always by your side

Drive ♡*.✧

➥ pairing: Lee Minho x F!Reader

➥ genre: smut, 18- DNI

➥ synopsis: after a sudden change in weather, minho picks you up to drive you home. however, you had other ideas

➥ warnings: smut, unprotected sex, car sex, public sex, blowjob, throat fucking, riding, pet names [ kitten, babe ], creampie – if i missed any, lmk

➥ words: 4.1k

➥ a/n: i haven't been feeling motivated lately, self doubt and all, im doubting whether to post this tbh. but here is a little something. im going to go back to jamming to MAXIDENT. hopefully i'll be feeling like myself again but in the meantime, enjoy. [ repost bc i fixed my tags. ty for being patient & understanding ]

Feedback and reblogs are highly advised and appreciated!

➥ m.list  

Strolling through the freezer section, you hummed softly to yourself. Your eyes darted along the various frozen foods until they landed on your favourite section – ice creams

You grinned, doing a mini hop to the freezer and opening the tall door. The ice cold air hitting your face creating goosebumps along your skin. you let out a small 'brr' as you grabbed your favourite flavour of ice-cream, letting the door spring close.

You beamed, happy that you were finally able to get what you have been craving for days. As you walked to the cashier, the pet aisle caught the corner of your eye

You walked down it, the shelves decorated with dog and cat food, treats, litter, toys and accessories. You stopped at the accessories, eyes scanning along the various collars. Red, white, black, pink, orange. Some with bells and bows, some without.

You hummed to yourself thinking of what to choose. You settled on one black with a bell and two orange, one with a bow and one without

"Perfect." You grinned. You walked to the cashier, paying for your items before walking out of the store. As soon as your foot hit the concrete, a downpour of rain started.

'Oh no!" You whined. The smell of wet concrete hitting your nostrils as you watch the rain become heavy, bouncing off the concrete. A burst of cold air flowed through you making you shiver.

With your apartment being a one hour walk and the next bus arriving in thirty minutes, there was no chance you would brave the rain, not without an umbrella at least.

You put the cat collars in your pocket, fishing around for your phone in the process. You opened up your messages, opening up your conversations between you and your boyfriend – Minho

you: helppppppp 😭

my love 😻: What's up? Are you okay, kitten?

you: It's raining and i don't have an umbrella 😭

my love 😻: bus?

you: it arrives in 30 mins 🥺

my love 😻: hide under a bus shelter or something?

you: 😑 can't you like, pick me up?

my love 😻: now?

you: duh! yes now!

my love 😻: im busy, kitten

you: then become unbusy! what if i get sick? then you will have to look after me and we won't be able to do anything 😉😇

my love 😻: what do you mean?

you: 👉🏼👌🏼💦

my love 😻: fuck.. okay okay. I'll come get you. where are you?

you: the grocery store

my love 😻: okay. stay there. I'll be there in 5

True to his word, Minho arrived in 5 minutes. You ran to his car, hands above your head in a makeshift umbrella. The rain was heavy, indicating that a possible storm was approaching. You got in the passenger side and smiled at your boyfriend.

Minho was wearing blue denim jeans and a matching jacket. His jeans were tight, showing off his dancer thighs extremely well, a white t-shirt underneath with tanned coloured boots and freshly dyed black hair styled with curls, he looked so divine to you – it took all your willpower to not pounce on him there and then.

Minho looked over at you, keeping one hand on the wheel. Your clothing was soaked, sticking to your skin. Your face was shiny from the rain water as your hair was wet, droplets of water dripping from the ends of your hair.

Minho raised his brow, slowly checking you out. You shifted in your seat feeling small from his piercing gaze.

"Are you just going to stare at me or?" You questioned. Minho chuckled.

"Well, the only time I ever see you wet." Minho smirked, emphasizing the word wet "is when you're in the shower. So seeing you like this is a turn on."

You blushed a deep shade of red, putting your seatbelt on and placing your ice-cream by your feet. "Shut up and take me home." You mumbled. Minho smirked and laughed, driving out of the parking lot.

A silence fell upon you both, one that didn't feel awkward but comfortable. Being in Minho's presence is enough for you to feel love and wanted – he didn't need to express it through words

The way Minho shows his love is different from what you're used to. Many people show it through words and gifts. "you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." "Here, I bought you roses." but Minho has a subtle way of showing his love.

Although you weren't used to it at first, you soon learnt that it was the littlest of things that count. You were sick? Minho would be the first person to be at your door with a bag full of remedies. He would scold you for not taking care of your health, telling you it's important.

You once questioned him why he never bought you chocolate or roses or even a teddy.

"You'll eat the chocolates in 5 seconds, the bear will just sit on the bed and be useless and roses die too fast. If I wanted to give you a gift, I would take you somewhere where we could make memories together, something that feels more precious than some cheap shop bought roses."

That's when you learnt Minho has his own love language and even though it's not what most people are used to, you are and you wouldn't have it any other way.

You love Minho and you know he loves you too – he doesn't need to prove that with some cheap roses.

The sound of the rain hitting the car roof was comforting. The windscreen wipers at max speed. It was rush hour so many people were getting impatient, beeping their horns and shouting at others. You shivered, goosebumps rising on your skin as the rain water began to dry up.

"You cold, kitten?" Minho asked, noticing the way you shivered. You nodded slowly. Minho turned on the heating, the warm air warming you up slowly.

"Thank you, babe."

"No problem Kitten. You can always turn it on, you know. I know it's my car but you know that what's mine is yours." You smiled softly at him, heart swelling with love and admiration for him as you looked at his soft features. His eyes focused on the road, one hand on his thigh whilst the other was on the wheel.

"I know babe." You put your hands in your pocket, feeling the collars you placed in there earlier "Oh!" You shouted excitedly, making Minho jump and blink, his eyes flickering to you for a split second.

"I found these!" Minho stopped at a red light, looking over at you as you pulled the collars out of your pocket, holding them up and beaming brightly. "Aren't they cute!"

"they're a little bit small for you, kitten." Minho winked. you playfully punched his arm, cheeks turning a bright pink.

"They're not for me silly! For soonie, Doongie and Dori!"

"Kitten, they're so sweet but you know they don't like collars all that much." You pouted, placing the collars on the console before sitting back in your seat

"I know but I instantly thought of them when I saw them."

"I know kitten. It's very sweet and thoughtful of you, so thank you." Minho placed his hand on your thigh, stroking it softly with his thumb whilst occasionally squeezing the flesh.

His touch sent electric shocks to travel all over your body. It was embarrassing to how, with just one touch, you're putty in his hands. You couldn't resist him, no matter how hard you try and especially today, when he looks so divine to you.

Minho's focus resumed back on the road, his hand staying put on your thigh. You pressed your lips together in a thin like, looking out of the window watching the water droplets travel down the window.

Minho's hand travelled further up your thigh, his fingertips ghosting your skin. A simple, innocent action it may seem to him, but to you, he was getting dangerously close. Your mind starting whirling with thoughts, thoughts about his fingers pumping inside you, curling against your walls.

How his eyes would be on you at all time, dark and full of lust. Dirty words escaping past his lips, making you squirm. You caught your bottom lip between your teeth, biting hard as your skin got hot to the touch.

"You okay, Kitten? You feel a little warm." You dared look at him because you knew he knew what he was doing and the effect it has on you. You knew just as much as he did that one look was all it would take for you to melt.

"I'm okay." You tried to convince Minho, not letting him have the upper hand and knowing the current hold he has on you. You looked at him, placing a hand on his thigh.

This time, it was Minho who bit his lip, his eyes glancing down at your hand. You mimicked his own movements, stroking up and down his thigh, traveling further and further up until you was dangerously close to his crotch.

"Kitten." Minho spoke sternly, warning you. You looked at him with innocent, doll like eyes.

"What's up, Minho?" You asked, innocently. You ghosted your fingertips across his crotch, feeling his cock. Minho swallowed, his adams apple bobbing up and down.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Touching you." You said, nonchalantly. Minho groaned softly, struggling to maintain his eyes on the road ahead. You squeezed his thighs, feeling how thick they are beneath your hands

"Gosh Minho. I love your thighs." You mewled

"You do?" His eyes cocked up

"Mhm. I love how thick they are. They're so muscular and sturdy. They feel really good when I ride them, grinding my pussy along them slowly. Bucking my hips as you tense your thighs. It's so – blissful." You mewled, smirking as you felt his cock twitch against your hand.

Minho let out shaky breaths, his hand gripping the steering wheel. his jaw muscles visible clenching at the sides.

"Kitten, you know the rules."

"Do I?" You looked at him with your innocent doll eyes, fluttering them. Minho glanced at you and let out a shaky sigh. It was clear to you that he was struggling to maintain his composure.

"Don't start something if you're not going to follow through with it." Minho growled. You mewled softly at his growl. You pressed your legs together, rubbing them to create friction.

You unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans, pulling his cock out of its restraints. Minho sighed softly at the release. You licked your lips as you eyes his cock up and down slowly. A good length with thickness. His tip was red and shining due to the pre-cum spilling out of his slit. His veins prominent on the sides, fading at the tip.

You swallowed, wrapping your hand around him. His skin felt hot against the palm of your hand. You let out a shaky breath, eyes fixated on his throbbing cock. Your breathing slowly became laboured as lust ran straight to your core.

You rubbed his tip with the pad of your thumb, smearing the bead of pre-cum over his tip. You hummed in satisfaction as Minho let out a throaty groan, hips bucking slightly. You ran your fingernail across his slit gently and slowly before wrapping your hand around him, pumping him slowly.

Minho was slowly losing his patience. Your small hand on his cock, fingers barely wrapped around him. He loves it so much. His hand gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. His hips bucking in your hand, his lips in a thin line as he struggled to focus.

"Ah shit." He mumbled under his breath taking a sharp turn on the road. You continued to rub your thighs together, pining softly.

Minho pulled up at a busy car park, turning off the engine and slouching in his seat. His gaze turned to you and you shivered. His eyes were so dark with lust, it almost scared you. The change in atmosphere made you shift in your seat.

Grabbing your wrist, he brung your hand to his mouth, kissing the palms before kissing each finger individually, his eyes locked onto yours.

"Well, are you going to finish what you started or am I just going to sit here with my hard cock out?"

"Of course not. You should know by now that I always finish what I started, Minho." You winked. You unbuckled yourself and leant over to him. You started of by kitten licking his tip, his salty flavour coating your tongue.

You hummed at the taste, wrapping your hand around his base. You have him gentle and slow tugs as spat on his cock head. A string of your saliva slowly falling and detaching from your mouth, landing on his cock head. You licked your lips, watching it roll down the sides.

Minho hummed softly, the palm of your hand coming into contact with his tip as you used it to smear your saliva, rotating your wrist. You gently squeezed his cock head, rubbing his tip with your thumb as you applied pressure to it.

A throaty grunt left Minho, his hips bucking at the feeling. He kicked his head back against the car seat, his fingers finding their way to your hair. He tucked it behind your ear gently, his gaze never leaving you.

You looked up at him through your eyelashes, your mouth opening slowly. Minho caught his bottom lip between his teeth, anticipating your next move.

You wrapped your soft lips around his cock, the warmth and wetness of your mouth encapsulated Minho making him shiver at the feeling. You lowered your head until you had half of him stuffed in your mouth.

You hummed around his cock, loving how stuffed your mouth felt. You bobbed your head up and down slowly pressing your tongue flat against his sides. You wanted Minho to slowly get lost, to embrace the feeling of your warmth.

Your hand alternated between squeezing and massaging his balls to stroking the other half of his cock. You closed your eyes slowly, feeling yourself getting lost in pleasuring your man. Sweet groans and hums rippled from Minho's throat, his gaze never leaving you.

"C'mon kitten. I know you can take more in the little mouth of yours." your eyes fluttered open, gazing at him through your lashes. You hummed, the vibrations tickling Minho's cock.

You removed your hand, halting all movements. You flattened your tongue before slowly lowering your mouth further down. Soon, your nose hit the pit of his stomach, his cock so deep down your throat, it threatened your gag reflexes.

"That's my girl." His compliment ran down your spine and straight to your core. Compliments and praises are your weakness. Something about hearing how well you're doing made you quiver with need.

You bobbed your head up and down, allowing Minho's cock to stroke your throat. Throaty moans left your boyfriend's lips, his eyes slowly closing as he allowed himself to bask in the feeling.

"Such a pretty girl with such a filthy mouth."

He bundled up your hair in his fist, his hips suddenly thrusting upwards on their own. You whined the best you could as his cock stroked your throat, tip hitting the back over and over again.

Drool pooled at the corners of your mouth, tears lining your lower lash line. You dug your nails into his thighs as you let Minho use your throat. Strained, breathless moans rang through your ears. Minho was struggling. Struggling to keep his composure. Struggling to not shoot his load down your throat.

At this point, your panties were uncomfortably wet, sticking to your folds. The amount of lust and need you were feeling was slowly becoming unbearable. Sure, you love it when he fucked your throat, but it's not your cunt.

You pulled away from his cock with a pop. Drool coated your chin and gave his cock a light shine. His eyes slowly peeled open as he looked at your rosy cheeks.

"Minho. Please, I need you." You whined

"Need me where, kitten." His thumb grazing across your bottom lip, collecting some of your drool.

You took your pants off before sitting back in your seat, back against the car door. Your gaze never left Minho as you parted your legs giving him a full view of the large wet patch that had formed on your cotton panties.

Minho swallowed slowly, nostrils flaring as he panted slightly. Your hands travelled down your stomach to your clothed pussy. You grazed your fingertips lightly across your folds, feeling your wet patch against your fingers

"Here Minho. I need you here." You pined. The amount of lust you were feeling was making you feel sick and dizzy.

"Back seat. Now." Minho instructed. You crawled over to the back seats, Minho following shortly after. You knelt, sitting on your feet as Minho pulled his jeans and boxer shorts further down so they rested at his knees. He sat on the seat, legs spread as he lazily stroked his cock.

"Clothes off." You nodded, slowly peeling your clothes off until you were naked. Luckily for you both, Minho's car had blacked out windows but the thought of being in a busy parking lot made you quiver with lust.

"Look at you. You look oh so pretty and delicate. I cannot wait to corrupt your pretty mind, kitten." You whimpered, his hand reaching out and cupping your breast. He squeezed and massaged the flesh, occasionally rolling your hard nipple between his fingers.

"M-Minho. Please. I need you inside me so bad, it hurts! I've been needing you since I got into this car!"

Usually, Minho would tease you. Take his sweet time in sending your senses into overdrive. As much as he wants to see you squirm and beg for him to fuck you raw, he too, is also at his limit.

"Come here, kitten." you crawled over to him, straddling his waist as you held onto his shoulders. You core hovering over his cock, his tip threatening to enter you.

"Help me Minho. It's unbearable" You begged. Minho captured your lips, kissing you sloppily. There was no coordination in the kiss, just teeth and tongue crashing against one another and the feeling of hunger for one another mutual.

You reached behind you, grabbing the base of Minho's cock and guiding it towards your entrance. You slowly lowered yourself, hissing at the burn as his cock stretched you. You lowered yourself until all his length was deep inside you.

Minho pulled away from your lips, attaching them to your neck. You shuddered at the feeling as he sucked and kissed your delicate skin. Purple bruises slowly forming as you lifted your hips up and slamming yourself back down. You both moaned in unison, Minho's hands flying to your waist, holding it tightly.

You picked up the pace as you felt yourself getting used to his size, your pussy loosening with each bounce. The burn subsided, pleasure taking over. You gripped onto his shoulders, using him as leverage as you picked up the pace.

"Fuck me. So good. So deep!" His cock stroked your walls, tip hitting deep inside you. Minho kicked his head back, basking in the feeling. He licked his lips at the sight of you riding his cock. Your cheeks rosy pink, mouth hung open as your breasts bounced freely.

"Your pussy is so tight, kitten. I can never get used to this feeling."

You hummed before halting your movements. Minho gave you a questioning look as you smirked. You leant back a little, slowly moving your hips back and forth. Minho let out the most delicious, sinful moan making your core quiver with lust and excitement

"Fuck, fuck. Kitten, fuck!!"

"Feeling good, babe?" You smirked, knowing full well what his answer will be. He squeezed his eyes shut, his hands still on your waist helping you with your movements. His lips parted as he panted softly. A thin layer of sweat coated his forehead, his hair sticking to it.

It's a beautiful sight to see and you thank the heavens above that only you can witness this beautiful man crumble beneath you.

You rocked your hips back and forth faster, moaning at the feeling as Minho was losing his composure – slowly but surely

"Fuck, kitten. I can't. I'm sorry." His eyes peeled open slowly as you looked at him confused

"What do you have to be so–" You didn't get a chance to finish your sentence because before you knew it, you were pinned on your back on the cat seat, Minho towering over you.

He gave you a seductive and dangerous look – a look that could kill a man. He took his jacket off letting it fall down his arms and onto the floor. His t-shirt soon followed. Your eyes scanned his chest and abs, practically mewling at the sight.

Grabbing your legs and parting them wide, Minho pushed himself inside you, bottoming out. You moaned loudly, his hips moving in powerful and relentless thrusts. His cock stroked your walls with each powerful thrust, tip hitting your deepest parts.

You moaned loudly, not caring that the outside world could possibly hear you. You were so lost in the pleasure that you almost wanted to be heard. You wanted people to know how good you was being fucked, you wanted to make people jealous.

"Good. So good."

"M-Mhm. I'm not going to lie kitten, but I don't think I'll be able to last for much longer."

"M-Me neither, Minho."

Minho let go off your legs, leaning over you as his hands planted against your head on the car seat. You wrapped your legs around his waist, keeping him close to you. His hips making quick work on you.

Your slick coated his cock with each pull and push. Pants and moans mixing together with skin slapping against each other harshly. The wet sounds coming from your pussy rang in Minho's ears, making his cock twitch inside you.

You gripped onto his biceps, digging your nails into the skin. He looked so beautiful and out of it. His hair wet with sweat from sticking to his forehead, beads of sweat rolling down his temples. The air was thick and humid making it impossible to breathe whilst making you feel dizzy. The car windows steaming up from the humidity.

"I can't. Kitten, I can't. I'm so close." Minho whimpered, his movements becoming sloppy. You felt it too, the knot in your stomach tightening with each thrust. "You look so perfect to me, kitten that I can't hold it no more. I'm going insane for you."

"Me too Minho. I've been wanting you since i got in the car. Everything about you drives me insane. Your looks, your cute little habits that you have, your scent, your voice – fuck, you're driving me insane, baby."

Minho hummed, nodding slowly in agreement. His head hung low as his hands balled into fists beside your head. His thighs shaking and burning from tensing so much.

"Kitten, I can't–" Minho looked at you with desperation.

"It's okay, baby. Don't hold back." You cupped his cheeks, connecting your lips together in a slow and passionate kiss.

A whine came from the back of his throat as his movements stopped. His cock buried deep inside you as he shot hot ropes of cum. You curled your toes, feeling your own orgasm washing over you. You moaned Minho's name against his lips, your cunt clamping down on his cock.

Minho shallowly thrusted inside you, your cunt clenching and releasing around him, milking him some more. Minho pulled away from your lips, soft pants hitting them as he pulled out of you slowly. He rested his sweaty forehead against yours, panting softly as he came down from his high.

"Fuck." was all he managed to choke out making you laugh softly. He gave you a delicate kiss before pulling away from you. You sat up slowly, whimpering as you felt some of his cum slowly trickle out off you

"Sorry, kitten." Minho said sheepishly, feeling somewhat guilty. You shook your head slowly

"Don't be sorry, babe. I loved it." Minho gave you a soft smile, kissing your forehead gently before getting dressed. You did the same, crawling back to the front and sitting in the passenger side as Minho sat in the drivers side again.

You picked up your ice-cream, pouting as you looked at it with a sullen look.

"What's up kitten?"

"My ice-cream has melted." Minho laughed softly, his perfect bunny teeth on display

"Don't worry kitten. There's plenty of ice-cream back at mine. That is if you want to stay over" You beamed brightly, nodding your head fast, causing Minho to chuckle.

"Absolutely!!"

Flickering Lights Always Watch Those Who Are About to Drown

(A short story as a small thank you and a celebration for 100 followers which happened some while ago. I know, I'm late, hehe. Again, thanks a lot!)

Ulfrika slowly made her way through the narrow street filled with litter and flickering street lamps. The old newspapers, used napkins, even reeking clothes not only constantly posed themselves in the doctor’s way, they also gave the street its distinct smell. Sour, humid, dirty. One that makes a person bend forward and throw up between the two blue garbage cans with suspicious rustling coming from inside.

Despite her narrow nose being quite proficient, she did not mind the circumstances. In fact, she came to tolerate, no, she came to respect the gloomy atmosphere of the path to her flat once her work shift at the hospital ended. Certainly, she could easily take the tram and be at home much faster. But walking was something that offered more freedom for her thoughts to rise from under the hardened crust of her mind.

The first quarter of the moon watched the concrete sentinels as the strict mask of the daytime city began to unravel in the pure chaos. Silver threads of the light equally shone on Ulfrika’s lanky shoulders and thick brown hair she let slither by the sides of her sunken cheeks. A pleasant tickling for sure. So much different from the cold freezers she worked with but still not as quite right as the fur of her loyal companion. A deep sigh. Oh, how much she missed her dearest friends!

The dry skin of her fingers easily matched the colour of the distant celestial body. Those fingers, so long and unnaturally thin, hold the cigarette firmly as if she were still wielding a scalpel instead.

She took another puff and snorted. A bad habit for a person, even worse for a doctor and yet she couldn’t bring herself to care less. After all, her only patients were corpses waiting for a trustworthy autopsy.

She thought further as she finally walked out of the uncertain shadows and quickly crossed the road before another moron didn’t stick with the speed limit.

Her lips moved in silence, all the words she thought were only painted in her deep eyes,“I suppose those cadavers have to be just as patient as I am every month so I can see my paycheck…“

Somebody honked the horn behind her back. Yet, she did not turn. Her legs were as if on an autopilot, always driving forward, never back. Shiny shop windows cast white and yellow, rarely orange, light on the pavement where her feet briskly but inaudibly trod. The further she went, new colours, signs, bars, shops, kiosks and other wonders emerged from the dull background. More and more people, demons and spirits were passing by her. The mass of strangers drowning in ecstasy of a late evening moved like a wild river.

It was all so strange, familiar, distant and close, too fast and still so slow for her to ignore. What was that ‘it’, though? She herself didn’t know the answer. The feeling, the smells mixing in the air of the colourful street, the goosebumps on her skin while the warmth underneath the long jacket with a hood persisted… Or was it the noise ringing, drumming on her eardrums, the smoke pleasantly burning her lungs, one of the few things that had made her feel something, anything, these last few months. Or was it years? Again, the doctor was unsure. Ulfrika stopped counting a long time ago.

Even though the majority of people around were heavily intoxicated, laughing and chatting or vomiting by the corner, a small crew standing by the staircase of a pub let their gaze linger on the half-breed for too long. A woman no more than twenty five narrowed her eyes and focused on Ulfrika’s distant face. Immediately, those eyes widened in horror as the woman turned to her friends. When her trembling index poked back to the spot, the pale doctor was no longer there.

Ulfrika quickened her pace and threw the dark hood over her head so the shadows could consume her once more. The gesture wasn’t done by her out of fear. Thick eyebrows furrowed, although beneath them her abysmal eyes, so deep and dark and eternal, kept their emptiness as if the outer world could not possibly penetrate the stone visage.

The day’s been hard. Too many traffic accidents have occurred lately. The memory of a proper lunch was too hazy. Her back was arched the whole time and her hands in a constant cautious motion. Not to mention all the paperwork. What was worse, the smouldering end of her cigarette is now slowly dying. Unnecessary trouble was the last thing she needed at that moment, though they were not more than flies buzzing around her ear.

At last, she saw a corner with a convenience store. The sign in the shape of a smiling cartoon dog, a colourful portrait of the owner’s pet friend, flickered then came back. Snacks and drinks were gazing into the quiet part of the quarter and also right into Ulfrika’s growling stomach.

She turned to the left around the corner and continued. The low dike with a pavement created a border between the sleepy street and a slowly flowing river. Its river bed was small, not much of a threat to the citizens. Only to the crickets on the opposite shore which were hiding in the thick bushes and whose chirps were on par with the river’s humming. The waves licked the protruding stones and rocks, the water teeth bit into the floating logs and twigs.

The strange cradle created by the nearby nature as well as the city rocked Ulfrika’s sleepy mind. The doctor was adamant to reach her home, her bed with a simple pillow where her pets would snuggle close to her side. Brisk steps went quicker and quicker. Her inhales were deep and exhales powerful. Small clouds of breathed out autumn air surrounded her nose.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. Her ears pricked up.

A whimper. A weak, silent whimper carried by the soft breeze. It sounded sorrowful, frightened. But where was the source of it?

Ulfrika followed the sound. In a matter of a few minutes she noticed a small paper box from shoes stuck in the shallow waters as she leaned over the old handrail, its metal surface matching the coldness of her own skin upon the touch. She put down her hood and listened further. Truly, the drenched box was making those noises. Or whatever that was inside.

She had a guess, though.

She hung her warm jacket over the metal tube with a flaked colour and jumped over the barrier. Carefully sliding down the hill, Ulfrika landed right beside the rock formation. The cardboard box was now floating in the cold water only a short distance away. A distance she could easily overcome by four long steps.

The street lamp’s light didn’t quite reach her but the moon was bright, the sky cloudless and her sight eerily sharp. Ulfrika carefully entered the cold stream. Her steps were slow as she didn’t wish to experience a hard fall on the slippery surface. Only when she was waist deep in the freezing stream did she manage to reach her goal. Picking up the item, she smelt it while returning to the shore. Wet fur.

Long nails found no obstacle in the duct tape around. She ripped open the upper part and curiously peeked inside.

In the corner, a tiny shivering and yowling puppy was looking back at her. Its fearful dark eyes were gazing up from under the large floppy ears. The muzzle was covered in deep scars, the upper lip carried a deep cut which revealed a set of teeth and swollen gums. There were several places on the pup’s neck where its caramel brown fur was missing. The black back was no different with the bald spots and the lifted paw marked a rough fate as well.

“Poor baby…“ Ulfrika sighed as her brows furrowed all the while a web of wrinkles emerged on her pale forehead.

The little puppy whined once again, demanding safety far away from the cold flowing abyss where it had been thrown.

“Let’s get you out of here, alright?“ She slowly returned to the shore and climbed up. Finally, after reaching a safe spot under the white light of the street lamp, she carefully took out the puppy. At first, the defenceless creature snapped its miniature jaw in hopes of biting the doctor. Ulfrika didn’t mind though. The only thing she dropped was the old cardboard. Her deep soothing voice reached out,“Hush, little one. You’re safe now. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. But you just need to trust me a bit. I understand it’s a tough decision. But you have to try. Can you do that?“

The dog in her hand went silent and tilted the head as if it really understood the gentle words, although there was always the mark of undying untrust in the creature’s look.

The doctor wrapped the puppy in her jacket and approached the nearby convenience store while the wind rose up and harshly hit her from behind. Dark hair floated as the whipping tongues of the autumn glided by her. Her head resembled a wretched beast from the darkest abyss.

Clink! The cracked door opened, though the hinges creaked and squeaked. The wind fought its way inside, too. The force of it made the several hanging posters swing, but fortunately it wasn’t strong enough and everything stayed at its place once the doctor slammed the door behind.

Many of the items in the six thickly supplied rows shook from the impact. The glass bottles and cans clinked against the hardwood. A few plastic toys even fell to the ground, though they didn’t break. 

The sound and the sudden chill made the tiny sleeping man with thick glasses jump in his high seat behind the counter. Soon, his eyes brightened up. “Doc! Thought you ain’t coming tonight. The usual stuff? Or you finally quit the cigs?“

“I wish you a good evening, as well, friend,“ the woman bowed her head while a faint hint of a smile crossed her face. “No, I still haven’t lost interest. Yet, tonight I’m going to need some dog treats. Preferably, something really tasty. Do you happen to have some, please?“

He laughed,“Don’t tell me you’re going to spoil your dog…“

“A wolf.“

“...a wolf sooner this month. Did she learn how to speak?“

“Not yet, Mr Moore. I need them for this little silly.“ She carefully showed the old man the found puppy in her arms. The cub was beginning to doze off, however, the lamp with its orange light woke up the little one.

“What an adorable find! Even cuter than our Jimmy! Too bad the scars are so deep. Whoever was the owner had to be one terrible son of a bitch, let me tell you that.“ The man’s round cheeks puffed like pillows while he admired the creature. His sausage-like fingers went to pet the little head but he quickly retracted as the dog barked. Of course, the tremble from cold, poor treatment as well as the young age didn’t make the puppy the most dangerous looking. Mr Moore, a simple man with hair as white as snow and a warm heart, encouraged the puppy’s confidence and played along. “What a fierce guy! Once he grows up, he’ll make a terrific companion!“

“Mr Moore, please, could you find those treats? Tiru and Krabat are waiting at home for me.“ Her deep voice bounced against the cracked walls. No harshness or impatience was there. Only concern and fatigue.

“Oh, sure thing, doc!“ His short legs began to move and within a few seconds he vanished behind a thick purple curtain in the back of the room. Unlike his physical presence, his chatty personality didn’t go away. “Tiru and Krabat… Doc, I always wanted to ask ya this. How in the hell did you name those pets?! The strangest names I’ve ever heard, ain’t gonna lie to you,“ he screamed.

“Old tradition, sir. Nothing more.“

“You sure? Just like keeping a wolf and a raven? I’d expect a hamster or a turtle. Though, these guys suit your style more, I guess.“

“Excuse me, Mr Moore?“

“Oh, don’t mind me!“ The old man heartily laughed. “So, are ya keeping the little guy?“

“I’m not so sure. Would you be interested in the adoption, sir? Jimmy could use some friend now.“ Ulfrika tapped her chin. Something was missing in that eerily quiet environment. Then,it hit her. “May I ask? Where’s Jimmy?“ She looked around in hopes to find a joyful drooling head of a bulldog.

“The poor bastard’s with my wife upstairs. She hasn’t been feeling well so he sticks around. What can I add? This bloody weather ain’t good for anyone.“

“Sure. As you say.“ Ulfrika once again politely bowed, the thin but numerous strands of hair slipped to her almost black eyes.

A box of dog treats landed on the green counter. “Here you go, youngster. It’ll be…“ Mr Moore widened his eyes when thirty dollars landed beside the box.

“Please, keep the change, Mr Moore. If I may ask, please, say hello to Mrs Moore and Jimmy. I wish you a nice evening.“

“Miss Výtaušeimová! This is too much! I can’t let you go off easily!“

The gaunt doctor stopped in front of the door - a puppy in one hand, a colourful box under the other armpit. “I said keep the change, sir.“

“I…thank you, doc.“

“No. I thank you, Mr Moore. Good night.“

Checking the late night hour at the old-fashioned wall clock, she was prepared to open the door with her elbow when the shop owner called behind her for the last time. “By the way, there was a strange guy today. He didn’t buy anything. Just went straight to me and asked about you.“

“Name?“

“Said no actual name. Just that he’s your neighbour and didn’t manage to catch up to you in the morning.“

“What did he look like?“

“Sorry, doc,“ Mr Moore shrugged and pouted,“he was wearing a hoodie and kept his face down. I couldn’t see an inch of his face. But he sounded young. The youngster could be no more than eighteen or twenty. But that’s just a guess.“

“Anything else?“

“Just that he’ll try to wait for you here tomorrow in case he misses you again.“

Ulfrika paused in thought. Soon, she bowed her head and a low grunt escaped from her throat once the rabid wind hit her face.

The puppy was whining the whole way and Ulfrika did her best to soothe him. It’s been a long while since she was taking care of someone.

As if it weren’t enough, a downpour visited the dirty city for the fourth time that week. Water from deep puddles splashed around whenever a car or a bike passed by. By the end of their common way, Ulfrika’s jeans were soaking wet. Strangely, she didn’t utter a word nor did she make a sound. The only time an eerie mix of hiss and growl spread around was when her keys stuck in the damaged door. Under her shallow breath, she spat curses on the caretaker.

When she finally barged in, she gave the miniature unkempt entrance room a meaningful look. There, in the dark corner, hiding by the large leaves of a dried palm, was a lanky man in his forties sleeping tightly on a chair. Another wooden chair was just by his right with an ashtray and a dying out cigarette stuck in one of its grooves. An empty bottle was rolling beneath it.

Upon such a disappointing view, Ulfrika puffed out her chest and ran her hand through the ruffled hair.

“I wish you a pleasant evening, sir,“ she uttered in a low voice as she made her way to the rusted lift cage of an elevator. Though she didn’t scream, it was still enough to yank the caretaker from his slumber.

“Miss Výtaušeimová, you didn’t pay your rent again.“

“Are you sure, sir?“ The only feature which changed on her poker face was a raised left eyebrow. Still, she didn’t offer him a single look and kept on waiting for the lift while showing the man her lean back.

“Yeah, I’m.“

“Then check your records because I paid in advance. Again.“ Only then she turned around in the rhythm of the thrumming machine. The slow motion of her body as well as her deep ice-cold voice made the man lose his frown and calmly walk to the nearby stall. He took out the book from the small safe and checked. After a small hesitation, he looked back with uncertainty painted in his suddenly pale face. “Sure, Miss. Everything’s alright. By the way, I wanted to tell you that a young boy-“ He furrowed his thin black eyebrows until deep cracks appeared on his wide forehead. “Is that a dog?“

Ulfrika answered only when she got into the lift and pushed the right button,“Yes.“

“I allowed you only those two dirty beasts.“

“So? You invite various other filthy man-eaters from the street nearly every night and nobody bats an eye. Is it a case of a social cohesion you feel towards your fellow specimen, perhaps?“

The door on the lift started to close. The sound of the tiny wheels moving in the rusty rails echoed throughout the dusty space. It was loud, yet the caretaker’s last words were more powerful. “Watch your mouth, doctor. There’s a lot of people in the streets who’d gladly take your spot here. Be careful what you say to me, you impudent bitch!“

“I’m not impudent. Only observing a certain natural behaviour of local species. Good night, sir. Hopefully the fleas won’t bite you so you can get some better sleep and stop being this rabid for no reason.“

As the rusty door closed and the lift started to move upwards, the reddened face of the man vanished among the quick images of changing levels.

A loud bang marked the endpoint of the long way to the highest level. The lightbulb inside the cabin as well as the one in the long corridor flickered once the doctor stepped out. Yet both decided to keep shining in the gloomy hallway. Although, the light from the street could be otherwise enough, thickly painted glass of a big window at the end of the corridor didn’t allow better lighting. The atmosphere mirrored on the dried palm which now more resembled a scarecrow than a healthy plant. The three doors were no different. Their peeled brown colour and varnish exposed the naked wood and the cracks in the form of a web in it.

Ulfrika nonchalantly walked by the first door with a mop leaned against it. The item gave away to her that the caretaker still didn’t change the location of the second storeroom in the building and that the reeking smell was still residing in the locked room.

The second door, an abandoned flat, was directly facing hers. She was prepared to prop against the entrance when a sudden noise made her look behind and pause in thought while the poor puppy woke up from its light slumber and whimpered.

The noise of something falling was coming from inside the abandoned apartment.

“Come on!“ Ulfrika grunted and quickly turned on her heel. She pushed the entrance door and as fast as she could she jumped into the safety of her flat. The dust whirled behind her but she no longer cared.

Behind the locked door and in a joyful howling of a large wolf with thick grey fur and yellow blazing eyes she let out a relieved sigh.

Her eyes suddenly brightened up, a perfect contrast to the dark abyss which she showed to the outer world.

“Tiru! Hello, my dearest friend! How was your day?“

A loud howl and a waggling tail provided an answer.

“Yes, I understand. Don’t worry. The dinner will be soon. Where’s Krabat, though?“

Another bark.

“Oh, I see. I shouldn’t worry you that much next time. Hopefully, he’s going to return soon. By the way, here’s our new little friend, Tiru. Please, take care of…“ She wanted to say the name of the puppy when a realisation struck her once again.

She carefully raised the trembling puppy over her head and checked the crotch.

“Little one, you came here by a river, nearly drowning in it. I’m sure you have fleas. But I also bet you might be an excellent hunter. You seem to display a great will and maybe…“

As she let the puppy down and saw how quickly he turned back to lick her foot, Ulfrika finished her sentence,“...loyalty.“ The doctor lightly tapped on her chin. Soon, the hybrid widely smiled as she proudly announced,“Argos. That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?“

The harehound happily barked and let himself be licked by gentle gentle Tiru. Ulfrika used this sudden distraction. Neatly putting her clothes in its place in a simple wardrobe, she ventured into a tiny kitchen where the before-hand prepared dough was awaiting her.

While she was preparing the pork stuffing, a sharp pale beak knocked on the kitchen window. The doctor didn’t need to turn around to know who was waiting behind. Stretching out her long arm she let the raven inside. The black feathers whizzed and the bird obediently landed on the hybrid’s shoulder.

A little peck here and there caused Ulfrika to look at him. She was ready to scold him for coming home so late but once she saw a banknote in Krabat’s beak, she let out a bark. Her laughter startled out only the small puppy who in the meanwhile made himself most comfortable under the wolf’s chin.

“Who did you steal from this time?“

No matter how much she asked him, the raven refused to let out any sign. He let go of the piece of paper and let himself be petted.

The dish was finally in the oven, roasting until it was deliciously crunchy. The smell of dough and spiced meat with onion filled the whole apartment. To use the free time, Ulfrika with a curious Krabat went over to Argos. Before taking the final step, the eager and overly curious raven flew down from her shoulder and started observing every detail of the puppy. Every scar, every bald spot in his dark caramel fur, his cropped ear. The view made Krabat let out a loud caw. Argos drew himself nearer to Tiru and whimpered.

“Krabat, be careful around our little boy. I doubt he’s seen much of the outside world. Is that right, little pup?“ She gently smiled and petted the puppy. “Tiru, please, watch over him for a while. Krabat, you take care of the oven. I’ll go and prepare the sink. Little Argos needs a bath.“

Once she said the last word, the puppy squeaked and desperately barked. Though, after the reassuring nudge of the she-wolf and a tender look from his new, much caring owner, he stopped. “Don’t worry, sweetie. This time, there won’t be any freezing water or anything else that would hurt you. Ever. I promise, alright?“

Ulfrika quickly made her way to the light bathroom and began preparing all the things she needed. A shampoo, a wide sink full of warm water, an old brush she no longer used. Everything was prepared and laying still under the gaze of two lightbulbs installed in the corners of the bathroom. Only a towel was missing. Ulfrika sighed when she realised it. Another walk through her flat was the last thing on her mind. The strength was slowly leaving her and the tiredness was taking over the lanky body. But remembering the innocent creature, she sighed and walked over to an antique looking wardrobe in the entrance room. Despite her light body weight, the wooden floor squeaked.

Her eye ominously looked up from under silky hair. The single light bulb which was there. The flashing immediately stopped. The space was once again flooded by a white light.

Ulfrika carefully slid out a yellow towel from a neatly stored pile. She turned around on her heel and wanted to venture to the kitchen where Argos finally began to happily bark and play with his new friends.

But she didn’t go there.

The bell on the front door rang.

Before she walked over and gazed through the peephole, she puffed, completely annoyed. Yet, she didn’t have any choice. The sounds from inside as well as the light sneaking under the door gave away instantly that somebody was at last home.

It wouldn’t be Ulfrika, however, if she didn’t rush her companions into the closet in her bedroom and told them to be as quiet as possible. Only then she sneaked back to the front door and looked through the old peephole.

A person with a dark green hood over their head was waiting there and impatiently pressing the bell. Their face could be barely recognisable under the layer of clothing. Not to mention they were arching over.

Warily placing her hand on the cold handle and preparing her sharp claws and fangs as sharp as a needle, she finally answered the constant ringing.

The person jumped up in surprise when a gust rose and a blunt force threw them against the wall behind. They didn’t even manage to let out a scream. Ulfrika’s cold and unnervingly calm eyes shut them up for good.

She placed her nails close to the person’s hairy neck and whispered, never letting her eyes off of them. “Who are you? Why do you keep asking for me? What do you-?“

Her grip on the hoodie’s collar loosened and she let out the boy’s feet fully touch the floor. “You?!“

A pair of daring brown eyes, lighter than her own and of a strange shape, looked back from under the hood. The boy of no more than eighteen with a freckled face and fangs smiled back. “Sup, auntie!“

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Taglist (let me know if you'd like to be added): @vanessaroades-author @rubywrite @aohendo @rbbess110 @jgmartin @outpost51 @athenswrites

an approximately chronological list of things i've fucked up in my current bookbinding project

When merging the individual chapter files into a single pdf I messed up the page numbers and had to go back and redo it

I did that again

I fixed the page numbers but forgot chapter 7 entirely and only caught it halfway through printing. Thankfully fixed it

Realized I fixed all of that without catching an image cutting off part of the text in the colophon. fixed it in the UK edition

Didn't test my inkjet ink for bleed before designing and drawing the entire Eriador map, only to realize that the magenta ink bled horribly. Fixed it by image editing all the red elements to brown.

(there were lots of other map mistakes but we're going to keep Fred Mithrin between us)

Marbling fuckups, which deserves a whole separate category:

Tried marbling outside. As it turns out, wind moves paint when it's floating on top of a pan of water. This makes it difficult to put the paint where you want it.

Alumed the paper, then pressed it in a stack under weights and left it overnight. Turns out the alum deactivates (chemistry something something) if left in an anaerobic environment for a long time and the sheets were ghostly pale

Made the size too thin (there was a wake like I was jet skiing with those combs and the patterns were illegible)

Made the size too thick (so many. fucking bubbles. everywhere)

Air bubbles in all the wrong places RIP

Made my stencil BACKWARDS because I didn't check which arm was injured before marbling

Alumned before applying the stencils (the paper warped everywhere except where the stencil was and then it wasn't flat)

Alumned after applying the stencils (now the paint could bleed under the stencil and it didn't have clean edges)

Used freezer paper for the stencils (this was my ultimate mistake it just doesn't stick enough to prevent bleed. i think. i never fixed this so who knows)

Black paint was haunted. (That's not so much a mistake as an unavoidable reality I didn't realize when planning my marbling)

Back to regular fuckups:

Tested a new endpaper style (hidden linen-joined endpapers) on one of my good marbled sheets rather than on a blank sheet of paper, only to realize the sulphite paper was too weak and would tear. Impossible to remove the linen from the sheet and had to abandon it for one of my sub-par marbled sheets

Glued the cloth hinges for the UK editions on BACKWARDS with PVA. compounded this mistake by trying to carefully remove them with a microspatula rather than living with it. Tore the paper. Attempted to mend it with kozo and warped the paper. Attempted to color it with paste paint to cover it up and tested my color match on plain rather than mended paper, leading it to be obviously the wrong color.

When sewing the US copy of ATWW I pulled the wrong thread while doing a weaver's knot and ripped the first signature out of the book (mended it with kozo tissue)

Trimmed the head of US DR with the pages askew because I forgot to square the book in the press in all 3 dimensions. Trimmed it again to try and correct that, but didn't take enough off so it wasn't flat. Tried to sand it flat and still didn't succeed. Gave up.

Glued and rounded the spine of UK ATWW before trimming the fore edge. Had a panic. Got the trimming setup and done in under half an hour, a new record.

Rounded the spines unevenly (always)

Didn't press UK DR tightly enough while sanding the inside fore edge and some of the pages got hooked in on themselves, necessitating going through with a microspatula and unhooking each page individually, then sanding again.

Over to edge marbling fuckups:

Used too strong of masking tape to tape off the head and tail when dipping the fore edges, which ripped the back side of the endpapers while removing.

Didn't dip US edition fore edges deep enough, leaving blank spaces

Panicked and dipped them a second time, making the pattern muddled

Managed to get bubbles on both the head and tail of the UK editions, because god hates me in particular

Attempted to fix one of the bubbles with paint and accidentally washed off a patch of marbling in the process.

Didn't press the books tight enough (quick release clamps were a mistake

Should have dried off the edges gently with a paper towel before air drying - the water on the edges seeped into the pages, causing both paint bleed and the books to warp out of square

Forgot the paste paper endpages and literally GLUED THE BOOKS SHUT. Had to very carefully pry them open again. 🤦

Aaaand that's as far as I've gotten so far but never fear more mistakes are on the way

copycat

18+, eren jaeger x fem!reader

part two of pierced

inspired by the 'big stick' scene from jawbreaker (iykyk)

wc: 3.7k

contains: mild dubcon, light dom/sub, ball play, choking, dumbification, degradation, spit, creampie

Eren can’t help but admire you from the doorway of your shared bedroom. One would think, that after 30 days of edging, you would learn not to be such a fucking tease. But here you are flitting around the kitchen in nothing but one of his t-shirts and a frilly pair of lilac panties.

‘Stop being a perv. It’s hot out.’ You don’t have to say it. The ‘you’ in his head is already chastising him for the lascivious nature of his thoughts.

The ‘you’ in his head is also already bent over the granite top counter, panties long discarded, presenting yourself to him, begging ‘Please Eren. Fuck me.’

He can’t help it. Everyday he’s found himself face to face with your cute little pussy, absolutely begging to get filled and not being able to do anything about it. It’s not his fault that when he sees you wearing next to nothing, he just wants to stick his cock in you.

Except it’s entirely his fault.

That’s why even though you can feel the weight of his stare as you move around the kitchen, you don’t even spare a glance in his direction.

If there’s one thing these last few weeks have taught you, its willpower. And thanks to your newfound self-discipline you’re able to resist the urge to pounce on him when your boyfriend pulls your back against the solid wall of his chest. “Baby.” He rasps. “I’m all healed up.”

The statement makes goosebumps appear on your skin despite the sweltering heat but other than that, you show no signs of exactly how pent up you are.

Eren made you swear not to touch yourself whining about how unfair it would be and how he would really appreciate your support in his hour of need. Yes he used those exact words. You kept your promise but not without intending to receive payback. It was only a matter of how. The idea hadn’t come to you yet.

“Really?” You don’t even bother to turn around, pushing past him. Partly as a way to tease him but also because you don’t trust yourself to be able to resist him once you get a good look at him. From his scent alone you can tell he’s fresh from a shower and that’s when he’s the most dangerous. He smells cool and fresh like his shower gel, spicy and warm like his aftershave and fruity and floral like his your shampoo. It’s hypnotic.

The trance is broken when he pulls you even closer to him, grinding his bulge into your backside.

“Stop buying that 2-in-1 shit if you’re gonna use mine all the time anyways.” You grumble.

Right.

Revenge first. Dick second. The voice in your head reminds you.

You wriggle out of his hold, remembering why you came into the kitchen in the first place. You breathe a sigh of relief as you open the freezer door, the cold air providing a brief reprieve from the near suffocating heat of your apartment. Once you’ve obtained your target; a cherry popsicle hidden behind some ice packs and frozen peas, you finally take a look at your tormentor.

“Babe c’mon.” Eren persists.

He looks good. Unfairly good considering the fact that he’s not even trying. Fresh from the shower, he has on a worn out white t-shirt, stretched around the neckline which gives you a mouthwatering look at his perfectly sculpted collarbones and no more than the top of his pecs that peak out above the seam. His grey athletic shorts hang low on his hips and outline his print a little too well so you know he’s not wearing boxers. Eren hasn’t bothered to tie up his long hair leaving the damp tendrils dangling above his shoulders with a few stray strands framing his handsome face. He’s putting up a nonchalant front but the tick in his eyebrow gives his irritated disposition away.

Surely he didn’t believe that you would let him have his way with you that easily.

Except he did. Because under most circumstances he would. But today, your own stubbornness (only marginally) drowns out your desire for your Adonis of a boyfriend so you push past him into the lounge, plopping down on the couch with a dramatic sigh.

“Later.” You bring the frozen treat to your lips. “It’s so hot.” Again, Eren tries to keep his face expressionless but you easily spot the way he clenches his jaw as his gaze fixes itself onto your mouth.

Bingo

You close your eyes, enjoying the sweet cherry taste and cool sensation that spreads throughout your body.

“On second thought,” You start, as a mischievous grin spreads across your face. “There is something else I’d rather have in my mouth.”

“Yeah?” Eren dons a matching smirk and stalks his way over to you, sitting down so that you can straddle him. “Tempting but honestly, your mouth isn’t what I had in mind.” His voice trails off, large hands moving down to cup your ass, giving the soft flesh a squeeze for good measure. But before he can take it any further you’re already manoeuvring your way between his knees.

“Oh. You don’t want me to suck your cock?” You pout, resting your head against his thigh, trying your best to sound disappointed.

Eren swallows whatever argument he was about to present when he sees your pretty eyes, shaded by fluttering lashes looking up at him with the tip of the crimson popsicle pressed against your sinful mouth. The same sinful mouth he’s been dreaming about for a month.

Fuck.

“Yeah, okay.” He grumbles while you watch him pull his already half hard cock out of his bottoms. It’s so pretty and long, perfectly thick in all the right places, decorated at the tip with a vertical running titanium barbell.

He’s got a hand around his base, waiting for you to replace the sweet treat in your mouth with his aching cock but much to his dismay your attention is drawn a little lower.

The sight of his plush balls all swollen and full of cum proves to be too much for you to resist. He shudders when your cold lips press against the taut skin. You know he’s sensitive from being so backed up. That’s why he starts panting as you leave wet kisses on his sac, leaving your saliva all over it while his shaft grows harder above you.

“Hold this for me.” You pass him your popsicle, that is slowly starting to melt which he takes in his free hand.

“Okay can you just- fuck.” One more kiss, right on the shiny metal of his newly healed piercing, shuts him up quickly.

Your own hands find their place on his thighs. You dip your head down again and take one of his balls in his mouth massaging it with your tongue.

“Christ.” He groans, slowly jerking himself off while you worship his balls.

“Oh poor baby…. so full.” You murmur letting go of the left to suck on the right one, savouring the weight of them.

“Yeah.” His voice is about a whole octave higher than usual. “Hurts.” He scrunches up his face when you let go of his ball with a pop.

“I bet.” You giggle. Eren is now at full mast, veiny shaft resting against his abdomen, dribbling precum which coats the shiny piercing that crowns his angry-red tip. His wrist flicks ever so elegantly as his hand moves languidly up and down, up and down, up and-”

“Princess.” Your boyfriend whines, yanking you out of your daze. “Enough with the teasing. You wanted to suck me off. Do it already.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes, not losing sight of your revenge plot.

“Baby,” You pout. “I really want to but-” It’s so hard to bite back your laugh. “But I don’t remember how.”

“Wait what?” His hand stops right in his tracks, brows furrowed in confusion.

“It’s been so long. Can you show me?”

Eren’s expression goes from perplexed to vicious but you don’t budge, blinking up at him with wide innocent eyes.

“How?” He huffs impatiently. It’s funny actually, seeing him struggle to tolerate a fraction of his own bitter medicine.

Your eyes shift to the frozen treat still in his hand that’s starting to drip down his knuckles. “I’m a visual learner.”

He moves like he’s about to stand up but you won’t make it that easy for him. “Please, Rennie? Please teach me how to suck your cock?”

As much as Eren has you wrapped around his finger, he’s just as whipped for you. So when you look at him with those sparkly eyes and call him the pet name he swears he hates but brings him to his knees when you use it, you know you have him.

Hook, line and sinker.

You use your thumb and middle finger to make a circle around his base, positioning yourself eye level with his leaking slit.

His tongue peaks out cautiously, eyes trained on yours as he flicks it across the tip, testing the waters. Immediately you follow suit, tasting his precum for the first time in so long. His hips buck off the couch, chasing the gone-too-soon sensation but you dig your nails into his thigh, reminding him who’s in control right now.

You quirk your brow at him, making sure he understands what you want.

How many times have you found yourself in this exact position: sitting between your boyfriend’s thighs while he looks down at you, both of you equally as lust drunk as the other. But this time he’s the one panting and whimpering while you have your turn to torture him.

Eren doesn’t like it. Not one bit. He wants to smack that smug little grin right off your face but instead he pulls at your hair, tugging right at the roots and making you yelp in pain. Now you’re scowling. But it’s hard to look at all intimidating sitting beneath him with your head tilted at such an awkward angle. He doesn’t miss the way your thighs clench together either.

Never breaking eye contact, he uses the flat of his tongue to lick a broad stripe up the length of the popsicle. You squirm in place, remembering how it feels to have him lick across your cunt exactly like that.

Fine. He’d play along with your little game. But on his own terms.

You lean forward to copy him but the hand holding your head keeps you in place. Without looking away, Eren launches a glob of spit onto the already drippy ice-cream before licking it away. It’s that simple for him to put a crack in your domineering façade and have you whimpering right at his feet as per usual.

The corners of his lips twitch as a silent challenge to you.

Never one to back down, you use your tongue to trace the vein that runs along the underside of his cock, feeling it pulsate. As you get closer to his prince Albert, you can’t hold back from swirling the wet muscle around the cold metal.

A soft whimper escapes his lips as you pull away, keeping your mouth agape, looking up at him expectantly.

It’s silent for a moment before Eren realises what you’re wordlessly pleading for. “Fucking slut.” He mutters, almost amazed before he gathers more of his saliva to drop into your mouth with a loud khwa pto echoing throughout the quiet apartment.

You close your mouth with a satisfied smile, savouring the taste of sweet, tart cherry and a flavour that is uniquely Eren, letting it mingle with your own saliva before spitting it on to his cock. You use your tongue to spread the wetness all along the shaft, leaving it covered in slick sheen.

“So fuckin’ nasty.” He groans, moving his hand from your head to push his own hair out of his face, not wanting anything to obstruct his view of you right now.

You feel the way his thigh twitches under your palm every time you come even close to his puffy cockhead and your tongue brushes across the sensitive piercing. The idea that you have him like this, desperate and whining, after weeks of him toying with you is exhilarating to say the least.

You have to rein yourself in before you end the fun too soon.

Reluctantly, you pull away and patiently await your next command.

You know what he wants next and so does he but Eren can’t help but feel self-conscious.

Of course, he loves the way you look when you’re going down him. His gallery is filled with pictures of you with your eyes filled to the brim with tears and your lips stretched impossibly wide around his girth. When you’re not around he gets off to the videos him fucking your face, relishing in the way you gag while you try to accommodate him in your throat. He doesn’t think he could ever measure up to how sexy you look with your pupils blown, lips all swollen and your spit dripping down your chin.

But just like you, he’s never been one to back down from a challenge.

Ever so slowly, he opens his mouth and latches on to the blunt top of the popsicle. His plump lips form a perfect O-shaped pout, stained beautiful crimson from the fruit juice. Your gaze is transfixed on his face, the sharp lines and edges tinted with an uncharacteristic blush as his cheeks hollow out, to suck it in deeper.

“So pretty baby.” You breathe out.

He shudders as the cool air fans out across his wet skin.

“Yeah? ‘m pretty?” He smirks, using his free hand to drag his cock across your face, smearing his precum on your lips. “Show me how you treat pretty boys. Please?”

And how could you deny him?

Centimeter by centimeter, you pull him in. Only the first few inches, get to enjoy the warm, slippery cavern of your mouth while the rest of him has to make do with the soft skin of your hand gliding up, down and around.

“Fucking take it inside. Christ.” He groans, frustration evident as he glares down at you.

You simply shake your head a ‘no’, far too content with the taste and the weight of him in your mouth to stop suckling at his cock. If he wants more, he knows what he has to do.

The frozen treat is back between his lips and far too quickly, with not enough thought he pushes it inside as far as it can go until his gag reflex forces him to abort his mission, sputtering out red-coloured saliva.

You pull off of him as you erupt into a fit of giggles.

Eren takes advantage of the fact that you’re unguarded and in a matter of seconds he has you pinned to the floor. The poor popsicle is left in a sad, melting puddle on your couch while his long, sticky fingers circle around both of your wrists, the other hand keeping a harsh grip on your jaw.

Yeah. Not laughing now, are you?

“Was that funny to you princess?” He questions you, almost daring you to hit back.

Knowing when to quit was never one of your strong points.

“Not funny.” You say despite your giddy smile. “My pretty boy just needs more practice.” You snicker.

You’re pushing his buttons on purpose now. At best, you expect some degrading words fitting of your bratty attitude. At worst, you expect the sting of his palm to come down against the side of your face, reminding you of your place.

What you don’t expect is a wry chuckle before he says, “I forgot how bitchy you get when you don’t get stuffed full of cock enough.”

Eren frees your hands in favour of placing both of his on your knees. He spreads apart your legs as wide as they can go, dragging his coarse palms up and up to rest at the apex of your thighs. He flicks up the hem of your shirt to reveal to him the crotch of your panties that's soaked through with your arousal. He pulls them to the side to expose your cunt to him. Eren barely stops himself from tearing the flimsy fabric right off your body and only because he thinks they're pretty and wants to see you wear them again.

He can smell you. But he suppresses the desire to bury his face between your pillowy thighs for as long as you’ll let him. He knows that’s not what either of you really want.

“This needy pussy been missing me?” He coos, keeping his voice sugary sweet and dripping with condescension. He grinds his pierced tip all along your cunt, dipping under your hood to press right against your clit.

You feel it before you realise what’s happening; the burn of his fat head of his cock prodding at your tiny hole, forcing it to stretch around him.

“Jesus fuck- ‘s tight.” He grits out, managing to pop just the tip in.

Tears gather at your waterline as he impales you further and further on his cock, reintroducing your insides to him and his newest body mod. The bulb of the piercing drags deliciously over every bump and ridge that lines your walls. It just keeps going and going until it’s all too much.

Instinctively, your hand flies to Eren’s abdomen, fingers splaying across his tummy. You want to ask him to stop or wait or at the very least prep you. But you’re just so full.

He’s not even all the way in and you’re full of him everywhere. Did it feel like this before?

He doesn't give you a chance to remember.

“Move. Your fucking. Hand.” He grunts before moving it for you and sheathing his cock fully in your spasming cunt.

“Fuck Eren. ‘s big.” Your voice breaks as you utter that last word right one Eren fills you to the hilt. Your arms fly to his biceps, squeezing the muscle so tight that you’re certain it hurts him but he doesn’t complain.

No one would believe that mere minutes ago Eren was the one under your thumb. Not when he’s so quickly managed to turn you into a blubbering mess.

“Where’s that smart mouth now?” He mocks you as if he’s doing any better. In reality he’s keeping himself still, with his pressed against yours trying to regain a semblance of control, not wanting this to end so soon.

Slowly, he starts to rock his hips against you and little by little you open up around him, offering less and less resistance. Hand on the bible, he swears he can feel your gooey pussy sucking him in every time he pulls back, almost like it’s begging him to never leave again. Hand on the bible, he swears that he won’t.

“Huh?” He taunts. “Where’s the bitch who thought she could fuck with me?” He emphasises his point with one sharp snap of his hips that hits the bull’s eye.

“Eren! Right there!” You cry out as you back arches up into him but he forces you to stay down by pressing his palm firmly against your sternum.

“Right there?” He mimics your voice, with a high pitched, nasal tone. You can’t even cringe at how it sounds because the feeling of the rounded metal hitting that squishy patch deep inside you with pinpoint accuracy is too overwhelming for you to think about anything else.

“You want me to fuck you here?” His thrusts start to pick up pace. You’re finally getting used to him again and the slick juices from your pussy let’s him move as fast as he wants, as deep as he wants so you he can use his cock to abuse all of your sweet spots

You can’t exactly speak; only nod, as you dig your nails into his shoulders and back, leaving a trail of crescent shaped indents in your wake. The coil at the base of your belly twists tighter, tighter and tighter still as all your nerve endings work overtime to register the way he fills you up completely, the way the metal rubs along all the right spots and the way Eren rams into you like a man possessed.

“Pleasepleasepleaseplease.” Now you’re begging. It’s impossible to stop the fear bubbling in your chest. You’ve become well-acquainted with this feeling. Absolutely drowning in pleasure and right on the edge of an unimaginable peak before having it ripped away. It’s not unreasonable to be worried that Eren might leave you high and dry once again.

He halts his movements the moment he notices the doubt behind your eyes.

Your pleas become more and more frantic, already thinking the worst. “Don’t stop Eren! Please don’t stop.” You sob but go silent when his hand rests itself firmly around your throat.

“Told you.” He punctuates the sentence with one, deep thrust.

“Fuck. What did I say?” He growls as he falls back into the same brutal rhythm that had you teetering on the very brink of an orgasm before.

God above as your witness, you try and answer but all that comes out is a pathetic squeak of his name before he cuts you off completely by squeezing your neck tighter.

“S-said I was gonna fuck you stupid. Right?”

You nod as best you can, head spinning from the lack of air and your orgasm approaching rapidly.

“Now fuckin’ cum for me so I can keep my promise.”

The second his hand meets your clit, you’re a goner. The calloused pad of his thumb rubs the neglected nub with exactly the right pressure to push you over the edge. Every muscle clenches as that tightening coil finally snaps. The intoxicating pleasure that shoots through your body reaches your head at the same time as the pressure on your throat is released, much needed oxygen flooding your brain and prolonging the high.

You wrap your legs around his waist, keeping him deep inside you as cream around his cock. It’s pointless to hold off his release any longer and with nowhere else to go he spills his load deep in your pussy. The feeling of his hot cum seeping into your pussy has you twitching around him, trying to milk every last drop from him.

You may have blacked for a second, eyes fluttering open as Eren gently taps your cheek. His handsome face, all flushed and sweaty comes into focus. Both of you are wearing equally dopey grins as he asks you, “Did it feel as good as I said?”

play the game

w/c: 2.2k

summary: an interview question catches you off guard

a/n: this is kinda random but i wanted to write something just fun n cute with actress!reader so this is what we got enjoy everyoneee

-

“ooh, these are always fun,” tom murmurs to you. he pushes a bucket of questions to the middle of the table. you turn it towards yourself with a furrowed eyebrow.

you’re at buzzfeed promoting the next spider-man. it’s just you and tom for this one. zendaya and jacob are doing their own interview in the room next to yours. you’re usually paired with the two of them, but tom joins your group sometimes. you find yourself much more intimidated by him than the camera whenever he does. not because he scares you. you’ve actually become close friends over filming.

it’s because you never know what he’s going to say. tom is a flirty guy by nature, and he’ll play it up even more if he has an audience. he loves to give them a good laugh. spark a few rumors maybe, only to get people talking about the movie. the idea itself isn’t half bad. the effect it has on you is what you worry about.

you’ve had a pretty big crush on him that started the same time your friendship did. in your defense, how could you get to know him and not fall? he’s one of the most genuine people on earth, he calls you cute british pet names, he makes you laugh on set during a stressful take. he’s just so charming. he charmed you, after all.

so much as a wink at you and your cheeks would be burning. the last thing you need is for the whole world to see that. it’s bad enough he would, too. you’re hoping he keeps the playfulness at minimum for your interview. with you being the only person he has to bounce off of this time, you’re not sure he will.

“i feel like the fans always ask better questions than interviewers,” tom jokes and takes a slip of paper out of the bucket. he reads it to himself with a snort. “what does it say?” you peek over his shoulder. he folds it again before you can see. a smirk pulls at his lips. “you’ll find out.” “you’re not even supposed to look at them yet,” you huff, reaching to grab the paper. tom drops it back into the bucket.

looking off to the side, he breathes a laugh out of his nose. he’s so annoying about keeping secrets. you push at his shoulder with a smug smile. “can you ever just, like, behave?” “around you? no, i can’t,” tom teases, the hint of a smirk still on his face. this is exactly what you were dreading. what’s worse is you haven’t even started the interview. thank god the cameraman gets your attention.

“all ready. you two start whenever you want.” he gives you a thumbs up from behind the camera. tom scoots closer to you in his chair. his knee is touching yours. it’s such a childish thing to care about, but your heart speeds up. “thanks, man. i think we’re good.” he glances at you to make sure. “yeah?” “yeah, we can start.” your voice is higher than usual, which only happens when you’re nervous. you clear your throat.

the little light on the camera turns red. that means you’re recording. tom beams into it, sounding cheery as ever when he introduces himself. “hey everyone, i’m tom holland.” he holds out a hand to present you. you can’t help but smile at his antics. “i’m y/n y/l/n. we’re gonna be answering some questions you guys sent in.”

“there are a few prompts in here, too,” tom adds, eyes meeting yours for a second. “we have to act them out. let’s get into it.” you raise your eyebrows at the camera. spinning the bucket in his hands, he holds it out to you. “ladies first.” “when he has manners,” you deadpan, getting a giggle out of tom. his stupid adorable laugh that gives you butterflies. holding back a smile, you pull out a paper slip.

“tell us about gwen stacy and peter’s relationship in the movie,” you read off and push the paper to the other end of the table. “i mean, it’s not a relationship. it’s a new friendship,” you explain. tom nods in agreement. “yeah. peter is still after mj in this film.” squinting into the camera, you try to think of a description that won’t spoil you being spider-gwen.

tom digs into the bucket for the next question, but keeps his eyes on you. you hold up a finger when you get it. “my gwen is with spider-man more than peter. that’s all i’m gonna say.” “nice. very smooth,” he teases and unfolds the paper. “how hard was it to do all your stunts?” you shoot him a knowing look. there were a few the two of you had to do together.

they weren’t anything major because you’re not trained like tom is. a lot of the time, you only watched him do insane flips and leaps before simply entering the scene. he’d come back to your trailer after and complain about how sore he was while laying his head on your shoulder or some other part of your body. stunt days were exhausting.

“you know, i’ll be honest. they were awful.” tom shakes his head with wide eyes. you let out a quiet laugh. “not because they were bad or anything. the stunts look amazing. but, they really hurt.” he tosses the piece of paper at the one you just answered to create a pile. “the amount of ice you had to put on your body,” you giggle to him, tom joining in your laughter. he sighs. “i raided the freezer in your trailer every day.”

grinning at the memories, you reach into the bucket for your next question. you’re still smiling when you read it. “this one’s a prompt. it says to do an impression of each other.” tom eagerly sits up in his chair. his leg brushes yours again in the process. you catch your lip between your teeth. “easy. i’ll go first.” he hasn’t started, but you roll your eyes.

“we’ll all be watching a movie and she’s like,” he switches to his american girl accent before continuing. “isn’t that guy so hot? he’s literally so hot, guys. how do you not see it?” your mouth dropped open, you bump his knee under the table. “oh my god, what?” “and it’s always the most basic looking person, too,” he goes on, pressing his lips together in shame for you. you make the same face.

“someone sounds a little jealous.” “it’s not me,” tom scoffs, still playfully making fun of you. you narrow your eyes at him. “ok, my turn.” he’s biting back a smile while you get yourself ready. “ello, love,” you start in an exaggerated british accent. he closes his eyes in defeat. “i love golf. i’m like an old man, innit? i fu-“ you put a hand over your mouth in the same way he does. “i forgot i can’t swear.” tom claps slowly for you.

“bravo, y/n. you didn’t miss a thing, love.” he emphasizes the last word. there goes one of his infamous pet names. he’s just repeating what you said, but it still makes your heart clench. your favorite is when he calls you darling. it sounds so perfect falling from his lips. that being said, you wouldn’t have been able to control your reaction if he called you it right now.

you shrug your shoulder and give him a cheesy grin. “i know i didn’t.” “right, next question.” tom grabs the bucket back from you with a pretend glare. he gasps before reading it out loud. “who’s your favorite cast mate? that’s wicked!” you move your head forward dramatically. “that’s not fair!”

tom drums his fingers on the table. “jeez, you guys are ruthless. i’ll say y/n because she’s right next to me.” you don’t miss a beat. “um, i’m saying zendaya.” you nod at the camera, tom pouting. “love you, z.” “i should change my answer to jacob, then,” he mutters childishly. exhaling, you pull out the next question. there are only two left after this.

“or maybe marisa,” tom keeps throwing names out. “are you done yet?” you ask like you’re his mom. he is acting like a kid, to be fair. “no.” “will you be done if i say you’re my favorite?” he perks up. “yes.” looking him in the eyes, you put your free hand on his arm. “tom, you’re my favorite cast mate.” “thank you.” his sarcastic tone matches yours. he tilts your chin up with the tips of his fingers. “my love.”

you’re quick to turn your head before you let yourself lean into his touch. you’d never recover. for one thing, you’ll think about it too much. another, it would give tom something to tease you about.

pretending to be disgusted, you unfold the paper. your expression relaxes when you look over the question. it’s kind of sweet. “what was your favorite scene to film together?” “all of them,” tom answers right away. “that’s a cheat answer,” you laugh out. he shrugs and looks down at the question. “i’m being serious. i really loved working with you.” his eyes meet yours. “every second of it.”

he’s being genuine. it’s probably to make up for tormenting you this entire interview. all you know is, the fans will definitely start talking. you find it nice either way. “aw, tom,” you coo, him nodding his head. “what was yours?” you’ve never thought about it. you shared so many special memories while making the movie. but, there is one that sticks out to you.

“our last scene. it was a really, like, emotional day because we were wrapping.” tom already knows what you’re going to say next. his lips curl into a smile. “i cried before we started shooting it, so he kept hugging me and said i’d ruin my makeup.” you rest your head on his shoulder for a few seconds, returning the smile. his arm slings around your waist.

“yeah, i felt so bad. your crying face just breaks my heart,” tom tells you with a head shake. you lift yourself off of him and wiggle your eyebrows. “that’s what every actor wants to hear.” “you’re ridiculous. do the last question.” he taps the bucket twice. he’s still holding your waist. “isn’t it your turn?” “it’s the one i read earlier. you read it now.” eyebrows knitted together, you pick out the slip. it’s a prompt.

this has to be a joke. no one in their right mind would have you do this on camera. what kind of interview would this be? blinking a few times, you hold it closer to your face. “it... it says to kiss each other.” you crumple the piece of paper up, face still scrunched in confusion. buzzfeed probably decided to mess with you two. “are we actually supposed to?”

“yep. a fan sent it in,” the cameraman interjects. you look at tom in a panic. he was all smiley about this earlier. now, he’s taking it seriously. “why would we...” you’re too flustered to finish your sentence. tom squeezes your waist. “it’s what the people want. i want it, too.” you can feel your stomach drop. “would’ve said something if i didn’t. do you?”

of course you do. for the past year or so, you’ve been craving to taste that mint chapstick he’s constantly applying. you can’t believe it’s finally going to happen in front of millions of people. technically eight people right now, but the whole world eventually. you’re afraid he’s only going through with it for the movie promotion. for a good thumbnail.

“are you only doing this for promo?” you whisper so the camera doesn’t pick it up. you need his real answer. “never. the promo just gives me an excuse.” his eyes dart from yours to your lips. he inches his face closer. you gulp. “can i kiss you?” he asks lowly. “mhm,” you hum, eyes fluttering shut.

his lips brush yours before he closes his eyes. he kisses you softly, his other arm wrapping around you. your hands go to his shoulders when you kiss back. it’s everything you’ve been needing, been dreaming of for so long now. he tastes even better than you expected. tom breaks the kiss first. a grin instantly spreads across his face. “we’ll continue this later,” he says only to you.

your lips and whole body feel tingly. you give him a goofy smile in return, looking at the camera over your shoulder. “thanks to whoever sent that one in. thank you so much.” you laugh in disbelief. tom turns and faces forward. “i think this is a good place to wrap things up,” he chuckles. “thanks for watching! we hope you enjoyed!” you wave. tom points at the camera. “see us again in theaters next week, if you did.”

the camera clicks off, and everyone else in the room starts chatting. you can’t imagine the headlines that are going to come out about you two. at the same time, you don’t care. you’re too happy. you move your arms up to wind around his neck. tom sighs in content. “i like you, too. in case you couldn’t tell.” he never stops finding ways to shock you. “how did you know i like you?” you groan.

“from one actor to another, you’re not good at hiding it.”

winter days: underneath the tree

☁️a/n☁️ this made my heart very warm to write even though i pulled an all-nighter to get it done because my time-management has gone to shit after finals. requested by @sachirou-senpai​. thank you, ellie, for giving me a reason to bring back my boys. i’ve missed ‘summer on you’ so much. this can be read as a stand-alone or as a spin off of ending b, my fave. either way, merry christmas to my babes who celebrate! i have one more christmas fic for tmr and then i’m hiding away to plan + write an smau.

includes: female!reader, poly!seijoh four, post-timeskip (very minor manga spoilers), lots of domesticity, a little suggestive bit, a lot of eating and sleeping now that i realize, a christmas tree, matching pajamas, a very special christmas gift, makki slapping your ass once, a lil teary moment w tooru, homemade curry + pancakes (but not together), lots of cuddling, lots of love, happy holidays, 4.35k words

☁️masterlist☁️

shivering slightly, you unlock the door to the rather spacious apartment you shared with your four boyfriends later into the evening than you would’ve liked. 

yes, four boyfriends. whom you love very much and are loved by in return.

living with four towering hunks has it’s ups and downs, but you wouldn’t trade tooru’s extensive skin care regiment sprawled across the bathroom counter; hajime’s bag of protein powder that he always forgets to put away; issei’s boots that you always tripped over when you came through the front door; or takahiro’s costco-sized box of cream puffs in the freezer that he insisted he would finish by the end of the month, almost half a year ago, for the world.

you made sure to stomp off the snow stuck on your boots before entering the building, but you couldn’t help but sigh at the warmth that greets you once you toe them off.

“ahhh,” you think. “thank goodness tooru convinced us to invest in heated floors.” another perk of having four boyfriends was that two of them brought in enough bank for you to seriously consider becoming their cute little housewife. snorting, you shake your head, though the idea of prancing around in a maid outfit to tease them seemed very appealing. “maybe we should make hiro dress up and clean the house since he still hasn’t found a new job yet.” 

“what’s so funny, sweets?” speak of the devil. makki’s head pops out from the bathroom nearest to the front door, steam rolling out and droplets falling from his hair, signifying that he had just taken a hot shower. wordlessly, you stare at him, lost in thought imagining the water caressing his toned body, but a second later, he gets a better look at you and laughs. “you look like a wet dog!” your glare loses some of its edge when he takes in your own damp strands. 

“did someone say something about a dog?” tooru comes bounding round the corner, and you could’ve sworn he drooped a little when he realized it was just you in the hallway sans dog. turning your icy glance on the setter, you open your mouth to complain about how mean the two of them were being to you when your prince charming comes in to save the day.

“you two, stop bullying the poor girl and let her take a warm bath before she gets sick!” iwa chides as he helps you unbundle the layers that protected you from the snow and sharp winds of the winter. pressing a sweet kiss to your forehead and promising to pick out comfy clothes for you, he ushers you into your spacious en suite where a steaming tub full of rose petals awaits you. hajime chuckles at the starry eyes you give him, heart warming at the love and appreciation shining clear as day on your face, before he leaves to grab a clean pair of underwear, one of issei’s t-shirts, and a pair of his own sweats, knowing you much prefer to wear their clothes at home.

submerged in the bath, you exhale contentedly, eyelids fluttering shut as you enjoy the product of iwa’s consideration and foresight. letting the stress of work and the chill of the outdoors melt from you, you stay in the water until it cools and your fingers prune. a lone thought of how much more you would’ve enjoyed the bath if the boys had joined you flits through your mind, but you jolt when you open your eyes and find issei sitting on the counter with a towel and your robe in his lap, some of the water sloshing over the side of the tub. 

“oh thank god, i was scared you fell asleep and would drown or choke on a rose petal.” you giggle while he wraps you up in your robe before gently toweling your hair dry. “you can’t leave me to deal with the three of them alone.” 

rolling your eyes, you retort easily, “if anything, i’d feel bad about leaving hajime to deal with the three of you alone. the poor man puts up with enough from his team, he doesn’t need you guys ganging up on him, too.”

“well i’ll have you know, sometimes he really enjoys us ganging up on him.” his cheeky quip paired with his wiggling eyebrows earns him a smack on the chest but regardless, you let him sweep you up into his arms and drop you on the massive bed the five of you shared. “get dressed, babygirl. as much as i’d love to spend more time with you naked, i gotta help haji finish dinner.” with a quick peck on your lips, issei leaves you to do just as he said. 

emerging revitalized and relaxed, your mouth waters at the smell of homemade curry, distracted enough to not notice tooru’s arms wrapping around your shoulders and waist. 

“hey, cutie, i’ve missed you,” he sings, face snuggled into the junction of your shoulder and neck. you spin around in his hold to slip your arms around his slim torso, relishing his firm lines against your soft curves. 

“‘ve missed you too, tooru.” and you really did, grateful that all of you were able to take time off work and he was able to come home a week before the holidays, giving the five of you a whole month to spend together before he had to jet back to argentina for his next bout of training and practice games.

“hell yea! group hug!” makki comes running towards you guys, only for you to twist out of his reach at the last second, sending him straight into the sofa behind you. “oof, that was cold, y/n.”

you stick your tongue out at the strawberry boy. “yea, well that’s what you get for laughing at me when i got home. sucker.” still entangled in tooru’s embrace, you feel his body shake with mirth and bite the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from dissolving into giggles when you see a pout take over hiro’s pretty face.

“dinner’s ready,” comes iwa’s call, beckoning the three of you into the kitchen before you could antagonize each other some more. once you all got your servings of curry, you settle into your proclaimed seats on the large sofa, your body comically small compared to their tall frames dwarfing the cushions. noting the way tooru threw his long legs over iwa’s and how mattsun and makki leaned against each other as they ate, you fold your legs to tuck your feet under takahiro’s thigh and dig in to your meal with some trashy reality show lighting up the tv screen, completely certain that the warmth in your chest was from the company of your loved ones more so than the piping hot potatoes in your stomach.

during breakfast the next day, you blearily rub the sleep out of your eyes before taking a sip of your coffee, a satisfied “ahhh” escaping your parted lips as you lean against the kitchen counter. slowly peeling your eyelids open, you notice all of their gazes were focused on you. “yes? can i help you?” you ask amusedly, awake now that caffeine had be introduced to your tired body.

“how are you still so gorgeous in the morning?” you blink at the dreamy look on iwa’s face propped up in his hands with his elbows on the surface of the island. looking around, you see the other three matching the athletic trainer’s pose and expression next to him. thinking over your messy bedhead, mysteriously stained pajamas, and almost impressively dark eyebags, you want to scoff, but the unfairly handsome men giving you their undivided attention despite all of that (“because of all of that, y/n-chan,” tooru would argue) make you blush instead.

“you’re one to talk, haji,” you opt to remark, hoping to divert their focus from you and your rosy cheeks. “and don’t look at me like that,” your pointed finger swinging wildly between the four of them like the needle of a compass. “you already know you guys are way outta my league, you don’t need me to tell you that.” with one last flourish, you wave your hand dismissively before grabbing your mug with both hands, palms warming against the ceramic.

“as wrong as you are, you can’t blame us for wanting to hear the love of our lives compliment us first thing in the morning as we admire her natural beauty,” mattsun grins once he sees the success his words have at deepening the flush on your face. tooru nods gravely in agreement, but it’s makki’s one-two combo of a wink and an air kiss that breaks you. you roll your bottom lip between your teeth to stifle a laugh but release it immediately when the playful atmosphere takes a heady turn. clearing your throat, you pay no heed to their hungry expressions, knowing full well that they all noticed your little action and how they would react to it.

“a-anyways,” you stutter, “i’m gonna go get ready ‘cause i have things to do today so-” you try to slip by, leaving your empty cup in the sink, only to get caught in your tracks by hiro’s long arms. 

“ah, ah, ah, princess. and where do you think you’re going?” soon enough, you find yourself surrounded by your smoking hot boyfriends and heat up in anticipation of their next moves. 

“this so isn’t fair,” you complain aloud, though you were just as eager as they were to get you out of your worn sleep clothes. 

“tough shit, babygirl. guess you’re just gonna have to add four more things to your to-do list, huh?” 

naturally, you leave your errands for some day later in the week when you’re able to walk properly again.

the opportunity comes when you rise earlier than the rest of them, a rare occasion where you found yourself graced with the freedom of sleeping on the outside instead of being sandwiched in the middle of the bed. tiptoeing about, you brush your teeth and get dressed, somehow managing to not wake any of the sleeping beauties. you scribble little love-filled messages on post-it notes and stick them around your apartment on your way out, but not without one last soft smile in the direction of the bedroom, the sight of the four of them cuddled together through the door left ajar renewing your motivation to accomplish your tasks and come home sooner. 

with your laptop bag in tow, you set out for your first destination, settling into a corner booth at the coffee shop with a full cup and a pastry. once you finish your breakfast, you pull out your laptop and get to work, scouring the internet for the perfect gifts for your lovably imperfect partners. you rack your brain for any recollection of any moment where they would’ve let a potential present slip into conversation and light up when you come across volleyball print pajama pants. you check the availability of the sizes you needed and upon realizing that they were all in stock and would be delivered before christmas, you place your order without a moment’s hesitation. satisfied with your progress, you pull up the animal shelter’s hours before heading out of the cafe, the barista’s greetings and the jingling bells echoing behind you. 

by the time you return home, it’s late in the afternoon and you’re greeted by a wall of warm bodies as soon as you step through the front door. 

“where’ve you been, babe?” once again, takahiro is the first to meet your return, but this time he plants a sweet kiss on your lips with his long fingers encircling your waist after his inquiry. 

“oh, you know,” you sigh, dazed from the saccharine embrace. “out and about.”

“busy day? hope it was productive.” you nuzzle into tooru’s chest, feeling the timbre of his voice through your skin, and nod.

“as a matter of fact, it was.” their eyes soften at the proud grin stretched across your face. but your grumbling stomach just had to ruin the moment, making the three of you stare at each other before bursting out in chuckles.

“you skipped lunch?” oiks asks, wrapping each arm around yours and hiro’s waists and guiding you into the kitchen. you rub the back of your neck sheepishly.

“i guess so? i didn’t really notice i was hungry until now.”

“good thing we saved your favorite from that chinese place down the street for you,” mattsun comes up behind you and lands a kiss on the crown of your head. you beam gratefully up at him and skip over to the fridge to retrieve the takeout.

“welcome home, love,” iwaizumi emerges from the bathroom to complete the set and gives you a once over. “you look tired.”

“gee thanks, hajime.” he rolls his eyes playfully at you while you wait for your food to heat up in the microwave.

“what time did you get up this morning?” 

“uhhh,” you start, mouth full. at iwa’s stern glare, you swallow before answering, “seven-ish? earlier than i would’ve like for a vacation day but it was worth it.”

“hm, well i’m glad you had a good day at least.” you shuffle over to kiss his cheek before dropping yourself on top of where tooru and hiro were cuddling on the sofa, eyes drifting around the room to take in the holiday decorations adorning the space.

“thanks, haji. but you’re right, i am sleepy.” suppressing a yawn, you lean back against the broad chests behind you and tuck back into the paper container. “can we take a nap once i’m done?”

“sure thing, babygirl.” the innocent smile mattsun sends your way turns mischievous with his added comment. “we really tuckered ourselves out while you were gone.” you nearly choke but makki’s hand thumping your back helps you dislodge whatever food got caught in your throat. iwa shakes his head and looks to the side in an attempt to hide his face, but the reddening tips of his ears give him away. meanwhile, oikawa catches your eye and winks.

“how else did you suppose we keep ourselves occupied when our baby wasn’t home?” you get up to toss your now empty container, shaking your head as you go. 

“i’m glad to see you at least got the christmas tree up before going at it. god, you’re all insatiable.”

“i mean, it’s hard not to be in this relationship,” hajime grumbles.

“aww, iwa,” makki pushes his lips into an overexaggerated pout. “you make me hard, too.” full-bellied chortles escape the four of you, ignoring iwaizumi’s indignant huffs.

“whatever,” comes his miffed reply, but you know he takes all your antics in stride. soon enough, he returns to the living room with a stack of blankets and finds you and issei added to the pile of limbs tooru and hiro founded. somehow, hajime situates himself to fit perfectly in your cuddle fest, blankets sprawled about to keep you warm.

one last yawn leaves your mouth before you mutter a sleepy, “night, guys. love you,” barely registering the quiet “love you”s you get in return as you drift off, the lights adorning your christmas tree twinkling above you.

christmas day, you wake up before the others again, this time more than willing to feign sleep and revel in the warmth of your shared bed. luckily, you don’t have to wait long for your boys to stir. sitting up, you stretch your arms above you head and begin to climb out of bed only to be caught by the wrist and dragged back down.

“haji, please,” you draw out. “we can finally open the presents under the tree!”

“i don’t care, it’s too early for you to leave me, princess.” you hum as he pulls you closer to him, revisiting your mental note that iwa is much more openly (and selfishly) affectionate in the mornings. 

“oi, the rest of us are still here you know.” face buried against tooru’s back, mattsun’s muffled complaint gets hajime to loosen his hold on you. 

“yea, yea,” he props himself up on his elbow to lean over you and kisses the former middle blocker’s temple. “unfortunately.”

“so mean, iwa-chan,” oikawa pipes up, stretching his arm across you to caress your boyfriend’s toned arm before lacing his fingers with makki’s. the pink haired man himself, still half-asleep, squeezes tooru’s hand before sitting up.

“hey, wait. it’s christmas, isn’t it?” takahiro’s question reminds you of the package you received a couple days prior, prompting you to spring out of bed before one of them could reel you back in. the four watch you rifle through the closet and resurface with the pajama pants you ordered.

“merry christmas!” you cry excitedly, tossing each boy their respective pair and eagerly awaiting their reactions. “they’re matching pj’s! look, i got one for myself, too.” thankful that you chose to go to bed in just one of iwa’s godzilla t-shirts and underwear last night, you rush to slip on your volleyball print pants. the boys take in your childlike joy, chests tightening at how precious you are. “hurry up, i want you to try them on so we can match!” at your insistence, they roll out of bed and dutifully don your gifts. 

“oh these are actually really soft,” tooru murmurs thoughtfully, fingering the fabric on his thigh.

“right?” you pipe up, nearly bouncing off the walls. “i wanted to do something to commemorate our first christmas together in this apartment and i thought these were really cute since volleyball is what brought us together in the first place.” eyes meet each other as you all reminisce that special summer, grateful that you stayed close despite your individual journeys after graduation.

suddenly, the doorbell ringing catches your attention. a brief glance at the clock on the bedside table tells you it’s much later in the morning than you though, but you’re quick to answer the door.

“who could that be?” the boys are left wondering, wandering out into the living room in time to see you wave goodbye to whoever it was with a large gift-wrapped box sitting on the floor next to you. 

“babe? who was it?” tooru is the first to ask the question on all of their minds. 

“oh, just my best friend. they wanted to drop this off on their way to their parents’ house.” you gingerly pick up the box and bring it to where your boys were waiting for you. “go ahead!”

“go ahead?” hajime parrots. 

“yea! open it!”

“it’s not for you?” takahiro ponders.

“well yes and no. c’mon just open it already!” you’re bouncing on the balls of your feet at this point. tooru finally takes the initiative to remove the lid of the box, eyes widening when he sees what it hid.

“oh my gosh,” he breathes. the other three nearly knock heads with how quickly they lean over the opening.

“is that-?” a furry little head pops up over the edge of the box, round eyes peering up at the four of them.

“a dog! yes!” you squeal. “he’s a shelter dog!”

“he is?” hiro is in awe, slowly reaching out to cradle the little guy in his arms.

“i met him the other day when i woke up early and ran errands without you guys. isn’t he just the cutest?” big hands dwarf the small pooch as they gently pet his head and stroke his fur.

“does he have a name?” tooru has the good sense to ask. 

“mhm, the lady at the shelter said his previous owner named him ponyo.”

“ponyo…” issei whispered, eyes shining. 

“i know we’re nowhere near ready to start thinking about kids,” you start, the topic of the conversation instantly drawing their attention. tooru even ignored ponyo’s little tongue lapping at his fingers. “but i thought we could use an addition to our family.” 

“y/n, princess, we obviously all love him already, but we’re busy with work- well, most of us are. who’s gonna take care of him?” hajime questions, almost reluctantly.

“i mean, hiro is home all the time since he’s still unemployed (“i said i was looking, damn!”), but i actually got promoted so my schedule is way more flexible and i can work from home most of the time.” your voice trails off bashfully, but they give you no time to be embarrassed, swallowing you up in a huge hug. 

“why didn’t you say anything sooner, baby? we’re so proud of you!” now you know how the dog felt being smothered by their affection, not that it was anything new for you.

“uhh, surprise?”

“fuck yea, surprise! god, you’re incredible. lemme make a list of things we’ll need to get for ponyo once the stores reopen tomorrow.”

“actually…”

“you didn’t.”

“i did, with help from my best friend.” going into the lowest cupboards in the kitchen, you show off the bag of dog food and water and food bowls you bought soon after visiting the shelter. “his bed and crate are in the other closet by the washroom.”

“how did we get so lucky?” takahiro asks aloud, making you blush as the others nod in sync, all of them blown away by your thoughtfulness.

“this is nothing. i just wanted to show you guys how much i love you.” you play with your fingers, a little overwhelmed now that the initial excitement has worn off. “oh wait!”

“there’s more?” tooru asks, shocked.

“but wait, there’s more!” mattsun and makki chime in simultaneously, making you laugh as you retrieve the last present. you hop over to where tooru was sitting on the sofa with ponyo on his lap, scooping the dog up and locking the two of you in the bathroom. a couple minutes later, you open the door to let ponyo scurry over to his dads, who coo softly once they see him come around the sofa.

“when did you have time to do this?”

“my pants were a little long, so i hemmed them one night after you guys passed out on the sofa watching your old volleyball matches. i kinda guessed ponyo’s measurements based on standard info i found on the internet, but it fits perfectly so i’m glad!” looking at the little sweater you made for your new family member out of the extra fabric from your pj pants, you couldn’t stop the pleased grin that broke out on your face. “now even ponyo matches with us!”

while your gaze was trained on the tiny dog that was exploring his new home, theirs were stuck on you, your resemblance with a proud mother struck something in them, giving them thoughts of you with their children. yes, children. but for now they shoved those images to the backs of their minds, meeting each other’s stares to confirm they were all in silent agreement.

“we’re gonna make breakfast, you just sit there ‘n look pretty while you watch ponyo, yea?” issei announces before pulling you into a searing kiss as he walks by. 

“not that that’s hard for you,” iwa tags on, kissing your cheek and ruffling your hair following mattsun into the kitchen.

“but i’m always hard for you.” you yelp when hiro playfully slaps your ass, flipping him off as he trails after the other two with a loud hoot. tooru comes up behind you and rubs your sore cheek, spinning you around so that you were face to face.

“why’d you do this to me, y/n-chan?” you meet his frown with a confused look of your own. “now it’s gonna be even harder for me to go back to argentina.”

“oh, tooru,” you wrap your arms around his neck, standing on your tiptoes to bring him close. “you have the next few weeks to spend with us and our new baby.” as if he knew you were talking about him, ponyo pads over to sit by your feet, tail wagging. oikawa sighs melodramatically.

“a few weeks is nothing compared to the months i’ll be gone!” 

“oi, shittykawa, you better not be complaining after everything this morning,” hajime hollers from the kitchen.

“love you, too, iwa-chan!” tooru calls back instinctively then he looks back down at you, his eyes giving away how much leaving will hurt him and it nearly makes you tear up with him.

“tooru, baby, it sucks every time you leave us, but you’re following your dreams and doing what you love. and we want to support you all the way, even if it means doing so from across the world. but with my new work schedule, i’ll be able to call or text you pretty much whenever. and just think how much sweeter it’ll be the next time you do come home to us. so don’t be too sad, okay, my love? we’ll all be here waiting for you.” 

as the last words leave your lips, tooru has you pulled flush against him, arms wrapped tight around your body. his face was hidden, but you could feel the sobs in hot breaths against your shoulder. you guided him over to the sofa and let him cry, petting his hair and peppering kisses on his tear-streaked face until he tired himself out. 

issei, hajime, and takahiro come out of the kitchen with stacks of pancakes and all the fixings, setting them down on the coffee table in front of you once they see tooru snoozing in your lap. iwa picks ponyo up before he could get a bite of your breakfast while you gently shake your boyfriend awake. mattsun and makki set up ponyo’s crate and bedding, leaving him with a toy to keep him occupied while the five of you filled up your plates.

sitting in the living room of the apartment you shared with your four boyfriends on christmas day, stuffing your face with fruit and whipped cream topped pancakes that they made, in matching pajamas with your new rescue dog scampering about, you couldn’t ask for a better gift underneath the tree.

taglist: @lovemeafterhrs​ @sachirou-senpai​ @honey-makki​ @kenmaki​

"Birthday King" Dabi x Reader

Summary: It's a certain wanted villain's birthday and you're just a normal civilian who wants to treat him like a king.

Words: 1,244

Warnings: Teasing but it’s a soft fic so no smut🥺

Author's Note: Happy belated birthday Dabi🥺I apologize for being late😔

~*~*~*~*

'Come over tonight'

That was the only text you sent Dabi, praying he would come through since he was busy all the time with 'work.' You left the doors to your balcony unlocked for his arrival, knowing Dabi was a wanted villain and hid from civilization whenever he had the chance.

That left you to hurry around your apartment, cleaning it up and preparing for tonight. Dabi didn't know you found out when his birthday was and that made you all the more excited to celebrate with him. He didn't seem like someone who cared all that much about their birthday, but you wanted to change that.

You bought a bottle of wine, something classy, and a moist chocolate cake decorated with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Not to mention, you planned to surprise with some sexy lingerie on.

Now you just hoped he would come by.

The sun had just set and you changed into the black laced garter belt with the matching bra and panties, fixing your hair while anxiously waiting to see if he would show.

Moving into the kitchen, you grab the chilled bottle of wine from the freezer and place it into a bucket of ice on display. Grabbing two wine glasses, you put them next to the bucket and grab the cake out of the fridge next, placing it in front of the wine.

Besides the soft glowing light front the moon, you wanted something a little more presentable and appealing. Digging around for a few candles, you light them, satisfied with the warm glow radiating throughout your apartment. You shut the lights off and sigh in relief that everything looked perfect.

"What's all this?" Rough arms slid around your waist making you jump and almost scream. Turning around you're about to scowl at Dabi but notice how tired and worn out he looks. Although his voice was teasing and coy, it made you sad to see how exhausted he was. You just wanted to spoil him forever.

Pouting slightly, you reach your hand up to brush some hair out of his face before cupping his cheeks in both of your hands. "Surprise," you whisper, leaning up to peck his lips softly.

Dabi's arms tighten around you as his fingers absently trace along the laced garter belt as he hummed against your lips, pecking them again. "How'd you know?"

Pulling back, his deep turquoise irises stare into yours, a loving look that made you soft knowing that only you got to see this side of him. You shrug your shoulders and teasingly grin at him. "Looks like I have my own methods to getting 'classified' information~" in a sing-song voice you stick your tongue out playfully. "Also, can you give me a warning next time you come through the doors? Maybe make a noise? I almost had a heart attack."

Dabi chuckles and puts his face in your neck. "What can I say? I saw my dollface walking around dressed like this...I had to watch you for a little bit."

You gasp and pull away. "How long were you there?!"

This time Dabi shrugs, his eyes glinting with mirth. It was obvious he wasn't going to answer your question so you rolled your eyes and decided to drop the subject. Moving out of his arms you turn so he can see the cake and wine you set up for him.

Dabi hums and reaches out to grab a strawberry covered in whipped cream, holding it up to your lips. You shake your head, trying not to laugh. "It's your birthday! You eat it first!"

"It's my birthday and I want to feed you," was his cocky reply, his hand still holding out the strawberry. Leaning in, you wrap your lips around it while keeping eye contact with him. Biting it, some whipped cream smeared on your face as the sweet sugared juice-filled your mouth. Pulling back to chew, Dabi's eyes followed your every move, the thumb on his free hand coming up to wipe the cream away.

Or so you thought.

Instead, he holds his thumb at your mouth, waiting. Swallowing the berry, you take his thumb into your mouth and suck the whipped cream off, holding his gaze as you hollow your cheeks and swirl your tongue around his finger. Dabi's eyes were dark as he backed you up against the counter, holding your chin. The position made it hard to release his thumb as the hold kept you in place.

The cream was long gone so the longer he watched you suck at his thumb, the more embarrassed but turned on you got. His body pressed against yours, one leg slotting between yours as his thigh rested just where you started to feel heat pool in. Still holding the half-eaten strawberry in one hand, he brought it to his mouth and bit down, chewing it slowly as a bead of juice slid down the corner of his mouth.

Your eyes zeroed in on it as you slowed your sucking, wanted to lick something else. Dabi seemed to notice and tilted your head up, roughly. The movement made you whine and he smirked, swallowing. "Sweet."

He removed his thumb from your mouth and towered over you, waiting for you to move. Knowing what he wanted, you licked the little bit of juice and pecked his lips. Humming in response, Dabi's mouth parted for a deeper kiss, his tongue piercing making you shiver and grip his jacket as the metal slipped past your lips.

His scarred hands roamed over your body, exploring your skin and teasingly dipping his fingers behind the lace every once in a while. "So," Dabi pulls back, leaving you panting, "what do you have planned for tonight, dollface?"

"Whatever you want. I bought us cake and wine to celebrate, but everything else is up to you." Regaining your posture, you sincerely answer his question, not wanting him to push himself and try to make this situation about you because you know he would. "You look exhausted, Dabi...I can give you a massage if you want? We can just watch movies and relax?"

Dabi's eyes soften again and he moves back from the counter pulling you with him. "Even though you dressed like this for me?" He grabs your hand and holds it up, motioning you to spin for him. Rolling your eyes, you spin slowly and when you meet his admiring gaze again, you bring his hand back down to your mouth and kiss his knuckles.

"So? We don't have to do anything if you're not up to it. This is about you, and don't even bother asking me what I want," you warn, seeing him open his mouth, "I want you to relax because you're stressed and things haven't been easy for you lately."

Reaching out to his collar, you push his jacket off his shoulders and move around him to take it off. "Now," you move to take his jacket in your room to hang it up, "You're more than welcome to go shower, and then we can decide what you want to do. Your spare clothes are in my dresser as always."

Dabi pads after you, reaching his arms out like a baby. "What did I do to deserve you?"

He waits for you in front of your bedroom door before pulling you into another tight hug. "...Thank you, (Y/n). I love you."

"I love you more, happy birthday, Touya."

What Could’ve Been Without the War

Pairing/setting: Jean Kirschtein x Female!Reader, modern!AU within the Walls, set after the War; canon divergent w/ modern tech

Summary: You and Jean embark on your weekly trip to the grocery store.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: equal parts angst and fluff, idiots to idiots, mutual pining, unsatisfying ending (i’m so sorry)

AN: Surprise Jean! I hope you are all having a wonderful Friday evening and that I don’t ruin it too much with angst. This piece started out as a super fluffy drabble involving grocery store shenanigans and kinda....uh....got away from me. Ahem. It was also originally intended as a 157 follower cool prime number thank you! I think we’re up to 180-something now, but we can still count it. Big thanks yet again to the love of my life @ghostlightprincess for her edits and encouragements:) Please come let me know what you think in my DMs/askbox/comments!!  ~valkyrie

Jean opens on the third knock on his apartment door, already shrugging on a jacket. He greets you with a short “hi” and receives the kiss you plant on his cheek out of habit.

“You ready?” You’re practically bouncing on the balls of your feet, car keys jingling off of the magenta key ring looped around your finger. It’s cute, and he finds himself matching your enthusiasm with a grin of his own.

“Almost,” he replies, reaching back to his coat rack to grab a scarf. “Honestly, I still don’t understand why you’re always so excited for the grocery store.”

He looks back to catch you rolling your eyes. “I don’t understand why you’re not. A grocery store is a magical place, with all of the cheesecake and ice cream you could ever wish for!”

He chuckles and joins you in the hallway, leaning down to lock his door behind him. “Need I remind you that you’re lactose intolerant?”

“That’s what Lactaid is for, stupid. Come on!” He lets you pull him down the hall, your small gloved hand in his big one. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Croft!” you greet his elderly neighbor as you pass her open door, sticking your head in with a wide smile. “You need anything from the store? Jean and I are just on our way.”

Jean stands beside you awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with his shrewd neighbor. You haven’t let go of his hand and he can feel a blush working its way up his neck. 

“No, that’s alright, honey, I just went this morning.”

“Okay! Well, let us know if you think of anything!”

“Thank you, dear.”

“Have a good afternoon, ma’am,” Jean chips in as you wave. 

“You kids have fun.”

The next second, you’re pulling him away again and he misses the way Mrs. Croft chuckles knowingly and looks back to her knitting. 

—

“What’s next on the list?” Your voice drifts down the aisle back to him, and Jean pauses in pushing the cart to shuffle the papers in his hands. 

“Umm… AP flour, vanilla extract,” shuffle, shuffle, “brown sugar, olive oil, yeast.”

You hum in acknowledgment and he watches as you flit from shelf to shelf, gathering items in your arms. He pushes the cart up to join you.

You dump everything in haphazardly, and he sighs, leaning down to straighten it all out into categories.

“What’s next?” You’re already halfway down the rest of the aisle again, gazing up longingly at the Oreos on the top shelf.

God, she’s cute.

He joins you, reaches up to pluck a pack of Double Stuf off of the shelf, and wordlessly places it in your section of the cart, suppressing a smile of his own as you grin up at him.

“You sure know how to treat a girl right, Jean-bo.” You reach up to ruffle his mullet. 

“Don’t call me that,” he grumbles, ducking away and flushing red like a smitten schoolboy. “Next is the frozen aisle.”

—

“Was it the lasagna that she liked last time? Or the shepherd’s pie?”

“The lasagna.” He accepts three frozen dinners as you pass them over from where you’re leaning past the glass freezer door.

“Hey,” he looks up sharply at your soft call to see you staring down the aisle like you’ve seen a ghost, hand still holding the glass door open. He follows your gaze and sees him just as you say, “It’s Erwin.”

It’s not, but Jean’s heart twists all the same at the resemblance the stranger carries. Same neatly parted blonde hair, broad shoulders. But he’s shorter, still has both arms. And he’s alive. 

“It’s not, sweetheart,” he murmurs, reaching to wrap an arm around your shoulders.

“It is, look he—” you insist until the man turns and instead of the Commander’s piercing blue gaze you’re met with brown eyes that flick between you and Jean in confusion. “Oh.” Your face falls and you allow the door to close, turning into Jean’s side.

“You alright?” He tilts his head to catch your expression. It’s pure pain, mouth twitching into a frown and eyes unfocused. Your hand comes up to grip the bottom of his jacket, and after a second he can see you physically force your face back to neutral. 

“Fine,” you nod. He knows you’re faking, that it’s a survival tactic, so he lets it go for now, only steps back to let you in between his body and the cart. 

“Up you go,” he prompts you to step up, feet on the bottom shelf and hands clutching the bar. He starts to push as you ride, walking first then running down the aisle until you finally throw your head back and laugh genuinely. 

He misses the exasperated look an employee gives him as the pair of you whizz past, too preoccupied with your smile.

—

“What do you need three dozen eggs for, anyway?” you ask incredulously, nevertheless opening each carton to inspect before handing them over. 

“They’re a good source of protein,” he defends. “Plus, you always end up running out and coming to me to complain. Ran me dry last time.”

Another playful eye roll. “It’s only ‘cause I messed up my brownies! And I needed them to entice the landlord to finally fix my heater.”

“Your heater’s been broken?”

“Well, it’s not anymore. Espresso brownies work wonders, I’ll have you know.”

You’re trying to brush it off as you normally do when he worries, but the thought of you shivering and blue-lipped keeps him pushing. “How long did you not have heat for? It’s February!”

“Not the point, Jean-bo!” You poke at his cheek and twirl away towards the cheese. 

“It definitely is the point. Come to me next time and I’ll fix it.”

“And lose my deposit?” You scoff, reaching for mozzarella. “Fat chance.”

“Freeze, then.”

You grin back at him. “Why d’you think I came over so much last weekend?”

“Is that all I am to you? A hot water bottle in your time of need?” He feigns hurt, but some pride swells in his chest that he kept you warm, after all. 

“And a cute one, at that. Think fast!”

His hand flashes up to catch the mozzarella you toss deftly. 

“You wound me.”

“Eh, builds character. What’s next?”

Shuffle, shuffle. “Wine and flowers.”

—

Jean watches as you bounce in the driver’s seat, hands almost dainty on the wheel, leaning forward to stare resolutely out the windshield at the darkening road. You’re singing along to some song he doesn’t know that’s playing from the stereo.

It’s so familiar, this Saturday evening ritual with you, and it wraps Jean up like the softest blanket. He knows why you’re always so excited about grocery shopping, and it’s not the cheesecake — it’s the way this routine has centered itself in both your lives. He feels it too, the semblance of normalcy, of domesticity, that you’ve cobbled together with him in between hard weeks and harder nights.

You navigate the bends and odd intersections of his old suburban neighborhood with ease, having driven to his house maybe thousands of times since you were teens. The elementary school passes, then the vet clinic, until finally, your old black sedan pulls into his mom’s driveway alongside her silver minivan.

You shift to neutral and yank on the parking brake habitually, then turn off the car and settle back into your seat.

You’re both quiet for a moment: you staring out the window lost in thought, Jean checking the time on his phone.

“Jean?”

“Hm?”

“Do you ever regret enlisting so young?” This catches his attention, turning sharply to look at your contemplative profile.

“Never. It was the right thing to do.” He’s resolute in this conviction, always. The War had seemed to be at its worst when you’d joined up, driven by the promise of Wall Maria’s reclamation and impassioned by your comrades’ fury. It had been the only choice, in his view.

“I do, sometimes,” you admit quietly, eyes downcast to where your fingers twist in your lap. “Maybe then my head wouldn’t be so messed up,” you laugh dryly and tap your temple, then shoot him a sideways glance. “And maybe—” you cut yourself off.

“Maybe what?”

“Never mind.” You’re out of the car so fast Jean almost questions if you moved at all. It reminds him of your natural grace on the ODM gear, how you’d whoop and holler as you hurtled past him among the trees during training. He wonders for a moment when your agility turned from a source of joy to an escape mechanism, then stops himself. He knows exactly when that happened.

—

The grocery store tulips thankfully survived their ordeal in the trunk of your car, bright against Ma Kirschtein’s tile kitchen backsplash as you arrange them in her favorite vase. After a minute of fussing, you take a step back, give a nod of satisfaction, and scoop up the trimmed stems off the counter. The rest of the groceries are already put away, organized so she can reach them without trouble.

It’s as you’re stepping on the trash can pedal to open its lid that the voices from the living room catch your ear. You pause, smiling as mother and son converse.

“Have you been eating enough, Jean-bo? You look so skinny….”

“Ma, I—”

“What am I saying, of course you haven’t. You’d waste away to nothing if you were left to your own devices. I’m so glad that darling girl is there to look after you.”

“Ma, she’s not my keeper—”

“When are you two getting married, again? I could’ve sworn I wrote it down in my book, but I looked the other day and couldn’t find the date anywhere.” She sounds serious. Confused, even, not a hint of teasing in her tone. Must be an off day. A symptom of her early-onset dementia.

“Ma, we’re not even together.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been together since high school.” She’s so convinced, so sure, and you squeeze your eyes tight against the reality that you and Jean have only ever been friends. In the adolescent insecurity of high school, in the intensity of military training, in the fucking heat of battle, all you’ve ever shared is friendship.

“Ma, I don’t think… I don’t even think she—” He pauses and your ears strain in the silence to catch his last quiet phrase. “She doesn’t think of me that way.”

You just know, you can tell, he only says it like that to ease her confusion. It’s the opposite, really, he doesn’t think of you that way. Before you can hear more sideways rejection, you toss the flower stems and make a beeline for the bathroom.

—

“What was that movie you were telling me to watch, again?” You ask around a mouthful of spaghetti with sauce fresh from the jar, covering your mouth with one hand.

The pair of you are eating shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor of your apartment two floors above Jean’s. It’s got the decidedly better view out your picture window, complete with the perfect Eastern perspective of the river that cuts through Trost and its famous bridges. It’s this, the third leg of your traditional Saturday evenings together, that makes you feel the most warm.

Jean has the manners to chew and swallow before replying. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? Connie, Sasha, and I went to see it when they visited last month—”

Your snicker cuts him off and he raises his eyebrows as you roll your eyes and take a sip of wine. “The feet movie? Sasha said it was pretentious.”

“Really? I thought she was too preoccupied with the fact that the theater sold chili fries to pay attention.” He teases back, twirling more pasta onto his fork.

“I’m telling her you said that,” you warn with a jab of your own fork in his direction.

“Snitch.”

“Hey!”

He ducks to avoid your swat to the back of his head, grinning at your pout. “No, but seriously, apart from the feet it’s a good movie.”

“Hmm. I’ll consider putting it on the roster for next week.”

You take a moment to relish the comfortable silence, looking out at the city lights as you chew thoughtfully. His thigh is heavy and warm against yours under the thick knitted blanket his mom gave you last Yule. Your belly is warm and full, your shoulders relaxed in the company of your closest friend, your lungs breathing easily.

Jean says your name quietly and you turn to see him staring pensively down at the plate in his lap. “About what you asked earlier… in the car?”

You nod, eyes wide and mouth serious.

“Sometimes… I do regret it.” He grits the words out through his teeth, like it’s difficult to force the truth into the world. “Not because I regret what we did in the War. But because sometimes I wonder,” his eyes cut to yours for a split second, “I wonder what could’ve been. Without the War.”

You don’t say anything, don’t say you understand, because you know he knows. Instead, you loop your arm into his and lean your head against his shoulder. It takes a moment, a release of breath and the fall of his chest, but eventually he closes his eyes, turns his face into your hair, and allows himself to sink into the what could’ve been. Just for now.

i like you (more than i thought i would) (rewrite)

masterlist

pairing: robin buckley x reader

words: ~2,101

warnings: mostly fluff and being a gay mess

requested: nope :p

a/n: we've reached 200 of you wonderful people following this blog!! thanks for taking time out of your days to read the mess i post ♡

“If you think I'm believing a single thing you just said to me, you're out of your mind.”

She said, shaking her head at the taller boy as she wiped the counter.

"I'm telling the truth!” He persisted, glancing around the room before leaning closer to her to whisper, "you know, she's gay too."

She only rolled her eyes in response, turning away from him to start sorting the returned vcr's that had come in.

It hadn’t been the first time Steve had tried to play a prank on her, and she was smart enough to know when she was being played with.

"Yeah, okay, dingus."

He huffs when she dismisses him again, throwing an old receipt that was laying around on the counter at her, sticking his tongue out like a child.

"Believe it or not, Buckley, it's true. My sister - my twin sister - is coming to have lunch with me today."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it."

-

Even though she told him that she didn't believe him earlier that morning that he had a sister (a twin sister to be more exact), Robin had been on the lookout for the other Harrington sibling.

If she even did exist.  

Imagining a more feminine version of Steve, she had to wonder if you two shared the same personality. If you were just as confident and outspoken as your counterpart, or if you were the complete opposite.

She didn't really know what to expect, but when the time finally came and you walked through the door, all expectations Robin had flown out the window.

While Steve's style was more casual with his plain t-shirts, light-washed denim jeans and thin bomber jacket (Robin swore she'd never seen him wear any other jacket) - you on the other hand, were the complete opposite of your brother.

There you were, wearing a black t-shirt with some rock band that Robin had never heard of before, paired with black jeans that were ripped at the knees. The worn leather jacket around your shoulders making you look so out of place, yet the air of confidence you had around you made it feel like you owned the place.

The similarities were there, it wasn't hard to see that you two were clearly siblings, but that didn't stop Robin from glancing back and forth between the two of you.

“You ready for lunch, Steve?” You questioned, pushing the sunglasses currently resting on your nose up to your hair as you walked to the counter where Steve and Robin currently were. ”I’m not waiting all day for you."

Your older brother tutted and shook his head, and Robin could only stand there in shock because no way were you two related.

Absolutely no way.

"I'm still older than you, Y/N/N," He chided you playfully, before turning to face her. "By the way, this is the Robin I was telling you about.”

You turned your gaze to her direction and nodded your head in acknowledgement of Robin’s presence. She said nothing as you rested your forearms on the counter, the action alone making her cheeks heat up because how can one sibling be so smooth and the other so hopeless?

Also, Steve had told you about her?

“First of all, you’re only older by 20 minutes,” You retorted, narrowing your eyes facetiously at your older brother.

"And secondly," You begin, turning your attention back to Robin (who at this point was still standing there with her jaw lax at the interactions between the two of you). "It's nice to meet you."

If you were shocked by Robin suddenly grabbing Steve by the arm and saying yeah, wow, okay, Steve can I talk to you for a second? you didn't show it, allowing your brother to be dragged away to what you assumed was the back room.

"That's your sister?"

Steve had the audacity to look smug, and if it wasn't for her having a mental panic she would've punched him in the arm to get rid of the smirk on his face.

"I told you she was real."

She could only huff in retaliation. He was right. He did tell her that you were real, but he forgot to mention just how much of a character you were.

Besides, wouldn't it be a little weird to be attracted to her co-worker/friend’s younger sister?

"Fine, she is real, but you didn't tell me she was--"

"The complete opposite of me?" The taller boy teased, thoroughly enjoying watching this flustered side of Robin come to light. "Wouldn’t have guessed that bad girls were your type, Robin."

If Robin wasn’t red before, she definitely was now.

"It’s not my fault your sister is hotter and has more game than you do, Harrington.”

-

Robin followed Steve back out to the front, still obviously flustered that Steve had easily called her out on her visible attraction towards you.

Unknowingly to her, the taller boy already had something planned up his sleeves.

“I’m ready to go for lunch, but I just have one question for you, Y/N/N," He says, clapping his hands together as he approached you.

"Are you free on Saturday?”

Robin watches you look up from where you had been sitting, eyebrows furrowing in question.

“Yeah, I guess? I’m going to be in town for a little while. Why?”

Instead of answering your question, Steve nodded before facing her, that annoying, knowing smirk back on his face.

"What about you, Robin?"

“Yeah?"

The two of you could only watch as Steve grinned, the expression on his face only making you more confused while Robin felt the heat in her cheeks rise once again as he made eye contact with her.

"Perfect! Unfortunately, I have a shift on Saturday, but you two have fun on your date.”

“Date?”

“Date?”

She expected you to refuse, after all, who accepts to go on a date with someone you've never met before?

She expected you to roll your eyes and berate your brother, Robin already imagining how you would tell Steve to stop playing around, I came here so we could get food.

Honestly, she expected you to do anything other than say yes.

But when you only shrug your shoulders, and turn to face Robin, you surprise both her and your brother by tilting your head to the side and smiling.

“I've never turned down a date with a pretty girl," You say, with a grin that could rival the sun (but Robin thinks she's a little biased when she thinks that). "What do you say, Robin?”

She looked at Steve (who merely winked at her, and she knows that he's deliberately playing match maker) before back to you.

It didn’t help that you weren’t bad to look at, scratch that, Robin knew she was attracted to you the moment you walked into the store.

One date couldn’t hurt right?

"I guess it's a date.”

-

I'm going to kill Steve.

She doesn't normally wake up with murder on her mind, but the fact that your date was only a few hours away, she couldn't help but blame the nerves on the person who had set up the whole thing.

As much as she wanted to call you throughout the week and cancel the date, very much regretting the fact that she agreed to this date without a second thought, she knew that Steve would talk her ear off about how she ditched his sister and frankly, she’d rather just get the date over and done with if it meant he would shut up.

So when you showed up at her door at exactly 6 o'clock and not a minute late, just like you told her, Robin tried to ignore the nerves that had been present ever since she woke up that morning.

“Hop on.” You told her while holding out a black helmet. You were still wearing that worn leather jacket (what was it about the Harrington's and never owning any other jacket?) that made her speechless the first time she saw you.

“You want me to get on that?”

She watched you glance down at the 1982 Triumph motorbike that you were currently straddling, before looking back at her with a raised brow.

“Yes? Come on, I’m won’t let anything happen to you.” You say, gesturing to the helmet again while you gave her a comforting smile.

You only smiled wider when she took a step further, helping her put the helmet on and securing it on her head. Robin hoped that you couldn't see the way her cheeks had heated up when your fingers brushed against the underside of her chin, but the way you were still watching her with an admiring smile on your features.

“I’m holding you to your word, Harrington.” She mumbled, taking your offered hand to help her get on the seat.

“Just keep your arms around me, and we’ll be there before you know it.” She heard you say while you position her arms around your waist.

She couldn't help but lean into you when you situated her arms around you, the closeness of your bodies making her heart race a little. For someone who looked so intimidating on the outside, the more she was around you the more she could see that it was just a façade.

-

"You cold, Buckley?”

She watches you secure your bike and put the helmets away, all while having a smirk on your face. If she ever doubted you and Steve were siblings before, the smirk definitely said it all.

The sun had gone down by the time you arrived, and it didn’t help that the wind whipping past while you were driving made it feel like Robin had just walked into a freezer.

"Shut up."

You let out a small laugh, but nevertheless you shrug off your jacket. Taking a few steps to stand by her side, draping the heavy fabric over her shoulders.

“There, now you won’t get cold.”

Robin swore she’d blushed more around you in the thirty minutes she'd spent with you than she had in her whole life.

She felt her pinkie brush against yours, and before she could think about whether or not you would think it was too forward of her if she were to hold your hand, you had already laced your fingers with hers, the warm of your palm tethering her to the moment.

“Rides first then food? That way we don’t throw up anything we eat.”

All she could do was nod and let you lead the way.

-

Maybe it was because you were Steve’s sister, or that she barely knew you that Robin doesn't want to admit just how much she doesn't want the day with you to end.

Maybe.

The blush that stained Robin’s cheeks from the moment you helped her put the helmet on refused to go away even after hours had passed since then.

As much as she tried to deny it, she loved being pampered by you during your time together.

The whole night you were there by her side. With you hand in hers, or on her side, or on her arm, you made sure that she knew that you were by her side the whole time.

For all your tough guise you liked to show, you sure weren't afraid of looking like a complete fool trying to win her a big bear in one of those impossible basketball games where the hoop is too small for the ball to fit in.

She liked you.

More than she'd liked to admit.

But she had to remind herself that you weren’t staying for long. That no matter how much fun she had with you, you wouldn’t be in Hawkins forever.

"Are you staying in Hawkins for long, Y/n?”

With her hand still in yours, she tightened her grip just a little while she met your eyes.

If you could hear the reluctance in her voice you didn’t show it, only squeezing her hand back in return.

"I wasn't planning on staying for long," You admit.

“I’ve never really been one to stay in one place for too  long but something's telling me that maybe I should."

She could practically hear Steve already teasing her for being ‘lovesick’ for his sister, but with the way you were looking at her now - with such warmth, like whatever was budding between you two was something that you wanted to last.

"You should."

If the smile you gave her, told her anything, it was that she wanted this to last too.

Happy 2nd Borthday!! From your prompt list, 24 or 29 for Willex? AU your choice.

Thank you! So, I somehow managed to combine both of these prompts and it may or may not be absolute chaos. Inspired by the time my husband told me he learned to take my tickle aversion seriously after I full on kicked him in the balls, please enjoy ticklish Alex and regretful Willie, set in a high school AU where everyone is alive!

#24: whispering in their ear, lips touching skin & #29: tickling the other one (Rated T for language)

So, it probably hadn’t been the smartest choice to let Willie know just how ticklish he was. Usually, Alex kept that little tidbit to himself as long as he possibly could. Maybe it was because Luke, Reggie, and Bobby had figured it out in third grade and continued to use it to their advantage every chance they got. Maybe it was because his dad always told him that real men weren’t ticklish. Whatever the reason, Alex didn’t typically share how ridiculously sensitive to tickling he was unless he absolutely had to. And right now, he was desperately wishing he hadn’t ever told Willie about it. Because what he had also neglected to tell Willie, was exactly how violently he reacted to tickling. And not in a cute way, but in an actual I will seriously hurt you way.

Which was why Willie was currently rolling around the floor of the Molina’s studio, curled in on himself, moaning in pain.

“Willie?! Oh my God, I am so sorry!”

Alex wanted nothing more than to reach out to comfort the other boy but given the fact that he had just elbowed him full force directly below the belt, it didn’t really feel like his comfort would be appreciated. Willie didn’t respond with much more than a quiet groan and Alex’s guilt grew exponentially.

“Okay, okay, I’m gonna...I’m gonna go grab some ice and I’ll be right back!”

He fled from the studio before Willie had a chance to respond, tearing up the path from the studio to the Molina’s house as if his feet were on fire. Julie, bent over a Calculus book with Luke hovering distractedly at her side, raised a judgmental brow as he burst into the kitchen.

“Aren’t you supposed to be having your little study date out in the studio? Where’s Willie?”

“Hmmm, yeah, yes, I am, but uhhhh, I need some ice.”

Alex had already stuck his head in the freezer, rummaging past bagged tamales left by Tía to hunt down the ice pack he knew was lurking somewhere within the frozen depths. Luke chuckled loudly from his spot at the breakfast bar.

“What gives, dude? Did you try and impress him with your mad drum skills and accidentally chuck a drumstick at his head because you were so distracted by his beauty?”

Alex pulled his head from the ice box to stick his tongue out in Luke’s direction.

“No. Not all of us fuck up playing just because the object of our affection happens to smile at us.”

Luke’s cheeks turned a bright red and Alex silently applauded his victory. Luke hadn’t managed to properly play through the bridge of Finally Free once since Julie had started sharing the mic with him during it. Take that Biceps McSleeveless. Julie rolled her eyes, oblivious as always to the underhanded barbs passed between the boys.

“Okay, so, why are you suddenly pawing through my freezer like you’re searching for Narnia? And, again, where’s Willie?”

Alex felt his own cheeks warm to match Luke’s. It wasn’t really worth lying about, even if it meant accepting a certain amount of ribbing from Luke in the aftermath.

“I, uhhh, might have maybe told Willie about how ticklish I am? And I might have maybe hit him in the balls when he tried to test just exactly what I meant??”

Julie, to her credit, maintained a strict poker face. Luke, on the other hand, lost his shit completely, falling off the stool as he laughed his goddamn ass off at Alex’s misfortune.

“It’s not my fault!” Alex tried to protest. “I told him I couldn’t be held accountable for my reactions when I was tickled! I just...didn’t tell him that my reaction might be no holds barred violence? Fuck he’s never gonna go on an actual date with me now.”

Alex felt his shoulders slump, the shame weighing heavy on his conscience. If only he could be like the other boys, normal and not so ticklish that he completely blanked and went into fight or flight mode with his dial always turned to fight. Things had been going so well before the whole tickle incident too! Willie had been kind and patient with Alex as they worked their way through a series of physics questions in his homework. At one point Alex had even sworn that Willie got so close Alex could practically feel his breath along his neck, the atmosphere shifting into a kind of charged tension as Willie whispered directions for solving the problem right into Alex’s ear. Just the thought of Willie’s lips against the skin of his neck had Alex feeling a bizarre mix of hot and cold all over. He shivered at the memory, and then remembered he was standing in front of the open freezer door. Julie squeezed in next to him, grabbing an ice pack from one of the shelves and pressing it into Alex’s hand.

“Lex, breathe, okay? Willie probably feels just as bad for tickling you in the first place. You were as honest as you needed to be about that and he’s probably kicking himself for pushing past your boundaries.”

“Right, yeah, okay? Right? Like...we can both be at fault here, yeah? I can just...go apologize and give him the ice and everything will be okay, right?”

“Right,” Julie agreed, guiding Alex back towards the back door and shooting Luke a death glare as he rolled around the kitchen floor still laughing. “Just...go apologize and see what happens. It’s not the end of the world.”

“Okay...okay,” Alex nodded. “Not the end of the world. I fucking ball racked the dude I’ve had a crush on for months but it’s not the end of the world. Yeah. Okay.”

Julie nodded and practically shoved Alex down the path back to the studio before closing the door behind him, the lock clicking into place as a clear indicator that she would not be letting him back inside before he dealt with this. Alex tripped his way down to the studio and took a deep breath to steel himself before wrenching the garage doors open and slipping back inside. Willie had managed to move from the floor to the couch, though he was still half folded over in pain. Alex offered him the ice pack with a sheepish smile.

“I’m uhhh really fucking sorry about that. I didn’t...I should have warned you that when I said I was really ticklish I actually meant ‘don’t tickle me unless you want to be violently assaulted.’”

Willie looked up at him through his long, messy brown locks, taking the ice pack with a kind of dignity Alex only wished he could fake right then. And then, he smiled, actually fucking smiled, like everything was fine.

“Don’t worry about it, dude. I shouldn’t have tried to test it. You told me you were ticklish, and I should have left it at that. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“Made me...made me uncomfortable? Willie, I fucking elbowed you in the...!”

Alex gestured helplessly and then realized exactly what he was doing and let out a high-pitched whine of embarrassment. Willie giggled softly.

“I mean, I was kind of asking for it. You have a right to react like that when someone touches you in a way that you don’t like. I’m just mostly sorry that I took advantage of you like that. I swear that was not how I pictured our first date going.”

Alex’s brain short circuited. Nothing but a blank blue screen as Willie’s words repeated in his mind endlessly: first date first date first date.

“This was a date?”

Not the best line, but could Alex really be blamed for such a lame response when his brain wasn’t actually properly working anymore?

“I mean...yeah I was kind of hoping it was?”

Willie laughed quietly, only a small bit of awkwardness tinging his tone.

“No, no...I mean, yeah! I...I also wanted it to be a date...if that’s...cool with you?”

Look, Alex had never claimed to be smooth. Socially awkward and anxious, yes. Smooth? Hell no. Willie stood, stepping close to Alex until the scent of his coconut shampoo tickled Alex’s nose. He dropped the ice pack to the floor with a plop, reaching up to move an errant strand of hair out of Alex’s face with ice cold fingers. Alex felt frozen to the spot, especially as Willie leaned in close, just like before, so that Alex could feel his hot breath across his neck, his words floating through the small space to twist themselves into Alex’s ear.

“Hey Alex, wanna go on a date with me?”

Alex stuttered for a short second, desperately searching for the only acceptable words to answer a question like that.

“Yes...yeah...yes, definitely.”

Willie laughed again and Alex could swear he felt the way the other boy’s lips quirked into a smile against his skin.

“Awesome. I promise not to tickle you this time.”

Send me prompts for my second birthday!

flurries

(from these winter prompts)

Summary: Based on the prompt: "Don’t you dare throw that snowball.” and “God, you’re shivering so much— just take my jacket.” - only thing I adjusted was I switched out jacket for scarf. This is set in a season five universe post 3x07 and pre 3x09.

-/-

George was forced to close the restaurant early that day, weather reports forecasting a terrible winter storm and she wasn’t about to put the crew’s life in danger just to get a leg up for once that month, her new extension on whatever normal life she was allotted to live giving her a new outlook on what was important.

 Her and Ace volunteer to stay behind to wrap things up and close up for the foreseeable future, tightening the shudders on the windows, draining and turning off the water just in case the extra blast of cold froze the pipes, and sticking as much unused food as they could in the freezer so it wouldn’t go to waste.

  And she supposes it takes them a bit longer than normal even though they’ve been through this routine a few times to account for everything that should be done in preparation for a snow storm.

  She thinks it has to do with all that’s on her mind. Frozen hearts, ancient ancestors, unresolved feelings…

  She wonders what’s on his to make him move a bit slower.

   “You ready to head out?” he finally asks as she places the last of the clams in the freezer and shuts the door with a forceful push.

  “Yeah, let’s get out of here before we end up in the freezer too,” she quips back trying to make light of their ambling around each other for the past thirty minutes, her default for when things get awkward or even a little too comfortable.

  He walks close to her as they head out the double doors together and she’s thankful for their gloves as their hands graze by one another in the doorway. But then they both must have noticed the surprised gathered snow on the ground at the same time because they stop in sync on the sidewalk as they step outside on the small patio to view both of their cars sifted not so lightly with snow.

  “Looks like we’ll be here a little longer,” he says beside her at the early arrival of the beginnings of the storm.

  “Hey, we’ve handled soul sucking spirits remember? We can dust off a few cars,” knocking her shoulder into his with a playfulness that starts to spread a smile across his face.

  “One or two…” and then there it was - a laugh.

  She tries to suppress the whirl of happiness inside her as the sound of his giggle dissipates in the air. She doesn’t necessarily win that fight as a smile of her own graces over a face.

   Heading out into the parking lot, they both get the broom/ice scraper combos out of their trunks, dusting off what snow or ice had gathered on their respective vehicles in the time they were inside. Ace is a bit more tender with Florence than she is with her own car, so she slows her pace a little to match his. It gives her a chance to notice him from a far and her heart is relieved by the allowance of whatever she feels for him to be set free, affection glowing in her eyes if only for a split second.

  Then he looks up over at her and her face quickly diminishes back into a smirk as she remarks from across the way, “and you thought this wouldn’t be fun,” reverting to jokes in her attempt to cover up the slew of fluttering inside her chest.

  And then he smiles toward her, and she knows that look, that look of having something up his sleeve he isn’t telling her and as he sets his broom down, he proceeds to bend forward to scoop some snow up into his glove.

  In his walk towards her, she shouts, “don’t you dare throw that snowball, sir.”

  “Oh this?” he remarks innocently as he balls the snow up tighter in his glove only to swiftly whirl it in her direction, hitting her nylon winter coat with a bit of splat.

 “Now, this is what I call fun,” he says in between another one of his laughs.

  She didn’t know what she did to deserve it, but she counts her blessings to hear it once more.

  And then if by some fact that the universe has to reset the balance every once in a while, she feels her foot slip upon the snow, like a delayed reaction from the snowball or the fact that she was overcome with joy from the sound of his giggles once again, she nearly falls, before seeing him dash forward the last few feet that were separating them, catching her in his arms, and in an abundance of relief, he breathes out, “whoa, careful Nance, don’t have too much fun now.”

  He smiles at first as he catches his breathe before realizing what position they are in after he brings her upright, their faces nearly inches apart, his arms still holding onto her, one hand at her waist and the other at her back.

  She thinks maybe this is it, this could be the moment and she could just lean forward and close the gap and feel his lips upon hers and let her secret finally be known.

   “God, you’re shivering so much,” he remarks with a visible wisp of air between them after what felt like a lifetime, “here take my scarf,” and he lets go of her only to promptly pull his woolen plaid scarf from around his neck and place it around her own. He lets his fingers linger a bit as he traces by her ear and the locks of her hair only to end delicately at the ends of the scarf. Dipping his head down he whispers, “that should keep you warm through the storm.”

  You could keep me warm she carelessly thinks as she lets that glow seep through her eyes as she looks over at him.

  Lifting his eyes back up to hers she’s greeted by a look that feels like it almost mirrors what is whirling inside her at the current moment, what almost feels like…

  “You stay warm too,” she breathes out.

Title: Finding Love In Legacy Oaks pt. 13

Fandom: Kingsman

Pairing: Agent Whiskey x OFC!

Author: @sheerfreesia007​

Words: 6,471

Warnings: Fluff, shirtless Jack, teasing

Permanent Tag List: @paintballkid711, @fioccodineveautunnale, @phoenixhalliwell, @linkpk88, @weirdowithnobeardo, @athalien

Author Notes: I loved writing this! All the different relationships with Bunny just make my heart happy, Mr. Quinten especially. Also Esme is seeing more going on between Bunny and Jack! 

Gif Credit: Google

The soft tones of her doorbell pulled Bunny out of her mid afternoon stupor as she stared at her laptop screen. The proposal for her new client had gone well and she had signed a contract with them shortly after their meeting earlier this morning. Her lawyer had even congratulated her on such a lucrative contract after treating her to a nice brunch meal after the meeting. 

Bunny slid herself out of her armchair and hooked the crutches under her armpits before moving over to the front door. When she opened it she grinned widely as she spotted Henry and Sarah Mills standing on her front stoop. Henry was holding two large aluminum covered trays while Sarah stood next to him holding a pretty brightly colored bouquet and a leather bound notebook with different colored sticky notes sticking out of it.

“Bun-Bun!” Sarah cried happily as she threw her arms out wide and stepped forward gathering Bunny into a warm affectionate hug.

“Hey Sarah, Henry. What’s going on?” Bunny greeted them eagerly as she hugged Sarah as tightly as she could while still keeping the crutches under her arms. Bunny stepped back and allowed the two of them into her home, Sarah walked further into the house and into the kitchen with familiarity while Henry gave Bunny a one armed hug and a chaste kiss to her cheek as he smiled at her.

“We came to visit. Sarah made her famous lasagna and baked ziti for you so you don’t have to keep ordering out. And I’ve come to walk Butter so that the two of you can talk about flower plans for the community.” Henry informed her and Bunny nodded smiling as she began to move into the kitchen hearing Sarah running the faucet.

When she moved into the doorway she spotted Sarah over by the sink with one of Bunny’s vases under the sink filling it before setting it in the sink so she could begin trimming the stems of the flowers. Henry walked around Bunny and set the trays on the kitchen island before turning to the fridge where he opened the freezer and began placing one of the trays in it. The other one he placed in the fridge before turning to smile warmly at Bunny as she crutched over the kitchen island and hopped up onto one of the stools there.

“You know you guys didn’t have to do all this.” Bunny began but Sarah mindlessly waved her hand over her head in dismissal as Henry scoffed softly at Bunny’s words as he turned back from the fridge after closing it.

“Yes we did. You’re our friend Bunny, how many times have you taken care of me by sending over food when Sarah’s on work trips? I’m pretty sure you’ve saved me from not only starvation but also burning our house down on multiple occasions.” Henry said as he leaned over the kitchen island resting his crossed arms on top of it.

“He’s right. We’re just taking care of our girl who looks out for us all the time. Don’t give us any lip about it either. Let us help you, it’s our turn to help and look out for you.” Sarah said with a nod of her head as she finished arranging the flowers in the vase and placing it in the middle of the kitchen island. “Plus we have to start planning the Spring flowers so I can submit them to the Home Owner’s board.” Sarah advised.

“Alright, alright.” Bunny relented making Henry and Sarah look at each other with matching conspiratorial grins. “What?” Bunny asked warily and Sarah shook her head before she gestured to Butter who was watching their guests with a curious look in his eyes.

“Oh yes! C’mon Butter let’s go for a walk buddy!” Henry called happily after he jolted into motion. Bunny sat there resting her chin in her hand watching as Henry effectively chased Butter out the house quickly. Once Henry was gone she turned her eyes back to a softly smirking Sarah.

“You know I have never seen that man move that quickly in the years that we’ve been neighbors. Whatever you need to talk to me about must be big.” Bunny said amused and Sarah laughed loudly at her words before she lifted her hands in faux surrender.

“No, nothing huge. But I need to talk to you about this in private without him around.” Sarah said seriously and Bunny frowned softly at her friend. “The neighborhood would like to all pitch in and help you since you got hurt.” Sarah said softly as she moved around the kitchen island to take a seat on the stool next to Bunny. Bunny sat up fully and turned to Sarah who was already facing her with a soft affectionate look on her face. “We all know and appreciate how much you do for our community. And we know that you don’t ask for help very often if ever, you’re a little too prideful for that. Which is perfectly fine, but you’re in a cast for now and with limited mobility. So I wanted to ask you first if you’re alright with everyone coming to help out around your house until you’re out of the cast.” Sarah said delicately as she gently grasped onto one of Bunny’s hands and cupped it softly in hers.

“I’m not invalid.” Bunny huffed out softly and Sarah quickly shook her head.

“No you’re not. And that’s not what we’re trying to imply. But driving is going to be harder for you now so we figured we’d do a rotation for giving rides for Mr. Quinten’s doctor appointments. And with the cast I can only imagine that you can only be upright on it for so long in a day, so we’d like to help out with cleaning your house and mowing your yard. You know the Home Owner’s board will still be inspecting your outdoor upkeep and I swear if Cynthia tries to slap you with violations I will throttle that woman.” Sarah said reassuringly and Bunny laughed at her mention of Cynthia and inspections as she nodded her head knowing she was right. “So we’re not trying to make you feel like you can’t do anything now but we’d like to give back to the woman who always has everyone else’s back and is always making sure everyone else is doing just fine.” Sarah said softly and Bunny felt her throat begin to tighten as loving emotions began to surge within her.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she looked over at Sarah blinking rapidly. Sarah grinned and a happy affectionate laugh burst from her mouth before she slipped off the stool and wrapped Bunny in her arms in a tight loving hug.

“We got you sweetheart. We take care of our own.” Sarah said softly as Bunny nodded her head before wiping away the stray tear that escaped her eyes. “So is that a yes, you’ll let us help you?” Sarah asked cautiously as she stepped back and climbed back onto the stool.

“Yes, I’d love your help. But if I feel like it’s too much help I have the right to refuse.” Bunny said as she nodded her head, she still wasn’t able to give up full reign for complete help but she’d be able to compromise. Sarah nodded her head and lifted her index finger to make an x mark over her heart, Bunny laughed happily at Sarah’s gesture and she nodded her head. “Okay.”

“Good, so Penny offered to help with cleaning first. She said she’d send you a text sometime this week to let you know when she’d be able to come by.” Sarah said as she pulled her leather bound notebook over and flipped it open to a page that had multiple sticky notes attached to it. “Oh, and before we get down to flower business.” Sarah said as she turned on the stool to point back at the kitchen table. 

Bunny looked over her shoulder at the kitchen table and spotted the large bouquet from Jack when he confessed his feelings for her. A bright blush rushed over her face and Sarah smirked widely at her.

“Are we gonna talk about who those are from?” Sarah asked knowingly and Bunny turned back to the kitchen island quickly shaking her head rapidly.

“So about the flower plans.” Bunny said, trying to distract Sarah who just stared at Bunny intensely. Feeling herself sweat Bunny huffed before turning to Sarah fully. “Fine, they're from Jack. He bought them for me on his way home from his last work trip.”

“Those aren’t grocery store flowers.” Sarah said as she turned to stare down at her notebook.

“No they’re not.” Bunny said, smiling softly knowing where Sarah was going with this. After years of getting to know each other and becoming friends Bunny had learned that Sarah was a no nonsense woman who was more career focused and detail oriented. The way she was so matter of fact and a few steps ahead of almost everyone amazed Bunny sometimes.

“Probably paid good money for that big bouquet.” Sarah said softly and Bunny ducked her head as her face flushed again as she thought about how much Jack had to pay for the flowers.

“Probably.” Bunny said softly, not wanting to acknowledge the price of it. She knew Sarah wasn’t being cruel with her simple deduction of Jack’s actions. Sarah turned to look at Bunny silently, Bunny could feel Sarah’s eyes taking her in without saying anything.

“He obviously cares quite a bit to take the time and pick out such an odd display of flowers.” Sarah said softly with a knowing connotation to her words. Bunny’s head snapped up as she stared over at Sarah silently with wide eyes. 

“Well actually each flower means something.” Bunny admitted to her and Sarah’s eyes widened as a squeal escaped her mouth as she began to bounce on the stool. Her hand came out and grabbed onto Bunny’s forearm while a grin spread wide across her lips.

“Secret flower language? No he didn’t!” Sarah hissed at Bunny in delight making Bunny burst out in laughter. “Did he really? Did he tell you what meaning he was going with?” Sarah asked hurriedly and Bunny nodded her head as she got caught up in the excitement exuding from Sarah. “All good meanings?” Sarah prodded and Bunny blushed softly as she nodded her head. Sarah squealed loudly again and wrapped Bunny in another tight hug as she danced on her feet in joy. “Oh finally!” Sarah cried out happily.

“What do you mean finally?!” Bunny cried out in surprise as she leaned back from Sarah who grinned widely at her knowingly.

“Henry and I had a bet on when the two of you would get together. Henry bet not until Christmas this year and I bet early this year. Oh he’s going to be so upset that I get to choose our next couples vacation! Yes!” Sarah cheered happily and Bunny scoffed as she shook her head at her friend.

“I’m so glad I could be of service to you.” Bunny griped out and Sarah laughed as she cupped Bunny’s cheeks so that she looked straight into Sarah’s eyes.

“Don’t take offense darling. Henry and I could see it developing a mile away from the sidelines. Jack and Henry actually talked about you when he first moved in because Jeremy mentioned you when he first met Jack.” Sarah said with a soft smirk on her face.

“Really?” Bunny asked as she looked at Sarah surprised.

“Oh yeah Bun-Bun! You two were destined for each other.” Sarah said as she chuckled softly and turned back to her notebook. Bunny shook her head softly at her friend before as she silently thought about that new piece of information. She smiled softly as she thought about Sarah saying that the two of them were made for each other. She then turned back to Sarah who was sliding her notebook over towards Bunny to show her the thoughts that she had about this Spring’s flower project that they were in charge of.

*-*-*-*

The gentle squeak of chains made Bunny smile widely as she leaned back on the porch swing. Her cast hung heavy in the air as the seat swung lazily back and forth. Turning her head she looked over at Mr. Quinten who was sitting on the other end of the seat sipping his tall glass of iced tea.

“Finally I get a break from you and you come over here to bother me because you’re bored at home. Can’t seem to ever get rid of you can I?” He teases without looking over at her. Bunny scoffs softly as a grin spreads across her face.

“Whatever you say old man. I know you were waiting for a personal update on what’s going on.” Bunny teased him softly as she leaned back and took a sip of her own glass. “I’m still supposed to stay off my foot as much as possible. And have a couple of doctor appointments here and there to make sure everything is healing alright.”

“You better let these people help you or so help me Bunny.” Mr. Quinten rasped out and Bunny looked over at him with a surprised look on her face. “I’m serious Bunny. You’re too proud to ask for any help on your own. Let your friends help you while you heal. Trust me, from one stubborn prideful stick in the mud to another. It’s better to let them help you than to not let them.” Mr. Quinten said knowingly and Bunny sat there in silence as she took in his words.

Bunny nodded her head silently before smiling softly and leaning back on the swing. She idly wondered if Mr. Quinten meant about his stubbornness about letting her help him or if it was someone completely different. She would heed his words though and let her friends and neighbors help her as long as it didn’t make her feel too invalid.

“Alright.” She said softly as she thought about everyone who was scheduled to help her around the house and with other things that she normally was in charge of. Mr. Quinten huffed softly as he nodded next to her and leaned back as well, pushing off from the floor and letting the swing move back and forth gently. Bunny felt a weight cover her hand and she looked down in surprise as Mr. Quinten’s hand covered hers while his fingers curled around the edges of her hand and grasped it tightly once before letting it go and rest on the bench still covering her. Bunny blinked rapidly as tears swelled in her eyes and she reaffirmed herself to letting people help her.

*-*-*-*

“And you know Nadia said that she couldn’t actually remember what it was we were fighting about!” Esme said excitedly as she hopped up onto the stool at Bunny’s kitchen island. Bunny nodded her head along with Esme’s words, smiling brightly at the little girl. She was ecstatic to hear that Esme and Nadia had made up and were speaking to each other again.

“That’s great Es!” Bunny said as she shuffled around the kitchen pulling out bowls and utensils. She slid them across the island towards Esme who easily grabbed them and hopped down to go place them on the kitchen table. “That’s usually how it works too. Once people cool off they normally forget about small fights and the reason for the fight.” Bunny explained as she stirred the bubbling pot of pasta sauce that Jack had left on the stove. Just as she was pulling the wooden spoon up to her mouth there was a loud shout from the doorway.

“Get away from that dang pot!” Shouted Jack making Bunny squeak in surprise and dropped the spoon back into the sauce pot. She whirled around quickly and had to grab onto the counter to keep her balance as her whole body pitched forward with her movement.

Jack’s arms wrapped around her gently and easily righted her to stand on her feet. Bunny looked up at him and saw that he was smiling gently down at her with soft affectionate eyes.

“I swear Bunny there must be something about that makes you keep falling for me.” Jack crooned softly at her and Bunny blushed brightly at his words. She chuckled softly as she felt the blush heat the back of her neck and make sweat break out along her forehead.

“Nope, it's just because of my cast.” Bunny teased back to him and watched as his eyes heated with a challenging look.

“Ooooohhh Bunny. Wrong move sweetheart.” Jack said softly in a sultry tone that made a shiver race down Bunny’s spine. His hands gently grazed her back as he moved his hands from her waist up her back and then back down. Bunny cooed softly at the gentle touch on her back and blushed brightly when Jack smirked down at her. “Sensitive to the touch are ya?” He asked wickedly and Bunny gasped softly before she nodded her head slightly at his questions. “Good to know.” Jack said softly before he released Bunny leaving her feeling slightly dizzy.

Jack quickly shooed Bunny over to the table and she slowly crutched over to the dinner table. Bunny moved so that she was sitting across the table from Esme who was looking at her with a quiet curious look. Shaking her head she began pouring a glass of iced tea for herself before turning back to Esme.

“Would you like some iced tea Es?” She asked     as she shook the pitcher of Iced Tea at her. Esme nodded her head as she smiled widely at Bunny. Pouring the tea into the cup she looked over at Esme before speaking up. “So do you and Nadia have any plans anytime soon to get together for a play date?”

“Oh yeah! She invited me to sleepover this Friday!” Esme said happily before she took the glass that Bunny slid across the table at her. Jack walked over holding two bowls of pasta with pasta sauce and breaded baked chicken.

“Oh that sounds really nice! Sounds like you’re gonna have a lot of fun.” Bunny said happily as she nodded her head. “Thanks Jack.” She said softly as she looked up at him as he placed down her plate of food in front of her. He smiled down at her before sliding the hand he had resting on the back of her chair up to her shoulder and then across making her shiver visibly in her chair as she gasped softly.

“Anytime Bunny.” He said softly as he grinned down at her softly before he moved away back to the stove to get his own plate. Bunny shivered softly again after the reprieve from his touch before noticing Esme was watching her avidly before her chocolate brown eyes darted over to her Dad silently. 

Bunny had a feeling that Esme was picking up on her and Jack’s actions towards each other more than they agreed to pursue a relationship. She would have to talk with Jack if he wants to make it well known with Esme yet or not.

“Yeah she said that she wants to play games and watch a couple of movies that her Mom just bought her. She even got the new robot movie!” Esme said excitedly as she bounced in her seat a little bit before taking a fork full of food.

“You mean the friend robot movie?” Bunny asked curiously as she too began to eat the food on her plate. She saw Jack smile as he watched the two of them talking out of the corner of her eye and she felt her heart begin to swell in her chest. The fact that they were all able to spend dinner together talking about what was going in their days made her heart feel lighter.

“Yeah that one.” Esme said excitedly as she slurped up the pasta on her plate. 

“So how has it been with everyone helping you?” Jack asked as he finished chewing his food. Bunny looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders gently.

“It’s alright. Sarah and Henry have come over and helped with Butter. Penny is supposed to come over tomorrow to help me clean the house. Mercy and Jeremy are going to come over this week and help me cook and hang out.” Bunny said conversationally as they all continued to eat. 

“And you’re all okay with this?” Jack asked softly. Bunny looked over at him from her downward gaze to her plate. He was looking at her imploringly and she shrugged her shoulders.

“I know I can be stubborn when it comes to asking for help and letting others help me.” Bunny started to explain, making Jack nod his head in understanding. “It’s just going to be hard for me to let the control go because of my ex-husband.”

“What do you mean?” Jack asked curiously as he tilted his head to the side looking over at Bunny curiously.

“My ex was in the mind frame that keeping the house clean and running was fully my job. He never helped me with anything around the house and the way I took care of anything was never up to his standards.” Bunny explained softly as she looked down at her plate.

“Maybe his standards were impossible to meet.” Jack mused softly and Bunny sucked in a soft breath as she looked up from her plate. Jack was watching her quietly as he took a sip of his drink. “I’m serious Bunny. Your house is beautiful and from what I’ve seen when we come over to visit your home is clean. And you’re always so organized and you keep track of everything for everyone else. Any man would be lucky to have a woman who’s so detail oriented and able to manage her household on her own.” Jack said earnestly, making Bunny smile softly and blush lightly at his kind words.

“Thanks Jack.” Bunny said softly and her eyes darted over to Esme across the table who was watching her Dad quietly with a furrowed brow and a squinted look in her eyes. “You okay Es?” Bunny asked as she leaned over and grabbed her glass to take a sip.

“Yeah I’m okay.” Esme said as she still watched her Dad before taking another fork full of food. Bunny darted her eyes over to Jack and saw he was making a funny face at Esme as the little girl burst into giggles at his antics. Bunny chuckled softly as she shook her head feeling happy to spend a good time eating a good meal with these two crazy people in her life.

*-*-*-*

There was a knock at the door and Bunny looked up from her laptop as she finished up the current section of her project she was working on. Saving her work she quickly closed her laptop and grabbed her crutches to help herself move across the room to the front door.

“Yoo-hoo! Bunny! It’s Penny.” Came a call from the other side of the door and Bunny grinned as she easily opened the door for her friend. Penny stood on her doorstep in a cute pair of blue denim overalls, a brightly colored polka dot shirt underneath with her hair tied up with a bandana. 

“Well don’t you look cute!” Bunny greeted Penny as she held the door open for the woman. Penny leant down and picked up the pail and mop that she had on the ground and began walking into the house. “Aww Penn, I’ve got a mop sweetie. You didn’t have to bring yours.”

“Nonsense. I’ve brought my trusty mop and homemade cleaning solution. We’re gonna touch up your already spotless house honey.” Penny said happily and Bunny chuckled softly at her friend’s happy attitude.

“Thank you for doing this by the way.” Bunny said softly and Penny waved her hand dismissively at her.

“It’s nothing lovie. Besides after everything you've helped me with this is the least I could do." Penny says softly and hugs Bunny tightly before holding her away at arms length. "Alright so I'm gonna need your vacuum, a good pumping playlist and help putting up all your chairs in the kitchen and anywhere else you want me to mop." Penny directed and Bunny nodded with a grin.

The two of them quickly set out to get everything ready for the cleaning tornado that would be the two of them running rampant through the house in a little bit. And with that the cleaning of her house was looking way more manageable to Bunny as she rolled out the vacuum and turned to her speakers to play an upbeat playlist she had made.

Penny cheered happily when she heard the catchy pop song begin to play loudly through the speakers. Her hips swayed to the beat as she began to effortlessly vacuum the whole house while Bunny helped by dusting and cleaning the blinds on the windows. The two women worked tirelessly and soon they both plopped down on Bunny's couch in a companionable heap together.

"So how are the kids doing?" Bunny asked kindly as she rolled her head to rest gently on Penny's shoulder. Penny chuckled softly and Bunny just she would have a story for her.

"Well Molly got detention the other day for getting into a fight at school." Penny said rather proudly which made Bunny lift her head to stare at Penny oddly.

"You sound proud." Bunny said with uncertainty and Penny chuckled again while shaking her head.

"I am proud. She stuck up to some bullies at school who were teasing Esme and another girl at school. It wasn't physical but Mollie said a few choice words that are looked down on." Penny said with a shrug. "She's my spitfire and I'd rather her stand up against bullying than watching it happen and not doing anything about it. Her father and I didn't raise her that way." Penny said fondly as she reminisced about her youngest daughter.

"Good for her. I'm so glad she's friends with Es. Maybe she can bring more confidence to Esme." Bunny said softly as she grinned at Penny.

"Oh I'd say she is. Our little Esme backed Mollie up and told the bullies to go suck an egg and that they were barking up the wrong tree. Whatever that means." Penny said, chuckling as she shook her head. "She's got some funny sayings that little one." Penny laughed out loudly. Bunny chuckled along with Penny and thought that Esme did have some odd sayings but figured that they came from Jack like the morning of the meltdown, Jack had quite a few odd sayings that she didn't know the meaning of and his accent at the time had been in full force. Bunny figured that it was like Esme had once told her, their accents come out when they're both riled up.

*-*-*-*

"So if Jack's outside where's Esme?" Jeremy asked as he leaned up against the kitchen island as Mercy and Bunny laid out cold cuts, lettuce, tomatoes and other sandwich fillers on large plates. The sound of a lawn mower could be heard outside the window and Bunny looked up from her task to look at Jeremy.

"She's still in school dummy. Jack's got parent teacher night tonight and requested the day off from work so that he could be there on time for it." Bunny replied easily without thought making both Mercy and Jeremy look up at her with surprised looks on their faces that quickly morphed into knowing smirks. When Bunny realized they were staring at her oddly she looked at them with a concerned look on her face.

"What? What is it?" Bunny asked and Mercy looked over at Jeremy who smirked wickedly at her.

"You seem to know an awful lot about what Jack is doing nowadays and where little Miss Esme is." Jeremy teased Bunny who began to blush heatedly at his words.

"I think its sweet." Mercy chimed in and gave Bunny a side hug as she moved behind her carrying the platters of cold cuts to the kitchen table.

"It may be sweet but it is moving at a snail's pace Mercy! I need my OTP ship to service sail already into the smutty waters ahead!" Jeremy ranted as he wildly waved his hands in the air.

"Your what?" Bunny and Mercy asked at the same time as the both stared at Jeremy confused. Jeremy sighed loudly and popped out his hip where one hand landed firmly in an exasperated pose.

"OTP, one true pair." Jeremy explained, still waving his other hand around in the air. Bunny looked at him still confused as Mercy giggled softly at his explanation. "Bunny for all that is right in this word. You are so far removed from today's time." Jeremy said exasperated still. "It means that I ship you and Jack together and want the two of you together."

"But we are together. We're just taking it slow." Bunny replied and Jeremy gave her a wide eyed look as he gestured with his hands for her to hurry up. "Oh fuck off. I'll move at whatever pace I'm comfortable with." Bunny scoffed at him and Jeremy grinned at her while Mercy giggled again.

"Though to be honest he is a very handsome man. If it were me I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him." Mercy said knowingly as she moved over to the windows that faced the front yard. 

"See Mercy gets it we just have to get you on board." Jeremy said as he pointed a finger at Bunny while walking over to the windows where Mercy stood. "Oh my." Jeremy said in a breathy voice and Bunny furrowed her brows at him.

"You think it's easy for me to keep my hands to myself? That man is so dreamy it's a daily struggle to not grab him by his collar and plant one on him. I mean-" Bunny explained as she clutched over to the windows where her friends stood and looked out, effectively losing her train of thought. "Look at him." She said in a dreamy sigh.

Jack stood out in her front yard next to a mower slowly pulling his now dirty white shirt over his head. Bunny's eyes snapped down to the tanned toned stomach that was slowly being revealed to her eyes. His stomach wasn't a defined six pack but it was definitely a toned muscular stomach that made Bunny's mouth water as her mind created salacious images of what she wanted to do to that stomach. The shirt rode up higher on his body and Bunny bit her lip as she spotted the chest hair that started at the middle of his chest and covered his pectoral muscles nicely. Her brain short circuited when her eyes dragged down his body to see the trail of hair from beneath his belly button to the waistline of his jeans and further below it. Sweat was rolling down his chest and Bunny felt her thighs clench together in desire making her flush brightly at her reaction to a shirtless Jack.

"Oh we're looking." Jeremy breathed out and Mercy chuckled softly. Just then Bunny's eyes traveled up to see Jack smirking at the three of them as they all stared at him through the windows. Bunny squeaked and quickly whirled away from the windows to press her back the wall while Mercy and Jeremy dropped down to the floor. Bunny could hear Jack's loud happy laughter and knew she was going to be teased mercilessly by him for that. "And on that note Mercy and I are gonna go." Jeremy said suddenly and Bunny snapped her head to glare at him.

"Don't you dare leave me here with him!" Bunny hissed, making Mercy and Jeremy grin wickedly. Bunny knew they were gonna leave her to face Jack alone. "Cowards!" Bunny hisses as she watches the two of them scramble to their feet and quickly leave, kissing her cheek as they both pass her.

"Love you, byyyyeee!" Mercy draws out as she waves.

"Consider this my push to get you two closer together." Jeremy calls out over his shoulder as they both leave the house in a hurry. Bunny sighs and crutches over to the windows looking out to see Jack was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for someone?" Jack says in a deep amused tone, standing behind her. Bunny squeaks and whirls around to see him standing at her kitchen island still shirtless.

"Yeah, my new landscaper. Have you seen him?" Bunny teases knowing that she's going to be endlessly teased by him. Jack pretends to think about it as he taps a finger to his chin.

"What's he look like?" Jack asks with a devilish smirk and Bunny rolls her eyes at him.

"Tall, tanned skin tone, rich brown hair, chocolate colored eyes. Looks good without a shirt on." Bunny muses teasingly and Jack's smirk widens.

"Nope, haven't seen 'em. But can I be of any service to ya?" Jack asks and Bunny swears she feels the gush as her panties instantly become soaked. Just as she begins to nod her head Jack's phone starts to ring and groans softly. "Sorry I've gotta take this it's work." He apologizes and pulls his phone out of his pocket and holds it up to his ear as he walks into the living room to take the call.

Bunny sighs as she moves over to a chair and sinks into it. She can feel herself slowly calming down after listening to Jack's teasing question. She sits there imagining what it would feel like to touch his chest, to run her fingers through his chest hair, to drag her fingernails down his chest and watch the red welts appearing soon after.

Bunny's jolted out of her thoughts as Jack comes walking back into the kitchen now unfortunately wearing his dirty white shirt. He looks at her apologetically and she knows that he has to leave now.

"I'm sorry Bunny but I've got to head home and take care of a work situation before heading to Esme's parent teacher meeting." Jack apologizes and Bunny smiles as she waves her hand dismissing his apology.

"No worries." She says as she watches him walk up to her leans down to look into her eyes.

"I'll make it up to you, my little peeping tom." He whispers before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Bunny blushes brightly at his teasing words and Jack chuckles softly as he quickly rushes out of the house to get back to his own place. Bunny shakes her head as she realizes he again was able to leave her hanging with all his teasing.

*-*-*-*

The sun was shining brightly as Cynthia walked out of her house dressed in a soft pink sun dress and white strappy sandals to meet the other two home owner's association members in her driveway. She grinned at them brightly before walking into her open garage and hopped into the golf cart. Today was inspection day!

Reversing it swiftly she raced the cart out of the garage and swung it into a forward facing position. Cynthia felt as if her morning couldn't be going any better as she waited for the members to climb into the cart before driving forward easily. Today was inspection day and she knew Bunny was no doubt going to fail her inspection since she was still in dreadful clunky cast. A feeling of pure devious glee filled her body as she slowly drove through the neighborhood stopping in front of each home for the members to grade the yards of each neighbor. 

Normally inspections were so boring but today Cynthia couldn't wait. She would finally be able to slap some failure violations onto Bunny's property. Cynthia hummed a sweet little tune as she continued to drive the cart. Bunny was always so worried about taking care of her yard as well as the yards of her neighbors. But oooh this time, this time Cynthia would finally be able to show that Bunny wasn't perfect.

They soon came to the curve in the neighborhood where Bunny's house was. Cynthia slowly pulled up to Jack's yard and gazed at it proudly to see that the grass was cut neatly, the hedges were trimmed nicely and the flowers were blooming with their bright colors. She sighed softly as she gazed at the yard and house idly wondering if Jack was home at the moment. Her eyes strayed to the windows trying to find any sign of life beyond them.

As they moved on to the next house and the next after that Cynthia began to grow excited with the promise of seeing Bunny's precious yard in disarray. When they finally got to Mr. Quinten's yard Cynthia was surprised to see that the yard was taken care of. She furrowed her brows for a moment since she knew Bunny normally took care of his yard for him. But she quickly shook her head figuring that he had asked someone else to take care of it while Bunny was incapable of doing it.

Cynthia wondered if Jack had stepped up and helped with Mr. Quinten's yard to be neighborly. When the members directed to drive up to the next yard she gripped the steering wheel tightly with anticipation. Slowly easing the cart along the street she stopped it in front Bunny's yard gleefully and then looked over at it.

"Wow, I'm so happy someone was able to step up and help Bunny keep up with her yard. It's such a shame she's injured but I know she takes pride in her yard and home." Said one of the members from the back of the cart.

Cynthia didn't look back to see who had said it or to engage in conversation as she breathed in and out through her nose rapidly while seething in anger. How could Bunny's yard still be perfect when she wasn't able to walk around on her ankle?! Cynthia gripped the steering wheel tightly in anger as she gritted her teeth. 

"Alright Cynthia, next house please we've seen enough here. Bunny passed." Said one of the members and Cynthia bit her tongue to stop the blood curdling scream that was crawling up her throat. With a deep breath sucked in she flicked her straight blonde hair over her shoulder and drove forward the next yard internally promising that she was going to take everything Bunny loved away from her.

Love Hurts - pt. 9 - Final part

A/N: I totally wanted to end this completely different and it is making me a little insecure but since I had already written it and finished it, I’m just gonna leave it like that, hoping yall will like it. 

XX

Staring at the same line, over and over again was the most frustrating thing when your mind was somewhere else. 

Food. 

You felt your mouth water as you kept staring at the sentence, imagining a glazed donut and to be honest you really weren’t such a fan of donuts but the craving was too strong to resist. 

“Fuck it.” you said, throwing your legs over the bed and leaving the dorm quietly. You tried to tip toe down the stairs and through the common room, despite the fact there was not a soul in sight. “Precaution?” you shrugged, talking to yourself as you climbed through the portrait hole and softy landed on your feet. 

You turned around to smile at the sleeping Fat Lady and backed away, starting to run towards the kitchen only to fall back on your bottom. 

“Bloody hell!” you heard a familiar voice and despite the fact you didn’t see him, you knew excatly who it was.

“Freddie?” 

“(y/n)?” he replied, rubbing the back of his head. “The hell are you doing here so late at night?”

“I could as you the same thing.” you pulled yourself back on your feet, patting your clothes and rubbing your back. 

He took a step closer, appearing into the moonlight and showing you his sleepily features; ruffled red hair,  drowsy eyes and stretched clothes. He looked incredibly handsome when he yawned and rubbed the back of his head again, stretching his arms above his head. 

You weren’t much different. The fact that you had seen him yawn in front of you, made you take a big yawn as well, covering your mouth with your hand as you did so. You could hear him chuckle in front of you but now see him look at you the way he did. His eyes were smiling at you, genuinely, lovingly, adoringly. Your hair was up in a bun, baby hair sticking out in all directions and strands of hair poking out. You also wore stretched clothes, a T- shirt and sweats. Your eyes, contrast to his, weren’t drowsy, nor tired in any way, they were smiling up at him just before your arm wrapped itself around his and pulled him along side. 

“Guess, you’re going with me, then.” you smiled up at him as he furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Going where?” 

“Eat.” 

“At this hour? Mum would break me like a twig if she knew I was going to eat this late.” he said and you laughed. 

“Fred Weasley afraid of his mother? Who knew you were such a momma’s boy.” you teased as he let out a scoff.

“Do I look like a momma’s boy?” he twisted out of your arms and started walking backwards, his eyes on yours. 

When he opened his arms to you to show off a bit of his physique, you only took one of his hands and twirled under it until you were walking forward and dragging him behind you. “You look like you could use some food right now.” 

“Are you calling me skinny?” 

You turned around with a smirk on your lips, looking him from his lovely pair of brown eyes to his muscular thighs and feet. You bit your lower lip just by looking at him and giving him a faint hint just before your eyes matched his and you let go of his hand, turning around the corner. 

He heard you mutter something under your breath, making him a bit skeptical of your intentions but he kept his mouth shut about it and plainly ignoring what he might have heard you mutter. “Did you just check me out?” he ran after you, draping his arm on your shoulders. 

“What were you doing so late at night?” you turned your head up to his and smiled. “I never asked.”

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“You’re avoiding mine.”

His eyes continued to watch yours, looking away when a flash of mischief travelled across that brown colour. “Late night shenanigans.” he let out a sweet, innocent giggle. 

“Oh.” you let out a laugh. “Who’s the target?”

“You’ll see.” he looked at you from the corner of his eyes just before he ran to the pear and tickled it. The door opened and a gentleman he was, he bowed and gestured to you. “Ladies first.”

Smiling and blushing to his little gesture, you took his hand and walked in the kitchen first, catching a glimpse of your hair in the pot and dying from horror. You pulled your hand away from him and ran to the closest mirror you could find, widening your eyes at it. “Holy-”

“What? What is it?” he asked a bit concerned. 

“Why didn’t you say my hair looks like it’s been stomped over by a herd of trolls?!” you looked at him before you turned back to the mirror and pulled the hairband off.

“Blimey, (Y/n).” he let out a laugh. “That’s what you’re worried about? Your hair?”

“I’m a girl, of course I am worried about my hair, especially when it looks like this.”

“I didn’t think you’d care.” 

“I don’t.” you blurted out. “It’s because-” you stopped yourself, seeing your reflection in the mirror... seeing the red stain reach up your cheeks in the mirror. 

Fred couldn’t help himself but grin. It was because of him, wasn’t it? He shuffled his feet and approached you like a little boy. He grabbed the headband from your wrist. “I think you look adorable.” he took your hair into his hands started braiding it. “But if it’s for any consultation, I am a master at braiding hair.” 

You watched his fingers throw your hair in a wonderful braid, making a perplexed expression appear on your face. “How do you-”

“Ginny.” he smiled and finally secured the braid with the headband. After he finished it, he leaned forward and continued to look at your mirror reflection. “If you tell anybody about this, just remember I am also a master at pranking people and you are no exception.” he moved his eyes from the reflection and onto you, his breath hitting against your neck and sending a shiver down your spine. 

Your turned your head to him, your nose close to his, almost touching as the two of your observed each other in the moment. It felt as if the whole world was pushing the two of you closer together. 

“(y/n) I think-”

“I’m hungry.” you walked away, cutting him off and leaving that moment to falter back into nothingness. 

He felt his breath leave his lungs as soul would leave a body. He tried to not show it but  looking at you scrambling through the freezer made him leave it all as you did. 

---

“This, Fred Weasley-” you said with full mouth, pointing your spoon at the hazelnut pudding. “-this is love.” you said as you put another spoon-full of it in your mouth. 

“I’d beg the differ.” he leaned back but you looked at him. 

The way he looked at you with those eyes, gentle yet daring. “Why do you do that?” you asked, putting the spoon back inside and letting it rest on it. 

“Do what?” 

“That.” you took the spoon back in your hand and pointed it into his face. “Look at me like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like this.” you said, put the spoon back down, mirroring his position; letting your legs fall on the floor, a bit wide, your arms on the counter, hands together, a bit leaned back, tilting your head to the side and looking at him as he did you. You tried to ignore the feelings that his eyes stirred in you, the ones that made your heart beat faster and your stomach twist in three different directions at the same time and make your feet go completely numb. 

“I thought you would figure it out by now.” he started, feeling his heart raise its beat. 

“Well, as you said, I am a bit barmy in the head-”

“You’re never going to let this go.” he stopped his confession, feeling something heavy in his gut feeling but laughing through it. 

“Then what is it?” you asked, pulling your feet back on the chair and eating the heavenly-made pudding. 

You looked at him with your curious eyes, something in the back of your mind screaming- or down in your chest. Your heart maybe? 

‘Say it, Fred. Just say it.’ - you thought as you continued to look at him. 

He watched you just the same, shuffling in his seat and rubbing his thumbs together as he looked away. This was it. “Because-” he let out a laugh. “Because you look extremely funny eating this pudding like a tiny little piglet.” he scrunched his nose and let out a few oinks. 

And thought you felt that last bit of hope die inside of you as he said it, you laughed, pushing it away. “You little twat!” you threw a cloth at him as he laughed.

“Don’t mind, darling.” he jumped from his seat, catching the cloth in his hands and running around the counter to you. “You look adorable.” he grabbed the cream from the pudding and put it on your nose. 

“You’re a complete arse, Fred Weasley.” you grabbed another cloth, throwing it at him as he laughed. 

“A cute arse though.” he sent you a wink before running to the cabinet and putting his head into it. “That pudding made me starve though.” he reached into it and pulled out a bag of chips. 

“Chips?” you quirked an eyebrow, making him gasp.

“Are you judging me right now, Miss 1am pudding?” 

You looked down on your pudding, then back at him with innocent round eyes, pressing out your lower lip and pouting at him. You batted your eyelashes at him, making him melt on the spot. His arms lost complete strength into opening the chips but he managed to play it off cooly, sitting down and shaking his head at you. 

“That is totally unfair.” he pointed a chip at you. “Women should have that power.” he threw the chips into his mouth as you laughed. 

You put the pudding away and dragged yourself to sit next to him, glancing between chips and him. Looking up at him again, bottom lip pressed out and your eyelashes batting at him, he let out a chuckle and offered you the bag. 

“Just take it.” 

You let out a laugh and took a few chips into your hands. “You’re weak, Weasley.” you shook your head in triumph. 

“Well, you seem to do that to me, Princess.” he leaned forward, looking at your eyes, then your lips. 

You smiled at him, scrunching your nose. “I could say the same, Fredrick.”

“Oh, Merlin.” he rolled his eyes and leaned back. “How many times will you call me that?”

“As long as you call me that awful god nickname.” you smiled, rubbing your hands off salt. “Princess? It’s bloody awful. It makes me feel like a damsel in distress.”

“And Merlin knows you’re anything but that.” his tone changed a bit and both of you couldn’t figure out why. 

You were quiet for a bit, just watching his facial expression, trying to read him and the situation. “Are you cross with me, Freddie?”

“No.” he replied a bit grumpily. “I’m just saying-” he stopped himself, shutting his eyes and trying to figure out what was happening to him because all he felt was these emotions inside of him, trying to resurface and taking him such effort to keep them inside. 

Because when you did look at him the way you did before, the way your eyelashes batted at him, the way your nose scrunched and the way you moved to him, giving him this feeling of numbness just by your present- it did make him feel weak. It made him feel like the weakest man alive. 

And you saw it. You saw that inside of him, the same look you saw back in the beginning of the year. It made you think god awful thoughts; what if all he wanted was to be with you to play you? But that wasn’t him, that just wasn’t Fred but he did call you all the names he found in the dictionary and showed you that he also isn’t the-

“-nothing.” he mumbled, interrupting your racing thoughts. “We should go back.” 

“Fred.” you spoke softly and like a broken little bird, he turned around. “What’s wrong?” 

And he contemplated, Merlin did he contemplate how to tell you because when you were asleep it all came out so perfectly but now when you were aware of him, aware of what he was saying and acting- how perfectly you read him and his emotions... 

“You make me weak.” he said, lowering his head. “And I hate it.” he continued, causing your heart to sink. He made his way back to you but kept to himself. “And you make me jealous.” he continued, keeping his eyes on the ground. “Especially when you’re with him.” he paused. “And you make me insecure because he is everything I am not and sometimes when I look at you- when I try to tell you or show you that I love you...” he finally looked into your eyes as he said those words, causing your breath to linger in your throat. “...you move yourself away and that hurts. Sometimes- no, all the time when I see you and I think of you and I smile to myself because you are so gorgeous and so precious to me but then I remember that you’re not with me, that you’re with him, that he attracts you and he holds you and he kisses you... and that just hurts.. Loving you hurts.” 

Your eyes were glistened as he said those words to you but not from sorrow, nor pity but for him. They teared up for him. 

Grabbing his hands, cupping them into your own, you pulled them close to your lips and gave them a soft kiss. He simpered. 

“You hurt me too, Freddie.” you pressed his hands on your cheeks as his eyes watched yours. “You flirt with me constantly- like Lord do you know how that wrecks me.” you smiled and so did he. “But all I do is keep myself away and I think you know why.”

“Yeah.” he shuffled his hands so that his were now cupping yours. “But I don’t think like I did six months ago, (y/n). I don’t feel like I did back then. I just know I want to be with you, every day, every night, every morning, every second- I want to kiss you in the morning, show everybody that your my girl- the girl who makes me laugh and happy, the one who constantly teases me and George loves you, Ginny loves you, everybody loves you and you are so hard to not love because-”

“I’m amazing.” you teased, wiggling your eyebrows at him.

“Yes. You’re astounding.” he grabbed your chair and pulled you closer to him, placing his hand on your cheek and gazing into your eyes. “And I wanted to do this for so long.” he said as he pulled you into a kiss, letting his other hand wrap around your waist and pulling you from his chair and onto his lap. 

You let out a small giggle as he did that, making him smile and pull you back into a kiss. His hands held you close to him, pressing you against him so you would never fall back. Your hands, however, lingered on his cheeks, down his neck and into his dense, messy hair. You felt like all the worlds are colliding, like a dream come true, you couldn’t believe he was kissing you- the boy you had loved for so long. 

You pulled away, your fingertips on his cheeks, brushing along his freckles gently as he looked up at you, his eyes filled with adoration and love. “I knew you couldn’t resist me for too long.” you continued to tease as he let out a laugh, nuzzling his head into your neck. 

“No, I really couldn’t.” 

Afterschool Special

Again, I am shocked and delighted that people are enjoying the beginning of this series as much as I’m enjoying writing it. I cannot thank you all enough for your kind words and encouragement. In this third installment, Hopper and Reader get to spend some “alone time” together. That’s all I’m going to say about it 😊

Content warnings: Rated M for more age gap, Daddy kink, physical intimidation, over the clothes touching, and a new addition of under the clothes kissing. Female Reader, modern AU, 2.5k words.

You call Jim Hopper on Monday afternoon in between classes. His voice is even deeper and sexier over the phone than you remember it sounding the night before. He seems happy to hear from you and you try to hide how giddy you are about it. Sensing that the attraction between you two is very mutual, you don’t hesitate to set up a meeting. He tells you that he has Wednesday off from work, and for a second, you seriously consider ditching all your classes to spend the entire day with him. Instead, you agree to meet up at his house at four o’clock, which gives you enough time to go home and change after school.

Normally on a date, you would prefer to wear a dress but the winter chill in the February air sadly prevents that. Hopefully you won’t feel out of place wearing a heavy sweater and a pair of jeans to wherever it is he wants to take you.

The address he gave seems to be out in the middle of nowhere and multiple times you wonder if the GPS navigation is telling you to go in the wrong direction. Eventually, you find the place and it’s not so much a house as it is a cabin in the woods. It almost looks abandoned except for his car parked out front.

Any misgivings you have about the place are dispelled when you see Hopper standing on the porch and smoking as he waits for you. All your friends complain about guys who smoke, and that they hate the smell, but not you. You think it’s sexy and you even enjoy the smell.

A smile spreads across his handsome face when he sees you and it gets wider when you step out of the car. “Come on in, sweetheart,” he greets you with a white cloud billowing out from his mouth.

Anticipation rushes through your veins. When you last saw each other, and when you spoke on the phone, there seemed to be a promise of more, a promise to finish what he started when he came up to your room. You know that something will happen today, you’re just not sure how or when.

Once you reach the top of the steps, he says “It’s open. I’ll be in in a minute” as the unfiltered cigarette dangles between his lips.

Opening the door slowly, you let yourself in then put your purse down and look around. The cabin is…rustic. None of the furniture matches. Some of it looks to be as old as you are. There’s a decent red sofa but it’s covered in a patchwork quilt. There’s a plaid chair against the wall and it too has a blanket draped across the top, one that’s knitted or perhaps crocheted. The only things to indicate that you haven’t arrived here in a time machine are the flat screen tv on the wall and a new Apple computer on an old wooden desk.

Hopper steps into the room a moment later. “Why don’t you take your coat off and stay awhile?” He touches your back as he walks past you to go into the kitchen.

“Oh, um, okay.” You suppose he wants to talk a little bit or perhaps finish something up before you leave. Hanging your coat up on the rack, you notice a small pair of tennis shoes on the floor. “Do you live here alone?”

“No, my daughter lives here with me.”

His daughter? Gosh, Hopper really is a DILF. You follow him into the kitchen and your brain starts to connect some dots. “Is she the reason why you left so suddenly on Sunday night?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” he says as he takes an ice tray out of the freezer.

“It’s okay. I’m just glad it wasn’t your wife.”

“Oh no, I’ve been divorced for a long time now,” he assures you.

Your eyes roam over Hopper’s large frame while you watch him pop the cubes out of the tray and fill it back up again. He’s wearing jeans and a blue flannel shirt, with the top two buttons undone, and a navy henley underneath. His scent of cigarettes and soap makes it seem as if he must have smoked immediately after getting out of the shower.

For a brief moment, you entertain the idea of ripping his clothes off right here and now, forgoing any previous plans you might have for your date. That’s where you’re hoping this will all lead anyway so what’s wrong with cutting to the chase?

In an attempt to restrain yourself, you bring up the one subject that will take your mind out of the gutter. “How did you meet my parents?”

“They brought one of their cars to my shop. I’m a mechanic.”

The attempt proves feeble as your mouth instantly begins to water at the mental image of Jim Hopper bending over the engine of a car, sticking out his cute butt in his Wrangler jeans, his hands and his face getting all dirty and sweaty.

“Can I make you a drink?” he offers, getting a glass off the shelf. “You are old enough to drink, right?”

You playfully roll your eyes. “Yes, I’m old enough.”

“I don’t have to check your ID, do I?” He winks at you and it’s as charming as it is corny.

“You can if you want to,” you respond.

“No, I believe you.” He opens a bottle of Jack Daniels and lifts it above his glass.

“Wait, you’re making a drink now? When are we gonna go?”

He puts the bottle on the counter. “Go where?”

“Is this it?” you ask, slightly stunned.

“Is what it?” Deep ridges form on Hopper’s forehead as he raises his eyebrows in irritation.

“I thought we were going to go on a date,” you explain.

His features soften as he chuckles at you. “We’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.” He gleefully pours the whiskey into his glass.

“So we’re just going to stay here and…?”

“Yeah,” he confirms with a smug grin. “We are.”

Suddenly your idea of tearing his clothes off seems like it would be more welcomed than you had anticipated.

“What’ll it be?” he asks, getting himself a can of Coke out of the refrigerator.

“I’ll have a water.”

Hopper pulls out a bottle of water and hands it to you. “You know this was your idea, right? You didn’t mention anything on the phone about a date.”

“I know, I guess I...assumed we’d go out.” You take a much-needed sip.

“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” he offers in a considerably softer tone than you’ve heard from him thus far.

“No,” you smile at him. “I want to stay.”

He smiles back at you then takes a drink.

“It just would have been nice if you took me out somewhere,” you remark before raising the bottle to your lips again.

“Why beat around the bush? We both already know what we want.” He takes another drink then sets his glass down. “Unless of course, you want us to be seen together,” he adds, moving directly in front of you, with mere centimeters between your bodies.

Your heart starts racing as Hopper glares down at you with a storm churning in his deep blue eyes.

”Maybe you want people to look at us and know that I’m twice your age.” He leans in closer, backing you into the corner of the wooden counter. “Maybe you want to hear them say ‘what’s that dirty old man doing with that beautiful young girl?’” He enunciates every word in a biting tone as if he’s scolding you.

Your bodies are so close together that you can actually feel the heat radiating off of him.

“If that’s what you want, I can take you anywhere. We can leave right now,” he offers in a slightly more casual voice. “I just don’t see any point in wasting time when it’s so obvious what you came here for.”

“What’s that?” you accidentally say in a whisper.

Hopper takes a step back from you. “Go in the bedroom and I’ll show you.”

With a deep inhalation, you slip away from him and run out of the kitchen then immediately run back. “Which one is your bedroom?” you almost shout.

“The one on the left,” he answers, trying not to laugh at your over the top enthusiasm.

You pull the curtain in the doorway so hard that it feels like it might rip away from the rod. Yanking your sweater above your head, you kick off your shoes at the same time.

Lying back on the bed, you can feel how wet he’s already made you. Your body is practically vibrating with excitement as you hear the heavy steps of his boots as he approaches. A shiver runs through you when he enters the room.

“Where were we?” Hopper asks, kneeling onto the foot of the bed.

“You were on top of me,” you recall.

“Uh-huh,” he nods, positioning himself between your open legs.

“And I think you were going to unhook my bra?”

He runs his hands under your t-shirt and up the sides of your body. “You’re not wearing a bra.”

“I thought we could skip that part.”

He pulls your shirt up over your chest. “Good thinking.”

Without missing a beat, his lips are on your breasts, kissing both of them with his warm, wet, open mouth. Your left nipple hardens as Hopper swirls his tongue around it, making you push your hips into him. His lips close around the bud and begin to suck.

“Oh, Daddy,” you moan, using the title with no regret this time.

“That’s what I like to hear,” he pauses long to speak then immediately begins sucking on your other nipple.

Just like on Sunday, his mouth is rough. Not solely the texture of his scruffy beard against your soft skin, but the ferocity with which he sucks on you and teases you with his teeth. Also just like Sunday, he moves his hand in between your thighs and pushes his palm against the center seam of your jeans.

You hiss when he bites down hard into your flesh, clearly not holding back this time. It’s an exquisite pain that you could easily become addicted to. Your fingernails claw at his shirt when he rolls your nipple between his teeth.

Hopper is working you into a frenzy with the way his hand presses into your jeans, rubbing your pussy through the denim. All the different sensations he’s causing in your body are starting to become too much and you need a release.

“Daddy, please,” you beg breathlessly.

Your nipple pops out from between his lips with a vulgar sound. “Please what?”

You’re unable to answer him as your mouth is too busy moaning while his hand brings back that familiar ache.

“Tell me what you want, baby,” he instructs between licks.

“Your f-” you interrupt yourself with another moan. “Your fin-”

“You want my fingers inside you, is that it?” Hopper asks as you grind your crotch into his palm, desperate for all the friction you can get.

“Yes, Daddy!” you finally manage to force out two coherent words.

He unbuttons your jeans and you hear a noise coming from the living room. You both ignore it while he ever so slowly starts to pull down your zipper. Until you hear another noise. Not a noise actually. A voice. Two voices.

Hopper’s hands fall from the zipper, landing on your sides, while his head sinks down in defeat. Your body tenses with worry that whoever it is might come into the room as there’s no door to keep them out.

The two young voices are arguing about something but your brain is far too preoccupied to be able to comprehend the subject of the argument. The only thing you can manage to infer in your current state is that it must be his daughter and one of her friends from school.

Hopper gets up from the bed, leaving your chest fully exposed, and you tug your shirt back down. He has you throbbing with need, and exactly like the last time, your hopes for satisfaction have been quickly dashed by an intrusive family member.

When he goes into the living room to mediate the situation, you sit up and see something on his nightstand that you were in too much of a rush to notice before. Magnum XL condoms, not one but three, the edges of the gold foil still attached to each other.

“For Pete's sake, what’s going on out here?” Hopper demands above the sound of their bickering.

“Mike was staring at Stacey Albright,” his daughter explains.

“No, I wasn’t!” the boy interjects.

“Who’s Stacey Albright?” Hopper asks.

“A girl at our school who stuffs her bra,” she answers.

“She does not stuff her bra,” the boy disputes.

“How do you know that if you weren’t staring?” she raises her voice.

“I was not staring!” the boy yells back.

“Both of you calm down, alright? Jesus.”

Hopper opens the curtain, walks in, and closes it behind him. “Listen, I’m sorry but I gotta-” he begins to apologize in a dejected tone.

“No, I understand,” you reply, cutting him off as you stand up from the bed before pulling on your sweater and shoes. “I should go.”

When you turn to walk out of the room, he grabs onto your upper arms. He doesn’t mean to startle you, it happens solely by accident because he’s so strong. “Look at me,” he suggests, trying to get you to make eye contact.

You gaze up into his gorgeous blue eyes and he starts to smile.

“I still want to see you again,” he says warmly.

“Me too,” you agree, reciprocating his smile.

The kids resume their argument and Hopper rolls his eyes. “Please call me,” he adds before letting go of you.

“I will,” you confirm.

You open the curtain and both of the kids’ mouths fall silent as they watch you emerge from the bedroom. They look to be about fourteen or fifteen-years-old. The girl has brown eyes, long brown hair, and the most perfect skin you’ve ever seen on a teenager. She forces an awkward smile to be polite. The boy is tall and pale, with sharp cheekbones and curly black hair like a rockstar from the ’70s. He glances back and forth between you and Hopper with a confused expression on his face.

“This is my daughter, Elle,” Hopper introduces.

“Hi,” she says.

“Hi,” you say back, your voice sounding squeaky with nerves.

“And her boyfriend, Mike,” Hopper continues.

“Ex-boyfriend,” Elle corrects.

“What? That’s not fair!” Mike exclaims.

They start bickering once more and you shoot Hopper a sympathetic look as you grab your coat and purse then slip out the front door. It feels like the universe is conspiring against the two of you, trying to keep you from having sex with each other, like a cosmic cockblock. As you drive away from the cabin, you silently pray that the next time will provide the relief you’re yet again so desperate for.

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Image credit: HarbourSource on Instagram

We Dream in the Dark, for the Most Part

Read here on AO3!

Summary:

Jason is in the middle of lathering his hair with shampoo when suddenly the lights go out, leaving him in darkness. An instinctive chill runs down his spine, only to be replaced with annoyance. Of course. Beyond the shower spray, he can hear Lian shriek in fear, followed by Roy muttering curses.

Jason sighs. “Roy?” he calls.

“Handling it!”

It was a grueling patrol, but Jason is relieved to be home. He missed having Roy by his side tonight, but their usual babysitter, Mrs. Peterson from next door, came down with pneumonia yesterday and canceled. She doesn’t seem to have any idea that her neighbors are vigilantes, but they pay her enough that she doesn’t ask. Lian is coloring at the coffee table while Jason toes off his boots, leaving them at the front door. She’s wearing her fluffy Stitch pajamas, which she’s been practically living in for the last week and a half. “Hey, princess.” Jason drops a kiss on top of her head as he passes. “Where’s your dad?” “In the kitchen. He’s playing with the electricity again.” “Oh, good. Because, you know, I was actually hoping our place would explode, just to spice things up.” Lian giggles. “Has he fed you yet?” She shakes her head, her black pigtails swinging back and forth. “Nope. But he promised me special sushi if I cleaned up all my books.” Jason will never understand Lian’s passion for her “special sushi,” which is just deli ham slathered in strawberry yogurt and rolled up like a spring roll from hell. Jason gets nauseated just thinking about it, but the kid loves the stuff. “And did you clean up?” Lian points over at the bookshelf against the wall. They don’t have a huge apartment by any means, but Jason insisted on dedicating an entire wall to his books. That was one of the conditions when Roy first asked Jason to move in with him and Lian. It took weeks of finagling to convince Jason to relinquish a small section of the bookshelf for Lian’s picture books, which are indeed all in their right places. “Then it looks like you’ve earned your sushi, little miss. I’m gonna shower first and then I’ll make it for you, alright?” “I can make it by myself.” Jason snorts. “After what happened last time? I don’t think so.” It was his own fault for thinking a five-year-old could prepare her own food. It took a solid hour to scrub the yogurt stains out of the carpet. Jason pokes his head in the kitchen on his way to the bathroom. “Tell me you’re not burning the building down.” “Okay, then I’m not burning the building down,” Roy says around the screwdriver trapped between his teeth. He stands in front of what was once a light switch, tinkering with something that he most definitely should not be tinkering with, but Jason is picking his battles today.

“I’m not going to bother telling you that you’re on your second strike with the landlord. If he has to come up here again, I’m not defending you.” “You know what I miss? The old days when people would greet each other by saying things like, ‘hi, sweetie, how was your day?’ ‘Oh, it was lovely, darling. How about a kiss after spending hours apart and missing each other dearly?’ ‘Babe, it’s like you read my mind!’ You know, stuff like that?” Jason arches an eyebrow. “I’ve got mobster blood caked in my hair. Still want a hello kiss?” “Not really, no. Go shower.” “Try not to blow a fuse in the meantime, please.” Roy salutes with his screwdriver. “Aye, aye, captain.” Jason goes to the bathroom and relishes in the feeling of peeling off his armor and the bodysuit underneath, every layer soaked with sweat and blood. It’s a good thing his Red Hood getup is all dark colors, or he’d have scarred Lian for life ten times over already. He turns the shower knob as hot as it’ll go, letting his muscles slowly unravel under the spray. He takes his time scrubbing off the blood and dirt, whistling some shitty pop song that Dick paid Barbara to blast through the comms all. Night. Long. Jason has plans to add that to his repertoire of torture techniques if he ever needs some extra edge. It’s definitely effective. Jason is in the middle of lathering his hair with shampoo when suddenly the lights go out, leaving him in darkness. An instinctive chill runs down his spine, only to be replaced with annoyance. Of course. Beyond the shower spray, he can hear Lian shriek in fear, followed by Roy muttering curses. Jason sighs. “Roy?” he calls. “Handling it!” Another sigh. This is what he gets for leaving Roy alone. It’s Jason’s own fault, really. He quickly rinses the shampoo from his hair and leaves the bathroom, and towel wrapped around his waist. He navigates the pitch black apartment and finds Roy lighting a match in the kitchen. He’s got Lian tucked in one arm. “What did I say?” Jason asks. “I know, I know—” “I said not to blow a fuse. That was your one job.” “Technically, I didn’t blow a fuse. I just overloaded the circuit and cut off the electricity for the whole building.” Jason smacks himself in the forehead. “Wonderful.” Remind him again why he’s in love with this man? “I’m sure it’ll be fixed in no time.” “You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes.” “You’re overreacting. It’s just a little blackout.” “We have ice cream in the freezer.” “I’ll buy more.” Jason runs a hand through his wet hair. “You’re killing me, babe. Again.” “It’s just one night without power, right? I’m sure it’ll come back on in the morning.” He bounces Lian a little, who’s got her face buried in Roy’s neck. Poor thing is terrified of the dark. “What do you think, pumpkin? You think you can be brave for one little night in the dark?” “I don’t like it. It’s scary.” “I know it is, sweetheart. But do you want to know a secret?” He leans in close to her ear, mock-whispering, “Jaybird over here is afraid of the dark too.” Lian looks at Jason with wide eyes. “Really?” Roy nods. “Yep. But you know what? He’s so brave and strong that he overcame that fear and now it hardly bothers him anymore. Do you think you can be brave like that?” “I can be super brave.” “That’s my girl. Not, sit here for a minute, ‘kay?” He sets her down on the arm of the sofa. The match has fizzled out by now, leaving them in complete darkness. “I know I have some scented candles around here somewhere. Dinah keeps getting them as gifts and pushes them on me when she doesn’t like them.” Jason’s eyes widen. “Wait, watch out for the—” Roy trips with a shout, glass shattering as he falls. “—coffee table.” Roy just groans in response. “Hang on, let me get a light.” Jason makes his way to the drawer they keep the emergency flashlight in. He turns on the beam to show Roy on the floor, surrounded by glass shards and clutching his leg. There are several small cuts peppering his knee like he crawled on a beach made of broken bottles. Jason gasps. “Oh my god, Roy! You broke Lian’s crayons!” Roy flips him off, angling his hand so Lian can’t see. “I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Jason helps him up and hands him the flashlight. “Lian, honey, will you help him get to the couch? I need to put some clothes on.” And he’s almost positive there’s another flashlight somewhere in Roy’s nightstand. They’re going to need all the light they can get. Jason gets dressed and retrieves the flashlight, plus one of Lian’s Disney princess glow sticks. When he returns, Roy is on the couch with his leg propped up on what remains of their coffee table. Lian is shining the flashlight on her tiny first-aid kit which Kori gave her last Christmas. She sifts through her collection of band-aids. “One to ten?” “Barely a two,” Roy says. “I already dug the glass out, and none were deep enough to need stitches.” Jason checks him over anyway, just to be sure. He wipes away the blood and applies some ointment over the cuts. He turns to Lian when he’s finished. “Can I trust you to finish this up while I make dinner?” She nods enthusiastically. Perfect. Lian can keep herself busy plastering Roy in Hello Kitty bandages, and Jason will have time to figure out what the hell they’re doing, food-wise. “How do you expect to make dinner without electricity?” Roy asks, reading his mind yet again. “What, did you never have to eat cold leftover pizza in your million-dollar mansion growing up? Weird.” He dodges the pillow Roy throws his way, laughing. “Those jokes don’t count when you also grew up in a million-dollar mansion.” Thirty minutes later and the three of them are sitting on the couch, Roy and Jason eating cold mushroom casserole while Lian enjoys her ham and yogurt. Once you get over the temperature difference, cold casserole turns out to be just as tasty as hot casserole. Gordon Ramsey should take notes. Jason managed to track down the candles Roy was talking about earlier and set them in various places around the living room, lighting the room in a dim glow. It’s not perfect lighting by any means—not even good lighting, really, but at least no one will be falling into another coffee table anytime soon. Roy’s knee is covered in Hello Kitty band-aids, some of which are in spots that weren’t even cut up by the glass. Roy doesn’t seem to mind. Jason took a picture for potential blackmail reasons. “I’m bored,” Lian says after a while. “You could always go to bed,” Roy suggests, “given that your bedtime was fifteen minutes ago but your daddies are nice enough to let you stay up this long.” “That was nice of us,” Jason agrees. “I think we’ve earned a quiet night to ourselves.” Lian pouts. She grabs Jason’s arm, clinging to his bicep like a koala. “But it’s dark in my room.” “It’s dark in there every night.” “It’s really dark tonight. Can I stay here with you instead?” Her eyes are big and innocent, perfectly disguising the mischief lurking within. This girl could be a successful con artist one day. (Not that Jason or Roy will ever let that happen. She’s going to grow up and become a veterinarian or something equally harmless.) Roy and Jason meet eyes, having a silent conversation over Lian’s head. Finally, Roy sighs. “Fine. You can stay up with us a little longer, but only because of the blackout, okay? Don’t go thinking that this trick is going to work tomorrow night.” Lian claps her hands, bouncing in her seat. “Can I have coffee?” “Absolutely not.” She isn’t deterred in the slightest. “This is gonna be so fun! We can stay up all night long, even past midnight and three o’clock which is when the ghosts come out.” “Ghosts, huh?” Jason says. “Yeah, Aunt Stephanie told me all about it! Three o’clock is when the witching hour happens and witches and ghosts come out like Bloody Mary and Freddie Cougar and they call come into your house and walk around but you can only see them if you’re awake, which I’m gonna be because I’m not even tired, I could stay up all night long and for a million, bazillion years, and—” She lasts seven minutes. Lian is fast asleep now with her head in Roy’s lap, her tiny feet dangling off the arm of the sofa. Jason drapes a blanket over her, kissing her on the forehead. He’s careful not to jostle Roy’s bandaged leg as he takes a seat beside him, putting his arm around Roy’s shoulders. “Well, I’m fucking exhausted.” “It’s cool if you want to go to bed,” Roy says. “I don’t mind sticking around here with Lian until the power comes back on.” “Nah, it’s fine. I like it better in here, anyway.” In here, where the light is. Roy doesn’t comment on the hidden meaning that he definitely catches on to, and Jason loves him for it. He just kisses Jason’s cheek, settling against his side. Jason doesn’t mention the darkness thing often. Or at all. After all, grown men don’t get scared of the dark—especially when they live in a place like Gotham and were raised in a literal cave. But if Lian insists on having the hallway light on in addition to the night light next to her bed, then Jason isn’t about to discourage her. Roy never says a word about it. Every night he keeps the door to his and Jason’s bedroom cracked open just enough so a sliver of hallway light floods in, and it’s good for both of them, really. Jason feels safer with the light on, and they both feel safer being able to hear every creak and draft in the apartment, falling asleep knowing that nothing will sneak up on them. Even when Jason was living on his own, post-resurrection, he always kept a lamp on when he went to sleep in whichever safehouse he was squatting in that night. Back before he had a place to call home. On especially bad nights, he would turn on the lights in every single room, even the one in the microwave. Only then could he sleep soundly. He can’t exactly do that now, but he doesn’t need to. Whenever his head gets too heavy to bear, he’ll simply wrap his arms around Roy and fall back asleep to the sound of Roy’s heart beating under his ear. He falls back asleep in minutes. Jason isn’t entirely sure what caused the light issue in the first place. Sometimes he can’t remember if it arose before or after he was adopted by Bruce. Other times he’s sure it’s lingering trauma from the coffin, from waking up in pitch blackness six feet underground. No bearings, no sense of what was happening or where he was. The only thing in there with him was the thick, cloying darkness on every side of him. Jason shivers just thinking about it. “We should get her a new night light,” he says. “Battery powered, not a plug-in. It would be a good investment if you ever try destroying our electricity again.” Roy hums. “We can pick one up tomorrow. I need to take her clothes shopping anyway. And it might be a good idea to have a couple for the living room and bathroom so we don’t have a repeat of tonight.” “Good idea.” God, Jason’s craving a cigarette right now. Every nerve in his body urges him to get one and soothe the anxiety buzzing in his brain, but he has a rule against smoking in the apartment or anywhere near Lian. He’d settle for a beer instead, whatever keeps the buzzing at bay, but he doesn’t drink at home either out of respect for Roy’s sobriety. He’s stuck. Roy must notice Jason’s twitching fingers because he reaches into his pocket, careful not to wake Lian as he pulls out a stick of nicotine gum. “Here.” Jason unwraps the gum and shoves it in his mouth. He takes a deep breath in as he chews, letting it out slowly. It takes the edge off some, but not completely. Still, it’s better than nothing. “You’re just carrying these on you now?” "Came in handy, didn't it?" “And I thought Bruce was the king of being prepared for everything.” Jason straightens the wrapper until it’s flat like a card. He holds it over the nearest candle until it catches, watching the flame consume the paper, eating away at its edges. He blows it out just before it gets too close to his fingers. “When I was a kid,” he says after a minute, “my mom and I used to light candles like these. The heat would get turned off pretty often since she was usually too high to remember what day it was, let alone when the bills needed to be paid. But whenever it happened, she would send me to the store with a couple dollars and I’d buy a bag of marshmallows. We’d roast them over the candles and pretend we were camping.” “That sounds nice.” “It was. I mean, now I realize that it’s actually really fucking sad that we had to resort to candles ‘cause my mom wasted all her cash on drugs and couldn’t pay the heating bill. But at the time, it was nice. It’s one of the few good memories I have of that time.” He feels more than sees Roy’s fingers lacing through his own, clasping their hands together. “I was telling the truth earlier, you know. You’re brave and strong and badass all the way.” Jason snorts. “Even if I get freaked out every time the lights go out?” Roy doesn’t laugh with him. “Yeah, even then. And you know why?” He rests his head on Jason’s shoulder, lets Jason feel his warmth. “Because of all the things to be afraid of, you picked the one that can be fixed by just turning the lights on. Once you do that, there’s nothing left in the world that can scare you. And that’s pretty damn badass if you ask me.”