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flowerandblood · 7 months

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Glass Cuts Deepest (5)

[ professor! • Aemond x student! • female ]

[ warnings: angst, fluff, trauma, mention of rape, indecent student-teacher relationship ]

[ description: A female painting student is finally able to choose the specialisation she has dreamt of - stained glass. She wants to become a student of the best specialist in this field, but he, for some reason, refuses to accept female students into his workshop. She finds out that he once slapped a female student of one of the other professors. Nevertheless, she makes an attempt to find out what happened then and to convince him to teach her. Slow burn, sexual tension, dark, agressive Aemond, great childhood traumas. ]

* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *

Previous and next chapters: Masterlist

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She herself did not know what to think about what she had seen. On the one hand, she felt honoured, but on the other, she felt uncomfortable, as if he was showing her some unhealthy kind of attention in this way, which he was obviously ashamed of himself.

For a long time she tried to work out the reason why he didn't let women into his workshop, why he didn't want to cooperate with them. She thought maybe he was prejudiced, maybe he had a bad experience with them, maybe he had some kind of trauma.

She noticed that he kept a greater physical distance from her than he did from men, as if he wanted to make sure she wouldn't touch him even by accident, when at the same time he had no problem shaking Cregan's hand in greeting.

A strong feeling in the back of her mind accompanied her that there was something more behind it, and once she was left alone with Cregan she tried to gently explore the area.

"Why our professor doesn't want women in his workshop? He had that attitude even before he slapped that girl." She said uncertainly, standing next to him with her mug of hot tea, taking a break for a moment as she watched him work on the Apostle Peter's face.

She heard him sigh heavily and move restlessly, turning anxiously over his shoulder to make sure no one could hear them.

"He doesn't confide in me about this kind of things, but I suspect it's some kind of childhood trauma. He says it's about women being weepy and easily distracted, being too loud and frustrating him. But still his approach is very restrictive and, viewed from a gender equality approach, unfair. Nevertheless, I respect him as an artist and a professional and I think it would be better if we didn't talk about it." He said quickly, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye with a look that told her she wasn't going to get anything more out of him.

She nodded and left, going back to cutting orange and yellow glasses for the golden background behind the Virgin Mary.

From the moment he caught her in his studio the situation between them had been tense, when he wanted to tell her something he sent Cregan to her. She knew he was angry with himself and with her and she couldn't understand what was going on.

She thought he didn't like her, so why had he painted her?

She wondered if maybe he had some issues with his sexuality, that maybe he was ashamed of his desires, the fact that he was attracted to female students and that was why he didn't want to accept them.

One day Ned ran into their workshop and, making sure that neither their professor nor Cregan were among them, approached them with his phone.

"Did you guys hear that? Holy shit. The girl our professor slapped reported Jason Lannister to the police with several other girls he molested. Listen to this:

For years I was controlled and manipulated by him, enervated by him and in love with him, believing that everything others said about him was lies, caused by jealousy or mental illness. Despite the fact that Professor Targaryen spent years trying to get Professor Lannister expelled from the university as soon as he perceived that he might be harassing his female students, the rector did not react, and I myself contributed to the destruction of his image. Incited by Professor Lannister, I went to him and told him many things for which I am ashamed. Professor Targaryen has recently apologised to me for his aggressive response he made at the time, and I want it to be clear that there is no longer any dispute between us, and I hope that if there is a court hearing, he will appear as one of the witnesses to testify and confirm about what we said.

He read aloud, and she swallowed with difficulty, feeling her heart pounding hard, analysing everything she had heard.

The professor had recently apologised to me for his aggressive response.

She felt a tightening in her stomach at the thought that he had done so after talking to her.

No.

Her words didn't matter to him.

She wanted to talk to him again, feeling uncomfortable, feeling that something had been left unsaid between them.

She didn't dare.

As their work leaned towards completion, and all the glass was slowly fitted into the lead surrounds and brought to its final shape, she watched with pride and joy as her project became a reality, even more beautiful than in her mind.

Her colleague, seeing Our Lady's face, approached her and asked her in a whisper if by chance she had her facial features.

"It just seems that way to you." She laughed nervously, feeling her heart pounding hard, looking at her figure and seeing her face painted so beautifully, melancholy and solemn, not knowing herself what she felt.

During one of the weekly meetings, their professor had announced that in a few days there would be an installation of stained glass windows in a church that was an hour from their town, and he and Cregan were to go there to supervise the work, so he was scheduling the tasks they were to do in his absence.

"I think, as always, it would be appropriate to take the author of the project to the montage so she can see the final result of her work." Said Cregan lightly, but swallowed loudly as soon as he saw his professor's deadly stare.

He sighed, clearly furious that he'd said that out loud, that he'd put him in a position where he couldn't say no, where they'd take any other student with them.

It ended up that the three of them were to drive there by his car and sleep in separate room hotels, staying there for three nights, as that was how long the whole montage was to take.

She was excited and terrified at the same time, happy to see her work in its finished, complete form. On the other hand, she dreaded being in private with them and thanked God that Cregan was going with them.

They had arranged to leave in the morning, having to meet outside the university by the professor's car, she could see from a distance they were smoking cigarettes waiting for her.

Although it was hot she dressed as she would for class, carrying a backpack with her belongings on her back. Her professor did not greet her but took it from her out of politeness, threw it in his boot and got behind the wheel, extinguishing his cigarette with his boot in the meantime.

They drove along the highway listening to the songs of the band Depeche Mode, which she was very fond of, her professor and Cregan talking among themselves about their other commissions they had to carry out and their deadlines for completing the work, pretending she wasn't there. She settled comfortably in the back seat, looking out of the window, trying simply not to exist.

When they arrived at the hotel they picked up their keys, their rooms were next to each other. They left their belongings and drove to the church to see how looked the windows where the stained glass was to be inserted, which were travelling properly secured with a separate truck.

She marvelled at the interior of the church and its décor and saw that her project would be behind the altar itself, towering over everything around it. She felt her cheeks turn red with happiness at the thought that in a few days, her own design, which she herself had put her hand to making, would shine in these quarters.

She swallowed loudly at the thought of seeing her face in the figure of the Virgin Mary and glanced involuntarily at her professor, who was looking ahead thoughtfully, depressed, sad.

She felt her heart squeeze, feeling that he was still fighting something, that something was poisoning him inside and not allowing him to breathe or function, hanging over him like black storm clouds.

She felt helpless knowing there was nothing she could do to help him.

When the work began they personally checked that everything had arrived whole and no glass had broken, after which the technicians moved on to removing the old windows.

With nothing else to do they went into the local shop to do some shopping, after which they all locked themselves in their rooms.

She thought hopefully and happily that it wasn't so bad, that thanks to Cregan the atmosphere was quite bearable and that she was actually glad she had come with them.

The night was exceptionally hot and she curled up on her bed, unable to sleep, wearing only a white t-shirt and blue tracksuit shorts. She sighed heavily, remembering that her room had a balcony, and got up, hoping it would be a little cooler outside.

She opened the door and frowned, immediately smelling the smoke. She leaned out and saw her professor's shocked face sitting in a wicker chair with his cigarette in hand. She stepped back immediately, confused, noticing that both her room and his had an exit to the same balcony.

She glanced down at herself and her bare legs and sighed softly, walking barefoot out onto the cold tiles, sitting down on the opposite side of the table in the other wicker chair and leaned back, looking at the buildings around them, feeling her heart pounding hard.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled quickly, but his voice stopped her.

"Stay. I'm finishing up anyway." He said lowly, and she swallowed quietly, not sure if she should do that.

She heard something rustle and slide towards her on the coffee table, out of the corner of her eye she noticed it was an open packet of cigarettes. She shook her head and he hummed under his breath, taking a drag on his half-burnt smoke, looking at her intensely.

They stared at each other like that and she felt something hanging in the air, that after she discovered he had sketched her there was a tension between them that she didn't know what to do about.

Nothing she wanted to say seemed right to her.

He let out a loud puff of smoke through his mouth without lowering his gaze, shaking the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray with a tap of his finger.

"Are you afraid of me?" He asked coolly, lowly, but with some hint of amusement from which a shudder went through her. She swallowed loudly and looked at him again, tightening her hands on her knees.

"I'm not afraid. I just don't understand you, Professor." She said with some kind of weariness, lowering her gaze. She heard him chuckle under his breath at her words.

"And what is it you want to understand?" He asked defiantly, tauntingly, as if he wanted to provoke her, toying with what reaction he could get out of her. She looked at him furrowing her brow feeling her heart pounding hard.

"What has happened to you."

His pupil narrowed like that of an animal, she had the feeling his eyes had gone completely black. He took a drag on his almost-smoked cigarette, not taking his eyes off her, one dangerous, dark, the other one empty, dead.

"Careful now. You're treading on thin ice."

She felt the weight of this situation and their words on her shoulders, she felt like something was crushing her, she looked at him pleadingly feeling that this was her only chance, that some part of him wanted this, that's why he told her to stay.

"Please. Please, sir, let me understand." She whispered, feeling that she was breathing through her mouth, all tense, focused only on him, only on the expression on his face. He pressed the remnants of his cigarette to the ashtray extinguishing it, letting the smoke out through his nose.

"I was raped by a woman when I was 16."

She looked at him in disbelief, a powerful shudder went through her, her throat tightened, her eyebrows arched in pain. She felt her lower lip tremble as he continued to look at her with some kind of satisfaction in his eyes as he reached for another cigarette.

He slipped it into his mouth, reached for his lighter and after a moment the warm light of the flame enveloped his face, the cigarette hissed and smoke began to pour from it while he take a drag.

She didn't know what to answer, what to do, what was the right thing to say when someone confessed something like that to you, her heart was pounding like crazy. She felt like her body froze, she couldn't believe he had actually said that to her.

She couldn't look away from his face.

"It's a pity you can't see yourself. They should give a Nobel peace prize to every woman who looks at me like that when she learns about it." He said with malicious, cold irony, taking a drag again, more intensely this time, releasing the smoke through his mouth with a hiss of his tongue.

She felt tears involuntarily run down her face, one after another, she wiped them away, but they were followed by more.

He shook his head, sighing disapprovingly.

"Always this crying." He muttered dryly, shaking off the ash into the ashtray with an impatient gesture of his finger.

She got up and walked out, feeling she couldn't take it, closing the door behind her. She burst out sobbing as soon as she hugged her pillow, trying to stifle her sounds, humiliated, terrified and sad, feeling every possible emotion she could imagine towards him, shaking all over.

She shuddered when, a moment later, she heard a knock on the glass, she rose and turned, spotting the outline of his silhouette between the curtains of her window.

"Please, open. I'm sorry." He said loud enough for her to hear him, fatigue and pain in his voice.

She stood up slowly on trembling legs and opened her balcony door. He turned towards her as looked down at her, his lips pressed together.

She saw him swallow with difficulty, lowering his gaze, clearly wanting to say something. He finally let the air out with a loud sigh, as if he had made up his mind that he was giving up.

"I am not a good person. I do and say worse and worse things. I'm tired of myself and the people around me. I feel like I'm spiralling down and there's nothing I can do about it. I can't understand why you cared so much about me teaching you, but what I said just a moment ago was an expression of my pure cruelty." He said lowly, looking at her with some kind of helplessness.

She didn't know what to make of his words, she felt that somehow he was asking for her help by telling her all this, but she didn't know how to give it to him, what to do.

She swallowed loudly, lowering her gaze.

"I wanted to work with you because you are the best. Because you are to me the model of an artist, a hard-working man doing everything with care and attention to detail. I respect you very much in this regard, sir, and I try not to make you feel uncomfortable with me, although I am only now beginning to understand what this discomfort is caused by." She choked out with difficulty, feeling her heart pounding like mad at the idea that this was a conversation that could change everything between them.

He looked at her silently, sadness, fatigue, resignation in his gaze. She thought that in all these years he had not known rest, had not slept peacefully at night, eternally prepared to attack and to react.

She saw, surprised, feeling a squeeze in her heart, that his lower lip began to tremble involuntarily, his eyes glazed over with tears, his brow arched in pain.

He was vulnerable.

"Will you let me touch your cheek?" He whispered in a trembling voice.

She swallowed loudly, shocked, looking at him in disbelief, her face red and wet with tears, her heart pounding like mad.

Oh God.

What should she do?

Did she want it or not?

She nodded involuntarily, wanting to see what it would feel like, whether she would feel discomfort or repulsion, whether her body would automatically try to protect itself from something she didn't want.

She watched, breathing as loudly as he did, as he lifted his large, trembling hand and ran his fingertips over her skin, so gently, tenderly, respectfully, that she felt a tightness in her throat and warmth in her chest, for some reason she felt like crying again.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered in a pained, quivering, breaking voice and she realized that he felt something for her, that was why he had sketched her, why he had looked at her like that, why he now stood before her, heartbroken.

"You are beautiful too, sir." She whispered quietly what she really thought, simultaneously fearing and admiring him from afar, only now from close up could she appreciate the shape of his nose, the outline of his jaw, his full lips, his infinitely dark, mysterious gaze.

She heard him draw in a hard breath at her words, looking at her in pain, his hand stroking her cheek as if she were something precious, valuable.

Vulnerable.

She wanted to lift her hand, to touch him, to stroke him as he did her, but his other hand tightened quickly on her wrist, his breath wheezing in his throat, his eyes widening.

"No. Don't touch me." He said quickly, breathing hard. "Please."

She lowered her hand, looking at him horrified, only now seeing what it had done to him, her heart breaking at the thought of how much he must suffer every day.

"May I touch your hand?" She asked quietly.

He looked at her for a long moment in silence, fighting with himself. He swallowed hard and nodded uncertainly, watching her every move.

She took his free hand in hers, barely touching his fingers, leading him behind her to her room.

"I don't −" He started apprehensively, but she didn't let him finish.

"I know. That's not what I want either." She said quietly, sitting down on her bed, looking at him warmly and calmly, reaching out her hand to him.

"Turn your back to me." He commanded low, breathing heavily, and she swallowed hard.

She did as he asked, and laid on her side with her back to him, feeling her heart pounding as the place between her thighs clenched involuntarily in a feeling, that she knew too well.

She felt him lying a short distance beside her, his warm, uneven breath enveloping the skin of her naked neck, she was both terrified and aroused by what he wanted to do, what he really needed from her.

She knew he was looking at her.

She heard him lick his lips with a quiet click of saliva, his mouth dry with emotion.

She knew that something very crucial, very important was happening to him now, and that he didn't want to hurt her.

"Can I touch your hair?" He asked in a whisper, uncertainly, fearfully.

She swallowed loudly and nodded, tense.

She felt him place his large hand on her head after a moment, with slow, gentle movements of his fingers combing through her hair, repeating the same movement again and again.

She felt a pleasant tickle and heat in her heart at this innocent, tender gesture, and for some reason she felt tears under her eyelids.

Despite all the inappropriateness of what they were doing, she felt it was so innocent, so pure.

"Is it pleasant? Are you uncomfortable?" He asked quietly, as if he wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting her, that she wasn't just keeping quiet through fear of him or her own apprehension.

"No. It's very pleasant. I think I'll fall asleep if you don't stop, sir." She whispered softly and he hummed under his breath, the affectionate, soft movement of his fingers through her hair making a pleasant shiver run through her every time.

Neither he nor she moved, lying like that for a long minutes, listening to each other's breaths and the sounds of the street outside the window.

She could smell his intense, masculine perfume and aftershave, the gentle touch of his hand making her calm down at last, filled with some strange, warm feeling, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier.

She fell asleep.

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Aemond Taglist:

(bold means I couldn't tag you)

@its-actually-minicika @notnormalthings-blog @nikstrange @zenka69 @bellaisasleep @k-y-r-a-1 @g-cf2020 @melsunshine @opheliaas-stuff @chainsawsangel @iiamthehybrid @tinykryptonitewerewolf @namoreno @malfoytargaryen @qyburnsghost @aemondsdelight @persephonerinyes @fan-goddess

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wangxianficfinder · 2 months

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In the mood for...

March 12th

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1. hi! for the next itmf could i please get lxc being called out on his bs? i was obsessed with “weep no more, sad fountains” but i still wanted to see him actually having to come to terms with that fact that he put his trust on jgy above his trust on his brother and was complicit on all of it. thanks!!

break by justdoityoufucker (T, 3k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LXC Critical, JC Critical, Canonical Character Death, Guānyīn Temple Scene, BAMF WN, Protective WN)

Ghosts Shouldn’t by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 15k, WangXian, Grief/Mourning, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending) also contains many "FU"s against Lan Xichen but more for how the Lan Clan treated Lan Wangji when he protected Wei Ying & took in Yuan.

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2. Hi! For ITMF, can you please recommend wangxian fics where other people (could be other canon characters, OCs or outsider pov) find out about wangxian’s marriage and are jealous of how lan wangji is the most devoted, doting husband or even just surprised/ awed with their relationship!

Thank you always for your efforts and time 🫶

Life before you was tragic by covalentbonds (Not rated, 4k, wangxian, Fluff and Humor) The part that’s relevant to the ask is in the second chapter

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3. Hi again. ITMF two sets of fics a) where wwx and lwj end up taking care of yuan er after they find him on the door step, a family member leaves him in their care etc b) wwx and lwj having loads of kids adoption or birth wise maybe even a few of the children finding them and just kind of latching on and it's kid fics, the longer the better @thatperson0-0

3A)

The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70k, WangXian, Modern AU, Accidental Baby Acquisition,Kid Fic, explicit in much much later chapters, green card marriage (but not really), pining for your own husband, endless pining, Slow Burn, Happy Ending, Nothing else bad or traumatic happens to the baby, [Podfic of] The Simplest Way Forward by knight_tracer) maybe? WY & LZ aren't together when Yuan shows up but get together days later.

🔒💖 so take my hand (take my whole life too) by cicer (E, 92k, wangxian, Modern, Accidental Baby Acquisition, oh my god they were roommates, Idiots in Love, Mutual Pining, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, this fic is not about trauma, it's about the yearning, slowburn, some characters have a pretty strong bias against folks with drug addiction, (this does not reflect the author's opinion of people with addiction disorders!), none of the really grim abuse/drug use affects our main characters, and it takes place offscreen) should be a good fit

3B)

🔒💖 love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, YLLZ WWX, Arranged Marriage, political scheming, Gratuitous Domesticity, Mutual Pining, EXTREME SLOWBURN, the inherent eroticism of the forehead ribbon, The Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, neither wwx nor lwj want to be Perceived, but sorry kids! it's gonna happen!, rated E but the the NSFW stuff doesn't begin until chapter 19!, bottom lwj in chapter 20 and 27)

❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, 🔒[PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)

🔒and having a marvelous time by varnes (E, 108k, WangXian, Yúnmèng Siblings, Sound of Music AU, (i know!!! i know. stay with me on this.), Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Family Feels, spies to lovers???, Protective Siblings, Sometimes You Just Want Your Dads To Admit They're Your Dads, Angst with a Happy Ending, podfic of and having a marvellous time by varnes by Spinifex) this story has WWX adopting a bunch of kids (or maybe them adopting him), but LWJ loves then as soon as he meets them do hopefully this will work for the request.

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4. Hiiii thank you for all your hard work!!!!

For the next itmf do you have any

A. Child abuse / neglect wwx where lwj realize something is wrong like in the shadow of moonlit flowers by Reverie(cl410) or works that mention the fact that wwx is not giving his all in exams / is being disruptive on purpose (maybe he corrects lwj on something super complicated) and after he stops his grades gets so much better…

B. Anything where wwx safeword out of a nonsexual situation? Like a meeting with the Jiangs or something triggering??

Anyway thank you so much for everything ✨✨✨✨✨✨ @ihaveasoftspotfora-yuan

4A)

Just Say Yes series by edenwolfie (M, 338k, wangxian, canon divergence, matchmaking, pining, cloud recesses study arc, getting together, fluff, humor, hurt/comfort, everyone lives au) Wei Ying misbehaves because he's not challenged enough

🔒 Warming up (to him) by barisan (T, 9k, LQR & WWX, WangXian, Hypothermia, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, Temporary Character Death, Medical Inaccuracies, YZY Abuses WWX, JFM Bashing, pre-wangxian, Good Uncle LQR, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort)

Company by WithBroomBefore (T, 29k, wangxian, canon divergence, not YZY friendly, pre-relationship, getting together, fix-it, hurt/comfort, light angst w/ happy ending)

🔒💙 Holding shreds by barisan (T, 5k, WangXian, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, No Sunshot Campaign, Body Swap, Not for sexy shenanigans, Chronic Pain, Hurt WWX, Hurt LWJ, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abusive YZY, Bad Parent YZY, Bad Parent JFM, Good Uncle LQR, Hurt/Comfort, Medical Inaccuracies, POV WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jiāng Family Bashing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Getting Together, Smart WWX)

please don't let me be misunderstood by sysrae (T, 3k, WangXian, Modern AU, College/University, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, getting hit by cars, Past Child Abuse, Friends to Lovers, Abusive YZY, Caring LWJ, Injured wwx)

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5. ur favorite darkji fics? thanksss

A Matter of Time series by mrcformoso (E, 84k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, graphic depictions of violence, underage, LWJ pov, JC pov, dark LWJ, manipulation, grooming, teen body adult mind for LWJ, happy ending for wangxian, problematic consensual underage sex, blood & violence, insane LWJ, manic LWJ)

💖 Ominous by 3neetee (T, 5k, wangxian, pre-relationship, established relationship, character death, fae & fairies, changelings, dark LWJ, dark WWX, BAMF WWX, graphic description, suicide, implied/referenced domestic violence)

Like stones on an unseen board by Vir_Abelasan (Not rated, 11k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Dark LWJ, Older LWJ, Teacher LWJ, dark twin jades, Age Difference, Manipulation, Protective LWJ, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Corporal Punishment, Relatively canon-typical abusive Jiangs, WWX Get a Happy Ending, WangXian Get a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Not Jiang Clan Friendly)

💖 I just wanted to see you so bad by Blackberreh, ThatOnePlatypus (T, 1k, wangxian, canon divergence, dark LWJ, minor character death, blood)

💖 Somewhere Sits an Empty Throne by Siamesa (E, 19k, WangXian, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, tgcf fusion, Gods & Goddesses, Ghosts, Romance, vengeance, Dark LWJ, Grief/Mourning, Explicit Sexual Content, Angst with a Happy Ending)

💖 Do you want to hear by allollipoppins, dameauxgentianes (T, 12k, wangxian, time travel fix-it, canon divergence, not everyone dies au, epistolary, Madam Lan lives, minor character death, dark LWJ, Lan WWX, bad parents JFM & YZY, good uncle LQR, no sunshot campaign)

💖 demons run when a good man goes to war by Miranda_Aurelia (T, 20k, wangxian, LWJ & NHS, JYL/JZX, canon divergence, angst w happy ending, NHS & LWJ friendship, not JGY friendly, dark LWJ, revenge, (presumed) major character death, not LXC friendly)

💖 Like the sea loves the shore by Say (E, 15k, wangxian, LQY & WWX, implied/referenced WWX/WC, F/F, rule 63, dark LWJ, protective LWJ, sirens, childhood friends to lovers, fluff, angst w/ happy ending, eventual smut, human WWX, siren LWJ, age difference, non-human genitalia, minor character death)

💖 Buried in the Sky, Hallowed by thy Depths by themunchking (T, 9k, wangxian, supernatural elements, sirens, dark wangxian, canon-typical violence)

💖 The Way You Tremble by themunchking (E, 6k, wangxian, murder husbands, vampires, blood, violence, supernatural elements)

At heart by apathyinreverie (M, 8k, wangxian, WIP, Dark LWJ(Ish), Amnesia, WWX gets to be Not Okay after the BM, Hurt WWX, Recovery, Caring, Protective LWJ, Possessive LWJ, some definite manipulation, but not everything is as it seems, not nearly as dark as the tags make it sound, Canon Divergence, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Domestic WangXian, Fluff, WWX Goes to Gusu, WWX happily atticwifing away, Sunshot Campaign, BAMF WWX, BAMF LWJ)

~*~

6. Hi!!

It's been a while since I asked here, but I can't help but to come back for MXTX stories jahaha

I Was wondering, for the next "I'm in the mood fof", may I ask for fics where WWX is good friends with HC from TGCF? I need their bromanceeeeee

Tysm!! @nia-rarita

🧡 The Red Ribbon by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, WangXian, HuaLian, Canon Divergence, Ghost City, a bit of beefleaf, Immortality, Cultivation Partners, Juniors, XL and HC find a child who happens to be WWX, Fluffy wangxian, WWX is a Supreme Ghost King, First Time, TGCF)

🔒Can we skip to the Good Part? by pink-lotus-pods (kkomaism) (T, 107k, HuaLian, WangXian, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, YLLZ WWX, HuaLian are in Love , Married HuaLian, Slow Build, Canon Temporary Character Death, Ghost WWX, Fix-It of Sorts, Canon Divergence, Blood and Violence, Character Study, Panic Attacks, WWX Has a Mental Breakdown, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, unbearable amounts of sexual tension, Suicidal Thoughts, mild but it's still there!, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Genius WWX)

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7. Hiiii for the next itmf do you know any alpha to omega wwx ??? Like Juste A Taste by anxiousTypist or any omega wwx and alpha lwj being “roommates”

Thank you for your work !!!!! 🤍🩵❤️🖤

Blissful Ignorance and All Its Benefits by DrPanda99 (E, 20k, wangxian, WIP, A/B/O, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Oblivious WWX, Alpha WWX, Alpha LWJ, Bitching, Self-bitching?, Masturbation, Size Difference, of the penis variety, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Knotting Dildos, Large Cock, Small Penis, Size Kink, Accidental Voyeurism, Size Queen WWX, LWJ & WWX Have a Breeding Kink, PWP, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Humor)

Two Alphas, One Ship by fenaly (E, 6k, wangxian, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, A/B/O, Bitching, Rape/Non-con Elements, Non-consensual sex, Non-Consensual Bitching, Aliens, Non-Human Genitalia, Blood and Gore, Murder Husbands, Feminizing genitalia terms, Among Us AU, Sci-Fi, Explicit Smut, Tentacles, Shapeshifting, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Monsterfucking, Violence, Alpha/Alpha becomes Alpha/Omega, Breeding Kink, Wank and Tell)

🔒 Unpreventable Happened by 3neetee (G, 15k, wangxian, Modern, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Alpha WWX, but not for long, Bitching, Roommates, baby acquisition, fostering, Pre-Relationship, Mutual Pining, WWX is irresponsible with himself, Domestic Fluff, Kid Fic)

Changing by Dixielis (T, 2k, wangxian, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Alpha WWX, Omega WWX, Bitching, Mpreg, POV Outsider, Hurt/Comfort, Good Uncle LQR, Modern)

Mutual Nurture by NinaCarow (E, 9k, wangxian, Mentions of Character Death, mentions of abuse, Mentions of Rape, no rape occures tho, A/B/O, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics, Omega WWX, Alpha LWJ, Past Alpha WWX, Biting, Bonding, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Knotting, WWX Has a New Golden Core, its just sex and cuteness, mostly)

what home feels like by callmeb6104 (E, 7k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Alpha WWX, Omega WWX, changing of (secondary) gender, Whump, WWX Whump, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, No Sunshot Campaign, Aged-Up Character(s), Domestic Violence, Bad Parent YZY, Anal Play, Anal Fingering, Ass to Mouth, Multiple Orgasms, sex tears, Hand Jobs, First Time Blow Jobs, First Time, Nipple Licking, Nipple Play, Body Worship)

I care for you by Lanwangjisnights (M, 27k, wangxian, WIP, Modern with Magic, Magical Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Alpha WWX, Fox WWX, Knotting, Nesting, Dual Cultivation, Mpreg, Non-Traditional A/B/O Dynamics)

~*~

8. Hey!!

I hope youre doing well <33 i wanted to read something similar to how to fall in love with a catfish - a guide by wwx in terms of humour. Im fine with whatever premise/canon/non canon/au etc etc i just want to read something witty-ish funny like how that was.

Thank you in advance!!!!

Inter-Sect Politics for the Absolute Beginner by Elpie (Horribibble) (M, 3k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Brothels, BAMF WWX, Chaotic WWX, Humor, JGS Being an Asshole, Justice, JGY & WWX Friendship)

~*~

9. Is there a fic where wwx becomes pregnant through artifical insemination. He doesn't know it's lwj and neither does lwj. They end up getting close and falling in love and later lwj learns he's also the bio dad?

~*~

10. hii :D im in the mood for some magical girl/hero AU fics, preferably wangxian but i dont mind other ships or a lack of thereof. what i mean by "magical girl AU" is a modern setting in which cultivators are more or less vigilantes/heroes who can transform using their powers. hellinglaozu on tumblr has an AU similar to the genre im looking for btw, if you'd want a more concrete idea as to what i'm looking for you could refer to it (it's called seventeen romance). thank you!! ^^ @harapecowee

Wei Wuxian Makes a Wish series by natcat5 (M, 119k, wangxian, major character death, underage, madoka magica au, modern w/ magic, time travel, high school au, body horror, self-harm, angst w/ bittersweet ending, time loop, mental instability, suicidal thoughts) absolutely phenomenal madoka magica wangxian au

~*~

11. Hey! I’m in the mood for fics similar to Impossible Remains on AO3, aka wangxian fics where WWX dies after the golden core transplant or just earlier than canon! thank u so much to all the mods and the lovely work u guys do! 🥰🫶

Blood of the Black Earth by wirevix (M, 48k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Xuánwǔ of Slaughter Cave, Sunshot Campaign, Sad with a Happy Ending, Ghost WWX, Monster WWX, Canonical Character Death, Although not at the canonical time, Grief/Mourning, Good Sibling JC, Horror)

~*~

12. thanks for ur hard work! any pregnant wwx fic recs?

Accidents Will Happen by vesna (mrsronweasley) (E, 45k WangXian, Post Canon, Mpreg, Fluff, Light angst)

🧡 Brilliant Mistake by brooklinegirl (E, 53k, WangXian, Modern AU, Sex Pollen, Mpreg, dubcon, Modern Cultivators, Dubious Medical Science)

All I Want by Selenay (E, 47k, wangxian, Modern, Mpreg, Post Holiday Romance, Consequences, Reunions, Idiots in Love, wangxian attempt to be sensible adults about it, they are very bad at it, Teacher WWX, Handwavey Biology)

Impermanence, Transience, Permanence by Best Bepsy (BepsyGray) (E, 39k, wangxian, canon divergence, unplanned pregnancy, mpreg, gore, sunshot campaign, assumed miscarriage, medical procedures, childbirth, golden core reveal)

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13. Hello! I need your help in suggestions. Can you suggest me a Wangxian fanfiction where Wei Ying hurts Lan Zhan for jiangs or others and latter reunited with him. I have read various Lwj hurting Wei Ying fanfiction but not Wei Ying hurting Lan Zhan @abz18699-blog

~*~

14. hii, this is for itmf!

fics where they struggle w remembering things, not like memory loss, maybe where they disassociate. forgetting things which r not so nice and then starting to forget small random details?

thank you!!!!

to the river of rivers by haysel (T, 26k, WangXian, Character Study, Post-Canon, Mutual Pining, Dissociation, Getting Together, Misunderstandings, Trauma, Angst with a Happy Ending, tw for dissociation, sort of sickfic, Hurt/Comfort)

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15. I'm assuming that this is where I ask about ITMF recs? If it is, do you have any fics focusing on like, the past characters reacting specifically to Nie Huaisang's 10 year revenge plan, or to how differently Nie Huasang acts after everything? Or at least any fics where the past characters react to the future (whether it be through watching the show, or going to the future, meeting future selves, etc.) that has some amount of focus on Nie Huaisang along with everything else? Thank you!

💖 The Path by Seastar98 (Not rated, 279k, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, fix-it of sorts, CQL verse, golden core reveal, angst w/ happy ending, BAMF NHS)

Nie HuaiSang's Diaries - When Spirits Drift in Time by IlnaHers (T, 37k, wangxian, WIP, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Reveal, Time Travel? only the diaries though, Characters Watching the Show, Serious WWX, Hurt WWX, Hurt JC, Hurt LWJ, Protective LWJ, Protective JC, Protective WWX, Hurt NHS, Protective NHS, Character Death Reveal, Progressive Reveal, Melancholy, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Feels, Twin Prides of Yúnmèng Angst, Twin Jades of Lán Feels, Sad, Shock, Mentioned Junior Quartet)

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16. Hewwo!!!!! For the next ITMF could i pretty pls get recs for Wen remnants/burial mounds era???? Bonus points if there’s the Wens and/or Yilling people loving their patriarch and extra bonus points if there’s the sects realizing they’re wrong and leaving them alone but not necessarily requirements, i just want Wei Wuxian and his found family being happy making a dire place their home!

🔒 the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break by RoseThorne (E, 91k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Soulmates, Self-Esteem Issues, Fix-It, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, PTSD, Handfasting, Panic Attacks, Getting Together, First Time, Aftercare, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Torture, Scars, Chronic Pain, Golden Core Reveal, First Time, Switching, sex-related injury, LWJ Stays at the Burial Mounds, LSZ is a Wèi, Good Sibling JC, Dissociation, Burial Mounds Settlement Days)

Until It's Dark by suzvoy (M, 120k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, LWJ Finds Out, Pining, Fluff and Angst, First Kiss, First Time, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Hair-pulling in chapter 23) also has Lan Wangji in the Burial Mounds but has a great depiction of the Wens and how the sects could have responded better

💖 Return to Sender by Thesaurus_with_no_words (M, 72k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, Temporary Amnesia, Slow burn)

~*~

17. Anyone wanna rec me some light-hearted time travel fics? I like the serious ones fine but it's hard to find ones that are funny.

Thanks in advance! o7

🔒 ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water by RoseThorne (G, 1k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, JYL & WWX, JC & WWX, WWX & WQ, LQR & LWJ, LQR & WWX, Time Travel Fix-It, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Past Character Death, Future Character Death, Timey-Wimey, Truth, Honesty, Guilt, Crack and Angst, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Cloud Recesses Study Arc) kinda

Wrong Turn, Right Place by diamondbruise (E, 71k, WangXian, Time Travel, kind of, it’s more reality travel but there’s modern wwx and cultivator lwj, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Jealousy, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Misunderstandings, Cultural Differences)

rerun from the outside by Eicas (T, 2k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Time travel, Crack, Cloud Recesses Study Arc, JC POV)

River Stones by littlesystems (M, 18k, WangXian, Time Travel, Post-Canon, Cloud Recesses Study arc, Junior Quartet, Oblivious WWX, Suffering LWJ, Voyeurism)

Wangxian's Time-Travelling Shenanigans Series by pupeez4eva (Varies, 18k, WangXian, Time Travel, Humor, POV Outsider, Love confessions, PDA, Everyone Lives/Nobody dies) most of their wangxian fics explore lighthearted time travel fix it

🔒An Arrow Through Time by syrus_jones (M, 166k, WIP, WangXian, Crack Treated Seriously, Time Travel, Reverse time travel, into the future, Potentially a Fix-it-fic?, Time Travel Fix-It, Mistaken Identity, POV LWJ, Angst, Gay Panic, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Canon Divergence, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant, Young LWJ, Older WWX, Internally Screaming LWJ) though it is not been updated since long

💖 vinegar jug by dandelion_san (G, 7k, WIP, WangXian, Time Travel, Humor, Awkward Crushes, Jealousy)

Look forward, the future looks back by SerlinaBlack (T, 1k, WangXian, Time Travel, Fluff and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Dialogue Heavy, Crack Treated Seriously, Madam yu's a+ parenting mentioned, Oblivious WWX, jealous LWJ, WWX in WWX's body)

~*~

If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic recs #i'm in the mood for a fic #the untamed #wangxian fic search #wangxianficfinder #long post

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itskattkm · 10 months

Text

New York New Rules Pt. 7

Warnings: Violence, Trauma, Fluff, maybe Smut, mental health, blood

Summary: Y/N meets the survivors of the last events in Woodsborrow and gets on Ghostface's list. But there is also a darkness in Y/N wich path is she going to choose

Female Y/N x Tara Carpenter

Sorry for bad writing. I'm using a translator and hope you guys can enjoy it. Also, this is going to be a slow burn

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 Part 8

After the Woodsborrow gang left, I had the feeling that they also had taken all these emotions that I felt before with them. I was in a free fall mode and didn't know how to organize my condition. When I heard the door handle sink, I looked at it and was confronted with Kirby again. I gave her a serious gaze, she closed the blinds to my room and moved almost creeping to the end of my bed.

Worry. I recognized pain and pity in the blue of her eyes when she asked "how do you feel Y/N?"

In the meantime, I sat upright and had my head leaned back. With my eyes lowered, I looked at her "I don't know..." I started playing the course of the last 24 hours in my head and tried to filter out the way I felt. But one emotion stood out in particular "I'm mad... really mad"

Kirby's jaw tightened and she reached harder to the end of my bed.

"So... what about this 'personal' attack?" She now hacked after we were alone. I already had a rough plan in my head, and had deliberately not told Sam and Tara everything. Well... or rather, i left a small detail out. "I had the feeling that Ghostface knows exactly who I am... and for this reason he wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible" she listened attentively to me as I continued "when I asked Ghostface if he was Ethan... and for real at that moment no one else came to my mind Kirby. Ethan doesn't have my number. It's not much but at that moment it was the only thing I could hold on to" she nodded to me. Confirmed my thoughts.

"Of course, when I confronted him as Ethan, I could not perceive any emotions in his face. But his body had clearly spoken for itself. The way he had strained himself... put his head crooked and then ran towards me at a speed... he was mega pissed" Kirby sighed "so you think it's Ethan?" I shook my head and thought. My feeling told me that I had to be careful with Ethan, but I was sure it wasn't Ethan in the pizzeria.

"You trust me, don't you?" I asked her and looked at her with a look for help. Her eyes became softer and she nodded "I need your help..."

Taras POV (one hour ago)

"Of course I wasn't there and didn't know you, but I wish I had, because then I would have liked to ram a baseball bat in the face of this stupid bitch," I looked confused at Y/N but had to smile.

Somehow my heart started beating a little faster and I wasn't sure if I liked this feeling. "Sorry, I don't even have the right to call her a stupid bitch" she apologized and interrupted herself, I think I had never talked to her so much before and damn, she could really talk a lot and suddenly seemed so much more present.

Y/N was a friend of Mindy so we ran into each other here and there but we never really had an intense conversation. I actually wanted to change that at the Frat Party. After Anika asked for Y/N and Mindy said that parties were not her thing, she is generally a quiet person, I found that we had to invite her all the more. Something told me that Y/N also lived behind a protective wall and sometimes it needs some help to get out of it. Maybe I didn't want to process what happened to us in Woodsborrow like Sam, but I somehow tried to get among people to have the feeling of being present and being able to feel everything that was possible. "I think I'm high," she said and started laughing. Perplexed, I looked at her and just couldn't stop grinning as she laughed more and more, something about her laugh brought this tickling into my stomach. I just had to laugh with her, it was so contagious. She tried to hide her face in her hands, but twisted it when she was taking the pain of her hand and decided against it. Why did she want to hide her face? She didn't needed that at all, I asked myself and looked into her grinning face. She had put her head slightly to the side and slowly closed her eyes as she quietly whispered "these painkillers... are incredible."

My cheeks already started to sting unpleasantly from the wide grin I had put on the whole time. I shook my head and tried to relax my mouth and suddenly it was so quiet in this room. My gaze wandered over Y/N face. Confused, I looked at her, did she just fall asleep?

Carefully leaned completely against the railing of her bed and watched her silently "who are you?" I whispered unconsciously when I was thinking out loud. The last 24 hours I had gotten to know so many facets of Y/N that I couldn't assess them at all. Could we trust her? I wasn't sure. But Y/N radiated something that told me that we were on the same wavelength, the same vibes. Apart from how well she and Sam got along, it was almost scary. Okay, they weren't best friends now, but I knew Sam, and she's dealt with Y/N like no other so far.

Of course, this whole therapist thing was something that connects them both, but how far did this connection really go?

After Bailey threw her in front of the car, I was actually surprised to imagine Y/N as an aggressive person. But hey, who was I to judge about it? I didn't know her well enough and the picture I had taken of her during this time did not fit into the current one in any way. But that was good. Somehow I was happy to meet her Lin that state and I liked it.

Now the quick words of Y/N were repeated in my head. What would it have been like if we had already met in Woodsborrow? This thought made me really curious, but I knew far too little about her to be able to imagine anything... but the thought that she would have been on my side and helped us with Amber and Richie, I liked this idea.

A knock got me out of my thoughts. Sam moved her head to the side, which means "we're going" I nodded in agreement to her and looked at Y/N.

"Y/N" I whispered carefully and snapped. No reaction. I came a little closer to her and said at normal volume "Y/N" this time I snapped twice. Her head moved slightly, this time I shouted loudly "Y/N!" I snapped again, this time right in front of her face"

She opened her eyes confused and looked directly into mine. She whispered "sweet dimples" I straightened up slightly confused and couldn't resist my smile. How could you be so cute, and that even in high condition. Something in my stomach told me that Y/N was pretty much in flirt mode or did I imagine that? Just how she drove me crazy for the last few minutes here was almost too much for my limits but on the other hand I couldn't do anything about it.

"You fell asleep for a short moment but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye first" crooked I looked at her and then she asked me "what was the last thing that happened before I was gone?"

This time I put my hand with the scar on her bandaged arm "You asked me if you were high..."

"Fuck..." she said almost disappointed and let her head fall back. Why did I like the way she constantly uttered this word?

"You like to curse... don't you?" And again this grin. I just couldn't let it go

"In a world like this? Yes, I do" We both laughed "We're all going back to the apartment... if something should happen, we'll keep you up to date, okay? And I'm pretty sure you're safe here with Kirby. I hope so at least," I said and whispered the last part. I had given her a trust bonus and after the attack I was almost 100% sure that she was not Ghostface but after Amber... I had to be more careful. I briefly looked outside to Sam and then back to Y/N.

"By the way... you have to tell me on occasion how you and Kirby know each other" I didn't want to go. I wanted and had to learn more about Y/N. I just didn't know how to assess her yet and I was curious. In addition, she apparently got along very well with Kirby and we just had to know why.

"I'd love to... I like to talk to you," she whispered exhausted and I pressed her arm slightly again. For an inexplicable reason, I had the feeling that I could talk to her about everything... so yes. I also liked to talk to her "see you soon"

Tara POV now

When I threw the last spices into the pan, I looked too chad over stirring the pot "you should leave the city" confused but with a gentle look he looked at me. My heart was beating faster than usual and I was slowly getting warmer "you know you don't have to stay here because of us" he shook his head and said calmly "I'm not going anywhere"

Suddenly there was a choking.

Chad and I turned around at the same time and our eyes met Mindy, who pretended to have to throw up as soon as she straightened the last cutlery.

"Please stop before I have to throw up. And nothing against you, my dearest brother-"

"I'm your only brother..." interrupted Chad Mindy and she continued smiling "I'd rather see Tara with someone else than you, that would be too much for me"

Chad and I didn't react to it at all and just shook our heads laughing. But when I looked too chad, I asked myself the question. Me and Chad? Could that be something? Of course we have been friends for years and after Woodsborrow we were all there for each other. Chad sometimes has comforted me, but did I want more? Of course we flirted here and there... but that was just fun, wasn't it?

Anika had laughed "definitely not my favorite ship but yes... Tara and Chad" now I went towards her with a dirty grin and leaned over the couch "oh yes? Are there already several ships here?" Anika pressed her lips together and made a gesture that told me as much as "my lips are sealed".

Chad ran past us briefly when he put the pot on the table and said "chill people, me and Tara are just joking around"

Suddenly a burden fell from my chest. Yes! Yes, we did. Thank you chad for this statement, which now made my feelings a little clearer. Mindy sighed and had sat next to Anika "we won't start this discussion again, will we?" I watched the glances they threw at each other and when she didn't say any more. I sat down on the armchair next to them "well, tell us!" Chad ran towards the kitchen and shouted "you can't tease us like that, spill the tea"

Mindy raised her hands defensively in the air "I won't say anything about it... first my brother then..." she hissed and shook her head "no... I think I already have enough problems with her"

It didn't even take me a second to understand who this was about "wait, is this about Y/N?" I couldn't resist an astonished smile. Anika laughed "maybe but it's not so obvious, but I think tat Y/N has a little, really little" Anika made a gesture with her hand "crush on Tara" my eyes widened and my mouth fell in shock. Really? Why was I suddenly so nervous?

"No, no, no... if anyone knows her, then I. And you can agree with me when I say that it is very difficult to read Y/N. And why Tara? They have hardly ever seen each other before"

In the meantime, I had caught myself again and tried to hide my smile behind my hands. However, I could justify my smile with the following reason if I were confronted now. Surprised. I'm just surprised because I can't imagine in the slightest way that Y/N would be into me... or someone at all to be honest.

"The eyes never lie..." said Anika seductively and gave Mindy a light kiss. "Wa-" Mindy and Me began at the same time, however, she nodded to me and asked me to continue "what do you mean by that?" Now Anika looked at me crookedly "in the hospital when we had waited in front of the room... by the way, what have you been talking about for so long" my face relaxed and I shrugged my shoulder. Of the corner of my eye I could see Sam who took a wine bottle from the kitchen and listened attentively "we didn't really talk so much” Chad laughed and nudged Sam "they were probably busy with the eye thing" to my surprise Sam laughed about it.

I briefly escaped an unbelievable laugh when I began to defend myself "no... we were definitely not"

The longer I thought about it, I think at least I was totally busy with the eye thing.

"A few minutes later, the painkillers showed their effect and she seemed to be a little high of it... and fell asleep briefly" I recognized a slight astonishment in the eyes of the others.

"In any case... we told her everything and I hope that nothing happens to her in the hospital. Actually, I wanted us all to stay together," said Sam and there was silence for a short time. She sighed and the short joy in her eyes disappeared when Anika drew our attention to herself "guys"

She made the TV louder, we or rather Sam was on the news and was officially named a murder suspect. She grabbed the remote control and muted the TV. She sat down at the dining table and sighed. I watched her and recognized the stress, the pain and the feelings of guilt in her whole presence. I sat down with her.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday... I didn't mean it that way" with gentle eyes she looked at me "it's all my fault... I should protect you and-" I took her hand in mine "it's time for me to protect you..." I said calmly.

Chad and Mindy had sat down with us

"I feel like everyone hates me," she said exhausted and was close to tears. The twins said no and chad corrected "in this room... no one hates you Sam... you protected us and without you we wouldn't be here" a smile crossed her lips. I pressed her hand more firmly "it's time that we protect you..." Mindy leaned slightly over the table "we are the core fucking four" chad literally sprayed with joy and gave Mindy a thanking high five. I couldn’t hold back my laughter "that's what I'm talking about, the Core-four" said Chad after Mindy "say it!" She shouted

I shook my hand and joked "no no im not gonna say it! I mean yes"

And then the conversation took a turn "I have something with cute boy from next door" said Sam coolly. Shortly there was a silence until we all started to cheer. I clapped my hands as I moved in the chair and shouted "I knew it!"

And it was as if all worries had disappeared. We laughed together again and lived in the moment. Danny had called, I tore the cell phone out of Sam's hand and shouted "ey, what are your intentions with my sister!?" I laughed and Sam took the cell phone out of my hand am mumbled "I'll call you back" and declined the call.

Quinn seemed to be in full swing with her Toy Boy and made us laugh all the more. The moans had been louder than usual.

Suddenly, all our cell phones vibrated at the same time. The laughter fell silent. From now on, my heartbeat began to get stronger and I could recognize the pounding firmly against my chest. Carefully I picked up my phone and saw Quinn being attacked by Ghostface.

"Ahhh!" And there was already her cry. I wanted to run to Quinn but Chad's arm passed my waist when he held me to the side and protectively. As a group, we pressed together anxiously. Our eyes are firmly on the door. It was quiet... too quiet. We were getting ready for what would await us, but could you ever be prepare for something like that? Thousands of thoughts flew through my head and I hoped Quinn had a chance.

Unfortunately, the opposite was the case. Her door was opened and Ghostface came out with Quinn. She was flooded with blood. There was so much blood. Anika's scream brought us back, but Ghostface threw Quinn's corpse at Anika and quickly made his way towards us. I wanted to run on him but chad had grabbed my hand tightly and dragged us out of the apartment. We were running. My head was empty. One staircase after another and then I realized on the third floor "Sam! She's still in there" I tore myself away from Chad and ran the few missing steps back to our apartment. Before I reached the last step and was only a few meters away from the door, another ghostface seemed to have just run down from above. He paused. I went back two steps and pressed myself against the wall. Chad was a few steps behind me and tried to reach for my hand.

Silence... like a deer standing in front of the headlights of the car, I stared at the black eyes of the Ghostface mask. Ghostface attitude was so different... but I couldn't think about it any further when suddenly Ghostface opens the door to our apartment and went in "no!" I screamed before I understood what I was doing. He had slammed the door and closed it. What the fuck?! I turned the door knob and tried to get in. "No! Sam!" I called and felt the first tears running down my cheeks. "Tara we have to go!" Chad called and reached for my hand.

Sam POV

"Anika, you can do it!" We called her again and again as she tried to cross the ladder and get to Danny's apartment. My eyes fell back into the room and suddenly all the body heat escaped me. "Anika don't look back, you can do it, hurry up!" Mindys crying cries crashed into my ear.

Ghostface had rammed his knife into the window sill and now grabbed the ladder. Anika looked back. Fear was written on her face more than anything. She froze, she was crying. She was in pain. Her blood dripped from the ladder and colored everything into a dark red. "Anika, come on! You have to hurry" cried Mindy despairly. I leaned further out of the window and stretched out my entire body to reach for Anika's hand. For a short moment, the ladder below us jerks and Anika freezes to death at one point. My eyes fell back on Ghostface. Confused, my gaze did not meet the one I had expected. Behind him stood another one. Crooked he looked at me and I felt a tension that was indescribable. As if he was talking to me. Was that one of my hallucinations again? No. It wasn't. Suddenly the second Ghostface hit the other one with a chair over the head and reached for the knife. He didn't pay any attention to us anymore when he got to fight with the second Ghostface. "I- I can't"

She brought me back "Anika, focus on me! Only on me! You can do it" once again I stretched my whole body and felt Danny's grips around my legs getting tighter. I touched Anika's fingertips "another little piece baby!" Mindy called. The next moment I held Anika's warm hand in mine and pulled her into the apartment with all my strength. Exhausted, we fell to the ground.

Mindy and Danny immediately looked after Anika's wounds. But my attention was focused on someone else. I looked back at the window on the other side. Why did he help us? I wondered, but there was no traces of both ghostfaces anymore.

Hope you guys like it so far :) I wish I hadn’t to translate. It makes the writing definitely difficult

#actress #celebrity #fanfiction #jenna ortega #ghostface #melissa barrera #samantha carpenter #scream #tara carpenter #cinema #vada cavell #wednesday #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter x reader #jenna ortega x reader #lorraine day #x reader #wednsday addams

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tj-dragonblade · 1 year

Text

FLUFFBRUARY 2023: Feb 4

Prompts: daydream snow rest

On AO3

"What's wrong, love?"

Dream glanced again at the table across the pub, off to Hob's right, and his expression soured a little further. "That student is. Daydreaming, of me."

Oh? Curious, Hob snuck a surreptitious look; there was a young person at the table in question with books and papers spread around them, doing schoolwork to all appearances, but apparently their focus was not so single-minded as it might appear.

He looked back to Dream. "No harm in that, is there? Unless." He frowned. "Are they imagining violence?"

"No. They perceive my form as pleasing, and they would imagine themselves my lover."

Ah. "Don't tell me you're offended that a lowly mortal dares dream of one such as you?" He was joking, mostly, poking at wounds far enough in the past that he could lend them a little levity, but also he couldn't be entirely sure that wasn't why Dream looked so broody.

But Dream shook his head, a spare movement to one side and back. "It is not...offense. These thoughts are private so far as they know, and it would be a poor thing indeed, to. Police, the fantasies of others."

"Then what is it, dove?"

"...I would not enjoy it, the way they dream of touching me. The things they wish to do with me. And it is...discomfiting, to be subjected to it."

That made sense, actually, though Hob couldn't say he'd ever thought of it before. "So is it, ah...discomfiting, when you catch wind of my daydreams?"

The corner of Dream's mouth tilted up. "No, Hob. Yours are welcome; yours are pleasing. I wish to share intimacy with you, and you are well acquainted with the many ways that I enjoy it."

"So mostly it's because they're a stranger, but having, ah. Extremely familiar thoughts about you?"

"...Yes."

"Can't you just, I don't know, cut it off? Take it away? Make them stop?"

Dream frowned. "It would be an egregious abuse of my duty, to banish a daydream simply because I mislike it." Unspoken was the implication that once upon a time he would not have hesitated, but he was trying to be better these days.

Hob nodded in sympathy. "Want to get out of here, then?"

Dream, surprisingly, again shook his head. "This is our tradition, Hob. I would not give it up simply because I am uncomfortable."

No matter how often they were seeing one another these days, June 7th they always met here at their table in the New Inn (every year, now!), a standing date in honor of their history. Hob was absurdly touched that Dream counted that the most important factor at the moment. He smiled, slow and warm, all the love he held for this marvelous creature before him curling soft in his chest. "Well." He reached to touch Dream's hand across the table between them, light and affectionate, curling their fingers together. He rested his chin in his other hand, elbow propped on the table, and gazed at Dream with half-lidded eyes. "I guess I'll just have to distract you, then."

Dream arched an eyebrow, his expression shifting into something that Hob would've labeled 'resignedly curious'. Probably thought Hob meant to out-sexy the stranger across the pub. Well, hah. Hob knew how to read a room, thank you very much, and he could tell that would not be the most effective approach right now.

He settled into his own mind, collecting himself to craft a proper daydream. Idle thoughts and fleeting images weren't enough; it had to be spun with focus for Dream to see it easily. So he focused—on the slender hand clasped in his, the crystal blue eyes watching him—and he imagined.

The day was warm out, a bit muggy, and the fans were struggling to make a difference, so...maybe something completely opposite, then. A nice cozy little cabin, tucked away in the mountains, snowed in and secluded. A cheery fire, burning bright in the hearth. A plush sofa, big enough and soft enough that he could snuggle back into the corner of it with his legs up along the length and Dream nestled in between them, back to chest. An anthology book in his hand, semi-forgotten, as Dream told him about how the stories within had been conceived and written and brought into being. A quiet evening resting in each other's company, Hob listening spellbound to Dream waxing rhapsodic about these aspects of his duty that he loved best.

Hob blinked, keeping the daydream active in the back of his mind as he focused on Dream before him again.

Dream was staring at him, eyes shining and red-rimmed, mouth curving up in a brilliant-if-slightly-watery smile. "Hob." He squeezed Hob's hand gently.

Hob squeezed in return. "Better?"

Miraculously, Dream's pending tears stayed put through a fluttering blink. "Yes. Thank you."

Hob smiled softly, brushed his thumb over the back of Dream's knuckles. "'Course, dove. Anytime."

And in the daydream, he threaded his fingers through Dream's hair to keep him close against his chest, bowed to press a tender kiss to the crown of Dream's head, basking in the warmth of the moment shared.

#Dreamling #Sandman #Fluffbruary 2023 #TJs Fluffbruary #TJs Fics #a proper ficlet this time #wordcount over 500 #may be projecting on Dream just a liiiiittle bit #Ace-adjacent

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frankcastlescumslut · 8 months

Text

Ch. 2: Hard Times

pairing: frank castle x f!reader / platonic!amy bendix x f!reader

word count: 3.7k

warnings: angst, language, hurt/comfort, implied loss of a sister (no details), descriptions of wounds, established relationship yet somehow it’s a slow burn

summary: He somehow reached across space and time to tell you the words you wished you had heard that night: you didn’t do anything wrong. None of this is on you. Frank had become a god, transcending the laws of physics to piece you together with sutures and sympathies.

A/N: I wrote this chapter based off of this song. loosely. sorry this isn’t the happiest of endings, I’m leaving it open ended in case I get the momentum to keep going (there is a potential plot).

[previous chapter]

I love your feedbacks and comments so much, thank you. reblogs help a lot as well <3

The stars looked like pin pricks against a dark sheet, so bright you had to squint to make sense of your surroundings, but there was nothing to make sense of. Just black asphalt laid out like a red carpet.

Your body ached and groaned as you stretched ever so slightly, and Frank pretended not to notice the way you winced when you pulled your shirt from your dried wound.

He cleared his throat, trying to distract you. “Mornin’.”

“Mornin’,” you yawned, checking the dashboard.

1:42am.

The last time you stopped was somewhere in Ohio at a run down 7-Eleven. Amy threatened to jump out of the van if she didn’t get a slurpee, but you couldn’t really blame her, it did sound good, so Frank was outnumbered like he usually was.

That was hours ago, though, and you found Amy curled against the duffle bags with a ring of blue food dye around her lips.

“How far are we?” You prodded.

“Few hours.”

“Oh.”

Frank was a man of few words when he first met you. It took him three days just to ask you for an extra blanket when he met you at that motel in Nebraska, though he chalked it up to his unnatural ability for needing something. Didn’t wanna bother you.

You were patient with him, never pressing him about the occasional bruise or poorly hidden glances, instead choosing to talk about how vending machine chips are basically just bags full of air and how mattress stores are money laundering operations—he laughed at that, fully and with his chest, and it was game over for you both.

Yet somehow you were sitting within a foot of each other and felt like strangers.

“Do you want me to drive?” You offered, daring to look at him. He looked worn, his eyes drooping with sleep.

“No,” he answered too quickly. “I’m okay.”

“Maybe we should stop somewhere?”

He was silent, unwilling to admit defeat. Stoic. Stubborn. A pain in the ass that kept you awake with a fevering bullet shaped gash in your side.

You would make yourself power through the pain if it meant he would be normal again—if he would even look at you for more than a second and without what you perceived as disdain. You would pretend that each day you had Amy didn’t feel like salt being shoved into your sister-sized wound. You would lie through your teeth and tell him that you were capable of keeping up, that this life was enough for you. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t.

“We’ll stop at the next motel.” He looked over at you, his eyes trailing towards the rust colored stain on your shirt. Your cheeks burned underneath his gaze, and all you could do was nod in reply and watch the constellations blur.

“Wake up.” A breathy voice tickled your ear, causing you to jolt upright in your seat.

“Damn it!” You cursed before placing a palm against your sternum, ignoring the way the seatbelt burned against your exposed neck.

Amy was pleased by your reaction, carelessly falling back into her designated makeshift seat of a jacket tucked against the back of your chair. Frank didn’t crack a smile.

“Knock it off,” he warned, his eyes quickly darting towards the backseat.

“Oh come on,” Amy whined. “It was funny.”

“I actually disagree,” you chimed in, your heartbeat still racing.

“You’re no fun.” She pouted, slouching against the hard interior.

Frank would disagree, though. You were fun. Charismatic. Lighthearted.

He missed that version; the one where you existed alongside of him with ease, the one where you convinced him that joy existed and was accessible to people like him, to people like the both of you.

It felt foreign to him, the easiness of it all, but he gave up rejecting his need for self denial when he met you. Because you were fun.

“We’re stopping soon,” he cleared his throat and those distant memories of you, and you nodded with a “k.”

“I have to pee,” Amy broke her secret vow of silence, probably just to hear herself speak.

“Hold it,” you and Frank spoke in unison, and you couldn’t help but chuckle.

You often wondered what he was like as a dad. If he was the silent and stern parent, always fussing with light fixtures and the underside of a truck. Maybe the kind that cared a lot about grades but even more about after school sports or school projects. Really, you think, he’s the kind of parent that just enjoys his children’s joy, never getting in the way of what was causing it— a winning soccer match, a new video game, a carousel. It didn’t matter anymore, anyways, and you were too scared to ask him about it.

So you didn’t, and you don’t. You never do, because you’re not really sure what you would say if he ever asked about your sister. Some things are better to be speculatory, you decided, until Amy came along.

She acted like a secret maneuver that would draw back the curtain on what Frank Castle was like as a father, and you seldom looked away.

“Sheesh,” she muttered, and you hid a smirk behind the palm of your hand.

It was silent for the next few miles, save the occasional clanging of weapons every time the van fell victim to a pothole. It was silent even as Frank drove past the first motel. Then the second one… and the third.

Amy eventually caught on, sitting on her knees and looking out the window like a dog with its ears flapping in the wind.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

Frank was quiet, eyes still straight ahead, even as he pulled into the parking lot of a neon green Holiday Inn.

“A hotel!” Amy squealed, throwing herself in Frank’s general direction, ignorant to the way the car swerved due to her affections.

He watched you from above Amy’s head, thankful she was blocking the smirk on his face as your brows furrowed in his direction, silently asking are you sure?

He was sure. He had made up his mind hundreds of miles ago when he first saw the blood soaked cotton of your shirt, but he wouldn’t dare to tell you.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Amy let out a sigh of relief, loud enough that it was dramatic even for her.

Frank was silent as he dug around in a back pocket before handing you a thick wad of cash. You failed to meet his eye as you accepted the offering, opting to nod with a tight lipped smile as a thank you.

“Get the biggest bed you can get!” Amy called out to you before the door swung shut in her face.

She pulled herself into the passenger seat and sat back with a huff and a genuine smile on her face. Finally, she thought.

Frank’s eyes were trained on the entrance of the hotel. He watched you pull your jacket across your body, attempting to hide your ghastly appearance, as you leaned against the counter. The woman at the front seemed reasonable, he assumed. You both smiled at one another, so things must be okay.

“Frank,” Amy attempted to disrupt his attention

“Not now.”

She watched the way he studied you, almost disgusted by the way he withheld his care and affection from you.

“Frank,” she tried again.

“What?” He snapped, finally meeting her gaze.

“You really need to fix whatever this,” she pointed a finger from his chest to the hotel lobby, “is. It’s a little ridiculous.”

“There’s nothing to fix.” He straightened ever so slightly.

“Bullshit.”

He was thankful she dropped the conversation when she did. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to admit there was a palpable tension, he just didn’t know how to fix it. He thought the hotel would be evident enough that he was sorry, but you pulled the door open a little too roughly for that to be the case.

“Here,” you handed him a rectangular card.

“Two keys?” Amy asked.

“That’s for your room. I got my own.”

“What?!” She scoffed and Frank clenched his jaw. “Are you serious?”

“I’m right next door.” You began to unload the van, carefully slinging a heavy bag around your good side. You tried your best to hide your inconspicuous smile, but it was harder the more you thought about the king sized bed assigned to you.

Amy and Frank trodden heavily behind you as you made your way through the empty lobby and towards the elevators, not without waving towards the kind faced woman at the front desk.

“You’re actually leaving me alone with him?“

“You'll be fine, Amy.” You rested your head against the back of the elevator wall, closing your eyes in surrender as the metal doors slid together.

“That’s not fair,” she whined; you half expected her to start stomping her feet.

“Life ain’t fair,” Frank finished the argument as the elevator came to a bumpy halt. You barely opened your eyes to glance at him, surprised at the way he nods, as if giving you permission to be alone.

You aren’t sure why you became shy and why your cheeks warmed. Maybe it was the way his eyes had softened ever so slightly, or maybe it was the gratification of him acknowledging you made a sound decision for once—that you were capable, even after your extreme fuck up just hours earlier. Either way, the softness lingered as you found your rooms.

The cool air hit Frank’s face as a pleasant surprise, though the cleanliness, the luxury, felt burdensome.

“You have to apologize.” Amy claimed her bed, minding the way her sneakers dirtied the white sheets.

“Yeah?” He huffed, remembering he should be offended by your lack of appreciation for the new scenery. “For what exactly?”

“You’re being a dick!” She exclaimed, slapping her hands against her crossed legs. “I’m serious, Frank. It’s my fault.”

“It’s nobody’s fault,” he sighed.

“Okay, great, then stop blaming her for it.”

“I’m not.”

“Sure.”

The hum of the air conditioning filled the room as Frank stood awkwardly, thrumming his fingers along his thigh while Amy pretended not to notice.

“‘I shouldn’t have left you alone, okay?” He leaned against an empty dresser, still unwilling to find comfort in the queen-sized mattress.

“She did what you couldn’t do,” Amy mumbled and he grit his jaw in response. “I was the one that called for pizza, okay? I wasn’t thinking. It was on me and I’m still alive, so go say you’re sorry.”

Being still was a foreign concept for Frank. He was constantly moving, hard wired for productivity and precision, scoffing at the mere idea of rest. His neurons exploded even in his sleep, unable to ignore the zap zap zap that kept him moving, kept him alert, kept him alive. It kept you alive.

He ran through the numerous possibilities and outcomes of apologizing to you in his overtired head, filtering through his own remorse and your indignation.

Fuck it, he decided, ending his marathon around the room.

“Don't call anyone. Don’t move from this bed. Don’t answer the phone and don’t answer the goddamn door,” he placed his hands on his hips, emphasizing his seriousness. “Understand?”

“Roger that.” Amy saluted him as he neared the door, unable to hide her smile. “Use protection!”

Just as his hand reached the handle, he paused. “What did you just say?” She audibly laughed at the mixture of disgust and genuine shock plastered against his face.

“Go kiss and make up!” She shooed him away, and she swore she saw him smile before he disappeared.

The bathroom mirror shook in a steady succession following the slams of heavy doors. It was constant, and you almost considered complaining before remembering that this was a luxury compared to your previous hideaways.

It wasn’t always so bad, though. Before Amy, it was exciting— like a cheap thrill that you hadn’t felt since you were 16, sneaking out of a bedroom window and choking down a stale cloud of smoke. There was a monumental lack of pessimism between you and Frank; he brought life back into you, and for once you didn’t feel guilty for living.

So you accepted the cheap motels and fried foods, never minding the greasy-lipped kisses. You welcomed the sun beaming on your bare feet when they laid across the dash as you drove nowhere. You loved the way your stomach felt full as you drank a beer, pretending you weren’t hiccuping while Frank sunk an 8 ball in a top right pocket. You loved the nights spent in a dirty dive bar where you didn’t have to think about who the fuck you were for at least a few hours. You loved it, and then he told you to run before bullets started flying.

The knock on the door was so faint you almost missed it over the sound of your cursing.

It was him—you knew it was him. He had an aura so thick it bled through walls.

“Y’gonna open the door?”

No.

Maybe.

The door opened with a metallic click, though you didn’t care to hold it open. He shoved himself inside, feeling like an intruder.

You studied your irritated wound in the mirror, continuing your attempts at cleaning and suturing it. The sting of the alcohol wipes hardly compared to the pair of eyes transfixed on the evidence of your failures.

“You okay?” What a stupid question.

“Fine.” What a stupid question.

Fine. It wasn’t a complete lie, though you avoided meeting his gaze at all costs. He could see right through you, hell, he could feel the resentment radiating off of you.

You didn’t have to distract yourself from the emotional distance; your attention was spent on unwrapping the much too small steri strip from its packaging to notice the way he awkwardly balanced his weight.

“Shit,” you cursed as the first suture folded over on itself.

“Do you need—“

“I got it.”

You really tried, but it was impossible to see the wound over the mound of your breast, and you could hardly twist your waist enough to get a decent angle. You decided to go in blind, completely embarrassed but unwilling to admit defeat.

The sticky strip landed incorrectly, directly atop of the ragged flesh, and you yelped as it adjusted.

“Let me get that,” he didn’t wait for your protest before inviting himself into the small bathroom.

“It’s fine, I got it,” your fingers shook as you attempted to pry the suture from your skin, salty tears splashing towards the floor.

You dropped your hand against your hip and audibly exhaled as he assessed the wound. He was hardly offended that you refused to look at him. Truth be told, he could hardly look at you without having his whole chest be filled with the weight of his own shortcomings.

He hated when you cried, especially at his own doing. You could blame it on that searing pain of torn flesh instead of the heavy burden of disappointing him, so you did. You pretended that the only pain you felt was the physical kind as you stood in front of him, half naked and bleeding, as he sat on the lip of the bathtub.

In any other situation you would have taken advantage of this position, cupping the back of his neck before sliding between his legs, waiting for him to pull you into his lap. But it’s different now, and you almost flinch as his calloused fingertips carefully brush your skin.

“You ready?” He asked, waiting for your permission before hurting you all over again.

You nod while stare at the ceiling, counting the porous tiles, bracing yourself for what is to come.

He tried to get the stitches and bandages ready as quickly as possible, prepping them on his knee as he gave the countdown. “One, two, three...”

“God damnit!”

The world became nothing but splotchy stars and radio static as your flesh ripped apart all over again, and you bit down on your knuckle, focusing on that dull ache that took your attention away from the way Frank was piecing you together again.

“I’m sorry.” He sounded muffled, his silhouette splotchy, but he held you together with nothing but cheap butterfly sutures and a half assed apology.

“I know,” was all you could muster out, breathing in that last bite of fight you had in you.

“Y’gonna stop poutin’ then?”

You jerked away from him, your nostrils flaring as you looked over his bent frame before turning on your heel, leaving him in that makeshift emergency room.

He almost regretted saying it, almost, but there was nothing worse for a man than putting himself out there and being disregarded, so he sat there, counting the bloody wash cloths and discarded bandages until he felt that familiar sense of carnal responsibility.

You were changing when he finally came about, his imaginary tail tucked between his legs. It felt wrong to look at you, to see the way your bare back curved and folded before disappearing beneath an oversized shirt—his oversized shirt.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen you before, with your body on full display as he appreciated every inch with a soft brush of his lips. He had seen you, tasted you, held you, but this time it was different.

“Look,” he cleared his throat to signal his presence. “I’m sorry.”

“You done?” You ignored him as you pulled the starchy sheets back, but he wrapped a hand around your wrist, forcing you to look at him.

“Hey,” his eyes softened and voice dropped. “I mean it.”

There was an invisible argument happening as you both held onto the white sheet. You knew. He knew. Someone had to give in. Someone had to break first. Someone had to bare their soul and damnit were you tired of pretending.

“Well it don’t feel like it.” You gave in, and for a minute, you sounded as tired as you felt.

He ran a hand over his face with a sigh and you took the opportunity to sit on the first clean mattress you’d seen in months before bracing yourself against the sturdy headboard.

“Sometimes,” his hand twitched at his side as he contemplated his next sentence, “I look at her and all I see is my Lisa.” Your eyes shot towards his face at the mention of his daughter, and it was hard to ignore the painful knot in your stomach. “It’s like I’m losing her all over again and I—“

“Frank,” you leaned towards him, and the mattress sunk next to your feet.

“I just can’t do it again, y’know?” He looked at you, tears brimming on the waterline but never daring to spill. “I can’t do it again.”

“You won’t. You won’t do it again.”

You said it as if you were a god, fully capable of aligning the stars and galaxies and writing history. You said it as if you were able to predict the future—a future where Amy was safe in an undisclosed location and you and Frank were, well, somewhere.

He huffed at that, and rightfully so, though you tried to convince him anyways.

“I’m sorry,” you attempted to shift the blame, “I didn’t know that she ordered food, I should have paid attention. I should have known better, I should have—”

“Hey, hey, hey” he placed a hand on your leg. “Quit it.”

“I’m sorry, Frank. I didn’t mean to mess up.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“I’m sorry, I tried,” you could feel the uncomfortable knot lodged in your throat but you couldn’t push it down. “I swear I tried.”

It was embarrassing the way the hot tears left patterns against your white cotton shirt as they fell. You weren’t really sure why you were crying or who you were crying for. Amy was still alive and tucked into a bed just behind another door, but your sister was somewhere else entirely.

“It’s not your fault,” Frank attempted to intervene, gently scooping you into his side. You let him, though not without feeling so incredibly selfish. He rubbed your arm, in a steady motion, squeezing lightly for his own emotional support. “I’m sorry for taking it out on you. I shouldn’t have left you guys alone. You shouldn’t have had to clean up my mess, okay?”

You nod into his chest, wishing his words didn’t feel like a cheaply made sympathy card.

“None of this is on you, you understand? You didn’t do anything wrong.” He placed a kiss against your temple, and you folded into him even more.

He somehow reached across space and time to tell you the words you wished you had heard that night: you didn’t do anything wrong. None of this is on you. Frank had become a god, transcending the laws of physics to piece you together with sutures and sympathies.

It was quiet for a while save for the muffled lull of the obnoxiously cold air conditioning. You missed this—the feeling that life could go on, that you were enough for him, that the silence didn’t signal an impending doom.

“Stay,” you whispered.

“Hm?”

It was silent as you considered your next move—play dumb or give in, going belly up for a few more minutes of playing pretend.

“Can you stay?”

It was silent for another minute, but his breathing shifted and you held your breath.

“Sweetheart,”

“I know. I know she’s next door,” you tried to make his decision easier. “Can you just stay until I fall asleep?”

“Sure.”

It was less than convincing, but he kissed your neck before sliding himself down the mattress and pulling your body into his stomach.

You curled into yourself, hugging a pillow against your face before deciding it was too soft. This, you and Frank, felt too soft after a week of sleeping in different beds and communicating through glances and strategies to stay alive—to keep Amy alive. It was different. Too soft and still not enough.

He felt the emotional shift as your body tensed, snaking an arm beneath the crook of your neck before reaching for your empty hand. You followed directions without a second thought, intertwining fingers and limbs with a relaxed sigh before your world went dark.

He stayed, like he said he would, watching the numbers on the clock face ascend.

It was unfair to you, he thought, that he was splitting his attention between you and a young girl he barely knew. It was unfair that he had to uncurl himself from your body and walk next door to a bed that would be too cold, too empty, too soft and pretend that he didn’t just abandon you. It was unfair that he brought you along to something he wasn’t sure how to finish.

The bed dipped as he forced himself away from your warmth. He held his breath, silently praying you wouldn’t notice his absence. You looked calm for the first time in a long time, since before you both became honorary foster parents and ran from men that looked like they were on a pilgrimage. You looked so calm, and he tucked his invisible tail between his legs again while pressing a kiss to your shoulder, letting out a final sigh of resignation before disappearing behind a closed door.

You were too tired to move. Too tired to leave that spot that still smelled like him if you closed your eyes and inhaled. You knew he was leaving, only pretending as a courtesy to his feelings, though you couldn’t help but wish the metallic click of the door was a gun aimed directly at your chest.

#frank castle #frank castle x reader #frank castle x f!reader #frank castle hurt/comfort #frank castle angst #frank castle slow burn #frank castle series #frank castle fanfiction #the punisher #the punisher fanfiction #the punisher x female reader #the punisher angst #the punisher hurt/comfort

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diodellet · 9 months

Text

roommates? more like roomfoes (jamil viper x gn!reader)

Where: You and Jamil become roommates, find some things to hate about each other, and the little things you do to support each other. As roommates do, of course. Inspired by this post by @viperwhispered word count: 2.6k words content warnings: -reader is not yuu, reader is in scarabia -foul language -scotch tape worldbuilding galore (ik each chara has their own room in the dorm, but let's ignore that and assume that each room wud have like 2 occupants.) -could be interpreted as pre-slash, established, or strictly platonic (don't you love the ambiguity of being roommates? you're both close and strangers at the same time i love it) ++yeah they argue but i call it ✨✨healthy conflict and banter

Here’s the thing, when you started the new school year, you were grateful that you and Jamil Viper were assigned to be roommates.

The guy was serious, put-together, and most importantly lowkey, which was a blessing in the hellhole that called itself Night Raven College.

Aside from the initial intimidation during move-in day, you were sure that this partnership would be one that you didn’t have to worry about at all.

But oh how the tables turn… you didn’t think that you could make an itemized list of Jamil Viper’s annoying habits as a roommate but here we are now:

Grocery trips with him take Fucking Forever

You know that you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate.

But! A good impression was key to building a peaceful relationship with the person you’d be sharing a living space with for two semesters.

You know that moment when you and a complete stranger initially find a similar habit that you share?

That brief moment of excitement and seeing each other’s eyes light up and thinking “hey, this person isn’t that different from me. I think they're kinda okay!"

Take that but add the slow, horrific realization that this perceived common ground was not a similarity at all.

That’s what it feels like when doing the weekly groceries with Jamil. The experience was equal parts admiration and impatience.

“Wait hold on, how did he find that item? Weren’t they out of stock?” and “Did he really have to compare ALL the prices?” etc.

It felt like you were doing more than the required amount of shopping for college students. (Do two college students really burn through this much food?)

You didn’t have to be here, you could be seated at your study desk, hunched over your textbooks (ugh). Maybe you were just looking for an excuse to get out intent on being a good roommate.

“Are we almost done yet?” “Not yet, I’ll need to make one more round.” “Dude, we’ve already circled the store three times.” “I just need to get a few more items.” “Hey, that’s a completely new list!” Your eyes skim the neat lines of Jamil’s handwriting. “And what do you mean by ‘banquet for next Friday’? That’s a whole week from now!” “I told you that I could handle this on my own.” He checks his phone, then scowls. “Tsk… make that several more things to get.” “Seriously?!”

Maybe you should’ve taken his title of vice dorm leader as a sign of what was to come.

In the classroom, there was NRC’s fast-paced curriculum, and back at the Scarabia dormitory there were neverending banquets and parties to help prepare for.

He spontaneously decides to do a full clean of the room

Vacuuming? Really? Right at 5 in the morning?

Sure, it was the weekend and maybe he told you that he was planning to do that beforehand, but you were probably so deep into your essay writing that it probably slipped your mind.

Still, to hear the loud whir of the vacuum just before you slipped into REM sleep was pure torture.

He’s got headphones on, but you know Jamil is aware that you’re seething. He’s probably got that scheming expression plastered on his face, a ghost of a smile that betrayed the brewing malice.

Maybe this was to get you back for the few times that you put off your end of the chores. Or the messes from your alchemy mishaps* (We will revisit this.)

Actually, you don’t need to look, you can feel his pleased mood radiating through the flimsy blanket you’ve thrown over yourself in an attempt to block out the noise. An unwelcome ray of sunlight that worsened your building migraine.

And incidents like this are only the tip of the iceberg.

Coming back from classes and seeing a new rearrangement of the shared area in your dorm, or being greeted with an emptier fridge, or even getting evicted from your usual study corner as he checked for cobwebs (he wasn’t even giving the spiders enough time to start their webs!), stuff like this happened on the regular.

The surprise wore off after a while, but the irritation lingered.

“Jamil, where did my lab project go?” “What are you talking about? I only removed the food that was about to go bad—ah.” “Don’t ‘ah’ me! That’s a quarter of my grade you threw away!” “Put a label on your projects next time then!” “I was running on two hours of sleep!”

The both of you mostly resolved the argument by investing in a permanent marker and a set of sticker labels.

Jamil also helped you remake the project (along with a heaping dose of your own practical magic to speed the process, which would dock some points, but you’d take whatever passing grade you could manage.)

See, it’s not the frequency of his cleaning that annoys you. It’s the spontaneity of it that gets on your nerves.

(And maybe, the way that he constantly does it by himself pisses you off as well.)

If he just… asked for help every now and then, you’d definitely lend him a hand.

Not to say that you would jump at the opportunity to do so, but you would… appreciate a break from back-to-back alchemical reports.

Kalim al-Asim

At first you thought Kalim was nice, maybe fun. The guy was the polar opposite of Jamil and that was a breath of fresh air.

Until the Inciting Incident:

Once, you got up in the middle of the night and almost tripped over Jamil, who was sleeping on the floor (read: you actually stepped on his stomach and then you tripped after he grabbed at your ankle.)

Why? Because apparently Kalim decided to sleep over. Yes, he was using Jamil’s bed, completely at home, snoozing the night away as you fell into a whisper-argument with Jamil.

The rest just happened in quick succession, now you had a third person rooming with you.

Why does he come over all the time? Why does he stay just before curfew?

Sometimes you really just needed 3 straight hours of ambient silence to process readings and not some conversation about your lack of weekend plans.

Most importantly, why does Jamil just let this happen?

He has no problem nagging you, but when it comes to Kalim, Jamil only lets the guy off with an exasperated sigh?!

Jamil doesn’t talk about himself much. Or if he does, it’s because you demanded better conversation material other than Generic Small Talk™️

“Best friends,” “Childhood friends”? Yeah right, you didn’t buy Kalim’s story for a second.

Not when you would hear Jamil lie about his own wellbeing in order to prioritize assisting Kalim.

Not when he would come back to your shared room, completely exhausted and worn out from a full day of accompanying Kalim.

And sure, you were aware of the position he held as the dorm leader’s personal attendant. But the reality of it never really sunk in.

“How… long have your folks worked for Kalim’s family?” “...For generations.” He continues stirring the container of curry-flavored instant noodles. “No, shit, really? I’m sor—” “Don’t—” Jamil gathers himself with an exhale. “Please don’t say that.” The midnight meal continues in silence until the both of you empty your plastic cups. What was the right thing to say? You couldn’t find the right words. “Give me your dishes, I’ll handle these. You should get back to your studies.” All you could feel was frustration, at yourself, at Jamil, at Kalim, angry heat building and collecting at the base of your throat, bursting, exploding— “No.” You push your chair back, gather the used dishes while Jamil blinks at you in surprise. “You know what? I’d actually prefer to uphold my end of the chores as your roommate, thank you very much.” And then you turn on your heel to dispose of the plastic containers. “At least rinse the cups before you throw them out!” “Alright, alright! …germaphobe.” “I heard that.”

He could continue babying Kalim, he already made it clear that you couldn’t intervene.

But like hell you were going to let him do the same to you.

[...]

To say that Jamil was relieved would be an understatement. If he had to endure another school year as Kalim’s roommate, his hair was going to turn gray and he would eventually be sent into a heart attack somewhere down the line.

Before move-in day, he already had a system in mind for keeping the shared room in order. But for you to shut that down and suggest something as tedious as dividing the chores…

Insert “Press X to doubt” meme here.

If you could make an itemized list of his annoying quirks, Jamil could easily write a dissertation on your shortcomings as a roommate while including a detailed appendix of tables and anecdotes.

But that was more effort than it was worth, he’d have to settle for the worst offenders:

You work in “organized chaos”

To Jamil, that is a made-up term.

If you really knew where everything was, then why did it take you at least ten minutes to dig through your belongings for your lecture notes?

Sure, he can respect your diligence towards all of your classes.

He already has his hands full with attending to Kalim, he wasn’t going to clean up another person’s mess.

But those first few weeks of the semester, goddamn.

Origami birds from practical magic nestling in a corner of the cabinet, potionology ingredients and alchemy reagents stored along with the snacks, and your many, many failures at decoding ancient texts just sitting there, undisposed.

He won’t admit it aloud, but old habits die hard. If you confront him about it, he’s giving you the offhanded excuse that he just did it with the rest of his usual cleaning.

(It was an extra two hours of getting your workspace in order, but hey! Now you don't have to trip over your things.)

Isn’t it just easier to function when your things are easy to locate? (Now stop glaring at him and tell him that he’s right 🔫🔫)

*Even though you’d try your best at keeping your things from getting mixed up with his belongings, there were still some…accidents…

“Jamil, have you seen my pollinator mimic? “You brought another one back to the dorm?” “I-It wasn’t finished! I still wanted to make some adjustments and the two hours we were given wasn’t enough and—” “What does it look like?” “It’s supposed to be, um, a ladybug about this big?” Slightly larger than your hand, oh. Jamil knows where it went. He saw its antennas peeking out from underneath your bed, mistook it for a roach, and burnt it to a crisp. “Aah, never mind, I’ll just remake it.” You give a dismissive wave and open up your textbook. “Sorry for bothering you.”

A part of him felt guilty at keeping that hidden from you.

But that went quickly away when the damn thing landed atop Jamil’s head.

You think out loud

Sometimes, Jamil wonders if you forget that you aren’t the sole occupant of the dorm.

You do know that he can hear every little curse and complaint you utter towards your coursework and professors, right?

(How envious, having the freedom to say such things.)

No, what especially annoys him are the times when you’re intent on being heard.

If you’re having back pain, then don’t fall asleep at your desk.

If you’re tired, then set some alarms and rest in bed. (No, stfu about waking up earlier, do not sleep on the floor! It’s d i r t y.)

There’s no forcing productivity. If nothing’s processing, then let yourself rest.

(And every time he’d make an attempt at helping you, you would give him a flat, distrusting look. Why were you suddenly treating him like an Octavinelle student?!)

When Jamil said that he wanted a roommate who had their priorities in order, he didn’t ask for the additional nighttime podcast.

“No, that doesn’t sound right, I must’ve messed up somewhere…” “Oh, so this catalyst causes this reaction, and this catalyst-with-a-similar-fucking-name causes a different reaction! Ughhh, I can’t memorize all of this in a night.” “This professor wants a full literature review done before Friday, does he think we’re fucking scholars?!” “If I flunk this, I could just make up the grade with the final exam, right? … Yeah right, that’s a stupid plan.” “...Why do I get the feeling that this guy didn’t do his part… Ugh, he should present this all on his own then.”

(Sure you were saying all that, but the steady hold on your pen, careful control of your magic, and intense focus on your schoolwork said otherwise.)

The rare moments that you pass by each other on the main campus, he’d see you animatedly conversing with the same professor you were cursing out or nose-deep in the nth remake of whatever homework you were close to crumpling up.

And every single time, you’d manage a polite smile and wave.

He has no trouble returning the short greeting, but the sight of you sent a flare of irritation through him.

Oh, that earnest, hardworking spirit of yours, he hates it very much.

You monopolize the bathroom

Well, Jamil thought that you were. Camping out in there, keeping the place all for yourself.

Until you step out—face blotchy, red-rimmed eyes, phone clutched in a damp hand—Jamil reflexively backs away to let you pass. Keeps silent.

It isn’t until after you retreat to the bed area that he speaks up.

“Are you…” “Oh, y’know, it’s just the usual, my grades and being a disappointment and whatnot.” You play it off with a wet laugh. Jamil then sees the semi-crumpled test papers on your desk, turns one of the pages over, sees the red marks. “Wasn’t this the test you studied all night for?” “I don’t want to continue talking about it.” “...Alright.” Jamil returns the paper to its undisturbed state.

Trust him, he would like to leave it alone.

But the frustration of not having one’s effort pay off, of pouring one’s self so deeply into one’s work and having nothing to show for it…

Jamil knows that all too well. And to know that you struggled with something similar, he can empathize.

(He’s not at all used to being a hapless bystander, passively watching this lousy attempt at feigning to be a good student.)

Despite what you say, he’s not completely heartless. But don’t give him that benevolence shit either.

The next time that you pull an all-nighter, maybe he’ll leave out a portion of his migraine medication before he goes to morning training.

The next time that he tutors Kalim, he’ll offhandedly invite you along and maybe assist you with the parts you’re struggling with.

If you were going to be something, then at least be some kind of burden. Jamil has handled plenty of those in his life.

Call him a creature of habit, but there’s an ease that comes with your routine as roommates.

“I think Kalim brought over too much again.” “The Asim family doesn’t skimp out on their gifts.” Jamil sighs. “But it’ll be fine. I can put away the leftovers.” “Dude, these aren’t just snacks anymore, this is a meal for like ten people. Let me help with some of it—” “Looking for an excuse to get out of studying, aren’t you?” “Shut up, man!”

Sure, you had your own problems, but at least a part of him knows that you don’t have to be coddled.

You were stubborn about returning the favor, he doesn’t hate that.

A/N: i wholeheartedly believe that jamil was born a virgo because he'd be too powerful if he were chill. like imagine if he were all three: talented, pretty, and relaxed. idk it's too much for my piddly insect brain to handle. NE ways, thank you once again @jessamine-rose for being a wonderful betareader! your input is Super Helpful in fighting my second-guessing. I'd also like to thank @/viperwhispered again for making the post that largely inspired this 🥰🥰i like seeing ur takes on jamil's chara tagging a bunch of my fellow jamil simps hi it's me again, back back back again: @mochimiyaas @kaechannn @anxiously-sidequesting @merotwst @twstgo

#dellet-writings #twst #twst x reader #jamil viper #jamil viper x reader #gn!reader

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cypressmoons · 1 year

Text

infatuation [al haitham]

i've never written anything like this lol but thank you @tenderfxck for allowing me the honour <3 hope this is not a disappointing mess :')

contains: suggestive/minor nsfw content (if you couldn't tell already oop) mdni!! i can't believe i'm writing about his [redacted] but it is making me feel feelings

word count: 864

al haitham internally groans at the sight of you walking through the double doors, a spring in your step as always. Maybe both fortunately and unfortunately for him, you spot the scribe straight away and make a beeline towards where he is standing, the smile on your face too wide for it to be innocent.

you know the effect you have on him, and oh you're having so much fun with it.

let's face it - the scribe of the akademiya, virtually unknown to most members of the public but always seems to know everything about them in return, a man with extraordinary talents and intelligence and wits and a mouth too sharp for his own good (who also probably holds the title of most stoic man in all of teyvat), is completely infatuated with you.

but of course, his pride won't ever let him admit it, not even to himself.

his inflated ego has even gone to the extent of actively growing to resent your presence, every time you're in a five foot radius of him or every time he can perceive you with his senses - which is way too often, he gets the sudden urge to abandon whatever it is he was doing and leave. before you can approach him and whisper words so intimate and down right dirty in his ear that anyone who happens to hear would be scarred for life, before you can bully and torment him, all for your own enjoyment.

a man of such composure and stoicism, who maintains a clear head above all else, is finding his logic slowly but surely falling apart in your presence.

cruel, maybe, but the second you step inside the room, it's as if his feet are bolted to the ground and he physically cannot get himself to move. sure, the heat on his face or the growing unease in his pants may be an indication that he should get away, or probably even consider moving to another nation altogether, you seem to have him locked tight under a spell.

so that's how you find yourselves in this position: al haitham's back shoved up against the wall in a dark corner of the library, and your fingers ever so close to his skin but never touching him.

he feels something in his inside stir, your proximity contributing to the growing sense of frustration and anticipation (and also the growing of something else). his breath hitches in his throat as he feels you inch ever closer, knowing that you would see through his stone cold façade the moment your body makes contact with his.

but no. seeing him flustered and squirming is your favourite pastime, and you haven't even so much as touched him yet. you had backed him into a corner with no way of escape, and finally, deciding that you're also way too attracted to him to not touch him in some way - especially after you've got him wrapped around your finger like this - would be a waste of time.

the moment your warmth radiates to his skin through the thin fabric of his clothes, he is positive that he's on fire. the trailing of your hands tantalizingly slow, marking every part of him yours, until you reach his neck - it's burning under your touch. you know he is enjoying it just as much as you are, but seeing his self restraint falter as each second passes by is sending waves of ecstasy through your body.

his lips part slightly when you trail your hands upward even further, until you can feel the light stubble on his chin, and he sighs shakily. he wants to reach out and touch you, or even better, reverse the position and have you thrown up against the wall instead, showing you who's in charge. or even better, to have you begging for his mercy when he pleasures you so good that you can't form coherent words, a payback for all the times you left him needing more. he repeatedly flexes his hand in a feeble attempt to douse some of the flames, the muscle in his arms contracting deliciously at the movement. nothing escapes your notice, of course. taking it one step further, you pause your teasing and reach for his hand, placing it squarely on the small of your back.

the man almost busts in his pants at the first feel of you, fitting so perfectly in his grasp like you were tailor made for him. he leans down instinctively to reach for your lips, and you don't shy away. but when the space between you diminishes to an almost inexistence, when every short, laboured exhale of his becomes your next inhale, you pull away, effortlessly slipping out of his hold.

the frustrated grunt from him at the loss of contact is like music to your ears. your mind wanders delightfully to the thought of his seniors or the sages catching him like this, so flustered and out of breath all from a few light touches. you pull him in by the collars of his coat, whispering in his ear and gliding away before he has time to react and lock you in his arms once again,

the coat looks good on you, mr. scribe, but it'll look even better on the floor in my bedroom.

inbox masterlist

#i would like to ask for forgiveness from everyone i've ever known #moon's thirsts????#i am sorry #this is a cry for help #al haitham #genshin impact #al haitham x reader #moon’s writings 🔖

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crazychaoticizzy · 1 year

Text

Cultural Differences Part 1

You and Armin get assigned to complete a year long project for your Cultural Arts class together. You never thought it would turn into this . . .

WARNINGS: fem!reader, Mexican!reader, fluff, angst, slow burn, eventual smut, college!au, modern!au, Armin is German in this, and they were roommates, trauma revelations sprinkled throughout, slight hints of racism

DISCLAIMER: the reader in this fic is written to be Mexican, however she does not have predominantly Hispanic features described (I think). Y/n can be perceived as anyone since I don’t specify, however just know that she is written to be Latina. This story is also very personal to me, as Y/n is based very heavily off of myself

Masterlist

AOT Masterlist

Word Count: 3.9k

“Theoretically, if you talked to your roommates about it, could I move in with you?” you asked.

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed, and she quickly finished her bite of sandwich before saying, “Yeah, I think they’d be fine with it, and it’d be fun for me. Why, though? Is everything okay with your house mates?”

You continued staring down at the Tupperware container holding your food, moving around a piece of chicken with your fork. “Yeah, we’re fine. It’s just a lot. Hitch brings by a new guy every night and tries to be as loud as possible to make Marlowe jealous. They’re also the biggest group of slobs I’ve ever seen, it’s disgusting.”

Mikasa hummed, bringing her water bottle to her lips and taking a sip. “Right, I forgot they were your roommates.” She set the bottle down, tapping the pads of her fingers against it.

“It also happened again.”

The tapping stopped. “Again?”

You nodded. “Floch misplaced almost five hundred dollars.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. “Fucking Floch,” she muttered. “And you were . . .?”

She trailed off when you nodded again. “The first one.”

She let out an exasperated sigh. “Where did it end up being?”

“In his goddamn phone case. Why would you put five hundred dollar bills in your fucking phone case?”

“Because it’s Floch. He’s an idiot.” Mikasa shrugged her leather jacket off, folding it up and placing it in her lap. “I’ll definitely ask Eren and Armin if you can move in. I’m sure they’ll agree, so start getting some stuff together. I’ll talk to them about it later and get back to you, yeah?”

“Yeah, that’s fine. It’s fine if they say no, by the way, I’ll figure something out.” You put the fork you were holding down, closing the Tupperware container and pushing it to the side.

Mikasa was silent for a moment before grabbing your hand and giving it a squeeze. “I’m sorry this has to happen to you.”

“Not your fault,” you muttered. Another few seconds of silence passed between the two of you before you said, “I kind of want to cut my hair.”

“Really? I’ve been wanting to do that too, but I don’t know. I’ve been thinking maybe a pixie cut.” Mikasa played with the ends of her hair, running her fingers over them as if to measure how much to cut off.

“That’d look cute. You’d be super pretty with that. What about me, how short should I go? Maybe here?” You held your hand up to just above your shoulder. “Or shorter?”

“Well, you’ve always looked good with shoulder length hair. Maybe a bit shorter this time, though.”

You nodded in thought. “Wanna go get haircuts right now?”

“Absolutely.”

The two of you exchanged a smile, and for just a moment while you cleaned up the table you were sitting at, everything seemed to be just fine.

—

You never talked much to the boy that sat next to you in your Cultural Arts class—a class you had chosen to take purely on a whim. In fact, you don’t think you’ve ever exchanged a word with the blond that sat beside you. But when you entered class the next day and took your seat beside him, he couldn’t help but double take.

“You cut your hair,” he observed.

It caught you off guard. You didn’t really talk to anyone in the class, seeing as no one you knew took it and you were too nervous to start a conversation with someone, so it shocked you that someone actually spoke to you.

“Yeah,” you said quietly. You didn’t mean to, but it was force of habit—always talk quietly when meeting new people. You looked up at him, seeing that his eyes were traveling over your profile to admire your haircut.

“You look nice,” he said simply.

Your eyes widened slightly at the sudden compliment.

You thanked him, giving him a small smile before you redirected your attention to the mechanical pencil in your hands, spinning around the eraser.

“I’m Armin.” He continued talking to you. You weren’t complaining, but it suddenly felt like every beat your heart made was amplified. It was distracting.

You looked back up at him and smiled again. “Y/n. It’s nice to meet you.”

You noticed how pretty he was—how his ocean blue eyes caught the light and the way his golden hair fell over his forehead. His glasses were cute, squareish with a dark tortoiseshell design, sitting halfway down his nose.

His lips curled into a smile, and he nodded. “Likewise.”

He looked familiar. His name sounded familiar, too, but you couldn’t quite place where you might know him from.

Since your professor had yet to enter the class, you decided to attempt a conversation with him. “So how do you like this class so far?”

You’re not sure if you imagined it, but you could have sworn his eyes brightened just a little bit hearing you continue to speak with him.

“I like it so far. I looked over the syllabus the other day and it seems like the class will be going on a couple trips later in the year,” he said. He was facing you in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him.

“Really?” He nodded. “Wow, I guess that’s what happens when you attend a really fancy private school,” you reasoned. “Fancy school trips for elective classes.”

“Yeah, I think the trips are more for the people wanting a career to do with culture, though,” Armin said. “What’s your major? You look familiar, maybe I have you in another class.”

“I doubt it,” you said, “but visual arts. Film, cinematography, video, set design, things like that.”

“What are you wanting to get into?”

“I want to be a set designer or producer. I think costume designing would be nice, too, but I know I want to help with movies. It’s always seemed fun,” you said. “It’s not really what Paradis is known for, but the program here is really good. I’ll get some experience in the field before graduating.”

“No, it’s cool. I have a friend wanting to get into the same thing, maybe you know him? His name is Jean Kirstein.”

You thought for a moment, attempting to put a face to the name. “Maybe? I’m not sure, I don’t really talk to anyone to be honest.”

Armin hummed. “That’s fine. I’ll ask him later and see if he knows you, if that’s alright with you.”

You nodded. “Yeah, perfectly fine.”

A smile painted itself onto Armin’s features, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by Professor Smith walking through the door.

He apologized for being late, and continued to begin the class by announcing the year long project mentioned on the syllabus.

“You will be working with your table partners,” he said. “The goal is to get to know them and understand their customs. You are meant to learn about their traditions and heritage, as well as their own personal culture and upbringing. I don’t want something that obviously came from Wikipedia, every family does things a little differently. I expect to see that in these projects. At the end of the year you will each be turning in both a written essay and a Google Slides presentation about your partner and what you learned. There will be a rubric on my desk for you to pick up at the end of class.”

Professor Smith gave his students a couple more minutes to silently converse among themselves, most likely so everyone could begin basic introductions with their partners.

You turned to Armin, finding that he already had his head turned and was looking at you.

“It looks like we’re partners,” he said. You nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He unlocked it, creating a new message box for you to input your number and send something. He handed it to you. “So we can stay in touch better,” he explained.

You took his phone, the dark blue case a nice, matte feeling under your fingertips. You quickly typed in your number and sent a quick hi , feeling your phone buzz in your pocket soon afterwards. You handed his phone back, pulling yours out and changing the contact of his number.

The two of you traded small conversation while you waited for your professor to continue the class. When he started talking again, you tried your best to pay attention to what he was saying (something about Egyptian pyramids, you think), but your mind and gaze kept wandering to the boy sitting next to you.

Little did you know that Armin was in the exact same boat.

—

When Mikasa met up with you for lunch, she started off with saying that her roommates were fine, if not ecstatic, with you moving in. Mikasa hadn’t explained your situation, only saying that you had annoying roommates, and they both accepted almost immediately.

You were practically elated to hear the news. Despite never meeting either of her roommates, Mikasa spoke the world of them to you. You could only assume she did the same with you, speaking to no end about some little thing you did with her roommates.

After lunch she helped you gather your things from your dorm. The two of you were able to fit almost everything into two large suitcases, a smaller one and a backpack. Mikasa helped you carry them to the elevator in the building, and pulled her phone out to text her roommates as you descended.

She talked to you about your room on the way there, mentioning that it was used as a storage room but the three of them had gotten it cleaned out quickly when they came to the agreement that someone else would be staying with them. She also talked about how there was an extra room, something they had discovered behind a wall after they had purchased the house, that they used as a studio for their interests.

“You can set your instruments up in there, if you want,” she said. “They should be fine since Eren doesn’t really go in there.”

Eren, as Mikasa has told you on numerous occasions, was the one constantly up to something. He was stubborn, and only stuck to his ideas with no hope of changing his mind after he made a decision.

You couldn’t remember her second roommate’s name for the life of you, but you knew that he was nice, more reasonable than Eren.

Mikasa soon pulled up in front of a small two story house in a decent looking neighborhood. She parked, grabbing her phone to call someone.

“Get out here and help us,” she said when the receiver had answered. “Y/n’s here, by the way, so don’t be a jackass to her.”

She hung up immediately after saying that. Right as you opened the car door and stepped out, you saw someone with brown hair jogging out the front door to meet you and Mikasa at the car.

He stopped next to Mikasa at the trunk, and helped her pull out your suitcases and place them on the driveway.

You joined them after looking over the house again. It was nice, a blueish-gray exterior with white trim. Nothing seemed like it was about to rot away or fall down, so that was a plus in your book.

“He’s in the shower, he’ll be out in a minute.” That was the only part of their conversation you heard before the brown-haired boy turned to you and gave you a small smile.

Mikasa ended up introducing the two of you, seeing as you didn’t want to initiate conversation and the guy in front of you gave her a side glance. “You should be able to do this yourself. Anyways, Y/n, this is Eren. Eren, meet Y/n.”

Eren gave a curt nod. “Nice to meet you. Uhm, do you have any allergies? I have dinner going in the kitchen and want to make sure you’re not allergic to anything.”

You shook your head. “No, not allergic to anything.”

You spoke quietly again, and you internally scolded yourself for doing so. But then you took his appearance into account and immediately stopped yourself. He was tall, easily one of the tallest people you’ve ever met. He also seemed to carry a lot of muscle under his white long sleeve, and his brown hair was pulled back into a bun to reveal the small tattoo of something you couldn’t figure out behind his ear. His green eyes were piercing, and you couldn’t help but feel he was staring into your soul, learning all your secrets, when he looked at you.

His presence intimidated you, and you silently thanked Mikasa when she told him to start taking things into the house. Eren jokingly rolled his eyes, grabbing one of your suitcases by the handle and wheeling it inside.

“Sorry, he can be a bit”—Mikasa made a motion with her hands, hoping the action conveyed what she was trying to say—“but I promise he’s better once you get to know him. For the most part, at least. Don’t worry, though, he knows you’re one of my best friends and wouldn’t dare pull what he pulls with other girls on you.”

She grabbed the larger suitcase and handed you the smaller one, closing the trunk and locking her car. She gently beckoned you to follow her into the house with a smile, and you followed her.

It was surprisingly put together inside. At least, for a house full of college students. There wasn’t any dirty clothing or dishes lying around, and everything seemed to have a place. It was a bit crowded, but that was likely because of the boxes sitting in the corners.

Mikasa led you to a staircase, where the two of you struggled momentarily to wheel your luggage up before realizing you could pick it up and carry it.

You walked down the hallway to the last door on the right. Mikasa opened it to reveal the sparse room, only being occupied by a bed without sheets.

“This is your room.” Mikasa stood in the center of the room and held her hands out as if what she was showing you was a grand presentation. “It’s a little dirty, but it’s mostly just dust. Eren should almost be done with dinner, so we’ll start putting everything away afterwards, yeah?”

You nodded, reaching behind you to bring in your other two suitcases. You set them in the corner, along with the backpack you had brought with you.

You could hear the shower going; it sounded like it was on the other side of the wall. Mikasa noticed you looking at one of the doors to your right and said, “Oh, that’s just Armin. He’s showering right now. There’s three bathrooms, one downstairs and two up here. The bathrooms up here are shared with the rooms on either side of them, so you’ll be sharing one with him, if that’s alright.”

The name she had said went unheard as you nodded, opening the other door to reveal a small closet with a dresser already inside.

You followed Mikasa out of your room when you closed the closet door for a quick tour of the house.

All the bedrooms were upstairs, you didn’t pay much attention to who they belonged to, but you could tell which one was Mikasa’s—the one across from you, decorated with a Twilight poster and some bookshelves, different knickknacks and book collections on each one. One of her walls was painted black, and had different pieces of paper taped and tacked to it. You spotted a picture of the two of you on her desk, and smiled at the memory associated with it.

She didn’t show you the inside of the other two rooms, saying that her roommates could decide if they wanted you to see them or not.

Downstairs, the dining room and living room were combined, two couches sitting crammed together to make space for the unusually large dining table—rectangular with six seats at it. Half of the table was occupied with unopened mail and other papers, possibly forgotten projects from earlier years, and the other was was completely clean.

It was a rather open house plan. You were able to see into the kitchen from the living room, and saw Eren moving a pot around and grabbing bowls from a cupboard. You followed Mikasa again, and opened the door in the kitchen she stopped in front of to see what was inside.

“This is the pantry. The washer and dryer are also in there, along with, like, other cleaning supplies and things we don’t really use. And then the other bathroom is in the living room,” Mikasa explained.

“Mika,” Eren started, sprinkling some kind of seasoning over the food he had made, “dinner’s almost ready. Go tell Armin.”

Mikasa gave him a thumbs up, telling you something you didn’t quite hear before going upstairs as Eren pulled out a spoon and started scooping dinner into bowls.

You had heard the name, and were trying to figure out where else you knew it from. Obviously Mikasa had mentioned this Armin multiple times in the past, but you swear you knew it from somewhere else . . .

Eren put the big plastic spoon he had been using back into the pot. He lifted a bowl and offered it to you. “It’s fideo. Mikasa said you liked it, so I figured I’d find a recipe and make it for dinner.”

He had pronounced it wrong, but knowing that he had tried to do something to welcome you left a feeling in you that you hadn’t felt in a long time.

You took the bowl, bowing your head slightly to thank him and set it at the table.

You turned back towards him. “Do you need help with anything?”

Eren shrugged. “Not really. I mean, if you want to grab drinks you can, but we usually just grab our own.”

You needed something to do—you would feel awkward if you were the only one at the table—so you walked into the pantry and looked around for a moment. You saw a few packs of soda on the floor—all packages of store brand root beer—and bent down to pick up four cans from the only open box.

You walked out and set them down at the table, seeing that Eren had already set the rest of the bowls in their places and was sitting down.

You sat as well, soon being joined by Mikasa. “He’ll be down in a minute. He’s doing his hair.”

You saw Eren jokingly roll his eyes and mumble something that made Mikasa laugh from next to you. You let out a quiet, nervous breath of air in a sad attempt to laugh at whatever joke they shared.

Soon after the three of you started eating, you were joined by a fourth person that sat across from you. You glanced up when you noticed him, noting the familiar blond hair and glasses.

“Armin.” You’re not sure why you’re surprised, you really should have put together that the blond boy in your Cultural Arts class was the same blond boy Mikasa spoke about. Despite that, you didn’t put together until that moment that they were the same person.

Armin glanced up from his phone, which he immediately turned off and put the the side face down. He took the sight of you in with intent, looking over your gestures as if he was trying to commit them to memory.

His blond hair was still damp, sitting on his head flatter than it had been earlier. His skin seemed to be glowing, and the white T-shirt he was wearing hugged his torso and arms in all the right places.

“Y/n.” He said your name in the same tone you had said his, with genuine surprise and wonder. It might have been your imagination, but you think you saw him sit just a little straighter. “So you’re our new roommate?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I guess this’ll make our project super easy.” You smiled at him, and he immediately returned it with his own, one so bright it would have lit up the world if everything went out.

“Oh, so you two already know each other?” Mikasa asked. She wasn’t oblivious to the way Armin straightened his posture after seeing you, the way your eyes unknowingly lit up after realizing he was your third roommate.

She suddenly felt an abrupt protectiveness over you. Mikasa has only ever seen you seem so interested in someone from the very start once, and that didn’t end well. Despite knowing that Armin was a nice guy, that if you two theoretically entered a relationship he wouldn’t hurt you on purpose (even if he ever did hurt you Mikasa knows he would apologize as soon as possible with the most personal apology you would ever see), the thought still made her uneasy.

She trusted your judgment, of course, and in that hypothetical situation where you and him were dating she trusted that Armin would be the best boyfriend you could have, but she knew your past. She knew your habits and little quirks. She knew how you acted and was worried that if anything grew between the two of you, you would just run from your feelings.

She just didn’t want you to get hurt again.

“Yeah,” you said. “We have the same Cultural Arts class. We’re partners for our project.”

“What’s the project?” Eren asked. He was usually unknowing to emotions the people around him felt, but any idiot could see the spark between you and his best friend. He didn’t know you as well as he knew Armin, but you shared the tell-tale signs of interest through the way you were sitting.

He, for one, was rather excited for what might conspire between you and Armin. Since his best friend’s previous girlfriend broke off the relationship, Armin hadn’t searched for anything romantic, saying things like, No one likes me anyways, why would I look for someone that’ll half-ass our relationship?

“Just to learn about each other, really,” Armin said. “We’re supposed to learn about our partners customs and traditions.”

Mikasa hummed, half-way through chewing a spoonful of soup. When she swallowed, she motioned to you and said, “You should tell him about your Quinceañera.”

“What’s a Quinceañera?” Eren asked.

“It’s kind of like a sweet sixteen,” you said. “Kind of. More like a wedding, really, at least that’s what a lot of people describe it as. It’s just a birthday party Hispanic girls celebrate when they turn fifteen to commemorate becoming a woman.”

“There’s so much symbolism behind everything,” Mikasa said, knowing you wouldn’t elaborate further unless asked the right questions. She knew for a fact that Armin and Eren didn’t know the right questions, so she ended it by telling Armin, “Her sister’s having one later this year, so be sure to ask her about it after she comes back from the trip.”

Armin nodded toward Mikasa, silently thanking her for the continuation of conversation. “Definitely. You have a sister?” he asked you.

You nodded. “Rosalina,” you said. “She gathered her court of honor earlier this year and asked her boyfriend to be her main chambelan.”

Armin had not a clue what any of the words you were saying meant, but he knew that he would love learning about the traditions you celebrated.

He was suddenly more excited for this project than he had been.

Ngl this is me writing for the fun of it. This is basically a shameless self insert so…

If you want to join the tag list for this story just leave a comment or DM me!

next part >>

Tag List: @kellzyy @slishyrats

#izzy’s imagines ❀#attack on titan x reader #armin attack on titan #armin aot #armin x reader #armin x y/n #snk armin #armin arlert x reader #armin fluff #armin arlert #armin x you #armin x mexican reader #aot fandom #aot #attack on titan #attack on titan x you #aot fanfiction #aot x reader

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thedomesticanthropologist · 6 months

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I have something that's been bugging me regarding a moderately popular request from fans to add a way to romance Astarion without having sex with him.

There are so many reasons why this is a very sweet but poor take. I'll start with game reasons and then explain the trauma connection

That route would then become the "Morally pure" or "Only Right" option. Now I know you're just thinking personally you would be more comfortable with that kind of story but people absolutely would not leave it alone. I already see how the ascended versus spawn ending conflict looks, now imagine having a completely morally pure Romance run where you never once do anything that has a perceivable negative connotation.

I could carry on, but now I'm going to move into speculation, fueled by my perspective, which is informed by my experiences:

He wouldn't have gone for it. Certainly not in act one where he's doing everything he can to pin someone down, and this is the only skill he thinks he has at this moment, he's acting on instinct his instinct is to seduce.

You can say that you try to build a friendship throughout act one just like you would in the regular route because hey we also have halsin and minthara who you don't even get to romance until later on in the game, sure, I hear you. So in that case, having not romanced you in act 1 he is now on par with however he would be in a friend playthrough.

He is also in a completely different mental space by the end of it, and since he never had to pretend to be in love with you, he never had to keep up a facade of a developing romance because he wasn't banging you, which he considered a transactional thing that was part of the whole "getting protection" thing

Let me expand a little. Even if you were flirty back, Astarions plans were always "seduce you, sleep with you, manipulate your feeling so you'd never turn on me" and he believes that the sex is part of how you get something out of it too, since he sees NO VALUE in himself as a person, and states in game that he has little to offer but complications.

He would close the book on you romantically the minute you didn't let him sleep with you, just like he does in a regular playthrough. If you wrote it as him going along with a slow burn seduction, same romance talk but no sex, maybe even teasing him along, you may have gotten through Act 1, I will give you that that could be written, and would make great fanfiction. But we are talking about putting this in the canon, in the game, keep that in mind.

Say you get to act 2, the point where he says he needs a break from sex. If this gets you excited, thinking "this is where it pays off" .... No! Because he would never have that conversation, due to not having had sex.

How could you re-write it? Maybe he wasn't in a relationship with you this whole time even though you were pursuing him but you said no sex which would have frustrated him (you see where I'm going with this)

Maybe this is the point where you say like I would like to help you fight Cazador and do everything as your partner because I love you, or... However. You'd have to have the romance confession, because he couldn't confess to you because the only reason in his mind he confesses to you is out of guilt from having used you for you guessed it

SEX

So now let's say you fully support him when you're saying romantic things to him and for some reason you write in that he's tolerating this and it's fine,

He's a complete wreck all the way up until the end of the Cazador quest. This is not the time where he would be getting cuddly and snuggly and Kissy or even spending more time with the main character because in the Canon he is so upset that he's pretty much snapping at everybody, if you romanced him he's taking a break and he will not commit to what you guys are and he's still putting on a bit of a front with the same kind of language and tones of voice he used when he was manipulating you and act one showing that he's kind of going through the motions right now.

So you would have to rewrite the entire romance that from this morally pure point of view he would be in such a better place emotionally with you or the romance wouldn't be able to start until after cazadors quest.

Then you get into endgame where you either ascended him or you left him as a spawn, and the friendship route does what it does but how would you write the graveyard scene how would you do any of this because he would have had no reason to confess any of his trauma to you ever because you were so supportive how would you have gotten that information out of him?

If you didn't know any of that stuff then why is he bringing you to the graveyard how deep did your relationship really get? How did you get a relationship that's deep with him when he wouldn't have divulged that information?

You even see in the love test he is a very private person and the only reason he was ever honest with you was to apologize for how he manipulated you with sex.

I actually could keep going on about this but I'm using voice to text and it's midnight and I should probably just go to bed so anyway I'm not here to super duper put you guys down or anything I think it's very very sweet I think it is beautiful and I think you should write fanfic about it.

I do not think it belongs in the game

Now you go enjoy the things you enjoy, I will read all of your fanfiction, I will love all of your art. I enjoy the hell out of you beautiful creatures who just want the best for this sad vampire man. And wait, can you make it work in his Origin?? Idk maybe try that idea out I haven't thought that one through.

Sometimes really good writing puts us in positions where we feel a little uncomfortable. And that just makes it good writing. I love you all thanks for coming to My Opinions Based on the information I Currently Have 😂

#baldurs gate 3 #baldur's gate 3 spoilers #astarion spoilers #astarion romance #astarion route

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fushigurro · 24 days

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Hiii robin! If you're cool with it, I wanted to ask, is there a certain moment with your selfships when you realize you ship with them, or is it a slow process that just kinda happens?

hi romy!!!! ❤️

tbh it kinda depends and i'm not always totally sure LMAO i'm a little all over the place with it. like a lot of the time i have a hard time deciding and i'm trying to create a classification system in my head akfjofijwe tho it probably shouldn't be that deep my brain just loves to cling to systematization and gets frustrated when it can't properly execute it lmfao. but anyways i shall try my best collect my thoughts and describe how i perceive my tendencies!!

i'll put it below the cut bc i always ramble lolol

there are definitely some ships where it was more of a slow progression and i had to eventually be like "yeah okay this is what it is" because it was getting to the point where they weren't going to leave. i could easily envision more in-depth scenarios between them and myself and/or lore that just seemed to naturally spring up and i just kept thinking about them all the time.

i'd say megumi is a good example of the slow-burn. he honestly wasn't the kind of character that heavily struck me when i first watched the anime and started reading the manga; in fact, i recall being like "oh great, another little hateful emo boy" LOL (historically they're not usually the type i'm drawn to). but i got to know his character better over time and realized that like. damn. i have rather intense feelings about this guy adjewoijfwof

toji and jean were a bit more on the "slower" side of development as well i suppose. and not "slow" in the sense it took several months or years or anything (i've only been self-shipping for about a year) but it was something i had to ease into a bit more i guess.

i actually hated toji at first but then the daddy issues kicked into overdrive and i eventually started catching feelings LMFAO and jean was my first self-ship ever. he's the first one where i felt comfortable enough to imagine myself with someone like that <3 i hadn't really truly done anything like that in years, but i loved his character so much that i was starting to actually insert myself in reader stuff rather than completely detaching like i used to. i could see myself with him.

suga, on the other hand, was the kind that hit me like a freight train. maybe it's because i'm more comfortable with self-shipping now, but it was easier for me to realize it and take it to self-ship level pretty quickly. not only was i obsessed with him from pretty much the first fucking moment, but the subsequent relationship daydreams have been insane LOL i mean i gave it a little bit of time because i hate the idea of being overly impulsive and irrational due to infatuation but uh. i fucking love him lmao

katsuki is..... *sigh* idk. he also kind of hit me like a freight train, at least with the daydream scenarios and whatnot, and i was hoping and praying it was just a phase (still kind of am) but i guess i've sort of accepted that it's not. or it's at least a longer-lasting phase than most lol idk. but i can't stop thinking about him and i'd rather just go ahead and call it a self-ship instead of continuing to try and wait it out or deny it. the brainrot is bad

ANYWAYS sorry for being unable to shut the fuck up as per usual lmfao but yeah!!! i tried to give some examples of how this shit works in my mind. right now i guess i'm sort of organizing things by how regularly/consistently i think about a character over time and with what degree of ease i imagine myself with them in several scenarios, but this is by no means the sort of parameters i think everyone should use when it comes to this. people should do whatever the fuck they want i just take shit too seriously sometimes and wish i could be more chill actually instead of trying to create a classification system for everything in my brain 😃 but here we are

#letters.#moot: romy

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hugduckhesgay · 1 year

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About Fluffybird, what do you think about the ship? What is your opinion and analysis about the relationships between the two?

righto heheh let's crack into these chuddy Ds--

tldr; fluffybird is the purest ship and it would be great if it became explicitly canon

first of all, I think the creators shipped fluffybird before they saw all the fanart! Duck and Red Guy's interactions even in the webseries have sweetness, and can be perceived as a suggestion of romance. Though these interactions could be platonic as well, the possibility of romance is there, and that's all any slow-burn romantic storyline starts as. maybe one day i'll list those telling moments, but that's a lot of work. lol. Back to the creator's shipping, idk, that's just speculation, but I think they easily had a fondness for red guy and duck's brand of affection for each other.

There are random moments that are just so shippy. I think these have all been pointed out by other ppl. Duck painting Red Guy as Red Guy stands like that?

c'mon. The fact that they both want to be the dads? why put that idea in our heads? When red guy says his fav color is medium brown and duck's eyes are MEDIUM BROWN? I like to think that everything the creators have chosen to do is intentional and serves some kind of purpose other than comedic value... could be wrong there, but it's what I'd like to think. oftentimes the jokes have meaning behind them after all.

As for their dynamic, it is really interesting and nuanced! I don't rly see any hate between them, tho there ain't nothin wrong with liking the "divorced" dynamic. what I think is that they are made unaware of the feelings they have for each other. The 3 are constantly in a state of disorientation. I've seen people say that the fridge scene is one of the only times they get close to voicing their genuine thoughts and feelings without being controlled in some way, and I agree. however, when it comes down to it, duck displays great attachment to red guy, always looking at him for protection or initiative, wanting to be a family with him, etc. for red guy, well, we all saw what happened when duck died. he lost his damn mind, and he didn't expect to. it's like, as I said, he has feelings for duck that he isn't conscious of.

i have a bad silly theory that duck and red guy were in love and together before they became puppets or something lol. i dunno, it's possible for all we know.

now i want to address the arguments against having red guy and duck having a canon romantic relationship ((and it seems like very few people seem to have arguments! this fandom is fluffybird all over<3). it sucks, but i feel like most of these arguments are charged with homophobia or just romance shaming. romance is already present in the show, and it's all been cishet (superficially. B nice if chars came out as trans canonically? Lol). Yellow and Speshul One, Yellow and Clair. Regardless of context, romance is already present, and why does no one get upset about it? Because it's cishet, i'd argue. no one even notices it. now these are obviously satirical presentations which i thank god for, but it's still there.

we also already have tender moments between the three main guys. people might argue that 'why can't two guys just be friends?!?!' yeah, they can, and they are across 99% of media. is 99% of portrayals not enough? there is so little lgbtqia+ content that this argument is just ridiculous.

there's the argument that romance would 'ruin' the show somehow. sounds like an internalized problem to me tbh. adding romance wouldn't detract from the existing elements of friendship; it would embellish that, presenting a unique relationship that does not conform to the restrictive standards of society. (this would not be the case for a cishet romance, though I won't go into that.)

if people have a problem with fluffybird, I think they really gotta ask themselves why, really question where those feelings of discomfort are coming from. it's not like i'm asking for a nsfw scene. i think red guy and duck would have a romantic love language that is completely unique, like their confession to each other in the fridge scene. The way this show subverts tropes and makes things so weird, it would be so cool to see how it handles a genuine romance. I imagine it would be cuddly and lots of sweet words to each other, like what they do now but more explicit in that it is romantic love.

Anyway fluffybird is the purest ship I ever

#thanks for reading #i talk a lot #fluffybird #dhmis #i was gonna wait to post this and try and refine it or something but bleh

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lizmindpalace · 9 months

Text

English love affair

This is inspired by English love affair by 5SOS and sort of by Lost in reality It is basically what I wanted from the UR+ card "A misty town". Pairing: Obey me Lucifer x f!reader.

Summary: Lucifer does not pay enough attention to you, and you are growing tired about it.

Word count: 7.3 K

Status: Complete.

Warnings: None, really, just some little innuendos. Pure fluff. Summer vibes.

This is 100% self-indulgent because the few last months were really tough for me and my heart was in need of some comfort.

Find it on AO3 and Wattpad.

The lights had turned down a while ago, the windows were open, and the sound of a light rain had drowned any noises around the house, but not the pictures burning in his brain. Heavens tears were dripping on the windows' glasses, beating them in synchrony with his heart, both the rain and his heart beat, slowly increasing their pace, as he kept wandering in that distant land, more than seven thousand miles away from home and days ago in time.

It had all started on a weekend in May, the nights were clearer, and the heat had reached its maximum. He had been doing some paperwork that had to be submitted that same night, even if it was Saturday. It was hard enough to get to focus on something that dull while the temperature made his cheeks blaze and his brain slow down, but it became harder when he decided to open the windows so he could get a bit of the late spring breeze and then had to contemplate how the other inhabitants of the house looked to be enjoying the weather, playing around, abandoning the house for a night out with the promise of leaving a unforgettable memory for the years to come.

Among the joy radiating from his brothers, as if it was a dark cloud in a clear blue sky, he could perceive a shadow that had a despondent face hidden between colourless fingers.

"Cm'on, MC, let's go to the casino, the drinks are on me".

"Sorry Mammon, but I'm not feeling like going to a casino tonight".

"She'd rather go to the spa with me".

"Or to the collectible merchandise pop up store for the new comedy 'I wished I lived in my Otome game and then it came true and now finally I'm living the life I wanted ' that is only open for limited time with me!"

"Actually, no boys, I think I'll pass tonight, and I'll stay here and wander around the garden, you guys go out and have fun, bring me some souvenirs".

After a few moments of disagreement, the crowd vanished, the breeze had scattered them as though they were tree leaves, leaving only a shadowy figure under the tree, in complete silence and loneliness.

"You should go out and have fun too, MC".

"I did not feel like it".

The man sat down by your side, and looked at the reddish sky, it was the closest you could have to a sunset, you looked at it as well, it was pretty but not as much as the stunning sunsets from the human world; you loved the Devildom and you had learnt to think of it as home, but sometimes you really felt homesick about the human world. His gaze met your glistening eyes.

"May I know the cause of your sorrow?" he asked with a soft voice, despite the fact his usual severity was present, you could tell he was worried, maybe he was afraid that you were not taking care of yourself.

"I'm not sad". You tried and he rolled his eyes at you.

"I presume you are homesick. Perhaps we could arrange that Diavolo allows you to go to the human world for a week, or a couple of weeks if possible, I consider that would solve any problems regarding your mental health".

You panted but nodded.

"Whatever, you'll let me know, right? You should go back to work, it looks like it is very important".

He frowned.

"You certainly do not seem happy with my resolution, but I'm not able to help you further if you do not tell me what the issue is".

"It's nothing, I mean, what could be wrong? I've always loved to spend my Saturday nights alone in the darkness, I mean, that's what you have a boyfriend for, right? That's just the ideal date: being all alone in the garden while he complies with his owner's orders, and that is as well the perfect definition of a boyfriend, the kind of boy who is working in his office all day and night long, and he ends up being so tired it takes him a second to fall asleep, and in addition, he forgets you exist".

You were not that kind of person, but lately everything felt like too much, he was never around when you needed him, and you had started to feel really bad about it, and yes, maybe you were homesick too, you longed for the human world's summertime.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucifer looked at you, he was confused, and he could not believe you were behaving like this and expressing your feelings in such way.

"You never spend time with me anymore! I'm tired of being broken hearted, it is like you take me for granted all the time".

Those words sent a different kind of pain to his chest and a bitter taste to his mouth. Had he been that thoughtless? Had he been so careless? He knew well his six brothers, lower range demons, some of the angels and even Diavolo himself and all members of the student council had fallen for you, and you had chosen him, you were dating him and not the other way round, as much as that expression hurt his pride, he would not care less; and yet, it did not sound like he deserved such honour.

His face remained calm, but his heart was beating faster than ever.

"I apologise about that" he whispered, he was almost wordlessly, he could only reach out for your hand as answer.

"It's ok, I did not mean to throw a hissy fit about that". You said after some moments of silence. "It is not important. Go back to your work, I will listen to your advice, and I will go out and have some fun instead, being locked up here is getting on my nerves".

You let his hand go and rose, then walked towards the house of lamentation, vanished into your bedroom. Lucifer sighed, and returned to his office as well, he left the window open so he could keep an eye at the entrance and at you, he did not think you would dare go out alone despite your words, he was sure you acknowledged how dangerous it was to venture yourself into the blackness of the Devildom streets, but he would like to check in case you did or something else happened.

The hours in front of the monitor had affected his already tired eyes, he blinked several times, he was almost blind. He rubbed his eyes when a cloud in his eyes came to life, and moved around as if it was an actual being. He approached to the window and noticed it was not an effect of the light, but it was his human going out as he had suggested. But why were you dressed like that?

A short sparkling dress indicated what your plans were, Lucifer did not want to think too hard about it. He did not want to be possessive, but it was his true nature, he could not help it, and he would be lying if he said that the mere thought of you being seen by everyone like this did not make his blood boil, or maybe it was the thought of you meeting someone attracted by you who would make you think was a better option than he was. Which was another thought he was not being able to bear, even if they were probably right about it.

"So... are you going out after all?" He had decided to casually interfere, now that he was coming closer his pace was slow, and he was glad you didn't see when he literally ran out of his study so he could get to you before you finally left, his demeanour was calm, but fire flowed through his eyes.

"I am". You said nonchalantly, hanging your bag on your right shoulder, looking at the pocket mirror in your hand, and approving the way you looked. He approved it too, but he did not approve you were going out and all of those demons got to see you too.

"May I know where you are going?"

"You have interest in me all of a sudden?" You teased him, with a tiny smile. You had known what his reaction was going to be all along.

"MC..."

"Asmo said he had changed his plans and he would be in a bar with some of his acquaintances, I felt like dancing, so see you later, have fun with your work".

Lucifer looked astonished at you, his mouth and eyes wide open.

"No" he said, it took him less time than you had expected, it had been a long time since the last time he had talked to you in that way, determination impregnated in his voice.

"Sorry?" You frowned, looked at him in feigned confusion.

"You're not going there".

"And why not? Just because you don't want me to go?" You mocked him.

"Just because you're going somewhere else".

You frowned again, trying to catch your thoughts because you were now clueless about what his words meant, but he did not hesitate, and soon he had you against the closest wall with no way out, his lips so close to your collarbone, you could feel his warm breath in your skin, sending shivers throughout your body, leaving you like a little inoffensive sheep cornered by a wolf; showing you why he was called the avatar of pride and the ruler of the underworld.

" You have five minutes. Pack your things up, we're leaving for a whole week".

A smile was drawn on your lips, lightning up yours and Lucifer's faces as well, there was some kind of complicity between the both of you that made your hearts race, then, you bit your lower lip and nodded after he whispered into your ear "it's an order, attendant".

You did as you had been prompted. You hurried upstairs and got some clothes in your bag, as well as some basic supplies. Soon you had a backpack with you, and you were waiting for Lucifer to knock at your door.

Which he did, sort of. He did not wait for an answer and just entered your room, taking your bag.

"But what about your work? And Diavolo? And everyone else?, they could get worried if we just leave like this".

"They'll have to deal with it".

He took your hand in his and hurried out the house of the lamentation, dragging you along with him.

"You did not even tell me where we're going".

He remained silent, you imagined you were going somewhere near the devildom, but once you saw you were coming closer to the border with the human world, you knew.

"Didn't we need some kind of authorisation from Diavolo to leave the Devildom?"

Lucifer shrouded. He never stopped until you two were walking down the wet pavement, surrounded only by orange buildings whose white mouldings stood out in the gloom of the night. You were trying to figure out where you were, but nothing gave you the slightest clue about it.

You had no option but to follow the man inside the orange building and then to the single bedroom for two. You looked through the window while he arranged everything related to your stay there. You saw the fancy houses and cars parked outside of them, it was really Lucifer like, you did not have a single clue where you were, until the blue and red flag let you know.

"Is this Mayfair?"

He smiled.

"You wanted to go to a bar, didn't you?"

You did not notice when he got rid of his coat, still wearing his devil every day clothes, he forced you to leave again.

The pub was overflowing with people and loud catchy music, you could get lost in such a crowd at any second, because the lights danced leaving blindness behind.

Fortunately, the so-called avatar of pride never let go of you, and soon you noticed you two were swinging to the beat of the music in the background, he had placed your arms around his shoulders and his hands held you in place with a grasp on your hips.

Your body had captivated him, but once your foreheads were close enough, your eyes stole his complete attention, you could see yourself in them, being unknown in such a crowd was revitalizing, his movements let you know he was enjoying himself more than ever, and you realised how much mistaken his brothers were when they thought Lucifer did not know how to have fun. Maybe it was the fact he had already drunk three glasses of wine, you did not expect him to get drunk off human alcohol, considering that demonous was at least fifth times stronger, but he was proving you wrong.

His always earnest, composed, paper like face, was now cheerful, his sharp teeth stuck out of his lips, as if they were thirsty for blood, your blood. In addition, a distinct gleam was radiating from his eyes, the kind of gleam he had when you were around and you pretended you weren't aware of his gaze, and that he would hide away when he realised you had noticed. This time he was not trying to skulk it, it was in plain sight, as he wanted you to notice. It felt as though he was devouring you using only his eyes, and you could feel your legs shaking, almost making you fall to your knees and hit the floor.

Summer heat impregnated your bodies and your minds, Lucifer's demonic personality stood out on the changing environment surrounding both of you. Your movements had made the two of you get closer. His hands on you lower back, yours in his hair. He would not say it out loud, but you could perceive he was waiting for more, for the next step, but he doubted, because you were sure he did not want to harm you and that was why he would patiently wait, although you were sure, it would not be for so much longer.

It was your turn to take his hand, to take the initiative to let him know it was fine, you got to the silent streets, where you hailed a taxi, what a blessing the taxi had some kind of compartment and the driver was not able to see the kisses you were stealing from your demon, and how he was devouring your mouth in return.

The car stopped and you two hurried your way upstairs to the flat Lucifer had got for you, something burned inside you, you wanted to be closer to him, even closer since you were already closer than ever already, your kisses were preventing you from getting to your bedroom, the avatar or pride was slowly ousting the avatar of lust and taking his place. The door opened as if welcoming the two of you. You did not notice when Lucifer was over you, staring with his lustful eyes at you, as if you were his prey with no way to escape.

You wanted to say something, but your senses were preventing you from thinking, you were not able to remember your actions either, so probably you had managed to say Lucifer's name, because he had also heard a whisper, his name slipping away from someone's lips, he left your neck for a second, leaving the heat behind for a moment, staring at the darkness, something was wrong, something felt odd, he had recognised that voice.

"For hell's sake..."

You let totally go from Lucifer's grasp and stood up.

"It's not fair you thought you could have MC all for yourself!"

"And all the fun". Asmodeus seconded Belphegor.

He rolled his eyes at his brothers, your cheeks reddened, while you were trying to recompose yourself, hoping no one had seen your previous scene.

"Of course, no one would like to invite the otaku shut in along, I had that coming".

Lucifer sighed, took his hand to his forehead and rubbed it in frustration, shutting his eyes close. His plans had been spoiled in the worst of ways.

"What are you doing here?" Lucifer did not try to hide his annoyance. A tiny smile was drawn on Satan's face.

"How did you know we were here?" You finally asked.

Lucifer got his phone out of his pocket and checked it carefully because Satan's gaze suggested he knew something he did not.

"We have an alert when you leave for the human world, you know, and as every time you do it you bring MC with you, we just wanted to check she was fine". Satan replied, the cunning smile never fading.

"So, we should all have a sleepover, since it's too late to go out now".

"Or we could all join Lucifer and MC in their activities, I think they were having fun".

You blushed again, failing at hiding it and your eyes meeting the floor.

"I think the sleepover would be better, there are always snacks in a sleepover". Beel commented. "And human snacks, which is even better".

"I think it sounds like a good idea, the eight of us can have fun that way. I'll just go to put my pajamas on".

You panted once you were alone in your bedroom for the night, even if you pretended a sleepover with all of them was a good idea and you loved all seven of them, you had really been looking forward to spending some time with Lucifer, alone. It tasted as if you had swallowed disappointment. You looked yourself in the mirror and forced yourself to smile.

Throughout the night, Lucifer and you were only able to exchange looks while his brothers were not paying attention, because they would always interfere when you were trying to speak, but with a single blink, he let you know he would find a way. You were trying to focus on the board games, and at the end you managed to have a good time when you were singing karaoke together. None of you knew when you had fallen asleep on the floor.

The morning came sooner than expected, it was summer, school was supposed to be over, so why were they forced to wake up at that time in the morning?

"Lucifer, for g- Diavolo's sake, what do you think you're doing silly? We had a blast last night, I have barely slept, and I need my sleeping beauty".

The demon whose arms were crossed over his chest looked annoyed at them, he was not happy, he was not even joyful, even considering the fact he was getting to punish his brothers, one of the things he enjoyed the most in the world.

"That's the consequence of leaving without authorisation, Diavolo called me when he noticed none of you were at home, and I had to promise him, this would do some kind of good to the Academy in order to cover the expenses, so we're going to the museum, and you'll submit afterwards a detailed report about it. I've booked tickets for the first tour in the morning, so stop complaining; haste your breakfast and hygiene, we're leaving soon". He looked at his watch in his wrist before speaking again: "and that's in fifteen minutes, so hurry up, or you'll never see the sunlight of the human world ever again, I guarantee you".

Lucifer's threats were always serious, his punishments would always be something to remember, the crowd showed disapproval during the next fifteen minutes and during the walk towards the museum that took them about thirty minutes, but Lucifer remained silent, he was concentrating on something the others were not able to tell.

All of them, strolled together along the corridors and through the white marble halls of the museum, the guide explained every single detail in every single painting and sculpture, that outlined human genius from different times and places. There was something about humans, it did not matter where they were from, how they looked like or what language they spoke, they were all the same, just fascinating. All of the demons admired the way they were able to expose their feelings and true colours in those art pieces, it did not take long for them to get lost in the world created by the human's eyes, they soon realised it was as captivating as you were.

A couple of hours passed by in complete calm, Lucifer himself was not able to believe he was having some time in peace, and the weight on his shoulders was slowly vanishing.

"Lucifer?" A whisper broke the silence everyone was in, it felt as though blood had stained the white veil of the wedding dress everyone dreamed of you wearing in their fantasies. "I cannot find MC". Beelzebub raised his voice, he had not been able to help it, fright and confusion were drawn on his face.

Lucifer finally paid attention to him, now the same expression could be read in his face: bewilderment, if he had to describe it. He looked around, looking for those red cheeks he knew so well.

"She does not pick her phone either".

He had been staring at his phone now, he had been thinking of calling you as well, hearing that made him freeze. Even if he knew the human world was safer than the Devildom itself, your whereabouts were always a reason of concern.

"Remain calm, everyone" Although the one who had to take that piece of advice would have to be himself. "I'll go check with the guard, I'm sure she's in another room or in the toilet, stay together, I don't want more disappearances".

Everyone remained quiet and silently agreed to his instruction, Beelzebub suggested the tour guide to give them the lunch break at that moment so they could stay together in a single place. The six brothers sat in the museum's café, they were trying to have lunch but instead they kept staring at the entrance, waiting for Lucifer, they expected to see MC by his side wearing a shy smile.

But that did not happen.

"Now Lucifer is taking an awful amount of time".

"Leave it to me, I'll call him". Mammon suggested after hearing Asmo saying what he was thinking.

"Beel, why is Lucifer's phone in your pocket?" Satan raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Oh no, he was so worried he forgot about it. And now if he gets lost, he won't be able to enter the food delivery app, he will starve to death". Everyone could see Beel was really worried about that scenario, he even left his chips by his side for a moment, his face showing worry.

"Let's wait a little longer, and then we'll go back to the flat if they don't show up soon". Satan said and everyone agreed in silence.

It was a shame they were trapped inside when the day outside was so beautiful.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" You asked a bit worried.

"That's why we escaped from the Devildom in the first place, isn't it? Stop worrying about them and enjoy me instead".

Your cheeks blushed and Lucifer remembered why he had fallen so hard for you, those colours that made you different to anyone else had captivated him. You kept walking together, you were now far away from the museum.

"I know, but they'll be worried, what if they make this bigger than it is?"

"There was no other way, and I would appreciate if you changed the subject, I don't want to think of them at the moment".

You sighed.

"I thought you were the adventurous kind; you know, the girl studying abroad in the Devildom, falling for the bad guy, you should be enjoying this". He snickered at you, and you rolled your eyes at him, but just after a moment, you joined him and laughed, he was somewhat right.

You surmised he was completely right after all, and you should enjoy your little adventure by his side, after all, his brothers had been the ones to show up without permission and without invitation and had spoiled your little time off. You took his hand in yours while you walked down the street after reflecting on this.

The fresh summer breeze was slapping your face, messing with your hair while your eyes fought to stay open, it made you feel at home, at ease, the feeling got stronger when you remembered you were with your lover, as if you were complete, your heart danced, and your blood rushed through your veins to reach it out.

"Fancy some tea? What? We're in London, aren't we?"

"Are you really offering me tea even considering this heat?"

"Would you rather have an ice cream, instead?" Lucifer said and your eyes shone while you nodded in approval. The both of you reached out to the park, it was greener than ever before, and the trees danced to the beat of the wind, Lucifer got you an ice cream that handed to you, and you suggested to sit down in the swings, he looked at you as if you were one more of his childish brothers, but at the end, he gave up, he smiled once you two were slightly moving back and forth, enjoying the good weather and your dessert. The sound of the tree leaves reminded you of a waterfall, the sun warming your body and the sound of people gave you the sort of relaxation, you had been longing for so long.

"Did you leave your phone at the flat as I advised?"

"They'll find it on the bedroom's vanity".

"Good, Satan won't be able to track us down this time".

You shared his devilish smile, knowing you had got your way this time.

"May I try yours?"

Lucifer frowned at you, your smiling face produced some kind of affection to his chest that changed his behaviour every time, it was weird to be seen in public like that, but no one knew him there, he remembered, so he obliged and fed you with his own ice cream.

"Try mine..." you made a grimace when he refused. "Don't make me force you".

"I would like to see you try".

"Sta-"

He groaned, irritated.

"I can do it. There's no need to do that".

He licked your ice cream while you chuckled, perhaps you were actually of the adventurous kind.

"It has a good taste, I think it's almost as sweet as you, although..."

You could not help yourself, seeing his lips move like that, you wished you were the ice cream instead, and therefore, you hurried to steal a kiss from him before he started talking. He blushed, he had not been expecting it, you had caught him off guard, it felt different in comparison to the night before, when you were anonymous, since now everyone around was looking at you two, or at least that's what he thought.

He froze for a second, his pride sheltering him, as if he was in a bubble, a bubble you were breaking with your daring actions, he was completely red, almost out of control when a light split the sky into two, drops falling from the sky started landing on your faces, lowering the temperature, you looked up, definitely there was a huge storm coming.

You did not mind, as long as you could keep holding your beloved one as close as you were now, however, he cared, because he stepped away, and took an umbrella from his coat.

"You didn't bring yours, did you?"

You shook your head. He sighed.

"We should seek shelter before it's too late, we can continue whatever we were doing there".

You stared at the sky, that morning when you looked at yourself in the mirror you had been glad of your choice of clothes, black shorts and black sneakers with a shirt with hues of red, you felt pretty and according to the summer, now that the sky was graying out, you were regretting your choices for the day, perhaps it was not appropriate enough now for the approaching storm. You looked at your bare legs with worry, but then another thought came to your mind, you noticed you had been wearing matching colours and you failed at hiding a smile when you realised it.

You did not want to leave but the grasp of Lucifer's hand made you rose and start walking again down the streets, leaving the natural scenario behind.

"You take it" he forced you to take his transparent umbrella, you looked up and noticed how the drops fell on it, it was a nice umbrella, you could not help but smile while seeing the sky above, crying over you. The calm suddenly changed though, since soon you noticed the light rain turned into a heavy downpour.

"Come here, you're getting wet". You gestured at the space by your side, under the umbrella.

"I'm fine, you cover yourself".

"I don't want to look after a sick demon when this is supposed to be fun, unless you're doing this because you're too embarrassed to be seen with me in public, which you could openly tell me, I'm not willing to beg for your attention ever again, we can leave things like this right now".

Lucifer took a deep breath, and then after a moment of hesitation, a step closer to you, and then passed his arm around your shoulders, while you kept holding the umbrella.

"If we walk slow enough none of us will be wet".

"And if I keep you this close you won't be cold". He whispered.

You smiled, made him stop in the middle of the street and carefully, placed your arms around his neck, leaving another kiss on his lips. The only thing covering you both was the see-through umbrella and the raindrops falling over it. Everyone around was looking at you and his cheeks were red as were yours, but you could not care less, you liked it when you made him blush. Even if it was only a side effect of his prideful character.

"You're being very naughty today, aren't you? I think I will have to do something to correct that behaviour". He leaned in and kissed you roughly this time, as if he was trying to demonstrate he could do better than you at being naughty, while he was demonstrating you, he would not care about his perfect image being scratched by you, he had made that decision, even if there was a chance you were encountered by his brothers again showing affection to each other like this. "I missed you, and I promise you, I'll never let work take over my time like this again".

He looked around after leaving you breathless, people had started to pass you by, ignoring you, however he must have seen something, because he stopped. "They found us". He took your hand and simply started to run without giving you any opinion on the matter, the umbrella no longer preventing the water from getting into you, making your body freeze, almost producing pain, and two minutes later your hair and clothes were soaking wet, leaving you tired after that little race. You took the red bus after you had stopped, although you had no idea where it was going to.

"I think we lost them again" Lucifer shook his head, plumping up his hair using his hand. Everything in him was hypnotizing and you could not help but admire his wet hair falling over his forehead, his bright red eyes thinking of something you could not imagine, giving him a mysterious look. You could tell there was some kind of malice in his grimace, he was having fun, he was a damn sadist after all.

"So, who was following us?" You asked trying to get out of your thoughts, trying to remain calm, you looked at the window, attempting to catch a clue of what was happening.

"My brothers, of course".

"How did they find us?"

Lucifer shrugged as if it was no important at all, and then held your hand in silence for the rest of the trip.

Some blocks later across the wet London streets, Lucifer held you by the waist, helping you to descend the bus steps so you would not get wet by stepping into the puddles, as if you could get wetter.

He took you through another narrow hallway, another tall building showing in front of you and covering the sky, and the rain, the only sound that could be heard were your sloppy steps. He led you upstairs, never letting go of your hand, it was silent. You did not stop climbing until you reached out the roof, the wooden door opened before you, leaving the two of you outside, under the no more gray sky, but rather painted in pink and orange hues, due to the fact the sun was coming back. The view was spectacular, the whole city of London could be appreciated from there, the wind hit your face, reminding you it was not a dream, you were there in flesh and blood.

"I'm glad it was here on time."

You glanced over at the table by the balcony, there was pizza and chips, as well as some drinks, you noticed then you were actually starving.

"Be my guest", he gestured and helped you to have a seat.

You soon were taking a big bite to your pizza slice. The feeling of being chased and your head revolving around was slowly decreasing thanks to the fact you were getting some energy from your meal, and now you were all of a sudden laughing.

"What is it the matter?"

"I cannot believe they followed us all the way here".

"My brothers have always shown some kind of protective affection towards you, it was just logical, although inconvenient, especially when you're trying to have a date".

Your face blushed, and then you stared at your pizza.

"How did you get the food?"

"Beel, he was quite helpful this time... Listen, it might not be the kind of date you were expecting, and I promise you..."

"Stop right there" you cut him off.

"I only wanted to spend some time with you, some quality time with no paperwork just you and I alone, no matter what we're doing, and I am very fond of pizza, so I won".

The fairy lights over your head suddenly turned on, as well as the lights coming from the distant city, you could see the reflection of the sun on the Thames, little ships travelling down its course with their bright flags and lights standing out the growing darkness. It was the phenomena you had been missing, one of the few things that the Devildom could not equal, Lucifer admired the landscape as well, it was likewise, one of his favourite things from the human world, the balance between light and darkness, good and evil, just as it was comprised in its inhabitants.

"I just wanted to make sure you still..." you interrupted yourself, leaving the sentence unfinished, as if you were choosing the correct words to deliver your message.

"I still and I will always love you, MC".

You could not help but smile even wider, you were not able to look at his eyes, you felt like a teenager again, maybe even worse, your legs shook every time you thought of him, your checks reddened when you saw him, and your voice stuttered when you talked to him. You wanted to tell him you loved him as much, but for some reason you could not get the words out of your mouth.

" I love you too, Lucifer". You finally managed to whisper.

Some fresh music started to sound in the background as if magic had produced it.

"You wanted to dance, didn't you? We've been interrupted every time".

He rose before you could say anything, and dragged you along, soon he had you spinning around the floor, you both laughing because it was something embarrassing (even more embarrassing for the avatar of pride), although you decided he was just enjoying himself as much as you were, which was not usual for him, and you concluded that once in a while, leaving his brothers without surveillance in the middle of the human world creating chaos, was not that bad.

Your body danced to the rhythm of the music for longer than you imagined; his grip on your waist, your hands around his neck, his perfume invading your senses, even standing out the smell of petrichor, the gift that rain had left for you; the sun had totally set when you separated your dreamy eyes from his, and the moon was now shinning over your heads, with its silver light falling over you, casting living shadows over the floor, the stars were sparkling as much as your eyes were. Your hearts were racing, he was not able to take his eyes off you, or his hands, you were both in some kind of trance, you were sure he had managed to cast some sort of spell on you because your brain was not able to command your limbs, they were only controlled by the electricity of his contact.

You did nothing to stop him when his kisses became warmer and more intrusive, or when his hands fought the resistance of the fabric of your clothes; your breath hitched in your chest due to the anticipation with every single kiss and touch, you let yourself fall into his trap of love and seduction, letting the sparks fly in the middle of the fire and the rain. That night, you allowed him to take over your body and soul, you were his prisoner, and you did not want to escape.

The music produced by the scattered raindrops on the glass roof woke you up, it was late, but not that late, the stars were still visible, and the sunlight was barely perceived in the horizon. Everything was quiet, then you remembered who you were with when you felt his warm embrace and soft breath under you.

"Don't leave". He said, showing some kind of vulnerability he would have hidden if he had been fully awake, that made you heart melt as he had done with your mind and body just a few hours ago, he would not say it out loud, but his heart was completely strung out. "I need your angel eyes".

You snickered and hugged him back. After that night you would not be able to leave him ever again even if you tried. Why had you waited so long to elope?

You softly kissed his lips. It took several minutes for you to get up, none of you wanted to let go the other, but at the end, the responsible side of Lucifer finally showed up. So, you were forced you took a shower, while he took care of making breakfast.

You fixed your appearance in front of the mirror. Lucifer casually walked in to inform you "It's time for breakfast, and then we'll have to leave" and held you from behind and kissed your cheek, then you two stared at each other in the mirror, your faces looked filled with joy and Lucifer particularly, looked as if he had come back to life after being dead for some centuries.

You nodded. Something was wrong with Lucifer today because he was spoiling you too much, the English breakfast before you was not only appetizing to your eyes, but also to your tastebuds.

"The breakfast was amazing". You smiled at him once you had finished.

"I am glad to hear you enjoyed it". He nodded behind his cup of black coffee.

"Thank you". You smiled at him and he, as a natural effect, smiled back at you. "I enjoyed this little trip. Even if it was just a night, instead of the seven days you had promised".

"I apologise about it, I will find a way to compensate it".

You agreed with his statement, you would have liked to stay longer, to do something else, but it was time to go.

The way back on the bus was calm, people was minding their own business and you enjoyed the trip looking at the buildings and the crowds outside.

"Who was following us before we took the bus yesterday?"

Lucifer chuckled and you raised an eyebrow.

"No one was following us, I just sort of felt creative".

You hit his arm and laughed.

"I knew your brothers weren't capable of doing so, they are good boys, you just have to be a bit more patient with them".

"What are you, their lawyer?"

"Please?"

He sighed.

"Fine, but you'll be responsible for their bad behaviour if you insist on defending them".

You nodded. You knew they would get into trouble often, but it was part of the fun. And most of the times it was nothing serious.

You soon arrived to the Mayfair place where you had first arrived the previous night, a crowd was reunited there and there were some ambulances as well, the street was automatically cosed and Lucifer had to double check it was the correct street, hoping it was the incorrect one, but deep down knowing it was not, he could almost see the scene before his eyes: he could see Mammon starting the problem, Levi and Asmo panicking about it, Beel being too busy eating to notice, Belphie smelling the smoke and deciding it was not worthy enough to wake up, Satan rolling his eyes. Lucifer moved his head in disapproval, sighed in frustration and wasted no time and started to think of an appropriate punishment, whereas you almost fell in his arms when you finally realised the flat and the whole building where you had been staying had been burnt to dust, and it had only taken them a night alone.

"I'm glad you'll get to do the cleaning this time, my little apple-pie". Lucifer whispered into your ear, when you finally met the dusty faces of his six brothers, then he chuckled.

Definitely, you would look for a way to stop acting as their attendant and- what? Lucifer had called you his little apple-pie? For some reason you decided to change your mind. Maybe you could wait a bit longer and keep up with your duties as their attendant.

The way home was as bittersweet as the chemistry that produced those strange feelings inside him towards you because Lucifer was mad at his brothers, and they were fearing for their fate and the punishment Lucifer would give them but there was as well an unobtrusive smile drawn on his lips because of the memories of your previous night together. He was less severe this time, maybe because of what you had told him or maybe for some other reason you were not able to tell, but maybe it was the happiness you two were sharing and weren't able to hide away. With time things settled down, life became what it used to be before your little adventure, although you weren't wretched anymore and every time and then, when Lucifer noticed he was not giving you enough attention he would find a way to have some time alone with you, he would count the days until he could bring you back to him.

"Are you going to sleep or are you going to stare at me all night?" You said, you were not able to sleep because he was not sleeping either and you could feel his red eyes on you even in the dismal darkness.

"Your picture haunts me in the dark while I'm falling asleep, it is not my fault". He sometimes felt like a rag doll, whose pieces belonged to you, and you could manipulate as you wished, and for some odd reason he was fine with it, he had given in, and stopped trying ways to turn it around.

"Oh, shut up, if we want to ride the London eye, we'll have to wake up early". You softly smiled and hugged him, truth be told, you weren't able to escape him anywhere either, not even in your dreams. He kissed your scalp and closed his eyes, you were right.

This was the first day of your second trip together and you could not wait for the adventures to come by Lucifer's side, under the rain in the misty town of London.

- Note: I took the idea of the pet name "apple pie" from some post here on Tumblr because I found it adorable, I just cannot remember who was the user who came up with it, so, if you're the one, let me know to give you credit here :3

#obey me #obey me nightbringer #obey me fanfiction #lucifer x reader #lucifer x mc #mc #5sos #obey me lucifer #obey me shall we date #lmp:obeyme #lmp:obeymeff #obey me lucifer x reader #fanfiction #fluff #summerish

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itskattkm · 11 months

Text

New York New Rules | pt. 2

Warnings: Violence, Trauma, Fluff, maybe Smut

Summary: Y/N meets the survivors of the last events in Woodsborrow and gets on Ghostface's list. But there is also a darkness in Y/N wich path is she going to choose

Female Y/N x Tara Carpenter

Sorry for bad writing. I’m using a translator and hope you guys can enjoy it. Also, this is going to be a long story

This time I changed the perspective while I wrote this if you know what I mean and yeah… sorry I think it’s going to be slow burn my dears

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

I put my hand on Anika's shoulder after Frankie pushed her aside pulled Tara up the stairs with her. She fell down, the next moment I felt a small breeze rush past me. It was Chad. He grabbed Frankie by the shoulder and threw him against the wall. Just as Frankie pulled out his fist, Chad was distracted. He had briefly seen Tara to make sure she was okay. But Mindy already took care of that. Even before Frankie's fist met Chad, I kicked Frankie so hard in the side that he fell to the ground. I couldn't feel anything. The noises around me became mute. All I could see was red. I had jumped on Frankie and punched my fists in his face. I ignored the sudden burning on my ankles. I didn't want to stop. I bit my teeth so hard that my jaw had already cramped. Every punch from me became firmer and more brutal and then I realized that Frankie was no longer conscious. He had not even been able to defend himself. I wasn't even sure if he was still alive at that moment. His face was so shattered and covered with blood that you couldn't recognize him anymore. My heart was pounding. I felt the pulse in my ears... slowly I could perceive the sounds around me again.

My breath stopped. It felt like I had 10 kilogram weights lying on my chest. Slowly I straightened up and suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder. Although I could now hear everything, it was quiet. My eyes drove around through the crowd and Mindys friends. The music was turned off. Everyone starred at me and then at Frankie. Their looks were scary, speechless and intimidated. I turned around and saw that it was Chad who had put his hand on me. After looking into my eyes, he lowered his hand and carefully took a step back. I could see uncertainty in his gaze. Now I looked at Anika, Mindy and Tara. They seemed to share this feeling with him. But unlike Anika and Mindy, Tara wasn’t looking at me, she looked at Frankie.

"All right... we should go," said a calm and gentle voice to me. She made me feel like I had done nothing wrong. A feeling that drove me crazy. The person put an arm around my shoulder and pushed me towards the exit. My legs trembled and vibrated. The adrenaline was still there, but its effect was now completely different. My eyes fell on my feet, I had to see where I was taking my steps and then I saw red... it wasn't a bright stinging red. No, it was scarlet... so deep and gloomy that it was already Maroon. I raised my hands that I hardly felt. Like my dress, they were covered in blood. At that moment I was sure that my bones were broken.

"We called an ambulance," said Anika in the distance. I tried to see back. Back to the Frat house. But my eyes met Tara's. She gave me a gentle smile. It was really so minimal that you could hardly recognize it, but I could. I would have noticed any minimal change in her facial expressions. "Everything's fine..." she whispered to me and looked at the others behind her. Then the person who helped me out of the house turned me forward again "Don't look back". Only now did I realize who had actually helped me. It was Sam, Tara's sister. But where did she come from? She wasn't at the party. Suddenly everything became louder and louder, it was as if hundreds of bees were floating around in my head. I lost the strength in my legs and fell. The others rushed to my side for help. The buzzing was getting louder and louder. In pain, I pressed my hands on my ears and pinched my eyes. The hum turned into a roar. It sounded mechanical... then a loud honking.

I opened my eyes and grabbed my blanket. My eyes were firmly on the ceiling above me. With slow breathing, I tried to calm down "just a dream"

I was just in a phase in my life that had stirred up too many things from my past. First the realization of my trauma last year and now the healing process. Never before have I felt so vulnerable. I tried to hide the whole thing, to keep it to myself but I notice how I reach my limits. I want to talk to someone about it, say things out loud in my head but I can't... I'm too scared and that of myself. I have the feeling that I don't understand myself and that makes everything more confusing. But I'm not stupid, I've been able to puzzle and analyze the individual things i noticed about myself well together so far.

Violence. Anger. These were two aspects that I was not affected by years ago. But now that my wounds had opened and I was bleeding again. I can feel her poisoning my body more and more. It feels good... but with the thought of being trapped in my head and isolated from other people... I'm not sure if I'm on the right track. First of all, these violent thoughts and dreams scared me... now I only hope to be exposed to a situation in which I can let my dark self run wild.

I think my dream says more than enough about the situation last night. Although I was there. But I wasn't present. In my mind, I was updrifted. Tried to distinguish my scenarios in my head with what really happened and to focus on acting correctly. If I hadn't thought too much yesterday, then who knows. Then I would probably really be in the hospital with broken hands and the hope that Frankie didn't survived.

The taste of warm milk with a gentle note of coffee hit my tongue when I put my lips on the coffee cup in my hand, carefully I took a sip of it. Slowly I looked at my cell phone to look at the time.

10:15 am

I still had 15 minutes until my appointment with the therapist would begin. But just as I turned the street and saw Dr. Stone's house, I stopped abruptly. The entrance gate of his practice was closed with blocking tape and several police officers stood on the side of the road. As soon as one of the policemen had noticed me, he approached me with a strict attitude. His eyes true darkness but in the light of the sun I could see green speckles in it. "Are you y/n l/n?" I nodded to him and looked past his shoulder. Two people with black bomber jackets on whose forensic was written on it went under the barrier tape. My eyes widened, but before I could say anything, the policeman interrupted me.

"You have been a patient of Dr. Stone, we have to ask you to come to the station with us and make a statement" I immediately agreed with him, I didn't feel like starting a discussion with him here.

When I reached the station, the policeman led me directly to one of the interrogation rooms, but I didn't seem to be alone there. My look hit Tara's then Sam's. Confused, I looked at her, both rails sharing this feeling with me. Although I could also see some trouble in Sam's dark eyes. "l/n please sit down..." said the slightly older detective who sat opposite the two. The only free seat was next to Tara, so I sat down to her without a word. I literally felt the eyes of the three following each of my movements.

I only briefly saw the pictures on the table. Crime scene pictures... two students from my film course... my professor and my therapist. What the hell was going on here? And why were Sam and Tara here? Unconsciously, my hands began to sweat. I put down my backpack and now took a closer look at the pictures, now I noticed the Ghostface mask. I tightened my eyebrows and looked at the detective.

"Y/N... I can call you that, can I?" The detective asked me. I gave him an annoyed look, I didn't like this situation at all. "In any case, you are a patient of Dr. Christopher Stone, is that true?" Tensed I crossed my arms and nodded silently. I noticed a surprised look from Sam. "Is it true that you regularly visit him because of your violence?" What the hell comes to his mind?! Did he just release my private patient data in front of two complete strangers? My pulse grew. I slowly pressed my nails into my arms and tried to keep myself calm. "You're kidding me, aren't you? You just release the data of my patients' files?" If eyes could kill, then it would have happened to him. There was no reaction from him. I looked speechless at Tara and Sam... finally I explained "seriously why don't you talk to me alone instead of addressing that in front of the two... already heard of data protection? Legally, you shouldn't do that" the detective didn't pay any attention to me and interrupted eye contact with me, he pushed a file in my direction and continued "through your past, your patient file and the events of yesterday you are one of our first suspects" Now Sam spoke in between "we don't have to listen to this... let's go" she wanted to get up but the detective gave her a strict look. "is it true that you were together last night?" Confused, Tara said "we were all at the party, yes... after that situation in the park our paths separated" the next moment the detective held a cell phone in our face. On it you can see Sam, who was irritated by the students and I stood with Anika in the background.

The detective exhaled far and said "what I want to say, Y/N you are just one of our suspects and you Carpenters, can't go anywhere you have witnessed the murder in the Bordega”.

I sighed and looked at him crooked "could someone tell me what the hell is going on here? Instead of exposing my mental health and suspecting myself for something I don't know about yet!" Suddenly I felt a little warmth on my elbow. Tara had striped me with her finger. Probably an attempt to calm me down. I thought very attentively of her, but I was so in rage mode that I couldn't enjoy this little gesture.

"Sam and Tara got a call from Ghostface, a few seconds later they were chased on the street by Ghostface and attacked there-" I interrupted him and looked worriedly at Tara, then at Sam "oh my God are you okay? The corners of Sam's mouth lifted slightly. I came to my senses and said excitedly "stupid question otherwise you guys wouldn’t be here..." Tara escaped a smile and I felt how she briefly pressed my arm "in any case Miss L/n" the detective began strictly and gave me a cool look "the two students from your course probably had their own plan and killed your professor... but who killed the boys? We are sure that another Ghostface has taken over the game and so the question remains who could that be? You y/n attend the same course... are close to the circle of friends of the Carpenters and, according to the statements, went home alone after the situation in the park. This morning you were at the crime scene of Dr. Stone... I doubt it's a coincidence" I shook my head "you know… i don’t give a fuck, apart from how bad and unprofessional you did your job, I will leave the interrogation now. And no, you can't force me without an official notice from the judge... I'm going" I didn't hesitate long when I took my backpack and stormed the door out followed by Sam and Tara. Before I reached the exit of the police station, a woman with short blond hair came to meet me. Suddenly my anger was pale. A broad grin formed on my lips, I had torn my eyes open in surprise when I closed the person directly into my arms "Kirby, what are you doing here?" She pressed me gently and went back. A warm smile was visible when she stroked my shoulder "Ghostface... I got the case directly when I heard about it"

"Kirby?" echoed from behind. We both looked back and met Sam's surprised face. The detective asked confusedly, "Do you know each other?" Sam nodded "we were together at the woodsborrow high, she was a senior and I was a freshmen." Now Kirby breathed out stressed "as much as I'm happy to see you, but the circumstances couldn't be worse" Sam shook her head and grabbed Tara's hand "not now... we're going" and then she stormed past me, Tara gave me a look at the said come immediately I followed them and when we crossed the doors of the police station we were surrounded by paparazzi "Tara, you feel safe near your sister?!" One called. We were just pushing ourselves through the crowd. I wanted to part from the two again, but Tara grabbed my hand and showed me that I should go with them. We were lucky that a taxi was ready for departure. But then a loud and energy-charged voice sounded behind us "Gale Weathers channel 4"

And then this tension was there. But she didn't come from me. She came from Sam and Tara. Slowly, Tara's grip around my hand became lighter until her hand no longer held mine.

„Do you ladies think, you’re the reason the Ghostface killer came to big Apple?“

Sam sighed and took the next moment to the blow. The paparazzi crowd escaped an "oh!" But Gale skillfully wiped out Sam's blow and smiled at her broadly.

„Nice try sweetie but I’ve done this dance before”

And then the punch came out of nowhere. He hit her hard. I didn't know if I should laugh or be shocked. Tara had punched Gale fucking Weathers in the face! Damn and I was there live! Again, an "oh!" escaped the crowd. Shocked, Gale held her cheek firmly on which she had hit Tara. There was this aggressive presence that Tara radiated when she leaned forward and said "stay away from us" and ran towards the taxi.

Gale followed us "are you still mad at me?" Sam abruptly turned around "you said you wouldn't write a book about what happened! And then you wrote a book about what happened"

Gale sighed and moved her head to the side without understanding. "Aw come'on someone was going to write about it. It's what I do!"

Tara said coolly "I heard you signed movie rights" Gale stuttered briefly, then continued "it's all about true crimes and limited series these days"

"After everything we went through together" began Sam and said with a disappointed tone "what would Dewey think?" You could see the moment of Realisation in Gales eyes but she said "that's a low blow"

"What's a low blow? You called me unstable and a born killer" Gale pulled up her shoulders "that's taken out of context"

„That’s literally a quote!“

Then Tara seemed to say something about it, but to be honest, I didn't understand what she was saying. And not because it was too loud, because I was still impressed by the punch to Gales face. If the crowd filmed that... then I would watch it again and again. Whatever Tara said, it made us run again but Gale followed us "I talked to Sidney" both Carpenters quickly turned around, Tara took a step towards Gale and said "she's not coming aren't she?"

Gale shook her head "no, she send her love but she's taking mark and the kids some safe place. She deserves to have her happy ending"

Sam was mumbling something I couldn’t hear this time. She turned around and said to me „you coming with us, get in the car“ While Gale called after her "hey i Wanne catch that fucker as much as you do!"

Tara turned around, her hand on the door of the taxi „maybe or maybe your just afraid without Ghostface in your life you gonna fade away”

She got into the taxi and we drove off. My feelings were totally confused. At first I was angry, then amused and now slightly turned on by Tara. This punch was probably the best I had seen today and I still had to struggle not to laugh. But now I had to suppress my desire, there wasn't a more inappropriate moment like this... but damn that was so hot.

Hope you guys could enjoy :) I’m trying my best with the translator ✌🏻💕

#cinema #celebrity #actress #jenna ortega #tara carpenter #scream #ghostface #melissa barrera #samantha carpenter #vada cavell #wednesday #fanfiction #yn #x reader #lorraine day #tara carpenter x reader #tara carpenter x you #jenna ortega x reader

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indigosunsetao3 · 2 months

Text

Keeping Lines Blurry

Chapter 15 - Cover of Darkness

Masterlist of Chapters

Warnings: 18+ - No minors Please read the tags on A03 for any of your triggers

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick X Original FMC 7.7k words - AO3 Link

Gaz moved Olivia to the bedroom after about an hour of her sleeping on the couch. She woke up when he gently shook her and let him guide her slowly to the room before collapsing into the bed. He tucked the plush comforter around her and went to the bathroom that connected and turned on the light. He knew how disorienting it could be to wake up in the dark in an unfamiliar place. Pulling the door so it was just a sliver of light coming in Gaz looked over at Olivia who had once again curled tightly against a pillow. She was always holding onto something these days for a sense of comfort, a way to make her feel a little less alone Gaz guessed.

Gaz walked around to the other side of the bed and slipped his phone onto the nightstand before taking a seat on bed above the covers. He needed rest himself and Laswell had told him that it would be morning before she could give him any sort of update to his orders. She told him to keep low, keep Olivia alive and most of all, be ready. All of those things Gaz could do. So as Olivia slipped into the slow soft breathing of sleep Gaz settled down on his pillows on his side, resting his hands on his stomach, and willed himself to sleep as well.

His rest was fitful at best. Gaz tossed and turned and found himself jolting awake a few times to check on Olivia who still slept on with her back to him. He checked his phone every time he woke up but was still all quiet from the rest of them. He was careful to not move around too much so he wouldn’t disturb Olivia but when he woke up again around two, he jerked hard against a perceived restraint. He had been dreaming about when he had been dumped in the river. Except this time, he was being held under the water and his lungs were bursting for air. When he woke up to a pressure on his chest he shoved at it hard to get it off as he scrambled to get away.

It took a second to orient himself, to blink at the blinding bathroom light in the dark and remember where he was and what was happening. His hands that had pushed at what was on him were still gripping Olivia’s shoulders and her voice came to him after a second.

“Kyle, it’s me,” she breathed as he held her shoulders hard and had a wild look in his eyes. She remembered nights in the past like this. Where his memories would chase him in his dreams and he would thrash and fight until she managed to wake him up. “Hey, look at me,” she said after a second reaching out to twist his face back to her and away from whatever ghosts he was watching fade. “It’s Oli, you’re here with me,” she said after a second as he stared at her. “You’re in bed with me, safe.”

“Oli,” Gaz said after a second sounding a bit confused as things came into focus. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said instantly letting go of her as if the touch had burned him. “I should have just stayed on the couch,” he reasoned as he flexed and clenched his fingers a few times. Now that he was fully conscious, albeit sleepy, he was able to really assess the situation. Olivia, whether in her sleep or in attempt to rouse him, had rolled over to him. Her body was pressed up tight against his above the covers, one leg twined within his own as she leaned on her good arm above him. Her right hand was still on his cheek as he stared up at her. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“What? No,” Olivia said dropping her hand from his face to rest on his chest. “I felt you moving around and muttering. I thought maybe if I tried to curl up with you like I used to it would help. But I think it just made it worse,” she tacked on after a second. She could still feel his heart hammering in his chest and she curled her fingers lightly on the skin there that was a bit slick with sweat. “What were you dreaming about?” She asked quietly after a second. Years ago they would lay awake in the dark and talk when Gaz woke them both up from a nightmare. He said it helped and while the stories horrified her, she was willing to listen.

“It doesn’t matter,” Gaz said after a second as he reached up to dig his palms into his eyes. “Just been a stressful few weeks. Old shit coming up,” he sighed and dropped his hands as Olivia still continued to stare at him as if silently telling him to continue. “About the river,” he finally said. “Drowning in the river. I almost didn’t come back up when I went in that night. I was panicking in my sleep because something was holding me down this time.” He gave a half-hearted smile as he glanced down to where Olivia was laying on him, “now I know what it was.”

Olivia knew about nightmares about that. When she did finally sleep her dreams were plagued with fear for him, with grief because she thought he was dead. She had jolted awake a few nights and cried silently into her hand afraid to wake Henry. Or she’d disappear into the bathroom to take a few more swigs of wine from a bottle she had hidden under the cabinet to help her calm down.

“I saw the whole thing,” Olivia breathed out after a second, her eyes locking on his in the dim light. “Henry dragged me into his office and made me watch. I saw you fight. Saw,” she hesitated and took a deep breath, “saw how they were merciless in their attack. When you fell for the last time,” another pause. “I thought you were dead then and there. The kick to your face,” she winced, her eyes clinching shut as if the memory itself was a hit to her own face. “Then they just dumped you over the railing like it was nothing. I thought I’d never see you again, what if I just watched it all happen and I did nothing.”

Gaz was quiet as Olivia talked. He hadn’t seen the footage himself. The cameras around had been hacked and the video wiped and just put on a loop for those few minutes. Alex tried to extract it but it was gone, Henry had properly covered his tracks on that one. He knew Olivia would have seen it based on what the man had said to him, which is what gave him that last ditch burst of fight to fend them off. But he didn’t realize it had been live, that she had watched it in real time as he was nearly murdered.

“Hey, I’m here now, right?” Gaz asked after a moment as he watched her face. “I’m alive, mostly intact,” he chuckled a bit. He had a feeling his right knee was never going to be quite the same but he wasn’t about to talk about that right now. “We can’t live in what if. What if will eat you alive,” he explained lightly as Olivia nodded a bit, her hair brushing over his chest as she did. “Come on you’ve got a few more hours of sleep. Settle in,” he reasoned, raising his arm as if to invite her to lay up next to him before the power cut.

“Kyle?” Olivia asked suddenly in the dark, her voice raising in fear as she felt him gently push her off him. It was pitch black in the room and she couldn’t blink her eyes to adjust to it.

“Probably just a rolling black out,” Gaz answered quietly as he bent down and grabbed the rifle he had tucked under his side of the bed earlier. “Everything that happened today they’ll have to repair the grids. I’ll check, just stay here,” he warned turning around to face her even though he couldn’t see her. “Just a quick sweep and I’ll be back, get back under the covers.”

Olivia bit her lip as she tracked Kyle in the dark, listening to his near silent footsteps as he walked to the bedroom door and disappeared. Her ears were strained for any sound, still not moving from her sitting position on top of the covers. She could hear him opening doors in the house before shutting them, stepping out the front door and back again. But everything was quiet and as her eyes adjusted a little bit, she realized out the big picture window the parking lot lights were also out.

“All clear,” Gaz said as he walked back into the room, using his scope to see in the dark before lowering it. He saw Olivia still sitting on the bed, her hair a tousled mess around her head as she tugged anxiously on her t-shirt, jumping at his voice. In this moment she looked like the woman he had fallen in love with, the one that didn’t have a strong front to protect herself behind but instead looked to him for protection. He cleared his throat pushing away the thought as he walked around the bed, blinking out the ghostly white night vision image of her. “Whole place is out, wouldn’t be surprised if the city is down,” he reasoned as he walked over to the side he had been sleeping on to tuck his rifle under the bed again. “Nothing to worry about,” he reasoned as Olivia shuffled away to her side.

Olivia slipped under the covers and tucked her head into the pillow, waiting for Kyle to join her. She felt the bed dip with his presence and she laid patiently as he himself settled back under the covers this time. They both laid a small distance apart in the heavy silence, not even a fan to help distract from the shuffle here and there as they adjusted or just breathed. Olivia shifted her legs a bit and they brushed up against Kyle’s but he didn’t flinch away and she didn’t either. His warmth beckoned to her and she inched a bit closer after a while as if testing how close she could get before he said something.

Gaz felt her moving closer and he stared up at the ceiling he couldn’t see, his hands itching to just grab her and pull her to him. In the dark he could lose himself for a moment, ignore the history, pain and how much of a mess this all was. Just a few moments of comfort for the both of them where they could just forget about everything. He was about to reach out and grab her as her hand slid on the bed toward him and gently gripped his bicep. That was all it took. Gaz rolled to his side and reached out to tug her to him fully, his grip gentle as he enveloped her.

Olivia sighed contently in the embrace, her arm sliding around his bare back to hold onto him as her leg slid between his. She could feel his breath mingling with hers as he shifted them a bit to get more comfortable before biting her lip. While the shower had been close and baring this felt far more intimate even with the clothes between them.

“Kyle,” she said ever so quietly, afraid if she spoke too loud it would ruin the moment.

“Oli,” he answered back as his right hand moved to slide up her jaw to the nape of her neck. “Tell me this is a bad idea,” he said as he tilted her head back a bit. He was still unable to see but he could certainly feel how her body was reacting to his own. How she arched into him and her breath hitched as his fingers gently dug into the soft skin. “Tell me to leave,” Gaz continued as his lips gently grazed over her own, a whisper of a kiss. “Because we’re both going to regret this.”

“No,” Olivia answered, her breath catching as his lips brushed over her own. She wanted this. As much as it was going to hurt in the morning, she needed him in the moment. She needed Kyle, the man who had loved her and treated her like a human being, valued her and most of all cared. His gentle touch, his hesitation and asking permission was enough to make her cry. She could feel the tears well behind her closed eyes but she held them back.

Olivia didn’t give him a chance to turn and run as she herself closed the gap and kissed him properly. She felt the hand tighten in her hair for a brief second, as if he were still going to back out, before he relented and kissed her back. She perceptively relaxed into his touch, as if melting into him, and let out a content sigh.

Fuck this was a mistake. All of it. But Gaz couldn’t help himself as he abused her lips with his own, his hand holding her at the right angle so he could seize control. He missed the way she felt, how she matched his desperation with her own need. Before he could even ask permission by nipping at her lips she parted hers for him so he could sweep in. All thoughts of restraint and regret slid out of his head as he tasted her, a hint of whiskey still lingering. A damn grin graced his own lips for a second, thinking about how he always teased her for her inability to hold that particular liquor.

Gaz wasn’t sure if it was her or him that groaned into the kiss as he pushed her back into the bed, rolling his body so he was between her legs. Gaz was careful as he braced himself over her, one of his hands sliding down her side to her leg to grab the back of her thigh to hitch it over his hip. It was definitely him that groaned the second time as she flexed her leg to pull him tighter against her, the friction sending a pleasurable jolt up his spine. He felt her smile against his lips at his reaction and Gaz couldn’t help but smile as well as his fingers slid back up her leg to her hip. He was acutely aware that she didn’t have anything on under the t-shirt, which was bunched up around her hips, and what he would see if there was light in the room.

Olivia needed more. She rolled her hips up against him and heard the huff that he emitted as he pulled away from the kiss for a moment to breathe. His fingers were still holding onto her hipbone and she felt him pull her up against him again as he flexed his own hips down to hers. She gasped feeling the hardness there, his sweatpants the only barrier between them as he gently ground into her. He was going slow, careful, giving her the chance to decide what to do and where to go with this. It was more than she had been granted in years and that made her want him even more. Without waiting a second longer Olivia grabbed hard at his wrist and slid it up under her shirt planting his hand firmly over her breast and arching up to him as he squeezed.

“Oli,” Gaz said as he gently kneaded the soft skin. She was writhing under him as he ran his thumb over her nipple and he grinned a bit at the gasp when he pinched her just a bit. “You say the word and we stop,” he said as he bent down to kiss at her neck, nuzzling against the soft skin there as his lips found her thundering pulse.

“Don’t you dare stop,” Olivia groaned out as he rocked into her, his hand not letting up on its ministrations. As if to solidify her declaration Olivia sat up a bit, using her right arm for support as she tried to tug up on her shirt with her left. The pain in her arm prevented her from doing much but Kyle took the hint and after a bit of fumbling in the dark to find the hem he pulled the shirt off her and threw it somewhere. Olivia heard it fall on the floor with a soft thump as Kyle gently laid her back down and let his kiss wander down her neck and collarbone, shifting his body down to get a better angle.

Gaz let his kiss trail down her chest until his lips found her nipple and he gently sucked one into his mouth. She bowed up under him, her hands grabbing for his shoulders as he teased and taunted her. He alternated between his teeth and tongue until she was a mewling mess under him before he switched to her other side, his hand taking up the spot he abandoned with his mouth. He knew how to wind her up after all these years, knew what she craved and needed to find that release. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her this way since they broke up. It had crossed his mind more than he liked back then and in the recent weeks. Abby had been a wonderful distraction but his thoughts always went back to Olivia, no matter how frustrated he was with himself for it.

Olivia was panting and he felt her thighs spread further, whether she consciously did it or not, to allow him to press into her more. He could feel her heat on his lower stomach as he shifted to allow his fingers to drag down her ribs. His touch was soft enough to not hurt, knowing about the bruises there, but firm to show his intent on where he was headed. He wanted to let her drive, decide how far and how long this went on, but didn’t feel any sort of resistance from her. Instead, she held her breath just a bit, anticipation building from his movements.

The shift of sheets and bodies was loud in the silence as Gaz’s mouth found Olivia’s again to press a soft kiss to her lips. His fingers had traced down her bikini line before nudging her thigh just a little more over. She didn’t resist and even felt her bend her knee up and back as if to give him more room, and also to silently tell him to hurry up. He could feel her practically vibrating under him and he sucked her bottom lip between his teeth just as his fingers slid between the apex of her thighs.

Olivia arched at the touch and Gaz kissed her hard as she took in a sharp breath against his mouth, stealing his own air, as his fingers slid over her. She was slick and warm, so fucking warm, against his hand. When he found her clit the satisfied groan Olivia gave him as he gently teased her made his cock twitch. He could feel she was struggling to continue to kiss him, her body roiling against his touch, as he dipped his fingers down to gather more of her arousal. Gaz spread the wetness over her clit and he could feel how his fingers literally slipped against her skin with how much there was. She was so hungry for him Gaz thought he was going to combust then and there at just the thought of what it looked like. Another small mercy that it was dark.

“Kyle, please,” Olivia begged as he continued his slow tease with his fingers. She had dropped her head back on the pillow as she attempted to breathe and just think, but he was making it too difficult. His fingers were masterful as he rubbed at her, and the cocky little chuckle he let out at her begging for more made her smirk herself. She hadn’t been touched like this in years. Henry always just took what he wanted from her without preamble. There was no foreplay, no tenderness, just a rough fuck for his own pleasure and she was left to feel dirty and used. Just as his fingers slipped down to her center again Olivia bit her lip in hope he would keep going.

“Please what?” Gaz asked as he hesitated, curling his fingers ever so slightly so just the pads of his finger tip pushed into her. “You have to tell me what you want Olivia. I’m not going to do anything until you tell me,” he explained as he bent down to kiss at her collarbone. This was all going to be her choice. He knew how she was always forced against her will with Henry and he wasn’t about to assume anything about what she wanted or didn’t want.

“Keep going,” Olivia said after a second. “I’ll ask you to stop if I don’t,” she paused. A bit of that instilled fear in her popping up in her head. How many times had she asked Henry to stop? Begged him? Tried to fight him off? He never listened. Never listened to her pleas or crying. He treated her like a piece of property and he could just do what he wanted when he wanted, her opinion didn’t matter.

“It’s not an ask Oli. It’s a command,” Gaz said after a second when he felt her body tense just a bit under him as she paused. The darkness was a balm for their awkwardness and need to forget for just a bit, but it also allowed others into the room as well and he knew she was thinking of Henry. “You tell me to stop I will stop. You have full control here, it’s not one sided.” He finished and as if to emphasize the point he pulled his hand away from her.

“I know,” Olivia said after a second, feeling a bit sheepish as Kyle waited for her to work through the situation. “I’m sorry it’s just,” she started before Kyle cut her off with a soft kiss.

“No apologizing,” he said against her lips before resting his forehead on hers. “We can stop I don’t want to push anything on you. We can just lay here together if you’d prefer.” He moved to roll off, biting back his own groan at the friction he made as he rubbed against her thigh. Before he could fully move though Olivia grabbed at his shoulders to pull him back, her hand sliding down his arm to grab at his wrist to guide him back between her legs.

“I’ll tell you to stop,” Olivia said again, her voice a little firmer. “I want…need, you,” she breathed as his fingers found her again and she pushed his hand down in a silent command. Kyle seemed to get the hint and she moaned as he pushed a finger inside of her with no resistance. She rolled her hips on his hand to guide him along and a moment later a second finger slid in and she bucked up as he started on a steady pace of pushing in and out of her.

She felt him curl his fingers to find that spot and as his thumb rubbed small circles over her Olivia felt a release coming. It was like a freight train, and she felt her body almost trying to get away from it, trying to recoil at the sensation that was so foreign to her. Her leg kicked out straight and she fisted the sheets to give herself leverage to pull back and away from the feeling. But Kyle was there as he gripped the back of her head to pull her into a heart stopping kiss and she relaxed into him letting him guide her.

“I’ve got you Olivia,” Gaz said quietly as she writhed and whined, “I promise. Let go,” he instructed as he gently kneed her leg back out at an angle to let him get deeper into her. He could feel how close she was and he was going to be damned if she didn’t find that release he knew she needed. At his gentle assurances he felt her clamp down on his fingers and he kissed her feverishly as she cried out and rode against his hand with abandon as she climaxed.

Stars. Olivia swore she saw stars as she came, her cries muffled against Kyle’s mouth as he helped her through it. Her body was moving in its own as it chased the high and Kyle never let her fall as he continued moving his fingers in and over her. His free hand moved to push the hair off the back of her neck as she panted coming back down. She could feel a blush creeping at the sounds his fingers made now as they continued to slide in and out of her, so easily now. She bucked as his fingers traced over her overly sensitive clit again. Throughout it all she felt him digging into her thigh but he hadn’t pressed the issue but she bit her lip as her hand snaked down to grab at the waistband of his sweatpants.

It was Gaz’s turn to groan as Olivia’s fingers cautiously gripped at the elastic of his pants before they found the string tying them tight on his body. Her knuckles brushed against him through the fabric as she tugged hard at the drawstrings to loosen the knot and once it was undone she pushed at the material. The sweats slid down easily over his legs since they were about three sizes too big and Gaz rolled onto one elbow to get them low enough to kick them away.

Olivia waited about two seconds before she reached out to grab him. She could feel him push into her hand and grinned at how he had to steady himself as his body wavered to support his weight on the one arm. She wrapped her left hand around him, her thumb moving to brush over the tip for a moment to feel the precum there. She smeared it a bit before his hips stuttered into her hand to get her to move and she slowly began to pump her hand over him. His breathing was ragged in the dark as he kicked the sheets off of them as if to let the cool air of the bedroom try to calm him down. He had pushed up onto both of his hands to steady himself over her, his hands planted on either side of her.

Gaz rocked his hips into her hand, careful to not put any pressure on her. Both not wanting to hurt her arm anymore but also to not make her do anything she didn’t want. The restraint was ebbing though away as she squeezed and then scraped her nails ever so gently along the underneath of his shaft. The sharpness of her nails was a pleasurable one and Gaz moaned as she dug ever so slightly into him before going back to pumping her hand over him, faster than she had before. Gaz rolled his hips to match her movements and he dropped his forehead on her chest to pant slightly as Olivia adjusted and ran his head over her still slick center, making her moan in turn.

“Fuck Olivia,” Gaz muttered as she did it again and rolled her own hips to meet him. He knew if he just dropped his hips a bit and hiked her leg up, he could slide home with just one thrust. She was so wet and pliable to him now and he wanted to, so badly. “I don’t have anything,” he said after a second as Olivia grabbed his hip with her right hand and yanked him down a few inches, as if she had read his mind.

“I don’t care,” Olivia nearly whined as she felt him pull back from her. She wanted to feel him inside of her again, all of him. She felt a sudden urge of desperation as she rubbed him along her again knowing that he was also dripping for her. “I’m clean, I don’t,” she started as Kyle pushed his hips down into her and she felt him nudge right at her entrance.

“That’s not what I’m worried about Oli,” Gaz said quietly as he lowered back down on his elbows to cage her in under him. He groaned in restraint at how she tightened her grip at his base as his head slipped into her just a fraction. With Abby it had been easy, she was on the implant so condoms weren’t needed but he knew Olivia wasn’t on anything since she was trying to get pregnant. “I don’t want to risk you getting pregnant. You just had a scare,” he breathed trying to stay logical though his brain was fully focused on how tight and hot she was.

“I have supplies,” she babbled, not thinking about the fact that they weren’t on her and were in fact back at home hundreds of miles away. “We can go to the store tomorrow, fuck if I can even get pregnant at this point it’s been so long,” she was flustered and needy and she was done talking about it. “I don’t care Kyle, we’ll figure it out. Please just,” she tugged on him and lifted her hips at the same time so his tip slid in.

They were already being fucking stupid so what was one more thing. Gaz groaned as she tugged desperately at him and as her heat enveloped his head he gave up the logical fight. Moving his left-hand down Gaz found the back of Olivia’s knee and he pushed it up toward her chest as he pushed in the rest of the way, bottoming out in one slow thrust. Olivia let out a delightfully sinful moan as Gaz pulled almost all the way out before pushing in again, his fingers holding tight to the soft flesh of her thigh. He was keeping a slow rhythm as he continued to rock in and out of her, savoring each push and pull as he moved against her tight walls. Enjoying how her body seemed to grip at him afraid he would pull out all together when it was craving him.

“Yes,” Olivia breathed out as if in relief as Kyle began to fuck her. This was so different than Henry but just how she remembered when she was with Kyle. He knew exactly what angles to put her at as he pushed harder at her leg to get her hips to roll back so he could get deeper. There was a pressure there as he started to pick up the pace, one that was a pleasurable sort of hurt as he moved but the pain ebbed as he continued to move her through it, his lips finding hers again after a bit of fumbling in the dark. “Right there,” Olivia tacked on after a second as Kyle adjusted them again so her leg was up over his shoulder moving his hand to hold her hip instead and move her on him.

Gaz was partially on his knees as he held onto Olivia’s hips hard, moving her up on him as he arched his hips down into her. A groan escaped his chest as he felt her start to flutter and he clamped his eyes shut to keep himself together. He didn’t want to finish first, hell he wanted to stay in her all night if he could because he knew what the daylight would bring. Sliding his thumb over to her clit he began to rub over her quickly, his ministrations matching the speed of his hips as he pushed her back toward that edge. She was whining now, a sort of keening little whimper, as the sound of their slapping skin filled the room. Olivia seemed to be pushed further along by that noise and Gaz grunted a bit as he moved faster so the bed also started to creak and whine under them.

One last thrust then Gaz ground her on him, seating himself as far as he could go, before she cried out at the fullness and gushed around him as she climaxed. He didn’t hold back now that she finished for a second time. He let himself go, his hands sliding up her waist to dig into the wonderfully supple skin as he groaned and bucked so he could empty himself and fill her to the brim. Worries of pregnancy be damned right now, he wanted her full of him and he was going to see to it.

It was filthy and fucking wonderful feeling her cum, and his own, slide down his thighs as she grabbed at his forearms. Olivia scratched and clawed at him for purchase as she blissed out completely and slammed her hips back against him to feel every last ounce of her climax. Gaz began to move again, his body meeting hers thrust for thrust, until she became loose and completely spent under him unable to continue. Gaz snapped his hips a few more times to fully finish, spilling the last bit of him into her before his shoulders slumped and he dropped his head back and panted at the ceiling. He stayed that way, holding her flush against him, to even himself out while he remained fully seated inside of her enjoying the wet heat.

Olivia’s leg was shaking from exertion as Kyle finally caught his breath and sat fully upright again. Grabbing her calf, he pressed a kiss to the inside of her ankle before he gently lowered her leg back down on the bed. She couldn’t form words yet as she heaved to catch her breath and her heart felt like it was going to hammer out of her chest. She winced a bit as Kyle gently pulled out and shifted away before she wiped the sweat mingled with a few tears off her face. She let out a frustrated groan as she furiously wiped more tears away as they spilled out, sniffling a bit as she did so.

“Still do that?” Gaz asked into the silence with a small chuckle as he moved to lay down next to her and tug her to him. They were both flushed and sweating but he held her close as he kissed her temple gently. The first time they had sex and Olivia had cried before he had even finished and Gaz had been horrified he had hurt her. She had no idea why she cried either and she had assured him she was perfectly fine yet she was sobbing as if in pain. After a bit of trial-and-error they had learned that was just how her body reacted after he thoroughly sated her and she came down from the endorphin high.

“Not since last time,” Olivia said quietly as she sniffed and wiped her eyes again, the tears abating as quickly as they had come. She had cried with Henry of course but that was from fear, pain and embarrassment. With Kyle it was as if her body just needed to let out all the pent-up feelings and just reset itself after a full body ecstasy. She curled up into him, tucking her body safely under his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

The silence was growing heavy again in the room as they laid there, Gaz’s hand gently rubbing her shoulder as Olivia shifted to get comfortable against him. They were going to have to talk about this at some point, along with everything else that was piled between them, and Gaz knew dawn was only a few hours off. For now he was content to let the silence fill the space as Olivia pressed a kiss to his chest and nestled in. She was asleep relatively quickly, her body exhausted from everything but Gaz continued to stare at the ceiling letting his thoughts start to run.

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Gaz was awake before Olivia, only getting a few hours of sleep before he gave up the attempt. He slipped out from her arms as gently as possible, pausing to look back at her still sleeping form as he sat on the edge of the bed. Gaz reached a hand out to brush her hair off her face hesitating a fraction of an inch from touching her skin. Regret and guilt were already coursing through him as he watched her breathe soundly but he followed through with his action to tuck her hair back behind her ear before leaving the room.

The power was still out as he walked into the kitchen tying his sweatpants and he dug in the cabinets for something to eat when Laswell called. He had been about to stuff his face with a handful of very stale crackers when his phone vibrated and he quickly answered and tossed the crackers in the trash. The bloody rags inside caught his attention and he pulled the bag out and wrapped it up to toss as Laswell gave him instructions.

“Oli,” Gaz said shaking her awake after he had silently cleaned up the house after them and found her some clothes that might fit. It seemed only men lived in this particular condo but he was able to find a shirt and pants that would work. The dryer had finished before the power had cut before so he was able to get back into his tactical pants and her bra and underwear were dry and thankfully blood free. Her pantsuit had been utterly ruined and he had thrown it in the trash with the rest of the bloody towels and first aid kit. “We’ve got an extraction in twenty minutes,” he explained as Olivia blinked her eyes open and looked at him blearily.

“What?” Olivia asked as she pushed up on her arms from where she had been laying on her stomach. She winced forgetting about her left arm and adjusted before things started to come back to her. She couldn’t remember the last time she slept so hard and peacefully and that apparently had been enough to wipe away some of the bad memories for a few waking moments. “Extraction?”

“Soap is coming to get us,” Gaz explained as he set the clothes on the bed, doing his best to keep his eyes planted firmly on her face and not the naked skin she exposed as she twisted and sat up. She quickly grabbed the sheets to cover herself as she took in Gaz sitting there fully clothed. Then her eyes fell on the pants and shirt he found her, her undergarments sitting folded on top of the pile. “I need to be briefed on everything but you’re coming with us.”

“My mother?” Olivia asked quickly as she grabbed at her clothes, subtly twisting to hide her undergarments feeling suddenly shy. Never mind the fact he had obviously seen them since he folded them for her. Then there was the fact he had fucked her into oblivion the night before, her lower body pleasantly sore and she was certain the sheets were ruined from both of their cum. “Is she coming?”

“I don’t know yet,” Gaz said as he checked his phone which was down to six percent. “I’ll find out more when we get to the safe house.” He gave her a small smile before standing up and turning to leave to give her some privacy. He could see how she was feeling a bit shy and awkward at him being there fully clothed. He himself felt a bit out of place, the silence more pressing as they looked at one another in the pale morning light.

“Right, okay.” Olivia answered with a nod as Kyle slipped out and shut the door behind him. She was out of the bed quickly and blushed crimson as she stared at the large stain on the sheets as she changed. She tied the sweats tight but she still needed to hold the waistband to keep them from falling too far down her hips as she walked. She had no idea what to do about the bed so she just pulled the blankets back up and made it as best as she could. The homeowner was going to be in for a shock when they got home. Hopefully they’d think it was just something they did themselves.

Gaz saw Soap pull up from the living room window and he escorted Olivia out after he got the all-clear signal. The place was just as deserted as it had been the night before but Gaz still kept his hand on his rifle ready to raise it and he knew Soap had his pistol in his lap. Gaz opened the back door to the SUV and helped Olivia in before moving up to the front passenger seat. They needed to find time to talk but right now wasn't it and Gaz silently wondered how long they could put off the inevitable.

“Not a fucking word,” Gaz hissed as Soap looked at him with a smirk and raised eyebrows. He saw Soap look at Olivia in the rearview mirror and he knew she was avoiding all eye contact with him as she sunk down in the very back bench seat. She hadn’t had a chance to properly brush her hair, aside from her fingers, and Gaz had left a mark on her collarbone that Soap had picked up on instantly thanks to how loose the shirt was on her. “I mean it,” Gaz added as Soap gave him an upside-down smile that portrayed he was doing his best to not rib him.

“I did as you asked,” Soap answered as he reached behind the seat and chucked a non-descript white paper bag at him. “You know how hard it was to find somewhere open? City is a ghost town,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot. “You can explain all the items on the receipt to Price. I had to use his card,” he added as Gaz peered in the bag to find a few different first aid items, a pack of smokes, a lighter and a purple little box of Plan B.

“Fuck off,” Gaz hissed, his had gripping the bag a little tighter as he spotted the box of extra small condoms. His eyes snapped up to the sergeant as Soap spluttered trying to hold in his laugh as he twisted the wheel. He looked back at Olivia in the mirror as she watched the two of them suspiciously but when she made eye contact with Soap she quickly diverted her eyes.

“I have the proper size in my pocket,” Soap answered quietly and he knew Gaz was going to murder him the minute they were alone but he was using his temporary freedom to his advantage. “We have enough to deal with without worrying about all that,” he added and Gaz properly shoved him. He winced at the shove before laughing some more. “Watch the wound,” Soap said before speaking louder to address Olivia, “you think he’d be a bit gentler with those of us that were shot. We aren’t all as lucky as him to walk away unscathed.”

“You seem to be fine,” Olivia answered as she watched Kyle pat his pack of smokes against his palm before peeling off the plastic and digging one out.

Gaz had seemed tense and a bit distant since he had woken her up. He had left the room without much word and he barely looked or spoke to her except to inspect her arm and tell her it was time to go. She felt a squirm of nerves in her stomach as the fearful thought popped up in her mind that he was regretting what happened between them. Shifting a bit to try and ease the feeling she watched as Gaz offered a cigarette to Soap, despite the fact Gaz was glaring daggers at him.

“I’m sorry you were shot,” she tagged on after a moment as Gaz pulled down the balaclava he had put back on before they left and lit his. He took a long drag and held it as he tossed the lighter to Soap before rolling down his window. He still wouldn't look at her when she spoke but Soap was actually engaging in conversation with her which was new.

“Aye, well, comes with the job,” Soap answered with a tone much nicer than the last few interactions he had with Olivia. “We’ll get Alex to look at your arm when we get back. Make sure Gaz didn’t mutilate you,” he teased, the cigarette bobbing between his lips.

“Is Alex a medic?” Olivia inquired as she sat up a bit more, looking down at her arm. It was a bit red and angry looking but she was sure it was just agitated after everything it had gone through. Gaz hadn’t looked too concerned when he looked at it earlier and ran his thumb over it to feel it.

“Not exactly,” Gaz answered as Soap ran a red light, no one was out on the road so it didn’t really matter. “But he’s had a bit more training than the rest of us. His stitches are much neater as well,” he explained as he caught her eyes in the mirror for just a second before looking back out the window. “Soap picked up some better stuff for your arm,” he added, deciding against talking about the Plan B as a group chat, “Alex will be able to clean it and rebandage it.”

“Am I going to need more stitches?” Olivia asked a bit worriedly. She wasn’t sure she would be able to handle that again. At least not without some sort of pain medication and something to numb the area. “I really would like to avoid that again,” she muttered.

“If you haven’t bled through after, ah, your evening last night I think you’ll be fine,” Soap answered, pointedly avoiding Gaz’s side-eye. Olivia however blushed and ended her participation in the conversation so Soap flipped the radio on and grinned like a Cheshire cat to himself the rest of the ride.

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