#but i promised myself I'd finally finish it this week. so i can stop feeling guilty abt it lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uglypastels · 2 years

Note

Part 4 of Hell Diver!!!!!

[I promise the other requests are coming soon too but this story just comes so much more easy to me and I honestly needed a bit of an easy fix to get back into writing after volume 2 lol]

Stranger Things: taglist / Masterlist / Inbox

no explicit warnings. swearing. mention of shitty friends and strict parents

Chapter 4: Hamster Wheels

The rest of the day had gone by insanely slow. Most days had already felt like they took an eternity, but that Monday… was some cruel joke from the universe. The minutes just would not pass while the hours took on forever to finish. People around you were suffocating you. Not in the literal sense. Just in the "could everyone please shut up for a second so I can finally hear myself think!" insanity. Since lunch hour, all you wanted was to be alone, which was almost impossible in high school. And the feeling of guilt over what you had done to Eddie didn't make any of it any better.

Once that final bell rang, you stormed out of the classroom, speeding towards your locker to grab your jacket. If you were quick enough, you could get it and get the hell out of there before any of your friends caught on to you.

'Hey.' Well, it was nice to dream. You were, of course, too slow. Mary walked up behind you. Her smile was broad in the type of menacing way. 'We were gonna go get some milkshakes. Wanna come?'

'Uhm, no, I can't. ' Usually, you would never have even let the thought be put up for consideration. How could you say no to a milkshake that would most likely be paid for by some cute guy ha! But now, a place where all those people would be was the last place you wanted to step a foot in.

Mary raised a brow, hearing your unexpected answer. 'Oh. Got plans then?'

'Yeah, I got to study for the chem test.'

'That's not until next week, though.' Why couldn't she just let it go?

'I know, but I really need to nail this one or my mom will kill me, so I'd rather start early.' That must have done the trick, for Mary's whole demeanour relaxed. All your friends knew how overbearing your mother could get. She was that kind of tough love kind of parent, who really just wanted the best for you… even if it wasn't exactly what you had in mind for yourself.

That was why you had had to lie to her about why you had come back home so much later than agreed last weekend. For all your mother knew, you were at Stacey's for study club– it's what all of you had decided to use as a cohesive ruse in case your parents started asking questions among each other. If anyone needed an excuse or an alibi, study club is where it's at. You had never really found a use for it before, never having been much of a party person nor had a lot of guys asking you out, which your parents didn't approve of, but Eddie…

Well, you didn't have to think much about that. No matter how you would put it, there was no way that your parents would let you within a ten-foot vicinity of the guy. He was what they called a "degenerate". Those you had clear instructions to stay away from. And Hellfire… well, let's not even bother.

'Have fun then,' Mary said with the last twinge of a smile before walking away in search of her boyfriend's arm to hang onto. The second she was out of earshot, you let out a deep sigh and closed your locker again, letting your head fall forward and lean against it. The cool of the metal was pleasant to the touch, heavily contrasting the actual texture of the door as it had bumps and the edges in the slits were sharp, pushing into your forehead.

You bumped at it again, then again, but quickly stopped, feeling someone's eyes on you.

And when you turned around, they were hard to miss. The pair of puppy brown eyes, glancing at you from across the corridor. Eddie saw you as he walked out of the building. Had he been walking by, and you hadn't even noticed? Did he hear you talk to Mary again? Well, at least you hadn't been talking about him this time. There was nothing to worsen the situation anymore.

As you made your way outside, you wondered if you would ever get the chance to talk to him. Would he ever let you come over to his trailer again to talk about D&D? Would he still let you join the campaigns? Hellfire?

You hoped so.

By the time you reached your bike, you could see a cloud of dust practically trail behind the same van you had seen at his trailer. It drove off at high speed. If only you could get out of there so quickly… but the wheels on a bike still went waster than just your feet. Sure, you would have preferred to take your dad's car again, but you only got the keys for that on the weekends.

The road to the town library was a relatively simple one. It mainly was following the road leading out of the parking lot of the school, down Main and taking the third crossing to the left until you were greeted with the sight of the large and old building. Even if it had only taken you about fifteen minutes to get there, the scorching sun above you made sure you felt the energy be sucked out of you from the exercise. With deep breaths, you locked your bike again and walked up the small steps to the entrance.

Inside, the air was colder but not cold in any way. Even worse, it was stuffy, with no proper ventilation anywhere. You could practically smell the dust of the old books that no one had bothered to borrow in the past few decades.

You walked past the front desk, giving Doris a kind smile as you passed her workstation, as you knew exactly where you wanted to go.

For years already, the library had become somewhat of a sanctuary for you. A safe haven. Not from anything in particular. Probably just "life" in general. Whenever people started to feel like a bit too much, and you just wanted to get away, you would come here, grab the first book that sparked some kind of interest, sit in a corner, and read until it was time to get back home again. That is kind of how you found your love for all things fantasy. It was the purest way of escapism.

You walked straight ahead, through the aisles and aisles of books, to the section you had basically devoured already. Today, you weren't in the mood to search for something new. You needed something familiar that you could grab and go and get sucked into all over again. And you knew exactly where it would be.

Where it should have been.

'What?' you said to yourself as you mentally went down the alphabet repeatedly. M… N…O…P. It should have been there, that orange-yellow, almost gold, cover. It practically jumped out of the shelf, and yet… it was nowhere to be seen now.

You had almost given up the search when you noticed the familiar colour in a gap between books. Lying on its side, the spine called to you from the other side of the shelf, its neighbouring aisle. You had no idea what it would be doing there, but it didn't matter. It was there, and you could easily reach it.

With your hand already stretching out to it, your heart pumping with excitement to have managed to find the book, you almost scared yourself to death when suddenly you saw something else between that gap of books. The back of the head, looking at the books across, and locks of dark curly hair.

With a shriek, you pulled your hand away. It couldn't have been that loud, but in a quiet and almost empty library, there was no way he hadn't heard you, and you could just about see him turn in your direction before you knelt down. Keeping your head down, you walked as quietly as possible out of the aisle, hoping to get far away from that library section. Why was this happening right now? Why was Eddie Munson the only other person there with you? While all you wanted was just some peace.

Not that he wouldn't give it to you; he wasn't the problem. You knew you were. Your mind had already started spinning at the idea of "Eddie". Should you go up and talk to him? Or maybe better ignore him completely? The guilt from school, the same guilt and gnawing feeling in your stomach you had been trying to escape, was coming back even stronger. What was he doing there? Would he just take some books and leave, or was he planning on staying longer, like you? And in that case, could you let yourself stat as well? Maybe this had all been a giant mistake, and you should just go home, but no, this was your idea first. Even if you had no idea when Eddie decided to visit the library, you knew for sure you were the first to come up with that idea.

Yeah, you were spiralling, and it had taken less than a minute.

You had, however, made it over all the way to a different part of the building. The letters on the covers of the book had become all blurry in your head, the language not processing what the words were actually saying to you anymore. A feeling in your gut, or perhaps the vast acoustics in the room, told you someone was approaching, so you pulled out the closest book to you, trying to read the back cover of it as Eddie Munson turned the corner.

'y/n?' He seemed genuinely surprised to see you when you turned to look at him. 'I thought I saw you back there.' He smiled, making you remember to smile as well; your whole body had really started to feel miles away. You blinked slowly, before pushing out a smile and a sheepish laugh.

'Where?' You played dumb, and thankfully, Eddie went along with it.

'The fantasy section.' He cocked his head back in the direction of the bookshelves you had just escaped from.

'Uhm, no, I think you must have been mistaken. I've been here the whole time.' You went back to pretend-read your book. Eddie, still enjoying this little play you were putting up, took a step closer, letting his arm lean on the shelf.

'Are you sure? Because I could have sworn, I heard you.'

'Oh yeah? What did I say?' You had no idea where this cheekiness was coming from, as it really was not you, but Eddie was bringing out plenty of new sides to you.

'It wasn't so much words more like a–' he copied your little shriek, 'It kind of sounded like a hamster, if I have to be completely honest.'

'I do not–' you cut yourself off quickly, 'I do not think hamsters are allowed in here.'

'Yeah, that's what I thought, so then it must have been something else, shouldn't it?' He was coming closer and closer, his smile only getting bigger while your heart only started beating harder and louder. Eddie must have heard it by then.

'Well, I've just been here the whole time, so–'

'So you've said,' he chuckled, 'And I'm sure… The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money' he peeked at the title of the book you were holding, and so did you, realising you had ended up in the Economics section of the library. Trying to hide your embarrassment, you looked back at Eddie as he continued: '-is a fascinating read, but I really think I had seen you back there.'

'What makes you so sure it was me?'

'I suppose it is a bit of a far stretch.' He was now entirely leaning on the bookshelf. 'I mean… we are the only people in here, so the chances of it having been you are… pretty small.'

'Ha ha,' you rolled your eyes, putting the General Theory back in its place. 'You still have no proof, Munson.'

'I guess I don't. See you later then.' He let his weight fall back on his feet as he straightened up, tapping the book he had been holding on the shelf before turning around. The bright yellow cover made your jaw tighten.

'Mhm, see ya.' You let yourself roam the Economics section once more, just waiting for him to walk away… with your book.

You waited a few seconds, but he didn't seem to be going away any time soon. He stood there, a few feet away, arms crossed with a big amused smile. So, you looked back at him, getting a bit annoyed now– you weren't even annoyed at him, just at everything in general. But you pushed it back when you gently asked: 'Can I help you with something?'

'No, no,' he shook his head, 'I'm good thanks. Was just wondering when you would ask.'

'Ask what?'

'For the book.' He showed it to you again, almost taunting you with it.

'Why-'

'Here,' he put it down on a shelf near him and started walking backwards. 'It's good. I'm sure you'll like it.'

'I know.' you reached out for it, unable to hide the smile from seeing one of your favourite books. 'Uh- but, thanks.'

'Don't mention it.' And with that, he disappeared into another aisle. You looked at the cover of the book, being greeted with the image that in itself had already brought so much comfort to you. As you walked between the shelves to your usual sitting spot, you let the pages slip through your fingers. It was a bit unconventional for a public indoor space, as you didn't go for one of the designated reading spots or one of the large desks in the middle of the room where people usually did their reading.

You liked to sit down in one of the corners of the library, around the biography section, where the books could quite literally embrace you from all sides. There was a window right above you, too, so the natural light was better than the artificial yellow glow from the old lamps. You sat down on the ground and started reading.

In a distant and second-hand set of dimensions, in an astral plane that was never meant to fly, the curling star-mists waver and part…

You read about ten pages, but quickly realised you had barely comprehended anything that was happening on the pages. The words flew into your mind and immediately left as soon as your eyes moved on to the next. If it weren't for the fact that you had already read the book a few times in the past year, you would have no idea what was happening.

The thought of Eddie Munson having picked out the same book you had wanted to read was occupying your whole being. And the fact he had just given it to you… it made you feel even worse about everything that had happened at school.

You couldn't just sit there and read, so you got up and started looking in the hopes he hadn't left yet.

You went through every aisle, turning each corner, hoping you would see him standing in all his Eddie Munson glory that you had slowly started to miss whenever he wasn't around.

Eventually, you found him at one of the large oak tables. A whole pile of books next to him, as he was scribbling away in a notebook and only looked up from it when you were standing in front of him.

'Hey,' you said, waving, for some reason.

'Hi.' he said, a bit unsure, not knowing what you had come for. He glanced down from your face to see you holding the book close to your chest. 'Done already?'

'Oh, no, couldn't really get into it today.'

'That's a shame.' Eddie looked down to scribble down some more words onto the paper. 'Do you want to–' he pointed at the chair opposite of him.

'No, I uhm, I just– wanted to apologise.' You held the book tighter for a bit of support as it let you focus on something besides Eddie's piercing gaze on you. The way he had his head, slightly crooked, in curiosity for your next words, made a warm and fuzzy feeling grow in your stomach. 'Since I'm sure you had heard what I had said at school, and that was really a shit thing of me to do.'

'You have nothing to apologise for, y/n. Heavy is the head that wears the popularity crown.'

'I'm not popular,' you scoffed, 'but that's not the point. I don't want you to think that I'm like, ashamed, or something, to be seen with you. You're a really cool guy. But people are so cruel and well, we are not exactly the types to usually be seen together, and then that is just fuel for others to be nasty, to either of us.'

'We are in two separate worlds, and you're scared that if we spend too much time together, those worlds will collide and will end in a giant disaster?'

'Sorta… yeah.' He had phrased it so much better than what you had managed to come up with while you had been searching for him.

'I get it. And I'm not mad, either way,' he said, closing his notebook. 'I get how it is; school sucks, and for what it's worth… I'm scared of my friends seeing me around you too.'

'What?' your heart dipped a few inches down to your gut.

'Yeah, what will they think when I start ditching them to hang out with the prettiest girl in school.'

A warm feeling crept up on your face, and you suddenly couldn't look directly at him. But your peripheral vision still let you enjoy the glimpse of his smirk at you, trying to process the compliment. Then, you needed to change the subject, so you looked at the books he had stacked up on the table. Most of them you recognised to be different Dungeons and Dragons manuals, giving you an idea of what he had come to the library for, but you still asked: 'What are you doing?'

'That is highly confidential and secret information, my dearest y/n, so I unfortunately can not tell you.'

'You're working on the next campaign?' The campaign he had told you to join. The excitement started bubbling up inside you.

'If I tell you, I'll have to kill you,' he whispered the words, already looking around himself as if the walls had ears. You doubted anyone in town would care what he had been up to and what he had written in his notebook, and perhaps you wouldn't even have cared if he hadn't made it so enticing to know.

'C'mon, there must be something you can tell me?'

'As the Dungeon Master, I have taken an oath to protect and keep the secrets of the world, and there is nothing you can do sway me to your dark side.'

'Nothing?' you quizzed, giggling at his antics.

'Nothing,' his dark eyes were so serious, yet you could tell he was having the time of his life right there. More thoughts interrupted your moment, that you quickly pushed aside. Flirting would not be the right direction for this. If it had been some guy offering you a milkshake, you would have gone for it, but you and Eddie seemed to be really hitting it off. Even after these very few interactions you've had with him, you could tell that a great friendship could come out of this, so there was no need to go and ruin this now just for a silly joke about the campaign.

Maybe, not even that deep down, you did want to walk across to him and pull him by the collar and kiss him, but those thoughts were quickly stomped down. He was a nice and good-looking guy. Obviously, you felt a slight urge to do it. But, it didn't mean anything.

'Ok, fine, I give up.' You put a hand up in defeat, 'I'll just have to wait like everyone else.'

'That you must,' he would have said something else, but he was suddenly caught off by a deafening thunder rumbling outside. You could immediately see yourself having to cycle back home in that storm. Where had it even come from? It had been a perfectly sunny day when you arrived at the library, but when you looked out from the windows, the sky was dark grey, and the rain was hitting the glass hard.

'Shit.' Was all you said in reaction to the thunder.

'What's wrong?' Eddie asked, looking up at you as you still had not sat down.

'Nothing, I'm just gonna have to cycle back home in that.' The once silent library had been entirely taken over by the rain pounding on the outside.

'I'll drive you,' he got up, grabbing his notebook.

'What?'

'Most people reply with a thank you,' he quipped, 'but you can put your bike in the back of my van, and I'll drive you home.'

'Why?' Your responses weren't getting any better, much to Eddie's amusement.

'Let's say it's an investment. By driving you home, I'll make sure you don't catch pneumonia or some shit and won't be then eaten alive by endless guilt.'

'I wasn't really planning on going back home yet,' you admitted, and you could have sworn Eddie's shoulders slumped lightly. 'But can I maybe join you here, for now?'

'Go right ahead.' And you took the seat opposite him, opening up your book again as Eddie returned to work. Every few pages, you would look up and see him work, flipping through the books around him, tapping his pencil on any surface in a random beat. At one moment, he looked up at you as you had been at him, thinking you were bothered by the drumming.

'Sorry,' he smiled, stopping subtly.

'No, you're good.' You told him, giving him a smile before going back to your own book. It was very pleasant, the two of you being together yet not. Joined at the table but separated by your own doings. He had his campaign; you had your book.

At some point, you got so into your book that everything else slightly faded away, and you were only brought back to the real world when ring-covered fingers tapped the top of the book spine. You looked up and met Eddie's eyes, as he leaned over the table to reach for the cover.

'What's up?'

'Just checking in,' he shrugged. 'Just let me know when you want to go home, yeah?'

'Mhm,' you nodded, 'but if you want to go now, that's fine. You don't have to wait up on me; I can just cycle home later.'

'That is pretty selfish of you, y/n– since you know how guilt-ridden I will be if anything happens to you– just to go and suggest that.'

You had no response to that, and so you continued your ventures on parallel sides of the table until the sun was starting to set once again, making the skies even darker than they were to begin with. The librarian walked up to you to announce that the place would be closing soon.

'If you're not planning on checking anything out, be a dear and put them back,' she told Eddie with a kind smile, to which he saluted. Almost a second after the woman left again, he was up on his feet, collecting the books in his arms. You were about to reach for his notebook to help him out, but he grabbed it quickly, taking it between his teeth, letting the pages flap about as he walked.

'I can help,' you told him, seeing how heavy the books seemed.

'Thank you, milady, but I shall go on this quest on my own.' None of the comedies you had watched in the cinema matched up to the comedic timing of Eddie having said that and almost immediately falling over by stumbling into the chair he had been sitting on previously.

'Are you ok?' You asked apprehensively as he regained his balance. With the notebook still in his mouth, Eddie's response only came out as a disgruntled muffled sound, but he seemed to be doing fine.

You hadn't finished reading your book, but it wasn't your plan anyway. You had just needed to escape for a little bit, so that had been accomplished… whether it was the actual act of reading of your companion in it…

Eddie put all of his books back, one by one, so you did so as well with yours. Obviously, you were done much quicker so you came back around into the aisle in which he was standing, and without a moment for protest, grabbed the top books in his arms.

'This shall be no solo quest, today, my good sire.' That was enough from you to leave him speechless. With a chuckle, he let you take the books; noticeably, they were all lighter than the ones that remained in his arms, but still. Somehow, it had become a bit of a competition to see which one of you would be done first. You only had one final book left to place, but it was on one of the highest shelves, just a bit out of your reach.

'Wait,' before you could ask what was going on, Eddie grabbed you and pulled you up just high enough for you to reach the shelf you needed. It had been a surprise, so the squeak sound that you had made earlier, which Eddie lovingly commented on its similarity to a rodent speech, came back up.

'Did you hear that?' Eddie said, putting you back on the ground. 'I think the hamster came back.'

'Hamster or not, I won.'

'Only because I let you.' He smirked, and you became very aware of your proximity to him. With your back against the bookshelves, you had nowhere to back away, and Eddie was so close that your chest was nearly touching his.

'Now, why would you do that?' You asked softly. There was no need to whisper. The library was soon closing, and you were the only ones still there. Not to mention, you hadn't exactly been quiet before either. But this situation called for soft, intimate tones.

'I'm not sure… maybe it's because I like your smile.' Now it was his turn to leave you speechless. A lump formed in your throat as you tried to process what he had said, which was even harder since he was so close. When he reached out to brush some hair out of your face, you had to suck in a breath. His calloused fingers only ghosted over your skin, but an electricity sort of spark shot through you.

'We should probably go,' you mustered out, 'before she locks us in.'

'Wouldn't want that.' Eddie's voice had also become much softer, almost a whisper. You could have sworn his eyes had, again, whisked down to look at your lips, and that idea made your head spin. It would only be even if you did the same for him now, right? Just a quick glance at his lips. They were perfect, just like the rest of him…

'Come,' he said, so close to you now you could feel his words on you.

'Huh?' You blinked slowly.

'Let's get you home.' and so, he took a step back. The emptiness between you felt personal, almost internal. Like by stepping away, he had actually ripped something out from between you. A bandaid ripping at your skin, leaving a weird tingly sensation behind.

Eddie's van was parked just behind the library, which is why you hadn't noticed it on your way inside. The rain had started to slow down, the lightning and thunder hadn't been heard for well over half an hour, but it was still pouring heavily. You grabbed your bike as quickly as possible, and Eddie had already opened the car's back doors and was waiting for you inside. He didn't wait, just grabbed the front of the bicycle and pulled it inside, then offered his hand to help you in.

'Thanks,' you sputtered out. The two minutes in the rain had been enough to thoroughly soak you, so you were definitely glad to take Eddie's offer and let him drive you home.

It was a short drive, in which you mostly tried to get some information out of Eddie on what he had been working on.

'C'monnnn, tell me something. Anything.'

'What would you like to know?' he asked as he turned a corner into your street.

'I don't know.'

'That doesn't really help me, sweetheart. You got to be specific, otherwise I could go on for hours and maybe not even tell you anything worth your while and we'd waste both our times.'

'That's impossible,' you laughed, 'You could never waste my time.'

Eddie clutched onto the stirring wheel, stopping the car as you near the house. Before you had started driving, you decided it would be the smartest thing not to drive up all the way to the front lawn, so your parents wouldn't see you step out of some "random guy's" dingy van.

'Maybe next time I'll let you hear all my secrets.' he put the van in park, and you thanked him again. Then, you both climbed out to the back to get your bike. Eddie opened the doors and jumped out, taking the bike out and again helping you make the little jump. His hand fit perfectly around yours, and even though you were standing quite steadily, neither of you let go.

'Hey uhm,' he said, the rain making both your hairstyles worse, 'just so you know, I'm really not mad… about anything.'

'I'm really glad for that.' you squeezed his hand, to which he pressed back.

'Just, promise me one thing, if you can.' He wiped the hair out of his face, and you did the same. The weather should have been getting better, but it really wasn't.

'What's that?'

'Promise not to run away from me again?'

I like you way too much to watch you walk away from me; that's what he had said when you were leaving his trailer. And how many times had you run anyway? Too many to count, which was too embarrassing to keep track. So maybe he just asked out of annoyance, but the fuzzy warm feeling was overcoming you anyway, which might have been a bit foolish since, in reality, you were freezing in the cold rain.

'I'll try.'

To be Continued... Leave a review behind!

Thank you for reading!!! please let me know what you thought by either leaving a comment or reblog or sending an ask. i would love to hear feedback or any ideas you might have for the upcoming chapters (if there is a demand for those, of course. i plan on writing this as long as people want heh)

taglist: @spiderrrling @hellfire-state-of-mind @theglitterymess @dorianelizabeth @theletterhart @niyahwhoreworld @chatnoirfangirl1624 @fopdoodle1624 @pastel-abyss-x @ghoulsgraveyard @prettytoxix @lovesickollie @xbreezymeadowsx @ssanjuniperoo @nxrdamp @meaganjm @yourmommilf @mischiedmanagers @roseyykris @brother-lauren @h0sh1verse @ghostlyreads @croweaterr @ladyapplejackdnd @bilesxbilinksixlahey

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fic #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson writing #fluff #imagine #blurb #fanfiction #fanfic #fic

195 notes · View notes

shiningdesignersreflections · 2 months

Text

Chapter 2: Match Day Already?

Narrated by Nikki.

Teacher: Anna, Wen, Nova, Nikki, and Yvonne, will you spare a few minutes for me?

Narrator: The roll call before the dismissing set off doubt and nervousness among classmates. I lowered my head so no one would notice.

Nikki: Could it be that I was not acting properly during class...

Teacher: Tell you what, I've signed up for the campus five-member soccer match.

Teacher: Don't freak out, as the match won't be too formal. But you should work hard and display the strength of teamwork.

Everyone: Eh? What? But that's... I'd rather you give me another three kilometers...

Narrator: There's an outburst of complaints as my teacher finished the sentence. Even those dismissed classmates looked back.

Choose either "A match on such short notice. That's so mean!" or "Go, Nikki!"

If "mean," ...

You: A match on such short notice. That's no mean.

Nikki: Actually, our teacher might be hoping we can build up our strength. Still, this is too quick. I'm at a loss.

If "support," ...

You: Hahaha, go for it, Nikki!

Nikki: Guess what, I'm always the last one to finish the long-distance race because I'm not that into sports.

Teacher: Nikki, you lack stamina, but you are nimble. Say, you will serve as the goalkeeper. Teamwork is everything.

Teacher: So, we'll start training tomorrow!

Narrator: My teacher was not that bothered by those complaints but promised us the participation can offset the final exam.

Narrator: After the first week of training, going upstairs and downstairs seems impossible.

Wen: Owww, ouch! My legs...

Nova: Can't go downstairs without the wall.

Yvonne: I don't want any more froggy jumps or leg stretches. I miss you, three kilometers.

Anna: Nikki, why are you walking alone behind everyone? Do your legs hurt badly? You need any help?

Nikki: Oh, not really. I just... haven't got enough sleep. Thank you, guys.

Yvonne: All those trainings and classes, you gotta take more rest.

Choose either "I went through something similar" or "I feel for you."

If "similar," ...

You: I can relate. The body can really ache all over after intense activities.

Nikki: Haha, then you should know how I felt.

If "sorry," ...

You: Poor thing, hang in there.

Nikki: My teammates would encourage me and show care for me. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have stuck it out.

Nova: Woah, Nikki, you secured that one, too. I practiced the fake move of penalty kick for a week.

Nova: Sure enough, we are talking about Nikki's Triple Saves! You will nail the defense.

Nikki: No, no! I was just lucky...

Yvonne: Nikki, you did a great job. Put more faith in yourself. Also, Nova, make sure your fake move goes smoothly...

Anna: Wow, Captain, could it be that you've analyzed the matches for the past decade? You are almost as veteran as the teacher.

Wen: Nikki, Captain, let's go to a movie after the training. Consider it a reward for hard training!

Nova: Hahaha, you can always find a reason to reward yourself.

Narrator: ...

Choose either "You're so happy" or "Nikki's Triple Save?"

If "happy," ...

You: You guys look you're having a lot of fun.

Nikki: Yes, we do, when we are with friends. I even look forward to the daily training.

If "save," ...

You: "Nikki's Triple Save"?

Nikki: That's the nickname for my defense move. Sounds pretty tough, huh?

Narrator: There were a lot of things like this going on. Tough as those days were, I felt it full and enjoyable.

Narrator: I had been all by myself before I joined this soccer team.

Narrator: It was the first time I had known how it felt to work so hard with friends.

Narrator: If only time could stop right during the preparation for the match.

Narrator: But reality's a different thing. It still went on with the established course.

Narrator: The match day finally came.

Chapter 1

Chapter 3

#nikki #shining nikki #chapter 2 #transcript #sr designer #match day already #soccer #student #friend #practice #sports #college

2 notes · View notes

julesthoughts · 2 years

Text

Trap of Lies

Chapter 21

This is a dark AU collaboration started by @x3kristax3. You can find the other chapters here.

TW: Mentioning of Torture and Violence

MC POV

After ages, I was finally able to persuade Alan to leave his house. Of course, only with him, alone he would never let me go. His proximity drove me insane, and his constant advances got on my nerves. I kept telling him that I wasn't ready because of what had happened. He showed understanding, but still, it didn't stop him from trying again and again. It's been two weeks since I left Jake and honestly, I was hoping to get back to him as soon as possible. Back in his warm arms, look into his soft eyes and feel his soft lips on mine.

I shook my head slightly to break the train of thought. I couldn't think about Jake that much now, he was my weakness and weakness wasn't allowed right now. We went to the flower stand and as I was looking around, my favorite flowers caught my eye. I took a bundle and smelled them, a lump forming in my throat immediately. The memory of Jake watching me here back then came flooding back. He was a stranger and yet I felt drawn to him in a way. The corners of my mouth twitched up briefly, but I immediately put my face back to normal.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and put the flowers back as Alan wasn't going to buy them for me anyway. Alan had his back to me, and he was talking to someone, but I couldn't see who it was as he was completely hidden by Alan. I wanted to take a closer look, but suddenly I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder. I could already guess who it was, but I turned around to confirm my suspicion. In front of me was a red-haired beauty and I saw relief on her face. I put my arms around her, and she hugged me tightly to make sure I was really in front of her. I heard her sigh joyfully. The last time we saw each other was before I was kidnapped and held captive.

I wanted to detach myself from the hug, but Jessy wouldn't allow it. "MC, Jake told us everything. Everything. Would you explain to me why you are with him?” She whispered in my ear. The way she pronounced the word him sent chills down my spine.

I leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "I know what I have to do. Please be on standby, Jessy. You're the only one I trust completely." She loosened her grip, and I broke the hug. She put her hands on my cheeks and wiped my tears from my face with her thumbs. I didn't even realize that I started to cry. She gave me a compassionate smile.

"You can't let him see you cry. You can do it, I'll always have your back. You are so incredibly strong.” She took my hand while saying this.

Jessy looked so innocent and sweet, but when it came to her loved ones, she knew no bounds. When she cast her eyes on Alan, I saw pure hatred blazing in her irises. She hated this man like no other person in this world. I knew she would do anything to help me, and I was beyond grateful for that.

"Listen, I'll try to persuade him that I can meet you. I miss you and I could really use a girls day,” I sighed.

She knew that when I said girls' day, I didn't mean a normal girls' day. We wanted to catch up. I saw that Alan had finished his conversation and was approaching us. He put his arm around my waist. "Hello Jessica," he said cold as a stone.

Jessy rolled her eyes and I spoke to Alan, "Alan, I'd like to go with Jessy. She's on her way home and I haven't had a chance to meet her. I'd just like to have some girl time with her."

He took my chin in his fingers and looked deep into my eyes, scanning me. I sighed softly and my eyes softened, getting the answer I wanted. "Only if you promise to come back. I'm worried, you're not fully recovered."

He drove me crazy with his care. It was his fault that I felt so bad. Take a deep breath, MC! You have to pull yourself together if you want to reach your goal and get back to Jake. Since getting back together with Alan I've had serious problems controlling my temper. Knowing that I was pretending to love the man who put me through all the torture made me frustrated.

"Don't worry, I'm feeling pretty good today and besides, Jessy is with me,” I said shortly. I just couldn't speak long sentences with this man without losing my temper.

Out of the blue he took my face in his hands and kissed me firmly but sweetly on my lips. I kissed him back, I had to keep up my acting. I wanted this kiss to end, but Alan let the kiss deepen. What was the matter with him? I opened my eyes and saw that he was looking to the right. I followed his gaze and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

Jake stood there and his eyes were on us. He didn't even grimace, but there was pure pain in his eyes. His eyes made my heart clench painfully. Alan was really enjoying Jake's suffering and I broke the kiss abruptly. Alan glared at me, but I smiled sheepishly, "Alan, you know I'm not that fond of kissing in public." That was the truth, Jake respected my opinion and wouldn't kiss me in public.

Alan stroked my cheek, "Sorry, my feelings for you took over for a moment."

Fucking liar. I didn't understand what that was about, did he want to see Jake suffer? He didn't seem to realize I saw Jake and I took advantage of that. I kept acting the innocent woman in love with Alan. I said goodbye to Alan and when I turned around, I saw Jessy buying some flowers. She gave me a bunch of my favorite flowers and my eyes shone with joy, "Oh Jessy, that wasn't necessary. Thank you!"

On the way to the carriage, I saw Jake walking towards my father's trade business with his head bowed. He avoided my eye contact, and it broke my heart. I had broken his heart in the worst possible way. I began to have doubts as to whether he would even want me back once I had achieved my goal.

As we got into the carriage my lips started to tremble, Jessy already noticed from the outside of the carriage that I was watching Jake. She put her arm around me, and I let my head rest on her shoulder, exhausted.

"So, I'm waiting for an explanation. I know you know he was behind it all. Why are you with him?" She asked when the carriage took off.

I sighed shakily and tilted my head back. "You're right. I know it and I hate his every touch. Every time his lips touch mine it sends a shiver down my spine. But I have to go through this if I'm going to have a quiet life with Jake.” I pulled the ring out of my corset and held it in my hand, my eyes shining as I looked at it. “The question is if he even wants me back.” I spoke my thoughts out loud.

"Oh, my love, you still love him?” she asked happily. "Everyone thinks you don't love him anymore, including him. He needs to know that!"

"No!" I protested heatedly. "He mustn't be involved, do you hear me? And earlier he walked in the direction of my father's business. Something tells me that my father is helping him on the right path.”

Jessy shook her head, "Don't you want to give him at least a glimmer of hope?" She bit her lip, and I could tell immediately that she was holding back something. I ignored it.

"He doesn't need that, if I judge my parents correctly, they will have already given him hope. And if my assumption is right and my father really helps him to get back on the right path, then it would be more than wrong to involve him in it,” I said while bringing my head back to a normal position and avoiding Jessy's gaze.

I hid the ring again and let out a bitter sigh. What did I do in my previous life that my current life is such a mess? I treated the ring like a religious artifact. A talisman. A lucky charm.

Jessy watched me and she realized, "He doesn't fully trust you yet, does he?”

"No, I can tell by his behavior. He still checks me everywhere and I wouldn't be surprised if he even sent someone to check if I'm really going with you. So, you know if we get to you soon, then there will be acting!"

She started giggling and I joined in, after a while the carriage stopped, and we got out. Arm in arm we walked into the house, giggling. As soon as the door slammed shut, our giggles stopped, and we got serious. She took me in her arms again and let out a soft sob, I stroked her back soothingly.

"He stopped by our place," she said softly, resting her chin on my shoulder. "He doesn't think you don't love him anymore. He thinks he can't give you the life you deserve and that's why you left him."

That was the coup de grace for me. Jake was more than hurt, he really thought he wasn't enough for me. All my dams broke, and I burst into bitter tears. I clawed Jessy's back and she pressed me even tighter in a reassuring way.

"He only thinks that because I told him Alan could offer me a better life. Oh god what have I done! For a short time, I was disappointed in him for hiding this dark secret from me. I'm no better if he knew what kind of secret I was carrying."

"Hush. Calm down for now, ok? I'm here and we can talk, ok?” She held me in her arms while I shed my tears. She started rocking us back and forth and at some point, I giggled because I felt a bit silly. She pulled away from me and took my shoulders in her delicate hands, "You are such a strong woman! I don't even know how you stand it all. You've already been kidnapped twice and each time a man was a reason. Your father was the reason for your first kidnapping, and Jake was the reason for your second. I hope there isn't a third party!"

I had to giggle even though it wasn't funny at all. She was right, somehow men put me in danger. She looked at me in shock, probably because I was giggling. Shortly thereafter, I lost myself in thoughts about my first kidnapping. The memories flooded me like a giant wave.

"Ok, I see. Let's sit down and you tell me everything. Did you ever talk about your first kidnapping?"

"No, never. I don't want to burden anyone with this,” I answered quietly.

"Come on, tell me. I'm listening, you know we've been through a lot." She took my hands in hers and her face was so open, it was enough for me to burst out.

"I was kidnapped at night. They somehow managed to break into our house, I wanted to scream, but they immediately stuffed a rag in my mouth. I didn't stop thrashing around. At some point it was enough for one of the kidnappers and he hit me on the head with something, so I lost consciousness.”

Jessy squeezed my hands tightly, which gave me some support. I continued, "I woke up tied to a chair and they told me that my father had some kind of debt. They must have left a threatening letter offering an exchange. My father pays the debt and gets me back in exchange. They wouldn't tell me what kind of debt he had, but I didn't believe them either. They tortured me and kept sending my parents small gifts.”

"Gifts?" Jessy asked unsuspectingly.

"Not normal gifts. It started quite harmlessly at first, they just pulled my hair out and brought it to my parents. At some point they removed one of my fingernails and brought it to my parents. They always brought these little gifts at night and displayed them on their doorstep. I mean, how nice can a morning start for parents when they find their daughter's fingernail nicely wrapped on their doorstep? At some point they cut off my scalp like a slice of cheese and sent it to my parents, I got a scar from it.”

I turned my back to Jessy and lifted my hair on the right and showed her the bald spot with the scar. Hair never grew back there. She gasped and was shocked she had never noticed.

"Jessy, how are you supposed to notice? I usually wear my hair down and if I have a different hairstyle, I cover it up."

She nodded glumly, "What happened when they did that?"

"Nothing at first, they also tortured me like that, just for fun. Mostly psychological, they held a knife to my neck and threatened to kill me, enjoying the fear in my eyes. But it was always just empty threats, but I didn't understand that at the time, and I was terribly afraid afterwards.”

"This is so horrible, how long were you trapped there and how did you get free?" She asked as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and hugged me tightly.

"Five days and the debt has never been paid as my father personally released me. At that time, he came into my room completely out of breath and freed me from my bonds. He was different. I don't know how to describe it, Jessy."

"How different do you mean? Hey you're shaking, calm down. Don't rush, take your time.”

After ten minutes I stopped shaking and stared at the opposite wall. "My father... His eyes were so dark and so empty. At the same time, I saw relief on his face when he saw me. None of the men who tortured me were anywhere to be seen. My father got me home as fast as he could. He didn't answer any of my questions and just told me everything was fine. I was treated by a doctor and for days I kept asking my father what his debts were.”

“What did he say?” Jessy asked, concerned.

"He said they lied, he never had any debts, and it was just unhappy customers."

"And you believed him?"

"No, but I never asked again as he would never tell me the truth."

"It seems everyone has some dark secrets, even the two of us," giggled Jessy.

“White Night,” I whispered, reminiscing.

"Mhm, exactly. I have to say I miss our time there at times, but I would never trade my life now for that life.”

"If Jake found out I worked for a secret service that takes people down. Oh saint.”

"But then he would understand why it was so easy for you to leave him. We've been trained to ignore other people's feelings for just such missions.”

"I know it's not usually difficult for me, but Jake is the first man that has truly won my heart and made me weak."

"That's how I felt with Walter at the time. The love for him was stronger than my will to stay in this service."

I saw how Jessy closed her eyes, I did the same. We put ourselves back to that time, I will never forget the time back then, especially because that's where I met Jessy for the first time.

.......................................

Once again, we took down a criminal, it's always been like that here. A sleazy asshole who presented himself as a good businessman but only exploited the poor and stole even more. We only ever brought down those who did evil.

Here we were in our hiding place, a shabby wooden hut in the woods. As we planned how to take down the next one, there were a few reports again that someone was torturing the poor people because they couldn't pay their bills on time. I always got angry when I heard stuff like that. People already had nothing and worked hard just to afford enough food and then there comes this rich bastard who can afford anything and tortures these poor people.

Jessy and I were assigned to track him down and bring him to our hiding place. The boss wanted to take care of him personally, so there was probably something private involved. In the evening Jessy and I found each other in a bar. The whole time we were looking for the man, Jessy kept looking at a brown-haired man who looked back at her. After a while I pretended to leave earlier. I nodded to her where he was sitting, and she swung her hips and sat down next to him. Jessy has always attracted everyone's attention and so we decided that she should seduce him.

I was standing around the corner when I heard Jessy's voice and a strange male voice, I knew that my mission had come. I came out of hiding and hit him on the back of the head with a rock, not too hard. Just so he lost consciousness. The boss gave us a carriage that we could use to transport him. We put him on the back seat of the carriage, and we sat down in front and set off. When we got to our hideout, we dragged him into the cabin and took him to the room our boss had asked us to use.

He sent us out, he wanted to do it alone. I didn't ask any questions, but before long we heard bitter cries of pain. He tortured him, something must have happened between the two personally. Jessy was sitting in another room, I went to her and saw her staring at the wall, lost in thought.

I sat down next to her and asked, "What do you think he's doing to him?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but I don't care." At first, I thought she was mad because she wasn't allowed to be there, but I saw that she had a small smile on her face.

"It's the brownie from the bar, isn't it? I saw your looks, my dear."

She put her hand over my mouth, her eyes wide, "Hush!" I understood, I got up and closed the door. I sat down next to her, and we whispered despite the door being closed. Love was not allowed in this service as it made you weak. You had to be able to think neutrally and not be influenced by love.

She began to relate, "I bumped into him in the market. I almost threw his bread down but was able to catch it. I apologized a hundred times, but he kept saying it was ok. He was so nice and so understanding. We met again and again at the market, I noted his times when he went to the market and at some point, he bought me a bouquet of flowers. That's when I knew that he too was coming to the market regularly at the same time on purpose. Well, tonight in the bar, that was him. I just couldn't take my eyes off him, not only because he's handsome, but also because I just can't get him out of my head. The meetings in the market were like little dates, I would like to give it a chance, but as long as we are in this service it doesn't work, and I don't want to leave you alone.”

"Jessy, you know I follow you everywhere," my voice got even quieter. "When do you want to leave here?"

She looked at me with big grateful eyes, "You would really take that risk for me?"

"Of course, Jessy. You're my best friend and I didn't intend to spend the rest of my life here either." I took her hands in mine and squeezed them lightly to show her my support.

"Tonight? Let's leave the White Night tonight,” Jessy said.

“Deal,” I said smiling. It was decided. Tonight, we will leave the White Night service. Since it was hunting time again at the moment, we didn't come home. We all slept here, and I hated lying to everything and everyone at home. Once a year we are trapped here for two weeks, and we bring down one by one.

We went to sleep and waited for the boss to go to sleep. We had already packed our things and when it was quiet in the hut, we got up quietly. We snuck out of the bedroom and tiptoed to the front door. We heard heavy footsteps, and we knew immediately who it was. I held my index finger to my lips to tell Jessy not to give a peep. We hugged the wall as tightly as we could and held our breath. My heartbeat quickened as the footsteps stopped in front of the open door. Luckily for us, there was another pillar on the wall so he couldn't see us.

The steps came closer, and he murmured, "The door is usually always closed. Hello?"

I closed my eyes and cursed myself. How could I forget to close the door? He walked into the door frame and grabbed the doorknob and closed the door. When the footsteps became quieter, we breathed a sigh of relief and left the hut as quickly as possible.

We ran through the woods in the middle of the night until we got to town. Jessy was so happy that she turned several times in circles with outstretched arms and cheered, "So this is what freedom feels like!"

I giggled and joined in her joy, and we held hands and twirled each other in circles. We celebrated our newfound freedom. My heart did a little jump of joy. I just couldn't stop smiling. Jessy laughed and took my shoulders in her hands, "You will be my maid of honor if we should work out!"

I smiled and I nodded happily like a little kid, "Oh Jessy, I would love to do that!"

We made our way home, it was early in the morning when we got home. Jessy went to her house and I to mine. When I entered our house, I heard my parents in the kitchen, they were eating breakfast. Their conversation ended when the door slammed behind me. Immediately, the kitchen door sprang open, and my mother hugged me tightly. I told them what had happened, and I saw relief but also concern on their faces. It might not have been the best idea to just flee.

……………...........................

Jessy and I came back to the present and we started laughing, but concern graced her face. She looked at me questioningly, "I'm surprised the boss never looked for us." I bit my lip and immediately her eyes almost popped out, "Wait! You know something I don't know about!"

"Damn it," I sighed. "I met the boss in town a month ago."

"What?!" She exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I'm sorry, I was so stunned by what he said to me that I had to process it myself and then all things happened." I hung my head and was terrified that Jessy would be mad at me.

She lifted my head by taking it in her fingers, "Then tell me now."

"He babbled and told me that he had a wife with a child at home. He immediately regretted it when he saw my victorious smile on my lips. I threatened him that if he hurts us or anyone, we are close by a hair, the rest of the service will find out about his little secret. He said he has his eyes everywhere, but he trusts us because we haven't told anyone about it either. At least that's what he thinks. He doesn't know that my parents know or Walter.”

"And it should stay that way.”

"But I swore to myself I'd tell Jake, he deserved it,” I said agonized.

"If you want to tell him I'll have your back, ok? Once again you made sure that I can lead a normal life."

“I'm so glad you joined this goddamn service, as soon as I saw you, I knew I wanted to be friends with you,” I confessed.

She then just took me in her arms. Jessy loved hugs, but I had no problem with that. I put my arms around her, and I giggled. I was happy again for the first time. But the thought of going back to Alan immediately made my joy vanish.

"Jessy, how far would you go for me to reach my goal?"

"Regarding Alan?"

I just nodded and looked at her.

"I would walk over corpses,” she said sternly. That was enough for me, no matter what I had in mind Jessy would help me.

Jessy winced when there was a knock on the door, "Oh crap! How could I forget that?"

"What did you forget?"

"Your parents wanted to come over. They wanted to see if I had heard or seen anything from you. I have a hunch they're going to bring-“ Jessy was interrupted by a voice that was all too familiar to me, "Jessy?"

"Jake," I whispered, shocked. Jessy motioned for me to be quiet as she walked towards the door. You couldn't see me from the front door.

She opened the door, "Jake, what are you doing here?"

"I'm supposed to bring this from Charles. He says it'll be later, he thinks we won't be able to until tonight.

“We?” Jessy asked confused.

“Yes, we. I'll come with them, I want to know everything too. Can't you tell me now if you've heard from MC?"

"Jake, this is not a good time. Please come back tonight."

"Jessy, you saw it today at the flower stand too! How they kissed. Or should I say how Alan kissed MC?"

"How may I understand that?" Jessy continued to act as if she didn't know anything.

Jake raised his voice, "Oh come on! Everyone there could see that she didn't want that kiss.”

Oh no!

#duskwood #duskwood fanfiction #fanfic #trap of lies #duskwood au #mc x jake #jake x mc #duskwood everbyte #duskwood jake x mc #duskwood mc #alternate universe #juleesiswriting

29 notes · View notes

rosewould · 2 years

Text

mortal sin; nct dream

chapter four; keep your demons close

masterlist

words; 4.8k

genre; nothing really

warnings; suggestive themes, strong language

preface; this is the most we've seen of Joohyun I think, what do we think of her? I'd love to hear your thoughts <3

Oh my... I've eaten a week's worth of food just this morning, yet my stomach is still growling! Pregnancy has been... interesting to say the least. I didn't mean to snap at Hyeonhok. He was only trying to help me, I feel so horrible about it. It doesn't make me feel better that I "can't control it", that's an excuse! He still personally delivers every meal I request with a smile. I'm so wracked with guilt I don't know what to do with myself. I'm very close to locking myself in a closet until the baby is born.

I didn't need a reward to finish my research, but the promise of reading a few more pages of this diary made me more eager to finish. Whether it was the media I consumed growing up or my morbid mind, I couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to this woman. How did her diary end up in a library, one in this realm at that? If she isn't a demon, this is all the more troubling. Despite the foreboding nature looming over each page, I was completely immersed. Oung's writing is captivating. Her emotions flow through each word like I'm directly experiencing everything she describes. She's bubbly and theatrical, reminding me of someone special.

The thought shoots me straight back to my final year on Earth. It felt like hours of me sitting there, visualizing the bloodied box that slashed at my chest each time it flashed in my brain. I cradle my head in my hands. Why did I have to look in that damned box? No matter how many days pass, I never stop thinking about if Minkyung intended for me to see that.

I stare down at the aged diary, drifting into space and hoping Oung is okay.

"...that takes us to current day, when Lord Taeyong is crowned Lord of Devildom. Things are a lot safer now and the capital is thriving more than ever. Buildings are less of an eyesore and the city looks more modern. He made changes to the laws by adding a lot more. Before he was appointed, the amount of laws added up to a single digit number." Mark points to the screen with an unnecessary pointing stick. I had already known all of this. If he would just let me and Joohyun help we could've been much farther ahead. We're the strongest group, yet we haven't even started.

"This lecture was really helpful actually, I'm guessing this plays into your plan to get this realm on our side...?" I raise my eyebrows, throwing the ball in his court. I knew he didn't have an actual plan yet, he just wanted to flex his painstakingly extensive knowledge of the Telestial realm. Hopefully this gets him to get on with it while making it seem like his idea all along.

"Oh. Right. The plan..." Mark stammers and I withhold the urge to groan. Joohyun yawns beside me, stretching her arms into the air.

"It's getting late! Maybe we should pick this back up tomorrow morning."

I gawk at her incredulously. It was only midnight, and we were seriously behind. We need all the time we could get.

"Are you seriously tired? Ha! I could stay up until the sun rises, even without coffee. I understand if you need to rest, though. Meeting adjourned I guess." Mark shrugs.

"I'm sorry, last night was a long night. I needed to make sure I was caught up with you guys." Joohyun smiles apologetically. "Let's make it up by meeting early tomorrow morning!"

"I can't tomorrow morning, but we'll figure something out." Mark sighs as he walks both of us to the door. "Next time I'll make sure to tell you my plan, you'll love it!" He pushes us out of the door before shutting it in our faces. Both of them are rushing to end the session as if we're not behind.

I turn to Joohyun and nudge her. "Hey, was that another trick I didn't pick up on?"

"Oh, no! Don't worry," Joohyun waves her hand, "I really am tired. I'll make sure to do what I can behind the scenes."

She starts to walk away but I stop her by pulling on her arm. She looks down at my hand with a blank stare.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want to stay here forever-- this school thing or the Telestial realm. Finishing this project will get us closer to getting out of here."

She laughs, still staring at my hand. "I can't believe you grabbed my arm."

I blink at her. "Sorry, did I come off as rude? I didn't mean to."

"No, it's not that... it's just that beings are usually afraid to even breathe incorrectly around me."

"Really? Huh."

Joohyun definitely seemed sketchy, but scary? She was a small, regal woman. Maybe her stately aura intimidated people. "I don't find you scary at all."

"You don't strike me as the type to be easily frightened." Joohyun acknowledges. She should see me when Renjun is around.

"I'd say we both have good impressions of each other." I smirk, only faltering when I realize that's technically a lie.

"I guess that's true. If I'm honest, I don't think that way about many people here." Joohyun lowers her voice, flashing an awkward grimace.

"You know what? I feel the exact same way." I admit apprehensively. "Perhaps we're judgemental."

Joohyun shrugs. "Just one more reason we're compatible I guess." She raises her eyebrows before walking away.

Every day brings another interaction where I click with someone. It was worrying that both those people weren't the most polite beings, but it made me feel a tad more comfortable. Being able to have a conversation where I wasn't constantly trying not to die or flatter a narcissist was a breath of fresh air. Even if it might be a trick. I have to keep in mind that Joohyun is scarily good with those.

Right now, what's important is getting this plan sorted. A quick trip to the vending machine wouldn't hurt. As I rounded the corner I heard voices getting closer.

"What did he say?"

"He said it was an excellent plan and that he might pick ours. No one else is even finished yet."

Standing in front of the vending machines are three men. One I didn't recognize, YangYang, and the devil himself.

"No one else is finished?! Not even-" The unfamiliar man's eyes land on me. "the teacher's pet group."

Renjun and YangYang both turn to look at me. YangYang greets me while Renjun stands up straight, growing more rigid. I sigh, clenching my eyes shut. "Is that the name everyone is calling us?"

"Yikes. Sorry prototype. I'm Baekhyun." He extends his hand with a tight-lipped grin. I accept his hand. So many people to meet.

"Prototype is yet another name I have to worry about." I laugh awkwardly.

"At least that one's 100% a compliment. You should be honored!" Baekhyun pats me on the shoulder, much too comfortable with someone he just greeted seconds ago.

"I try, but I'm not totally sure what it means."

"Thanks to you we don't all have to be starved." YangYang laughs. I laugh back, my amusement coming off rather unconvincing as I put the pieces together. First the phone, now this. Am I really getting the short end of the stick here?

"Aw come on. Like I said, it's a compliment! You should've heard Taeyong gushing about how strong-willed you were." Baekhyun says.

"I guess. I just wish there was another way he could've found that out." The last thing I needed was to starve again I thought.

"Anyway, it was nice meeting you, Prototype! We gotta go fine tune our plan. I'll see you around." Baekhyun salutes.

"That's right, you guys are finished. Is this your group?" I ask.

"Correct. We'd be the top group if Mark weren't wrapped around Taeyong's finger." YangYang rolls his eyes.

"We're a bit of a letdown. We have no semblance of a plan." I admit regretfully.

"I can't say I'm surprised. Mark can't take his head out of his ass long enough to be productive-"

"Easy." Renjun finally speaks since he saw you.

YangYang groans. "Fine. But all I'll say is I feel sorry for you. Mortal to mortal."

"I'm sure I can figure something out. Thanks for worrying, though. What's your guys' plan?"

"Good question! Our plan is to-" Baekhyun prepares to present it theatrically to do their grand plan justice when Renjun stops him.

"Nice try. Figure you're own shit out. Let's go, guys." Renjun unfolds his arms before grabbing his drink from the machine and leaving.

"Yeesh. Sorry again, Prototype." Baekhyun glances over his shoulder before following Renjun. YangYang lags behind for a minute, staring at him incredulously.

"What's his deal?"

I laugh loudly. "Seriously? I think we all know by now." I slowly quiet down when I notice YangYang staring at me. "Wait..."

"What do you mean?"

Do other people not know? Is there a reason for that?

"I mean, he's always been a little uptight, right?"

"No, no, no! Don't switch up on me. You know something don't you?" YangYang narrows his eyes at me with a smirk.

"I just realized you might be friends with Renjun and might not want to talk shit about him..." I shrug. It'd be a miracle if he believed this. Where's Joohyun when you need her? He gives me a knowing look and I sigh.

"You noticed the 7 deadly sins, too?" He whispered.

I start to respond but end up frozen with my mouth open like an idiot. I look up at him in defeat. "I didn't even notice, Taeyong had to tell me."

"Wow! Taeyong was talking about how you were smart, but now I'm starting to doubt his judgment."

"To be honest, I don't blame you." I mumble.

"Hey, teasing isn't fun if you submit so easily. I can tell you're smart, but if you're really smart, you'll keep this between us and the demons." He steps closer, glancing around as he lowers his volume. Why would YangYang care about that?

"That's cute, you care about the demons."

YangYang scoffs. "Yeah, sure."

That can't be the reason. So what's his deal? I can't help but note his closeness with Joohyun. The next morning I find myself monitoring them. YangYang looks to get along with his group, chatting and laughing naturally. On the outside, it would seem like Joohyun is doing the same. So neither of these observations should be trusted. It'd be best if I try a different approach to figuring this group out.

What I couldn't understand was why they were pretending to be close to the demons. YangYang looks to be best friends with Renjun, and you'd think Joohyun reciprocated Mark's blatant crush.

"So far I only have one group with a concrete plan. We're nowhere near the deadline, but I expected more groups to at least have an idea of what they were doing." Taeyong reports, doing little to cover up the disappointment in his voice. "To be fair, a lot of you are new to this realm. Telling you to win over largely unfamiliar beings was my bad, so today we'll be learning about demons." Taeyong scans the room as he pushes a button. He turns toward the picture of biblical demons and points his stick at them.

"Thanks to Terrestrial literature, this is the most common depiction of demons. Hellish creatures that thrive off of the torture of sinful humans. We have had no contact with humans for hundreds of millenniums, so it's best you wipe this from your brain going forward." He clicks to the next slide, showing a group picture of demons. Some of them look familiar enough to blend in with humans, other are similar to the form Renjun sported that day in the hospital. I peer over at him, seeing him whisper to YangYang as he gestured toward the screen.

"Demons are not as different as you may think. Besides their abilities, the major factor at play is environment. Past rulers gave demons little to no rules or laws, so they internalized that nature. They adopted it as part of their identity." Pity was oozing out of Taeyong's words.

"As of now, demons may not be the most receptive to rules or being told how to think, but with a tiny nudge, they could see the upside in reforming. So instead of searching for a way to just muzzle the demons, frame it in a way that sounds pleasing to them." Taeyong squints with a nod. "In other words, dip the medication in peanut butter." He winks.

Taeyong claps his hands together. "Now with your groups, try and figure out a plan better suited to modern day demons!" He orders before turning to switch off the projector.

"Oh, one more thing,” He swings back around, “this is a test. In the future, it would be in your best interest to become efficient public figures. There's only so much I can do as one lowly demon."

It's no use. Mark is a lost cause.

"I'm sorry, did you just say we should promise the demons fewer restrictions if they comply?" I blink, mouth agape. Mark smiles, utterly oblivious to how idiotic he comes across.

"Absolutely. Cover it in peanut butter, remember?" He quirks his head to the side as if he were speaking to a child and I just about lose it. I open my mouth to chew him out but instead I exhale slowly.

"Mark," I start, hands hanging in the air, searching for a gesture that helped form my thoughts, "what you just suggested isn't dipping meds in peanut butter. That's telling the dog you're gonna give him peanut butter, only to hand him a dry pill. In other words, lying."

"Lying? Pssh! That's not lying! In the world of politics, sometimes you have to bend the truth to get the public on your side. Like Lord Taeyong said, they can't see the upside of reforming so we have to show them."

"Hmm," I feign confusion, trying to stifle my unbridled rage as I bite my lip. "I'm not sure the demons will be happy about you lying to them, Mark." I all but growl at him.

"By the time they find out they'll already be distracted by how much better life will be! Don't you understand? What don't you get-"

"I completely agree with Mark." Joohyun steps in before I blow up. "The demons don't know what they truly want. They need help to get there."

"Exactly! Joohyun gets it. You know, Joohyun shows up to the meetings less and claims to be behind on her research, yet you're having a much harder time."

"Okay, that's it." I slam my hands on the table and push up from my chair. Who knows how many demon cocks I'll have to suck to navigate this hell hole, but I'll be damned if I play a tiptoeing second fiddle to an incompetent egomaniac. "I'll make my own goddamn plan."

"W-what?!" Mark shoots up as well. "Hey where are you going?" He yells after me as I storm away. I turn briefly to address him with a clenched jaw.

"I think you should worry about your plan, or lack thereof, you're gonna need all the time you can get." I cut my eyes at him before turning back around, shoving the doors open. The judging eyes weren't in the forefront of my mind, just how I was going to manage this. What Taeyong wants is a public figure, so that's what he'll get. Group or no group. I find myself in the nearest bathroom and rest my hands on the sink. The sensors trigger the water, the noise of it hitting the sleek, black ceramic fades into the background as I look in the mirror.

My fingers trace over the area my scar should be. Seeing it again really solidified its absence. It feels like my sins from when I was alive were erased, and I was given the chance to start anew.

I hear footsteps thunder into the bathroom. "Hey. There you are." Joohyun peers in before walking toward me. She looked upset, and she wasn't masking it this time. "What was that in there? I had it under control."

I exhale as I stop leaning on the sink. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... did you?" I start, giving her a wary look. "I feel inclined to trust you, but I sincerely think Mark is a lost cause."

"You realize he likes me, right?" I nod and Joohyun continues. "Sometimes emotions can sway even the most rigid people. We can use that to our advantage. Mark told me he has connections to the higher ups in this realm. He's a valuable asset. Once I have him wrapped around my finger, it could mean smooth sailing for us."

I ponder for a moment. "What would we do with said asset anyway? We only need to manipulate him for this assignment."

"Just imagine the possibilities. Access to confidential information, stronger connections than other groups, and more resources. The brothers, including Mark, have better tech than we do." Joohyun leans in with steady eyes trained on me. I clench my eyes shut. That damned phone.

"God! I don't know how much longer I can tolerate that idiot." I groan, throwing my head back.

"I know he can be a headache, but remember what I said. Emotions can sway even the most rigid people." She steps forward again, giving me a stern look. "It doesn't matter how smart you are if you let your feelings control your actions." The longer her stare lingers, the more her words permeate in my brain.

"Ow! Jeno-" NingNing hisses. Jeno pulls away, his heart melting at her big eyes and pout.

"I'm sorry Yizhuo, I always do this." Jeno sighs before letting his head fall forward. NingNing sighs, rubbing her shoulder that probably had teeth marks indented into her soft skin.

"It's okay. Maybe I just need to grow thicker skin." She beams. Jeno looks up, untensing under the light of her smile. "Let's go to my room, yeah?" Jeno nods, making NingNing grin. "My bed is far more comfortable anyway."

"Good point." Jeno pulls her skirt down and fixes the seat of her underwear before tending to his own disheveled appearance. NingNing sends her hands through her hair before looking at Jeno.

"Do I look okay?" She asks, voice hushed all of a sudden. Jeno holds her face in both his hands, bringing her lips closer to plant a quick kiss on them.

"You look adorable. Let's go." He grabs her hand, but as soon as they leave, she slips it from his grasp. Jeno ignores his heart and the way it ached the entire walk. Just another petal wilting off of a dying flower. NingNing pushes her door open, and Jeno can feel his growing excitement replacing the ache. NingNing gasps, slamming the door back. She whips herself around, giving Jeno an alarmed look.

"What?!" He whispers.

"YangYang is here!"

"Oh, great." Jeno rolls his eyes as he grumbles.

"Hey! Don't be like that. I'll just be a second, okay?" NingNing whispers with a pleading look. Jeno looks apprehensive. After pausing to think, he sighs. He knows how this usually goes. The person stumbles across Jeno, they ask what he's doing there, and Yizhuo gives him the look. As if to say 'don't mess this up'.

"Should... should I just leave?"

"What? No!" NingNing rushes to grab both his arms. Jeno softens his expression.

"Look, it's okay. We can always hang out later." He ruffles her hair with a crooked smile. She sighs before nodding softly.

He nods back, although it seems more for himself than anything. "See ya, Yizhuo." He leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead before giving her a tight smile and leaving.

NingNing didn't know how to tell him she wouldn't be able to see him later. Joohyun told her to clear her schedule for the rest of the day. The next fifteen minutes were all she had. With a huff, she opens her door again and is greeted by YangYang's smug smile.

"Who was that?"

"Jeno. We're partners for the project, so..." NingNing's voice gets softer, wincing at her own words as if it wasn't necessary.

"That's lucky, isn't it? You get partnered up with your crush." YangYang's smile gets wider at Yizhuo's reddening face and wide eyes.

"What did- I don't-"

"Oh don't worry." YangYang stands from her bed with a grunt. "I won't tell Joohyun. Just don't do anything stupid, K?" He peers down at the Celestial before cocking his head to the side. NingNing swallows hard before nodding frantically.

"Good." He says with a pat on each of her shoulders. "Now come hang out with me, I've been waiting for you for ages!" He drags her back out of her room, making their way out of the building.

"Where are we going?" NingNing asks, growing nervous as they push through the doors. He stops walking to step in front of her before leaning forward.

"To party." He whispers before chuckling.

"Party? Joohyun would kill us!"

"That's just one more thing we'll have to keep secret from her." YangYang tugs at her hand again but she pulls away.

"No, she told me to clear my schedule earlier. We're having another meeting."

He stops for a moment, shutting his eyes to better focus on his thought process. "Okay... so Tiffany, right?"

"Yes...?"

"The airheaded human?"

"YangYang." NingNing scolds.

"Just tell Joohyun that she dragged you out for a project thing, but she lied and you got stuck at one of her crazy parties." YangYang shrugs.

"That's a horrible plan. Besides, any plan that involves lying to Joohyun is a bad one."

“You’re right.” He sighs, propping his head up with his thumb and index finger. “Okay, new plan. We never went to a party. We were following a lead on one of the brothers! We need to look for one anyway.”

Dread stirs in NingNing’s stomach at the mention of spying on the demons. She was trying to put it off as long as she could.

“Why the silence? This is a perfect plan! Two birds one stone, we get to relax and let loose, and we get Joohyun off our back about these damn brothers.”

NingNing picked at her brain for a response, but it was too focused on begging her not to do this. Not only was she lying to two people she cared about, but she would even be ditching one of them to do this.

“Hey, Yizhuo.”

She looks up when YangYang places his hand on both her shoulders. He snorts at her shocked expression. “Don’t overthink it. Whatever you’re worried about, I’m sure it’s not the end of the world. You can always work it out later.”

NingNing looks down, considering his advice.

“Plus, don’t you want to take a break for once?” Says YangYang with desperate yearning, “And I don’t mean thirty minutes. Losing hours without stressing about finding them.”

Finally giving in, NingNing rolls her eyes exaggeratedly. “Fine! Let’s go.”

“Yay!” YangYang uses his grip on her shoulders to shake her in excitement. He drags her once again, skipping into the neon-drenched night.

"Fuck- Why am I doing this?" I sigh, lowering my fist. All I have to do is knock on Mark's door. That’s all. Or, I can turn around and leave and come up with my own plan. That would definitely feel better.

But what if Joohyun’s right? I do want to get out of here as soon as possible.

I gather myself and stand up straight, knocking firmly on the door. Time to get this over with. Of course, I could've been done sooner if Joohyun let me apologize sooner. Apparently that wasn't realistic. Mark swings open the door with an expecting look on his face.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Mark…” I start, already losing confidence.

“I see you’ve given up on your own plan already.”

This little-

I catch Joohyun’s eyes behind Mark. She raises her eyebrows. Fine.

“Yes. It was much too hard. I need your help.” I swallow my pride and force a smile on my face.

“Good. Because we need you too.” Mark says before clearing his throat. He ignores my shock and steps aside. “Come in.”

“Joohyun.” I greet her dryly, more focused on communicating with my eyes. She notices my confusion and acknowledges it with a smile.

“Hey. Take a seat.” She stands from her own to pull out mine. I look around as I sit down.

“Joohyun and I spent an entire day brainstorming, and we came to a decision.” Mark speaks once both of us have settled. “We want you to be in charge of coming up with the plan.”

Shock is the first emotion I experience. Mark said “we” and went through an entire two sentences without being a cock. Then the confusion was back, with a hint of annoyance.

“I’m kind of lost on the reason you put me in charge.”

“Joohyun brought up a good point. You seem to get along with the demons pretty easily.” Mark reflects, as if double checking his memory. I chuckle.

“I’m not quite sure about that. Also Mark is a demon.”

“Yeah, but they don’t get me. Even my own flesh and blood doesn’t.” For a moment, Mark expresses an emotion I didn’t think he had the range to. What was it, maybe regret? It came and went too fast to be sure. “Not to mention I’m no bona fide demon. Even if you’re faking it, you seem to get them. Keep doing whatever Chenle saw you doing at the restaurant.”

I was already planning to do so, but the burden of coming up with my own plan felt heavier with their judgment. I could already hear Mark’s “notes”. I might be here for a century. And Joohyun, well she’s a smart woman. She surely has high standards for a plan that will have her name on it.

“You may be right, but I don’t know. I think it would be better if we conjure up a plan together.”

“And waste all our time deliberating over piss-poor plans? Listen, Mark and I tried. We failed to come up with a plan that we were confident would win over Devildom, let alone the entire realm.” Joohyun reaches across the table to rest her hands on mine. “We can’t possibly come up with a sound plan without knowing what a demon truly wants.” At this point, Joohyun’s words were just to throw Mark off our scent, because she was giving me a look that told me to go along with it.

“That’s… a good point. So if I’m coming up with the plan, what will the two of you be doing? Won’t it be boring?” I could be acting overly cautious, but it was better than risking Mark thinking I’m insulting him.

“Maybe for a while, but we’ll keep each other company.” The look Mark gives Joohyun catches me up to speed on her plans to woo him. “Once you’ve come up with a base plan, we’ll work on fleshing it out together, then we can distribute tasks from there. We’ll have to test the plan before it can be set in stone.”

Mark’s words really put into perspective how much work we have yet to do. If only I was put into another group. Even coexisting with Renjun seemed better than this.

“But before that, make sure you have a plan B and C. Just in case Joohyun and I don’t agree on the first one. For now, think of us as a council of sorts.” The thought of that seemed to please Mark greatly judging by the goofy grin on his face.

“Sounds good. Hey, what do you guys think about cutting this meeting a little short? I’d like to get started as soon as possible.”

“That sounds good as well! Meeting adjourned!” Mark shoots his finger into the air.

When I entered my room the last thing I expected to see was Jeno without NingNing.

“Is she in the bathroom?” I cautiously close the door behind me. I know he can’t help it, but the last thing I wanted to see was him sniffing her underwear. Thankfully, he wasn’t. In fact, he looked a bit down.

“No, I was just hanging out in here. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I’m not gonna be here for long anyway.” I assure him as I peel off my suffocating blazer.

“Oh, are you going to that party too?”

I pause my rushing for a brief moment. “Party? No, I was gonna work late at the restaurant.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. Renjun’s not in the library tonight.”

“What?” I completely freeze and look at him in disbelief. “Why not?”

“He wanted to look over the restaurant. He’s been acting really weird lately. Extra paranoid.” Says Jeno regretfully. “Sorry, I know you actually like to be there… for whatever reason.”

I drop my arms exasperatedly. “I need to go to the restaurant to interact with demons. Understanding them is a key part of the assignment.”

“Ah, you’re right. Well, maybe you could do so at the party. My roommate’s girlfriend is throwing it. She’s popular with the demons so they’re bound to come.”

“It’s not really my scene,” I start, thinking of excuses. “why aren’t you going?”

“Honestly, I wasn’t because I wasn’t in the mood, but I don’t have anything better to do.”

Jeno makes for decent company, he could make it less unbearable. With Joohyun’s words swarming in my brain like angry hornets, I let out a loud groan. “Okay. I guess I’m partying tonight.”

#mortal sin #mortis #kpop #nct #nct dream #mark #jeno #yangyang

7 notes · View notes

gnattyplayssims · 1 year

Text

1936 Pt2 - Search for Anabelle

The train arrived at Conifer Station early in the morning. Thankfully the orphanage was a convenient distance from the station and Knox and Kailee settled into the cold sitting room.

"They can't even light a fire?" Knox clenched his fists in his lap angrily.

"Knox, I know you're worried about Anabelle but this seems like more than normal upset. I've never seen you like this."

Knox sighed, "I just blame myself. I was supposed to look out for her. I promised her brother I'd take care of her since he can't but I failed to be there."

"This isn't your fault. She made choices."

"But I should have seen she was struggling. I should have said something about their relationship."

"You couldn't have stopped it. I know you care about Anabelle like I care about Kye. We don't want to see either of them hurt."

Knox sighed "I want to believe you're right but I can't breathe easy till I see she's safe" He turned away from her staring off at the dust on the floor

"Is there something else?"

"Why are we here, Kailee? Why did she come here? To an orphanage? Why did she choose this place?"

He desperately wanted to embrace her. To hold her and hear her tell him they were worrying for nothing but the sadness in her eyes told him she had had the same worried thoughts. He looked away and back at his hands clenched in his lap. "What's taking so long?"

"Sorry to keep you waiting" A scarred woman in a headwrap finally came out to greet them. "We're having a bought with the stomach flu and it's already been a busy morning."

Knox stood holding his hand out to Kailee, "Shall we?"

She hesistated then took his hand.

"You'll excuse me if I don't sit. It's difficult for me to get back up once I'm down." Kailee launched right into their reason for coming and Maci listened patiently. "I'm sorry but a lot of women come here seeking my help with their labor. I can't be expected to remember them."

"Those who come here usually come to me because they don't feel safe elsewhere. I don't ask for more information" The woman placed her hand on Kailee's shoulder and that's when Kailee lost it.

"Don't give me that!"

"Kailee" Knox gently scolded barely able to control his smirk.

"I can give you the list of places I usually suggest for new mothers. And you can come back next week when the flu has calmed and see if any of the children look like the woman you're looking for. But I assume you want the woman, not the child."

"We'll be back!"

Outside Kailee was about to lose it. "Now what!?"

"Hey, we just have to come back next week. Maybe she'll remember Anabelle if we find the baby."

"The place is filled with her cries."

"Um what?" they looked down to see a creepy child. "Anabelle's cries fill this place."

"Kailee?" A voice pulled her attention from the creepy boy "Hannah?"

"What are you doing here?"

"We're looking for someone."

They told her about Anabelle and she nodded. "I remember her when she was pregnant. She said she was going to try a boarding house in Grim's Quarry."

They waited near the orphanage until Maci allowed them to see the kids but none of the children stood out to them so they followed Hannah's lead to Grim's Quarry. They arrived as the sun was going down and stopped at a food cart to get something warm.

"What are we going to do if we can't find her here?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. Let's just talk to this lady."

The lady shook her head when she opened the door. "I'm sorry you'll have to come back in the morning. I'm not in the habit of taking guests so late."

[one year previously]

"Anabelle! Come on dear wake up!" Maci stroked the woman's hair from her face. She was cold and she touched her dry lips. "Hannah! Bring water!"

The woman brought her a glass and she pressed it to her lips. "Is she okay?"

"She's dehydrated."

Anabelle blinked weakly, "there you are dear finish this."

"It hurts." "I know dear. Your body just needs to finish it's job. Just a little more and it will all be over."

"My son?"

"He's fine dear, everything is going to be just fine. Now let's just get you feeling better."

Terror filled Anabelle as she woke. The moon shown through her uncurtained windows but didn't calm her. She held her breath as she listened for her son's breathing, her heart calming as his little breaths reached her. She pulled him close.

Her son was safe.

Stefan was safe.

The next morning Kailee and Knox showed up as soon as the sun was up. Myrtle was too busy to answer their questions so they waited in the cozy living room as she made breakfast and convinced her son to do his chores.

"Hold on Stefan, mommy needs to get her sweater on."

Anabelle set Stefan on the ground as she got to the bottom of the stairs. "Good morning Anabelle. Oh I think there's someone here looking for you."

Anabelle froze, her hand tightening around Stefan's all thoughts leaving her head. "Thank the Watcher you're alive."

"You have no idea how much trouble we've gone through to find you. You could have at least sent a letter. Something so I knew you were alive. You had us worried sick."

"Kailee." Knox's voice halted any more words from coming out and she grit her teeth. "Can we have a moment?"

"Sorry, I know this place isn't much of a home. I haven't washed the dishes yet and I didn't have time to-"

"Anabelle" He grabbed her wrist turning her toward him and cupping her face so he could study it closely. "Slow down. I've been worried sick about you. Are you okay?"

She slumped to the bed and he knelt next to her. She started to shake as he wrapped his arms around her. "I just want to be strong for him. I need to be strong for him Knox."

"I know Ana, I know. You are strong but you also don't need to do this alone."

"What about Kye?"

"He doesn't know, but he deserves the truth."

"I'm so scared. What if he rejects him? I don't think I could bear it."

"If you don't try you'll always regret it."

She let out a sob and clutched the matress. "I already regret so much." She brushed his cheek, "Take me home Knox."

1937 Pt1 - Anabelle's Return

#mizrahi legacy #classic generation #decades challenge #sims 4 storytelling #ts4 storytelling #ts4 legacy

1 note · View note

demonicxfire · 1 year

Text

I'm realizing only now...

That soon... everything will be over.

School, I mean.

And yeah, part of me wants it to be over, because it's being so hard.

But... this is the final year.

And that means... I'll never see my friends again, after it will be over.

And my best friend, at the end of the summer, will go away, because he will start university too.

Sure, we'll stay in contact. He promised me. But i'll still be alone

Because I chose to take at least a gap year, i'll stay here... completely alone.

I don't even know what to do in my life.

I really wanna try to become a game developer, so that one day... i'll be able to create my dream game.

Tho, I also really love writing... and taking photos...

So, I still gotta understand what i want to do.

I also really want a dog...

Because i feel like, when my best friend will leave for university, i will fall... into a deep, dark hole.

I was once really good at socializing... but now i'm entirely closed in myself.

But now, all i'd want... is just someone to never leave me. Even a friend.

That's why I want a dog so badly...

Ugh, I feel like I shouldn't have declined the possibility i had at the end of my 4th school year...

Since then, I regret declining it...

But the thing is... I didn't feel ready.

But now i regret that decision...

Tbh... I feel like I won't actually get a dog at least until I'll finish university...

And I feel like I'm focusing too much on the future, and too little on the present... as always...

So, for now... I guess that I should really focus on the exams, of which i'll have the first two (out of 4) in less than weeks... and then the other 2.

But, looking a bit further that...

I'm planning to start a part-time job at the end of the summer, as well as taking the driver's license, and maybe even start hitting the gym again.

And now I realize why having a dog, if I should really do all this, would be impossible...

And I'm also realizing that... it probably won't be just one gap year.

For me, i'll have at least two gap years, or 3, depending on how it goes.

I firstly have to understand what the fuck i really wanna do in life...

But what if I find out too late?

It means that i won't be able to do the entrance test in that same year, but i'll have to wait one more year, because i know for sure that... studying for even just the entrance test... it will take me around a year.

So... yeah... i chose a really complicated path.

But i should really focus on the exams now...

I will really miss my friends... I've been feeling down in these days because of this...

5 years... and even tho i've been such an introvert... I still have really good memories with them.

I swear, i've never cried for this occasions, because why should I? I've always been bullied, and so i've been super happy every time i finished a kind of school.

But this time... it hit very differently...

Because i actually had very good memories with all of them.

I... ugh...

I've been feeling such a variety of emotions today... from sadness, to laughing, to nostalgia, etc...

And this has been a very long post...

I wish I could stop time tho... or even rewind it...

But we can't. And all we can do is to "rewind it" via our memories, and by understanding our errors.

Even tho, every remembering is destined to fade away... in the end...

#ramblings of a werewolf #vent #venting

1 note · View note

diaryoftheunidropout · 1 year

Text

DAY 50

Very brief message because it's 3:30AM and all I want is to SLEEP.

I made the reckless decision to brutally go off antidepressants completely just so I can experience the full syptoms of whatever mental illness(es) I have so I can get a better and hopefully more accurate diagnosis and be take more seriously next time I see a psychiatrist.

Three days ago I felt EXTREMELY anxious for asbolutely no reason at all. I wanted to go to the restaurant, I went, and almost as soon as I stepped foot out of my flat, I got anxious. Over nothing. I just FELT anxious. And I was also super irritated by everything. That was the case yesterday too, and a little bit today as well, but it really is less and less.

These past two days I've been feeling super motivated and happy. I can get lots of stuff done and I want to get lots of stuff done. I believe in crazy shit like "I'm going to write a book and have it published" or "I'm going to study 3D animation" or "I'm going to become a tattoo artist". And to think 3 days ago I just thought I was going to do none of that and just work whatever job I'd be given...?

Anyway, I know this is probably very temporary and a relapse is probably going to kick in soon, hopefully in a week or two only, but it's probably more a matter of a couple of days.

I got my Heartstopper tattoo and I'm so so happy about it. I also love my tattoo artist. What I see in her is like... a 15 year older version of myself? We happen to have quite a lot in common except she is under medication that really treats her illness well and therefore she is pretty stable and enjoys her daily life, and that just gives me hope for my own future.

Anyway, I'll try to keep this blog updated more regularly, especially because I wanna keep track of how my mental state evolves, especially since I've had a hard time focusing and remembering anything lately, and also because whenever I feel bad I get sort of "black outs" and forget :')

See you soon hopefully

Update:

I posted the first part at around 3/4AM so in order to update I must do it on the same post.

Around 2AM I felt peaceful and like I was about to fall asleep but I made the very stupid decision to reply to my grandma's messages knowing it was going to take me 2 hours. So at around 4/5AM, when I finally could go to bed, I felt super anxious, I felt like someone was in the room watching like lowkey paranoid. I think I even woke up in the middle of the night hearing someone's breath but honestly it was probably just mine obviously. I think I fell back asleep and woke up again a little before 12PM.

Then I knew I really had to finish preparing my trip to England which is just under two weeks away from now but it made me so fucking anxious. I still managed and ended up taking a lot of pleasure in it! I was pretty much laughing hysterically at everything.

Then I got up to get prepared because I'm getting my 2nd booster against Covid, which I was totally chill about until I left the house and almost had a full blown crisis with tears and anxiety, which I've been trying to fight for the past hour. It's only 10 mins til my appointment. I'm not scared of the shot in itself, I'm just too unstable. I'm not even sure the vaccine in itself is the real cause of my mental anguish, I think it's mostly because I promised myself after this shot I would stop wearing my mask, which should be liberating but instead makes me feel miserable.

We're the 21st of April and it's day 3 (I think) with no medication at all. I refrain from taking anything, not even a bit of medication against anxiety.

At some point I tried to remember what I did yesterday and just couldn't for about a minute. I still feel dizzy when I walk most of the time. When I say or think about the words "death" I just wanna cry. I wish I could die to end the suffering right as I'm writing this but when I think of dying I just get traumatizing flashbacks from my dad's death.

I'm trying to sit down somewhere and collect myself because I really must not cry in front of some poor strangers working at the pharmacy. They haven't done anything to deserve to see me like this.

I am so in pain right now. I wish a doctor would listen and try to help.

0 notes

anarchistbitch · 2 years

Note

hiiiiiiiiii, god this is a over a month late and im SO FUCKING sorry, seriously im sorry, idk why this took me so long, i kept thinking about replying and then i just didnt, again, im really sorry :(

honestly last semester ended up being a disaster, but not a major one, this one is shaping up to be better tho today i had an exam and i feel like i answered some questions somewhat confidently but others were a guessing game 🤡🥴 and i really have no one to blame but myself for it (then again initially she told us they were going to be essay questions and i THRIVE in those, but then they were content specific questions which i was not prepared for) but oh well it cant be helped now and we're allowed to retake our lowest grade at the end of the semester, now im watching sailor moon and eating a strawberry cheesecake ice cream sandwich to get rid of the ambiguity of my feelings over it sigh sigh sigh

fdjhsdfh my hands are always cold too, so it's hard to tell how i'd feel yours but the warm hug is lovely, lovely

i have not started cutie pie but it's been in my to watch list since the first episode came out cause i kept seeing tiktoks about it and it seemed really fun but agh, i havent gotten around to it, i swear i need divine inspiration to do even the things i want to do

in a better timeline benedict did join them and they lived their happy gay lives watching everyone else's drama from the comfort of their stable relationship

lmao relatable, i also left a bunch of shows abandoned bc of the aforementioned need for divine inspiration, i tried watching some middle episodes for a couple shows to like get myself hyped up to understand what was going on and all that but eh, didnt really work, and there's been a danmei draught so im laying on the floor facedown emotionally

about fire island kdjhdfh i handt heard of the place up until the movie, cant be helped, we're not form the us - i have not watched the lizzie bennet series but im adding it to my to-watch, since it's on youtube i might get around to it soon but i wont make any promises just yet sdfjhdjhf and GOD yes, the layers on the movie, i adored it really, you can see that the writers really do care about queer people and that it was written with love - Noah is FANTASTIC he's so real lmao djfjsdhfjdsh and same, when he said that i went 'oh, i see 👀' - i hope both our futures are filled with a loving community of queer people

[completely random: im watching yu-gi-oh rn bc that's what came on after sailor moon and bruh, yugi is short as fuck and i didnt remember that at all, it's also hilarious how they refer to kaiba as rich kid kaiba, it's really fucking hilarious but when i was little it kinda scared me and i can see why too]

i've been ignoring goodreads lmao and im not about to stop cause i really doubt i'll finish a single book this year, im severely blocked, i havent been reading any of the ones i've started, all i did was partially reread the raven boys bc i finally bought the physical book

homegirl does need a break but the only break to be had is my break from reading it :/ and yeah, high literature is fake, joy is the only true and trusted measuring tool

me and my friends have not gotten all together as of yet, it's hard when they have trimesters and i have semesters, our coinciding free times are only for the holidays and i go home for those but we're planning a sleepover soon to celebrate the beginning of their vacations and to cheer myself up after exam week, and one of them is coming over tomorrow so that we can try soju 😌✨

jdfhdfjshfks i'm too picky to align my foods with my favorite characters' tbh

my favorite soup is red bean soup, i must confess that i dont like many soups but i could eat this one every single day, it's so fucking good, also ik you said you'd want to make me egg drop soup, i havent tried it but the texture might be a problem for me, sorry :( but spinach and scream sounds hella good

ok so rn i cant think of bts without thinking of the fact that on the day of the heavy flood in korea namjoon posted a story about a song and with a caption somewhere along the lines of "perfect for the weather" and it was quite literally a parasite moment 🤡 but anyways, bad desicions was so damn good, and yeah, they've worked so damn hard to get to where they are that it's nice to see them have time to enjoy it

i cant fucking believe jin decided to spend his time working tho, what's going on that man's head 😭😭

i also hope other versions of us are closer to each other, i hope this reality's version of me can become better at managing her time and so can talk to you more often 😫💖

matching tattoos huh 👀💖

JDHSHDKJHSK i understand, fever is a hella good song, that's the exact emotion it invokes

mate i had no idea about holland's song 😭 i SUCK at keeping up with things, for most things i have friends in the fandom that come screaminng about news or at the very least post about it

idk if you already started the god of highschool or not but all i can say is that tho i bawled, when i watched it with a friend she didnt shed even a single tear lmao, it really depends on you

JDSGDJSGFJ it cant be helped now, you'll just have to treat yourself whenever you listen to it

anya is so important 😭😭😭😭😭😭 she is so amazing and she deserves to live as normal a life as possible but mainly it has to be a happy one

hmmm i wouldnt say that it's major plot important tbh, but it does have certain relevance for that moment so you'll see skjdhjs

i am also a sucker for cool art, i've read so many things just bc i liked the art style, and if i dont like the art style i have a harder time reading the work, which makes me get annoyed at myself tbh, it feel idk judgy ??? idk, it feels weird

i heard the live at jet studio version of every pore and holy shit, it's so damn beautiful and it felt like his voice was going directly through my chest

i really get that part about being in a weird headspace, life is so complicated at individual scale and currently there's so much going on in the world, it's like that post about how dealing with anxiety rn is so damn weird bc yes, all those fears are entirely too plausible but somehow we have to continue to push through, and burnout sucks, pretty sure ive been burntout since like early 2021 and only just now getting better bc well, to summarize, my parents expect me to graduate soon, which is absolutely not happening, which idk how to tell them and agh it's a cycle really

this is all just to say that i get how you feel, i hope you're feeling better now and if you'd like i can def come off anon so that we can talk more often [tho im not sure you DONT know who i am sgkshadkjsdg i havent really been hiding it lmao, just not being upfront about it bc im socially awkward as fuck]

sending you tons and tons and tons and toooooooons of love, hope you've had good soups and lots of rest, i hope you're hydrating yourself and interacting with lots of cats, i love you

-M<3

between us both, im pretty sure i answer asks much later than u😔 but as u said no matter if its a week or 9 months later , i'll wait for ya<3

ohh yea semester one is just wrapping up for us too and so far it has been less of a disaster than expected, and hope the exam came better than it went in!!![said this to a classmate before going for our term 1's and she gave me the saddest face ever😭😭] essay questions which are content specific are the bane of my life cause lemme tell you my examiner wrote like 10 lines with the reddest pen ever telling me what i needed to improve on while i was still reeling that i passed on that exam phew cause that many lines really make u think twice if u passed(<- wishing this on my worst enemies only).

sailor moon and ice cream sound absolutely delightful and the perfect way to heal after taking an exam [our principal literally goes through the exam hall for some reason and its. have u ever had ur heart beat like a horse?yea.]

me @ u always

[btw the number of gifs of hugs that ive saved in case u send an ask,,.ginormous]

yeeeee i stopped watching cutie pie in the middle cause my school life is a dragon that will bite if u slack off<3 capitalist ass dragon. but fr tho cutie pie is great!! the soundtracks are great too!! and oooh yea i think every ep after ep 6 are heavy on the steamy side

in a better timeline bridgerton would have not have a queer side plot that got quickly swept up under the rug and instead couldve had a storyline about bisexual benedict {im assuming cause 1) hes gives me bi vibes 2)nothing much else than that i think it'd be real neat 3)b is for bisexual and also the start of his first name and surname [:}

divine inspiration is better to not fall on me cause imma use it for evil reallll quick. watching the middle episode is a much better strategy than what i do: watch the finale and become the incarnation of the surprised pikachu meme. also insta reels made me think that "romanticizing" watching stuff would help and it kinda did before i realized that i have adhd symptoms<3 make space for me on the floor cause im laying next to u too🤗

side note: idk if u've ever done this but during summer vacations when i was younger all the women in the house after finishing up lunch would take straw mats and pillows and go to the most airiest room in the house and sleep , and its the best sleep ever. sleeping on the bare ground during summer quickest way to a 😴😴

no cause i recently reread rwarb and suddenly im seeing fire island being mentioned everywhere?? im not gonna blame anyone not studying about america/'s history not knowing american references[god bless genius annotators souls for their little notes cause half my us culture knowledge comes from fob lyrics akfhkdhfsk ]

YEs fire island was really great about how they took care of their characters, the exact scene's dialouge is fuzzy to me but the scene where noah and howie talk before howie leaves, about how theyre similar but are different and that does affect how others see them was one of the best scenes cause the actors portray it in a such an intimate way.

I HOPE QUEER PEOPLE SURROUND US AND THEY ARE LOVING AND WE'LL NEVER HAVE TO THINK TWICE ABOUT OUR SAFETY IN THE FUTURE[all caps cause we deserve it!! and its needs to be shouted from the rooftops!!]

nauurr is kaiba the emo kid from the reverse card meme😭😭😭

ive been looking sideways at goodreads dhksfhk and ive just been saving tons of insta posts about upcoming books so i can read them after my school year is over✌🏾 ive heard quite a lot about the raven boys but apparently theyre not actual ravens? L for the corvid enthusiasts👎🏾👎🏾/lh

sleepovers are fun but unfortunately id be the first to fall asleep😴

im days late but drink tons of water afterwards!!! ive heard that soju is high on alcohol content , and so eat something absorbing for the hangover like rice[ALSO! you know how in kdramas the characters are always eating congee? well i googled it to see the ingredients and its. kanji. its what i eat every weekend bro😭😭 but i do eat it cold during summer with curd and its really good for digestion too]

when i hear red beans i always think of rajma [kidney bean curry and good with naan/rice/roti],[ and ig now im gonna think of u whenever i hear red beans💜💗]

its fine if u dont like egg drop soup!! altho when i was a kid it was the soup™ i used to eat whenever we went out cause i was a picky eater lmao, spinach and cream is a good soup but my personal fav is so basic😭 i fucking love sweet corn soup man

yea no cause i genuinely forget that bts is made up of very rich ppl like 🧍‍♂️ i liked bad decisions a lot too!!

looking back at the past few years of bts' career and seeing the growth and rise in popularity of the general population , and then learning they were doing all this while also in COLLEGE and graduating with honours is. how do u say. humbling to the highest degree.like i cant imagine going to grammys and having a set career and then like having to go back to school.

kim seokjin the man that u are,,

uuughhh thinking about going on walks in parks and just TALKING WITH U

dont worry about taking ur time!!! hell can freeze over but ill still be on this app<3

matching tattoos<3 [also fr i have been thinking👁👁 of getting a tattoo of intertwined tattoos on my sternum but am very unsure of getting tattoos at all😓]

speaking of fever,dont know if ur big on insta edits but i have a ton saved just to listen to the audios on repeat

i . also forgot about it[holland's song]. need that divine intervention to make me focused .

OKAY SO I STARTED THE GOD OF HIGHSCHOOL AND I LOVE IT didnt thing i'd be crying at all but i shed a tear[locals will allege it was full on sobbing but who can say] im only halfway through so i didnt expect to be crying lol😄 anyway the fight scenes were so cool and the main character are such a great trio [also i did search it up on tumblr and im heard about a kim ilpyo👀👀]

[re: getting hungry by listening to gooey]getting pavlov'ed by a song. i have reached new lows /j

random side note#2: i think there should be an emoji for a man on his knees, not the prayer one, just in dejection like this image

anya deserves a normal , happy life with her parents like imma cry if she gets even one scratch idk[but she does love adventure so im just hoping she takes up trekking as a hobby]

cant wait to see the plot relevance of sticking your fingers down a persons throat!![hope this doesnt come off as sarcastic cause i mean it genuinely, from the bottom of my heart]

if u like cool art you should see jibaku shounen hanako kun, a friend introduced me to it and ive been lowkey obsessed with it. it has a very distinct and beautiful art style that u might enjoy!!

cant describe the effect that is listening to tamino has had on me. truly invigorating.[also his eyelashes when he was singing. just .yea]

okay SO like. if i had to take a guess on who you were, i'd have one or two that id be entirely certain of. but i never took a guess cause i wanted to respect ur privacy . but like if ur entirely okay with it, i would not mind if you came off of anon[im putting it lightly Id LOVE if u came off anon so i can add u on discord and annoy u so much💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💗💗💗💗💗💗💗]

sending you truck loads of love and reminders to be safe!!! eat lots of delicious things and hope you get time to spend a lot of time with ur friends !!!

#m for mwah! and mwah! and mwah

0 notes

therabbitsmuse · 2 years

Text

I really need to buckle down and get a part-time contract role for next year. Summer's basically over and I got almost nowhere with my portfolio. This past week would've been the perfect opportunity to knock that shit out because everyone was on vacation but it was like I got hit with a dose of inattention and apathy. I need to stop dragging this shit out because it's only going to get worse the longer I put it off.

I finally started drawing in my sketchbook again! They're really just basic doodles with no meaning or rhyme to them but I loved it. There wasn't this usual pressure I put on myself to have to 'improve' or create something 'worthwhile'. I think maybe the next step is to make it a daily 15-20 minute doodling session every day and see what comes out of it. I've had this sketchbook for over two years and I really should finish it up this year!

I've been really inspired by VSCO lately! It's made me fall in love with everything around me -- seeking out those little moments during my walks to mundane tasks, like buying groceries or dropping off my mail. I never feel bad about myself, even if I scroll VSCO for a long time. Contrary to Instagram...

Instagram feels like the LinkedIn of social media to me lol. People add each other to up their follower count, even if they've never each other or only met once. Everyone strives for posting their best selves, the highlight reels. Even stories or anything that's behind the scenes is still curated to some extent. I see a sea of strangers online all the time but don't feel any closer to them, even if we've been following each other for years. But I've found that in larger cities, people really take your social worth into account, even if it's unspoken. It makes me wonder, maybe it wouldn't hurt if I did a bit of upkeep now and then. But even that feels performative because I wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't for moving.

Indie pop has been the shit, it's gotten me out of this music rut I've been in for so long. Weirdly enough, I'm going to a techno show tonight, haha. I'm not too excited about it but I had promised to go with a friend two months ago and now that the moment is here, I wish for nothing more than for it to get canceled LOL.

I want to start a blog. (Talk about the resurgence of the early 00's). But I have no idea what it'd be about, what I would write about. When it comes to pictures, I know what I want to post (just not on IG LOL). But I never what to write. Choosing a niche makes me feel a little cornered as well. I thought maybe doing short vlogs, like 'A day in the life of...' would give me more freedom. But I still find myself drawn to the good, ol' fashioned medium of words and photos. I guess this Tumblr is a bit like that for me but I want something I could actually put a link out in public. Nobody needs to connect these messy thoughts to me LOL

I never thought I'd get closure after almost 1.5 years but it looks like it's happening.

Sometimes I can't believe I'm this far away from my family. With friends, it doesn't feel THAT big of a deal since we'll text, call, and facetime. My family isn't big on those and honestly, they don't say much in person either. But being there in the same room, even if only two words are exchanged, are worth a lot more than our group chats.

I bought my second luxury perfume this summer. Instead of saving it for special occasions, I've been wearing it every day and it makes me so happy. One, I know personally I get tired of scents very easily so I should probably get as much out of it now as I can haha. Two, it's still gonna take me a long ass time to get through the bottle. I don't think I'll find another summery scent that I love as much as this one anytime soon (I hope! I def don't need to be buying another perfume anytime soon lmao)

I noticed I have more energy to do things when I feel like there's the presence of someone else in the room. Lmao that makes it sound like I'm talking about a ghost. But nah, I just meant cozy vlogs where someone is talking while I do the chores. Facetiming Jeff while he and I are doing our own separate chores and sometimes will converge to talk about something random before going off again. Doing work alone in a cafe. I need to incorporate more moments like that into my life. I love wfh, the freedom it's granted me, and not having to do the bullshit sitting in office even if I have nothing to do all day long. But when it's just me all day long, it gets a little too much. I love myself more than I have in prior years but still lol, being alone with just me all the time is tiring.

#10 thoughts #musings #thoughts #excerpt from a book i'll never write #journal #brain dump #happy weekend!#words

0 notes

scuttle-buttle · 3 years

Text

Chapter 11

WC: 2077

Rated: E

Chapter Tags: full on angst, discussions of emotional trauma, mild depictions of blood/gore, mentions of self h*rm & su*cide, mentions of child abuse, discussions of physical disabilities, institutionalization, some dialogue & plot canon to TV show, hurt/comfort

🧠

The rest of the conference went by much like the first day did. Both you and Laszlo bought a few books for your collections. An ease had settled over your conversations with the help of Sara and John's presence; you spoke more freely with each other. You tell yourself it is not because he's going soft on you or vice versa, but rather that you have found yourself in this imaginary bubble where you happen to get on well. It's inevitable that it will pop once you’re back at school and Laszlo will revert back to his usual callous state.

Laszlo. It still felt odd to think of him like that, rather than by his title. You couldn't lie, it gave you a sort of thrill. Even in your dreams you had only called him by his honorific. Thankfully you didn't have another dream after Friday. You couldn't escape the feeling that you'd said something incriminating in front of the man in question. So you chose to pretend it didn't happen.

Monday morning came and you headed to the train station. Once again he had secured a private cabin for the journey. This time you came prepared with a book since you had yet to replace your broken phone.

"Thank you again for inviting me to this, I really enjoyed myself. It was really nice of the department to foot my travel expenses, the hotel was really fancy. I may have helped myself to a mini-bottle or two," you joked.

"There is no need to worry about the department's finances; they were not involved."

You pause. He paid for you? Laszlo did say he would take care of the arrangements; but the four-star hotel, the private compartment train tickets, the admission to the conference, and every meal? Shit, that must have been a fortune, hundreds of dollars at least.

You don't know what to say, so you settle for an awkward "oh." A moment passes before you add "I appreciate that, um, I can pay you back. Might take some time but I can."

The professor is flippant in his reply. "There is no need, it was well spent for the research and knowledge acquired." He opens his book signaling the conversation is over.

You lick your lips. Fine then, I'll just consider it payment for emotional suffering and damages of the last eight weeks.

The first few hours of the journey were spent reading one of the new books you picked up at the convention. Occasionally you would peek over the pages at the professor. He was engrossed in his own selection; sometimes he would pause to write down a thought.

Around the seventh hour of your journey you had given up on reading anymore in favor of looking at the fields outside. The silence was comforting.

Laszlo had trouble concentrating on the book in his hand. He saw you as a conundrum. One minute you could be sociable and teasing with your comments, then next you were biting at his throat with your quick wit and fierce ideals. He decides that he wants to know what made you into who you are today. Now is as good a time as any.

His eyes on you cause a tingle up your spine but you ignore it. Laszlo breaks the silence; "may I ask a personal question?"

"You just did," you answer, still peering out of the large window. He huffed once, amused. At his following silence you face him. You raise your eyebrows to signal him to go on with his question. Curiosity grows at the thought of what he intends to ask.

"Twice now you have made implications of a traumatic past," he begins.

Bubble popped.

Interrupting, you snark "is this the part where you psychoanalyze me, doc? Because trust me, I've been through enough of that." You pick at the lint on your jeans.

Laszlo tries to choose his words more carefully the next time he speaks. "What I mean to say is, the first afternoon in the classroom where you defended that student you implied you had been witness to a trauma. You then displayed signs of anger and embarrassment before leaving prematurely. Yesterday you mentioned having entered a psychiatric facility. As an alienist I can't help but find myself curious about your experiences."

You slide your eyes to meet his from across the cabin. Your face is devoid of any emotion. "We all have our demons. Even you can't argue with that."

Your jaw clenches. Everyone had warned you. They all said he would try to worm his way into your head to figure you out. All the reviews, the gossip, everything. It was a big fat 'I told you so'. You give a pitiful laugh at the situation. "You know, everyone told me that you would pull this stunt."

He seems confused by your statement. "And what is that?"

"That you'd get inside my head and try to figure me all out or whatever. You already know I googled you beforehand, what everyone says about your methods. By now I assume you've done a little research yourself. I promise you there is nothing exciting here," you scoff and point to yourself.

"You would be correct in your assumption." You chew at your cheek as he starts. "I do know some of what happened in your past. Yet I also know that society likes to dilute the truth into something either more palatable, more entertaining, for people to consume greedily. What I want to know is what you have faced. How you have not allowed the experience to overcome you so much so that your humanity is erased like the characters I lecture on."

Eyes closing of their own volition you are thrown back in time to that night so many years ago. You didn't talk about it anymore. Bitsy knew of course, but that was the extent.

Laszlo waits. He knows this is likely to push you over the edge if your history with him means anything. Quite frankly, anyone would be tossed to their limit at his interrogation had they gone through what you had. John always told him that he needed to work on his bedside manner; that he had a habit of coming on too strong in his pursuit of learning the intricacies of the human mind. But your earlier comment about being sent to a so-called 'nuthouse' rubbed him the wrong way. It left a bad taste in his mouth. He needed to know. He needed to understand.

Laszlo can imagine the reprimand that he would receive from John and Sara for this. Just as he considers apologizing for his intrusion you open your eyes.

"She was fine. None of us suspected anything was wrong. I came home from having dinner with some… boy, and she had locked herself in the bathroom. She- she must have started over the sink and moved to sit on the side of the tub. She was hunched inside it when I got the door open. I pulled her out. Blood was… everywhere." Your voice is clinical as you explain.

"After, I shut down. So I checked myself into a psych ward a few days later when I couldn't get the feel of her blood off my hands. It's slippery, you know. And it smells. You wouldn't think so but it does." You clear your throat. "I did the therapy, took the meds they prescribed, all the standard treatments. Later I started watching true crime documentaries. I'd heard about exposure therapy so I figured the more I saw the gore, the less the image of my dead roommate would bother me. And it did help. The nightmares stopped after a while, I came back to school. I was better, just not the same.” You had watched the passing landscape as you explained. Turning to face him you speak again. “That's why those pictures didn't bother me. They weren't anything I hadn't seen before."

He contemplates you. The discovery and subsequent loss of your friend in this manner would no doubt cause lingering effects to your psyche. A stain that would forever remind you. "I offer my sincerest condolences. I do not presume to know what that would be like to experience, but I am glad you sought help afterwards. To make the choice to alleviate yourself of your own suffering where possible.”

As he says this he realizes that your anger towards the idea of being enslaved to unconscious impulse makes perfect sense. It explains why you focused so much energy on defending your belief in free will. That you have the power to choose how you carry your joy, your anger, your healing. It reminds him of how he held onto his own guilt and hurt, ignoring how it festered within him for so long. He feels as though he needs to share a piece of himself with you.

“I played piano as a child, quite well too. My mother hoped I would someday make a career of it. I vividly remember playing Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 20 in D Minor at a holiday party when I was seven years old. It was my favorite to play.... It requires two hands." You finally look at him. "My father...” He pauses to gather himself.

Now it is the doctor that cannot meet your eyes. As you listen you feel your confusion grow. How could he have been a talented pianist if he only had full use of his left hand? Unless..., the realization dawns on you just as he continues, his words slow.

“My father had two sides. One loving and the other brutal, the two often coexisting. It was something as trivial as putting me to bed, I recall... A game of tug of war. We were laughing…” He inhales a sharp breath. Already you can feel the tears begin to blur your vision. “I don't remember if he was drunk or if I said something that offended him. He must have pulled my arm behind my back.” Laszlo exhales shakily. “In small children, fractures can often affect…” he trails off, unable to finish. You can hear how he barely holds himself together.

Your heart aches for the broken man that sits in front of you. He never let on how much his arm bothered him, at least not within your presence. Suddenly you don’t see him as this rude, insufferable, obsessive man, but instead as someone that spends his life trying to protect himself. He projects his own anger and hurt so that he may, just for a minute, forget about his own demons. He wants to help others even when he feels he cannot bear to help himself.

But unlike you, he has to live with the physical reminder of his past every day of his life.

You stand and move to sit on his right side. Before allowing yourself to think too much of your actions, you place your hand atop his own, curling your fingers around his palm and squeezing delicately. You don’t bother wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Laszlo;” the whisper is barely heard above the sound of the train. A second passes where you fear you have overstepped and offended him by touching the affected limb. When his thumb tightens against the backs of your fingers you know he is not. He holds you in place.

“You asked me how I kept my humanity. How does anyone really? We learn to take what we get and we carry it in a bag. Sometimes you have to drag the damn thing behind you. But eventually the weight gets less and less if you allow yourself to move forward, even if it’s still there with you all the time. I dealt with what happened years ago and it does still haunt me. It’s easier now than it was, but… I- I suppose I’ve learned from you too. Sitting in those lectures and hearing you talk. We can either let it haunt us for the rest of our lives… or we can accept it… and use the memory of our pain to help ourselves and others.”

“I’m not sure the choice is entirely in our hands.” His tone is mournful.

You turn to smile at him through your tears. His own eyes are bloodshot. “I disagree. If it weren’t, if we didn’t have the freedom to choose that, we’d all be murderers.”

Tag list

@hardlyinteresting @lorna-d-m @livvyshmiv @somethingthatsaysbubbles @greeneyedblondie44 @unbeatablecurlgirl @apparrio @marchingicenotes7 @anteroom-of-death @bruhidaniel @lemairepstuff @thehuiabird @zemosimp05 @alindeluce @iamnotthecatladynextdoor @laura-naruto-fan1998 @trelaney @boneheadduluc @i-am-dead-inside-666 @fictionlandslanddreams

#the interpretation of dreams #laszlo kreizler x reader #laszlo x reader #laszlo kreizler #the alienist #the alienist angel of darkness #daniel brühl #daniel bruhl #laszlo kreizler fanfic #laszlo kreizler daniel bruhl #scuttle-buttle #tw self harm #tw suicude #tw child abuse

135 notes · View notes

viking-raider · 3 years

Text

Southern Generation - Part VI

Summary: Sy officially moves in with Lily and they go on a road trip to make amends.

Pairing: Austin Syverson/OFC (Lily)

Word Count: 11,965

Warning: PG-13 - Language, Fluff, Angst, Smut, Oral - F Receiving, Drama, Pregnancy Cravings

Inspiration: Syverson is OP

Author's Note: Thanks to the wonderful @wondersofdreaming

Author's Note 2: Make sure to follow and turn on the notifications for my Tag List blog @viking-raider-taglist to stay up to date on this and all my other stories!

“That's the last of them.” Sy smiled, setting the last box of his stuff down.

With Lily pregnant and them making their relationship official, Sy moved all of his stuff from his Austin apartment into the farmhouse with Lily.

“Well, officially.” Lily replied, resting her hands on her hips and looking up at him. “Welcome home.” She smiled, giddy and proud.

“Thanks, Darling.” He grinned back, cupping her face and kissed her.

Lily smiled, as she woke up from her nap, feeling the warm and heavy weight of Sy's body in bed with her, his head in its customary place, on her chest. She usually woke up from her naps with Sy, whether or not he was with her, when she fell asleep or not. Sighing and moaning softly, she lifted her hand to twist the short, curling ends of his hair between her fingertips.

“Hm.” Sy hummed softly, rubbing his scruffy face against her chest and hugging his arms tighter around her middle, thumb stroking her tummy.

“I'm surprised at you.” Lily whispered, still playing with his hair.

“Why?” Sy moaned back, turning his head to look up at her.

“When I first met you, I half wondered what your hair would look like if you let it grow out.” She explained, running her fingers through it.

“Oh?” He chuckled, smirking at her.

“Yeah.” She blushed at him. “But, I just didn't expect the Bear, Austin Syverson, would have curls.” She grinned at him, twisting the ends of his hair between her fingers, she loved his developing curls.

“My hair hasn't been this long in ten years.” Sy laughed, blushing and biting his lip. “I've been thinking about cutting it again.”

“I will end you, Wyatt.” Lily threatened, touching the tip of her finger to his nose.

“Oh, busting out the middle name and everything.” He smirked, taking a playful snap at the tip of her finger. “Lily?” He whispered, biting the inside of his lip as he stared into her eyes.

“What?” She replied, tilting her head at him.

“Have you thought about going back?” Sy murmured, brow creasing. “Back to Middleburg, to see your grandparents. Jak isn't a threat anymore. I'm sure they would love to see you and I'd bet my life, you want to see them again. Especially now, with the baby on the way.”

Lily pressed her lips together, resting her hands on Sy's shoulders. “It would be nice to see them again.” She answered, after a long pause.

“But?” He pressed, sensing it coming next.

“What if they don't want to see me?” She asked, searching his eyes for comfort, and found it. “What if they don't want me in their life anymore?”

Sy took a deep breath, sitting up as he did, and brought Lily up with him. “Then, that's their loss.” He told her, folding her up in his arms and pressing his lips to her forehead. “If they don't want you in their life, then they are missing out on knowing one of the most amazing gals, who can light up a room, simply by walking into it.”

“You're just buttering me up, Austin.” Lily mumbled into his neck.

“Woman, have I ever lied to you?” Sy grinned into her hair.

“No.” She chuckled, blushing shyly.

“I don't intend to now, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her temple. “But, you won't know their reaction, unless you go and see them.” He added, softer.

“I know.” She whispered back, leaning against his chest. “You're right. I owe it to them and myself.”

“Whatever choice you make, I'll support you, every step of the way.” Sy told her, gently tipping her head back and tenderly kissed her.

“I think I want to go see them.” Lily said, later that night, while she and Sy sat at the dinner table.

Sy looked up from his plate of spaghetti and garlic bread, slowly lowering his fork. “All right.” He nodded, straightening his back and giving her his full attention. “When do you wanna go?”

“The sooner, the better, I think.” She mumbled, shifting in her seat, her own dinner mostly untouched.

Sy nodded his head again, quietly regarding Lily from across the table. He could see the worried and fearful anxiety on her face, still mulling over every worst case scenario about seeing her grandparents again, he could almost see every one of them tick by her eyes. Afraid that her grandparents would disown her, the moment they laid eyes on her. Blaming her for what transpired with Jak. Afraid of what their reaction would be, when she showed up at their door, after five years of silence, pregnant with the baby of man they had never heard of or met before, especially since they were incredibly religious.

He reached across the table, just in time to catch the tear that escaped and started to slip down her cheek, then rested his hand over hers. “No matter what happens, Lily. You still have me.” He told her, lovingly.

“You still have us.”

Lily grasped Sy's hand and tried to smile at him and not cry at the same time, which was hard with the way her hormones were starting to really get out of control. “I know.” She choked back.

“Let me finish painting the rest of the house and go to your twelve week baby appointment on Friday, then we'll pack a bag and ourselves into the car and drive out there.” He told her, making a game plan, so her frazzled and tired mind could relax.

“It's only a twenty-ish hour drive.”

“I think, that's a good idea.” Lily nodded, chewing on her lip, taking deep breaths.

Sy smiled and squeezed her hand. “Good.” He chuckled and let her hand go, before picking his fork back up and dug into his spaghetti.

Sy double checked his large, Army issued duffel bag, making sure he and Lily had enough clothing, he had her zofran, nausea medicine, and prenatal vitamin, along with everything else he, Lily and Aika would need for the almost nineteen hour drive from Celina to Middleburg, Virginia, having already put her pregnancy pillow in the car, before tugging the bag closed, slung it over his shoulder and went downstairs.

“Billie promised to keep an eye on the place and pick up the mail for us.” Lily said, meeting him in the entryway hall.

“Great.” He smiled. “Well, I got all our stuff packed.” He said, jostling the duffel bag.

“I already packed some snacks in the truck too.”

“Then, we're all set!”

“No, I have to pee, one more time.” Lily giggled, and rushed into the half bath.

Sy laughed, shaking his head and took the duffel bag out to the truck, dropping it in the back seat with Aika. “All set?” He asked as Lily came out of the house.

“I am now!” She nodded, crossing the yard to the truck and got into the passenger seat.

“Did you lock up?” He asked, getting in with her.

“Yep.”

“You good, Aika?” Sy asked, looking to the German Shepherd, who let out a loud bark. “All right, let's get this road trip underway!” He pulled up Google Maps on his phone and entered the address to Lily's grandparents' place, then set the device on its dock and started the truck.

Sy and Lily laughed, as they sang along to a song that came on Sy's playlist that they both liked, Enemies by Shinedown. But, Sy turned the song down, when Lily suddenly stopped singing and quickly identified the look she got just before she threw up. Quickly popping open the center console, Sy reached inside of it and pulled out a circular, blue and white object and opened it, holding it out to her. Lily took it from him, without question and threw up in it, once or twice.

“Where did you get this?” She asked, looking at it, realizing it was a hospital-grade nausea bag. “Did you rob a hospital?” She chuckled, looking over at him.

“No.” He laughed back at her. “I bought them off Amazon. I wasn't sure if you got car sick on long rides or not. But, I was sure the baby would make you nauseous, at least, once on the drive. So, I wanted to be prepared and make you as comfortable as possible in the process.”

Lily tied the used bag closed, then opened the center console and found another twenty-plus of the blue emesis bags inside. She smiled up at him, shaking her head in disbelief of his utter and complete thoughtful and preparedness.

“You never cease to amaze me, Austin.” She said, sitting back up. “You see how amazing your Daddy is.” Lily grinned, looking at her belly, and making Sy blush.

“Well, I gotta take care of ya, don't I?” He smirked, resting his hand on her thigh.

“Yeah, I suppose.” She sighed, smirking back at him.

“There's some Listerine strips in the center console, by the way.” Sy added, after a few quiet moments.

“I'm sorry, am I offending you?” Lily giggled, opening the console again and fished around for them, before finding the small blue case.

“No, no.” He grinned, chuckling. “Just figured you'd want to get the taste out of your mouth.” He explained, finally getting them on the interstate highway.

“Did you pack my nausea meds?” Lily asked, feeling another wave wash over her.

“Yeah. It's in our bag.” Sy nodded, brow creasing, as he tried to figure out what stupid shenanigans the car in front of them was up too.

Lily twisted in her seat and pulled the worn green bag between the front seats, tugging it open and riffled through it, until she found the little prescription bottle of tiny, white oval tablets, then turned back around. She removed one of the pills and cracked open one of the two bottles of Voss water in the cup holders and downed the pill.

“Why don't you rest?” Sy suggested, reaching behind her seat for her pregnancy pillow. “It's just going to be annoying highway stuff for a while.” He said, giving her the pillow.

“I don't want you to get lonely.” Lily protested, maneuvering and situating the U-shaped pillow into a comfortable position.

Sy smiled over at her. “I'll be fine, Angel.” He assured her. “If I get lonely, I'll talk to Aika and we'll play the quiet game.” He chuckled, looking at the dog from the rear view mirror. “I'll wake you up around one, and we'll find some little place to have lunch.”

“If you're sure.” Lily yawned, she was usually already in the middle of a nap by now.

“Positive, Sweetness.” He nodded, turning the heat on a bit to make sure she was kept warm.

Lily contorted her body in her seat, drawing up her legs and propping her head and the curve of her pillow against the window, wrapping her arms around it and hugging it against her body, before dozing off to sleep. Sy reached out and rested his hand on her leg, gently massaging it as he kept his eyes on the road, just listening to the hum of the tires on the worn asphalt of Interstate Forty fill the silent cabin of the truck; Aika curled up on the backseat. The quiet boredom of the road allowed the devil to whisper into Sy's ear.

He wasn't sure what to do, if Lily's grandparents, the people that raised her, rejected her, and not only her, but their great grand-baby, his child. He knew he had to be strong for Lily, it would crush her, if they wanted nothing to do with her and the baby, but Sy wasn't so sure he would be able to keep himself under control. He had a feeling he would end up giving the couple a very big piece of his mind, before bringing Lily back home to Celina.

“It'll be fine.” He said aloud, glancing over at Lily. “It'll be all right.” He assured her sleeping form, leaning over just enough to lay his hand on her belly.

Sy found a turn off into Memphis just before one in the afternoon, parking at a small riverfront park in downtown Memphis, giving Lily a quiet place to wake up and all three of them a place to stretch their legs, and Aika a place to pee.

“Hey.” Sy called, softly, shutting off the car and leaning across the console. “Lily. Wake up, baby.” He cooed at her, brushing his knuckles against her cheek and tucking her hair behind her ear, kissing the corner of her mouth. “Hey, sweet pea.” He grinned, watching her eyes slowly flutter open, blinking at the bright sunlight glittering off the murky river water.

“Where are we?” She asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing her cheek against the microfiber cover of her pillow.

“The home of the King, Memphis Tennessee.” Sy chuckled, teasingly, and kissed her again. “So, love me tender.”

“I'm all shook up.” Lily chuckled, unfolding herself and sitting up in her seat.

“Well, it's now or never, baby doll.” Sy roared, his head going back.

“Oh, don't be cruel.”

“But, I can't help fallin' in love.” He chimed back.

“What now, my love?” Lily asked, smirking at him.

“I knew there was a reason I loved you.” Sy commented, finding more and more of them every day. “But, I thought we'd get some fresh air and stretch our legs, I'm sure Aika has to pee. Then, we'll find some lunch.”

“I like that idea.” Lily nodded, pushing her pillow into the back seat, then climbed out of the truck, taking the used nausea bag with her to throw away, while Sy put Aika on her leash.

Sy took Lily by the hand and strolled down the little sidewalk along the riverside, watching the various types of boats go by them on the water. The weather was nice and warm with pleasant enough humidity, a few clouds floating in the baby blue sky.

“Are you craving anything specific?” Sy asked as they patiently waited for Aika to do her business in the grass beside them.

“Hmm.” Lily hummed, pressing her lips together and considering if there was something specific she wanted for lunch; she hadn't had any definitive cravings yet, other than the three days she really needed to eat Mac and Cheese.

But, something specific did strike Lily.

“A pretzel.” She purred, already licking her lips at the thought of the salty baked good.

Sy chuckled at her, amused at the expression on her face, eyes closed and dreamy. “All right. I'll get you a pretzel then.”

It was like a ding went off in Lily's soul. “I want a lot of Pretzels.” She said, eyes popping open and looked up Sy, almost manic and desperate.

“Okay.” He replied, brows raised and blinking at her. “I'll get you a pretzel for lunch, then some to munch on.”

“Yeah.” Lily nodded, staring down at their feet, eyes wide. “Pretzels are good.”

“That they are.” Sy agreed, snickering, unable to keep back his amusement.

Lily's eyes snapped up at him, watching him laugh at her, his eyes practically teasing and making fun of her. “Shut up.” She snapped, but started to laugh back at him. “I can't help it.”

“I know you can't.” He nodded, trying to stop, but it only made him laugh harder. “That's what makes it even better.”

“I hate you.” Lily giggled, playful punching him in the arm. “Now, I want my pretzel, Captain.”

“Yes, Major!” Sy replied, saluting her, then quickly cleaned up after Aika and took them back to the truck. “I just need to find a place to get you one.” He sighed, taking his phone off its dock and googled where to get a pretzel in Memphis, Tennessee.

“Okay, there's an Auntie Anne's not that far from us that does pretzels.” He said, saving the directions and setting them in that direction.

Leaving Aika in the car, Lily and Sy went into the shopping center the Auntie Anne's was in, navigating the crowd and line to the counter. Lily chewed on her lip for a moment, torn between getting a regular pretzel or the pretzel bites, before finally deciding on the bites with the nacho cheese dip. With her food, they navigated their way around again and Sy got himself something from the Wendy's the center had as well, before going back out to the truck to eat there; Lily stealing a couple of Sy's french fries and sharing a couple of her pretzel bites.

Once their lunch was finished and they tossed their empty containers away, Sy made a quick run into the Mega Wal-Mart across the street from the shopping center to buy a big bag of mini pretzels and a case of Voss water for Lily, knowing she was going to get very thirsting from devouring them.

“Thank you.” Lily said, when Sy gave her the bag as he got in the car, her eyes glued on the bag.

“Just don't turn into one.” He teased her, chuckling. “All right, let's get back on the road.”

“I don't want you driving all night, Austin.” Lily mumbled around a mouthful of pretzel.

“I know and I won't.” He replied, reaching a hand into the bag. “I'll go until sun down, then we'll find a place to sleep for the night.” He said, then crammed the four or five pretzels into his mouth.

“Good.” Lily smiled, passing back a pretzel to Aika, who quickly devoured it and came back for more.

Reaching Blacksburg, Virginia just after dark, Sy found a drive-thru to order them dinner and a motel for the night, parking out front of the motel's office. Sighing, he rested back in the driver's seat, scrubbing his palms over his tired face and lulled his head to the side to look over at Lily, who had fallen asleep again, twisted around her pillow and her half eaten bag of pretzels clutched to her chest. They were three hours away from her grandparents' orchard, three hours from finding out whether or not they would be in Lily and the baby's life.

“Watch her, girl.” Sy said to Aika, before slipping out of the truck, locking the doors for extra measure, and going inside the office to get a room.

Once he had the room, Sy got back into the truck and parked as close to the room as he could, before going around and opening Lily's door, careful not to let her slip out. Then, gently took the pretzel bag from her and set it aside, unbuckled her seat belt and tried to figure out for a moment how to untangle the mess of limbs and pregnancy pillow, but quickly gave up with an amused chuckle. He just picked up both her and the pillow to carry her into their room and laid her down on the bed, tugging the turned down blankets over her, then went out to get their bag, dinner and Aika.

“Hey, Angel.” Sy smiled, closing the room door with his foot as Lily sat up, rubbing at her face and pushing her hair out of her face. “I got us some food.” He said, holding up the bag.

“You hungry?”

Lily nodded, still sleepy. “Where are we now?” She asked, sitting cross legged on the bed, beside Sy as they ate their food.

“Blacksburg.” He replied, shoving fries in his mouth. “About three hours away from your grandparents' place.”

Lily bit her lip and nodded her head, staring at the half eaten, plain chicken sandwich in her hand, suddenly losing her appetite and set it down. “I'm gonna take a shower, I'm sore.” She mumbled, getting off the bed and headed into the tiny bathroom.

Turning on the light and closing the door, Lily let out a heavy breath and tugged her tank top off over her head, followed by her elephant patterned leggings and underwear, before turning towards the shower, the walls were dingy and discolored, but clean. Spinning the hot and cold taps, then stepping under the shoddy shower-head, she leaned her forehead against the cracked acrylic wall, letting the pleasantly warm water cascade down her back, like a waterfall, with a soft moan. She was starting to have second thoughts about going to see her grandparents. She wondered how upset or disappointed Sy would be, if she told him she wanted to go back home to Celina in the morning, instead of going the three hours to Middleburg to see them.

She wondered how disappointed in herself she would be later on, if she chickened out this close to their destination.

The bathroom door opened and closed, followed by the rustle of clothing, before Sy stepped into the shower behind Lily, resting one hand on her hip and brought the other one around to cup the gentle slope of Lily's belly, pressing his lips to the base of her neck. Gulping down a thicket of emotions in her throat, Lily turned in Sy's arms and pressed herself against his chest, nuzzling her face into his neck. He smiled against her wet hair, gently kneading her hips and lower back, knowing after so many hours in the car and the way she contorted her body to sleep, she must have been in pain.

“Let me take care of you.” He whispered, kissing her forehead.

Sy picked up the little bottle of travel sized, hotel shampoo, broke the seal on it and poured it into his broad palm, then gently massaged it into her hair, stealthily wiping away a line of soap that dripped down her forehead and almost in her eye. Lily closed her eyes, softly moaning at the gentle and pleasurable pressure of Sy's strong and blunt fingers working the scentless shampoo into her scalp, his thumbs moving out to methodically rub her temples, easing the edge off of the tension migraine she had all day. Sy tipped her head back into the spray of the shower, combing his fingers through her wet and soapy strands to rinse out the shampoo. With her hair washed, he found a small wash cloth and bar of soap, and started to wash her body, beginning with her shoulders and applying a little bit of pressure as he did to massage the cramped muscles there.

“God, that feels so good.” Lily sighed, melting under his tender affection, a smile twitching on her face as he rubbed the cloth over the ticklish spots of her sides.

Sy smiled, kissing the bridge of her nose. “Anything for you, Angel.” He cooed back, paying special attention to the beautifully growing bulge of her belly.

“Thank you.” She whispered, relaxed and sleepy, after they got out of the shower, letting Sy dry her off and secure the towel around her body.

“You're welcome, Sweetheart.” He replied, kissing her cheek.

Lily went back into the room and opened their duffel bag, just pulling out the first article of clothing that her hand came in contact with, which was Sy's worn, Jack Daniels, Tennessee Whiskey t-shirt and let the towel slip off her and pulled on his shirt. Sy stood in the bathroom doorway, still naked and dripping from the shower and smiled at her, loving how the black garment hung on her like a dress, her shoulder length hair dripping and making it wet as she brushed it.

He had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life.

Moving over to the full sized bed, Sy situated her pregnancy pillow, then turned towards Lily. “Lay down, Angel.” He cooed at her.

Frowning at him for a moment, but seeing the look in his blue eyes, Lily chuckled and laid down, situating herself with her head and neck propped up on the belly of the pillow and her body comfortably cradled in the middle of it. Sy picked up her discarded towel and used it to dry off some, before turning off the room lights, then crawled into bed with her. Moving between Lily's legs and gently bending up her knees and pushing them apart, Lily's startled gasp filled the dark room as Sy's warm breath wafted over her exposed folds, just before his wide tongue took one long and leisurely lick.

“Jesus H. Christ!” She cried out, gripping the arms of her pillow.

“Just me, Angel.” Sy chuckled, hooking his arms around her legs, so they rested on his shoulders, and pressed his palms down on top of her thighs, to keep her still, before dipping his head back down and pressing an open kiss to her clit, flicking the tip of his tongue against it, melting Lily into a sweet and needy whimper.

Sy licked and suckled at her delicate pussy, slipping his tongue between her folds to tease her entrance and get a deeper taste of her, lewd noises filled the room as neither of them hid the pleasure they were in and having. Lily rocked against his mouth, her hands pressed to the back of Sy's head to hold him in place, eyes rolled and fluttered, her anxiety of not wanting to go to her grandparents' in the morning completely forgotten in the heady peak of her orgasm.

“I love your mouth.” Lily sighed, out of breath, exhausted and pleasantly numb.

Sy roared with laughter, laying down beside her. “Good to know.” He grinned, pulling the blankets over them and draping his arm over her. “Good night, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek.

“Night, Bear.” She mumbled back, starting to drift off.

Sy stayed awake for a little while, his hand slipping up inside the shirt she was wearing to gently caress her belly and stared at the back of her head. “God,” He whispered, careful not to wake or disturb her. “I don't ask much of you. But, for whatever my word is worth, please don't let these people hurt my girl. She needs and wants them in her life, so does our little one.” He said, lifting his hand to gently stroke her damp hair.

“Let this meeting tomorrow go well, for all of us.” He sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and hugging Lily back against him.

Lily took a deep breath and held it, as Sy turned the truck off the main road and onto the dirt road leading onto the Warren Orchard farm, seeing the tall apple tree shaped sign with Warren Apples carved elegantly in its trunk. It wasn't long before they came to the closed security gate, shutting them off from the rest of the farm. Sy rolled the truck to a stop and looked over to Lily, lifting a brow at her, waiting for her to tell him what they should do next, when a voice came to life next to him.

“Welcome to Warren Apple Orchards, what can I do for you?” A deep Southern drawl asked from a mounted intercom box outside the driver's side window.

Sy rolled down his window and leaned closer to the box, spotting the security camera mounted above the one side of the gate. “Yeah, we're here looking for the owners of the place.” He replied, glancing over at Lily again.

“Mr. and Mrs. Warren aren't taking visitors just now.”

Lily huffed through her nose and leaned over the center console and Sy. “Tell them, Liliana wants to see them, Judd.” She called out, biting and pressing her lips together.

There was a long pause with a bubble of tension, before an electric buzz filled the humid air around them and the metal gate rolled out of their way. Lily sat back in her seat and Sy gave her a concerned look, before driving though.

“You know him?”

“He's worked here as long as I can remember.” Lily replied, staring out her window to the immaculate lawn and row of trees beyond that. “Just keep following the road, you'll find the house at the end of it.” She added, picking at the hem of the shorts she was wearing.

True enough, a few minutes later, a massive colonial, plantation house appeared behind ancient weeping willows. Made mostly of white stone with two stories of wrap around porches and ornate black railings, tall marble columns, from the foundation to the roof; what looked like five chimneys, three turrets and an apple tree weathervane. The driveway looped around the front of the house, leading up the stairs onto the porch was double french, front doors.

Sy was in complete awe of it as he pulled around to the front of the driveway. “This place is amazing.”

“Yeah.” Lily gulped, biting her lip and stared up at the house. “Oh dear god.” She whimpered, shrinking her seat, trying to hide.

“What?” Sy frowned, then noticed a whited haired man step out of the house, wearing a pair of light brown khaki pants and a black pull over sweater with the Warren Orchard's logo on it, an apple with an arrow threw it, the front of the arrow's shaft bent in the shape of a W.

“I'm guess, that's--”

“My grandfather.” Lily nodded, peeking over the edge of the door to look up at him. “Yep.” She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut and pressed her forehead to the window.

“Well, you can't hide forever, Angel.” Sy told her, tilting his head at her. “He knows we're here and this is more than likely us, sitting here.”

“I know.” Lily huffed, chewing her lip. “I know.”

“You can do this, babe.” He encouraged her. “I'm right here, Angel.”

Lily looked over at him, looking at him like a lost puppy, before taking a deep breath and fortifying herself. “You're right.” She nodded, leaning over and kissed him.

Taking another deep breath, Lily opened her door and stepped out of the truck, gulping as she looked up the steps to her grandfather. Her heart felt like a war drum in her chest, she was excited to see him again, he didn't seem any different from the last time he had seen him, at least, not from the distance they were at.

But, she was also afraid of what was about to happen next.

“Paw-Paw.” She called out to him, softly, her voice shaky.

“Liliana.” He replied, lifting a snowy brow at her, his honey-brown eyes scrutinizing her.

“I've missed you.” Lily blurted out, sniffling, tears burning her eyes. “I'm sorry I disappeared. I'm sorry I just ran away and I didn't tell either of you where I was going or why. That I stayed away for so long without a word.”

“But, I thought about you all the time.”

He stared hard at her, crossing his arms over his chest. “You scared the daylights out of your grandmother and I, Liliana. We tried looking for you everywhere, but you just vanished into thin air, like you never existed.” He told her, his anger slowly showing on his face.

“We thought you were dead.”

Lily bowed her head, ashamed for what she had put her grandparents through. “I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention, Paw-Paw.” She choked, looking back up at him, breathing hard.

“Then, what was your intention, Liliana?” He barked at her, his eyes glowing with rage. “Who are you?” He hissed, as Sy came around the front of the truck to wrap an arm around Lily's waist, to comfort her.

Sy looked up at him for a moment, his eyes hard at the man. “Austin Syverson.” He replied, hugging Lily against his side and rubbing her back.

“Your relation to my granddaughter is what?”

“I'm her boyfriend.” He replied, narrowing his eyes at the other man. “Look, she's come here, because she misses you both, very much, and has regretted the way she left. But, she had to leave, she had a very valid reason in doing so. In reality, she's an adult, more than capable of making her own choices and doesn't have to answer to anyone as to why she's made them.” He told Lily's grandfather.

“That includes you.”

“But, she's gained the strength to come here to try and make amends with you both, for more than one reason. You can either accept that or you can not. What happens now, is up to you.”

“Davy, who is it?”

A voice called from the double doors behind Lily's grandfather, before it opened to a thin, elderly woman with a short, curly pixie cut, who struggled to wheel herself out of the house and onto the porch. Her dim and pale blue eyes almost instantly found Lily at the bottom of the porch stairs, her hands flew to the front of her flower pattern dress, mouth dropping open.

“Liliana!” She exclaimed, reaching out a hand to her husband.

“Mee-maw.” Lily sniffled back, smiling at her grandmother through her tears.

“Thank the Lord, you're all right, my sweet child.” She cried, pressing a hand to her mouth.

“I am.” Lily nodded, wiping at her eyes. “And, I wanna be part of your lives again. I want to make amends for what I did by running away and disappearing. I'm sorry, I hurt you and Paw-Paw.”

Lily's grandmother looked up at her husband, who was still glaring at Lily and Sy, pressed her lips together, then looked back at them. “Come inside.” She said, letting his hand go and turned her wheelchair around and headed back towards the door.

“Davy.” She called over her shoulder.

Sighing, he turned and pulled the door open for her, eyeing Lily and Sy as they mounted the porch stairs, then followed his wife inside the house, before doing the same. She rolled down the hallway and turned into the private study, motioning to the long leather couch and parked herself in front of it.

“Hello.” She said, looking at Sy as he sat down beside Lily on the couch.

“Ma'am.” He replied, politely nodding his head to her.

“Who might you be?”

“Austin Syverson, Ma'am.” Sy answered with a sweet smile. “I'm your granddaughter's boyfriend.”

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Syverson.” She replied, regarding him. “I'm Violet Warren, and this is my husband, Davis.” She said, motioning to him as he took a seat in a chair to Lily and Sy's left.

“Sir.” Sy said, nodding his head stiffly to him.

“You're looking well, Liliana.” Violet commented, turning her attention to her granddaughter.

“Thank you.” Lily whispered, licking her lips. “I just go by Lily now.”

Violet nodded her head. “Very well.” She acknowledged. “Where've you been, Lily?”

Lily drew a deep breath through her nose and slowly let it back out. “It's a long story.” She whimpered, gripping Sy's hand for support, chewing the inside of her cheek to bits.

Davis and Violet glanced at each other, before she leaned forward and took a small hand bell off the coffee table between them and rang it. A moment later, a young lady appeared in the doorway of the room and Violet asked her to serve them some tea. The tension was tight and thick in the room while the tea was being made for them, no one saying a word to each other. The servant returned, carrying in a highly polished tea tray and set it down on the coffee table, setting out teacups for the four of them and filled the cups, before leaving the room again.

“What is your story, Lily?”

Carefully drizzling a bit of honey into her tea with a honey dipper and taking a fortifying sip of it, Lily started her story. “You know that I had been seeing Jak.” She said, looking between her grandparents.

“We did.” Violet nodded, taking a sip of her own tea.

“Well, what you didn't know was Jak had been abusive to me.” She continued, staring into the rich and steamy liquid in the expensive china teacup. “He had been the entire time we were together. But, I was too naive and silly to break it off with him for the longest time. But, after a particularly bad incident, I decided I couldn't take it any longer. So, I packed a bag and went to live with Maggie. I didn't tell you-” She paused, brow creased, she had often thought about why she hadn't told them, but had never really pinned down a specific reason to why she hadn't.

But, she shook that thought off.

“I honestly don't know why I hadn't. All I knew was I was terrified of Jak finding me again and dragging me back into the life and situation I had been living in for so long with him. While I was with Maggie, I changed my name from Liliana Jade Warren to Lily Ana Moore, to make it harder for him to find me, which made it hard for the both of you to find me, and finished university.” She continued on. “After I did that, I moved to a very small town in Texas and started my own company for my Graphic Design and Photography.”

“It's how I've been supporting myself.”

“I was so consumed by my paranoia and fear of Jak finding me, that I never left the house I bought in Texas, five years ago, this is the farthest I've been from it, since I've moved there.” She confessed, looking to Sy, who smiled at her, supportive and proud.

“What's changed?” Her grandfather asked, his own teacup still where the servant set it, ignored and cold. “Why are you here now?”

Lily cleared her throat and set her tea aside. “I left and became reclusive, agoraphobic, because I felt unsafe and afraid. That Jak would end up finding me and hurting me. He did end up finding me, but Austin...” She looked to Sy, her eyes filled with appreciative love and pride. “Austin makes me feel safe again. He's protected me, in more than one way, and he's shown me what real love is. I owe him so much.”

Sy grinned brightly at her, gripping her hand, a bit choked up at her words.

“He's helped me get back to this place, a place I've held onto, wanting to be a productive member of society, to be back in your life and be your granddaughter again. I miss you and I love you both. That never changed and it will never change.”

“That never changed for us either, Lily.” Violet replied, resting her teacup back on its saucer. “You will always be our precious granddaughter and we have always loved you; from the moment you were born to this moment right now.”

“I hope you could find it in your heart, to have a little more love.” Lily whispered, biting the inside of her lip, gulping.

“For what?” Violet frowned, brows drawing together and head tilting at her.

Lily looked to Sy, who nodded his head at her. “Sy and I are expecting.” She mumbled, not meeting either of her grandparents' eyes.

“You're with child?” Violet asked, shocked disbelief in her voice.

“I am.” Lily nodded, whimpering.

“I hope you're not here, thinking this little reunion will get you money.” Her grandfather snapped, coldly.

Lily's eyes snapped over to him, a cold knot of shock, hurt and anger in her stomach, she could feel the tension stiffen Sy's body. “We don't need any of the family money.” She hissed, eyes hardening. “My business alone is quite well off, thank you; and I'm more than offended at the accusation.”

“That's putting it politely.” Sy chimed in, staring daggers into the old man.

“Davis.” Violet barked, offended at her husband's insult as well, she had no feeling that Lily and Sy were there looking for money or assistance with their lives or the baby.

“Excuse me, for the last time I recalled a couple sitting on that very same couch to tell us they were expecting a child, it was our sweet Daisy and that good for nothing, Palmer, and we all saw how that ended.” Davis replied, his voice cold and sharp.

“Austin isn't my father.” Lily barked, her voice mirroring her grandfather's.

Lily and her grandfather glared darkly at each other, before Violet grew annoyed with their childish behavior and clapped her bony hands together, catching the room's attention.

“That is quite enough.” She scolded them.

Sy hid his smirk around the rim of his teacup, already liking Lily's grandmother.

“How far along are you?” Violet asked, looking at Lily.

“Almost thirteen weeks.” She replied, unconsciously touching her belly.

“Do you know what you're having?”

“Not yet.” Lily grinned at Sy, giddy at the thought of finding out the gender of the baby, she didn't care if it was a boy or a girl, she was just excited in general. “We won't know for another five weeks.” She added, glancing over at her grandmother.

“Well,” Violet grinned, her eyes lighting up. “I can't wait to meet my great-grandbaby.” She said, sounding overjoyed at the prospect. “Davy?” She looked to her husband, her eyes still filled with excitement, but outlined with warning.

Davis looked at her for a moment, then over at Lily, before looking down at the watch on his right wrist, then stood. “I have to meet Mac in the south orchard.” He said, tonelessly, and left the room.

Lily let out an uneven breath and painful tears punched her in the chest, turning her face into Sy's collarbone as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side, pressing his lips to her hair. Violet's mouth was pressed into a thin, angry, lipstick red line as she continued to stare out the study doorway after Davis, the rapturous event of finding out about their great-grandbaby being overshadowed by his stubborn pigheadedness.

“I think we should go.” Sy said to Lily, gently wiping away her tears.

“Please, do stay.” Violet chimed in, turning her attention back to them. “There's more than enough room right here.” She said, looking back and forth between Lily and Sy. “Please, it's been so long, Lily. You've been gone and so far away. Town is twenty minutes away and with you here now, two minutes is too far away.”

Lily looked up at Sy.

“It's up to you, Angel.” He whispered, brushing his thumb against her flushed cheek.

She looked over at her grandmother. “Of course, I would love that.” She whispered, wiping her nose on the back of her hand.

Violet smiled at her, relieved to have her granddaughter under the same roof again. “I'll have Clara set two extra places at the table.” She grinned, overjoyed. “I'll even have her make your favorites for lunch and dinner.”

Lily smiled at her, touched at her grandmother's sentiment. “Thank you.”

“You remember where your room is?” She replied, lifting a brow at her.

“I do.” Lily nodded her head.

“Then, I won't keep you any longer. I'm sure you must be tired with the baby and the long journey from Texas.”

“I am.” She agreed, sighing softly.

“Off you both go then, the bell will ring, when lunch is ready.”

“Thank you, Mee-Maw.” Lily said, nodding her head and stood up, Sy standing with her.

“Ma'am.” Sy nodded his head to Violet, then followed Lily out of the room and down the hall to a flight of stairs. “Well, that didn't go as badly as the two of us thought it would.” He commented, mounting the stairs behind her.

“No, it did not.” Lily replied over her shoulder, going up the three sets of stairs. “I just hope my grandfather comes around.” She added, coming to the second floor and going down to a door at the very end of the hall. “This is...was—my room.” She said, turning the vintage, metal and ceramic door knob that had a hand-painted gold floral design on it, and pushed the door open.

The bedroom was spacious and bright with the mid-morning sun shining in through four windows, between one set of windows sat a squat, five compartment, vintage chest of drawers, across from that was a full sized, poster bed, with the doorway to a bathroom to the left and a walk-in closet to the right. There was a bookcase and table against the wall by the door, mostly filled with church and home school related things.

“It's a nice room.” Sy commented, picking up one of the books on the table, a bible.

“Thanks.” Lily smiled, shyly, seeing that her grandparents had left her room the exact way she'd left it, when she moved out.

“Do you wanna rest for a little while?” He suggested, stepping up behind her and resting his hands on her hips, gently pressing his thumbs into the small of her back and massaging them.

“Yeah.” She moaned, her head dropping back against his chest, turning to kiss the underside of his bearded jaw.

“How about a nice warm bath first, maybe a cup of tea?”

Lily chuckled into his neck, grinning. “So dotting, Captain.” She teased him.

“I love you.” He cooed, kissing her forehead, then moved away from her and went into the bathroom, plugging the drain on the ancient claw-foot tub and turned the X-shaped tap handles.

Lily padded into the bathroom, sitting down on the closed toilet seat and pushed down the stress of her grandfather's behavior towards her, to watch Sy fill the bath for her, a soft smile on her face. She stood up for a moment and reached underneath the sink and removed a small bottle and handed it to him. Sy smiled at her and took it from her, uncapping it and getting the strong snap of eucalyptus and sprinkled the Epsom salt into the delicately warm water, before turning off the tap. He grabbed a towel and folded it, then situated it at one end of the tub, to pillow her head, when she started to soak.

“Now, where is the kitchen?” He asked, looking at her.

“Down the stairs, first door to your right.” Lily replied, getting out of her clothing.

“Cool, I'll be right back.” Sy told her, kissing her temple and stepped out of the room to go downstairs to get her tea.

Lily finished undressing and carefully stepped into the pleasantly warm water, leaning back with a soft and satisfied moan, focusing on the warm water enveloping her body easing away her aches and pains, melting away the anxieties that had accumulated during the drive over from Texas and the visit. While Sy found the kitchen and pushed open the swinging door, finding the cook, Clara, inside, who looked up as she heard him come in and wiped her hands on her apron.

“Can I help you?” She asked, lifting a brow at him.

“Um, just need a cup of tea.” He replied, licking his lips and glancing around the kitchen.

“Oh, of course, right away.”

“I'd hate to put you out.” Sy said, alarmed.

Clara chuckled at him, pulling down a cup from a high cabinet. “It's what the Warren's hired me for.” She assured him. “I'm guessing it's for Lily.” She added, moving about the kitchen as she put the things together to make the tea.

“Yeah.” He nodded, then patiently waited for her to finish and took the cup from her. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome.” Clara smiled, and returned to what she had been doing.

Sy carefully took the cup back upstairs to Lily, smiling as he stepped into the bathroom and saw her lounging comfortably in the tub. He was glad she could relax and let the stress go, even if it was for a little while. Lily stirred as he sat down beside her, smiling at him and taking the cup of tea from his outstretched hands and let out a pleased moan.

“Feels like a spa day.” She chuckled, handing her teacup back to Sy for him to hold, so she could relax back again.

“You deserve to relax.” Sy replied, softly. “You've got an important job to do.”

“Yeah, I'm growing a Syverson.” Lily chuckled, teasingly.

“Exactly.” He laughed back. “That's no easy feat to bring one of us into the world.”

“Bringing a Syverson into the world is just the start of it, then we have to raise them.”

“Oh, trouble, trouble, trouble.” Sy grinned at her. “Nothing, but trouble.”

“Toil and bubble.” Lily giggled, fully amused and lighthearted.

“Come on, sleepy, out with you.” Sy said, setting her empty teacup on the vanity counter and pulled the towel off the bar and held it open for her.

“Okay.” Lily replied, stifling a yawn with her hand.

Stepping out of the tub and into Sy's arms, she rested her forehead against his chest and let him dry her off. Sy had taken a liking to drying her off after she showered or bathed, since she'd become pregnant, none of which Lily protested to, she was usually very sleepy by the time she got out of them, so having him there to finish up was always nice.

“Oh, fuck.” He barked, after helping back into her clothing. “Your pillow is still in the truck.”

“It won't kill me to have one nap without it.” Lily said, through yet another yawn.

“You were a very cranky mama bear the last time you didn't have that thing to sleep with.” He reminded her. “I'll go down and get it, just sit tight.”

“I'd rather lay tight.” She huffed, starting to get cranky as she shuffled over to her bed and laid down.

Sy rushed back downstairs and nearly collided with Violet. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.” He panted, making sure she was all right. “ Are you okay?”

“I'm fine, where's the fire, Mr. Syverson?”

“Lily's laying down for her nap and I just realized she doesn't have her pregnancy pillow and she always wakes up very cranky, when she doesn't have it to sleep with.” He explained, calming down.

Violet smiled up at Sy, touched and pleased at the plain devotion he had for her granddaughter. “Well, we can't have that, now can we?” She chuckled, rolling back out of his way.

“No, ma'am.” Sy shook his head at her.

“Violet, Mr. Syverson. Just call me Violet.” She informed him as Sy reached the front door.

He paused, hand on the door and smiled at her, remembering when Lily told him to call her by her given name. “Of course, Ms. Violet.” He nodded at her, politely.

Violet smiled back at him and Sy went out to his truck.

“Hey, girl.” Sy said, opening the passenger door of the truck and only to get attacked by Aika's tongue. “I know, I know. I haven't forgotten about ya. I promise.” He chuckled, petting her. “I'll come back down in a couple minutes and take care of you. But first, I have to take care of your mama.” He said, reaching in the back seat for Lily's U-Shaped pillow, pushed Aika back and closed the door again, before rushing back upstairs.

“Okay, pillow.” Sy said, bursting into the room, only to find Lily curled into a ball and sound asleep, making him chuckling. He situated her pillow and gently unrolled Lily from her ball and slipped her between her pillow, before covering her up.

“Sleep sweet, Angel.” He whispered, kissing her cheek softly, then went back downstairs. “Um, do you know where Ms. Violet is?” He asked the servant that had served him and Lily tea when they had first arrived.

“Yes, she's in the private study, right through there.” She replied, pointing the way.

“Thank you.” He nodded, then went down, gently knocking on the door.

“Enter.”

“Ms. Violet?”

“Ah, Mr. Syverson, I'm trusting the pillow crisis was averted?” She asked, an amused glitter in her eyes.

Sy chuckled. “It was, thank you.”

“Then, what can I help you with?”

“I, uh, brought Lily and I's dog with us...” He said, sheepishly, though Lily's grandmother seemed like a very sweet woman, Sy got the vibe she was the authority in this household and crossing her wasn't the way to go. “She's in my truck and I didn't want to take her out without asking first, so I didn't step on any toes and cause any issues with you and your husband.”

“What kind of dog is she?”

“She's a German Shepherd.” Sy replied, licking his lips. “I found her in the war-zone on my last deployment.” He half explained to her.

Violet blinked several times at Sy. “You were in the military?”

“Yes, ma'am.” He nodded, with a deep sense of pride. “I was a Captain in the U.S Army, Special Forces, for more than ten years.”

“What's the pup's name?”

“Aika.”

“Well, Aika is more than welcome here.” She told him. “As long as she behaves herself.” She added, a soft smile on her face.

“She's a very well behaved dog, you have my word.” Sy replied, smiling back at her.

“Good.” Violet nodded. “Just make sure you keep her out of the orchards or Davis will have a never-ending fit.”

“Will do.”

Excusing himself, Sy went back out to the truck and put Aika on her leash, walking her around the front of the property and away from the orchards, making sure to clean up after her, then brought her inside, taking her upstairs to Lily's room, where she curled up on the bed with Lily, before he decided to do a little exploring himself before lunch.

He wandered into the orchards, seeing the short trunks, but wide crowns, light green and shiny apples weighing down its branches and a couple littered the ground. There easily had to be a hundred trees of the same sort for as far as Sy could see in the area he was in, before he moved on. Sy came to a small dirt lane and crossed it into a totally different portion of the orchard, these trees were still squat and wide, but the apples on their branches were medium sized and mostly two toned, a dull red that faded into a yellow-y green color.

He crossed another dirt road and found another orchard of another kind of apple, this one a light yellow color, when he heard voices and then his name and turned, seeing Lily's grandfather, realizing he had wandered into the south orchard.

“What are you doing out here?” Davis asked, approaching him.

“Just looking around.” Sy replied, keeping his tone guarded. “Lily's told me a lot about the place.”

“And where is she?”

“Back at the house, sleeping.” Sy told him, his shoulders stiff. “She gets tired a lot with the baby.”

“Hm.” Davis huffed and turned on his heels.

“What's your problem?” Sy barked after him, unable to hold his temper any longer. “She just wants her grandfather, the man that raised her, back in her life, in her child's life. Not your money or your business, just your love and affection.”

Davis spun around on his heels to face Sy. “I might have raised her, because my Daisy died, and her father was an unreliable scum, but she's making the same mistake her mother did. I won't be part of that again.”

“I won't be there when it kills her too.” He hissed, then stormed off.

Lily woke up to Sy's angry pacing at the foot of the bed and cursing under his breath, and sat up, rubbing at her eyes. “What's wrong, Bear?” She asked, frowning at him.

“Your grandfather is a pigheaded, son of a bitch.”

Her mouth fell open for a moment, then her brows drew together and her eyes narrowed. “Did the two of you get into an argument?”

“Sorta.” He huffed back.

“For the love of Jesus, Austin.” Lily barked at him, pressing her hands to her face. “Why?”

“I didn't go lookin' for it, Lily.” He retorted, stopping his pacing. “I was just checking out the orchards and ran into him. One thing came to another, I asked him what his problem was, all you want is his love and affection back, not his damned money or his orchard, and his reply was you're making the same mistake your mother made and you'll end up dying because of it too.”

“Which you will fucking not!” He added, a panicked fright breaking through his burst of anger.

“Of course, I'm not going too, Bear.”

Lily sighed, shaking her head and running her hand through her hair, before getting up out of bed. “I'll be more than all right. We have a great doctor and an amazing hospital back home. Plus, I have you to take care of and look after me, the whole time. I'll be perfectly safe and sound.” She told him, hugging her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest.

“Don't listen to him, Sy. He's just a grumpy old man, set in his ways.”

“What's that make me?” He asked, half jokingly.

“My boyfriend and Papa Bear.” She giggled, tilting her head back to look up at him.

“Good to know, Mama Bear.” He teased back, dipping his head to kiss her. “The fuck was that?” He asked as two loud dinging sounds filled the house.

“That is the lunch bell.” Lily replied, pulling away from him. “One ding is breakfast, two is lunch and three is dinner.” She explained to him, finding her shoes and slipping them back on. “Old Virginian hospitality, Syverson. I know you Texans aren't used to it.”

“Oh, you posh and polished Southerners.” He teased back, following her downstairs. “Give me the ringing of a triangle any day and this cowboy will know the way to the dinner table.”

“Remind me to buy one for our house, then.” Lily giggled, showing him into the family dinning room.

“Buy what for your house?” Violet asked, already seated at one end of the table.

“Oh, Sy was making fun of us for being—what did you call it?” She asked, looking at him as he vigorously shook his head at her. “Ah yes, posh and polished Southerners, for having a meal bell.” You grinned at him, impishly. “While, pointing out the Texas Cowboy in him could only find his way home, if he heard the call of a triangle bell.”

“I said, I would be able to find my way to the table. I know my way home, thank you very much.” He spoke up, his cheeks pink underneath the hairs of his beard.

Both Lily and Violet's laughter filled the dining room, but Sy soon joined them. But, the laughter died down as Davis entered the room, taking his place at the other end of the table, practically sucking the air out of the room as he took his seat.

“How is the south orchard doing?” Violet asked, as lunch was being served.

“One of the original York apple trees is starting to fail for some reason.” Davis replied, picking up the salt shaker. “Mac and I were running through a list of things we can do to save it.” He explained, paying closer attention to his food than to the others at the table with him.

“This looks really good.” Sy commented, licking his lips at his plate.

“It's one of Lily's favorites.” Violet smiled at him. “Creamy Shrimp pasta.”

“I used to try and bribe Clara into making it for every meal once for a whole summer.” Lily chuckled, twirling the angel hair pasta around her fork. “Never worked out.”

“Didn't deter you from trying though.” Violet chuckled, smiling fondly at her granddaughter. “I'm more than sure you'll love what Clara is making you for dinner.”

“I have no doubt.” She smiled back.

“Oh, Mr. Syverson, if you'd like a place to park your truck, I'm sure Davis could show you where the garage is.” Violet said, her eyes on her husband.

“Thank you, Ms. Violet.” Sy replied, smiling at her. “And, please, call me Sy or Austin, whichever you might prefer.” He told her, a bit shyly.

“Austin, it is.” Violet answered, giving him a sweet smile. “But, you can do that for him, can't you?” She said, lifting a brow at her husband, with an expression that dared him to object to her request.

Davis stared at his wife, his hard brown eyes holding Violet's stern blues, before his shoulders dropped slightly. “I'll show you after lunch.”

“Thank you.” Sy replied, stiffly.

Lily rested her hand on Sy's thigh, gently squeezing it, trying to keep him calm and relaxed. “How have the orchards been?” Lily asked her grandfather, trying to open any sort of connection with him. “I know picking season is coming up soon in the next few months.” She pointed out, gathering up a forkful of her shrimp pasta.

There was a long silence at the table, each second made Lily's heart clench tighter, fearing her grandfather would just continue to ignore her and pretend she didn't exist. She didn't know how much more of his coldness she could take, before it became too much to bear and she would just want to leave again.

No matter how much it would hurt.

“Other than the York tree showing signs of white rot, the orchards are as productive and fruitful as ever.” He finally spoke.

“What happens if you don't cure the white rot?” Lily frowned, concerned for the tree.

“We lose the tree.” Davis sighed, resting back in his chair and tossing his napkin onto the table beside his plate. “It'll only be the third originally planted tree on the farm we've ever lost. Well, with any luck the rot won't spread and it won't hit us too hard.” He explained, looking at her.

“Just because you lost one, don't mean you'll lose more.” Lily replied, holding his gaze.

Davis dropped his eyes and nodded his head, sighing, then looked up at Sy, noticing his empty plate. “You done?”

“I am.” Sy nodded, wiping his mouth.

“Come on, and I'll show you where the garage is and you can park your truck.” He said, standing up, leaving his half eaten lunch on the table.

“I'll be right back.” Sy whispered to Lily, kissing her cheek and stood, following her grandfather out of the house.

The walk from the house was silent as they stepped off the paved driveway and onto a pea gravel lane that led a little ways away from the house, through a small grove of very ancient looking weeping willows to a large building with several vehicles parked outside of it.

“You can park it here.” Davis said, motioning to the area in front of them.

“Thanks.” Sy nodded to him, then turned back to get his truck.

Bringing his truck around and finding a place to park it, Sy got out and and grabbed their duffel bag out of the back and locked up, heading back up to the house; when Davis stopped in his tracks, noticing the duffel bag slung over his shoulder; the worn military green and the faded, black U.S letters.

“Something the matter?” Sy frowned, turning back to him.

“That's a military bag.” Davis replied.

“Yes, it is.” He nodded, shifting it on his shoulder and tilting his head at the other man.

“It's yours?”

Sy's shoulders slumped and he stared at the old man. “I served more than ten years in the U.S Army as a Captain in the Special Forces.” He explained to him. “I retired almost a year ago.”

“How did you and Lily meet?”

“As I said, I retired almost a year ago and I returned home to Austin, Texas.” Sy replied, sighing. “Even though I could live quite well on my retirement, I don't like not having a job or being idle. So, I went about applying for jobs, mostly jobs I could do with my hands, construction jobs and such. A construction company told me about a contract that they had gotten from a young lady, who needed help fixing her place up in Celina, which is about three hours south of Austin. I called about it and got the job. I'm sure you guessed, it was Lily.” He smirked, chuckling to himself.

“I started fixing the place up for her and we grew close, especially after we helped each other through a few traumatic things.”

“Like, what?”

“I have pretty severe PTSD from my time in deployment and Lily's gotten me through more than one episode.” Sy smirked, blushing slightly and toeing the ground with the tip of his boot. “She's the guiding light to holding them back.” He whispered softly. “As for her, she's been through a lot in the last five years, especially the fear and turmoil caused by Jak.” He said. “There's nothing on this planet, there hasn't been anything on this planet, I wouldn't do to ensure her happiness and safety.”

Sy looked Davis dead in the eyes, a deep seriousness coming over him, even though he had a knot in his stomach. “Listen, your granddaughter isn't a little girl anymore. She's a grown woman, and a beautiful, loving and intelligent one, at that. She's so incredibly caring for the people around her, even when she's been so hurt and her trust in people has been cut deeply. Her work ethic is admirable, she built a company from the reclusion of her own home, that she hadn't left in more than three years, and it is thriving. She's even currently in the process of interviewing people to fill two positions, because she has so many clients, that she's in need of the extra help.”

“You're projecting the fear of your daughter’s mistakes and death on Lily and it isn't fair to her, or to you and your wife.”

“My Daisy Mae's misfortunes aren't the only failures that have me disappointed in the situation.” Davis said, rolling his jaw at Sy.

Sy huffed at him, biting his lip and nodding his head at him. “You think I'd be some, what was it, unreliable scum, like her father?” He asked, lifting a brow at him.

Davis sighed back at him, scrubbing a palm over his wrinkled forehead and lifted a brow at him. “Come with me.” He said, motioning him back towards the house.

Pressing his lips together, Sy followed him back up to the house and into Davis's private study, setting the duffel bag down by the door as Davis closed it behind him. Davis motioned to a leather and mahogany upholstered chair in front of a cold fireplace, then moved over to a small table of bottles and glasses, pouring them both a drink. He handed Sy a glass and took the seat across from him, taking a long sip.

“Smooth stuff.” Sy commented, licking his lips and admiring the rich, amber liquid.

“Maker's Mark, Kentucky bourbon whiskey.” Davis replied, smirking at his glass, appreciatively.

“Anyhow.” He cleared his throat, balancing his glass on the arm of his chair. “Palmer Hughes. He came to work here in the summer of 1985, he was twenty years old and Daisy was eighteen. I knew the boy was trouble the moment I set eyes on him and knew I should have sent him picking.”

“But, for whatever reason, and against my better judgment, I didn't.”

“He took an instant liking to our Daisy, who was ordinarily a good mannered, well behaved and proper girl. But, as soon as he set his eyes on her, he started corrupting her. He would stop coming to work in the fields to sneak himself and her off the property and go into town or wherever it was they would go to. Daisy started to become more defiant and rebellious. One of our church elders even spotted her and Palmer with a group of their lowlife friends in a questionable area of town, getting high, smoking and drinking.”

“It was such an embarrassment.” He sighed, taking a deep gulp of his drink. “When Daisy was twenty-one, she came to her mother and I and told us she was pregnant. Palmer had split the moment he found out about it. But, I tracked his no good ass down and dragged him back. He and Daisy got married just before Lily was born.”

“What happened?” Sy asked, frowning at him, the burn of the alcohol melting through the knot in his stomach as he thought about it. “How did her mother die?”

“She developed a hemorrhage that the doctor's couldn't get under control, so she ended up bleeding to death.” Davis explained, growing pale at the memory of the doctor's telling him and his wife the news of their daughter’s death, their only child. “For his part, Palmer did seem distraught over her death. But, he blamed Lily for it. So, he spent the rest of her life coming in and out of it, before Violet and I finally just adopted her and permanently took care of her.”

“It was Violet and I that ended up naming Lily, as well. Daisy hadn't picked one, that we were aware of, and Palmer wasn't being cooperative with anyone, us or the hospital staff.”

“Where is her father now?”

Davis sighed and carefully regarded Sy for a long moment, before replying. “He died, some years ago.”

Sy blinked at him, shocked. “You never told Lily this.”

“No.” He shook his head, guilty. “Vi and I thought it would be best that we didn't.”

“That's not really for either of you to decide.” Sy frowned at him, annoyed. “Lily deserves the truth.”

“I know she does.” Davis agreed. “I'll tell her, one day. As for you, Austin.” He met Sy's eyes. “I've unjustly projected my prejudices of Palmer onto you. You are, not even an ounce, the man he was. You are a man I wish my own daughter would have met and fallen in love with. But, I am glad my granddaughter met, fallen in love with and is having my great-grandbaby with you.”

“Thank you.” Sy answered, taking his compliment and finished off his drink.

279 notes · View notes

emwritesstuff · 3 years

Text

as the world caves in | ch. 9 | bucky barnes x reader

synopsis: You are a ghost story. A former Air Force pilot who had her plane shot down by Germany in 1945, but here you were in 2023, alive and frozen in your 25-year-old body.

You haven’t seen Bucky since the 1940’s, before his fall, before you went on a suicide mission only to come back alive. You aren’t sure reliving those memories – and being a living memory of everything the man has lost – is the best for him.

But you and Bucky won’t be apart for long.

This will loosely follow the plot of TFATWS - so spoilers ahead, specially regarding episode six (finale). Thread carefully!

masterlist | AO3

notes: thank you everyone for your patience with this chapter. I'm dropping this lil shortie so we can get the story moving. Let's go! (warnings: lil' fluff, lil' angst) (word count: 3K) nine: records

Bucky knocked on your door a few weeks later.

It was late, and you were snug in your pajamas, winding down after a long day. With your identity no longer a secret, the government was in the midst of transferring you to something more… hands-on, and definitely less diplomatic, you were assuming; so much for retirement, but you figured 30 years of it had been more time than you could’ve anticipated.

You almost didn’t hear the soft rapping on wood over Vera Lynn’s mellow singing.

When you finally opened it, you found him standing there, wearing tired eyes and a dark coat. “I’m sorry, I know it’s late, but I started walking and I—"

“When I said you’re welcome anytime, Bucky Barnes, I meant any time.”

A tiny fraction of a smile was offered your way, and you grasped it tight against your heart at the same time you do his hand, pulling him inside.

His fingers lingered on yours, but before you could start thinking about it he pulled away, taking a seat at the edge of your couch. “I finished it. The book.”

Bucky answered your question before you could ask it. “I just came from there. The last one– the last name.”

“Well. Are you alright?” You sat next to him, your knee knocking against his, and his gaze went from the floor, to the spot where your legs touched, and then to you. He knitted his eyebrows, seeming a little incredulous you were even asking.

“I will be.” His hands intertwined on the space between his knees, and you placed a hand ton his shoulder, getting him to look at you again.

“Yes, you will. Do you want to talk about it?”

One corner of Bucky’s lip raised up, and he shook his head. “Is that Vera Lynn?”

You smiled, turning to look at your record player as if Vera herself was sitting next to it. “It is. Takes me back, I guess.”

“It’s all we’d listen to at the front.”

Nodding, you wondered for a second if Bucky remembered dancing to We’ll Meet Again the night before he was shipped off. Even if you weren’t the only girl he had danced with then, you still asked yourself if that memory was burned on his mind as it was on yours.

We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when. A short-term promise, made back then by hopeful lovers, friends, family members; you had no idea that those lyrics would prove themselves so literal when you and Bucky mouthed them at each other in the middle of a dancefloor.

You let out a breathy chuckle, standing up and beckoning him to where you kept the rest of your vinyl. “Come on. Vera’s starting to feel a little too nostalgic to me.”

Your record collection was pretty extensive, ranging from things of the good ol’ days from the special editions that were still being released nowadays. Bucky joined you on the floor, and together you started to make your way through decades eternized in discs.

“Marvin Gaye.”

You look up from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, finding Bucky making a face at the album he was holding. “It’s really good. Do you want to—”

“No. No more Marvin Gaye.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “You don’t like him?”

“I like Marvin Gaye! Jesus. Marvin is good—Marvin’s jus’ fine,” Bucky rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger, and you finally understood.

“Sam’s been preaching you the word of R&B to you too, huh?”

You giggled at the tired look he gave you and silently took Trouble Man out of his hands, stuffing it back with the rest of the 1970’s.

Years ago, Bucky would be delighted to dive headfirst in the new – your trips to countless science fairs and expositions were enough proof of that – but looking at him now, knowing him as you were starting to once again, you figured that just a dip of the toes was more than enough.

You pulled Frank Sinatra from the 1950’s section.

“I know Sinatra.”

“Do you now?”

You put the record on your player, and Vera Lynn’s longing gave way to Sinatra’s swagger and jazz.

“Do you?” Bucky teased, frowning at the most recent items in your collection. As soon as Frank’s voice filled the silence, he nodded. “Yeah, that’s nice.”

“I do know him! Or did. Met ‘im in 1962.” You plopped next to Bucky, who was shaking his head. “What?”

“Show off.”

“No, just been around. Met people on the way. And, you asked.” Your smirk grew into a grin as Bucky mouthed your words back at you. Then his face fell for a second, and your amusement was quickly replaced by worry. “What is it?”

“Nothing, I guess – I guess I just missed a lot.” The same way one of the corners of his lips tug on his cheek again in his attempt of a smile, melancholy tugs at your heartstrings. “I missed out on everything. And I missed out on you.”

Bucky’s head was low as he spoke and you could see the tremble of his hands, even though he clutched one of your records tightly. Nina Simone, 1960’s.

“M’not going anywhere, you know.”

“You still lived an entire lifetime—”

“I did, yes, thank you for constantly reminding me that I’m over 100 years old.” You shook your head at him, sighing softly when he chuckled.

You couldn’t blame him, for clinging to every bit of past he’d missed while he was in HYDRA’s clutches – you knew that was inevitable, but you wished that such sorrow wasn’t so related to you.

“What are you doin’?” He asked as you summoned a small stool from the side of your shelf and stepped on it.

“I want to show you somethin’.” The thing you were looking for was stored at the very top: a heavy, brown leather suitcase that almost made you lose your balance when you pulled it from the spot it had been sitting in for—honestly, years, many of them.

The contents of the suitcase rattled as you climbed down and sat next to Bucky again. Sinatra still playing, telling his lover I've got you under my skin, I've got you, deep in the heart of me;

You almost laughed from the truth and irony of it.

I'd tried so, not to give in

I said to myself this affair never will go so well

You unlocked the suitcase, revealing the gathered memories inside. Pictures, movie tickets, theater playbooks, receipts, trinkets. All souvenirs of the 80 something years of your life Bucky hadn’t been there to see.

Not organized in the slightest, the keepsakes of your life were tossed together and out of order just as in your memory: photographs of you in uniform, and sometimes in party dresses; of when you bought your house; of the few times you had pets. Posing next to famous people and other important ones whose names weren’t as well known by the world.

As you and Bucky went through each of them, you added a story or an explanation, sometimes both, to fill him in on the details of your life events. He laughed at some, frowned at a lot, stared at you intently for all of them.

“Is this Berlin?”

You hummed, nodding. “1989. That party was great.”

“Party?” Bucky knitted his eyebrows in surprise.

“The city was unified, the wall was being taken down, and everyone was celebrating. I’ve never seen that many bottles of vodka in one place.” You laughed, taking a good look at yourself in the picture.

The 80’s were definitely not your best decade, looks wise. You had tried a perm the year before, and the poodle look was only then starting to dial down. The beginnings of a bruise were starting to creep on your left eye, from the mission you had completed just a few hours before.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been that drunk.”

Bucky’s surprise intensified, his eyes wide. “We can’t get drunk.”

“Yes we can.”

“No, no we can’t.”

“We can, in fact. It’s all a matter of quantity and, well, speed.” You giggled as Bucky’s mouth gaped more.

“And the hangover?”

“Horrible. Like getting shot on the forehead. Comes quickly, too.”

He grimaced, and with one last look – certainly to register your peculiar appearance on his mind – gently put the picture back inside the suitcase. A stack of papers seemed to call out to him and he picked it up, releasing them from the band that held them together carefully.

Postcards of the places you’ve been: a small note to James Barnes and Steve Rogers on the back of each one.

Bucky’s voice faltered. He let out an anguished little sound, probably something that was supposed to be an Oh, or a What, but had no strength to crawl up his throat.

You brought your knees to your chest as you waited for him.

“You—you wrote to us?”

“I did. You can keep those, they’re addressed to you.”

After all this time, you could barely remember the words you wrote in those postcards; all you knew was that some had longer messages, others a simple Wish you were here.

“After we met in Baltimore, I thought that— that you’d have moved on from us.”

From me.

As if that was possible.

“Well, I stopped writing by 2003, give or take. But really,” You sighed. “It’s hard to forget someone when you’ve always been expecting them to come back to you.”

Bucky flipped the postcard from Rome, read the writing and smiled wistfully at it. “And, I did.”

“You did. And staying away was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but—”

“But you’re annoyingly stubborn.” His jaw tightened, then relaxed when he smirked. “I mean, I get it – If the roles were reversed, I’d leave you rebuild your life without me like a self-sacrificing idiot too.”

Alright. That was fair.

Shaking your head, you watched as he slipped the postcards in his pocket, an amused expression on his face.

“That was… a big mistake. Something a self-sacrificing idiot would do,” You screwed your eyes shut in shame, opening them when Bucky chuckled. “but now, I’m right here. And so are you.”

His stubble scratched the soft skin of your palm when you reached for him, and you continued. “We’re a little out of place in this century, that much is true, but if I’m being honest… I’m getting tired of yearning for the past, Buck.”

Good old times – sometimes really good, sometimes bad, every one of them old – tucked away in your heart like your records were tucked in neatly in their shelf, organized by year. As you went through the decades, your enhanced body eternizing you like marble, your heart seemingly stayed at that army camp overseas. Or maybe Sergeant Bucky Barnes had taken it with him, only for them to be frozen together, leaving you with an empty hole in your chest.

You lived your life longing for that missing piece, the one with blue eyes and the dashing smile and the skilled feet.

The one that in many other stories was the one that got away, the one who now believed he was somebody else, but had brought your heart back with him all the same.

The very heart that nearly leapt out of your chest when Bucky rested his forehead against yours.

You’ve never been this close – there isn’t an ounce of past in the gesture. His eyes being tightly closed kept him from seeing the surprise on your eyes and then how they fell to his lips for a millisecond. Then, those lips brushed against yours in a featherlike touch.

I would sacrifice anything, come what might

For the sake of having you near

He pried himself off you when you exhaled, as if your very breath had electrocuted him.

“M’sorry. I—I didn’t—” He said as you stared at the back of his neck, and the shock gives way to disappointment.

I didn’t mean to. Or maybe: I didn’t want to.

“That’s—it’s okay.” You clapped your hands on your knees, still feeling the prickle of his facial hair on them, and got up to change the music.

There was no doubt Bucky was touch starved, and that he probably craved the closeness that comes with a lover. He sought that for a fleeting second in Sam’s sister, and now in you. No point in dwelling on what it might have meant.

Right?

Looking at Bucky, his expression was overcast, furrowed eyebrows as he watched you from his spot on the floor. You offered him a gentle smile, and the crease on his forehead eased up slightly.

Right.

Don't you know little fool, you never can win

The record player made a scratching sound as you replaced Frank Sinatra with your go-to jazz compilation. Instrumental.

No lyrics.

There was one thing you’ve always been good at, regarding the infatuation with Bucky Barnes that has taken over your heart for almost a century now: locking the feelings away and stepping into the shoes of the best friend.

Besides, you’ve said it yourself: no more yearning for the past. Hopefully you and Bucky would be able to do that soon enough.

At that moment, however, you needed to feel the burn of whiskey down your throat and pretend it’ll heal the calcinating rejection spreading through your chest.

The guilt you found in Bucky’s eyes as he watched you sweep around your hardwood floors made you pour a glass for him.

He took it gratefully, frowning when you bottomed the whole thing up.

“There’s a lot in here.” He tapped the edge of the suitcase, skillfully steering the conversation in the direction of the more palatable, calm territory it was in before.

The sight of your autobiographical collection made you smile.

“An entire lifetime,” You said, fishing your dog tags from the bottom. “I suppose that’s where it started. Or at least, where thisstarted.”

Bucky took them reverentially, running his thumb over the imprint of your name and numbers.

He reached for his neck, producing from under his Henley the same type of metal chain he was holding in his hands. The fact that he still wore his like that sent a sharp blow to your lungs, almost knocking the air out of you.

His face softened, a smile so beautiful spreading across his lips, so much that your chest clenched in protest because it was simply not fair, how he still had you entirely.

He deposited both of your dog tags in your hands, and that’s when you saw it, and remembered it.

“Won’t we get in trouble for this?”

“Do you care?”

“Well…No.” You sighed, already resigned. And a little excited.

Bucky knew you well: it had been too long of being a good little soldier when all you were used to was the rush of being a hellion.

“And that is why, sugar, that I’m doing this with you, and not with Steve.”

The words made your heart soar, but you were sure to recapture it before it could fly away too high, still too attached to the sensation of the take-off to clip its wings.

You liked flying.

“And because Steve hasn’t been successful in his enlisting efforts. Yet.”

Bucky looked at you from behind his eyebrows, a reprimand hiding in his eyes, but he decided to shove his uniform hat on your head instead. You grumbled, calling him a jerk under your breath.

It was the night before Bucky was drafted to England. He looked handsome in his uniform, a shining, polished star, brighter than the sun even under the dim streetlight you two stood under.

After bringing his and Steve’s dates home (yours was lost to another boxing match along the way – not that you were crying about that) Bucky had decided he was going to stay up all night, because, in his words, he could sleep when the war was over. Or, more realistically, in the ship on the way to England.

So there you two were, illuminated by street lamps and moonlight, visiting the façades and front windows of your favorite places in Brooklyn like drifters in the night.

Bucky still concentrated on his task, his shoulder hunched slightly to block your sight.

“Let me see! Bucky!”

“ ’Sposed to be a surprise! I’m almost done.”

You huffed, crossing your arms. “It’s not like I haven’t seen ‘em before.”

“You gotta be more patient. Here.”

He dropped your dog tags on your hand. You displayed the small steel plates on your palm, scanning your eyes over the two. One of them, of course, had your name, number, blood type, next of kin – an aunt you’ve never met – and address.

The other had Bucky’s.

James B Barnes. 32557038.

He slipped his own chain over his head, the plate with your name clinking against his.

You brought the tips of your fingers to your lips, feeling a smile begin to form onto them.

“I forgot we did this. I haven’t looked at these in so long.”

You had stopped wearing your dog tags the day the war had ended – Bucky was gone then, Steve too, and the weight of his dog tags slamming against your chest was too much to bear – your heart was already heavy with its own engraving of their memories.

“Steve had a lecture prepared when he gave mine back.” Bucky chuckled when you looked up at him, incredulous.

You shook your head, half exasperated and half amused. “Good grief, Steve.”

“Y’know how he is. Was,” He trailed, lips twitching as they formed a thin line.

You reached for him, your hand hovering in the space between you for a second before Bucky took it, lacing your fingers. Scooting closer, you let your cheek rest on his shoulder.

“He’d be glad we’re reunited.” You said, raising your head to peek at him and the newfound upwards curl of his lip. “And mortified we’re still bickering.”

Bucky smiled and squeezed your hand. “Old people. Old habits.”

Laughter bubbled out of your chest, and you realized a few things.

In that moment, it didn’t matter – the heartache, the unrequited side of your love. It was just a fact, a fact of life, of your life, that you a lot of the times loved him as more than your best friend. You loved him. And that was the core of it, the most important fact.

And you knew he loved you – you had each other – in this big, ever-changing, modern world, you had Bucky and Bucky had you.

You sat in comfortable, familiar silence until your eyelids grew heavy and you felt yourself drifting in and out of consciousness.

“You dozin’ on me, sugar?”

“It’s been a long day.” You said with your eyes still closed, feeling him chuckle beside you.

“Tell me about it. I can go—”

“You know damn well you should stay.” You patted his arm and hoisted yourself up from the floor. “I’ll get the pull-up ready for you.”

As you sauntered towards the office, ignoring his pleads and protests that he’s got it, he doesn’t need sheets or anything, you put your dog tags back on.

They jingled lightly against your heart.

Maybe you didn’t have to leave all of the past behind to start building something good and new, after all.

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes imagine

98 notes · View notes

oh-for-fic-sake · 4 years

Text

Interview With Mr Wayne

Masterlist

You visit Bruce after inning your court case to celebrate but Bruce hashad a bad day and decides tocheer imself up with a little roleplay~

Warnings: Adult Situations 18+,Smut ,Teasing ,Fingering, Sir Kink?, Panty Kink?, Desk sex, Swearing!, Overstimulating

A/N: This has been sitting on my tablet for about eight nine weeks maybe more? Finally finished it. Just been so side tracked with my other stories. But here is some Bruce Wayne smut..I hope you like it xx

Taglist: @125bluemachine125 @iloveyouyen @thefangirlsblog @itismineru @tinabean37

You quickly ran through the lobby of the tower barely remembring to swipe your card against the reader, a new addition that Bruce had installed since nearly getting caught with you in the public elevator now you had a private elevator that lead you to the left of his office in a small concealed hall next to the toilet just behind Mary's desk and it needed a card to access it wasnt much but it was something, its not like you were ever going to convince Bruce to not have sex at work...It was like asking the man to stop being a smug little shit or like asking Tim to cut out caffeine it just wasn't going to happen. You came to a stop trying to bite back a squeal, you was happy so happy, your old boss had decided to settle out of court once all the evidence was put out for her to see some of which was going to be on her record for a long time. Tom had quit once he heard about what had happened and she had gone bust and couldn't afford to go to court already processing for bankruptcy. Tom is trying to buy it from her and was going through getting a loan from the bank. Bruce had said if they didn't aprove he would give Tom the money outright just to 'piss off that bitch'. You on the other hand didn't care about that instead you was pleased with the fact that you hadn't hid behind Bruce,you had done it alone... You had won by yourself well with the help of two of Bruce's lawyers..He wanted you to use them all but eight seemed a bit over the top, either way you kept Bruce out of it. You wanted to prove that you could stand on your own two feet in some respects. Your aim was to make an example of her, to show that you are a force to be reckoned with in your own right and that just because you have been quiet up until now does not mean you'll let everyone walk over you, not anymore. You smiled in the elevator mirror pulling at your blazer shimmying your bra as the bones dug in to your ribs making you wince you'd gone dressed in a two piece pinstripe suit, smart high waisted straight cut pants the blazer had two rows of buttons giving what you called the 'old mafia' vibe and a dark plum almost black shirt stolen from Bruce's closet for...Reasons. Your high heels echoed on the marble floor as you exited the elevator rounding the corner seeing Mary sitting there balancing a pen below her nose on her lip you giggled. "Working had or hardily working?" She jumped dropping the pen on the desk turning to look at you and wolf whistled. "Well if I didn't know for definite that you were bobbing my bosses knob I'd try to peel that suit of you and have a taste myself you look delicious!" You rolled your eyes used to the womans not so subtle flirting. "If I ever get curious I will give you a call" she giggled at your monotone reply licking her lips "Promises promise's~" you huffed at her shaking your head then nodded to the full board room Bruce sitting at the head of the table looking just about done with their shit. His shoulders were tense and squared as one little man raised his voice across at him. You licked your lips taking your bottom one into your mouth biting it as Bruce held his gaze steady and smiled making the other one sit his scrawny as back down. Fuck yes, you loved boss Bruce, and Batman Bruce and Alpha Bruce fuck any Bruce...But Boss Bruce got you going like nothing else, you almost whined seeing him work, a stern gaze across the table daring them to challenge him further. Oh god you just wanted to walk in and fuck him there and then, let the others see him fuck the life out of you. You sucked on your bottom lip again trying to fight back a pitiful whine. So public sex may have become a kink since your little holiday...You'd both been caught fucking on the beach by one of the staff Bruce hired to take care of the house and when he hadn't stopped just kept rutting into you faster knowing they were stealing glances, the way his voice dropped teasing you about having an audience how he wanted you to give them a show. Ugh. It had made you cum so hard you passed out for a few seconds and when you woke he was still at it albeit slower and biting off chuckles away as you flushing so fast you became dizzy below him. "You need a drink your looking thirsty there" you snapped yourself out of your thoughts and glared playfully at the woman as she got up walking to the small corridor you'd came from, not only did it hide the new elevator and toilet but also a small kitchenette. You sighed following her taking one last glance as Bruce pointed sterny at a few of the men you could only imagine how deep his voice had gotten you shivered. "Come on before you leave a puddle! They have only just polished this shit...And I don't feel like trying to find a 'caution wet floor' sign" you groaned at her. She hopped up on to the counter waiting for the kettle to boil. You moved to lean against it placeing down Your bag and the folder holdjng your settlement details you'd brought with you to show Bruce. "Sooo where did you go off to back there? It looked...fun" you smiled at her blushing. "Just thinking of our holiday was all...We experimented, seeing him in there just reminded me" she moved adding sugar to two cups snorting at you before nudging you playfully. "Oo kinky tell me more~" "I dont kiss and tell Im afraid...Not sober anyway" she snorted at that then waved a hand at you. "Kiss and tell? psh like all you did was kiss...So no details?, not one tiny little ounce of Juicey gossip? come ooonnn!" you shook your head at her with a grin and she pouted "Oh boo! your just like him no fun at all! , I tried getting details out of Bruce and he just went red and shy...SHY! I didn't know he could do shy... So what ever you did Mama me next? please and thank you" you flushed at her laughing her off as she handed you your tea wrigglingnher eyesbrows. You both sat in comfortable silence for a few moments sippingnyour drinks. "Soo? Did you top him?" You choked spitting your tea back into the cup coughing and then turned to her gaping like a fish. "Where did?-did he tell you?" Her face lit up and she giggled around a whispered 'HO-LY SHIT!' "Oh my fuck you did! Get it girl! You teach that big boss man! You make him eat the peach?" You blushed and stam,ered tryjng to find the words to get out of this one. "Oh fuck shit look seriously dont tell anyone he'd never forgive me if that got out!" "Oh honey no! I'd never!...But no he didn't tell me I guessed, you know he did go shy so...Must have been somthing new...But kudos to giving him a taste of girl power..Enjoy yourself atleast" "Oh...well yes I was surprised I managed to pull it off..I mean Bruce is big and strong and I wasn't exactly sure the cuffs would hold when he realised what I did he got smug teasing me...Then mad when he realized I wasnt fucking around-" she squealed and bounced on the spot "Shit!? You just sprung cuffs on him?! wow Mama you got a set of balls!...Bet you paid for it" you chuckled sipping your tea. "Well.. He got his pay back...The man has more stamina then I give him credit for..." she snorted nodding shaking her head dropping to conversation seeing you were uncomfortable. You shifted before speaking up again. "So how long has he been in there for?" She peered around the side into the hall that had a veiw of the clock. "Bout three hours...They are opening a new office in central city which Bruce is fine with, it will make a few things easier...But the board want to place one of their sons as the branch manager, Bruce said no. This kid has only been here for two years and hasn't got a single promotion or anything! He isn't really any good at his job ,he only got the job by pulling strings. Bruce wants to promote someone who deserves it not hand it over to some fucking daddies boy...But true to form this guy started going ahead anyway, telling the others that Bruce agreed apparently, daddy promised this little shit the job...This tit doesn't know it yet but Bruce is about to fire him his son and two other board members for this little drama." You frowned at her "He can do that? I thought only the share holders or some shit could sack someone that high up?" She gave you a look and blinked slowly. "Honey your man is the main shareholder...He owns like ninety percent of the company....Thats why his name is on the building...On that note lets head back I wanna see this...You probably will to just remember no puddles~" you moved to swipe at her playfully as she scampered away down the hall laughing you followed snatching up your folder holding the documents of your settlement in your hands.

You turned the corner you heard raised voices and saw Bruce sitting leaning back arms crossed his head was tilted and he looked pleased with himself as the three older men and one young sprog was stangding before him each in various emotional states. The oldest one was shouting at Bruce with animated hand gestures towards himself and the young man; you assumed he was the father and son. The young man was more panicked then anything you could see from here he didnt want to be there, he wanted his father to shut up and to leave. You turned your attention to the other two middle aged men around Bruce's own age both had seemed to accept what ever had just happened. Bruce moved forward sitting staight then pointed to them saying something else making everyone in the room flinch then he leaned back holding his hands out at his sides then nodded to the door. You froze as Bruce saw you and smiled at you for a second, your view was interrupted as the now unemployed men tried storming past the desk. "Err excuse me gentlemen? I'm afraid you will need to hand in your company id's and passes..." the eldest swore and clambered over to the desk, you moved to the side with your tea and sipped it slowly. Letting the irate man pull his wallet from his pocket tearing the cards out and slammed them down then he turned to his son who handed in his id sheepishly then they both left quickly with one last snarl to Bruce through the glass. You released a breath when all four men were in the elevator and out of sight. "I always hated that man, rude and pig headed...He is elitist...Which is pretty ironic when you realise he was raised by working class parents." You snorted at her then turned to the board room as Bruce said something that looked like a threat well if the reactions were anything to go by. Then he dismissed the remaining men with a wave of his hand. Before any of them were out he had already signaled you to enter the room. You moved picking up your cup and folder then circled Mary's desk. "Ooo the board room today? I shall put the cleaners on sandby" You flipped her the bird as she laughed out loud "Fuck you Mary" you called over your shoulder walking towards the door. "If only you would my love~" you giggled at her shaking your head. You bit your lip watching as the men leaving the room all but jumped out of your way, not wanting to risk any contact with you especially when Bruce was watching them like a hawk....And in what they precived as a bad mood. The last man held the door open for you as you entered you nodded to him. "Thank you" he stuttered flushing as you smiled "Y-your welcome" he quickly left the room almost tripping over his feet as Bruce's gaze scalded his back.

You walked forward towards him as he spun his chair to face you a devious smirk on his face man spreading with his hands resting just above his crotch. "Well what do we have here?..Heels? Pantsuit? And no doubt that folder's holding the little ladies resumé..." you squinted at him playfully and recived a wink in return. So thats how he wants to play it today?. You smiled you'd play along. You moved standing taller. Prouder. "Of course Mr Wayne...Would you like a peek?" Your words rolled off the tongue in a sultry voice full of promise. He moved holding out a hand for you to place the folder in it. "Only if your offering Mrs?" "Miss Cooke with an E and if I wasn't offering I wouldn't be here I assure you" he chuckled a deep smug sound that made your knees quiver slighltly as you played along with him. He hummed flicking open the folder scanning the documents. Your heart sped up as his smirk got wider and wider untill he was grinning like a cheshire cat. "Very impressive...Your Boyfriend must be proud of you for such an acomplishment" you giggled taking a step closer to him. "I'd like to think so Mr Wayne" you grinned yourself as you saw him stiffen at you calling him his title. He quickly flipped the folder closed and let hit fall onto the huge table with a slap. "I would say most definetly...I wonder what he would think? you being here at my disposal?" you sucked through your teeth. "Well he is a man in uniform, bit of a brute at times but there are ways to placate him, I'm sure I can persuade him ~ if I think the reward is great enough" he chuckled shaking his head and gave a lopsided grin before speaking in a gravley tone low and tempting. "Oh I assures you miss Cooke it will be worth it~" you moved forward leaning on the table infront of him hands gripping the sides and leaned down bending at the waist holding his gaze before trailing down to his crotch then back up smirking. "Ha! come now Mr Wayne...There are certain things we both know money can't buy~" he moved forward to capture your lips but you dodged him swiftly. He growled and leaned back taking a quick glance to the door seeing Mary had gone...The elevator light red signaling noone was going to reach this floor until he reactivated it, a very good investment if he did say so himself!. He turned to you smirking knowing just how this will play out. He moved a hand capruting your bottom lip with his thumb you licked at him making him humm, then you pulled it into your mouth watching him closely as you wrapped your tongue around him lapping and massaging it he smirked and pressed down lightly making you moan and suck harshly. "..So a sharp tongue...Not to sharp, you mouth will come in handy" you hummed a a small giggle around his digit and bit lightly running your teeth over him as he withdrew you winked at him playfully smaking your lips at him. He rolled his eye before snapping back into 'boss mode' crossing his arms over his chest leaning into the plush leather chair rolling it back a foot or so, taking his time to drink in the sight of you. Leaning back on the table he was about to make a mess of~ the pant suit definitely accentuated your curves the top button of the jacket fighting to contain your breasts he knew were being held high by a balcony bra just below... He grunted raising in his seat trying to catch a peek of the deep cleavage the bra produced but nope...Nothing the shirt you wore was large and fit snugly but sadly there were none of the dreaded button gaps for him you use as his own private little peep show. "I can see you have the skills for the most part...However there are some...Personal aspects to the position I can't have just anybody as my assistant, they have to have a drive...A willingness to do anything it takes to get the job done...Tell me Miss Cooke could you see yourself going the distance....The whole nine yards so to speak?" You snorted at him and tried swollowing a chuckle...You tired to hold it in but you couldn't. He smiled dropping his roleplay for a second shaking his head at you but quickly you found your composure and stood straight. "I think nine is pushing it~" he frowned at you playfully and crooked a finger with a sly look. "Oh really what ever happened to 'oh Bruce its in my tummy~'" you gasped horrified as he tried mimicking a high moan...You have never said that!....Well you don't think you had to be honest when your fucking him you never really know what's coming out of your mouth... "YOU?! I have never said that....Have I?" He through his head back laughing loud echoing through the large empty space. "No but you've thought it~ I can tell...Either way my sweet little woman why don't we see if its possible~ see if you can back up those words" you shook your head blushing it was completely possible youd screamed that out at him. And the idea you could have shamed and aroused you. "...I'm sure I could handle anything your dishing out Mr Wayne." He groaned moving his hands away from his stomach reajusting himself tugging his belt. You flushed when his hand rose quickly pulling your shirt from your pants he chuckled seeing how far it fell... It was definitely one of his, that would be why there was no tugging on the buttons you smiled shyly. "Your Boyfriends?" And just like that the game was back on track. You moved twiddling the lower buttons of the shirt a little embarassed about stealing it this morning. "W-well Mr Wayne today was a big day...Its intimidating coming here, standing on my own two feet...His scent calms me down I feel safe" he smiled softly before slowly popping the buttons on the suit jacket pulling it off and letting it fall to the floor behind you he burst out laughing as the sleeves of his shirt fell down a good few inches over your hands as the jacket wasnt holding them up and longer. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!" He moved forward kissing you softly. "Sorry sweets...You just look so cute!" You pouted as he ran his hands across you slowly pulling the shirt up snaking a hand the the side zipper of the trousers and with a quick flick of his wrist the heavy fabric fell to the floor with a soft thump.

He moved back taking a moment to admire you standing in just his shirt and underwear before him. It looked like a dress how you smoothly tucked it in, he didnt have a clue he groand and bit his lip then moved. He rolled the chair back towards you and pressed you to sit on the table. You half expected him to slip his hands under your ass and drag down your panties but he didn't. He pushed both feet to rest on the egde of the table forcing you to lean back and catch yourself on your hands. "Bruce?" His eyes flicked up to your uncertain gaze he just grinned wickedly and winked at you. "Hold still Miss Cooke~" and with that he moved his hands from the bottom of your legs, running his fingertips along your calfs making you shiver as he formed goosebumps on the skin, your breath hitched when he continued dragging them along your soft thighs down towards your center. Your pussy clenched and you moaned softly almost trying to rock towards him but you held back not moving you didnt' was to fall off the table. You flushed heart racing and your pussy wept onto the cotton making you whine knowing it wouldn't be long befor he noticed. Bruce chuckled at your little whines and soft pants as he bypassed your center and cupped the top of your thighs moving to your hips rubbing slow warm circles before retracing his movements coming back to the soft pudgy thighs then up. He moved again skipping your hot wanting center and began undoing the buttons of his shirt that was draped over you stoping just under your bust and flicking it behinde you pulling it from under your ass roughly causing you to squeak as your heated skin hit the cool pollished wood. He chuckled and moved his hand cupping your throbbing center teasing the wet hole with a firm rub of his fingers squeazing you and circling the damp patch on your undies prodding shallow teasing thrusts. You through your head back and moaned as his hand continued rolling and rubbing the flexing muscles, it was incredible each and every time this man touched you but there something about him groping you through the layers of your clothes...Something taboo about being made to mess your underwear ,drenching them through. He moved flexing his strong hand squeezing your cunt. In a delicious possessive fashion. You grunted and rocked towards him the friction of your panties rubbing your clit, the warmth of his hand adding to the sensations. Your body was hot already the anticipation of things to come making you pants and breaths hitch his flicking and playing with your growing arousal smearing the small flood with his fingers dragging it across the gusset of your panties in deliberate strokes. "Ive never made you mess your panties before~ would you like that? For me to make you cum? Make you soak them through?" You bit your lip closing your eyes and gyrated your hips against him trying to chase an orgasm that was building far to slowly for your liking. You nodded clenching your fists into his shirt whining as the very first trembles began and you began hearing the your wetness againt his hand on the thin material. "Oh? You like that idea baby? For me to force you to cum? Force you to gush inside these cute little panties all over the table? The table where all the important meetings are held? Let your cum stain the wood right here? Right were I sit and work?" You nodded quickly gasping as his hot palm pulled back, you didn't have a chance to whine as he lifted it and gave a cupped plam slap to your whole wet center. The sharp slap made you jump rocking into him with a gruntal moan. He chuckled again then slapped quicker making you tremble. "FUCK! BRU-bruce! AH SH-IT PLEASE-please fuck please more~" he chuckled moving his other hand around your throat and squeezed just enough to make your breathes deeper. And slapped your pussy harder making it sting. You cried out nevertheless in lewd moans curling forward each slap left a sting that added to the warm hum of you nerves, insides protesting to being empty as they coiled and tensed. There was a knot deep inside that was pulled tighter and tighter with each movement he made mastering your insides without even touching them. A skill you hadn't truly accepted until now as he toyed with you. "Now now~ is that anyway to call out for your new boss, you should ask nicely.?.Be polite" you shook your head as he slapped again this time keeping it there and rubbed harsher and faster then before concentrating on your erect bud that pressed on the cotton. You bucked one foot slipping but bruce was quick leaning a knee on the table taking the weight of the foot keeping you open and still with a chuckle. He watched as tears began falling from your eyes...You were close so close he could tell. He tipped his hand rubbing the heel of his palm to your clit rubbing violently curling his fingers digging them over your hole pressing harder on the sensitive petals just below. "FuckFUCFUCK NOOO-I'M SORRY SIR! PLEASE MR WAYNE UGHAH AH oh-oh shit plea-please Mr Wayne please sir!" He smiled pressing his hand flat then began patting you quickly making you moan loudly. You closed your eyes pushing your hips towards him crying out as he sped up. Each well placed pat sent tremors up and down your spine you withered, legs tensing and untensing as you tried tochase the high. Your pussy grew warmer and yout breathes sharp. The tell tale signs of an impending orgasm that had crept up on you. "AH-FUCK PLE-PLEASE SIR PLEASE-MR WAYNE UGH-FUUUUGH SHIT PLEASE PLEASE MR WAYNE PLEEAASE!" He smirked and moved faster alternating his rubs and flicks with varying slaps and pinched your body tensed and arched painfully as you crieds out as he drove you higher and higher. "Thats it baby~.....Fuck you look so gorgeous, fucking incredible...Cum! I want you to cum inside those little panties all over my desk baby....Thats it all over Mr Waynes spot~ Good girl!" You choked out moans and grunts your body was shivering and your lust boiled in your tummy and finally with one final harsh wet slap you came loudly throwing yourself back at the force. Bruce barely captured you to soften your fall gently placing you to lie back on the desk ass only just on it. You cried out gyrating against Bruces still patting hand closing your eyes as your body let go falling over the edge of ecstasy. Your mind was blank...Black and there was nothing but the hot wave the full body rush that completely wiped you out leaving you very messy and satisfied.

You laid there panting looking to the ceiling with blurry eyes,you were crying softly and you was sure why. You felt the aftermath your body loose and trembling. You could faintly hear Bruces chuckles in the back ground over your harsh panting. "And that my love is how to cum hard...Shit what even set that one off?" He asked but you just hummed reaching out for him he chuckled and moved closer tugging you down the table, ass just hanging off the edge. You tilted your head up warily eyeing him and sighed flopping back down seeing him loosening his belt with one hand. The next thing you knew he had stepped between your spread thighs smooting his palms over them massaging the still trembling muscles. "Got you good huh babe?" You grunted which resulted in a kiss on your stomach from him. You frowned when he moved closer to line himself up. "Bruce I've got my-" he looked up at you winking and gave a cheeky smile hooking fingers in the side of our gusset. "I know...Wanna fuck with them on for a change...Got a thin for panties at the mineut" you flushed turning your head to the side watching his hands as theymoved to hold you. You were still far to exhausted to move. He just smiled and watched as he hooked the panties to the side. The way they moved made your pussy look plump and fucking perfect! As much as he wanted to feast on the perfectly smooth peach he had other matters to attend.

Bruce grunted letting the crown of his cock brush the wet silken folds, he almost loved this more then fucking you. The intimacy of him just ghosting your body, teasing you with his own cock watching as your tiny body swallowed him. He shuddered and dipped down finding the luxurious slit. Without wasting time he plowed into you. You grunted as he entered you pressing fast and hard you felt as your walls gave way, molding to his girth like always. You'd never get enough! This man was so incredibly intoxicating it was unreal. You moan high as he moved forward putting his weight on his cock he throbbed inside of you, the thick veins almost acting as a pulsing vibrator humming against your still tender nerves ignighting them all over again. He grunted pressing his balls to your pelvis then pulled back only to ram harder. You screeched moving your hands to his wrists as he place his heavy palms on your hips and began tugging you towards him. Soon he found his rhythm a fast unrelenting pace driven by his own impending release. You whined and melwed at ever push and pull his cock was spearin into you, massaging your g spot maing you see stars then finishingneach thrust at your cervix. The almost unbearable mix of pleasure and pain was to much and you screamed throwing your head back and forth spurred on by his growls as his voice got lost. Feral sounds come from him vibrating the air around you as he pounded away determined.

Your body was screaming, it wanted release, it wanted more..And it wanted to rest you trembled knees knocking against his pistoning hips as your insides clutched at him sucking him tighter and tighter then without warning you fell again. This time was much more intense your whole body locked almost cramping and tremblingat thesametime, you couldnt move, or speak you just looked up wide eyed as waves of ecstasy rolled over you. Bruce through his head back with a victorious shout you vaguely felt his balls rise and tighten against you ass then he released inside of you grunting and rutting as he caem drawing it out as mich as he could then finally came to a halt and fell over you.

You panted weeping quietly moving to wipe your face and press our hair back. He arched over you kissing you slow a sensually no tongues nothing lewd just open mouthed kisses pouring his love into you in the best way he knew how. He pulled back looking to you then laughed. "Wow...That was better then I imagined" you nodded agreeing with him and pushed him back. "Babe...My panties are hurting me can you?" He jumped back quickly swiftly removjn him self and tucked himself away whilst pulling your panties back over our center. He patted our mound casually making you jolt and whine. "Bruuuce! No its sensitive!" He smiled eyeing your pussy, even through the wet material he could still tell it was a very happy freshy fucking little pussy! Swollen and pink! Just how he liked it. He moved pulling your trousers to your ankles chuckling. "Two...Three at once!" You frowned for a second then your face dropped...The list. You rolled your eyes and sat up leaning on unsteady arms and watched as he rolled up the trousers pulling then up to your knees. "Okay what were they?" He smiled slyly and hooked an arm around your waist sliding you off the table onto your feet. You staggered in the heels and grabbed his shoulders as he settled your weight onto his chest pulling the trousers up over your ass and zipped them up. "Board room, cum in your panties and fuck you in your fuck me heels! Three down in one hit!" You chuckled up at him as he explained smugly he was definitely proud of this one. You turned faceing the now desecrated table and flinched. Now that was a fucking mess! You turned glaring at him motioning a hand to the puddle. "Bruce -I you? Fuck it you don't care do you?...Nope didn't think so...Fuck my legs are still like jelly!" He grinned and wriggled his eyebrows at you. "Sooo you wont get very far if I said I'm ready for round two?~" you gaped at him instantly looking to his crotch he laughed waving you off. "Not really sweets...Lets go home, we could test out the jets in the bath, its supposed to give you a 'real massage experience'" you frowned at him as he scooped ou up swiping your bag and court settlement the began leaving the room walking down to the private elevator. "Jets? We had jets in the bath since when?" He flushed as he entered the elevator pressing the garage level. "Since this afternoon...I had a new let spa bath tub fitted in our suite...Damien caught us in the hot tub and yeah-" you blinked not following for a few seconds then clicked.

"HE FUCKING WHAT!? WHEN DID HE-oh my god thats what you were freaked out about!? Oh no oh god he was me-did he see me? Please tell me he didnt?!" Bruce smiled cutely walking out of the elevatore to the car it was the lamboghini again today. "No he didnt see you I covered you but...I figured it wouldnt happen if we had somewhere else with jets so new bath" you sighed nodding as he placed you down by the car then tugged at the folder. "I'm proud of you for this, so very proud you stuck to your guns and you did it alone..You've proved with this that you're not a push over , that your a strong woman .A very very stong independent woman and I am so happy for you, but most of all I'm proud that I get to call you mine!" You smiled cupping his cheek and moved in kissing him softly. "Thank you Bruce, I want to show everyone that...That I may now be considered a kept woman...But I can fight for myself, protect myself when I need to and I'm glad you let me do that you don't know how much it means for you to let me do that" he through his head back laughing loud, you didnt understand you almost felt insulted until he calmed down and cupped your head in both his hands. "I don't let you do anything love! You can do what ever you want...Fucking let you stick up for yourself? Your free to do what ever you want...You want a business? I'll get you a bussines , you want to travel? we will! I'd do anything for you I love you...Outside of the bed you are my fucking queen, but inside the sheet? Your my very own pillow princess-OUCH! FUCK SWEETS?" You swooned he could have asked for anything then and there and youd have said yes...Until the pillow princess comment. "I'm not a pillow princess! You-just your? UGH! STOP BEING SO FUCKING GOOD AND I'D BE ABLE TO THINK! AND POSSIBLY MOVE!" he laughed ou off opening the passenger side door motioning for you to get in. You rolled your eyes and they say chivalry is dead? Once seated the smiled to yourself. That was probably the most romantic thing he'd said and he had to ruin it with his typiclal bruce smug bull shit...But then again that was your Bruce. He slid into the drivers side.and you leaned over. "Hey babe?" He glanced at you as he turned the ignition reving the car to life.

"Yes my love?"

"You said anything right?" You twiddled your fingers and then move your hand to his thigh as the car began moving.

"Yes sweets anything"

"Teach me to drive-" he squinted nodding agreeing instantly as he pulled out ontothe road. "This thing" he snapped his gaze to you. What? His precious heart, his beautiful little lover, sweet girlfriend behind the wheel of a seriously powerfull supercar? His heart almost stopped at the idea. "Are-are you sure? Its a powerful car...Don’t you want me to get you something err less-" "No I love this car its the first one you drove me around in...I want to drive it Bruce" he looked to you casually and pulled out tothe main road slowly cursing himself. He was going to refuse on the grounds of your own safty but, one look at your puppydog eyes and that was it you clapped cutely with a small 'yay'... one thing was for sure before you got behinde the wheel there was going to be some serious automatic breaking sensors put on...and a fucking speed limiter....and bullet proof windows and panels....Maybe some traker devices to...Like the one in your bracelet. "Babe I can here you thinking...Its just a car love don't...Don't go 'batting' it out okay?" Bruce didn't look at you as he drove on just a vaguely familiar hmm that meant he was pretending to agree with you...Or not listening one of the two his hmm's are all very similar.

#bruce wayne smut #bruce wayne imagine #bruce wayne fic #bruce wayne x reader #bruce wayne x you #dc imagine #dc x reader #dc x you #bruce wayne x batmom #bruce wayne x y/n

516 notes · View notes