#reverse flash x oc

[unreliablesnake]

Of reverse love and stuff: Confession (Eobard Thawne x OC x Harrison Wells)

Summary: You know the truth about Eobard, now it's time to find out who Harrison truly is.

Note: If you want to see other parts, check the #orlas tag on my blog.

Harrison was an excellent tour guide, especially when it came to rich people he needed to fund his projects. S.T.A.R. Labs was busy working on its particle accelerator, but he could talk about the future of that place so excitedly as if it would begin to operate the next day. Despite what they were planning to do there being quite a challenge to understand, he tried to keep things simple and interesting to all of his guests.

Listening to him reminded Nina of Eobard and how he usually took his time to explain everything to her. He didn’t think she was an idiot, but she wasn’t a physicist either so he had to slow down and pay attention to whether or not she could follow him. She missed him and she wished he was there with her now. Sure, this was old news for him, but maybe he would have had fun with her around.

Apparently she wasn't the only one thinking he would like it because her mother let out a dramatic sigh before looking at her. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Harrison, but I’m sure her boyfriend would be a little more entertaining than you. Would you mind if I went out to get some fresh air?” she asked.

“John will go with you,” he began, signaling his employee to get going, but then he noticed people beginning to become a lot more livelier at the thought of leaving. “I believe we’re all tired a little, let’s take a break. Please, follow John, I have to check something before joining you all.” Nina turned around to follow the others, but Harrison was quick to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “Wait, I want to show you something.”

She didn’t understand what this was all about, what he wanted to show her that the others couldn’t see, and this caught her interest. “What is it?”

“You’ll see. Come with me,” he said with a smile before turning to begin to walk again.

Nina reached an empty hallway not far from where he had interrupted the tour, and once he looked around to see if anyone else was around, he put his hand on the wall and it somehow opened a door she didn’t even see before. He signaled her to follow him inside which she did without question. This secret room was almost completely empty and it made her wonder why he wanted her to see it.

Despite the number of question marks rapidly rising in her head, she didn’t ask anything, instead she waited for him to finally begin talking. But he remained silent and only reached into his pocket to grab an object with a smug smirk on his face. It was only when she looked to see what it was that she realized it was a way too familiar piece of jewelry.

Eobard’s ring that contained his suit.

She didn’t even know what to say. Things only became more confusing after he pressed the ring against the wall and it revealed a mannequin that was within a few moments dressed in the yellow and black suit she knew so well.

“How did you get these?” Nina asked hesitantly, doing her best to leave Eobard’s name out of the conversation.

“They’re not from your boyfriend, don’t worry,” he replied as he walked closer to her. “Well, they are, but not from this version of him.” She warned herself to play dumb, to make it look like she had no idea what he was referring to. “These are mine,” he suddenly said when he let go of the ring he’d been toying with and reached out to take her hand.

The young woman didn’t even bother to pull her hand away because her brain was in overdrive. What did he mean when he said these were his? How? He even mentioned that they were from another version of Eobard, so what was the truth? It was getting a little too complicated for her liking. He was confusing her, and she had this feeling that he was doing this on purpose.

“I’m your Eobard, only from a later point in time,” he clarified himself. “I know you probably have a lot of questions right now and I’ll gladly answer them, but right now I need you to listen to me very carefully. I’ve been waiting for almost ten years to tell you this, until you found out the truth about me–about what time period I’m from, about my speed, about my past. I know I already told you everything a month ago, so now I need you to be open minded again, okay?”

“Harrison, why are you doing this?” Nina asked, assuming it was just some cruel joke. But when was the last time she had seen him pranking anyone? He wasn’t the type to do such things. And when he let out a frustrated sigh, she had a sudden feeling that maybe it wasn’t a joke after all. “Let’s say I believe you’re Eobard. Why do you look like this?”

“I came back to 2000 to take care of something and it ended with me losing my speed and getting stranded here. I needed to speed things up, so to speak, which is why I took Harrison Wells’ place.”

That year made her think. She was eleven at the time, but she remembered that was the year Harrison moved to Central City following the accident that took his wife away from him. “Wait, the accident Tess died in–”

“Don’t worry about it,” he was quick to tell her. “All that matters is that this is our chance to be together in a proper relationship.”

“You come back quite regularly and you keep things linear, so I’d say my relationship with… younger you is pretty normal,” Nina explained as she pulled her hand away and took a step back.

She could see the disappointment in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he nodded and nervously licked his lower lip as he watched her. “It could be better,” he told her.

“So what, you want me to break up with him?”

“No. Definitely not.” Of course, the timeline would be affected if she broke up with him before it would happen naturally. She wondered what Harrison was expecting from her, but she didn’t have to wait long to find out. “You need to keep dating him, but you have to make him understand that you have to marry me.”

As if that would be so easy. “He wouldn’t be fond of the idea of me marrying someone else while I’m seeing him,” Nina noted.

“Yeah, well, if it comes down to it–and knowing myself it will–just say it was his future self telling you to do it. And if he doesn’t believe that, tell him I said I advise him to trust you because you’re not Rose.”

How come she had never heard this name before? Sure, she and Eobard had only been together for eight months, but if she was important, he would have mentioned her, right? “Who’s Rose?”

Harrison looked hesitant, probably considering whether or not he should explain this to her. “A woman I liked,” he said eventually. “But she broke my heart, so… It’s a long story.”

Nina drew in a deep breath then let it out slowly as she thought about the situation. Harrison Wells’ place was taken by her boyfriend’s older version over nine years ago, and he had–as she now assumed–deliberately moved into the house next to her family’s to be close to her. What she saw in his eyes as he talked was the kind of genuine love she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Does this mean I’d have to keep my relationship with him a secret? That I should make it look like we broke up?” she asked to clarify.

“This is the only way.”

“And if I don’t want that?” Harrison tilted his head to the side as he folded his arms over his chest. She loved Eobard, but even if he was truly his older self, this was too much to ask for. “Listen, I’ve known you ever since you moved here all those years ago, it’s–”

“Weird, I know. Look, don’t think it’s easy for me. I watched the woman I love the most grow up, knowing it will be long years before I can even tell you the truth and we can be together. And even then, what would people say? You’re so much younger than the Harrison Wells they know, it would surely raise some questions.”

“Then why do you want me to be with you?”

He let out a heartfelt laugh before moving closer to cup her face with his hands. “Because I’m selfish and I need you in my life. I need my partner, I need things to be back to how they used to be before I got stranded in this dreadful period of time,” he admitted.

“But I’ve only been seeing your younger self for eight months, during which I met him a total of eight times. I’m not the same woman you left behind,” she told him softly, trying to make him understand that even if she agreed to this, things wouldn’t be the same.

Harrison gulped loudly as he thought about this. Maybe he had only just realized what Nina pointed out might be correct, that unlike her the woman he knew had been his girlfriend for who knows how long. Based on the way he talked about her–about the other version of her–she assumed it was a serious relationship, that the two of them were really close. But her and Eobard? It wasn’t that serious yet.

Nina reached up to wrap her fingers around his hands, ready to pry them off of herself, but he didn’t let her do that. His grip became firmer, his blue eyes locked with hers as he watched her. “It won’t be long before you admit that you love him. You already think this could be something serious, don’t you?” he asked with a smile. When she remained silent, he went on. “You introduced him to your parents, it has to mean something.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s the case, but you two are not the same. You know a lot more about me than I know about you. It isn’t fair,” the woman pointed out.

To her surprise, Harrison let out a short laugh. “You’ll get to know the both of us. I won’t tell you anything my younger self wouldn’t share with you, I can promise you that.”

“How would you know what he tells me?”

Finally letting go of her, he raised a finger with a smile, then walked over to the console by the wall, putting his hand on top of the device to activate it.

“Good afternoon, Dr. Wells,” said the holographic head that showed up.

“Gideon, show me Eobard Thawne’s logs about her,” he instructed the AI.

Nina walked over to him with her arms folded over her chest. There was a screen taking the head’s place, showing her a series of dates, each of them followed by another, much later date. “What’s this?” she asked as she turned to him.

Harrison’s lips curled into a delicate smile as if he was recalling a fond memory before answering her. “I kept track of our meetings. In the first column you can see your time, in the second one you can find mine,” he explained as he looked over at her. “Like I promised, I kept things linear as long as I could. Each meeting is a log, so this is basically a journal with the details of our dates. This way I always knew what I’d already told you.”

This made her think. He was the smartest man she knew, he surely wouldn’t forget these things. “Did you ever return to read these?”

“Every time I had a bad day,” he replied.

Before she knew what she was doing, she stood on her toes and pulled his head down to kiss him. Harrison seemed surprised by her action, but he eventually eased into it and wrapped his arms around her to pull her closer. It was clear he didn’t want to let go, but she didn’t even want to be away from him. This man, this version of her boyfriend clearly loved her more than anyone before.

Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she shouldn’t have done that. Maybe it counted as cheating. But every cell in her body told her to do it, to test how weird this would be. To her surprise, she liked it a little too much. The way he kissed her reminded her of Eobard, every movement of his was screaming they were the same person, and so it was hard not to catch feelings.

Harrison was the one who broke the kiss, looking at her with a bright smile she had rarely seen on his face. “Attagirl,” he said quietly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

#harrison wells x oc #harrison wells #eobard thawne x ofc #eobard thawne x oc #eobard thawne #harrison wells x ofc #eowells #eowells x oc #eowells x ofc #the flash #reverse flash x oc #reverse flash #orlas

[unreliablesnakefics]

#harrison wells x oc #harrison wells #eowells #eowells x oc #eobard thawne x oc #eobard thawne #reverse flash x oc #reverse flash #the flash

[alex-aquarus]

#crackship #crackship gif #Tom Cavanagh #Lyndsy Fonseca #Tom Cavanagh Crackship #Lyndsy Fonseca Crackship #Tom Cavanagh x Lyndsy Fonseca #Alexandra Udinov #Eobard Thawne #Reverse Flash #alex winslow #Nikita #The Flash #the flash oc #harrison wells

[oukabarsburgblr]

Accidental Kidnapping [Reverse Trope AU]

FEATURING : CANDID MALE (OC) x male reader

How often does one check their car boot? No statistics for that but the same goes for our dearest (m/n) and maybe he should've opened it before driving home, unintentionally bringing an unwilling high-rank mafioso who thought the end of his life was in the trunk of your car.

reverse trope list (at the bottom), dubcon (on ocs end), con at the end, face riding, shitty inaccurate mafia depiction (i tried) profile

Find out more under the cut!

"Damn it! These guys aren't letting up-"

A bullet shot through the wooden pillar, effectively penetrating the man's head hiding behind it. Shouts and yelling of commands could barely be heard above the rain of gunfire at the entrance of the building.

Unfazed by the death of his associate, an individual crouched beside the waist-level brick wall. Strands of red hair that were loose from his hair bun tickled the nape of his neck, his sharp hazel eyes flickered before throwing a tantō behind him, killing a figure who tried to sneak up on him.

Half of his attire, premium Dolce suit, was drenched in blood, most of it didn't belong to him. His right heavily scarred hand gripping his sword's scabbath, his most famed weapon of choice.

Aito Sousuke.

Capo and a close associate to the underboss of a reknowned criminal organization. His dearest uncle, the caporegime, ordered him to settle a dispute and investigate a scheme their rival gang had carried out on the borders of their territory.

As soon as they had arrived to the building, a shootout occurred. And Sousuke's members retaliated with their own militia. Ultimately, they overpowered the mutts that creeped in on their area.

The redhead stepped over the pile of bodies, the building had an underground lab, his hand brushing over the white packets of powders on the metal table. Drug trafficking? That wasn't new to Sousuke. Did they lack clients in their own protectorate?

As his minions was sweeping out the rooms, one of them yelled in alarm, alerting Sousuke.

"Suicide bomber!"

Flashes of white struck his eyes as Sousuke was propelled to the floor by the explosions around the lab. It was an attempt to cover their tracks, getting rid of evidence in case of a blowout.

"Motherfuckers..."

Sousuke cussed, seeing his body was layered with the white powder that had torn and splattered all over him. Immediately, he threw his jacket off and abandoned the lab, the drugs effects were unknown so he didn't know how much of a danger he was in. He grabbed a piece of document his eyes laid on before abandoning the lab and his screaming minions.

Passing through the alleys, he attempted to make his way back to a safe place, their commute was jacked with bullet holes and Sousuke could feel his body slowly shaking and his legs becoming more heavy.

Reaching the end of the alley, he yelped when he tripped on the curb, his body now suddenly weak as he fell into a carboot that had been conveniently opened and it was closed shut.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Sousuke yelled out, banging on the cover of the hood, his surroundings now cramped with metal tools, making him panic even more with his arms suddenly growing limp.

"FUCKING LET ME OUT BEFORE I BLAST YOUR FACE OFF-"

A certain (h/c) hummed to the song he was listening on his headphones, the music blasting shielding your hearing senses, rendering himself unaware of the mafioso he had accidentally locked in the trunk of his car.

(m/n) (l/n) had just finished doing his shopping in a hardware store, buying screws, hammers, etc. to finish his mini renovation of his house. He lived in the suburbs so he had to travel quite far to reach the store. Blissful ignorance had coated him as he hopped inside his car and drove, unknown of the scared redhead in his carboot.

"Shit shit shit-" Sousuke cussed, trying to reach for his phone, he screamed in frustration having losing it in the shootout moments before. Backup is probably focusing on the target building and no one knows where he is currently. How the hell did this fucker got me?

Sousuke thought this guy was ballsy for targeting him, the culprit had to have planned this meticulously if they had managed to kidnap him out of all people.

"What should I have for dinner..." (m/n) hummed, blasting his radio as he turned his corners recklessly. The redhead shouted, his scabbard digging into his side, the side effects of the unknown drug was getting to him. His face getting hot and his body pulsing.

Finally arriving to his house, Sousuke thought it was a second location for torturing-, (m/n) exited his car, slamming his door as he took out a bag of groceries he had purchased as well. He entered his house, almost forgetting his items in the trunk as he left the door open and skipping to back to his car.

"I think tempura with udon should do nicely- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??!!"

(m/n) screamed, stepping back seeing a redhead inside of his carboot. "HUH?? I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT- WHO DO YOU WORK FOR AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?!" The redhead screamed back at him, disorderedly searching for something inside of his drenched vest.

Is that blood- (m/n) panicked and reached for his phone to call the cops but the click of a gun stopped his movements as the bloodied stranger aimed the muzzle at him. "No cops." He hissed out, clenching his side.

The (h/c) stared at the muzzle, raising his hands. "...No cops." He repeated after the redhead. "Who are you?" "I-I'm nobody! Literally I have no idea who you are!" "You kidnapped me." Hazel eyes glared hard at him, his messy red hair now loose from his bun and his figure sitting up in the carboot.

"I didn't kidnap you?? YOU SNEAKED INTO MY TRUNK!" The average person would never have the balls to scream at a gun-holding bloodied person but (m/n) was flustered at the accusation of being a kidnapper albeit him only doing his errands.

Sousuke scanned the area, his breath heaving deeper and it was obvious he was far from his gang's territory. Either he was in the rival's or a civvie. He studied the (h/c), who was only wearing some long-sleeved shirt and slacks. This guy really tried to pretend he was normal-

"Fuckk-" He moaned in pain, the throbbing in his side worsening and the burn in his head increasing. Sousuke looked to the side and saw the open door of the suburban building. "That's your hideout?"

"Hideout-? YOU MEAN MY FUCKING HOUSE??" "Shut up. I need it. Help me inside." "And why would I do that?!" (m/n) yelled exasperated, his arms tired for holding it up for so long. Sousuke frowned. "You're willing to let your captive die? And here's this."

The redhead waved the gun in his hand, his finger resting on the trigger. (m/n) contemplated his choices, staring at the glock and the scabbard he just noticed underneath his hand.

Unwillingly, the (h/c) helped the redhead, supporting him as they walked inside his house while he loudly complained about Sousuke staining his shirt with blood and that he wasn't a kidnapper. The redhead was annoyed and was dumbfounded on how someone was casually cursing and yelling at him.

As they stepped in and Sousuke forcefully closing the door shut, he groaned, the weight of the drug crashing down on him as he knocked over a lamp and stumbling in the living room. "That's brand new..." He heard (m/n) whining about his broken lamp.

"I...I need first aid. Now." His head was hot and he feel like he could die at any time, his heart beating irregularly and his legs spasming. "Don't you need a hospital instead-" (m/n) immediately swooped in, holding Sousuke's body up when he suddenly went limp, he just noticed his scorching temperature and his shivering body. "Woah, did you get poisoned or something?"

Hazel met (e/c) as Sousuke weakly gazed at (m/n), his bottom lip quivering, his eyes dazed and his face red. "Poison...?" He suddenly remembered the document he had snatched before escaping the building. "The drugs-" "DRUGS-?!" The redhead numbed out the rest of (m/n)'s words as he hurriedly searched for the paper, crumpled near his scabbard as his blurry eyes tried to scan the words on it.

"Shit shit- hey don't fucking die here!" Sousuke went limp in (m/n)'s hold, the (h/c) unable to hold up his dead weight, laid him on the sofa, Sousuke barely conscious as he was draped out on the furniture.

(m/n) noticed the paper and grabbed it, reading its contents out loud. "-new batch, target audience in the upper-tiered , target victims for sex trafficking??" The (h/c) glanced at the redhead, disgusted. "It's not me, you fucking idiot-" Sousuke coughed as he wiped his face, blood dripping from his nose. (m/n) fastened his reading, seeing the red liquid.

"-registering a small dose can be considered lethal, effects include muscle spasms, heightened senses, drowsiness, nausea, increased libido?? If not treated, symptoms will lead to a HEART ATTACK??!"

The (h/c) clenched the paper in his hands, the stranger had almost half of the effects already. "Are you in the fucking mafia or something-" He paused, remembering the sword and the gun the redhead held which was now on the floor. There's no way.... No way that a mafia member was now in his house, dying on his couch.

Sousuke let out unintelligible noises, something of a groan with saliva mixed as he laid on his side, his face flushed. (m/n) was now desperate to cure him or something, he didn't want to face the consequences of a gang chasing after him thinking he killed their member.

"-no treatment has been developed-" FUCK. "-as the victim must ejaculate to rid of the effects in his bodily system-" HUH? (m/n) reached the end of the paper, crumbling it in frustration, his eyes wide, contemplating whether should he just let the stranger die here in his living room.

Sousuke was convinced he was going to die here. His vision was wet and blurry, tears slipping out and his face was burning so much he felt he was going to melt at any second. He doesn't have any regrets he could come up with at the moment. Only the thought of his father laid in his mind along with his uncle.

Feeling his shirt shifting, he moaned when his pants were pulled down as he struggled to focus his eyesight. "Wuh-?" "Wake up. I'm gonna help you so don't kill me after this." The supposed kidnapper was snapping his fingers in his face, catching his focus. Why does he look embarrassed?

"The drug you took- roofied? I don't know but it's gonna kill you if you let it sit any longer in your system. You have to flush it out before you have a heart attack." "...So do I have to piss it out or what?" Sousuke felt drowsy while giving out half-assed answers. The (h/c) looked exasperated.

"Y-You have to...cum it out?"

Sousuke felt his breath stopped as he squinted his eyes at the (h/c) who looks flustered and waving the document trying to explain himself. "Is this your attempt at molesting me?" "FUCK NO!"

A gasp escaped Sousuke as his bloody nose dripped even more, he coughed out while his chest was heaving. "D- Just do whatever-" He groaned as he clutched his head in pain. "You better not kill me for this." His kidnapper grumbled while shuffling down Sousuke's wide pants, looking away as he tugged his briefs down.

"A-aanh mmff!"

The redhead covered his mouth, surprised at the sudden pleasure when a hand tugged his erect penis and began stroking it with a fast pace. "That fucking hurts-!"

"Just go through with it!" (m/n) yelled, mumbling an apology as he jacked off the redhead slower, he couldn't believe he's touching someone's bare dick, much less a mafia dude, to save his life out of all situations.

If the redhead died here, the police would've questioned how the hell did he end up in his house in the first place along with the drug in his system and a crime organization would've been after him the second that news spilled and who knows who they're in kahoots with.

Hence, why (m/n) decided to assist this stranger danger in masturbating so he could kick him out the second his life isn't threatened by some weird sex drug.

"You're enjoying this a bit too much..." (m/n) mumbled, now gazing at the redhead who was crying and moaning while bucking his hips up every time the (h/c)'s hand squeezed his base, precum dripping down his cock.

The redhead's head was fuzzy, the rush of pleasure coursing through his veins and he tried to keep his moans muffled. Tears slipping out of his eyes even more at the sensual gratification as his 'kidnapper' jacked him off. He felt his body was so sensitive, his thighs trembling and his body twitching.

(m/n) was frowning, sitting on the edge of the couch, trying his best to distract himself as he pumped the- , he just noticed how big it is, -cock in his hand. The moaning redhead on his couch wasn't helping either as he felt arousal strike his pants. His cheeks were hot, the mafioso's expression was a sight to see, his tanned skin red and wet from tears and sweat. Fuck was he always this handsome?

"S-Shit- mmngg ahh!"

He didn't realise how close he was to the redhead until the redhead came, semen spurting from his cock and few bits landed on his face. (m/n) stroked him for a while longer, letting him ride out his orgasm as he wiped his face clean.

Sousuke's body trembled, better than earlier when he was shaking almost like convulsing, his mind blank as he felt his legs slack. A blanket draped over his bottom half as the 'kidnapper' walked over to him, crouching near his face.

"Your temperature seems better. Guess it really did work." Wiping the redhead's face with a wet rag, picking off the blood near his nose as he pressed another cloth on his neck, cooling it down manually. (m/n) flinched when the redhead leaned into his touch who was enjoying the cool, he shyed away as he continued to wipe down the stranger.

Is this considered aftercare?

He wondered as he took the first aid kit and placed it on the coffee table in front of the redhead. "Take this and get out of here."

Sousuke only blinked up at him, now drowsy as he closed his eyes shut, forgetting all the dangers of sleeping in his 'kidnapper's' home as he fell into a slumber. His body was now relaxed, only a few bruises from the gunfight and his scabbard jammed into his side earlier.

"Remember- I HELPED YOU!" (m/n) screamed into the sleeping man's ear as he went to wash his hands in his sink, scrubbing it ferverently. He did his chores, closing his carboot which was left open the entire time, and tried to scrub out blood on his rug and furniture the redhead had left behind.

He might need to get a whole new sofa, the previously pristine furniture now stained with red and possibly baby batter.

(m/n) tried to put trust that the stranger would leave as soon as he woke up, believing at the fact that there was a misunderstanding where he thought the (h/c) tried to kidnap him so it makes sense that he would want to leave right? After he had oh so graciously saved his life?

His words were true when a couple of hours later, he heard his front door open and closed while he had barricaded himself in his bedroom with a baseball bat while reading through a novel, waiting for the stranger to leave.

Images of the redhead moaning and crying still lingered in his mind as it fueled his shameful arousal, (m/n) cussing on why someone who was possibly dangerous had to be so handsome.

-

"How are you, my nephew?"

A tall man, with short slicked back red hair clasped the shoulder of his supposed nephew who bore a similar colour in their tresses only Sousuke's were longer and was left to drape on his clothed back.

"I feel better now, sir. I thank you for your concern." Sousuke had been recovering at his uncle's estate, who was his caporegime, aka his boss, who was worried hearing his own flesh and blood had gone off the radar for a whole day and finding him injured and flustered at the borders of their territory.

"My assistant found the man you were looking into. Although it's a wonder why you're suddenly interested in him." He gestured to the file on the table besides them. Sousuke picking it up and flipping through the contents. "You did a good job at busting out the rats' lab, albeit our boys received a number on their amount."

Their organization had strict rules in their territory, which was how they maintained their influence over their city. So when rumours flew that drugs that were not in their regulations were being passed out in their district, they suspected it was sabotage. And it was, a new sex drug that was tested on their turf, to be used for malicious deeds. And Sousuke so happened to experienced it face to face.

"Do we have any dirt on him?" Sousuke questioned, skimming through the texts.

"No." The old man puffed a smoke, his expensive suit hugging his body while Sousuke was donning a loose haori. He was the only one who would wear traditional Japanese outfits despite being in a foreign country. It was a tribute to his mother who contributed to his half-Japanese genetics.

"Looks like a civvie. Recently moved to the out of city suburbs after graduating. Parents are clean. Never contacted any of our boys too."

Sousuke glared at the picture, the small photo of a man smiling. His eyes read the name. (m/n) (l/n). So he wasn't really a kidnapper... The redhead ordered for a background check of the (h/c), thinking he was still someone out to kidnap him but let him go for who knows why. Although his footman was confused when he described him in odd details, mentioning a nice body, pretty (e/c) eyes, etc..

It caught the attention of his uncle, so he did it for him.

"Has he done anything to you?"

The old man would kill anyone who would touch a single strand of his boy, his nephew, although they lived dangerous lives and Sousuke had proven himself to become a caporegime, he still looks out for his flesh and blood.

"...No, sir."

The hesitation was clear in Sousuke's voice. So it was a misunderstanding? A coincidence that he had landed in the car trunk and driven off to a secondar location which was (m/n)'s home?

Sousuke couldn't forget his touch. His fingers stroking and jacking off his cock, squeezing his base. He wasn't one to divulge in sexual desires, he was raised that lust was a weakness so for someone like him to experience that, it was a change for him.

-

(m/n) definitely felt like he was stalked.

A week had passed since that...incident. And he was relieved to find that the mysterious suit-wearing redhead didn't appear in his surroundings, giving him a sense of peace that he lucked out and the mafia was not after his ass.

Until he started noticing a minor detail.

A car was parked two blocks down from his house. He thought it belonged to the neighbours, but he had just noticed it would disappear every time he returned from his errands and would linger whenever he was home. He suspected it was the redhead.

Is he here for revenge? After I jacked him off?

(m/n) groaned into his palm, seeing that the car was still there as he walked up to his porch, carrying a few grocery bags.

Those bags fell to his floor when he caught sight of a man sitting on his furniture, his posture relaxed like he had been waiting for him. "YOU AGAIN?!" He screamed at the redhead.

Said stranger only frowned, crossing his arms, no guns or swords in sight. "If you keep hiding your key under your welcome rug, even a toddler can sneak into your house." (m/n) flinched at his words, as he walked straight past the man to set his bags on the kitchen island, ignoring how he followed him behind.

"You bought a new couch?" The redhead asked, tilting his head. (m/n) noted that he seemed to be a lot less of a screamer when he was sober. "Couldn't get the bloodstains out." He huffed. Or the cum spots as well.

That took a pretty penny out of his pocket. "...I could've paid for it." The (h/c) glanced at him weirdly as he closed his refrigerator door. "No need. I don't want to be associated with you." "You saved my life." "No need to remind me." "It was brave of you to-"

He slapped his hand over the redhead's mouth, his palm brushing against his lips. "I said no need for reminders. Hell, I don't even know your name and what you did. Why did you come here?" The redhead was silent, before gently pushing (m/n)'s hand away.

"The name's Sousuke."

The warm kitchen light complimented him well, (m/n) noticing his heavily scarred hands and his upper lip was nicked. His long red hair, resting on his back, he was wearing a black button up, a grey vest and matching pants.

"I'm here to settle my score."

(m/n) furrowed his eyebrows. "What score?" "My score with you." "I don't want a reward or anything like that. Just leave me alone." Sousuke's grip on his hand tightened. "I assumed the worst from you and was convinced you tried to harm me but instead you saved my life. I am indebted."

"You did fell into my trunk and I didn't notice so I think it's fair." Sousuke frowned at that. It was normal for people like him to repay their debts and he was confused why (m/n) was rejecting him. "Do you know how I work?" "I can guess but like I said, I don't want to be associated."

Sousuke fell silent before he turned around and walked away. "My men will provide protection for you. At least until my debt is repaid." "I don't need it!" "You do. You look weak." "FUCK YOU??"

(m/n) was about to throw a vase at the redhead before said redhead had exited his house, closing his door. He hurriedly went to lock it and screamed in annoyance. Am I going to have more scary people following me now or what?

That's close to what happened. (m/n) noticed that scary men would follow close to him and it would be different people on a different day and they followed him almost everywhere. He caught them blending in the crowd, sipping drinks when he was relaxing at a cafe of pretending to go through the cereal section when he was shopping for the week's restock.

He had enough of it.

"Tell your fucking boss that I don't want his stupid protection!" He confronted one of the man when he slipped into an alleyway to corner him, said man only stayed silent and nodded before (m/n) left him.

The next day, he received a gift. An expensive table lamp that didn't suit the rest of his aesthetic but he remembered that Sousuke did broke one of his lamps. He used it in his bedroom's bedside table instead.

"Can you at least tell me when you're going to sneak into my house?" He scowled, seeing the redhead at his kitchen island, casually flipping through a comic book he owned as he sipped a cup of coffee.

"I see you carry your keys now." "Yeah. So how the hell did you get in?" "Spare." "MOTHERFUCKER-"

A few weeks passed by and this had become his new norm. Sousuke would drop in his house, every few nights or so, claiming that he needed somewhere to stay low even though all he did was lounge in the living room flipping through tv channels.

(m/n) at first was irked by this, threatening to kick him out or call the cops but he got used to it and sometimes would even make extra dinner so the redhead wouldn't finish his.

Sometimes, Sousuke would come in bloodied and that scared (m/n), him remembering who he was dealing with but the demeanour he carried was so different than the man he was supposed to be.

His words were straightforward and tone bland, he only seemed mad when he thought (m/n) was trying to kidnap him and now he was gentle? No, it was more like he was relaxed around the (h/c).

"Do you have a hairtie? I lost mine."

And somehow, (m/n) felt like he has a roommate now, buying stuffs that he thought Sousuke would need them such as more bandages or hairties or claw clips for his long hair. Slowly, he felt like he could call themselves friends with how often the redhead was around him.

Sousuke never brought the whole drug thing after that, not even mentioning it in the slightest and (m/n) was confused. Shouldn't he be mad that someone helped him masturbate when he was drugged? Was this normal for him??

And sometimes in the late nights, (m/n) would think about his twitching hips, his wet crying face and his guttural desperate moans and his large cock- He would get hard at times. Looking away whenever Sousuke gazed at him a bit too long, moving to a different room when he felt that the redhead touched him too casually.

He caught his face flushed a couple times and he didn't know what to make of it, only shoving it deep in the back of his mind. Into the vault it goes.

It was one of those nights, where Sousuke would randomly appear in his house and they would eat dinner together, with civil oddly enough.

"I'm trying to get the heater for my shower working again but I might need to contact my realtor for that since it happened way before I moved here." (m/n) rambled, slurping the noodles he had made as Sousuke wiped the edge of his mouth with his hands.

"Mhm. So what are you going to do next?" He would listen to the (h/c) long conversations, only chipping in an answer or two since he couldn't exactly contribute much to the talk as his life was far from a civvie's. His uncle was beginning to question why the hell did he spent so many time out of their domain.

Sousuke kept telling himself that he wanted to repay his debt, watching over him until he saved the (h/c)'s life in a similar manner to how (m/n) did but truthfully, he wanted to stick around. The peace he had around (m/n) was bliss compared to the havoc he had been born and raised in his crime-filled life.

And he couldn't help but think he was starting to fall for the (h/c), their petty arguments, their meals together was healing his soul. He couldn't help but think to that incident, the sinful pleasure (m/n) had brought him, his hand wrapped around his cock, he tried to recreate it by himself but it could never suffice.

There is the fact that the drug did amped the libido effects but he didn't want anything nor anyone else to do it, except for (m/n). But he didn't know if the (h/c) even desired for him. With his ugly scarred body.

Now here they were, sitting next together on the couches as a movie played in front of them, (m/n) focusing on the screen while Sousuke paid no mind and opted to subtly stare at the (h/c) instead, his eyes lingering on his lips and darting away when he caught sight of his (s/c) skin from the collar line of his shirt.

"F-Fuck, you're so good to me!"

(m/n) quickly grabbed the remote, speeding the movie up when a sex scene appeared. Anything sexual related was heavily avoided by the (h/c) whenever he was around Sousuke.

"Do you...abhor these things?" (m/n) raised an eyebrow at Sousuke's sudden question. "What?" The redhead pointed at the tv. "Action movies?" "Sex." He choked on his saliva, patting his chest as he calmed himself down. "I don't think much of it. Why the hell are you asking me that?"

Sousuke was silent, his hazel eyes not meeting (m/n)'s as he stared at the tv. "I don't...divulge in it. Not as much as the average person do." But every mafia movies always had girls around them. (m/n) wondered, cupping his chin.

"It was my first that I was touched. In this room." (e/c) eyes widened as he turned to the redhead. "That was your first time??" When (m/n) had stroked his dick...that was his first time ever doing so?

"I was taught lust is for the weak." Sousuke turned to (m/n), his face holding a monotone expression although something dark was in his eyes. "...Yet my strength wavers around you."

Heat crawled up his neck as (m/n) covered his mouth with his hand. Is this- a confession?! When he turned around, Sousuke's face was close. So close that their breaths mingled and his red hair was brushing against his face. The redhead's ears were bright red, complimenting his tanned skin.

"I want more." He whispered, his eyes dazed with desire.

(m/n) was stunned, his lips slowly moved to speak. "Are you drunk?" "I'm sober." Sousuke's hand moved to grip his thigh. "And I want you. Please." He spoke in such a low manner as he delved his face into the (m/n)'s shoulders, his breathing hot and heavy.

The (h/c) felt his arousal rise, his face flushed and biting his lower lip. Sousuke's body was heavy on his and he could feel all the muscle lying underneath. "J-Just this once, okay?"

Sousuke slowly pulled back as he gazed into (e/c), his face completely red as he gently pressed his lips onto (m/n)'s.

-

"Like this?"

A slurping noise struck and (m/n)'s moans followed. "Y-Yeah you can take it in deeper- mmff!" His pants were gone, his bottom bare and Sousuke was taking his cock in his mouth, the latter saying he wanted to try everything out and the second on his list was a blowjob.

Sousuke moved his throat further in, taking more of (m/n)'s dick as he calmly breathed in through his nose. His tongue swiping at the base of the penis, pressing and feeling its veins with his wet muscle, unintentionally applying light pressure which further pleasured the (h/c).

They were on the couch, a hilarious parallel as (m/n) laid on the other end with Sousuke pulling his hips up, pushing his face deep in between his thighs. His mouth sucked (m/n)'s cock, alternating between being gentle and full-on milking his precum, the (h/c) screaming having being so stimulated.

"Aanghh ah ah s-stop! You're so rough- mmff!"

Sousuke pulled himself off with a pop, gazing down at the sweaty (h/c) whose shirt was pushed down, revealing his (s/c) torso. The redhead's nose brushed (m/n)'s thigh and he bit into it, sucking and licking the mark making the (h/c) cry out.

"You good?" (m/n) nodded, taking in deep breaths. "Y-Yeah. Haa haa..." "I want to do one of those numbers." "Numbers?" He hummed. "Was it 127? Or 68?" "You mean a 69?" "Whatever it was I want to try it." The (h/c) readied himself. If this proclaimed virgin really tired him out at his first blowjob, he couldn't imagine him eating his ass out.

"Okay- ah!"

-

(m/n) was crying, his legs shaking as he tried his best to lick the dick in his face, only able to give the tip a messy kiss before crumbling on Sousuke's torso.

The redhead was having the time of his life, spitting, fingering, thrusting his tongue in (m/n)'s asshole, playing with his puckered hole until the (h/c) began to cry on his cock, choking and gagging saliva all over his penis as he numbly thrusted into (m/n)'s mouth.

"T-Too much mmngghh urgh angh mmn!" He sobbed out, feeling one of Sousuke's knuckles rubbing his rim while the tip of his fingers were pressing against his sensitive walls, trying to find his prostate.

Easily pulling him up, Sousuke pushed (m/n), letting him grip onto his arms for balance as he forced the (h/c) to sit on his face. His nose brushing his ass crack and his tongue massaging his balls. (m/n) tried to raise himself only for his thighs to be pulled back down and gripped tightly as Sousuke ate his ass out.

His butt was dripping with saliva and precum by the time Sousuke released him, he heaved and whimpered while the redhead held him close, wrapping his arms around him and shoving his tongue down his throat, drawing more of those cries that he realised he loves so much.

-

The (h/c) refused to believe that Sousuke was a virgin. Not with how he pushed his legs up to his chest, his knees touching his shoulders while sloppily fucking him up, pressing his full weight on the (h/c).

Sousuke wanted to see his face while they commit this sin, his face hot as he licked (m/n)'s salty tears, kissing his eyes and nose and he bit his earlobe too.

"S-So good! You're fucking me so good, Sousuke- aanggh!" He cried out, digging his nails in the redhead's clothed shoulder whose hair was now free and framing his face, intensifying the look of pleasure on the redhead.

"I'm glad- aanhh mmng! You're so hot, (m/n). So fucking handsome- hngg ahh!" He praised the (h/c), tears slipping out of his hazel eyes while moaning ardently into the (h/c)'s ear. His hips met (m/n)'s ass at a fast pace, wet squelches filled the living room as the sofa was slowly stained again with disgusting baby batter.

(e/c) eyes rolled to the back of his head as he clenched himself around Sousuke, feeling his orgasm pull through as his cum stained his own stomach and Sousuke's shirt. The redhead came as well, seeing (m/n)'s expression as he defiled the (h/c)'s ass for the third time that night.

Cum dripped out of the rim of his ass, Sousuke pulled out to see the naked (h/c) trembling under him, his cheeks wet with tears, his chin coated with drool and his skin littered with hickies and bitemarks in contrast with himself, Sousuke was still fully clothed except for his exposed crotch as he felt his knees almost buckling from the intense sex they had.

"Y-You're a liar. You're definitely not a dumb v-virgin." (m/n) pointed to Sousuke, his finger shaking while the redhead only hoisted the (h/c) onto his back, intending to carry him upstairs into bed. "I'm not lying." He almost stumbled down the staircase, quickly holding onto the wooden rail as he pulled himself and (m/n) up and recklessly staggered into the master bedroom, crashing onto the lush bed.

His legs were shaking lightly, this was truly his first and overboard was a statement of his performance. Sousuke laid like a starfish on a bed, pulling (m/n) under his armpit while grabbing a duvet and covering them both.

"We'll clean up in the morning. Now sleep." He shushed the (h/c) who was about to retort, immediately succumbing to slumber, not even giving a second to stay awake any longer as the post-sex was as tiring as it is.

(m/n) frowned, adjusting himself under Sousuke's hold, letting himself drift to sleep as well. This might not be the last time he lets Sousuke fuck his body. Who knows, maybe getting involved with a mafioso isn't all that bad.

[END SCENE]

[unedited]

Afterthoughts:

Sousuke a munch frfr

I'm aware of the similarities in Daisuke's and Sousuke's names- ITS RELEVANT TO FUTURE PLOT OK

This fic kinda sucks ngl💀

I'm a PARENT atp for feeding you guys for the past two weeks since i made this acc😭

If i have to write a part 2, i would either write about how m/n got upset and ran away to sulk and smutty sex scene next or just them messing around w the sex drug (some bdsm???) HOHO comment for more ya sluts.

Oh and follow my tag pretty please

more of aito sousuke! 𖤓

#oukabarsburg #aito sousuke #bottom male reader #sub male reader #x bottom male reader #x male reader #male reader #male reader smut #reader smut #oc x male reader #oc x reader #oc x male reader smut #oc x reader smut #male oc #oc smut #reverse tropes #oc #uke male reader

[susartwork]

Underwizard alternative timelines:

Like 90% of these are angst timelines and the other 10% are self indulgent ones, sorry not sorry

Pacifist (the original one)

Future (the original but post barrier)

Genocide

Neutrals I don't think we need a list of all of them, do we?

UWU Infection Never add a U to UW. This is a post barrier timeline where a UwU virus spreads terrorizing Ebott's Town. Frisk, as the monster's ambassador, will have a lot of work to do to ensure everyone's safety from the cute virus.

REDress Previously known as the "Amalgamate" timeline, now it was completely rewritten. The families of the amalgamates took revenge on Sans and Alphys, injecting them too with Determination, melting them into amalgams as well...

War Rewind Flowey and Sans mess with the resets, mistakenly send themselves back to the time of the war between humans and monsters. Flowey dies, but Sans, adopting baby Chara to save them from their fate, allows Asriel to survive in the future and become king. Now all humans who fall underground will be treated as friends. This timeline was fairly inspired by Timetale! And also by my chats with @ask-dcf :3

Hopeless Timeline Flowey grows bored, and decides to torture Sans with Save Files and Resets to see how far that would go.

Underground's Insanity Previously known as the "Hopeless Queen Alphys Timeline" (the name was too long). The genocide version of the Hopeless Timeline. It begins as a Queen Alphys neutral ending, to then take a Horrortale-like turn, with some angsty Salphys who has to face Frisk, the strongest hunter wizard to ever exist.

Stockholm Syndrome Another Hopeless timeline, but where Flowey is able to turn Sans by his side after years of torture.

The Roleplayed Timeline This isn't an actual timeline, it's just how I tag everything connected to my RPs as Hopeless UW!Sans. (See more on Underwizard MASTERPOST).

Playbackwizard Playbacktale x Underwizard Too spoilery to UW's story talk about it now 👀

Helioswizard Heliostale x Underwizard

Playerwizard Self insert Underplayer x Underwizard

Something Magical Something New (Killer!Sans) x Underwizard

GasterBlaster UW!Sans (planned redesign) BOTWOT x Underwizard

Fresh UW!Sans Fresh possessing UW!Sans

"What if...? OC" My UTMV OCs swap backstory with the UW crew. Basic - UW!Sans | Alphysis - UW!Alphys | Clone - UW!Frisk | etc.

° FANMADE ALTERNATIVE TIMELINES ♡ °

Disbelief UW!Papyrus Disbelief Papyrus x Underwizard

Horrorwizard Horrortale x Underwizard

Axewizard Axetale x Underwizard

Dustwizard Dusttale x Underwizard

All of these above were made by @alittlegreenghost!

Underwizard alternative versions:

Wizardfell Underwizard x Underfell (planned redesign)

Wizardswap Underwizard x Underswap Deleted because the swaps make no sense

Overbeast All the events of Underwizard but reversed...? Hunter wizards -> beasts

UnderWoZArD The crappy version of Underẁ̶̙i̴͈̚z̸̼̾-̴̢̄-̷̨͗ ̶̹̂A̴̺͂L̵̥̽L̶̗͆ ̸̛̟H̶̝͛Ä̶͔Ḭ̷͗Ļ̸͝ ̵̛͈W̴̭̚O̴̺̍Z̷̺͝ ̷͕̊T̷̋͜Ḧ̵̨́Ẻ̷̠ ̶͉͑E̸͎͛M̸̮̕P̷͈̍Ḙ̷̎R̵̲̆Ŏ̴̯R̴͇̆

Inversowizard/Wizardinverso Inversotale x Underwizard

Tartaroswizard/Wizardtartaros Tartarostale x Underwizard

Wizardchess Underwizard x Chesstale Frisk and Flowey are stuck in a endless chess battle to decide the fate of the underground.

Zombieverse A mix of many AUs characters, such as Underwizard, living in a zombie apocalypse

Fluffywizard Fluffytale x Underwizard

A L I V E x Underwizard Idk what to call it. It's basically the UW crew but with the backstory of the ALIVE crew. Sorta. ALIVE's story is difficult to apply to UW.

Wizardnovela Underwizard x Undernovela (Pls respect the original creator)

° FANMADE ALTERNATIVE VERSIONS ♡ °

Planet Flash - by @yanair25 Fusion of a series whose name I forgot (sorry) and many other AUs, such as Underwizard

Hopeless UW!Sans x LN (Bucket) - @axmoth Hopeless in Little Nightmares

UW!Aine x LN (Breach) - @parniathedevil Aine in Little Nightmares

XWizard - by @parniathedevil Xtale x Underwizard

#undertale #undertale au #underwizard #uw alternative version #uw alternative timeline #masterpost #Dwoo know I didn't forget about Wizardpants WHEEZE #Genius little ghost #Hell this took me weeks to write I swear. #Wait everyone can see how I named my jpg files #They're so random lmao

[karahalloway]

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: Chapter 15 - Not Without Obligation

Fandom: TRR

Pairing: Drake Walker x F!OC (Harper Gale)

Series Summary: The social season may be over, but Harper Gale’s problems are just beginning. With everyone at court a potential suspect, can she and Drake survive the engagement tour and get to the bottom of the plot against her and clear her name? An AU take of TRR2 featuring my OTP - Harper & Drake.

Masterlist: (Less Than) Noble Intentions

Chapter Summary: Harper gets a surprise visit from Christian... but are his intentions sincere?

Word Count: 2,800 (short for me, I know enjoy it while you can 😆)

Rating/Warnings: M (swearing, angst, possible ulterior motives)

Chapter theme song:

A/N: I know it's been more than a hot minute since I've updated this series! 😅 This is in part because I got sidetracked by Sleepless in New York also on my list to finish, I know, and then I took most of the summer off from writing. But also in part because I kinda got stuck on how to actually continue with this series... but, I now have a plan! *rubs hands together gleefully* and you ain't gonna like it, sorry, not sorry. So, with this long-awaited installment, I hope to be back in my usual groove and will be posting with some semblance of regularity again. Thanks so much for bearing with me!

A/N2: This is also my submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023 Day 25 Prompt - Secret, Surprise I’m only 2 days late

Chapter 15 - Not Without Obligation

Making my way back to my room, I try to push down the conflicting emotions that are roiling inside of me.

On one hand, I get where Drake is coming from, and why he shut the door in my face. We are no longer alone in Applewood and even the faintest whiff of impropriety could implode the carefully strategised work that the royal PR team has put in to try and resuscitate my public image.

And me getting caught outside of the room of a guy who not only is not Christian, but who I have no justifiable reason for seeking out at the butt-crack of dawn in the first place, would definitely scupper the assertion that I'm not a two-timing hussy. Especially since I rushed out of my room earlier wearing nothing more than a t-shirt and panties.

Mitigating factors, they are not.

But while the rational part of my brain knows that Drake is only trying to look out for me, I can't help but feel a pang of dejection at the abruptness with which he — very literally — shut me out, even though he promised yesterday that he wouldn't do something like that to me again.

Because God knows that it had been hard enough to get him to open up the first time!

And even though I'm not expecting him to have completely reversed his habitudes overnight, I guess I'd been hoping that our conversation in the barn would've prompted some kind of step in the desired direction.

Because it's clear that the bruises on my neck unnerved him. The turmoil on his face had made that clear. As the marks are not just some haphazard side-effect of our frantic love-making. They are a very real and visible reminder of the tangible strength of his feelings — and the fact that he lost control of them.

And as much as I understand the knee-jerk cause of his reaction, the last thing I want — or need — right now is for Drake to distance himself from me because he's scared of hurting me again.

That, I could not cope with.

"Demoiselle," nods Allard as I arrive back at my room.

I flash him a distracted smile on auto-pilot. He saw and heard what happened. There is no point rehashing anything. Especially since this isn't something he or Schweitzer can help with.

The weight of my Guard's concerned gaze flick over me as I shuffle past, but they both remain silent, no doubt sensing that I'm not in the mood for conversation.

Shutting the door behind me, I close my eyes as I lean back against the solidness of the wood.

Why are things never simple 'round here?

I really wish Drake and I could've taken a moment to talk things through. Because today's Apple Harvest Festival is expected to see hundreds of people descend onto Applewood to not only celebrate this year's bountiful crop of Cordonian Rubies, but to also catch a glimpse of the new King and his future Queen.

And if I thought that cornering Drake at the apple pick had been hard, the chances of being able to do so today are going to be slim to none.

But the rest of the week doesn't offer any better options because tomorrow we're off to Italy, where we'll likely have even less opportunity for privacy given the high-profile and international nature of the coming engagements.

My eyes snap open. I have to talk to him now.

As much as Drake may be concerned about protecting what's left of my image, I'm not going to let him use the inconvenience of our circumstances as an excuse to hide behind his insecurities or erect walls between us. Because the hard truth is that there's never going to be a good time to talk unless we make time.

Which is exactly what I am going to do, possible scandal be damned. I cannot let a tenuous fear borne out of a possible public backlash hold me back. My relationship with Drake is worth infinitely more to me than whatever garbage the paps may decide to print because some aristo decided to tattle on me if I get caught sneaking back into his room.

Because, let's face it. Even if I do end up on the front pages tomorrow (for all the wrong reasons), the fact of the matter is that any photo, any situation — no matter how sordid or innocent — can be spun any which way.

I've learnt that the hard way. So, I may as well use it to my own advantage for once.

Pushing myself away from the door, I march into my walk-in closet with renewed determination. Pulling the t-shirt that I'd slept in over my head, I quickly throw on a bra, some jean shorts and a black tank top.

Slotting my bare feet into my well-worn Sketchers, I make my way over to the French doors that lead out onto balcony so I can try to figure out the best way to scamper over to Drake's room without killing myself, given that I stand a better chance of slipping under the aristo's nosy radar via the balcony than going back through the corridor.

Hopefully, I can—

Tap, tap tap.

I stop mid-stride at the sound of knocking coming from the other side of my door.

Turning around, I contemplate whether I should respond, or pretend that I hadn't heard.

I have precious little time if I want to catch Drake before he disappears on me to do... whatever it is that he does in the mornings before the start of a royal event.

So, if I want to make it to his room, I need to go now before he finishes getting dressed.

But, then again, there is only a very small number of people at court who'd come directly to my room to talk to me. Especially at this time in the morning.

So, it could be important. It could be about Tariq...

...it could be Drake.

The latch clicks open.

I glance anxiously back towards the balcony, trying to decide if I should—

"May I come in?"

I whirl around in surprise at the sound of the unexpected voice. "Christian!"

He pokes his head 'round the door. "I... I didn't catch you in a state of undress, did I?"

"No! No... I was already dressed," I admit, trying to be as casual as possible as I quickly brush my hair over my shoulders in a haphazard attempt to try and cover up the bruises, given that I hadn't thought to slather any cover-up over myself yet.

Christian definitely doesn’t need to be asking questions about those!

"Ah, good!" he responds, stepping fully into the room and closing the door behind him. "You're an early riser, like myself."

"You can thank the Beaumonts," I mutter under my breath, glancing guiltily back toward the balcony.

So much for stealing a much-needed moment with Drake...

"I apologise for the intrusion," Christian continues, crossing the space between us, "especially at such an early hour. But I was hoping to catch you alone before the start of the Apple Harvest Festival."

One word catches my attention. "A-Alone...?"

He comes to a stop in front of me. "Very much so."

Anxiety flares in the pit of my stomach as Drake's words from yesterday swirl through my mind.

...he's trying to win you back.

And it suddenly hits me that I haven't been alone — truly alone — with Christian since the day of the Jamboree. When he took me into the hedge maze and offered me a duchy.

My mind starts to whirl.

Had that been the start of this... crusade? The fact that I turned him down? Does he still think he can change my mind? Is he simply incapable of accepting 'no' as an answer?

I force my gaze up to meet his.

His emerald green eyes behold me calmly, with maybe a hint of excitement. But I cannot read his intention.

"Wh-why?" I finally blurt out.

A smile spreads across his face. "To bestow upon you your letters patent, of course!"

I gape at him. "My letters of what?"

He chuckles good-naturedly at my evident confusion. "Letters patent. Itis a type of royal decree that formally confers some manner of privilege onto the names designee — an office of state, a coat of arms, a commercial monopoly... or, in this case, your new title as Duchess of Valtoria."

With a flourish, he pulls out a small, leather-bound box that he's been hiding behind his back.

I stare at it mutely.

"It won't bite, I promise," he assures me wryly.

Reaching up with a tepid smile, I accept the box, which is a lot heavier than it looks.

Opening it up, I find a medieval-looking document nestled in the lid, complete with densely-packed Chancery script and and a historiated initial C embossed with the stylised image of the Cordonian royal crest.

Peering at the text — which I can only assume is an archaic form of French — I can just about make out the odd word, like my name, Christian's name, and Valtoria. But the rest remains completely incomprehensible.

Presumably some grand declarations about the bestowal...

In the bottom part of the box rests a cream-coloured envelope also bearing the Cordonian royal crest, along with my name, though this time written in delicate cursive lettering.

"What's this?" I ask Christian, lifting the letter up.

"Your papers of naturalisation," he informs me. "Along with your new passport and ID card."

I glance up at him in surprise. "I am now a Cordonian citizen?"

"It would not have been possible to issue the letters patent otherwise," he says. "Even a king must abide by the diktats of the law."

"I... don't need to sign anything?"

"The US Consulate was very accommodating, given the unique nature of the circumstances."

My stomach twists unexpectedly. "Oh..."

Dual citizenship is a good thing, right?

Returning my attention to the box, I see that the envelope has been concealing a large, intricate-looking seal bearing what appears to be the stylised outline of a rampant phoenix, next to which sits a signet ring with the same image.

"Does it meet expectations?" asks Christian.

"I'm not sure I know what I'd been expecting..." I admit, running a finger over the lines of the mythical bird, marvelling at the level of detail that's been put into creating such a realistic rendering, complete with individual licks of flame spouting from the tail feathers.

"Any egregious spelling errors?"

"Not that I can see," I admit, glancing up at him. "But—"

"Excellent!" he declares, reaching over the lid of the box to deftly pluck the signet ring out from its nest of blue silk.

Before I have a chance to react, he's clasped my hand in his to poise the heavy circlet of gold at the tip of my ring finger.

"Wait!" I gasp in the face of the unexpectedly intimate turn of events. "What are you—?"

"It would be remiss of me if I did not verify the correctness of the sizing," he advises, meeting my panicked gaze calmly.

"You don't need t—"

"It would be my pleasure," he insists, slipping the ring onto the digit before I can protest further.

As he withdraws his hand, my eyes fall onto the spot where the cool metal's unfamiliar weight now encircles the base of my finger.

"Perfect," Christian declares with a satisfied smile, brushing his thumb over the phoenix insignia.

I stare at the band with an uneasily mix of feelings swirling in my chest. "Christian, I—"

"Let's celebrate, shall we?" he announces, pulling back to click his fingers with a decisive snap.

On cue, the door behind Christian swings open to admit a veritable procession of servants bearing ice buckets, champagne, crystal flutes and tiny servings of finger food.

"Wait..." I stammer in the face of organised onslaught. "They were waiting outside this whole time?"

"I may have take a page out of your party planning book," he admits with a grin while the industrious staff set about transforming my bedroom into a first-class tea room. "Seeing the success you had with Drake on his birthday, I thought I would try my hand at surprising you on this important day."

"And that's great, but I never agreed—"

"Didn't you?" Christian asks with a level look as he nabs a miniature scone from the tray of a passing server.

I shake my head. "No, I—"

"Because I specifically recall you giving your unambiguous consent at yesterday's apple pick to proceed with finalising your new status," he states, taking a bite out of the pastry.

I open my mouth, but promptly shut it as the conversation from the orchard floats back into my consciousness.

"...having the paperwork squared away before our departure would grant significant boon for your image."

"Oh. Okay..."

"Oh, fuck..." I mutter as the cold hand of hindsight clamps down on the nape of my neck.

Christian had obviously mischaracterised my somewhat dazed reaction as some kind of explicit affirmation.

And since Drake's appearance yesterday had interrupted the conversation at that key moment, I never had a chance to correct the misunderstanding.

But I need to. Because once again, Christian has taken matters into his own hands and acted without my my prior agreement or approval t. Just like he had done when he decided to send me away during the Coronation Ball, only to then bring me back to court as his mistress, not to mention spring an actual duchy on me without any warning.

And while his heart's probably been in the right place each and every time, I'm not sure that I can cope with any more bolts from the blue.

Especially when they so drastically upend my life.

Heaving a breath, I look back up at the King of Cordonia again. "Look, Christian, I really appreciate all of this, but I think there's been a major—"

The loud bang! of the champagne bottle shooting its cork across the room makes me jump.

Turning around, I can see that the gold-coloured liquid is already in the process of being dispensed into a pair of waiting crystal flutes.

"I hope you like this Moët & Chandon Imperial Vintage 1946 that I had picked out," Christian murmurs, brushing a hand over the small of my back. "It is an exceptional cuvée with notes of citrus, apple and pear — an apt combination, I thought, given the occasion."

"Because of the pear trees in Valtoria..." I surmise heavily, watching a footman bring over a pair of freshly-filled champagne flutes with a foreboding note of finality.

"Exactly," confirms Christian, grabbing a glass from the tray. "A beautifully complimentary pairing. One that hope we can both enjoy for many years to come."

"Yes, but—"

"Let's toast, shall we?" prompts Christian, cutting me off yet again as the footman proffers me the other serving of expensive bubbly.

I stare at it like a poison pill.

This is what Drake had warned me about, isn't it? That Christian would seek to manoeuvre me into a corner like a chess piece... By giving with one hand, only to take with the other when the time came for the chips to fall due. Because what better way to create an unimpeachable sense of obligation than by making me into a duchess? A literal vassal to the Crown? Required to do the King's bidding, no matter the cost?

And if that really is his aim, then he has certainly been succeeding.

But at the same time, I am not sure I can trust my assessment. Christian has given no indication, one way or another, as to where his goals lay. And even if the misunderstanding had been genuine, to turn him down now would not only be inexplicably rude, but maybe also dangerous?

Would I be jeopardising Christian's support in the hunt for Tariq and my quest to set the record straight if I offend him by throwing all his heartfelt effort back in his face? Especially when I don't know for certain what Christian's motives are?

Because what if Drake is wrong? What if there is no hidden agenda and I'm just massively overthinking this entire thing because I've been burned once already and now everyone looks suspect... Even — and especially — when I'm being offered help?

"Harper?" queries Christian. "Everything alright?"

I shake myself out of my stupor and grab the crystal flute. "I'm fine. Just... Trying to come to grips with it all."

"There will be plenty of time for that," he assures me with a grin, raising his glass. "To the new Duchess of Valtoria!"

I clink the delicate crystal in my hand against his with a leaden feeling in my stomach.

There's no going back now...

For better or for worse, I have just become an aristo.

The story continues in Chapter 16 - Snakes in the Garden

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(Less Than) Noble Intentions only (let me know if you want to be added!)

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[ereardon]

Come Back [Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x OC]

Summary: Eight years ago, Bradley Bradshaw was just a college boyfriend who broke your heart. Now, he’s back in your life after a coincidental reunion, and he’s adamant about starting up a friendship. Will it be possible to be just friends with Bradley, or is he inevitably going to end up ruining everything you’ve spent the better part of a decade rebuilding?

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x OC [Nurse Maggie Brooms]

WC: 3.7K Warnings: Cursing, medical terminology and blood

Series masterlist

You genuinely thought you might never see Bradley Bradshaw ever again. And you might not have, if it hadn’t been for a game of darts, a round of tequila shots and an incredibly ruckus betting pool that landed him in your ER at three in the morning on a Tuesday.

“Mags, we got a dart to the face, pretty close to the eye, in bed three. His buddies are in four and five with lacerations and a possible concussion, respectively.” 

You groaned and nodded to Patricia, the floor nurse manager before standing up from the desk and grabbing a clipboard, stuffing a handful of mini pretzels in your mouth. You had picked up the shift for a girlfriend who had a last minute family emergency. The night shift was not your normal scene, but that night had been eerily quiet until you rounded the corner and heard the aforementioned group. They had the drapes open between their beds and normally you would shut them, but the rest of the ER was wide open and you couldn’t care less. 

Reading off the chart, you stepped up to bed five. That’s what they taught you in ER triage: assess the worst first. Possible concussion took top billing, although suspicious dart to the eye guy was a close second. 

“Hello Mr. Seresin. I’m Maggie. Can you spell your name for me please.” 

The blond in the bed looked you up and down and grinned and you groaned inwardly. “Can I get your number first?”

“Nope, your name will be just fine, thanks.” 

His friend in the next bed, minor laceration, laughed and you leaned over, pulling the blue paper divider without looking at him. 

“Alright, let’s try this again. Can you list the months of the year in reverse order starting with December.” 

He smirked at you but noticed your cold stare, and started to list them. “December, November, October, September…” 

“You’re doing great. Do you have any blurry vision?” He shook his head. “Headache?” A nod. “Can you hear me alright?” Nod. “What’s twelve times five.” 

“Sixty,” he said instantly. You walked to the edge of the bed and pulled the sheet back, helping him to stand. 

“Now I’d like for you to stand still for me and count to five. Slowly.” After the five seconds passed, you pulled out a small foam pillow that was flat on the bottom and had a bubble shaped top, and put it on the ground, holding his arm carefully. “Now stand on this and do the same. Five seconds, as still as you can.” 

He did just fine and you thanked him, putting him back in the bed while scribbling on the chart. 

“Very good, Mr. Seresin. I’m going to have a neuro resident give you final sign off, but you seem out of the woods for a concussion. You’re a lucky man. Get some rest and the doctor will be down to see you shortly.” 

You started to walk away and he reached out, grabbed your wrist. “Can I ask you something, darlin’?” 

You shrugged him off, but he was strong. “It’s nurse, not darling. But sure.” 

“Will you go on a date with me?” 

You had to admit he was attractive. Ridiculously so. But you still laughed and you watched as surprise flashed over his tanned, Adonis-like features. “I’m sorry. I have a policy. I don’t date patients.” 

“In about twenty minutes I won’t be a patient anymore,” he said smoothly. 

“Goodnight, Mr. Seresin,” you said, pulling back the sheet and dropping the chart in the box at the end of his bed. He slumped back against the pillows. 

Skipping bed four, you pulled the curtain back on bed three without looking at the patient, going straight for the chart tucked in near the end of the bed. “Hello Mr.” Your breathing faltered. You looked up and finished your sentence, just as Bradley whispered your name. “Bradshaw.” “Maggie?”

You smiled and you hated that he could still make you smile. You hated how wonderfully goofy he looked in the hospital bed, bar dart sticking out of his face. He had grown a mustache since you last saw him, as well as about sixty pounds of lean muscle. You almost wouldn’t have recognized him if not for the faint scars on his cheek, the casual smile on his tanned and familiar face. The way he looked at you. A smirk and a twinkle in his eye, like he could perfectly picture you naked.

Most of all, you hated that when you stepped forward to examine him, his hand fell to your waist naturally and you didn’t push him away. 

“Hey Bradley,” you said quietly, leaning to the side and grabbing a pair of latex gloves, pulling them over your hands. “Do I even want to know what happened here?” 

He chuckled and pulled his hands back into his lap. “Let’s just say a darts bet went a bit sour.”

“I’ll say,” you said, pitching forward at the waist and touching gently around the dart. It was about a centimeter from the outside corner of his eye, giving it a decent change of hitting a vein when you removed it. “I need you to be very still while I pull this out.” 

He nodded and you gripped the dart tightly with one hand, the other steadying his head, and yanked it straight out. Just like you expected, blood started to spurt and you quickly pressed down with a wad of gauze, dropping the dart into a metal discard bowl. 

“This should be purely superficial,” you said, hand still pressed against his head. “But we’re going to get you an eye check after, alright?”

For someone who literally had a dart near their eye, Bradley was calm. Much more calm than most of your patients in the ER, even those with minor conditions. But that was part of his personality that you remembered fondly. Calm in the face of danger or the unknown. 

He had a laundry list of less desirable traits. Irrational in the face of completely avoidable scenarios was top of the list, as was impulsivity.

“Hold this,” you said, grabbing his hand and guiding it up to where you had been applying pressure. “I need to get more gauze.” 

Bradley simply placed his fingers where you guided him and waited for you to switch the blood-filled gauze. He was still, but his eyes followed you with intensity. 

“OK, you can put your hand down now.” 

After a few minutes, you pulled back the gauze to see the bleeding had largely stopped. You patted at it with an alcohol wipe and he grimaced, before putting a healing bandage on top. 

Peeling off your gloves, you grabbed his chart. “OK, I’ll page for an ophthalmologist consult. Do you have any headache or head pain?” 

He smirked and you were suddenly reminded how many times Bradley had looked over at you across the room at a party with that same smile on his face. The nostalgia was so strong it almost knocked you off your feet. 

“Yes, or no, Bradley,” you said firmly and he looked up. 

“Headache. But to be expected, I had a damn dart in my eye.”

“Near your eye,” you corrected, cleaning up the tray space and turning back to him before grabbing the phone hanging on the wall. “This is Maggie Brooms in the ER, I need an optho consult on bed three and a neuro consult on bed five. Great, thanks.” You hung it back up and turned to him. “Nice to see you, Bradley.” 

“Mags, wait,” he said and you heard the tone in his voice. It was his guilty voice. The one he would drag out of the closet and dust off after he had ignored you for a full weekend with the boys, letting his phone go to voicemail over and over until you were convinced they were all dead in a ditch. And look at him now. In the ER on a Tuesday morning with a dart to the face. Not much had changed in eight years apparently. You turned around and crossed your arms over your scrubs, brown hair falling in your face and you flicked it back with a sharp head jerk. “What time do you get off work?”

“Seven.” 

“Can I take you to breakfast?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Why would you want to do that?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know, old friends and all.” 

You let out a small laugh. “We’re not friends, Bradley. We were never friends.”

“Come on, Mags,” he said softly and you felt the familiar twist in your stomach. Bradley Bradshaw, for all of his childish naivete and stupidity, had once held a very strong power over you. 

That was before.

“Please? My treat.”

Your stomach chose that moment of all the times to rumble and you looked up with wide eyes as Bradley laughed and you found yourself laughing, too. “OK fine. But I’m doing it for the free food, so don’t get any ideas.” 

He grinned. “I wouldn’t dare. I’ll swing by and get you at seven.” 

He started to get up and you gave him a warning look. “Hey, lie back down. The doctor will come for you shortly.” 

Bradley eased back down on the bed and gave you a smile. “You’ve gotten meaner. I like it.” 

“That’s what eight years of nursing will do to you,” you said softly, pulling the drapes. “See you at seven.” 

In bed four, you found the third friend passed out cold. You picked up his chart, tapping it on his foot. “Sir?” He startled awake, looking at you with wide eyes. “I’m Maggie. Says here you have a few cuts.” 

He nodded, holding out his arms and you saw for the first time a few gashes running up and down the length of his forearms. 

“Got it.” You pulled up a rolling stool and a tray and started to clean the wounds. “How’d you get these?” 

He was tall and dark and handsome, with a chiseled jaw. You wondered how on earth Bradley had managed to pal around with such an incredibly handsome group of friends while also get in such stupid trouble. “Bit of this, bit of that,” he said with a lopsided smile and you hummed along, deftly gluing together some of the larger wounds with surgical glue before wiping them and taping them up. 

“Alright, you should be set. I’ll give you some extra bandages, change them in twelve hours. If the wounds start to smell or change color to green or gray or black, come back immediately. If they break open and bleed again, you should be OK they’re fairly superficial, but if there’s major blood loss you have to come back and see us.”

“Can I come back and see you even if I don’t have any issues?” 

You shook your head, laughing. These guys, they were relentless. Just then, Bradley ripped open the dividing curtain. “Coyote, Bob’s here to get us.” 

You gave him a look. “Did you see the ophthalmologist?” 

He gave you a shy look and you pointed a finger.

“Back in bed, Bradshaw.”

Coyote looked between you two, reading between the lines. “Do y’all know each other?”

You said, “No,” at the same time that Bradley nodded his head with a, “Yes.” 

“Now I’m confused,” Jake Seresin said, standing on the other side of the bed. 

You pushed back off the stool and sighed. “Alright. Everyone back to their beds. Mr. Seresin, we’re still waiting on your neuro consult. Bradley, eye consult. The only person here who is cleared to get discharged is,” you looked at your chart, “Javy Machado.”

“Coyote, ma’am,” he corrected and you squinted. 

“OK, Coyote.” You said it slowly and the three of them laughed. You backed up with a sigh. “I mean it, y’all get in bed. 

There was a chorus of “Yes ma’am” and you sighed, walking back to the nurses station to fill in their electronic charts. Patricia leaned over the desk and gave you a look. 

“What?”

She winked and you groaned. 

“Don’t even start with me, Patty,” you said, reaching under the desk for your bag and pulling out a powerbar. “I mean it.” She laughed and sauntered away. You kept an eye across the room, saw Dr. Matthews headed toward bed five, and Dr. Thomas a few steps behind him headed toward Bradley and you let out a sigh of relief. 

The rest of the morning went smoothly. Five more intakes, two discharges. All the while you kept an eye on beds three through five. A bespeckled man with light brown hair and a nervous energy came in around four-thirty and asked for Bradley. You pointed at bed three, the ER nurse hotline phone wedged between your shoulder and ear, and he took off in that direction. Twenty or so minutes later you saw Bradley and the brunette with glasses leave and he tossed you a look over his shoulder, mouthing, “See you at seven.” You smiled and lifted a hand in a wave. 

It wasn’t until you went into the locker room at the end of your shift that you realized how unattractive the clothes you had worn to work the day before were. A pair of leggings, an old university sweatshirt and sneakers. If you squinted, you’d look almost exactly the same as when you and Bradley had first dated. 

You sighed, running your fingers through your hair and swiping on a thin layer of pink lipgloss before tossing your tote over your shoulder and heading for the lobby. 

To your surprise, Bradley was already there in the hospital lobby. He had obviously changed, but he still had the bandage on his head which made you giggle. As you got nearer, you saw he was holding out a cup of coffee which you took gratefully. 

“Thought you might need this,” he said which elicited a smile and he grinned. “God, I forgot what a great smile you have.” 

You quickly dropped the smile. “Alright, you suggested breakfast so where do you have in mind? A dirty McDonald’s? Someone’s mom’s house? That one time we ate breakfast tacos out of the back of some guy’s pickup truck in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot?”

Bradley laughed and put his hand on the small of your back, leading you out of the automatic doors into the parking lot. He felt different. Taller, just by a bit, but stronger. More masculine in every way. His hand on your back was warm and intentional, and maybe it was the cool morning air or maybe it was the contrast of his hot skin on you, but you shivered. “Hop in,” he said, opening the door to his blue Bronco that you were shocked to see he still owned. 

You stepped into the passenger seat and he closed the door gently before jogging around to the driver's seat and jumping in. 

You had expected it to feel like deja vu in a more obvious way. You had spent two, almost three, years with Bradley. That had added up to hundreds of rides in the Bronco. Endless hugs and kisses and laughs. So you were surprised when it didn’t feel the same. It was easy, in a way. You didn’t talk much as Bradley drove to the restaurant. But it didn’t feel familiar, either. You had become strangers. Perhaps that was inevitable.

He pulled up to a small diner and parked. Inside, it was dated but homey, and Bradley walked right in without waiting to be seated, plopping down on a booth near the far wall against a window that looked out over the beach. 

“Bradley!” An older woman in a waitressing uniform greeted him with a large smile and he stood up, giving her a warm hug. You watched the interaction with wide eyes. He held her shoulders when they pulled apart, smiling at her with a large grin before looking back at you. 

“Linda, this is Maggie. She’s an old friend.”

You smiled from your seat. “Hi.”

“Hi sweetpea,” she said, shooing Bradley back to his seat. “What can I get you to drink baby?”

“A water and coffee would be great.”

Bradley nodded. “Same here.” 

“Be right back.” She winked and turned back to the counter at the center of the diner. 

You looked over at Bradley who was watching you intently. “Come here a lot?” you asked. 

He shrugged. “It’s close to work and their hash browns are great.” 

“Work, huh? So you do have a job?”

“You’re not the only one with a career, Mags.” There was a twinge of embarrassment in his tone. You had known Bradley to be a party guy. The cool guy. The person who didn’t care if he flopped an exam so long as he had a great night before with plenty of stories to tell the next day. 

“Are you going to tell me what it is? Let me guess. Rodeo clown?” He smiled and shook his head. “OK, I’m out of guesses.”

Bradley shook his head. “You don’t think very highly of me, do you?” 

A coolness settled over the table. You had thought there was a mutual understanding that this was just breakfast. Nothing more. Not a time to dig into the past. But Bradley was excavating, apparently. Linda dropped off your drinks and took your orders: bacon, eggs and hashbrowns for Bradley; garden omelet with toast for you. She smiled knowingly as she walked away. 

“Why’d you bring me here, Brad?” you whispered, taking a sip of hot coffee, the mug shaking a bit in your grasp. 

He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in the chair. You couldn’t help but notice how muscular his arms were, rippling under the thin material of his long sleeve t-shirt. “Seeing you again, Mags. It brought back a lot of memories. Not good ones.”

You let out a sharp laugh. “You brought me here because I’m just full of bad memories? That’s a first.” 

“Let me finish,” he said and you raised an eyebrow. “Please?” You nodded. “I feel bad, OK? It’s been a long time, but I hate how I treated you. So when I saw you this morning, I just thought, wow, she looks great. She looks like she has her life together. I want to know who she is now. Who she’s become.” 

You leaned across the table. “Maybe you don’t deserve that, Bradley. You don’t get to ruin a person, and then walk back into their lives eight years later and see that they’ve moved on and they’ve built themselves up again and you don’t get to just insert yourself into their lives to see how they’re doing. It doesn’t work like that.”

He reached out, laying one massive hand over yours. You noticed for the first time he had calluses on his fingertips, like maybe he did manual labor. “I know I don’t deserve to know. But I want to, for what it’s worth. I want to know you now. If you’ll let me.” 

You looked up at him. He had changed so much in eight years. There were small crows feet starting to form at the corners of his eyes. His hair was shorter than it had been back then. And he seemed self aware, for perhaps the first time since you had known him. Bradley had never been perceptive. 

He seemed like he was genuinely trying. And while your gut told you to get up, walk away, run, a part of you stayed put. A part of you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Again.

Even though you could tell you were setting yourself up to get hurt. Again.  

You sighed. “We can be friends,” you said finally and he beamed. “Well, we can try. I don’t make a habit of being friends with exes, so this is a first for me.” 

“You’re the only one I’ve ever wanted to try with,” he said, tucking into his plate of hash browns. “I never stopped thinking about you, Mags.” 

You held up a hand. “Nope. We have to have some rules, OK? If we’re going to be friends, I’m setting ground rules.” 

He laid his fork down. “OK?”

“First, no flirting.” You watched the light die out in his eyes but he nodded. “Second, no alluding to what we were.” 

“I can’t talk about our relationship?”

“You can’t talk about it fondly,” you corrected. “Like you want to start something up again. That’s off the table.” 

“Fine,” he grumbled, taking a sip of coffee. 

“Third rule. We’re honest with each other.”

“Deal.”

You reached out a thin hand over the table for a shake and Bradley laughed, dwarfing your small hand in his large one and giving it a hearty shake. There was a twinkle in his eye that you immediately recognized with danger sirens in your head. 

“So because we’re friends, we’re going dutch on breakfast right?” Bradley asked and he chuckled when your jaw dropped open. “I'm kidding, Mags.” He slid two twenties under his mug and stood up. “Ready to go?” 

You nodded and followed Bradley out, smiling at Linda the waitress on your way out the door. Bradley drove you back to the hospital parking lot and you instructed him on where to find your car, a small Honda SUV wedged between two pickups in the staff lot. 

You turned to him. “Watch that wound,” you said quietly. “Change the bandage tonight like I showed you.” 

He dropped his hands from the wheel and smiled. “Do you want to hang out sometime?” You narrowed your eyes at him. “As friends,” he added. “Since we’re friends now.” 

You sighed and opened the door. “My number is the same. Unless you deleted it.” 

“Never,” he said and that one word sent shivers up your spine. You climbed out of the cab of the truck and shut the door. Bradley rolled down the window and leaned over the passenger seat. “I’ll call you.” 

“Friends text, Bradley,” you said over your shoulder, unlocking your car. 

You could hear his laugh as he drove away. 

Sitting in the seat of your car you leaned back and closed your eyes. Why on Earth had you just invited Bradley Bradshaw back into your life? 

He only ever brought you pain.

A/N: My first shot at a Bradley-centric fic! Will have a bit of a slower lead up.

Tag list: @abaker74 @hotch-meeeeeuppppp @luckyladycreator2 @marantha

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster fanfic #rooster imagine #rooster x hangman #top gun imagine #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick imagine #jake seresin #javy coyote machado #bob floyd #bradley bradshaw x oc #rooster x oc

[eddysocs]

Call Out Your Name (Fiona Goode x OC)

Summary: When Fiona's cancer comes to claim her, Nyxa is ready to fight to get her back, no matter what it takes on her end.

Word Count: 888

Warnings: Temporary character death, cancer, blood, resurrection

Though she knew it was coming, Nyxa wept when Fiona’s cancer overcame her. It couldn’t end like this. It wouldn’t. Nyxa fell to her knees and screamed until her throat hurt. She cried out to the empty room, her eyes turning to the window and looking at the moon as she invoked the name of the goddess, pleading with her to find a way to revive Fiona and restore her as the Supreme. Nyxa's prayers seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The tears came again, somehow even harder than before. The goddess of witches had refused her an answer, or even a sign. But that would not stop her. With Fiona laid in bed as if asleep, Nyxa dries her tears and steps out of the room, magically binding it to prevent all who wish to enter. She had to seek a willing ear and for that, she must leave the coven and search elsewhere.

The furious rapping on the door to Marie Laveau's caused her knuckles to ache, but she didn’t relent until the voodoo priestess answered. "What the hell do you want, witch bitch," Marie accused.

"I need to reverse death."

"Child, I don’t mess with that sort of thing. Not anymore." Marie made a move to close the door, but Nyxa wedged her Louboutin in, preventing the slam that Marie had intended to end this conversation.

"Don’t make me kill you," Nyxa threatened. Any other time, Marie would have laughed such a threat off, but there was a storm brewing in Nyxa's eyes and that made her threat far less empty than she would have liked.

With a heavy sigh, Marie relented. "Invoke Maman Brigitte. She’s in charge of the dead, and will be most likely to be sympathetic to your cause. Offer her pepper infused rum and ask her your favor. You might have to sweeten the deal. Now get the hell out."

Nyxa withdrew her shoe, scuffed, but replaceable, whereas Fiona was not. She made her way back to the sealed room, the rum having been rather easily acquired from a merchant in the french quarter. She fetched a silver goblet from the kitchen on her way up, and began the summoning.

"Maman Brigitte, Goddess of Death, come to me, hear my plea." Nyxa raised the cup towards the moon that still shown brightly into the room. She repeated her request twice more until a black smoke materialized in front of her. As it dissipated, it revealed the goddess. Nyxa knelt and offered her the glass of rum.

Taking the cup from her hand, she spoke. "What cause do you have to summon me?"

"I beseech you, restore Fiona to me."

"Your rum is good, but I fear it is not enough for me to fulfill your desire."

"Then what do you wish? Name it and it is yours." Nyxa wasn’t about to play like she wasn’t desperate. Whatever sacrifice was needed, she was prepared to make.

"I need a shepherd. When your time comes, your soul shall be indebted to me and you will usher souls to the other side for eternity."

Nyxa didn’t even need to think it over. "Yes." The word came out of her mouth naturally. What else was she going to do with eternity anyhow? She was probably bound for hell as it was. What Maman Brigitte was offering didn’t sound half so bad as the possibility of that. "As long as you can promise me that Fiona will be restored as she was in health and spirit, then I accept. What do I need to do?"

"It’s a blood pact. I’ll need your blood." Nyxa nodded and made for the letter opener kept in the drawer. She used it to cut her palm, and let the blood drip into the goblet of rum. She winced at the sharp pain of the force needed to make the dull blade cut her skin. She’d clean and wrap it later.

Maman Brigitte drank down the contents of the cup with no hesitation. The moon's light was snuffed out by a gathering of clouds and lightning flashed across the sky. By the time darkness settled again, Maman Brigitte was gone and Nyxa was left with Fiona.

The young witch rushed to her bedside. "Fiona! Fiona, please. Tell me she brought you back to me!" She felt more tears well up within her, and found that she couldn’t hold them back, the anticipation of disappointment was too much. Just as her vision began to blur, Fiona turned her head towards her. The sobs now were ones of joy. The voodoo goddess had made good on her promise.

Nyxa reached for Fiona's hand, taking it between both of hers. "What deal did you strike to save me," Fiona questioned disapprovingly.

"It doesn’t matter. I would have struck any deal to see you as you should be, as the Supreme of this coven."

"Ha! Don’t tell me whatever deal you made wasn’t just a little bit selfish. This coven surely doesn’t want me, no one but you, anyhow."

"Is that so wrong?"

Fiona hummed, as if thinking it over, but didn’t reply. Heaven forbid she show a little bit of gratitude even after having just been brought back from the dead. Nyxa didn’t care. All she wanted was Fiona, and that’s what she’d gotten.

Forever Tag: @arrthurpendragon, @baubeautyandthegeek, @foxesandmagic, @carmens-garden, @bossyladies, @getawaycardotmp3, @misshiraethsworld, @kmc1989, @curious-kittens-ocs

Nyxa Ash: @hallospaceboyy, @hermosoharry, @iticaboopsyou, @isingonly4myangel, @bowiesdaughter, @brienneseveruscalawayfanfiction, @unwrittenletter

#whumptober 2023 #oc: nyxa ash #fc: samantha robinson #fd: american horror story #nyxa x fiona #fiona goode #fiona goode x oc #american horror story #american horror story coven

[avatarskywalker78]

Flufftober 2023 Masterlist

(Need to Knows found here, Main OCs here, Side OCs here).

I really enjoyed writing the fics, loved the prompts, and was able to complete the series, so thank you very much @flufftober for another great event!!!

Find links to my fics below!!!

into (and out of) trouble - I've Got You - Diagnosis Murder - Steve & Jesse

friendship (across realms) - Family, Friends, Loved Ones - Twilight Princess, Link & Midna

easy to love - 'Wait, you love me?' 'I always have' - The Flash - Cisco x Eddie

a part of you - Wearing Each Other's Clothes- Ace Attorney - Apollo x Klavier

(maybe more than) good company - x + 1-The Flash- Iris x Caitlin

to make new memories (with the family we choose) - Corn Maze- Krypton-Adam & Ashley (OC)

being part of a family (i thought i'd lost) - Porch Swing-The Flash-Iris x Eddie

(just trying to) do good for you - Rainy Day-Ace Attorney-Apollo x Klavier

first impressions - (...) at first sight-Diagnosis Murder-Steve & Jesse

with you (among the lights) - Candles, Lanterns, Fairy Lights-Ace Attorney - Maya x Franziska

remember (that you're not alone) - Sweet Tooth - Diagnosis Murder - Steve & Jesse

what a hero is made of (beyond destiny) - Fire & ice - Twilight Princess - Link & Midna

(not so wrong) roommate - Wrong (...) - The Flash - Barry x Eddie

holding on (to hope) - Have your character share the last table at a cafe - The Flash - Iris x Eddie

what i never said (what i'll say now) - Emergency, Confession, Adventure - Krypton - Seg x Adam

singing a song (for the one you love) - Singing one another to sleep - Ocarina of Time - Link x Malon

i believe (in you) - Encouraging S.O. to achieve a goal - The Flash - Iris x Caitlin

(mis)adventures in baking - 'Did you plan for this to happen?' - Spider-Man (Raimiverse) - Harry & Peter

doing what you have to (for family) - Keeping Someone Safe - The Flash - Malcolm & Eddie

i want to learn (from you) - Pumpkin - Krypton - Adam x Seg

lucky to have (a friend) - Swoon - Diagnosis Murder - Jesse & Steve

(already) made the right choice - Picking - The Flash - Caitlin x Iris, Barry & Iris

keeping hold (of memories) - Trinket - Ace Attorney - Phoenix x Miles

embarking on a new path - 🫠 - Spider-Man (Raimiverse + Comics) - Amanda & Harry

all i want (is to be by your side) - 'You've told your parents?' + Reverse all the Roles - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Zelda x Link

don't know why you love me (but i know you'll never leave) - Fireplace - Krypton - Adam x Seg

i trust you (so trust in me too) - Outdoor Event - Ace Attorney - Klavier x Apollo

we will do this (together) - Soothing Touch - Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Zelda & Link

late nights (and far too early mornings) - 'Hey, wake up!' + 'Oh no, you're a Morning Person' - Ace Attorney - Apollo & Athena

what am i worth (to someone like you?) - Self-Worth/Self-Love - Krypton - Adam & Seg, Adam & Val

finally getting (to spend time together) - Hot Chocolate - The Flash - Iris x Caitlin

#flufftober2023 #flufftober2023 masterlist #Diagnosis Murder #Legend of Zelda #The Flash #Ace Attorney #Krypton #Raimiverse

[vera-keller]

dropping a quick little dick winters x reader wip preview where the reader and dick have been rivals since ocs and now are platoon leaders in easy who despise each other

-

“the chain of command exists for a reason, lieutenant. you have your platoon now, i have mine. one might consider it immature to upset that balance just to keep playing whatever game of bravado you’ve decided to play with me.”

“hold on for a moment. how did you come to the conclusion that i’m playing a game with you at all? does everything have to be some sort of underhanded tactic with ulterior motives in mind to you after what happened with sobel? you might want to get that checked out.”

“you think you’re very good at this, don’t you?”

you shrug nonchalantly. “maybe you could tell me that.”

dick chews on his lip, a sharp contemplative look flashing in his eyes. “yeah, i’ll tell you. the way i see it, you feel threatened—”

“and you don’t?”

“—so you’ve decided to project that feeling of inadequacy back onto me. i don’t know what you’re trying to achieve here, lieutenant, but i can see now that it makes you feel good about yourself.”

he’s devolving to your level now, returning your energy, his quips barbed for impact. you smile, a thin little curved smile that’s a cruel reversal of your usual slack-mouthed pout. now that the conversation has turned in this direction, you too can drop whatever is left of your waxen mask of civility and speak your mind.

“to tell you the truth, lieutenant,” you shoot back, imitating the way he stubbornly addresses you by rank alone instead of by your name, “it was never a game. the guys talk about you like you’re untouchable, but i think you actually have a boy’s club going on behind the scenes. i think you go through life believing you’re never going to meet your match, and you’re getting pissed now because i’m proving you wrong.”

“i'm not interested in competing with you and i have even less interest in answering to those completely unfounded claims. and the way you’re deciding to prove yourself is doing nothing but damaging your credibility as an officer.”

“that’s not what your men think, is it? i get it now. you’re not just pissed off because i’m as good of an officer in the field as you. you’re pissed off because i learned all the tricks that make people think you’re better.”

tbc

#i have no idea when this is going to get posted if ever but consider this my weekly check-in #tw/cw: dick winters slander #reader isn't the good guy

[thefriendlyferretwriter]

A new side of you: Birthday boy

Pairing: Eugene 'Flash' Thompson x Reader

Summary: Flash's birthday, one of midtown's most famous event of the year is quite...chaotic.

Warning: almost 10K words, tension, blood, bullying, fluff, awkwardness, non-important OCS (If you don't like that, sorry)

A/N: @loxerclu8 @wheelerzluvv @ray-of-sunrisee @m00nkn1ghtss you go! So sorry for taking so much time.

The sun's rays bring warmth to my arm through the car's window, and the air has a salted smell to it as we are parked close to the port.

I sit silently with my sunglasses resting on the bridge of my nose remembering the text I received the night of the wedding.

Laying in my bed after May had spent 2 hours nursing me and making sure I was alright and getting text after text from him.

-Hi, it's Flash 4:00

-…Thompson 4:01

-Leeds gave your number to my mom and she gave it to me 4:04

-Not that I asked for it! 4:04

-She told me to invite you and Ned to my party 4:06

-If you want to 4:07

-Not that I'm forcing you or anything 4:08

-You can stay home if you want 4:09

-Not that I wouldn't like to have you there! 4:09

-It's just, you know, you do what you want, no pressure 4:10

I didn't know what to answer and it took me about 20 minutes to think of an answer when he sent another text this time apologizing for not noticing the hours he sent his messages.

The only thing I could bring myself to respond was that we'd be glad to 'pass by' not knowing if he was being sarcastic.

"Alright so, we're good?"

"Can you just repeat one more time just so I can see if I have everything down?" Ned asks.

"You're taking notes?!" I say looking at his pencil doodling on the small grocery-like list.

"Alright enough," I order taking away Ned's notepad, "This is a party no need to freak out. It's when we freak out that we screw things up remember Liz's party?"

He frowns, "Yeah, now that you mention it why would you go to the party of a guy who DJ'ed and got the whole crowd to-"

I Jump on him making sure to shut him up.

Blocking his mouth with my hands I cut him off, "Alright now how about we don't lose any more time and go rock this party, huh?" I joyfully shout pushing both of us out of the car and grabbing my present in the rush.

"Wait wait! Sunscreen!" she calls out shaking the bottle in our direction.

I take my hand off Ned's mouth and grasp the small bottle waving at her with the same hand, "Alright you can go now we'll be fine, promise!"

Sending us a small wave of her own she then side-hugs the passenger seat, going in reverse and leaves us both here in the port's parking lot.

Ned slaps the hand wrapped around his blouse before wiping his mouth, "Why did you shut me up?"

"You know May if you say that Flash runs around throwing names she would have freaked out and stopped us from going."

"Yeah and by the way, why are we even going to his birthday party? It's not like we like Flash."

He's right.

It's not like we like him.

"It's for work relations," I say looking Ned straight in the eyes with a blank face.

He looks back at me with one of his eyebrows raised, silently asking me to elaborate.

"If we keep a somewhat good relationship with Flash we might get more jobs from his mom," I say with enthusiasm hoping he'll get off my back.

"Okay," he draws out, suspicious, "Let's go then, I guess."

"Yeah let's go," I say with enthusiasm.

The ocean breeze mixed with the sun's rays lift my spirit and the cheering in the distance helps us pinpoint where the Thompson's yacht is located.

"Oh look!" Ned calls out to me showing me his phone where I can see Liz snapping us a selfie of herself standing a couple of feet away from her flyers stand.

"I hope this time she doesn't decide to visit the Washington monument." he chuckles.

"Yeah I wouldn't have the time to swing by." I giggle.

Looking around I spot many boats with their names plastered in big letters, "What's the yacht's name again?"

Ned looks back to his phone scrolling back up to his chats," Hum, 'The Hound'."

"Wow," we say simultaneously, "Cool name."

The cheering continues and the faint sound of music escalates into a pounding bass of pop music as we approach.

I can see many faces from afar, their traits getting clearer and clearer. It is when I recognize Betty Brant waving at us from 'The Hound'.

"Hey there you came!" she exclaims.

I can only see her upper body as the yacht's height is hiding most of her body. I almost give myself a stiff neck as The birthday boy himself pops up beside Betty.

"Who are you talking to Brant?" he asks as she turns back to us after making eye contact with him.

He turns to us and his face falls. As his head turns around from his guests to Betty and the two of us, he hesitates before wetting his lips and speaking up.

"So you came," he shouts loud enough for us to hear from down there.

His tone is weird.

What is that supposed to mean? isn't he the one who wanted us to come? Did his mother really pressure him to invite us?

"Hum yeah…do you want us here?"

"Yeah! Yeah! I just thought you know…you'd have other more important things to do."

"So you want us to go?" I ask with a bit of anger.

Are we invited or not? If you're reluctant about having us there then don't force yourself.

"That's not what I said," he says defensive.

"Yeah but it sounded like it."

"How?" he asks louder.

"You sounded disappointed when you saw that we turned up."

He sighs loudly and takes a minute to himself, looking behind us at the horizon.

What's his deal? why invite us if you don't look forward to seeing us?

Is it because I kissed him on the cheek? I just wanted to be nice and thank him.

Still silent, he leans back with his hands on the boat's board balancing himself back before regaining his balance and looking back down at us.

"Whatever, think what you want. You can climb the stairs right over there." he points to our left where the stairs are welcoming us to climb onto the luxurious yacht.

Looking back at him he turns around without offering us a second look as Betty wears a confused look on her face.

"What was that about?" Ned asks.

"What an asshole," I say mostly to myself.

"What's up with the couple's fight?" Ned asks again.

"What couple fight?"

"The couple fight that just happened between you and Thompson," Betty confirm from up there.

"What are you on about?" I ask defensively.

"It looked exactly like when my parents fight." she continues.

"Yeah, that was weird." Ned follows up.

"It wasn't a couple fight. He just acted like a jerk and I told him just that. If he doesn't want us here then don't invite us." I say angrily, messing with the bow on my present.

As Betty shrugs and walks away Ned leans in close to me and whispers, "Not very professional of you to insult the son of your potential boss."

"Oh shut it Ned," I say stomping up the stairs and ignoring their ridiculous accusations.

One minute he's helping me and the other he is nonchalant.

Or maybe I'm the asshole?

Maybe I shouldn't be mean to the birthday boy.

Especially when he seemed sad about not being able to spend it with family.

Maybe I should just avoid him.

"Parker, how surprising!"

Oh no, not him.

Turning around I am greeted by the group of assholes and I wonder why they're even here.

Why would he invite them to his birthday? Maybe I'm wrong, maybe he is an asshole.

"Garret, how surprising what are you doing here?" I ask calmly, trying to hide my anxiousness.

In front of me, right at the top of the stairs is a luxurious bench incrusted in the boat's gunwhale where a group of elite midtown students is packed up to look intimidating. At the head of it, Garret McCoy another rich boy whose favorite pastime is seeing how far he can go before he reaches someone's last nerve. He then turns around and plays victim using his daddy's name and reputation to get himself out of trouble.

It makes sense he's here, he and his friends are in the same social group as Thompson. Must be easier to talk about your daddy issues like that.

Am I being mean?

"It's a birthday! Why wouldn't I be here?" He asks sarcastically.

He's right why wouldn't he be here? he and Flash are friends, as friends as two rich boys can be even though Thompson often avoids this group of people to hang around the mathletic club.

I need to wake up, it's not because he was trying to be nice at the wedding that Flash Thompson is a good guy. Being logical he only helped me because a creep was threatening me.

"Don't know, you don't have another Instagram party to attend?"

"Oh no," he draws out standing up from the bench, "It's Thomspon's birthday, they're known to be cool," he says with a devious smile.

"Plus when a little birdy told me that you were going to be here I just had to see if it was true," he says, his sinic smile turning into a smirk.

Oh no, he has an idea in mind.

"Why?"

"I don't know, it just seems out of place to see you out socializing, especially around Flash."

I know what I should've said, something like, 'I don't hang out with him' or even ' Where did you hear that?' but my mouth spoke before I could think.

"Jealous McCoy? You scared Flash is gonna break up with you?"

His smile flattens and two or three of his goons chuckle behind him still sitting comfortably.

The sound of the giggles brings me back to reality where I just sassed a high-class sociopath.

Crap.

"What's happening here?" the birthday boy himself joins us.

I might not like him but I'm not about to ruin Flash's birthday over an arrogant asshole.

"Nothing," I say quickly stopping McCoy from opening his mouth.

After a beat of tense silence, McCoy speaks up.

"Enjoy the party Parker," he says the smirk returning to his face, sending a look back at his goons to follow him as he struts away.

"What was that about?" Flash asks.

"Nothing we were just talking," I say looking back at him.

He's silent, analyzing me.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he answers looking down, "You brought a gift?" he asks surprised.

Looking at the flashy box I look back up at him a bit awkwardly. I feel embarrassed to be seen with the gift in hand in front of him.

"Hum, yeah…I didn't want to come empty-handed especially for a birthday, sounds kinda rude."

"It's not…It's just," he says making eye contact with me, "I didn't specify in my texts that you needed to bring one...it's nice," He ends with a small voice, like a note to himself.

After a moment of silence and awkward glances a very confused Ned wishes Flash a happy birthday and tugs me away as I grip the box even harder.

"Okay now what was that?" he asks quietly when we are at a safe distance away from Flash and his prying ears.

"I don't know, what are you talking about?"

"This!" he shouts, "This whole conversation was so weird."

"I don't know, maybe he's just bothered about the fact that we came. He probably just invited us out of courtesy."

"Should we go? Just drop off the gift over there somewhere-"

"No!" I object, "...It's a party, and I want to have fun,"

"Let's just avoid Flash and have a good time. Look, we are on a massive yacht and they are things to do all around," I say motioning all around me to all the different activities.

Like the line of people sunbathing, the ping-pong table full of shots and the…pool?

"Wait, there's a pool? on a yacht?" I say looking at the clear water where a few inflatable beds and flamingo float around and bring color to the already-filled imagery.

"Talk about money, you can decide to paddle in sweet or salty water."

"How nice," I note looking up. My gaze is attracted to the balcony where the birthday boy is talking with a girl in a bikini who keeps pointing to the pool trying to see if she can jump from up there.

"Who would have thought that sunbathing was so entertaining?" Ned says with a sigh of relaxation.

"Because you are on a boat munching on expensive food," I say applying the sunscreen May handed me onto my arm.

"I think those are just regular sandwiches," Betty says not looking our way, her eyes closed and her sunglasses on laying on the tanning chair

"On an expensive boat," Ned and I say at the same time.

We chuckle before a sudden wave of coldness comes and disturbs our peace that was previously bathed in sunlight.

Ned and Betty join me in my shriek as the coldness of the pool reaches us in drizzles.

"What the hell ?!" I scream as my body tenses and curls in a fetal position on the tanning chair.

Of course, the biggest fit of laughter comes from the other side of the pool where the bench is filled up with the group of dickhead.

Sebastian Lawson, an exchange student who took a liking to McCoy and his click emerges to the surface with a smug smile.

"My apology I didn't think my cannonball would reach you, truly my mistake," he says with his thick accent.

"Yeah, sure we believe you," I say full of poison.

"Come on Parker it's just a little water," McCoy shouts from across the pool.

Using the towel already present on the tanning chair, I use the few dry spots to pat myself as Sebastian jumps out of the water getting handed a towel by Garret.

"What's happening here?" Flash appears walking out of the living area.

"Nothing!" I say.

My loud response brings both of their gazes toward me, "Just water, nothing bad," I say with a pointed look towards McCoy, "Right?"

Funnily enough, McCoy plasters a coy smile on his face, "Right."

Flash's stare switches between Garrett and me with a frown.

"Hey Flash, where do you want me to put that?" a classmate I don't remember the name of asks a bit out of breath standing at the entrance of the living room.

"Hm yeah I'll show you, follow me."

As he walks away, both of our gazes stalk him waiting for the birthday boy to be out of earshot.

"Are you trying to ruin this party or something?!" I shout through my teeth trying to keep my anger at bay.

"No, are you Parker?" he asks with a cocky smile I dream of wiping off.

"No, why would I even do that?"

"Because I find it weird to see you here. You and Thompson never got along and I feel like since you got here he's been tense."

Am I the problem here?

"I was invited here!" I bite back.

"By who?" he asks with mockery as if nobody here would feel the need to invite me.

At that I fall silent. Should I tell him Flash invited me himself, would that seem weird?

Wait why would it be weird?

"His mother invited me."

I mean it's true, his mom did make him invite me.

Flash Thompson wouldn't invite me by himself, not without a bit of pushing right?

The cackle that comes out of Garret makes me want to strangle him.

"Thomson's mom forced him to invite you and you actually thought you were welcomed?"

Yes.

I calculate my next words, "I just wanted to enjoy the yacht and the food just like you that's why you're here, right?" I say with an obvious tone and a pointed look towards him and his friends crowding behind him.

While not being said, pretty much everyone knows that the friendship between the two is materialistic. They are here when it comes to joining each other's party or event, but the two don't really roam around each other's in the halls, not even when Flash had not yet joined the math club.

While the information is known, it's never talked about or in this case thrown in their face.

His stare loses its cockiness and lights up a tense glint, "Enjoy the party Parker." he says with his venom barely concealed.

"You too McCoy," I answer firmly.

His stare clashes with mine for a few more seconds before the idiot finally turns around and distance himself from us.

"What's with him?" Ned asks.

"He's an asshole that's what's up," I say glaring at his back, something that he thankfully can't feel as it would burn a hole through his polo.

Turning back to my tanning chair Betty brings my attention to my present hidden under it.

"Hey why didn't you put it on the present table?" she asks.

"Oh, um there's a present table?"

She pauses before laughing awkwardly, "Well yeah. You don't see anyone else with a present do you? You thought you were the only one that came with a present?" she asks genuinely.

I look around to the people playing around and enjoying their day.

"I just-I guess I didn't really think about it," I chuckle awkwardly in turn.

"Well, the table is inside," she says, pointing to the windowed living room.

"Oh."

"What is it?"

"Nothing, I just didn't write my name on it," I say showing the pretty patterned wrapper.

"Well it's not like it matters," Ned states.

"What do you mean?" I frown.

"Well there's more than one reason but the primary one being why would you care to make sure Flash Thompson knows it's you who bought this gift for him?"

"I don't know, maybe I just want to make sure I was nice enough to get him a gift, it's what you did too."

"Yeah. And my nameless gift is on the table," he says pointing in the direction of the table just like Betty did.

Switching between the gift and Ned, I keep my head down as I drag my feet and my present inside.

The second I pass the threshold of the living room I feel a different kind of warmth.

The outside weather is a suffocating heat while the inside is like a summer morning with the small cooling breeze that happens when you open your window.

The living room from close up is as beautiful as when I first glanced at it.

Beautiful but…empty. It resembles a magazine, a rich people magazine full of collector's items bringing it value.

The bit of clutter that would make one think the room is lived in looks strategic, with a bit of color here and a calculated clutter there.

Thankfully the mess made by the other guests takes a bit of that awkward observation out but it doesn't make it go away. Without all this mess, this room and the rest would look dead and for sale.

The windows surrounding the living room surprise me by heavily downplaying the noise outside, even though the sliding doors are open.

The gift table is in front of me and my hands feel stuck to my gift.

It reminds me of the first time I became aware of my powers. That night I got stuck to the subway pole for so long I had to do the journey three times before the subway conductor came to inform me I had to find another place to sleep in since the subway wasn't a hotel for the homeless.

It was a long walk home from 42 street time square.

It's a mix between sticky and sweaty making me think that yes, maybe my powers may be out of control right now.

"Hey."

I jump and spin around to be face to face with Flash who sneaked up on me and my internal monologue.

Okay my Spider sense might be out of order. Something is definitely wrong.

"You scared me." I say clutching my top.

"My bad you just looked zoned out."

"Yeah. I was just retracing my morning and wondering how I forgot to put my name on the gift," I chuckle awkwardly, trying to pry my thoughts away from my nightly spidey activities.

"Oh no that sucks," he says genuinely, looking at the gift and scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah."

This is awkward.

"I have an idea. I could put it away, far from the others so I know it's yours."

"You would do that?" I wonder aloud.

"I mean yeah. I know you're not a big spender so I gather that you wouldn't like your gift to be opened and nameless."

I mean it's not for that reason but he's not wrong either.

"Uh well Ned's gift is also unnamed, should I give it to you too?"

He seems to hesitate.

His gaze becomes glazed over, "I don't think Leeds thinks like you. I don't believe he cares about letting me know he got me a gift." He explains standing right beside me fidgeting with the ribbon of one of the gift.

"What makes you think I care?" I ask quietly compared to all the noise outside.

"O h so you don't care?" He asks really close to me.

When did he get that close?

It feels intimate like we're gossiping about someone just a few meters away from us.

"I never said that," I clarify, my voice low.

"So you do care."

"I didn't say that either."

"So you got me a gift because…" he draws out.

"Because that's what you do at birthdays," I quickly come up with the most logical scenario.

"But I never asked you to bring one."

"You didn't need to like I said it's what one does when they're invited to a birthday."

He looks at me silently scanning my face as I start hearing my heart beating in my ears.

"I don't buy it," he boldly claims.

"You don't buy what?"

"That you don't care."

Have his eyes always been so adoring?

It is like the cinema, the way you can see and recognize all the emotions through an actor's eyes.

It's the first time I feel I can read him like a book.

Those eyes often looked at mine but they always showed annoyance and anger, and yet that look, that look is…new.

It must be the longest conversation we ever had, or maybe the longest conversation we ever had without arguing.

It's surprising how casual this all seems.

I let my arms expand to him letting him take the initiative to take the present from me.

My eyes travel from the gift in my hands to him, his stare is still fixated on mine.

"Parker!"

"Parker!"

I close my eyes in annoyance hearing his tone of voice.

McCoy.

She recoils, let go of the gift like it's on fire and takes a step back away from me.

Just as I thought we were getting somewhere she backs away and closes back up.

Garret's arm sneaks around our necks.

"Now what are you two doing here?! there's a whole party going on outside!" he says enthusiastically and with a hint of accusation.

"Yeah, talking about that I better join Ned and Betty before they start wondering where I went," she hurries out brushing away Garret's arm and stepping away from the gift table.

She steps away, her back to the living room entrance as she waves at me shyly before turning around to join her friends.

Now I'm left with him.

He continues looking at her as she walks away while I busy myself with the table, tidying up the presents ready to fall off the table. Her present in my other hand when my train of thought is interrupted.

"Really. Parker?"

It sounds like a question but isn't.

I notice his tone differs from his facial expression.

"What?" I genuinely ask.

What is he on about?

"Yeah," he draws out casually, "You know I heard about those guys who tug on the hairs .f the girl he likes but I'd never thought you would be one of them."

He chuckles with that arrogant fce that makes me want to punch him.

"What are you on about?" I ask again this time more firmly.

"Come on Flash, you and I both know you're acting weird. I don't know for you but as for me I'm ready to bet Parker has something to do with it," he says with a coy smile looking back out at her, satisfied as if he figured me out.

Following his gaze I see her outside the living room playing regular ping pong leaving all the cups filled with alcohol aside to the other guests.

At that moment I'm glad she is covering her bathing suit with her shorts and blouse knowing that Garret would make comments about that too.

His gaze is very pointed and holds a mischievous spark in it.

He's got some nerve coming here with his friends when neither of them were invited, trying to start shit and checking her out?!

I feel my blood boiling. Stop looking at her already!

"Alright man listen, first I'm not acting off. Second, even if I was acting off it wouldn't be because of Parker, now lastly I know that look and you better back off. You can't be pulling shit like that, if you try to do anymore shit you and your friends, you're out. Got it?"

His smile drops and I feel a bit of satisfaction though I don't show it.

He looks me up and down gauging if I'm serious or just bluffing.

I've never really stood up to him and his lack of manners, not only to others but to me too. I've always ignored or shrugged it off with a laugh.

He seems to get the message as he nods, "Okay man chill. I was joking."

Shit did I react too harshly?

I sigh starting to feel guilty, "No worries. It's just there's always a lot of people at my parties and my dad just bought the yacht and I don't want anyone breaking stuff trying to pull some shit, sorry." I say remorseful for my previous outburst.

After a beat of silence his smile returns and he nudges me jolly, "Don't worry man, just relax. It's your birthday, there's no need to worry?"

"Yeah," I chuckle.

He turns back to the present table with a smile while I stay standing right where I am.

Making sure he doesn't look back at me I let my eyees wander back to her cheering at her win against Leeds.

She smiles as she baths in sunlight, sweat coating her face and neck.

I like her smile.

"It's rigged! I demand a rematch," Ned shouts over my cheering.

It took half an hour but I did it. I found a way to relax and enjoy my day and just broke a sweat over a ping-pong match bringing in a small crowd of people over to witness my fun.

Looking around I lock eyes with Flash who is already looking back at me. Not wanting to look away and bring in more awkwardness, I decide instead to simply wave and send him a smile hoping he'll wave back letting us put aside this strange tension.

He waves back with the same curt smile.

A huge commotion tears my eyes away from the birthday boy to the corner of the living room leading to the pool where the scream came from.

Running towards the noise I turn the corner and come in sight of Betty Brant all wet and screaming angrily at her co-host Jason Lonello who seems to have tackled her in the pool.

"You are such an idiot Jason!" she screams over the music and the pool waves overtaking her causing her to cough as she tries to swim towards the edge of the pool.

Walking toward the pool, I bend over as Ned completely kneels to offer our hands toward Betty who tries to scoop her drenched hair behind her ears.

Her hand gripping ours I let my eyes wander and see that this altercation drew in crowd as Jason jumps out of the pool and is handed a towel by Garret.

"Such a douchebag!" Betty continues her insult as Ned covers her up in a towel.

"Come on Brant it's a party, there has to be someone getting tackled in the pool!" Garret defends Jason, "And plus! You looked like you needed to freshen up. Looked quite sour before you took a dip." he says with a smile.

"I'll give you a dip McCoy!" Betty grunts as she stands up and stomps in his direction, throwing the towel on the ground.

She is stopped by Flash planting himself in front of her and catching her by the waist with one of his arm keeping her away from Garret. Pulling her back he places his hands on her shoulders, "Alright, let's calm down now I'm sorry Brant but there's no need to start a fight."

He says it loud enough for both Betty and Garret to get the message of peace.

"Look I'm sorry, it was just a harmless prank," Jason says with a smile.

"A harmless prank?! You shove me so hard I went out of breath for a few seconds!"

"Okay, okay I get it," Flash tries to sympathize, "Jason's a dick but right now a professional journalist like you shouldn't lose her cool in public," he says more quietly, so quietly that I only hear it thanks to my proximity to the two.

Letting go of her shoulders Flash turns to Jason and asks him to apologize once more, this time more genuinely.

"Come on man it was just a prank," Garret jumps in.

There's a weird tension between the two, like a silent contest of who has the upper hand on the other.

"And I'm just asking him to apologize," Flash states firmly.

Silence.

Looking at Garret, Jason seems to be waiting for instruction and as they don't seem to come he decides to take the first step, "Alright, I'm sorry Betty. Didn't mean to scare you."

She scoffs and turns away.

With the remaining crowd being driven away Garret breaks the staring contest as he and his friends turn around ready to cause trouble later on probably.

My eyes are drawn yet again toward Flash who let a brief and uneasy smile grace his lips.

Why does every interaction we have has to be so…off?

It used to be simple. He insults me, I retort with sarcasm he gets pissed off and that's it, it goes back and forth all day every day.

It's frustrating, why be so awkward anyway?

"Wait, Flash."

Turning around he looks taken aback recognizing my voice.

"Hey, huh, what's going on?"

"Listen I think we both noticed this weird back and forth so I wanted to ask, what's going on? Is it because I kissed you? If you didn't like it you could have just told me. I-I just wanted to thank you and I didn't mean for things to become so awkward so I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Can we please just stop?"

…

The words flood my brain smoothly, like a waterfall of new vocabulary but my mouth doesn't follow my flow of thoughts.

"...Would you like me to watch out for McCoy and his friends?"

He doesn't answer and instead just stands there. His face doesn't outright say it but I can sense that he is shocked by my proposition.

"You know so you can enjoy your birthday without having to deal with all that drama." I try to continue talking and explain my train of thought or at least the train of thought that manages to come out of my mouth.

"Yeah, I get it-I mean no! Yes, I understand why you want to do that but no thanks don't worry I got it," he rambles hurriedly giving me the feeling that he is beating around the bush.

"I mean It's my party so It's my job to supervise you know? It's like my responsibility," he says tossing his hands around trying to explain his thoughts.

"Oh yeah, yeah!" I quickly agree not trying to offend him, "I totally get that it's just-you know since he seems to be acting out today I just thought you would like someone to keep an eye on him."

"That's nice but it's okay I got it," he says with a soft tone," Enjoy the party, after all it's what parties are made for."

I nod as none of us dare to turn around and walk away.

"Flash, Betty is asking where your medicine cabinet is?" Ned interrupt our silence coming in between us.

"Oh um, yeah I'll show you," he says moving Ned along with him.

Alright that's enough!

Turning around I spot McCoy sitting and surrounded by his morons. I spot behind his made-up 'V.I.P' bench a classmate of mine filling up a cup of punch and the bulb lights up in my head.

Being self-centered he doesn't bring any of his attention upon me and stays floating upon his cloud of self-importance.

It allows me to scoot behind him and his friends' bench to the buffet where I pour myself a drink looking cautiously left and right.

I spot coming near me the classmate focused on a discussion with her friend trying to walk away before I turn around and purposely knock myself into her, the content of the drink falling on Garret.

He jolts up, swears and turns around to see the culprit of his punch shower.

"Oh no!" I faint concern, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you," I tell the girl I bumped into who is still dry as my aim was purposely focused on him, "Are you okay?"

Nodding she reassures me and brush off the incident walking behind me to get herself a drink.

"What the hell?!" McCoy barks.

I gasp, "Oh no, you're covered I'm so sorry. I was getting myself a drink and I didn't watch where I was going."

He drags his hand down his face to try and get rid of the punch a smirk appearing menacingly on his face.

"Sure, just an accident."

I double up the acting, "Yes! you know how clumsy I am," I say with conviction, hands on my heart.

"Maybe ask Flash if you can borrow his shower and look! You don't even have to change!" I say motioning to his bathing trunks.

He stomps away with determination and an idea behind his head that I don't take time to think about.

I'm going to stop caring and simply enjoy.

It's a party and parties are made to be enjoyed, Right?

And so that's what I try to do. I play some more pong, I eat snacks and drink soda. I dance around and talk and I manage to stay distanced away from Flash.

I do see him around enjoying his birthday and walking around welcoming guest after guest.

"So who do you think has the best defense? Black widow or Hawkeye?" Ned asks Susan Yang.

The two debate as we walk around the yacht.

Passing by the pool we are walking in front of the tanning chairs placed in front of the living room right under the balcony.

The sun is setting and the horizon sky mixes shades of pink, orange, and blue.

I chuckle at a defense Susan has in favor of Hawkeye when I hear a distant shout.

I feel a hot spot on my head that sends me to the floorboard with a pounding headache. My ears buzz and the electric shot travels from my skull to my spine and the rest of my body tearing a pained groan out of me.

When the zap is done traveling the pain returns to my skull, from the base of my hairline to the middle of my scalp.

The buzz in my ears settles down slowly allowing me to have a better understanding of my surroundings.

Screaming, mostly shouts of people around me. I can hear heated arguing and one of them sounds more defensive than the other

The shouting gets clearer as I feel a presence beside me, "Are you Okay?!"

It's Ned. I can't look at him as I'm still crouching in a fetal position my hands strongly pressing against my skull to help the pain subside.

I can feel my hand getting wet; it's hot too.

I hear a set of waddling feet and a cold sensation lands softly on my forehead.

"She's bleeding badly Flash!"

I recognize Betty's voice, cradling my face in one hand as she uses the other one to puts pressure with what I believe is an ice pack on my head.

The pressure accentuates the searing pain on my head but the temperature difference subsides it and lets me relax my eyes enough to be able to open them.

My vision is blurry. I don't know if it's from the possible concussion or the sudden light reaching my eyes but the fog blocking my view quickly disappears leaving place to the sight of a crowd surrounding me.

I'm confused, I don't know what's happening and the next thing my brain can register is Flash crouching in front of me.

He pushes Betty's hand away asking to get a look at my wound, and cradles my head inspecting the wound.

It's now that I realize how cold my skin is as his hands feel warm caressing my cheeks. He moves one of them from my cheek to my hair moving the strands to get a better look at my injury and stays silent, calculating his next words.

"Okay, get her inside."

His hands disappear from my face and I then get lifted by Ned and Betty, limping away from the scene with the ice pack back placed back on my head.

Passing through the living room I'm dragged to the stairs leading down as the music gets a bit more muted outside.

The lights inside the yacht gives the impression of daylight as the windows at this level of the structure are incapable of leting us see where we're going.

Passing doors we stop as Ned pushes one open to a dark bedroom.

"Okay let's sit you down, gently, gently," he repeats as Betty struggles to put me down.

I feel heavy. Heavy and dizzy.

In between their small talk, I hear the muffled noise outside.

The bed is comfy and with the darkness of the room only lit by the light coming through the closed door I feel my body giving out under me, swinging back and crashing onto the comfy pillows.

"Whoa there let's not go to sleep. you're not in a state to go to sleep," Betty says helping me back up.

My mouth feels pasty, "m'sleepy."

"You check on her, I'll get the first aid kit," she says holding me seated for a moment before jogging to another room and switching on the light that becomes the only source of visibility in the room.

My, my. I can actually think even with my injury

Am I concussioned?

"It's concussed and no I don't think you are. It's just a scratch," Ned says looking at my wound.

What?

"What, are you crazy? she bled all over!" Betty says upset.

"No trust me it's just superficial. Can you go get another ice pack?" Ned asks hurriedly.

"Why? this one's still fresh."

"No look it's dirty," he says showing the ice pack covered in blood.

From what I can see Betty looks confused and frustrated but in the end walks through the door, closing it behind her.

"Okay time to get our story straight."

"What are you talking about?" I slur a little.

"You're healing."

"What?" I ask more clearly.

"You're healing. Your super healing factor, duh."

Oh.

"Damn," I say more clearly, the realization causing a whiplash effect and sobering me up from my previous dizzy state.

"Yeah."

Betty walks back with her nose in her phone and an ice pack in her other hand.

"You'll never believe me," she says excited.

"Why do you sound so excited?" Ned ask.

"Brad Davis made a group chat and someone shared a video," she says plopping down beside me.

She turns her phone to us and we are met with the familiar sight of the party we're currently at.

The video shows McCoy face-to-face with Flash looking ready to fight.

"What's that?"

We cannot hear what they're saying but we can see Flash shoving Garret back and two classmates stepping in to somewhat show him they're ready to restrain him if needed as McCoy is getting shielded by his friends.

Flash throws an accusing finger toward the group of friends and motions toward the exit.

The audio is messed up, but even from afar you can see the uneasiness of Garret trying to talk in vain as Flash shoos him away along with his friends.

"Wow," Ned says bewildered.

"Yeah, you beat me to it," I say.

"It's gonna be messy, Flash and Garret's dads work together and I already know this video is gonna turn around," she says scrolling through the messages coming in hot.

The bedroom door opens again letting Flash walk in.

Betty turns off her phone and hides it under her leg at the speed of light.

My head is killing me.

"Hi. 'She okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, um nothing bad just a scratch," Ned says hoping to trick him.

"What? No, she bled all over."

Betty nods in agreement.

"See for yourself." Ned encourages.

Kneeling right in front of me, he probably thinks I'm still dizzy as his hands gently cradle my face with one hand and uses the other to brush away my hair to take a look at the gash.

"See, just a scratch," Ned says enthusiastically trying to get Flash to stop looking at the rapidly healing wound.

Taking a moment of silence his eyes glaze over as he thinks.

"It's still pretty big. I'll take care of that," he says standing up and walking to the nightstand where the first aid kit was placed by Betty.

Drowning a piece of cotton in disinfectant he turns back around to us, specifically to Ned and Betty seated beside me.

A moment of awkward silence is followed by him asking the two of them to move.

"Go back and enjoy the party. Cooper is at the DJ boot, he could teach you a thing or two Leeds." he bites.

"You too Brant, this isn't a show. Outside," he orders pointing to the door when his previous attempts don't work.

"Yeah sure." Betty squeaks jumping up and running out the door right behind Ned.

When it closes, we are left in the room with the party in full swing outside.

The bed dips beside me and I turn my head, accidentally making eye contact with him. I whip my head around to analyze the room I'm in and find very few items backing up my theory of the yacht being barely used.

His fingers grab my chin pulling my face back the other way to look at him once again.

I can see that he's a bit panicked at his action and opens his mouth to talk but decides against it and instead brushes my hair away to dab the disinfectant.

I suck in my teeth, trying to downplay my pain.

Strange. Not my first injury but weirdly enough a wound caused by a moron is more painful than one caused by a crook.

"Sorry," he murmurs, "You okay?" he asks sincerely.

"Yeah I think so," I try to reassure him as I attempt to remember the sequence of events that lead to this, "What happened?"

"You were walking around with your friends and you passed under the balcony. McCoy and his friend tried to pull a prank on you," he says turning back to switch to a clean cotton ball.

"McCoy said that he and Lawson filled up a huge storage box with water and were supposed to pour it on you and your friends, but with the weight of the box and how slippery it was it fell out of their hands and you right under it."

"That explains it," I say not asking for more, already knowing what followed next thanks to the video.

We go back to silence, this one more comfortable, at least for me as I now understand the origin of my wound.

Looking around I come to terms with a striking realization.

It's his room, Flash's room.

The corner of my eye is attracted by a sight that makes me gasp as I move away from his healing touch and crawl to the other side of the bed and pick it up.

"Hey come back here."

"You still have him!" I say jolly, showing him the Batman plushie I remember him dragging around when we were younger.

"Huh, yeah I'm not using him much these days so when we first visited my mom told me to bring a few things I don't use anymore."

I let out an 'aw' and play with the plushie a bit, inspecting the toy.

The color is still pretty solid for such an old stuffed toy. With small stitching here and there as well as the sweet smell of childhood or more likely the old cologne Flash used to steal from his dad to act 'smart' like him.

"Come back here so I can patch you up," he beckons me closer.

Crawling back the plushie still in hand, I sit back straight and closer to him so he can finish patching me up.

"He looks pretty rough did your mom stitch him up?" I ask trying to take attention away from our tense proximity.

"No, not my mom." he says closely, so close that I feel his breath on my cheek, "Also why would you think my mom stitched it? You don't think I can sew?"

"Did you sew it?" I ask with a coy smile already knowing the answer.

His fingers stop working on my cut and the silence is loud.

"No," he says failing to hide his pout.

I manage to hold in my laugh but can't help but let out a toothy smile.

He turns back to the first aid kit but I do catch a smile grazing his lips for a moment.

"Crap must've used my last band-aid on Brant. I'll go get you some," he says walking to the bathroom as I look back down to the plushie.

I did choose the right gift.

I hear stuff shuffling around as he rummages through the cabinet.

I can see my wrapped gift shining as the bathroom light hit it the right way.

I feel the bed dip and turn my head to see that he is back next to me and closer than before. Our faces are so close that we stay there gazing at each other for a moment in the dark.

I try to look away and my eyes are drawn down to a pack of band-aids.

Keeping my composure I reach out for the pack grazing his fingers as mine take a hold of the box.

I can still feel his gaze on me and look back up to his eyes who look glassed over.

I lift the pack to my face covering my mouth and nose and letting him see exactly what I see.

His eyes losses their fog and switches to the box for a split second before they close as he lets out an annoyed groan.

His reaction causes me to let go of the facade and fall into a fit of giggles.

"That is adorable."

He snatches the box back, the spider man pattern full on display.

"My mom was getting back from a business trip and went to a pharmacy. She saw this and told me she thought of me," he tries to justify the existence of the band-aid box.

"That is even cuter."

He groans again opening the pack and taking a single bandage throwing the box back behind him on the nightstand.

"No wait, hey! You don't even give me options?" I say sitting up on my knees and reaching behind him to the box.

I don't notice our faces and chest brushing close to each other as I try to reach the pack with the tip of my fingers.

Nudging it I manage to take a hold of the box and plop back down on the bed emptying the box on the bed and rummaging around the small pile of band-aids.

So many designs, webs, mini spider, and then me, Spider-Man as a cartoon in different heroic positions.

Maybe I should've trademarked myself. Sure monetizing being a hero is wrong but looking deeper into it, a bit of money coming from all those Spider-Man merch could help me a great deal.

The people must realize swinging around doesn't pay the bills.

Meh, they would never be able to send me the money without knowing who I am.

"This one," I say biting my lips to try to tame the big smile plastered on my face.

He looks like he just snapped back into reality and looks at the band-aid I chose.

Tidying up, he smiles as he throws the pack into his nightstand drawer before turning back to me.

His finger brushes against mine as I hand him the band-aid.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asks taking off the protective stripes before approaching the bandage to the edge of my hairline.

"You know, making you miss your party and everything."

"Don't feel too bad, I'd rather be in here than outside," he admits.

"Really? Why?"

At that he gets silent as his fingers mindlessly rub the side of the band-aid to secure it in place.

"Well, it's kinda boring.

"What's boring?"

He lean his arms back on the bed," The parties. I used to like them because I thought I was spending a good time with my friends but," he sigh, "But every year I realize more and more that I'm just a host."

I feel bad, I never noticed.

I know Flash Thompson, or at least I thought I did. I never would've thought he felt alone in a crowd of people.

I don't really know what to say…

But I know what to do.

Standing up I walk to and snatch up my gift from under a small blanket that failed to hide it.

Walking back to the bed I sit and hand him with the gift proudly in my hands.

"Then let's get you back from host to birthday boy," I say with a smile.

His stare switches from me to the gift before he chuckles and roll his eyes, leaning back up taking the present .

He is delicate with the unwrapping, probably to not disturb the semi-silence we are in.

The wrapping now off, he delicately lifts off the lid of the box before smiling. The most genuine smile I've ever seen gracing his face.

He lifts it slowly, almost scared to break it.

"I was struggling to find a gift I liked but then my aunt May was dusting up her dresser and found a box full of pictures from 1st grade and I remembered him," I say pointing to the batman plushy in my hands.

He is silent and analyses it like it is a jewel.

"I didn't know what to get you and then I remembered that you were probably going to invite friends that were gonna get you something way more useful so I decided on something more pretty than handy," I say with an awkward laugh.

He inspects the Spider-man plushy with an adoring look as if he was holding a newborn.

"I love it, thank you."

"Won't be the best gift of the night but at least I know you'll keep him around."

"How would you know that?" he ask a bit cocky.

"It's spider-man, you'd never throw him out."

"Not that, how do you know it won't be the best gift of the night?"

His stare is intense, like he is trying to read me.

"Well," I chuckle trying to make the next statement sound less pathetic, "You've seen your gift table? you probably have many more gifts that'll be more useful and fun."

"Bullshit, you can't know that," he says confidently.

"Flash, I heard McCoy brag about the computer he bought you!" I exclaim, "No one can compete with that!"

"Whatever, McCoy keeps buying me things I already have. The computer? 3rd one he's bought me," he exclaims leaning back on the bed lying on his side, his feet dangling down on the floor.

"Might not be big or expensive but it doesn't mean it's not good," he explains.

I lie down too turning my head to him as I cross my hands on my stomach.

"Like the band-aids."

He chuckles quietly, the coziness of the situation is unexpected. If you had told me just a month ago that I would be lying in a bed with Flash Thompson, I would have had the biggest fits of laughter.

He reaches out to me and secures the band-aid on my forehead once more, the sides of it seemingly getting caught in my baby hair.

"I'm sure a ton of other people bought Spider-man stuff too."

"Yeah but it's only because I always talk about him. You went out of your way to think about your gift, you didn't just get me Spider-man because I like Spider-man," he says grabbing his two plushies.

"Sure, might have been random that you found old pictures from 1st grade, but you remembered and thought about your gift according to that," he says jiggling the Batman plushy before using its arm to nudge my nose.

I chuckle as I snatch the plushy away from my face.

I inspect it once more and this time I try to imagine the story behind every little flaws on the old plush.

I try to compare it to the new one when I make eye contact with him.

He lies there frozen, plushie lying beside him.

I feel like I'm in a bubble, at peace and at the same time caught in a storm.

I see him getting closer, supporting himself with his hand planted on the bed as he approaches me painfully slow.

He's right in front of me, our noses brushing against each other as my eyes closes in instinct and I feel his lips on mine.

My blood boils in my veins and I feel euphoric. I don't get to think much about it or even kiss back before he pulls back.

I don't hear the party anymore, nothing outside of our breathing.

What's the look in his eyes, regret? fear? sadness?

I don't get to find out as a knock on the door throws both of us on our feet.

Strangely enough I feel the desperate need to tug at my clothes and tidy myself up as he clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair.

"What is it?" he asks, his question aimed at the door and the one behind it.

"Is everything okay in there?"

It's Ned.

"Huh, yeah, yeah it's all good," Flash answers.

"You sure?"

"Yeah Ned it's all good!" I yell reassuring him.

"Okay. I'm gonna go get you a soda, take your time but don't lie down you can't fall asleep."

I hear his footsteps disappear in the distance leaving us back to the awkward silence.

"I should get back out there. The party can't go on without me now, can it?" he cuts the silence in a joking way along with an awkward laugh.

He turns and stares at me, analyzing me and let his hand rise to my head securing the bandage once more.

He lowers it by his side as he walks to the door, hesitant to open it.

His back is facing me and I pound over it, over our previous conversation.

"Do you hate it here?" I ask anxiously.

"I don't hate it but I do believe this party is not really about me. Like I said I'm more of a host and I just wish that for my birthday I could enjoy my day, you know?" he says shyly as if saying it would make him selfish somehow.

I don't know how to bring it up and I'm afraid my current silence is too long and making him rethink his choice to tell me the truth.

"Do you want to be here?" I ask.

He stays silent but I recognize the glint in his eyes.

I discover that these past few weeks I learned to read Flash Thomson with more ease than ever before.

I wait for him to answer by himself even though I know the answer. I wait him to feel at peace knowing he can be honest with me.

"No not really."

His shoulders drop a bit and I can see the relief that fills him at the confession.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?"

He looks at me confused and I interrupt his inner monologue.

"I can't make the day about you but maybe I can save your night and make it all about you."

"I can't leave the party unattended my parents would kill me," he chuckles nervously.

"They don't have to know. It's what? 11? We'll be back before 1 AM."

He contemplates and I can see the hesitation in his eyes being replaced by a dash of confidence.

"Okay let's do this, let's see what you have to offer at night in New York City," he says, a genuine smile gracing his lips.

I can see the excitement in his body, the giddy nature barely concealed by his beaming smile.

Another knock sends Flash swinging the door open to reveal Ned standing there with a can of coke in hand.

"Is Leeds coming?" he asks, sounding mildly inconvenienced.

"Yeah."

"Fine," he says brushing the new information aside unlike Ned who is still standing frozen in the doorway.

Passing right beside him, Flash walks away with determination.

"Where are you going?" I ask him.

"To get coats. It's summer but the cold is still present not taking any chances Parker," he shouts skipping away.

"What just happened?"

"We're going on an adventure Ned," I say confidently.

Don't hesitate to give me feedback!

A new side of you: Summer evening

#flash thompson x reader #flash thompson imagine #Flash thompson fanfic #spiderman homecoming #spiderman homecoming imagine #spiderman: far from home #flash thompson

[unreliablesnake]

Of reverse love and stuff: Good news, bad news (Eobard Thawne x OFC x Harrison Wells)

Summary: Eobard comes to see Nina with good news, but all she has are bad news.

Note: If you want to know when I post new stuff, follow @unreliablesnakefics. If you want to read other parts of this series, check the #orlas tag.

Eobard had a big smile on his face when his eyes fell on her in the middle of the crowded bar, and before she could say anything, he closed the gap between them and kissed her gently, clearly taking his time and enjoying every moment of their reunion. He was in a good mood, better than he usually was in when they met for their monthly dates, and Nina suddenly felt guilty for what she was about to do tonight.

“It’s gonna be cruel, I know that, but it has to be done tonight. I can’t waste more time,” Harrison had told her on the phone earlier that day, seconds after he warned her about Eobard’s expected arrival in the afternoon.

So she was now sitting across from him in a secluded booth, nursing a cocktail that was too bright for her current mood, but since his boyfriend decided to pick her favorite, she didn’t complain, only flashed a thankful smile at him. Her foot was tapping furiously from the nervousness that took over her system, and it was hard to pay attention to the small talk he began with.

She knew he had something important to say, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it could be. His bright smile and generally happy attitude made her curious, which is exactly why she put her feelings aside for a second to focus on him. Nina reached out to put her hand on his and she even flashed a smile at him when he looked at her.

“Why don’t you tell me what got you this excited?” she asked him.

“I found him. I found out what time period the Flash is from,” Eobard replied with an incredulous laugh. “After all those trips, I finally found out, and you know what? I found him only a few years from now.”

That was good news. He had been trying to pinpoint his enemy’s location in the timeline for a while now, but knowing he finally succeeded made her proud. “Congratulations, I guess. What now?”

He intertwined his fingers with hers as he thought about the answer. “I need to find out who’s behind the mask. That’s gonna be a tough one,” he admitted, but she could tell he kept the second half of the sentence to himself so he wouldn’t sound too arrogant.

Nina let out a short laugh at this. “You’ll figure it out. If anyone, you can do it,” she told him with a reassuring smile.

“I know we can’t meet as often as we should, but I’m trying. When I travel in time, getting home is usually the tricky part, but I do my best to keep this relationship alive,” he told her, though she couldn’t really understand what it was all about. Eobard only stopped for a second to raise her hand he was holding and place a soft kiss on it. “I love you, Nina. I know you love me, I will never forget that, and I want you to know that I’ll always be there for you.”

It was strange. Eobard wasn’t the emotional type, something must have happened that made him say things like this. “What’s gotten into you?” she asked with a chuckle.

Eobard leaned back into his seat with a satisfied smirk on his face. “Nothing, I’m just in a good mood. Is it a crime?” She shook her head with a smile as she did the same. “I missed you, darling. I always miss you, especially when I go home alone,” he explained, his words only leaving more question marks behind.

“Then don’t go,” Nina said out of nowhere, going against everything Harrison had told her. She was supposed to break up seemingly, not ask him to stay with her.

“You know I can’t stay.”

It hurt her. Sure, she had his older version all to herself now, but that wasn’t the same. She wanted this version of Eobard, her boyfriend, the man who had saved her life a few months ago. She wanted to be selfish, a part of her wanted to ask for more of his time despite knowing full well he was busy trying to identify his greatest enemy.

Her phone buzzed on the table and she took a quick glance at the phone. It was a message from Harrison, he wanted to know if she had told him the news. With a groan, she turned off the screen and returned her attention to her boyfriend. But Eobard wasn’t stupid, he knew something was up.

He watched her with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds, but when he realized she wasn’t about to tell him, he leaned closer to ask, “Nina, what’s going on?”

“I need to tell you something,” she began hesitantly, having no idea where to begin. “We… I can’t be with you. Not publicly, I mean,” she quickly corrected herself when she saw the look on his face.

“What do you mean by we can’t be together publicly?” he asked, the anger in his voice easily detectable by now.

“You–an older version of you–told me I officially have to be with Harrison, not you. I’m just doing what you told me,” Nina added nervously.

Eobard took a deep breath then exhaled slowly as he thought about what to say next. It was clear he was mad, probably planning his escape from her by now, but he behaved because he wanted to know more. “Why would I believe that?” he asked.

“You told me that’s how you would react. You said something like you should trust me because I’m not Rose. Whatever that means,” she added.

He licked his lips as his hazel eyes were fixed on her. “Let me get this straight. My older version wants you to break up with me so you could date Wells? What’s in it for me?”

Nina shrugged. She wasn’t allowed to say more than this. “I have no idea. But I’m apparently allowed to see you in secret,” she pointed out.

The air was heavy with tension and she didn’t know what else to say. By now she knew how hot headed he could be, and hearing this must have been hard for his ego. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would jump out of his ribcage as she waited for him to finally say something.

But he only shook his head and stormed out of the bar without saying anything. Nina let her forehead hit the table with a loud thud once he was gone, and it was a tough battle to fight back her tears. Her phone buzzed again. And again. It drew a groan out of her as she reached for the device and looked at the notifications.

Harrison was losing his patience at home. She sent him a text to calm him down, saying she would stop by later to tell him about this meeting, but he insisted on meeting her as soon as possible. So she collected her jacket and bag, then went outside to call a taxi. After the conversation with Eobard, the last thing she wanted was facing his other version.

Once she got out of the car in front of his house, she had to take a deep breath to convince herself to go inside. “I can do this,” she said to herself.

Harrison let her in through the gate without a question, and already waited for her at the front door with his arms folded over his chest. Nina stopped a few feet away from him, keeping a comfortable distance for now. The disappointment could be seen on his face, but there was something else too, something she couldn’t quite decode yet.

“How did it go?” he asked her softly.

“What do you think?” she snapped, surprising him with the reaction. “He just left. I don’t know where he went, for a moment I even thought of the possibility of him coming here to punch you or something.”

Silence fell between them but she wasn’t worried about it. For the first time since she had known him, silence felt nice. But then he ruined it by opening his arms and taking a step closer to her. “Come here, sweetheart.”

“You fucked everything up, Harrison. What if I never see him again?” she asked him worriedly, fighting back her tears for the second time in a matter of hours.

“You will. He loves you, Nina, he will always come back to you,” he assured her as he pulled her into a hug, but she couldn’t believe him. “Trust me, he’ll return. He just needs to calm down a bit first.”

#orlas #eobard thawne x ofc #eobard thawne x oc #eobard thawne #harrison wells x oc #harrison wells x ofc #harrison wells #reverse flash x oc #reverse flash #eowells x ofc #eowells x oc #eowells #the flash #legends of tomorrow

[unreliablesnakefics]

#orlas #eobard thawne #harrison wells #the flash #legends of tomorrow #eobard thawne x oc #harrison wells x oc #reverse flash #reverse flash x oc

[alex-aquarus]

#Crackship #Crackship gif #Matt Letscher #Lyndsy Fonseca #Matt Letscher crackship #Lyndsy Fonseca crackship #Matt Letscher x Lyndsy Fonseca #Eobard Thawne #Reverse Flash #Alexandra Udinov #Alex Winslow #The Flash #Nikita #The Flash OC #The Flash imagine #Reverse Flash imagine

[lillianawayne99]

CastAway Chapter 24

Pairing: Gojo, Itadori, Sukuna, Nanami X OC

Genre: Action Romance

Word Count: 2.6

Warnings: Teacher-Student relationship, canon with a twist, reverse harem, smut, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, violence, major character death, smut chapters will have specific warnings

Synopsis: Calliope, a wolf in sheep's clothing, enrolls at Jujutsu Tech to protect herself from a world she's never seen before. In her efforts to stay alive, she finds relationships that could mend her soul or tear her apart.

Previous Chapter // CastAway // Masterlist

Twisting as I fell, I managed to land on all fours only to get kicked in the ribs. The force of the kick sent me onto my back. Luckily, I was able to see Sukuna aim for my head and managed to roll out of the way, scrambling back to my feet.

Fueled by pain, frustration, and rage, I somehow managed to tap into the lighter half of my power. Shifting to the side to avoid Sukuna’s next punch, I funneled all my strength into my fist and hit him in the chest with a blinding flash of white light.

My feet were rooted to the ground as I watched in horror while he flew backwards. 

The sound of him crashing into a tree snapped me out of my daze. My feet moved before I knew what I was doing, or where I was going. The seconds it took me to reach him felt like hours as I watched him crumple to the ground. 

His body laid nearly flat on the ground, his shoulders leaned against the tree he hit with his head slumped forward. My hands instinctively flew to his chest, feeling him over for damage. He grasped my arms, using me to steady himself as he adjusted to rest against the tree in a more comfortable position.

“Good one, little mouse,” Sukuna groaned. 

I woke from the series of dreams with a jolt and a gasp, my hand flying to my chest above my racing heart. My sudden movement must have woken Yuuji, he rolled onto his side to wrap his arm across my chest. When I took a steadying breath and turned to face him, it was Sukuna looking at me with concern in his four red eyes.

“What’s wrong, pet?” He asked while pulling me closer. 

Glancing over his shoulder to see Gojo had already left for the day, I relaxed into his arms and pressed my head to his chest. “Bad dreams.”

Sukuna tightened his hold on me, tucking my head under his chin. His fingers gently ran along the length of my spine. When he reached the small of my back, he retraced his movements. 

Lying in his arms, all I could think about was my conversation with Getou and the questions I was left with. Was he right when he said Sukuna wanted me to be his queen? Would he, did he, listen to me? He promised to protect me until he was whole, but it was impossible for Getou to know that.

When he made the promise, I thought it was a trick. I was certain he’d try to kill me again the moment the promise was fulfilled, but now, I wasn’t so sure. He hadn’t said a cruel word nor raised a hand against me since, apart from our sparring match. Even then, I could tell he was holding back. 

He riled me up and gave me a challenge, but I never felt malicious intent from him. It didn’t feel as if he was holding back due to the promise. It seemed like he genuinely didn’t want to see me hurt. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Sukuna’s question pulled me from my thoughts, back to the present.

I shifted to look up into his eyes. They were pulled together slightly. As I considered his question, he gently brushed my hair out of my face.

“Do you love me?” I blurted out without thinking.

He froze, his fingers in my hair and red eyes trained on my face. After a few moments, he blinked and dropped his hand to my shoulder. 

“I don’t know what love feels like,” He admitted. Noticing my expression fall and gaze drop to his chest, he cupped my chin and turned me to face him again. “But, your description the other day … it fits.”

His hand brushed along my neck to my shoulder, down my arm, to grasp my hand and place it over his heart. I could faintly feel it beating steadily under our hands. 

“Sukuna-”

“Be with me.” He interrupted before I could say anything else. His eyes burned with determination, and a decision he wasn’t sure about until now. “Join me, and stay by my side. Be mine.”

“Sukuna, I-”

“I know you care for Yuuji and Gojo, I’m not asking you to leave them.” Rough, calloused fingers caressed my cheek before settling under my chin, keeping my gaze locked on his. 

“Then, what are you asking?” I gazed up at him as he opened his mouth to speak, wondering if Getou was right.

A sharp, quick knock at the front door interrupted him. It was Ijichi, here to collect Yuuji and I for the day. Sukuna glared at the bedroom door before sighing and pressing a kiss to my forehead.

“We’ll talk about this later,” He murmured, his body stiffening.

Back in control of his body, Yuuji squeezed me tightly, comfortingly, before letting go and getting out of bed. The two of us rushed to get ready, eating quickly, before leaving with Ijichi.

I tried to listen as he explained what we were doing today, but all I could focus on was how it seemed Getou was right about Sukuna. He did a terrible job of showing it, but the curse cared about me, in his own way. 

As we drove through the city, an unmistakable, cold heaviness hung in the air. It grew stronger as Ijichi drove.

“Stop the car!” I shouted, jerking forward until my head was between the front seats.

“What?” Ijichi glanced over at me, starting to tremble from my outburst. “Here?”

“Yes, here! Do you remember what happened the last time you didn’t stop fast enough?” I demanded, preparing to hit the brakes myself.

“I remember,” He answered warily, slowing down and bringing the car to the curb.

The moment the car was stopped, I jumped out and bolted, following the cursed energy. What was a special grade doing in the middle of the city? Why were we investigating a high school student with a special grade on the loose? Had anyone been dispatched to exorcise it? 

Hoping I would run into a first or special grade sorcerer, I stopped in the middle of an alleyway. The cursed energy was coming from below my feet. With a muttered swear, I searched the ground until I found a manhole nearby and lowered myself into the sewers.

Once my feet touched the ground, I reached for my power and cautiously made my way through the tunnels. Following the trail of cursed energy, I heard the fight before I saw it. It felt like an eternity as I watched the fight, waiting for an opening. I stayed close behind them, but far enough they didn’t seem to notice me.

Nanami was facing off with a humanoid, scarred curse with long, blue hair and mismatched eyes. He wielded a short, wide sword wrapped in a white and black cloth while the curse manipulated its shape. 

Mahito effortlessly elongated his arms to attack Nanami, then shortened them back to normal to block the sorcerer’s attacks. Finally having a moment when he was distracted, I darted in. Reaching for my power, I didn’t have time to care which side I pulled from.

As Mahito held Nanami’s sword in one hand and went to attack with the other, I jumped forward and grabbed his outstretched arm. Using my momentum, I pulled him with me as I dropped back to the ground. The moment my feet hit the ground, I twisted his arm and punched him square in the chest, a wave of pure energy crashing into the curse.

His face contorted into surprised pain before he quickly regained control of himself, his lips curling into a curious, malicious grin. As his skin started to move under my hand, I quickly let go and jumped backwards. I was aware of my soul, but unsure if I could protect it against his technique. 

Glancing behind the curse to see Nanami picking up his weapon, I carefully moved around Mahito. As I shifted closer to Nanami, I watched him check his watch out of the corner of my eye.

“Davis-chan,” He addressed me with an annoyed huff. When I glanced at him with a nod, he placed his sword in the waistband of his pants and moved to remove his tie as his cursed energy began to increase. “Unfortunately, I’m going into overtime now. Let’s end this quickly.”

“Hm,” I grunted back in agreement. I didn't want to be here much longer either.

He offered me a quick, supportive nod then we moved. While I attacked Mahito directly, encasing my hands in cursed energy, Nanami darted toward the wall. Mahito seemed interested in what Nanami was doing, but focused on me the second I entered his range. 

Exchanging blows with Mahito was difficult and exhausting. Due to his youth, feints worked well against him at first. He didn’t understand how to read my body language past where I led him. And yet, I had to be more vigilant each time he responded with an attack of his own. 

With every punch, dodge, and swing, I goaded him toward Nanami. When a loud bang and following crash resounded toward Mahito, he glanced toward the noise. Using the opening, I funneled my cursed energy to my fists and socked him in the jaw. His attention diverted, I kept him in place until darting away at the last second.

As rubble filled with cursed energy fell onto the curse, Nanami appeared at my side. Panting, I looked up at him to see a hint of appreciation and concern behind his glasses. With a short nod and tilt of his head, he led me out of the sewers. 

I walked a few steps behind him, keeping an eye on the darkness behind us. I couldn’t feel Mahito’s cursed energy following us, but I didn’t want to risk the curse sneaking up on us. After another glance back, I nearly walked into Nanami. 

He stared down at me, his stoic expression impossible to read. Brown eyes darted behind me before his lips pursed slightly. When he reached for my hand, I noticed red staining his shirt. 

Swatting his hand away, I felt my face contort into concern as I grabbed his jacket and pulled him to the side. He huffed and tried to push my hands away, but I forced them into his jacket. Grabbing his sides, I felt the warm slickness of his blood seeping through his clothes.

“Davis-chan,” There was a warning in his tone, but I ignored it as I felt his torso over for other injuries. After a few moments, he grasped my wrists and pushed them away. “I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding!” I snapped back, glaring up at him, but I knew he could see my worry with the way his expression softened. 

“Come on, we need to get out of here.” He gently let go of me, placing a hand on the back of my arm. 

With a soft huff, I stepped forward, away from the curse and back toward the light outside. Wiping the blood on my hands onto my skirt, I pretended not to notice how Nanami slowed to match my pace. Every time I cast a glance behind us, the back of his hand brushed against mine. 

Annoyed with how deep into the tunnels we’d gone and sore my muscles had gotten, I groaned quietly and rolled my shoulders. Normal fights took a lot out of you, but using cursed energy was worse. It usually took a bit before the adrenaline wore off, but I could already feel the fatigue slipping in. 

“We’re almost there,” Nanami interrupted my sudden irritability, his tone gentle as he wrapped his hand around mine. 

Unsure if the gesture was his way of offering support, keeping me on my feet, or for his own wants, I hesitated for a moment before wrapping my fingers around his hand. As we walked, I realized I didn’t care about his intentions. It was one of the few times I easily accepted it when someone offered me affection for the first time.

With his warm, calloused fingers dwarfing my hand, the rest of the walk into a store’s bathroom didn’t feel as long. When I slipped into the family bathroom behind him, he merely glanced at me while I locked the door.

Not wanting to waste energy trying to convince me to leave, Nanami quickly discarded his jacket and shirt onto the sink. The only reaction he gave his injury was a quiet hiss as the cut stretched with his movements. 

“Let me see,” I demanded, my feet carrying me forward as I reached for him.

“I’ve got it,” He dismissed, brushing my hands away. 

As he turned to face me, I noticed how close I’d gotten to him. Pushing away my doubts about following him into the bathroom, I glared up at him and refused to move.

“I’m sure you do, but I can help.” Ignoring the way he raised his brow at me, I looked back at the blood running down his side. 

Reaching for him again, I swatted his hands away as he tried to push me away. Quickly realizing I wouldn’t back down, Nanami leaned back on the sink while I assessed the damage. It was fairly deep and I was exhausted from the fight, but I was determined to prove my worth to him.

Placing my hands on his skin, I gently held the sides of the cut together and closed my eyes. With a deep breath, I first felt for my own power then reached out around us. Grasping every living thing - bugs, animals, people - near us, I pulled their energy into myself then poured it into Nanami through my hands.

He grunted and flinched as I worked, but stayed still. The heat from his gaze burned into my head as I healed him. Using the energy around us, I forced his muscles, veins, nerves, and skin back together. 

Once I was finished, I let out a relieved, tired sigh, and released my power. Swaying slightly from the exertion, I looked up as he gently grasped my arms. He’d taken his glasses off at some point, letting me easily see something in his eyes for the first time.

He was relaxed yet tense at the same time. His expression was soft, gentle, but reserved. His warm, brown eyes shone with understanding, respect, and hint of reverence. It was almost like he was thinking about worshiping me. 

One of his hands shifted to my waist while the other gently ran up my arm to cup my chin. With his thumb on my cheek, slowly moving back and forth, he tilted his head in thought.

“You didn’t use a cursed technique to heal me,” His words were phrased as a statement, but there was a question in his tone.

“No, I didn’t,” I responded calmly, resisting the urge to close my eyes and lean into his touch.

“I didn’t believe Gojo-san when he told me what you were.” Noticing the beginnings of annoyance in my eyes, Nanami reassuringly squeezed my waist. “But he wasn’t lying, or exaggerating, was he?”

I slowly shook my head, unintentionally shaking off his hand. Nanami nodded back and dropped his hand to my shoulder. He looked over my head, processing what had happened. 

“We should get cleaned off,” I stated the obvious in an attempt to break the moment, but he didn’t move. 

As if my voice had brought him out of a daze, Nanami’s eyes slowly shifted back down to me. His grip tightened, but not nearly enough to be uncomfortable. I could see he was still thinking about something, but I couldn’t tell what.

“We should,” He agreed, but it didn’t sound like he’d fully processed my words.

“Nan-” I moved to let go of where my hands had fallen to rest on his sides, but froze when his lips landed on mine.

Reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated! © LillianaWayne - all rights reserved. Do not copy, modify, repost, or share on other platforms without my express, written permission.

#jjk fanfic #gojo satoru fanfic #itadori yuuji fanfic #nanami kento fanfic #sukuna fanfic #jjk reverse harem #lilliwrites #calliope davis

[superwhoflarrow123rp]

LOOKING FOR THE FLASH OR LEGENDS OF TOMORROW ROLEPLAY! (ON DISCORD)

Hello there, my fellow Arrowverse fans!

I’m looking for anyone who may be interested in doing a Roleplay based on either The Flash, or Legends of Tomorrow.

PREFERENCES:

- Semi Literate to Literate

- OC Friendly

- Cannon x OC Only (Double-Ups aren’t preferred but will be accepted!)

CHARACTERS I’M LOOKING FOR:

The Flash ⚡️

- Hunter Zolomon|Zoom

- Barry Allen|The Flash

- Eobard Thawne|Reverse Flash (Both versions!)

Legends of Tomorrow 🚀

- Ray Palmer|The Atom

- Nate Heywood|Citizen Steel

- John Constantine

(Also looking for Eobard Thawne from the second season!)

MY DISCORD:

JustAGirl1864#6950

#cc x oc rp #the flash #the flash rp #arrowverse #arrowverse roleplay #arrowverse rp #legends of tomorrow #legends of tomorrow rp #legends of tomorrow roleplay #discord rp #discord #discord roleplay #cc x oc #dc universe #dctv rp #dctv #dc rp #dc roleplay