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somedaylazysomeday · 3 months

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A Boon - Part Six

A sleepless night looms ahead, but you don't want to fill it with conversation.

Thranduil x fem!reader

Rating: Explicit. Minors DNI

Word Count: 3,800

Warnings: Teasing, fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, emotional misunderstanding, emotional vulnerability

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It was impossible to tell how much time had passed before Thranduil spoke again - minutes and hours meaningless in the darkness of the night.

“Will you still not tell me what steals your slumber?” Thranduil’s low voice rumbled, perfectly fitting the velvet shadows filling the room. “Unburdening yourself may help you sleep.”

You shook your head, knowing he could hear the motion as clearly as speech. “I doubt it. But perhaps you can help in a different way… if you are willing.”

There was a pause in which you prepared to assure him that he was under no obligation to you. But then Thranduil’s hand released yours to grasp your waist instead. In a fluid motion, he had rolled over to loom above you in the darkness.

“I would be a poor lover indeed if I allowed you to suffer when there is hope of providing respite.”

“So magnanimous,” you teased.

“Always,” he agreed, a bare instant before his lips brushed yours once and again, deepening into something tinged with urgency.

You melted eagerly into the kiss and wormed your way closer, welcoming every touch of your body against his. He was big and solid and so wonderfully warm, especially when he cradled your jaw in his hand to deepen the kiss further.

You hadn’t given much thought to where his other hand might be, not until you felt it high on your thigh and moving steadily inward. You gave a pleased little mutter and parted your legs so he could have space to move between them.

Thranduil’s hand was against the very heart of you, cupping your mound, but he had gone still. You could feel the way his middle finger was lying along your seam, but that finger was not pressing into your core and his palm was not pressing against your clit. Still, there was something oddly intense about the way he was holding you, his grip possessive as he claimed your mouth in a leisurely siege.

When his fingers did start moving, they were slow and gentle as they stroked your folds, teasing the most sensitive part of you. You were squirming under that attention, but unwilling to pull your lips from his to make a complaint. Thranduil finally took pity on you, sinking a finger deep into your heat.

Your body parted eagerly around the intrusion, pulling him deeper. The thickness of that single digit simultaneously felt like the greatest relief you had ever felt and not nearly enough for you.

When he stopped moving, your hips lifted to impale yourself more firmly. The heel of his hand was barely short of brushing your clit, and you could feel the heat of him so close… The stimulation it promised stayed tantalizingly out of reach, no matter how hard you tried to get there.

You were pouting into your kiss when Thranduil finally relented. That finger started pushing gently in and out of you, more of a stroking gesture than a true thrust, but it was enough to make your heart race.

Thranduil was a patient lover. He always had been, and it was one of his greatest strengths. He took his time, carefully drawing every bit of pleasure he could possibly plumb from your depth before he allowed either of you to rest. He had teased you in the past about the desperate speed of humans and how they could only hope to achieve the intensity of elven practices. It was maddening.

Fortunately, you had quickly figured out a particular quirk of Thranduil’s: when he was so deeply involved in teasing sensations out of you, he was susceptible to his own needs. He could fight off the draw of pleasure alone, but when that pleasure was dashed with just a hint of pain, it was as if his mind was taken over by the startling contrast.

With the way he was tormenting you, you could hardly be blamed for giving him a long stroke - fingers at the precise level of tightness that made him weak - even as you delivered a sharp nip to his lower lip.

Thranduil pulled away to release a harsh sound, a rough combination of shock and keen interest, and stared down at you with a sharp look in his eyes. Those eyes had a sudden wildness to them, the tremendous sense of age in them edged with something you could only describe as a blunt and determined sort of intensity.

He was going to take you apart, and you could think of nothing you wanted more.

When Thranduil started moving once again, there was nothing soft or gentle about it. His finger pulled free of you only for it to return with another. Those two fingers thrust deep without a moment’s hesitation, stretching you sharply as you gasped and arched helplessly against your pillows.

“Thranduil,” you gasped, clutching at the sheets, his arms… anything within reach that could possibly help you ground yourself against the feeling of his teasing fingers.

He glanced from between your legs and up to your face. His expression was light and joyful, utterly mischievous. “Yes, lover?”

Now that you had his attention, you were uncertain of what you might want with it. The best you could muster was a soft and trembling, “Please.”

Thranduil smiled, drawing another gasp as his fingers twisted inside of you. “Do not worry, little one. I know precisely what you need.”

With that vaguely threatening promise, Thranduil set to work pulling you apart. His fingers pushed and stroked, thumb teasing intermittently against your clit - no rhythm you could decipher with your preoccupied mind. That meant that you could not anticipate his movements, and you were left to Thranduil’s mercy as he worked you steadily toward an orgasm.

And it was no accident that Thranduil was not known for his mercy.

When you fell apart, you arched up off the bed, held in place only by Thranduil’s arm bracing your hips. Your hands were clutching desperately at his forearms, and it was a miracle that he didn’t seemed bothered by the way your nails were biting into his skin. Your legs slammed shut around his hand, holding him in place as your core worked to drag him deeper inside of you.

Thranduil worked you through it, movements steady and inexorable until you were quivering and breathless beneath him. Weakly, you pushed his hand away - though you had to remember to release it from the vice of your thighs first.

“Well, my queen?” Thranduil inquired, leaning over to study you from a closer angle. “Do you find yourself ready for sleep?”

You made a face at his teasing tone, but you did not truly mind it. He was subtly asking whether or not you wished to continue your activities. There were days on which you preferred to orgasm once (or not at all) and be done with things so that you did not become overstimulated. Fortunately, that tended not to happen with Thranduil.

“I am afraid not,” you told him with a sigh. “Though I understand if you are too tired to continue.”

It was a game between the two of you, just as much a part of your relationship as his proposals. Thranduil grinned at you, as delighted to play his part as he ever was. “Not so, little mortal. I am ever ready to ensure your satisfaction.”

You smiled back, but it was halfhearted. The endearment he had chosen struck a little too close to your preoccupied thoughts for comfort, and your urgency was genuine as you pulled him back down for another kiss.

There was a hesitation to Thranduil’s lips and you worried for a moment that he would pull away to ask what was wrong. That was a conversation you had no interest in having with him at that particular moment, so you slipped your tongue between Thranduil’s lips, dueling briefly with his until he seemed utterly distracted.

And then, just to be certain, you slung one of your legs over his narrow hips, repositioning yourself until you were straddling him. His length was pressed against you, insistent and impossible to ignore, but not breaching you.

You intended to fix that.

“Are- Are you ready?” you asked, trying not to openly pant. As was often the case with Thranduil, your orgasm had not quenched your thirst so much as piqued your hunger. The sight of him beneath you, his pretty hair spread across your pillows, made your body tighten with unmistakable need.

“For you?” Thranduil asked, and even in the handful of seconds since you had asked your question, you had already forgotten it. “Always.”

You pulsed your hips forward and back, the movements a mindless mimicry of the way Thranduil’s hips moved when he took you. Thranduil planted his heels on the bed and pushed upward, shoving himself more firmly against you until you remembered precisely what your question had been… and what his answer gave you permission to start doing.

When your hand wrapped around Thranduil’s length, he twitched and thrust into the air at the feeling. It took your full strength to push his hips back to the bed. Even then, you knew it was only because he allowed you to reposition him.

Your fingers around the base of Thranduil’s shaft held him in place as you pressed the broad head to your entrance. As always, he felt impossibly large as you lowered yourself onto him. Perhaps it was the position that always made you feel the burning stretch. More likely, it was that you were unable to slow your pace when you took him this way. You needed him now, not when your body said you could have him.

But he was barely inside of you before he was catching your hips, holding you in place and preventing you from sinking down in one desperate stroke. You made a wordless noise of frustration, opening your eyes to stare at him in confused irritation.

“Slowly, love, slowly,” he urged. “I want to feel you. I want you to feel me.”

You tried to ignore that direction, but Thranduil’s fingers were firm on your hips, guiding you achingly slowly downward. Even as your irritation grew toward the elvenking, you could not argue that this was more intense. Thranduil’s shaft seemed even more impossibly long this way, fed slowly into you bit by bit until it felt like he was stretching up inside your torso, fighting his way toward your heart.

The muscles of your core worked and gripped and twitched around him. Thranduil seemed as entranced as you were, his lips moving as if he was speaking softly, so softly that his words were completely inaudible to you.

When you were finally fully seated on him, feeling utterly impaled on the thick intrusion of his length inside of you, both of you made matching noises of inarticulate pleasure. You were unaware that your hands were braced against his chest until he gently cupped his over the back of one.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” you asked.

Thranduil looked at you with confusion, then with dawning delight. “Why, my queen. Are you asking for me to tell you how lovely I find you? Because I am happy to do so, though I will expect you to refrain from implying that I am the egotistical one in our relationship in the future…”

“No, you have full claim over any ego between us,” you countered immediately. It was difficult to think with his hardness buried so deeply inside of you, but this seemed important enough to gather whatever wits remained available to you. “I meant that you were saying something. I could not hear you, but I felt that I needed to.”

A wry expression twisted its way across Thranduil’s face. Worry grew in your stomach, and your voice was quiet when you asked, “Is it something so terrible?”

Thranduil shook his head, fingertips rising to keep your face aimed at his. “Not at all. I simply worry that you will realize that our shared pleasure is weighted in my favor. It is impossible that I can bring you pleasure equal to the pleasure you bring me.”

“Did we not just discuss ego?” you asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I believe you have no concept of the way you make me feel,” Thranduil said solemnly, light eyes locked with yours. You stilled, trying to decipher what he meant with this serious turn. You felt a stab of fear as you wondered whether Storr would be proved correct. This was just abrupt enough to be the start of the end of your relationship with Thranduil.

But then, the elvenking smiled. “Perhaps I am lucky in that. If you knew how utterly entrancing you are, I fear the power you would gain from the revelation.”

You chuckled with him, but you still felt odd. Unbalanced, somehow, by the unexpected gravity of the moment. Then Thranduil’s hand moved to your breast, thumb stroking over your nipple as he smiled gently up at you. “You are so beautiful. And clever enough to rule a kingdom while working on behalf of citizens who adore you. I knew you would be a wonderful queen, but I could never had expected so much.”

Normally, praise made you uncomfortable, particularly when it was as effusive as this. For some reason, you soaked in Thranduil’s words and felt the weight of them impact your soul. You were a wonderful queen. And you were clever and beautiful enough to bring Thranduil to his knees. Proverbially speaking, of course - you liked him exactly where he was at the moment.

The height difference between you could present a challenge in many positions, but you could lean forward at just the right angle to press your lips to his. Thranduil met you on the way, hungrily accepting your kiss and deepening it until you were drinking each other in.

Since you were already leaning toward him, it was simple to lift up on your knees before sinking back down onto Thranduil. In fact, it was almost easier to keep the motion forward-and-back rather than up-and-down.

The feeling of his thickness sliding out of you spurred you on, and the pressure of his pelvis against your clit at the bottom of every stroke urged you to keep that momentum. Your thrusts sped fast and faster until you had to pull away from Thranduil’s mouth so you could catch your breath.

It was satisfying to see that Thranduil was breathing heavily as well. His chest rose and fell under your fingers, and you could almost imagine that you felt his quickened heartbeat beneath the smooth skin. Every few strokes, the head of his shaft would catch at the perfect place inside of you, shocking your system with the sharpness of the sensations. Each time it happened, your body clamped down around Thranduil’s as he gave a low, urgent growl.

When Thranduil caught at your hips, you half-prepared yourself to swat at his hands. He was clearly as close as you were, and you would be forced into violence if he intended to slow your pace once more.

But he only squeezed your hips, stroking over the sensitive skin he found there. “Lovely, lovely human. I shall not last much longer. What can I do to bring you with me?”

Your mouth was dry from all of the panting, and it took you several attempts to force out, “Touch me, Thranduil.”

“With pleasure,” he agreed, a wolfish smile spreading over his face.

This was once of your most treasured traits of Thranduil’s: when you asked him to touch you, he did not simply lunge for your most sensitive places. He knew that you could find pleasure in every sensation. His hands traveled up your arms to your shoulders, then down the sides of your body, your body singing at the simple contact. He caressed your breasts like he had the rest of you, then continued over the flexing muscles of your stomach and down between your legs.

The thrusting pace you had taken up left little space for him to reach your clit, but Thranduil managed, slipping fingers between you. He teased you mercilessly, following the movements of your body to keep the torment ongoing regardless of whether you were rising or falling.

You had been steadily getting closer to the edge of your orgasm, but it had been a distant thing, growing like a cloudbank over the water before a storm. But Thranduil’s touch brought those nebulous sensations to the immediate forefront.

You slammed yourself down on him, hands braced on his shoulders as you closed your eyes and took deep breaths. The chasm of pleasure yawned eagerly before you, and it was only by holding completely still that you could draw back without falling in. Your body relaxed incrementally, half a step back from the cliff.

Thranduil was unwilling to let you, however. He pressed his knuckle firmly against your clit, thrusting up into you at the same time.

And you were gone.

It was something of a miracle that your arms and legs stayed braced enough to support you. You had no feeling left in them, your entire being so consumed by the sensations wracking you that the world narrowed exclusively to the explosions in your body, the twitching pulses of Thranduil’s length inside of you, and the satisfied gleam of Thranduil’s eyes.

As your body’s frantic spasms eventually slowed to soft squeezes around him, Thranduil’s eyes stayed on yours. You could not fault him; yours were just as blatantly locked on his. His hands on your arms kept you upright even when your muscles no longer wished to support you, and he guided you slowly onto the bed beside him.

The room was quiet, the sound of the waves far below only now audible without the grunts and moans and sounds of sex filling the room. You could almost fall asleep, the worries of your relationship pushed from your mind by your recent activities. But the rustle of the Thranduil’s body against the sheets felt purposeful, a way of breaking the silence, and you knew a conversation was incoming.

“Tell me, my queen,” Thranduil said, gently pulling out of you. “When do you intend to accept my proposal?”

“When do you intend to stop asking?” you returned, lazily rolling your head so you could look at him.

He smiled. “I believe I never shall. Some day, you will agree to have me as your husband.”

“Thranduil…” You knew you were meant to find that funny, but you could not quite summon a smile. Yes, there were serious problems that he refused to acknowledge, but you had never stated them as clearly as you should. Perhaps it was time to bring them up directly.

You rolled onto your side, directing your gaze at him rather than the ceiling. “You will outlive me by a number of years. Why would you want to tie yourself to a wife you will have for the equivalent of a few weeks?”

Thranduil looked over at you and found that you were watching him steadily. He returned his gaze to the ceiling rather than hold yours. “Yes, I will outlive you. That much is a certainty, barring anything unforeseen. But I love you. I want to seize our time together, to spend as much of it bound as tightly as we can be. When you are gone, I will mourn you. I would do so if you left me tomorrow.”

You might have teased him for that, asked if he had designs on your safety… but there was a frown on Thranduil’s face that said the thought alone was causing him distress.

“But would you deny me the knowledge that you had belonged to me and I had belonged to you as much as any two can? That we swore before all kingdoms, all rulers, and every one of our subjects that we chose to be together? Not due to politics or trade or any such thing. But because we loved each other too deeply to live any other way but together.”

Thranduil slowly shook his head. “I mourned my first wife for almost a decade and that was with the comfort of knowing we had been together without reservation. I already care too deeply about you to hope for any less grief, but I worry for that lack of solace…”

“So why do I wish to wed you?” he asked, turning to look at you directly. Thranduil’s eyes were bright with unshed tears, though he fought to keep them from falling. “Simply put: because I love you and I want the entirety of the world to know that I would have none other than you for my wife, my partner, and my queen.”

Whatever expression was on your face, Thranduil seemed to find it unbearable. He turned away, his back toward you. “Please save your objections for the morning. I find I am far too weary to defend my desires to you this evening.”

“Thranduil…” you started.

“Yes?” he asked, still facing away.

Your mouth opened, but you found that you could not answer him.

Thranduil turned toward you once more, his hands rising to cup your face. One of his thumbs rubbed the crease between your brows while the other smoothed the corner of your frowning mouth.

“Yes?” he repeated, voice hushed.

You took a breath, and it was shaky when you released it. “Ask me again.”

Thranduil’s hands stilled on your face. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

His eyes widened an instant before he captured your lips with his own. With the activities of the last hour, you were not quite stirred to need, but your body perked with interest at the way he moved close and closer. You were pressed together, utterly entwined, until Thranduil let you go, pulling away only far enough to press his forehead to yours. The brightness of his beaming smile was near-blinding from such a close vantage point, but there was a mischief in it that made you wary.

“You realize, of course, that our people will not be satisfied with a recounted tale of an accepted proposal?”

You groaned. “Please try not to make your staged proposal too inane tomorrow. I don’t want to lose the respect of my subjects.”

“Never,” Thranduil promised. “I shall devote the entire afternoon to composing a proper proposal for their approval.”

“Afternoon?” you asked. “What about the morning?”

His eyes were bright. “I had a rather different idea of how we would spend the morning.”

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Author's Note - This pair has been a delight to write from the beginning, but these two chapters represent my final ideas for them. If I ever decide to add to their story, I'll make sure to link it here.

Meanwhile, I would love to hear what you thought! Thanks for reading!

#fanfic february #fanfic february 2024 #lord of the rings #the hobbit #the hobbit thranduil #thranduil #elvenking thranduil #thranduil x reader #thranduil x you #fem!reader #reader #reader insert #reader insert fanfiction #reader insert fanfic #reader insert fic #lemon #spicy #not suitable for minors #minors dni

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luvyeni · 8 months

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CONSEQUENCES OF A ONE NIGHT STAND. ( chapter. 25 )

— CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: song jihae …

— 𖦹 warnings? this might seem confusing but think of it as it’s all happening at the same time and don’t worry ni-ki is innocent.

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jake smiled hearing your giggles as he nuzzled his nose against your neck. “jake, stop it.” you laughed, lightly scratching the back of head, he sighed, pulling away, his hand resting on your growing bump. “your little giggles are so cute.”

you smiled, rolling your eyes playfully. “you’re just saying that to get into my pants.” he shook his head. “why can’t I just find you cute?” he pouted, resting his chin on your chin, looking up at you. “because, for one i don’t even look cute.” you really hadn’t been feeling good, even opting to reschedule the date, but jake insisted on coming. “i look like i’ve been run over.”

he shooed you off, nuzzling his face back into your neck. “you’re like a little baby.” you pulled your phone out, taking a photo. “did you just take a photo?” you hummed, and he whined. “don’t post that.” it was too late, you already hit send. “why.” you laughed, he pulled out his phone, looking through the comments.

“heeseung is so funny.” he rolled his eyes. “no he isn’t.” you saw him pouting, sitting up– smiling, you reached up, pulling him back down, his face back to nuzzling against your neck. “someone is jealous.” he shrugged. “yeah, cause heeseung is out to steal you.” you shook your head, scrolling through the comments some more.

you came across a comment that caught your eye. “get off the phone and pay attention to me.” the boy said looking up. “you okay?” he noticed your face. “do i know her?” you murmured to yourself, but jake heard it. “know who?” he asked.

“someone named song jihae.” jake eyes widened, sitting back up. “s-song jihae?” you nodded, showing him the name. “she commented cute, you sat up pretty quickly, do you know her?” you asked, you could see him searching for an answer. “i’m guessing you do, who is she?”

jake shouldn’t have felt as nervous as he did to tell you about jihae, but it was going so well for you both and he didn’t want to ruin this before he even had a chance to ask you to be his girlfriend. “w-well she’s my ex-girlfriend.”

you were taken aback, why was his ex-girlfriend commenting under one of your post? “your ex-girlfriend?” he nodded. “well should i be worried , cause your eyes are about to fall out your head?” he quickly shook his head. “of course not , she’s someone from the past , i haven’t even talked to her in like 3 years.” he didn’t mean to lie , but it wasn’t really a long conversation. “i don’t know why she commented , maybe just to congratulate me.” he said , you squinted your eyes at him. “you’re so hard to read jake sim.” he frowned. “i’ll believe you for now.” you decided to ignore the comment. “good , now turn your phone off and pay attention to me only.”

“fine fine.” you tossed your phone to the side. he flopped back down. “be carful of my stomach.” you laughed , he lowered his head to your belly bump , placing little kisses on your stomach. “sorry.”

you smiled , wincing at the pain that came from your stomach , jakes eyes widening. “the baby just kicked.” he smiled. “it just moved for the first time.” he said smiling ear to ear. “calm down.” you said , but he couldn’t hear you , he was that excited , grabbing his phone. “who are you calling?”

“everyone duh , they need to know what just happened , my baby kicked for the first time.”

— ( taglist. CLOSED ) @j-wyoung @whoslai @cha0thicpisces @sunsunl0ver @wonyoungsvirus @omgtintarr @en-dazed @kwiwin @httpsrinrin @igotkpoops @enhaz1 @ahnneyong @electrobutterfly @nes-caf @beomgyusonlywife @jup1t3r-y30n @gyulune @ddazed-lhs @shuichi-sama @mixtape-racha @stariszn @rikisly @ilikekpop-c @jenjnk @ilovehimyourhonour @peachyun02 @primroselover @sxurgrapes

©️LUVYENI

#kpop x reader #kpop smau #enhypen x reader #enhypen imagines #enhypen fic #enhypen x oc #enhypen x female reader #enhypen smau #jake x reader #jake sim scenarios #jake sim fanfic #jake sim imagines #jake sim x reader #jake smau #jake sim smau

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aphroditeslover11 · 7 months

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Hi what do you think about a Neil Lewis with a actress reader? Like they met before and he has already a crush on her and then he watch movie and see her ?

Another tought (not q request just something in my head) so I'm from Göttingen, an we have here q tradition if someone has his PhD they have to kiss the Statue of the goose Maid ( "Gänseliesel") he is not common with this tradition and so when reader ask him when he is planning do the kiss he assumed she wanna that he kiss her

I hope this is something along the lines of what you were thinking of. I’m not at my best at the moment so I’m sorry if there are any glaring errors. I hadn’t written for Neil before, but he’s actually very fun! Thanks for your request. Also, that is a fabulous tradition, it might get slotted into one of my other Oppie requests, I’m not sure yet though as it’s in the idea phase at the moment.

A Surprise Encounter

A/N: the classic films mentioned are all free on BBC iPlayer, go and give them a watch! I also have no idea where the store is, so I made it up.

Neil was absolutely beside himself when the invite arrived in the post. A new film that he couldn’t wait to see was premiering soon, it was low budget but contained a few big names who had decided that they wanted to promote the more independent side of the industry. He had been asked to attend an event aiming to promote smaller video shops like his rather than the huge, commercial ones that were taking over. When he read that you and the director alone were going to be on the panel he felt like he had never been luckier, finally a chance to meet his favourite actress in the flesh. Although he did admire your talents, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that he also found you wildly attractive.

The next few weeks were spent planning everything. He rewatched a few of your films so that he could ask some decent questions of you at the press event and reading every article that he could on the making of your new one, a biopic of Julie d’Aubigny. He went out and bought a new suit for the occasion, had his hair cut. As far as he was concerned, there were going to be no disasters, not when he was going to meet one of his idols.

The day of the event had finally come. All of the invitees, including Neil, had been piled into an auditorium where they had been given an early viewing of the film, then being moved into a press room with rows of chairs set out in front of a platform. He was happy with his seat, about half way back in the crowd, not too conspicuous but with a good view of the stage. The previous hubbub died down as soon as the panel made their way up, the director taking his place, yet Neil’s eyes were fixed on you. Your hair was down and curly, framing your face, and that smile that everyone always talked about. You were wearing black heels a red dress that dipped down just enough to give a small view of your cleavage. He was transfixed.

Questions started being asked, the general types of how you had enjoyed working with the rest of the cast and what you had taken away from playing your character, some conversations were had about wanting to make sure that the smaller side of the film and cinema industry wasn’t dwarfed in the future. For some reason, all of the eyes in the room suddenly focused on Neil, it was only then that he realised that he had drifted off, his arm leaned on the armrest of his chair in such a way that you had thought he was asking a question.

“Uh, the gentleman in the blue suit there, do you have a question?” The sentence was coming from you, quickly drawing him out of his reverie.

“Um.. yes,” he never was much good at thinking on his feet. “I know that you’re promoting this film today, but do you feel as if classic cinema has been forgotten. My shop specialises in older, more hard to find movies and… well, yeah,” he trailed off. He was like a deer in the headlights, speaking as if he was full of terror. A few people around him were scoffing and hiding their laughter. Great, he had embarrassed himself in front of you.

“Actually, I do think that we’ve forgotten about classic cinema. Not only the thrillers and comedies, but for me the least talked about are the romance films. I grew up on Astaire and Rogers musicals, I know some people don’t like them and find them a bit politically incorrect know, but they still have a special place in my heart. If you think about their influence on modern cinema, we wouldn’t have ‘Sleepless In Seattle’ if it hadn’t been for a 1939 film ‘Love Affair”. What was your name?” Why the hell did you want to know who he was?

“Neil Lewis.”

“And where’s your shop?”

“California, its called Gumshoe Video.”

“I’ll pop in next time I’m in town, maybe you could give me some recommendations.” And that was the end of that conversation.

About three weeks later everything had returned to normal. Neil was back to running the store and the gang were still practically living there. It was a completely normal day when Lucien, who had been manning the counter, came around to the back to find him.

“Neil, you might want to come inside, there’s a customer asking for you.”

“Can’t you handle it?” He just wanted a bit of time to himself, making is response more huffy than he had intended.

“Trust me, you want to come and see this.”

He followed Lucien back into the shop, only to be caught in shock as he saw you standing there in front of him, dressed a lot more casually than the last time he saw you, but still with your hair down in its beautiful curls. He never thought that you would actually make true on what you had said, but here you were.

“Is there anything that I can help you with Miss y/l/n?” “I came by to see if you had any suggestions for me, you know, classic films like you said you specialised in.” You actually seemed a bit nervous, though he had no idea why. “And please, call me y/n.”

“Right, y/n,” it just felt so right when he said it. “What kind of thing are you looking for, any genres in mind?”

“I always love a romance movie, the press don’t know yet but I left my boyfriend last month after he cheated on me. I’m down here to get away from it all, so a romance to take my mind off everything would be good, yeah.” He could see the sadness behind your eyes as you explained.

“He must have been an idiot then,” he said, immediately regretting it and walking past the stunned Lucien towards the romance section, beckoning for you to follow.

“So, you said that you liked Astaire and Rogers, but have you ever seen ‘The Sky’s The Limit’?”

“I don’t think I have, no.” He reached out for the dvd, showing you the front of the case.

“It’s Fred Astaire and Joan Leslie, came out in 1943. A musical about a fighter pilot who falls in love with a girl who wants to make it as a journalist, sounds like the sort of thing you might be looking for.”

“I think I’ll take that then, sounds perfect.” Something lit up inside him, you were smiling and it was because of something that he had done.

“Right, I’ll go and sort out a membership card so that you can rent it then, do you have any ID on you. Driver’s licence or something?” You followed him over to the till, rooting around in your bag to find what he had asked for. He busied himself, quickly handing over the card and the movie.

“What do I owe you?” you asked, reaching for your purse.

“Nothing, it’s on the house.”

“Are you sure, because…”

“Yeah, in return for having me at that panel a few weeks back. It was amazing.” “Well, in that case can I pay you back in another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe we could watch the film together?”

“That sounds like a fair means of payment, I think I’ll accept.” You slipped him your number, telling him to call when he was free before walking out of the store, Neil wondering what the fuck had just happened.

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy x reader #tommy shelby #peaky blinders #neil lewis x reader #neil lewis #watching the detectives #fanfic #requests #classic films

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cubitodragon-moved · 6 months

Text

After sleeping, I do think it’s fascinating to look at how the Blue Egg being removed from play changed the dynamics of EVERYTHING.

Much as they yell about Honor, Green went in with intent and were first to directly deal damage to the Blue egg. Blue team was severely undermanned and despairing as their egg was taken all the way down to below 10% before Roier got away — Etoiles stopped when Aypierre ragequit, but Roier did not.

Blue Team fell into despair. Blue Team gave up.

And shortly after that, the Egg was considered dead and removed from play. The remaining players reassigned.

You can see a shift in certain Red Team members when they all realise the Blue Egg is actually gone - assumed dead. They know which team was attacking it, and it is not hard to assume in the heat of battle that Green were the ones that took it out. (And for all their talk of “just a statue”, it sure was Foolish and Phil - fathers to the two eggs combined into Blue’s stone egg - that landed the retaliating blows on the Green egg.)

When the whole event was done, Green accused Red of killing the Blue egg (even Niki, from Blue, said she’d assumed Cellbit had landed the killing blow, which he fervently (and correctly) denied). Red Team made it clear they had not. And both teams seemed to pause with that revelation. There’s an awkwardness there, before they quickly move on. No one really talks about it after that - or perhaps they did. I didn’t catch the remaining hours (the curse of needing sleep on a work night), so perhaps it was raised in conversation.

It does make me wonder, if Blue hadn’t given up, had reinforced their 10% health remaining egg and camped furiously to fend off people approaching from below, if they’d refused to give into the despair the Eye craved, that things might have gone differently.

(There’s something very sad about Chayanne and Leo’s egg being given up on by the people who know them but aren’t their parents, how one half of their parental pairs were once again absent when they were needed most, who’s presence could have (potentially but probably not) made a difference if they’d been there. Add to that Roier doing the most harm to the egg that partially represented his little sister — he’s been so certain the Eggs were all dead anyway, so he didn’t bat an eyelid at hitting Blue’s egg with a weapon named for his son..)

It makes me wonder how the game might have changed if they all had stuck to their verbal agreement and protected all the stone eggs with no attacks against them.

We’ll never know. But I do wonder.

#qsmp #Qsmp meta #qsmp purgatory #qsmp speculation #qsmp event #I said last night that I hated this and I still do #it was very fun as a game mode and that last 45 minutes of red holding off green was clutch #but lore wise I’m very worried

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mishwanders · 9 months

Note

Hello there!! I’m a newcomer to your page, and I must say…BRO-

YOUR STORIES ARE MORE THAN WHOLESOME AND BEAUTIFUL I CANT STOP GUSHING SCREAMING FANGIRLING I CANT THIS IS JUST TOO MUCH FOR ME TO HANDLEEEE😭😭💘💘

Since your requests are open, may I please request a story where the reader is a girl, and the chain had returned from a tough battle, at night, then reader would prepare a hot tub for her hero and then tend to his wounds then massage him as a way of spoiling him after a tough week of fighting, clanging, swinging and defeating evil forces, then they both end the little spoiling session by cuddling and sleeping in after a long day?

Thank you so much!! Never stop writing TLOZ/LU stories, that’s my life support plug. 💘💖💞

EEEEE THAT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU HAVE NO IDEA! Also, since you didn’t specify which Link you wanted we’re just using their Hylia-given name and not the alias.

Characters: Link x F!Reader

A/N+Warnings: N/A, safe for everyone. Written by Mishwanders - pls do not repost.

You had spent your time inside the inn, waiting for the scouting group to hurry back, hopefully with some good news. But your hope slowly dimmed along with the setting sun, growing rather worried when they did return battered, beaten, and in desperate need of some assistance.

You rushed to Link’s side, seeing just how badly he’d taken the brunt end of it all. They others had insisted on falling back, but he refused, knowing that if the monsters had drawn closer to the village at night, everyone would have been in danger. He couldn’t risk it, not while you were here, his charge and his keeper.

You had reassured the others that you would look after him the rest of the night, the others offering you what potions they still had in hopes to help cure his wounds. Thankfully it did enough to keep him standing and able to walk, but he still have quite a few that needed tending to. So, you wrapped your arm around his waist, keeping him close to your side as you helped him up the stairs and into the bathroom where you quickly prepared a hot bath for him. You turned away from him to give him some privacy to change and get into the tub before making your way behind him, combing out all the dirty and blood from his scrimmage with the foul beasts, taking the time to wash his hair and gently massage his scalp, which he was very thankful for, leaning into your tender touch.

Once you were done with that, your turned away from him again to allow him to have more privacy to clean up, sitting with your back against the tub, listening to the soft sloshing of water as he bathed, keeping up a small conversation him to keep his mind from wandering too far over the details of his battle. When he was done and mostly modest you then turned to him, noticing with wounds were still open. Thankfully none of them were too deep, nothing that needed stitches any way, but you still bandaged them up with a gentle and tender touch to not cause him any more discomfort that he might have already been in. As you did so, you found him resting against your shoulder, sighing in relief as his eyes began to slowly flutter shut. You gently caressed his cheek that wasn’t resting on your shoulder, placing a soft kiss on his forehead.

“Sleepy, hero?” You asked, voice sweet and soft.

“Exhausted.” He replied, every ounce of that word evident in his tone of voice.

“Then let’s get you to bed.”

You moved him from one room to the next, settling him on the bed before returning to grab his gruesome things. You placed them on the floor do the room, making a mental note of helping him with cleaning those later. Right now, he needed you, and you could see the evidence of that in his gaze.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” He asked quietly

“Don’t want to be alone?” You asked in return.

He nodded. Whatever must have happened out there, whatever he’d seen had shaken him in a way you hadn’t seen before. You knew he needed you, you knew he needed comfort.

You drew closer to him, sliding under the covers in the bed, gingerly pulling him closer to you as you wrapped your arms around his body, his own wrapping around your waist, both of your legs somehow finding themselves entangled in the other. Link gently rested his head against your chest, his breathing growing heavier as the sleep slowly started to take him. That effort was only expedited by the fact that you were slowly running your fingers through his semi-wet hair and because he could hear the constant rhythm of your heart beating, a subtle reminder that you were there with him.

He felt you gently kiss his forehead once more as you tightened your arms around him ever so slightly. “Get some sleep, my hero. I’ll be here with you all night. I promise.”

And as if it were magic, he was out like a blown out candle, his body resting heavily in your arms. It was comforting listening to him breath, feeling him in your arms and against your body, knowing that he was safe from harm once again.

Truly that was all you could ask for with your quiet prayers to Hylia. His safe return home was the only thing you’d ever ask her for. Even if you didn’t know it or recognized it, Hylia herself felt a kindred spirit with you, seeing how much you loved and cherished her hero, just as much as she did. How could she not grant you that request? For that’s all that she wished for him too. That he would be safe, loved, and cherished for all that he was. You were thankful for it every time.

You were thankful that you got to hold him in your loving, caring arms.

Exactly where he deserved to be.

#linked universe x reader #linked universe #linked universe fanfic #linked universe fic #link x reader #link x you #link x y/n #legend of zelda fic #sfe #writing: link

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astrabear · 10 months

Text

My labor, and my leisure too (pt. 1)

I've been poking around some ideas lately, about the difference between what feels like a happy (or at least satisfying) ending to a character and what feels like a happy (or at least satisfying) ending to the audience.

This is unedited, un-beta'd, and incomplete. I've already started working on the next bit; I just didn't want to wait to yeet it out into the universe.

********

If Nile hadn’t been frustrated nearly to tears by the time the rest of the team came in, she might have noticed that Nicky and Joe seemed oddly subdued and distracted. But she was, so she didn’t – all she could see was the endless array of charts and computer displays swimming before her eyes.

“I have run so many simulations I feel like I’m stuck in a time loop,” she said as they all gathered around the output table. “I’ve recalculated all the parameters to the limits of possibility, sometimes beyond. And I can’t find any way we pull this off.”

“But the intel we just got – “ Gert was new, had been with them for less than twenty years, and hadn’t quite let go of the idea of being a superhero.

“That intel is what makes it so hard.” Gert frowned, and Nile quickly added, “Don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic you were able to track it down. If you hadn’t, we’d be totally screwed.”

“So what’s the problem?” Lijie asked. She ran her finger along one of the infiltration routes in the display. “This looks straightforward to me.”

“The problem,” Nile said, “is the timing. Whoever lays those charges, they’re not getting out. Any delay long enough for exfil is long enough for them to be detected and disarmed by the security system.”

“But we’re shutting down the security system. I walked you through that just the other day. I’m telling you, it’s foolproof.” Jerrah, over 1600 years old, hated that Nile still referred to him as one of “the kids,” but his temper and defensiveness had not mellowed with age and at times like this she felt entirely justified.

She heroically resisted banging her head against the table. It would only scramble the schematics. “Your plan for shutting the system down is foolproof. It’s great. It will absolutely work. But what we didn’t know until recently is that it’s on an automatic reset timer that will boot it back up after a set amount of time. You’re welcome to review the programming,” she ran her gaze around the team, addressing them all, “in fact I’d love it if you’d all review the scenarios I’ve run. Just to be sure. But I’m telling you – the numbers just don’t work. The support team will be fine, but the one with the charges is not getting out alive.”

Gert laughed. “I thought that was the point of us. We don’t have to get out alive.” They looked around and noticed no one else shared their amusement. “What am I missing?”

Jerrah answered while scrolling through Nile’s calculations. “An explosion this size isn’t just going to take out the complex, it’s going to wipe out the whole atmo dome. Anything not secured will get blasted out of the gravity well. You remember about Quỳnh? This would be infinitely worse. Literally.”

“But what about – “

Step by step, Nile walked them through it. How any equipment robust enough to survive the explosion would make it impossible to complete the mission to cause the explosion in the first place. How fast the debris and bodies would be moving with no inertia to slow them down. The number of bodies there would be, and the limits of their ship’s sensors. All of it. The inescapable physics, and the impossibility of making that choice.

“We have to scrap the plan,” she said, “start over from scratch. We’ll find another way, somehow, to – “ Joe and Nicky had withdrawn a bit from the group and were having their own private conversation. This, too, should have been a sign: they didn’t do cross-talk during mission briefings, and through all the months of planning they’d taken this mission particularly seriously.

But Nile was too frazzled and distracted for this to register, so she just barked out, “Hey guys! Are we boring you? Or do you have something you’d like to share?”

Her friends, mentors, brothers, exchanged a final loaded glance and then refocused on the group. Nicky put his arm around Joe’s shoulders, and as he did so his sleeve rode up, just a little, showing an odd patch of dirt on the inside of his upper arm. She found herself staring at it without knowing why.

“Joe and I will lay the charges,” Nicky said.

“Don’t be stupid,” Lijie snapped. “Nile’s right. Do you really think we’re going to just let you guys float around in vacuum forever?”

Three things happened simultaneously in an instant that felt to Nile like a lifetime:

…Nile noticed that the knuckles on Joe’s right hand were also weirdly dirty.

…and Joe said, “Of course not. We’re not asking you to.”

…and Nile thought Bruises. Not dirt. Bruises.

Then time slammed back into place and she cried out from the force of it.

And the room erupted into chaos.

#the old guard #the old guard fanfiction #my fic #nile freeman #yusuf al kaysani #nicolo di genova #kaysanova #title is from emily dickinson #because i could not stop for death

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heavyhitterheaux · 2 years

Text

NDA Part 3

AN: to fumble the bag or to not fumble the bag?

Synopsis: As your due date grows closer, you have some important decisions to make regarding your future with your child's father.

Pairing: Jack Harlow x Reader

Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere

Part 1

Part 2

There was less than a month to go until your due date and you were now putting the finishing touches on the nursery.

The nursery that was located in Louisville, Kentucky.

With some long hours of thinking, you decided to finally make the move not wanting to put it off anymore.

Communication between the two of you had gotten a lot better.

It wasn't quite at the point where it was before you found out what he had been hiding from you, but it was something.

Before you had left home, Jack insisted on meeting your parents and wanted to reassure them that you would be taken care of and wouldn’t want for nothing.

They immediately had taken to him and was even more surprised at the sight of your protruding midsection since you literally hadn’t told anyone and anytime you would Facetime with them, they could only see you from the chest up.

He really was trying and proving to you that he wanted you and only you.

Therefore, you had to give him credit for that.

When you had finally touched down in Kentucky, you met his.

They immediately took to you and was finally happy to meet the girl who had stolen their older son's heart for the past year.

They were also happy that Ava wouldn't be a problem anymore.

If she ever opened her mouth speaking on their past relationship, Jack could sue her for up to 10 million dollars.

Safe to say, she knew better if she wanted to be paying that off for the rest of her life.

You were currently trying to reach down to place the last few outfits in the bottom drawer of the dresser, when Jack immediately took from you.

You hadn't even heard him come in the room.

"I got it, mamas." He said while kissing your temple and reaching down to put them in their rightful place before standing back up to place his hands on your stomach.

"How are my babies feeling today?"

You simply sighed.

You were tired of being pregnant.

You loved it, but you were ready for this baby to be out of you.

"Tired."

"I know it's getting harder for you to get comfortable at night when you sleep."

"It seems like they don't want mommy to sleep."

"How about this? We put you in the living room with all of your pregnancy pillows and try to get you to sleep. It might be easier since you're sitting up."

"Well, it can't hurt."

"Head downstairs for me baby and I'll grab everything."

"Okay."

Jack had led you to the steps and made sure that you got down the steps okay before going back into your shared room and grabbing anything and everything that he thought would help to get you comfortable.

Once he got downstairs, he came right over to you, putting multiple pillows behind your back, elevating your legs and placing one of your favorite comforters on you.

"How's that so far baby girl?"

"So far so good."

"I'll leave the tv on for some background noise, but try and sleep. I have a few things to do, but I'll still be here so call me if you need me."

"Okay, thank you."

"I love you." Jack said while placing a kiss on your forehead.

"I love you too."

---

When Jack finally got you to sleep, he simply went into his home office to call Neelam to see what he had coming up for the week and the conversation quickly turned to how you were and how you were feeling.

“How is Y/N doing?”

You Neelam, Urban, and Metta had quickly grown closer along with the other members of PG. You were a breath of fresh air compared to Ava and they saw how happy Jack made you and vice versa despite the huge secret that he had kept from you.

“She’s miserable and I feel so bad. She can hardly sleep at night so I set her up in the living room with all of her pregnancy pillows and her favorite comforter and I finally got her to doze off.”

He requested that if he had to make any appearances or anything, that it had to be around Louisville because the last thing he wanted was for you to go into labor and he had to get on a plane in order to come back to you.

Despite you having an entire month left, he wasn’t taking any chances.

If you could have went into labor yesterday and had a full term healthy baby, you would have been here for it.

“Hopefully she rests up before the baby gets here. We still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy yet?”

“Not yet. She just wanted to wait until they were born and that’s fine by me. Everything is gender neutral that we got so it could go either way.”

“I am so proud of you.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“Yes you have. You realized your worth and realized that the ex-wife whose name we do not speak wasn’t really your soulmate to begin with. You deserve this happiness.”

“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.”

“You seriously hit the jackpot with Y/N.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more.”

“Go spend time with your girl.”

Once Jack hung up with Neelam, he went to go check on you to see that you were knocked out. This is the most he had seen you sleep in weeks and not wanting to disturb you, he took advantage of this as well sitting next to you and bringing you on top of him while still laying on your side.

You were always so nervous to do this claiming that you didn’t want to put all your weight on him, but there was no way in the world he would mind because you were bringing life into the world and carrying his child.

Jack eventually fell asleep himself and a few hours had passed by.

He woke up while hearing you laugh and he opened his eyes to see you watching Never Have I Ever on Netflix.

He simply placed a kiss on top of your head and you turned around to look at him.

“Looks like I’m not the only one who needed sleep.”

“You know that you’re my first priority and I’m always going to make sure that you’re good first. I could care less about me.”

“No, because I care about you and I’m going to need for you to take some time out for yourself too. I’ll be okay.”

“Do you feel any better?”

“A lot better. Oh!”

“What’s wrong?!”

“The baby kicked and caught me off guard that’s all.”

Jack then put both of his hands on your stomach and began talking to your bump.

“Cut it out, no hurting your mother.” Which led to you laughing, but they settled down after he said that.

“Hmm, looks like they’ll probably only listen to you and try to get over on me for everything.”

“Nuh uh. They haven’t heard when you get annoyed or pissed off. That makes me want to run for the hills when you get like that.”

“I am not that bad!”

“Says who?!”

“Stop playin!”

“When we were at that restaurant and I told them I didn’t want tomatoes and they sent it anyway by accident, I just knew I was going to have to bail you out of jail that night.”

“You telling stories, Jackman. I’m as sweet as can be.”

“You definitely are, however, not when you get mad.”

“Look my baby didn’t want tomatoes so I had to let them know. Don’t play with us like that.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.” You answered while playing with his Private Garden ring.

“Baby girl?”

“What’s wrong?” You answered while looking up at him.

“I... I know I said that I wouldn’t bring this up again and that you wanted to make a decision in your own time but...”

“Yes, Jack I do still want to marry you if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“How did you...?”

“Consider it my mom instincts kicking in early. I took a lot of time to think about it, and I don’t want to be with anyone else. And over these past few months you really tried your hardest to prove that I was the only person you wanted and... I’m thankful for that. You’re the same person that I met that night who swept me off my feet and you have given me nothing but the world. I don’t want to lose that and I don’t want to lose you. But, we have another person depending on us now and we have to be on the same page, okay?”

“Without a doubt, my baby. One more question.”

“No, I don’t want princess cut anymore because Ava had it. Next question.”

“Damn, are you a mind reader?”

“I just know my boyfriend very well. I’m leaning towards a Marquise or a Heart diamond cut.”

“Consider it done.”

“And we can’t get married until after I lose this baby weight because I already have my dress envisioned in my mind.”

“You just let me know when you’re ready my baby.”

---

You were now 7 centimeters dilated and wanted to kill Jack.

You got to the hospital too late to have a epidural so natural birth it was.

“Baby?”

“What Jackman?” You asked through gritted teeth and you gripped the side rails of the hospital bed.

“Did you want more ice chips?” He quietly asked. You admit Jack had been doing his best, but you were in so much pain that all you could see was red.

You also wanted to bite his head off and even threatened to never let him touch you again, but you already know that wasn’t true.

“No, I want your child out of me.” You responded while grabbing the neck of his hoodie and bringing him down eye level to you.

Your parents were on their way and so were Maggie and Brian. Neelam was currently on your left side as she was watching you fuss at your boyfriend.

“Hey, baby girl. Deep breaths. You tensing up is not going to help and it’s only going to make it worse.” You let go of Jack’s hoodie and turned your attention to Neelam and simply nodded.

“Only three more to go. It’s going to be okay, just think of how pretty your baby will be and you’ll get to hold them. You’ve been waiting for this for nine months.”

You simply nodded as Neelam tried to talk you off the cliff and Jack had placed a wet washcloth on your forehead.

“Okay, I can do this. AHHHHH SHIT!” You grabbed Jack’s hand and he just knew that you were about to break it.

“So, your contractions are getting closer so it’s definitely almost time to push.”

“Nee, how do you know all this?”

“I watch a lot of medical shows. I’m going to go get the nurse, but in the mean time, don’t kill your baby daddy, okay?”

“Easier said than done, but okay.”

Neelam sprinted out of the room as Jack placed a kiss on your cheek.

“I hope you know I love you and I don’t mean to yell at you.” You confessed and Jack pinched your cheek.

“I know mamas. And I hate seeing you in pain. Not too much longer, though.”

You simply nodded your head as Neelam came back with an entire team of nurses and your doctor right behind her.

“Okay, sweetheart, I’m going to check to see how far you are and if you’re at 10 we can get this show on the road.”

You nodded as she began to check.

Once she took her hand out, she had nothing but a smile on her face and you already knew what that meant.

“Okay, Y/N, push when I say, okay?”

“Wait, I’m not ready.”

“Yes, you are honey. Nine months in the making so let’s do this. Your baby is ready to meet you and their father.”

You simply nodded as Jack held your right leg and Neelam held your left.

“On 3. 1..2..3. Big push, big push.”

“AHHH OH MY! FUCK!”

“You’re doing good, come on give me another one.”

“IT HURTSSSSS!”

“I know, I know it does.”

“You’re doing amazing baby girl. You’re that much closer to holding them. You got this.”

You simply nodded and proceeded to push again.

“Give me another one, almost!”

You did as you were told, and next thing you knew, they could see the head.

“You’re doing great mama! Give me another one!”

On the next push, their shoulders were completely out.

“Y/N, if you want to reach down and pull them out you can.”

You nodded and proceeded to do so, pulling your first born the rest of the way out and placing them on your chest.

“It’s a boy!”

“You were amazing baby. I knew you could do it and look at what we made. He’s gorgeous.” Jack exclaimed while his eyes began to water.

“He has your eyes.” You looked down to see those pretty ocean blue eyes staring back at you and realized that the pain had been worth it.

“And definitely has your nose.”

They took him from you to clean him off and run some tests before placing him back on your chest.

“So proud of you, Y/N! I told you it would be worth it once you saw them.” Neelam stated while coming over to hold his hand.

“It definitely was. Here daddy, come hold your son.” You turned to Jack and noticed that he was a little hesitant.

“It’s okay, babe. You won’t hurt him and he’s reaching for you.”

Jack nodded before you went to place your son in his arms.

“Hi little one. I’m your daddy.”

You immediately melted at the sight of seeing the two of them interact and began to cry. Neelam immediately noticed and handed you a tissue.

“Hey, are you okay?” She asked while putting an arm around you.

You simply nodded while trying to find your words.

“I’m just really happy.”

“And so is Jack.”

You looked back over to see your son had one of Jack’s fingers in a death grip and all you could do was smile.

Even though your relationship had been tested, deciding to stay and work through your problems had all been worth it.

You had your boyfriend.

You had your son.

You had your house.

And were due to be married within the next year.

Maybe signing that NDA wasn’t so bad.

Liked by yourinstagramname, neelamthadhani, druski2funny, urbanwyatt, champagnepapi, and 15,398,264 others

jackharlow: welcome to the world Ezra Jameson Harlow. Mommy and daddy already love you so much ❤

druski2funny: I'm going to need some type of explanation because... WHAT, WHEN?

jackharlow: druski2funny it took 9 months my boy like it always does

druski2funny: jackharlow I know that much but still... WHAT

neelamthadhani: Mama did such a good job!

jackharlow: neelamthadhani I just knew she was about to kill me lol

neelamthadhani: jackharlow it was looking bleak there for a second 🤣😂

jackharlow: neelamthadhani my hand is about to be bruised for awhile 🙃

urbanwyatt: on my way to meet my nephew. congratulations man

jackharlow: urbanwyatt can you bring Y/N some pizza and wings? And a orange hi-c from McDonald's? She was like either you get it for me or I'm getting my ass out this bed 😫

urbanwyatt: jackharlow no worries I got her. I'll bring two.

jackharlowsource: that came completely out of left field, but... WE'RE SO HAPPY FOR YOU DADDY HARLOW!

urbanandjack24: right?!?! Like he kept this shit hidden.

jackharlow: what can I say? Got some amazing people around me.

yourinstagramname: hmm he has your big ass forehead too

jackharlow: Baby was that really necessary? 😫

neelamthadhani: jackharlow she's not lying tho 👀

druski2funny: 🤣🤣🤣🤣

yourinstagramname: yes and I love you anyway 😘

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt where is my food sir?!?!

urbanwyatt: yourinstagramname will you let me get off the elevator first!?

yourinstagramname: urbanwyatt yes 🥰 thank you Urby. Love you 😘

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m1ckeyb3rry · 9 months

Text

Hurricanes / Hummingbirds: III

Series Synopsis: As the years go by, you find that it is incredibly difficult to survive wars and fight storms, especially when the only thing you have by way of a cursed technique is the blessing of a tiny bird.

Chapter Synopsis: You spend some time with your upperclassmen, the infamous trio of Gojo, Geto, and Ieri.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Hajime Kashimo x Female Reader; slight Kento Nanami x Female Reader; slight Satoru Gojo × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 7.1k

Content Warnings: swearing, enemies/rivals to lovers, character death, canon-typical violence, angst, gore, original characters included

A/N: guys i promise i don’t hate classic literature y/n and nanami are just haters #justiceforclassicliterature #justiceforhinode

“Give up,” you said, pressing the tip of the Sword of Syrinx against Nanami’s throat. “Even your technique can’t get you out of this one.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, slamming his palm against the ground. “You win.”

“Yay!” you said, immediately sheathing the sword, which hummed in content at the victory. As any sportsmanlike person would, you reached out and helped Nanami stand; he took your hand gratefully, squeezing to steady himself.

“Nice job, Y/N!” Haibara shouted from where he and Hinode stood on the sidelines, watching your practice match. “You might even be able to beat me at this rate!”

“I’m stronger than you,” Nanami called back, which only led to Haibara sticking his tongue out at him.

“Maybe in a match of techniques, but, no offense, I’m way more muscular, and that’s what matters when your opponent only has swordsmanship on their side,” he said, flexing his muscles for comedic effect.

It had been some time since you had arrived in Tokyo and befriended Nanami, Haibara, and the Sword of Syrinx. With Hinode’s tutelage and the boys’ willingness to practice with you, you had quickly learned how to wield the special grade cursed tool. You were helped along by the fact that the sword seemed to be almost sentient, in a sense — not that it could have full-blown conversations or anything, but it was capable of transmitting basic emotions and sentiments via cursed energy. It had taken a liking to you ever since that first day, and it was generous enough to sometimes lend you power when your own reserves were running low or guide you into a move you hadn’t quite thought of when you were stuck in a tough spot.

“I think it’s time,” Hinode said.

“Time? Time for what?” you said.

“I think you can go on your first mission. You’ve managed to beat Nanami enough times that a lower-level curse shouldn’t pose any threat to you,” he said. Equal amounts of fear and anticipation blossomed in you at the thought of actually going out and exorcising a curse, using the Sword of Syrinx to its fullest extent instead of as a dummy to hit Nanami with. It would probably be pleased; judging by how thrilled it got whenever you managed to defeat Nanami, it possessed an innate bloodlust, a desire to win that outmatched even yours.

“I don’t know if I can do it alone, though,” you said. Hinode immediately shook his head, showing you his phone. There was a mission alert on it, but it had already been accepted by someone else.

“You can tag along with him. He won’t let anything happen to you; worst comes to worst, all you’ll have to do is stay out of his way,” he said.

“Will he even let me go?” you said. “I would just be an annoyance.”

“He’s the king of being an annoyance, so it’s what he deserves,” Nanami said, peering over Hinode’s shoulder and reading the mission details with a frown.

“He is still a student of the school, which means he does have to comply with what his teachers tell him to do, at least a little bit. Besides, you really won’t slow him down too much, so don’t stress out. You’re more likely to be a help than a hindrance,” Hinode said.

“If you think so, sir,” you said. “And I guess technically the Sword of Syrinx does belong to him, so maybe it’s only fair that he gets to see me using it. It’ll be an assurance that he did the right thing in giving it to me, at any rate.”

Satoru Gojo. Since the day that he had allowed you to have the Sword of Syrinx, you two actually hadn’t spoken all too much, contrary to Nanami’s expectations. To be sure, you’d nod politely at each other when you passed in the hallways, but you were usually engaged in conversation with Haibara or Nanami and he with Geto or Ieri, so it wasn’t like there was much opportunity for any sort of meaningful interactions. You didn’t really mind; to you, he was nothing more than the owner of your sword. Beyond being cordial enough to him that he allowed you to keep using it, you had no need for interaction with the boy.

“Hey, Miss Sandwich Taster,” Gojo said when you jogged into the driveway, where he was stretching as he waited for a manager to arrive and take you to the mission site. “How’ve you been? I see you still have that crappy sword with you.”

“It’s not crappy,” you said. “And I’ve been doing fine, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, and sure it’s not. Anyways, Yaga told me that Hinode told him that you’re coming along with me to see how the real masters exorcise curses,” he said.

“Well, that’s not quite the full story,” you said. “I’m supposed to be helping you on the mission…”

“Helping me?” he said. A car screeched into the driveway and skidded to a stop almost on top of you; you jumped back in surprise, afraid the wheels would roll over your feet or something. Gojo snorted, opening the door and motioning for you to get in before sliding in beside you. “I don’t need help, though.”

“I told Hinode I’d just get in your way, but he insisted I come. You can blame him, if I’m really that much of a bother,” you said.

“No, you’re fine, it’s just laughable that anyone would be sent along to help me, let alone a first year — even if the first year does have admittedly good taste in sandwiches,” he said.

“Are you going to hold that sandwich over me forever?” you said.

“For the next year or so, probably,” he said.

“Well, you know I like sandwiches,” you said. “What kind of food do you like?”

“Sweet stuff, mostly,” he said.

“You have a sweet tooth?” you said. You hadn’t really expected it; he seemed like the kind of person to refuse to eat anything sugary for some ridiculous reason such as it making him too hyperactive. Although, he already was decently hyperactive, so you supposed a little extra sugar wouldn’t really change things for him all too dramatically.

“Massively,” he said. “Shoko makes fun of me for it, but with the way she smokes, she has no room to talk.”

Shoko Ieri was the mysterious third of the second year students. While Gojo and Geto were the bright, flashy, well-regarded strongest duo, she was calmer, avoiding conflict and confrontation with a practiced finesse. You saw her even less than you saw Gojo, but the few times you had run into each other, she had been kind enough.

You both were quiet for a bit, him busy reading the email containing the mission details and you staring out the window, watching the scenery fly past. Sitting in the car next to him, you thought that he wasn’t all too intolerable; in fact, he was actually pretty nice.

“Can you tell me the mission details? I didn’t get the email, since I’m not officially on it, and Hinode didn’t let me stay and read anything,” you said, breaking the silence.

“It’s pretty run of the mill. Some curses have popped up at a graveyard and are currently picking off any mourners that come and visit,” he said. “It should be in-and-out. Wanna get snacks afterwards? Exorcising always makes me hungry.”

“Uh, okay,” you said. He didn’t seem nervous at all, which led you to believe that people hadn’t been exaggerating his abilities by calling him one of the strongest; the title was one he truly, genuinely deserved, at least if his casual demeanor was anything to go by.

“Cool!” he said. You blinked, still quite unable to believe how unserious he was about everything. Would you ever be like that? Maybe after a few thousand missions, but likely not even then.

“So, Hinode said that curses usually appear in places with high concentrations of negative emotions,” you said. “Schools, hospitals, graveyards, that kind of thing.”

“Huh, are you talking to me? Yeah, that’s right,” Gojo said. “Are you confused or something? The theory behind it is pretty simple, though.”

“No, I understand the theory, I was just — well, isn’t that sad to you?” you said.

“Sad?” he said.

“I mean, the curses are taking advantage of people who are already hurting. The people at the graveyard, they’re grieving the loss of someone they loved. That’s not a crime that should be punishable by death. That’s not a crime at all,” you said.

“They’re called curses, what did you expect?” he said. “Obviously they’ll be all nasty and evil and bad.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s just not very fair. Those poor people, they don’t even know what their mistake was,” you said.

“You sound like Suguru,” he said, sticking his tongue out in disgust. “Honestly. There’s no need to give speeches or try to assign morality or reason to things. Word of advice: you go on your mission, you kill the curses, you get some snacks, you go home. Anything else is unnecessary.”

“Why are you even a sorcerer?” you said. “It doesn’t seem like you care very much about protecting others or anything like that, so what’s the point? Why are you risking your life to go on missions?”

You couldn’t be sure if he was looking at you just then, his eyes covered by glasses as they were, but certainly you could feel the intensity of his gaze as it rested on you. You gripped the hilt of the Sword of Syrinx, not as a threat but because you wanted its cursed energy swirling around you like a buffer, protecting you from the Six Eyes of Satoru Gojo. It responded immediately, power flaring around you, holding you tightly, seeping into your very bones and reinforcing them.

He laughed raucously. “No way, that hunk of scrap metal has that much cursed energy of its own? I can see why you wanted it so badly! Also, Suguru just texted me about this shop in the area that we should definitely check out once we’re done.”

“Stop making fun of my sword,” you muttered, earning you an appreciative surge of cursed energy from the Sword of Syrinx.

“Looks like we’re here,” Gojo said instead of apologizing. “Come on. Let’s just get this done with.”

You followed after him, staying in his shadow as best you could, forgetting the entire conversation in the car and your irritation at his callous way of referring to the Sword of Syrinx. This was your first mission; consequently, it would be the first time you would be faced with the beings known as curses since your near-death before you were sent to Tokyo.

A face twisted into a leer. Hands gnarled into talons, reaching at you, scraping at your collarbone, your cheeks, trying to tangle into your hair. A gaping maw, endless darkness threatening to consume you entirely, yanking you closer and closer as you skidded backwards. And then bright lights, a blaring horn, asphalt digging into the shallow wounds the monster had gouged into you, tires rolling to a stop mere feet before they crushed into you.

“You’re so distracted,” Gojo said, flicking you on the forehead and breaking you out of your reminiscing. “Get your head in the game.”

He was right. It would not do if you were lost in thought about events from the past that could not be changed. Things were different now; you had Gojo and the Sword of Syrinx with you, as well as the knowledge and training to actually do something to the curses. Never again would you have to cower helplessly. Never again would you close your eyes and wait for the end.

Drawing the Sword of Syrinx and marvelling at the iridescence of the blade, which even now astounded you, you took a deep breath and began to scan the rows of tombstones for anything out of the ordinary. The entire graveyard was buzzing with residuals, which made it difficult to pick any one element out, but despite that, Gojo was utterly calm, strolling along the grassy hills like you two were out for a holiday.

“Ooh, there’s a grade 4 curse. Do you want to do the honors?” he said, pointing at something vaguely resembling a rat but far larger, roughly the size of your forearm. It was dark green-black, though its eyes were a wild, gleaming yellow, its teeth clacking together as it gnawed on the decaying remains of something.

“Sure,” you said, twirling the Sword of Syrinx in your dominant hand, avoiding looking at the body that the curse sat protectively atop of. With one clean strike, you separated the rat’s head from its body, causing the entire mess to melt into a puddle of goo that then proceeded to evaporate into nothing.

The sword seemed pleased enough with the first exorcism, and you swished it in the air to clean it of the steaming innards of the curse. This seemed to make it happier than the actual act of fighting had, and you smiled slightly at the thought that the cursed tool was a vain one.

“I’ll polish you once we’re home,” you said, earning you a dash of approval from the sword. You patted the crossguard comfortingly and then turned to Gojo to see what his thoughts were, only to find that he was busy on his phone.

“Do you like my new background?” he said, showing you a picture of a beautiful woman. You rolled your eyes.

“Did you just have me exorcise that curse so that you could mess around?” you said.

“I would never dream of doing something like that,” he said.

“I get why Nanami doesn’t like you,” you said under your breath.

“What was that?” he said innocently. Your eyes widened before you smiled beatifically at him.

“Nothing. I’m assuming that wasn’t the main curse?” you said.

“Nope, it was just a bottom feeder taking advantage of the bigger curse’s leftovers,” he said.

“So that was a —”

“It’s best not to dwell on it,” he interrupted you before you could turn to look at the body once again. It had been mangled beyond belief and into the realm of obscurity, but maybe there had been a time where it had been something. Been someone. “Let’s go. Our job isn’t done yet.”

You wandered around with him for a bit, Gojo bidding you to dispatch the lower-level curses you encountered and you willingly doing so with a few motions of the Sword of Syrinx. It was barely difficult, though part of this was probably the nature of the boy at your side — his presence alone was enough to scare weaker things off, if they had the presence of mind to recognize his power.

“Say, Gojo,” you said as you continued to walk. “Did you ever put up a veil?”

“What?” he said, freezing and turning to look at you. You furrowed your brow.

“Er, a veil? Hinode said we have to put one up every time that we go on missions so that non-sorcerers don’t see us exorcising curses,” you said. Gojo’s face, which was already pale like the moon, became impossibly whiter, nearing the shade of his hair, and he began to inch backwards.

“I definitely did that! Also, unrelated, but I forgot something over there. Just wait and don’t move, okay?” he said, sprinting off, definitely not to put up a veil. You shook your head as you watched him disappear, a veil slowly creeping over the sky once he was well out of sight.

The Sword of Syrinx’s cursed energy spiked in warning, the closest thing it had to screaming in alarm. Immediately, you brandished it in front of you, tightening your lax muscles, every single one of your senses going on high alert as you tried to discern what it was warning you about.

“Who’s there?” you said. High, mocking laughter resounded in the air around you, and if you had not been holding onto your sword, you would’ve covered your ears in an effort to shield them from the pain that the sound caused. It was an unnatural sort of hurting, and you knew without a doubt that it was the work of the curse you and Gojo had been sent to exorcise, the main one, not the weaklings you had been working through up until now.

Gojo was off somewhere, probably still setting up the veil and playing with his phone, so you were well and truly alone. No, not alone — your constant companion, your sword, the one that had warned you in the first place, you did have that much. It would have to be enough to hold back the curse until Gojo could come and exorcise it fully.

First, you needed to locate the curse. It was obviously shying away from the intense aura radiating from the Sword of Syrinx, which was after all a special grade no matter who its wielder was, but the effect of the weapon would not last long. Almost as soon as you thought about it, as if it could read your mind, the curse appeared, in the form of a misshapen blob with almost as many eyes as it had tentacles.

You feinted a strike at its core before slicing at the tentacles that it shot forwards to defend itself, cutting them all off, though it did no good, as they immediately regenerated. The severed tentacles fell to the ground and flopped around uselessly, and you swore as you danced around them, trying to avoid tripping as you dodged the curse’s blows.

Every time you cut more tentacles off, more appeared. It was an endless cycle of the same thing, over and over — cut. Dodge. Cut. Dodge. Even with the Sword of Syrinx’s help, you were running out of energy, and you knew it wouldn’t be long before the tentacles got to you.

“Gojo!” you shouted, more in anger than fear. “What the hell are you doing, anyways?”

This time, a tentacle managed to lash against your ribcage, sending you sprawling onto your side. You managed to raise the Sword of Syrinx to block it from wrapping around your neck just in time, but the gooey cursed energy burst from the wound and directly onto your face, sluicing into your eyes and effectively blinding you for the moment. There was a wet ‘thwap’ as the piece you had cut off fell on the ground next to you, and you groaned, using one hand to keep your sword tentatively in front of you and the other to claw at your vision in a desperate attempt to make it return.

Before you could regain your sight, the curse’s assault abruptly stopped. There was an explosion of cursed energy, and then remnants of what had once been the creature came raining down, bits of it splashing against your skin and clothes, causing you to gag, both at the smell and the sensation. You knew why the curse had been dispatched so quickly: a bigger monster had arrived. Luckily for you, this monster was on your side.

“Wow, Y/N, you look disgusting!” Gojo said. A cloth rubbed against your face, wiping away the residuals of the curse, and you sighed in relief before allowing him to help you stand. He inspected his sleeve, which he must’ve used to clean you, with a slight pout.

“What took you so long?” you said, replacing the Sword of Syrinx back in its scabbard and glaring at him with your hands on your hips. “That was definitely not a lower grade curse, and you left me alone to deal with it!”

“Sorry,” he said. “I decided to change my background again. At least you didn’t die?”

“You decided your background was your biggest priority despite being in the middle of a mission?” you said.

“Aesthetics are one of the things I value most,” he said. “By the way, I’m hungry now. Exorcising curses always does it to me!”

“I hope you starve,” you said. Unfortunately, at that moment, your stomach grumbled, punctuating your statement ironically. Gojo pointed at you with a smirk.

“You’ll starve then, too. I can pay, if that’s what’s stressing you out,” he said. “I happen to be the head of my clan.”

“I’m sure they really appreciate a teenage boy spending their accumulated wealth on post-mission snacks,” you said. It remained that you were hungry, however, so you didn’t protest too much as he dragged you to the shop Geto had recommended and proceeded to buy you both one of everything.

Oddly enough, despite your initial reluctance and snark, you actually enjoyed yourself. Besides being a somewhat unreliable mission partner — though he had come through when it really mattered, so you couldn’t be too harsh — Gojo was fun to talk to, even if his sense of humor was a little childish on occasion. Plus, he had bought you so much food like it was nothing and offered to take you along the next time he and his friends went to the arcade, though the latter was done under the guise of saying Ieri needed a partner for the multiplayer games, so overall it was really a fun time.

“I don’t understand why you guys dislike Gojo so much,” you said that night, balancing the Sword of Syrinx on your lap as you polished it on the floor of Haibara’s room. Nanami, who was lying on Haibara’s bed with two cucumbers on his eyes, exhaled in defeat.

“How things can change in one day! How fickle the hearts of humans can be, that such even such a strong woman was swayed by the charms of the white-haired devil,” he said, reaching his hand out to the ceiling and then curling his fingers inwards like he was delivering a soliloquy. “Also, can I take these cucumbers off now?”

“No, man, your dark circles are really bad,” you said, deciding not to even acknowledge the rest of it, knowing it was probably influenced by the classic literature Hinode was making you all read. “Leave them on for a few more minutes or so.”

There was a loud crunching sound, and a mumbled apology fell from the lips of the guilty-faced Haibara. He was sitting at his desk, and technically, he was supposed to be finishing the essay you all had due last week. Hinode had been gracious enough to give him an extension, but he was far too busy munching on the leftover snacks you had brought to his room to get any work done.

“These are really good,” he said when you raised your eyebrows at him questioningly.

“Haibara, if you don’t turn that essay in, you’re literally going to fail. Do you know how impossible it is to fail Hinode’s class?” you said.

“It’s true,” Nanami said. “Some remarkable idiots have passed that class. I don’t want to name names, so let’s just call them…Nojo.”

“Nojo,” Haibara repeated incredulously.

“I thought you said that Gojo was decently smart, though?” you reminded him.

“I’m not talking about Gojo! I’m talking about Nojo,” Nanami said. “Different person. And, Haibara, if Nojo could pass, then I’ll never forgive you if you fail.”

“Especially if it’s just because you’re eating snacks that Nojo — sorry, Gojo, different person — bought instead of doing your late essay,” you added, using your nail to scrape away a stubborn bit of grime on the Sword of Syrinx, causing the sword to let out a contented trickle of energy.

“They’re just so delicious!” Haibara said.

“Look, Hinode said you have to turn the essay in by this Friday, right? That’s five days from now. He’s a pretty lenient grader, so you can probably get away with a standard five paragraph essay. That’s a paragraph per day. You can do that, right?” you said. Actually, for this specific assignment, your essay had ended up being about seven paragraphs, and Nanami’s had been six, but five would be sufficient. Anything more would just scare Haibara, and at this point, his grade was in such desperate need of help that even partial credit would be a blessing.

“A paragraph per day? It’ll be hard, but…I’ll do my best!” Haibara said. That was the nice thing about him. Once he was fired up about something, he would give it his all, and in the case of Hinode, who only cared about seeing some kind of effort, that was enough.

“Good job. Let us know if you need help,” you said as Haibara determinedly returned to his work, setting his snacks out of reach so that he had nothing resembling distractions in his way. He did not respond, evidently serious about finally focusing and doing his best, leaving you and Nanami to talk to each other.

“Can I get rid of the cucumbers now?” he said.

“No,” you said.

“I’m bored, though,” he said.

“Just take the time to relax. If you’re that bored, you can talk to me,” you said. He considered this as you switched the cleaning off the Sword of Syrinx’s scabbard.

“You really like Gojo now?” he said.

“Yes,” you said. “He invited me to his group’s arcade night next week so I can be Ieri’s partner. Do you want to come? If you go, Haibara can come and be your partner, so it’ll be all nice and even.”

“You can’t just invite people to other people’s gatherings,” he said. You put down your cleaning supplies and whipped out your phone, texting Gojo and waiting for his response. It came within a matter of seconds, and you tucked your phone away so you could continue to clean.

“Gojo said it was fine, and that he’s tried to convince you to come before but you’ve always said no,” you said. The tips of Nanami’s ears turned red.

“I mean, that’s a possibility,” he said. “I can faintly remember it happening like that, yeah.”

“It’ll be fun if you come. Don’t be a party pooper,” you said.

“Fine,” he said.

“Really?” you said.

“Don’t push it,” he threatened. “But yes. I’ll go. And I’m sure Haibara will, too, since he’ll have turned his essay in by then.”

“I’m excited now!” you said. “The second years feel so unreachable sometimes, but in the end, they’re just normal people. It’ll be fun to spend time with them in that context instead of as just their underclassmen. And of course, I always love hanging out with you and Haibara.”

“You have a point,” he said reluctantly.

“Look forward to it! It might be the only way we get through Hinode’s classes. I don’t know why he’s going through such a literature kick at the moment, but if we have to do one more interpretation of a book from the 1800s, I’m going to lose it,” you said.

“He’s not even licensed as a teacher,” Nanami said, peeling away the cucumbers and giving you an exasperated look. The effect was somewhat diminished by the ring of juices shimmering around his eyes. “He was hired to help us practice sorcery, so while giving papers on curse theory and the like is within the scope of his job, literature just…is not.”

You choked back a laugh. “What about the math?”

“I think he picked the wrong career path.”

The two of you could only manage to hold it in for a second longer, and then you dissolved into a fit of laughter and Nanami let out a dry chuckle — which, coming from him, was akin to hysterics.

“Guys!” Haibara whined, slamming his hands against his desk and swiveling in his chair to face you. “Can you quiet down? I’m almost done my essay.”

“Do you mean your paragraph?” you said.

“No, the entire essay. It’s amazing how fast I can work when I’m not eating and I’m actually concentrating,” Haibara said.

“That’s generally how it is, yes,” Nanami said.

“Okay, so do you two mind shutting up for a bit so I can finish? Then we can all talk together,” he said.

“Anything for you, boss,” you said, saluting at him.

“Finish quickly, alright?” Nanami said. “If you turn it in tomorrow, Hinode might even give you extra credit.”

Haibara’s eyes lit up, and he turned back to his essay with a newfound vigor. Discreetly, you tossed a pillow at Nanami, who did not even attempt to get out of the way, giving you a baleful look as it hit him in the chest.

“You’re such a liar,” you said.

“Anything to motivate him to work faster,” he said. “Now, stop talking before he gets distracted again.”

“Guys! I said shut up!”

The week seemed to pass by in a blur. Hinode was so shocked by Haibara’s newfound work ethic that he actually did end up giving him extra credit, and he even freed the three of you from the shackles of learning about classic literature, instead doing his real job, which was helping you learn how to become sorcerers. You managed to beat Haibara in a practice match, though it had the unfortunate side effect of him tackling you to the ground in a hug of congratulations, leaving your tailbone somewhat bruised and sore. Nanami, in a fit of inspiration, declared that while you might beat them in sparring, you would never come close to their arcade game prowess, as you wouldn’t have your sword to help you there.

The night finally came for all of you to go out. For once, you wore clothes that were not your uniform but casual and comfortable, and you felt entirely like a normal girl setting out to do normal things instead of a sorcerer-to-be whose life was constantly at risk due to the nature of the job.

“I’m sorry,” you said to the Sword of Syrinx, which was resting on the bookcase again. “I can’t exactly stroll around Tokyo with you, though. Don’t worry; Gojo and Geto will be there, so I won’t be in any danger.”

The sword seemed a little annoyed about being left behind, but all you could do was pat its scabbard in consolation before flicking off the lights and shutting the door as gently as you could. It was true that no matter how bad you felt for the strangely sentient cursed tool, there was no way you could carry it around with you amongst the many civilians of Tokyo. Anyways, no matter how sentient it might’ve seemed, it was also still a sword. A special grade cursed tool, yes, but a sword nevertheless, and as swords did not truly have emotions nor souls, there was only so far you could extend your sympathy for it.

“Hey, Y/N. Satoru told me you and the rest of the first years would be joining us tonight,” Geto said as you rounded the corner and almost ran into him. His smile was as soft and pleasant as his voice, and he did not seem to bear you any ill-will despite the fact that you had almost directly collided with him.

“Geto! Ah, yes, he invited us to come along. I hope that’s alright?” you said. Though he was far less obnoxious and in-your-face about it, Geto was the other half of the strongest duo. He was the only man that could stand against Satoru Gojo and win, so it would do you well to show him some respect.

“Of course! I would’ve asked you myself if we ever had the chance to speak,” he said, keeping pace with you effortlessly, his hands shoved in his pockets and his warm eyes contemplative.

“I didn’t realize you wanted to talk to me,” you admitted.

“You’re my underclassman. Why would I not want to talk to you?” he said, reaching out and ruffling your hair fondly. Ordinarily, you would snap at anyone who dared to touch your hair, but when Geto did it, it was different. It felt kind, caring, the way you assumed it would be if an affectionate older brother did such a thing. You could not be upset by it, so you decided that he would be your one exception.

“I never thought about it like that,” you said.

“If you ever need anything, you can definitely ask me,” he said. “Or Satoru. Or Shoko! I mean, you can come to all of us.”

“Thank you,” you said, embarrassed by how kind he was. It didn’t feel special, either; just as being fed up was part of Nanami’s personality, being kind was part of Geto’s. He was simply like this, you assumed, with everyone.

“Has Tokyo been treating you well? And what about those classmates of yours?” he said. “Because if either of them have been acting up, you just let me know, and I’ll send a couple of curses after them. Small ones, of course, the kind that would do little more than give them a scare in the middle of night, but I think that would be enough to get a laugh out of us both.”

“Tokyo has been wonderful. The same goes for Nanami and Haibara, so no need to sic the curses on them quite yet — if that ever changes, you’ll be the first person I call,” you said. “It’s really been so different from home.”

“Is that a good thing?” he said.

“Yes, I would say. I feel like I’m accepted here in a way I wasn’t before,” you said, tapping your chin in thought. “People outside of the sorcery world can’t really understand those in it. Did you know that?”

“My parents aren’t sorcerers, either,” he said. “I’d wager I know it as well as you do.”

He did not offer more, and you did not inquire. Whatever his past was, it was his alone, as yours belonged to you. But you had this much in common, that both of you were born of non-sorcerers who would never, not truly, know what it was like.

Sometimes, you wondered what your parents were doing, if they missed you, or if they were relieved that you were gone now. Surely, it was the latter, as they had never made any attempts to contact you, but the smallest, most childish part of you wanted it to be true that they regretted sending you away, that every day they ached for your return.

“It’s nice to have friends, as well,” you said. “Nanami and Haibara, they are so different from each other and from anyone I’ve ever met, but I would not trade them for the entire world. They are very precious to me.”

Nanami with his reluctance to do just about anything and the way he would do just about everything, just because he cared about you and Haibara. Haibara and his cheerfulness, making it impossible to be sad for very long at all. Where would you be without them? Who would you be without them? They had forced you out of a shell you hadn’t even realized was built around you. They helped you take aching, vulnerable steps into a new world where you were strong, where you were brave, where you were yourself.

“And what about exorcising curses and whatnot? Has that been alright?” he said. The concern was nice. It evoked the same emotion in you that had arisen when Yaga had shown anger at your past circumstances: a kind of gratitude that there existed someone who cared about you.

“I’ve only gone on that one mission with Gojo, but it went well enough. My cursed technique hasn’t manifested yet, so I mostly rely on the Sword of Syrinx, but that’s a special grade cursed tool, so it could be worse,” you said.

“You have a technique?” he said.

“According to Hinode, it’s some ancient technique called Hummingbird’s Blessing. It allows its user to borrow the strength of the hummingbird. I still don’t know what it means, let alone how it’s used, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out,” you said.

“Hm,” Geto said. “I know it sounds like a weak technique, and I don’t know the details, so I could be entirely wrong, but might I say something?”

“Go ahead,” you said, the rest of the students coming into view. For some reason, Haibara and Nanami were diligently massaging Ieri’s shoulders, and Gojo was taking pictures of the spectacle with a digital camera. Noticing you and Geto approaching, he turned the flash on and snapped a shot of the two of you walking together, one you were sure would be absolutely horrible, considering both of you had been caught entirely by surprise and weren’t even facing the camera when the photo was taken.

“The simplest techniques tend to be the most powerful. See, the more complicated a technique is, the more restrictions it usually has. Or, alternatively, the cost of cursed energy to use it is so high that it’s barely ever a viable option. But if you can take a weak, straightforward technique and use your mind a bit,” he said, tapping you on the forehead. “That’s how you really become strong.”

Flash. “Cute pose! These are going to come out so good!”

“Gojo!” you said, startled both by the blinding light of the camera and his sudden appearance in between you and Geto. “Will you at least take one of me where I’m looking at the camera?”

“Sure!” he said, taking the opportunity to take another picture, this one likely of you scowling directly into the lens.

“When I know what’s going on and have time to prepare!” you said. Perhaps you had been a bit too hasty in saying you liked him.

“Eventually,” he said. “Now, the question is, do we convince the managers to drive us, or do we just walk?”

“It’s a nice night out,” Ieri said. “I don’t mind either way. Walking will give me more time to strategize with my new teammate, however, so if you guys are feeling threatened, then we should call a manager.”

“We’re not threatened!” Gojo said.

“We’re the strongest. Do you think we’ll let you two beat us? We’d never live it down,” Geto added. Ieri exhaled a puff of smoke from the cigarette dangling between her teeth and turned back to wink at you.

“Then I suppose we’re walking,” she said, looping her arm through yours and using her other hand to motion the others forward. “Go on, now, we can’t have you all eavesdropping on our groundbreaking strategies.”

Of the four, only Haibara was impressed, his eyes sparkling and his jaw dropping, likely at the thought of you and Ieri having ‘groundbreaking strategies.’ He bowed, and it was made even more humorous by the fact that he was probably being completely serious with it.

“We’ll let you two discuss. I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” he said, grabbing the back of Nanami’s shirt and using it to yank him forwards, away from you and Ieri. Gojo and Geto exchanged looks before simultaneously shrugging and following after them, leaving you and Ieri to take up the rear at a more sedate speed.

“What groundbreaking strategies are you thinking of?” you said.

“I just have one,” she said, holding up her pointer finger for emphasis.

“Let’s hear it, then,” you said.

“Beat Suguru and Satoru,” she said. You waited for her to elaborate. She did not.

“Sounds like a plan,” you said. “Are you good at games?”

“No,” she said. “Are you?”

You winced. “No.”

“That’s fine. We’ll just have to go the old-fashioned route,” she said firmly, elbowing you in the side.

“What’s that?” you said, tilting your head towards her curiously. Her face split into a conniving smile.

“Lying, cheating, and scamming our way to the top.”

“How the hell did we lose again?” Gojo screamed, banging on his controller like he was trying to force it into working.

“I guess you guys just aren’t as good as Y/N and I,” Ieri said, tossing her hair.

“Where is Y/N, anyways?” Nanami said, narrowing his eyes at Ieri.

“Bathroom. Uh…womanly issues?” she said. Nanami made a face.

“Alright,” he said.

“I hope she’s doing okay, she’s been gone for a while. Oh, I know! We should all buy her some chocolate! That’ll cheer her up, right? I mean, chocolate helps because of its high magnesium content, so it’ll make her feel better,” Haibara said.

“Yes. You all should go get her some chocolate,” Ieri said.

“Good idea, Haibara,” Geto said. “I’m sure she’ll really appreciate it. Let’s go.”

“I still can’t believe we lost to her and Shoko,” Gojo said as the four of them walked away in search of chocolate to offer to you.

“You can come out now,” Ieri said. You slid out from behind the machine, where you had been manipulating the controls to make it seem like your team had won more points than Gojo, Geto, Haibara, and Nanami combined. “Nice job.”

“It was so worth it,” you said. “You’ll mess with the next game?”

“Think they’ll be suspicious if we’re both experiencing ‘womanly issues’ at the same time?” she said, making air quotes with her fingers to highlight the sarcasm. You peered around the corner, where the four of them seemed to be arguing about which chocolate had the highest magnesium content, and then shook your head.

“Nah, I doubt they even know what that means,” you said.

She high-fived you. “They are going to feel so bad by the time the night is over.”

You smiled, half out of affection for the boys coming back with bags upon bags of chocolate in tow, half out of affection for the girl in front of you who you barely knew but could already consider a fast friend.

“Y/N! We got chocolate for you,” Haibara said, thrusting the bags in your hand. “Wait, where did Ieri go?”

“She’s a bit under the weather,” you said. From underneath the game machine, Ieri snorted, which none of them seemed to take heed of. “I’m sure she'll be back soon. We can probably get another round in while we wait.”

“We’ll win this time!” Gojo said.

They did not win that time, nor the time after that, nor even the time after that. In fact, whether by chance or fate or perhaps copious amounts of subterfuge on yours and Ieri’s part, they never won again.

#kashimo x reader #kashimo x you #kashimo x y/n #canon au #reader insert #hurricanes / hummingbirds #m1ckeyb3rry writes

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barbiewritesstuff · 2 years

Text

Fairground Fun

-- Why are fics so hard to title??

Thank you @lgg5989 for helping me with this <3

Taglist: @unsurebuttrying @dempy --

"Whoa," Rooster says as soon as you walk into the Hard Deck that night, you're wearing your civvies. The flight suit makes you uncomfortable and the uniform is unflattering so you go for your usual clothes. You're wearing a cute pink dress with a nice pair of fuschia heels and you've clearly done your hair because your usual pin straight hair has been curled neatly so it falls over your shoulders in a very attractive way.

"Don't get excited, she has kids. I'm single though," your friend says, her eyelashes batting at the tall aviator. You look at her to say 'what the fuck', your eyes quickly darting to Jake’s from across the table. He had taken you out on a date last week, and you didn’t find the right moment to tell him that you were a package deal, coming with not one but two kids.

—

Jake watches the interaction from his place across the pool table. He hadn’t even met the girl and he already felt nothing but pure hatred towards her for making you feel bad. So much so that he hasn't even had time to compute what she said. The penny falls a minute later when he crosses your eyes and sees nothing but pure fear.

He tries to give you a warm smile, because the truth is: Jake is mad about you. He probably always has been, but that revelation shows him that maybe he always will be because while it should have shaken him or made him hesitate, the fact that you have kids feels like nothing more than a fun fact about you. He still feels weird about it though, and as much as he wants to comfort you, he feels himself withdrawing for the rest of the evening.

By the time Penny calls for last orders and he drinks the last of his beer, he's made up his mind. You all spill onto the parking lot and quickly spread in all sorts of directions. Rooster walks off with your friend.

"You need better friends," Jake says as he comes up behind you, nodding towards the couple.

"You didn't tell me," he adds in a quiet whisper.

Jake thinks he might need some new friends too, because when you hum in agreement, hurt crosses your face, and he's ready to fight Rooster for sleeping with the girl behind that expression.

"I didn't want to ruin a good date. I'm sorry, I know it's so selfish of me but I had so much fun and…" you trail off but Jake can only concentrate on the fact that you had fun. You didn't want to ruin an evening. That statement shouldn't carry as much weight as it does.

"What happened to the dad?" Jake asks

"Living in Spain with his new family," you reply, "They're lucky to even get a call on Christmas."

"He moves fast," is all Jake could find to say

"It helps when you get a head start while you're still in a relationship," you reply.

Despite your answer there's a comfortable lull in conversation as he walks you home, and it gives him time to think back. You were a relatively new addition to the team but you charmed just about anyone, even him. He'd been working up the courage to talk to you for weeks and then he caught you after training one day last week and finally asked. You had said yes, giving him a bright smile that had made him weak in the knees and Jake had to admit that the crush he thought he had might be a lot more. In fact, he thought he might have skipped right past the crush stage and gone straight to desperately in love but he didn't really care.

He took you to his favourite restaurant and spent the entire evening overthinking everything. He agonised over whether he was talking too much, or too little. Was he talking too much about himself? Was he boring you? Were you having a good time? Would you want to do this again?

Surprisingly, you didn't seem to notice and admittedly had a good time, enough that Jake figured he'd at least try to ask you out again.

"I'm playing tomorrow. If you want to come," he ventures. He told you he played football for the Navy's team during your date, after you told him that going to see a game live was one of your bucket list items.

"I'd love that," you reply, a smile so bright it could power San Diego.

----

"Babysitter cancelled. I'm sorry," you text him at lunch, right as he's about to step in the shower.

"But how will we win? You are my lucky charm," he texts back, fake pouting at his screen to hide real disappointment.

Jake can almost hear you laugh at his text right through the screen and his heart actually skips a beat. It feels funny but not unwelcome, in fact, he'd like you to do that again.

"You'll do fine :)," you text back and for a second Jake actually feels desperate, like everything hangs on you being there to cheer him on. Like they'll win if you come, which is weird, because the team he plays for has been doomed since the start of the season.

It's the desperation that texts back, "Why don't you bring them? We can hit the fair afterwards?" and the desperation is very surprised to find that that was pretty much exactly what Jake was planning on texting you anyway.

He can feel it stir up gossip among his neurons.

"He must really be into her," one of them says.

"I hear he's already picking engagement rings," the other one replies.

"Okay, if I don't catch you beforehand, I'll be the lady in blue and white holding two kids," you text back and his heart skips another beat.

He can see you telling him this, a big smile on your face. The kind of smile that makes him want to kiss you -- oh, who is he kidding? He always wants to kiss you. In his daydream you're in front of him in the rec room, your hair in a navy bun, but one of your locks of curly blonde hair has escaped the gelling and is hanging in front of your forehead. Your eyes have a glint in them and Jake likes to pretend it only appears when you talk to him.

And then it's time for him to get ready and go. The whole way to the field, every single song playing on the radio is about you. He parks, gets ready and right before the game starts, he gets your tickets for you, giving the salesperson your name and your description. One of his teammates catches the interaction and gives him shit for having a girl and finally settling down. Jake doesn't even bother correcting him, because if it goes the way he wants it to go, you'll be his girl soon enough.

It's time. They're jogging out of the building and onto the field and Jake looks around. As if trained specifically for this, his eyes find you immediately. You are dressed in blue with a navy football team jersey tucked into a skater skirt. Your hair is up in a casual ponytail but you have a second scrunchie around your wrist. Your kids fit the color scheme too but with the way your daughter is pouting at you, pinching the edges of her shirt and glaring at it, he thinks it might not be voluntary. Your son doesn't seem to care too much, he's far too busy trying to eat his own hand.

Too distracted by the sight of you, Jake trips. He doesn't fall though and he thanks God for it, because he doesn't want to embarass you like that.

The game starts a little bit after and ends in record time. The game was lost almost as soon as it had started but he doesn't care because you cheer for him like he cheers for the Longhorns: loud and proud. Even the little one is startled out of the munching of his fingers and joins in the clapping. Your daughter doesn't.

"I wanted to be a Princess," she says when Jake joins you after the game.

"That's Anna," you introduce, "And this is Teddy."

"I wanted to be a Princess," she repeats with enough poison dripping from her tone that Jake has no doubt that she thinks this is entirely his fault. You tell Anna off in a hushed tone and he's grateful for it but he doesn't really mind. He's not there for the kids, he's there for you.

Except, as the evening goes on, he starts being there for the kids too.

Jake's not the type of guy who's always dreamt of having his own kids. In all honesty, he's not great at thinking about the future. He does the bare minimum. He invests his money, and he saves for a nice retirement but other than that, he tries not to think about things too much. The thought that there might not be a future at all is so anxiety inducing that it gives him a nervous rash. But here and now his brain is running a mile a minute, making him a movie of everything he could have with you and your kids if this date goes well enough that you might say yes when he asks you to go steady. The movie is Oscar worthy and even has him tearing up a little by the end of it.

"What kind of princess?" He asks your daughter as they wait for you to finish changing Teddy, "You said you wanted to come as a princess… what kind of princess? What's her name?"

"Cinderella," she replies with zero hesitation.

"That's a good princess," he agrees, feeling suddenly so very awkward about the fact he can't make conversation with a two year old.

"What's your favourite one?" Anna asks, seemingly warming up to him a little.

"Tiana, from the Princess and the Frog," he replies. It's not even a lie. It's the only Disney he has on dvd and the only film outside of Die Hard and the Ocean's franchise that he knows every word of and he's not ashamed to admit it.

Anna nods after a moment, approving of his answer.

"Okay," she says.

"Okay, all done," you say brightly, walking out of the mother and baby bathroom of the mall and joining them back out into the street. Teddy doesn't walk yet so you have to carry him, but with the big and bulky bag you carry his stuff in, everything's looking a little precarious.

Jake leans towards you, meaning to take the bag but Teddy leans in to meet him and suddenly he has the baby in his arms. In all fairness, Ted's not a baby anymore but Jake's scared to call him a child because being confronted with the fact that your baby isn't a baby anymore might make you frown and that would break his heart.

Teddy feels surprisingly cool against his chest, despite the fact that it's late summer and still quite warm, so the baby curls up into him and Jake's heart almost bursts.

"You tell me if you want me to take him off you," you say, fussing with Teddy's collar and then brushing a loose eyelash off of Jake's cheek. He knows it's your kid, but he still has to fight off the urge to tell you you'll have to rip the baby off of him.

Ted eventually falls asleep on him despite the fact that there's loud music at the fair, and that Anna got over her disapproval of her clothes and is now screeching with joy whenever she gets to go on a ride.

"You sure you don't mind staying behind?" You ask, he shakes his head and even waves at you when you get onto the ferris wheel. Jake finds a nice bench to sit on. He unzips his hoodie and shimmies it from underneath the sleeping boy to wrap him inside it. Teddy lets out a happy sigh.

"How old is the little lad?" The man sitting next to him asks. He's carrying a baby in one of those chest carriers Jake doesn't know the names of.

"Err, I don't know. He's not mine," he answers.

"Oh," the man says, his eyebrows shooting up. Jake winces, only just realising how strange this looks.

"He's my date's," Jake expands, "She's up on the wheel with her little girl," he adds.

"Oh, right," the man looks relieved, "My wife's there too, with her sister."

"That's nice," Jake says, trying to quell that burning feeling in his chest, the one that told him he liked being mistaken for Teddy's dad. The man stands up and leaves, clearly unhappy with the conversation but Jake honestly doesn't care because Ted is bunching up his shirt with his chubby little fist and it's just about the cutest thing he's ever seen in his life.

"He likes you," you say when you come down with Anna on your hip.

"He's cute," he replies. You lean in and place a little kiss on Teddy's little head and then one on Jake's cheek and he feels dizzy all of a sudden.

He takes you to get some food and a drink. You and Anna share a gigantic vat of candy floss while he eats a tornado potato. It's a nice evening, the stars are shining bright and the fair is fun and right now, Jake realises there's nowhere else he'd rather be.

"Jake, I'd like another child. I just thought I'd say that right off the bat, so you can figure out if you'd like this to go further." You say all of a sudden and Jake laughs because while you were talking, the only thing he could think about was that you had been pregnant every year so far, and Jake wonders if you'd like to be pregnant this year too.

"What?" You ask

"Sorry, it's just -- that's awfully forward from someone who didn't tell me they had kids til after the first date," he lies

You look at the floor, "I figured that maybe you might like me… you did tell me to bring the kids, I don't think you'd do that if you weren't interested,"

"I am interested," Jake replies, weighing his words.

"But?" You ask, looking deep into his eyes. Maybe he's dreaming but Jake thinks he can see something a little like apprehension in your eyes and that's when Jake realises you might actually like him back. Despite the fact, the rational part of his brain laughs, that you agreed to two dates, let him meet, hold and watch your kids and that you're now talking about more kids with him.

"I don't think I want just one," he says, looking at his feet as you walk up to a small enclosure where people are keeping some livestock. Standing between the two of you, Anna is straining to look at the animal.

He does what he does with his nephews and he lifts her up so her feet rest on the fence and she's sitting on his shoulder. She's perfectly still, Jake's not sure she's breathing. Maybe she's scared of heights, or she's scared of him, he suddenly thinks but she lets out a big breath and wiggles on his shoulder, it's controlled and she won't actually fall but the second he feels it, Jake's hand flies up to hover near her in case she needs catching. She relaxes then, like he's passed her test and she now knows she's safe with him. Anna even rests her little hand on top of his head.

He's scared to look at you for a bit, but he desperately wants to so to stop himself he points things out to Anna. After a minute, he feels your hand on his chin, turning his head. Instinctively, he takes a hold of the little girl and puts her back down. You capture his lips in a kiss he'll never forget. His heart is beating out of his chest and his brain has gone quiet for the first time in his life. When you break apart, because Anna asks to go home please, you look into each other's eyes with such intensity that it sends a shiver down his spine.

You carry the little girl to your car and buckle her in while Jake takes care of Teddy. His chest feels cold when he places the boy in his seat. Clearly Teddy doesn't like it either because he wakes up and his bottom lip trembles. You make your way around the car and stroke down from his forehead to the tip of his nose, Ted falls back asleep in three strokes.

"I was wondering if -- I don't know -- I figured you might like me… and I was wondering if you'd like to be my girlfriend?" He blurts out as soon as you close the car door.

You smile at him, his heart skips a beat again. Jake thinks he might get addicted to this feeling, because the way endorphins rush his brain makes him euphoric.

"I'd like that," you reply in a soft and shy tone of voice and for once, he doesn't fight it, he leans in and kisses you. He's pouring every ounce of love he has towards you into that kiss. Eventually, he has to break away from you, not to breathe but to stop himself from just proposing right there and then.

"I should go," you whisper, pointing at the car. Jake opens the door for you and you climb in, driving out of the parking lot with a smile wave.

In the back seat, Anna shifts slightly in her seat and waves at him too.

#fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun x reader #fanfiction #original fic #hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #hangman top gun

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torreshalstead · 4 months

Text

On a crowded street in 1944

Summary - The four walls of Upton’s General Store were all Hailey knew although she longed to see what else life had to offer. When a handsome soldier walks through the door, she thinks he might just be the answer to the life she wants to have. But it was 1944 and the country was at war. Would fate smile on her or would her heart be another casualty of the war?

Chapters - 1/15

Notes - Welcome to my new AU! I’ve been working on this since July 7th since Taylor Swift dropped Timeless and I couldn’t let the idea go so I hope you enjoy! Happy reading ❤️ AO3 Link

June 1944

‘Morning Mrs Stevens,’ Hailey said cheerily when the grey haired woman entered the store. It was a warm June day in Chicago and the store had been busier than usual with people stopping in to get a cold bottle of soda from the ice bucket by the window. It had been her idea then when it was warmer they should chill some of the drinks so the customers could drink them straight out. Her father had initially disagreed, as he did with any of the ideas she put forward for the store, but her mother had also agreed and it had been a roaring success. Not that her father had offered her a word of thanks.

‘Morning Hailey dear, just wondered if that order of thread we discussed had come in yet? My Rory’s pants are in desperate need of a darn but I’ve only got red thread left and that would look mighty silly against the grey,’ Mrs Stevens said as she approached the counter.

Hailey smiled and nodded, ducking down under the counter to pull out the box that she had put aside the previous day having remembered the conversation with the older woman. ‘Here you are,’ Hailey said, handing over the requested bobbin.

‘You are a dear,’ Mrs Stevens said with a smile, opening her purse and pulling out a couple of coins to hand over. ‘And I’ll grab a pop on the way out too,’ she said with a wink.

‘Of course,’ Hailey said, punching the numbers into the large register, the drawer pinging open with a loud ding. She placed the coins in the appropriate sections and closed it again. Grabbing the nearest pencil she scribbled down the purchase in the ledger as well. Her father was a stickler for double counting everything, no matter how much longer it took.

‘Have a good day,’ Mrs Stevens called from the door, the cold bottle of soda clutched in her hand, the beads of condensation dripping onto the floor.

‘Mop floor later,’ Hailey made a mental note for herself as the door closed, the bell ringing as it did so.

Hailey sighed deeply, pleased to finally have a moment to herself. She felt like she hadn’t stopped all day and the back of her pastel blue shirt dress was sticking to her skin in the heat. What she wouldn’t give to crack open one of those cold Coca-Cola’s and let the sweet nectar cool her body. But she wasn’t allowed to take from the store unless she was going to pay and as she had a grand total of 3 cents in her coin purse, that wasn’t enough.

Although the store had been busy today and her feet were sore, Hailey was glad to be out of the upstairs apartment. It was too hot to be sat upstairs and her box room was incredibly stuffy. Her family leased both the store and the attached second floor apartment. It wasn’t large but it was big enough that her parents had a room down the hall, the living area with a tiny kitchenette and Hailey had her own room. It wasn’t much more than a cupboard with a window but it was her own space and she was thankful for it.

They had moved to the city when she was only 5 years old, her grandfather had passed and left her father some money so he had been able to quit his job at the canning factory and take the lease out on the general store. The store quickly became her father’s pride and joy, the love of his life. Hailey would go so far as to say he loved it more than her or her mother. The day it opened he had beamed with pride from ear to ear, a photograph was taken for the newspaper, the clipping was now framed behind the counter.

Once Hailey was old enough to recognise the numbers on the register and tall enough to look over the front counter, though initially she stood on a milk crate, her weekends had been spent working in the store. It was a novelty to start with, getting to work alongside her father and no longer be treated like a child but when she got into her teens and her friends would want to get together on the weekends, she loathed the place.

She begged her parents to let her skip a day so she could go watch the local baseball game or attend the carnival but her request was always denied. ‘We need you in the store, Hailey.’ ‘It's a family business.’ ‘Family is the most important thing Hailey.’ Were just some of the excuses she had heard. In the end she stopped asking to go and her friends stopped asking her to join them. By the time she left school, she was alone.

Sure, she had acquaintances who she knew by name when they came in weekly for supplies but it was never anyone her own age. She could meet people at church if her father didn’t hurry them out at the end of the sermon every week. She had wanted to go to college, train to be a secretary and get her typing qualification but here she was, working day in and day out in this store. Her father had said he didn’t have need of a secretary so what would be the point in her training. She hadn’t wanted to point out that her world didn’t start and end with these four walls, there were other things to see, new places to go.

Just as Hailey started to daydream about what her life could be, a common occurrence when the store was quiet, the bell rang and her head jerked towards the door to see a young man enter.

She stood up straight and brushed her dress down, she also picked her jaw up off the floor because this was the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes on.

‘Welcome to Upton’s General Store, if you need anything please let me know,’ she blurted out, a fraction too loudly so the stranger looked startled.

‘Thank you,’ he said, tipping his army issued cap to her before starting to wander through the neatly stocked aisles.

He couldn’t have been much older than her, a year or two at most, and his army uniform looked freshly pressed if not newly issued. His boots were so polished that Hailey would bet all the coins in her purse that she could see her face reflected in them if she deemed to look. The folds down the centre of his pants legs were straight as an arrow and his shirt was equally neat. He had smiled at her when he had doffed his cap, his green eyes sparkling as he did. They looked like grass just after a rainstorm had passed through and Hailey was certain she would be dreaming about them then she went to sleep that night.

‘Do you have any envelopes Miss?’ He said from only a couple of steps in front of her. Hailey had been daydreaming so deeply she hadn’t even heard him approach.

‘Yes, yes we do,’ she stammered quickly, turning to the back walls and pulling open one of the drawers. ‘How many?’ She asked as she pulled out a handful.

‘Just a few would be fine, thank you,’ he said politely.

‘Here’s 4, but if you need anymore we are open everyday from Monday to Saturday,’ she said, her fathers words echoing through her head - ‘always remind them they can come back, don’t let them take their business elsewhere’.

‘I won’t be here after tomorrow morning unfortunately, we ship out at 9am tomorrow,’ he said, standing proudly as he did so.

‘Oh,’ Hailey said, taken aback. She had half hoped that he would become one of her regulars and she would get to see those eyes again. But she should have guessed from his attire that he wouldn't be sticking around. ‘Well thank you for your service Mr…’ she let her voice tail off and luckily he got the hint.

‘Halstead, Jay Halstead Miss. Pleasure to meet you,’ he said smiling.

‘Upton, Hailey,’ Hailey said, returning his warm smile with one of her own.

‘Upton, like the store,’ Jay said, gesturing around him at the shelves of merchandise.

‘It’s my father’s store but yes, it’s a family business,’ she said. She attempted to sound proud at the words but every time she heard anyone say the words family business it sounded more like family trap to her.

‘It’s a lovely place you’ve got here,’ Jay said and Hailey couldn’t stop herself from letting out a small giggle which she immediately stifled with a hand over her mouth.

‘I’ll tell my father you said so,’ Hailey responded with a shy smirk.

‘Please don’t, it’s not him I’m trying to win over,’ Jay said, the corners of his mouth pulling up to a grin.

‘And how’s that going Mr Halstead?’ Hailey lent against the counter, suddenly full of a confidence that she had never had when conversing with the opposite sex.

‘It could be going worse,’ he grinned and Hailey smiled. Every time he smiled and his pearly white teeth caught her eye, his green eyes twinkled even more. They were the sort of eyes that poets would write about.

‘Can I get you anything else apart from envelopes Mr Halstead?’ Hailey said, raising an eyebrow but continuing to keep her smile painted across her face.

‘I’ll have one of those sodas as well if you wouldn’t mind, it’s mighty hot today.’

‘I’ll add it to your tab and you can pick one up on the way out,’ Hailey tapped into the register.

‘Have one with me?’ Jay asked quickly and when Hailey’s eyes shot up from the counter he seemed to realise how forward he sounded. ‘Excuse me, I didn’t mean to be so forward but I’d be honoured if you’d have one with me?’ He nervously played with the knot of his tie.

‘There’s no one else to cover,’ Hailey said disappointedly. She’d love nothing more than to take a break and have a cold drink, and having his company would only add to that.

‘We could have them here?’ Jay offered, gesturing to the counter. ‘It’s no stroll along the river but I’ll try to be good company.’

Hailey knew she should say no, her father could come downstairs at any moment and if he found her fraternising with a customer he wouldn’t be pleased. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

‘Okay then Mr Halstead, I’d love to share a pop with you,’ Hailey smiled and looked up at him through her lashes.

‘Wonderful,’ Jay said loudly and walked towards the ice bin to collect two bottles of the brown nectar. Hailey quickly straightened her dress whilst his back was turned and ran her hands over her hair making sure her curls were actually curled and not turning into frizz like they normally did in this heat.

‘Thank you, that’s very kind of you,’ she said, accepting the bottle that Jay offered her, having just twisted the cap off of both.

‘No thank you,’ Jay said, clinking his bottle to hers. Taking a long sip Hailey sighed as she felt the cold liquid slide down her throat, cooling her from the inside out. ‘Lucky you get such access to cold drinks on days like today,’ Jay said offhandedly, taking a sip from his own drink.

Hailey wiped her finger across her bottom lip to collect any remaining condensation and shook her head lightly. ‘I just get the joy of serving it, Father likes the drinks to remain for the customers,’ she said flatly.

‘Oh, that makes sense,’ Jay said quickly, clearly sensing her discomfort. ‘So how much do I owe you?’ He asked in a clear attempt to change the subject.

‘12 cents,’ Hailey smiled and Jay handed it over. They fell back into a comfortable silence, both taking long drinks from their bottles and alternating who would turn away first when they held prolonged periods of eye contact. Hailey prayed no one came into the store and interrupted them, there was something about him that was intriguing.

Just as she opened her mouth to ask him whether the name Jay was shortened from anything, the door behind her opened and her father walked into the store.

‘The drinks are only for customers Hailey,’ he said firmly and Hailey shrunk back immediately.

‘Apologies sir, I asked your daughter to share a pop with me. It’s a hot day and I didn’t want to drink alone,’ Jay said loudly, pulling Ivan Upton’s attention to him, standing up straight as he spoke. ‘I paid for both bottles and gifted her one, I apologise for distracting her whilst she works.’

Clearly taken aback and noticing Jay’s uniform, her father muttered something under his breath about slacking and stamped back upstairs again.

‘Sorry if I’ve made things difficult for you,’ Jay said apologetically.

‘It’s okay, he’s got a big meeting with suppliers this evening so he’s been on edge all day,’ Hailey said, unsure why she was making excuses for the fact her father had just been rude to her in front of him. It was a habit now, even if she wished it wasn’t.

‘I best be off then, wouldn’t want to anger him by distracting you further,’ Jay said, nodding his head. ‘Thank you for your company Miss Hailey Upton.’

‘It was my pleasure,’ Hailey said, her voice suddenly shaky as Jay turned on his heel and exited the shop. Something she hadn’t felt before twisted in her stomach as the bell on the door tinkled when it closed. Something she’d only read about in her books when she was supposed to be sleeping, the ones she hid under the mattress because her mother deemed them inappropriate for young ladies. As she lifted the bottle and let the cold glass cool her lips, she was suddenly struck by the thought of his lips touching hers and wondered what it would feel like. She shook her head, he was clearly off to fight in the war and she wouldn’t see him again. No point thinking about something that wasn’t going to happen. Still she smiled to herself as she remembered how his eyes had shone when he smiled and how it had sounded when he said her name

#upstead #hailey upton #jay halstead #chicago pd #upstead fic #one chicago #hailey x jay #chicago pd fic #upstead fanfiction #chicago pd fanfic #upstead fanfic #chicago pd fanfiction

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buckysgrace · 10 months

Text

Fifty Five

CW: Drugging, violence, attempted assault

Kim didn’t feel any better about herself the closer they got to Tommy’s. Her pulse was racing, her breath quickening as she wondered if Billy would be looking for her. She hoped that he would be. She hoped that he missed her as much as she missed him. She felt like she hadn’t seen him in forever. He was gone before she woke and usually didn’t return until she was pretending to sleep. She wanted to sneak into his room and see him, but was worried that he would get mad. She needed to explain things to him, but she didn’t know how to do it.

She had dragged Addi along to the party with her, not even giving her a chance to complain about it. She had practically guilted Addi into it, but she figured that it would be fine. She promised that Eddie tagging along wouldn’t bother her. She wanted to forget the conversation with her mom, she wanted to forget everything.

Still, she found herself dressing in a way that she could earn Billy’s attention. She couldn’t make sense of her feelings. She knew she should stop what they had between them, but she wasn’t able to commit to it. She loved him, no matter what. She just had to tell him.

She wore her lingerie under the pink dress she had worn what felt like ages ago. She had styled her hair nicely and done her makeup with a steady hand. She wanted Billy to be so enamored with her that he was no longer conflicted about his feelings. She wanted him to look upon her and just know that she was the right choice. She hoped it worked, she needed him.

“So,” Addi turned to look at Kim, “What’s the plan for tonight?” Kim stared at her for a long moment. She wasn’t sure if she should admit that she just wanted to forget everything. She wanted to feel something, anything other than the numb feeling that had taken over her heart.

“To have fun,” Kim forced out a smile and exhaled slowly, “We’re just going to have fun.” She repeated after a second, trying to reassure her that she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Addi paused, looking like she didn’t believe her.

“You know what’s fun,” Addi stepped out with Kim, holding onto Eddie’s arm, “Eddie’s game. It’s so much fun. We could always do that instead.” Addi offered. Eddie sent her a look, looking as if this was the first time he had heard her say that.

“I thought you said it was nerdy?” He questioned, his lips curling into a smile. Kim looked at where their hands were linked and felt another wave of sadness. She looked back at Addi.

“I’m fine,” She breathed out again, “We wanted to go to parties, remember?” She linked their arms together, pulling her friend towards the thumping house. It looked similar to how it did when she had come to pick up Billy. She thought of him again, feeling another wave of sadness hit her.

“Yeah,” Addi agreed softly. Kim moved her hand away, but Addi quickly grabbed a hold of it as they moved through the bustling bodies. Kim was searching, looking through the crowds and people for anything familiar. She felt disappointed when she didn’t see him, “Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” Addi stopped her, pulling her aside. Her hands were on Kim’s shoulders, looking at her seriously. Kim felt her eyebrows furrow together.

“I’m fine, why?” She was glancing around again, in fear that she might miss Billy if he walked in. Addi shook her lightly, bringing her attention back to her. Kim exhaled softly, the beat of the music was filling inside of her body. It caused her whole body to vibrate.

“I know it hurts but you don’t have to do this,” Addi looked at her seriously, her dark brown eyes were soft as she examined her friend, “I don’t want you to spiral out of control. Promise me you won’t do anything dumb.” Kim stared at her for a long time.

“I’m not spiraling,” She tried to defend herself, knowing it was far from the truth, “I promise. I’ll be on my best behavior.” Kim grinned again. It hurt to smile. She felt like she couldn’t do anything without Billy around. She needed him like she needed air.

“Okay,” Addi looked her over after a second, “Just don’t get too crazy with the drinking. C’mon.” She grabbed her hand again and pulled Kim towards the kitchen. Kim looked around it, wondering if she skimmed through the drawers if she would find Billy’s keys hidden away again. She had no indication that he was here. She needed him to be.

“It’s a party,” Kim told her softly, pouring herself a cup of spiked punch, “We’re supposed to get drunk.” Kim smiled again, welcoming the burn that filled her system. It was warming, it felt better than the empty feeling that was inside her chest. She took another drink, then another, until it was all gone.

“Oh girl,” Addi was smiling nervously as she pulled her wrist down softly, “Are we really going to do that?” She searched Kim’s face. Kim shrugged her shoulders, moving her hand away so she could get another glass.

“I’ve never really been that drunk before,” Kim glanced towards her, “I can finally get that off of my list.” Addi was still looking at her nervously.

“Okay, but when I tell you to leave I mean it. Sounds good?” Kim nodded her head, hoping that she would be long gone before then. She wanted to feel good, she wanted to feel anything. Addi poured herself a drink, still looking at Kim like she didn’t trust her.

Kim drank the liquid slowly this time, making a point to behave nicely in front of her friend. She tried to hide the fact that her hands were shaking, that she was completely overwhelmed at the moment, “Whenever you want to go, I’m ready.” Kim promised with a nod of her head. Of course, she meant as soon as she was able to see Billy. She wanted him to see her, to want her as desperately as he did before.

No matter how hard Kim looked, it was like he was hiding from her. She kept drinking, trying to fill the void of the empty sensation that was inside of her. She wondered if this is why Billy drank, if it was easier to ignore those feelings with alcohol. She understood suddenly.

Kim found herself drifting away from her friend, bored by the way her and Eddie were hanging onto each other. It made her think of Billy, made her think of how she wasn’t able to hold onto him. She wandered through the house, stopping as she found an empty room. She grinned as she bounced on the bed, giggling softly at how it moved underneath her. She looked up suddenly, hearing footsteps.

“Hi,” Kim smiled up at Robin, holding her hands underneath her chin, “Do you want to join me?” Robin looked a little surprised. She looked nice. Kim liked her jeans and the simple blue shirt that she wore. It complimented her eyes nicely. Kim sat up on the edge of the bed, the alcohol making her a little less shy as she patted the mattress next to her.

“What are you doing in here?” Robin smiled, looking a little flustered as she crossed the room and sat down. Kim nearly sat criss crossed, before remembering that she was wearing a dress. She shrugged her shoulders.

“Just looking around I guess,” Kim glanced around the room. It must’ve been a guest room by the lack of decorations. Robin sat with her hands crossed on her lap, “What about you?” Robin shrugged her shoulders.

“I lost Steve to some girls,” She smiled softly, “I didn’t want to stand around and listen to that.” Kim made a face with her, thinking about how she had left Addi for similar reasons.

“Romance,” She huffed playfully as she swatted a hand in the air, “It sucks.” She felt her smile dropping as she thought of Billy. She exhaled deeply, feeling the familiar numbness beginning to settle in over her skin. Robin tilted her head, looking a little nervous.

“Steve said he talked to you?” She fidgeted with her bottom lip, gnashing it between her teeth. Kim felt an eye squint and her eyebrow raise as she tried to think about what she had spoken about with Steve.

“Been a few days,” Kim admitted as she crossed one leg over the other to try and make herself more comfortable, “He basically explained why he wouldn’t be with me before.” She replied after a second, feeling like she had to search deep inside of her brain to find the answer. She was beginning to feel a little jittery. Robin exhaled deeply.

“Yeah,” She looked at Kim apprehensively, like she was debating about saying anything, “Because of his friend?” She questioned, like she was trying to find out what exactly Steve had said. Kim nodded her head, thinking that it sounded right.

“I think that’s right.” Kim confirmed, unsure of why Robin was bringing it up. Maybe she was trying to admit that she liked Steve too. Kim wondered if she needed to reassure Robin that she didn’t feel anything for Steve anymore.

“I’m the friend,” Robin said softly, staring down at the mattress as she spoke. She dug her fingers against the pattern on the quilt, “You know, the one that likes you.” Kim blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what she had just said. She felt it would’ve been easier to process it, without the alcohol.

“Oh, Robin,” Kim suddenly felt bad as she looked at Robin’s hidden face. She didn’t think it was fair for Robin to have to feel like she should hide her feelings, “I’m sorry. You’re so funny and pretty. I just, I don’t-” Kim was beginning to take a deep breath and delve into her complicated feelings at the moment. Robin looked up at her, her blue eyes looking like she had heard this a hundred different times.

“You don’t like girls,” Robin finished for her, “I get it. I don’t really know why I thought you would like me. You were so enamored with Steve.” Kim felt bad suddenly, realizing she had been blind to everything this whole time. She felt stupid, thinking that it was fairly obvious that Robin had been the person the whole time.

“That was before,” Kim groaned softly, “I think we’re cool now. His mom has seen me naked. I think that ruins the whole romance thing.” She admitted. Robin looked at her confused before she started to laugh.

“Do I want to know?” Robin looked almost hesitant, like Kim was hiding a deep secret. She covered her mouth, unsure of why she kept bringing that up. It was like she wanted everybody to know.

“She’s a gynecologist,” Kim giggled softly, feeling her face warm, “I don’t know why I keep telling people that.” She shook her head, hoping that the embarrassment would leave her body as she did so.

“It’s kind of weird,” Robin nodded in agreement but she was still smiling, “I’m sorry if I made things weird.” Robin apologized. Kim felt her eyebrows furrowing together as she reached for Robin.

“You didn’t make things weird,” Kim squeezed her hand gently, “You’re pretty cool and I think if I wasn’t totally in love with this person, that we could’ve had a chance.” She admitted. She had no idea what it was like to be with a woman, but Robin was nice. She wasn’t sure why everyone made a big deal over genders. She was sure that Robin would be nice to her.

“You’re just saying that to be nice,” Robin spoke like she was a balloon that had just been deflated, “But thank you.” She shrugged her shoulders softly. Kim paused, unsure of how she was supposed to support Robin. This was something she had no idea on how to handle. It was a complex situation that she also didn’t have the answer to.

“I mean it,” She paused for a moment as she spoke, furrowing her eyebrows together, “How do girls have sex?” She wasn’t sure why that had to be the thing to fall free from her lips. She instantly regretted it at the way Robin’s blue eyes widened.

“What?” Robin asked, nearly in disbelief. Her cheeks were turning red as she stared at Kim. Kim fanned herself, trying to think of a way to explain her stupidity.

“I mean,” Kim paused for a moment, “Do you just like hump or, is there something else I don’t know about my body?” She was more curious than anything. She wondered if there was a way to do it without a penis that didn’t just involve fingering.

“Kim!” Robin looked mortified, her face completely red at this point. Kim bit back a sheepish smile, noticing how Robin was having a hard time looking at her. She smiled bashfully.

“I’ve had a few drinks and I’m just curious,” Kim shrugged her shoulders to defend herself. She felt bad asking, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” She added quickly, not wanting to put Robin on the spot. Billy was much easier to question, he rarely got embarrassed.

“You didn’t,” Robin spoke softly as her eyes darted around, “I just don’t really know. I’ve never had sex.” Robin admitted, like it was something to be embarrassed about.

“You’ve never had sex?” Kim asked curiously, figuring that she was the only one at her age that had never had sex before. Robin turned towards her before she exhaled deeply.

“I’ve never kissed anyone.” She spoke next, surprising Kim completely. Robin was nice, she was pretty. She didn’t see why no one would ever try to kiss her. Then again, perhaps Robin had never been allowed to express her feelings to anyone that she actually liked.

“You’ve never kissed anyone?” Kim repeated softly, asking for Robin to confirm what she had just heard. Robin shook her head no, looking embarrassed once again.

“Saying it again doesn’t make it any less true,” Robin laughed, “I’m a bit of a loser.” Robin turned to face Kim again. Kim glanced over her features, taking in her bright blue eyes. She thought of Billy’s blue eyes. She missed him. She missed everything about him. Something in Robin reminded her of a bit of herself.

“I can kiss you.” Kim offered slowly, unsure if she was crossing a boundary. She didn’t want to press the issue, but she felt guilty that Robin hadn’t ever been able to experience anything. Robin’s eyes were wide, staring as if Kim had grown an extra head.

“What?” She was laughing nervously as she watched Kim fiddle with her fingers. Kim breathed out deeply, trying to regain her confidence. She darted her thumbs in circles around each other and bit down on her bottom lip.

“If you want to kiss someone, I can do it,” Kim nodded her head softly, “It doesn’t have to mean anything.” She added at the end, hoping that it wouldn’t give Robin any false hope. She was too crazy about Billy to ever leave him. She knew that was a fact. But if he could kiss other people, she was allowed to as well. Still, she felt guilt in the pit of her stomach.

“I don’t want to force you.” Robin said at last, breaking the tension between the two of them. Kim smiled gently as she shook her head.

“You wouldn’t be,” Kim smiled, feeling like maybe she had drunk a little too much, “I really don’t mind.” She mumbled without a second thought. It felt weird, talking about kissing someone else. She wondered if she would be betraying Billy, but she quickly reminded herself that he wasn’t sure of his options yet.

“Okay,” Robin looked at her, still not certain as her eyes grazed over Kim’s face, “You’re sure?” Kim smiled, gripping Robin’s shoulders instead of answering her. She leaned forward, letting her lips gently slide against Robin’s to answer that she was more than fine with this.

She tried not to laugh against Robin’s lips as they met hers messily. It was sloppy and gentle as Robin tried to find her routine. Kim felt nothing as Robin pressed her lips on hers repeatedly. It was nothing like kissing Billy. There was no spark, there was no desire to make it something deeper.

“How was that?” Kim asked, curious as to if Billy had been lying to her the whole time. Robin looked a little flustered as she shrugged her shoulders.

“Not bad,” She squeaked out, her face more red than before. Kim felt another grin forming on her lips, “Thanks.” Robin stared at the floor as she spoke, a large grin written on her lips. Kim grinned to herself.

“Do you want to head back out there?” Kim had an urge to see Billy again. Her kiss with Robin had just fueled her fire. She wanted Billy desperately. In whatever way possible. She needed to find him, to see him. She was sure that everything would be okay if she just saw him.

“Sure,” Robin breathed out gently, “If we could um just keep this between us?” She asked hopefully. Kim nodded her head, promising to keep it between them.

She headed back out, making sure Robin was following her as she headed back towards the kitchen. Thinking of Billy just made her feel more numb, more empty. She was upset that she couldn’t have him. She wanted to drink the feeling away, to make herself feel something again.

“You ran off!” Addi was at her side in a second, watching as she poured herself a cup of punch. Robin stood not too far behind Kim, waving awkwardly and still looking like she was having the time of her life.

“I’m sorry,” Kim meant it as she spoke. She paused for a moment, drinking until her cup was empty again, “I was talking with Robin. Is that a crime?” Addi made a disapproving look.

“I don’t like that you’re drinking this much,” Addi admitted, trying to stop her before she made another glass. Kim huffed and shook her head, feeling more agitated than usual. Perhaps it was the drink in her hand.

“It’s a party, I can drink,” She tried to reason with her friend, liking the way the alcohol was warming her nerves, “It’s just for one night.” Addi sighed softly but nodded, looking like there was no point in arguing. Kim glanced around the room, exhaling deeply as she watched the crowd again.

The numb feeling that had spread inside of Kim suddenly diminished when she saw him. He was like a breath of fresh air, a spark that ignited the flames inside of her. Billy was here. Standing so far away but seeming so close to her at the same time. She felt as if her heart was suddenly alive again, that everything worked the way it was supposed to.

She inhaled deeply, her eyes flickering over him as she took in his unbuttoned red shirt and tight jeans. She breathed out deeply, feeling like her heart was beginning to beat again for the first time. She thought that he was beautiful, brighter than any light or star that she had ever seen. She stared at his golden skin as the way his beer dripped from his chin and down his chest.

She felt a familiar squashing sensation of her heart being stomped on. She watched as Chrissy wrapped her small arms around Billy’s waist and pulled him close. He was laughing, smiling as if nothing was wrong. As if there was something to be happy about. She stared for the longest time, feeling an empty feeling settling over her. He glanced up and she tore her gaze away before she could meet his eyes again. Everything hurt, everything felt too raw. It was like she had ice in her lungs as she exhaled. Addi looked at her worried but Kim just pushed past her, gripping her cup tightly.

“I wanna drink,” Kim was stumbling over her words as she struggled to pour another cup. The liquid was dripping down her fingers, all over the sighed of the cup as she breathed in deeply. Her heart ached, her eyesight blurred with fresh tears, “Wanna forget him.” Robin was staring at her with concern but Kim didn’t offer any more information as she took another giant gulp, welcoming the burning feeling.

“Let’s not do anything dumb,” Addi urged as she placed a hand on Kim’s wrist, “He’s not worth all of that.” Kim was about to tell her that he was worth everything, when they were interrupted by someone else walking in on them.

“Hey,” He smiled as he looked down at her, “You’re Kim, right?” She stared at him for a long time until the pieces connected in her mind.

“Oh, oh hi,” She looked at him surprised, sniffling deeply as she tried to compose herself, “Logan, right?” She smiled softly, remembering their uncomfortable meeting from the other day. He beamed at her.

“You remembered?” His lips curled into a soft smirk, “It’s nice to see you again.” She felt an odd chill settle over her. She didn’t like the way that he was looking at her.

“Right,” She glanced towards Addi and Robin, “It’s nice to see you too.” She didn’t really know what else to say. She felt shy suddenly, remembering that he had been close to seeing her naked. Addi’s dark eyes hardened.

“You look too old to be at a party for teenagers.” Addi spoke up clearly, her eyes lingering on him for a long time. Logan looked taken aback for a moment before he spoke up again. Kim glanced towards Addi.

“Tommy is my younger brother, I live here,” He laughed, “Pretty sure I’m allowed to be in my own house.” Kim watched as Addi’s eyes narrowed again. She looked irritated and Kim wasn’t sure why. She took another drink, not wanting to press the issue. Kim glanced around at the shiny countertops and pretty wooden cabinets to distract herself from the awkward tension that was filling the kitchen.

“It’s a nice house,” Robin nodded her head, speaking similar to what Kim was thinking, “Very classy.” She furrowed her eyebrows together as if she was considering what she had said. Kim giggled softly before she took another drink and set it down.

“Huh,” Addi was still eyeing him suspiciously, “Never heard Tommy speak about you.” Kim hadn’t either, but she wasn’t necessarily friends with Tommy at the same time. She exhaled softly, glancing up to notice Logan’s narrowing eyes.

“Do you dance?” He turned towards Kim, looking at her with keen interest. She felt her eyes widening in surprise. She looked towards Addi, relying on her friend to answer the question. She didn’t want to be rude to Logan, but she had no desire to dance with him.

“She’s fine,” Addi smiled stiffly, “You’re not her type.” Addi smiled sweetly, but Kim could tell that she was being anything but nice. She took another sip from her cup, looking back and forth between the two of them.

“Can she speak for herself?” He laughed but then nodded his head, “I get it. I just thought she was pretty.” Kim made an awkward face as she glanced towards Robin and shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what she was supposed to do. Robin laughed softly, pulling Kim towards her.

“She’s drunk,” Addi spat back, “I’m sure there’s plenty of pretty girls that are your age. Maybe you’d find them if you didn’t hang out at your teenaged brother’s parties.” She shrugged her shoulders, still wearing that sickeningly sweet smile. He looked taken aback for a moment.

“Let’s just go,” Robin tugged on Addi’s arm gently, “He’s not worth it.” Robin promised her. Kim was still partially in her own stupor, swaying to the music that was bleeding in through the living room. Addi huffed on her breath, making sure Kim was the first one to turn around.

She was beginning to stumble now as they walked. She blinked hard, grinning as she looked down in front of her and willed herself to walk normally. She could hear Robin laughing from behind her and she turned quickly, her eyebrows pulling together as she moved her empty hands around.

“I forgot my drink.” Kim whined as she pouted, feeling the urge to kick her foot as if she was going to throw a tantrum. Addi looked back over her shoulder.

“We can go back in a few minutes.” Addi said quickly, looking like she didn’t want to go back into the kitchen. Kim was still pouting, knowing she couldn’t have any fun without her drink.

“It’s right there,” She turned, “Just wait here.” She tried to reason with Addi, who looked like it was a bad idea. Robin stared at her for a moment before she stood up.

“I’ll go with,” Robin offered as she stuck her hands in her pockets. She followed closely behind Kim, “We could fend him off together.” Kim snorted at the idea. She had a feeling they would fail horribly.

“I’m not very strong,” She picked her cup up from the counter, pausing for a moment before she filled it up again, “Don’t tell Addi.” She shot Robin a look, holding her gaze until the other girl nodded in agreement. She followed Robin back out, drinking from her cup. She furrowed her eyebrows softly, wondering if someone had added more alcohol to the punch.

“Do you usually drink this much?” Robin questioned her softly, watching the way Kim was downing the liquid. She gripped her stomach, feeling the warm liquid travel down and down. She shook her head.

“Barely ever,” Kim was fluttering her eyes a bunch as she spoke, “Just feel like it tonight.” She swirled her tongue in her mouth, thinking that it felt funny to move. Robin turned towards her, looking a bit nervous again.

“You’re sure your brother won’t say anything?” Kim wrinkled her nose up and quickly shook her head, spilling some of her drink on her foot and the ground. She groaned at the cold liquid that hit her toes.

“He’s not my brother,” Kim told her urgently, “He won’t say anything either.” She mumbled as she took another deep breath, wanting to think of anyone but Billy. She was still doing what she could to forget him.

“It’s just,” Robin drew out a deep breath, “Kind of a big secret.” She said softly. Kim frowned as she wrapped her arms around Robin again.

“He won’t tell,” She promised as she rested her head against the crook of her neck, “Your secret is safe.” She told her again, pulling away with a smile. Robin didn’t look fully relieved and Kim felt bad for that. Kim felt herself suddenly perk up as she noticed a familiar face walking towards them in the crowd. She beamed as she gripped a hold of him, like she was giving Robin a present.

“It’s Steve,” Kim slurred, gripping a hold of his shoulder, “He’s here now.” She presented Steve dramatically, tugging on the collar of his shirt. Robin raised her eyebrow high.

“I see that,” Robin nodded her head, a soft smile on her face, “He’s a moron.” Robin spoke dryly as she looked at Steve. He smiled sheepishly as he looked between the two of them.

“He said I was pretty.” Kim giggled like it was some sort of secret. She stumbled back against Robin, only to be steadied again. Steve shot her a look that she didn’t understand.

“Oh did he?” Robin sounded amused as she spoke. Kim nodded her head quickly, her eyes shutting with her movements. She thought it felt nice to have her eyes closed and did it for a few seconds before she was stumbling awake again.

“That was,” Steve stammared, “I was just reassuring her, okay?” Robin gave him a look, “I didn’t actually do anything. I’m not that horrible.” He held his hands up in defense. Kim smiled again, bumping back and forth between the two of them.

“He’s friends with my little sister!” She shouted over the music, “It’s kinda weird but it’s fine I guess.” She had her arm wrapped around Steve’s waist, as if they were really good friends. She didn’t take any notice, feeling too high over the moon to care.

“Robin is friends with her too.” Steve protested, his hand barely touching her as she swayed back and forth. Kim grinned at Robin, unsure of why the two of them were looking at her like she was silly.

“Oh yeah,” She beamed, “You sneak her into movies!” She giggled at the thought, thinking that it was typical Max behavior. Robin’s eyes grew wider as she stretched her hand out.

“Okay,” Robin laughed softly, “Maybe you’ve had enough to drink.” She told her, trying to reach for the cup. Kim’s face grew serious, her eyebrows furrowing over her eyes as her fingers tightened around her cup.

“This is mine.” Kim told her seriously, shoveling herself closer to Steve to hold onto it. Robin made an exasperated face.

“I think she’s right,” Addi appeared again, holding a cup in her hand, “Here, try this instead.” Steve moved away from her side suddenly as she swapped her empty cup with Addi’s full one. She looked down at the clear liquid, her eyes narrowing.

“This is water,” She said, making a face, “I don’t want it.” She whined as she pushed the cup back towards Addi. Addi shared a look with Robin.

“It’s good,” Robin tried this time, taking a sip from the cup, “Mhm, taste it.” Robin pushed the cup towards her. Kim shook her head and made a disgusted face.

“No thanks,” Kim told the two of them seriously, “You can keep it if you like it.” She felt herself swaying again, listening to the music that was blaring. Steve was back to her side then, handing her another drink.

“Steve!” Addi protested, watching the way Kim downed the liquid, “She doesn’t need anymore.” Addi reached forward but Kim yanked it away, clutching it to her chest like it was her most prized possession. Steve laughed.

“She’s funny when she’s like this,” He looked up over her head, “It’s not alcoholic.” He told the other two. Kim shot her head up, her eyebrows furrowing together, “Oh, I wasn’t talking to you.” He reassured her with a pat on her head. She grinned widely up at him before she took another drink.

“You’re evil,” Robin told him seriously, “Maybe not a full moron.” She said offhandedly. Kim wasn’t sure why she found it so funny, but she did. She snorted into her cup as she swayed back and forth.

“Moron,” Kim mumbled underneath her breath. She paused, “I have to pee.” She looked at Addi as she bounced her legs together. Addi sighed deeply.

“Okay,” She linked her arm through Kim’s tightly, like she was afraid to lose her, “Let’s go to the bathroom. We’ll be right back.” She turned towards Steve and Robin, looking like she was exasperated. Kim grinned, dragging her back through the crowd.

“I don’t know where I’m going,” She admitted as she stumbled against her friend. She was looking around, not necessarily searching for a bathroom. She felt like she was looking for someone else, “Lots of people.” She mumbled underneath her breath.

“You just drank too much,” Addi patted her back softly, as she pulled the bathroom door open for her. Kim grinned, nearly racing inside as she fumbled with her dress. The door shut behind her, “Do you need help?” Kim shook her head as she finally managed her way onto the toilet.

“Oh my god,” She moaned as she rested her hands against her cheek, “I’ve never had to pee so bad before.” She breathed out deeply, staring at the tiled floors. She watched as Addi rested up against the cabinets.

“Maybe it’s time we head back?” Addi questioned softly, “I mean you’ve already drank quite a bit.” Kim groaned as she fumbled with the toilet paper.

“But Steve just showed up,” She protested, hitting her knee against the toilet as she flushed it, “I’m having fun. Aren’t you?” She washed her hands messily, splashing some of the water against her dress. Addi laughed, taking a towel and helping her dry her hands.

“I’m glad you’re having fun,” Addi started, “But I don’t know if I can drag you back drunk.” She told her seriously. Kim frowned as she wrapped her arms around Addi’s waist.

“No more drinking,” She promised, swaying as she held onto her friend, “Can we stay a little longer? Please.” Addi sighed in her arms, patting her sides softly.

“Only because I love you,” Addi laughed softly. Kim liked the vibrations that came forth as she nodded her head, “Let’s go then.” Addi pulled Kim back out of the door, back to where the music was blaring loudly again. She stumbled along, her eyes fleeting across the busy bodies.

“What’s Eddie doing?” Kim felt her eyebrows raise in amusement, staring as he was making his way on top of the Kitchen table. Addi sighed deeply, cursing under her breath as she turned to face Kim with a serious look on her face.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Addi pointed a finger at Kim. Kim nodded her head like she was a little kid and the teacher was telling her something really important, “I’m serious. I don’t want to lose you.” Kim was sure that she would be too hard to lose.

“I’ll stay right here.” Kim promised with a nod of her head. She leaned back against the wall for good measure, trying to make sure that Addi understood that she wouldn’t leave her spot.

“You won’t run off?” Addi glanced back over, making a face as Eddie began to speak. Kim tried to strain her ears to listen, but he was still too far away. She smiled at Addi.

“I won’t run off.” She nodded in agreement. She suddenly laughed, thinking of the scene in Star Wars where Obi-Wan made the stormtroopers do what he wanted. Addi sighed softly, looking as if she was debating about leaving.

“If I get back here and you’re gone, you’re in trouble.” Kim felt her eyebrows rising to her scalp and her eyes widening in disbelief. She didn’t want to get in trouble, she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Okay, mom,” She drew out the O’s dramatically, “I’ll stay right here.” She folded her hands neatly across her chest, trying to look as serious as she could manage. Addi exhaled before she nodded her head like she had no other choice.

“Don’t move.” Kim nodded her head again. Watching as her friend drifted away. She swayed her head back and forth, her fingers pressing against the front of her dress as she watched Addi quickly rush off. Kim felt her eyes dragging across the room, staring at unknown faces as she tried to remember why she was supposed to be standing against the wall.

Her eyes flickered across the room until she found a familiar face. She grinned to herself, moving away from the wall and stumbling through the crowd. She was unable to stop herself as she approached him, completely forgetting what Addi had said.

“Tommy!” Kim found herself wrapping her arms around his thick shoulders, as if they were the best of friends. He stumbled back for a moment, temporarily overwhelmed with the way she towered over him. She had a goofy smile on her face as she pressed her finger on his nose, squishing it softly.

“I see you found the punch.” He observed, making a surprised face. She nodded her head, her smile burning her cheeks.

“Very good,” She confirmed with a nod of her head, “Compliments to the chef.” She pretended to tip a hat towards him. She giggled, stumbling back against a few people. Tommy gripped onto her wrists quickly, pulling her back towards him.

“I really didn’t think you’d come.” He said after a moment. He glanced across the room, like he was looking for someone. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to think of who he’d be looking for. She squeezed his arm softly.

“I promised,” She paused, stumbling in her steps. She was glad she had a hold of him, “At least I think I did.” She felt her eyebrows furrowing together, trying to remember what she had said. Everything felt fuzzy.

“Where’d your friends go?” She shrugged her shoulders, making a face as people bumped against them. She tried to scan the crowd but everyone’s faces began to mold into one. She couldn’t make out any distance features or looks. Suddenly her chest felt tight as the music became too loud, the crowd of people pushing in on her.

“It’s hot,” She told him, beginning to pull the straps of her dress down. Her mind was blank, she couldn’t focus on anything other than how warm she felt and how loud the music was. It was like the walls were caving in on her, “Too hot.” She mumbled, moving her arm like she was going to push it through the sleeve. Tommy’s eyes widened and he gripped her wrists softly.

“Let’s not do that here,” He laughed nervously, moving his head to look over hers as he scanned the room, “Why don’t you just chill out in my room?” He pushed her sleeve back up on her shoulder. She whined, feeling sweaty and warm as she held onto him.

“I don’t want to sleep.” She told him, her tongue feeling heavy in her mouth. He nudged her forward softly, taking her up the winding stairs with an uncertain look on his face. She smiled dopily, her footsteps heavy as they walked up.

“You don’t have to sleep,” He struggled to pull her up the remaining steps as she kept halting. Her strap on her ankle kept sliding down, causing her to slip around as she did so, “Just don’t strip naked in front of everyone.” She looked around the crowded hallway, surprised that there were so many people up here as well. She was sure she had never seen so many people kissing before.

“I wasn’t going to get naked,” She scoffed as if it was the most obvious thing, “I have panties on underneath.” She giggled as if it was the most funny thing. He huffed and pushed his door open.

“Right, shit,” He gripped underneath her waist as she went forward, nearly slamming face first into the floor. She giggled hard in his arms, thinking that it was funny, “Maybe you should take your shoes off.” He suggested. She bent forward, trying to reach for her straps as she kept giggling. Her face felt hot and tight in this position.

“Can’t reach,” She grumbled under her breath, pressing her fingers against the strap before she rose again, “Too hard.” He sighed, looking a little irritated as he dragged her towards the bed. She landed with a soft gasp and found herself scooting closer towards the middle of the bed.

“I’m going to find Billy.” He told her softly. She felt her eyes widening as she sat up on her elbows, feeling betrayal fill inside her chest.

“No!” She blurted out quickly, shaking her head wildly. She didn’t want to be a burden to Billy. She kept trying to remind herself that he was allowed to see anyone he wanted, no matter how badly it hurt.

“Not to be rude, but I have no idea how to handle you.” Tommy stared at her as she plopped back down the mattress. She grinned, feeling like it was moving underneath her.

“I’m cool,” Kim said quickly, the words rolling off of her tongue nicely, “It’s just hot.” She told him again, feeling like she was burning alive. She pulled at her dress sleeves again before Tommy gripped her hands.

“Please don’t undress,” Tommy was begging her again as he gently stopped her movements,“I don’t want to die.” She felt her eyebrows furrowing together, unsure of how Billy got so many girls to like him. She thought of his arm around Chrissy again, a fire beginning to burn inside of her.

“You said you liked me,” She pouted, “Do I look ugly?” She asked curiously, wondering if she had done something wrong with her hair or her makeup. She thought about what Neil had said and wondered if she was too scrawny. Tommy laughed softly.

“You’re very pretty,” He slid the sleeve of her dress up again, “But I value my life.” He sounded more serious than playful. She felt a goofy grin forming on her face before she moved her elbows again and let herself plop back onto the mattress. She moved too fast, her eyes crossing and his room going fuzzy before she was blinking it away.

“I’m thirsty,” She said suddenly, feeling a dryness in her throat along with the burning in her skin, “Really thirsty.” She mumbled as she stared at the ceiling, willing for the room around her to stop spinning. She felt Tommy’s weight shift off of the bed.

“I’ll be back.” He said suddenly. She tried to sit up but her body suddenly wouldn’t move. She huffed as she moved her eyes lazily to look at him. He looked worried. She felt her eyes narrowing at him.

“Don’t get Billy.” She told him directly, making a point that she didn’t want Billy to know that she was up here. She still had plans to leave with Addi, she just needed to cool down first. She wondered if Tommy could grab Addi for her.

“I’m not,” He promised with his hands raised in surrender, “I’m going to get you water.” She wasn’t sure if she believed him but she couldn’t look at him any longer. She covered her hands over her face, not caring if she ruined her makeup. She felt sick with how fast the room was spinning.

“Everything feels like it’s moving, but then it’s not,” She paused for a long time, “Does that make sense?” Her head felt too heavy to move. She listened to the way Tommy exhaled softly. She wasn’t even sure what she was meaning to say.

“Yeah, of course,” He stopped for a moment before she felt the hem of her dress being pulled back down on her thighs, “Just don’t go anywhere.” She wondered if Tommy was always this nice. She nodded her head, but then quickly stopped at the sensation of being dizzy.

“Can’t,” She whined, trying to wiggle her toes, “My body feels broken, I’m too tired.” She promised him, knowing it was true. Her mind felt like it weighed hundreds and hundreds of pounds. Tommy watched her curiously.

“I’ll be right back,” He told her, like he didn’t trust her, “Stay there.” He repeated. She grinned as she thought of Addi, suddenly remembering that she had left her too. Kim groaned.

“Can you tell my friend where I’m at?” Her tongue felt odd as it moved in her mouth, “She’s probably looking for me.” Kim thought about wiggling off of the bed, but the idea of doing so sounded like far too much work.

“Sure,” He spoke up quickly, “I’ll get right on that. Just, just don’t move.” He repeated again. She lazily held up a hand to give him a thumbs up. She listened as he slowly crossed the room and shut the door behind him. She breathed out softly.

She kicked off her heels, not caring where they landed, as she let her fingers drift across Tommy’s smooth bed. She felt like she was floating on a nice cloud, far above where she was resting. She grinned to herself, feeling giddy.

She examined his room slowly, noticing the differences from Billy’s room. She felt guilty suddenly, that she was in someone else’s room that wasn’t Billy’s. She could almost feel Tommy’s personality as she scanned his large room. There were multiple different posters of sports teams, trophies and report cards hung up proudly. She looked at the various pictures of his friends. She spotted Steve, Carol and even Billy. She wiggled her way across the bed, pulling one of them off of his board.

She felt sad suddenly as she looked at it. Billy wasn’t smiling, as usual. He was just sitting there, his eyebrows drawn in tightly and a far away look in his eyes. Even with as foggy as her mind felt at the moment, she knew there was nothing she could drink that would make her forget him. He was bound to her.

She felt guilty, so very guilty now. She hadn’t done anything, but she felt like she had betrayed him. She was doing her best to wiggle off of Tommy’s bed. She rolled onto her stomach, searching on the floor next to the bed for where she may have kicked her shoes towards.

“Hi,” She breathed out as she sat up on her elbows. She blinked a few times as she looked at him, placing a tight grin on her face, “What are you doing here?” Logan stared at her, an amused grin on his face as he looked at her form. She thought it was silly, having him look at her in such a way.

“I was looking for Tommy, have you seen him?” She shook her head no, “Shame, what are you doing?” She tried to think about what she was doing. She searched her brain for an answer, but didn’t really know what she was doing.

“I guess waiting for Tommy,” She spit out, not remembering why, “It got hot down there.” He sat next to her on the bed as she quickly moved her legs out of his way. She couldn’t find the strength to rise all the way up, her body felt weak and tired. She was tempted to fall asleep in Tommy’s bed. It was soft and she felt really tired suddenly.

“You were drinking a lot,” Logan nodded his head in agreement. Kim felt her arms plop down from underneath her. She stared up at the ceiling, urging her legs to move forward but they wouldn’t, “You look really pretty tonight.” Her skin felt like it was on fire, the burning sensation prickling at her in an uncomfortable way. It took her a moment to realize that he was pulling the hem of her dress up.

“Stop,” Her words felt heavy, her hands numb as she tried to swat him away, “Don’t wanna.” She breathed out, feeling like her insides were burning too. Everything felt hazy. He pulled it up higher, despite her protests.

“I thought you wanted to forget that guy?” He asked softly, like he was somehow trying to make her feel better. She shook her head quickly, still trying to keep his hands off of her skin.

“No,” She mumbled, her throat feeling dry, “Don’t wanna.” She repeated again, her tongue heavy in her mouth. She didn’t know how to speak suddenly, it was like words were too hard.

“Relax,” He pushed her shoulders down gently, “You’re fine. I promise, I won’t hurt you. You look sleepy anyways, why don’t you just go to sleep? I’m just trying to make you less hot.” She was blinking hard, trying to clear out the fuzzy parts in her mind. She no longer felt that hot, she felt like her nerves were icy cold.

“Not hot,” She tried to tell him, “S’okay now.” She nodded her head, quickly stopping her actions as her mind swirled and eyes felt like they were crossing. He grinned from ear to ear, but it didn’t look like the kind smile that Tommy had sent her earlier. She paused, trying to remember if Tommy had actually been in here or if it was a dream.

“It’s alright,” He tried again and she could feel a panic rising in her body. Her arms weren’t moving even though she was telling her body to work, “I’ll take care of you.” He mumbled softly, pushing the dress up over her waist. His eyes drank in over her skin as she kept trying to push her dress back down. She didn’t like that he could see her panties. She wished she had worn something different, something not so revealing.

“Stop,” She could feel her bottom lip beginning to wobble and she hated herself for coming to tears so quickly. His fingers wrapped around the sides of her panties and she did the same, trying to keep them in place while he began to tug them down, “Please.” She whispered under her breath, feeling chills settling over her body.

“It’s alright,” He leaned over her, as if somehow by being closer he would reassure her. She was shaking her head slowly, not wanting to make herself dizzy, “It’s going to be alright. I promise.” He touched her face softly and Kim reacted purely on instinct, rather than letting herself think about what may happen.

She bit down on his thumb hard, clenching her teeth down as tightly as she could manage. She didn’t want his hands on her, she didn’t want him anywhere near her. He yelled out in protest, trying to yank his hand away from her mouth. Her senses were too dull to react, to really process what was happening. Her head snapped to the side, the stinging on the right side of her cheek echoed clear down her neck. She whimpered at the feeling, moving her hands to softly touch the reddened area.

“Bitch,” He spit out, roughly turning her so that she was laying on her stomach. She shook her head hard, blinking deeply as she willed her body to wake up. Her mind felt like it was sleeping, like it wasn’t really awake, “Could’ve done this nicely.” He was yanking her dress up high over her back. She was trying to kick her feet in protest, trying to move her body away from him.

“Stop,” She was pleading, begging for him to leave her alone as he roughly shoved her panties down her legs, “Please, please.” She was sobbing now, completely incoherent as he gripped the back of her head and shoved her sore cheek against the mattress. She tried to will herself to relax, not wanting it to be too painful as she heard the sound of his pants coming undone.

The door slammed open, causing a chill breeze to enter the room. She was still whimpering, sobbing into the mattress as she prayed that Tommy had come back to save her. She suddenly thought of Jason and his friend, wondering if Tommy would actually do anything.

The weight from the bed shifted, Logan’s grip was suddenly off of her. She struggled onto her elbows, the room spinning as she blinked her eyes rapidly. She could feel the makeup clumping against her eyelashes as she blinked.

“Don’t touch me!” She cried out when she was dragged onto her feet. She met Tommy’s worried brown eyes, her fists were pressed against his chest as he tried to adjust her clothes again. She was shaking, overcome with fear from what had nearly happened.

“Kim, it’s okay,” His voice was rough as he looked at her. She was shaking, nothing about this felt okay, “Everything is fine.” She tried to speak but her words slurred into nonsense as she brushed against him. She was blinking, trying her best to focus. The door had invited in the music and suddenly everything was overwhelming again.The lights were too bright, the music too loud and her skin too warm.

He looked like he was about to say something else before he turned from her, his eyebrows pulling together in worry. She was suddenly aware of the sound of skin colliding against skin. She breathed out roughly, watching the way Tommy was wincing and how his lips were beginning to part in protest.

Kim turned slowly, her body pressing up against Tommy as her legs suddenly felt far too weak. She could hardly stand, she could hardly move as she peered over towards the wall. Billy had taken Logan by his collar and had him pinned against the wall. He was punching him, over and over again as blood poured from Logan’s nose and mouth. Kim felt too numb to react, almost feeling fearful from how Billy’s anger had seeped into the room.

“Billy,” Tommy was letting go of her, “Billy that’s enough!” He was yanking Billy away from Logan as Kim struggled to find her balance. Her eyes moved slowly across the room, details blurring in as she kept blinking rapidly. Her neck felt wet from her tears and her cheek burned. Billy was angry, she had never seen him so angry before.

Logan was bloody and blue, his face looking lumpy and swollen. He was still smiling, if she could even call it that. His lips were so inflated and bruised that it was hard to tell. His dark eyes flickering up towards her. She felt sick all of a sudden, wondering if he even regretted what he had done. Tommy was shoving Billy towards her.

Billy turned just as fast, charging back towards Logan only to be stopped by Tommy’s hands, “He fucking deserves it. Did you see what he was doing?” BIlly was shouting, looking furious as Kim swayed against the wooden floors. She blinked again, slowly shaking her head as she tried to stay in focus with everything else. She didn’t want this to happen.

“It’s not worth it anymore,” Billy looked like he was about to yell again but Tommy shoved him back, “Look at him. You’ll kill him if you keep it up. Just go. Take her and go.” Kim felt guilty suddenly, thinking about how Logan was Tommy’s older brother.

“I’m sorry,” She was blubbering suddenly, wishing that she hadn’t drank at all, “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.” She was a mess, shivering like a cat that had been left in the cold rain. Billy’s rage shut off like a light, he approached her but she was too humiliated to look him in the eye. He touched her gently.

“It’s not your fault,” He glanced over his shoulder again, bearing that same furious look in his eyes, “Let’s go.” She was nodded in agreement, her body and soul felt exhausted

“Billy,” Tommy sounded exasperated and Kim felt another pang in her chest. Tommy had been so nice to her tonight and now she was the reason his brother was lying in blood on his floor, “That’s enough.” Billy ignored him, kicking his foot hard across Logan’s abdomen. He groaned, staring up as Billy bent down and cupped his bloody chin.

“You ever,” Billy was all wrath as he spoke, “Come near here again, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?” Billy was hissing, his words like venom as he spoke. Kim was too afraid to move forward as Logan’s eyes found her again. He nodded his head slowly, as if it was some kind of game.

“Do you,” Billy was seething, his whole body curled into anger as he roughly gripped Logan’s bloody face. Kim felt like she was stuck to the floor, unable to move even though she was desperately trying to. It was like her body wasn’t under her control anymore, “Understand?” Billy pushed Logan’s head back hard, the sound of his skull snapping against the wall echoed in the room. Kim turned to where Tommy was standing, looking just how she felt.

“Yes,” Logan finally spit out, his words slurring as if he had been the one to drink, “I understand.” Billy let him go roughly, letting him rest in a pile on the floor. She was blinking softly, her eyes feeling droopy as Billy approached her again. She took in the blood on his hands and the knuckles that looked swollen.

He paused for a long moment, looking hesitant as he brought his hands up towards her face. She nearly winced away, her cheek still burning from the sensation. He stared at her for the longest time, looking angry. She was worried, afraid that he would blame her for everything that had just happened.

“Are you okay?” His question surprised her. She wasn’t sure what to say, or what her answer would be. She just swayed back and forth, her legs feeling like they would give way any moment.

“I feel weird,” She admitted as she felt her body tilting backwards. He moved his hands from her face, gripping a hold of her elbows to keep her steady, “Too much to drink.” She was slurring her words again, unsure of how to explain to him how weird everything felt at the moment. He looked at her concerned, his eyes shooting back towards Tommy.

“I don’t know,” Tommy sounded remorseful, “I swear I didn’t know.” Kim wasn’t sure what Tommy was talking about. Billy nodded hard after a moment, his arm wrapping around her waist.

“Can you walk?” She nodded her head softly, feeling comfort in his strong arms. She wanted out of here, she didn’t want to be around Logan for any longer. She suddenly felt like everything she had on was too tight, too revealing. She felt insecure, wanting to bury herself in a hole and hide. It didn’t take him long to drag her out of there. She stumbled down the stairs, grateful for his strong grip that kept her steady.

People were staring as he pushed through the crowd. They moved on instant and she was sure Billy still looked furious. She was suddenly anxious, wondering how terrible she looked at the moment. She couldn’t even make out faces as he dragged her along through the crowd.

“My shoes,” She mumbled suddenly as she walked across the floorboards, “I forgot my shoes.” She nearly whined, unsure if she was speaking louder than the music. Billy turned towards her in surprise.

“I’ll get them after,” He promised, pulling her out the door. Her thoughts were thumping in her head, “What’s wrong?” He turned towards her in worry as her feet came to a halt.

“I need to tell Addi,” Her heart was beating roughly inside of her chest, “She’ll worry.” She mumbled, nearly falling against the side of the house. Billy sighed as he took her hand.

“I think she’ll understand this time,” He urged her to take a step forward, “Come on.” He pleaded. She found herself moving without a second thought, her body following his on command. She couldn’t find it in herself to protest at all.

“It’s hot,” Her mind felt fuggy as she tried to remember why she was walking barefoot. The crunchy grass and warm dirt tickled against her bare feet as he trekked down towards his familiar car. She stumbled and tripped, clinging to him as she tried to keep herself balanced. She found that it was hard to walk when her only source of light was the moon and her mind felt so foggy, “Really hot.” She was trying to pull her dress off again, not caring that they were outside.

“Let me turn the AC on,” He gently stopped her movements, squeezing her hands in his own, “You’ll cool down faster that way.” He was watching her with worry in his eyes as he helped her slide into the car. She moaned about how hot it was again, nearly forgetting to put her seatbelt on. She sat forward in urgency, scooting as far forward as she could to feel the cold air against her hot skin.

“Better,” She spoke softly, her eyes closing as the air coated her skin, “We’re leaving so soon.” She observed as she looked back up towards the bustling house. Billy turned towards her, looking concerned again.

“Yeah,” He said softly as he began to reverse the car, “You’re acting funny.” He observed softly. She moved her head to face him, a dopey grin wrote across her face.

“You’re funny,” She flicked her finger across his nose, “Are we sneaking out early?” She felt her eyes rolling back in her head before she snapped forward again, watching the way the moonlight danced on his skin as he drove.

“Shit,” He mumbled under his breath as he lit a cigarette. She stared at the blood on his knuckles, feeling a cold dread settling across her stomach. She felt sick suddenly as her smile dropped from her face, “We can talk about it in the morning.” He was still driving as she stared at him, suddenly feeling everything rushing back towards her. She felt small, so small as bile rose in the back of her throat.

“Billy,” She breathed out hard, feeling her pulse echoing throughout her body. Everything was beginning to sound like it was far away, like she was fading into something else. Her breathing was loud in her ears as time seemed to pause around her, only to be thrown at her suddenly as she tried to recall which trees they had passed by, “Billy pull over.” She spoke up louder, her skin feeling as if it was on fire.

“I’m not pulling over,” He told her seriously as he drove. She blinked hard, trying to bring the world back to normal as the sounds and sights around her kept slowing and then racing towards her suddenly. She was beginning to fan her face, “What are you doing?” He looked over suddenly. The movement was too fast for her. She heaved forward.

“Stop the car,” She urged him, reaching for her seatbelt and unbuckling herself. He began to protest only for her to cut him off, “Stop!” Her body was too hot, her insides too cold when he finally pulled to a stop. He looked like he was going to start warning her about something, when the sound of her gagging cut him off.

“Shit,” He pushed himself across the middle console and pushed the door open quickly. She fell over quickly, onto the hot gravel and the prickly grass as she emptied her stomach onto the ground before her. Billy was behind her in a heartbeat, pulling her hair back quickly as she emptied the contents in her stomach. She vomited until there was nothing left, until all she could do was dry heave. Billy was still there, pulling her hair back tightly and rubbing soothing circles along her back. She felt something in her chest spike as the warm air coated her, digging in along her skin. Dread danced up her spine, nestling in her stomach as she looked towards him.

“Something’s wrong,” She mumbled, feeling her heart beginning to pump inside of her chest harder than what it should. It felt like it was going to burst. She started to breathe faster, feeling the panic building up in her chest, “I think I need to go to a hospital.” She was nodding her head, already deciding that going to the hospital would be the safest thing.

“Why would you need to go to the hospital?” He questioned her softly. His blue eyes were looking at her gently but she couldn’t focus on him for too long. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her breath coming out in quick spurts as her heart hammered uncomfortably hard against her chest.

“Somethings wrong, my heart it’s going too fast and I can’t breathe.” Her tongue felt heavy in her mouth as she tried to spit all the words out at once. She felt like she didn’t make any sense, like she really couldn’t articulate what she was feeling at the moment. Everything was moving too slow, then it was suddenly too fast. Her heart only seemed to race faster in her chest at the thought that something was wrong. She was beginning to cry and she didn’t even realize it.

“Hey, hey,” He cupped her chin softly, his fingers brushing along her jawline as he kept her steady and looking towards him. She was having a hard time focusing, everything was beginning to be overwhelming, “Look at me, hey. Just look at me. It’s fine. Take a deep breath, you’re fine.” He kept trying to reassure her. She tried to follow his commands, focusing on the way he was holding her and gazing in on his concerned eyes. Her chest was still moving hard, but not nearly as fast as what it was a few seconds ago.

“My heart is beating too fast,” She was still taking deep breaths as she spoke. Billy was rubbing his thumbs across her wet cheeks and sending her an urgent look. She was trying to relax but it felt too difficult, “It’s really, really hard.” She told him finally, moving one of his hands away from her cheek and placing it on the base of her neck. She held it there hard, looking towards him in worry so he could understand just how roughly her heart was moving. It was stinging hard in her chest, stabbing up against her collarbone and ribs.

“It’s beating hard,” He confirmed gently. He rubbed his thumb across her skin, “You’re just freaking yourself out right now. I promise you. Nothing is wrong. Just take another breath.” She exhaled roughly, desperately trying to take another inhale. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t get her lungs to fill with fresh air.

“Did someone give me something?” She was starting to panic again. He quickly took notice, shaking his head no swiftly and touching her face again. Her shoulders were rising and falling rapidly, her breath was coming out in short spurts as she assumed the worst. Billy’s eyes widened and he was shaking his head again, denying her worries.

“No one gave you anything,” He reassured, tapping his fingers along the side of her face again to draw her darting eyes back towards him, “You’re fine. You’re just drunk, okay? You had a lot to drink and you’re not used to it. Just breathe.” She listened again, taking a few deep inhales until she felt like her lungs were full again. She felt like she was shaking, like her whole body was vibrating.

“Something just doesn’t feel right,” She sounded pitiful as she spoke, like she was whimpering. Billy was rubbing his hands down the curve of her shoulders, squeezing her arms softly. She felt like she was finally calming down as she finally inhaled deeply enough for all of her lungs to be filled with new air, “It hurts.”

“You’re okay,” Billy promised her, his eyes looking at her gently. She felt safe with him, like nothing bad would happen as long as she had him, “You just got a little panicked. Let’s get in the car and go home. Does that sound okay?” He was pulling her hair out of her face, trying to get a better look at her.

“I can go,” She mumbled under her breath, her body feeling fuzzy as he guided her back towards the car. He held onto her hand tightly, keeping a grip on her so he could help her slide into the car. He held onto the top of her head to keep her from bumping her forehead against the roof of the car, “Tired.” She mumbled, suddenly feeling like her body was exhausted. She blinked for a long second, missing the way he shut her door and made his way back inside. She stared at him for a moment before he reached across and buckled her back in.

“Are you okay now?” He asked her softly. She liked the way his eyes looked in the moonlight. They were like bright stars, shining right at her. She nodded her head, feeling a dopey grin forming on her lips. She was already forgetting what had just happened. Her skin tickled against the leather seats as she rested back against her chair. She kicked her feet out in front of her. They felt odd against the floor and she found herself laughing every few seconds from the sensation.

“M’fine,” She grinned from ear to ear as she turned to face him. She didn’t understand why he looked so worried. She didn’t remember how they got in the car, but figured he must’ve dragged her out of the party. She leaned against the middle console, nearly choking herself against the seatbelt as she did so. She rubbed at her neck before she leaned her head against his shoulder, “Really fine.” She told him seriously. She noticed that he was driving slower than usual and turned towards him with questioning eyes.

“I think you need to sleep,” He glanced down at her with a hint of a smile on his lips. She liked the sound of sleeping. It sounded nice. She felt like her whole body was exhausted, “You look tired.” He confirmed, bending his head down to press a kiss against her forehead. She smiled against the sensation, liking how it traveled clear across her skin and down her spine. She sat up after a moment, relaxing as best as she could against the back of the seat. She felt her eyes fluttering shut and she wondered if she’d drift into sleep before they made it back.

“Too loud.” She murmured, feeling an odd pang in her chest as her heart seemed to match the beat of his music. She placed a hand over her chest, squeezing softly as if she could make the hurting go away. He quickly turned the dial all the way down before he reached over and took her hand in his. He squeezed softly, glancing towards the road as he spoke.

“Just breathe again,” He reminded her as he traced his fingers along the curve of her hand before he pressed his fingers against her palm. She instantly closed her fist around his fingers, bringing him closer towards her, “You’re doing great. We’re almost home, okay?” She nodded her head, wishing that she believed it was all okay. She kept breathing deeply, trying to ignore the feelings and thoughts of panic that kept rising in her mind.

“It hurts,” She was holding her chest again suddenly, “Really bad.” She breathed out in worry. Billy shook his head as he pulled over. His parking was more rushed than what it usually was. He leaned over the console and took her face in his hands again.

“You’re fine, I promise you. Nothing is going to happen to you,” She nodded her head, looking at the intense way he was staring at her. Her heart was still beating obnoxiously loud, nearly louder than her own thoughts, “You’re safe.” He reassured her after another moment. She blinked hard, not even realizing she was crying again. She didn’t understand what kept happening to her.

“Okay,” She believed him anyway. She watched as he quickly got out, then crossed the front of the car before he was opening her door, “The world is spinning.” She mumbled as he helped her out of the car. She leaned up against him, wrapping her arms around his chest. He pulled her into a tight hug, letting her linger up against him.

“Let’s go inside,” His voice was slightly muffled as he spoke, “Get you cleaned up.” She grumbled as she remembered she’d have to walk up that big hill. He held onto her waist with a soft grip, trudging her up the hill. Her legs were shaking and wobbly. She glanced at the ground, giggling as she remembered she didn’t have shoes again.

It was a struggle to get in through the front door. He was basically pulling her around, her body weight fully leaning up against him. He didn’t protest at all, only sending her soft hushes when she would randomly start giggling again. She didn’t know how to explain to him that everything felt funny and off at the same time.

He gently pulled her into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door behind him before he turned the light on. She blinked hard and rapidly, trying to urge the bright light to stop stinging against her eyes. Billy held onto her waist, bringing her back to the Earth.

“Here,” He handed her the toothbrush gently, “Can you brush your teeth? I’ll be right back.” She stared down at the toothpaste on it before she looked at him again. His eyebrows were pulled tightly together, looking like he was urging her to take it.

“You won’t leave me?” She asked nervously, taking a deep breath to keep her heart from racing again. Billy looked over her worried expressions gently, before he tucked her hair behind her ears and shook his head no.

“No, I”ll be right back. I promise.” He squeezed her face gently in his large hand. She stared at him for the longest time before she accepted his answer. She would be fine on her own for a few minutes. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead, making her lips curl into a smile.

“Hurry.” She told him seriously, watching as he snuck back out of the bathroom. She brushed her teeth slowly, taking cautious movements as anything too fast left her feeling dizzy. Despite her caution, she still felt like the floorboards were moving from underneath her.

“You alright?” Billy questioned her as he snuck back in. She nodded her head as she leaned against the counter. She blinked hard and took another deep breath, feeling the painful lurch of her heart. He stepped closer, touching her shoulders gently, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

“I feel gross,” She whined as he shimmied the dress off of her, “Yucky.” She said again after a moment. Her skin felt sticky and sweaty. She regretted the outfit she wore underneath as the lace seemed to itch her sweaty skin.

“That’s why you’re going to get in the shower,” He reminded her softly. He reached his hands around and unhooked her bra slowly, “Did you wear this for someone special?” His tone was slightly teasing.

“Wanted to make you jealous,” She pouted her lips out as she spoke. He set her bra down before he moved towards her hips, shifting her panties down her legs. She breathed out hard as she got a painful reminder, “Logan saw it though. I didn’t want him to, he just did it.” She was rambling again as her chest started to move up and down harshly. Billy snapped his head up and gripped her face softly.

“S’alright,” His eyes looked over her panicked expression again, his eyes softening even more, “He won’t be bothering you for a long time okay? I’ve got you, I promise.” She nodded, her chest still rising rapidly as she tried to control her breathing again. It hurt, her chest hurt so badly. She gripped her hands over his wrists, watching the way his lips moved as she calmed her breathing.

“I’m sorry,” She felt close to tears suddenly. He was shaking his head as she spoke, “I shouldn’t have drank so much. I was just so upset.” Her breathing became rapid again. He touched her collarbone softly.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” He nudged her chin up again so she was looking at him. HIs lips were curled up softly but he had some worry deep within his eyes, “Think about what a mess I was. At least you haven’t vomited all over yourself.” He tried to tease her, tried to get her mind off of everything that had happened.

“I did vomit,” Kim cried out, her tears growing wet, “Outside the car.” He wiped at her cheeks again, looking like he was close to laughing. She sniffled, unsure of what was so funny. She felt like she should be embarrassed.

“Not on yourself though,” He nodded his head, “Don’t worry about it. Seriously, everything is going to be okay.” She felt like he had said that a lot. She sniffled and nodded her head.

“I’m cold.” She told him, trying not to whine as she spoke. Her body no longer felt warm as the chill air settled in around her. The brisk air caused goosebumps to appear on her skin and for her nipples to harden. She thought about crossing her arms over her chest and hiding away.

“Probably because you’re standing here naked,” He smiled, leaning away for a moment so he could turn the water on. She watched him, leaning against the cold tiles as he moved, “Can you get in the shower?” She stumbled, kicking her foot against the tub as she stepped inside. She whined, the pain traveling up her body.

“Owie.” She mumbled, bending over to rub at her foot. She moved too fast. Stars appeared in her eyesight and she nearly toppled over. Billy gripped her waist hard and straightened her up.

“Okay,” He sighed softly and she looked over at the sound of clothing rustling. He was removing his clothes, stripping down to join her, “Scoot over.” She mumbled in response, her foot hurting from where she had hit it. She enjoyed the way the warm water hit her back. He made his way in before he closed the shower curtain.

“So tired.” She mumbled suddenly, her hands feeling like they were glued to her sides. Billy moved her softly, fully dipping her hair underneath the water so he could get her hair wet. Her eyes kept falling closed as he scrubbed at her hair and skin. She was too tired to protest, to tell him that she could handle it on her own. She felt an urgency to fall forward against his chest.

He scrubbed at her hair softly and she watched the way his nose scrunched up as he worked. She thought of how it felt like Chicago had been ages ago. She wished they could go back. She furrowed her eyebrows suddenly when he peered out of focus and snapped forward again.

“Time isn’t right,” She told him, beginning to breathe hard again, “Everything is moving too slow and then it’s fast all of a sudden.” She knew it was dumb, she knew it made no sense but she didn't know how else she was supposed to explain it. Billy hummed softly, rinsing the rest of the soap from her red hair.

“Just breathe,” He reminded her again, watching the way her chest was beginning to rise and fall again, “You’re fine, just keep taking deep breaths.” She felt her chest rattling as she tried to do as he said. She felt the tears forming in her eyes, wishing that he would listen to her.

“I can’t remember what’s been happening,” She was freaking out, “I can’t remember anything.” She was crying again, trying to remember how they had made it home and into the shower in the first place. He paused, moving his soapy hands underneath the water so he could touch her again.

“All we’ve done is showered,” He tried again, “There’s nothing to remember. I promise. Just keep breathing.” Her chest was aching from how hard she was breathing. She stared at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying as she looked into his blue eyes. They were pretty. So blue and so full of life.

“You promise?” She asked softly as he washed her hair. He was gentle to make sure that he didn’t get any soap into her eyes or mouth. He traced his hands down the curve of her shoulders before he reached her hands. He squeezed softly.

“Of course,” He was speaking softly again, almost slow so she could understand every single word he said,“You don’t have anything to worry about.” He promised her, squeezing her small hands in his large ones. Her heart was still thumping but her breathing eventually went back to normal again.

Her eyes remained closed the rest of the shower. It was easier that way, so she didn’t become overwhelmed by all of the movements. The water was off suddenly and he was drying her off with a towel. She felt a grin forming on her lips, a small laugh bubbling in her chest at the feeling of the towel on her skin. It felt so soft and warm. She wanted it to engulf her like a giant hug.

“Feel good?” He sounded like he was amused. She opened her eyes again, thinking that he looked too bright to be in such a dingy room. She was enamored by him, her arms and legs moving however he wanted them to go.

“Yeah,” She breathed out slowly, wondering how he could look so pretty, “Feels nice.” He smiled in response, drawing his hand along her back to make sure that she was dry. Her smile grew as he dressed her, realizing that he was giving her one of his shirts to wear.

“S’big,” Her words felt like they were slurred again. He chuckled as he stood in front of her, bringing her brush up and slowly brushing her hair out. She liked that he was gentle with his movements. It felt a lot better against her skin, “Feels good.” She mumbled, her body growing tired.

“Do you want me to braid it?” Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could stand. She kept bumping into him, her eyes snapping shut and then rapidly opening again. He peered into focus as she thought about his question for a long time.

“Do you know how?” She murmured absentmindedly. He was looking at her worried again and she didn’t understand why. She wondered if she had done something wrong.

“Is it that hard?” She shrugged her shoulders, her mind feeling too fuzzy to have much of an opinion. He sat on the edge of the tub while she fell to the floor in front of him, “Jesus, are you okay?” He scooted her forward a bit, pulling the shirt up to look at her lower back. She looked back at him, her wet hair touching against his legs.

“I didn’t feel it,” She told him seriously, “Everything feels weird.” He paused for a moment.

“It happens,” He tilted her head forward gently, “Are you tired?” He started to brush her hair gently and she felt her eyes fluttering close. She hadn’t felt tired before, but she certainly did now. His hands were so soft, so gentle that it tickled across her scalp.

“Bit,” She mumbled, unsure of why she had such a throbbing in her chest, “I could sleep here.” She admitted, enjoying the way nothing seemed to be moving when she had her eyes shut. The back of her neck tickled when his fingers brushed against it. Everything felt so nice, so much better than how they usually felt.

“Let’s go lay down,” He told her softly when he was done. She pressed her palm against the back of her head, feeling the rough ridges and bumps. She was sure it was messy, but she didn’t mind. She giggled, leaning her head all the way back until she was looking at him. He glanced down at her, the lines on his face were drawn in tightly. His eyes looked like they were full of worry. She felt bad, wondering what he was worrying about, “Can you walk?”

“Yeah,” She told him but then held her hands up anyways, “I’d prefer not to though.” She grinned again, liking the way he didn’t exhale or act like dealing with her was a chore. Her skin lit into flames when he picked her up. She moved as close to him as she could, lingering in the way his hands felt against the back of her thighs.

“Are you feeling better?” He asked her, a hint of an amused grin on his face. She watched him for a moment, feeling her eyebrows raise towards her forehead. She couldn’t remember why she wouldn’t be feeling good. She was with Billy.

“I guess so,” She told him, nestling her head on his shoulder as he walked. She felt like she sounded too loud, her breathing was too loud and he was too quiet. She moved her head again, focusing instead on the way his heart was beating in his chest. She liked the sound, she liked the way it felt, “I’m kind of dizzy.” She admitted. Even though the house was dark, she kept feeling like objects were moving when they didn’t need to be. She closed her eyes again, listening to him push her door open gently.

“You just need to sleep it off,” He told her softly as he laid her across her bed. She sprawled out suddenly, giggling at the odd feeling of her comforter against her skin. She moved her hands out against it like she would when she would lay in the sand. He watched for a moment before he was pulling the blankets up over her. She turned on her side, curling up in them. She felt like she was hiding in a warm den, “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?” He pressed his lips against her forehead, the sensation traveling across her skin. She paused for a long time before she heard footsteps. She snapped her eyes open, not realizing that he meant he’d be in a different room than her.

She turned to him suddenly, feeling panicked at the idea of him leaving, “Where are you going?” She asked him seriously. He turned, looking at her confused. She was beginning to sit up when he made his way back and gently pressed her back down onto the bed.

“You need to sleep it off.” He was trying to put the blankets back over her again. She wiggled her arms out from under her comforter and took a hold of his wrists. She stared up at him for the longest time, not liking the look of remorse that was on his face.

“Don’t leave me.” She begged, her heart beginning to hurt again. She could feel her breathing beginning to rise again. Billy sat on the edge of the bed, pushing some of her hair that hadn’t made it into the braid. He twisted the strands gently and she found herself leaning into his touch.

“I’m right next door.” Billy reassured her gently. He rubbed her back softly, his fingers tickling against her spine. She curled against him instantly, trying to make the ache inside of her leave. She took another deep breath, her lungs burning. He touched her face gently, caressing her cheek until she was brought back down.

“That won’t help me if I die in my sleep.” She responded weakly, unsure of why those exact words left her mouth. She was scared, she could feel that deep inside of her. Billy watched her for a moment before he pressed his lips against the corner of her mouth. She exhaled softly, wishing she could never forget how it felt.

“You’re not going to die,” His lips curled into a gentle smile but there was something else hidden beneath his eyes. Worry, anger. It looked like a mixture of all of that, “Why would you think that?” He asked her softly, as if she was silly. She shook her head, meaning it completely.

“My heart feels funny and it’s hard to breathe.” She told him honestly. Kim breathed in sharply again, feeling like there was glass inside of her lungs. Billy watched her for a long moment

“Scoot over,” He told her seriously, nudging her bottom softly. She did as he said, moving closer towards the other side of the bed. The mattress dipped as he laid behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She sank into his touch, closing her eyes and trying to inhale deeply. He followed her same deep breaths, his chest moving alongside her back. It was easier to breathe that was, with him guiding her, “You’re okay.” He promised as he pushed her wet braid behind her head.

“I’m scared.” She admitted, feeling like everything was coming to a standstill. He traced his warm fingers across her face gently. The sensation traveled across her body, tickling her gently in a nice way.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” He promised her, his words warm and like honey. She closed her eyes, willing herself to focus on him and not anything else. His fingers kept the same pattern as he slowly dipped down, tracing them across her collarbone and down her shoulders.

“What if something happens to me in my sleep?” She was speaking again, unable to control the feelings inside of her stomach. She breathed out harshly. He hummed and kissed the side of her mouth again.

“I’ll stay awake and watch you.” He told her gently. He brought one hand around her waist and squeezed softly. She sank against his touch, willing for the sensation in her stomach to go away. She hated how she felt right now and she didn’t want to feel guilty for making him stay awake to care for her.

“Then I feel bad.” She mumbled underneath her breath. She felt his chest moving as he laughed. She turned to face him, fully meaning her words. He only looked at her as if she was silly.

“Don’t feel bad,” He told her softly as he cupped her face softly, “You need to rest.” He encouraged her softly. She felt calmer when she was looking in his eyes. He was easy to focus on, to make her feel grounded.

“What about you?” She didn’t want him to be tired in the morning. She thought that he deserved to get just as much rest as what she did. He was smiling again and she wondered what he was thinking.

“I’ll sleep when I know you’re fine.” He promised her. Her eyes glazed over the way his curls pressed against his cheek as he laid on the pillow. He squeezed her hands softly with his larger one.

“You won’t leave?” She whispered softly, for no one but him and the night to hear. He kissed the side of her face softly. She felt comforted again, her heavy eyelids closing again. He held her close and she felt safer than what she had in a long time.

“I’m not going to leave you again,” He promised her. His voice was warm and smooth. It was like he was singing her a lullaby. She was drifting off, her mind and body finally at ease as he traced his fingers across her warm skin. Her chest was moving deeply as she drifted away,“Kim?” His voice was soft against the crook of her neck. Her eyelids were too heavy to open.

“Mhm.” She was already drifting off again, barely awake to recognize that he was speaking. Her body was so exhausted. Her mind felt like it was sleeping, his words drifted around loosely inside of her head in a way she wasn’t able to untangle at the moment.

“I love you.”

#billy hargrove #billy hargrove smut #billy hargrove x oc #billy hargrove stepcest #tw stepcest #tw pseudocest #billy hargrove x original character #cruel summer #stepcest

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