still passed out.

That dingy table. Mismatched chairs. Surprisingly good food.

A knee that kept brushing against yours, rubbing along your thigh everytime he turned to talk to you.

He was pushing all the boundaries. And you’d let him. You pulled him in last night, and now he was playing, testing, torturing you.

But you knew he would stop if you asked.

How can I trust someone so fast?

“You wanted to talk about something,” he asked, leaning back after his last bite.

His wicked grin made you regret asking to speak in private.

Warm sand slowly shook from your feet as you crawled over rough stone. Shanks whined a few more times after you led him away from camp, but soon he was walking beside you, with another breathtaking smile. Now and then over the gentle waves, you swore you heard him humming the notes to a song.

“Y/N, look at this one,” he laughed, pointing to another tide pool.

You sat on the rock beside it, the hint of a smile on your lips as he joined you.

So close.

“So what did you wanna talk about,” he asked, voice still soft like those soothing waves. He reached out to hand you a little stone he’d picked up.

The warm stone fell into your palm, helping you stay present as you rolled it between your fingers.

“What are you doing on my island,” you questioned, finally meeting those pretty eyes. “You said you have business here, and I need to know that you aren’t endangering my home.”

“Endanger–,” he cut himself off with a laugh, his brows furrowing as he shook his head at you. “You didn’t need to make up excuses if you wanted to spend the day with me, fish girl.”

“Shut up,” you growled, fighting not to let his annoying charms distract you this time. “You’re pirates. You said you had business on this side of the island for three days. What are you doing here?”

“I did say ‘business,’ didn’t I,” he mused, nodding to himself before looking across the beach.

“Well,” you pushed, struggling as he met your eyes, his face so relaxed, amused.

“This is it,” he gestured vaguely, his crooked smile giving you a headache.

“What do you mean? You mean your business is here, at this beach?”

“No, Y/N,” he rasped, grabbing your hand and squeezing it, the little stone pressing into your palm. “This is it.”

He nodded toward the camp, and let out a sigh.

“We’re on vacation.”

This smile of his made him look like a little kid that got caught stealing sweets. You blinked at him.

After a long pause, he took his hand from yours, bringing it to your chin to push your mouth closed.

“Don’t fucking mess with me.”

Your voice came out rough as you pushed yourself back, almost slipping into a tide pool as you stood.

“I swear I’m not messing with you,” he let out with a small groan as he stood. He moved in close before he wobbled his head back and forth. “Well, I’m not messing with you about that.”

“Fuck you,” you seethed, head going foggy with the overwhelming flood of emotions from the last day.

Shanks moved in slowly with his arm outstretched as if he were trying to calm a frightened animal. Or a child.

And you acted like a child, frustrated tears burning in your eyes, hitting your fists against his chest as he got too close.

“Stop lying to me! Please don’t hurt people here, please don’t–”

“Shh, shh,” he hushed you gently, somehow managing to hold you against him with one arm, your hands shaking between your warm bodies.

“We’re not here to hurt anyone. I swear on my life, and the lives of my crew. All we wanna do is relax until we have nothing left to drink. Then we’ll buy up all the booze your village has to sell, and be on our way. Plus food and whatnot, but–”

Your ragged breaths brought that spicy scent of him into your lungs, your forehead falling against his chest as you started to calm. A bit.

“Are you telling me,” you growled against his skin, “that you took me hostage while you all go on a three day bender?”

You felt his laugh as he held you to him, resting his cheek on your head for a moment before releasing you.

“We didn’t take you hostage. You paid for a ride.” He held up his hand as your mouth opened, itching to argue.

“Besides, fish girl,” he teased gently, “after hearing your story last light, it sounds like you could use a vacation too. When’s the last time you had any fun?”

“I have fun, asshole. Quit changing the subject.”

“Lying’s bad for the soul,” he hummed, touching the tip of your nose again.

The energy drained from your body, and you left him to climb off the rock, falling onto your back in the sand.

“So what do you do for fun?”

Shanks’ husky voice rolled over you. You didn’t need to open your eyes to know that he’d sat behind your head, leaning over your face as he spoke.

“I’ll have fun once I get off this shitty island.”

Finally, the pirate stayed quiet. Waiting. Until those rough fingers smoothed the hair from your face.

You didn’t stop him as he traced along your skin, letting relaxation wash over you. He moved from your temples, your cheeks, your jaw, behind your ears. Making sure to move his hand to both sides, evening out his slow caresses.

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” you confessed, fighting the heat of tears rising in your throat. You rolled that little stone in your fingers, the motion soothing your nerves.

“Why’s that?”

“... Because I’m ‘Fish Girl.”

Shanks paused, and you wondered if he’d stifled a laugh.

“What do you mean,” he asked, voice like the gentle waves just a few paces away.

It all came spilling from your lips. He listened to everything, fingers still tracing your skin.

All the pain. Your mom leaving you with grandma, never coming back. You were so young, and it didn’t feel that bad at the time. You didn’t understand.

Grandma would tell you stories, you’d sit together on her boat for hours and hours. She taught you how to fish before you were strong enough to reel anything in.

“That sounds wonderful,” he said, his voice somehow telling you there was a smile on his face.

“It was. But kids are mean. I didn’t know we were poor until I went to school. I didn’t know I stank all the time until they called me ‘fish girl.”

His fingers tensed on your skin, a guilty pause before he kept up his soothing touch.

“I never relax. I’m always working because I want a better life. All those mean kids grew up with me in our shitty little village. A few have tried to connect now that we’re older, but I don’t feel like it. I’m still 'fish girl.”

Shanks started to speak, but you cut him off.

“I know they were just kids, but they were brutal. I was a kid too, and I could never imagine hurting anyone the way they hurt me. I don’t want to be friends with those people.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

A heavy sigh left your lips, then a small gasp as his hand moved to the side of your neck, the touch of those fingers more satisfying than anything you could remember.

“Fishing used to be something I loved. But since grandma’s been gone, I can only bring in half of what we used to. It’s not enough to save anything. I wanted to sell that stupid fish so bad,” you admitted with a laugh, a deep hum coming from the listening pirate.

“Where do you wanna go,” he asked, his fingers trailing into your hair.

“I want to go somewhere where I can love fishing again. I want to live stories like grandma did. I want to be a fisherwoman. I don’t want to be ‘fish girl’ anymore.”

The loss of his touch was heavier than you expected.

“Come on.”

You opened your eyes to meet his, shining at you over his outstretched hand.

Tucking the stone in your pocket, you let him help you up, surprising yourself with a laugh as he shook the sand from your hair.

“Well, I’d say you deserve a vacation. What do ya say?”

Laughing at his silly wiggling eyebrows, you nodded, giving a breathy “okay,” as he took your hand.

He leaned over you as you walked, sending shivers across your skin as his breath touched your ear.

“Fisherwoman is a mouthful, so I’m gonna keep calling you ‘damsel.”

“No, you won’t,” you commanded. You cursed at him as he giggled, dropping your hand to run toward the camp.

“You sound like you’re in distress, do you need help,” he yelled back.

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!”

You chased his laughing form until he slowed, grinning at you as he started to walk backwards.

The look on his face when you launched yourself at him would be seared into your mind forever. You both grunted as he toppled onto his back, his arm hanging onto your waist as you fell together.

The look on his face with you straddling him in the sand was even better.

Your hands had planned to slap him, but those eyes, those lips, and that look of joyful surprise did you in.

That gentle hand fisted roughly into your hair as you crashed your lips onto his. A quiet, needy moan left your throat, and his answering growl made your eyes roll back.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the crew, and you almost looked up at the camp until his fingers gripped your hair tighter, making your thighs clench around his waist.

He pulled you away gently, his parted lips and near frantic eyes matching yours.

“You sure,” he checked in, voice barely audible over the singing and shouting pirates. “Let’s get away from the crowd.”

Shanks kept looking over at you, that crooked smile following you back to the ship. He kept asking what you’d like to do, where you’d like to go.

“These clothes are sandy,” you noted, your voice low. “We should go to your room to change.”

He came in for a kiss, his deep voice rolling over you.

“We’re sandy too. We should probably shower.”

“Okay,” you agreed, melting under his dark eyes.

He pushed your sandy hair aside when you reached the door to the bathing room, kissing and nibbling from the crook of your neck to your ear, holding your waist as your knees went weak.

“Should we take turns guarding the door,” he rasped while your hands smoothed over the muscles around his waist and lower back.

“No.”

Practically stumbling through the door as you tried to keep touching each other, you stood in the center of that tiled room, and tore the clothes off of each other's skin.

There were no worries in your mind right now, just the electric touch of his hand and lips over each part of your body as it was revealed.

You cried out as you felt the hard length of him through his pants before you'd freed him from the fabric.

“You want me that much already, sweetheart?”

The urge to bicker was overridden as you pulled his pants from his skin, his thick cock springing up toward his stomach.

The need to touch him overwhelmed you, and you wrapped your hands around him, loving the moan he let out at your touch.

“Let’s shower, damsel,” he choked out as he kissed your cheek. “I need to bring you to the bed, now.”

That delicious smelling soap coated your skin, giving you an excuse to explore as you washed each other’s bodies. With as much of the sand and soap gone as possible, Shanks pushed you against the wall, his fingers traveling up your thigh.

“I thought you said you’re bringing me to the bed?”

“Just a minute,” he pleaded, teasing fingers until you nodded.

“Still this wet after washing it all away?”

Those rough fingers rubbed along your clit, his name dropping from your lips in needy moans.

“Mm, keep saying my name like that, beautiful,” he rasped, plunging in one finger, then two as your back arched against the cool, tile wall.

“Shanks, please…”

“Please what? What does my damsel need?”

“Take me– fuck. Take me to bed.”

You gasped as his fingers left you, finding his mouth as he sucked the taste of you off of his skin.

He tossed you a towel, kicking the clothes into a corner.

“Come on.”

“Wait,” you called, rushing to that pile of sandy fabric.

His crooked grin made you blush as he watched you grab that silly little stone.

“Come on,” he whispered onto your lips after pulling you into a deep kiss.

A trail of water followed your path, practically running and gasping with laughter all the way to his quarters.

He didn’t get you lost this time.

Now he was the one calling for you to wait as your hand reached for the door.

“We don’t have to do anything, Y/N. We can still relax and have fun together. Please, tell me if you’re not comfor—“

“Take me to bed, Captain,” you demanded, walking through the door before him.

The only answer he gave was to slam it closed, then wrap himself around your back, kissing your neck until you moaned.

“Shanks…”

“Yes, sweetheart,” he said before licking and nibbling at your earlobe.

“I don’t know,” you laughed, arching against him. “I just wanted to say your name.

The deep rumble that came through his chest had that pressure building in your core. His hand grasped yours, until you opened to give him the stone.

You stood smiling with your eyes closed until he pressed himself against your back again.

He pulled at your damp towel, then trailed that perfect hand down the front of your body, feeling everywhere he’d touched under that warm water and delicious soap.

Those fingers found you again, slipping easily in the dripping mess he’d already made of you.

“Mm, so wet. So good for me, aren’t you, beautiful?”

All you could do was whimper as he circled your clit, until you cried out at the towel covered press of him along your ass.

“Please…”

“What darlin’? Tell me what I can do for my damsel?”

His raspy voice was too much, and you gasped as he palmed your needy pussy to hold you up as your knees went weak.

He chuckled in your ear as he kept grinding the meat of his palm against you.

“Please, Y/N, please tell me what you need. I’ve got you.”

His whisper brought desperate tears prickling in your eyes until you could finally speak.

“Fuck me now, Shanks. Fuck right fucking now, or I’ll never forgive you.”

He grabbed you, easily moving your weight with one hand until you fell back onto the edge of the bed.

He left you then, digging though his desk, tossing things out of drawers in a frantic search.

“I said right fucking now,” you demanded, still breathless.

“Yes, but—“

“I’m on birth control. Now hurry up before I find another pirate—“

Your sentence ended in a yelp as he pounced on you, his thick cock rubbing through your folds as he ate your moans.

“Don’t go saying shit like that again,” he rasped as his dark eyes bore down on yours.

“You’re the one who keeps calling me damsel. If you’re not going to help me—“

A filthy moan left your lips as he guided his tip to rub circles over your clit.

“Oh, I’ll be helping you plenty, don’t worry sweetheart,” he promised, this dark smile of his going in your list of favorites.

“What was that you said about ‘right fucking now,” he taunted, giving you no time to brace for the press of him.

He worked his way in slowly, putting your leg over his shoulder while he watched your face.

“How’s that sweetie,” he teased, his own voice breathy and desperate now as his hips finally met yours. “Is this what my girl needed?”

“Fuck, Shanks. Fuck me please.”

“You are a very demanding woman, you know that?”

Any retort you would have had died in your throat as you screamed, his deep thrusts making your toes curl.

“So fucking gorgeous. Gods, Y/N, you take my cock so well.”

Shanks gripped your thigh against his chest, pressing it to him until he locked you into place.

“Oh right there, sweetheart? I’ll help my pretty girl right there, just say my name again.”

He hit that sweet spot inside you over and over as if it belonged to him, claiming it, taking it back. Every word from his lips felt like vibrating pleasure down your skin, and in no time at all, you were screaming his name, arching your back against those red sheets as you fell apart.

He fucked you through your orgasm, sweet praise almost impossible to understand as your mind disappeared.

“You feel so good coming on my cock, you made such a beautiful mess. You're gonna go again for me now, okay?”

He chuckled at the pathetic whine from your lips, but never stopped his rhythm.

“Please, pretty damsel? I helped you out. Now let me watch those dainty fingers on your clit. Let me feel you milk my cock one more time before I fill you up.”

He moaned along with you as your body clenched around his.

You couldn’t argue with that heated smile. His hungry eyes watched your fingers slide over your clit, scraping his lip between his teeth as he tightened his arm around your thigh.

“Just like that. Let me see my girl come on my cock again. Fuck... You feel so good, so fucking good for me, baby.”

“Shanks, you feel… I’m close.”

“I know, sweetheart, can you feel me too? Come for me, I’m gonna— fuuckk…”

Shanks leaned over you, shoving himself as deep as he could go. Pleasure ripped through your body as you clawed at his back, more screams filling the air.

The sensation of both of you coming at once, your body milking his as he spilled ropes of heat inside you, had your mouth slack, body limp and useless as you twitched together.

Shanks leaned his forehead against yours, staying hilted within you as he caught his breath.

You gave him a droopy smile as he lifted his head, and he laughed before covering your face in kisses while you squirmed.

This made both your bodies twitch again, moaning as he pulled himself out of you.

He grabbed one of the damp towels as he knelt at the foot of the bed, kissing your thighs as he gently cleaned your sensitive skin.

“Stop,” you begged weakly as his soft touches across you body kept your aftershocks going.

The mattress shifted under his weight, bouncing you lightly until he pulled you up the bed onto his chest. His arm wrapped around you, still leaving lazy circles of touch across your back and hip.

“Now what,” you whispered, fighting to keep the real world from invading your brain.

“Anything my damsel wants,” he hummed, leaving a soft kiss against your still damp hair. “Your vacation’s only just started.”

Likes and reblogs bring me much ✨dopamine✨ thank you so much!

a/n: Hi, I have once again gone INSANE over another One Piece character. I need help. Someone please lock me away.

Part 3

#shanks x reader #red haired shanks #x reader #reader insert #fem!reader #one piece x reader #one piece fics #turtletaub fics #follower celebration #fic requests #mine #fluff #one piece fluff #shanks fluff #shanks fics #shanks smut #one piece smut #smut #use of y/n

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rafeandonlyrafe · 7 months

Text

childhood friends to lovers

words: 800

“how is he so handsome?” you rest your chin against your hand, admiring rafe from the second story balcony as he climbs back onto the yacht, hair wet and body dripping with sea water.

wheezie makes a face, “stop, that’s my brother!”

you laugh and look away that way rafe doesn’t realize you’ve been eyeing him, admiring his muscles. “sorry, wheeze.”

“you just need to screw already.” wheezie comments as you head back to the interior from the upper deck, needing to get out of the sun after feeling hot watching rafe.

you snap your head to wheezie, eyes going wide. “and what would you know about screwing?” you ask.

“sorry, kiss or whatever. just get it out of your system, you've been in love with him since i was born.” wheezie flops down on the couch, and you’re quick to join her.

“i’m not in love with him.” you say, staring up at the white ceiling.

“yeah, right.” wheezie says, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

“we are friends! best friends. i’ve known him since i was a baby! i am not in love with him, he is my friend.” you’re not sure if you’re trying to convince wheezie or yourself more.

“listen, i know i’m just a kid to you two, but i see things. get over it and tell him you want to be more than friends.”

you frown and cross your arms, thinking over wheezies words.

“you’re staring again.” wheezie says, making rafe jolt. in his trance, he honestly forgot she was there.

“wasn’t.” rafe says, but his eyes flick back to you. you’re splashing in the shallow water, playing with one of your small cousins.

“you always stare at her… and she always stares at you, too.”

rafe finally looks away from you, glaring at wheezie. “she doesn’t stare at me.”

“she does.” wheezie scoffs. “and it’s getting freaking annoying. can you two just date already?”

“i don’t see her like that.” rafe says, “every guy in her life comes in wanting to date her, i’m her friend, she needs me to just be her friend.”

“i think she rejects all those guys because they’re not you. trust me, she talks to me.” wheezie picks her phone back up, hoping that’s the end of the conversation, but rafe is persistent. he takes the phone out of wheezie’s hand and sets it on the empty beach chaise next to them.

“she talks to you about me?”

wheezie is beyond annoyed with the back and forth, and decides a little white lie would never hurt if you both got what you actually wanted. “yes. she’s in love with you. go and kiss her already.”

“hey.” rafe says, flopping onto the bed in the guest room of tanneyhill that practically belonged to you considering how much you slept over.

“hi.” you giggle, pushing his bangs out of his face so you can see his eyes better.

“i’m not tired yet, want to take a walk with me?” rafe asks, pouting out his bottom lip just slightly to entice you to come.

“rafey, i’m already in my pajamas.” you whine, pulling your blanket down a little so he can see your pjs.

“please.” rafe says, a word that rarely comes out of his mouth. you grin, unable to resist when he’s being so sweet. you sigh dramatically and then throw your blankets off, getting up and slipping into your crocs.

“lets go.” you say, reaching your hand out for rafe. he takes it as you head down the stairs and out the door into the cool air, the breeze making it ever so slightly chilly, especially for the end of summer.

rafe keeps your hands locked together as he guides you down the sidewalk. you’re not sure where he’s leading you, but you’d follow him anywhere. you just enjoy the feeling of his rough palm against yours, the backtrack of crickets and frogs, and the moon lighting your way between street lights.

“oh, look how pretty!” you say, coming up to a house with fairy lights decorating their fence.

“almost as pretty as you.” rafe says, and you turn to him confused, letting out an awkward giggle.

“thanks, i guess.” you shrug, unused to these kinds of compliments from rafe.

“i was talking with wheezie about you the other day.” rafe says, hoping he can lead you into the topic he really wants to talk about.

“oh yeah, so was i.” you hum, wondering what his conversation was about.

“you know you’re my best friend.” rafe grabs your hands so you stop, illuminated by the twinkling fairy lights. you turn to face him, letting out a nod. of course you know, you’ve been best friends forever.

“but i was thinking maybe we could try being more than that.” rafe admits.

“really?” you squeak, surprised that he felt the same as you.

#obxweek23 #reupload!#rafe fic #rafe fanfic #rafe x reader #rafe cameron fic #rafe cameron fanfic #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron imagine #rafe cameron one shot

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sparklypinkflightsuit · 1 month

Text

Stars Align: Part 8

Pairing: Bradley Bradshaw x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Angst, Fluff, Violence, Mentions of Abuse, Angry Bradley, Swearing, Alcohol, Sexual Themes, Soppy and Emotional Scenes.

-- Part 7 Here --

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18+ Only

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Past:

''Would you hurry up? We're never going to get a good spot.'' Bradley groaned as he stood outside the guest bedroom while you got ready for your beach day.

''Okay okay, I'm ready.'' you said as you shuffled out of the bedroom, an oversized t-shirt draping over you like a blanket.

Bradley scrunched up his nose, ''How are you gonna catch any sun with that thing on?''

''I'll take it off when we get there.'' you said as you grabbed your beach bag and made your way down the stairs.

You opted to walk the short distance to the beach as the weather was perfect. Carole had given you one of her big sunhats and Bradley had fished out his dads old aviators. Together the pair of you looked like an old married couple, squabbling about stupid things jokingly as you walked.

Bradley slung his arm over your shoulder as the sound of the sea and happy vacationers became audible, and he sighed.

''One day when we're older and earning money, you're gonna live with me.''

''Why would I want to live with a gross boy?'' you teased.

''Because I'll be like super ripped and you won't be able to keep your hands off of me.'' Bradley winked, and you shoved him away with a groan.

''Yeah you wish.''

Little did you know everything Bradley had said would come true, eventually.

You found a little spot on the beach and put your things down, scanning the water for somewhere to swim.

Bradley bent over to remove his shoes, and as he stood back up you were in the process of taking the huge t-shirt off.

Bradley gulped loudly, your body was incredible. He wasn't sure when you really became a woman, but there was nothing left of that dorky teenager he'd helped years ago.

Your bikini was figure hugging and complimented every curve. Gabby had taught you a thing or two about dressing for confidence, and boy was she right, you felt much less awkward in your own skin suddenly.

You began to walk towards the water, ''You coming, Bradshaw?''

Bradley closed his mouth and nodded, ''Yeah...yup. Coming.''

As he followed you to the sea, he tried to keep his eyes on the water ahead, instead of on his best friend, who was really beginning to give him confused feelings.

He watched as you stepped into the sea, the waves lapping at your soft skin. You gasped as the cold water splashed your chest and hopped around as you adjusted, and Bradley's jaw hit the ground.

He suddenly couldn't hear or see anything but you, and he felt himself losing control over himself.

''Shit.'' he mumbled as he quickly sat down under the cold water.

''Wow that's brave, the waters freezing.'' you said, as the cold waves splashed up against Bradleys lowered form.

''Mhmm.'' he mumbled through gritted teeth. Sure, the water was cold and it wasn't a pleasant feeling being submerged so quickly, but it was doing wonders subduing something else.

He breathed as his erection went down, and waded deeper out into the water, following you as you finally submerged yourself.

You swam around and floated in the water for a while, enjoying the happy sounds of people splashing around, the smell of the sea and sunscreen filling your nostrils.

''It's so nice to be back.'' you sighed happily, looking back at the shore.

''It's nice to have you back. You have no idea how lame it's been without you.'' Bradley chuckled.

''You're so soppy all of a sudden, who even are you?'' you teased, and splashed Bradley in the face.

He looked at you in shock, ''How dare you?'' and splashed you back.

You laughed and lunged at Bradley, gripping his shoulders and trying to push him under the water, but you'd forgotten how tall he was, and he didn't even budge under your weight, instead your body landed against his, and he steadied you with his hands on your hips, your faces inches apart.

You flushed red and pushed away, swimming backwards as you glared at him playfully.

''Alright, I'm cold. Let's go get a tan.'' you instructed as you swam back to shore, your heart racing at how desperately you wanted to prolong the awkward little moment you'd just had.

''Okay, I'll... I'll be out in a minute.'' Bradley mumbled awkwardly, waiting yet again for the water to subdue his excitement.

_____________________________

Present:

You blinked rapidly, desperately hoping you were having a horrible nightmare and you'd wake up in the bungalow tucked safely under Bradleys strong arm.

Nat moved to your side and gripped your arm to steady you. Bradley had told her briefly about a bad ex and Nat was smart enough to recognise trauma when she saw it.

“Is it him?” She mumbled in your ear.

You nodded, as you forced some air into your lungs.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me?” Jacob chuckled, his dazzling smile almost nonchalant as he edged closer. Alice grinned from behind him.

“Hope you don’t mind, Y/N, but a quick scour of your Facebook showed so many happy pictures of you two. I just figured… well, it might be nice to find him and reunite two old flames.” She smirked, a glint of revenge in her blue eyes.

“When I heard you’d left Fall River, it really hurt me…” Jacob stepped forward and took your hand, cupping it in his other.

You still couldn’t speak, for fear the tears would begin to fall and you’d look weak. You tried to put on what you thought was a brave face, but to everyone around you, you looked terrified, like a ghost of bad times past stood before you.

“I really thought that one day, eventually, you’d forgive our squabbles, and you’d come back to me. I mean, I called, I called so many times. And I came to your door but you were never home, but I just thought our love was stronger than all of that and you’d eventually wake up and see that too.” He sighed, his blue eyes crinkled as he grinned down at you, black hair slicked back perfectly as it always had been. Nothing about Jacob had changed in the last few years.

He was still the same devilishly handsome, darkly dangerous man as before.

You had somehow, inexplicably, been able to avoid him for the past few years despite the small size of the town. Jacob had changed schools after the breakup, but it didn’t stop the ferocious slander from the other teachers who sided with him.

You managed to memorise his very particular pattern. He shopped on certain days, at certain times, in certain stores. On Saturdays he went to the library for most of the day, so you knew it was safe to run your errands, and you mostly stuck to shopping in the evening when you were sure he was at home, sipping wine and tucked into a good book.

You felt immense relief when you left town, finally feeling a sense of freedom you hadn’t had in a long time, but suddenly you felt all of the sneaking around and moving was for nothing, and your body began to shake.

“Please leave.” You managed to squeak out.

“Leave? Do you realise how far I’ve come just to see you? The least you could do is have a drink with me, beautiful.” He cupped your cheek and your body locked up. A single tear slid from your eye as your nostrils filled with his musky cologne, all of the bad memories rushing back.

“Jacob I think you need to go, if you know what’s best for you.” Nat stepped forward.

“You called?” Hangman sang as he walked back into the room, Bradley following and both none the wiser.

“Not you, Jake. Him. It’s Birdy’s ex.” Nat scowled at Jacob. Hangman eyed up the newcomer and moseyed forward with his own face plastered in a cocky grin.

Bradley’s eyes finally landing on you and your shaking form, and man with his hands on you, his eyes went dark and his body tensed up.

“Well well well, I’m sorry ‘Jacob’. I’m afraid there’s only room for one Jake in this building… in this city even, and that’s me. I’ll be happy to escort you out.” Hangman drawled, taking the toothpick out of his mouth and flicking it dramatically to the floor.

Jacob let go of you and focused his scowl on Hangman, walking cooly up to him. “This is none of your business, kid. Maybe just stay out of it if you know what’s good for you.”

Suddenly, from just behind Jacob, Bradley cleared his throat. The two men were about the same height, but when Jacob turned to face him, Bradley seemed at least a head taller than him as he stood tall and angry with his fists clenched at his side and his jaw set.

“You’re Jacob?” Bradley ground out.

“That’s me, buddy. My girls been talking about me, I take it?” Jacob smirked over at you. But just as soon as he looked back, Bradley’s hand was wrapping around Jacob’s neck as he pushed him up against the nearest wall.

Jacob struggled as his neat hair came loose from its slicked back hold, huffing against the wall as his eyes scanned the room.

“I’m only going to tell you once to get the fuck out of here, if I catch you anywhere near her again, it will be me and every naval officer in this room you’ll have to contend with. Got it?” Bradley growled, his face red and a scowl etched deep into his features as his huge hand wrapped tighter around Jacobs neck.

The Hard Deck was now silent as everyone, including Penny, stood with bated breaths. Even Alice looked surprised.

Hangman, Bob, Javy, Mickey and Reuben stood in a half circle around Bradley and Jacob, ready to pounce at any sign of struggle. Nat stood at your side, her arm hooked around your waist just in case, as you stood watching in horror.

“Fine. Fine. I’ll go.” Jacob said, his shit eating grin still unfaltering as Bradley reluctantly let go of him.

Jacob smoothed his hair back and straightened his shirt and jacket, and Bradley followed him through the crowd towards the entrance.

The rest of the Daggers followed, and reluctantly your feet began to move too. You had to be sure he was really leaving.

Once out in the parking lot, a crowd beginning to gather at the door, Bradley stood with his huge arms crossed as he watched Jacob walk towards his rental car.

You breathed a shaky sigh of relief as you thought it was all over, but Jacob suddenly stopped, chuckled to himself, and then turned around.

“Actually, I always knew it would end like this. With me kind enough to give my girl another chance, but naturally the little whore has surrounded herself with more men than she can satisfy.” He spat, and it was enough to release Bradley’s rage.

Bradley surged forward across the gravel, “You fucker!” He growled, and his fist connected with Jacobs face.

Jacob stumbled back in surprise, touching his split lip and smirking at the blood on his fingers as Bradley stood over him.

“Stay the fuck away from her. She’s not your girl.” Bradley spat.

“You don’t know who you’ve fucked with. I’ll see you around.” And with that Jacob turned and climbed into his car.

Alice stood in the crowd and crossed her arms. Her plan had seriously backfired. All she wanted was for Jacob to take you away so she’d have another shot with Bradley, she hadn’t realised the full extent of the situation. Before anyone could pick a bone with her, she slunk off into the crowd and disappeared.

Bradley took a moment to breathe, his hands on his hips as he collected himself.

You stood behind him, hands still clasped over your mouth, shaking like a leaf. Bradley turned around and his angry face softened as soon as his eyes landed on you. Wordlessly he pulled you into him and held you, kissing the top of your head.

“Are you okay, Birdy?” He whispered into your hair.

You nodded, wrapping your arms tightly around him, “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“I’m not... It’s nice to know so many people are fighting my corner, especially with you at the centre. I don’t feel so scared anymore.” You said as you looked up at him.

Bradley bent down and kissed you gently, his swollen hand threading through your hair.

You pulled back slightly, “What about the others? They’re gonna know.”

“I don’t care. I want them to know you’re all mine.” He said before his lips connected with yours again.

“I fucking knew it!” Nat chuckled from the entrance.

“Alright alright, let’s give them a moment.” Bob smiled, and everyone filtered back inside.

—————————

Past:

The summer had passed in a blur, and before you knew it, you were spending your final night in the Bradshaw household before you had to fly back the next morning.

The summer had been filled with perfect memories. Long days down at the beach, evening walks around the neighbourhood reminiscing about the good old days, lots of laughter at dinner times and movies in Bradley’s bed before you went to sleep.

Carole didn’t mind you spending time alone in each others rooms, provided you went to sleep in your own beds at night.

On the last night you finished watching The NeverEnding Story for the tenth time, a movie you and Bradley had loved when you were younger, and you said goodnight to him as you left for your bed.

Bradley sat in his bed for a long time after you left, contemplating how to sneak the letter he’d wrote you into your suitcase without you noticing. He’d been thinking about it all summer, and had decided he needed to tell you how he felt.

He wasn’t the best at using his words, so felt it better to write everything down, and hoped you’d be long gone by the time you read it, so that he wouldn’t implode into himself if you read it in front of him.

Once he was sure you must have fallen asleep, Bradley crawled out of bed and grabbed the letter from his desk drawer. His hands shook as he held it in his hands. Letting out a shaky breath, he snuck out of his room and padded quietly down the dark hallway.

He carefully opened your bedroom door, and he could hear your steady breathing. You were asleep. He snuck inside and crept towards your suitcase. He bent down and slowly unzipped the front pouch.

“Bradley?” Your soft voice hummed.

Bradley shot up and threw the letter on the floor, kicking it under the chest of drawers.

“Hey Birdy.” He whispered.

“What are you doing in here?”

He was quiet for a moment, but then he walked over to the bed and climbed in next to you.

“I just wanted sleep next to you one last time.” He whispered.

“Won’t your mom be mad?” You whispered back, turning on your side to face him, close enough to feel his breath on your face.

“She doesn’t need to know.” His heart was thudding against his chest.

“Okay, I’m glad you’re here. I always sleep better when you’re around.” You grinned.

You closed your eyes as Bradley stroked a strand of hair off of your face. You looked so beautiful, it would be so easy just to kiss you. But Bradley was terrified you’d reject him and he’d ruin the entire summer by making one wrong move.

Little did he know you were desperate to tangle your fingers in his hair and have your way with him too.

“Birdy?” Bradley’s hoarse voice mumbled.

“Hmmm?”

“I… uhm…” he trailed off, unsure of how to put what he wanted to say into actual words.

“What is it?” You hummed, your hand gently moving to lay flat against his chest. You could feel his heart thudding and you wiggled closer.

Bradley’s breathing caught in his throat, and suddenly he was overwhelmed by the fear of losing you.

“Nothing.”

“Okay.” You sighed, slowly turning over so your back faced him. You squeezed your eyes shut in embarrassment. You really thought he felt the same for a moment there, but you must have misread the room.

Bradley silently cursed himself. He knew the moment had passed to say anything, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t just enjoy having you there before you left again.

Edging closer, Bradley slipped a hand onto the dip of your waist, and lay his head on your pillow so he could rest his chin on your shoulder.

“Goodnight, Birdy.”

“Goodnight, Roo.”

—————————————

-- Final Part Here --

Note: I dunno about y'all, but this is who I imagine Jacob as:

Taglist now open 💛 Please let me know if you'd like to be added!

@dizzybee03

@lucyjenniferx

@xoxabs88xox

@pinkpantheris

@italk2god

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marymary-diva17 · 6 months

Text

New faces and new friends

tonowari family x reader + sully family and clan

Many years had come, and the youngest child of Tonowari and Ronal was no longer a small child. As she had grown over into a beautiful teenager, who made the sea her home and found many great things over the years. Even though she was the only one who was like her, she had learned to accept that and welcome that she was different from the rest.

y/n " ........." you were at the tide pools today along with some members of the clan, it was a beautiful day for the awa'atlu village and everything seems to be peaceful at the moment. As you were looking at one of the tide pools you soon heard a ikran call, but those were creatures that belong to the forest and wouldn't be out here that far. As you had looked up to see a whole heard of ikrans flying towards the village, of the riders of the ikran had let out a call.

y/n " it seems like we have guest" you along with many others by the tide pools had soon raced to see what was the matter, you had leap into the water calling your ikran and heading home to see what was the matter.

y/n " something else tragic most of happen at the forest for all these forest navi and ikran to be here" It seems like many others were heading back to the village as well, to see what was happening with the group that arrived. There was a group gather on the beach as everyone was looking at the forest navi.

y/n " wow they seem interesting" you had gotten off your IIu and soon made you way through the crowd, some of navi made way for you as others seem to be force on the new comers.

y/n " hey some of them look just like me they have five fingers and eyebrows as well, and a few of them are wearing the sky people clothes" you were looking at the new comers as the new comers were looking around, one of them a little girl had saw you as she was standing by her family. She had waved to you and smiled and you soon smiled at her.

???? " stay calm everyone we don't wish to cause any trouble, tsu'tey make sure the group knows we don't do anything to set them off"

???? " yes brother" soon your father call had been heard as everyone looked up to see him, and two other warriors return to the village on their creatures. The forest navi had soon ducked when your father flew over them.

????? " tonowari i see you" your father soon landed on the water and soon walked over to the guests that had arrived.

tonowari " I see you toruk makto" toruk makto was someone you learn about from your parents and trader, he was once sky people but left his old people and helped fight against them. You had a feeling not all sky people were evil and that some of them are good.

y/n " ........" you had not been able to see anymore as the warriors were surrounding the new comers, so you went to find a better spot and found one. You had seen your siblings standing near the children of toruk makto and his mate, but they had yet to see you.

y/n " I wondering what mother going to have to say about this" just like that your mother had made you way as everyone got out of her way.

Jake " I see you ronal" Jake was soon followed by everyone in his family and around him.

mo'at " hello tonowari and ronal it been a long time"

ronal " yes it has"

tonowari " why have you all come here it rarely to see many of you forest navi come here at once"

Jake " my family and clan that were able to come here have come here, to seek uturu"

ronal " uturu"

Jake " yes refugee for my family and our clan members"

tonowari " you are all forest people we are reef people, your skills will be useless here"

Jake " we can learn right everyone we can learn and adapt"

sully family and others " yes"

tonowari " we want no part of your war"

Jake " we are done with war we just want help for our families for while"

ronal " some of you are clear sky people in navi body why should we help you" ronal was looking at the sully family and some of their friends that are with them.

Jake " we all mean you no harm"

neytiri " my husband was once toruk mako he untied all the clan together to fight against the sky demons"

ronal " their arms are to thin and tails are to weak" your mother was checking over the sully children, when she noticed they had five fingers like you but she said nothing.

ronal " well it seems like you have lost this battle" ronal and neytiri had gotten into a small hissing match.

Jake " forgive my mate we are all tried from the travel"

neytiri " jake" neytiri had walked away from Jake mad about his words, as your parents were looking at each other decide on allow them to stay or not.

tonowari " my brothers and sisters Jake sully and his family along with their clan will be staying with us, treat them as our brothers an sisters so they will learn they way and prove they are not useless"

Jake " thank you family what do we say"

sully family " thank you" you are very happy about the news about the omatacayia clan being able to stay here and learn the ways, and they seem like very nice people.

tonowari "my children will help you learn our ways" it seems like everything was agreed on, and it seems like the village will be getting use to their new guest.

tsireya " come with me and I will show you all around our village"

y/n " reya" tsireya soon saw you and smiled when she saw her younger sister.

tsireya " y/n it good you are here did you see what happened"

y/n " yes I heard I was wondering if I can help you, as it seems like you all will need the extra hands on moving stuff"

tsireya " yes good think y/n here will be helping as well along with aonung and rotox"

Jake " thank you children"

neteyam " hello I'm neteyam"

y/n " I'm y/n it good to meet you"

neteyam " these are my siblings kiri, lo'ak, and tuk along with our cousins spider"

y/n " hello"

sully kids and spider " hello" you soon grabbed some stuff and helped the sully bring it over to their new home, along with some stuff that belong to tsu'tey and his family.

tsireya " the one on the right will be the house of the sully and left one is for tsu'tey and his family"

Jake " thank you see everyone it no that bad after all we can make this work, and it big enough for us all we can make this our new home" neytiri had sighed and soon dropped the rug she was holding getting everyone attention.

lo'ak " thank you for helping us" It sunset had come as the kids had helped the sully family and the clan with a few more things, and learning about the village as well.

tsireya " you are welcome and stating tomorrow me and my siblings will be helping you learn the ways"

spider " that sounds amazing"

rotxo " yeah it going to be good"

tuk " I cant wait to see more our home and play"

kiri " we can play later on tuk"

y/n " yes we will leave you all to unpack and get settled and handle, any last minute stuff with your clan before lesson start tomorrow"

neteyam " y/n will you be helping us tomorrow along with the olo'eythan children"

tsireya " well yes she will be helping us as she our ...."

aonung " it getting late we should be getting home all of us" aonung overprotective mode had active, and it seems like someone was watching from afar and that someone was ronal.

tsireya " yes we will see you all tomorrow have a good evening" the four teens soon walked awya from the sully family as they saw them gather, in a meeting about something that sounded important. The four teens soon reached their home.

ronal " good you all are home dinner is almost ready"

y/n " mother did you noticed some of them are like me"

aonung " they are nothing like you baby sister you are one us raised her and learned the ways, of the reef and ocean"

y/n " aonung I mean by that they have five fingers and eyebrows like me"

ronal " they are still demons"

tonowari " ronal we have offered to help them and give the refugee, and all our children will be helping"

y/n " really baba I can help them learn"

tonowari " yes you can my daughter it will be good for you and you are kindhearted, and might help the children learn how to live life here with five fingers"

y/n " that wonderful"

ronal " no I will not allow it"

rotxo " mom"

tonowari " ma ronal I said all my children will help and all of them will help"

ronal " those sky people will find out she like them and try to see what with her I will not let them hurt my daughter"

trsireya " mom"

y/n " mom give them a chance is anything bad happens then I will help from afar please mom" ronal was looking at her children and soon her mate, she was very protective of her family she soon sighed.

ronal " yes you can help my daughter but if anything bad happens then I'm ending this whole matter"

y/n " yes mom thank you"

tsireya " it seems like our y/n has made a good impression on the new comers as well, as she was very helpful today"

tonowari " that good I'm proud of all for being helpful and doing your part"

ronal " yes you all did a good job now eat your dinner before it gets cold"

the kids " yes mom" all you and your siblings had went back to eating dinner, as your mother and father talked about how to deal with all the new guests on the inland and sharing the news with the other villages and inlands. The arrival of these strangers or newcomers will soon spell, something great and bad for your clan and family.

#avatar 2 #atwow #avatar #avatar x reader #avatar x y/n #sully family x reader #avatar the way of water #tonowari x daughter reader #ronal x daughter reader #loak x tsireya #tsireya #tonowari #sully kids #neteyam te suli tsyeyk'itan #kiri te suli kìreysì'ite #tuktirey te suli neytiri'ite #lo'ak te suli tsyeyk'itan

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rubendiasthoughts · 10 months

Text

I loved writing this one so much!! Thank you to the person who requested it 😘

Wedding with Ruben Dias - headcanon:

-Okay, so I think the way Ruben would propose would be pretty casual. Like I just don't see him renting out a fancy restaurant or anything like that. I feel like he would maybe take you on like a nice beach or something, somewhere where there's not a lot of people and he would maybe organize a little picnic or something like that. I think he would want it to be a surprise and he would want you to think that it's just a normal date. So you two would sit on the blanket, watch the sea and the waves for a little bit. And maybe he would lead you by your hand, closer to the shore. And then he would get on one knee and propose. He would definitely tell you how you are the girl of his dreams and he would promise to take care of you for the rest of your life.

- But he would definitely tell at least one of your girlfriends that he's going to propose, just so that she can take you to get your nails done and stuff, because he knows you would be sad if your nails weren't perfect for the pictures.

- I already talked about this, but I feel like Ruben could be the guy to ask your parents for permission. And he would promise them to always take care of you and protect you.

-And he would tell his own family that he's planning to propose too! His mom would be so happy, maybe she would say something how you are definitely a keeper 🥺

-I think planning a wedding with Ruben would be the best experience. He would definitely have his own ideas and opinions that he would share with you, but at the end of the day I feel like he just wants you to be happy and have the wedding of your dreams. Maybe sometimes when you guys are cuddled up on the couch, talking about the wedding you ask him something like "You think we can have that? " and he's smiling "we can have anything you want, sweet girl" and gives you a forehead kiss.

- And when the wedding day comes I think he would be super calm and collected. Just because I think he is so sure he wants to spend the rest of his life with you, so he's just like "what is there to be nervous about? ". You would probably be much more nervous than him, worrying if everything will go the way it's planned and all of that. I feel like his approach would be more like: he gets to marry you so he doesn't care if something else won't be perfect.

-And when he sees you for the first time, walking down the aisle, he has this little smile on his face and he's literally looking at you like you are the most beautiful thing in the world. He wouldn't be able to take his eyes off of you, like you are the only thing he could see.

-Let's just take a moment to think about Ruben standing there in a suit 😫

-His brother is the best man for sure.

-When he is putting the ring on your finger, he's looking into your eyes with a serious look on his face. And can you imagine how great he would look with his wedding band on his finger?? 😭

- And when he's allowed to kiss his bride for the first time, he would grab your face in both of his hands, your hands resting on his stomach. And the kiss would be sooo good! I feel like he would kiss you very gently, but at the same time with a lot of passion behind it.

- The first dance would be so sweet and cute. Honestly I don't see Ruben doing any kind of crazy choreography, I think you two would just slow dance, he would hold you close to him, look into your eyes with a smile on his face, maybe you would rest your head on his chest for a little bit too. He would whisper to you, telling you how beautiful you are. And I feel like the song you two would dance to would be one of those old love songs.

- The guests would maybe make little toasts, talking about your love for each other and stuff - your maid of honor, his best man, your friends, family, maybe even some of his teammates. Ruben is definitely raising a toast "for his beautiful bride".

-And for the rest of the night you would have so much fun. You would be dancing with all of your friends, celebrating your love surrounded by all the people you love. Just imagine Ruben laughing with his friends 🥺

-You know the thing they sometimes do at weddings, when they seat the bride on the chair and the groom is supposed to take her garter off using only his mouth? Ruben would dive under your dress, he would plant a few kisses starting from your ankle up to your thigh.And when he takes your garter in his mouth, he would lightly graze your thigh with his teeth. And when he comes out from underneath your dress and he takes your garter out of his mouth he has the goofiest smile on his face. And when he sees your red face and how you try to hide your face in your hands he laughs, takes your hands away from your face, leans over you and gives you a kiss.

-And the wedding night would be an absolute dream. Ruben couldn't wait to finally get you alone. You two would stumble into the room, Ruben holding you in his arms, hands around your waist, kissing you passionately. He would take off your dress and lay you on the bed. Then he would hover over you, his forearms resting next to your head as he would look into your eyes. His nose would nuzzle against your neck and he would say "gotta take care of my wife now, make her feel good". He would kiss every inch of your body, constantly whispering praises. He would fuck you in missionary, your legs wrapped around his waist. And when he finally pushes inside you it would be so slow, but his thrusts very deep, hitting your sweet spot with his every stroke. His breath would be heavy, panting above you, relishing in your cute, little moans. Feeling you squeeze around his cock would trigger his own orgasm. He would hide his face in your neck when he shoots his cum deep inside you. And after that, he would craddle you in his arms, pressing kisses to your head.

I haven't written anything about how honeymoon with Ruben would be like in this piece, because I feel like maybe I should do a separate headcanon about that? Let me know if you would be interested ❤

Thank you for your support, hope you enjoyed this 💞

#ruben dias #justourlittletalks #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #footballer x you #ruben dias blurb #ruben dias imagine #ruben dias smut #footballer blurb #footballer smut #ruben dias headcanons #footballer headcanons #ruben dias fluff #footballer fluff #ruben dias x you #ruben dias x y/n #ruben dias x reader #footballer x y/n

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electrosair · 10 months

Text

Husband & dad headcanons anemo + cryo ver.

english isn’t my first language, sorry for mistakes

characters: heizou + kazuha + scaramouche + venti + xiao + kaeya

say ty to my best friend because if it wasn't for her this wouldn't be finished in 3 years.

word count: 1.8k

Heizou

how does he propose to you?

He will leave little clues around your house, he is such a good detective that it will get complicated and in the end he will have to tell you in a 'subtle' way. "I think someone is definitely trying to propose to you. And I happen to have a ring in my pocket."

where is the wedding taking place?

The beaches of Inazuma, at sunset. No more questions, right? They are too beautiful not to celebrate your wedding there.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

My best friend came up with this idea and it couldn't be missed. Heizou would be obsessed with solving something in his style to whatever destination you end up at, so why not go to Liyue and find out all about the ancient mountains and legends of the adeptus?

children before or after marriage?

Although it may not seem like it I feel that he is quite hooked on his work in some strange way. His top priority would not be to have children soon.

how many children does he want?

As I said before, I doubt with his job he has much time to offer to a large family, so between 1-2 kids, maybe a third one when he doesn't work so much anymore, but I doubt it.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would worry about you, but he would hide it most of the time because he is a detective for a reason. He would always have an eye on you in case anything happens to you, and the moment he notices a first kick, his face lights up with a smile.

any memorable moment with his child?

Take the baby to work day, cause an impressive stir in his office and somehow or other end up solving a case thanks to your little kid. How? He doesn't even know.

Kazuha

how does he propose to you?

After one of the tournaments that Beidou organizes, he would use this stop of the ship to take you to the most beautiful place nearby that he could find. Facing the sea and with the wind blowing in the face of both of you.

where is the wedding taking place?

The Crux, please and thank you. All decorated with the wedding theme and the crew and wedding guests gathered on deck watching your union. We will skip the part where several guests got seasick.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

A place he hasn't been to yet, which leaves us with Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan or Snezhnaya. I assume you would go to Sumeru because 1. it has port 2. it is more accessible 3. there are so many things to see and explore that Kazuha would take you around as excited as a toddler.

children before or after marriage?

Later, but just for the simple fact that you wouldn't be too sure you'd have the best life to take care of babies right now. I mean, if it's already hard as normal, I don't want to imagine it going from place to place on a boat, so you would wait a little bit.

how many children does he want?

He would be fine with whatever you wanted, but I can see him having more or less around 3 or 4 children once you are already settled in a house or at least for the first few years of the children's lives.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would take you to different places for walks, with short breaks in between so you don't overexert yourself too much. "Breathe, we're almost there. The top is beautiful, I promise, besides, this is good for when it's time to see our baby."

any memorable moment with his child?

He would probably sing lullabies for your baby to fall asleep, when he grows up they will become little stories and I assure you that no matter how hard you try now he will always want Kazuha to put him to bed.

Scaramouche

how does he propose to you?

If he can fly he's going to use it to surprise you, seeing your amazed face when you landed gave him the strength he needed, so he would simply pick you up off the ground and carry you to the prettiest flower meadow he could find.

where is the wedding taking place?

Sumeru is a good place, nice landscapes, good places to eat and a port so that when you finish the wedding he can continue wandering around the other nations with you as a travel companion.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Is it okay if I discard Inazuma and Snezhnaya? I'll take that as a yes and say Fontaine seems like a good place to go, especially if it's summer and you can enjoy dips in the water, I bet he'd try ducking you but he'd feel too bad since you're just married.

children before or after marriage?

I feel like he's the type of person who tries to delay having kids as long as possible, so you would definitely end up having them after you get married.

how many children does he want?

I would say between 1-3, 3 being the maximum because he might not be able to stand that much. You would start by having only 1, but after seeing that it is not as bad as it seems you would convince him, he would convince himself, to have another one. "You know what I told you about one being enough for me? Well, I've been thinking about it, and I think you're right…. No, it's not at all because I think they're too cute."

how is he during your pregnancy?

He'd tease you about little pregnancy cravings and such, but at the end of the day he'd try to give you everything he could get. And add to that the bonus of giving you little massages just to get you to 'stop complaining'.

any memorable moment with his child?

He would plan little pranks with the child behind your back and if you caught them he wouldn't hesitate for five seconds and say that the idea was your kid's idea. Only to then make the child forget all about it and make an even better plan.

Venti

how does he propose to you?

After a long time without setting foot in the ruins of the northern part of the nation, he decided to take you there himself. He would guide you to the top of the central tower and propose to you in front of the beautiful view.

where is the wedding taking place?

The Mondstadt church, I mean, what is it for? Other than to praise the anemo archon, who happens to be the same as your future husband. What a coincidence that he was the one who chose the site.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Let's be honest, he likes any place where he can be served a good wine, and if he is accompanied by you while he drinks it, it's even better. So that's his only requirement, you choose the rest.

children before or after marriage?

Venti doesn't really care, what he likes most is freedom. So I doubt very much that he should be carried away by what people say about having children sooner or later. He lets it flow.

how many children does he want?

Neither too many nor too few, maybe 2 or 3, although the maximum would be 4. He would already be burdened with all the responsibilities that only having one entails.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He doesn't have much else to do during the day apart from playing and being with friends, we can say that he has plenty of time to spend with you. He would also do little things like sing to you during the last few months, when he is sure that the baby listens to him too, and he would even try to drink less. "I'm fine like this, I won't order wine today. A tea like the one you ordered would do me good."

any memorable moment with his child?

A chuckle escaped him as you looked in surprise at your baby floating instead of taking the first steps and turned to see Venti frowning. He wouldn't be able to give a vision to a child barely 1 year old, would he?

Xiao

how does he propose to you?

At first you were worried to see Xiao so nervous, he was usually quite calm and even if he was overwhelmed he wouldn't let you see him like that. You thought it might be because of some of his duties as adeptus, but when he took you to a isolated spot on the mountain and knelt down it all came together.

where is the wedding taking place?

It is obvious to say Liyue, but exactly where, I have doubts. I would discard places like The Chasm and the city, but regarding the rest, I don't think he'd care much about where you're going to celebrate it, he wouldn't even care if it was so inaccessible that almost nobody could go.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Mondstadt seems like a good place, it's close and he could go relatively quickly to Liyue if he really needs it (a lot). Because it doesn't look like you're going to let him go that easily.

children before or after marriage?

Afterwards, but not for the fact that you are getting married, I feel that he wants to be absolutely sure that you and your children are as safe as possible with him.

how many children does he want?

2, a reasonable number. I don't see him as a father of a very large family, maybe even 1 but he would end up wanting more even if he denied it.

how is he during your pregnancy?

Just attending to your needs whenever he can and watching you 24/7, he used to do that before too but now he has an excuse to do it so you don't say anything to him about it.

any memorable moment with his child?

We all know that Xiao ate snow, not at all would he mention it casually in front of your son and his best idea was to try it and follow his father's steps. He got sick. "I promise I won't say those things in front of him again, even though I don't understand wh- Sorry, sorry."

Kaeya

how does he propose to you?

The bar where you were spending the evening was about to close and Kaeya saw his chance coming. He led you to a slightly more private place and kissed your hand as he knelt down in front of you, pulling out of his pants pocket a small object that glowed in the moonlight.

where is the wedding taking place?

Perhaps on the Mondstadt square, a place where you can have a big celebration to which you can both invite all your friends.

where are you going on your honeymoon?

Maybe Inazuma or Fontaine? Even Snezhnaya. I don't see him as the type to withstand very hot climates very well so Sumeru and Natlan would be out of the question. So a good refreshing trip in which you enjoy the new cities and bars.

children before or after marriage?

He's not the type who cares about the whole problem of having children, as long as he can have them with you he's fine with it any time. So let's say both before and after.

how many children does he want?

Large family for Kaeya. I'm sorry that being an only child and that after everything that happened with Diluc and his father they are now like this…. I mean, he definitely wants siblings for your first child. So around 4.

how is he during your pregnancy?

He would spoil you and ask for days off just for you, but let's not fool ourselves, when he sees your belly grow the slightest bit he would hug you and put his head close to it to try to hear something. He talks more to the baby than to you and it's not even born yet.

any memorable moment with his child?

I can just imagine him telling them stories about how his family are all pirates and that's why they never see them and he wears an eye patch. Just like he did to you when you first met. "Your grandfather gave me this treasure map for when you grow up, that's why you have to eat everything to grow up so you can get the buried mora and jewels."

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writing-intheundercroft · 4 months

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Your Ivy Grows // House of Gaunt

AO3 Link

Summary: Ominis Gaunt cannot see, but he can feel. He can feel the tall thickets of grass outside of his Aunt Noctua's house, now his for the summer. He can feel the sand down by the beach, the water of the tide pools, the overgrown ivy in Noctua's beloved garden. Most importantly, he can feel the gentle brush of his house guest's hand against his as they take their daily walk. He fears that he may feel much, much more for his new house guest.

Word Count: 6,745

Chapter Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Smut, oral sex F!receiving, vaginal sex NSFW, MDNI

“Are you ready?”

Ominis wasn’t ready to answer her question quite yet. He squeezed his eyes tight, taking in a deep breath. He hoped they wouldn’t be gone for long, but he couldn’t fight the twisting feeling deep down in his stomach. Something told him no matter how their trip to London went, things might not be the same upon their return. So, Ominis took his time memorizing the house in its current state. He wanted to remember everything as it was–the fresh, salty sea air, the earthy smell of the garden wafting in the breeze. Afternoons spent basking in sunlight, laying in the lush grass while his companion trimmed the ivy.

Of all the things Ominis would miss, it would be the freedom the old seaside manor provided the young couple that he would long for the most.

Not long after Marvolo’s howler had destroyed itself, a thestral drawn carriage bearing the Gaunt family crest arrived. Golly had pointed out the carriage in the front drive of the house, anxiously drumming her hands against neck. Of course, Ominis could not see them, nor could his houseguest. Sebastian, giving a weary sigh, confirmed the arrival of the winged beasts. The house immediately descended into chaos. Golly, still trembling, made her way upstairs to pack their trunks. His houseguest trailed behind her, trying to appease the house-elf’s worries.

Sebastian and Ominis stood in the study, listening to the commotion upstairs.

“Can’t put it off any longer,” Sebastian said quietly. “You’re going to ask him for her hand, aren’t you?”

“It’s our only option.” Ominis put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I…I want to thank you for trying.”

“I won’t stop,” Sebastian warned him. “There’s got to be another way.”

“While I admire your tenacity, Sebastian, I’m not sure we have time for your plan.” Ominis sighed.

His only solution was to beg his brother for her hand in marriage, and if that failed…

No, Ominis thought. He wouldn’t even dream of it.

Within the hour, Golly had strapped in their trunks, she and Sebastian watching the couple anxiously as they departed the front drive. The thestrals picked up their pace, cantering down the gravel drive until they reached a high enough speed to take flight. Ominis’s hand flew down to hers as the carriage rocked, squeezing it tightly.

“Taking off is always the worst part.” he said sheepishly, patting his brow.

She sidled up to him, a curl brushing his cheek. “I figured it would be.” she mused. “How long until we’re in London?”

“Give or take an hour or two,” Ominis sighed. “And while I’d love to spend the entire time holding you,” he said, slipping a finger under her chin, “we should probably get a few things straight.”

“Like what?” she asked, tilting her head.

Ominis chewed the inside of his cheek. He let his finger trail upwards, the pad of his thumb brushing over her lips. He groaned when she parted them, taking a deep sigh. “For starters, we probably shouldn’t do that around my brother. Anywhere in the house, really. We shouldn’t even be near one another.”

Even without his wand out, he could sense her deflate, pulling away from him. “We could be sneaky–”

“The word doesn’t exist at my brother’s house.” Ominis grumbled.

“But the night of the ball–” she argued, Ominis pressing another finger to her lips.

“While a fond memory, it was a lapse in judgment. We’re lucky there were plenty of distractions the night of the ball, and we nearly got caught then.” he reminded her. “Marvolo will have his eyes on us when it’s just family in the house.”

He could feel the way her shoulders bowled over. “Fine,” she grumbled. “A week without touching you. I think we’ll survive.”

“I can’t say the same for myself.” Ominis admitted.

She chuckled quietly, which brought some relief to him. “What else should I be mindful of?” she asked.

Ominis sighed. “You should be wary of my sisters. They’re normally lingering about the house, and they always have a trick up their sleeves.”

“Sisters.” she said slowly. “What are they like?”

Ominis rolled his eyes, leaning his chin into his knuckles. “Cedrella, Dorcas, and Apolline.” he drawled. “The worst. When they’re not gossiping about their friends, they’re complaining about their husbands. I can’t blame them, they’re all cretins, but still.”

“Oh come on,” she argued. “Your sisters can’t be so awful.”

Ominis hardened his jaw. “Cedrella never cared much for me in the first place–she and Marvolo were already off at Hogwarts by the time I was born. The other two…well, I would’ve thought we had a close relationship, until they cast the cruciatus curse on me as a child.” he said bitterly.

“Oh.” she whispered, her voice small and quiet. “I…I didn’t know.”

“You couldn’t have, I didn’t tell you.” Ominis said gently. “They’re why I detest the unforgivable curses, and the dark arts in general.”

“So, I shouldn’t trust your sisters.” She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Ominis fiddled with his wand. “Don’t trust my sisters,” he echoed.

“Who else will be there?” she asked.

“I doubt anyone else,” Ominis grumbled. “Most of the time my parents stay at the manor. My father is harmless enough at this point–he’s been senile for years. My mother mostly stays with him, so you won’t have to worry about her.”

“What of Marvolo’s wife?”

Ominis shrugged. “My sister-in-law doesn’t particularly enjoy his company, so she stays at the manor with my parents while Marvolo has his fun.” The word came out viciously. “I’m sure one of his many mistresses will be there.”

“I wonder what they’re like,” she mumbled.

“A rotating door of ladies,” Ominis rolled his eyes. “Except for his favorite, Araminta Malfoy. She’s the one you saw at the ball–his most regular companion. They were lovers when they were in school.”

“Why didn’t he marry her?” she asked.

“I was very young, so I don’t remember it exactly,” Ominis admitted. “There was a terrible argument over it, though. I think there was a rumor that one of her cousins had gone soft, and they’d thought he was a squib. Father was worried it might dilute our bloodline, so he forced Marvolo to marry a Lestrange instead.”

She was quiet for a moment; Ominis could almost hear the gears ticking in her head as she thought.

“She must really love him.” she mused. “To put up with it.”

Ominis rolled his eyes, tilting his head against the cool glass. “I doubt either of them are all that emotional. It’s hard to imagine my brother feeling anything at all, really.”

“I’m not talking about your brother. I know firsthand that he’s deficient in that department. But imagine being someone’s mistress for that long. Gods, I’d hate it. Never fully belonging to someone the way you want to.” she said wistfully. “Think I’d rather be put out of my misery than live half a life, you know?”

Ominis paused, ruminating over her sentiment. He never wanted to feel any sympathy towards his brother or his mistress. “I guess I never thought of it that way.”

She didn’t say anything else; his companion merely tangled her fingers with his, her head leaning against his shoulder. He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her hair.

“We would never be like that, would we?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“Never.” Ominis declared. The carriage dipped as the thestrals adjusted in the air; his companion slid even closer to him, hugging him closely.

“I’ll have to be indifferent towards you when we’re there. At least until I can get Marvolo alone to ask him.” Ominis swallowed thickly at the thought. “But I just want you to know that I don’t mean it. The way I act, the disinterest…you know I could never feel that way towards you.” Ominis reassured her.

“I know.” She murmured, pressing a longing kiss against the corner of his mouth. “I know.”

Somehow, that didn’t reassure him.

Ominis had always hated the London house. He’d never spent much time there as a child; his parents were embarrassed to have their blind son out around their society friends, punting him off to Noctua instead. By the time Ominis was old enough to hold his own at society events, Marvolo had taken over the house as his main residence. He’d filled the Gaunt’s London abode with his collection of magical artifacts, and allowed his pet snakes to roam freely.

While the luxurious furnishings and decor were enough to impress wizarding society, Ominis knew better. The rugs were worn and fraying, artwork borrowed or stolen. Thanks to Marvolo’s many raucous social gatherings, the carpets were damp and smelled of stale firewhiskey.

“I don’t remember it looking like this during the ball,” his companion whispered. She trailed behind him, gingerly slipping past the cluttered hallway.

“Marvolo is quite talented at hiding away the mess he’s made,” Ominis grunted. “I dare not ask how he’s paid for half of these artifacts. He has all the house-elves work overtime to spruce the place up in time for a party.”

It was a short trek to the ballroom; Marvolo sat atop his makeshift throne, his mistress Araminta seated at his feet like she had been at the ball. Ominis could sense the presence of his sisters, scattered around the room. Cedrella was sitting next to the window, paying them no attention whatsoever, while Dorcas and Apolline quietly sewed. As expected, none of their husbands were present.

“My dear baby brother,” Marvolo mused, tapping his chin. “Finally well enough to travel. I do hope our friend here was of some help during your illness.”

“Yes,” Ominis feigned. “She was a great help.”

“Come forward, girl.” Marvolo barked.

Ominis awkwardly stepped to the side, his houseguest tiptoeing forward.

“You look very nice in the clothes I bought you.” Marvolo said haughtily. “It appears you do have a lovely shape, after all. Doesn’t she, Araminta?”

“She does,” Araminta declared in her syrupy sweet voice. “Very pretty.”

Ominis gritted his teeth, clenching a fist behind his back.

“Thank you, I suppose.” she muttered, feet pattering backwards.

“I hope you weren’t too bored,” Marvolo droned on, “stuck with Ominis. Although it can’t have been that bad–you look well recovered, brother.” There was a hint of suspicion to his voice, but it melted away as a house elf tiptoed into the room.

“Tea is prepared, sir.” the house-elf squeaked. “And Binky will start working on scrubbing the hallways down right away.”

“Take care not to damage anything whilst you’re cleaning,” Marvolo barked at the house-elf. “And make sure to lock the cellar door before everyone arrives tomorrow.” he stood, his chair scraping the marble floor. “Girls, please show our guest to her room. Ominis, care to join us for tea in the garden? I have to send an owl first, but Araminta can escort you.”

“Of course. Thank you,” Ominis said awkwardly. He could hear his sisters accosting his companion, pulling her away.

“Come along, Ominis.” Araminta said, appearing at his side. Her voice was slightly hoarse, missing the sickly sweet tone she adopted whenever Marvolo was near. She slid her arm through the crook of his elbow, patting his hand. “To the garden.”

Araminta led Ominis out to the garden, gently guiding him to a patio chair.

“Lovely weather in London,” she hummed, nestling into the chair across from him.

“Yes, lovely.” Ominis uttered.

“Although I’m sure it can hardly compare to the seaside.” Araminta noted. Ominis could hear the clinking of the china teacups, Araminta murmuring a warming spell under her breath towards the teapot. As she continued her pleasantries, Ominis found himself drifting back to the conversation he’d had with his companion in the carriage.

Even without sight, Ominis understood Araminta Malfoy to be beautiful. His entire life, he’d heard that she was tall, had delicate features, and was quick-witted. She had to be well into her thirties at this point, Marvolo’s oldest and most beloved mistress. There had been others, younger and equally pretty, but Ominis had never known any of them to linger as long as Araminta had. As far as he knew, she was married with a child of her own, an entire life outside of her dalliance with his brother.

“Alright, Ominis?” Araminta asked, fanning herself with a little lace fan.

“Just fine,” he lied. “How…how are you?”

“Quite well,” she said, pouring out a cup of tea for him. “Just got into town earlier this morning myself.”

“From whereabouts?”

He could sense her wry smile. “From Wiltshire.”

“Forgive me, what’s in Wiltshire?” Ominis cocked his head.

Araminta let out a tiny sigh, the fabric of her dress crinkling as she leaned back into her seat. “Malfoy manor.” she said coolly. “My husband’s home.”

Ominis nearly spat his tea out. “Oh,” he said awkwardly. “Right. How is…” he trailed off, trying to remember the name of her child.

“Abraxas. He’ll be four this year.” she dropped a sugar cube into her tea, pushing the sugar bowl his way. “Any milk?”

Ominis held his hand up in refusal. “No thank you. And your husband?”

“Also faring well, if not a bit miffed at me.” Araminta hummed. “I’m missing a boating party he assembled.”

“Sorry to hear it,” Ominis sipped his tea.

“It’s quite alright. Would’ve been dreadfully hot anyways.” she droned on, tapping her nails against the metal table. “I hadn’t been expecting your brother’s invitation, but always happy to join a Gaunt family weekend.”

“Family?” Ominis’s ears perked. “Everyone is coming?”

“Yes,” she said, fanning herself once more. “Your father and mother are due to arrive tomorrow evening for dinner.”

It was unlike his parents to leave the manor, he thought to himself. Marvolo must have had something significant up his sleeve if it was interesting enough to draw his senile father and glacial mother out of their den.

“I wouldn’t worry,” Araminta reassured him. “I believe your brother wants you to meet someone while you’re here.”

“Oh,” Ominis blurted. “ That’s why he has the house-elves hiding everything away?”

Araminta let out a bright, sparkling laugh. “Yes, I believe so. Your sister met a very sweet girl during her recent trip, and Marvolo thinks she might be a match for you. He’s invited her and her family to join us for supper tomorrow. Marvolo was quite impatient for you to feel better; kept rescheduling on them.”

Ominis fidgeted in his seat, trying to find the right words to follow up. If only they knew , he thought, that his heart was already spoken for.

“Galleon for your thoughts?” Araminta teased.

Ominis swirled his finger over his tea, stirring it.“The business of marriage is tiresome, don’t you think?”

Araminta’s laugh faded into a sigh. “It could be worse.” she mused. “You could be a woman, after all.”

Ominis raised an eyebrow. “A blunt sentiment. Is it really that awful?”

Araminta took a sip of her tea. “I’d ask your brother’s wife.” There was no mistaking the icy tone in her voice.

“Do you love my brother?” Ominis blurted. The question had slipped through his lips without a second thought.

“Your brother and I have known each other for a very long time.” Araminta shrugged, setting her teacup down. “And while I was not considered a suitable match for him, we enjoy each other’s company.”

“But do you love him?” Ominis insisted.

Araminta paused, ruminating over the question. “Even if I didn’t, do I have a choice?” she retorted.

Ominis was struck by her honesty. He’d opened his mouth to reply, but the sound of his brother’s heavy footsteps interrupted them.

“I’m sorry for the delay,” Marvolo said cheerfully. He leaned down, pressing a kiss to Araminta’s head. “Catching up, you two?”

“Yes,” Araminta said sweetly, voice dripping with honey once more. “I was just telling your brother about the guest of honor for tomorrow's dinner.”

Marvolo, brutish as ever, spilled the tea as he poured it into the little teacup. “Yes, that’s what I’ve been meaning to tell you,” he said absentmindedly. “The Pinch-Smedley family will be joining us for supper tomorrow.” Ominis raised an eyebrow. “The Pinch-Smedleys? As in, Grace Pinch-Smedley?”

“That’s the one,” Marvolo snapped his fingers. “I do believe you two were in the same year at school.”

“We were,” Ominis crossed his arms. “And you’re inviting her so that I might court her?”

“Marry her,” Marvolo said simply. “Her father is eager to get her off his hands, and he’s looking for a match that will elevate his station. They’re new money, but I can look aside that given the size of her dowry. And considering your deficiencies, she’s a good match.”

Ominis felt his mouth go dry. “You can’t possibly be serious.”

Marvolo’s friendly demeanor shifted rapidly, voice going cold. “Why not?”

“Grace, we barely have anything in common,” Ominis wrinkled his nose. “Sure, we went to school together, but I hardly know her–”

“Oh honestly, Ominis, don’t be such a girl about it,” Marvolo complained, draping himself over a chair.

“Marvolo, darling, I think Ominis is just nervous.” Araminta suggested.

Marvolo snorted. “Nothing to be nervous about–he’ll be winning a pretty girl. I could think of worse things. For example, the little Lestrange troll our father set me up with.” he joked.

Both Araminta and Ominis were silent, neither daring to respond to his jabs.

“Besides that,” Marvolo said coolly, attention turned back to Ominis. “Once you marry the Pinch-Smedley girl, and our little houseguest marries one of her many suitors, we’ll have a decent haul.”

Ominis felt sick, the bile rising in his throat. It felt like his heart was trying to claw its way out of his body, begging him to shout his affections for her. He opened his mouth to bring up his question, but nothing came out.

“Are you alright, Ominis?” Araminta asked, voice piqued with curiosity.

Ominis coughed, clearing his throat. “I’m fine.” he lied.

Ominis’s bedroom had long gone unused; he’d had to wedge himself between statues, stacks of books, and dusty old furniture just to fall into his old bed. He tossed and turned on his creaky old bed, struggling to find peace. On several occasions he found himself drifting off to sleep, but the chattering of Marvolo’s pet snakes kept him awake. He couldn’t imagine how his houseguest felt, subjected to the ever-present hum of hissing.

If Ominis really wanted comfort, he could always leave and go back to the flat he shared with Sebastian–he hadn’t been there all summer, and he yearned for the feeling of his tidy old bedroom. However, pressed stomach down against the flimsy mattress, Ominis found he longing for something else. Rather, someone.

Listening to his clock chime twelve times, Ominis got out of bed, tiptoeing around the mess of artifacts. Tying his robe around his waist, he held his wand up to guide himself down the stairs and through the tight, restricting corridors. Several times he found himself tripping over the fraying runners on the floor, needing both his wand and a hand on the walls to navigate his way to refuge.

The library was perhaps the only quiet place in the house. Marvolo had no interest in books, so he and his pets had no reason to enter the room. Ominis waved his wand quickly to unlock the doors, slipping through them without a sound. As the heavy wooden doors clicked shut behind him, he let out an audible groan, head banging against the surface.

“Tough day?”

Ominis nearly jumped out of his skin, hand pressed to his heart as he raised his wand. His eyes widened, realizing it was his companion, sitting cross legged in a wingback chair.

“It’s you,” Ominis sighed in relief. “Always out of bed in places you shouldn’t be,” he hummed, padding over to her. He pressed a delicate kiss to the top of her head, luxuriating in her smell.

“It’s a part of my charm at this point,” she mused, pressing a kiss to his palm. “It’s been a very long day.”

“Long is one way to put it,” Ominis grumbled, settling into the chair across from her. “Do you know how torturous it’s been being apart?”

“I’ve been relegated to spending time with your sisters,” she reminded him.

“Right. So, you understand the torture.”

She laughed, her voice low and hoarse. “They’re really not that awful,” she sighed. “Just…boring. They spent most of the day talking about clothes, hating their husbands, and gossiping about other ladies. I thought they were going to tear my head off when I told them Marvolo bought me new clothes.”

“Boring is kind of you to say,” Ominis huffed. “Devoid of feeling is the way I’d put it.”

“Did you miss me?” she taunted him.

Ominis raised a brow. “Is that even a question?” he slid off the leather chair, shuffling on his knees towards her. “I’ve missed you from the second we left the carriage.” he breathed, his hand catching around her ankle.

She took in a sharp breath. “I thought this was part of the rules,” she whispered, breaths stuttering as Ominis slid his hand higher up her leg. “Not being around one another.”

“I’ll never understand your incessant need to gallivant around the house in such little clothing.” Ominis chirped, the feeling of her thin nightgown catching between his fingertips.

“Hey,” she complained. “I am wearing a robe.”

Ominis rolled his eyes, fighting back his smile. “I love you,” he murmured, sliding her gown over her knee. He pressed a fervent kiss against her calf, tongue tracing circles over her skin. “And fuck the rules–Merlin, I missed you.”

“What if someone comes in and sees us?” she whispered, legs squirming as he pressed kisses along the inside of her thighs. It reminded him of their first encounter, his lips pressed against her thigh as a party raged outside the doors. Only this time, the stakes were much higher–there was no party, no noise to distract anyone who might hear them.

Ominis was almost always the north star of good judgment, but the smell of her was too intoxicating, and the feel of her silky skin against his had him ready to throw away all of his good manners. She always had that effect on him; something about her felt too good.

“They won’t,” he assured her, tugging her closer to the edge of the seat. He slipped his hand inside his robe pocket, pulling his wand out to cast a silencing charm on the door. “It’s just us.”

Setting his wand down on the floor next to him, Ominis hooked his hands behind her knees, tugging her closer. The hem of her nightgown was pushed up to her waist. He relished the sound of her soft sighs once his lips found skin; grinning as his tongue flicked against her warm, wet center. She muffled a cry, biting down on her hand to keep from moaning.

“I missed the way you taste,” Ominis confessed, brushing his nose against her cunt. “I’d do anything to feel you around me right now.”

“I’m sure…that, ah …that can be arranged.” she said breathily. “Quick, get up.”

Ominis pulled away, wiping her slick on the back of his hand. She shuffled around him, pushing him down onto the chair. He bounced slightly, feeling hand trail down his chest.

“What are you doing?” he tilted his head.

“Sit,” she whispered, nimble hands making quick work of his pajamas. Ominis let out a throaty groan as her hand wrapped around his length, slowly stroking him. “Relax.”

“On my lap– please,” Ominis whimpered.

She did as he asked, crawling onto his lap. His hands found her hips, tilting his head into her chest when she sank onto his length. He had no words for the feeling of utter bliss–it had been such a draining day, the feeling of her pulsing around him was bringing him back to life.

Despite the silencing charm, neither dared to be too loud. The only thing Ominis could hear was the creaking of the leather chair below them, her sharp breaths, and the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears. She slowly rolled her hips as Ominis wrapped his arms around her waist, praying to hold on as long as he could. He didn’t want the feeling to end; he knew the moment it was over, they’d have to go back to separate beds, pretending they had nothing to do with one another once the sun came up.

“I love you,” Ominis breathed against her neck. Her hands were tangled in his hair, tugging at his locks to tilt his head upwards. “I love you .”

“I don’t want to go back to bed alone,” she croaked, pressing her lips against his in a fervent kiss. “I want to go home. To our bed, Ominis.”

Ominis nearly lost his resolve at her words. He imagined them leaving the wretched city together, hand in hand. Fuck the rules, fuck polite society, fuck arranged marriages. They could go back to the seaside manor, just the two of them. He’d ravish her in their shared bed, in the garden, down by the shore. It was home–their home–

He buried his face into her chest, thrusting upwards as he came, spilling inside of her. Her name dragged across his lips, face pressed into the sweaty cotton of her nightgown.

Panting, he leaned his head back against the chair. “I’m sorry,” he groaned. “I didn’t want to finish quite yet.”

He felt her mouth open, lips pressed against his temple, but she never had a chance to speak. The couple froze as they heard the door handle jiggle, muffled voices on the other side of the heavy wooden door.

Ominis panicked, realizing he’d missed a crucial step in safeguarding the room. His wand was on the ground; in his hurry, he hadn’t cast a locking spell on the door. Whoever was on the other side would surely catch them in their post-coital mess, his companion still perched on his lap. Ominis quickly lifted her off his lap, hastily pulling her nightgown down before falling to the ground to find his wand.

“I’m just going to fetch some whiskey,” the voice in the doorway said. The door creaked open while Ominis patted the floor for his wand. He could hear his houseguest gasp, and the patter of footsteps stopped.

“Oh,” the voice said, bemused.

Ominis held his wand up, preparing to defend himself, until he realized who was standing before them. It was Araminta, also clad in her nightgown; she’d been heading for the decanter of firewhiskey near the desk. His mouth fell open, but he had no words to explain away the scandalous scene. Face burning bright red, he used his free hand to cover his manhood.

“What’s the hold up?” Ominis could hear Marvolo’s lazy drawl from down the hallway. He blinked rapidly, praying that his brother would stay outside.

There was a moment of silence until Araminta cleared her breath. “Nothing, my love.” she called out. Ominis could hear the crystal decanter scraping against the desk as she grabbed it. “I’ll be right there.”

Somewhere down the hallway, a door shut. Ominis half expected his brother’s mistress to leave right away, but she turned back around to address them.

“The two of you better dress and get off to bed,” Araminta whispered. “You’re lucky it was just me.”

Ominis hastily pulled his pants up, helping his embarrassed houseguest to her feet. The two of them fumbled around with their robes, trying to sidestep the woman at the door. Araminta let her pass through without issue, but she put a hand on Ominis’s chest, stopping him in his tracks.

“You know better,” Araminta scolded him lightly. “You must be more careful.”

“Why would you care?” Ominis asked. It sounded bitter, but it was an honest question.

Araminta sighed, smoothing her hand over his chest. “You know how your brother can get; he doesn’t like to share–”

“She’s not his toy,” Ominis hissed, straightening his back.

“She’s not yours either,” Araminta reminded him. “Your brother charged you with her care, and I’m sure he didn’t mean it in that way.”

“It’s not like that,” Ominis muttered. “I love her.”

“I’m sure you do,” Araminta mused. “But be careful, Ominis. She deserves better than being someone’s mistress, don’t you agree?”

Ominis opened his mouth to respond, but he was too late. She’d already flipped her braid over her shoulder, confidently striding out of the library.

“Good morning,” Ominis grumbled, walking into the dining room.

“Merlin’s beard, did you sleep at all?” Cedrella chortled. The girls had already tucked into their breakfast. While his three sisters had all turned to stare at him with raised eyebrows, the girl situated between them kept her head down, pushing the eggs around her plate. Araminta sat at the head of the table, absentmindedly licking the oatmeal off her spoon.

“I’m fine,” Ominis lied, slinking over to the buffet. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of breakfast; while he was starving, his stomach was in knots. After their encounter in the library with Araminta, there was no way he’d be able to sleep peacefully. For most of his life, Ominis had never seen her as much more than Marvolo’s favorite mistress, but considering her choice words, he wasn’t sure what to think anymore.

Would she have told his brother? No, it didn’t seem likely. Would she perhaps use the information to blackmail him? A possibility. She gave nothing away, ignoring the rest of the table.

Ominis piled eggs and toast onto his plate, swallowing back a yawn as he sat down at the breakfast table.

“You really should take a focus potion,” Dorcas said lazily, draping herself against the back of her chair. “Mother and Father will be here shortly, and I doubt they’ll want to see you as such a mess.”

“No, not with your future bride in tow.” Apolline chirped. “You’re lucky Cedrella proposed the idea of Grace to Marvolo, you know. Pretty and she has money. Very hard to pin a fully pureblood girl with both nowadays, it seems.”

Ominis’s head flew up, wand gripped tightly in his hand. He could make sense of the faces around him; his sisters all had haughty grins on their faces. His houseguest, on the other hand, had turned her gaze to a portrait across the room.

“It’s not official,” Ominis announced. “Marvolo only told me yesterday.” The statement wasn’t for his sisters, merely a plea of reason to his lover.

“Well, you know how Marvolo gets when he puts his mind to something,” Cedrella grunted. “That’s how I got saddled with Montague.”

“Ugh, at least he’s not half as boring as Alphonse.” Dorcas complained. “My husband couldn’t be bothered to read a book.”

“Yes, but you at least get to enjoy Travers’s gold,” Apolline interjected. “Herbert lost it all in that dragon breeding ring…”

The girls went on about their husbands and unhappy marriages, while his companion remained quiet, scraping her fork across the bone china plate. Ominis felt a wave of dread crash over his senses; while he’d had some semblance of hope yesterday, what little remained was dwindling by the second. He wanted nothing more than to pull her away, reassure her of his affections. Instead, they were across the table from one another, forced into silence as his sisters babbled. He yearned to hear her voice, for something witty and smart to come out of her mouth–yet nothing.

The door opened, and everyone stopped their chatter. Ominis could hear the little pittering footsteps of a house-elf.

“Master Marvolo has asked to see Master Ominis in the library, sir.”

Ominis regretfully pushed away from the dining table, following the house-elf down the thin corridor. Their voices grew further and further away, until only his footsteps were audible. He pushed into the door of the library, raising his wand to get an idea of Marvolo’s position. His elder brother was sitting behind the desk, absentmindedly flipping through papers.

“There you are,” he droned. “Sleep well? You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”

“Just fine, thanks.” Ominis grumbled. “What’s so important it had to interrupt breakfast?”

Marvolo leaned forward, palms flat on the desk. “We’ll have a few more guests joining us for dinner tonight.” he said cheerfully. “Thought we should make it a celebratory affair, if we’re to celebrate two engagements tonight.”

Ominis felt his blood go cold. “Two engagements?”

Marvolo rapped his knuckles against the wooden table top. “Well, there’s you and Grace to start. If Mr. Pinch-Smedley is amenable to the dowry I’ve negotiated, we’ll make it official. You know, I despise social climbers, but we need the galleons.” he sighed. “That, and I’ve decided on a match for our little houseguest.”

“Who?” Ominis asked, almost a bit too quickly.

“Augustus Carrow has thrown in an offer of seventeen hundred galleons.” Marvolo chuckled. “I daresay the girl has made quite an impression on him. Thought we could deliver the happy news tonight, and get her out of your hair.”

“No.” Ominis clenched his fists. “Marvolo, I must insist. You can’t do this.”

“Do what, little brother?” Marvolo asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Ominis inhaled sharply, trying to steady himself. “I…I can’t let you promise her to him.”

Marvolo stood up slowly, leaning over the desk. “And why is that?” he asked dryly.

“Because she’s not…she…” Ominis stammered, trying to make the words come out.

“Spit it out then,” Marvolo demanded.

“Because she’s not…pure,” Ominis choked out.

“As far as I see, she comes from a long line of pureblooded witches and wizards. Peasants, but still decent stock.”

“Not in that way.” Ominis said hastily, now fiddling with his wand handle. “I…I’ve been bedding her. I’ve taken her virtue, and it would be dishonest to peddle her off to Carrow in this state.”

Marvolo was silent a moment, before snorting. “Well of course you’ve been bedding her. I knew that, silly.”

He felt his mouth go dry. “You do?”

“You’re a hot blooded male, she’s a girl bored out of her mind. I figured you two would start fondling each other before long.” Marvolo laughed so hard, he had to clutch his stomach. “Bravo, Ominis. Good for you. She’s very pretty; I’ll bet she’s quite feisty in the bedroom.”

“And knowing that, you’ll still promise her to Carrow?” Ominis blinked rapidly, trying to piece together Marvolo’s rationale.

“Omi, my darling brother, you’re so proper.” Marvolo laughed. “Who cares if you’ve bedded Augustus Carrow’s wife? Merlin, everyone knows I’m shagging Malfoy’s wife.”

“But–”

“Ominis,” Marvolo sighed, flattening a palm against his forehead. “She’s just a girl. There will be plenty more for you–in fact, Dorcas has said the Pinch-Smedley girl is quite nice to look at…well, I guess that doesn’t really matter for you, does it…”

“But I want her ,” Ominis blurted. “Marvolo, please. I’m serious.”

Ominis could sense the change in his brother’s demeanor, mood hardening.

“Why do you care?” Marvolo spat. “Oh Omi, don’t tell me you love her.”

“Let me take her,” Ominis straightened, still and calm. “I want her.”

“That’s too bad,” Marvolo said coolly. “Because she’s not yours to have.” He sensed his brother move from behind the desk, leaning against the edge with his arms crossed.

“I’ve never asked you for anything, Marvolo.” Ominis insisted. “Just–just let me have her.”

Marvolo groaned. “Ominis, she’s a peasant.”

“You just said she was of decent stock.” Ominis argued.

“Yes, decent–but given certain circumstances, you require a bride with money ,” Marvolo reminded him. “And as far as I know, the girl is penniless. Father hasn’t a galleon to his name, I’ve made sure of that. If I let you have her, we lose the dowry from the Pinch-Smedleys, and I make no profit from hosting her all summer. We’ll be in the red.”

“But Marvolo,” Ominis interjected. “ Please .”

“That doesn’t mean you have to stop having fun with her, you know,” Marvolo drawled. “Honestly, doubt Carrow will ever be sober enough to notice–”

“That’s enough,” Ominis growled. “I would never behave that way, you know that.”

“Oh right. Ominis the honorable,” Marvolo chortled. “Honestly, here I thought you were finally loosening up now that you’d finally had a taste of pussy.”

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Ominis snapped.

Marvolo laughed. “Touchy, I get it. I’m just saying, you needn’t be so down. Look at Araminta and me, we’re quite happy with our arrangement.”

“It’s disrespectful, that’s what it is.” Ominis crossed his arms. “What of your own wife? Araminta’s husband, her children?”

“That’s enough,” Marvolo seethed. “Ominis, this is how marriage works. This is how it’s always worked in our family. You can have your fun, but at the end of the day, it’s about preserving and protecting our bloodline. You are a Gaunt–it’s time you start acting like one.” he hissed, brandishing his wand. “You are going to quit this incessant whinging, and do as you’re told. You’ll marry the Pinch-Smedley girl, and you’ll stop carrying on about this summer fling of yours. Get over it!” he snarled. “And get out of my sight.”

Ominis opened his mouth to argue once more, but shut it tightly. Without another word, he turned on his heel, stalking out of the library. Raising his wand with a trembling hand, Ominis realized that his companion had been right.

The idea of marriage with her had been a last ditch effort, that he would admit. Hell, even she’d known it was a bad idea. Even if Marvolo had blessed their union, they’d still be Gaunts. And as Gaunts, they’d be destined to live the same, miserable existence his family had endured for centuries. Lukewarm marriages, illicit affairs, joyless existence–the wheel turned on and on, chasing the standard Salazar Slytherin had set for them.

As Ominis walked down the hall, hand running over the peeling wallpaper, he thought of his siblings and their unhappy unions, matched to their spouses without a choice. He thought of his father and brother, who were always fighting to prove the Gaunts fledging superiority. He thought of how dreadfully unhappy everyone was, and how the only happiness he’d come to know was her company. Just her, just them, together. It didn’t have to be at the manor, in the garden, or their room. So long as he was with her, he’d be free.

Ominis knew he had little time to act before his parents, Carrow, and the Pinch-Smedley clan arrived for dinner. The house-elves, all panicking to finish the housework before guests arrived, hardly noticed the blind man slipping out the service entrance at the back of the house. He tiptoed until he knew he was far enough away that his siblings wouldn’t hear the familiar crack of him apparating away.

Ominis’s feet landed on the creaky wooden floors; the flat smelled of mallowsweet, firewood, and parchment, even in the heat of summer. He’d reminded Sebastian to open the windows in their parlor room from time to time to let the air in, but it seemed his roommate had forgotten.

“Ominis, what are you doing here?” Sebastian gawked. Ominis could hear the chair at the dining table scrape back, his best friend standing up to face him.

He twisted his wand in his hand anxiously, his other hand running through his hair.

“Plan A didn’t work out in my favor,” he admitted. “Still have your plan up your sleeve? Perhaps you want to fill me in?”

After years of friendship, Ominis didn’t need his wand to know when Sebastian was nervous. The brunette always dug his toe into the ground, anxiously fiddling with his collar.

“I don’t think we have much time to execute upon the original plan, but I got to thinking last night about another option.” Sebastian admitted. “It would mean leaving. And by leaving, I mean absolutely everything.”

Ominis walked over to the dinner table, settling into the chair across from Sebastian.

“Well, go on.” Ominis insisted. “We don’t have much time.”

Sebastian sat down, fingers drumming on the splintered wooden table. “Are you sure? Ominis, this will change your life.”

Ominis tilted his head towards the window, feeling the warmth of the sunlight streaming onto his face. It made him think of afternoons spent in the garden with the girl he’d fallen in love with.

“Never been more sure of anything in my life.”

#ominis gaunt #writing-intheundercroft #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt x oc #ominis gaunt smut

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hmiltonzee · 6 months

Text

JEALOUSY- PABLO GAVI

━═━═━═━═━═━═━═━═━━═━═━═━

─ plot . . . ❨It's your birthday and Gavi is jealous of you with Balde❩

─ warning. . . ❨none just fluffy, cute❩

━═━═━═━═━═━═━═━═━━═━═━═━

Sun. Beach. Party.

The three things I love the most.

Celebrating my birthday has always been a furdunço, but a furdunço that I have always loved. And today would be no different, nothing better than celebrating my day in the place I love the most. Beach.

I called my friends for a review at the house I have here in Ibiza. At the moment we are boating along the wonderful beaches.

“What's up, birthday girl! How many candles will the cake have? Seventy?” Balde implies with me, it was already customary.

I have always been very welcomed by the boys of the team since my brother was hired by Barcelona. And Alejandro was what made me most comfortable, so much so that we are friends to this day.

“I think there are ninety candles, huh!” My brother gets into the game.

“Ha ha ha! How graceful you are, I'm dying of laughter” I force a smile.

“You don't have a sense of humor, boring” Balde approached me with a dirty smile.

“Alejandro doesn't even invent! I end our friendship now if you do what you're thinking!” I move away with every step he takes.

“Hey, I'm not even thinking about anything! I just want a hug from my best friend” He opens his arms with the intention of hugging me.

“I know you Alejandro, get out of my way”

“A hug of nothing, y/n! Stop treating your guests badly!” He grabs me and jumps into the water with me on his lap.

“ALEJANDRO BALDE I HATE YOU! “ I'll tell you as soon as I get back to the surface.

“Doesn't hate anything, kitty! I'm your favorite here!” He throws water at me.

“Mischievous Spanish!” I start a water war with him.

The moment we stop throwing water at each other, I go up the stairs to go back to the boat. As soon as I get back to the boat, I get a drink, sit down and watch the sea.

I feel a pair of eyes staring at me and as soon as I find them I see that they are not happy at all.

Pablo Gavi.

The player I have been dating for three and a half months, we have not yet revealed our relationship for fear of what they will find and for being "recent".

His jaw is locked and his hands hold the glass firmly that if he squeezes more he is able to break the utensil. I get closer to where he is sitting and start to start talking.

“Won't you get into the water?”

“No. I'm good right here” He answers dry.

“ Is everything okay? You seem to be angry” obviously he was, I wasn't that slow.

“I'm fine! You can go back there with your "best friend"” He makes fun of Alejandro's speech.

“Are you jealous?!” more I say than I ask; I start laughing at your face “I don't believe it!”

“I'm not jealous!” He looks at me. But it's obvious that he was, I decided to provoke.

“So there's no problem if I go back to the water with Balde, do you?”

“Go, I can't forbid you to have fun because of my jealousy” He admitted.

“So you admit to being jealous?” I provoke even more.

“I admit y/n, I admit! What the fuck, I thought it was very clear” He explodes and I laugh even more “And do you still think it's funny?”

“You don't have to be jealous, I date you and I'm all yours!” I caress your cheek.

“I know that, but they don't”

“If that's the problem, we can solve it by magic” I get closer to him and seal our lips, I feel him smile in the middle of the kiss and pull me even more to him.

“FUCK Y/N! IT REALLY KNEADS, GIRL!” Balde screams from the water, which makes me and Gavi separate from the kiss and start laughing.

“I think your brother will kill me” He says with his mouth still close to mine.

“He likes you silly, stay calm” I kiss him again.

#oneshots #pablo gavi #soccer

58 notes · View notes

written-in-flowers · 1 year

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Fly Away: Part 2

Pairing: Young!Aemond x Young!Velaryon!Reader | Side pairing: Rhaenyra x Alicent

Genre: Fluff, AngstAu: friends to lovers, childhood love, incest (duh), slight homophobia expressed, repressed feelings, mutual pining, teenage runaways, mentions of bullying, arrange marriages

Word Count: 4k

Summary: Young love overcomes all in a family full of broken bonds and broken hearts. When Princess Y/N Velaryon and Prince Aemond Targaryen are discovered missing from their beds, their mothers must come together to find them. The search might do more for their families than a mere marriage pact can.

A/N: want to clarify now that we stick with young!Aemond throughout the story. Ewan’s Aemond comes in at the very end. This is mainly done starting a bit before The Princess and the Queen and a little bit after the events at Driftmark. I do pull some scenes from the show, but it remains relatively loose throughout. Want to also point out that The Dance doesn’t happen in this universe, so…happy ending expected, because we need more of those.

Tagged: @yitish, @imjustboredso @dangerousbluebirdpoetry @discowizard88 @mddieeunson @nitimurinvetitumsposts

Previous Chapter < Part 1 | Next Chapter > Part 3

A few months later…

You felt bad for Baela and Rhaena. Your cousins who’d lost their mother after her childbirth complications. They not only lost a mother, but a sibling. You hoped to never understand or feel that pain. You stood on the rocky side of Driftmark with the rest of the funeral guests as they lowered her body into the ocean. You stared out into the waves as your Uncle Vaemond gave an emotional eulogy. You’d only met Lady Laena a handful of times because she lived so far away, but your father spoke highly of her. Baela and Rhaena looked a lot like her with thick silver locs and darkened skin. They had true Velaryon blood, some people said, unlike your brothers. You felt guilty for wanting the ceremony to end quickly, since you are laying someone to rest, but you couldn’t help glancing at the person a few feet away.

Aemond hadn’t changed much in the months since you left King’s Landing. Not that you expected him to. You had not been away very long. Yet, it felt nice seeing him again. You’d both exchanged letters since you left. Every letter read of good tidings, good news, and anecdotes from each other’s lives. He’d told you all about Helaena’s betrothal to Aegon; you told him about the time Joffrey threw up on Jace. You tried not asking him if he had a dragon, though he willingly lamented about it from time to time in his letters. After months of Aemond on paper, it felt relieving to see him in person.

As Laena’s coffin sank into the water, you turned to where Aemond stood with his family. You both grinned at one another softly; two happy people in a group of mourners. You wished to go to him right then. You thought of hugging him like you’d done the last time you saw him, but what if he didn’t like that?

The ceremony ended and everyone went to a patio nearby overlooking the oceans. You liked coming to Driftmark. You enjoyed the chilly breezes that went through the stone halls, the smell of the sea lingering in every gust. The waves that crashed on the rocks left their mark on the black rocks in salt and seafoam. You noticed the lack of ships on the horizon. The last time you’d been there, you’d seen loads of them off in the distance. Following your mother to the party, you found dozens of people already there. You noticed them all stare at your mother as she appeared. Their staring is the whole reason you left King’s Landing. You thought they’d have the decency to be discrete.

Your mother and you found Jace standing by himself in a corner near the railing. “Have you seen your father?” she asked him.

“No,” he shook his head, “Last I saw him, he was going onto the beach.”

You noticed the sad look in your brother’s eyes. The news had come to you by raven a few weeks ago: Ser Harwin Strong died in a fire at Harrenhal along with his father, Lionel. Your mother cried for days in her room, refusing to eat anything unless you came and fed it to her. Luke did not fully understand what was wrong, and you thought it best to lie to him and say Mother grieved over her close friend. Jace, however, did understand. He didn’t play as many pranks on you. He didn’t laugh as much or join you and Luke in your lessons or games. You touched his shoulder. He might annoy you some days, but he was your brother. Half-brother, but your brother nevertheless.

“Your little cousins have just lost their mother,” your mother said to you both, “They can use some kind words of sympathy.”

“I have an equal claim to sympathy,” Jace replied harshly. “We should be at Harrenhal mourning Ser Harwin and Lord Lionel.”

Your mother tried shushing him before anyone overheard him. She told him it wouldn’t be appropriate to do so. “Now, go give your condolences to your cousins,” she said, kissing both your heads and walking away.

Once out of earshot, you spoke to him, “I’m sorry about it.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry about it,” you repeated. “Ser Harwin was a good man who cared a lot about you and Luke.”

“I miss him.”

“I know.”

You hugged him, hearing him sniffle softly against your shoulder. There was not much to say in front of people, but seeing Jace upset brought you softness in you. “Don’t let this deviate from the fact that I still think you’re a brat,” you teased, hoping it’d bring out a laugh in him.

He released you, and gave you the response you wanted. “And I still think you’re a big baby.”

You punched his shoulder lightly, laughing, and then guided him through the party. You saw no sign of Aemond, which saddened you. Perhaps he hadn’t arrived yet, even though you spotted The Queen and Ser Criston together. You reached Baela and Rhaena, twin girls whose heads lifted when you approached. Tears streaked down their cheeks, the pain of loss on their faces in full view. You and Jace stood in front of them. Every possible word felt wrong to say. It did not feel like enough, but you wished to comfort them.

“We…My brother and I are…”

Baela reached for your hand, and Rhaena grabbed Jace’s hand. The simple touch brought warmth and comfort at such a sad occasion. You did not know how you’d feel if you ever lost your mother or brothers.

“We’re sorry for your loss,” you said, and Jace agreed.

“Thank you,” Baela sniffed. “It is good to see you, Cousin, after so much time. We’ve missed you.”

“And I you,” you gave a small smile. “Maybe sometime soon your father may visit my mother on Dragonstone. We live there now. I think it’s…it’s best if you’re with family.”

“I agree.”

Your grandmother appeared. Princess Rhaenys was your father’s mother, a confident woman with brown eyes and silver hair. Jace turned away to a brazier nearby for warmth, but she looked at you.

“Gods, how you’ve grown,” she smiled, sadness still on her face. She touched your jawline, “You’re looking more and more like your father every day. Not a smidge of your mother there.”

“Thank you, Grandmother.”

She bent down to look at Baela and Rhaena, and you took it as your cue to leave. Giving Baela’s hand one more soft squeeze, you walked away back into the party. A passing serving girl offered you a cup of wine, which you took politely. You didn’t drink wine very often. Your parents let you have one on special occasions, but never freely. Tentatively, you gave the fruity wine a sip, gagged at the sharpness of it, then put it down on a table. How people became addicted to it, you did not know. You searched for Aemond. He might be with Aegon or Helaena, so you kept your eyes open for them.

"Well, well, look at you." It was Aegon, holding a wine cup and grinning at you. "How you've grown into such a," he leaned into you, wine thick on his breath, "Lovely maiden."

"Hello, Uncle," you said, sipping your own wine. "I hope you've been well."

"Very well now that I'm talking to the most gorgeous woman in this room," he slid over to you on the railing, smiling still. His blond silver hair was a long tangled mess, and he stood tall and lanky. Nothing like Aemond, short and skinny. "You know…if my brother is ever unable to perform his marital duties," he chuckled, "I wouldn't mind doing the honors."

“I wonder how long you can go without saying a crude remark, Uncle,” you replied. “It must not be long.” You gazed around the room again, “Have you seen Aemond?”

“Probably sulking somewhere. I swear, I don’t know how you can stand his company. He’s so boring,” he then smirked, “You should come with me. I’ll show you a good time.”

You scoffed and made an excuse to leave, but that didn't mean he wasn't watching. More people (specifically men) made comments about your sudden emergence into puberty and beauty, charmed by your looks and envying Aemond for being your betrothed. Finally, you found him by the staircase leading onto the beach. He stood up straight when you approached him, and you smiled brightly at him.

“I’ve been looking for you,” you said, “I was worried you’d gone to bed.”

“I saw you with your cousins,” he replied, “And I did not wish to interrupt you.” He gave you a look over, seeing you in your black gown and cloak. "I missed you," he said. "Watching the ships hasn't been the same since you left. I thought we might do it here, but…" he looked to the empty ocean, "I hope you've been well."

"I have. I got your last letter," you smiled shyly, "I really liked your poem."

"Thank you."

"Do I really remind you of flowers?"

"Um, yes, they do."

"Isn't my brother an absolute romantic?" Aegon approached, throwing his arm around Aemond’s shoulders. "He's always been a big, sappy boy."

"Go away, Aegon," Aemond glared.

"What? I only wanted to spend time with my brother and his very pretty friend," Aegon smirked.

"Come on, Y/N," Aemond took your hand. "We'll take the stairs. Aegon can't go down after a few cups."

"I can walk down stairs," Aegon retorted.

Aemond proved this false right away. Leading you down the stone steps, you both giggled watching Aegon clutch the railing while navigating the stairs. By the time you'd reached the bottom, he'd slumped down the middle landing and finished his newest cup. It made you pity him.

On the sandy beach, you noticed the sky starting to grow darker. The setting sun turned the sky shades of dark blue fading into orange. Winds blowing in from the sea became colder, and you hugged your cloak around you. Suddenly, you realized you both stood alone outside the party. You knew you shouldn't be alone; it was improper. Surely, your mother or septa will come looking for you soon, and you didn't want them interrupting.

"It's cold today," he then said.

"Yes, it is."

He nodded. You continued looking at him. You both got along so well back in King’s Landing. You thought seeing him again might be like no time passed at all, but the awkwardness set in. Your eyes stared at the sea ahead of you. It stretched far and wide, undisturbed by ships or people rowing through it. You wondered what it’d be like to sail across it to the lands far beyond like your grandfather before you. You thought about seeing the ruins of Valyria, or the bronze horses of Vaes Dothrak. The edges of the maps are even more mysterious. You had Starshine. You could ride her there. But, whenever you pictured this scenario, you’d usually imagine yourself alone in a foreign land. Seeing Aemond beside you, you liked the idea of him coming along.

“I hope you’ve been well,” you heard him say.

“I have. And you?”

“Better, now that you’re here.” He gave a soft smile, then said, "I truly enjoyed your drawing. I wasn’t aware you drew.”

“Not all the time. I started doing it a few months ago, but I wanted to wait until I was good enough to show you.”

You’d recently picked up drawing after reading about the famous painter, Sandal Dayne, a lord who’d created the most beautiful murals all over Dorne. Inspired by his landscapes and portraits of his family members, you gathered up pieces of charcoal, ink, and watered down paints to use. Your skills are not as wonderful or detailed as Sandal Dayne’s, but you hoped to be one day. The last picture you drew was Starshine sitting on a rock in Dragonstone. The tutor your mother hired said it was ‘a start’. You certainly enjoyed the new hobby; it made you think of Aemond sometimes.

“I went into the dragonpit the other day. I saw Dreamfyre."

You frowned, forgetting the drawing, "Why do you do that, Aemond? You could die going down there."

"I…" he paused.

“Did you think you’d come across an unclaimed dragon and be able to tame it on your own?” you asked. “Why would you do something so dangerous?”

“I want one,” he snapped at you. “Everyone else in our family has a dragon except me. Even your brothers have dragons. I want…” he sighed deeply, digging his toe into the sand, “I want to be strong.”

“You are strong,” you said, putting your hand on his shoulder, “And brave and intelligent and funny and kind and all those good things. You don’t need a dragon to prove that to anyone.”

“I’m not a real Targaryen without one.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, Aemond. Of course you’re a Targaryen.”

“Not a real one.”

“Yes, you are a real one.”

“I want you to be proud to be marrying me,” he said, facing you.

“I am proud to be marrying you one day.” You stepped closer to him, "You'll have one soon," you said. "You have Valyrian blood in you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to control a dragon."

He gazed up at you when you said that. You hoped he understood your true meaning. Jaceryes and Lucerys could not have dragons if they were bastards. The logic made sense. Your mother expected you to swallow the excuse that she preferred Dragonstone over The Red Keep. You knew the truth: she wanted to escape the whispers. The entire court often murmured about your brothers and their true births. You only wanted to stay because of Aemond and Helaena, but your mother and brothers meant as much too.

"Maybe when we're married and I have a dragon, we can go riding together," he said, diffusing the tension. "Like King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne."

You shyly smiled at the comparison. The tale of the Old King and his queen was one of your favorites in history. You always dreamed of a love like theirs: strong even at moments where it nearly broke. Even their dragons, Vermithor and Silverwing, were soulmates. “Maybe…” you said. “I would like that very much.”

You both smiled at each other, and continued watching the ocean again.

* * *

‘They look sweet together,’ she thought. ‘He adores her.’

Rhaenyra stood at the edge of the balcony overlooking the ocean. She’d gone here to find some shred of peace amongst the funeral party. Her husband having disappeared off to the beach, she found herself standing alone in a room full of people. She’d caught sight of her younger brother and daughter standing together on the beach underneath the balcony. You enjoyed watching the ships that came and went from Dragonstone, playing your far-away fairytale game of guessing which ships went where. Rhaenyra knew how you felt. There’d been a time where she too imagined living another life with someone she loved. She wondered if you imagined Aemond going with you. Maester Gerardys said you often received ravens from King’s Landing, though he had no clue from who. Rhaenyra did.

Someone came to her side and she saw Alicent. She’d dressed herself in a dark green gown that looked black in certain lights. Her brown hair remained held back by another golden band, glimmering against her curls. Loose. Everything about Alicent remained loose and flowing as if like an angel on clouds. There’d once been a time where Rhaenyra took several seconds to admire the floating angel. But, those days passed many years ago. She took a spot beside Rhaenyra and looked down at the couple below.

“They’ve been writing to one another,” she said to Rhaenyra. “Maester Orwyle told me Aemond visits the rookery often to send his letters himself.” She looked over at her with a small smirk, “He thinks we don’t know.”

“It is the same with my Y/N,” she nodded. “She’s very fond of your son.”

“As she said when you left King’s Landing,” she smiled softly. “It was a touching moment. You should’ve seen it,” she said, “Your poor girl. She wept and wept and wept, telling Aemond how fond she was of him.”

Rhaenyra recognized that dreamy gaze. It often came about when Alicent spoke of the romantic stories and poems she recited. She turned away from the children, and looked to the room. She spotted her father sitting underneath an awning, tired and sickly.

“How has he been?” she asked Alicent.

“More or less the same,” she sighed, still watching the couple below. “The maesters said the infection in his finger spread to his arm, so they amputated it.”

“Was there no other way to save it?”

She shook her head, “No. They said if it kept spreading, the infection would eventually reach his heart and he’d…”

Die. Her father would die. Rhaenyra’s heart sank seeing her father, who’d once stood proudly, limping around on a walking stick. Now missing an appendage, his life became even more difficult. She wished she could do more than sit back and see him deteriorate. The inevitable day will come that the crown he wore will pass down to her, and she'd be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Her sons will rule after her and so on for ages. There'd once been a time where she wanted it, and then a time where she did not. Feeling Alicent standing so close, she imagined them ruling together for the briefest of moments.

If only she'd been born a man, then she could’ve had her and the throne.

"Remember the first time we came here?" Alicent asked.

The question stung. "Yes, I do."

A blissful moment in a series of bad ones. They'd gone to Driftmark for Laenor’s grandfather’s funeral. Before the throne and the marriages, it'd been the two of them on this beach. Right where their children stood together, looking over the ocean and the world feeling so limited despite the expanse before them. A crisp nightly walk alone, the beach breeze in their hair and on their clothes, Alicent and Rhaenyra walked a world entirely their own that night. They’d walked hand-in-hand, talking about court gossip or about their lives. She’d never felt more comfortable around someone outside of her mother; Alicent filled a special place in her heart that night. When they’d finally rested on one of the dunes, their bodies out of sight of anyone else who might walk past, and how she talked about her possible betrothal to a Tyrell boy. She expressed deep dislike over the possibility. She didn’t know the boy; the boy didn’t know her. Rhaenyra said they could both run away on Syrax; they can escape this suffocating world and be just them. Alicent had blushed and laughed, thinking she’d jested, but she hadn’t.

They’d kissed. It’d been her first real kiss. Rhaenyra gulped thickly recalling Alicent’s sweet lips and the blushing giggles they’d shared. Their souls became one in that moment. Their hearts blended into one piece that would never break.

Then, she remembered what drifted them apart in the first place. She remembered how one word permanently wedged a rift between them.

‘No.’

“Do you ever regret it?”

Rhaenyra begged to ask what she meant exactly. She turned to see Alicent not looking at her, but their children. “No,” she said, “I do not. I only regret-”

“-Alicent.”

Lord Hightower appeared, his eyes flitting between her and his daughter. A small fire of anger flared inside her. Lord Otto Hightower and his firm religious beliefs; his strict moral code that forbid Alicent to have any sort of agency of her own. Rhaenyra knew now that it’d been him who influenced her father to marry her childhood friend. He’d wanted his daughter to be a queen, and his grandchildren to be heirs. It was why he pushed so steadfastly to have Aegon be named heir over the years; her father denied him every time. Alicent soon began feeling the same through his influence.

“Have you found him?” Alicent asked her father, straightening and putting her guard up again.

“Not yet,” he said, coming closer. “I’m sure he has not gone far. Aegon had too much to drink.”

“He always has had too much to drink,” Rhaenyra couldn’t help herself. “I can’t imagine the boy being able to make his own decisions when drinking his weight in alcohol.”

He read between the lines. “He can be if given strict discipline.”

“Keep looking for him, Father,” Alicent said before either can continue, “Have Ser Criston help you.”

The next name sparked another flame inside her, but she doused it out. She took one more look at you and Aemond, seeing you both sink into the sand together. Visions of her daughter’s first kiss flipped through her mind. She imagined her daughter having the same romantic night that she’d shared with Alicent. Any reasonable mother might stay to watch over them, but Rhaenyra knew how important privacy is for a budding romance. She kept Alicen’t gaze away from them, and said:

“Excuse me, Your Grace,” she said, “But I must give my uncle my condolences.”

“Of course.”

Rhaenyra gave Lord Hightower one last glance before walking away. She hoped Alicent doesn’t see the couple and force them apart. Why should she not? Her father did it, and she is her father’s daughter.

* * *

But she had. Alicent saw them from the corner of her eye while her father talked to her about Aegon. It reminded her far too much of her own moment with Rhaenyra on the beach. Their children are much younger than they’d been, but she saw that care there. She saw the twinkle in Aemond’s light eyes whenever he saw you. Aemond is far more romantic than he lets on; he keeps his feelings far too close to his chest, never really revealing them to anyone besides his mother and sister. He knew you were a person he could confide in, and that made him happy. Alicent prayed the marriage is successful; that their love will be far greater and better than the one she’d dreamed for.

“What did she say to you?” her father asked her.

“We talked about Aemond and Y/N,” she answered. She turned to see his unconvinced stare, then said, “That is all.”

With all that occurred between them, Alicent suspected her father’s suspicions never fully disappeared. She noticed how he’d stare when she grew too close to any one woman in court. She recalled how he’d so eagerly urged her to meet with the king after his wife died; how the king then told her to keep their meetings a secret. He worried Alicent’s love for Rhaenyra might put a rock in his plans. She knew this now. She’d never forget the sharp words he’d said when she expressed displeasure at being dishonest with Rhaenyra.

“Do not let your feelings for her ruin your future.”

What future, Father? The one you’d so meticulously crafted?

“She thinks they will make a good match,” Alicent filled in the space. “I was only agreeing with her.”

“Hmmm.”

He continued searching for a lie. She hated it when he did that.

“Your Grace,” Ser Criston Cole approached her, “We’ve had no sign of the prince anywhere.”

“He’ll turn up soon.”

Her eldest son often piled himself with cups during formal events. Alicent knew her son enjoyed the raucous debauchery of King’s Landing inns and taverns over the posh noble gatherings. She had no idea where she’d gone wrong with him. She’d noticed his absence sometime into the event, so she’d asked her father to find him. If anyone sets Aegon straight, it is her father. Unfortunately, he’d eluded his family somehow. Alicent hoped nothing terrible had happened.

Her eyes went around the room to find Rhaenyra again. Their moment by the railing moments ago is a rarity these days. Every time she might see tenderness, it immediately escaped her. Whenever Rhaenyra came to mind, she thought of that night and the missed opportunities. Then she recalled Rhaenyra’s blatant lie about what happened between her and Daemon in the brothel. She’d sworn on her mother’s grave that she never let Daemon touch her; that they’d kissed, and it meant nothing. She promised she hadn’t done it to hurt her. She knew the marriage to the King was not Alicent’s idea. The only person Alicent trusted completely shattered any piece of that trust when Ser Criston told her about what they’d done that night. How he’d taken her maidenhead, and then refused to leave Westeros with him like a pair of fairytale lovers.

Later on, Alicent realized if Rhaenyra wished to leave her life behind, she’d only do it with her.

What hurt most was Harwin Strong. Rhaenyra made herself clear by falling for Harwin, who then fathered her boys. Those boys will be heirs to the Iron Throne when Viserys finally dies and Rhaenyra ascends. The boys with dark hair and dark eyes are clearly not blood of the dragon unlike her daughter, Y/N, who is a perfect blend of Laenor and Rhaenyra. The treachery is obvious. The dishonor and lack of duty to her station were loud and clear for the court, but Viserys chose to ignore them. She knew his favor rested heavily on Rhaenyra, the child of his first wife, Aemma. If Rhaenyra takes the throne, her father says, war will break out. She must prepare Aegon for the throne, but seeing his behavior, she doubted he’d ever be fit for it.

Aemond, though. Aemond would make a great ruler. He studies. He listens. He does not shrink from duty or responsibilities like his brother. She heard he’d given both Lord Corlys and Princess Rhaenys his condolences without being told. He had a soft heart, even if he hid it behind sullenness. She hoped you took care of her boy and his heart.

“Shall I watch over them for you, Your Grace?” Ser Criston asked her. “The hour is growing later.”

“No,” she shook her head, “Let them be alone. They’ll come in eventually.”

“Alone? Your Grace, I highly doubt that is appropriate.”

“Aemond is not his brother.”

He will be a perfect gentleman.

* * *

Neither of you is sure how long you actually sat there together. You cared too much about the moment to keep track of time. Sitting on the sand, you’d slipped off your shoes to let your toes dig into the cool dirt. The ocean waves continued rolling up to the shore before sliding away back into the sea, a motion you watched closely.

“Do you think they’ll get along?” you asked him.

“Who?”

“Our families,” you looked at him, knees drawn up to your chest, “Do you really think us being married will fix things?”

Aemond hesitated. He often did this when he felt reluctant to speak his mind. He looked over at your face, then said, “No. I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“My mother hates your mother.”

“I don’t think so.”

“She does. The contempt she has for your mother’s behavior is clear. They’ve never liked each other.”

“That’s not true,” you said. “Grandfather told me that they’d been great friends once, but then something happened, and they started hating each other.”

“That is difficult to believe,” he disagreed. “Maybe a terrible thing happened that made them stop being friends.” He dug a stick into the sand, making swirling patterns in the dirt, and said, “But, I don’t think us being married will make them like each other again. They hate each other too much, I think. I didn’t think my mother would ever agree to a marriage proposal,” he then added, smiling softly, “But I’m glad she did.”

You watched him make patterns in the sand, and smiled, “Me too.” You shifted closer to his side, and said, “You promise never to hate me?”

“Why would I hate you, Y/N?”

“I don’t know. Do you promise?”

He stopped making his sand drawings, and shared a glance with you. “Never.”

Your heart fluttered hearing his answer. After months of writing to one another, your feelings for Aemond developed into more than fondness for your betrothed. You looked forward to every letter, every kind word, and every lovely poem. You’d never say a part of your newfound hobby came from Aemond’s sweet poems. You’d wanted to give him a gift to keep even when you didn’t write; a gift to remember you.

“I never will either,” you answered.

You spotted pink filling the tops of his cheeks. “Good,” he gulped.

You reached for the drawing hand so he dropped the stick. The gesture meant to reassure him of your feelings. The words caught in your throat, and you willed yourself to try saying them. But, Aemond seemed to understand, since he overturned his hand to hold yours. Supple fingertips brushed your palm and the top of your hand. Your eyes met him in the gentle breeze, the world growing ever darker around you but you couldn’t stop the warmth filling your body. You gasped, noticing Aemond leaning closer to you timidly. Was it happening? Is this how Harwin kissed your mother the first time? You stayed still as Aemond came within inches of you.

“Y/N?”

Aemond and you jumped apart as Luke appeared a few feet away from you. He stared at you innocently, swishing his cloak around his knees while he looked at you.

“What is it, Luke?” you asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of your tone.

“Mother says we’re to go to bed now,” he said.

You almost threw a clump of sand at him. Right when you thought Aemond might kiss you, he shows up. You turned back to Aemond, sulky once more, and gave an apologetic smile. “It is getting late,” you said, “I suppose we should go.”

“You can,” he replied in disappointment. “Will I see you tomorrow morning before we leave?”

“You may, if you wish.”

“Y/N,” Luke called you again, “Mother says to come inside.”

“I heard you,” you snapped at him.

Hoping it’ll make him feel better, you kissed Aemond’s cheek. It was soft and warm on your lips. You probably should not have done it with Luke nearby, watching and waiting, but you wanted Aemond to know. Perhaps another time when you’re both truly alone. Pulling away, you saw his cheeks grow redder. You giggled, elation in your stomach, and walked away from him with a sheepish smile. Taking Luke’s hand, you couldn’t stop yourself from turning back over at Aemond, who remained seated in the sand.

Right as you reached the balcony again, you heard a loud roar in the distance. You looked up into the skies, hoping to see a large winged shadow amongst them, but the dragon flew too high. It reminded you of Aemond, who did not possess a dragon yet. He would one day, and then you two can go on flights together and have many adventures.

You’d like that very much.

#aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aemond x you #aemond x yn #house of the dragon #hotd #hotd drabble #hotd fanfiction #ewan mitchell #aemond one eye #aemond the kinslayer

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mrs-bluemarine · 3 months

Text

MERMAID AU MERMAID AU!!! This is the first chap of a story so be on the lookout for the next update in fourteen years!! No warnings really except Wes is sick asff and Jay's half of the chapter talks in "creature". You'll get what I'm talking about soon

Lady with the Pearl Eye || Ch. 1

~ Angler!Wes x Mermaid!Jay Kay ~

Word count: 2.7K

What started as a simple late night cast for supper had slowly snowballed into something much, much more.

This is crazy.

Wes was dripping wet with icy cold sea water. His winter coat was shouldered off. People would call him a madman for dunking it in the ocean, the once pristine wool soaking in the salt, damaging it for sure. But he has a plan.

This is crazy.

His frozen hands shake as he pulls the sopping jacket over the bare shoulders of a blonde woman– a blonde thing. Whatever it was in front of him wasn't human. He wasn't sure if the winter air was playing tricks on his eyes. Ice threatened to pluck them from their sockets as the storm howled around him.

She looked human. She had human arms, they pulled the wet clothing closer to her body. Her skin was soft and kissed by the sun, glowing underneath the moonlight. Her bare chest was like that of a woman's. Wes' eyes trail down to her stomach. And that was where the similarities stop.

No legs, just a thriving extremity, sickly yellow with violent blue and pulsating rings, much like the ones in her hair. Despite her appearance, she was calm. She was silent and her clawed hands gripped at Wes' wet shirt once he collected the creature in his hands. Something inside him was drawn to this... Thing. She saved him from a watery grave. He realized after saving him from the ocean, she would have to return to the sea. To the icy cold water. Just the idea made him shiver. They didn't deserve that. He was only using some of his mind when he decided to bring the thing home, wrapping her in a water soaked jacket to keep her from drying out. He promised the silent creature warm waters. The extra body (and the extra water) weighed on his aching body heavily, but Wes persisted. He felt that his limbs had frozen after his refreshing dunk, they creaked and popped underneath him, but he ignored it until he reached home.It wasn't too far now. Since he moved to the beach-side town, he decided a place nearby would be best for fishing. guess he got what he wanted. Theft wasn't common around these parts, so Wes had no reason to lock his front door, which came in handy, because he was sure he'd accidentally drop something important if he needed to find his keys.

He barreled through his tiny living room, stumbling through his hallway and bedroom and into his attached bathroom. With all of his strength, he lowered the creature into the tub, putting in the plug and setting the water to an appropriate temp for them, not too hot, not too cold.

Finally, Wes was allowed to collapse to the floor, his back pressed against the sink while he caught his breath. His icy blue eyes watched the thing in his tub. She was interested in the running water, crawling over it's own tail to get it's face closer, until she was practically face-to-face against a waterfall.

A delighted shiver ran up her body once the warm water touched the base of her human spine. She suddenly made the first noise Wes had heard from her, startling him a bit once she trilled with joy.

This... is crazy, He agreed for the third and final time. But he already had the creature in his house, so, might as well get used to it.

Wes' body was suddenly wracked with a violent shudder of his own. He wrapped his arms around his body, pulling his knees close to his chest so he could rest his chin. His shirt was still wet, and very cold, and it stuck to his body uncomfortably. If he were alone, he would've stripped. He didn't want to make his guest uncomfortable. And his body aches too terribly to move anywhere. So he stayed on the floor, sick and cold.

Everything ached. There was a pulsing pain in his muscles, and a throbbing so violently behind his eyes he was afraid it would pop them out of his skull. Wes watched lazily from the crook of his arm, the lady-thing in his bathtub enjoying the water.

Mermaid, His brain shrieked. But that was impossible, He retorted back. And yet, here she was.

The blonde felt his staring, and stared back. Wes' head tilted to the side, and her's did the same. The wet hair in her face moved along with it, and allowed Wes to see the rest of her face. One eye, bright as the sea she rescued him from, the other eye was closed, staying that way even when she grew bored of their staring contest, and went back to tinkering with the shampoo bottle on the side of the tub.

"What are you?" Wes murmured. She didn't hear him, or ignored him. He unraveled from his little ball of pain, crawling on his hands and knees over to the tub lip. This caught her attention. She watched closely, allowing Wes' hand to touch the warm water, and dive lower near her tail. "You're not human. You're not a fish, either."

He wasn't sure why he was acting so impulsively. His sickness was poisoning his brain. He wanted desperately to touch her tail. If she was a mermaid, her tail wasn't anything like in the shows or books. It wasn't scaly, moreso fleshy.

His fingertips grazed near where her thighs would be. The touch to her sensitive tail made the creature twitch, and Wes quickly took back his hand, not wanting to upset them, and also being odded out by its texture.

"Not like any fish I've seen."

It was... Not fish-like at all. The texture was something more akin to flesh, but far more slick and squishy. "Kind of like some octopus species I've read about... You're not venomous, are you?"

The creature sniffed at Wes' hand. The act was uncanny to the man, seeing such a human face act so... Animalistic.

Her hand came out of the water, gently tracing his palm with her claws, before they came between his digits, clasping his hand with hers. Wes didn't say a thing, instead silently staring down at the woman.

She chitters some more, then her hand is replaced with her forehead. Despite the rest of his body still running cold from his deep swim in the ocean, his palm was warm. She cooed and rubbed her head against his open hand, reminding Wes a lot like a street cat he occasionally fed. It was... Cute. Not even the purring was missed, a small sound vibrated from her throat, just like the smaller animals were so known for.

He talks to the air, the creature in his hand obviously not interested in what he had to say, more than his open palm. "This is all... So much." Wes sighed, taking back his hand. The woman-thing slipped against the lip of the tub, trying to follow without success. The hand that once caressed her face pressed against his forehead, trying to calm the ache in his head that was suddenly twice as loud as before. He groaned in pain and pulled away. "I'm too tired for this."

He pulls his hand against the rest of his face until it settled over his mouth. She watched him curiously with a wide, innocent eye.

He was beginning to get the sinking realization of what's really happened tonight. He fell out of his boat, almost drowning in the sea. He was rescued by some woman of the ocean, but he was most definitely missing his bait and tackle, and his prized boat. He loved that boat...

And now he had this fish lady in his bathtub, and he was showing symptoms of a cold. Dear God.

"I can't stay like this," Wes groaned standing up with twin pops in his knees. "I need to get to bed. Uh..." He pointed a reluctant finger at his tub. "Just... Stay here, please?" The creature looked at him with a wide eye as Wes backed away from the bathtub. His shoulder hits against the doorframe, following with a stumble outside of the bathroom. He's able to shut the door itself before collapsing into bed.

He's still cold. His legs are shaking, wet, sticky clothes melting into his body like a second skin. It takes too much effort to peel it all off until he's down to his true bare body. It's all thrown to the floor in a sopping mess on the carpet. He'll carr about that tomorrow.

Wes doesn't like sleeping naked, but it's better than the alternative. Right now, he felt like he'd rather die than stand up and put on new clothes. His arms can barely bring him up against his pillows, his soft blanket encapsulating his aching body. The sheets and blanket aren't warm, but it feels like fire on his flesh, but he still continues to shake. His eyelids are too heavy to stay open, so lays in bed with his eyes closed, listening to the howling wind, inhuman chirps, and his own labored breathing for far too long before they help him drift off to sleep. His dreams are filled with fish swimming in golden skies and white clouds, spiraling blues swallowing him whole. And that night it's like his dreams and his sleep goes on for far too long.

The creature is left alone. The silence was deafening, only broken by the single, lonely drip that occasionally came from the empty waterfall. Though the warm bucket was nice, she missed the screaming song of the sea. She missed the deep blue blanket that wrapped around her entirely. It was replaced by a painful bright white, blistering sun so much more evil than the true yellow from outside. And it was so painfully silent.

Nights like this, with the howling sky, the creature liked to hide itself in a cave on land, not far from her pod in the ocean, just in crawling distance. The song of the sky sounded so beautiful climbing it's way through the holes in the cave ceiling. She could stay there for hours listening to it's song, even once her tail shriveled up , it took so much to leave the wonderful noise.

For the first time in her life, she'd never seen water so still. If she held her breath, she could watch the ripples in the water around her disappear, and leave her to her lonesome. She allowed herself to breathe to meet them again.

There wasn't much to do in this tiny sea. She felt extremely bored, a feeling she didn't expect to meet with again. She was sure once that land thing took her into it's arms, she would've been a goner, just like the others from her pod that were never seen again. But the moment It gave her their skin, soaked in the blood of her home, she wasn't sure what to think then. And It put her in this tiny ocean, and her body was kissed with the warmth she missed from so long ago. They held her hand. It wasn't much different from her own. But it was so naked. No claws to protect, no webbing to swim with. So similar, but so different.

Surely, a predator wouldn't be so kind.

The pair of things in front of her, mirroring on each side of the waterfall. She'd seen them before. The land folk used them to move their giant wooden whales. That's what It used before to make the waterfall start, then stop. How did they do it? The water was going cold. She missed it's warmth, she wanted it back so desperately, but as much as she pulled and wiggled the little contraptions, the tiny drops of water didn't stop, as her actions were all in vain.

The water was cold now.

During one of her silent fits, her ears picked up a new noise. Far away, like the call of a creature from the sky. But this came from her side, not above, from behind that wooden wall. It wasn't familiar at all, but she would acquaint it with the conversation between two whales. But it was speaking alone, no one to call back. So it continued to sing alone, almost deep enough for the creature to feel it in her bones.

Ah! Another body! Surely, it had to be the land folk from before.

Her body fought near desperately against the slippery walls of her man-made sea. Her claws were no help against the smooth silvery feeling of the bucket she was in. Triumphantly, the creature had made it halfway out, before a slip caused her to tumble outside of the bucket, onto the much colder beach floor below.

She'd been outside of the ocean before. She didn't enjoy how heavy her body felt without the gentle hand of the ocean to help carry her. Luckily, her arms were strong. She was able to carry herself across the room, and to the wooden wall. Something shiny caught her eye. She wanted it. It was stuck to the wall, and jiggled when she grabbed at it. A lucky twist allowed her to open the "wall", and she slipped against the floor again.

It opened to a brand new world. She was in here earlier before, for the blink of an eye. It was dark now, and that whale song from before was much louder, and much more painful on the ear. She slipped through the frame, despising the feeling of the fur underneath her, against her tail. She knew what she had to do, and her tail slipped off easily, laying in the door frame as she crawled away.

She hated "this" even more than the land's weight, her "land tails". They were so awkward, and so hard to use. They were supposed to let her move like the land folk, but it was so terribly tricky to do. It was hard enough to balance on three limbs, but two? Forget it. Although there was a way of moving with her now "four" limbs, it was quick, it was easy, and she liked to do it, and it didn't hurt as much as it did to crawl with her tail on.

She followed the noise, crawling onto something soft but firm. It didn't give away underneath her, and felt much more pleasant than the floor. As she expected from following the whale sounds, she found that land folk from before, asleep, making such terrible noises while it slept on it's back.

It's face was red, making even worse noises between the loud droning, as if choking on the same air it breathed. They were covered with the same softness she was standing on. Digging it up, she found the rest of it's body underneath, bare of the skin it was wearing before... That wasn't strange, though. She'd seen their kind strip of their flesh time and time again, much like how she could strip from her tail. They're supposed to do it before coming underwater, she's understood. But how come this one didn't? Maybe they die if they don't, which was what brought her to saving his life that night.

She dug up more of the softness... Oh, she'd seen that before. The males of her species had things similar to it. They must've been a male, too.

She also found warmth, warmth the thing didn't have before when they first met. It felt... Wonderful. She wanted it. So the creature fixed herself underneath the softness like he was, mirroring it's body. She buried herself underneath it, making sure it was fixed just like it was before she disrupted it. And she came closer to the land folk. He was much warmer now, but there was a soft tremble to his body. She clung to his body with hers. The warmth between them mixed, and subconsciously, the land folk melted against her, shuddering and sighing in his sleep. Her clawed hands were careful not to scare his delicate skin as she held him closer, enjoying his warmth and allowing him to do the same to her. Her body became heavy, not due to the weight of the dry world, but due to another reason, and the creature allowed herself to fall asleep next to him. As she drifted to another new, and exciting world, she found that the man next to her had stopped his dreadful whale call, thankfully.

#fics #💙 / feels like i'm in love again #// london calling #mermaid au #safe shipping #safeship community #f/o x s/i #self ship fic #weather report #wes bluemarine #jojo oc #jjba oc #proshippers dni

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