#next shot she had her attention on something else than him for like 1 (one) second

[whiskeyghoul]

She blinded me with science || [Spencer Reid x Goth!Reader] Pt2.

Read part 1 here

Read part 3 here

A/N: OMG I can’t believe how much people enjoyed part 1? Seriously, as I am finishing this part up it has reached over 500 notes, I am shocked and so very thankful for the love. I didn’t expect it. A silly little fic not proof read, totally self indulgent, really this is so wonderful and I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read it and reblog, like or comment on it. I hope part 2 doesn’t disappoint. Part 3 is going to be here soon too, which will be the unofficial date.

WC: 1,9K ~

Tags: Fluff, just fluff, Spencer is a flustered mess, Alt!Reader, Goth!Reader, 2 idiots flirting, Reader and Penelope are besties, use of Y/N, Penelope has been playing matchmaker, alluding to a date, crushes.

Warnings: None. 

Your pov.

It was a late Sunday afternoon. You were sitting on Penelope Garcia’s couch, cup of hot tea in hand. Legs curled up on the couch with a colorful blanket over your lap. It clashed just ever so slightly with your dark outfit. The two of you are in complete contrast to each other. Penelope was a ball of color in a bright purple dress with a lemon pattern, large yellow earrings and a blue bolero sweater. Compared to your all black ensemble she was a ray of sunshine. An array of snacks spread out over the coffee table. The aforementioned peppy blonde was sitting next to you on the couch. Deeply engrossed with the romance show playing on the TV. You watched it together every Sunday, when a new episode would come out. Today your mind was somewhere else completely.

“He hasn’t called yet.” You spoke up. Penelope eyed you curiously, “Who?” She asked, her focus gone from the show. Her eyes peered at you with interest from behind the cat eye glasses she had picked out that day. “Doctor Reid.” You turned your head back to the TV casually, trying to not seem bothered. You could hear Penelope hold back a small squeal. It sounded more like a gasp that way. “Oh my god! Are you interested in him? What did he do to impress you? I have been trying to set you up for ages! You have shot down any person I have discussed with you. Always something wrong.” She started rambling, hearing the clink of her glass being put on the coffee table. Her hands grabbed yours, making you look back at her and rolling your eyes. “Firstly: I am not ‘interested’ in him. Secondly: I just thought he would have called by now. Or stopped by at least.” You shrugged noncommittally. You were just a little interested. Thinking back to that meeting.

When Spencer had stepped into the lab earlier that week, courtesy of Penelope, you had found his awkward demeanor endearing. He was hot, that was for sure, and tall, you remembered having to look up at him, Those dark brown eyes pinning you in place. Especially when you had stood so close together. You had wanted to tease him after watching him stumble over his sentences. See him even more flustered. It made you somewhat excited. When you had given him your number you could feel his pulse racing under his skin. He had shown many signs of being interested yet he hadn’t even texted you. It made you rethink the interaction. 

“Well, he couldn’t have stopped by. They got called on a case in Utah so he’s not really in the area right now.” Penelope clarified. Those words put your mind at ease more than you expected them to. “Oh, I guess he can’t really get to the lab then.” You shrugged. Just a little disappointed but feeling relieved that apparently he hadn’t meant to not visit you. Or maybe he had done so on purpose if he would be close. Your earlier relief was replaced by a mild panic again. Trying to convince yourself you weren’t interested in Dr. Reid. Although, he could have texted.

You could practically feel Penelope smirk as you turned your attention back on the TV. Unable to focus but pretending to. “Spence is not one for texting. He probably has been getting to the hotel at ungodly hours and hasn’t had time to call.” it was like she could read your mind. “Don’t do that.” You said with a shudder. “Do what?” Penelope questioned innocently. “Read my mind like that. It’s weird.” You answered, making her laugh. “Just goes to show how well I know you.” She answered with a smile. It was true. She knew you too well you would even argue. The fact both of you were women in a male dominated field, both dressed eccentricly, and both with a passion for cheesy movies and tv shows. It was only a matter of time until you were best friends after your first run in.

“Why did you call?” You asked, trying to continue on without dawdling. “Oh eh, the report, I ehm…” He was quiet for a moment. It crossed your mind that maybe he didn’t need to speak with you, but he wanted to. “Yes?” You urged after a silence had fallen on the other side of the phone line. There was an intake of breath from Spencer, a moment that signaled he might be trying to raise some courage. “I didn’t want to talk about the report.” He finally spoke. It made you smile, your cheeks flushing ever so slightly. “Oh, well then what did you want to talk about?” You added a bit of playfulness in your tone. You pictured him, holding the phone to his ears that were tipped red. His face was probably just as flushed as it had been in the lab. 

Your phone, which was placed on the table, lit up at that moment. The ringtone played at a high volume, making the cure blast through the room. Your eyes quickly flickered to the screen. Caller ID unknown. You picked up the phone, hesitant of the unknown caller, deciding to hang up instead. You had been plagued by telemarketers for the past month and really didn’t want to deal with that right now. If it was important they would call again. And they did, you still had your phone in your hands when it went off again. “Just pick it up! I will keep watch over our show, fill you in later.” Penelope said, motioning her hands for you to get up. You got off the couch, soft blanket falling to the ground as you picked up the phone. Softly padding away to the kitchen to be out of earshot of Penelope. “Y/n speaking.” you answered, waiting to hear from the other end of the line.

“Hey… ehm… is this not the right time? Are you busy?” The voice on the other end of the line made you straighten up slightly in surprise. “Doctor Reid.” You breathe out his name quietly, adding a “Now is a perfectly good time.” to your sentence. Wondering how hearing his voice through the slightly tin-like phone speaker made you feel a little flutter in your stomach. “Good… I didn’t want to bother you. You can just call me Spencer by the way. Doctor sounds too formal. I just introduce myself like that. It’s a habit. I don’t call you Doctor L/n either. So call me Spencer.” He started rambling. A smile spread across your lips, this rambly version was different from how speechless he had been in the lab. You held back a giggle. Apparently you had rendered him speechless in the lab. “Alright, Spencer.” You answered, the humor in your voice apparent. His breath hitched a little on the other side of the line. 

“You didn’t make a bad impression. I gave you my number for a reason.” You told him with a smile, a little giddy as the words ‘he called me pretty’ kept bouncing around your head. “And I am sorry I called without any real reason to… I know it was for talking about the report. Though Morgan tried to convince me it wasn’t.” Spencer answered. You rolled your eyes at that. Ofcourse, this hyper intelligent man would mix up what you were trying to do. “I gave you my number because I wanted you to call me. Not about the report. I just wanted you to call me. About anything.” There was apparently a need to clear up that confusion. It was silent for another moment. “Oh.” It was like realization dawned on him. “So I should have called sooner, right?” His question made you laugh softly, trying not to clue in Penelope on your call.  “Yes, you should have. Or could have at least. I was waiting.” You answered back, smiling at the ground. You fidgeted with one of the large rings on your free hand, twisting the cool metal round with your thumb.

“I ehm- I haven’t been able to focus, on the case that is. Because I keep thinking about the lab. How I probably came off as a mess, I just didn’t know what to say because you looked so… Not that you look bad because you don’t, you looked really nice. Emily says my IQ gets slashed down to 68 when I am around pretty girls. I wanted to make a good impression. I couldn’t find the words though. I usually don’t make great first impressions, because I tend to ramble. Just- I really really hope I didn’t make a bad first impression.” His sentences flowed into each other like word vomit. Nervous, quick, and hardly understandable. Luckily, you were trained in the art of understanding nervous rambles when Penelope would spiral into one from time to time. However he had called you pretty. “Spencer.” You said his name almost like a question. There was a beat of silence. “Yes?” He asked softly, he sounded so nervous.

“I’m sorry I didn’t.” You could almost hear the smile in his voice. The slight uptick in his pitch. You imagined he was still fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater, or was perhaps looking at his shoes with a grin. “You can make it up to me by buying me a coffee when you get back.” The suggestion came naturally, you didn’t even have to think about it. The words left your lips before you could, really. “What do you like?” Spencer asked without hesitation. “Cinnamon latte.” You answered it softly, a little surprised he agreed so readily. A giddy feeling in your stomach. “Alright, cinnamon latte, I’ll remember.” Spencer sounded a little breathy, like he too was feeling giddy at the prospects of having coffee together. Like the idea of taking time to get to know each other at work over a warm beverage was the perfect first date. “What do you like?” You asked in turn, wanting to know what he would usually get. Knowing more about him would feel so domestic and sweet. “Black coffee, usually with tons of sugar.” He had a hint of embarrassment in your voice. A little muffled like he had covered his mouth to hold in the confession of drinking it so sweet. You smiled at his answer. Of course he had a sweet tooth. “Tons of sugar, I’ll remember.” You mirrored his words. 

“Oh! My! God!” You heard Penelope gasp from the living room. Knocking you out of your little phone call bubble with Spencer. “I think I have to go. You better call me tomorrow.” You said it lightheartedly. Just wanting to hear from him again soon. “I will. I’ll call you.” Spencer answered. “Bye Spencer.” “Bye Y/n.” You hung up with a smile, already turning and walking back into the living room. Penelope turned around on the couch to look at you, “They shot Richard!” She looked absolutely shocked as she gave you the news of your favorite character being hurt. You couldn’t wipe the smile from your face though. “Spencer called.” You saw her face form from a shocked to surprise expression, “Oh! My! God!” She sounded a lot happier that time, and you knew you wouldn't hear the end of it.

#criminal minds #spencer reid #criminal minds fic #spencer reid fic #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fluff #Goth reader #self indulgent fic #fanfic writer #tumblr writer #she blinded me with science #part 2 #whiskeyghoul

[permanentswaps]

New Tricks Pt. 3

Inspired by needsastory. Read Part 1 and Part 2 first!

Ben’s POV

Dad in my body burst back in through the door less than an hour later, his expression a mix of frustration and disappointment. I raised an eyebrow, curious about the sudden return.

"You weren’t gone very long, what happened?" I asked, confused.

Tom let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Kim's parents came back from their vacation early. She wasn't expecting them, but she told me I couldn’t stay the night anymore."

"So, does that mean … ?" I started to ask.

Dad, frustrated, said. "Yeah, we made out a bit, but... we didn't get to fuck," he admitted, a bit frustrated.

"Thank god," I said

Tom shot me a curious look. "Why? You worried I was gonna set expectations too high for when we swap back?"

I hesitated for a moment before explaining, "If you had fucked with her, it might have made the swap permanent. We'd be stuck like this forever."

As I verbalized the thought, a strange mix of emotions washed over me. Despite the initial shock and frustration of being trapped in my dad's body, I was definitely coming around to the idea of staying like this. The prospect of embodying the masculinity and strength I had always admired was strangely appealing.

Dad seemed to sense my conflicting emotions and raised an eyebrow. "You sound almost disappointed," he said, amused.

I chuckled nervously. "Yeah, well... I guess I am.” I admitted, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.

To my surprise, Dad didn't seem fazed by my confession. Instead, he leaned back against the door frame, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "You know, even if this isn't permanent, maybe we should consider staying like this for a bit," he suggested, his tone surprisingly earnest.

I stared at him in disbelief, caught off guard by his proposal. But as I mulled over his words, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement building within me.

"Yeah," I replied slowly, a tentative smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Maybe we should."

Tom’s POV

Over the next week, I found myself surprisingly at ease in Ben’s routine.

I really liked hanging out with Ben's friends. They were a cool group, each with their own quirks and personalities. One of his friends, in particular, stood out to me - Colin. We chatted a lot at school, sharing jokes and stories between classes. It was easy to see why Ben enjoyed his company so much.

"So, you coming to watch the game tonight?" Colin asked, tossing his backpack over his shoulder as we walked to our next class.

I nodded, a smile playing on my lips. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. You ready to crush it out there on the field?"

Colin grinned, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "You know it, man. We're gonna dominate!"

Later that day, Colin and I stood on the sidelines, watching the girls' soccer team play before the boys went on. I couldn't help but admire Kim. She was a force to be reckoned with on the field, her determination evident in every move she made.

"Damn, she's really good," Colin said, nudging me with his elbow.

I quickly looked at him before shifting my attention back to the field and grinning. "Yeah, she's something else, isn't she?"

But my attention didn’t stay focused on the field for long. Stealing another quick glance at Colin, I began to admire him too. His hair tousled from his earlier warm-up run, a faint sheen of sweat glistening on his skin - he was undeniably cute.

"You okay, man?" Colin asked, noticing my distraction.

"Yeah, just... admiring the view," I replied casually, hoping he wouldn't pick up on the sudden shift in my thoughts.

As the week progressed, I couldn't shake the realization that Ben might be a bit of a repressed bisexual. It wasn't a problem for me - I had already come to terms with being gay and was out and proud. But I made a mental note to ask him about it when we switched back.

Despite the newfound comfort in Ben's life, there was still a lingering sense of sadness. I missed the muscles I had worked so hard for, the physical strength that had become a part of my identity. But as I looked around at Ben's friends, at the camaraderie and laughter they shared, I couldn't help but feel grateful for the opportunity to take a walk in his shoes, if only for a little while.

Ben’s POV

Over the next week, I found myself reveling in the virility of my new body. It was a strange sensation, feeling the raw power coursing through my veins, the result of years of dedication and hard work that had sculpted my dad's muscular physique.

I indulged in activities that I had only dreamed of before. With each passing day, I spent more time in the gym, pushing my body to its limits and relishing in the sensation of strength and vitality that surged through me.

But despite the exhilaration of my newfound physical prowess, there were moments when the tension built up, the strain of unfamiliar muscles protesting against the strain of my workouts. It was then that I decided to treat myself to a massage, hoping to alleviate the knots and tightness that had accumulated over the week.

As I entered the massage parlor, I was greeted by a super attractive guy, somewhere between my current age and my old body’s age. His warm smile and soothing demeanor immediately put me at ease, and I couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in my chest as he led me to the massage room.

"So, what brings you in today?" the masseur asked, his voice gentle and inviting as he prepared the massage table.

I shrugged, trying to play it cool despite the nerves that fluttered in my stomach. "Just feeling a bit tense lately. Thought a massage might help."

He nodded understandingly, motioning for me to lie down on the table. "Don't worry,m you're in good hands," he reassured me with a wink, causing my heart to skip a beat.

As his skilled hands began to work their magic, kneading away the tension that had built up in my muscles, I couldn't help but relax into the sensation. It was like all the stress and worries of the past week melted away under his touch, leaving me feeling lighter and more at peace than I had in ages.

"Wow, you're really good at this," I murmured appreciatively, my eyes drifting shut as I surrendered myself to the blissful experience.

He chuckled softly, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. "Just doing my job," he replied modestly, though there was a hint of pride in his voice.

As the massage continued, lost in the sensation of his hands moving over my body with practiced skill. Eventually, his hands made their way down to my waist and torso. Quickly, I felt my cock start to harden and peak through the towel he had laid across my lap.

“I am so sorry.” I apologies profusely, my cheeks turning red.

“No worries at all.” He said, trying to hide a smirk. “Happens all the time”

“Should we stop.” I ask.

He hesitated. “Normally I would say that we should take a break, but,” he winked at me, “that's not really want I want to do with a guy like you.”

He swiftly to grasped my dick before taking it all in his mouth and continuing to rub my muscles with his hands. As he sucked me off on the table, I arched my back and raised my arms up to flex towards the ceiling. In that moment of ecstasy, I thought to myself.

“There is no way I am ever giving this body up.”

I gently stroked his chin with my thick fingers, guiding him up to kiss me. Then, whispering in his ear, I said. “How about I make you feel good too.” Before grabbing his ass.

He quickly took off the rest of his clothes and straddled me over the table before we started making out again. As he lowers his ass, I begin teasing his hole with my cock. He feels up my biceps again and moans, “oh you’re so sexy daddy.”

That's all the confirmation I needed. I thrust upwards, holding onto his waist with both hands, and feel my thick cock enveloped by his warm hole. Immediately I feel a bit dizzy, but as quickly as the feeling comes, its replaced by a sense of incredible clarity. In that moment I knew, I was Tom, forever.

Tom’s POV – Epilogue

Three years had passed since my dad made the swap permanent, and while I was initially upset, I couldn't deny that I had lucked out.

Sure, I no longer had a super muscular physique, but my new body was undeniably cute, and that counted for something.

Once I knew this was my life to live, I made some changes. First thing was I decided to break up with Kim. It wasn't an easy choice, but as I came to terms with my evolving identity, I realized that my heart belonged elsewhere. Despite this new body being bisexual, I found that my preferences leaned heavily towards guys. I also, began to update my style, since, unlike dad, I didn't care about what the other guys at school would say.

About a year after the swap, I met my boyfriend, Zander. He was everything I had ever dreamed of in my old life- kind, funny, and super super romantic. With him by my side, I felt like I could take on the world.

In a twist of fate, I also found unexpected success as a model in my new body. While Dad had always complained about his delicate features – in the model industry they were actually an asset. And besides, he was always concerned that people thought he looked gay, but now, with me in control, this body was gayer than it had ever been.  

Now I make an absolute killing, and I get  to enjoy the perks of fame and fortune while still in my twenties. Even though I didn’t choose this body, I now can’t even imagine living my life any other way.

Ben’s POV – Epilogue

I know what you're probably thinking - I must be crazy for giving up my old body. And yeah, maybe I am a little crazy, but it's a decision I don't regret in the slightest.

Since the swap, Benji - as he now prefers to be called - has thrived in my body. It's like he's living out the life he always wanted but never had the chance to before. And I have to admit, seeing him so happy and fulfilled brings a sense of warmth to my heart.

As for me? Well, I've found myself exploring a whole new side of life that I never knew existed. I’ve kept on hitting the gym, and I think it looks even better than when Benji was still controlling it.

Dating guys might not have been something I ever imagined myself doing, but there's something undeniably freeing about it - like shedding the expectations and constraints of my old life and stepping into something new and exciting.

While Benji may be going steady in my old body, I haven’t slowed down at all. There’s constantly a new twink in my bed, begging to be railed by me. Even though each twink is cuter than the last – I still regret that I am related to my old body, otherwise I would’ve fucked him a long time ago. That said, he would never do the kinky stuff I’m into now. Now, every Grindr hookup we experiment with leather, bondage, BDSM … and I always go in raw so that I can fill their insides with my seed. After all, with a body like this, life is too short to play it safe.

[hellish-sunsets]

You're an Asshole - Pt 3 - Triumph

Pt 1 Pt 2

Summary: Adam was nothing if not stubborn and persistent, and eventually he finally manages to win her over for a night. (Or, Adam thinks he finally convinced her to fuck because he's charming or something. Man has no idea he's wrapped around her finger.)

Warnings: Cursing, Smut

Word Count: 2,845

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

Alright, so Adam couldn’t get her out on the first attempt. That was fine. He could be patient, when he needed to be. He would just get her at the next concert.

But she still didn’t leave with him.

So he tried again, and again, and again. He listened to more shitty music trying to get to that bitch. He was growing… far too accustomed to those bullshit sounds some people called music. But whatever, it would be worth it when he finally won her over and proved he wasn't an asshole. They would fuck and it would be great and he could finally move on from all this.

So he remained stubborn and kept it up. After the fifth ‘accidental’ bump in at a concert, she actually gave him her number with that bright smile of his,

“I like talking to you. We should keep texting.”

Something swelled in his chest, something he wasn't really willing to name. Victory, perhaps. Progress. Her friends hadn’t looked too happy about that, but she clearly wasn’t paying much attention to their warnings. Good. As pointlessly difficult as all this was turning out to be, at least her friend's displeasure wasn’t going to make it more difficult. Stupid bastards.

She texted him infrequently, telling him about various concerts she was going to, just in case he wanted to come too. He read the latest text over, one that seemed to hold more excitement than usual. The next one was a rock concert, and she was sure he’d have a better time there than the last one. He caught himself smiling at his phone and scowled. It was just because he was getting close to winning her over, he told himself. He definitely wasn’t developing any shitty feelings for some shitty woman. She could give him that shining smile as much as she wanted, could babble on with her infectious excitement for hours, could look up at him with those warm eyes, but it wouldn’t change a thing.

And maybe if he kept telling himself that he could pretend it was true. 

Who was he kidding, of course it was true. He had given up on love after his second wife left him. But, she was still hot. He couldn’t wait to bang her. 

And he was convinced tonight would be the night! He was in his element at a rock concert. He made sure he wore his best leather jacket, the one with only one hole nobody could even notice, and a nice shirt. Well, nicer. It didn't have any holes or stains. He couldn’t stand the same for his jeans, but oh well, at the very least he can say he tried. That's more than he did for everyone else. Just to prove a point, he told himself. 

There was a knock at the door and he headed that way, pausing at the hallway mirror. He ran his hands through his brown locks, making sure it was the right amount of messy. He needed to be irresistible. He smirked at himself, satisfied. 

Show time.

—-----------------------

The air thrummed with the sound of banging drums and heavy guitar. The crowd pressed in on them, the smell of sweat and the heat of the bodies hitting them from all sides. Adam felt right at home. 

He easily made his way through the crowd, searching for his little angel. She had told him to meet towards the front, by a specific pillar. Sure enough, he found her there with her usual friends. She spotted him too, giving a bright smile and waving him and Lute over. They couldn’t talk over the music, but that hardly mattered. He could use his dashing good looks and charming personality. Body language mattered a fuck ton in these matters. 

So he gave her his own dashing smile and sauntered over to bump his shoulder against hers. He felt more than heard her giggle. Nailed it! Her friends shot him weird looks, clearly unimpressed, but Lute shot them a hard look back, leaving them at a standstill. That didn’t matter, really. He was more than happy to let Lute deal with them so he could have fun and rock out with the hot bitch next to him. Ain’t nothing like it! And she was smiling and dancing and bouncing with the music, clearly having a good time. 

And for a while during that concert, he forgot about everything. He forgot about why he was there, forgot about his attempts at manipulation, forgot about why he was trying to in the first place. The thoughts in his mind, the constant nagging that he wasn’t good enough, that he was a failure, that he was an asshole and no one would love him… nothing he would admit to, to himself or anyone else, but was still there tearing him apart inside. Those thoughts didn’t exist. All that existed was the pounding music and the angel next to him and that beautiful smile and sparkling eyes that drew him in. 

He fucking loved rock concerts! This was the shit! 

And when the music finally faded, he could feel his blood boiling. He knew exactly what he wanted and he wasn’t going to play any games about it. This was his chance. The time had come and there was no hesitating. 

He leaned over, resting a hand on her waist and whispering in her ear, and she didn’t pull away but leaned into his side, her body fitting perfectly against his. 

“Wanta take this to my place?” He said in a low, rumbling voice, and she hummed, thinking it over. It felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He may later regret how desperate he felt, but at that moment all he wanted was her, and it was a weird feeling. Cause yeah, he’s wanted to fuck plenty of bitches before, but this wasn’t quite the same, not that he was in the mindset to analyze his feelings or some bullshit like that. 

It was only a little hum before she was turning her head to whisper back in his own ear, her breath warm against his skin and sending a shiver down his spine. 

“Lead the way.”

He couldn’t have stopped smiling if he was threatened at gunpoint. His wings ruffled and puffed up and she giggled, taking his hand in hers. He led her away, giving her hand a squeeze as he went. He made sure to give Lute a grin and she nodded her understanding. He didn’t even bother looking at her friends. He didn’t give two shits about them. He was gonna get laid!

He was so fucking thankful he cleaned up his place earlier. Not that they saw it. 

The moment they were through that door she was on him, hands running up his chest before grabbing his jacket and pulling him towards her. Their lips crashed together, and shit, she had to have some flavored chapstick on or something cause fuck, she tasted like cherries. A growl was ripped out of his throat and he pushed forward, backing her into the hallway wall. She let out a small moan, opening her mouth for him, and fuck if that wasn’t hot. 

He had never been a really patient man, so he grabbed her wrist and dragged her to his room, fumbling for the light switch. And yeah, some guys liked fucking with the lights off but why on earth would he do that when he had such a fine piece of ass in front of him? No, he needed to see her, needed to see the faces she would make and the look in her eyes because he was determined to make them roll. Fuck, she would look so hot impaled on his cock.

She smiled at him, so tender and warm his thoughts stuttered to a halt. She leaned up to cradling his face in her hands, thumbs rubbing over the red in his cheeks. His breath caught in his throat as she leaned in, her lips brushing against his so gently. His tongue darted out to pick over her lips and she parted them for him. He groaned as she let him deepen the kiss once more. His hands went to her hips, pulling her body tight against his. He swallowed the little gasp she let out into the kiss. 

He didn't even know they had been backing up until she fell onto the bed, her smile turning mischievous as she dragged him along with her. He yelped in surprise, but he didn’t mind, not when she was laughing, the sound making his heart swell. And his cock. He didn’t know how to deal with the heart thing, but he had plenty of practice dealing with his dick. 

He reached for her shirt to help her undress, but she grabbed his wrists to stop him, her lips pressing against his pulse.

“You first.” She said, and it wasn’t fully a command but it felt like one. He rolled his eyes and huffed, making her giggle again.

“Fine, whatever.” But he couldn’t really bring himself to care too much when her hands were on his chest, brushing his coat down his arms. He pulled it off the rest of the way, tossing it onto the ground somewhere. He'd pick it up later. (He definitely wouldn't.) Her hands traced the edge of his shirt before diving underneath, her fingers so hot against his skin. His shirt quickly joined his coat on the floor.

“Now?” He asked with a huff, pulling roughly on her shirt. She thought for a moment and shrugged, sitting up to pull her shirt over head, quickly followed by her bra. 

Now they were talking! The sight of her laid out before him did wonders, wings spread out over his bed and tits out. God, she had the best tits, fit into his hands perfectly. So soft and warm. His lips were back on hers in an instant, all tongue and teeth as he groped her chest. She gasped and panted into his lips, hands frantically working at his jeans. His hips bucked against her hands, his cock already so hard and eager to feel her cunt around him. It sent a shiver down his spine when his cock sprang free, his pants and boxers joining her clothes on the floor with a kick.

Her hands roamed, from his stomach to his chest to his neck, pulling him closer to press her lips against her neck, making his cock twitch with the press of her hot lips against his skin. He moaned, pressing his face into the side of her neck while she lavished attention on his sensitive skin. His own hands wandered as well, roaming over her soft curves before landing on her thighs, parting them so he could sit more comfortably between, the new position perfect for grinding his throbbing cock against her pussy.

But he was an impatient man, and this was already taking much longer than he wanted. He reached down to grasp his cock, lining himself up with her wet cunt and pushing in. Her gasp and groan was straight up addictive, but not as addictive as her cunt fluttering around his cock. He pulled back and pushed in further, then further again, and he groaned into her neck before pulling away. He wanted to see the look on her face as he settled deep inside her. 

And shit, it wasn’t fair how hot she was. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet for me.” He growled, finally thrusting into her properly.

“Shit, Adam, you fit me so perfectly.” She moaned praise back, sending a delicious shiver down his spine and making him twitch inside her hot walls. The room was filled with the sound of her squelching pussy and his balls hitting her ass as he filled her and fucked her properly. Her moans and whimpers were like song, her nails digging into his shoulders, staring into his eyes and making his hips stutter. 

“So good,” he moaned, hands moving from her thighs, one settling on her waist, digging into her skin to pull her harder into each thrust, the other running up her body to her breast, messaging and playing with her nipple. “So fucking hot. Such a good slut for me, shit!”

And he did have a tendency of talking dirty when he fucked someone, but his voice caught in his throat when she reached up to cradle his face. His hips sped up at the look on her face, a mix of pleasure and so much tenderness it almost hurt, and he whined. Actually fucking whined.

“Adam,” she breathed against his lips, wrapping her legs around his hips, egging him on. “Adam, you’re so good to me. Fill me so good.” She pressed her lips against his, kissing him tender before letting him deepen it, desperate for more of her. 

He had never come so fast and hard in his life, or at least in a very long time. He buried his face in her neck again, hips snapping against her hard and fast, making her groan. He gave a final hard thrust, cock settled deep inside her as he came with a shutter and load groan. Her pussy clenched around him as he came and it felt like she was milking him of every drop. She sighed at the feeling of his come inside her, body relaxing underneath him.

But fuck, he wasn’t done. Couldn’t be. She hadn’t come yet, and if there was anyone in heaven or earth deserving of coming on his dick it was her. 

Being the first man had its benefits. He was made for fucking, to reproduce. Which meant he almost never came only once. 

She yelped as he suddenly grabbed her hips, tucking her wings in as he forcefully turned her around. He positioned her with a chuckle, chest pressing against her back, arm wrapping around her shoulders while the other positioned his dick against her cunt once more. 

“We’re not done yet.” He whispered into her ear, voice low and husky. “Not until you come too.”

He could feel his cum leaking out of her and used the head of his cock to coral it back to her entrance. He pushed it in, filling her with his cock again. Between her wetness and his come, he slid in much easier this time. He didn’t move right away, settling for grinding into her pussy as he settled himself on top of her, arm tightening around her shoulders while the other grabbed her hip, squeezing hard. She had to spread her wings out again to give him room, his own fluttering at the feeling of her body against his. She fit so perfectly under him like this. He guided her hips a little higher before thrusting into her. 

This time he didn’t bother starting slow. His movements were fast and hard, guided by the deep groans of pleasure she let out. He chuckled in satisfaction, leaning down to pepper kisses on the nape of her neck and shoulders. And while it felt good, so fucking good, her pussy was clamping around him so hard in this position, he was a man on a mission. He wouldn’t rest until she came. And based on the sounds she was making, wild and guttural, it wouldn’t be too long.

“Feel that? Feel me fucking into you? Feels so good doesn’t it?”

“Fuck!” Was all she could say, the word coming out strangled and needy, and holy shit if he thought he was addicted before it was nothing compared to this. 

“I’m going to come inside you again, shit, gonna fill you with so much of my cum. And you’re going to take it, aren’t you? Gonna take every drop I give you. Gonna come around my cock and force every drop out.” He groaned as he felt her cunt tighten around him, her body trembling underneath him as she buried her head in the pillows. Shit, it was so hot, seeing her come undone like this. 

Somehow, he managed to fuck her faster, and the sounds she made was straight up animalistic. There was no mistaking it when she came. He cursed as she clamped around him harder than ever before, pussy pulsing with the pleasure, her voice singing out her groans of release. And shit, there was no resisting that. He came again, vision going blurry as he cocked pulsed with her. 

Their bodies went limp together, both panting messes. He settled his wings around them, too lazy to get a blanket when he could stay right here, buried inside her hot pussy as they fell asleep together. It wasn’t like she was complaining, letting out a content sigh. 

“Thank you.” she murmured before she was out like a light. 

He felt triumphant and satisfied, lazily kissing the nape of her neck and behind her ears before he followed suit. 

He finally got her, and it was the best fuck he had in a long time.

#reader insert #hazbin hotel reader insert #hazbin hotel adam #hazbin hotel adam x reader #adam x angel!reader #adam x reader #nsft

[yunhofications]

rock with you - j.yh

pairings: dom!yunho x switch!fem reader

chapters: 1/2

synopsis: yunho’s a rockstar and doesn’t care about anyone but himself, at all. he loves the attention he recieves, but the only attention that really matters to him is from the girl who can’t seem to stand him at all. well, thats what she tells herself anyway.

warnings/tags: yunho’s kind of a dick, but not really, size kink, dumbification, choking, man handling, biting/marking, praise. hes quite a mean n rough dom, fingering, cheating implied (not by yunho), pet names, drinking. no actual sex in this part

word count: 3.7k

authors note: hi! this is my first ever suggestive fic, i originally was only going to do one part but im going to do two now, if this chapter does well :] i hope you all like it, im new at writing these things!

it was a Sunday night, 9:54 pm to be exact. The bar wasn’t crazy busy considering most people had work the next day and normal individuals wouldn’t spend their free night before work drinking their sorrows away in a lousy run down bar. Not that it phased you in the slightest, you brushed off the judgmental stares and glares from the bartender since you were probably on your 20th shot and you had the tiniest little body. Who the fuck is fitting in that much alcohol without getting drunk? Well, you were pretty tipsy and your eyes were slowly giving out, as well as your entire body, about to hit your head against the wooden bar counter before a hand slips in and stops you from getting a concussion.

You don’t give it much thought, perhaps it was just the bartender, or some random stranger who was afraid you’d die or something from slamming your head down. But it wasn’t. Oh how you wished you were dreaming, and that your mind was playing a little trick on you from all the emotions and all the god damn alcohol that was running through your veins. Then the voice spoke. It felt like nails on a chalkboard, you hated it. “Y/N.” You could hear how smug the voice was, you could hear the smirk on their lips. Fuck.

“Go to hell Yunho.” Your words being just a big fat mumble, moving his hand away and allowing your head to rest against the hard wood counter. Yunho, Jeong Yunho. Many people adored the man, which you never understood why. He was a dick with a terrible attitude and didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself, the nerve of him even coming near you made you wanna snap. Though, you had no energy to do that. You could still feel him next to you, his perfume was strong, and you’d only ever recognised that scent on him, no one else.

“Are you ever gonna stop being a little bitch Y/N? I just saved you from getting a concussion. You should be thanking me.” A scoff left his mouth. It was true though, Yunho didn’t care about anyone else but himself, he adored the attention from others, women. It was all he got, he was a rockstar afterall, who wouldn’t love the attention? Afterall, thousands of women screaming his name as his fingers played away at his guitar, what a life to live. However, as much as he adored all those women, one woman in particular was all he truly desired, to hear her scream his name, only for him to hear, for her to be a mess on his cock, a mixture of his and her cum dripping from her bare cunt. That woman was Y/N, and she couldn’t stand the sight of him.

“I didn’t ask you to, now go away. I don’t need you ro add to my problems right now.” You managed to lift your head and turn to face the dark haired man sitting beside you. It bothered you that he was attractive and that perhaps in another life you’d given him a chance, and maybe if he didn’t have a stick up his own ass and acted like the world revolved around him.

“Problems? Like what? Your only problem is you being an annoying little dog.” Okay, to an extent Yunho could see why you didn’t like him at all, considering all he did was rip into you and just make matters worse rather than at least try and be there for you. All your hatred and dislike for Yunho began just as he started to gain attention, because from the slightest attention his ego grew massive and it bothered you. The two of you had a little history, meeting one another through acquaintances and he was actually really cute, and you were attracted to him in more than one way. That was no longer the case. Now five years have passed and his attitude and ego was unbearable.

“Do you ever fucking shut up? Fuck off, Yunho. Seriously.”

“No.”

“Why’s that?”

“I don’t want to.”

All you could do was give him the biggest eye roll, you barely had any energy left to argue with this idiot in front of you, whining at how frustrated you were with him. “My boyfriend— ex, boyfriend. Cheated on me, so I beg you to leave me alone and let me drink in peace.” You had no intention on telling him that, but you prayed that he’d leave you alone and go home or fuck a girl or do whatever it is that he did. Instead he remained right there, pulling something out of his pocket. A ticket, a ticket to his upcoming show. He was absolutely unbelievable.

“You’re kidding me, right? Do you just carry those with you everywhere? I'm not going, I don’t like your music.” Which was a lie. You listened to his songs whilst getting ready, in the car, when laying in bed.

“Just come will you? And fuck your ex, hes a fucking idiot to let someone like you go, the prettiest woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on.” Yunho meant his words, and he definitely wanted you to attend his show, simply because you’ve never been to one before, and he desperately wanted to show himself off to you in another light. He had to hide the little smile which appeared on his face when you mentioned your ex cheated, he was out of the picture now which meant Yunho had a chance to win you over, and he was determined to.

You’d be lying to yourself if you said your heart didn’t flutter a little when Yunho complimented you. It didn’t mean anything to you, well, you thought it didn’t. You chewed your bottom lip as you snatched the ticket and shoved it in your purse, perhaps it would be good to go, what else were you doing? Moping around that you got cheated on? Ridiculous.

“Whatever.. I’m going now.” Oh but getting up by yourself was a terrible idea, you slid off the barstool and stumbled as soon as you hit the ground, squinting as if it were to make a difference to your vision, but it didn’t. Suddenly you feel some long arms wrap around you tightly to hold you in place, you knew exactly who it belonged to as two large hands gripped the side of your arms. You were in no position to argue or say no, since you were pretty sure you’d black out soon enough, which you did.

The next thing you knew, it was the next morning, your head was ringing and you were in bed, at home.

Huh.

A week had passed since your drunken incident, you barely remembered it and still couldn’t put your finger on how you ended up at home in bed, surrounded by your pastel walls. Well, no point dwelling on it now. You were currently sitting upon your white little wooden vanity, gripping onto a curling iron and letting your hair fall as you let go. It was the day of Yunho’s show and you decided to go, why? Who knows. You didn’t even remember how you got around to getting the ticket, and why it happened to be in your purse. it was such a blur to you. A white lace dress with little pink bows at the shoulders was upon your body, the same dress you wore the night you two met for the first time. It wasn’t intentional, not by any means and that memory had slipped your mind. You thought it looked rejected sitting in the back of your closet, so why not wear it? You’d never wear anything to purposefully grab his attention anyway.

“Shit.” It was 5:30, which meant you were running a little later than originally planned— why does it matter though? He probably won’t even notice that you're there.

Dashing around your apartment you grabbed your ink coloured clutch bag which contained the ticket and a few other essentials of yours before grabbing your keys and checking yourself in the mirror by your door before going out to your car. Your phone automatically connected to the bluetooth system in your car and at that moment your phone began to ring, it was Wooyoung. The two of you had been friends since you were in diapers, literally. It was because of Wooyoung, that you met Yunho, unfortunately. What an idiot.Foot on the gas pedal and you were off, pressing the answer button upon the steering wheel.

“Hey Woo, I'm driving right now. What's up?”

“Where are you going? I wanna go out for food, meet me?”

“Ah.. about that, I’m actually going to Yunho’s show..” You’d wondered if he even heard you, because it went silent and you spoke quietly when saying that sentence. But he did hear you, loud and clear.

“YUNHO? I thought you hated him! Why are you going?! Tell me!” The male's voice was extremely loud, almost bursting your eardrums. You hated cutting him off— not true. But right now you didn’t have time to explain, you were practically speeding your way to the venue.

“I’ll tell you later, okay? I promise you. I gotta go.” Just like that, the line disconnected with the click of a button.

Arriving at the venue, you were faced with the largest queue you'd seen by far, sprawling out into the parking lot. The sight was a complete eyesore, however you were certain Yunho absolutely loved the sight.

Lucky for you, Yunho was kind enough to give you priority access tickets, so you could skip the queue. A good thing of course, being around all those fan girl’s would possibly lead you to have an aneurysm. And thankfully, they were seated tickets as you hated standing up and being surrounded by sweaty people, especially sweaty teenage girls and possibly grown women who’d just be screaming for Yunho. Your seat happened to be a balcony seat, and you were the only one there.

Yunho knew what he was doing, he would be able to see you perfectly from there, that's if you actually decided to come. He was nervous, so nervous in fact to go on stage and then be faced with the disappointment of you not being there. The man was infatuated by you and sometimes he really hated it, why you? Why did it have to be you? Either way, time was ticking and it was time to head to the stage. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Ever since he took you home last week, you were the only thing in his mind, day and night you flooded his brain, thoughts of you being fucked, the thoughts of you simply belonging to him. It was driving him insane.

The lights dimmed within the venue, and colors of red and white flashed on the stage, indicating that he was about to come out. For some reason that caused you to feel sick, a pit in your stomach. Why am I even here? I don’t even like him. Yet here you were, in a seat assigned especially for you. Not that you knew that, you had no idea how this ticket got into your possession in the first place.

A loud bang made the floor shake beneath you, startling you for sure. White and red confetti filled the room as Yunho was now on stage, seems as though he was standing on a lifting stage. You began to chew on your bottom lip anxiously, the crowd went wild as began with his first song. Whatever, he’s still an asshole.

Yunho’s ego was always boosted immensely as soon as he appeared on stage, hundreds of people screaming his name, posters and banners just for him. Absolutely perfect. But what was even more incredible, was the girl who appeared to hate him so much, was standing in the balcony he left just for you. The smirk which was painted on his lips was very evident as he pretty much groped the mic whilst his gaze met yours, he didn’t maintain it for long, but long enough to irritate her for sure. Honestly he didn’t expect you to come, especially because you were pretty drunk the night he gave you that ticket. Nevertheless, he was absolutely smitten. He’d watch how you’d rip your eyes from him every time your eyes met, he was absolutely loving this.

The cold breeze brushed against your face as you exited the venue, you were surprised with how you were able to stay the entire time, though there were many instances you wanted to storm out everytime you noticed the smug look on his face. You seriously couldn’t stand the man, but why was your heart fluttering if you hated him? Maybe you didn’t hate him as much as you thought you did.

You watched as fans walked out of the venue, some with tears running down their faces and sobbing about how much they loved Yunho, which could only get an eye roll and scoff out of you, how ridiculous. You took some time before deciding to walk back to your car, enjoying the breeze and feeling of the night. You happened to park quite far, and the area was deserted pretty much. You were about to enter your car, when you froze.

“Y/n.” A voice called out to you, the same voice you had been hearing for the last three hours. Jeong Yunho. Did he follow you?

“Hi jackass.” You turned around to face him, his body a lot closer to yours than you expected it to be. Crossing your arms across your chest, you tilted your head at him.

“Thanks for coming, didn’t expect you to.” The man was going to attempt to have a decent and human conversation with you, however In that moment, Yunho realized what you were wearing, the expression upon his face was different from his usual smug look. It was desire, absolute filthy desire. Yunho became enamored by you that day you two met, and here you were, wearing the cute little dress which made him obsessed with you forever. Did you know? You did this on purpose, surely.

“Are you trying to just make me fucking crazy? you know what you're doing don’t you?” His body was inching closer to yours, making you press your back against your car door.

“What on earth are you talking about?” You were clueless, but you could feel your cheeks heat up as he got closer, gripping onto the bottom of your dress tightly. If you hated him so much, why the fuck were your panties getting soaked?

“That dress.. fuck y/n are you really that fucking dumb?”

“What d— oh crap.” How didn’t you realize? You were dumb, so fucking dumb. “So what? It doesn’t mean anything.” Your heart was fucking racing, it definitely did mean something. How did you forget? He didn’t. He never forgot anything.

“It does to me, ever since I saw you in this dress that showed just enough for me to imagine you under me, I haven’t stopped thinking about you. Did you know that? You didn’t, because you’re a dumb little bitch.” Yunho didn’t intend on insulting you, but he knew she wasn’t bothered by that, a smirk painted his lips as he noticed your change in demeanor, your cheeks flushed pink, legs squeezing together.

“Yunho fuck y—“ But before you could continue, his large hand came to cup your jaw from underneath, whimpering under his touch. Who knew this asshole could turn you into a dumb slut just like that? Leaning into your ear, his hot breath made your body shudder.

“Shut up, shut the fuck up.” A growl from him before his lips crashed against yours ever so harshly, his tongue swiping your bottom lip, muffling the moans which threatened to escape your lips. Usually your first instinct would be to push him away but this time you couldn’t. His hands moved to grip onto your hips tightly as he pressed himself against you. You could feel how hard he already was just against you, making you soak your panties within just a couple minutes. You were out in the open, no one was around but the rush of knowing anyone could see you any second only made you more heated, your arms finally deciding to move and wrap around Yunho’s neck.

Yunho pulled away, dragging your bottom lip with him, biting on it as one of his hands slipped, letting it slide to your white lace panties, your cheeks turning scarlet red as you realized how soaked they really were, whimpering as he pushed them to the side. Fuck, a little touch was enough to send you to the sky.

“You always act like you hate me yet look at you, wet as shit like a dumb slut. My little baby.” He hissed, his tone a little mocking as two of his slender fingers entered your wet, sloppy, cunt. causing you to throw your head back against your car. He hadn’t even started yet. His fingers sliding in easily due to your arousal, pumping them in and out of you, abusing your tiny little cunt just as he always wanted. Your core was practically burning from the sensation of his fingers, they were pistoning inside you.

“Y-Yun..” You moaned out stupidly, he was only fucking you with his fingers and you could barely talk coherently. How pathetic? Yunho loved it though, he was waiting for this day for so long, to have your head so cloudy to the point you could only mumble his name, to be a mess on his fingers. A dream. Oh how beautiful you looked, your eyes rolling back, pressed against your car under the moonlight. Yunho’s brow cocked, tilting his head slightly and sinking his lips onto your neck, sucking and nibbling against your delicate porcelain skin, painting your skin purple, his tongue swiping his artwork once he was finished.

Yunho decided to insert another finger, watching you squirm was a delight to his eyes. The tent in his pants threatened to push past the fabric, perhaps even some precum already at the tip. He was desperate to fuck you, but he wanted to do it properly, and prep you of course before he took you home and absolutely destroyed you. Besides, the thrill of someone spotting him finger you senseless in the parking lot was a rush, especially to his hardening cock.

The sloppy and wet sounds coming from his fingers in your cunt was beautiful, filling the air. However as soon as he felt you tighten around his fingers he pulled them out, stuffing his fingers in his mouth to suck them clean, taking in your sweet taste. “You taste incredible whore. Though.. you think I'm gonna let you cum? The only time you get to do that is on my cock.” Once again, his mocking tone irritated you and you were beyond pissed that you were denied your orgasm. The man was edging you and you hated it, squeezing your thighs together.

“Fuck you Yunho.” You spat, huffing and crossing your arms across your chest. Yunho simply laughed in amusement at your reaction. “So are you gonna fuck me or what?” The sheer annoyance in your voice only made his cock twitch, he absolutely was infatuated by you, he loved your bitchyness.

“Im not done with you just yet, get in the backseat.” Happily you obliged, thinking he was going to slide his cock into you, you hobbled around into the back and laid down, he came in after you, closing the door and pressing himself down. Yunho teasingly grinded his hips against you so you could feel him, and fuck was he hard, you whined under him, groaning when he moved to slide your dress up and slide down your panties completely, shoving them in his pocket. Gotta keep a souvenir right? “Let me get another taste of you.”

You couldn't help but grumble, he was having so much fun and all you wanted was to be fucked into next week. But of course with Yunho that wasn't possible whatsoever. The man shuffled back and sunk his head down to meet your cunt, the sweet smell of your arousal allowed a soft moan to escape his lips before his tongue swept along your soaked folds, his hands gripping onto her skin, as his lips wrapped around her clit and sucked away, looking up to see her face scrunched up, her back ever so slightly arched. Yunho couldn’t get enough of her taste.

Your fingers ran through his hair, tugging on it as he sucked your clit softly, the moans parting from your mouth getting increasingly louder as he continued to swipe his tongue. You were well aware he’d deny another orgasam of yours, it wasn’t fair. The sensation was so different to what you'd experienced before from other partners. Yunho was definitely skilled. It only made you more eager to see how well he’d fuck you. The situation was quite bizarre. A week ago, you wouldnt of thought that you’d be lying in the backseat of your car having Yunho eat out your pussy.

Just like you predicted though, Yunho stopped as soon as you were close once again, being denied your second orgasm. “I fucking hate you.” You groaned, kicking his chest with your foot slightly as he scoffed.

“If you hated me so much, I wouldn’t be tasting you.”

“Fuck you.”

“You will sweetheart, just patience. Now, lets go home okay? I'm sure youre dying to cum.”

Yunho laughed as he left the back of the car and entered the front, he was in the drivers seat.

“Well? Come on. You can give me head as we drive.”

All you could do was roll your eyes as you shifted to the front seat, climbing your way forward and glared at him. “Im not doing it.”

“That's alright, my cock will be filling you up soon anyway.”

To be continued.

#ateez smut #yunho smut #ateez oneshot #ateez fic #yunho fanfic #yunho fic #kpop smut #kpop fic #ateez #ateez rockstar #rockteez #jeong yunho #yunho ateez #wooyoung #wooyoung ateez #yunho x y/n #jeong yunho x reader #yunho x reader #kpop imagines #kpop fanfic #kpop writing #kpop writers #ateez x reader #ateez imagine

[kelcemenow]

Win Or Lose - Chapter 2.

Pairing Travis Kelce x Reader

Words 1666

Warnings Strong language and pregnancy themes.

This was a very detailed Anon request that I received and knew I had to give it a go! (I’ll not paste the whole request here as I usually do, as it was rather long but if you want to read it, it’s here. Be warned, it’s rather full of spoilers!) 

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

"What, what?" Your eyebrows shot upwards.

Travis stared at the plastic test in his hand, his eyes beginning to moisten due to the lack of blinking.

"Trav, honey...what?"

He paused for what felt like forever, "We're going to have a baby."

You screamed and jumped up onto your feet, throwing your arms around Travis' neck. He immediately picked you up and lifted you around his waist, covering your mouth in kisses.

"We're going to have a baby!" Travis repeated, tears welling up along his lower lash line.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" You stuttered.

You looked deeply into his bright eyes, holding his face and stroking his cheeks with your thumbs. Travis held onto you tightly, laughing through his happy tears. You dipped your head and kissed him passionately, your lips moving across each other softly. He cleared his throat and gently placed you back to the floor before kneeling down and placing his hands on your stomach.

"This is the happiest day of my life." He whispered.

You grinned widely, "Even more than the Super Bowl?"

Travis looked at you, still holding your non-existent bump, "Man, that day was awesome. But this is something else." He looked at your stomach, "Hey, little one."

You smiled and laughed under your breath, "You're so cute." You lowered yourself down, crouching in front of him, "Are you ready for our next adventure, baby?"

"With you? Always."

______________________________________________________________

Travis was always an attentive husband, but once you were pregnant, he barely let you move anywhere or do anything.

"Baby, sit down, I'll take the laundry up."

You sighed, "Travis, I'm not even 3 weeks pregnant yet. It's a few sheets...I'm fine." You gripped the laundry basket, twisting your body away from him so that he couldn't reach.

He lowered his eyebrows, "Okay, but after you do that, you're coming back here to rest." He patted the empty space on the couch next to him.

You rolled your eyebrows and hummed a noise as you walked away. Stepping through into your laundry room, you smiled as you placed the laundry basket on the counter top. Picking up the sheets and placing them into the machine, you imagined the endless laundry loads you'd be doing in 9 months time. Rompers, socks and blankets would soon be filling up every shelf, drawer and surface. Your mind soon drifted to visions of family walks in the park, first birthdays and diaper changes. You pictured the baby's nursery, already half deciding on colour schemes and the furniture layout. You and Travis had already discussed names but you grew excited at the thought of settling on one that you both loved.

Your daydreaming was interrupted by two strong arms slowly wrapping themselves around your waist. You felt Travis' face settle next to yours and his warming and familiar scent surrounded you.

"Yes, Daddy?"

Travis groaned with contentment in your ear, "I like it when you call me that, but I like it for a whole other reason now."

You leaned into his hold, gently running your nails across his forearms and closing your eyes, "Here's a thought...when shall we tell our parents?"

"Maybe we should wait a bit? Let's just stay in our happy bubble for a while longer?"

"Your Mom is going to be so happy."

Travis smiled against your cheek, "I know. Make sure she's sat down when we tell her."

You giggled quietly, "Come on, big guy. Let's go and 'rest'." You used your fingers as air-quotes to mock Travis' earlier request.

He tightened his hold around your waist, laying multiple kisses onto your neck as you both walked back to the lounge, laughing and falling onto the coach in each others arms.

______________________________________________________________

"Can I be honest?"

You turned to Travis, as you finished pouring yourself a cup of tea, "Sure."

"You honestly look so sexy right now."

You looked down at yourself. You were wearing simple white trousers with a lilac sweater, "Really?"

Travis folded the last napkin and placed it on the table. You'd decided to invite both of your families to the house for a dinner party to announce your pregnancy. You were approaching your 6th week and although you weren't showing yet, it wouldn't be long before you would start to, so you and Travis had a plan in place of who to tell and when. Luckily, it was winter and your incoming baby bump would be slightly easier to hide out in public, but your closest friends would notice.

"Yeah." His voice was low, "You're growing our baby in there, that shit's crazy. You're amazing, you know that?"

You smiled and placed your mug on the counter top, walking over and sitting in Travis' lap, "Well, you'll always look sexy to me, baby."

"Even when I'm old, bald and fat?"

You nodded, "Even more so."

As you placed a gentle kiss on Travis' lips, the sound of the doorbell diverted your attention.

"There're here." Travis said as you stood up and smoothed down your outfit, "You nervous?"

You ran your hands through your hair, "Nervous? No. More...excited."

Travis gave your hand a quick squeeze before he jogged over to the front door and opened it, allowing the sounds of happy cheering and laughter pour into the house. Travis' Mom Donna was the first one to come in, practically ignoring Travis and instead holding her arms out to embrace you.

She squeezed you tightly, "Ohhh honey, you look great!"

You pulled away, stepping back as she gazed over you, "Thank you, Donna. Come in, please. There's some drinks over on the kitchen counter."

Looking back towards the door, you saw Jason and Kylie coming towards you and just behind them, Travis was enjoying a long hug with his Dad, Ed. You grinned at Kylie as she wrapped her arms around you and Jason gave you a fist bump from over her shoulder.

"It's been so long! How have you been?" Kylie's voice was excitable and high-pitched.

"I've been great, but enough about me! How are the kids?"

She grinned, "Oh they're great! Wyatt drew you a picture the other day and I forgot to bring it!"

You waved your hand, "That's okay. I'm sure we'll be up to visit soon."

Travis suddenly shouted out of the door and you turned to see your parents car pulling up in the driveway. Your Dad was the first out of the car and he made a beeline for Travis, shaking his hand, "Great game on Sunday, Travis. Very impressive."

"Thank you, sir." Travis bowed his head a little which made you giggle.

"Princess!" Your Dad turned to you and kissed your cheek, bringing you closer to him for a hug.

"Daddy, it's so good to see you." His moustache tickled your forehead, as it always did and you felt a rush of happiness spread over your chest.

"Travis, be a dear and grab this bag for me." Your Mother's shrill voice almost made you jump as you watched her struggle trying to get out of the car.

Travis rushed to her side, taking her bag out of her hands and offering an arm for her to pull herself out of her seat with. You looked to your husband with apologetic eyes and he responded with a wink.

"Well, if you didn't cram so much in there, you'd be able to carry it." Your Dad said, rolling his eyes.

As your Mom reached you, she took hold of your hands, "The weather here is so unpredictable." She said, narrowing her eyes, "I had to make sure I had everything I might need."

"We're here for a dinner, not a hike." Your Dad laughed with Travis as they made their way into the house.

"Honey, are you okay?" Your Mom's face was full of questions, "You look pale, and your hair is limp."

You quickly glanced to Travis with wide eyes. "Nice to see you too, Mom."

______________________________________________________________

Travis cleared his throat as soon as everyone finished dinner, tapping his knife against his glass, looking around the table as conversations quickly died down.

Your Mom raised her eyebrows at you in confusion next to you and Jason frowned slightly, unsure of what was to come.

"Okay, so there was a reason we invited you all here today, and it wasn't just for you all to eat my beautiful wife's amazing cooking."

You raised your glass and bowed your head, "Thank you baby. Yes, you're all here because we have some pretty special news. And we wanted to tell our immediate family first, the people who we love so much. So, I hope you'll be pleased to hear that in my glass is just soda...and I'll only be drinking soda for the next 9 months."

There was a combination of gasps, screams and shouts from the table at your news, and your Mom threw her arms around you, peppering your cheek with kisses, "Oh honey, that's amazing news! I knew something was up with you!"

You turned your head to see Donna covering her face and wiping tears away from her eyes, Travis placing his arm around her, his own eyes welling up.

"Finally, someone to pass all of our baby stuff on to!" Jason shouted, causing the room to erupt into laughter.

Kylie stood up, "I think this news deserves a toast." Your combined families held their glasses up in the air as Kylie continued, "We are all so happy for the both of you and we know you're going to be incredible parents. So, congratulations to the most amazing couple, and the next chapter of your lives!"

Your hand instinctively connected with your stomach, an immense feeling of love surrounding you as you looked at the faces of the people in the room. Your finally looked towards Travis, who was stood with Ed and your Dad, receiving a pat on the back. He made eye contract with you and your breath hitched, his mouth moving silently.

"I love you."

______________________________________________________________

Can you tell I'm putting off writing the angsty bit? It'll get there, I promise! I'm so pleased you all enjoyed the first chapter and I really hope you like this one too! If you want to be on my Taglist, just let me know!

Taglist @rd14 @dandelionwrites8 @keiva1000 @fantasywritersstuff @caelipartem @anacarangel @she-lives-in-her-dreams @kkrenae @kristencochefski1125 @countrygirl120983 @charmed2000 @nouis-bum @cixrosie @delicateearthquakellama @wordsaresimple-imnot @amylouwho9 @queenisa17 @talicat713 @luvvtrent @purecinnamonextract @savaneafricaine @caelipartem @beyxgrande @caitdaniels @ezgirl1108 @vir-tual @lightsoutstyles @macey234 @s294749w @kelcemesoftly @calirindo @livinginmyfantasies @bernelflo @secretmywritingfictionlawyer

#travis kelce x reader #travis kelce imagine #kelce x reader #nfl imagine #original story #travis kelce fic #travis kelce #nfl fluff #travis kelce fluff #kelcemenow requests

[imaginesbymonika]

Crush

Part 2 out of ???

Part 1 is here

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader

Plot: There is nothing quite like realizing you're in love with your best friend when it's too late right?

Warnings: mentions of blood, angst, someone being shot

"It was one hell of a clear shot! Right between-.", Derek makes a brief hand gesture:" His eyes." Spencer flinches slightly, but his friend is too pleased with himself to notice. "I hit him, and he went down instan-.", he pauses, and hilts his head. His proud smile slowly fades:" You were in the room with him, how come you don't know anything about it?"

The younger man blinks:" Oh, yeah.", he states, an exhausted smile emerging on his lips:" Sorry, of course. You hit him and he- and he just- just dropped. Like a fly." Derek watches him closely, before sitting down next to him on the chairs outside the hospital room:" Are you okay?" 

He hates lying to his coworkers, more than anything really. They are his friends, after all, his family. But sometimes, he just couldn't help himself. Being genuine with people can be exhausting. However, the amount of shame that always washes over him afterward wasn't worth any kind of lie. "I'm okay.", Spencer answers:" Just, you know, a bit tired." 

Spencer hadn't realized that the Unsub was dead until the other FBI agents were flooding the building. There was this deafening ringing in his ears, and he believes that maybe that was the reason he didn't hear any other shots being fired. Or maybe the way he couldn't tear his gaze off Y/N's unconscious body, which was slowly bleeding out in front of him had anything to do with it. Blood was leaking through a gaping hole in her left shoulder and this bright red puddle formed itself around her body. And while it got bigger and bigger, Spencer wondered if blood had always looked that shiny. 

"God.", Hotch declared, as he stepped into the room. His hand flew up to cover his nose, there was something about the smell of fresh blood that got to him. His eyes landed on Spencer, who was as pale as the wall behind him before they moved over to the person he was gazing at. "Shit! We- We need an ambulance! Someone has been shot!" More and more people were entering the small space. "Spencer, are you okay?", Hotch kneeled down, and for the first time Spencer turned his head. 

'Someone'. It made Spencer want to throw every single piece of furniture against the nearest wall. Y/N wasn't just some random victim. She was his best friend. The one person in the world, that somehow managed to read him when no one else was able to. He felt the bitterness boiling in his veins, and the need to snap at Hotch. But before he could have reacted the door to the room was being pushed open again and a medical team came in.

Spencer listened to how those men spoke about Y/N like she was on the verge of death, as they lifted her up on the stretcher. He sensed how someone behind him cut the rope in half and he immediately stood up:" Spencer, wait-." But he didn't care. He pushed past the other agents, trying to maintain his eyes on Y/N. "Spencer!", he heard Derek call out again:" Spence, wait!" 

However, the brown-haired man only shook his head and grabbed one of the men by the shoulder. "She is going to be okay, isn't she." The paramedic stared at him, "You guys are going to make sure that she doesn't fucking die, right?", his voice was so rackety, that it captured the attention of nearly everyone at the scene:" What the fuck are you looking at?!", he hissed and Derek who is standing a few meters behind him sighed.

His friend looked like a humiliated animal, that attempted its best to bare its teeth. But even if he managed to fool most of the people at the scene, he couldn't fool him. "You are going to make sure, that she lives or else- I swear to God, I am going to find you and kill you!"

"She lost a lot of blood, we-." "I don't care, you will stop it. That is your job, I-." Derek ultimately pulled him back:" Spencer. She-." He wanted to say something witty, something to defuse all of this strange and aggressive tension but the instant he looked into his eyes he saw that Spencer was truly terrified. What an… awful view.

#mgg #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler imagine #matthew gray gubler fluff #matthew gray gubler #spencer reid #mgg x reader #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid angst #spencer #reid angst #criminal minds angst #angst #Spotify

[stevesbestgirl]

Grumpy - Part 1/2

Joel Miller x Reader

2514 words

Warnings: Jackson era!Joel, mutual pining, infected attack (reader gets scraped up but mostly unharmed), gun use, implied character (animal) death (spoiler alert, its me), vague references to reader’s past trauma, alcohol consumption

A/N: I’ve just really wanted to try writing my hand at writing Joel. I want to do another part eventually, but I’m trying to stop hoarding things because they aren’t finished, so please be patient  ❤

"Would you leave that thing alone?" Joel gave a long suffering sigh as you knelt and held out a friendly hand to the grizzled-looking tabby cat. 

"He's not a thing." You shot Joel a glare in return before returning your attention to the skittish feline sniffing your fingers. It had taken months of leaving food and wearing gloves to get this close without a scratch, but now the cat shoved its weight against your hand, the deep rumble of purring starting up like an old engine. "No one else minds when I stop. It's just for a minute."

"One more minute we don't need to be outside." He was such a stubborn bastard. 

With another withering look at Joel, you stopped scratching and dug in your bag for the food you'd brought, setting it out and giving him a quick head pat as you stood, "Sorry sweet boy, I have to go. Take care of yourself, okay?"

The walk back to town was quiet until you felt like you had to defend yourself, "I just like knowing he has something to eat."

"Other animals could smell what you're bringing him-"

"Would you stop it?" It was more of a plea than anything. "I-" You swallowed the surprising lump in your throat; it was harder to talk about these things with Joel. "I know it's silly, when everyone has lost so much, but I miss my cat. And everyone deserves to have someone look after them."

Joel surprised you with a dry chuckle, making your heart flip, "Some of us are more the looking after type, darlin'."

You lowered your gaze to your feet in the snow, pretending to focus on your footing instead of answering. You knew that. That was why Joel always got you flustered. Hell, it felt like half the town must have figured out how you felt about him based on how often you tripped over your words after getting caught stealing glances. 

The rest of the walk back was spent in silence, as it often was with Joel. He left you at your door next to his own after asking if you'd be working the bar later that night. You were, and you promised to see him later before you disappeared inside. 

***

Shifts at the bar tended to pass quickly- a hell of a lot faster than patrol anyway. There was always work to be done around the settlement during the day, but unless you were on guard duty, most nights were spent at the Clay Pit drinking the homebrew Tommy and the other guys were so proud of. You'd still kill for a wine cooler, but it was better not to think about it too much. 

By the time you realized Joel hadn't come in, it was almost ten. Tommy had come in an hour or so ago. You knew Joel would be annoyed if he knew you were worrying about him- he always raised a fuss if you tried to look after him. But still, you hoped he was okay.

It was half past eleven when Joel finally climbed onto his usual stool and tipped his chin in a greeting. You couldn't help the smile that brightened your expression when you saw him. His mouth turned up at the corner in what you always assumed was Joel’s version of a polite smile.

You set his drink in front of him, "Late night?"

He grunted something that might have been a halfhearted laugh, "Game night with Ellie."

"Boggle again?" Ellie loved to brag about beating Joel.

"Nah, I'm teaching her poker."

"Got tired of losing, huh?"

"If I had it wouldn't matter. She's already shaping up to be a mean card player."

You smiled again, "She's a smart girl."

"That she is."

You bustled off to bus tables, leaving Joel to nurse his drink. You'd heard people- other women who thought he was handsome mostly, complain about how short Joel seemed, but you never minded. You weren't much for small talk either, although you were happier than Joel to oblige when someone wanted to chat. 

You did always wonder what he was thinking. It was no surprise Ellie could read his stony expressions, since she knew him better than anyone, except maybe Tommy. But to you, Joel was like a brick wall. 

You had thought he’d been flirting with you once- one of the bar patrons had stood up unexpectedly as you were walking by and you’d nearly gone down on your ass, if not for Joel’s palm on the small of your back. It was the soft grumble of, “Careful darlin’,  fall in my lap and I might not let you go,” only loud enough for you to hear, that had your breath catching and a tidal wave of flustered apologies tumbling from your mouth. 

But as quickly as it happened, it was over. When you’d offered to make dinner for him and Ellie as thanks- the closest you’d come to asking him out on a real date- he’d waved it away. And you’d decided then that trying to decipher Joel’s feelings for you would only end up leaving you disappointed. You wanted to think he was interested and you would likely find any evidence you could to support it. But more likely than anything, the man just wanted some peace with his kid. 

*

Deciding that Joel deserved his peace was one thing, but getting your silly crush to go away, that was another. And it seemed like as time went on, you were assigned more and more patrols with Joel until you were going out together at least once a week. But Joel hadn’t complained again about stopping to visit your feline friend.

“Why do you call him that?” Joel’s voice surprised you; usually he leaned broodily against a tree, silent while you visited. 

You looked over your shoulder at Joel, the cat still brushing against your shins, “Sweet boy?” Joel nodded, his gaze still on the trees, ever diligent in keeping watch. “Because he is.”

That pulled a dry chuckle from him, the sound startling the cat, “Didn’t you damn-near need stitches the first time you got near him?”

“He was scared,” you defended. “But now that he knows I’m safe, he’s a total love bug.” You shot him a teasing smile, “Kind of like you with Ellie.” You knew no one at the compound would believe it if you told them, but Joel’s cheeks seemed to darken, even beneath the several days-old scruff on his cheeks.

You didn’t call attention to it, digging in your bag for the food you’d brought. Once he was happily eating, you gave him a pat and said your goodbyes, prompting Joel to speak again as you started the rest of the walk home, his voice low, “You don’t wanna give him a real name, do you?”

You thought about lying; it was even harder to be vulnerable when Joel was asking for it- it threw you off guard. “Not particularly. Makes it harder if something does happen to him.”

“Why don’t you bring him in if you worry so much?”

You didn’t bother to suppress a soft sigh, you’d gone in circles about it, “I don’t know how he would do. If he would stay. How he would be around so many people. I don’t want him to be unhappy.”

Joel let it be after that, waiting silently each time you stopped after that. Until the day you stopped and made the chirping sound like usual and your friend didn’t come trotting out from the trees. Heart stuttering, you rolled your tongue again, a bit louder, but there was no sign of him. 

"Sweet boy?" You stepped a bit deeper into the woods and clicked your tongue again, waiting. Your heart was beating in your ears, breath getting stuck in your throat. 

You were waiting for a comment from Joel- an "I told you so," or an empty reassurance, but neither came. 

You tried to call out again, but your voice broke. You squeezed your eyes shut to stifle the tears trying to well up. 

"Darlin'-" You heard the scuff of a boot on dirt and then, "Shit- move!"

Even with your eyes closed, the shadow was still discernible; you stumbled out of the way just in time for a snarl and a swipe at your coat sleeve. There was a sharp bang, then two more in quick succession. You were mid-kick, ready to fight a follow up attack that never came; the zombie crumpled to the ground as you fell backwards, your palms scraping the dirt. 

After a beat of silence, you whispered, "Fuck." Then tears spilled over into your cheeks as you stared numbly at the corpse on the ground. 

Then Joel was grabbing your arms, his face blocking your view, "Are you alright?" The way he said it made you think it wasn't the first time he'd asked. 

"I'm fine." After a beat of deciding whether to accept that, Joel hauled you up by the forearms. You wiped your cheeks with the back of your hand, mindful of the scrapes on your palms; you needed to pull yourself together until you were home. Until Joel wasn't around to see you cry. 

But Joel refused to leave you at your door like usual, "Lemme help you get cleaned up." 

You didn't have it in you to argue. So you ended up sitting on the closed toilet lid while Joel knelt in front of you, your first aid kit open on the counter. You didn't flinch when he disinfected the scrapes, drawing a raised eyebrow, but no questions.

Once you were bandaged up, he rumbled low, brown eyes boring into yours, "You sure you're alright?" He was still holding your wrist.

You nodded numbly, "Just shaken up." You broke eye contact, "'M sorry."

He tapped his thumb on your chin, urging you to look at him, "What're you sorry for?"

"You were right. I shouldn't have stopped. I probably got him killed. Almost got myself killed, if not for you." Saying it aloud made the tears spring back up.

"None of that was your fault." The way Joel's expression softened would have melted your heart on a normal day. Today it made you feel like an idiot. 

"Thanks. But I think I need to be alone for a little bit." 

If you didn't know better, you'd think you caught him by surprise. But he recovered quickly, his thumb brushing over your wrist as he stood. You followed him to the door, “Thanks for the help, Joel.” 

He nodded, but he hesitated for a moment before he left, his fingers wrapped around the open door. He glanced at you again and practically grunted, “You’re welcome.” Then he stepped through the door and hastened off the patio. You had been kind of rude; you couldn’t blame him for being annoyed. You closed the door quickly; you would feel guilty for your rudeness later, but you needed to be sad in peace.

*

“Surprised you’re working tonight,” Tommy commented when he came into the bar at half past nine. 

You glanced at him in the middle of bussing the bar, “Better than sitting home. Joel told you?”

“Had me out practically ‘til dark looking for that cat.” He gave a chuckle to show he held no real contempt for his brother, but your throat felt a bit tight.

Finally you mustered, “That was nice of you both. I wouldn’t have expected you to find anything, but I appreciate it.”

Tommy glanced down at the bar, clearing his throat, “We, uh, actually did find something.” Somehow your heart sank even lower. “No body, but there was some fur- a few different colors not far from where that infected was.” 

You nodded, struggling to stay dry-eyed, “Thanks for telling me.” You tipped your chin at the room, “I should do a round.”

Tommy nodded and freed you to check on the other patrons; you made sure to keep yourself busy until you locked the door behind you. You’d been dreading the end of your shift. 

Even though it was the same as always, your empty house seemed to magnify the loss inside you. If you said it out loud, it would sound so silly to be so upset over a cat- one that wasn’t even really your pet. But it really felt like the nail in the coffin of loss; your parents, your boyfriend, your sister. You’d bourne it all without a fuss. Survival had taken priority. But Jackson had made you soft- made you feel safe. Now this one little thing without even a proper name felt like the straw to break the camel’s back. 

You took your blanket out to the swing on your front porch- Joel had helped you fix it- and wrapped yourself up. You huddled up to block your cheeks against the chilly air, but it was worth it for the view of the stars. The chilly night air in your lungs and the bright sparkle of the sky with tonight’s clear sky helped to clear your head.

“What are you doing out here so late?” Joel’s voice broke you from your stupor. You must have visibly jumped because he quickly added, his voice a bit softer, “Sorry darlin’, didn’t mean to spook ya.” He walked halfway up your front sidewalk and paused.

“That’s okay, I should probably go inside anyway.” 

You didn’t make any move to get up and Joel came closer, leaning against the rail post, “You’ll get sick sittin’ out here dressed like that.”

“The cold doesn’t actually make you sick, you know.” You surprised both of you by sounding more like your normal self. 

“You sound like Ellie.”

“Like I said before, she’s a smart girl.”

That pulled a curl from the corner of his mouth that looked suspiciously like a smile in the dim light. He wasn’t going to let you joke your way out of the conversation though. “You alright? Actually?”

You nodded, “I’m okay. Just needed some air.” There was a pause, then you added, “I appreciate that you went out to look for him. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I’m still hopin’ he’ll turn up.”

You glanced away, “It’s okay. Tommy told me about what you found.”

“That jackass. I asked him to wait until I was sure.”

“I’m sure enough,” you said. “It’s too dangerous to be out there looking for him.” You offered a sad smile, “You don’t have to take care of me because you feel bad. I’m alright.”

Giving a sardonic chuckle, Joel raised an eyebrow, “I don’t look after anyone because I feel bad for them.”

“And yet, you’re here, making sure I go inside and get warm before you go home.”

He shook his head, “And you’re still here, probably freezing.” He tromped up onto the porch and offered you a hand up. You reluctantly accepted and let him steer you to the front door. He tugged the blanket up more tightly around your shoulders, “Get some sleep, alright?”

You nodded, “Good night, Joel.”

#joel miller x reader #the last of us #tlou fic #tlou fanfic #joel x reader #joel miller #the last of us fanfic #the last of us fic #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fic #joel miller fluff #joel miller angst

[marthawrites]

The Arbor and the Dragon: Chapter 2, Discovery

Aemond Targaryen x Redwyne fem reader

word count: 5.4k+

About: After the official betrothal, you learn more about Aemond with each passing day. You're unsure to be scared or excited with these discoveries, but he always leaves you wanting more.

Includes: Potential rumors, dragon riding, botched high valyrian, more allusions to possessiveness, gift giving, kissing, sexual tension (smut coming in the next chapter 🤭)

Note: Hello lovely reader! Please enjoy chapter two! As stated last time, to avoid the use of Y/N, your name is Emeline and you're implied to have brown eyes and freckles. Everything else is up to the reader!

read chapter 1 here

-

“Do you really think my bitch of a half-sister and uncle will fight you fairly? No. They will find your weakness and use it against you. If you wish to lay there like a worm you'll get no pity from me,” Aemond sneered down at the trainee who'd got the wind knocked out of him, the younger man curled up and trying to regain his breath. “And that goes for all of you,” he continued, practice sword held out straight in front of him as he gestured to everyone with a turn of body. “Or there will be worms feeding on your corpse in the dirt.”

Whispers broke out among the trainees, heads making a variety of gestures as they talked low to one another. Aemond Targaryen wasn't the largest man around around, yet his skill outshone the biggest of them. Even toe to toe with Ser Criston Cole seemed to be of mediocre challenge. Perhaps that's what Ser Cole had wanted after all their years training together.

So, there's the prince I've heard about, you thought. You'd yet to see this side of him. Maybe you were spoiled in that regard: only seeing his softer side thus far, his private self. Seeing him like this made something stir low in your belly, pulse quickening in tandem as you observed his intensity.

“Pfft. Get a load of this guy. We're in the training grounds. Why did he have to humiliate him like that in front of everyone?” A man not much younger than Aemond said to his friend in earshot of you.

“He is your prince,” you retorted, expression shifting to that of disbelief. “And he is making a lesson out of someone's failure so you–” you jabbed the air in a point, “–and everyone else can learn from it.” Your own gaze rivaled the intensity of Aemond's, staring up at the younger man with eyes daring him to speak another word on it. At your side, your handmaid, Jane, held tight to your arm, her own attention shifting between the trio of you.

“My dear Lady Redwyne speaks the truth,” Aemond said with smug pride. “My sweet betrothed defending me against my own men,” he arched his brow high, eye keen on the other man. “Trainee. Your name is Will, yes? Come. Let's see if you can back up what you say when you think I cannot hear you.” He held the training sword loosely, he point of it in the dirt, while his other hand rested behind his back. When he saw the other man make no move to step into the circle, Aemond rolled his neck. “I will not ask a second time. If you are unwilling, then I will strike you anyway.”

Was he always like this? you thought. It can't simply be because I'm watching him today, right? Anticipation fluttered in your stomach.

“Apologies, my prince,” Will replied with a bow of head. “I meant no disrespect. Merely curious at your choice of action,” he added, a flush creeping into his face as he stepped into the circle. It widened.

“Now, get your stance right and make to knock me down,” he said, eye never leaving the other as he found his footing too. A quiet moment passed between them before the Will leapt and went to make a cheap shot of Aemond's blindside. Aemond quickly dodged and knocked the training sword out of his hand. He pointed it to the center of his chest. “Dead boy. My half-sister's armies will not give you another chance."

You didn't realize you were gripping onto Jane's arm. "Are you feeling okay Lady Redwyne?" She asked with concerned eyes, finally breaking your attention away from the prince.

A breath escaped your lungs and you nodded, loosening your hold on the poor dear. "Yes. Sorry. I didn't realize I was squeezing you. Aemond just makes me feel...," you paused, looking around like you might find the right word in the air. "Excited. You know? Alive. Tense. Nervous. Giddy," you added with bright eyes, tipping your head closer to hers so you two might share a giggle. "He makes me feel a lot of things I'm not quite used to feeling." You patted her arm, smiling, a glint of mischief on your face. "And I've yet to see that side of him," you added with a gesture to where he and twenty or so other men were gathered and training.

“No, I don't suppose he'd be sparring with you before kissing you in the gardens,” she said softly, playfully, rolling her yes.

In the training circle, Aemond won yet again, seemingly not going easy on any of them even if his own skill far surpassed their own. Another man, one of Will's friends by the look of it, winced, holding his arm with care. “Do you think you accepted his proposal too soon, my Lady? If you've yet to see this side of him I'm sure there's a hundred – no, a thousand – other sides you haven't seen either.” She clearly had other feelings about the prince, none so approving as your own.

“War is here, my dear. Whether we like it or not. And the prince? Well...,” you paused, gaze panning over to where he was finally sparring with someone closer to his skill level. Even from where you stood you could see sweat beading on his forehead, eye calculating. His lean body was agile as he dipped, dodged, and parried; white hair flowing and bouncing with his movements all the while. Why did this sight of him make you feel as if a hive of bees took home in your head? “It is what men do. They protect. If there's anything I've heard of him it's that he's a man of duty. Surely being prince means he has a long list of duties to honor. Strength has to be high on that list?”

She pulled you away, guiding you further out of earshot range before looking at you. “I can only imagine. By what I've heard, it's he who's always taken his birth duties more seriously than even his brother the king.” Her voice hushed, then, no more than a whisper. “While the king has drank, put bastards in the bellies of whores, and slept the days away... his little brother has studied, practiced, and mastered dragon riding.”

A breath held in your throat as she spoke. “You cannot speak of the king so freely with so many others around,” you half hissed, eyes wide in concern.

“Shh I know I know, that's why I moved away. But, my Lady?” she asked, eyes wide and much softer than yours.

“What is it?”

Her voice was somehow even lower now. “I've also heard your betrothed has taken so few whores – even regular ladies – that people wonder about him. No one knows if he enjoys... pleasures of the flesh.”

Had Aemond Targaryen put on a mask of flirting and sensuality, kissing you in the gardens with passion to blush your cheeks for hours afterward, for merely your father's fleet?

-

Dinner that night was a small affair. Neither King Aegon nor prince Aemond were present, and you could only guess what type of duties would keep both of them away at the night's waning hour. Jane was there with you, as well as Helaena, and Alicent, and a few other ladies of the court. You hadn't yet spent much time with them, however, and you were still distracted by the conversation earlier with your handmaiden.

Once finished with the meal, you dismissed yourself and made your way to your bedchamber. Once inside, laying on the floor as if it were delivered beneath the crack of your door, was a folded letter. In a script you now recognized, it read,

“My Lady Redwyne,

I apologize for not dining with you tonight. Tomorrow morning, once you've broken your fast, meet me outside the Red Keep. Wear your warmest clothes. I've spoken with mother and have until noon free. I wish to spend it with you. My days are long without your company.

Sleep well,

Aemond”

Your stomach flipped while reading his hand. Part of you was excited – beyond excited at the prospect – while the other half of you held reserve. You wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with eagerness for dawn in your belly, yet you couldn't shake the idea of him continuing the betrothal for your father's fleet. Placing the letter atop the spare table, you undressed to don your nightgown. Luckily sleep came easy, and despite your warring haunches, you dreamt of Aemond, your home, and wading in the sea.

-

“Good morning, my prince, how were you able to get out of your duties for the entire morning?” You asked him as soon as you found him waiting where he said he would be. His own attire appeared heavier than normal, complete with a long jacket and gloves tucked into a pocket. How he could always appear dashing was beyond you.

“And to you as well, my lovely lady,” he said in a voice that sounded like it'd just woken up. “I agreed to visit the sept tonight, and double my prayers for the opportunity to spend the morning with you.” 

You'd never been particularly religious and the idea of him trading time around like that made an odd combination of giddiness and guilt wash over you. “Perhaps I could join you in prayer one of these nights. Or mornings. Whichever you prefer, my prince.”

A glint sparked behind his eye, the lilac of it bight with the early golden sun. “I'd like that,” he replied, reaching for your hand as he stepped into you, fingers lacing between your own. “My Lady, we are to be wed soon. Please, say my name and drop the formalities while we're together.”

Giddiness wholly washed over guilt, and in that moment you completely forgot the wariness of him you'd been carrying since yesterday. “That we are...,” you started, looking down to where your hands connected. His was so much bigger than yours; long fingers, skin rough with callous, a faint dusting of pale hair visible only in the light. "May I kiss the top like you have mine?" You asked before you could stop yourself, heart fluttering.

Was that the creep of a blush in Aemond's face? A small sound came from his throat and for a moment you thought he might pull away. But, he tilted his head down at you, eye lingering over you, before giving a half nod. "Yes."

You brought your joined grasp up, and beneath the security of your lashes you peered to the skin of your target. Slowly, your mouth pressed in a kiss. Soft. You looked up at him with a brief smile before lowering your hands to where they were before. "Why did you ask me to wear warm clothes?"

The pink splotches in his face slowly faded, and the intensity of his regard had you shifting your feet where you stood. "I want you to meet Vhagar. You have sea legs, of that I have no doubt. But how are you in the sky?" Mischief sparked in his eye at your reaction.

"Vhagar? You want me to fly with you?" Nerves prickled your skin.

"I do. She's the largest and oldest dragon in the world. And more than that... she's my friend. The best of a friend, really. The only one I've had. She's very important to me and since we are to marry I want you two to also have a kinship." His voice was low as of he were sharing a secret with you; something private that, perhaps, he never shared with another person.

"I- uhm... well... she won't-," you paused, bashful and scared, "-she won't bite me?" You asked, wincing.

Aemond actually smiled, and for a moment even the stark contrast of his eyepatch softened. "No. She won't."

What in the Seven hells were you getting into? "And you won't let me fall!?"

Smirking, he instantly pulled you to him so your back was pressed fully to his front, his arms wrapped securely around you. "Never. Do you think so little of me?" He asked, dipping his head low to press a single, hot kiss to the line of your jaw.

You squealed with a little laugh, goosebumps immediately answering his kiss. "Consider this my first test of trustworthiness!" His hold loosened around you; you never wanted him to let go.

A little while later, Aemond had you on the beach approaching Vhagar. The old girl was sleeping, curled up and as comfortable as something so large could be. You thought she was massive before, but now? Seeing her so close? She was immense. Bigger than any single thing you've seen in your life. You weren't even sure what to compare her to. A castle? A mountain? Something between, surely. "How many people have you introduced to her?" You asked, voice shaking.

"Like this? None," the hand at the small of your back eased its pressure. "She's known many people, however. I'm her third rider. She's no stranger to friendliness to those her rider trusts."

Your feet rooted into the sand as Aemond walked up to the now stirring dragon. You marveled at her from afar, stunned in enchantment and terror. From where you waited you watched Aemond run his hands over her, letting her know he was there. "Rytsas Vhagar. Ivestragī īlva sōvegon? Nyke emagon syt ao naejot rhaenagon tubī. īlon issi naejot dīnagon aderī. Sagon sȳz, kessa?" Hello Vhagar. Let us fly? I have someone for you to meet today. We are to marry soon. Be good, yes? He spoke in a language you didn't recognize. "Come, my Lady. She's ready. I'm sure you know your way around a saddle?" He gestured to you, speaking in the common tongue now.

The she dragon lifted her enormous head and regarded you with clever eyes. The breath coming from her was warm. She yawned massively, exposing her teeth that were surely as long as swords. You hadn't realized you were trembling until Aemond's hands rubbed up and down your arms. "What did you say to her? Will she understand me?"

Aemond nodded.

With a deep breath you extended an arm in front of you, stepping slowly to the dragon. "H-hello," you stuttered, trying to look her in the eye. "My name is Emeline and I'm from the Arbor. Have you ever been there?" You hadn't a clue if she could hear you for you had no idea where her ears were; nor was your voice terribly loud. Yet, still, she made a string of noises, not so unlike a bird. A very, very large bird.

"She has," Aemond replied, as if he understood those noises. You didn't question him.

"You are lovely, Vhagar. You must have seen the Arbor before I was born. I'd undoubtedly remember seeing you," you smiled, easing ever so slightly. She made another couple of noises. "I am to marry Aemond. I'm happy to meet you." Dragons were entirely unknown to you, but you could have sworn her eyes softened – if that were somehow possible.

Aemond led you around to her side, and as you did so the she-dragon lifted further off the beach making sand cascade off her form. "Here. The ropes are sturdy. I'll climb up behind you in case you stumble or need a push," he said with the faintest twinkle of amusement. You gulped but said nothing, grabbing hold of the rope and making your way up the makeshift latter. Your betrothed, in all his courtly gentlemanliness, tried his very best to not stare up at your legs and backside as you ascended. He failed. Miserably.

"Will I sit in front or behind you, my pri-, uhm, I mean, Aemond?" You called behind, watching as he crested over the swell of Vhagar's side. His cheeks were reddened and you wondered why. Surely he's made this climb a million times before! "Are you okay?"

He cleared his throat and momentarily avoided eye contact. "Yes. Just feeling excited. I've never done this before," he said almost sheepishly – the tone a stark difference from anything you've heard from him so far. "You can sit in the front. I can hold the reins and keep you secure in front of me," he gained confidence by the second, the heat leaving his face.

It took a few minutes and clumsy movements to get situated, and when you did a thrill danced up and down your spine. You were going to ride a dragon. With Aemond Targaryen. You bodies were pressed so firmly together you could have sworn you felt the thud of his heart against your back; or perhaps it was merely your own pulse roaring through your veins. Regardless, this was the closest you two had ever been. His arms pressed along your sides as he grabbed the reins. You'd never been so disappointed to see gloves before. An unknown corner of your mind longed to see his bare hands controlling the ropes. 

“Aemond! The suspense is killing me! I’m ready. I think. Yes, I’m ready!” you half shrieked, closing one eye as your body tensed in anticipation. You held onto the saddle with all your grip strength, calves tightening in tandem.

Behind, you couldn’t see the prince’s smile, but you heard it when he said, “Sōvegon, Vhagar.” fly And with that, the great dragon lurched forward, sand glittering off her form like golden coins as she spread her wings and kicked off the beach with enough might to shake the ground beneath. 

Screams and laughs poured from your mouth, glee unrestricted as you flew with your soon to be husband upon the only true friend he’d known. Time lost meaning.

The sun was high in the center of a blue sky before Aemond landed Vhagar. He helped you dismount. "Let's get you back to the Red Keep. Surely your throat is dry from all the screaming," he jested, mood light and playful in the aftermath.

"Thirsty and hungry," you corrected.

The carriage ride back, while relatively uneventful, sparked with a different kind of energy than all the other times you and Aemond were alone together. A sort of tension that made the low muscles in your belly tighten. You knew this feeling and wanted to drape across his lap and kiss him silly, yet you behaved and remained to yourself. Such things were unfitting for a young woman who was to be wed, even if the actions of desire were with her betrothed, and you tried so hard to focus on anything but the beautiful man across from you. Much to your dismay, his eye hardly left yours or your form.

"Here we are, my Lady. I'll walk you inside but then I must be off again," he said, offering his arm.

A sigh left your lips. "I understand. But, Aemond?" His name rolled off your tongue in the softest of a question, your body effortlessly leaning into him as you finished the walk to the Red Keep. "I'm counting down the days until we are married. I wish for nothing more than to share a bed, and a room, with you."

Something about his eye – no, his entire face – darkened, fingers grasping around you with an unmistakable restrain of yearning. Before he could say anything in return, however, an unknown voice sounded from behind you.

"Prince Aemond! Smart smart man. I can see why you chose Lady Redwyne over all the other maidens you turned down. The Arbor really does produce the biggest, juiciest peaches, don't they?"

Aemond's entire body flexed.

Your stomach dropped.

The offending man, while perhaps not realizing what he'd done – just one man talking to another, right? – shamelessly and approvingly eyed over your backside, tongue in cheek. If this'd been King Aegon he likely would have gotten away with it. But Aemond? No. No, not the prince.

Before anything could be done or said against it, Aemond pivoted, fist clenched, and drove it right into the center of the other's face. A nasty crunch cracked under the punch, and the other's hands immediately flew to his face at the impact. Blood gushed from his nose. "Seven hells!"

Aemond kicked the man's feet out from beneath him and sent him landing with a heavy thud, still stunned from his broken nose. Aemond's foot stepped over his throat, increasing the stun. "I suppose you think you're terribly funny. I don't know who you think you are, peasant, and if I hear you say another word about my betrothed, you'll no longer have a tongue. Understand?" He stepped harder on his throat with the question, blood darkening the black of his leather boot.

He nodded, a second away from choking on blood and saliva alike.

You, too, were stunned. You stood there, shielding your gaping mouth, frozen and silent.

"Apologize. Do you think she'd find a lowborn swine like yourself appealing? Pathetic." Aemond tilted his head, waiting for an answer.

The broken nosed man shook his head and waved in surrender, knowing that'd get the boot off his throat. "'M s-sorry, my prince, Lady," he croaked, before bursting into a coughing fit. Bystanders were paying attention by now, and none of them dared step in the way.

Aemond chuffed through his nose. "Come, princess," he said your name, turning to look at you. "There's nothing more to see here." He walked to you, clean hand splaying over your lower back, and didn't bother to give the man on the ground any more attention. Let him bleed and have a crooked nose, Aemond thought.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully compared to your natural high and adrenaline rush. As sleep crept into your body, you heard the sickening crack of that man's nose over and over again. And while the sound made you cringe, the image of blood splattered across Aemond's knuckles did something to you and you weren't sure why. Never before had something akin made your core ache. Was it the violence that excited you? The protection? Or merely the fact of it being the prince with his pale, lovely skin marked red with someone else's blood?

You slept peacefully all night.

-

The following morning, Aemond managed to talk his mother into letting the two of you eat breakfast alone in the gardens. The air was light and crisp, sun shining with a promise of warmth as fog slowly lifted from all of King's Landing.

"How is your hand this morning?" You asked, realizing he had a small cut over the index knuckle.

He flexed it, eyeing it briefly before replying, "fine. Nothing but a tiny scratch."

You wanted to say something, anything, about all those feelings you had last night as you drifted off to sleep. But for the life of you, nothing coherent formed on your tongue. And, try as you might, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Is something the matter?" Aemond asked with a genuineness that struck your heart. Without doubt, he was a coin with the option of either heads or tails and a little gray area between. As your stay prolonged, each day you saw something new in him. You wondered if he was a dice, too – six sides. Perhaps even a dice with more sides than that. So far he'd shown you nothing but kindness. And yet, more colors bloomed to his surface; watercolors spilling into each other, into an increasingly defined portrait of the young Targaryen prince.

"No, my prince," you replied after a moment, lashes unintentionally fluttering.

"Do not lie to me, princess," he answered evenly, fingers drumming atop the table as he looked across at you. Studying.

Beneath the table you crossed your legs. You bit over your bottom lip and even scratched your nose – you couldn't help it! "Okay," you groaned. "Okay. I, uhm... well, I feel a bit silly. I think you think it might be. So, I'm... torn."

That answer sent a single brow arching. "Surely I can be the judge of my reaction to whatever you deem silly."

You sighed, seemingly collecting yourself. "When I was gathering my things at home for the journey here, I contemplated bringing you a gift. At the last minute I grabbed it and have been holding onto it since. We hadn't met, of course, so I wasn't sure if it'd be something you liked. But after yesterday?" You trailed off for a moment, smiling at him across the table. "Even though part of me still thinks it's silly... the other part thinks you'll like it."

A smile graced his lips and you wanted desperately to kiss it. “Did you bring it with you this morning?”

You nodded.

“Well, let's see it.”

With a breath deep enough to swell your chest, you bent down and grabbed a small pack. Opening its flap you retrieved a medium sized square covered in black cloth. You stared at the wrapped gift for another moment before offering it to Aemond, smiling shyly as he took it. You sat on the edge of your seat. Both hands folded beneath your chin, and your dark eyes sparkled with wonder as you watched him open it.

Aemond peeled the cloth back with care. Once uncovered it revealed a glass shadow box containing, perhaps, the last thing he expected to see. A bat. A perfect, brown and black, tiny bat. The little creature was taxidermized in a forever flight, the preservation of it so skillful the thin veins in its wings were still on perfect display, as well as it's fur and tiny teeth. Pristine. “I've never seen anything like this,” he finally said, finally meeting your gaze. “Where ever did you find such a thing?”

He didn't hate it. Your hands fell into your lap and balled into fists lest they begin trembling from excitement. “It's not a dragon. And I fear it's much less exciting than one. But, I've always loved bats. Such misunderstood creatures,” you trailed off, turning your head so you too could see the glass box in his hands. “I'm not sure what happened to this little one, but when I stumbled across it it was so still and perfect I thought it might be sleeping. Alas, it wasn't, and something about it made me want to keep it. So, I had it preserved.”

Wonderment brightened his features in the morning's soft golden air. “It is your own kind of dragon, hm? A whelpling from the Arbor. It has fur instead of scales. But it has teeth and claws and fierce little eyes. Thank you, my darling. I love this.”

You clapped. Actually clapped. “Oh I'm so glad! You truly don't think it silly?” When he shook his head in answer your smile widened even further. “Oh, Aemond,” you sighed blissfully. “Now I can eat peacefully without fretting about your reaction.” You served yourself a helping or two of the breakfast spread, elated.

“Can you tell me about them? I admit I have little to no knowledge of bats or their purpose aside from getting tangled in innocent's hair,” he smirked, playful, as he too dished up.

While sharing a private meal in a secluded clove of the gardens, you told the young prince all he wanted to know about bats. Your home was known for wine from reds, to whites, to golds. And, as such, it required a lot of grapes. The entire bug population was of the utmost importance. There were a dozen or so breeds of bees you knew off the top of your head which made pollination fruitful, including the honey bee. There were perhaps half as many species of butterflies which also helped the pollination process. Birds, too, of course, for seeding. Yet, perhaps at the top of the list for pollinators? Bats. That shocked Aemond. He hadn't known bats were part of that ecosystem and was keen to learn more. You were happy to explain it to him and he listened, fascinated.

-

As was the duty of the prince, he was summoned elsewhere and you had the rest of the day to yourself. It wasn't quite lonely, but there was a certain level of yearning and melancholy to your aura where ever you went. If you'd had it your way, you and Aemond would already be wed. Surely his princely duties could wait so he could spend time with his lady wife, right? You wanted to be his sweet little wife and have all the private time you could manage.

Jane kept you company as she always did – your handmaiden being one of your very best friends – and she too was thrilled that your gift was received with interest and fascination.

That night, soon after she left you alone for bed, there was a soft knock at your door. For a moment you thought your ears merely played a trick on you, and that's when a second knock sounded. Who could be here at this hour? Padding barefoot across the cool stone floor, you put your ear to the door and asked, “who is it?”

“My Lady Redwyne, prince Aemond is here for you,” Louis answered. “Do you want to receive him, or is the hour too late?” You opened the door and hugged a thin overcoat tighter to you as chilled air crept into your fire warmed room. “I'm afraid you two cannot be alone in a room together, as per Alicent and your father's request, but I can move down the hall a bit as to not eavesdrop terribly,” he bowed politely, glancing over his shoulder to the prince before walking down the hall ten or fifteen feet.

You nodded. “Thank you, Louis,” you said after him. Turning your attention to Aemond, now, you peered at him questioningly. “What are you doing here so late?” You asked, voice barely above a whisper.

He still wore the same attire he had this morning, and there was a different glint in his eye. Something you'd yet to witness. The lovely hue of his iris shrunk as he stepped into you, stroking the backs of his fingers down your arm before settling at the curve of your waist. You were only in your nightgown; thin overcoat thrown on hastily to answer the door. “I wanted to see you one more time before retiring to my own quarters. Part of me wants to apologize for catching you in only your sleep wear, but...,” he paused, voice lower than your own had been, his single eye slowly looking over you with obvious approval. “I'm really not sorry.”

His voice shot right down your spine and his grip tightened, just slight, on your waist. Bees buzzed in your head. “Well, yes, Aemond. It's late. Surely you know ladies relax before sleep.” You tried to keep your voice steady, your eyes on his face and not elsewhere along his very close, lean body. He smelled good.

“I'm not shaming,” he answered, free hand lifting to touch under your jaw. “Merely surprised.” He carefully pulled you into him, the softness of your front brushing against the firm front of him with tantalizing sensuality. With a crook of his fingers he angled your mouth up to him and he bent to meet it, soft lips eliciting the smallest gasp from your throat.

You returned his kiss. Fire blazed through your entire center.

“We cannot be alone here. I wish to take you on another ride soon. What do you think about that?” Pulling back from you, then, he delicately pushed the pad of his thumb against the swell of your bottom lip.

With that tone, and closeness, and glint in his eye, he could have asked anything of you and you would have agreed. You nodded, eyes soft and bright – eager – pressing the smallest kiss to his thumb. “Yes, please,” you breathed, immediately caught under his spell.

“Good,” he kissed you again. This time it lingered. This time he gently cupped your face. This time, you were bold enough to press the flats of your palms against his chest. A quiet inward hiss sounded from him and he pulled back, looking down at you with barely restrained intensity. “Good night, princess. I hope to see you on the morrow.”

Truthfully, he could have stayed there with you all night and he still would have left too soon. You watched as he walked away, transfixed on every detail of him until he fully disappeared into the darkness.

-

thank you for reading! if you enjoyed, please consider a follow and reblog as I have plans to create and share more writings. 

there will be smut in the next chapter 🤗😏

tag list: @melsunshine @iiamthehybrid

here is my masterlist if you’d like to see what else I’ve created!

#house of the dragon #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aemond fic

[dollypopup]

Marina, Polin, and the False Narrative of Good Intentions

or: Fanon has Failed You

we're taking a real deep dive, babes.

bring a snorkel

Episode 1:

We are introduced to Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown first. She has the very first lines, talking about the new debutantes coming before the queen. Penelope expresses immense nervousness about this, even after Prudence faints and she writes of the blunder in her sheet, likely grateful she doesn't have to spend too much time on herself when she can highlight Prudence's fainting. In the very first mention of Marina, it's a conversation between Portia and Lady Cowper, about how Portia is taking Marina, a 'distant cousin of my husband's' in as an act of 'charity'. LC replies that she has always been quite charitable, which Portia exclaims is what Lady Whistledown should have written about, instead of 'erroneously writing that she shall only have three ladies under her care.'

That's when Penelope comes to Portia with a plea, using Marina's upcoming arrival as an excuse for her to defer.

"Unless you should like to have only 3 young ladies under your care, I should gladly sit this season out." "Penelope is nervous" "I am not nervous, Mama-" "What she is is two stone heavier than she aught to be." Phillipa: "Mmm, those blemishes on her face are quite difficult to conceal. Perhaps some lead and arsenic would help" "Should you allow me to defer but a year, just as Lady Bridgerton has done for Eloise, I may remain dedicated to my studies"

she is denied. Portia dismisses Marina to Lady Cowper, talking about how she couldn't be competition with her daughters. Marina walks in and Penelope, as though in relief, says "Oh, she's beautiful."

Because Penelope, as of this moment, only sees Marina as a tool with which to get what she wants: invisibility. We know that's what she wants based on her and Eloise's conversation in the daffodils, in which she tells her

Penelope: "No one truly notices me. I suppose that is what I like. When you are invisible, you can have all the amusement you want without any of the expectations popularity brings. It. . .frees you.” Eloise: “Do you think that is why Whistledown remains anonymous?” Penelope: “Perhaps.”

Lady Whistledown and Marina, in this moment in time, have the exact same purpose: they serve as shields. Shields that keep Penelope from being seen, from being noticed, and hopefully to give her more time. Penelope is grateful for this, LW starts taking shots at the Queen by taking shots at Daphne, saying she was falling from the grace of being named the diamond. Instead, she thrusts Marina to the forefront of the ton, declares her the true diamond, and sits relatively gratefully through Marina's flurry of attention.

Until it comes to Colin. The scene in the Featherington drawing room in which Colin comes to Penelope after calling on Marina and says it's a 'most dreadful sonnet indeed', to which she quips her famous 'Lord Byron he is not', thus making Colin laugh before he bids her good day, and she looks at him on his way out. This has often been discussed as a scene in which Penelope is starstruck that she made him laugh, but I propose something else.

This?

This is a look of concern and sadness.

What Lady Cowper had said had been foreshadowing, now Marina is literal competition for the center of Penelope's affections.

Which, let's give him some POV here

Let's talk Colin

Even in episode one, Penelope at the ball was watching Colin, a look which is mirrored later on by how Colin looks at Marina for the first time, asking who she is. He quickly joins the dance floor right next to her, clearly curious. Curiosity is a huge part of Colin's character that often gets overlooked, in fact. His wanting to travel is rooted in it. His room is FULL of Greek mythology, the first place he visits is Greece. Colin is drawn to Marina's newness, and also how pretty she is. He likes her pretty naturally. And she also clearly likes him. Even after the other suitors slough off, Colin stays.

Marina isn't pretending, here. Look at her. She finds him funny, he's turned toward her. We find out later that she's been there for about a month, at this point. As far as Marina knows, she was sent there against her will, because she doesn't WANT to be with Portia and her snooty high society attitude. Even still, Colin acts as reprieve. He comes to visit her and cheers her, she likes a lot about him, in fact, as we learn later, but let's go back to episode 1, the now.

And then we see Marina accept (and mourn) the fact that she's pregnant.

This is why she didn't come to the Vauxhall Ball, claiming illness, and Varley brings Portia the clean sheets. Portia goes to confront Marina, she'd been there for over a month and hadn't bled, accuses her of 'revolting recklessness', says she'll keep it under wraps only so her own daughters won't suffer, and when Marina informs that she doesn't want any of this, in particular her hoity superiority, Portia slaps her.

Slaps her.

As horrible as Portia and the Featheringtons are to Penelope, they have never once laid a hand on her.

Marina is made Other from the first moment she walks on screen. She is unwelcome in the Featherinton house. Even Penelope really only cares about her insofaras she's useful. In fact, episode 1 is Penelope's first taste of what her debut would be like without Marina, and in it, Colin comes to her rescue when Cressida is being mean. Penelope didn't dance at the first ball Marina was at, but she *does* when Marina's gone.

For Marina, this is a horrible night. For Penelope, it's fantastic. Simon and Daphne even became a thing, and Penelope is seen observing them. Not only did she get to dance with Colin, but she also got her gossip. This proves she doesn't necessarily need or can utilize Marina as a shield.

From Episode 1, we see the start of the divide, even before anything else, the show pits them against one another.

Which takes us to Episode 2

We open with Penelope remarking that it is 'disturbing' and Phillipa and Prudence telling on her to Portia by informing that she has questions about Marina's condition. And then

"How did it happen, Mama? Is there to be a baby?"

"Why is Miss Thompson to be kept away?" "Because her condition is catching!" [to which Penelope responds with silent astonishment]

We then have her with Eloise, walking arm in arm as Eloise complains about Daphne and Simon, talking about how being pretty and having nice hair isn't an accomplishment, and that going to university is, essentially: a lament of societal misogyny. Penelope is not only clearly disengaged with her, but even exasperated. Eloise remarks that Penelope did not listen to a word she says, which is true, and Penelope ignores that, too, except to grab her by the elbow, and tell her that she knows someone with child, and that they're not married.

This conversation is comedic, yes, but it's also interesting considering we know Colin and Marina are involved, and that Penelope's curiosity for how Marina came to be with child (outside of the obvious practical reasons for wanting to know for her own sake) doesn't stem from friendship with Marina, but rather desire and curiosity for how it affects Colin.

"She is not married" "How did she become with child if she's not married?" "I do not know. But I will find out." "You must! Otherwise, how can we make sure it never happens to us? We have accomplishments to acquire."

Penelope, even here, knows that they don't want the same accomplishments. There's a rift forming here, too. Penelope is a year ahead of Eloise, already out in society, and she's writing Lady Whistledown. As far as she's concerned, her accomplishments are to get married. Her opinion of being out in society has changed: she still wants to be invisible, but not to stay with Eloise, but instead to continue Lady Whistledown, and perhaps get married. She says so later in the series, in which she tells Eloise that people have mature problems, problems more important than some silly writer, problems like getting married.

But to who?

Three guesses.

Colin's next scene is when Eloise asks how babies are made, to which he gives his classic 'Have you ever visited a farm?' response, and cheekily teases that he and Benedict are off to take their sticks out, 'for a round of fencing!' and once again, though comedic, it's also meant to serve a second function: he becomes a suspect. That's a very dramatic way to put it, I know, but as of now, it's not revealed who the other half of Marina's bun in the oven is, and it very well *could* be Colin.

A fact Penelope likely suspects. So, she MUST know how babies are made, because she agrees with Eloise on this: she does have accomplishments to acquire. I propose to us that instead of the 'Penelope was so selfless! She would have let Colin marry Marina so long as Marina wasn't lying to him and trying to trap him' narrative, something a bit more complicated is afoot

Penelope wants Colin. She knows she can't get involved in his current romance with Marina, but she wants him all the same. The dance they shared solidifies that for her. They're friends, she's been in love with him since she met him, and now she's *able* to get married. And she wants it to be to him.

And all her actions from there are stained with that information, including the final reveal.

It's in the middle of Episode 2, well over a month that Marina's been in Mayfair, that we have our first scene of Penelope and Marina together. We open with Marina reading letters, tearstained in her hands.

She hides them immediately under the blankets and Penelope comes in saying she found some sweets and that Marina might be able to eat them when everyone else was off at the Ball. Marina, gratefully, invites her into the room so that they may share, to which Penelope is clearly pleased.

"I hear they have decided not to send you home to your papa." "I dare say he is relieved. I can only imagine how he will react to- "Your condition? Marina, may I ask- how did it happen?"

Penelope didn't come to Marina out of the goodness of her heart at all. She came to get information. Because curiosity is also an inherit part of Penelope's character, just as it is for Colin. Penelope's reasons for wanting to know are three fold: for the sake of knowing (it's good information to have, knowing how babies are made), for Whistledown if it's a good story, and for Colin.

Marina goes on a beautiful story about George, and we, at the same time as Penelope, realize Marina is still in love with her soldier boy, who she believes is in Spain, and in a moment of immense trust, passes the letters to Penelope for her to read.

But Penelope is only relieved. It settles two of the three, clears Colin from being the father and provides her good information for Whistledown, which she doesn't get publish, likely realizing that all the secrecy means it's a big deal, but she still doesn't know how one comes to be with child.

She laments this with Eloise immediately after. Snarks that Marina said it was 'Love' and Elosie informing that made no sense, to which Penelope agrees, saying her mama had 3 children and love had nothing to do with it. Eloise then asks, in a moment of empathy no one else has granted Marina,

"Well, what else did she say? Was she not frightened?" "More. . .sad, than frightened. But there may be a chance for her to have a happy ending yet, I suppose. She wants to escape to the country where she and her love may marry."

At this, Penelope is happy. She's glad that Marina will be out of the way and also that Marina will get to be with someone else. She isn't cruel, she wishes Marina well.

She just doesn't wish Marina well with Colin.

Episode 3 has Penelope running mail errands for Marina since Marina's in confinement. With no letter in hand, she delivers her the bad news, to which Marina clearly is despondent, wondering when a letter from Spain would arrive. Penelope soothes her by informing that he's on the front lines and it's difficult for letters. "If your love is as great as your previous letters state, surely he will write back to you soon. Or perhaps even better, he is already on his way back to you here, to come and take you home."

Penelope takes on her mother after she's caught with Marina and scolded, saying that Marina's been there for ages, and it isn't fair. She leaves, and Portia insists that Marina find a husband. There is no choice for denial, here, Portia makes that clear, and Penelope takes the news unhappily from the door.

Looks like she isn't out of the woods, yet.

Because even underlying Penelope's compassion, there's a second motive. Penelope is just like Portia: she wants Marina gone, too. She just has a different, very contrasting way of accomplishing that goal, but she's making strides toward it.

She writes of Marina rejoining society, that she will be at the new exhibit. When Portia tries introducing Marina to an older man, she silently pleads for Penelope to help her and she tries to come to her rescue. In the end, Marina tells him off herself, and Penelope and Marina are united against Portia. As of now, there is nothing that really contests them. Even still, Marina acts as something of a shield for Penelope, something she is sure to notice. With Marina in the house, Penelope receives less of Portia's cruelty, and even when she's scolded, Marina gets worse of it.

As of now, Marina and Colin were a brief flirtation that took place at the beginning of her coming to Mayfair. She enjoyed his company, but she's also not suffering without it, clearly uninterested in rejoining society or getting a husband who isn't George. Being pregnant has given Marina a new dream: one in which a man she loves will return from war to help her raise their family. Even if she was open to a new love at the start of the season, she clearly doesn't care or wants to find a husband who isn't George. She tells Portia as much, that she will not bow down to Portia's schemes. She has a man who loves her, and she intends to marry him.

Portia is the instigator here, even though fandom has made Marina the villain. PORTIA insists Marina go out in society. PORTIA writes the fake letter. PORTIA is who twists Marina's arm, verbally and physically abuses her, and locks her up until she can foist her onto some decrepit man and be done with her. PORTIA is who speaks aloud Marina's doubts of George not loving her back because he hasn't sent a letter to her.

Even though Penelope and Portia's goals are the same, their methods are MILES apart. Penelope *does* have compassion for Marina, wants her to have her love story with George, and she tries to help her because she recognizes it as the path of least resistance. Portia meddles far too much, which is her downfall every time.

When a 'letter from Spain' arrives, Penelope brings it to Marina and nervously asks what it says. She's excited for the confirmation that George loves Marina back and that he'll come to take her away or marry her. When Marina falls heavily to the bed, crying, Penelope asks if he'd been wounded. Marina tells her that he pretends there was nothing between them, that he desires nothing to do with "our- my situation."

Look at the expression on Penelope's face, here.

As Marina sobs, wails, Penelope picks up the letters to read them for herself and Portia congratulates her and Varley for their efforts, justifying that Marina had to learn the truth of men, eventually.

And then we're halfway through the season

Marina starts this halfway point as a new woman. When she mourned the idea of George, she mourned a failed love story, and she also mourned herself. When she said 'My situation' she accepted that the only person who would truly help her out of this is herself. She's inspected by Lord Rutledge terribly, he asks to see her teeth as Portia gives an elevator pitch, essentially making it seem that Marina was defective but, look, she has some good parts, too! Marina informs that she's had suitors calling all week (so we return to the romance situation at the beginning with a wide net) and Portia informs they'll take too long, considering so much time has passed. That she needs someone who won't ask questions when a baby comes out 3 months early, even if they married her the next day.

Obviously, Marina's in a horrible situation. This is nightmare levels of awful. She's been abused in so many ways, treated terribly. I don't think anyone could blame her for being upset. Penelope asks her if she'd like her to stay in, but Marina refuses, and Penelope doesn't push it. [Sidenote, this is also when Albion Finch comes to call on Phillipa, and we see Portia 'rewarded' (in her mind) for her efforts in keeping Marina out. She tells Mr. Finch that Marina isn't taking visitors, but he informs he's here to see Phillipa, to which Portia expresses wonder. To her, where her entire motivation is getting her daughters married, having seen Marina as an obstacle in such, she is vindicated through this]

Penelope and Eloise have another conversation, in which Penelope listens to Eloise talking about the house being abuzz w/ Daphne's prospects, to which Penelope says 'well, she *has* to marry eventually' after Eloise says she wishes Daphne would stay on the shelf forever so that Eloise doesn't have to be next in line [Eloise seeing Daphne very similarly to how Penelope saw Marina, in that way]. Eloise laments that she wants to fly, then praises Lady Whistledown as a brilliant woman of business, praise Penelope soaks up.

Penelope guides Eloise away from her attempts to rope her into schemes unmasking LW (who we now know is Penelope herself) and Eloise says she can tell her Mama she's sick and that she's caught what Marina has. Penelope informs that Marina is recovering, and that "It would be cruel of me not to be by her side when she comes back out. I shall cheer you on your endeavors, however."

The question is: has Penelope truly formed a friendship with Marina, or does she have a second reason, once again, for being beside Marina and keeping an eye on her when she re-enters once more?

Well, it surely means nothing that the next scene is Penelope and Colin having yet another moment. Surely.

Marina, being dangled about and clearly unhappy on the floor. Penelope, looking out to the ballroom. Colin comes behind her, to her delight, and talks about the host being fussy. "Do you think if he goes to bed, we all have to leave?" he asks, making Penelope laugh and clearly glad that he did so. To Colin, he likely imagines this to be the end of the correspondence, but Penelope surprises him. Like the first time, she opens up to him, shows him her wit, and they have a moment of snark, looking at each other for a beat too long after he compliments her with 'What a barb!'

Who breaks the moment? Penelope does. She doesn't continue. She doesn't take the compliment and run with it, she doesn't prolong the conversation. She looks down, and Colin changes the subject, sensing she's perhaps uncomfortable, or at least done with the moment, and says he's been trying to get in front of Marina all night, and Penelope says all Marina's interested in is a swift rescue, which inspires Colin to go after her.

This is their first moment together since her confinement, we know since he asks how she is, and from jump he gives her an out from a man who treats her like a piece of meat, and he makes a joke right away to ease her. Colin here is exactly to Marina as Colin was to Penelope when Cressida threw her drink on her: he's the knight in shining armor, and he likes it that way. Charm dialed up to ten, he and Marina re-hit it off immediately, and she's grateful to him. Tells him to spin her off and maybe she'll recover.

And Colin does. He spins her over and over again, in circles around the entire dancefloor, and Marina smiles, and Marina grins, and Marina laughs, something we haven't seen her do since she's thrown in confinement.

Can we blame her for wanting Colin? For falling for him? Very often we talk about how he was her only option, but the truth is that Marina liked Colin from the start, and she likes him here, too. She just found out that a man she'd been in love with is forsaking her, wants nothing to do with her. She's been inspected and slapped and degraded. And Colin is kind. Colin is genuine and earnest and fun. Colin brings her to life, again. She gushes about him to Penelope as soon as they're home.

And Penelope hates it.

Her problems are not that Marina is trapping Colin. She doesn't care about the logistics of the ruse. She tells Marina anyone but Colin. It isn't that Marina's pregnant, and it isn't that Marina lies.

It's that it's Colin. Penelope wants Colin and Marina wants him, too.

And that brings them back to where they started. It didn't matter what empathy and compassion they'd cultivated: Penelope is not Marina's friend. Penelope had *never* been Marina's friend. She was her ally insofar as Marina was going to live a story that left Penelope free for her own happily ever after with Colin, and as cruel as it is, it gives Penelope DEPTH. She is not just an altruistic darling willing to watch a man she loves marry her cousin. She does literally EVERYTHING she can to keep it from happening. That's her motive. He's her motive. It's Penelope's love for Colin and her hopes that they can be together that leads her to expose Marina.

In this conversation, she tries anew. Her hopes on George now dashed, and the confinement period over, Penelope tries to sway Marina by making Colin seem like a bad match. She can't think of negative qualities to counter Marina's compliment-fest (kind, funny, excellent with children), but informs that Colin is too young to marry. That she needs someone to propose soon. And Marina says he's not like other young men, that he's eager, that he saved her, that she thinks he will propose soon.

What Penelope never says is that everything Marina thinks of Colin, Penelope already knows. She knows Colin is funny, and kind, and an accomplished dancer, and excellent with children, and that he saved her, too, at Vauxhall, and that Marina opened up to her so she'll open up the same but she doesn't: she never once tells Marina that she loves him.

Because Penelope is not Marina's friend. But Marina *is* Penelope's. She says she'll be able to stay in town, gleeful that since Penelope is close to Eloise, so they will remain friends, as sisters. Marina doesn't see the secondary motives in Penelope's actions, trying to steer her away from Colin, nor does she assume anything of Penelope. How could she? Penelope has been nothing but nice to her in a house of cruelty. Penelope doesn't deride her, Penelope doesn't hit her, and Penelope helped her with George.

But Penelope doesn't want her there, same as everyone else in Featherington House. And she doesn't necessarily want Marina to be happy. She wants Marina to be out of the picture. She'd prefer if that was with her happy, but she doesn't need Marina's wellbeing. Just her absence. Or, at the very least, she's going move bitch, get out the way.

She begins thinking of how that will happen immediately after Marina leaves. She paces her room until Eloise throws rocks at her window, and this is when we get their fight.

Eloise comes with a theory about Lady Whistledown , going on and on about what she believes, and Pen cuts her off.

"Eloise I do not care! People have real problems, mature problems, problems that have nothing to do with the secret identity of some silly writer." "And you are so mature now?" "Well I am of age, I am out in society, therefore I have more important, mature things to worry about." "Like what?" "Like marriage," "You should not care about marriage.: "What if I do? I cannot expect you to understand, not everyone can be a pretty Bridgerton!"

Eloise runs off and Penelope immediately regrets it, because her fury isn't at Eloise, but rather projecting her frustrations at Marina and Colin's blossoming relationship at Eloise. When Penelope says she cares about marriage, that is only a half truth. She cares about marriage to Colin. Very specifically to Colin.

Episode 5 sees more of the same. When Colin comes to visit Marina, Penelope is displeased. She looks on as Colin brings Marina flowers, and Marina finds them beautiful. This is not a woman who would humbly have allowed Colin to marry whoever would make him happy, a selfless woman who had nothing but the best intentions toward Colin and Marina's love story.

She doesn't care if Colin would be happy with Marina. She wants him to be happy with her.

And listen to me very clearly: I like her more for it. Yeah, I said it. Oh, it would be easy if Penelope was a sweet darling, an innocent doll who tragically falls on the sword, wanting nothing more than for her dear friend to live a beautiful love story with someone who would appreciate him. No. She believes, knows Colin would be happier with her (and, ultimately, she ends up being right in that regard) and she wants him to be with her, not with Marina. This is not an excuse for Penelope. She doesn't do good things. Her intentions are not noble. What she wants is self-serving and how she goes about it is underhanded and secretive and manipulative. And I. Like. Her. For. It. Enough of the narrative that Marina was a villain, an antagonist in Penelope's love story.

Penelope was the antagonist in Marina's.

But she is also the hero in her own. From the very beginning, the narrative made it a one or the other situation. Even when they were friends, they weren't really friends. But through it all, Marina had no idea.

Because Penelope never told her.

She spoke in circles, said Colin loved to travel, encouraged him to do so in front of Marina, said Marina didn't like tomatoes when Colin joked that he'd bring her some as a surprise to break up the monotony of bouquets. Both Colin and Marina are surprised that she's saying anything in this scene, Marina moreso than him, because she thinks Penelope is her friend and would encourage this. Penelope knows how much Marina likes Colin, and how important time is with her situation. Marina gives her the 'girl, what are you doing????' face when Penelope clearly encourages Colin to travel. Colin informs that some things in London he'd want to see more than the world, and looks at Marina. They share a moment and Penelope rushes off after her mother for Plan. . .is it D, at this point? Plan D.

Penelope recognizes Marina and Colin like each other, so she goes to her mum. asks if it's a smart decision. She feigns caring for Marina. That she is ONLY worried because Colin is young and he's years off from marriage (which she doesn't really believe, or she wouldn't be saying anything) and that Marina simply doesn't have that kind of time.

It does what she wants. Portia comes to Marina, doubling down on Lord Rutledge, saying she has until Saturday to accept his proposal. Marina refuses, clearly disliking him, and Portia admonishes her.

"Is this about Mr. Bridgerton?" "He likes me! He will propose to me, I'm sure of it." "That boy is barely out of leading strings, he has two older brothers and they're still running from the yoke. You are to cut Colin Bridgerton immediately, or I will lock you in this very room until Lord Rutledge makes you his wife."

Marina's smart, she makes a deal. She recognizes how a marriage to Colin could do a world of good for Portia's daughters, and she pleads for just a few days. Before Saturday. That he would propose. And it's only now, in this moment, that Marina makes a plan that has anything to do with Colin. Only after already liking him and envisioning a second chance romance with him, and having a good life with him.

It isn't that Colin's her only other choice. Marina had several unhappy choices. But Colin is the choice she *wants* to make. She has a time limit now, hence the deception, but it's rooted in her attraction to him. "You will seduce him." is what Portia says, but for Marina, it's not as dramatic as all that. She already likes Colin. and Colin already likes her. So maybe they speed it all along, but it's not made through falsification.

But for Penelope, who listens at the door, this is now the proof that it's becoming serious, and that this plan, too, won't work.

Plan E, it is. Chuck her off to anyone new. See what sticks. She points out multiple men at the next ball they're at as prospects. This is Marina's face when Penelope described him as pleasant.

and then that another has kind eyes. To which Marina replies, honestly, rather relatably. That she doesn't know them or care about any of them, and that she's looking for Colin.

Only now. In the middle of Episode 6, just about at the 11th hour, does Penelope ask Marina not to pick him. This is the first time. That she can do this to anyone else. She attempts Plan H: a plea for morality. That she doesn't want him to be tricked and deceived. That she's known him forever. That Marina shouldn't do this to a good man, but Marina asks if Penelope would rather she marry a bad man, then.

And the truth is, Penelope would. Penelope would rather that Marina marry a bad man than marry Colin, Penelope would rather Marina do anything rather than marry Colin. Because this entire situation is all born because Penelope loves him.

This is her way of fighting for him. It's not her way of being altruistic, it's not her way of wanting to help him, it's her way of ensuring her own happily ever after. And no, that's not a 'Penelope is such a darling angel baby' take, but it IS a human one.

And the worst of it is that Marina would have backed off of Colin if Penelope just said something earlier. Think about how their friendship was. Penelope could have informed Marina that she liked Colin when Marina was gushing about George. She could have opened up. Or when Marina was getting suitors again after her re-debut in society. Marina was rife with suitors. She liked Penelope. But Penelope never spoke up. There was an entire month and a half Penelope could have talked to Marina, and then another in her confinement.

But Marina only realizes Penelope doesn't actually support her after Penelope says not to do this to a good man. That Penelope isn't happy for her in the least. She assures Penelope that she'll be a good wife to him, that he'll be good to her in return, and that, really, it isn't Penelope's business. Which it isn't except for the fact that she makes it her business. Lord Rutledge gets engaged, and Colin becomes Marina's last way out. But, let's be real: he was was also the only one she wanted to entertain.

Oh, my sweet, darling baby boy. Earnest describes him to a T. He doesn't know he's the rope in Marina and Penelope's tug of war (hell, Marina doesn't even know someone else is pulling for him), and he gets denied a narrative in so much of this. When Marina says she's feeling faint and to find someplace more private, Colin doesn't even THINK she has alternative motives. He's concerned, takes her to a different room.

Watching this scene, you see how utterly endearing he is. He leaves the door open until she encourages him to close it, which he does post haste. He smiles at her and keeps a respectable distance. He's truly been raised to be a gentleman, and he clearly respects her. When she says they shouldn't be alone together, he finally realizes what she wants from him. When she takes a step toward him, it's subtle, but he leans back. Gets nervous. Steels his face, drops his expression. When she goes in for the kiss, he makes a few minute jerks forward, for a grand total of 2 and a half seconds, and then cuts it all off.

"You are a Lady. I must maintain your honor. And mine. No matter how. . .tempting, otherwise."

Marina, after hearing this, is stupefied. Tells him he's right. That she's a lady. She's unmarried. And he is. . .a gentleman.

And she knows Penelope is right. That he's good. She just didn't know how good Colin actually is. And in this moment, she accepts her lot. She walks away. Her last chance, her last option, and upon realizing that Colin is kind and earnest and a good, honorable person, she agrees with Penelope. She doesn't want to lie to him, to trick him, she's about to let him go. But Colin offers her to marry him, and she accepts.

Because wouldn't you? Wouldn't anybody?

Hell, her exact words are "I would be delighted to marry you." and she means it. Not as a last resort, but genuinely. We don't do Colin enough justice in this romance.

He goes on about how their long engagement is romantic, that she deserves a grand celebration, and you can tell she enjoys that, but also that she knows she'll never have it. This is where she realizes how different they are, that he's a dreamer and she's a pragmatist. And that she'll have to change his mind but can't ask for it outright.

Marina has affection for Colin. Even in season 2 we can see that, when she rightfully tells him they're in the past and that he should focus on those in his life who already make him happy. How could she not have affection for him when he's genuinely so fucking good?

And speaking of, the way he defends her to Anthony still remains one of the hottest scenes Colin takes part in. When he says he's marrying Marina for love, and not because he compromised her, he means that. When he calls Anthony an ass for insisting he go to brothels and that his interest in Marina is just lust, he's genuinely offended. Anthony says that Violet is distraught and that he won't give Colin his blessing,

"Sorry to disappoint you." "You have. In so many ways."

Colin goes to see his mum immediately after. He takes her hand and, without saying it, he all but screams 'why don't you see me?' Reminds he was courting Marina all season after Violet says she was glad she knew before Whistledown. That she was too wrapped up in Daphne to notice.

Colin wants to be seen, to be taken seriously, and it really is, as of that moment, that the only people who do so outwardly are Marina and Pen. The difference between them isn't down to looks or attitude or anything like that at all: Marina pursues Colin, she makes it clear she's interested, and Penelope doesn't. It's her greatest character flaw and the crux of her story, that she never says what she wants, that she doesn't speak up for herself. Eloise even points it out about her (and you know in friend fights they cut deep). only when she learns to speak aloud what she wants does she get her love story and happiness in society.

Penelope is near in tears when Colin announces his engagement to Marina. But the thing about Penelope is that she's persistent.

As she walks in to Marina, Prudence, and Phillipa talking about how all their fortunes are about to change with the new engagement, Penelope snarks 'Especially Colin's' to which Marina replies by complimenting her, saying she looks lovely. Penelope replies not to mock her, and Marina says

"Do not mock me." "It pains me you should think every compliment a mockery." "Do not pity me either." "I do not pity you, Penelope. I respect you. You have been a true friend since I arrived here, and I rely on your continued friendship and sympathy." "My continued silence, you mean? You think so little of me I cannot bear it. I never would have made my way through this awful tangle without your kindness. Please, do not tell me you regret it." "I would never bring scandal to you or our family if that is what you ask. But I cannot condone your actions." "I want you as my friend, Pen. Can you not try to understand and be a little pleased for me?"

Marina leaves for her modiste appointment and Phillipa talks about how they'd make beautiful babies together, to which Prudence laughs and reminds that he's not the father. Penelope snaps at them, saying Marina makes a fool of Colin already, but

but

does she not do the same to him when she outs the information later on? I like Penelope, and I ship Polin. In fact, I ship Polin exclusively, in the sense that I don't actually ship Colin or Penelope with anyone else, but this entire season is proof of Penelope's fuck ups with Marina and with Colin, both, and her justification for her actions, a thing Portia also does. She goes deeper and deeper into her disregard for Marina. Marina wants Penelope as a friend but Penelope doesn't care about Marina to that extent, even from the beginning. As Portia and Marina become more entwined in their joined ruse, Penelope sets her hopes on Violet noticing that Marina is pregnant, but Violet does her best to welcome Marina to the family, wanting to do right by Colin.

So, there goes plan G. Dire straits, then. Penelope finally has a moment alone with Colin. I've talked about the scene in which she tries to 'tell him' in a different meta, and this is already so impossibly long, but long story is that Penelope still doesn't say what she really means here. There's a narrative that Colin doesn't listen to her, but all season he listens to her. And all season, she never says what she actually wants to. When she tells him that Marina loves someone else, Colin assures he would be a hypocrite if it mattered to him that she had a romance before him. (good for you, bb boi) She doesn't tell him Marina's pregnant, which she writes in LW later on, but skirts around the subject until those precious few moments are gone.

And she lies. She says Marina loves George, still, but Marina has accepted that George wants nothing to do with her. Whether she loves him or not is outside of Penelope's knowledge. She just wants to throw whatever she can at the wall and see if it sticks, see if it breaks the engagement, and still have Colin look at her with fond eyes after the fact.

When Marina discovers them in the hallway, it's hard not to sympathize with her. She's soft when she tells Penelope Portia is looking for her, and she looks so tired. Colin apologizes for Anthony being so rude at dinner, and Marina confides in him. That her own father doesn't want her. That the Featheringtons cannot wait to be rid of her. That she thought she'd find acceptance with his family, but that was a foolish thought.

And she's right. Marina is, for all intents and purposes, fully alone. She has no one in her corner save herself. And save for Colin.

"Even your mother is just being polite." "I shall be your family, now. We shall make our own family, you and me."

And Marina wants that. So deeply, she wants that. With Colin, there's acceptance. She isn't trying to manipulate him, here, she's just hurt. Penelope has her own reasons, she loves Colin, he's a dear friend, and she doesn't want to see him hurt, and she wants him to be with her, but Marina's reasons are also poignant. Colin is the only person who made her welcome in the ton and continues to do so. Once Penelope turns her back on Marina, she just has him. And in his desire to do right by her, offers to elope.

When she says "I love you" to Colin, she's not lying. She's not trying to trick him, as is so often discussed. Is it an everlasting love? No. Is it a nonproblematic love? No. But she certainly loves what he's done for her, how he makes her feel, and she has admiration for who he is as a person. That's love, too.

This is the face of a relieved woman. Not a woman who just lied and schemed reveling in her success. This is a woman looking up to heaven, thanking God for this second chance. Just LOOK at her

We come back to Penelope, then, the day after, who feigns being sick and then runs to ransack Marina's room, looking for George's letters. (so to all the people mad at Eloise for rummaging through Penelope's room, well. . .I hope that same 'it's an invasion of privacy!' applies here, as well) Instead, she finds her duffel packed and knows they're going to elope. She searches more for George's letters and finds them, realizing one is forged.

So, Penelope waits for Marina, in her room, with the falsified letters (Plan I?), to inform her that the letter that broke Marina's heart was a forgery. She has proof that her mama faked the signature. Marina informs that it doesn't matter. George never replied to her letters.

"He has abandoned me. While Colin has embraced me." "I thought you loved him. George." "I was a fool. This changes nothing."

To which Penelope is aghast, watching Marina burn the letters, and when she asks what she'll do when Colin discovers, Marina is truthful. That she will live safe in the knowledge that Colin is a good and kind man, as he has proven to be, and that he'll take care of her and her baby. Which brings us to:

"What of him? What of Colin?"

And do I think some part of this truly is Penelope caring about Colin and his ultimate happiness? Yes. She does want what's best for him, and she does care deeply for him, but the truth of the matter is that in this, she's not doing it for him. Penelope is doing it for her. And that makes it more interesting. At every turn, every single one, Colin shows that he's infatuated w/ Marina. That he loves her, even. Nothing about his actions signify any different. And maybe it's not true love, and maybe it's a bid for him to feel useful, to feel listened to, to be taken seriously, but it's still how he feels.

The only person suffering, here, is Penelope. And Marina recognizes it for what it is. When she tells Penelope that her love is an unrequited fantasy, she has no reason to think otherwise. Penelope never opened up to her, all her criticisms are now revealed as her wanting Colin from jump, and Penelope all but said aloud she and Marina aren't friends. Marina told her to get out of her relationship, and none of us can pretend that we wouldn't do the same. Penelope is acting as though Marina is a scourge on Colin, but all Colin has done is make Marina feel cared for and wanted. We don't give him enough credit, I swear, because the reality is that how Colin is with Marina is a glimpse into how he loves. If he can forgive Marina lying to him for a good reason, he can forgive Penelope lying to him for a good reason. Marina was never Colin's endgame. Not once. It was always going to be Penelope.

And it's to show that Colin is a good man who fights for his partner, who listens, who has empathy, who wants to bring cheer, who jokes, who is wide-hearted and romantic, who puts his feelings in his hands and reaches out palms first. Give him his flowers. He was a real one with Marina. Through and through and he's gonna be a real one with Penelope. A real one to the max. This is Colin's baseline and it'll only dial up with Pen when we reunite in Season 3 but for now-

Marina says she'll be the executioner of Penelope's childish fantasy of loving Colin, but it's Penelope who's the executioner. Because even though she comes running to Eloise, even though she sobs and cries and did so much to ensure what she didn't want to happen wouldn't happen, in the end, ultimately, Penelope chooses herself. She doesn't choose Colin, she doesn't choose Marina.

Penelope chooses Penelope.

And she exposes Marina's secret. And she breaks up the engagement. By force. "Perhaps she thought she had no other option. Or perhaps she knows no shame." which is what Penelope wrote of Marina, also applies to herself in this case. When she sobs with Eloise, she's hurt by what Marina says to her, yes, but she's not weeping to mourn Colin and her one day maybe love story with him. Because she doesn't believe Marina, she doesn't think it's an unrequited fantasy. Why else expose Marina?

No, she's mourning herself. Mourning the person she one thought herself to be, and how that isn't the person that she is, that she would and can use Whistledown to get what she wants, that she has power, and how she would throw her own family and even herself under the bus for just the HOPE of her love story, and that all her intentions of fairness fly out the window because Penelope is human, and she was jealous, and she was mad.

And she continues to be. Further salt in the wound in Episode 7

"Miss Marina Thompson's recent fall from grace continues to echo through every drawing room in town days after it was revealed her engagement to Colin Bridgerton was nothing more than a sham. Of course, a Lady's disgrace does not merely tarnish her own name, like the tars on the Thames, it also leaves a smear on everyone nearby. While there is no parasol in the world strong enough to shelter a ruined woman, the fallen Miss Thompson can only hope she shall find a refuge somewhere."

Y'all

This is mean. This is twisting the knife. Portia knows it's game over. Marina is even refused from a charity room without a considerable donation. She's out of options. And it narrows and narrows around her.

And for Colin, denial isn't just a river in Egypt. He claims Lady Whistledown to publish lies and says Marina must be in agony, that he doesn't understand why he can't just visit her. Anthony informs that BECAUSE of Lady Whistledown, Colin is absolved from being the father, but if he comes near her, they will presume and he'll ruin the rest of the family for it. Even still, Colin goes to refuse, but Daphne interrupts. No one listens to him in this scene, and he's left to listen to how his family will fix what they perceive as his fuck up. He says he's sooo happy it's been settled, and storms off.

Once again, no one takes Colin seriously. He's right to point it out. Not even Penelope, as she took his decision from him just as everyone else did. In a way, Colin is also alone. I think that's what really tugged his heartstrings when Marina lamented no one wanting her around.

Colin's a hopeless romantic. In a way, he fabricated his own love story around what he wanted to hear and know. He says Leander swam each night in total darkness to see his love, and Daphne, now jaded, tells him Leander also drowned. She'll arrange a rendezvous, but she doesn't believe it'll be a love story, not really, not anymore. And Colin even though Colin seemed to be hopeful that it was a lie, when Daphne says that Marina's a stranger and that Whistledown knew Marina better than Colin did, Colin clarifies that Whistledown knew Marina's secrets.

Maybe he already knows it's true, believes it to be, but he doesn't want to see it.

"You must tell me that this Whistledown woman is mistaken, what she wrote, it cannot be true." "But it is." "You are. . .with child? I do not understand. We were to be wed. You- you said you loved me." "Colin, I hold you in the greatest esteem." "Esteem? You are a cruel woman indeed to stand here and talk of friendly affection as if you have not just committed a grave sin against me." "Speak not of sin, Mr. Bridgerton. I did not come here to be shamed by you, nor anyone else. I did not know better. You may think me a villain but I did what I thought I must. No one ever truly helped me or guided me in a different direction. I had no choice. I needed to wed. And you- you were the only man who offered me even a glimpse of happiness." "So I should feel flattered, then? Consider myself lucky that you chose me, lied to me, tried to trick me into a fraud of a marriage? I shall take my leave of you for the last time, Miss Thompson. . .You wish to know the cruelest part of your deception? If you had simply come to me and told me of your situation, I would have married you without a second thought. That is how in love I believed myself to be. But I see now that was all a lie."

This is such a fascinating conversation. It reveals more of Colin than a lot of other scenes he has does. For Colin, it's not Marina being pregnant or having come to the Ton already with child that bothers him, it's that she lied to him. He calls it a fraud of a marriage, says that she told him she loved him, and that he doesn't believe it now. One lie toppled the entire house of cards for him.

Which makes it all the more paramount that Penelope tells Colin that she's Whistledown. He shouldn't have to find out on his own, and in fact, finding out on his own would cause an IMMENSE rift between them. It would shatter his trust in her worse than learning about Marina lying to him. If Penelope instead, however, comes clean, comes to him with honesty, Colin would see that in of itself as an act of love and trust. For Colin, love is being honest. Love is being earnest. Love is being upfront. And even though Marina had every reason not to do so, to hide, to reveal to him after the fact, having lied to him is what really breaks his heart.

This is an opportunity for Bton to get some payoff in a reflection of a scene like this with Colin and Penelope. Because what so many of us Polin fans don't want to face is the fact that Penelope is ALSO keeping a life ruining secret from him. And what Marina says? Can we not also hear that in Penelope's voice? If the question is how they overcome it, the first part of that answer is by Penelope taking accountability. Coming clean.

And even though Marina has more that happens to her, this is the end of her and Colin's love story. From here, they don't really intersect. Marina does say to Daphne that Colin is a sweet boy, and for what it is worth, she is sorry, but they have very little beyond this. Until Season 2 when he visits her [we'll unpack that can of worms at a different time] Eloise comes to Penelope and asks how she's faring, Penelope says their mum swears they're ruined. But Penelope then asks about Colin, if he's in pieces, and Eloise assures that Colin will be fine as most men are, but that Whistledown has gone too far with the slander the sheet did to her family. The Featheringtons are asked to leave the luncheon, and Penelope walks off with them, realizing the true impact of Whistledown and what she's done for the first time.

One of which is Marina's brush with death. Disgraced, abandoned, and rejected, Marina drinks what she hopes is an abortive tea, and Penelope finds her on the floor after she comes to talk to her, perhaps to come clean, perhaps to make amends. Now that Colin is no longer a point of contention between them, Penelope can open her heart once more, and likely feels immensely guilty. In our final episode, Penelope is clearly feeling the weight of her actions, even when Marina apologizes to her after drinking the tea and recovering, is glad she can finally go home, and says Penelope was right. That Colin is a good man with a good heart. That Penelope was good to him, and one day, Colin will see it. It's the end of the season, now. Marina is more than ready to move on.

Enter Phillip Crane. The entire Phillip situation is tragic, how he has to tell Marina that George is dead, and how Marina has his letter as proof that George loved her, and that she thought him a villain. (Marina has a moment that I think will be reflected by Penelope in Season 3: 'I was wrong.' )

The next scene Penelope and Colin share is when he's singing for his family, his voice catching when he looks at her. Likely in gratitude or appreciation, but also this is another moment in which he looks at Penelope differently, their relationship subtly shifting. He realizes she was trying to tell him. He admires how good she is. He's touched by how she cares about him, how she tried to keep him from heartache. And she did. She really, really did.

She just also tried to keep herself from it, too.

But she couldn't. Because at the end of all of this, all these twists, these turns, and all the choices she makes 'for Colin'- he has to choose himself, too. And he chooses to leave, to escape, to heal, and to embrace his passions in travel. and this hurts Penelope, too, because it wasn't that she was trying to keep him from heartache, but rather to keep him for herself. Because she was trying to tell him she loved him.

Immediately following the end of his engagement that she orchestrated, she wanted to confess. In a way, Penelope underestimated Colin, didn't see him all season, the depth of his feelings or his gentle heart. Though she tried to keep him from heartache, heartache found him regardless. She denies his request for a dance, swallows her confession, and leaves. It hurts her that he doesn't want her, but she doesn't think of his perspective in it. To Penelope, Colin is not yet a person, but an idea. This is the first fragment in that image. Which is good. It has to shatter eventually, and it does so at the end of Season 2.

Daphne, the same woman Penelope tried to pit against Marina in the diamond wars at the start of the season becomes the only real ally Marina has. Her only true friend. And the reason Phillip comes and offers Marina marriage, thus keeping her from destitution. Penelope wasn't going to, even though she was sorry at the end. She cries after Marina walks past her without so much as a glance when she walks her way, stone faced, into a carriage with a complete stranger, her dead love's brother, to live the rest of her days in a completely new place.

And Penelope? Penelope engrosses herself into Lady Whistledown, and she continues correspondence with Colin from afar, as she is more comfortable doing, and she dreams of a someday, and she feels invincible, because at the end of the day, even though what she did was objectively not good, she got away with it. She leaves us with a smirk at the end of Season 1.

Which makes her even more bold in Season 2. Which will lead us up to her having to face actual consequences for her actions in S3, because in this entire season, not once does Penelope apologize, and in fact, the two people whom she causes the most harm to, both end up apologizing to her, completely unaware that the entire time, she'd been plotting to break them up from the very beginning

I don't think Penelope is evil, but Marina certainly isn't, either. To assume that Penelope felt betrayed by Marina, to pin the blame onto her, is to twist the narrative, and it has festered so long and so deeply into Polin, that we've seemingly completely forgotten.

Like it or not, the story with Marina serves important roles: it reveals the extent and sacrifices Penelope will go to and make for Colin, for herself, for her own happy ending, and for romance, it shows what a hopeless romantic Colin is, and how dearly he cares for others, how deeply he feels, and how desperately he wants to be heard. And, more than anything, it's the story of a woman who was thrust into circumstances that were bigger than her, that left her scrambling for answers, that revealed everyone else's cruelty in their interactions with her.

And that revealed ours, as well.

sometimes fanon festers for so long that it becomes what we swear is real, even if it isn't. it becomes a rot, in fact, manifesting in so many bad takes, particularly about Marina, in the Polin tag. we've all seen them. Penelope exposed Marina because she did it for Colin. Marina didn't care for Colin and only wanted to trap him. Colin was blind to what was in front of him all along. some of them are more cruel, people stating that Colin was an absolute idiot or that Marina was a heartless bitch.

It's enough of Marina being the Big Bad in Polin's love story. She isn't. Marina got dealt a horrible hand, and she navigated it with so much more grace than I ever could have. She endured physical abuse, verbal degradation, gaslighting, manipulation, derision, fake friends, and the death of her own love story to come out the other end a pragmatic woman with a kind heart, moving forward. Her experiences in Season 1 made her believe she had no Love Story to live. She loved, she lost, she tried again and it blew up in her face.

And she deserves our fucking sympathy

Her story is over in Bridgerton, but as Polin's love story continues, it's important to get a clean look at Penelope's intentions and how morally gray she truly is, which makes her all the more interesting and complex. It makes Polin's love story and their dynamics rich and nuanced and layered. Both Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington said "I'll do anything for love"

we get to see just far that stretches

#marina thompson #marina crane #polin #bridgerton #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #this is the longest post i have ever made #and i STILL have more to say #whoops

[lunaraindrop]

steddie prompt: hamburger helper.

that little glove is fucking adorable; i want a plushie of it (up to you if you use this in the prompt).

Ask and you shall receive, Willow dear! 😊

There is some added Claudia/Wayne, but this is Steve and Eddie’s story 💜

*EDIT* This will be longer than two parts!

-----

Hamburger Helper Pt. 1

It was on a random Wednesday afternoon when Dustin Henderson changed the course of Eddie’s life forever.

Mrs. H, the delightful woman she was, convinced Eddie and his uncle Wayne to come over and help Dustin clean out the garage and then have dinner.

She had invited Steve to come as well, but he sadly stated that he had to work. How Family Video was still open was beyond Eddie, but he and Robin were busier than ever.

Somehow, it turned into Claudia Henderson inviting Wayne in for lemonade (from a mix) and powdered donuts (homemade), and giving he and Dustin chocolate chip cookies (homemade) and raspberry kool-aid (from a mix).

Wayne has a weakness for powdered donuts. Ironically, he also has a weakness for Claudia Henderson.

Eddie, who loved spending time with Dustin, was up for helping the halfling declutter his smial. (He was also eager to get his uncle back into dating. At least one of them could maybe have their crush.)

It was hour three into putting things into "keep" or "donate" piles, when Dustin spoke up.

"You know, Eddie. You're one of my best friends, right?"

Eddie smiled and noogied the top of his head. "Aww, Dusty! Right back at you."

Dustin cleared his throat. That made Eddie pause his steps. It sounded like that was actually an opener for something serious. Eddie turned his undivided attention to the kid.

"You're one of my best friends, Eddie. I love you. You're practically family to me. So, you could tell me anything. Anything at all."

He looked imploringly into Eddie's eyes. "I'm safe to talk to. You can trust me. Okay?"

Eddie...was really getting freaked out.

"I love and trust you, Henderson. But, uh, what exactly is it that you want me to tell you?"

Dustin sighed.

"You don't trust me."

Eddie, bewildered, blinked and waved his arms.

"I just said I did! But what the fuck, man? What do you think I'm not telling you?"

Dustin pursed his lips, and nodded to himself.

"Look, I'm just going to come out and say something. On the off chance I'm wrong, which hardly ever happens by the way, just tell me I am and we'll forget I even said anything, okay?"

Eddie nodded, even more bewildered than before. "Ok...ay....Cool. Speak now, oh wise one."

Dustin opened his mouth, closed it, pursed his lips, and opened his mouth again.

"You're in love with Steve."

It felt like Dustin had just dumped a bucket of ice water onto Eddie's head. Eddie stumbled backwards and landed in one of the clothing boxes. There was a loud thud.

"Eddie!"

Dustin ran over to help him out.

"You boys alright out there?"

"We're fine, Ma!"

"J-just horsing around, Mrs. H!"

That seem to placate her.

Eddie shot up from the box, and quickly turned to Dustin.

"What do you know? *How* do you know? Jesus Christ, does *he* know?!"

Dustin reached out and soothed the older guy. "Easy, Eddie. I'm sorry! Maybe I shouldn't have been so blunt."

Eddie waved him off. "You think?!" He paced across the concrete forca second, before turning back.

"Henderson, you have ten seconds to explain why you think I should be telling you anyrhing about that, or I'm going to make your character's life a living hell next champaign."

So, Dustin did. As quickly as he could, he told Eddie in bullet points the evidence that Eddie didn’t just think of Steve as a good friend.

The kid was thorough. Very observant. Didn't miss a beat.

Damn him, he knew Eddie's secret.

"Who else knows?"

Dustin actually looked hurt. "No one, Eddie! I swear! I mean, Max kind of suspects something, but that's kinda different..."

"So Max *kinda* thinks I'm in love with Steve?!"

"Umm...kind of the other way around? And that Steve is going to be a sad, pining loser forever because you're not into him?"

What?

Eddie flailed. "What?! That's crazy talk!"

"That's what I said!"

"Steve isn't into me at all! He's not even into men!"

"That...not my place to say."

Eddie sharply side-eyed him. Dustin looked nervous.

"You know something, don't you, idjit!"

Dustin crossed his arms.

"I only know something if Steve isn't going to get hurt."

Holy shit.

"Hooooly shit."

"So, do you?"

Eddie spoke faintly. "Do I what?"

"Love Steve."

"Oh. That."

Now Dustin was flailing. "AND?"

"Oh I love him. I love him with the flame of a thousand burning suns. I even learned how to play Springsteen on acoustic for him."

Dustin's eyes widened. "Springsteen?!"

Eddie nodded, defeated. "I know."

"Oh my God! You really love him!"

"So, so much."

They were quiet for a moment, before Eddie spoke up again. "So, that thing Red thinks. Do *you* think Steve is a pining loser over me?"

"Hamburger Helper."

That answer confused Eddie.

"What?"

"Hamburger Helper. It's Steve's favorite meal. Especially the Cheeseburger Mac kind."

The wheels started turning in Eddie's head.

"So, if I made him that-"

"He would be putty in your hands, yes."

Eddie gave Dustin an impish grin. "I do make a mean Hamburger Helper."

Link to Pt.2

#steve harrington #eddie munson #steddie #dustin's dads #dustin henderson #claudia henderson #wayne munson #luna is a writer #answered

[admin-in-residence]

The Case of the Secret Starcourt Base… (Part 1)

Summary: The very first jump into official canon! Bea gets roped into a new adventure, Eddie and Wayne get worried, and we begin to discover the Secret Starcourt Base…Part 1 of 2!

Part 3 of The Case Of…series.

One Shot Warnings: Mentions of drugs, Mentions of Alcohol, Original Character is stated to be female.

”You want me to crawl through there?”

Bea wasn’t entirely sure how she had gotten into this situation, standing below a ventilation shaft in the back of Scoop’s Ahoy. One moment she had made a last minute decision to get some ice cream before meeting up with Eddie later that afternoon, the next Steve Harrington was dragging her into the back room with his co-worker, Dustin Henderson and Erica Sinclair.

“Can I ask why?” Bea asked, “Did you lose something or…”

The four other people turned to one another in a huddle, whispering amongst each other.

Bea crossed her arms, she hated feeling like the odd man out. And it’s not like she asked to be dragged back here.

After a few moments, the group separated once more.

”We picked up on a secret Russian Communication, and we have reason to believe that they have a base somewheres in Starcourt.” Dustin said, “I’m telling you this because I believe we can trust you.”

Bea blinked- once, twice.

She wasn’t quite sure how else to react to a statement like that, but she knew Dustin from school and he didn’t seem the type to joke about something like this, especially when he looked so serious.

“Erica can fit through the vents, but she wants someone to go along with her- I remember you from school, your one of the good ones.” Dustin explained.

One of the good ones- a loose term for staying out of peoples business and not being a bully. Bea preferred to stay quiet, too much attention and you’d attract bullies like flies. Dustin and his group of friends were some of the good ones too…Before, she didn’t have anyone to help her face bullies, but with Eddie she found herself opening up more than she ever had- look where that got her now.

“It’s a contingency plan.” The younger girl interrupted. “If something happens to me, you can still crawl back through the vents for help.”

“Which won’t happen because we’ll be talking to you guys through the radio the entire time. All you have to do is crawl through the vents and open the transportation door.” Robin huffed.

“Sorry- but I’m still trying to get over the whole Russian base thing, can I have a minute?” Bea gaped, taking a seat at one of the tables.

“I know it seems scary-“

”Seems!?” Bea gasped. “Sorry, sorry…its just.”

“A lot?” Dustin finished. “That’s why we have to do something, if we don’t, they could hurt a lot of people, people that we care about.”

Bea’s mind flickered, thinking of Eddie and Wayne back home at the trailer park…not just her house, but a physical place that she felt at home at. Walking through the door and Wayne greeting her if he wasn’t at work, or Eddie driving around playing his obnoxiously loud music.

She understood for once, what it felt like to want to protect someone other than herself.

A year or two back, Bea wouldn’t have thought twice about it. She would have walked out the door to Scoops and probably wouldn’t have came back, back then she would have thought them to be crazy.

But then Will Byers disappeared for a week, they had a funeral for him, and then he comes back from the dead with little explanation. Barbara Hollands gets caught up in some sort of Laboratory leak, and Bea’s own father, a doctor who worked at a supposed Energy Lap quits his job abruptly and started drinking away any memory of the place.

There was something strange happening in Hawkins, and Bea finally had a chance to figure out what may be the cause of it.

Sure her palms were sweaty and her heart was racing…but…

“Ok. Ok I’ll do it- but I need to make a quick phone call!”

…

Eddie Munson’s day had been going perfectly fine. He finished a few deals he’d put off while driving Bea back and forth to the library, not wanting the kid to be around while he did the drug deals, and he had plans to meet up with Bea later for movie night. Wayne even had the night off and after much pleading from both Bea and himself, they’d managed to convince Wayne to watch a movie with them.

Bea had peddled off that morning, on the hunt for yet another ice cream cone from Scoops Ahoy and he’d thought about driving over to the mall to pick her up once he finished at the school, but he figured she’d probably already be back at the Trailer Park.

Instead, he walked into his Uncle’s trailer to find Wayne hanging up the phone.

“We’re going to have to postpone movie night tonight.” Wayne announced. “Bea called, apparently she’s been invited to a sleepover with some girls from school, last minute thing but she said it was important. Told me to tell you that she should be free tomorrow night.”

Eddie felt his heart drop for a moment, before confusion clouded his mind.

“Is that all she said?” Eddie asked. “Didn’t say who it was with?”

Bea had told him multiple times that she didn’t get along with many people in her grade, so it seemed out of character for her to randomly drop movie night to go join a gaggle of them. She wasn’t like the other girls, she didn’t like her nails painted or swapping weird romance stories or whatever else girls do at silly little sleepovers.

Bea liked music, books, and she had a newfound love for D&D, she’d even gotten a Hellfire T-shirt just a couple of days ago. Eddie hadn’t ever seen the girl smile so wide when she threw it on over her t-shirt. She was officially part of his crew now.

Maybe he was just jealous, jealous that she’d ditched him so quickly for something more ‘normal’ in the eyes of Hawkins.

But Eddie knew better then that, and he’d gotten to know Bea quickly over the past couple weeks of summer vacation…there was a underlying feeling, a bad feeling that was creeping up.

Something was wrong.

…

Time passed quickly, and night fell over Starcourt in a blink of an eye. Erica stood beside Bea, kitted out in elbow pads, a backpack and a bike helmet fitted with two flashlights.

Bea was pretty sure her single flashlight and one of Robin's sweaters to keep from getting ventilation shaft gunk on her new Hellfire shirt would suffice her just fine, but if all of that made Erica feel safer than who was she to say anything?

With word from Robin and the others topside, the operation was a go. Erica climbed up the ladder first and crawled into the shaft and after a few moments she called back to Bea to tell her to follow.

For once her shorter size paid an advantage, and without the clunky elbow guards she was able pull herself through the shaft with ease. Erica’s flashlights led the way as they followed the route that they had spent the afternoon memorizing.

“We’re here-“ Erica called back, “The storage rooms empty, no guards in sight.”

Bea heard the faint buzz of the radio and Robins voice confirming and they enacted part two of the plan. Erica kicked out the panel and threw her backpack down and Bea shuffled forwards to follow.

The storage room didn’t look like a secret Russian base, if anything it just looked like any other storage unit, full of boxes belonging to that Chinese place in the mall. Maybe they were full of fortune cookies or something.

Bea pulled herself a little closer to the edge, maneuvering her feet around and sliding out into the room. Erica was already one step ahead opening the control panel to unlock the doors.

Glancing around the room, nothing seemed out of place, she didnt see any sort of security camera’s or big signs alerting anyone to a secret Russian base.

She probably should have been concerned about that-

…

Eddie paced around the trailer- there was something off about this entire thing and the more time that went by, the worst he felt about it. Wayne had laughed it off, making a joke that Eddie was acting like a mother hen-

He’d gone over to Bea’s, just to see if she’d come home…but her bike was still missing and the lights were off. Her father most likely at the bar yet again, and wouldn’t be back until the early morning if he wasn’t back by now.

He’d tried to think of some of the kids in her year, but names eluded him and he didn’t want to seem crazy calling a bunch of her classmates looking for her. Even worse would be talking to any of the kid’s parents and trying to explain that he wasn’t family, but she was basically his little sister and she was missing.

Finally in desperation he’d gone out to the van and drove into town, Bea’s newly renovated bike wasn’t hard to miss now that it was ‘sunset orange’ as she still loved to call it. Eddie was fairly sure she was the only kid in town with the colorful bike…and he was pretty sure no one else would be caught dead with a bike that color anyways.

The bike made her happy though- so Eddie kept those thoughts to himself.

Unsuccessful, Eddie turned back around to head home, it was starting to get really late. However, one final idea crossed his mind and he turned down the next road heading towards Starcourt Mall.

The Mall lights were still on, they’d never shut off once since they’d turned on except for that power outage the day before. But he could see through the windows that the shops were closed up for the night, all of the employees already headed home for the night.

Pulling up to the curb, Eddie hopped out of the drivers seat leaving his van on.

Very few bikes were left at the bike racks, but there was one down by the end was the one he was searching for. Sunset orange dulled by the neon lighting of Starcourt, but recognizable to Eddie from seeing it so much.

Eddie pulled the bike free noticing that there was no bike lock to be found-

That was the first warning sign.

Ever since renovating the bike with Wayne, Bea had resorted to chaining it to the bike racks, not wanting it to be stolen by anyone after the time and effort they’d put into it. Usually she only left it unchained if she was planning to be in and out somewheres.

The second warning sign was that Bea was nowhere in sight.

If she’d truly left with a classmate for a sleepover she would have figured out some way to bring the bike, either biking to whoever’s house or having someone pick it up and take it with them. She would have needed it to get back home in the morning as well. But here it was, unchained and alone.

Throwing the bike in the back of the van, Eddie ran back to the driver's seat and floored the gas peddle, tires squealing as he sped off.

This time he took the road towards the Hideaway.

…

“What is that!?” Bea stood on her tiptoes trying to peer around the group huddled around the boxes.

Getting fed up enough she shoved her way in between Dustin and Robin looking inside the box before them.

Steve was the bravest of them reaching inside to grab one of the handle’s of the weird storage container. Robin and Erica backed away with his orders, but Dustin stood his ground as did Bea.

“Back off kid- we don’t know what this is.” Steve told her sharply.

Bea however, having spent the past weeks with Eddie Munson had developed a tolerance to orders- and she didn’t take kindly to them anymore.

“And? If that is something highly dangerous, standing a few feet behind you isn’t going to save our lives.” Bea fixed her words with a classic stare that she used against Eddie.

Steves eyebrows furrowed for a moment before shrugging. Twisting the handle, there was a click, a hiss and he was able to pull a capsule up out of the box. Inside, swirling green liquid gleamed by the overhead lighting, a weird glow cast a green haze over Steve and Dustin’s faces, and Bea assumed her own face was hued with the odd color.

“That’s definitely radioactive gook-“ Bea announced. “Nothing that color is anything that’s safe.”

Everyone glanced between her and the capsule before the floor shook beneath their feet.

Bea’s heart dropped into her stomach and suddenly- she didn’t feel very good, like she’d ridden to many roller coasters.

“You know what- I’m going to wait outside.” She announced quickly, rounding the table and over to the control panel.

“Bea’s right, lets just grab that and go.” Robin followed.

Eyeing the panel before her, Bea pressed the ‘Open Door’ button once.

Waiting a few seconds she tapped her foot before pressing it twice.

“Are these button backwards?” Bea asked her voice raising, her heart skipped a beat and she gave a nervous giggle. “Like is it Opposite Day or something?”

Dustin pushed her out of the way and jammed the button a few more times.

“Just press the damn button nerds-“ Erica scoffed, “Just press ‘Open Doors!?”

“We’re pressing it!” Bea screamed.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she willed herself to hold the ice cream bowl Robin had made for her, down in her stomach. However, as the seconds passed…that was getting to be more and more difficult.

Steve entered the fray, pushing Dustin over, Dustin pushing Bea over and the three of them began to bicker about the door, Steve slamming his hands all around onto the different buttons.

From the ceiling there came a click and walls descended down over the door’s.

Stepping away, Bea found a spot against the wall as her breathing hitched.

We’re the walls caving in too or was that just her?

For a moment there was only silence except for the ragged breaths erupting out of her chest.

The lights flickered once-twice-thrice-

And it felt like the floor dropped beneath her feet.

Like a rock, Bea sunk to the floor, hands rising to cover her ears as the storage unit- or…elevator? Began its descent to wherever the hell it was going. Unlike Eddie’s shitty driving, or the roller coasters that Bea used to ride on at the fair when she was a kid, this was a speed unlike anything she ever felt making her dizzy and nauseous atop her hysteria.

The others screamed around her, none of them knowing what was happening or where they were going-

As soon as they started going down- the elevator came to an abrupt halt. The boxes around them falling off shelves and the table, Bea’s head snapped back to the wall and she whimpered at the pain. However, the pain was enough to break through her haze and she sucked in air greedily.

“Everyone ok?” Robin groaned, rubbing the back of her own head.

“Everything’s just great!” Steve exclaimed. “Even better now that we know that Russian’s can’t design elevators!”

“Just so you nerds are aware- I’m supposed to be spending the nights at Tina’s, and Tina always covers for me. But if I’m not home for Uncle Jack’s party tomorrow, and my mom finds out you guys are responsible- she’s going to hunt you down one by one and slit. Your. Throats.” Erica snapped.

Bea thought about Eddie and Wayne, Wayne no doubt had accepted her lousy excuse that she was having a sleepover with a classmate- but Eddie? She was pretty sure Eddie wouldn’t fall for it, and could picture him arguing with Wayne over it- but the fact of the matter was she hadn’t told anyone truthfully where she was going. If she went missing, there would be no place to look for her…would Eddie or Wayne look for her anyways?

She wondered silently to herself if she’d ever see them again-

…

By mid afternoon even Wayne was beginning to be unsettled by the silence from Bea. His days off had been filled with the younger girls questions and laughter since Eddie had befriended her. She’d been a good thing. Eddie had been more responsible in these past few weeks then he’d ever been, acting as the younger girls pseudo-big brother. Hell, Eddie and him hadn’t even been this close in years.

By evening he began to question the truth to her story- she’d never mentioned any other friends her age before and stuck to Eddie like glue. The only other friends she’d talked about were friends she’d met through Eddie and his club.

When Eddie had arrived home with Bea’s bike in the back of his van, and reporting a trip to the Hideaway and finding Bea’s father drunker than a skunk along with his friends, Eddie was panicking. Wayne assured him that Bea was fine, she’d sounded fine on the phone, she was probably just trying to fit in…but even Wayne began to doubt his reassurances.

When no phone call came in requesting a ride home in the morning, Eddie headed back out, this time to the Hawkins Library, Bea had an early morning shift and at the very least he could swing in and make sure she was fine.

If he was worried before, Eddie’s anxiety skyrocketed when the librarian reported that Bea hadn’t shown up for her shift that morning, lamenting about how she’d had to report her a no-call, no-show for the first time.

Eddie didn’t stick around to talk and using the pay phone outside he called his Uncle to report his findings, together they decided the next best step was to head on down to the Hawkins Police Station together, something was clearly wrong .

Eddie just hoped this wasn’t anything like the Byer’s incident.

Tag List: @kik51199 @hardysbitch @kaelyn-lobrutto24 @mirkwoodshewolf @maddwich @kastainkniver

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #eddie munson x original character #eddie munson x reader #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x original character #st 4 #strangerthings #stranger things x reader #platonic eddie munson

[lady-loth-drabbles]

Zieh Leine

Kӧnig x AFAB Insert she/her. Part 1 / ? . Words - 1K. Enemies/Rivals to Lovers.

Warnings: None so far.

SWEDEN - Fulufjället National Park: 0400

The reconnaissance, who was supposedly already on ground, had been silent. Horangi was usually his Overwatch for missions like these - deployments with minimal engagement. He enjoyed how always talkative he was, over informative sometimes sure, but he’d slowly become used to it. So the silence was a little disconcerting. He was kicking himself for not paying more attention during the briefing, re-read the notes or maybe asked more questions.

 He had just been so eager to get out into the field, even if it was for something so mundane as this. The past few weeks had left him so restless he was practically vibrating out of his skin, he had visited the base gym so often they virtually begged him to stop - for his health. Now he was out and, as boring as it was, he was tempered, satiated. Though he did wish it was maybe a little more…precarious. 

The first few hours he’d just assumed it was Allard who was lost in these woods with him, given the environment she’d seemed the most comfortable in this terrain but as the night dragged into morning he was beginning to second guess whether he really had any support at all. So distracted with his rambling thoughts as he trudged through the snow he nearly missed the clink of metal in his not so distant vicinity. A sound, to a practised ear, of someone cocking a bolt action. They hadn’t seen him, he’d of been shot already, but they had definitely heard him.

He’d be kicking himself for being so unaware if the sound hadn’t intoxicated him. He moved deftly to cover as adrenaline flooded his mind with routinized finesse. His thoughts quieted and eyes blew wide with excitement. His shoulders pulled back, long brawny legs braced against the packed snow, tense and ready. All he needed to do had been done and no one said he couldn't engage - have some fun. What else could he do, before he was supposed to meet his illusive overwatch, play sitting duck with an active threat in the area? Of course not.

He was focused wholly on the hunt. The blood pumping in his ears steeling him, a practised predator. He scoured the covered ground around him, if they had vantage on him, they’d have seen him. So they were further down. It was the glare of the light, in the snow, reflected off their muzzle that told him exactly where they were. The risk was decently low compared to what he was used to and if they’re set up like he suspects getting one-up on them will be easy, allowing him to settle confidently further into The Game, The Hunt.

He had skirted the edges of the more rugged parts of the hill side, using the more visible rocks to excel his trek up and across the steep slope. The snow grips clipped to the bottom of his shoes clicked quietly against the stone, still less audible then trudging through the dense snow. As familiar as he was with these northern winters, his weight made traversing the snow undetected tedious.

He came to what he had suspected, a small hiking respite - a semi-open lean, snow covered and wind shielded. An undersized set of dark carbon fibre skis laid alongside the weathered wood of the shelter, half covered in snow, with a portable white tac pack leaning against a large gun case next to them. Definitely a sniper. If he wasn't so laser focused on the offensive he’d have probably considered this might just be his overwatch.

Desperately trying to muffle the scrunching of his heavy steps in the snow as he approached, glad the low light covered any shadow he might cast, he stalked closer. He pushed up to the opening archway, leaning down and dipping his head to enter, gun raised but held close to himself to avoid disclosing his entrance any more than he already had. A white painted rifle lay fully assembled and half covered in snow braced onto a firepit-side bench, the set up in front of him was basic, bare bones for easy transport. Basic and empty.

As he turned to sweep the corners of the ‘room’ his breath hitched in his throat as something long and hard pressed itself flat against the inside of his thigh, angled high - high enough to make resisting a whimper hard-fought. On instinct he already had his rifle raised, muzzle near knocking against the plastic of their foggy black ski visor. His eyes flicked briefly, tepidly, to his groin and the long 13” stiletto knife flicked out and held with a steady, practised, white gloved hand. Small.

They stood steady and upright, their posture - indignant, even so they barely came up to his armpits and had to tilt their head far back to make eye contact. Their eyes, though partly obscured by the tinted eyewear, glaze past the gun readied at them, to him - through him. He took a moment to look over them, the short tuffs of dark brown hair curling out from under the low pulled hood of their jacket, their neck gaiter, mottled grey with black venting over the mouth, the lip of it tucked neatly under the foam sealant of their visor.

“Call your berghund to heel O’Conor. He is about to be a hazard.” 

The other steady, practised hand moved to click their chest radio, his hand dropping from bracing his gun, reflexively snapping to grab their wrist. They glowered, undeterred. Titling their clothed chin to speak, stare unbroken. Even with the bulk of their winter gear, they were delicately small. Swamped by their white and tawny coat and matching padded ski pants .

The rhythmless cut to her light voice betraying her origins. High German. He remained steely, watching the quirk of her eyebrow through the opaque screen on her visor. It was a contest, a question. ‘Are you quite done?’ it said, bored and smug - without a smile. The radio on his chest hissed to life - Conor’s tight rasp coming through - quiet but assertive.

“Kӧnig, stand down. She's our new blow-in.”

#konig mw2 #konig x reader #cod modern warfare #im sorry #no im not #feedback welcome #konig pov #oc #reader insert #enemies to lovers #keeping these short - bite sized fiction

[chosovixen]

ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ʀᴇᴀᴄʜᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴏᴏʀ (ꜰɪɴᴀʟᴇ!!)

ᴀ/ɴ: ʏ'ᴀʟʟ ᴡɪʟʟ ʜᴀᴛᴇ ᴍᴇ, ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ!! ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ʀᴇᴀʟʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ, ᴠᴇʀʏ ɪɴ-ᴅᴇᴘᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱɪɴɪꜱᴛᴇʀ-ᴘᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ, ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ ᴀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ. ɪ ᴀʟꜱᴏ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴍɪɴᴇ ʙᴜᴛ, ɪɴ ꜰᴀᴄᴛ, ʙᴇʟᴏɴɢꜱ ᴛᴏ @/ᴏᴄʀᴇᴛʜᴇᴏᴡʟ ᴏɴ ᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴꜱᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ.

ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: ᴡɪᴛʜ ʟɪᴍɪᴛᴇᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴅꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ʀᴜɴɴɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪɴ, ᴇᴅᴅɪᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜɪꜱ ᴛʀᴀɪʟᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ɢᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪɴᴅ ᴏꜰꜰ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀʀꜱʜ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴠᴇᴅ ɪɴ.

ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ!!: ᴍᴅɴɪ! ꜱᴍᴜᴛ, ᴜɴᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴇx, ᴄʀᴇᴀᴍᴘɪᴇ, ᴅᴀʀᴋ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ, 18+, ᴍᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍᴇ, ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴꜱ ᴏꜰ ʀ*ᴘᴇ & ᴀꜱꜱᴀᴜʟᴛ, ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ɪꜱ 19, ᴄʀᴇᴇᴘʏ/ᴀɢɢʀᴇꜱꜱɪᴠᴇ ꜱᴛᴇᴘʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ, ᴀʙᴜꜱᴇ, ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ/ᴄᴏᴍꜰᴏʀᴛ, ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ, ᴅᴏᴜᴄʜᴇʙᴀɢ ᴅᴇᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇ (ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴋɴᴏᴡ!!)

ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 5.5ᴋ

ᴘᴛ.1, ᴘᴛ.2, ᴘᴛ.3

Weeks passed, flights were canceled, and plans changed. The detective Eddie had suggested (Detective O'Neill) had quickly picked up the case and gotten straight to work with the information he was given. He promised that justice would be served—saying he’d make it his life mission to find Johnathan and bring him in. He promised that he’d catch and stop him from doing something like this to anyone else. For a brief moment, you had believed him—maybe it was in sympathy for Eddie's friend or maybe because you wanted this nightmare to end, but you gave him a nod and a thin smile before exiting his office. You knew it was complete bullshit, though—no one had any leads on where Johnathan might have gone, he was presumed “missing” at the moment, and it gave the precinct little hope.

“What’s the news?” your mother asked. 

“Same old thing,” you sighed while sitting next to her. She had gone to every one of your meetings with the detective, hoping there would be a different answer or even a break in the case, but she was disappointed once again.

“Nothing, really?”

“Yep.”

“Okay, well, let’s head back. Your aunt’s making dinner.” she rubbed your shoulder softly, guiding you to stand as you two made your way out.

•---» 

The dining room was quiet. Only the clinking of the utensils against the dishes amplified the room, making it more awkward than it had to be.

“So, what did the detective say?” Colin asked. 

“The same thing he’s been saying for the past two weeks, Colin,” the bitterness of his name rolled off your tongue with a tint of spite. You truly didn’t mean to bark at him, but you were asked this question walking into the house by your aunt, again by your cousin when calling her down to dinner, and now once more by your stepfather. If you had a nickel for each time you were asked that question, you’d have enough to fund an investigation yourself.

“I’m sorry,” he began. He patted the cloth in front of you lightly to get your attention. You stopped picking at your food and made eye contact with him. It disgusted you, he looked the same as Johnathan, and though he had the look first, it couldn’t stop your stomach from turning. “We just want to help, okay?”

“I’m gonna go shower,” you conclude before letting your fork drop onto the plate. Despite your mother's best efforts, you were already climbing up the stairs and rushing to your bedroom.

The room was different. Your aunt had suggested changing rooms after Eddie had told her Johnathan was able to get in a few weeks back. She fitted the room with pastel pink bedsheets, pillows, and accessories—hoping the calming colors would help you relax and take your mind off the situation. You hated pink, which only added to the intolerable, but she was trying, so you let it happen. 

The water was warm against your skin, and you wanted to stay in there for as long as you could, but you had another meeting with the detective early the next morning—so you quickly scrubbed your face with a rag. The foam tickled your skin as you scrubbed a bit rougher. Then as you placed your face under the water, eyes tightly shut to make sure soap didn’t fall in, you heard the faintest voice.

“Hey, cutie.”

Your eyes shot open as you turned your head frantically from left to right. You were gasping—chest rising and falling rapidly as you ripped the curtain open. Nothing was there. No one was there. The voice was haunting, he was haunting, and you dreaded it. Then after completely rinsing the soap off, you hopped out, lotioned yourself, put a clean pair of pj's on, and curled up in bed. Your eyes felt heavy, so you let the tiredness take over. 

•---» 

The obnoxious knocking on your door woke you with a slight jolt.

“It’s already seven-fifteen. We’re gonna be late.” Kim yelled. “You don’t have time to shower. Just brush your teeth and hope for the best.” with that, you heard her heavy footsteps trail down the hall.

You got up with a groan and shuffled your way to the bathroom. The water ran cold from the faucet as you splashed some on your face; you grabbed your toothbrush—putting a bit of toothpaste, and began brushing. Mentally a timer went off after two minutes, so you bent down to spit in the sink—cupping your hand, you scooped some water into your mouth, swished it around, and spat it back out. Then as you stood straight up, and began whipping your head around, then back at the mirror—practically glued to the sink you tried calming yourself, but the image of Jonathan standing behind you scared you set. You waited for what felt the longest and then began carefully backing out of the bathroom, you blinked, and there he was. Dressed in all black, a black cap covered his face, but just as you gasped, he eerily raised his head slowly, revealing a sinister grin plastered across his face. He stepped close to you, and you moved back. He repeated his actions, but you instead crouched down and let out a spine-chilling scream—tucking your head between your legs. Almost immediately, you could hear people rushing into your room.

“What’s wrong?!” Colin questioned.

“He was here.” you didn’t look up and continued to cradle yourself. There was a brief silence as you heard footsteps walking toward your bathroom. The footsteps walked back over, and you knew it was Kim with the way her knees cracked whenever she’d bend them, so you shyly lifted your head to meet her gaze.

“No one is here,” she hushed; taking your hand in hers, she rubbed it tenderly. You were shaking, and your eyes were blown wide as if you’d seen a ghost.

“But-I saw hi-he was here,” you whispered, and she shook her head.

“No one is here, I promise.” timidly peeking around, the adults stood tall, but worry and concern plagued their faces.

“You sure?”

“Yes, now let's get going.” Kim helped you stand on your feet before walking, hand in hand with you, towards the door. 

This time the whole family had to come. They would be interviewed individually to “discover what type of person Johnathan was,” possibly leading them to find a pattern or a lead, according to the detective your mother had spoken to over the phone prior. Your mother and Colin had already been interviewed and told you they were easy questions. Nothing too mind-boggling. You fiddled with your dress, and your flats tapped the waxed floor briskly, then out came Kim. O'Neill waved his finger—signaling that it was your turn, and you quickly hopped up and walked over to the office. Kim placed a firm hand on your shoulder and told you that it was fine, just breathe, and everything would be alright. 

The room lights were dim, and a small table with three chairs total was placed in the middle of the small room, two backed against the wall, and one which you supposed was yours on the other side, closer to the door. Another detective was already sitting across from where you’d be and motioned for you to take a seat. You did while giving him an awkward smile.

“Water?” he offered.

“No thanks.”

“Well, I’m detective Simmons, and this is O’Neill. I’m sure you’re already acquainted.”

“Yes, we are.” 

“So we’ll ask a few questions just to get a feel for what we’re working with. Answer honestly, okay?” you gave him a nod, and then he cleared his throat. He flipped to an empty section in his notepad and clicked his pen.

“How long have you been sleeping with Johnathan Finley?”

You opened your mouth but quickly closed it. It was a valid question, but you were so taken aback, almost forgetting what you were here for.

“Miss?”

“Uh-” you looked at O’Neill, and he nodded. “Um, sin-since, uh, a little while after my mother and stepfather got married, so I’d say a year and six months maybe. I don’t know,” you answered.

“A year and six months,” he repeated lowly as he jotted it down in his notepad. “Okay, when did you not like it?” he pulled his head up, eyes fixated on you with a piercing blank stare. 

“I'm sorry, what?”

“I aske-”

“I heard you, but why would you ask that?”

“Look, if I’m honest. I just find it weird that you’ve been sleeping with your stepbrother for what years-”

“A year,” you corrected.

“And now you want to report that he sexually assaulted you?” he leaned in close, face mere inches away. “I think your little secret got out, and now you want to cover your tracks. He obviously left because he didn’t want to be tied to this. It could ruin his life. Hell, it already is.”

“That’s enough,” O’Neill finally said.

“He threatened my life.” you snapped. “I didn’t want this to happen, but it did. He forced me to do things I didn’t want to, and don’t you think that if he was so innocent, he’d just come clean and clear things up?” you tried to stop yourself from crying, but the structure was overwhelming, and you couldn’t contain yourself. 

“Simmons, out,” Simmons looked at him and shook his head. “Now!” O’Neill commanded, and Simmons got up and left without a word. Small sniffles filled the room, and O’Neill paced the room, rubbing his jaw awkwardly. He then reached for a tissue on the small table in the corner. He handed it to you and whispered a tiny sorry on behalf of his partner—you only shook your head while blowing your snot into the napkin. 

“Should we get back into it, or would you like a moment?”

You waved your hand in front of your face. “It’s fine; let’s continue.”

The questions required that you remember; it was hard, but if you wanted some lead in the case, you had to go back and pull haunting memories from the past. It was difficult, and the process broke you mentally, but it was over with one last question.

“Was there a time you ever grew feelings for Johnathan outside a step-sibling relationship?”

The question lingered in the back of your mind as you sat in the car. The atmosphere in the precinct clouded your thoughts—making the soft throbbing headache turn into a miserable migraine. “Was there a time you grew feelings for Jonathan outside a step-sibling relationship?” you repeated the question in your mind nearly hundreds of times, and the easy answer should be no, but a dark matter in your core made you really consider the question. You never answered O’Neill’s question—well, you did, but it was a simple, “I don’t know.” It wasn’t a very helpful answer, so he scrapped the question and let you leave.

Just as you were to give an answer to yourself, there was a knock on the backseat window, causing you to flinch and completely loose your train of thought. You held your hand up to your chest and released a relieved sigh as you stepped out of the car.

“Jesus Christ, Eddie. You’ve really got to stop doing that.” you scolded.

“Sorry, I know. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay?” a hint of panic in his voice.

“I’m kidding, Eddie.” you lightly punched his shoulder, and he returned a goofy smile.

“Yeah, I knew that.”

“Sure, ya did.” and you both simultaneously laugh. 

“But anyway, your mother told me you were out here. Was it worse than usual?”

“Well, I was asked when did I not like Johnathan assaulting me, so I’d say a medium,” you giggled while scrunching your nose. Eddie didn’t find it funny and stood there in confusion—you noticed and grabbed his shoulder, compelling him to look at you. “It’s fine, and really, I think maybe I should laugh at these things. They most likely will never catch him. So who cares if I poke fun a bit?”

“You really believe that?” his voice was small as he searched your face for some essence of seriousness. 

“If I’m being honest,” you pulled your hand away and looked at the ground—slightly kicking the rubble. “Yeah, I do. They might never find him, he could be long gone, or maybe he’s somewhere here, lurking.” you finished with a shrug.

“You just have to stay positive. Just do that, and everything will be okay. I promise. Yeah?” he said—bringing his arms up to console you, but you quickly shook your head. You looked at him, and he immediately froze. 

“Please don-don’t say that. Positivity is what got me here.” you began to choke on the words—a lump in your throat preventing you from articulating clearly. “I was positive I was doing the right thing, being a good stepsister, but you have no idea how hard it is to live a life, wondering if you’ll be dead within the next hour.”

Truthfully Eddie didn’t know what to say, and there was nothing he could say that could make the situation less brutal. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mea-I’m sorry.” was all he could muster.

“It’s fine,” you assured—after whipping your tears dry, you smiled and nodded. Your arms folded across your chest as you rubbed your arms graciously. 

“So, uh, Wayne made some soup, and I remember you saying soup was your favorite dish 'cause it calms you.” he twirled his thumbs softly. “You wanna come back to the trailer and get some soup?”

“Are you asking me on a date, Munson?” you joked.

“No-I was just, no?”

“I never said I liked soup. That whole bullshit story you made makes me think you just want me back at your trailer, hm?” you pointed your finger in his face—swirling it mockingly.

“I just want you to relax a bit, you know? This whole process seems stressful.” he stepped closer to you. “Come have soup with me and enjoy a night of Munson fun,” he explained, and you giggled, but before answering, your family emerged—giving Eddie warm smiles and small waves. 

“What’s going on here?” your aunt asked.

“Eddie was inviting me for some soup!” you chirped almost condescendingly, and Eddie frowned his brows at you.

“I am. J-just for the night, though. I promise to bring her back tomorrow.” he advised. There was a small pause as everyone looked at each other.

“It's just for the night. I’ll be fine,” you interrupted, and your mom stepped closer to you—pulling you into the tightest hug you’ve ever experienced. You gave her a slight pat on the back and told her you’d be fine. She let go—stepping back, she took one last look at you before letting your other relatives say goodbye. 

Kim gripped you tightly but soft enough so that you could breathe, her head rested on your shoulders, and you heard her sniffle slightly, so you hugged her back, resting your head on hers. As you swayed a bit, she then released you, her eyes softened, and she tilted her head. Her hand came up to your cheek, and her fingertips brushed it dearly.

“I love you,” she said. “N-not in a weird forbidding family-I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that.” she looked away embarrassed, but you laughed and told her it was fine. Your aunt kept the hug short and sweet but told you to call her if anything went wrong. Finally, you had gotten to Colin, and you’d dreaded this. You suppose he was a nice guy, but he had the same demeanor as Johnathan. His presence frightened you, like a dark shadow clouding your existence, but it wasn’t a cloud or a shadow, instead a powerful dark energy waiting in the mist. Like a newly bred vampire—prowling the streets, waiting to get its fix, scorning the earth with its dark notion of life because nothing could come close to getting rid of it. So you gave him a hug, his hand rested on your back, and it felt as though sharp claws were digging into your skin, trying to bind you to the capture. The feeling was growing, and you mustered the strength to pull away—pushing slightly at his chest. 

“Be safe,” he said, and with that, you took off with Eddie. 

•---» 

The trailer smelled like weed and cheap cologne, but it gave you a comforting feeling, and you couldn’t quite place it—like a foggy memory you try so hard to make vivid. 

“Welcome, welcome,” Eddie chanted, throwing his arms up playfully, and you giggled at the gesture.

“Thank you, kind sir,” you responded while taking off your shoes, and he followed after.

“Take a seat, and I’ll get the soup ready,” he said as he guided you by hand to the small table in the corner. 

It wasn’t much, but it had a little essence of peace to it. You looked around aimlessly at the decor in the trailer, taking in the small details of it. Small cracks and rips in the wallpaper made you smile fondly as you remembered having similar fractures in the cheap and tiny apartment your mother and father had purchased long ago when they were still together, and everything was harmonious.

The beeping of the microwave pulled you from your daze, and you watched as Eddie pulled the hot container from it. He tugged his hand back with one swift motion flapping it rapidly. He winced in pain and cursed under his breath, “fuck”, and you shook your head—quickly making your way to him.

“You shouldn’t handle hot things with your bare hands, you know,” you smirked—grabbing a kitchen towel and picking the container up from the sides with it. Eddie placed two bowls in front of you, and you took the hint to pour the soup into the bowls. 

“Tomato?”

“Tomato basil,” he corrected, and you rolled your eyes.

“Same thing, Eddie.”

“No! This is way fancier,” he countered—grabbing both bowls, he walked over to the table and put them down. He then took two spoons from the dish rack and handed them to you while he grabbed two cups— filling them with water from the tap.

There wasn’t much soup but just enough for you to get full. It was delicious, and you were content with the meal. You and Eddie decided to wash the dishes together, and it should’ve been an easy process with needing to wash only a few, but Eddie, the giant baby he was, couldn’t keep focus.

“Eddie, st-stop it. We have to fin-ahh!” you screamed, covering your face as he splashed water on you for the fourth time in the span of two minutes.

“Come back here,” he yelled while chasing after you. 

There was no point in ‘doing the dishes if you constantly got soapy water thrown on you. Nothing was getting done, so you ran, stumbling over the mess. Eddie caught up to you—bumping into you and knocking you over as you abruptly stopped. You fell onto the couch, and Eddie then was on top of you right after. Sharing a laugh, you turned underneath him to look into his big doe eyes. 

“Hey,” you whispered, and he smiled, whispering a ‘hey’ back. 

There was a stiffness to the atmosphere, a mere wrinkle in time where all movement stopped. The ambiance was cradled, and you felt like you two were the only people in existence. His warm breath tickled your lips, giving you a whiff of the divine tomato soup from earlier. The tension grew as he pressed himself more into you and leaned closer, making you gasp softly. 

“Eddie,” you whispered. 

“Yeah?”

“Can we get more privacy?” you chuckled before wrapping your legs around his waist. He nodded and quickly pulled you closer as he lifted you up—walking you to his bedroom in the back. 

Stumbling through his room, trying to find his bed, he placed eager and sloppy kisses along your neck. Finally, he gently placed you on it and climbed on top of you. His lips never left your neck as he began to knead at your breast. The sudden gesture pulled you into a state of panic, and out of habit, you harshly pushed his head away and followed it with a blunt kick to his leg. Eddie winced in pain as he fell back onto the floor—clutching his thigh. You scrambled backward off the bed, landing on the other side. There was nowhere to run, and you feared that if you tried making a break for the exit, he’d grab you and make you do awful things again. The room fell silent for a moment, and then the faintest footsteps could be heard making their way toward you. You flinched at the sound and scouted back, hitting the tiny nightstand by his bed.

“Hey, you’re okay. It’s just me,” he whispered softly, one hand on his chest as the other fanned out in front of him to show that he meant no harm. The room wasn’t dim nor dark, and you could clearly make out Eddies features, but your mind was frightened and playing tricks on you, so it plastered a different face onto his. 

“S-stop!” you stuttered, eyes shifting madly. Eddie could tell something was off. He was especially good at reading you, he wanted so much as to back off and give you space, but he more so needed you to know that he wasn't Johnathan and, in fact, the person you could confide in, to turn to and rest your soul with ease. An entity that preserved all your happiness and was ready for you to experience the bliss you so much deserved. 

“Get away from me!”

“Could you look at me, please?” he begged.

“Go away!” you belted. It hurt your throat, and you started to feel the tears swell in your eyes. Eddie made no attempt to leave or back off but instead inched closer to you, placing his hand delicately on your thigh. You flinched and finally let the tears fall from your eyes—shaking your head and chanting “no” but it didn’t seem to stop him. He moved your legs from where they rested against your chest to lay flat on the floor. Quietly anticipating what he might do next, you held your breath and shut your eyes tightly—letting the tears pool down your face. A brief moment of stillness almost made you open your eyes to investigate, but then you felt the warmth of his palms holding either side of your thighs. It was different warmth, a warmth where you could breathe and take in the full aspect of what comfort was. Then, the oh-sweet wave of ecstasy crashed over you when his head gently rested in your lap. Engulfed in his warmth to the fullest, you cautiously placed your hand on top of his nest of beautiful curls and blinked some of the tears away. Eddie lifted his head a bit to get a look at you, and his eyes softened tremendously. Your head turned out of embarrassment, but he quickly hooked his finger under your chin—directing your gaze towards him.

“There she is,” he cooed—flashing his signature gummy smile, and you smiled back weakly. The image of Johnathan that had plagued your mind was now slowly erasing as Eddie locked eyes with you. Before he could lay his head on your lap again, you grabbed his face and guided him up toward you. He sat in front of you, wondering what was on your mind, and just ask he was about to ask; you pulled him in for a kiss—feeling his tender lips on yours, you melted as he deepened the kiss. 

“Here I am,” you said after pulling away to catch your breath. He couldn't contain his smile nor his feelings any longer and pulled you down to the floor, kissing you passionately. 

He kissed along your jaw, then down your neck, and just above where your breast poked out, he briefly looked up at you to see if you were okay with it, and you nodded—signaling for him to go further, so he did. His hands roamed freely, and as did yours. Your fingers tangled in his hair and he let out a low groan. You smiled to yourself, satisfied with your efforts and Eddie began to move down further—pressing small chafed kisses along your skin. He made it all the way down to the hem of your dress and bunched it up above your clothes cunt. He stopped to look up at you again; you were completely in your own world. Who knew that slight touching could get you so riled up? He then placed a tender kiss over your panties, briefly brushing over your clit. 

“Oh fuck!” you breathlessly moaned, gripping his hair tight and earning another groan from the boy. “Wait a minute.” 

He immediately stopped and climbed back on top of you. You pulled him into a sweet kiss as you gripped his shoulder tight.

“We don’t have to, you know. We can talk if you would like that instead,” he offered; you raised a brow at him and chuckled lightly. 

“I want to, I really do, but I kinda want to speed things up.”

“You don’t want me to…eat your pussy,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss on your ear. 

“You can do that another time. I just really want you inside me,” you panted, bucking your hips up. He held your waist and pressed his hips into you, slowly grinding against your core. “Please.”

“Oh,” he smiled—placing another kiss on your lips. He sat back on his hind legs and began to unbuckle the belt of his jeans, so you slipped your panties off, throwing them across the room. Once he finally let his cock free, he gave it a few pumps before pulling you by the ankle to better position himself. “Shit, I don’t have a condom.”

“It’s fine. I want to feel you, Eddie,” he didn’t protest, and you bit your lip as he slowly pushed himself into your wet cunt.

“Holy shit. You feel so fucking goo-oh shit,” he whined. 

Eddie was fairly huge, and it felt good how he stretched your walls and bottomed out in you—balls tapping your bottom dearly as the tip touched something deep inside you. The room was filled with wet, squelching sounds as he thrust slowly into your warmth. 

“Fuck, Eddie,” you whimpered. “Feels good.”

“Yeah? My cock makes you feel good?” he whispered into your ear, and you nodded anxiously. 

His thick length rubbed against your walls euphorically as he rubbed small circles on your clit, and you couldn’t help but roll your hips to match his movement—trying to get more friction going, but he slapped your thigh leniently.

“I’ve got it, baby. Just be patient, okay?” he stated—giving him an eager nod, he picked his pace back up, plugging himself back into your sloppy cunt. Your heat gripped him tighter each time he’d hit that sweet spot deep inside you, making your orgasm steadily creep up on you. Not wanting it to end so soon, you clasped your hand over your mouth and shut your eyes to concentrate on something other than Eddie splitting your pussy open. You felt his hand grip your wrist softly—bringing it to his lips; he kissed it tenderly and then interlocked your fingers with his. 

“Come on baby, don’t hide from me,” he huskily breathed out, but your eyes remained shut. “I won’t give you what you want unless you look at me, sweetie.”

“I-i don’t want to cum yet,” you admitted with a murmur, and he chuckled lowly.

“Aww. Feels so good you don’t wanna cum yet?” you nodded. “I could tear this pussy up a thousand times, and each time, I’d expect you to come on my cock, baby.” he locked eyes with you directly as he spouted those filthy words, not breaking eye contact once. Your mouth hung open in shock but quickly shut, turning into a relaxed slack as he rocked his hips into yours. He shuddered at how your wetness covered his balls, making them sticky, and gawked at how your cunt greedily swallowed his cock, leaving nothing unsatisfied. 

“Eddie, please, I’m gonna cum.”

“Oh yeah?” he hissed, feeling your tight wall clenching tightly around his aching cock. 

“Yes, yes, yes.” you chanted—grabbing his hand, you placed it on your clit and rubbed fast circles on it. He let out a low growl as he watched how avid you were to suddenly reach your high. It was almost laughable. He nudged your hand away and began to rub your bud on his own accord. A coil in your stomach made you tense up and shudder, your legs began to shake, and your breath hitched as he pounded into you—trying to get you to your climax. It didn’t take long before your vision started to blur. Your face scrunched in pleasure, your walls tightened, and you began to push some of Eddie out of you as you came hard around him. Still, he stuffed you full again—fucking you through your orgasm as he reached his. He looked down as his cock plunged deep inside you, and your sloppy little cunt created creamy white rings around his base. He jolted at the site and buried himself deep inside you—you whined, telling him that it was “too much,” but he could barely think as his balls tightened and warm ropes of cum tainted your walls. You both were panting rapidly as you tried to catch your breath. You stared up at Eddie in awe, watching how his body glistened from the light coat of sweat. He pulled out slowly and then slumped over, pressing his heavy body against yours. You giggled and pushed him off of you to reveal a breathtaking smile. He was truly the epitome of comfort; the smallest things made your heart flutter when you were around him; you never wanted this feeling to subside but for the moment, you pulled him in a kissed him like it was possibly your last. 

“We should clean up,” he chuckled while pulling away, and you whispered a small “okay.” He picked you up and carried you to the bathroom, where you took a warm bath together.

•---» 

Neither of you could sleep. You were too busy drowning in each other presence that it was too hard not to be glued to one another, but the phone rang while you two lay in bed, and Eddie got up to see who was calling, leaving you momentarily underneath the warm sheets. You made no attempt to figure out who it was, but you could hear his voice faintly answering in short replies. Then he slammed the phone back on the hook, making you flinch. He appeared back in the room, letting out a long dramatic sigh. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Steve wants me to help him move some things,” he answered.

“Steve?” you frowned. It was nearly four in the morning, and some “Steve” person wanted his help.

“Yeah, he’s a buddy of mine, long story. I should tell you how we met when I come back.”

“When you coming back?” you answered only in questions, and Eddie thought it was cute.

“He seemed frustrated about the situation, so I’ll go and help him. You seem a little tired, so you’ll be better off sleeping in bed than getting tossed around in my van. He snorted. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” 

“Okay, well, see you soon and be safe.” you had pondered the idea of going, but your eyes felt heavy, and he was right; the bed felt comfortable. So you had no plans to leave until morning. Eddie kissed your head, then kissed your nose, and lastly, your lips before saying goodbye. 

“I'll see you later, princess,” he smiled before leaving, and you heard the screen door to the trailer lock followed by the door slamming shut.

•---» 

A soft tap on your temple made you squirm in bed, turning to the other side you chose to ignore. Then it happened again. This time you felt a small kiss being placed on your ear and a hushed voice say:

"Hey, pretty. I missed you."

7:45 a.m.

My name is Megan Cook, and I’m standing outside the residence of a Mister Eddie Munson. Eddie lives here with his uncle Wayne Munson and the body of a young woman was found in this trailer earlier today. If this sounds familiar, you might be thinking of the last victim that was found here, Chrissy Cunningham, or another victim found near here, just up in the woods, Clover Prescott. The name of the woman in this trailer is unknown, but we do know that she was found by Wayne Munson as early as six this morning. Wayne says that when he returned from his shift at the power plant, he went to check on his nephew but found the woman half-naked, lying in a pool of her own blood instead. Detectives say that there were a total of thirty-six stab wounds to her chest and groin area. In fact, detectives went as far as to do a rape kit—pulling DNA from the victim and linking it to Eddie, making this a “crime of passion,” they say. Eddie is now being processed at this time with his uncle alongside him. We’ll have updates later today on channel six news. I’m Megan Cook, and may God bless America. 

tags: @feltonswifesworld87  @nevermore66  @lacrymosa-24 @that-bitch-in-red @edd1emvns0nswife @stardustmunson @tsumamibaddie​

#eddie munson #eddie imagine #stranger things 4 #eddie stranger things #stranger things smut #eddie x reader #stranger things x reader #stranger things #eddie munson smut #joseph quinn imagine #joseph quinn fanfiction #joseph quinn #eddie #eddie munson stranger things #eddie smut #joseph quinn angst #joseph quinn smut #eddie munson x reader #eddie x fem!reader #stranger things 4 smut #eddie munson angst #joseph quinn x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie stranger things smut

[topgunruinedme]

Sweaters

Synopsis: Bradley is oblivious, Uncle Ice told him it’s apparently a hereditary trait from the Mitchells. Bradly is determined to win over Pheonix any way he can, the only trouble is everyone seems to be sabotaging him.

Master List, Prologue.

Word count: 2,245

Requested by @seedroot​

Prompt: Ot3 where bob and rooster are hardcore crushing over phoenix, rooster sees phoenix in bobs sweater and gets extremely flustered then realizes oh wait that’s not normal

I made this a 5 +1 post, 5 times they attempted to let Bradly down slowly + 1 time they hit him over the head with it.

A/N: I decided to change a few small things from my short post :) I hope it’s what you were looking for @seedroot.

1.

It had started out friendly, Bradly had drunk too much. He had beer froth in his porn stash and a smile that never seem to fade, he was lounging in a booth with Bob watching people around them move around in the bar. Or particular one specific person, Phoenix, the only female piolet in their squadron a phenomenal flyer. He watched as she leaned over the pool table to that a shot all while snarking at Hangman who grinned at him, she flipped him off when he said something causing him to laugh. He signed as sipped his drink a smile flattering slightly, before he turned to Bob who was also watching the squad making fools of themselves. He did a doubletake at the pure love and adoration on Bobs face and turned to follow his gaze. Phoenix and hangman, he sure as hoped it wasn’t Hangman because that was a can of worms he was not opening. He let out a laugh starting the man beside him, Bob looked at him worried.

“You alright Rooster?” the amused look on Bob’s face caused him to laugh more, “she’ll never look twice at you,” he said firmly. Bob blinked at him as confusion flooded his face, “What?”, Bradly nodded his head over to Phoenix who had beaten Hangman and was now perched on the pool table chatting with Fanboy. “The flaming bird” Bradly grinned sharply, “She’ll never look twice at you,” he said cruelly, “You’re just her WSO, nothing else”. He had been told he was nasty when he drank but he hadn’t really noticed no one had mentioned it in years, he didn’t think about it. Until he saw the slightly hurt on the man’s face like he’d been slapped. Bob looked at him wide-eyed. “Don’t even try boy, your all baby” he leaned over and tapped the man on the face a little harder than he intended from the disorientation of moving while he was sloshed. Bob frowned at him and readjusted the glasses on his face he had nocked, “Rooster, I think it’s time you go home”. Bradly felt anger build up in him, but he forced it down and plastered a smile on his face as he leaned over the table into Bob’s personal space forcing the man back into his seat to keep space between them.

“Maybe you should. Isn’t it past baby’s bedtime” he pretended to think, when a hand gripped down on his shoulder tightly forcing him back onto his side, Hangman strained face came into his field of view.

“Is there an issue here?” Hangman asked his jaw tight; Phoenix was standing beside him frowning, not a good impression. He attempted to salvage it, “no” his smile was again pressed on, “I was just telling baby, how it was past his bedtime” he attempted so joke smoothly much like Hangman did to the man. No one laughed, Hangman grip tightened slightly, “I wasn’t talking to you” he turned silently to Bob, eyes trailing over the man for any type of injury. “I’m fine Jake” Bob said timidly, “we were just” he hesitated, “talking”.

Hangman looked at the man firmly before turning his attention back to Rooster, “it’s time to go home Rooster” he protested as the man manhandled him out of his seat. The man’s grip on his arm tight, “I wasn’t asking” Hangman jaw was clenched tightly and there was fury hidden underneath his calm face he could see it in his eyes.

The incident wasn’t mentioned again.

2.

The next time he attempted to gain Phoenix’s favor he was much more sober, he pretended to ignore Hangman’s slightly protective stance he took any time he was near Bob. After a week the event was forgotten, he was lounging back on the classroom desk as they waited for their turn in the air. Fanboy and Payback were plainly ignoring them as they played cards in the back corner, Bob sat next to Hangman catting about some cool mauver they had seen Maverick do.

Phoenix was leaning over her desk writing down some notes, this was the perfect moment. He stood gracefully from the desk – meaning he attempted to swing himself up only to get his foot caught on the seat and ended up falling to the ground in a heavy bunch. He groaned as Hangman’s laughter filled the room “smooth”, the familiar southern drawl mocked.

He stood stubbornly, glaring at the man, and stepped up to her desk popping down in the seat in front of her desk backwards. Laying his arms on the back of the chair so he could rest his chin on them comfortably and watch her. She looked up from her notes irritated at being disrupted, the mood didn’t shift upon seeing who had disrupted her, if anything she held back a groan. She didn’t have time for this today.

“What do you want Bradshaw” she asked irritated as her focus went back to her notes,

“Being around you makes it hard to think” he smirked, waiting for her to swoon but instead she rolled her eyes, “good thing you never had a brain to begin with Bradshaw” she said flatly. He blinked and Hangman let out a gruff laugh, Bobs lip twitched slightly as he attempted to push down his own smile.

Maverick walked I before he could respond.

3.

He felt like his grin would split open his face as he jumped into his jeep, finally. She had agreed on a date, ill met you at the diner.

He can’t believe it took him this long to get her alone and all he had to do was ask her to grab lunch with him.

He shifted in his seat of the booth, his excitement bleeding though and the waiter gave him an odd looking. His head shot up when the bell went off when the door opened, he turned to look, I wonder if she dressed up for him. If she would smile and admit that she had fallen in love with him at first sight too. But what he saw made his smile flatter, Phoenix stood in the doorway. Her hair was in its classic bun she wore a sweater that seamed a tad big and jeans with her combat boots, having changed. But what made him pause was the causal arm Fanboy had swung over her shoulder while Coyote walked behind them.

“Hey” she smiled sliding into the booth, “I wonder if they have good burgers here”” she mused picking up the menu. Rooster sat there silently sliding over when Coyote slid into the booth next to him, the two boys talking causally as if they had been invited and not crashing his date. He blinked in confusion, how had it all gone so wrong? He swore he saw Coyotes lip twitch in amusement at him, as if he knew exactly what he was doing. He sat there ignoring the conversations around him as he picked at his chips, “Not eating Bradshaw?” Phoenix raised an eyebrow at the sullen man. “Not hungry” he muttered,

4.

Pete raised a silent eyebrow as he listened to his godson spew about his girl trouble, he tried to comfort him, but the man seamed despite. “Bradly” he signed “do you really think I’m the one to go to for dating advice?”, the line was silent for a moment “your right” Bradly admitted before hanging up.

Pete huffed in amusement as he burrowed back into his husband’s chest, Tom signed lifting his book so he could rest his head on the man’s chest. “He still doesn’t know?” Tom asked running his hand through Pete’s hair, the smaller man shook his head. “God he’s as oblivious as I am” Pete complained, Toms lips twitched “well then” he mused “then maybe he only needs a nudge in the right direction”. Pete eyed the man suspiciously suddenly not trusting the mans motive btu was quickly distracted as he was pulled into a sweet embraced as his husband captured his lips with his.

5. The time they were so close.

Bradly narrowed his eyes as he watched Phoenix smile at Bob and lean over to kill him, on the lips. That’s- that’s totally a friend thing to do he declared drunkenly. The two had been all over each other all afternoon, Phoenix had sat in Bob’s lap for a while casting a permanently blush on the boy’s face. He really must stop drinking so much, he was becoming delusional.

He was fairly sure, he had seen Fanboy and Payback jacking each other off behind Penny’s bar, beside the dumpster too. It had to be a delusion. The two men didn’t even like each other. What the hell was wrong with his head?

“so” he started hesitantly, “your together?” he asked the couple. Bob had burrowed his head in Phoenix’s neck and the Phoenix was running her hand through her WSO hair, something he often saw her do. She blinked as a proud and relieved smile beaming at him, “yes” it looked as if the world has slipped of her shoulders, “you finally understand”.

He blinked, finally understood what? That he was mentally insane? How could his brain even think that they were together? Let alone Payback and Fanboy, now Phoenix the love of his life. Was in a relationship with her WSO, the baby of the group. The man she hardly spared a glance to, the man who she only talked to when she had too when they were training for their mission. The same man who all those nights back in Top gun that she had admitted to finding the man following her head like a puppy enduring but annoying. The man who couldn’t pull anything if his life depended on it, he frowned his eyebrows almost touching in his confusion. He stood and walked out onto the beach, pulling out his phone calling the one person he was sure could help him.

“Uncle Ice? I think I’m going insane” the gruff laughter on the other end didn’t help his case, he stared dumbly at the phone in his hand. “No Bradly, your just dumb and in love, as oblivious as your uncle as-”. He zoned out of the conversation when his uncle hadn’t swayed to his side, he didn’t deserve to be insulted. He was better than that. In triumphant, he hung up on Ice mid-sentence when was attempting to explain the situation he had found himself in. Ice blinked at the phone when the call ended, “dear god, I did not ask to deal with two of them” he rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly “I’m getting too old for this shit”. He picked up the phone again calling Phoenix, he hardly gave her time to speak before starting his own Spiel.

“Aright so Mitchells area as oblivious as a bone, you need to spell it out for them. So, this is what you’re going to do...”

+ 1

This was his chance, he waited confidently. He had it all planned out, a dinner and a walk down the beach. He had managed to hide the plans from the others, despite Hangman’s frowned glances towards him. They couldn’t stop him this time, he smiled as Phoenix walked into the room towards her usual seat.

Only something was different about her today, she wore a large Sweater that hung of her shoulder, it fell over her well-fitting jeans. He could swear he had seen the sweater before, he frowned slightly. Where?

He didn’t think too hard on it, that was until Hangman whistled playfully, "bloody hell, Floyd you traded up".

oh, Oh. That’s where he had seen it before, it was Bob’s.

No harm no foul, he was her WSO after all. They hang out all the time, and they had some weird sibling relationship happening, the joking and lingering touches. He didn’t doubt she had some of his clothes with how often they spent the night together after nights out at Hard Deck.

His gaze lingered on Bob's flustered face, oh wait that’s not normal. He's never seen the WSO flustered like that before. Why would the man be so flustered?

The lingering looks and touches made sense now, the jokes and knowing glances like they knew something they didn't. He looked at Phoenix’s smug face as she leaned over Bob's shoulders her head perched on his head efficiently tucking the WSO firmly under her chin. She tugged the blushing WSO collar down revealing the love bites, her eyes connecting with his as she leaned down to trace them possessively. Staking her claim.

He was so very wrong. He never had a chance.

Bloody hell they had practically flaunted themselves in front of him and he still hadn’t seen it. He groaned and let his head drop onto the desk in shame and embarrassment to the amusement of the others in the class.

Maverick chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "don’t worry kid, Ice had to do the same thing with me when we were in Top Gun. He practically had to make out with Slider in front of an Admiral before I believed he was even gay, despite he had been hitting on me since day one” his godfather said in amusement, “us Mitchells are oblivious to everything”.

“You knew” Bradly whinnied accusingly as he lifted his head to look at Maverick’s sheepish look, “Ice told me”, he said helplessly.

Tag list: @tallrock35

#top gun fanfiction #top gun imagine #top gun fandom #top gun maverick #top gun 1986 #top gun headcanons #jake hangman seresin #icemav #robert bob floyd #top gun incorrect quotes #natasha trace #natasha phoenix trace #mickey fanboy garcia #reuben payback fitch #ron slider kerner #iceman val kilmer #tom iceman kazansky #pete maverick mitchell #bob x phoenix #5 + 1 fic

[alexiskk]

Way out of Tune

another tlou suggestion from @potatohater that i couldn’t resist🫶 this one is shorter than the others but i love it so i hope u enjoy

Summary: Joel is trying to help Ellie with a guitar lesson, but when she takes all the credit he obviously has to get her to admit she’s wrong

word count: guys how do u even count all these words(i will figure this out eventually)

“You gotta keep practicing Ellie you’ll get there”

“ughhh this is bullshit”

Ellie was quite frustrated on that late Tuesday afternoon, where she found Joel and herself sat on the old wooden bench set on their porch in the middle of April. The air was crisp and a faint hum of actual fireflies could be heard out on the lawn in front of them, but Ellie was far to busy with the guitar that sat in her lap to notice them. There was something about the song Joel was trying to teach her that drove her nuts, and at this point she had been playing for so long, the calluses on her fingertips were beginning to split.

How am I supposed to get here… anddd thennnnn to here that fast?” Ellie held her left hand in two different chord positions, struggling through the transition. 

“You just gotta keep at it, I dunno what else to tell you kid”

Joel’s gruff ignorant voice was saying exactly what Ellie didn’t want to hear. He was on the opposite side of the bench from her, looking relaxed as ever might I add. He had his back leaned against the rustic wood of the bench along with a coffee mug in his right hand, closing his eyes with each sip as if he was taking it in with every sense. He was quite the busy bee around Jackson these days, but he would never turn down a quiet afternoon with Ellie, well, close to quiet that is.

“Well tell me something different I’ve been at this for fucking hours!” You could hear the whine in her voice clear as day.

Ellie’s frustration at this point wasn’t her typical teenage moping, she had been sat on the porch ever since she finished cleaning dishes from lunch at about 1, and with the sun slowly approaching the horizon, the patience left inside her seemed to be fleeting rapidly.

Joel let out a long, almost sarcastic-like, sigh.

“Alright, bring ‘er here”

Ellie stood up with the guitar and shuffled over to his side of the bench as he placed his coffee cup down on the floor beside the bench. She took a seat next to him and he scooted in closer so he could have his right hand up near the fretboard while the guitar sat in her lap.

“Ok now look at where my fingers are,, see here?”

Joel placed the pads of his fingers onto the strings in the first chord position. Ellie could tell by the way he handled the guitar that it was second nature to him, even his fingers, as rough and as calloused as they were, looked like they were right at home around the neck of the guitar.

“ ‘nd thennnnn……here”

He then demonstrated the switch to the next chord, first showing Ellie a broken down demonstration of the movement of each finger before finally showing off his expertise in his speed, transitioning between the two chords rapidly a few times.

“Alright, alright show off” Ellie leaned into him and gave him a light shoulder shove to his chest as she shooed away his hands so that she could now try, to which he responded with a quick jab to her side with his other hand.

She jerked away at the spot he made impact with and shot him a rude glare, to which he only responded with a cheeky disapproving look back, eyebrows up and all.

Ellie ignored him and brought her attention back to the task at hand as she began practicing the switch between the two chords herself, this time remembering the exact path Joel’s fingers had taken during the change. Joel sat back a bit and relaxed next to Ellie, he couldn’t help but crack a smile at the concentrated look on her face, tongue bit between her teeth and all. But he couldn’t deny it, after about 5 minutes, it was finally seeming to come together.

“Heyyy there you go El” There was an excited urgency in his voice as he faintly smacked her on the shoulder with pride while he sat up and watched her transition smoothly twice in a row. He could tell by her shifting body language that she was excited about the progress.

“Nowww what do you say to the old man?” Joel was gesturing towards himself with a cocky grin on his face as he tried to turn in closer to make eye contact with her.

She was doing her very best to stop it but a teeny weeny smile was creeping at the edges of her mouth, but there was noooo way she was gonna give Joel that satisfaction. She turned away slightly but not too obviously to hide herself as she went back to not so casually practicing the song from the beginning on the guitar again.

“Pssh I coulda figured that out on my own”

Ellie mumbled slightly above a whisper, but with Joel being in such close proximity, she knew for a fact he heard her. She loved nothing more than to pester him like this, it made the daily boring routine much more fun when Joel was irritated by something.

All of a sudden, the notes midway through the song skewed in volume and pitch as Ellies hands were jerked against the guitar due to an attack of Joel’s at her sides. He had wrapped his hands around either side of Ellies torso and was squeezing with a nonchalant look on his face. He would have none of her shenanigans today, besides, even though he’d never admit it, this was his idea of making the daily routine more fun.

“Jo-JOOEOEAHAEL”

Ellie’s whole entire body went into panic mode, her arms were doing their very best to protect her, but with the guitar still in her grasp due to the sudden attack, it was mainly her elbows attempting to fight off Joel’s massive hands kneeding at her sides, and lets just say they definitely weren’t winning that fight.

“Ellie what the hehell that sounds horrible!” He gestured to the interesting amalgamation of notes erupting as Ellie wiggled around with the guitar in hand.

You call this progress? Pssh” Joel’s casual words and facial expressions did not match that of his devious hands which here now working their way up to Ellie’s ribs where her sputtering confused giggles were taken up a notch.

“You sound wayyy outta’ tune girl did nothing I teach you stick?” The sarcasm in his voice was only building.

“MOTHERFUCKARAHAH” Ellie had finally somehow successfully clumsily set the guitar on the ground with a clunggg of the strings, leaning up against the bench all while trying to defend her sides from the menace behind her. Electric waves of ticklishness washed over her as she was pinning Joel’s hands to her ribs with her arms. Her head was tucked into her shoulders and neck with the occasional attempt to look behind her at Joel, as her feet were now up on the opposite side of the bench, almost in a seated fetal position at this point. A big cheesy grin covered her face as laughter escaped her.

“You got something to admit kid?”

“NOHOHO AHAHASS QUHIHIT IT”

Ellie was having a conniption fit as she could do nothing to hide this vulnerable childlike laughter from spewing out of her, no matter how she twisted and turned their was no escaping the consequences of screwing with the old man.

Joel on the other hand was having the time of his life, finally some payback to the teenager was taking place. He decided to make one last switch of his own before ending his torture.

“ Alright, your funeral” Joel shot his hands downwards towards Ellies hipbones, latched on and waited for the begging, which obviously wasn’t long after.

Ellie’s eyes shot wide open as she doubled over on the bench, now almost completely vertical.

“NOHOH NOHO OHOHHOK OK I AHAHADIMIHIT STAHAP-”

She had her hands up pleading to Joel, the sensation was too much for her to handle, so he slowly put an end to his attacks and stared down at the teenager waiting for a response.

Ellie, who was now looking up and behind her at Joel as she laid on the bench completely vertical at this point, took half a minute just trying to get herself composed again before finally sputtering out a reply.

“ I-lh’m sohorry, Ih was wrohng, yohou taught mehe everything i know sir”

Although still recovering, she couldn’t help but still mock Joel as she pretend saluted him with her last word accompanying by a smug look on her face, it was simply in her nature.

Joel rolled his eyes.

“You better finish that song now, ‘cuz I highly doubt you wanna find out what happens if you don’t”

“You would be very correct about that”

Ellie pulled her self up immediately and grabbed the guitar as Joel grabbed his mug again and sat back, watching the sun set as Ellie played through the entire song, twice.

Joel smirked. She’d be safe, for now at least.

#tlou #tlou tickle #the last of us #tickle #tickle fluff #tickle fic #ler!joel #lee!ellie #god i love them #JOEL IS SO FATHER #the last of us tickle

[alien-hybreed]

OVERTIME - Part 1: Extended Hours

Mike hates his boss, Laura. Mike secretly has a crush on his co-worker, Rhiannon. Laura has never been anything but rude and demanding. So when an argument keeps Mike at work with Laura instead of leaving with Rhiannon, he's fired up.

Fired up enough to do something stupid, like hate-fucking Laura.

But there's something different about Laura besides her sudden interest in Mike. Something otherworldly, something monstrous...

"Mysterious radio transmissions reported by several of the world's-" Click "Inside sources saying that it may have originated from beyond our solar system, there are concerns-" Click "The unusual reports of shooting stars observed across the city last night-" Click "Saw several properties damaged by the debris-" Click "As authority call upon citizens to-" Click "Keep well away" Click After cycling through several different news channels, Rhiannon finally settled on a community television channel that played very poorly recorded covers of popular jazz songs over stock photos of scenic photographs. It was dull but not half as dull as the 10pm news.

"You gonna leave it on this one this time?" Snapped her co-worker, snatching the remote from her. "I dunno Luke, am I?" She playfully retorted, playfully nudging him under the counter. Mike watched the two from the burger bench as he frantically tried to wipe the station clean. It was yet another quiet week night, Mike hated those. Because they were short-staffed, uneventful and tedious? Sure. But mainly because it meant watching his best friends flirt with one another. Jealousy was a terrible thing like that. Mike had a crush on Rhiannon, had done since he first met her working here.

They'd started at the same time, fresh out of high school, trying to make ends meet. Almost five years later and they were still here despite always talking about moving on to better things. Rhiannon was still working in this fast food hell hole because she didn't know what she wanted to do next. Mike was here because he didn't want to give up on Rhiannon. And Luke? Well he slept with almost every woman that worked here. Except for...

"You two! Will you close your mouth's and your registers already?" Snapped the whip-crack sound of their Store Manager's voice from the back office. Laura was a tyrant. A short, pretty woman with long blonde hair in a tight bun and piercing blue-grey eyes. Laura was only a few years older than them, but she behaved like she was decades above them and perpetually irritated by anything that didn't meet her unrealistically high standards. Mike had given up on trying to be friendly to her a long time ago. As far as he was concerned, she'd never even tried to be civil with him or anyone else outside of head office for that matter.

Not five minutes later, Rhiannon and Luke were at it again. Mike winced as he saw Laura come striding out from her office, scowling as one of her trademark tantrums was clearly threatening to break free.

"Pick up the pace Mike" She snapped as she stormed past him.

"Bitch" murmured Mike under his breath. Laura shot him a filthy look over her shoulder as if she'd heard him. Not wanting to get bogged down in a screaming match with her this close to getting out, Mike averted his eyes and scrubbed harder at the toaster he was cleaning.

Mike could hear her shouting at Luke and Rhiannon, her voice getting louder the more they protested. Finally, there was the loud crash of a metal tray getting hurled at a wall followed by Laura stomping back past Mike. She always did this once she started throwing things around. She'd walk off only to come back moment's later, twice as pissed. The only way to stop her was to be immediately working on what she'd demanded or she'd just get meaner. Mike knew better than to attract any attention to himself. Despite that, Laura glared at the bench he'd cleaned earlier.

"Not good enough, get your act together Mike!" She snarled. Mike went to respond but she was already lashing out at Luke and Rhiannon again.

"Alright love birds, you're fucking done. Go the fuck home. Mike and I have got this." She bellowed, stomping her feet for emphasis. "Oh what the fuck? No! No way!" Snapped Mike, throwing his scrubbing brush at the floor. Rhiannon tried to say something but Laura cut her off. "Home. Go. We've got this." "I don't think so, that's bullshit" pouted Mike. He knew full well there's no way he'd get out in decent time, Laura was always more hindrance than help when she started cleaning anything herself. She'd have Mike redo everything, for what? His friends flirting?

"Mike. Not asking. You'll get it done. You two aren't working so go the fuck home" Roared Laura. Taking the hint, Luke and Rhiannon dived for the staff room to get their things and make a run for it. They had an outland they'd seen Mike and Laura fight enough to know they needed to get out while they still could.

"Well I'm asking, Laura. How the fuck are we meant to get all this done!?" Snapped Mike.

"Well you won't get it done any faster arguing!" Shouted Laura as Luke slipped out the front door, followed by Rhiannon. Rhiannon paused on the way out to mouth 'Sorry' to Mike before ducking out.

"So what, they do less work and they get to leave early?" Replied Mike, raising his voice to match Laura's.

"Right! That does it! You, my office. Now!" Screamed Laura, going red in the face.

"What!? Now!?" Mike was no stranger to Laura's 'disciplinary meetings'. He was angry enough at the prospect if staying back. Throwing a half hour of Laura high-roading him about due process and performance improvement plans, sounded like hell.

"Yes! Office, Mike! Now!" She shrieked, stomping her feet again. Mike rolled his eyes and shuffled towards the office. As he stepped into the office, he turned to face her and huffed. "Honestly Laura, just let me get back to cleaning or we'll be here all night?" Pleaded Mike. "I'm counting on it" snarled Laura as she shoved Mike, pushing him backwards. Mike stumbled, falling into the office chair behind him. Before he even knew what was happening, Laura was sitting in his lap. Her legs were around his waist, her hands seizing him by the neck and shoulder as she clamped her lips around his. Mike tried to push her off him, but her grip was surprisingly strong. Her tongue darted between his lips and began stroking the insides of his mouth. By the time she finally pulled her lips free, Mike was gasping for air.

"Yeah" She whispered, her voice dropping to a husky whisper "We're gonna be here a long time" at that she pulled Mike's hair, yanking his head to one side as she pressed her lips to his neck. Mike frantically looked around as if suspecting a prank. Laura's tongue was stroking the side of his neck and Mike couldn't help himself as he leaned into it. Laura was a lot of things, but unattractive wasn't one of them. Maybe this late shift wouldn't be so bad at all... Mike winced a little as he felt her tongue grow rough, something about it almost felt like it was pricking his neck... At that Laura stopped and pulled away, briefly releasing him to start unbuttoning her the shirt of her uniform.

"Clothes. Off. Now." She commanded as she pulled her shirt over her head and cast it aside. "Shouldn't we go somewhere more... y’know" Panted Mike as he tried to catch his breath while marvelling at the sight of her. The swell of her breasts straining against her bra, the flatness of her stomach... why was she working here when she could have been a supermodel instead?

"I said clothes off. Now" she growled, gripping his chin tightly. Mike nodded and began tearing at his pants while Laura pulled his shirt over his head. Given how slender arms were and how little physical work Mike had ever seen her do, he couldn't get over how strong she was. He let out a sigh as her hands roamed his chest, tracing along the line of his collarbone and stroking his sides. He kept trying to reciprocate and touch her but she kept pushing his hands away.

"Clothes. Off." She growled, baring her teeth as she swooped in to press her lips to his throat again. Mike had got his pants to his knees before he'd become distracted but he knew she wanted more than that. While kicking his legs to work his pants down to his ankles, he slipped free of his boxers. His cock springing out to press against Laura's pants, already fully erect and ready for what must surely come next. Again Mike felt the prickle on his neck as her tongue pressed against it. His vision blurred a little as Laura stood up and stepped back to admire him. "Yes. Yes this exactly what we want, isn't it?" She said in a husky whisper, slowly unzipping her pants to let them fall to the ground, dramatically revealing her slender legs and a waistline that made Mike's heart skip a beat. A tiny black thong was all that stood between Mike and her womanhood.

"So what are you waiting for? Come and get it" snarled Mike. This changed nothing. He still hated Laura... didn't he? "Oh, I will" chuckled Laura. Maybe it was light off the nearby computer screens, but Mike swore there was a green glint in her eye when she said that. Laura turned around and unclipped her bra before cinching her thong down slowly, bending over to tease Mike with the sight of her ass and a glimpse of her pussy.

"Stay where you are" She commanded, stepping backwards and lowering herself into Mike's lap. "I'm not looking at you until we're ready" "I'm ready" said Mike as her ass cheeks slowly slid around his cock until it sat neatly between them, pointing up at her lower back. "Not yet. Until then, do exactly as I say" She snapped. "You can touch my legs now" she murmured. Mike immediately slid his hands over her thighs. She took a deep breath and arched her back, reaching behind her to grab Mike by his hair. Mike squeezed gently as his hands slid up and down her thighs. Slowly, her hips started to flex, making Mike's cock slide back and forth between her ass cheeks.

"Unf... you're still such a bitch" grunted Mike. He felt her other hand come to rest over his left hand and gently guide it towards her crotch. "You love it" She sighed as she ran his forefinger across the folds of her entrance. "I really don't. You're a fucking bitch, Laura" whispered Mike, not sounding quite so sure of himself as he felt his finger slip into her slit. God, it was wet. So warm, soft and so fucking wet. Was that normal he wondered? How badly did Laura need this? "Oh and you're such a good boy?" She scoffed with a slight chuckle. "You will be once I'm through with you..." She groaned as she pressed Mike's finger to her clit. Mike went to speak but instead she pulled his head so close that it pressed his lips to the back of her neck. "Kiss me like you want to kiss her" She said with a lusty sigh. She knew about Rhiannon? Of course she knew. Laura was perceptive, there's no way she hadn't clocked it a long time ago. The thought of Rhiannon being here instead was more than enough to make Mike give her exactly what she wanted. He began working his lips around Laura's neck until he was passionately sucking and biting at it. Laura shuddered and began gyrating harder, bucking back and forth between pushing down on Mike's finger and continuing to massage his shaft with her ass.

Mike couldn't deny this was the hottest thing he'd ever done with a woman. The kitchen staff had often joked Laura was probably the kind of woman that fucked like a real dirty porno, but he'd never expected that to be quite so close to the truth. Satisfied she didn't need to hold his mouth in place, Laura stopped pulling his hair and seized his right hand and moved it up to cup her breast.

"Good isn't it? Go on, feel it. Don't act like you haven't thought about it, I've seen how you stare at them" She stated firmly. Mike did as he was told, kneading the luscious mound and slowly slipping his fingers around her rock-hard nipple. Mike's left hand no-longer needed any guidance from Laura as his forefinger swirled around her clit, his movements guided by her soft moans of ecstasy. He slipped another finger in to join it and Laura didn't object. If anything, her moans and movements began to intensify. Mike desperately wanted to plunge his cock into her while he still had the chance, he could feel it wouldn't be much longer until he came but there was no way he could get his cock into position in time. Laura had him firmly locked in position, was this her plan all along? To get him off and humiliate him for not going the distance? Again, Mike surprised himself by not being turned off by it. Maybe letting her win this one could turn things around between them? Mike could feel the pressure swelling up from his balls into his shaft. Any moment now... Mike felt something brush against his shaft, as though she had just licked it. He didn't have time to hesitate or think how strange that might be, he was already spurting cum over her ass and lower back. His fingers squeezed as his nerves briefly overloaded from the sensation. Laura let out a long, orgasmic moan that became a haughty chuckle as she slowed to a halt.

"Mmm... still thinking about Rhiannon, Mike? Or was that for me" She huffed as she caught her breath. "Sorry... I..." Mike stammered as he tried to apologise for his brevity. Laura slowly turned to the side and slid her leg around his waist once more. "Shhh..." She whispered, gently pressing a finger to his lips "I know you can do more. I'm counting on it." She purred as she pressed her chest against his, passionately kissing Mike. He tried not to flinch when again her tongue felt like it was making a prickling sensation on the inside of his mouth. "I asked you a question, Mike" She gasped between kisses. "Was that for Rhiannon?" She growled. Mike genuinely didn't know the answer. Laura was always horrid to him. He felt nothing but loathing for her. And yet... "Maybe... maybe not... no..." he rasped, clearly unsure of how best to answer such a loaded question. He still liked Rhiannon, didn't he? He couldn't be developing feelings for Laura, surely not?

"I thought so. Because you're a good boy now, aren't you?" Replied Laura, sliding off him and slowly moving to sit between his legs. "Would Rhiannon do this?" She purred, slowly dragging her tongue along his shaft, mmming and moaning as she flicked trails of cum into her mouth. Mike was fascinated as he watched her, the control she had over her tongue and how long it was... it was giving him some truly wicked ideas of what he'd like to see her do with it. Mike threw his head back and moaned.

"That's right..." She whispered seductively "Naughty, isn't it?" She continued, moaning between licks. Again, where her tongue touched him he felt his skin prickle. Weirder still was that his cock wasn't going down at all. Had she spiked his drink in the staff room? Is that what this was about? How else could he still be up? Again the light from the office cast a strange reflection in her eyes, making them seem almost entirely bright green, her irises glowing like the red eye effect on an old photograph.

"You're going to be naughty, but only when I tell you to Mike" She growled before sheathing his whole cock in her mouth. Mike whimpered as he felt a second, smaller load of cum burst into her mouth despite his best efforts to hold it back. Laura just chuckled as she stood up, licking her lips clean as she did. Mike also tried to stand up but he felt too tired to really work his feet, making Laura snicker as she watched him.

"I didn't say we were done, Mike" She growled, her voice dropping lower than he'd ever heard before. Her eyes still looked weirdly green and red, was Mike sure that was a reflection? "I said we were going to be naughty" She growled even lower again as she jumped on him. The chair squeaked and cracked as she landed on him, her legs straddling him as he felt her vagina slide up against his shaft.

"Do you still want Rhiannon?" She whispered into his ear while deliberately grazing the head of his cock with her folds "or just me?" "You..." Gasped Mike. "Only you..." he groaned as he leaned his head against her shoulder, exasperated by the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling. He'd spent so long obsessing over Rhiannon. But Laura felt right. Laura was controlling, powerful but also so sensual and proficient.  He'd never really thought too much about being submissive, but Laura made it feel so natural, so soothing. "I just want you Laura, please, while I still can..." he begged, imploring her to push down and take him into her depths before his erection would surely begin to wane. Laura shushed him and drew him into another passionate kiss. His hands slid up her sides and back to cling at her shoulders as he settled into it.

Maybe it was the exhaustion kicking in, but when she finally pulled away, Mike could have sworn Laura suddenly looked bigger. She was five foot six, but now she seemed taller than that, her legs and torso were almost the same as his and he was six foot. That couldn't be right? He didn't get to dwell on that before she shifted his attention elsewhere. Bracing herself on his shoulders, she rolled her hips forward, expertly guiding his cock into her sopping wet pussy. Mike gasped as he felt something long, wet and warm coil around his shaft and pull it deep into her. At that, Laura seemed to make a deep rumbling sound, she was purring like a cat.

"Hey, what just..." Mike protested, trying to put their tryst on pause for a moment. He felt the same sharp prickling sensation as before, but this time it was running up and down his cock. He was cut off from speaking further as Laura pressed her lips to his again. Mike bucked his hips and shivered with delight as he felt his cock moving in and out of her.

"That's all you need to worry about" She stated, gently clawing at he back of his head as she gyrated in his lap. "That's all you want, isn't it?" She moaned, licking at his ear as she spoke. Mike felt like it was a struggle to respond, he just tilted his head and let her keep licking. Eventually, she leaned back, burying his cock deeper in her. As she did, Mike's hands roamed her body. He lovingly caressed her sides and kneaded at her breasts, his fingers homing in on her nipples to playfully pinch and pull at them. All the while the stinging sensation around his cock intensified. It now felt like there were at least three separate lengths caressing and coiling around his cock as it throbbed inside her. But instead of concern or shock, Mike only felt more invigorated by the strange sensation.

As Laura leaned back  she ran both her hands through her long, golden waves of hair, sweeping it back behind her. As she did, her hair seemed to disappear while head seemed to be growing longer.

"What's... happening... to you..?" Panted Mike, surprising himself with how willing he was to keep fucking her despite what he was seeing.

"Remember that day I was off sick?" Snarled Laura, her voice growing unnaturally deeper once more. Mike remembered. Right now he felt bad for enjoying that day. He didn't want to enjoy not being around Laura. Not anymore. He loved Laura, he just couldn't see it at the time. There was also something else bouncing around in the back of his head. The news from earlier... something about meteorites...

"I got better" growled Laura as her entire mouth seemed to split open down the middle and open out sideways as a second set of jaws slowly slid into place behind them. The secondary jaws weren't split like the others but were lined with sharp teeth and fangs that looked more like the teeth of a cat. Mike bucked up harder. "You really did" he rasped as he gazed up at her in slack-jawed amazement. Her skin was shifting into what looked more like the scales of a snake, yet it was turning bright blue like some sort of tropical bird or fish. The scales were smooth to the touch and felt incredible on Mike's skin where she touched him. Her torso seemed even longer, she was surely six foot six now. Mike watched in awe as the back of her head elongated and swelled, becoming a two foot long, semi transparent tube. He could see through it to the elongated skull beneath which also seemed transparent like it was made of glass. Beneath, throbbed her brain, glowing with the same eerie green light as her eyes. There was something else in there, like snakes writhing between the pieces of her brain. The lips on her outer mouth curled into a ferocious grin as dozens of tentacles rapidly sprouted from the underside of her head, cascading around her back and chest as if it were hair that went down to her waist.

Part of Mike wanted to scream, part of him wanted to cum. He'd never been so aroused before. Whatever Laura had been before, however he may have once felt towards her. He loved her so completely now, no matter what she looked like.

"Our little secret" She snarled. It almost sounded like two voices speaking at once, Laura's feminine, human voice and the deep, guttural growling from before. She crossed her legs around Mike and the chair, locking him in place. Mike bucked up as hard as he could, the wet slurp of his cock in her and the sound of her thighs clapping against his was music to his ears.

Several tentacles draped across Laura's breasts slowly began to coil around Mike's arms as she shrieked and gasped. The warm, wet feeling of the tendrils felt like an incredible massage on Mike's skin that served only to make him buck harder. Mike splayed his fingers out nice more to squeeze her breasts as her nipples began to extend into tentacles of their own. Writhing around his wrists and snaking up his arms, these tendrils were different. Ribbed like vertebrae and ending with point tips that made his skin prickle wherever he touched them. She was incredible, the sensations she gave him were like nothing he'd ever felt before and he craved more.

"Can I... be real naughty?" Implored Mike "We'd really like that" growled Laura, again with the two voices speaking as one. At that, Mike pulled his arms back, using the grip of her tendrils to pull her close to him until their bodies pressed against one another. At that, Mike gave her a slobbery kiss, sliding his tongue past her outer mouth and into the jaw behind it. With all his might and no doubt a little assistance from Laura allowing him to, he pushed his legs to stand up, planting Laura on the desk without breaking contact. The desk creaked under their weight as Mike furiously thrusted into her, the tentacles around his shaft constricting and pulling every time he bean to slide out from her.

The two of them giggled and moaned as they kept this up for several minutes. Mike's eyes glazing over the longer he kept thrusting. Laura shrieked and hissed, stretching out her legs and flexing them to let Mike press his cock deeper in her than ever before. All the while Mike continually muttered how much he loved her and would do anything for her. Such enthusiastic devotion seemed to please Laura, her eyes fluttering and loud moans escaping her every time he did so.

Finally, Mike began to shudder. He clutched at her body as he felt a tremendous climb begin to race through his exhausted form. Laura tensed, tightening her tentacles around him as she sank her claws into his back and crossed her legs behind his back once again.

"Laura... I'm gonna... ah! Fuck! I'm cumming!" Mike gasped struggling to breath. "Do it. Fucking do it. Fuck me harder. Give me every drop, don't fucking stop!" Shrieked Laura in both her voices. Unable to refuse her, Mike dug deep and thrust so hard and fast that he began to drop with sweat. Laura's encouragement became unintelligible moans and roars as Mike's cock rammed into her. Finally, his whole body rocked, his hips spasming as he shot several thick loads of his seed into her before collapsing on her in an exhausted heap.

"I love you... I fucking love you Laura" he Droned, barely awake as he tried to snuggle against her. She chuckled, a low throaty sound as her grip on him began to tighten. "We're not done yet, lover" She purred, Mike groaned, not sure if he could muster the stamina for another fuck like that. But Laura had something else in mind.

The tentacles around Mike's cock continued to constrict, holding his cock inside her as it dribbled the last of his cum. Meanwhile, the tentacles from her nipples snaked their way up his shoulders and plunged into his mouth. Mike's eyes widened as the tentacles thrust their way down his throat. He tried to move but between how low his energy was and how tight Laura's hold on him was, he couldn't budge.

"Mmmf! Mmmhmm!" He tried to ask her what she was doing as he gagged on the rapidly swelling, ribbed tentacles. "Shhhh I've decided I'm keeping you because you're such a good boy..." She purred in a sultry whisper, gently caressing his cheek and temple with her clawed hand as she he'd him. A reminder of their newfound love, combined with the chemicals from her many stings throughout the night which were now flooding Mike's system, seemed to ease him into doe-eyed compliance.

The nipple tentacles began to undulate, pumping thick, viscous fluid into Mike. A warmth blossomed inside him like nothing on this earth and he relaxed completely into her grip. His lips slowly began to suckle at the tendrils as the warmth spread through his entire body. A sharp agonising twinge of pain was shooting through his bones and his chest ached as his ribs began to swell, straining at his skin as it began to turn pale blue and scaly. Mike groaned as his hair began falling out in clumps, the back of his head aching as it began to extend into a semi-transparent tube, half as long as Laura's. Unlike Laura, his ribs, spine  collarbone, hips and the bones on his forearms began sprouting through his skin to form a clear, glassy exoskeleton. His mouth remained the same, but his teeth grew long and sharp while his tongue seemed to grow long and narrow.

Laura happily purred as she watched him transform. The chemicals she was pumping into him were rapidly mutating every cell in his body, every fibre of DNA into a hybrid like her. Memories and knowledge of their species were artificially created in his altered brain, just like Laura had experienced when the alien parasite bonded to her. He would still be Mike, just like she was still Laura. But now he would think differently, feel differently. No human inhibitions to hold back his love for her. He would be a devoted, loyal drone for his queen and he would enjoy it.

Finally, his feet swelled to twice their size, toes becoming beast-like claws while his ankles thickened and his thighs swelled with tight, corded muscles. Satisfied the transformation was completed, Laura retracted her tentacles from his mouth and loosened her grip on Mike.

"How does it feel, my love?" She whispered "Better" growled Mike, now he too sounded like a second, monstrous voice spoke in time with his. "And who do you love?" She asked with a lusty moan "You. Only you." Growled Mike. "Show me" She commanded as her vagina began to relax, letting Mike's cock slide out with a thick, wet, slurping sound. He shuddered as he straightened up and slowly crawled off Laura, his chest heaving with every breath he took. With the utmost reverence for her, he gently placed his hands on her thighs as he slunk backwards. Lowering himself to squat between her legs, he looked up at her, savouring the sight of her as she stretched out to her full length. Even with his own monstrous enhancements  she was easily head and shoulders taller than him.

Laura's mouth's twisted into a wry smile as she watched Mike's eyes roam her body before settling on her pussy. Smeared with a mixture of his cum and her own juices, the three tentacles inside her pussy slowly wriggled where they were protruding from between her folds. Mike couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful sight.

"You want to taste me" She stated, her voice as firm as the muscles in her legs that Mike was lovingly massaging. Mike nodded slowly, his awkwardness being a mixture of reverence for Laura and adjusting to the size and balance of his elongated head. Laura tilted her head back and sighed as her pussy tentacles retreated into her. Mike leaned in and slowly pressed his lips to her folds. Laura let out a gleeful hiss, her outer mouth flexing outwards as she exhaled. Mike delicately prised her folds apart and began slithering his tongue up and down her slit. Laura shuddered and gripped the desk tightly as Mike began sucking at her, his head bobbing as he worked his tongue in and out of her. Hours ago, Mike wouldn't have dared go down on a woman he'd just pumped a load into. But this was different. No longer human, he didn't care about where their fluids came from, all he cared about was pleasuring Laura. He relished the slime oozing from her vagina as his lips pressed harder against her, after all this was the taste of their bodies combined. He yearned to be inside her again,  to create more of this delicious substance, to give her as much of it ad she could ever need and never stop. But he stayed where he was, massaging her vagina with his lips and tongue like she wanted, his mouth openng wider with each gulp as instinct drove him to prepare for something that would happen next. He did not understand ths sensation but accepted that he existed for Laura and would welcome whatever she would do to him. After all, he loved her with ecery fibre of his monstrous being.

Meanwhile Laura was stifling an urge of her own. As Mike's tongue pressed at her clit and writhed between her vaginal walls, her eyesight was growing strained and blurry. Her  claws and tendrils flexed involuntarily as herbody began to shiver. A delightful buzz was flushing through her abdominals as internal organs began to shift and squeeze. Was this how her orgasms would feel from now on, she wondered? There was so much about her new form she didn't fully understand, she just knew it felt good and right, that she wanted more and for it to never stop.

She could feel her vaginal tentacles straining not to plunge into Mike's mouth. She wanted something more than a climax. She struggled to keep her eyes open as she watched him hungrily lapping at her slit, it pleased her to see him so compliant and submissive,  yet so full of vigor. She wanted her tentacles in there, she wanted to force his throat open and sit on his face. She twitched her hips as she felt a set of mandibles unfurling from within her pussy. She wanted to snap at him with them, clamp them around his cheeks and hold him there... For what? Somehow she knew that if she did that, it would bring their tryst to a halt. There was something else slithering into place, ready to glide down his throat... No! that part must come later, she couldn't waste it now. Not without plenty of seed first... she had to intervene before Mike drove her over the brink of climax.

"Get... Get up!" She Panted, her twin voices gasping as the sensation wracking her body nearly made her lose composure. She wanted to let loose, to fuck with reckless, animalistic fury. To sit on his face and cum. But she wasnt ready yet, her drone had plenty to do for her first and if he was to do that he, she had to be in charge. Mike pulled free and stepped back, his maw dripping with their combined juices as he stood up like a soldier awaiting orders.

"As you command" he growled in a monotone voice, his arms hanging limp by his sides as he awaited further instruction.

"Good boy" She purred as she hopped up, giving herself a moment to stop shakiing as she regained her composure. Slowly, she prowled around him, running her hands over his smooth exoskeleton. "You are my drone now. The first of my beloved" She whispered "Yes my love, as you command" replied Mike in the same monotone, his twin voices so close to matching each other in tone and pitch. "I need your seed..." Continued Laura "Amongst other things, it nourishes me. Sustains this... our... my true form." She caressed herself as she spoke, her eyes fluttering as her hands slid over her crotch and up her chest. She hadn't known this until she said it but now it made perfect sense to her. She hadn't 'eaten' since she first became like this and she had not yet created any drones to sate her appetite. No wonder she'd felt so compelled to convert and fuck Mike, she was starving. Not that she minded, he'd proven to be an excellent choice.

"You do want to sustain me, don't you?" She purred, staring longingly at Mike's cock which now sported a segmented sheath of bone plates around its shaft. As she spoke, an erection swelled it once again, causing a fleshy length to begin extending from it. "I live for you" drawled Mike, excitement creeping into his voice as he anticipated another round of monstrous lovemaking.

"Yes, you do" chuckled Laura, pushing him to the ground. Wasting no time to pounce on him, straddling his waist as he lay beneath her. With a triumphant roar, she rammed her hips against his, impaling her womanhood on his hard, bony cock. Her hips bounced faster than she could have ever managed as a human. Mike tried to grip her thighs but she seized his arms by the wrists and pinned them to the ground. Mike didn't protest, instead he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Relaxing his entire body except for his waist which bucked against Laura's just as hard and fast as it had earlier. He began to purr as her vaginal tendrils coiled around his shaft, the prickling sensation of their microscopic stingers serving only to further invigorate him.

For nearly half an hour she road him, briefly pausing when they would both begin to shudder and hiss as a thick load of cum would pour into her. Each time, Laura would fight off the general to move her hips to his face and let her mysterious fourth pussy tentacle do what it wanted. The niggling urge grew stronger every time, but she kept her composure and resumed fucking Mike cowgirl-style. She was still Laura and she was still in charge.

Eventually, even her superhuman stamina began to wear thin. She had feasted upon the seed Mike had pumped into her, but her body still needed to process it. Most of it would be used as an energy source, while a portion would be used for her reproductive functions. But neither of that was possible without rest. Coming to a shuddering halt as a final spurt of cm shot onto her, she looked up at the clock on the wall. Three AM. In a few hours, the sun would be up.

"It's time to go home, my love" She crooned as she slowly slid off of Mike. The thought of needing to leave the safety of the office seemed to be causing Laura's body to change again as she slowly got back on her feet. Her body was rapidly shrinking. Her inhuman features melting back into her skin while her slimy sweat seemed to congeal into regular human skin. Her head ached as it slowly compressed back to the size of a regular human skull, thick waves of blonde hair sprouting from it as it did. If it weren't for Mike locked in his monstrous form beneath her, an intruder would have mistaken her for her regular, albeit naked, human self. Finally, with a gasp, her eyes returned to their normal blue grey.

Wasting no time, Laura got dressed as fast as she could and gathered up the tattered remains of Mike's clothes and stuffed them into her backpack.

"Carefully now. I'm taking you to my car Mike, but you can't eternity anyone see you" She whispered, stroking his chest as she did. "Careful... as you command" he drawled in his monotone. "Yes, Mike. We're going to our home" She stated, affirming their course of action. "Home..." he happily purred. "Yes, our home" She chuckled, taking his hand and leading him towards the door "I need to sleep and you need to build a nest..."

* * *

The next day, when the opening shift arrived, there was no shortage of complaining. The place had been left in a mess, only half the cookware and workstations had been cleaned, some even still had last night's leftovers going off in them.

When Rhiannon and Luke arrived for the closing shift later that day, everyone wanted to know why they'd half-assed the close. Let alone how Laura had let them leave with it so blatantly unfinished. The conversation was awfully repetitive. "Laura sent us out, it was just her and Mike, ask him?" "Mike's not in today, nobody's heard from him?" "Well... ask Laura?" "Hah good one" or "Ask Laura? Seriously?"

The two of them couldn't help but worry how bad Mike and Laura must have fought if he wasn't in and Laura had made no comment on it. As they put their bags away in the staff room and moved towards their registers, Laura stepped out of her office. Perfectly normal, human Laura, her face in its characteristic frown. She snapped at them as abruptly as she had appeared.

"Luke, I'm going to need you to stay back late tonight. There's a lot we need to catch up on..."

Continued in Part Two - Home Time