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#not giffing that man again! she just deserves this
twinsarekeepers · 4 months
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“This isn’t the Arch, seaweed brain. You’re not pushing me into the stairwell again.”
First of all, LINE DELIVERY?? Leah Sava Jeffries is an ACTRESS because ‘seaweed brain’ is actually so corny and it would simply feel like fan-service if they included it earlier or in another context but this was so natural and I was so swept up by all the other amazing things happening that I was excited about it but also keyed into the rest of the scene.
But the way this perfectly displays her fatal flaw. She will not let this boy trick her again (spoiler: he does). She was caught off guard at the Arch because she wasn’t familiar with his game but now she’s ready. She WILL die for him and that is final.
“Yes, I am.”
This was CRAZY?? Percy Jackson #1 mentally unstable man because how is he determined to win every ‘sacrifice myself’ off with her? And he says it to her face too. He does not care for the games anymore, he’s fully telling her that he needs her to live.
“I’m not going to let you this time. It doesn’t work that way!”
This made me so incredibly sad. Annabeth is still thinking in transactions. She’s thinking about how he made a sacrifice in the Arch so it’s her turn now. This is how relationships work. This is how every relationship she’s had works. She literally can’t comprehend how he doesn’t see it that way. How he could be selfless enough to sacrifice himself for her TWICE. How he could care about her enough to believe she deserves it even after she was the reason they were in the Arch in the first place (my baby my baby say it with me now you’re my baby).
“It’s why you’re here!”
“Excuse me?”
This was so soft like I just *screaming crying gif*. The last time she said ‘excuse me’ to him she was pissed off about him bringing up Athena but now she’s just confused and sad. Like, she trying to figure out what he means by this. Does he think she’s so heartless and robotic that she’d just let him die for her own gain?
I also love how they don’t have her say ‘what?’ because it just adds this extra layer of how Annabeth has trained herself to be more mature in everything she does, even her language, because she believes that if she’s not perfect, she’s not worthy of love and affection and maybe even existing (literally sobbing wtf).
“When I was choosing my team, I told Chiron I needed someone who wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice me if the quest required it. He agreed. That was you.”
I was confused at first about this because I thought Annabeth knew Percy thought this about her until I went back and watched the choosing ceremony again. He’s definitely keeping his voice lower as he speaks to Chiron and both Chiron and him are raising their voice as they address the other campers so makes sense that she wouldn’t have heard him.
But also, this just adds so much to literally everything. Because, in the beginning, Percy didn’t think him and Annabeth would become friends. He genuinely did think that she would sacrifice him if she had to and he thought he’d be able to curb it. He thought he’d be able to fight Annabeth if it came to it because she might choose the quest over his mom and he couldn’t allow that.
But now here he is, after getting to know her, and seeing her vulnerability and bravery and strength and courage and wisdom and passion and everything that makes her so beautiful and wonderful and amazing and his friend. She’s his friend and she’d never betray him. She’d never sacrifice him. She’d rather sacrifice herself before she ever did anything to harm him.
And he’s apologizing to her. Listen to the way Walker says the last line (again, THE ACTING). It’s literally a confession because he feels so bad that he ever believed that about her. And now he’s making her do it. He’s making her do this thing that he once thought she’d have done without hesitation. He’s thinking about the Fates cutting that string and he’s thinking about his own words to Chiron and how Chiron agreed and he’s thinking about how Annabeth said that prophecies aren’t always clear and he fully believes that he’s figured it out. This is fate. Annabeth would sacrifice him and complete the prophecy. She’ll be the friend that betrays him but not because she wanted to and he will fail to save what matters most, his own life.
This entire exchange was very insane. It’s my Roman Empire. I can’t stop thinking about it because it shows their motivations and their viewpoints and their internal struggles so so so well like I can’t even … I’m having a malfunction.
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yeollie-plz · 2 months
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Light The Flame
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mbf! Joel Miller x F! Reader
Part 2
Synopsis: Your mom moves the two of you back to Texas and attempts to reignite an old flame. What will happen when she learns his candle now burns for you?
Genre: fluff, angst, and smut! the trifecta!
Warnings: divorced parents, mentions of cheating, no Sarah, no outbreak, drinking, age gap (reader is said to be in college but Joel's exact age isn't stated), Tommy is a bit of a sleaze, kissing, 18+ content, p in v sex, protected sex!, lots of different sexual acts, cursing
Gif credits to owners!
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Inspired by this post from @deathsholywaterr ! I hope I did your idea justice!!
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Also this shit is long so buckle up!
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It had been about three months since your parents' divorce was officially finalized. Your dad had moved out long ago and with no other ties keeping her in California, she decided to move back to her hometown in Texas. And although you would miss your friends and the life you had in LA, you couldn't shake the feeling that you needed (and deserved) a change. Plus, you had just found out your boyfriend was sleeping with your so called best friend. So, yeah, you wanted to get out as soon as possible.
All of your stuff was packed into a moving van and moved across the United States. You knew Texas would be super different, but a welcome change. Not to mention a chance to reinvent yourself. Taking college classes and finding your path in life, that was the goal. But, of course, a girl still needs to have a bit of fun and you and you had heard Texas nightlife was very fun!
That's how you found yourself, perched on a barstool, at a downtown Austin bar, listening to drunk people sing karaoke only hours after unpacking your clothes. You giggled lightly to yourself as a very drunk man hit a way too high note. Rotating the barstool around to place your now empty glass on the counter and just as you were about to motion the bar tender over to order another a man settled in next to you. He leaned against the counter, a bit closer to you than you would've liked.
"Hello gorgeous, how 'bout you let me get you a drink?" His words slurred together as the smell of the beer on his breath wafted towards you. Your nose scrunched in disgust.
"How about no?" Your tone was sweet, but your words were not as you batted your eyelashes at the man. He was cute, but you weren't exactly in the mood for flirting especially with someone as intoxicated as him.
"Come on, one drink. We don't even gotta have a conversation, just wanna know your name. I'm Tommy by the way." He held out his hand, with how close he was it almost hit you in the face. You recoiled.
That's when a different man appeared next to the two of you, he grabbed Tommy by the bicep and yanked his hand back. Then pulled his body a few feet away from you, finally giving you the space you had been wanting the whole time.
"I'm sorry about him, sugar. My brother is an idiot and I'm an idiot for thinking he'd be okay alone for five minutes." He turns to Tommy. "Can't even let me pee, without causing me problems, can you?"
Trying to hold back your smile, you flattened out your skirt, getting rid of the imaginary wrinkles in it. The brother's eyes lock onto your hands, seemingly just now taking you in. He gulps as his eyes glaze over, then clears his throat.
"I really am sorry about him. Here, let me buy you a drink." He says and you almost giggle at how badly the two brothers want to buy you alcohol.
"Don't worry about it! Sadly, I am used to drunk men coming up to me. I appreciate it though, but honestly I should get home." He looks lost in thought, like he's debating offering to drive you home. But just as he opens his mouth Tommy slips and falls, almost taking his brother down with him. Then, who you're assuming is the older one tries to get him back to his feet.
He continues to struggle to get Tommy up, as you stand from your seat after placing a few dollars onto the bar for tip. Tommy drops to the floor again and he sighs. Ruffling through his pocket he pulls out his card and hands it to you.
With a quick, "If you ever want that drink." Before getting Tommy to his feet and pushing him back to where they must have been sitting. You glance at the card wanting to know his name.
Joel
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A few days later, you found yourself at the grocery store. You wandered aimlessly through the aisles. Half in an attempt to orientate yourself with the new areas and half just looking for what sounded good. You wanted snacks, just weren't sure what exactly. As you pushed your now pretty full cart down the wine aisle, you saw a familiar face at the other end.
You tracked him with your eyes for a second before his met yours. A smile graced his lips, eyebrows raising in surprise. Honestly you were surprised yourself. Not only did he recognize you, but he was happy to see you.
Making his way towards you, he offered you a small wave, which you returned. Your cheeks heated up slightly, you remembered he was attractive, but now in the bright florescence it showed even more. Glancing down at your outfit, you cursed yourself for not putting in just a bit more effort this morning.
"Hello again." Joel said when he finally made it over to you.
"Hello again," You mirrored his words, "Wasn't sure you would recognize me just now." You cursed yourself at the words you let slip out. Insecurities on full display.
"Of course I would recognize that beautiful face again." He says nonchalantly, like he didn't just openly call you beautiful. Like he didn't just openly flirt with you!
Cheeks flushed, you cleared your throat, "Did...uh...did you and Tommy get home alright?" He smiles like you've said something funny.
"We did, you?" Awkwardly, you shift your weight.
"I did."
He looks at you with the same smile from before, something mischievous now playing in his eyes. Cocking his head at you, he looks like he is trying to get you to say more.
"You never called, don't want that drink, sugar?" Now you are adorning a playful look back. He was scared you weren't going to call him?
"I was getting to it." You say, simply. Not wanting to come off too desperate, but also not letting his hopes get dashed.
"I was really looking forward to seeing you again." Joel takes a step closer to you.
"I might be at the bar sometime this weekend, maybe you will." At your words his eyes darken slightly. He knows you are toying with him.
Taking one more step towards you he leans down, his lips ghosting the shell of your ear, "Maybe I will." And he's trying to play back. He smirks at you before offering you another wave and walking off into the depths of the store.
You are left there, blinking and blushing at his retreating figure.
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That weekend, you were doing your makeup oh so precisely. The dress you had picked out hugged your figure perfectly. You wore your best heels. Your hair was meticulous. Now to just hope Joel showed.
It's not like the two of you picked a specific day or time so what if he wasn't there? You couldn't think like that, you could only hope for the best and look your best too.
As you pushed open the door of the same bar you had first met Joel at the cool air washed over you, causing you to shiver. That's when your eyes met with his. It was almost like he had his eyes trained onto the door, just waiting for you to arrive. It looked like he chuckled at your shiver as he stood and made his way over to you.
"Cold princess?" His head cocked at you in amusement.
You crossed your arms, "Actually I'm just fine." And with a nod you saunter past him and towards the bar to order a drink.
He follows closely behind him and you just know he's smirking at your response. Joel lets you attempt, and fail, to gain the bartenders attention. Before he places a hand lightly on your shoulder and nods as if to say "watch this".
Bringing his fingers to his lips he blows out a loud whistle, your eyes widen in shock. He smirks down at you before making eye contact with the bar tender who is now staring incredulously at Joel.
"Joe, think you can get my girl here a drink?" My girl? He didn't mean it like that, he couldn't have.
"Only since she's so pretty. But you? I've told you about doing that, Miller. So annoying." The bartender, Joe, mumbles the last part more to himself but both you and Joel hear it. Joel laughs behind you, you feel the rumble of his chest against your back. A shiver runs down your spine.
He leans down, talking into your ear, "Sure you aren't cold?"
You roll your eyes, he knows what he's doing. Actually, he's doing it on purpose. Letting out a scoff, you readjust your position on the stool allowing your body to graze against Joel's a bit more. His hand reaches out to grip the edge of the bar. You can feel his eyes boring into you, his knuckles are turning white. Yep, you know what you're doing as well.
And just as Joel was about to say something else to you, Joe comes back with two drinks in hand. He passes a smaller glass to Joel, with what you assume is scotch in it. Then he passes a taller glass with a mixed drink in it to you. Its the same drink you got the other night you came in and you wonder how Joe remembered. But you brush it off as good customer service and take a sip of your fruity drink.
Joel smirks down at you as you are obviously enjoying your drink ad sips his as well. The ice clinks in his glass when he sits down the half empty vessel next to you.
Once again, he speaks into your ear, "Why don't we find a booth?" Nodding in response, he holds his hand out to you to help you off of the stool. You can't help the blush that rises to your cheeks at how much of a gentleman he is.
The two of you sat and talked for hours. Subtle flirts, learning about each other, anything and everything. Although you weren't sure you were ready for a relationship after the train wreck that was your last one, you enjoyed Joel's company and it seemed like he enjoyed yours. Plus, it didn't hurt to just have a strictly physical relationship, did it?
Thats how you found yourself agreeing to another date with Joel. Thats how you found yourself moving your hips into his on the dance floor. And thats how you found yourself in his bed later that night.
Currently he was sitting on the edge of the bed, your legs straddling his as you kissed fervently. Your hips moved seemingly on their own, grinding your clothed core down onto his jean clad member. He groans into your mouth when you grind down even rougher. Big hands grip onto your hips, stilling your movements.
"Careful princess." His voice is deep as he mutters into your lips before catching them in a deep kiss again. This causes you to now let out a moan. Damnit if you weren't the most turned on you've ever been.
Joel seems to catch onto the faster movements of your hips, knowing you need more. His lips trial down your neck to the juncture of your shoulder, he bits you lightly before licking over the marks. You gasp, bucking your hips forward at the feeling. He smirks against your skin and moves his lips down your exposed chest. Silently thanking yourself for wearing such a low cut top.
Lips ghost against the skin of your breast before he pulls your shirt aside to let one boob out of its constraints. He sucks your nipple into his mouth and that's when you fully loose yourself into the pleasure. If you weren't fucked before, you sure were now. Well...you were going to be soon hopefully.
Pulling off of your bud, his breath fans over the sensitive skin causing a shiver to run down your spine. Something flashes in his eyes as a smirk graces his lips.
"Either you're always cold or I really have an effect on you." He says, craning his neck back towards your lips. You roll your eyes before he's meeting lips with your own and flipping you over to lay on the bed.
Your head lands all but gracefully on the plush surface, his lips never leaving yours. The hands that were on your hips, now explored your body leaving goosebumps in their wake. One massaged your still covered breast, the other slowly made its way up the inside of your thigh. His fingers tentatively crossed over your core and up to the buttons of your pants. Your need to have him inside of you grew stronger as you lifted your hips involuntarily, trying to urge him to take of your pants.
"So desperate." Is all Joel says before he is popping open the first button. Then the next. Then the next. Slowly he unbuttons them all and pulls your pants just as slowly down your legs. The pace makes you whimper out.
He was right, you were desperate. But with how slow he was going, who wouldn't be?
"I want to taste that pretty pussy." Joel says as he finally makes eye contact with your lacy underwear.
"Please, I just want you inside me." He gives you a look at your words, like he wasn't sure you meant it. Or he wasn't sure you were that ready?
"Next time, please Joel just fuck me already."
He seems to contemplate this for a second, but ultimately agrees, "Your wish is my command."
He slips out of his own shirt and quickly slides his jeans off too. Standing there in just his underwear, you swear you could pass out from the view alone. But your head was too cloudy to say anything. Joel seemed to see the lust in your eyes and just shook his head before grabbing a condom from the nightstand.
"Take your shirt off for me, sugar." Its a bit more of a request than a command but you follow it like it was an order. You had to admit it was a bit sexy to be told what to do.
"Good girl, let me see how wet you are." He stands over you while stroking his hardening dick through his underwear. You watch in awe before following his instructions and pull your own panties off of you.
Spreading your legs, you display your pussy to him and he groans at the sight. He strokes himself a bit faster as you slide your fingers through your soaked folds. Fingers dip into your opening and you hold back your reaction, keeping your eyes locked onto his. When your fingers are thoroughly coated in your juice, you trail them up your torso to your mouth. Sucking your fingers in and licking them clean.
Darkness fills Joel's eyes as he decides this is the last straw and he is on top of you in a instant. Pulling your fingers out of your mouth he shoves them into his own, swirling his tongue around your digits.
Quickly he pushes off of you just to take off his underwear and slip the condom onto his painfully hard penis. You gulp at the sight, mouth watering like you've been in a desert for days. You make a note that next time you must also taste him.
But, these thoughts leave your head as quickly as they came because Joel is pushing his member into you. As the tip breaches your entrance, you are gasping and gripping onto his arms for support. You feel his muscles tensing under your fingertips as he begrudgingly paces himself, trying to let you adjust
You almost giggle at the pained look on his face. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you hook your ankles together and pull him the rest of the way inside of you. He has to catch himself from falling on top of you from both a mixture of shock and the forceful nature of your movement.
Eyes meet yours with a shocked look. You just give him a smirk and a shrug in return. Regaining his composure, he pulls out of almost completely. So painfully slowly that you almost keel over. You know its your punishment for what you had done and you were feeling the full force of your actions.
But, the punishing doesn't last long as he enters you again. He thrusts out to his tip again only quicker and rougher. Continuing this action of thrusting in and out of you picking up a tempo.
After letting out another moan when he slams into you particularly hard, you crane you neck slightly to see the look on his face. He seems to have fully lost himself in the pleasure. The teasing is all lost and he is now fully focused on getting you both to your orgasms.
Joel is now fucking into you with no more reservations. He reaches a hand between the two of you, using his thumb to rub your clit. He rubs the bud in circles, trying to work you towards your peak.
"Cum for me, princess." He says with a grunt, gripping your hips roughly. His hips snap into yours roughly.
You feel the beginnings of your orgasm. The coil in your stomach begins to tighten. Your hips buck up at the feeling, needing to orgasm.
"Joel!" You gasp out as you are pushed over the edge. You clench around his cock, pussy urging him to cum as well.
Working you through your orgasm, he continues his motions on your clit. He thrusts are getting a bit out of rhythm as he is also reaching his own peak. Leaning over you he reattaches his lips to yours, pushing his tongue into your mouth.
As his hips stutter into yours he is thrusting into you one last time before spilling his load into the condom. Joel moans into your mouth as he works himself through his orgasm. Hips slow down as his orgasm ends and Joel is plopping down next to you. Wrapping you in his arms as his member is still inside of you.
All that is heard in the room is heavy breathing for a minute as Joel's sweaty body surrounds yours. You look up at him and his eyes meet yours. A smile graces his lips before he is pecking your nose and bringing you even closer to him.
Eventually, he pulls out of you and ties of the condom. Moving to toss it in the en suite before returning just to wrap you back into his warm embrace.
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After the first time you and Joel hooked up, the two of you hung out at least three times a week. You would go to the bar, get a few drinks, talk a bit, laugh a bit. But you would always end up back at Joel's place. In his bed. In his arms.
Your mom was also starting to catch onto something going on with you. With you coming home late, giggling on your phone, smiling randomly at the thought of Joel. Not to mention, you were acting a bit shady. Even your friend noticed a change when she called you the other day.
But it was nothing but physical, right? Right...
Pushing open the door as silently as you could, you slightly stumbled into the dark house. Still a little tipsy as well as a bit of jelly legs from your earlier activities. Slipping off your shoes and picking them up so your heels wouldn't echo, you tried to reach the stairs to your room.
The minute your hand grabbed the banister, the lights in the living room flipped on like some movie scene. Your mom sat on the couch, arms crossed staring at you.
Jumping you tried to calmly greet her, "Hey mom."
"Don't 'hey mom' me, where have you been?" She was never this serious, so it scared you slightly.
"Out, I found a bar in town and I've been hanging out there." You didn't want to mention Joel just yet. One because how did you explain to your mom that you had a fuck buddy. And two that that fuck buddy was almost twice your age.
"By yourself?" Shit, she saw right through you.
"I mean, I talk to a few people there. Made friends with the bar tender. Well sort of, he's a bit serious and-"
She held up her hand to stop your rambling. You snapped your mouth shut.
"Who drove you home?" Joel had been driving you home from his house almost every time you guys hung out. He didn't like you taking a taxi that late.
You gulped, "I got a taxi."
"I know that's not true, Y/N. You're seeing someone. I can tell. You're different since we moved here and I think it has to do with someone." Your eyebrows furrow at her confession. Was she mad at you for staying out or mad at you for keeping secrets from her?
"Okay, maybe I am. I'm an adult!" You really weren't sure what she wanted to hear at this moment.
"You are, but I just want to make sure you are responsible."
Now you were rolling your eyes and crossing your arms back at her.
"Responsible? I can assure you I am." What did she think? That you were going around sleeping with randos and not using protection?
"Good," She stood up now and made her way over to you, "I just want to make sure you're okay, sweetie. After all that happened before..." She trailed off when she saw the hurt on your face at the mention of your ex.
She continued, "Anyways, I can see you're happy, so I won't pester you much about it anymore. But, can you at least try to come home earlier. You know I worry." She places a kiss on your forehead and moves past you up the stairs a bit, only turning back to hear your reply.
"I will, I'm sorry you were worried." You smile at her, she returns that smile.
Making her way to her room she shouts back one more thing before closing herself in her room, "And I wanna meet him sometime!"
This has you gulping, breathing cut short, body rigid. How were you going to get out of this one?
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The next morning as you sluggishly made your way to the kitchen, you were greeted by your overly excited mother.
"Morning sweetie!" You almost cringe at her loud voice, feeling the effects of your late night.
"Morning." You grumble out, before making your way to the pantry to find something to eat.
She's humming to herself as she cooks some eggs on the stove. At first you don't think much of it, until you notice her almost bouncing on the balls of her feet. It makes you take a pause, she was excited about something and she definitely wanted to tell you about it.
"Why are you so happy?" You ask with a smile in your voice. Leaning against the pantry door, you make eye contact with her. She blushes, smiles, and then looks back down at her eggs.
"Remember how I told you I went out with a group of friends from high school the other night?" You nod recalling how she animatedly told you about that night and all the nostalgia.
"Well, we are all hanging out again tonight. I'm just excited." Now you nod in acknowledgement. But she did seem a bit more excited than just a hang out, eh whatever.
You went back to looking for your cereal, grabbing it and a bowl. While pouring your cereal into your bowl, your mom speaks again.
"Plus, I might have a man too." Jumping slightly at her confession, you almost spill your cereal. You weren't sure you were ready for her to date again. It seemed weird after your parents had just divorced. You'd never seen either of them with anyone else, just strange.
She continues without you saying anything, "We went to school together. Used to have a bit of crush on him back then, but never worked out. Anyway, he was with us that other night and when I tell you he aged well!"
Almost laughing at how your mom was acting like one of your friends. Cute little crush and everything! You still felt a bit weird about hearing something like this from her. First of all, ew! Second of all, was she ready?
"Oh, that's nice." Is all you can manage to say, before taking a bite of your cereal, that you had just finished pouring milk into.
"'That's nice.'" She repeats, setting her spatula down and not making eye contact with you.
"Yeah, mom, that's nice. It will be nice for you, after dad..." You trail off, not sure if this is a sore subject or not. The two of you didn't talk much about the divorce anymore. So you thought it better to tread lightly.
"I think so too." She says, a bit more happier now as she resumes her eggs.
Yep, it will be nice.
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After your awkward breakfast with your mom, you returned to your room to text Joel. If your mom was going out, you might as well too, right?
A few minutes later, your phone buzzed with a message. Quickly dropping whatever you were previously doing you crashed down onto your stomach on your bed. Kicking your feet as you unlocked your phone to read the message.
Joel: Sorry, sugar but I have plans tonight. Tomorrow?
You sigh, guess everyone was busy tonight.
You: No worries! See you tomorrow!
Sighing, you flipped onto your back, staring at your ceiling trying to think of what was going to keep you occupied tonight.
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You decided to take the time for a self care night. Painted your nails, did a face mask, read a bit, before ultimately ending up in the bath.
The soak felt nice and after weeks of not focusing on yourself enough, it also felt nice to just relax. Plus, if you were glowing the next time you saw Joel, he probably wouldn't be able to keep his hands off of you.
That's how you found yourself, wrapped up in your soft robe propped up at your vanity. Hair wrapped in a towel while you rubbed lotion into your legs.
Just as you were finishing up, the doorbell rang downstairs. Sighing, not really wanting an interruption, but needing to answer it nonetheless. You pushed up from your seat and made your way downstairs. Not even bothering to change out of your robe.
And you would have never expected what you were about to see on the other side of the door as you swung it open.
There stood Joel and another lady, trying to hold up your very drunk mother. Eye immediately lock onto Joel's, an apologetic look on his face as he wasn't sure what to say.
Your mother however saw you and tried to rush at you to hug you. Slurring about this and that. How much fun she had, how pretty you were, anything and everything that came to her inebriated mind.
Joel and the lady held her back, trying to keep her on her feet and off of you. After the initial shock of the moment, you finally realized they were probably trying to get you to let them inside.
"Oh! Um, come in. I'm sorry about her, uh maybe just put her on the couch?" You gesture towards the living room and move aside to let all three of them through. Joel glances back at you as you close the door, eyes also trained onto him.
They try to place your mother onto the couch as carefully as they can, but she falls to the side anyways. You are almost horrified at the situation. Joel, here. Your mom, drunk. Joel with your drunk mom.
Joel clears his throat while the lady is busying herself with your mom, "As you can see, she's a bit tipsy." He states the obvious, you bite your lip as he shuffles from foot to foot nervously.
"A bit." You conclude.
"Yeah, uh, it might have been my idea to play a drinking game. Sorry!" The lady on the couch calls over her shoulder, returning to your mom.
Your eyes never leave Joel's. As the shock subsides, you finally put some pieces together. Your mom was going to see some high school friends. Joel was one of your mom's high school friends. You were hooking up with your mom's friend. Fuck!
Joel tries to read your face, you can see how he wants to go over to you. Wants to apologize properly or explain himself. Anything to make you feel better.
"Sug-Uh, Y/N right?" He almost lets his pet name for you out. You nod, like he doesn't moan out your name nightly.
"'m Joel and that's Linda." You nod again. What then fuck is happening right now?
"Do you think we should take her upstairs?" The lady, Linda, finally turns to look at you. She scans you and you only just now realize what you are wearing. Or lack of what you are wearing. Eyes shift to Joel, who is seemingly now taking in your appearance as well. You notice his Adam's apple bob a bit as he tries to wet his now very dry mouth.
"I mean, she will probably be fine there. One night on the couch isn't so bad." You try to joke but Linda's face stays stern.
"I'll take her up, can you bring her some water?" She looks to you and you nod again, now gulping at how serious she is.
Linda grabs your mom off the couch and surprisingly easily takes your mom up the stairs.
"The door on the left." You call out, realizing you never told her. Linda grunts in acknowledgement before taking your mom into your room. The second the door closes, Joel speaks.
"Linda's a bit serious."
"A bit serious? I was gonna say scary." He laughs at your statement.
"She is, isn't she?" He laughs again, before stopping as his eyes latch onto yours.
"Baby..." He trails off, not sure what to say.
"So, you're friends with my mom?" He nods. You open your mouth once, twice, before closing it again. Also not sure what to say.
"Obviously, I didn't know until she gave me the address tonight. Then I didn't know what I was going to say to you. I couldn't act like I knew you and-" He stops his rambling as you step towards him, placing a hand on his chest.
"It's okay, I know you didn't know. I know you wouldn't keep something like that from me." His hand engulfs yours, pulling it up to his mouth to peck your palm.
"You're so good to me." Taking a step closer, his forehead rests on yours.
You giggle, "You're so good to me."
The two of you sit there in silence for a second before he speaks again.
"You look so pretty right now, angel. I wish I could kiss you."
"You could." You confirm, bringing your face closer to his.
And right as he is about to attach his lips to yours, something crashes up stairs. you jump back from Joel at the sound before the two of you rush upstairs. Just to find Linda and your mom on the floor, laughing. You sigh in relief before noticing the pile of book knocked off the bookshelf.
"What happened?" You ask.
"She fell while trying to put her pants on. Knocked over all these books and me." Linda replies in between laughs. Only a bit shocked by her switch in emotions, you sign again.
"It's okay, you guys have done enough. I'll put her to bed now and clean that up in the morning. Thank you for everything." Linda nods, stands, and dusts herself off. Before looking to Joel who just gestures for her to go first.
Joel glances back at you once last time. Almost taking a step towards you, before shaking his head and following behind Linda.
The front door closes down stairs and your attention returns to your mom who is still sitting on the floor. Her head is slumped over and her breathing is even, like she has fallen asleep just like that.
"Come on, mom, let's get you to bed." You reach under her arms to lift her up. She doesn't help but falls into another giggling fit. Trying so hard not to laugh to you push her down under her seats, tucking her in just like she used to when you were little.
"That was him." She says all of a sudden.
"That was who?" You reply, not fully listening as you pick up one of the books.
"The guy I was telling you about. The one that grew up well. He's hot right?" You stop mid movement of picking up another book. What?
But before you can even say anything else soft snores come from the bed. You stand up and place the book back onto their shelf. Leaving the room silently.
You lean against the door once you shut it, stomach tying into knots.
The guy your mom is interested in is the guy that you are currently seeing. What the fuck?
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The next morning it was your mom's turn to come into the kitchen groaning. Holding her head she sits at one of the barstools at the island.
"Morning sunshine." You greet her with a laugh while sipping your coffee.
She just grunts in response, you laugh again. Turning to make her her own mug of coffee, knowing that's exactly what she wants right now.
You slide it over to her, her eyes widen for only a second before lifting the mug to her lips. As soon as the liquid touches her tongue she is smiling into the brim of it.
"Thank you." She says as she places it back onto the counter. You raise your own mug to her in a "you're welcome" gesture. She sighs.
"Did I embarrass myself last night?" Groaning again while rubbing her temples.
You laugh, "Only a little." Holding up a pinching gesture with the hand not holding your coffee.
You take a sip while your mom speaks again, "Oh! But you met Joel right? What do you think?" And that's when you choke. You were kind of hoping she didn't bring up Joel.
"That bad?" Your mom chuckles while you try to recover from your coughing fit.
"Uh...um he didn't seem too bad." You finally say as you recover just enough to let the words out.
Your mom only nods, taking your short answer as enough.
What were you going to do?
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You had sent a text earlier in the day to confirm with Joel that the two of you were still on for tonight. Although, you were a bit confused by the whole situation currently. You knew how you felt about Joel and honestly you were tired of hiding it from not only yourself but also him.
Now you could only hope he felt the same. That hope, however, came fully to fruition when the you showed up to Joe's bar and Joel was standing there waiting for you, bouquet in hand. You almost teared up at the gesture.
When you crossed the bar to him, he wrapped an arm around your waist pulling your body into his. He placed a kiss on the top of your head before handing the flowers to you.
"Sorry again about last night." You hit his chest at his statement. He backs up in shock, mouth wide open. His dramatics make you laugh.
"Stop saying sorry, it isn't your fault. My mom should be apologizing to you!"
"Still I should've at least warned you we were coming." Dramatics dropped as he looks down at his feet.
"While you were driving? Joel Miller!" Now you are the one being overdramatic and it makes him laugh like it had made you laugh.
"Fine, but I still feel bad."
You sigh, "Fine, but you're not sitting in this corner all night! Dance with me!" You grab his hand and pull him onto the dance floor.
When you start dancing he is only swaying his hips a bit, not fully into it. But you aren't having any of that, you grab his arms and slide his hands down your sides. Flipping around so your ass makes contact with his crotch. This seems to make him react as he grabs your hips in almost a warning.
Although, of course, this only eggs you on to continue your teasing. Grinding your hips back into his like that very first night the two of you hooked up. You spin back around, hands moving up his stomach and chest finally resting latched behind his neck. Your head is tossed back as you continue to move your hips dangerously close to his own. Neck is on full display for Joel and he takes this as an opportunity to crane down and place a soft kiss there.
His head now rests on your shoulder using his hands to help move your hips in time with his. You smile, he must be feeling a bit better now. So when he raises his head out of the crook of your neck you raise your own to meet eyes.
But you don't see lust there, you see something else. Love? It makes you gulp, goosebumps raising on your skin as he leans down to bring his lips to yours.
And when he pulls away, "I want you." He says, but it isn't in the lustful way he usually says it. Not sure how to reply, you smirk teasingly.
"Then take me."
"Not like that, baby. I-I want you. I-" Words seem to stop at the top of his throat, fearing that they will topple over.
Still unsure, you say the first thing that comes to mind, "You have me. I've been yours for a while, Joel." The look in his eyes sparks almost unnoticeably.
"You're mine?" You nod. "Promise?" Another nod.
"Come home with me?" Instead of answering, you attach your lips to him.
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Waking up in Joel's arms felt so much different than all the times you had been in his bed and in his arms before. Something about the intimacy of your conversation from the night before and the intimacy of being in his bed now. You were just so serene. It felt right. There was no other way to describe it.
Obviously, after leaving Joe's you ended up at Joel's place once again. Although this time you had told your mom so she wouldn't worry and you had also, at Joel's request, told her that you weren't going to come home at all tonight.
Of course, like all the nights before Joel and you had ended up fucking, but last night felt different. It was slower, it was intimate, it was like he was making love to you. If you had asked Joel he would tell you that's exactly what he was doing.
Glancing over at Joel, you see that he is still asleep. You try to carefully let yourself out of grip to get out of bed but his strong arms keep you there.
As you try again, he just grips you tighter letting out a groan. He opens his eyes slowly.
"Don't leave me." He says while still waking up.
"I'm not leaving, Joel, I-" He cuts you off by pulling you roughly into his side.
"Joel-" you warn with a squeak as he pushes on your stomach with the heel of hi hand. "-I need to pee."
He still doesn't let you up. Just nuzzles his face into your hair. His breath tickles your neck.
"If you don't let me go, I'll end up peeing in your bed." You try to warn him again and finally he lets you go with a sigh.
But before you can make it fully into the bathroom he is calling out behind you.
"You're mine?" Your eyes roll.
"Yes."
"Promise?"
"Joel." Another warning tone.
"Promise." This time it wasn't a question.
"I promise. Now let me go pee!"
After peeing, you returned to Joel who was still sprawled out in bed. He brought you back into his arms as quickly as he could. The two of you stayed like that for a while, just bathing it each other's warmth.
Until Joel's hands started wandering. First it started with rubbing soothing circles onto your back. Then the circles moved to your thighs. The circles becoming less soothing and more whimper inducing. Then they moved to just above the waistband of your pants (boxers you had borrowed from Joel). Only for them to dip past that waistband just a second later. Now teasing your already dripping slit.
Whimpering out, Joel caught your sound with his lips. Letting his tongue taste yours. The kiss was slow, passionate. No matter how much he wanted you, he was taking it slow.
His fingers continued teasing your pussy lips, collecting your juices before slipping just the tip of fingers past your folds. Gasping, you bit down on his lip, causing him to groan into your mouth. The shock made him loose himself for a second but he recovered quickly and continued teasing you.
He did this for a minute or two never letting his lips leave yours. Bringing his fingers to your clit he rubbed the bud a few times before slipping his hand out of pants. You whined at the loss.
"I need to be inside of you. Can't wait any longer." He says before pushing you to turn around so he was now behind you.
You heard Joel rustling through his nightstand for a second before tearing open a package. Shifting away from your warmth for only a second to slide his underwear down and slip the condom on.
As quickly as he can he is returning to touching you, hand moving up under your shirt. Lips are on your neck nipping and sucking lightly at the sensitive skin.
The hand in your shirt moves up to tease your boob, massaging both of them. The other hand is moving back to the waistband of your pants, slipping them down your legs as much as he can in the position that you are in. You help him by lifting your hips a bit.
Joel slides his dick into you from behind, it being easy from till being a bit stretched out from last night. Not to mention all the teasing and the amount of wetness that is almost dripping down your thighs at this point.
You don't even need to adjust to the stretch, "Please Joel." You breath out. He continues fucking into behind and kissing at your neck.
Hand is still in your shirt, just holding onto your tit. The other is holding your hip in place, like he thinks you'll slip away from him. He is fully seated inside of you when he slowly pulls out of you to hi tip, before fucking back into all the way to the hilt.
He continues his slow and steady pace, just taking his time with your body. Needing to feel all of you. Needing you.
Thrusting his dick in and out of you. Working both of you towards your release. Morning sex with Joel was definitely different than any of the sex you've ever had with him before but you were loving it. You loved how he was taking his time. He didn't want either of you to get overstimulated.
The hand that was on your hip wrapped around to tease your clit. The strokes were as slow as his thrusts. But he strokes once particularly roughly and you are moaning, turning your head to try and meet lips with Joel. He obliges and connects your lips.
This is what sends you hurtling towards your end. The softness of the kiss, the circles on your clit, and the slow yet perfect thrusts. It crashes over you unexpectedly and has you moaning out loudly disconnecting your lips just so you can catch your breath.
And the feeling of your walls clenching onto his member has him closer to his peak quickly as well. He's usually very sensitive in the morning so he isn't very surprised. So when you seemed to have caught your breath and you no longer are jerking with your orgasm, Joel is placing his lips back on yours. Kissing you deeply as he swallows your breathy moans from the overstimulation.
This causes him to reach his peak, cumming into the condom with a throaty moan. Thrusting roughly into you a few times to work himself through his orgasm. When he is finished he is pulling out of you and using your shoulder to turn you back to face him.
He pulls your head into his chest. Breathing is still a bit labored as the two of you just feel the other person. Appreciating the comfort. Breathing in each other's scents, content.
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Later that day after a shower, with Joel, he drove you back to your house to drop you off. You didn't have any clothes with you after all, so you at least had to change and because you didn't exactly want to leave Joel yet, when you didn't see your mom's car in the driveway you convinced Joel to come up with you.
He didn't protest much after you promised him your mom would not be returning any time soon. So he followed you through the house and into your room. You ushered him in and watched as he took it all in. Shutting the door behind you two, you made your way across the room to Joel.
Wrapping your arms around him from behind as he looked at some pictures on your desk. You hadn't realized until now but Joel had never seen the way you lived and it was comforting to finally have him in your space.
"That's when I was seven." You said as he picked up a picture of you with a soccer ball in hand, blue jersey hanging on your little torso. "I begged my dad to sign me up for soccer and only did it for about three weeks before I decided I hated it." You laugh at the memory.
He laughs too and places it down, now picking up a picture of you and your friend from prom.
"That feels like ages ago." You muse, "There used to be another girl in this picture but she uh she fucked my boyfriend so I cut her out." You nod into his back before disconnecting your arms and moving across the room to sit on your bed. Playing with your hands, he places the photo down and moves to sit with you.
"I'd never do that to you." He says after a beat of silence.
"Fuck my boyfriend? I hope not." You try to joke but it doesn't fully reach your voice.
Joel grabs your hands, "Cheat on you." He says the thing you weren't sure you wanted to hear. You open your mouth but aren't sure what to say.
So he speaks instead, "You deserve the world and I want you to know that I'm prepared to give it to you." You smile, finally bringing your eyes to his.
"You sound so old!" You jest as you hit his chest. He grabs your wrist using it pull you forward into him. You fall into his chest, Joel uses that as an opportunity to stable you by a hand on your hip.
"If I really was that old, I don't think I could fuck you the way I do." He tone is laced with seduction as he brings his lips to ghost yours. Breath fans over your face, causing you to shiver. He smirks almost bringing up the inside joke of you being cold all the time. But throws this away to instead attach his lips to yours.
The kiss is fiery, not like the ones from this morning that were filled with passion, this one was like he needed to prove something. Prove he would always be yours and you would always be his.
His lips and his hands have you so much in a trance that neither of you hear a car pulling into the driveway. Or the front door opening. Or your mom calling out your name. Or climbing up the stairs. Or opening your door.
But you do hear the gasp and the sound of bags dropping to the floor as your mom sees the two of you. Pulling away quickly both you and Joel jump away from each other like a fire was just lit between you. Your head snaps to look at your mom and then back to Joel and notice she is doing the same thing with the both of you.
"Mom, I-" You try to explain but loose your words and good thing too because they would be falling on deaf ears anyways. With her blinking twice and rushing out of the room, back down the stairs, out of the house, and driving away.
You look back to Joel who has a mortified look on his face, then back to the doorway your mom was just in.
"Shit."
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Part 2 !!!!!!!
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WHO IS THE HOTTEST JANE AUSTEN MAN ? THE FINAL
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Propaganda...
Captain Wentworth (1995):
Ciaran Hinds has that perfect ruggedness yet friendliness to his face that makes him the perfect charming Wentworth. And all of the longing that he manages to convey in his eyes is so hot.
Wentworth may be angry/resentful with Anne but in general he is charming and the best friend you could ever have. Ciaran gets the pleasant parts of his character and brings them out, while keeping a guarded coolness (protective camouflage) with Anne.
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I dunno if this counts as propaganda or not, but Ciaran Hinds has a face that looks like it was jackhammered out of a shale cliff.
If a line like 'I am half agony...half hope' comes out of a face like that you know that man has a soul for poetry.
I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in
F. W.
I must go, uncertain of my fate; but I shall return hither, or follow your party, as soon as possible. A word, a look, will be enough to decide whether I enter your father's house this evening or never.  
This is propaganda for the next round because I need my boy to be a finalist! But this letter is all the persuasion I need to know that he is a winner
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Ciarán Hinds in this is a whole other level of "a good man" He makes Anne's decision at the end so much more perfect.
LOOK
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HOW
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HE
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YEARNS
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The yearning the yearning - JLM gives a great look but Captain Wentworth is the king of longing stares. He's trying sooo hard to hate her sooo hard to get over her - 8 years and he thinks he's ready to face her and move on but no he has to notice she's exhausted on the walk, that her nephew is being overwhelming, that she should be dancing and not just playing the piano for everyone else. And even though he's jealous later on when Mr Elliott gives her an "admiring look" in lime he's pleased for her because he knows she deserves to be admired and cherished even if he's angry that he wasn't able to be the one she let admire and cherish her. I just this man - he loves Anne so much and it's so so hot.
Propaganda for Captain Wentworth.
I've always loved Persuasion and so I was voting for him in his polls anyway, but I had never seen the 1995 adaptation. So because of this blog I decided to check it out.
Well. Now I'm obsessed. I came into this tournament fully expecting to vote Firth Darcy to victory. Ciaran Hinds suddenly showed up and sparta kicked him to curb. His every look, every gesture is laden with longing. He's so tender with Anne but then the barely restrained rage in his voice when he speaks to Lady Russell. He's rugged and manly yet tender and considerate.
I BURN, I PINE, I PERISH
If you're wondering why you should vote for Wentworth 95 in the @hotjaneaustenmenpoll, it's because he's got something hot for everyone.
Do you think it's hot when a man dresses up fancy? He looks very dapper in his uniform! Or do you find it more sexy when a man is more casual, a little mussed up, maybe even a little grimy? He does that perfectly too!
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Do you find men hot when they're being tender and restrained? Or do you find men hot when they're losing control a bit, maybe getting a bit passionate with anger or jealousy?
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Do you like a refined man of culture? Or a rugged outdoorsman?
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A warm smile? Or something more broody?
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Someone who's the life of the party, boisterous, laughing, charming? Or the strong silent type, serious, calm, mysterious?
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Hinds's Wentworth does all of these sexy things brilliantly! You cannot lose with him, he's got it all!
II ranked Wentworth as the #1 Austen man in terms of fuckability, and I stand behind that when it comes to Wentworth 95 versus Knightley 09.
Is Wentworth 95 angry sometimes? Yeah. But that's hot, at least coming from Ciaran Hinds' ruggedly handsome face. Have you heard of makeup sex? Tell me Wentworth 95 and Anne don't have the most scorching hot angry makeup sex imaginable 🥵
And yet Wentworth 95 is also super tender! The slow, gentle, worshipful way he kisses Anne at the end?? So beautiful and hot. The longing way he looks at Anne in silence. The way he is so solicitous of Anne's comfort to put her on the carriage with his sister! You can just tell he's gonna take the time to worship his wife in bed.
And let's not forget that he writes the most romantic letter ever written! The depth of passion in this man, my god! 🔥💕🔥
This is not a who is the better man contest, or who is the more faithful to the book, or who would you most want to marry. This is a hotness contest, and Wentworth 95 is so fucking hot.
Mr Darcy (1995):
Colin Firth (1995) is book Darcy brought to life. He uses tiny gestures and looks to communicate with us and Elizabeth… his struggle is so subtle but so palpable. A beautiful asshole with a creamy nougat center. Just perfect.
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Those heart-eyes right up above☝️? Hot!
Passive-agressively drinking tea? Hot!
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The way he rushes over to see Elizabeth at Pemberley on those delicious long legs of his with that slutty wet curl hanging over his forehead? Hot!
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Fencing? Hot!
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The way he is so concerned about Elizabeth crying and takes her hand even though he shouldn't? Hot!
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This dimple-y smile of pure joy because he knows he's married to Elizabeth freaking Bennet? Hot!
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Colin Firth Darcy is simultaneously immaculately put together and entirely falling apart internally. The wet shirt scene is so iconic not (only) because ‘oooh almost-shirtless sexy man’, but because it’s a metaphor for how he’s absolutely falling apart!!! This is a private moment, when he doesn’t think anyone can see him. And then he bumps. into. Lizzie. At his house!! And the entire sequence that follows with him rushing out still doing his jacket up to catch her before he leaves. They are both on the back foot and it’s THAT moment of confusion that opens a more honest dialogue between them.
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Without Firth in a lake you wouldn’t get Macfadyen in a downpour!
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There's a reason why Colin Firth is forever known as Mr. Darcy above all other roles he's had and will have! Even ignoring the wet white shirt, which has become A Thing now, he is so hot with his curly hair and his little half smiles and his intense looks of longing and his legs that go on for milessss.
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This cannot be real. My fellow Jane Austen people. Without Colin Firth’s Darcy we wouldn’t have 90% of modern JA content. He opened a door and there was no turning back for modern culture. There would be no MacFadyen standing half undressed in a field at dawn without Firth jumping into a lake first. There would be no hand flex if there hadn’t been Firth doing his best impression of a man undressing Elizabeth Bennet with his eyes and hating himself for liking it. There would be no Bridgerton without Bridget Jones. Let’s face it people. We wouldn’t be here having these arguments if Colin Firth had not been Mr Darcy.
Colin Firth understood Mr. Darcy in a way no other actor ever has. He is awkward as fuck in a way that comes across as snooty and judgmental on a first watch-through, then can be read as awkward and longing on a second time. His performance had such depth while looking extremely shallow at first glance. This man WAS Mr. Darcy. (I love 2005, as well, and I love Matthew McFayden, but he was awkward for awkward sake.) Colin Firth made Darcy's awkward look snooty and aloof.
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THE socially awkward Darcy is the 1995 Darcy - look at him coming and sitting in awkward silence with Elizabeth pointedly asking her if she wants to live a long way from her family (to obvious relief) and then abruptly leaving - vote for him please 😭😭😭😭
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Colin Firth served so much as Darcy that when they did Bridget Jone's diary, they brought him back.... AS DARCY. The smoulder. The angst. The man is the quintessential Darcy.
“Firthing” is an actual term that is used now to describe someone yearning intensely. It is named after Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy performance.
Colin Firth all the way. He's known in our household as Owl Eyes because in every frame he's mooning over Elizabeth Bennet. Unsurpassable, unmatched, golden television (and some of the worst dancing you've ever seen).
Colin has beautiful, touchable curls.
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My high school English teacher was very into using movies to teach alongside literature, which was a great teaching tool. When we read Pride and Prejudice, he used both 2005 and 1995 for various scenes. What stands out to me all these years later was when it got to the part when Lizzy went to help Georgiana after Caroline dropped Mr. Wickham's name and Darcy gives Lizzy this look:
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My teacher stopped the film and pointed at Darcy's face and said, "See that? That is THE look. If someone ever looks at you like that, you know they're in love." And what is hotter than that?
Also this teacher had two cats named Lizzy and Darcy. Not relevant to the poll but I wanted you all to know about them.
Colin Firth dazzles and amazes in the nuanced performance that just blows all other attempts away.
The best thing about the Colin Firth wet shirt scene is actually the scene that follows where him and Lizzie are both just dyinggg of embarrassment but Darcy pulls himself together refuses to lose his advantage and runs to get dressed and chase her down before she leaves - just the mix of cringe and hopefulness at seeing her again is so well done and so attractive!!! (this is just the bit where he's running after her but I love it all!)
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Latibule Season 2: III
Pairing: Min Yoongi x Reader (Mafia/Detective AU)
Summary: In which he lost his latibule.
Warnings: Secret Identity, Yandere behavior, Obsessiveness, Possessiveness, Manipulative behavior, Violence, Mention of death, Disability, Sexual themes, If you’re not 18+ please, PLEASE, do not interact. Be mindful of the warnings. Let me know if I miss anything.
A/N: As promised :) Leave a comment or reblog if you enjoy!
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Masterlist, Latibule 2.II
Taehyung looked up from his cellphone to his eldest hyung that was currently cooking their dinner. He pouted when he was not given the appropriate amount of attention he should be given. Honestly, he deserved it! After a moment when he still did not get what he wanted, he finally asked the question he had been dying to know the answer to.
“Hyung, is it always like that?”
“Hmm? Like what, Tae?” he asked while chopping diligently the vegetables the renowned doctor was preparing for a certain psychologist and his brothers that insisted they were hungry as well.
“When it ends…does it always hurt like that?”
Seokjin blinked at Taehyung’s unprompted question. He paused before he finally brought his eyes to the actor. He knew that the younger man had always been eccentric. His clinical condition definitely explained his behavior, but not this. He was never curious about the emotions he couldn’t feel, nor did he ever show any interest on understanding emotions. As the years passed by, Kim Taehyung got better at masking and pretending by learning the root causes of the emotions he could see. The brothers had always thought that this was precisely why he chose to be an actor. Everytime they watched him cried, laughed, or acted furious for his movies and dramas, they thought he was a different person.
Jin thought it was just understandable why he dropped the knife he was holding.
“What brought this on?”
“He-“ he lifted his mobile phone to show Jin the picture Jimin snapped of their Yoongi hyung looking like he had lost all his will to live. Taehyung found it so ridiculous that Jimin even made a collage of him and a cat that depicted their hyung. “-looks like breathing is a chore and is only fighting to live so he can end his enemies.”
Jin would have laughed had this happened before he met his sunshine. But now, the mere thought of her leaving set him on edge, and he knew he would be similar to Yoongi if not worse. Slowly, he picked up his knife as he carefully chose his words. He was always like this with Taehyung ever since he knew that something was not quite right in his mind, well…more than any of them, to be honest. The younger man took things at face value, and all the brothers knew to talk in a straightforward manner so there wouldn’t be any confusion on Taehyung’s part.
He kidded you not, once when they were still teenagers, they asked him to go ahead and get them a table in a restaurant. He left without any qualms only to return not an hour later carrying a big ass table from a restaurant. That was a horrifying memory, Jin thought, and that was when they all decided to change the way they talked. It was Namjoon that took it too far and enrolled the man in a body language class to better cope with society. However, it was Jungkook that forced him to take psychology classes with him for fun.
“I think it’s different,” Jin started, busying himself once again with cooking. “Yoongi never has love like that, I guess. It’s understandable that he acts like a sad lonely cat.”
Seokjin could still clearly remember how Yoongi looked at you. It was like you were all he ever wanted and more, like you were his reprieve from the darkness in his life. You were, as he called you, an angel to him. And then he lost you.
“Why?”
“Well…she’s his personal slice of heaven,” he answered, his voice contemplative and understanding of what Yoongi was going through. Jin paused in his chopping, a thoughtful expression crossing his features as he carefully considered his words. “And he’s been living in hell the very moment he was born. What do you think would happen if he was given a taste of heaven and then lost it?”
“Just like Hoseok hyung,” Taehyung nodded, slightly understanding the downfall of these strong men.
“Seriously, you are all worse than the ahjummas who love to talk about other people’s lives. Be better than that, guys,” Kim Namjoon observed with his deadpanned voice as soon as he walked in the kitchen. He took in the scene of the two men conversing and the other man quietly eating the snack Jin prepared him.
Jin scoffed as he rolled his eyes at Namjoon. “As if you wouldn’t react like that when your secretary finally resigns.”
To which, Namjoon only smirked. “Who says she can leave?”
“How will you stop her and her son if the father finally shows up?”
Namjoon, with his hand in his pocket, calmly uttered words that no normal people would believe to have any other meaning. “Well, as you said, the dead don’t exactly come back to life, do they?”
 Jin chuckled at Namjoon. Of course, he did something about that man. It was apparent, he thought. He could still vividly remember the look in Namjoon’s eyes when he told him that his secretary was pregnant and that the asshole of a father even put his hands on her. Suffice to say, it was the most unhinged Namjoon ever was.
“I think Namjoon will be the worst among us if he ever loses the love of his life,” Jin noted with lightness in his voice.
“Nah,” Jungkook finally lifted his head from his bowl. “I sincerely think it’ll be Taehyung.”
The conversation never left Jeon Jungkook’s mind. Anyway, he didn’t need anyone to tell him to do this. He did this out of the bond he shared with his brothers. Had this happened to any among them, he would have done the same.
He thought that it was cruel to let them experience the same hell he had been living every single day.
And so, he worked tirelessly and utilized every available technology and connection he had just to look for Yoongi’s angel. When he said she was alive, when he said he felt in his heart that you could have not gone where he couldn’t follow, then he’d believed him. He wouldn’t lose anything by looking for you, Jungkook rationalized. But he didn’t want to unnecessarily get his brother’s hopes up until he had evidence that you were indeed alive.
One morning, it finally happened. There you were.
Jungkook’s eyes could not have gone any bigger as he watched the CCTV of a far province in his office.
That was you, he was sure.
Without a moment's hesitation, he reached for his phone and dialed the person he knew he could trust. "Hyung, can you come to my office?" he requested urgently, the excitement and disbelief evident in his voice.
“That’s her,” Kim Namjoon validated after a moment. He was standing beside Jungkook’s seated form as he leaned in the monitor. He was ever the image of calmness with his hand in his pocket, his suit immaculate and not a crease in sight.
Seokjin raised his brows as he sat in a relaxed manner on the couch. Jungkook didn’t even call him, yet he was here because he was, per his words, bored and that a certain sunshine was not where she should be. “So the dead can indeed come back to life,” he noted with a tone the two men couldn’t understand. “Pray tell, Namjoon-ah. Should we tell Yoongi?”
Jungkook blinked at the rising tension between the two men. Whereas Jin merely looked curious, Namjoon looked like he was looking at the end of the sword with the way his jaw was clenched. He stood up straight and took a second to answer Seokjin.
“Of course, hyung. This is a great news, after all.”
“Hmm,” Seokjin smirked, his legs crossed as though nothing could have fazed him. It was moment like this when Jungkook could see the mafia prince in his usually playful hyung. Everybody knew not to cross this man despite him appearing goofy and motherlike to them.
Jungkook thought that it would only take one momentous catastrophe for him to return to his dark persona. He didn’t want to see that, though.
“He’s suffered enough, right?” Jin asked the room with a light tone, yet his eyes pierced through Namjoon’s. “Right, Namjoon-ah?”
Seven Mississippis passed before he answered. Jungkook knew because he counted, and he hated the tension he didn’t know why was present.
“Jungkook, tell Yoongi hyung,” Namjoon ordered.
—-
Min Yoongi’s brows were pulled together as he walked in a bustling street of a faraway province. He had to drive almost four hours just because their maknae told him to be here at this exact hour, claiming that he desperately needed him to be there. However, Jungkook was not answering his phone despite numerous calls from him.
Where was even that little shit, Yoongi asked himself as he surveyed the whole place.  
Despite barely getting any sleep, he found himself in a situation where he might have to scold his youngest brother for the first time. He should have been in Seoul right now, but he couldn’t exactly say no to him. He had shit ton of things to do and yet he was indulging the youngest brother.
Maybe this was exactly why he was spoiled? Ah, but anyway, he was a good kid.
So where was he?!
He walked further into the thick of the plaza, his phone plastered in his ear as he listened to the annoying and incessant ringback tone of Jungkook. Seriously, at this day and age? His eyes roamed the area of happy locals, at which he rolled his eyes.
He was on the verge of deciding whether he should just go ahead and kill Jungkook when he finally answered.
“Where the fuck are you?” he growled over the other line, his patience running thin when the man just answered innocently.
“At Seoul, hyung-“
“Then why am I here?! I swear to heavens, if you made me drive here just to buy you a weird snack then I’ll really kill you!”
“Seokjin hyung will be mad!”
Right. The eldest was protective of the youngest. What a nuisance, he thought. “Then I’ll do it in secret.”
Jungkook chuckled nervously. He couldn’t place whether he was joking or not. His money was that if his hyung could get away with it, he’d be floating in the river at this very moment. “I asked you to go there because I have a surprise for you, hyung.”
“I don’t particularly enjoy surprises-” he began, but was swiftly interrupted.
“I know, I know. But this one, I’m sure you’ll like. This is the most beautiful, most precious, most amazing surprise ever. You’ll stop sulking and looking like a sad cat and Jimin hyung will finally stop taking badly captured and cropped photos of you and make it into a collage. Taehyung hyung will stop observing your miserable demeanor for his next movie. You’ll finally stop living like it’s such a chore and-“
His back was bumped by a force. Turning around, he prepared to glare at the perpetrator only to stop because there it was.
There was you.
It was as if the universe finally said that he had enough and stopped punishing him because he saw you when he was not even looking for you. Your mouth hanged agape, your hand going to your forehead as you murmured apologies to him.
He was stunted. No, he was bewildered.
Was this real? Or was this one of his cruel dreams again, a figment of his mind playing tricks on him?
But no.
He had been living in hell, yet moment he heard your voice, all the sufferings disappeared. This was really you. You were truly alive. He was frozen as his wildest dream was brought into life. His whole body went into a state of shock, something that he never thought could ever happen.
It didn’t really matter the years he spent without you because one touch, one word- these were all it took for him to forget the bitterness your separation brought him.
With a trembling voice, Yoongi dared to call for you. “Ange-”
But before he could say another word, you interrupted, your voice light and apologetic.
“I’m really sorry, mister. I didn’t see you,” you chuckled, slightly lifting your walking stick to explain the small accident. You bowed down at the man before going your way.
And he stood there, watching as the love of his life walked away from him, unseeing. He thought he could no longer hurt. He thought that nothing could have fazed him any longer. But he was wrong. Watching you walked, unseeing as you traversed the plaza with only your walking stick pained him.
How did this happen to you?
Was it because of the incident?
Was that why you couldn’t return to him? Because you weren’t able to?
Or did he miss all the glaring signs?
Slowly, he lifted the old phone you gifted him years ago to his ear. “You didn’t stop looking for her?”
Jungkook was quiet for a moment. “Well…I would never wish this hell on anyone, much less my brother,” he stated, his voice carrying a certain tone of sadness they often heard from him. “Go get her, hyung.”
The bustling city streets faded into a blur around you as you walked, your steps slow and deliberate despite the cacophony of noise that surrounded you. Your sight may have been almost gone, but your other senses seemed to have sharpened in response, each sound and scent painting a vivid picture in his mind.
You remembered that when you were younger, you read a passage from a book entitled, ‘The Song of Achilles’. You thought it was a well-written book, a love that transcended even death. There was a line your college friends always thought to be a masterpiece. But you never understood it. The line so many people loved never really touched you.
Until it did.
Until you understood each word written in that book.
“I could recognize him by touch alone, by smell; I would know him blind, by the way his breaths came and his feet struck the earth. I would know him in death, at the end of the world.”
Because right now, the words made sense. You could recognize him despite your deteriorating eyesight. You knew him. He was here. And he was following you…to what exactly? Was he here to end you? Was he here to make sure that you wouldn’t tell the world of his secret identity?
Regardless of the reason, you tried to remain calm as Hoseok always ordered you to. You had no choice but to lead him back home, otherwise you were sure that he would be suspicious. The man that you used to love was perceptive, and any suspicious movements could alert him. From the moment you opened the front door to the time you closed it, you knew you only had a couple of seconds.
You fished the phone Hoseok gave you, one with tactile buttons and controls that made it easier for you to use it. You knew you couldn’t use the speech-to-text feature, otherwise he’d hear. And so, with a tense movement, you sent a message to him.
He’s here. Don’t come home. Leave with my son.
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harrysfolklore · 9 months
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love on tour, forever - blurb
i watched harry’s video and got super inspired to write this, it’s definitely one of my favorite things i’ve done so i hope you like it 🥺
ALL GIFS ARE BY @delicatepointofview FOLLOW THEM FOR THE BEST GIFS EVER <33
MASTERLIST | MY PATREON
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“Do you think I should pack this?” you asked holding a video camera up, catching Harry’s attention.
“That would be great, love,” he said from the bed, watching you add the final items to your suitcase, “That way you can film me while I shower for when we’re apart.”
“Oh shut up,” you rolled your eyes with affection and he smirked, “I’m filming special moments with this, you know, backstage moments your photographers don’t always catch.”
“Bummer,” he shrugged, making you roll your eyes at him again, “I’m just kidding love, that is a very lovely idea.”
“It’s settled then.” You smiled at him and put the camera in your suitcase, knowing that by the end of the tour, it would be filled with the most special and heartfelt moments.
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“What are you doing down there, lovie?”
“Making sure I get all of your angles,” you shrugged, focused on your video camera, “Here’s the rockstar, getting his steps in before hitting the stage.”
He let out a laugh before you could catch a flash of mischief in his eyes, “You know, there’s another way I could get my cardio in.”
“Stop it, you’re on camera,” you held your finger up and gave him warning eyes, you were planing on showing this videos to his mom who couldn’t be with him all the time, and the last thing you wanted was her knowing abouthis shenanigans, “How are you feeling, nervous about tonight’s performance?”
“I feel good,” he said truthfully, “I’m excited to see everyone and sing our songs, but most importantly I’m excited to wear sparkly gear again.”
“There he is, there he is,” you couldn’t help but shake your head and smile, “I’m going to film the real stars of the show, Mitch and Sarah, so say bye.”
“Bye YN’s camera! Such a shame you’re not catching my post workout shower!”
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“It’s negative!” Nyoh said as she entered the room, making everyone cheer and clap.
“We’re not sick! That deserves a happy dance!” Harry said as he stood up and danced goofily around the room, making everyone laugh at him.
Looking at your camera sitting at the table, you decided it was a golden moment you couldn’t afford to miss.
“Okay Ny-ny, could you hold your test up so everyone knows why this man-child is dancing like a fool,” Nyoh showed her test to the camera, laughing as you moved it to show Harry who kept on dancing, “Sometimes I don’t know if I’m dating an adult or a five year old.”
“Come on lovie, dance with me!” he approached you, holding his hand out, “If you don’t I’m going to be sad” he said in a dramatic voice, and you passed your camera to Sarah who was sitting next to you, getting her to film the both of you.
“I want to kiss you right now but we can’t take off our masks,” Harry said before a minute of jumping around, “Easy tiger, we’ll be alone soon.”
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“Rehearsal time!” you said cheerfully, filming everyone on stage, “Here’s Sarah, Mitch, Pauli, Niji, Ny,” they all waved as you mentioned their names, “And there’s a dude called Harry who claims to be the headliner of the show, no one knows him tho.”
“Come on woman,” Harry gave you an annoyed playful look, “You know me, very well. Actually you know parts of my body that-“
“Harry! What’s with you and your horny comments all the time, you’re like a teenager!” you shook your head, all of his bandmates laughing at your banter.
“Can you blame me? I go home to you every night, I’m a lucky bastard.”
“That you are!” Pauli chimed in, making everyone laugh again.
The band continued rehearsing, you standing in a corner and catching some moments on video. Once they were done with Canyon Moon, Harry called for you.
“So, love. What do you think? Do we sound good.” Harry asked, looking at your with happy eyes, aware that you were still getting it all on camera.
“If by we you mean your band, they sound amazing as always. If you’re included in that ‘we’ then I don’t know, you should practice some more”.
Harry threw his head back in laughter, grabbing the hem of his shirt with one hand and his mic with the other, “Why are you sassy with me today! What have I done?”
You only shrugged and laughed along with him, getting on your tiptoes and kissing his cheek softly.
“Practice some more, I said!”
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“Aren’t you the cutest little thing ever?” you cooed at the baby in your lap, Mitch and Sarah asked you to watch their son while they run something with the rest of the band and you were more than happy to do it, “You’re the sweetest boy I know!”
“I thought I was the sweetest boy you knew!” Harry’s voice made its way to you ears, he entered the room accompanied by Mitch and Sarah, the baby instantly making grabby hands at his mom.
“You’re not a boy anymore, you’re basically pushing 30!”
“Don’t remind me!” he dramatically said, “I’m still young and full of life.”
The four of you laughed, Sarah moving to sit next to you and Mitch and Harry hanging out by the door.
“Did he give you any trouble?” Sarah asked, looking down at her son, “He just learned how to walk without any help do he could be a handful sometimes.”
“Not at all, he’s the easiest baby ever.” You smiled at them tenderly.
“He’s not only obsessed with walking, he’s obsessed with dancing too.” Mitch said before taking a sip out of his wine glass, he’s never without one.
“Oh! I didn’t know that!” Harry said excitedly, “Baby, dance for us!”
Sarah put him down and Harry tried to make a melody by hitting the wall and mumbling random stuff, the boy instantly moving his body in an adorable way that made everyone laugh and awe at him.
Harry noticed that you had grabbed your camera to film the moment and he spoke directly to it, “That’s it! We have Love On Tour’s official dancer”
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“Here’s the boss man, with his brand new Love On Tour jacket,” you filmed Harry, who was posing by the door showing off his new clothing, “I have my own too, with my name on it and all,” you turned the camera around to show yours briefly before turning it to Harry again, “Anything you would like to say?”
“It’s show time, baby!” he bobbed his head, making the sunglasses who were resting on his head fall to his eyes.
You burst out laughing and so did he after a minute of holding his straight face, “You’re such a dork!”
“But you love me a lot!”
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“Eu te amo, Brasil!” Harry yelled to the empty stadium after sound-checking Lights Up.
“As you can see, he’s excited to be here,” you zoomed in on him with your camera, “We love this country so much.”
“We do, we do,” Harry agreed, “I’m putting on my best dance clothes and shoes tonight, this show is going to be massive!”
“You’re a dancer now?” you asked to piss him off.
“Of course! Look at my moves.” He grabbed his mic with one hand, putting the other on his hip and moving funnily.
“Look at that! You’re going straight to Dancing with the Stars after this tour.”
“I’m more of a Dancing Moms kinda guy.” He shrugged, making everyone laugh before moving on with the next song to rehearse.
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“There it is, the 10th tweet about how they’re going to the show for Lloyd only.” You giggled, scrolling down your timeline while Harry watched over your shoulders.
“Okay, that’s it,” he said before standing up, “Lloyd Wakefield !” at this, the photographer turned his head around, previously in a conversation with Madi and some other crew members.
“Yes?” Lloyd asked in a confused tone, you stood back and grabbed your camera, knowing a funny moment you would love to remember was coming.
“I might have to fire you,” Harry said, his voice trying to sound serious but his eyes gave him away, “You’re stealing the show and I can’t accept that.”
Lloyd rolled his eyes and everyone in the room turned their attention to them with grins on their faces, they were used to Harry’s humor.
“Yeah? And who’s going to be your photographer now?”
“Or we could solve this like manly man, with a fight.”
“As if you would fight anyone!” you chimed in from your place, making them turn your attention to you.
“Is that my own girlfriend doubting me?” he said, faking an offended tone, “Bring it in, Wakefield”
Lloyd laughed but played along, bringing his arms up and playfully challenging Harry, but somehow they ended up putting their hands together and moving them back and forth.
“Look at the manly man, fighting for who’s the star of the show,” you said, your camera focusing on them, “Just another day on the road.”
“I don’t know what we’re doing but I’m winning!” Harry chirped and everyone laughed again.
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“Harry! Harry! Harry!”
Was all that was heard backstage at Reggio Emilia RFC Arena, some people holding up champagne glasses and jumping up and down.
“We did it!” Harry yelled as he placed himself in the center of the room, his vest long forgotten, jumping and twirling along with the cheers.
As usual, you were holding your camera, filming the special you knew he would want to replay over and over again.
“Congratulations baby, another world tour completed!” you said to him, “Any final words you would like to say to the camera.”
Harry paused to think for a few seconds before speaking, “I love you, that’s all,” she shook his head almost in disbelief, “You have been here for every step of the way, and that means the world to me, none of this would be possible without you.”
“Awe! Aren’t you a softie?” Jeff cheered, throwing his arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair playfully.
“I’m just in love.” He winked at the camera and that was your cue to turn it off and take in the moment.
For three years, Love On Tour ruled the world and changed yours, giving you the opportunity to be by Harry’s side for every milestone and special moment.
The tour might had come to an end, but the memories created around it would last forever.
And you were glad you got them all on camera.
taglist: @lightsoutstyles @willowpains @straightontilmornin @sleutherclaw @gimsaysay @hazzassmirk @platinumbarbie143 @musicforcinemas @celesteblack08 @scntfrhs @eleanordaisy @lomlolivia @iceebabies @iloveshawn @be-with-me-so-happily @watermelonsugacry @rayisthehoe
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komotionlessqueenmm · 4 months
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Imagine # 1,057
Gif NOT mine.
Year posted - 2023
Rating - SFW (Includes injuries involving flogging obviously.)
Reading time (roughly) - 10 minutes
It's been a while since I watched these movies, so some things are not going to be super accurate. Just roll with it my lovelies.
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Pushing Will aside (Y/n) stepped forward to face Davy Jones. "I will take his place." She stated suddenly, confusing both Will and Davy Jones. "You will take his place?" The Captain asked in bemusement, a amused smirk on his lips. "Yes." She stated confidently, shaking off Will's arm when he tried pulling her back. "(Y/n) what are you doing?" He hissed at her, again trying to pull her away, giving up when she shook him off a second time. "And why should I let you take Mr. Turner's lashings?" Davy Jones asked, several of his crew mates chuckling at the absurd demand. "Because then he'll actually learn his lesson." She stated matter-of-factly before continuing. "Will's a proud man, if you punish him, he won't learn, he'll only disobey you again, and the cycle will continue." (Y/n) allowed the Captain a moment to think before continuing. "But he's also a honorable man, and should I be punished for his actions, he'll think twice about causing trouble." She concluded, and she could tell Davy Jones saw her perspective. "Very well. The woman will be flogged." The Captain concluded, his men quickly grabbing her arms, and pulling her to the mast. "No!" Will argued trying to put a stop to this, he was grabbed by his father and only held back for a few moments before he broke away.
"You can't do this!" He shouted when he reached her, attempting to pull the crew members away from her. (Y/n) pushed them away and faced Will. "Don't." She warned, not fighting the men when they took ahold of her shoulders. "If you interfere, you'll only make this worse for me." She hissed at him, her serious expression turning to shock when the crew mates tore the back of her shirt open. "Captain get a look at this!" One of the guys barked with amusement, turning (Y/n)'s back to Davy Jones who stood with the rest of the crew. The crew burst into laughter, and the Captain chuckled in amusement. Her back bare to his gaze, Will gawked in astonishment at the sight, where over a dozen large scars littered her back. "It would seem this isn't the first time you've been flogged." Davy Jones mused, waving his arm for them to continue. "No no I can't-!" Will shouted when his father dragged him back by the shoulders. "Will you need to stop, if you keep this up, they will whip her to the bone." His father warned, and the young man went slack, knowing his words were true. "But shes- I-" Will muttered, cutting himself off as he locked eyes with her. "I know son, I know." The old pirate pat his sons shoulder in a vain attempt to comfort him. (Y/n) was shoved against the ships mast, her arms pulled around it, and bound tightly with rope. "She doesn't deserve this." Will muttered mournfully, his heart breaking at the sight of the fear building in her eyes. "She's a tough woman, she will be fine." Bootstrap consoled his son, releasing his hold on him, believing Will wouldn't do anything stupid or rash.
The first strike pulled a pained cry from the woman, and blood stained the deck, instantly getting washed away with the rain. Will couldn't control himself, when the second lashing came, rushing forward to comfort her. "Will don't!" Bootstrap shouted, but it was to late. Will stood before her, taking her hands in his, and resting his forehead against hers. One of the crew mates moved to pull Will away from her, assuming he was trying to free her. "Leave him." Davy Jones commanded, knowing Will wasn't trying to untie her, and allowing him to remain so close to her, knowing it would only hurt him more. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Will wept as she was struck again, and again. Her cries choked and breathless, the pain splitting across her back nearly unbearable. "I swore to protect you." His whisper was pained, as he peered into her watery eyes. "I'm so sorry I have failed you." He squeezed her hands, his own heart breaking at the sound of the whip crack. On the eighth whip crack, (Y/n)'s knees buckled and she fell slack against the mast. Will quickly moved his hands to grab the underside of her bent arms, and pull her to stand up straight. Knowing if she was hunched down, the whip was likely to strike her head, and the man wielding damned thing wouldn't care. "It's almost over." He tried to assure her, knowing the sentencing was only ten lashings. "Hang in there." He whispered, their tears mixing with the heavy fall of rain, foreheads resting together.
The ninth strike, and every muscle in her body shook from the shock, and pain of it all. The tenth and final strike came harder than the others, the force making (Y/n) crumble to the ground, despite Will's attempts to keep her upright. "She has the rest of the day to rest, but I expect her to be on deck working first thing in the morning." Davey Jones dismissed, the crew mates departing to go about their work, leaving Will to help (Y/n). "Take it easy, I've got you, I've got you." He murmured quickly untying her hands, and easing her into his arms as gently as he could. She whimpered in pain, clinging to his arms, her body still shaking from the shock and pain. "Easy firefly easy." He murmured softly, the nickname bringing a ghost of a smile to her face. "I'm okay Will." She murmured weakly, trying to stand on wobbly legs. Instinctively Will wrapped his arm around her back, nearly jumping away from her when she cried out in pain. She fell forward in an instant, and Will rushed forward to catch her in his arms. Now chest to chest, his hands rest firmly on her hips. Swiftly he hoisted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, while she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and buried her face into his neck. "I'm sorry, I've got you now." He whispered into her hair as he carried her below deck. Once they were below deck, and away from prying eyes, Will sat her atop a sturdy table.
"I need to clean your wounds." Will stated in a soft tone, slowly moving to unbutton her now ruined shirt. Moving slow enough to give her the opportunity to push him away, should she want him to stop. She didn't fight him, and allowed him to slide the shirt off of her shoulders. Gently he slipped the shirt from her arms, and tossed the ruined fabric aside. He kept his eyes locked with hers, as she sat before him, bare from the waist up. "Why did you do it?" He asked the question that had been burning in his mind like hellfire. "To keep you from causing any more trouble." She murmured, her words only making Will scoff. "Bullshit. Why did you do it?" He insisted. "Because it's what you do!" (Y/n) suddenly shouted as best she could, grunting at the pain in her back. "You protect the ones you love, no matter what it takes." She huffed before slumping forward. Despite the shock he felt at her words, Will was quick to catch her by the shoulders. "You..." He tried to gather his thoughts, a far away look in his eyes. "Forget it." She grunted, holding herself upright and turning her back to him. "My cuts need dealt with." She reminded him, and in a instant Will rushed to work. Carefully he cleaned each of the open wounds, unable to keep his mind from running a mile a minute. His fingers subconsciously tracing over one of the old scars, muttering an apology when she suddenly pulled away from him.
"What happened?" He asked in a soft whisper. (Y/n) chuckled bitterly, glancing over her shoulder. "The life of a pirate isn't an easy one... Especially with a brother like Jack." She muttered the last part so only Will could hear. "Your-?" He cut himself off, knowing if Davy Jones found out, it could end horribly. "He's reckless." She chuckled again. "Just like someone else I know." Will smiled softly when she glanced over her shoulder at him. "I never meant for you to get hurt." Will muttered as he prepped a needle and thread. "Yeah I know." She shrugged a little. "But I also know that what I told Davy Jones is true. Had it been you to get flogged, you would have ended up making the same mistake of pissing off the Captain of the Flying Dutchman." He hated to admit it, but he knew she was right. "And if I was the one to get hurt, you might actually take the time to stop and think, and maybe just maybe you'd learn to keep your head down." She continued, hissing when Will began stitching her wounds. "We can't just do nothing." Will said, trying not to sound angry. "Jack will come for us, we just need to bide our time." (Y/n) said in a soft tone. "Jack? How can he possibly save us? You heard what Davy Jones said." Will argued, trying to keep his hands steady as he worked on her stitches. "He owns one hundred souls... How can he possibly get one hundred souls?" Will's voice was mournful. "Do you know how Jack came to owe Davy Jones so many souls?" (Y/n) asked pain evident in her voice, making Will slow his work.
"To get back the Pearl." Will stated, and (Y/n) chuckled softly. "Eighty souls would have bought him the Pearl. The other twenty were for me." She explained, her words making Will still in his work for a moment. "You see when Barbossa staged a mutiny, and stole the Pearl from Jack, he kept me prisoner. Knowing full well how close me and Jack are, he wanted to rub salt in the wound." She sighed when Will washed away the blood that had spilled as he worked. "I died Will." He froze at her words. "When the Pearl went down, I went down with her. I drowned of all things." She chuckled bitterly. "Jack bargained for twenty more souls to bring me back." She turned to look at Will. "Jack is reckless, a little crazy, and sometimes a selfish coward... But he always comes back, he always does the right thing, and he does whatever it takes for the ones he cares about." Will smiled faintly at her words, she really believes in her brother, and for her he's willing to believe in Jack as well. "You know... Before you told me Jack was your brother, I thought you guys were a couple." Will smiled at the face she pulled. "But I'm glad to know you aren't." He added before kissing her cheek. "I-" (Y/n) tried, but Will cut her off, turning her back around to finish patching her up. "And I'm glad to know you love me back." He added in a soft tone, kissing the nape of her neck, smiling when she shuddered in response.
Once he finished patching her up, he took and wrapped her torso securely with wrappings. And with that done, he removed his shirt, assisted her into it, and buttoned it up slowly. "What about Elizabeth?" (Y/n) asked after a moment, having been unable to think about what he said. "I thought you loved her?" She added. "I thought I did too. That is until I met you." His knuckles brushed across her cheekbone. "How many times have you saved my life, or protected me?" Will asked with a smile. "You need it." She smiled. "Yeah I guess I do..." His smile slowly faded as he thought about what had happened. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, that I did this to you... I promise... I promise you I won't let this happen again." Will insisted, resting his forehead against hers. "You know that's what Jack always says, when he gets me into some crazy situation that risks life and death." (Y/n) mused with a grin. "The life of a pirate isn't an easy one, but luckily for me, I was born to be a pirate." She added, making Will smile. "You should get some rest, the Captain expects you to be working on deck in the morning." He helped her off of the table, laid back in the hammock, and pulled her gently to lay chest to chest with him. "Drink up me hearties yo ho." (Y/n) sang softly, a tired smile pulling at her lips. "Sleep love." Will encouraged her, kissing the crown of her head.
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Buy me a coffee sometime? ☕️
(Click the coffee for my Kofi link, IT'S NOT NECESSARY BTW.)
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imyourbratzdoll · 1 year
Text
𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕
this is part two of you aren't nat
summary - after everything that happened with bucky, you found comfort in steve, slowly falling for him as he becomes your knight in shining armour. when you finally become his, it's the best day of your life.
warning - angst, swearing, bucky is an asshole.
the gif I use isn't mine, the divider is by @firefly-graphics and @newlips
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It had been a couple of weeks since everything happened with Bucky. Steve welcomed you with open arms, letting you know he was here whenever and you could stay in his room as long as you wanted. You took him up on that offer, not wanting to be alone, and he was the only one who seemed to stop the nightmares.
You were in the kitchen, waiting for your coffee to finish brewing. Your arms wrapped around yourself, feeling a shell of yourself when Steve’s not around, you feel safer and more loved when he’s close by. But he’s currently in a meeting. He rushed out in the morning, leaving an unexpected kiss on your forehead.
You felt your body tense when familiar footsteps entered the room. You didn’t dare turn around, and you could hear Bucky sneaking around as if he were the one unsafe. You jumped as the coffee machine beeped, indicating it was done, and you quickly made your coffee. When you turned to get out of the room, your eyes widened at how close he was to you.
You begin to shrink into yourself, “So… You fucking my best friend now?” You blink, shocked at the words that leave his lips. “Can’t say I’m surprised. You have always been super easy.” He smirks when he sees the tears, moving closer to you until you're backed against the counter. His arms trap you where you are as he leans close to your face. “I bet he wishes it was Natasha or maybe even Sharon. Do you really think anyone would want you as their first choice?”
You have a tight grip on your cup as you stare into the devil’s eyes. You feel relieved when a throat clears and your eyes meet Steve’s. He stands there, taking up most of the room with his giant stance, his arms crossed over his chest as his face is set into a stern glare. “Back away from Y/n, Bucky.”
Bucky looks back at him, a smirk on his face. “Why should I? It’s not like you like her, and she’s just your rebound because you can’t have who you really want.” He entirely turns to his once best friend, his back to you. “Go on, Stevie. Tell her the truth, c’mon. Doesn’t she deserve to know that you aren’t better than me?” His back straightens, shoulders squaring back as Steve stalks forward, a dark glint in his eyes. Bucky clenches and unclenches his vibranium hand, his brow rising. “You can’t take me, Steve. You’re weaker than I am.” 
Steve growls, closing the gap between the two of them. His hands grip the collar of Bucky’s shirt as he lifts him, causing you to duck away quickly, and he pushes Bucky into the area you just were. “You shut the fuck up. You’re not the man I grew up with, you ever speak to Y/n like that or me ever again, or I will make your life a living hell.” He blocks Bucky’s hand, somehow gaining more strength. “I mean it. Stay the fuck away from her, or I won’t be the only one you deal with.”
He drops him, and without warning. Swiftly lifts you whilst securing your cup and walking off to his room. You begin to relax into his hold slowly, feeling your mind start to fill with insecurities and wondering if maybe Bucky was right, perhaps you weren’t ever going to be anyone’s first choice, and you’ll have to get used to always being second.
“Don’t do that.” The sound of Steve’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts. You lift your head from his shoulder and look at him, and your brows furrow as you wonder what he means. “Don’t doubt yourself or me, don’t let Bucky’s words make you feel like someone won’t love you. Because it doesn’t matter what he thinks, you are my first choice. You are the most beautiful woman in the world, and I wouldn’t want any other woman when you are in my life.” Your eyes tear up as you stare into his eyes. All you see is adoration and the truth, your head resting back onto his shoulder as he continues his journey to his room.
Steve sets you down on his bed, wrapping the blanket around you before he places your coffee down. He crawls into the space next to you, holding you close to him as he grabs the remote and turns the tv on. “I’ve been practising how to use this new-age technology just for you.” You look up at him in awe, but he’s facing the tv, trying to find a movie for the two of you to watch. “Do you want to watch some horror?” Steve turns his head, his breath hitching as your eyes connect, his brows slightly furrowing as you stare at him. “What?” 
“I love you….” Your eyes widen as you realise the words that slipped out. Your hands come up to cover your face. “Oh, shit! I’m so sorry!” 
Steve felt as though his heart was going to give out. He had been dreaming of this day since the first day you joined the team. The moment his eyes met yours was when Steve felt his whole world come alive, but Steve didn’t want to cross being professional with you, and he couldn’t let it ruin his relationship with you. So Steve stayed away, kept everything professional with you, and watched you fall for his best friend. But you let him be your knight in shining armour, and then to hear you utter those three words he’s always dreamt of hearing. It felt like a dream come true.
Steve realised he must’ve taken too long to respond when you began to untangle yourself from the blankets. He quickly reaches out and pulls you back into him, and his arms wrap tightly around you as he buries his face into your neck. “I’ve been waiting so long for you to see me finally, and it feels like heaven now that you’ve noticed me.” He lifts his head, looking you deep into the eyes. “I have loved you since the moment I met you. If it’s not too much to ask… Will you let me take you out?”
For the first time in forever, you smiled a smile of happiness, lunging forward, and wrapping your arms around Steve, as you pressed your lips into his. Your lips move against one another before you slowly pull back and look into his bright blue eyes. “I’d love that.”
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You and Steve had gone on many laughter-filled dates. On your first date, Steve had taken you out to dinner at a diner that resembled his time and then to an arcade where he won you many stuffed animals. On your second date, he had taken you to the movies, and afterwards, the two of you got ice cream. Your third date was probably the best date out of them all. He had planned a picnic in a flower-filled field, watching the sunset as the two of you talked about everything. That was the date when he asked you to be his.
The two of you sat in the lounge, cuddled up with each other as you watched a movie. Nat and Sam are doing the same on the other side, and Steve felt proud of you when Bucky walked into the room, and you didn’t tense. He kept his eyes on him, though, ready to jump at the chance if he tried to say anything to you. 
You snuggled into Steve, pressing your lips onto his neck, cheek and lips, feeling happy with how your life turned out. Not even commenting on Bucky's bruises, especially when Sam and Nat winked in your direction. 
You were in the arms of a man who adored you, sitting with your friends, watching a movie. The man who broke you couldn’t do that anymore because now he was the one who was broken.
You got everything, and he got nothing. A giggle escapes you as Steve smothers your face in kisses. “I love you, baby girl.”
“I love you too, Steve.”
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thank you for reading!
feedback and reblogs are greatly appreciated.
taglist - @fanfictioniseverything @crystallizedth0t @haruvalentine4321 @queerqueenlynn @vicmc624 @elizabethmidnight2017 @missvelvetsstuff @redbloodedgurl @cjand10 @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer @iheartsebstan @smplymrvl @bradfordmyworld @sleepy27 @themorningsunshine @spookyparadisesheep @billyhargrovedemoness1987 @winters1917 @siriusjohnpotter @irishhappiness @ig-you-idiot @dexter99 @loveisallyouneed1125 @blackwood-bodecker-housewife @chemtrails-club @moonstruckbirdie - couldn't tag some of you.
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runnning-outof-time · 3 months
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Thanks for sending this in, Cia!! I’m sorry I kept it in my asks for so long! But I finally figured out what I want to do with it! One of my celebration blurbs, Take the Ring, had a lot of second part requests to it…and while I’m really not a big fan of writing part 2’s to oneshots, I decided to here because the gif was from season 5 and it matched up well. So here’s what I envisioned happening a little bit after the end of the events in that first part. Enjoy! :)
I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK! - YOUR COMMENTS & REBLOGS HELP ME WRITE!
Keep the Ring
Tommy Shelby x Reader (she’s not present here though)
Warnings: none
Summary: Polly shares her thoughts on what happened in Tommy’s office earlier that day.
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“Are you listening, Tommy?” Polly Gray questioned, stopping her pacing to look at her nephew, who was staring straight at the wall in front of him.
Tommy snapped from the bubble he’d been encased in, quickly looking over to his aunt. It took a moment for the question she’d asked to register in his mind, but he nodded once it did. He then returned his eyes back to the wall ahead of him. “Yeah, I’m listening,” he answered in a despondent tone.
Polly pursed her lips and kept her eyes trained on him. She knew he was lying; knew there were other things taking up his mind. Her hands found her hips as she watched him intently, wondering if her stare alone would get him to talk. A few silent seconds passed, and he continued to stare at the wall. “Spill it,” she finally said, a demanding tone present in her voice.
“What?” Tommy asked, looking at her again.
“What’s on your mind, Thomas?” she asked, her eyebrows raising. Tommy opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off, “don’t say it’s nothing. I know you well enough to know that it’s not.”
A sigh escaped the sitting man’s lips, and he returned his eyes to the wall once more. He wondered for a moment if she’d drop the subject altogether. But she was Polly Gray…she wasn’t going to be standing down until she got the answer she wanted.
“(Y/N) gave the ring back,” he answered her, his words muddled together as he cast his eyes down to the floor.
“She what?” Polly asked for him to repeat what he’d just said, surprise now present in her tone. She knew that Tommy could have been sulking for a number of things, but she didn’t expect it to be about (Y/N).
“She handed me her ring. Called the engagement off,” he kept his dejected tone, trying to make it sound like this was no big deal.
“When?” Polly asked another question.
“Earlier…came to me office in Parliament. I’d…” he paused, letting out a sigh as the earlier events replayed themselves in his mind. He shook his head, unhappy with how he’d reacted to them. “I’d missed one of the things we needed to do for the wedding. I had work to finish; a meeting to go to. She took the ring off and placed it on my desk…said she was finished.”
Polly tutted at her nephew’s response. She shook her head in disbelief. Only Tommy would screw a good thing like that up. “You should keep the ring now. That girl’s given you too many chances. She doesn’t deserve to be roped in again,” she gave her thoughts on the situation.
Tommy just nodded along with what was said. He had no intentions of trying to win her back again…he made that clear when she exited the office and he went to the meeting. That was because he knew that she wouldn’t hear him out. It was clear that she was finished with everything; finished with him. And she deserved to let that be the case. Like Polly had said, he’d burned her too many times before. This was the final straw.
“This work will kill you, Thomas,” he heard Polly say, only then noticing that she’d been giving him another one of her talking-tos. He looked over to her again, just in time to watch her shake her head at him and move over to the door.
His eyes returned to the wall ahead of him as the door opened and shut, leaving him to sit with his thoughts; the ring (Y/N)’d given him back still burning a hole in his pocket.
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*tags in reblogs so that they hopefully go out
…sorry if you didn’t like it - this was how I envisioned things happening afterwards.
MASTERLIST
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five-bi-five-mind · 2 months
Text
Instead
Fandom: Criminal Minds
Pairing: Jennifer Jareau x fem!reader
Genre: Angst-ish, Hurt & Comfort, Smut
Words: 9.4k+
Summary: JJ had been in love with you from the very moment she met you. The only problem is, you've been with someone else this whole time. Not only that, but he treats you like shit and you keep running back to him. Is there more to it than she knows or do you truly love him the way she wished you loved her?
Warnings: Mentions of stalking, cheating, and unhealthy relationships. Smut, fingering (r receiving), marking (r receiving), top!JJ, bottom!r, smut with a lot of feelings okay
A/N: I was really into this concept and then I really wasn't... but it's finished and now I can move on to other fics. Hope y'all enjoy it though!
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(gif not mine, credit to greencways)
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This happened way too often, but JJ was there every single time. She knew the signs, knew what was going on. You didn’t have to say a word and she would immediately understand what was going on with you. It was the look in your eyes, even when you smiled. Those eyes always said the opposite of whatever you tried to tell her. Or even what you tried to tell yourself. 
He was always bad for you, from the moment JJ met him, she knew he wasn’t ever going to be what you deserved. And, boy, was she completely right. She lost count of the amount of times she would catch you bawling your eyes out over something stupid he said or did. You’d often try to appear unbothered, but the minute she would approach you and ask if you were okay, you’d utterly fall apart. And every single time, she would open her arms for you to fall into. She would stroke your hair and wipe your tears and tell you all about how he’s not good enough for you and that you deserve someone who would never treat you nearly as bad as he did. There was always the silent sentence she never said, though. The one that ends with something along the lines of someone like me or I would never treat you that way. But she always held her tongue, feeling selfish everytime she was tempted to say it.
Without fail, whenever there was a fight, your horrible boyfriend would come back with some excuse, some way of apologizing, and you’d rip yourself from her arms and fall right back into his. Not that you even knew that JJ wanted you to stay in her arms, but it still hurt like hell every single time. She tried to tell herself for a while that it hurt so much because she knew he would hurt you so much. You were her closest friend, so of course it was just that she cared deeply for you like a friend should. Right? That lie only lasted so long. A year went by and she was stuck with this horrible crushing feeling in her chest. Finally, JJ couldn’t deny it at all anymore. It was incredibly obvious to everyone except for you, it seemed, that she was completely in love with you. 
So then she went through these phases each time you took him back. It would start with the painful feeling of rejection, even if you were completely unaware that you were rejecting her. Then she would get angry. Go, be in love, JJ would think, I don’t care. But that was a complete lie, because she would remember all the times you’d smile at her. Really smile. A smile she swore you’d never give that man. She saw the two of you together, she saw the forced smile you gave him in the rare moments he’d hold your hand, kiss your cheek, and be a semi-decent partner. It’s what confused her the most about this situation. It also, unfortunately, gave her this false sense of hope that maybe you didn’t feel the way you said you felt. 
But then again, why did you fall apart every time he left? Why did you run back into his arms every time he came back? JJ found herself laying awake in bed at night way too often, just mulling over these questions for hours. She didn’t get her answer, but this time… This time was the last straw. 
She knew what was going on within seconds of seeing your face. It was the way your eyes were just slightly puffy and how you’d let out a small sigh before throwing on a forced smile. To your credit, you were really good at selling that smile, but JJ just knew. You walked around the office, your eyes never really focusing on any one thing. Your mind was obviously elsewhere than whatever task was at hand. The team didn’t seem to pay much mind, too busy closing up a case, while you did your own duties alone in your little corner of the BAU. JJ knew exactly what all of this meant and she felt herself get angry this time. It was a new feeling for her; a break in the routine. She usually was just concerned for you and angry at him, but this time it was just the whole situation. 
So, when she got you alone in her office, the back and forth was a little different. It started out the same, though. You did that avoidance thing. The thing where you gave her a pained smile and swore up and down you were fine, while she pursed her lips and crossed her arms. JJ wasn’t buying it at all. She never did.
“Really,” you sighed, “I don’t want to get into it.” 
“Of course you don’t.” JJ rolled her eyes and your own widened. She had never been even remotely snappy with you. “Because it's probably the same shit it always is. God,” she scoffed, “Why do you let him jerk you around like this?” 
You stood there, your eyes filled with disbelief, and you both just stared. If JJ were being honest, she wasn’t proud of that. She was a little shocked all of it came out of her mouth and even more shocked at how harsh her tone was. 
“You don’t get it.” Your tone wasn’t exactly harsh like JJ’s, but she could tell she struck a nerve. 
“What’s there to get?” JJ threw her hands up, obviously letting her frustration boil over. She got this far, might as well keep pushing. Did JJ think it was a good idea? No, maybe not, but she wanted you to finally get a grip on the reality of this relationship. It was clearly not good for you. “He’s not reliable. He doesn't consider your feelings. He clearly hurts you every single time he goes off and fucks up. And god, he has fucked up so often.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Your tone was a warning. “You don’t know everything.” 
“What then?” JJ knew she was pressing. She knew she was pissing you off, but frankly she didn’t care. She couldn’t watch you fall apart again only to go back to the very person who kept mistreating you. She couldn’t handle you choosing him again instead of her. “Jesus, what is his hold on you? Why do you let him treat you like shit? You run back to him every damn time too! It’s— fuck, it’s ridiculous! Why don’t you have more self worth when it comes to him?” 
You definitely did not look pleased right now. Your face was twisted into a tight lipped frown and JJ didn’t think she’s ever seen you look at her like that. Her eyes flicked down to your hands and saw the way they were balled into fists, before looking back up, finally into your eyes. That’s when the anger fled her body and was immediately placed with crushing guilt. Your face told her you were pissed, but your eyes… Always those god damn eyes of yours. They were so expressive and JJ could read them better than anyone. She saw, hidden behind this anger, the pain and, to her confusion, the fear. 
An uncomfortable tension filled the room and finally you took a slow, deep breath. Your eyes closed for a minute and JJ noticed the way your hands squeezed for a second before you relaxed them. When your eyes reopened and met hers, she realized you were trying to calm yourself down. It was like you had that routine down, like it was a factory reset of your own emotions, and she wondered how often you had to do that. Her gut twisted when she realized you needed to because of her. 
“I said I was fine,” you said in the most monotone voice. “So, if you don’t need anything else, I have files I need to get back to.” 
JJ’s jaw clenched as she realized that you, for the first time, were shutting down in front of her— because of her. She gave a short nod and turned her eyes to the floor as you walked right out of her office. 
Fuck, she thought. JJ had fucked up with you. She pushed when you warned her not to and now she has some apologizing to do. Then again, she still was curious about the look in your eyes. What exactly weren’t you telling her? You said she didn’t know everything, so what else was there? Something told JJ whatever it was would just make her even more angry about this whole situation. 
———————————-
This might look bad. That’s what JJ was worried about as she stood in front of your door with a bag full of takeout boxes of your favorite foods. It might look like she was pushing, and she absolutely was. That was her goal anyways. She needed to know whatever it was you weren’t telling her. 
It took a couple of minutes of pacing in front of your door before she finally took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and knocked. Her grip tightened on the bag of food, and she took a few more slow breathes as she waited for you to answer.
Thank god you lived alone. For whatever reason the two of you had never moved in together and as far as she knew, you had no intentions of doing that. That was something at least. That you understood a little that if he treated you so badly when you spent time together, living with him 24/7 would make your situation even worse. 
JJ’s foot tapped on the ground as she waited outside your apartment. She couldn’t hear if you were coming to the door or not, but she knew you were home. When you finally did rip the door open, there was absolutely no surprise in your eyes when you saw that it was her on the other side. Was she really that predictable? JJ fully understood that to everyone else who knew about her feelings for you, it looked like she was some lovesick puppy, following you around until you finally opened your eyes. The fact that you weren’t surprised she was standing at your door stung a little. 
“I came bearing gifts.” JJ held up the bag of food. “And to apologize. Can I come in?”
You didn’t reply, but you didn’t have to. All you did was step out of the way so she could enter and she knew all was forgiven. 
JJ knew your apartment well at this point. There were too many nights she spent just sitting next to you in your living room, sleeping next to you on your bed, taking in everything about your space that felt very you. Of course, all of this time she spent there with you, you were none the wiser about the fact that it made her heart go crazy. How could you know that sharing a bed made her ache to reach out for you? Or know that spending so much time in your personal space felt almost like a domestic bliss JJ so badly wanted to share with you? You had no idea and it tugged at her heart in the most uncomfortable way each time. 
She knew your apartment so well that, as she walked into the kitchen, she didn’t even wait for you to get anything. JJ already started rummaging through your cabinets for plates and your drawers for silverware, knowing exactly where to find them. You just stood back and watched as JJ plated the food, never saying a word. Not a lot of things unsettled JJ, but your silence was always one of them. When you were silent, it meant you were really hurting or stressed. She could imagine, right now you might be feeling both or— she thought back to that look of fear in your eyes— perhaps it meant something worse? Was your mind preoccupied with something scaring you? 
“So…” JJ broke the silence herself, handing you the plate as she spoke. “I stopped by that place you like on 4th street.”
“Thanks,” you mumbled, taking the plate and turning to go to your couch. She followed after you. You owned a dining table. Granted, it was small, but plenty of room for you two and all the food JJ over-ordered. But JJ liked to think you chose to sit on the couch and eat there because of how close you two could be. Hopeful thinking again, she realized that, but damn… she had it bad. 
“Listen,” JJ started as she sat down next to you. “I’m sorry about my outburst today.” She paused for a moment, reading your face. Your expression was neutral, but she knew you were listening and receptive. You were always so kind, too kind for your boyfriend, so she wasn’t worried you would be angry for long. “I just hate seeing when you hurt. And I worry that you’re not okay… That something is really bothering you.”
“I’m fine,” you said in a very unconvincing tone as you absentmindedly pushed your food around on the plate. 
“You say that but…” JJ trailed off and didn’t continue that thought when she saw the warning glance you gave her. She dropped it for a moment, but she was going to bring it back up. Just not yet. 
As you both ate, conversation turned to unimportant things. It was obvious that you were both avoiding the pressing subject— your shitty boyfriend. Or maybe ex-boyfriend if JJ was lucky this time. When you two were done JJ took both your plates without waiting for you to get up and made her way to the kitchen. She was entirely too aware of the way your eyes stayed glued to her as she washed the dishes, dried them, and put them back in their rightful place.
You would do that sometimes. Just stare at her when you thought she wasn’t looking or wasn’t aware. But she always knew. JJ was always aware of you, even if you weren’t aware of her. It was like she had finely tuned herself to notice every little thing about you, whether she meant to or not. She just had to be and at first she didn’t understand why. Then, when she realized it was because she was in love with you, it all made sense. It was blatantly obvious that the man you kept running back to wasn’t taking care of you in the slightest, so JJ did it instead. Deep down, she hoped you would notice; hoped you would understand that she would treat you better than he ever would. But it’s been a year of her pining and your constant heartbreak and still things between you and JJ haven’t changed. 
When she was done with everything she sat down next to you again and, to her relief, you scooted closer. Her eyes studied you and she wondered if now was the time to press again. However, this time she was going to be more gentle. 
“Listen,” she started. “I know it’s a touchy subject, but I really want to talk about-”
“Can we just not please?” Your eyes left hers and she watched the way your body shifted uncomfortably on the couch. At least you didn’t scoot away from her. That was one small relief for JJ. 
“I think we need to.” JJ was trying to keep her tone as gentle as possible this time. Patience, she must have patience with you. Clearly, there were some details she was unaware of. You hinted at as much, anyway. “I just don’t understand why this keeps happening. You do know you deserve far better than him right? That you don’t deserve all the pain he puts you through.”
You nodded slowly, your shoulders slumping as your eyes fell to your fidgeting hands. It was absolutely clear in that moment, to JJ, that you did know you deserved better. A spark of irritation filled her chest, but she tried to take a couple of deep breaths. She didn’t know the full story, she was trying to convince herself that maybe what you said next would be a good reason for why you still stayed.
“It’s complicated, JJ,” you breathed a shaky sigh. “I know he treats me like crap, but there’s a reason I stay. He takes care of me…” 
“Are you sure about that?” JJ’s jaw clenched as she thought of all the times he’d fuck up. “Because it looks like he could care less about your feelings or your wellbeing for that matter.”
“No.”  You shook your head hard. “No, not in that way. It’s…” Your eyes closed tightly and you took another deep breath. It was at that moment that something clicked for JJ. It was a face you made every once in a while when you brought your boyfriend around and he said something stupid. It was a look of shame that had washed over you and whatever irritation JJ had felt a moment ago was replaced with a feeling of worry. “It’s that with him around I feel… protected, I guess.”
“Protected?” JJ’s brows furrowed as she tried to understand. You worked at the BAU, so of course you saw some scary stuff. You weren’t one of the members who would go out in the field, sure, which meant you didn’t have all the training of an agent, but you had the basics. She didn’t think even for a second you’d be afraid of anything coming back on you from the job. It wasn’t like your face was even known to anyone involved in any one of the cases. 
“Not– It’s not from the job,” you quickly corrected, reading exactly where JJ’s confusion was coming from. “I had this boyfriend back in undergrad. Things didn’t exactly end the way he wanted it to.”
JJ felt like her stomach was dropping as she watched you fidget even more. She knew, whatever you were about to say would tie everything together for her, but it still made her feel sick. The idea of you being scared of anyone made her feel unimaginably uncomfortable for you. 
“Ever since, he’s just kind of been around,” you shut your eyes tight for a moment before continuing. “I could move and then, somehow, I’d just bump into him. He would always be there when I met someone new. He just– He hovers. He’s never hurt me, but then again I don’t ever want to let my guard down.” 
“So with your boyfriend then…?” She was still trying to put the pieces together of where your current boyfriend fit in. It didn’t quite make sense that you would leave one shitty guy and then find another.
“My boyfriend scares him. It wasn’t always bad between us, not at the very beginning. He was protective and I felt safe. There was this one time when he caught on that we were being followed– He made this big show of how protective he was. Ever since then, I’ve felt a little less like I need to keep looking over my shoulder.” 
JJ was nodding patiently as you explained. Suddenly, she understood just about everything. It wasn’t that you were so heartbroken that he was treating you so badly, that he would cheat on you, that he would disregard your feelings, it was that he provided something important for you. Something that helped you just exist without having to be terrified all the time. It made sense now to JJ. She knew how important it was to feel safe, to feel protected. It broke her heart that you thought you needed to put up with poor treatment just to be safe. Didn’t you know she could protect you so much better than your boyfriend ever could?
“Why are you just telling me this now?” JJ’s voice was gentle, barely a whisper. She felt like if she were to push anymore you’d break in front of her. 
“I don’t know, I was ashamed. Maybe? But I know you’re tired of seeing me go through the same routine with him. He always does this thing where he’ll run off with someone else and I’ll be scared, but it’s not– I’m not scared of losing him, just of being alone. I was so tired of looking over my shoulder, but when he showed up it was better… He always comes back though. Always.” 
It was like you were trying to convince yourself of that fact. The way you gulped right after you said that, your eyes looking anywhere but at JJ. You knew she could read you, that she could tell when you had doubts or were lying. JJ wondered if you really thought he would come back this time? She knew it might be selfish, after all the things you just told her, but she hoped he never would come back. If he made a show of protecting you to your stalker, then she could make a better one if she needed to.
“And if he doesn’t?” JJ knew this question was going to be a hard one for you to answer, but she needed you to see that he wasn’t the answer to your problem.
“He will.” You said that almost as if it were a bad thing. Or maybe JJ was reading into it.
“You don’t need him to,” JJ urged. Okay, so now maybe she was being a bit more selfish, but she also wanted you to know that even if he didn’t come back you’d be safe. JJ would protect you with her life, she thought you understood that already. Even if you didn’t know what feelings she had for you exactly, she thought you knew how important you were to her in general. “You don’t need his protection.”
You let out a bitter chuckle at that and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, okay,” you snorted. “JJ, I’m not a field agent like you. It’s not that easy for me to protect myself when I’ve only got the bare basics of self-defense down. By the time I have more skill in that, my ex will have already made an appearance or worse.”
“That’s not what I meant.” JJ was trying to give you the most determined look she could give you and you looked back at her, clearly confused. 
Realization dawned on you as you understood what she was implying. “I can’t expect you to always be there.”
“I would.” She didn’t miss a beat. Her tone was almost pleading. “I’d protect you and– I don’t know, I can teach you to protect yourself in the meantime. Just–” She was getting desperate as she watched the way you shook your head in protest with every word she said. “Please, just let me. Please.” 
“JJ, shh,” you cooed, your arms suddenly coming up to pull her into an embrace. For a moment, JJ felt pathetic. It was her job right now to console you, but here you were holding her and trying to calm her. She didn’t realize how upset she was about this whole situation. She hated that you were allowing yourself to be mistreated just so you could have some sense of protection from another bad relationship of your past. She hated that you felt scared at all, she never wanted you to feel that way. More than anything, she hated that you didn’t think she would protect you, that you even needed your horrible boyfriend in the first place, when she was right here practically screaming choose me, pick me! 
“I’ll be okay,” you murmured, your hand running up and down her back in a way to comfort her. Only, instead it made her heart race. Her arms wrapped around you now, holding you close for a moment. “You don’t need to take this on, okay? I can handle this.”
It wasn’t like that for JJ. It wasn’t a burden for her to take on, it was something she’d do for the rest of her life happily if you let her. It was something that she already was doing, even if you weren’t aware of it. Whether you felt the same as her or not, she would protect you with her life for as long as you would have her around. She had to make you understand that.
So she pulled back a little from the embrace. “It doesn’t have to be like this,” she whispered as her eyes searched yours. You looked back at her with a soft, wistful gaze, but you let her continue. “Let me be here for you instead…” She trailed off and started to lean in. It was now or never, and her eyes closed just as yours widened. But still, you didn’t move, you didn’t pull away, clearly knowing exactly what JJ’s intentions were. Instead, you held perfectly still until finally, for the first time, JJ’s lips met yours.
The kiss was gentle and earth shattering all at the same time. JJ was scared you’d pull away, but you didn’t. Instead, your lips parted for a brief moment, a slow exhale fell from your lips onto hers and she shuttered. She expected you to pull back, but instead you waited and she kissed you again. When she kissed you this time, you instantly melted into her. It was like every nerve ending in JJ had finally woken up. The moment she had waited for so long was happening and it was better than she ever imagined it to be. 
Her hands tightened around your waist and the small sound you let out, as you were pressed closer to her chest, made her heart skip a beat. Your hands were holding onto her for dear life. She could feel a slight tremble from your body, but when she thought she should pull away, you kissed her harder. 
One of JJ’s hands left your waist, only to reach up and cup your cheek. You had never been kissed so lovingly, so deeply in your entire life. JJ, on her part, was trying to pour every ounce of love she’s ever had for you into the way she was kissing you. It was intoxicating for both of you. For a moment, everything melted away. There was no tension between you two, there was no shitty boyfriend that JJ was desperate to get you away from, there were no unspoken feelings that plagued JJ’s mind every waking minute. There was only you and her and this moment. A moment that meant everything to JJ. 
But it was fleeting. Maybe JJ had pushed it a little too much. One second she was brushing her tongue lightly along your bottom lip, a small gasp escaping from you as she did. The next, you were pushing her back and she was blinking at you in confusion over the abrupt change. 
“What are you doing?” You said breathlessly. Your eyes were shining and JJ realized they were rimmed with tears that had yet to fall. JJ was kicking herself. Obviously, she had rushed this way too much. 
“I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have–” 
“I don’t need you to do this, JJ,” you interrupted. “You don’t have to. Just because I’m scared of being alone doesn’t mean– you don’t have to make this sacrifice just so I can feel safe.”
“What?” JJ was trying as hard as she could to understand what you meant. Sacrifice what? Her own safety? Surely, that couldn’t be what you meant. JJ’s own job put her safety at risk constantly, so you had to understand that she wasn’t worried about that when it came to being with you. She would be safe and she’d keep you safe, it wasn’t a problem. So what were you talking about?
“I don’t want you to think you have to be with me in order to fix all my problems. That’s not fair to you. Or to us.” You were squeezing your eyes shut so tight as you spoke and JJ realized the hands still pressed to her shoulders were trembling even harder now. 
“I don’t think that,” JJ put her hands over yours, trying to calm you. She was starting to understand now and her heart ached for you yet again. Of course, you’re so used to being treated badly that you didn’t even realize how genuine JJ was trying to be. “Just…” she let go of one of your hands to brush away a tear that had fallen down your cheek, “be with me instead.”
“Oh.” That was all you said. Things were clicking for you now too. The word instead rang through your ears and suddenly it all made sense. “Oh,” you repeated, this time with more shock in your voice. JJ was putting it all out there for you now and nerves were getting the best of her. But what would it look like if she backed out now? If she couldn’t handle the fear of being vulnerable in front of you, how could she show you that she could protect you from the things you feared most? 
“JJ,” your voice was barely above a whisper, “Have you always had feelings for me?”
She swallowed hard. It was a question she knew was coming, but still, that didn’t make this moment any easier. If she was going to put herself out there, then she might as well bare it all. Yet, words escaped her. Her heart pounded in her chest so loud, she could hear its beat ringing through her ears. All she could manage was a nod. 
You sat back a little and it looked like you got the wind kicked out of you. It was very clear to JJ now that you really had absolutely no clue about how she felt. In all fairness, that wasn’t a surprise for JJ. She was probably a little too good at keeping a poker face around you, even if she didn’t mean to. Although, with you, for so long she was terrified of you finding her out and losing you all together. She warred with herself for so long on telling you about her feelings, but the idea of ruining your friendship and losing you forever felt worse than never having you in the way that she wanted. But here it all was, out in the open. 
“For how long?” Your question wasn’t harsh, just genuinely confused. 
“I don’t know,” JJ admitted. “Maybe they’ve always been here. It took me a while to realize it, but then you…” She didn’t need to continue for you to understand. There was always your boyfriend, so JJ thought there was never a good time. It was your turn for your heart to break for her. All the instances where you’d question her actions, her looks that she shot your way, all of it hit you. The realization was shocking in some ways, but made complete sense in others. And, for the first time, you realized just how much it pained her to watch you stay with someone who treated you with very little disregard. You thought back now to all the times you had run back into his arms and all the times she was just forced to watch. The hurt that must’ve caused her, you couldn’t even begin to imagine. 
“I had no idea,” you mumbled. But then again, maybe you did? In the entire time you knew her, she had one relationship. It was a relationship she was already in when the two of you met, and it lasted maybe three or four months after you’d gotten to know each other. When it ended, JJ didn’t say much about why, just that it was for the best. Now you understood; it was because of you. “Or… I think I didn’t. I– I don’t really know either.”
JJ’s eyes stayed on you. She could tell you were going in circles in your own mind, trying to better understand this new development. Guilt was washing over her as she realized she’d put something complicated onto you, on top of all the other complicated factors you had just told her you were juggling. The kiss was a mistake. JJ knew the timing was horrible, but would she take it back? Absolutely not. Not even when you were looking at her in a way that told her she was about to get her heart ripped out. Her whole body tensed as she waited for the rejection she thought was coming, but still you just… sat there and stared. 
You kept opening your mouth for a second, seeming like you had something to say, but then backing out a moment later. JJ knew whatever you were going to say wasn’t going to be easy for either of you, but she also knew you definitely had something you wanted to get out. She didn’t say anything in response to you, she just kept waiting for you to resume talking. Part of her hoped that whatever you said, it would be a good thing. Another part of her, a bigger part, worried that you were struggling so much because you were trying to tell her she made you uncomfortable and you didn’t quite know how to best reject her. Little did you know, it didn’t matter how hard you were going to reject her. JJ was going to stay by your side. Now more than ever, she understood how important that was for you. 
Still, the silence was getting deafening for JJ. You stopped trying to talk and just looked down at your lap. JJ was about to finally break it when you did eventually decide to look back up at her.
“I think,” you began, “Maybe, I need a little time to wrap my head around this.”
JJ nodded hard, her heart thudding in her chest. It wasn’t what she expected you to say. It wasn’t even necessarily a good thing, but it wasn’t a rejection. She’d settle for that. “Of course,” she rapidly replied. “I know, it’s a lot. Today was a lot.” She stood up for a moment, anxiously looking around the room, trying to figure out her next move. “I’ll– I can give you space for the night. I should– Yeah, I should go.”
When your shining eyes looked up at her, it was like JJ’s world stood still. You had such sadness in them, such exhaustion. It was hard for her to see when she knew she caused even the smallest portion of it. You didn’t deserve everything you were dealing with. And to deal with it in silence for so long? It crushed her that you were just telling her all of this now.  
You didn’t say anything for a moment as you stared up at her. Your head nodded the slightest bit, but JJ saw it. “Just for tonight,” you said in the smallest voice. JJ gave you a pained smile, one that she hoped would read to you that she understood completely. 
JJ did as she said and found herself back home in her empty apartment before she could even realize how she managed to get there. The minute she stepped out of your place, all throughout the drive, and even as she laid in bed there was only one thing on her mind. Would things be different if she had known sooner?
She fell asleep with what if scenarios running through her head. Ideas of the two of you being happy somewhere far away from anything you feared. Far away from the shitty boyfriend you thought you had to be stuck with. 
———————————-
JJ wanted to give you all the space she could possibly give you, but it wasn’t that easy. Now that she knew what she knew, it was hard for her to take her eyes off you for even a second. Not that it wasn’t already hard for her to do so without the information she now had, but now there was an extra layer to it. She felt more protective than ever, but she also knew you needed some space from her to process. So, she was constantly internally debating with herself.
You had told her you wanted space just for the night, but then you didn’t really talk to her the next day or the next or even the rest of the week after that. She kept her eye on you still, even if your eyes would never meet hers or you’d shift and squirm when she was near. It was killing her inside. A lot sooner than was probably healthy, a horrible thought popped into JJ’s head that had her spiraling. What if she had messed everything up? What if she ruined her friendship with you because she brought up her feelings?
The kiss kept replaying in JJ’s mind though, and she swore up and down that you kissed her back that night. Yes, you were the one to pull away, but before then, it felt like everything JJ was trying to give, you wanted to reciprocate. Maybe that was just all in JJ’s head, but she really didn’t think so. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t have kissed you at all. Maybe in her mind, everything seemed so different than it actually was. She just kept going on and on spiraling further into this thought process with each passing minute that she hadn’t heard from you.
Finally, after over a week of work, JJ had a day off coming up. Nothing had changed between you and her, you were still very much avoiding her. It was exhausting JJ, how worried she was about your wellbeing, how worried she was about the state of your friendship with her, how  worried in general she was about all of it. JJ didn’t even have a minute to really sit down and take in the fact that it was also hurting her, knowing that she was probably rejected by you and her wishful thinking was just that– wishful thinking. But now she has a day off. A day to process. JJ didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing for her. For one, she got space away from seeing how uncomfortable you were, but then she couldn’t keep an eye on you to make sure you were safe. On the other hand, she could actually sit and think about how she was feeling and how to approach the silence you were giving her. However, she knew the minute she really started to think about it her heart would ache. JJ liked to think she was strong, but even she had her limits. 
So how did she spend her day off then? By wallowing in her apartment and nursing her expected heartbreak ahead of time. At one point she did get dressed to go work out, but she never made it out of her apartment. She just stayed in her clean gym clothes and sat back on the couch, the idea of possibly running into you in the gym (even if she knew you’d probably be busy elsewhere) was too much of a risk. 
When evening came and she finished checking her texts, missed calls, emails, and everything else you might message her on, she decided maybe she should get food. Before she even decided what she wanted to get delivered— there was still no way she was leaving her apartment at this point —she heard a knock on her door. Her eyebrows furrowed, there was no package she was expecting, no conversation with anyone else about coming over, nothing that warranted this knock. 
With an exasperated sigh, she hoisted herself off the couch to go see who it was. It hadn’t been that long since the first knock that she heard another, more frantic tapping at her door. She huffed again, frustrated that whoever was on the other end was both impatient and interrupted her night of self loathing. A third knock came and she was getting a little pissed at this point.
Usually, being an agent at the BAU, she has a strict habit of checking the peephole before swinging a door open to an unexpected guest. But JJ hadn’t really been thinking clearly lately, so why start now when she could tell off the irritating person on the other side? Except, when she swung open the door she utterly froze.
She didn’t expect you to show up tonight, not when you had been actively avoiding her for days. Not to mention, you had never really needed to knock on her door. You had a key and both of you had a habit of just waltzing into each other’s places. So, you were definitely her last guess for who was waiting on the other side.
When JJ’s shocked eyes fell on you, you looked back up at her with the look of a deer caught in the headlights. JJ’s first reaction was to ask you why you seemed so scared if you were the one avoiding her for days and then showing up at her doorstep, but she held her tongue.
“Listen, okay here’s the thing…” you started suddenly. “I thought about the night, about what happened. Okay— so I took longer than I said and I’m sorry about that, but I have a good reason. I think, maybe.” You were rambling. JJ’s eyes were still filled with shock but she still had the sense to step out of the way when you pushed yourself into her apartment. “It’s just that,” you kept talking as you let yourself in, “this isn’t just something you do quickly, you know? I was with him for a while, and you and I… I’ve never connected with someone on the level I have with you. So if there was ever an inkling that I might lose our connection, even if it’s the smallest chance—“
“(Y/N), you would never lose me.” JJ had the sense to butt in with that, but your hand came up immediately after to signal her to stop whatever explanation she was ready to give you. 
“Even then… The idea is terrifying,” you looked back at her with pleading eyes. Her heart sank as she began to realize where this conversation might be going. You were still pacing and she so desperately wanted to stop you and tell you not to worry about it. You didn’t have to say them to her tonight. She didn’t know if she could manage to hear the words you might say, but she didn’t dare move from the doorway. 
“This isn’t coming out how I planned.” You pressed your hands to your eyes for a second and took a deep breath. “But…” you dropped your hands and gave JJ an intense look. “Then I thought about that night and all the other nights I’ve spent with you and I thought about… that kiss.” You both gulped as you said the word. “It was,” you paused, struggling to find the right words. “It was eye opening. It made me realize something…”
JJ was holding her breath. She really wasn’t sure where this conversation was going, but she really was internally begging for you to rip off the bandage. 
You took a deep breath and tried to center yourself for what you wanted to say next. JJ was on edge where she stood, trying not to let you see the way her hands trembled as she waited.
“JJ, I want to be with you.” The words were out there and JJ’s eyes widened the second she took that in.
“What?” It wasn’t that JJ didn’t hear you, it was that she was in a state of mild shock.
“I have feelings for you too. I think I’ve always known how you felt, how I felt even. I just wasn’t sure how to face it…” Your eyes fell to the floor, suddenly feeling more vulnerable than you perhaps ever had been. “But then when you left that night it was all so clear to me.” 
JJ took a few steps towards you, her heart beating like a jackhammer in her chest. “Then why did you ignore me for days?”
“I wasn’t trying to.” You looked back up at her with apologetic eyes. “I said I wanted to do things right and I do. So, I wanted to make sure I put a permanent end to my relationship. All his stuff needed to be out, I needed to tell him that— You know, that this was really it. Which I did, last night. And then it took me all day to figure out what to say to you.” You let out a soft laugh and shook your head. “I had this whole script planned out. I didn’t use any of it. This has to be the messiest way to tell someone you want to be with them.” 
Finally, JJ’s face shifted from shock to a soft smile. She took another step and then another until she was right in front of you. “I think it still worked out well.” 
You took a step towards her and whispered, “yeah?”
“Yeah,” she nodded before reaching for your waist. She leaned in and her lips pressed against yours for the first time since that night. And just like that first time, you melted into it. 
———————————-
When you made up your mind to finally tell her that you wanted to be with her, you had also told yourself that you would do things right, take things slow. However, when your back hit her mattress and you looked down at the foot of the bed to see JJ crawling up your body… Well, that ship had long sailed. Even JJ had a similar thought when you finally admitted that you wanted to be with her, but that idea quickly went out the window the minute she felt your whole body press into hers as she kissed you. Her resolve only broke further the more the two of you pulled at each other’s clothes as you made it to her bedroom.
There was still a part of both of your minds that told you two that maybe things should slow down, but then when you looked at her, pupils blown, a slight blush across your face, that idea left her mind entirely. And when she looked back at you, nothing but adoration in her eyes as her hands ran up and down your half-naked body, any worry about going too fast was erased from yours too. This was JJ after all. It wasn’t like you didn’t know her. You did, you truly knew her. Perhaps deeper than most people can know one another. 
So there you both were. JJ was hovering over your body at this point and you couldn’t stop yourself from taking in the beautiful tone of her bare stomach as she waited above you in nothing but a sports bra. Without even thinking, your hands made their way to her stomach and your nails, ever so softly, raked down her skin. You watched in awe as JJ shivered and her eyes filled with lust; a look entirely new for you to see. 
JJ cupped your chin and dipped her head down. The way she kissed you, slow and deep, had your chest heaving and your heart racing. Your nails dragged across her stomach until they reached around her back and you pressed her down. Now her barely clothed form was pressed against your matching half naked body. Her hand didn’t leave your chin as her tongue traced around your own. You, for the most part, could only grip at her closer as you continued to kiss her. All of these feelings, of her pressed against you, the way she kissed  and touched you, everything was just overwhelming your senses in the best way. Finally, when you felt JJ’s other hand start to brush down your stomach until she pressed the palm of her hand to your bare thigh, did you start to ground yourself in the feeling of her touch. Her fingers gently traced circles on your inner thigh as she kept kissing you, with each passing second getting closer and closer to where you wanted her most. 
JJ pulled back just a little, her lips still barely ghosting over yours. Her fingers were playing with the edge of your panties and you realized she was trying to get your consent. Your heart swelled for the care she was giving you. It was something that might just be considered the bare minimum, but when JJ did it, it showed just how much she respected and felt for you. All of this felt new to you tonight, not just the fact that you were about to be with JJ for the first time in a way that you had never expected before, but everything else about the encounter. Never had you felt someone cherish you as much as she did and that feeling intensified with each little touch.
You gave her a small nod, your arms moving up her back to wrap around her neck and pull her lips back down to meet yours. As you resumed the kiss, you let a small gasp out against her lips the moment you felt her fingertips dip into your panties and brush against your clit.
Her fingers stroked slowly across it once and then twice and you couldn’t stop the small sounds that escaped from you. JJ wanted to take this slow, to soak in every single sound you made and how good you felt, but it wasn’t easy. Part of her wanted to just let go of everything, to let go of the long time she spent bottling things up, but she knew you needed to feel the love and adoration she had for you before she could dive in and finally indulge in what she’s wanted for so long. 
Her fingers started to trace small circles around your clit and her lips left yours to kiss across your jaw. Your eyes were screwed shut again and your hips were moving ever so slightly with the way her fingers were working on your clit. JJ’s eyes were fixated on the way your face looked, flushed and twisted in the pleasure she was giving you. Your lips parted slightly to let out a small whimper and that was when JJ knew she needed to pick up the pace. Her fingers pressed more firmly on your clit and the way they moved against it sped up. Your hips kept moving in time with her hand, trying to get more friction. JJ’s other hand went to your breast, pushing your bra up so that she could have access to your nipples. Her fingers traced around each one as her lips made their way down your neck. Neither of you seemed to notice or care that the way she started nipping and kissing at the skin there was surely going to leave visible marks. 
The feelings she was building up in you was starting to become too much, but you still wanted more. The way she focused on your clit felt amazing, but you wanted to feel her– to really have her. Without hesitation, one of your hands untangled itself from around JJ to reach down and grab her wrist. Both of you were shocked by the bold move, but neither of you minded, when you pushed her hand down further into your panties. JJ knew exactly what you wanted and let her fingers circle your entrance. 
You took a few deep breaths, your hand leaving her wrist to go back to pressing her body closer to yours. JJ’s lips moved down to your chest and the moment you felt her fingers start to push into you, you also felt her take one of your nipples into her mouth.
“Oh!” You did not mean to gasp as loudly as you did, but after that gasp came a moan as you felt JJ’s two fingers sink deeper into you before pulling out almost completely and pushing back in. She wasn’t going fast, but she wasn’t necessarily going slow either. The angle was a little awkward with your lower half still partially clothed, but you desperately wanted her to keep going. Eventually, your legs fell open wider to give her more space and your arms left JJ again only for a moment to frustratingly pull your panties down and kick them off. With those off, and JJ’s fingers back inside you, your head rolled back again. You couldn’t stop the constant, desperate moans and gasps that left your lips. 
JJ, in the meantime, had been busy switching between your breasts, marking up each of them and running her tongue across both nipples. When she started to feel your legs shake, she knew she needed to speed up. Her lips moved back to your neck, kissing over the marks she had left behind previously. Her fingers curled and your nails pressed into her skin. The sting of it didn’t even bother her, she was too lost in this moment with you. You were practically crying out her name with each pump of her fingers inside you. She wasn’t aware of much else other than the way you felt around her fingers. 
“I love you.” Her voice was muffled into your neck, barely above a whisper. “I love you…” she breathed again, her fingers pumping faster inside you while your nails dug harder into her back.
It took a moment for those words to sink in. Words you didn’t expect to hear so soon. Especially not now, not during your first night together like this. But they were out there, whether JJ meant for you to hear or not. 
Your body tensed for just a moment, even if you didn’t mean to. You had hoped JJ wouldn’t notice, but like always she did. Her head pulled back, her fingers slowed to a stop but never pulled out. Immediately when she met your eyes hers filled with panic. Probably because you looked back up at her with shock.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean for–” She started to pull away. “I know this isn’t the best time to say–”
Your hands clenched harder onto her back, trying your best to get her to stop pulling away from you. “I love you too,” you whispered. It wasn’t something you expected to say, but suddenly as you looked up at her, you realized it was the truest feeling you’ve ever had. 
Her eyes searched yours for a moment. “Yeah?” 
“Yeah.” You nodded hard, your hand pressed to the nape of her neck to encourage her to lean down and kiss you once again. As she did, her fingers resumed from the pace that they had left off. 
One of JJ’s hands came down to your thigh, grabbing it to hook across her waist. Her fingers hit just the right spot deep inside you and you broke the kiss to moan out a breathy, “I love you.” JJ’s pace sped up even more and that was all it seemed like you knew how to say. You kept saying it until finally, finally you came hard on her fingers.
JJ slowed her pace, letting you ride out your orgasm until you finally took a deep breath. Your eyes stayed closed and JJ, ever so slowly, pulled her fingers out of you.
“Wow,” you panted. 
“Yeah,” JJ let out a breathless chuckle. “Wow.” Her hands came up to cup your face again and you pressed a kiss to her palm. 
“I do really love you,” you whispered. “I don’t know how it took me this long to see that…”
She shook her head before pressing a kiss to your forehead. “We’re here now and that’s what matters.”
Your arms pulled JJ tighter into you and you knew she was right. Despite how long it took you to put up with the bad treatment and accept the fact that she was there this whole time, you two were here now. Together and in love. This was just the beginning of it, and you knew that not only were you finally able to feel truly safe, but that feeling would never go. As long as you had JJ, you felt no fear.
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disniq · 9 months
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heyyy it's the tropes jason anon again back at it with a new question! what quotes from the comic books would you say describe jason & his philosophy well? thank you so, so much for helping me out ❤
Hi again Anon!
Full disclosure here; I don't think Jason has been written consistently enough over the years to necessarily have one set, inarguable philosophy. But I do think there are certain themes that carry through.
So;
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Red Hood: Lost Days #3
This is, notably, the first time Jason kills. (I'm not including Garzonas, which is debatable, or the Cheer incident, which is a retcon) He finds out his hand-to-hand teacher has a barn full of drugged children about to be sex trafficked. The cops and politicians are in on it, making lawful justice extremely unlikely, but taking out one man takes out the system. Jason crosses that line for the first time because nobody else is there to stop it, and this is the most practical route.
He does not see it as "murder" because he feels it was deserved.
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Red Hood: Lost Days #4
After that line has been crossed - as Talia points out here - a pattern emerges. It's notable that Jason does not kill all his dubiously skilled teachers, only the ones he deems the worst of the worst - people deliberately and repeatedly harming everyday people, especially children.
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Jason reiterates this in his famous utrh speech. He's not talking about killing every rogue, every criminal. He's talking about killing the worst of the worst, the people who can finagle their way out of the system, the people the system fails to catch.
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Under the Red Hood
It would be remiss of me not to include that one time Jason killed a nazi. Good for her dot gif.
To Jason, these people are beyond the regular means of justice, so he provides his own. He stops them from hurting anybody else.
This is not an exclusively post-resurrection opinion of his, either. Jason expressed similar thoughts during his Robin run.
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Batman #422 (thank you @benbamboozled 😘)
This woman, Judy, baited her sister's murderer into attacking her too and then slits his throat. She's unrepentant, and Jason agrees with her decision. (Bruce, for the record, gives a speech on how "nobody is above the law" which is. An interesting stance for an illegally operating vigilante to take lmao)
It makes sense to me that Jason, as someone who has seen the system fail repeatedly (both as a civilian and as a hero), would have those kinds of doubts. The system doesn't always work. The system often fails the most vulnerable people.
When Bruce was failed by the Gotham justice system, he became his own extra-judicial system. When Jason is failed by both the justice system *and* Bruce's own vigilante system? Why wouldn't he do the same.
Unfortunately, this thread is mostly dropped for a while with the wave of writers who either actively hate Jason and try to make him capital E Evil or who are playing shameless self insert with him, but there are two more recent panels that I want to include too;
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Task Force Z #12
So, in TFZ, Jason pushes who he thinks is Bane off a roof for killing Alfred. It... is not actually Bane, but instead the brainwashed former corpse of Gotham re-reanimated via comicbook science and. You know what, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that Jason regrets killing Gotham because he didn't deserve it, but reiterates that he will kill the real Bane if he gets a chance.
Jason sees killing as something he can do that others can't, that others maybe *shouldn't* have to do.
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The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #8
And finally, I adore this little beat in JTMWSL. This is something Jason thinks about. He's not just some brute that doesn't understand that "killing is bad". He thinks about it, reads theory about it. He sees that between the black and white, there are many, many shades of gray.
He understands that people who don't kill with their own hands aren't necessarily good people - like these cops here, gleefully waiting for him to be killed in prison. And that the people who *do* get their hands dirty aren't necessarily the bad guys - like poor Judy.
And I think he probably varies where he places himself on that scale at any given moment.
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mvltisstuff · 9 months
Note
Hello! ✨ 🤗 🤗 Thank you for making the request. I loved it. I cried and screamed with emotion 🥺 ✨ thank you, thank you, thank you so much. ✨
And well I had an idea 🙈 you could make an Evan Buckley petition with the song Skyfall by Adele.
Reader is an actress, an actress recognized by Hollywood. Who she is linked to different actors of the moment. Which makes Buck uncomfortable and nervous. Because he believes that their relationship could affect Reader's career. However, he is also afraid to see the harassment reader receives from the press and photographers. So one day, reader unhesitatingly takes him to an award ceremony for one of his films. They both pose for the cameras. Buck wraps her in his arms and doesn't let go of her hand at any moment. He only lets go when she receives the award and the camera points at them both.
And the next day they both learn that they received the name "Hollywood's most powerful couple".
Chim, Maddie and Eddie jokingly name Buck "Hollywood's boyfriend". (well it's just a thought) 🙈
😅 Again, thanks for agreeing to BTR's request. 🤭 🤗✨
skyfall - e.b
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summary: request
evan buckley x reader
gif from @catdadeddie
buck sat in his apartment, watching his girlfriend on the tv and the trailer for her new film. if she couldn’t be here with him, he may as well just watch her. it’s not the same, it never would be but it would have to do. he missed her in his arms and just naturally being next to him without a choreographed move or line.
y/n knew buck was at home doing all of this. he’s the only thing on her mind at red carpets. instead, she was miles away at a panel for her movie. she loved her job. she amount of opportunities and gateways to success put her on top. every movie has piled up and showcased her talent, and she loves it.
every job has its downfalls, though. the complete lack of privacy is overwhelming and you can never underestimate the scrutiny of the media. all sections of her life were on display at all times. she only wanted to do what she loved on the movie sets, not have every move dictated by the press.
so, she decided that she and buck would remain low profile. there was no lie that she was in a relationship. y/n didn’t need to hide that she loves someone, but she’s horrified of fucked up people getting involved in bucks life. buck has identical fears. if he and y/n came out with their relationship, people could ruin his life because they’re angry. y/n’s seen with a-list actors every day that people would kill to see a relationship. some of it isn’t just for himself, it’s for her. he first-hand views the harassment and cruelty she gets. he reads it on social media and in the news, reporting every last drop of it. it surfaces a new insecurity in buck, feeling less than the rest because he’s just a regular man.
y/n knows he’s more than that, so that’s enough for him. she honors him more than anyone and his personality and work ethic is admired. it doesn’t matter how much money he makes or what he wants to do with his life because y/n wants every last moment with him.
when the biggest award ceremony of y/n’s career comes up, she thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to bring buck into the light. she wants to brag about him being hers, and show off all of his riveting qualities. she knows there’s not a part of him that doesn’t deserve to be in the spotlight.
she pulled up the the firehouse one time in full disguise. she ripped it all off before running into bucks arms as he lifted her off the ground. he missed her beautiful face that was across the country. his coworkers watched in entertainment as he just beamed whenever he looked at her.
“i missed you so much,” y/n smiles.
“i know, i’m just happy you’re home now,” buck says, keeping his hands placed on her forearms. it’s like the entire world disappeared behind them. every person, every noise, every sense just vanished when looking into the others breathtaking eyes.
“i, uh, need to ask you something,” y/n starts, giving buck a small amount of anxiety, but he knows they can deal with whatever it is together.
“yeah,” he says quickly. “of course, come in here.”
he leads her into a private room and shuts the door. buck moves back over to grab her hand, entwining their fingers together and giving her the support to continue. “what’s going on, baby?”
“the oscars are coming up,” she spits out quickly, and buck doesn’t know if he should be relieved or not. “and i want you to come with me. i know you might think it’s a bad idea, but i’m sick of hiding from everyone and they have nothing against you and me.”
buck laughs softly, continuing to graze her hand with his fingers. she looks up at him with an expression of anticipation and maybe even a little timidity. when she sees the smile creep up on his face, she can’t tell whether it’s an excited one or a mocking one.
“you know i would never miss that for the world, right?” he tells her and she releases a breath, dropping her shoulders and the corners of her mouth pull up. “i don’t care if you’re nominated and win or lose, i’ll be there.”
the days went painfully slow for the rest of bucks team as floods of questions and concerns came their way. he was stalled on what he should wear, what time he should get there, should he get his hair done now or sooner to the date. everyone was ready to put in earplugs at his questions, but at the end of the day, they were more happy for him. they were excited to see him on their tv screens with his perfect match on his arm. they knew buck was made for y/n from the day he met her.
when buck was picked up in the pitch black limo with shaded windows, he felt like the most luxurious man in the world. he was bouncing his leg up and down in the seat, y/n having to put her hand on it to calm him down.
“alright, so,” he begins. “what do i do? do i just stand there or do i pose or-“
“buck!” y/n giggles. “relax, it’s all gonna be ok. you’ll know what to do, trust me. i’ll be there the whole time.”
“i’ve never been on a red carpet before,” he exhales, starting to see the crowd of people outside. “can i hold your hand in there?”
y/n looks at him with gentle eyes, putting out her hand and squeezing his. as she steps out of the car with the help of the guards, buck slips his hand out. when he gets out of the car, he adjusts the buttons on his tux and connects with y/n again.
the walk down the carpet was casual, but also had buck internally panicking. he had never been in a room with so many celebrities at one time. seeing all the hot actors and actresses of the moment was so overwhelming, and whenever they shook his hand he felt like floating. he almost cried when andrew garfield looked in his direction. he was completely mesmerized by the way y/n interacted gracefully with everyone. he knew he had the right girl.
the air became thicker in the venue until the best actress category was called up. each of the names swiped through the massive screens and the names started to echo off the walls. the two actors at the front had the envelope, ready to reveal the name of the winning actress. buck felt the shaking of y/n’s hand, trying to ease her worries of losing, or even winning. some part of him knew that she won even before they called her name.
when he hears the thrilling, “y/n y/l/n in f/n!” on the mics, he jumps out of his seat. he looks at his girl with his jaw to the floor, tears already forming in his eyes. she’s still processing that her name was even called, but just looking at buck brings her back down.
“oh my god,” she whispers once he pulls her in.
“you did it! you fucking did it!” he leans away, cradling her face and giving her a kiss before letting her go up. she almost wishes she could drag him up too, or stay down on the floor with him. “go get ‘em,” he winks.
y/n’s speech ran through her lips quickly, being unprepared as she told the world what she thought. “holy shit,” she breathlessly chuckles. “thank you to everyone who helped me get here today, my family, my parents, my coworkers on this movie. i’m so thankful i even get to be on this stage. the director, greta, you are absolute magic. this is one of the best projects i’ve ever been involved in and- oh my god, why is this timed? but anyway, also evan, i love you more than words and this is all for you!” she blew him a kiss before running of stage, picking up the layers of her dress to show off her new shiny award to him.
flashes of bucks face and y/n’s director came over the screen, making y/n and him the hot topic for the night. fans all over social media were buzzing with excitement, finally getting to see the man who painted the bliss onto y/n. news headlines and tweets were filled with, “y/n y/l/n and her new boyfriend - hollywoods new power couple?”
every time she saw one, y/n smiles brightly and sent it to buck who showed it off to his friends. now, when he sat around the table with y/n or just lay with her in bed, he knew she was more than just some girl. she was the one for him no matter what, and he didn’t need the internets approval to realize that. despite the few hateful people, buck chooses to ignore them completely. they’re not the one laying next to y/n right now.
he faces the teasing from his sister and his best friends about being the new hollywood boyfriend, but as long as he’s y/n’s, that’s all he needs.
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nicoline1998enilocin · 2 months
Text
Baby fever
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PAIRING | Husband!Young!Tony Stark x Wife!Fem!Reader
WORD COUNT | 3.7K
SUMMARY | You and Tony have three beautiful children, but since your youngest son is growing up faster than either of you would like, Tony's baby fever is kicking into high gear. He can't get enough of seeing you pregnant, and he's making it his goal to have it happen again. There's enough room in the house for one more, after all.
RATING | Explicit (E)
WARNINGS/TAGS | Established relationship, nicknames (Sunshine, My Love, Baby, Handsome), tooth-rotting fluff combined with toe-curling smut.
SMUT | Porn with a bit of plot, D/S undertones, Sub!Tony is heavily featured throughout the story, breeding/pregnancy kink, lactation kink, drinking of breastmilk (sexual), daddy kink, mommy kink, begging, teasing, hair pulling, nipple play, nipple piercings, thigh riding, multiple orgasms, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!), creampie, aftercare.
A/N | This amazing fic is completely inspired by the lovely @ccbsrmsf1, who has helped me come up with the idea and supported me every step of the way! Carol, this is for you, and I sincerely hope you will enjoy it! I love you, and I cannot thank you enough for being in my life 💜
EVENTS Masterlist | @fluffbruary Fluffbruary '24 | Wish Masterlist | @sweetspicybingo Sweethearts | Nice ass
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Banners: Yours truly | Divider: @firefly-graphics | GIF: @ccbsrmsf1
Main Masterlist | Tony Stark Masterlist | AU Masterlist
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Since you found Tony's old football jersey from your college days, you have been plotting a plan to wear it in the hopes of getting a reaction out of your husband. Today is perfect for that, as you're visiting your Mom in California, and she offered to take all three of your wonderful kids to Disneyland with her fiancé, Jackson.
"You two can stay home and have some alone time; you deserve it, Buttercup. You've been working so hard, and now that you're finally able to see him after he's been gone for filming, you should make up for some of the lost time," Virginia told you with a wink, and even though you were a little embarrassed at first, you also know she's right.
With three kids, it's proving to be rather challenging to have some time to yourselves and be intimate, so this is the perfect solution. That's how you find yourself standing in the bathroom in your Mom's house, wearing only your glasses and Tony's dark blue football jersey. The fabric reaches down to your knees, and your nipple piercings show through the fabric for a bit of a teasing touch.
With one last deep breath, you walk to the kitchen, where Tony has just finished the dishes from the lunch he prepared for you earlier. He turns around at the sound of your footsteps on the tiled flooring, but before he can say anything, he is greeted by you, clothed as if you walked right out of one of his wet dreams.
"Fuck, Sunshine, you sure know how to surprise your man," Tony growls as he walks over to where you're standing. As he takes in your form, he can already feel himself growing hard inside his sweatpants, which doesn't go unnoticed by you.
"I thought we could have some fun on the couch, My Love. The kids are with Mom and Jackson, so we have this all to ourselves," you whisper in his ear as you pull him closer by his shirt, his breath hitching as his now hard and sensitive cock makes contact with your soft belly.
"Who am I to say no when my beautiful wife looks like she walked out of my dreams?" Tony answers, his voice dropping an octave as lust fills it. Your hands glide under his shirt, pulling it over his head before discarding it.
Before you move on to anything else, you let your long nails rake over his sensitive nipples, a moan escaping from Tony's slack lips as you smirk up at him.
"Always so sensitive for me," you tell him before standing on your toes and taking his bottom lip between your teeth, biting down softly as he moans again. His long, dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks as he took in the pleasure.
"Good boy," you whisper against his mouth, his bottom lip lightly swelling, making him look even more beautiful than he already was. You kiss his tattoo softly as he lets his hands glide into your hair to ground himself gently.
"Let's move this to the couch, Sunshine," Tony tells you with a slight New York drawl, pleasure already taking over his brain. As you proceed to push him to the couch, you can feel yourself getting more and more wet with every step you two take. As soon as his legs hit the couch, he lets himself fall, spreading his thighs to give his achingly hard cock some room as it strains against the fabric.
Your legs are placed on each side of him, the jersey riding up dangerously high as you take your place. Your ass and pussy are barely covered when you sit, Tony's hands rubbing your thighs as he takes in the sight in front of him.
"You're so fucking gorgeous like this, Sunshine, 'm very lucky with you as my wife," he whispers before capturing your lips with his and taking the lead, effectively taking back any domination you had over him. You moan into his mouth as he slips in his tongue, his fingers digging into the inked flesh on your thighs.
As he glides his hands up your thighs and under his jersey, he finds the bare globes of your butt, kneading them softly as you start to move your hips to get a little friction, the fabric of his sweatpants relieving the burning ache of pleasure between your thighs.
"Can you look at me for a moment, Sunshine? I've got something important to tell you," Tony whispers in your ear, and that's when you realize your eyes have slipped shut. When you open them, you look into his dark brown eyes. As he takes a deep breath, you can't help but think about how beautiful he looks, and a smile tugs at the corners of your lips.
"I know we've been talking about adding a fourth baby to our family, and I can't stop thinking about it. How perfect would it be if we had a small girl who would look just like you? I can't stop thinking about it, you with your perfect, round belly as I drink from these amazing tits of yours before you make me a Daddy again," Tony says, another gush of arousal leaking out as you soak Tony's pants even further.
"Please, Sunshine, will you give me another baby? Let me fill you up with my cum until you're beautifully round for me as you carry our daughter?" he asks as he nuzzles his nose against your throat, your head tipping back to give him even more access.
"Yes, My Love, please! I want all your delicious cum inside me, and I want to make another baby with you; I would love to add another name to his amazing tattoo of yours," you tell him, your fingertips gliding softly over the ink proudly displayed on the firm plane of muscle. The sun, moon, and stars look beautiful; your kid's names make it perfect.
And with those words, it's officially decided: you and Tony will add another baby to your family. Whether it will be your Little Prince or Princess, it doesn't matter because you both know they will be loved deeply. And before it's time to find out, you can have all the fun in the world when you're making your newest addition.
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"Let's get the jersey off, hm? I want to touch my girl the way she deserves," Tony says, and you nod, lifting your arms in response to his question. During all this, you never stopped rutting your hips over his cock, his release almost there as he lifted the fabric.
"That's it, Sunshine, you make Daddy feel good," he tells you with a breathy voice. As soon as the fabric is over your pierced breasts, making them spill out and bounce before him, he loses every ounce of self-control. Groaning loudly as he cums in his pants like a teenager, a deep red blush covers his cheeks and neck as he rides out his orgasm under you.
"Ah, did you cum already, Baby? What do you think? Do you want Mommy to clean up her sweet, blushing boy?" you purr in his ear, and he nods as you slide off his lap and take your place between his legs. Your fingers hook around the fabric of his sweatpants before tugging them down, revealing the sticky mess he created not even a few minutes ago.
His cock is lying soft between his thighs, but it's by no means small, and you're already drooling at the sight. He whimpers softly as you take hold of his sensitive member, your tongue licking clean every single inch of him.
"M-Mommy, please, wanna drink," Tony whispers, and you smile before getting up, taking your place on his lap again. Tony has always enjoyed drinking your breastmilk now that you’re breastfeeding your son Paxton, and it’s something you both highly enjoy each time he does, whether it’s in a sexual manner or just to calm his mind.
"Yeah? Do you want to drink from Mommy? Go ahead, Baby, take what you want." As soon as the words have left your lips, he's latched onto your breast, suckling heavily until the first spurts of your breastmilk hit his tongue, and he sighs contently as his brain calms down at the feeling of the pierced nipple in his mouth.
Your head falls back as Tony drinks from you, and you can't resist sliding your bare pussy over his thigh, the friction feeling delicious together with the feeling of your husband drinking from you. Soft moans leave your lips as you brace yourself with your hands in his hair, pulling it as you can feel your orgasm creeping closer.
Tony seemingly gets the hint as he flexes his thigh muscles, and with only a few more thrusts over his thigh, you're falling apart with a chant of his name. He groaned before letting go of your one breast, only to quickly latch onto the other, which he drank happily from as you rode out your orgasm.
"That's it, my sweet boy, keep drinking from Mommy," you tell him as you guide him to sit with his back against the couch, his mouth never leaving your nipple as he sucks to get more of the precious milk he loves so much. You let yourself recover from your orgasm as he does, just enjoying the intimate moment with your husband right now.
By the time he's finished, he is also fully hard again, your hand wrapped around his cock as you jerk him gently, earning yourself soft moans and whimpers from him that have your pussy dripping within no time.
On days like these, when Tony's letting you take the lead, you're feeling a power you've rarely felt, and you love using him for nothing but your pleasure. And he loves being your human fucktoy, too.
"Do you want to make Mommy feel good with this delicious cock of yours? Want to fill me up with your cum to give me a baby?" you ask Tony, and he nods with a dopey smile on his face, eyes glazed over as they're looking at you from underneath his long, dark lashes.
"Please, Mommy, wanna fill you up," he whispers, his hand gliding over his chest to his cock, grabbing the base as you get in position on top of him. As much as you and Tony love missionary, moments like these make you like cowgirl even more. Riding Tony to his orgasm as you can play with his nipples, pull his hair, or have him do the most unthinkable of things to you have you clenching already, and he's not even inside you yet.
The moment you sink onto his cock, you can feel every single vein on it, the stretch giving a positive burn as it feels like you're being split open. When he's soft, he's already big, but when he's hard? You can barely take all of him in your mouth, and the stretch of your pussy is always something you have to take your time with. He doesn't tell you that he'll feed you his monster of a cock for nothing, after all.
"Oh, fuck! Such a perfect cock for me, Baby, splitting me open so well! Can feel you in my belly," you whisper when you're fully seated, his balls pressing against your ass while you adjust to his size. Moans are tumbling from both your lips, and Tony can't stop digging his fingers into the flesh of your hips, a pussydrunk look on his face.
"S-so tight, Mommy, such a tight pussy for me to love," he tells you after pulling you closer, the warm metal of your piercings a stark contrast against the rest of your flesh. His face is nuzzled in your neck as he breathes in your scent, and you pepper soft kisses on his hair and neck.
C'mere, sweet boy, give Mommy a kiss," you tell him, and he obediently lifts his head, meeting your lips with his in a heated, passionate moment that has his head reeling in no time. Your tongue slips into his mouth effortlessly, dancing with his in a loving, sensual way while his hands are wrapped loosely around your waist, yours tangled in his soft locks.
When you pull away, you put your forehead against his, and you feel his cock throb inside you as you make small, teasing grinds against him. As he looks up at you with sweet, puppylike eyes, your heart flutters, and warmth spreads through your chest at the sight. You're very fortunate to have fallen in love with Tony, and it brings a smile to your face.
"What's funny?" he asks as he pecks your lips, and you place your hands on his cheeks, rubbing them softly with your thumbs.
"Nothin'. I was thinking how lucky I am to be married to you and have our three beautiful Munchkins. You saved me and supported me to become the best version of myself after everything that happened, and I love you more than I could ever tell you," you whisper, trying to fight back the tears as you think back to everything that had happened before you had the chance to meet him.
"I'm the lucky one, Sunshine, got a beautiful wife-" he says as his hands wander over your inked body, fingers trailing carefully over the tattoo you got in his honor. "-and three beautiful babies too. 'M the luckiest man on earth," he tells you with such a sweet, soft voice that you can't help yourself as the tears spill over and Tony quickly wipes them away.
"I love you, Tony," you whisper as you pull him close, needing to feel him for a moment. He happily pulls you against his chest; his face nuzzled in your neck while you place kisses on his shoulder. The moment feels perfect, and you're allowing yourself to bask in the love shared between you two.
After a while, Tony's starting to feel a little restless as he tries to rut his hips up into you, rubbing the tip of his cock against your sweet spot each time. You allow him to do his thing as you let him go, and before you know it, he's flipped you over onto the couch, your back now feeling the soft fabric while Tony pounds into you at an unrelenting pace, making you see stars.
"Fuck, that's it! Fuck a baby into me, Daddy, I'm close!" you tell him, and with a shout of his name, you cum, clenching down on his cock as he keeps fucking, his orgasm nearing too. In an effort to ground yourself as he’s bringing you to your high, you take your nails over his back, and it only intensifies the pleasure he feels the deep stinging of your nails scratching his back. A loud groan escapes him before his pace gets sloppy, and you know he’s close.
"That's it, Sunshine, take it, take all my cum! Got so much for you- balls are so fucking heavy all for you," Tony pants out, his pace faltering as he spills every last drop of his cum inside you before carefully pulling out of you.
"I love you so, so much, My Love. Thank you for being the best husband I could have ever asked for," you whisper to his freckled skin, and he hums in response as he's coming down from his high. This was a much-needed moment for the two of you, and you're very grateful for every last second of it.
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The two of you took the good part of an hour to bask in the glory of what you two did as you whispered sweet nothings to each other and exchanged a sea of kisses and soft touches. Now it's time for a much-needed shower, as you're covered in dried-up sweat, cum, and arousal, and you're starting to feel a little sticky everywhere.
"C'mon, My Love! Let's hop in the shower, and after, we can watch a movie on the couch," you tell Tony, and he agrees as he gets up from the couch, though his legs still feel like they're made out of jelly. As he falls back onto the couch, you can't help but chuckle at the sight and take a moment to take in the sight in front of you.
Tony's seated on the couch with his eyes looking at you intently, his cream-colored skin slightly flushed from the exertion you have put him through. His broad shoulders, the chest hair trailing down to his toned abs, and his happy trail all led to his delicious cock. If he weren't already entirely spent, you would have happily spent more time on your knees worshipping it, but instead, you reach out your hand to help him again.
"You like what you see, Sunshine?" Tony says shyly, and you feel a heat roaring up inside you. There's nothing you love more than when Tony's shy side comes out, making him look even cuter. It's something all your kids have, too, and it's a trait you adore about them.
"Always do, Handsome," you tell him as you pull him up, finally making your way to the shower. You both take your time washing each other's bodies, and Tony can't help but pay some extra attention to your nipples, rolling and tugging carefully on the barbells adorning them to coax more moans out of you.
"Let's get you settled on the bed, My Love - you've been such a good boy for Mommy that you deserve a back massage," you tell him, and he can feel his cock jump at your words. The sight of you being pregnant shoots through his mind again, and he has to use every ounce of self-control not to bend you over the bed and take you right then and there.
When he's lying on his stomach on the bed, you go and straddle his thighs right beneath his butt before dripping some of your favorite massage oil onto his muscled back. With a soft hum, you start massaging it in, starting at his shoulders as you rub out the knots there.
"God, how did I get so fucking lucky?! Got a beautiful wife with a body to die for, an amazing personality, and great at massaging? I must have won the jackpot with you, Sunshine," he grumbles as you work out every last knot in his back, relaxing him completely as every bit of tension melts under your skilled fingertips.
"I'm lucky too, you know; I get to see the nice ass you have back here every single day," you tell him with a playful smack on his butt cheek, a deep chuckle escaping from his chest that has your butterflies go crazy. Even after a few years of marriage and over a decade of being together, he still makes you feel like you did the first time you met him.
When the massage is finished, both of you get dressed in matching grey lounge outfits, with 'Mr. Stark' and 'Mrs. Stark' embroidered on them, together with your wedding date. Both of you wear your glasses to finish it off, and now it's time to relax until everyone comes home.
As you watch a few movies together on the couch, you're constantly cuddling, kissing, or having a little make-out session between feeding each other various sorts of fruit until your belly starts to rumble around dinner time, and it's time for the two of you to order some take-out. Before they all went out the door, Virginia slipped Tony some money for dinner, and even though you two could easily afford it yourselves, she wanted to take care of you on your relaxing day.
"Pizza?" "Pizza!" you answered, and before you knew it, you were seated in Tony's lap while watching the fourth Harry Potter movie and munching on the pepperoni pizza Tony ordered. The only thing that could make your evening even better was seeing your Munchkins again; luckily you don't have to wait long for that to happen.
Around 8:30 PM, you hear some stumbling. Hudson and Orion are running into the living room, practically lunging themselves onto the couch where you and Tony are cuddling as the fifth Harry Potter movie is just starting.
"Hi, my sweet Munchkins. Did you have fun with Nanna and Jackson today?" Tony asks as he pulls Orion onto his lap for a big hug. Hudson is already curling against your side for his fill of cuddles.
"We did! We went on all the rides, and Gramps bought all three of us a stuffie to bring back," Hudson told both of you, and your gaze shot to Jackson, your Mom's fiancé, as you fought back the tears. This is the first time you heard them call him anything other than Jackson, which genuinely warms your heart.
"Yeah, see? I got Mickey Mouse, Orion got Minnie Mouse, and Paxton got Winnie the Pooh because it matches his sweater," he continues as he shows off his new stuffed animal.
"And have you said thank you to Gramps yet?" you ask them, to which they nodded profusely.
"Good, now you two can prepare for bed because you've had a long day today. I'll be with you to tuck you into bed in 10 minutes, okay?" you tell them, and they nod before getting up and going to the room they're sharing, both ready to go to sleep shortly after.
"And now it's time for some cuddles with my Little One," you sigh happily as you take Paxton from your Mom. He's asleep as you place a soft kiss on his cheek, reveling in the cuteness that is your youngest son. He looks exactly like Tony, making your heart flutter whenever you see it. Now, all you need is a little girl who looks like you and the entire set will be complete.
"How did he do today?" Tony asks as he straightens out Paxton's little sweater.
"Oh, he did amazing! He was delighted to meet some of the characters; he ate like a champ and slept perfectly during nap time as the twins were playing on one of the playgrounds. None of them caused us any trouble at all," Virginia tells you both, and you rest your head on Tony's shoulder as you take in the sight of your son.
It's clear to everyone that the baby fever has officially kicked into full gear for both of you, and there's nothing you have ever wished for more. One more baby will complete your family, and you can't wait to meet them when they're here one day.
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makeyoumine69 · 1 year
Note
Heya! I finally came up with a combination 🤣
18, daddy kink, pregnancy kink, baby girl
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— A/N: Hello my dear! Finally, I finished your prompt and I hope you like it! I love you so much! 🖤💗🖤 Amazing gif by @melis-writes
— [MASTERLIST] 🪓 [1k CELEBRATION MASTERLIST] 🪓 [support writer]
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When you finally found out you were pregnant, Patrick couldn't hide his excitement because he had waited so long for this to happen. He loved everything about the way your body was changing, especially your cute bump and curvy hips. 
Bateman became so overprotective of you and your future child that he followed you around and helped you with everything you did, even when it came to taking a bath.
"Honey, get down a bit lower," Patrick murmured, sitting behind you in the tub. "You like that?"
You just purred in return as he gently washed your back. Chuckling, he couldn't take his eyes off of your pretty little form. 
"God, you're so beautiful," his raspy voice sent shivers down your spine. "So juicy, so round."
Patrick let out a guttural growl when he saw your soaped pussy as you bent over even more. Biting his lower lip, he placed his large palm on your buttock, barely caressing it, but then his thin finger made a long stroke along your delicate petals, causing a loud gasp to escape your lips.
"Daddy...a-aww!" You frowned as his long digit slid up and down your feverish slit, teasing your clit with light rubs. 
The lewd sounds you were making evoked something primal in his gut, and now he couldn't control his urge to be inside that little tight pussy. Slowly, Bateman pushed his index finger into your succulent cunt, inducing your toes to curl. Mewling, you turned to face him, his brown eyes now full of lust.
"No, no, no, baby girl. Don't look at me like that," he groaned when he saw your innocent glance. "I'm gonna treat that pussy right, just like she deserves."
Licking his lips briefly, he shoved his finger further into your blushing cleft, curling and twisting it a bit, your soft walls beginning to spasm almost instantly. 
"Good girl," Bateman praised you for the way your body responded to his ministrations as he pumped his engorged cock. "Fuck, seeing you like this, with your pregnancy bump, turns me on so bad. Did you know that?"
Damn, this kind of dirty talk was completely ruining your mind, making you forget about any self-respect, because you were such a slut for this man. 
"Patrick, p-please!" You leaned against the edge of the tub as you felt him settle himself behind you. 
With your eyes closed you could only moan and shiver as you were in his power. Thrilled, Patrick quickly pulled out his finger and sucked off your sweet flavor before giving your ass several light slaps.
"Stay still," he urged, pushing down on your back to bend you lower. "Mmm, what a view." Bateman crooned, rubbing his leaky tip along your swollen folds.
When your bodies finally bonded, you both gasped, feeling totally numb. His strong arms gave you no chance to pull away from him as he began to ram himself into you, opening your tight inner channel with each thrust of his sturdy hips, and the obscene sounds of flesh slapping against flesh inflamed you from the inside, bringing you to your release too quickly.
"Argh, fuck!" Bateman gasped, pulling his wet hair away from his beautiful face. "I... I can't wait to make you pregnant once again! Mmmhm-gonna drown this juicy little hole in my cum."
"Daddy! S-so deep...aww! It's so so deep! Mmmm..." You cried out, wriggling in his grip, not noticing the water splashing around you as he fucked you right into the edge of the bathtub. 
"Awwww, it hurts? Too bad...you're going to keep taking it until I'm satisfied!" He pulled at your hair while his other hand was wrapped around your round belly for support. "Yes...take that dick like Daddy's obedient girl!"
Whimpering, you looked up at him and as your gazes locked, Bateman let out a moan of satisfaction and kissed your forehead as the pure devotion he saw in your eyes was taking him higher than any known drug.
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thefallennightmare · 6 months
Text
Miracle-twenty four[END]
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*gif created by me. feel free to use, simply give credit*
Pairings: Noah Sebastian x Reader
Warnings/Tropes: forced proximity, slight enemies to lovers, slow burn, smut, angst, fluff, mentions of death, and swearing.
Summary: Reader is the merch girl for Bad Omens. It wasn't what she wanted to do with her life but when her mother got sick with Alzheimer's, reader took a job where she could to help with the costs. She thought it would be a one-time gig but the longer she was on the road with them, the harder she fell for Noah Sebastian; even if he wanted nothing to do with her. She needed a miracle to save her mom and her future.
Author Note: I'M CRYING MY COUCH RIGHT NOW! I never imagined that this story would be so fucking popular and bring me so many amazing followers and some great friends! thank you to everyone who liked, reblogged, commented, or talked to me! Our love and adoration for this man brought a huge group together. I love him for that. I'm sorry for all the hurt and trauma I caused you while reading but I promise THIS chapter, makes up for it. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!
Tags: @ada-clarence @nonamessblog @thescarlettvvitch @malice-ov-mercy @crimson-calligraphyx @theoneandonlykymberlee @yumikitten @blackveilomens @cherrymedicine13 @thebadchic @notmaddihealy @jay02bo @beaker1636 @jakekiszkasguitarpick @punk-pr1ncessxoxo @er3nslovergirl @iamdesolate @lma1986 @jessitpwk @themodern-daywednesday @writethrough @bngurngheart @dreams-that-are-anwsered @loeytuan98 @omens-in-reverse @loverofagoodbeard @jay02bo @niicoleleigh @tearfallpixie @cupidsdreams
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A yawn fell from my lips as I walked through the gate of the airport with Noah's hand in mine and the rest of our group trailing behind. The moonlight from outside broke through the large glass windows, casting all of us in a white glow. It was late, almost 10 in the evening and we just landed in California. The Europe leg of the tour finally ended and after a very long day of travel, all of us were ready to head home for a few months break. It was well earned and deserved for everyone on this team.
"Angel," Noah pulled me to a stop right before baggage claim. "Hang on a second."
"Noah," I almost whined. "I'm tired and want to go home."
But he didn't answer, simply wrapped an arm around my shoulders to pull me into his chest then looked towards our large group of friends.
"We'll see you guys in a couple of weeks."
Jolly nodded. "If anything changes work wise, I'll text you but you two should enjoy yourselves."
"Wait," I blinked. "What did you just say?"
My gaze turn up towards Noah who refused to meet it but kept a small smirk on the corner of his lips.
"Give me on minute," he pulled me closer to his chest to leave a kiss on top of my head.
Internally, I cringed because my hair hadn't been washed in days and I smelled like sweat and a stuffy airplane after the long international travel. I wanted to get home so bad to shower and crawl into my bed with Noah. But it seemed like he had other plans.
"Where are we going?" I tried to ask again.
Matt spoke instead. "Try not to think about work too much, alright? We won't start talking about the next album until you're back."
Irritation made my feet bounce. "Back from where?"
"You guys heading to Virgina?" Noah asked Nick.
"Yeah," he nodded. "Mine and Folio's flight leaves tomorrow so we're crashing in your room."
Folio gave me a wide smirk while removing me from Noah's grasp so he could wrap his own arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "Use this time to clear your head."
My arms encircled around his back as I returned the hug. "What the fuck are you guys talking about?"
Not giving anything away, Folio ruffled my hair with a wink.
Okay, what the fuck was going on?
I watched as Noah said goodbye to everyone else, me still standing there confused as hell, then when he turned towards me I narrowed my eyes at him while crossing my arms over my chest.
"What is going on?"
He shrugged. "Nothing, I'm just saying goodbye."
"Alright, smartass. Jolly lives with us, why are you saying goodbye to him?" I raised a brow.
"You ask a lot of questions, angel."
"Flight 23A for California to Washington State now pre-boarding. Head to Gate 4b."
"Shit," Noah cursed while adjusted the strap of his carry on backpack. "We gave to go."
Linking our fingers together, he dragged me away, but I held my foot down in place. The announcement played on the speakers again as Noah looked at me with slight panic behind his eyes.
"Angel, we have to go," he urged me with a tug of my hand.
I shook my head. "Where, Noah? Where are we going?"
He ran a hand over his face with a long sigh. "I was hoping to keep this surprise a little longer but we're not going home. I rented us a cabin in Washington, in Olympic National Park. Just the two of us for a few weeks."
Oh.
My heart hammered hard in my chest hearing that Noah put together this little surprise for me and my irritation and need to be in control of everything nearly ruined it. I walked into his arms while wrapping my arms around his back and looked up at him. He was wearing a black sweater with matching joggers. His hair was growing like weeds since we were in Europe and desperately needed a haircut so he was hiding it in a black beanie. The dark circles under his eyes gave way how tired he was, so was I, but he still went out of his way to plan a vacation for us.
With tears in my eyes, I stood up on the tips of my toes so I could reach his lips to leave a chaste kiss upon them.
"I love you."
His hands gripped my hips as he brushed his nose over mine. "I love you too, angel. I just wanted to do something special for you. Life hasn't been easy for you."
"I know," I pressed my cheek into his chest, breathing in his scent.
"Last call for flight 23A. Boarding will close in five minutes."
"Fuck," Noah cursed before we ran across the airport to our gate.
"Jolly, water my plants for me!" I called over my shoulder to look at him.
He waved me off with a large grin on his face as he watched Noah and I giggle in fear of missing our flight.
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Two weeks later.
"I don't want to go back," I whined while sitting at the edge of the bed, towel wrapped around my chest.
Water dripped from the ends of my hair, down my back, as I had just walked out of the shower. Noah was kneeling in front of me as he finished packing up our suitcases, our vacation finally coming to an end. The last two weeks had been absolutely amazing. Even though it was hard at first, Noah tried not to talk about future tours or the next album while I did my best to just enjoy life; be in the moment.
We spent the last two weeks either sightseeing, hiking, spending a night inside by the fire, or soaking in the hot tub outside. Of course, we had to test out every fuckable surface throughout the cabin which surprisingly, was a lot. When we were out in the small town, Noah got recognized quite a few times but he respectfully declined pictures, telling the fans that he was here on a personal vacation and wanted to keep it quiet.
I knew he did that for me and I loved him even more for it.
But reality came calling back way before I was ready. We needed to get back to California because Bad Omens had some time blocked out for writing/recording thier next album.
"You guys need more than just a few weeks off," I sighed letting the towel fall to the bed beneath me.
Noah's eyes darkened as his tongue darted out to wet his lips as he took in all the bite marks over my chest and stomach.
I immediately shook my head knowing exactly what he was thinking. "Noah, we've had more sex these last two weeks that I've had in my entire life. I'm exhausted."
"Well, you're in luck because we have somewhere to be so do me a favor," he rose to his feet while handing me a pair of clothes. "Wear that and meet me outside."
I pursed my lips while looking up at him. "Where are we going?"
"Just do this, okay?" Noah sighed with slight agitation.
I may have asked that question a lot these last few weeks when Noah would surprise me with yet another day out and I wanted to know what he had planned.
"Sorry," I muttered before lifting the shirt up to my face with a smirk.
It was the shirt Noah found that first night in the Airbnb; the shirt of his he gave me so long ago and I kept.
"You love telling me what to wear, huh?"
Noah pressed a soft kiss to my forehead and smacked my bare ass. "O wouldn't be upset if you skipped the panties."
Don't have to tell me twice.
He walked out of the patio doors that were connected to our bedroom while I quickly threw the shirt on over my naked form. It was actually pretty warm outside, so I decided on no pants. Nerves made my fingers shake as I wondered what the hell he had planned for me. Every day it was something and each time, it surprised me.
"It's probably just a candlelit dinner," I said to myself, which honestly I didn't mind.
A nice relaxing final night in sounded device.
Leaving the door open, I stepped outside to the sound of soft music playing through the bluetooth speaker the cabin provided and I followed the path of stone lights that led to a table on the large patio with a curious pull of my brows.
"Noah?" I called out when I realized he was nowhere to be seen.
Coming to a halt in front of the table, I looked down at a large photo book that had my name printed across the front of it.
What the…
Noah's soft voice came through the speakers as his song, If I'm There played in the background, when I hesitantly opened the book with a gasp. The first few pages had many pictures of me when I was younger; some alone and some with my father, the one who raised me.
Then the next few pages were from teenage years and I internally cringed at some of the outfit choices I made.
Where the hell did these pictures come from?
"Oh shit," I blurted with tears when my fingers grazed over the next set of pictures.
It was all the pictures I had lost in the fire; the ones that were taking on tour with Bad Omens. The ones I took of them covered one page while the rest of the pages were pictures taken of me by others, mostly Bryan.
Some goofy ones of Folio and I.
Ones of Jolly teaching me guitar.
Even the ones of Nick letting me use his tattoo gun on him; the small patch of skin on his ankle my first canvas.
There were so many others of me with the members of the crew and by the time I got to the last page, tears were falling from my eyes, the salty taste hanging long after on my lips. I choked out a broken sob when the only picture on the last page stared back at me; my fingers grazing over the soft faces of the two people.
We looked so young there, and it was only two years ago.
It was the same picture Noah had on his laptop. The one from the first party I attended at their house where we took a large group photo and I was next to Noah. His arm slung around my shoulder while mine wrapped around his side. His long hair was pulled back with a claw clip and while I was smiling at the camera, Noah's smile was on me along with his eyes, staring directly at my lips.
Hastily wiping away the tears, I looked up to the sky to let out a deep breath, fingers grazing over the picture until it went to low, the touch of cool metal almost burning my skin.
"What the-?" I peered back down to the photo book and nearly stumbled back.
The moonlight caught it in just the right light, the sparkle of the large diamond beckoning me to touch it once again.
Taped beneath the picture was a gorgeous diamond ring with four words written in very familiar handwriting.
Let's get married, angel.
Strong arms wrapped around me from behind, warm breath fanning across the curve of my neck.
"What do you say?"
Noah buried his face into my hair as he spoke his quesiton into the air again. I turned in his embrace, sheer shock and disbelieve on my face.
"You're not fucking with me, are you?"
He chuckled slightly. "Why would I do that?"
I wrapped my arms around his neck, fingers messing with the ends of his hair. It was so long now and he was sporting the Levi cut the last few weeks.
"There's no way you'd want to ask me to marry you, Noah. I'm-." The words died on my tounge.
"You're what? Perfect, beautiful, stubborn as hell-ow!"
I smacked his chest but urged him to continue with a nod.
"Angel," he lifted my chin with a finger. "I walked through literal flames for you. Why the hell wouldn't I want to marry you?"
My lips mimicked a fish out of water as I tried to come up with a retort but truthfully, I didn't have any because I knew he was right. He ran into my burning house to save me from my brother who was trying to kill me.
Okay, maybe that's a good reason not to marry me.
"Hey," he bent low so our gazes locked. "Don't go there, alright? Stay here with me and focus on my question. Focus on how great our future together could be."
Noah knew me so fucking well. He knew when I disassociated back into that dark place that James had created. The nightmares were less and less but they were still there, clawing to the front recess of my mind but Noah worked so hard to help me heal.
He lifted me onto the table and spread my thighs apart so he could walk through them as my hands grazed over his bare chest; the tattoos catching my eye instead of the pure dark ones of his.
"I love you. It took me a long time to realize that and accept that feeling for what it is. But now that I have you, I refuse to let you go again. I'm not letting you go into that darkness alone, angel. I'm here and will always be here."
Tears fell from my eyes but this time, it was Noah who brushed them away. When I still said nothing. mind filled with so much emotion I didn't know how to say it.
Yes. Yes, you idiot. Tell him yes!
"I-," the words faltered yet again.
Noah made a low noise in the back of his throat as he took off my shirt, throwing it to the ground below. The night air made my nipples perk, and I shivered when I watched Noah step out of his grey joggers, cock springing free.
Holy shit.
I never realized asking someone to marry them was such a turn on.
"Fuck," I cursed when Noah spat on his hand before running it over my pussy, fingers dipping in for a few quick pumps before he angled the head of his cock between my folds.
Who was exhausted? I certainly wasnt.
"Angel," his forehead fell to my chest with a groan as he filled me completely.
I wrapped my legs around his back, heels resting on his ass as I pressed him deeper into me. The head of his cock immediately pressed against that spot while one hand slipped between us, thumb pressing fast circles to my clit.
"Noah," I panted.
His free hand ripped the ring from the book and grabbed my left hand, looking up at me through lust blown eyes.
"Lets."
Thrust.
"Get."
Thrust.
"Married."
"Yes, Noah!," I screamed when he pulled most of the way out, just leaving the head of his cock in me, before he snapped his hips hard to fill me once again. "Fuck yes, lets get married."
Our lips met in a fiery kiss, the one where your teeth smack together and tongues fight for power and dominance. Without warning, my orgasm ripped through me with a loud shrill, it echoing through the trees of the forest behind us. With my hand in his, Noah slipped the ring on my finger and grazed his teeth other my collarbone.
"You're going to be my wife, angel."
Pure exhaustion ached deep in my bones so all I could do was nod and ran my fingers through Noah's hair as he gave two more powerful thrusts, emptying himself inside of me with a low groan.
When I first started this job working for Bad Omens, I did it because I needed the money for a miracle to help my mom. But by the end of all the darkness and loneliness, Noah was the Miracle I truly needed and hoped for.
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banditthewriter · 6 months
Text
Run, Run, Run - Billy Russo
Here we have 2023's Halloween fic! I haven't written much fic this year and I can't promise that I'll write much/any next year, but I wanted to make sure I got this done. It's not edited or proof read beyond brief skims so sorry about that. It's also 17.2k so.
Warnings: Murder. Blood. Depiction of serial killer attacks. Discussion of scars and grief and fear.
Summary: The reader survives an attack by a known serial killer when they are in high school. Only the attacks start up again when they are older and in another state. Is it related to the first attacks? Is it a copy cat? And more importantly...is it someone the reader knows?
As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!
[gif is mine]
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You hadn’t been to many parties since you started high school, but the ones you had gone to had always gotten rowdy. Spilled out all over a house except for any rooms marked Occupied or Out of Bounds. The front and back yards would be covered in cans and bottles and cups. And quite a few people passed out.
This party might be in full swing, but it was nothing like the last parties you’d gone to. There were a lot of people, but everyone was squished into the basement den. A few went up into the kitchen in sets of two or three or more, but they all came right back after they got a refill or more snacks.
As it was, there were only about twenty people at this party. Once upon a time that’d be laughed at, considered a failure of a party, but this time? You were honestly surprised to see this many people at the graduation party most people had been looking forward to.
Why were things different this time? Simple. 
Over the last three weeks, seven people had been brutally murdered in your small, sleepy coastal town. Four teenagers, one parent, one police officer, and one unlucky Good Samaritan. Everyone said that nothing like this had ever happened here before and you believed it. It wasn’t a place where people left their doors unlocked, but murders? Multiple murders in just a few weeks? It was unheard of.
The media named the murderer the Seaside Slasher, but tonight everyone had his real name. He had been caught when he fled the scene of his last murder. No one recognized the name as being a local. As terrifying as it was that a random man had come to your town to brutally murder complete strangers, it didn’t matter. It was over. He was in jail.
Parents had reluctantly granted permission for the seniors to go to parties as a way to celebrate the upcoming graduation and a way to mourn the loss of their classmates. Your parents had been very hesitant to grant permission, but your older brother who had come to town made them agree that you deserved to let loose.
Not that this party was much of a way to do that. Music played so softly that you could barely hear it, teenagers sat around and talked quietly. You hadn’t expected a blowout or anything, but this felt more like study hall. 
You could either stay here and be reminded of the horrors of the last few weeks or you could go home and actually relax. It wasn’t a hard decision.
A quiet goodbye to your group of friends later, you went up the stairs and slipped your shoes on. You checked your purse for your things and then headed to the front door.
“Where you headed sweetie?”
You turned around and saw the mom of the student whose house you were in. You smiled as you hoisted your purse over your shoulder.
“I’m going to head home. My parents didn’t want me out for long with everything.”
The mom smiled, but you could tell it was with a heavy heart. She looked out the glass of the front door and frowned a bit.
“It’s late. Do you want me or my husband to drive you?”
That wasn’t a rare occurrence even without the murders still hanging over the heads of everyone, but you still shook your head.
“No, I live one street over, on Granite Avenue. It won’t take long.”
She laughed a bit as she reached out and touched my shoulder.
“I suppose I shouldn’t be so cautious. He was caught, wasn’t he? We’re safe now.”
“But it’s hard to switch gears that fast,” you added, since that’s exactly how your parents had worded it. She laughed as if you had read her mind, but you could see she was still a bit hesitant to let you walk. “I’ll call once I’m home. How’s that?”
With your friend’s mom placated, you headed out into the night air. It wasn’t overbearingly hot, even though summer was right at the cusp. Living this close to the coast meant there was also a little bit of a breeze though.
You walked down the street a few blocks before you cut across to your own street. There weren’t many sounds in the distance, just the sound of your feet on the asphalt, but you still felt the hair rise on the back of your neck the longer you were out. You sped up your pace until you could see your house clearly, the front porch light on to welcome you home.
Maybe your parents had the right idea to not want you to go out. It didn’t matter that you were safe, right then you felt like you were being hunted.
On the front porch you pulled out your key and let yourself in. There were no lights on upstairs or in the living room as you put your purse down and tugged off your shoes. You bypassed the stairs and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. With it in your hand, you took a few sips before you headed to the stairs that led down to the den where your brother was staying. There wasn’t an overhead light on but flickers from the television. He was probably awake though and you wanted to let someone know that you were home.
Down the stairs, you looked over to the couch and saw the back of your brother’s head as he was facing the television which was on the local news on mute. Right as you opened your mouth to say something to alert him to your presence, you saw what was on the television screen.
Captions ran across the bottom of the screen in a delay to the way the anchor’s mouth was moving, but you saw the picture in the corner of the screen and the tag under it.
SEASIDE SLASHER ESCAPED POLICE CUSTODY
“Oh god,” you whispered as you stared at the news footage. Somehow the murderer had gotten free and whereabouts were unknown. 
You needed to call your friend and let them know that you were home and also what had happened, in case they didn’t already know. You needed to wake your parents. You needed to…
“Jere?”
You whispered your brother’s name, not wanting to scare him, but he didn’t budge from watching the news. You flicked the light on which would have ordinarily caused him to at least jerk but he didn’t move still.
Unease filled you as you tiptoed across the carpet to the edge of the couch. As you peered around, multiple things happened at once.
The first was that you saw your brother, his eyes dull and face slack as blood oozed from his neck. He was propped up on the couch to look like he was still alive, but he very much wasn’t. 
The second was that crumpled on the floor in front of the couch, hidden from view at first, was your mom. Her face was upturned a bit, but had the same dull eyed look as your brother as she laid in a pool of blood that soaked into the thick carpet underfoot.
The third was that, from the corner of your eye, you saw something move in the reflection of the framed picture of your family that hung over the television. That split second heads up is what made you spin around only to be face to face with a masked murderer who held a bloodied knife in his hand.
The scream came out of you all at once, from the horror of seeing your murdered brother and sister to the terror of being face to face with their murderer. It all happened so quickly that you just screamed for it all as you immediately started to run. You tossed the glass of water you held at his face as you took off across the room.
It meant you had to run through the pool of blood and you felt your socks soak in some of it as you did, but you couldn’t focus on that. You couldn’t focus on the fact that you’d just run past the dead bodies of your loved ones. You could only focus on survival.
Another scream came out of your throat and you felt something slash against your shoulder. He had caught up to you. You bounced off the wall and then darted behind the couch, desperate to get to the stairs, but he was right on you. Your hand grasped a picture frame from the shelf nearest you and you spun around to slam it against his face as you scrambled, screaming as his knife cut into your stomach. You needed to put distance between you and him, needed to get up the stairs. Needed to…
Was your dad even alive? Maybe he had been killed too. Maybe there was no one in the house to hear you scream.
Your face was slammed against the corner of the wall near the stairs, another slash of the knife as it went across your shoulder blades. The den wasn’t large enough to run from him, nowhere to hide. You were going to be killed, you were going to be—
A thunderous noise came to your attention right before someone came down the stairs and barreled into the body that was holding you against the wall, the knife carving against your back and the back of your arm as he was ripped away. You screamed as you spun around, but you watched as your dad wrestled the masked man to the floor and ripped the knife from his hands. Even though the other man fought back, your dad had something to help him.
Cuffs. He was in his police uniform so he must have just gotten home and heard your screams. 
As your heart stopped pounding in your ears you heard your dad’s voice break through the fog.
“–911, okay? You need to call 911!” 
You stumbled over to the landline that was kept in the den, your feet screaming as you did, but you didn’t focus on that. Just on getting to the phone. Hitting the 9 then the 1 then the 1 again. Then you slumped against the ground as a voice came across to ask what was your emergency.
“Please,” you begged softly as your eyes went to the dead bodies that you could clearly see, your eyes welling up with tears as you felt nausea roll through you. “Oh god, please just…please.”
A bloodied hand entered your vision and you screamed, but your dad bent down so that you could see his face.
“Give me the phone sweetheart, let me,” he said, tears in his eyes. 
You must have given it to him. Or maybe he just took it from you. Either way, you watched as he walked back to where he had tackled the masked man as he spoke quickly into the phone. He stumbled over to the body of your mom and knelt down, those tears now pouring over his cheeks. You couldn’t hear his words, but you closed your eyes so you couldn’t see it anymore. 
Everything hurt. Your feet from walking through broken glass, either from your water that you’d thrown or the picture you’d smashed against his face. Your back from the multiple knife slashes. Your stomach from the knife. Both of your arms from the knife. Your head from being bashed into the wall.
Your heart. That’s what hurt worse. 
“You sure this is what you want?”
You looked over at your dad and then back down to the papers in your hands. It listed the information about your dorm room assignment and orientation. You were about 30 miles away from the city but your dad was finally asking the question you knew had been on the tip of his tongue since you had told him that you had gotten into NYU.
“Little late to change my mind, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. I’ll turn this car around right now if you ask me to.”
You knew he would, but you didn’t want him to.
At one point you had contemplated going to a college closer to home, maybe driving in to see your parents every now and then. Maybe you’d go to your brother’s college. Then…
“This is what I want,” you said softly as you looked out of the window to the cars that were all heading the same direction.
“Okay sweetheart,” your dad replied equally softly. “You know I’ll worry about you in a city like New York, but I can’t fault you for wanting to get as far away as you can.”
Your arms subconsciously came around your stomach, fingers searching out the rigid raised scar that stretched beside your naval almost to your side.
“Bad things happen in the city, but bad things happen in small towns too,” you reminded your dad, as if he ever needed a reminder. 
As if he hadn’t nailed the door to the den shut the day of the funeral.
“Maybe I’ll move out this way too,” he said instead of addressing your comment. “Less travel so we can see each other.”
Normally the thought of a parent moving to be closer to where you were going to college would seem embarrassing or ridiculous. This time it sounded like a good idea.
“Maybe you should,” you replied as you looked over at your dad, the bags under his eyes and the gray that seemed to sprout up in the last six months. “I think that would be a good idea.”
Your roommate was out at another party, but you didn’t mind. You’d gotten used to the solitude, even surrounded by people as you were in New York.
Instead you stared at the computer screen where you had been doing homework. An email had come into your personal box and desperate for a change in pace, you’d opened it. Now you were unable to look away.
A news alert. You’d set it up before you left for college, although this was the first alert you’d gotten. The article was short and to the point, but you kept staring at the headline.
SEASIDE SLASHER SENTENCED TO DEATH
Your phone rang as you read the words again and you answered without looking at the caller ID. You already knew who it was.
“Did you see–”
“Yes,” you said quickly, cutting your dad off. “Yeah, I’m looking at it now.”
Both of you sat in silence on the phone for a few more minutes, neither of you sure what to say at first.
“It’ll be years before it’s actually carried out,” your dad said finally. “These things go through certain stages and he can appeal but, it’s not like there’s much chance of him winning. Justice will be served.”
You closed your eyes and flipped through memories of that night like a flipbook. You felt the horror and terror and pain flow through you all over again.
“Good.”
“You’ll never guess who I saw earlier,” your friend Karen said as she flopped down onto your couch. “Never in a million years guess.”
“Frank Castle,” you teased back, not needing to guess. 
Her laughter was a good enough answer to tell you that you were right. You laughed as you spun around in your desk chair to look at her.
“And? Did he ask you out or are you continuing to pretend not to like him?”
This was a pretty common sight in your tiny little apartment. You and Karen had met in college and stayed friends even with both of you having hectic lives. Now, out in the real world as it was, you two still hung out a few times a week. To the point where you each had keys to the other’s places.
“He asked me out.”
You let out a whoop and pumped your fist in the air. 
“Knew he had it in him!”
“Oh shut up,” she laughed even as she got a starry look in her eyes. “I think I’ve led him on quite a chase already.”
Those two had circled each other for a while, neither one relenting at first even though it was obvious they both liked each other. You were almost annoyed at how perfect they were for each other.
“He said he has this friend named Kevin. He wanted to know if…”
You weren’t sure why Karen had trailed off until you realized you were frowning. 
“No blind dates,” you said as you spun back around to your computer. “I appreciate it and all, but I’m fine.”
Your hand went down to your stomach and traced the ridge of the scar in a familiar fashion. You knew without looking that Karen had caught the gesture.
“I know that your first time ended badly, but not every guy is going to…”
She trailed off but you turned to look at her.
“To what, freak out when he sees me naked because I look like someone tried to unsuccessfully gut me like a fish?”
Your college boyfriend had been surprised when he’d seen you without a shirt on, but that wasn’t what had ruined the mood. Even when he’d seen the scars on your back or your arms, he would still have been willing to go further, but it was you that stopped it.
Simply because he had asked “what happened?” As if that wasn’t a reasonable question at that moment.
“I know that you don’t like talking about what happened,” Karen started softly, and then a little more forceful when you scoffed, “but you can’t keep going like this. You rarely leave your apartment unless it’s to come to mine, you never date because you don’t want to talk to anyone about what happened, you only ever talk to me or your dad. It’s not healthy.”
The hand that had pressed against the scar reached up to work the mouse on your computer, although your eyes were unfocused as your mind replayed Karen’s words over and over again.
“Have you thought about going back to a counselor?”
You shook the mouse to make the screensaver go away.
“The last one looked freaked out when I tried to explain what happened. Hard to go back to one after that.”
Karen was one of the only people in the city that knew what had happened to you. It had happened one night about two years into being friends when the two of you had gone out drinking. You’d gotten spooked by someone wearing a ski mask, even though it was winter and obviously cold outside. Karen had found you having a panic attack in the bathroom and everything had just flowed out of you.
She was a great friend, your best friend. That was the only reason you didn’t kick her out of your apartment as she pushed for you to better yourself.
Except you didn’t want to keep having this conversation, so you opened your mouth to change topic but your cell ringing stopped you. Your dad’s picture showed up so you answered it with a smile.
“Hey dad.”
“Hey sweetheart,” he started, his voice slow and careful. “What are you up to?”
“Just sitting at my apartment with Karen,” you said as you turned back to Karen who called out a hello to your dad as she picked up a magazine off your coffee table. “What’s up?”
It took a moment before he answered.
“Have you been watching the news?”
Both you and your dad lived in New York, although he was a ways away from the city, but you knew he didn’t mean the local news. Not even state news. There was something in his voice that told you he meant the news back home.
“No,” you said as you turned to your computer and typed in a search. “I turned off my alerts a while back. Why, what…oh.”
The headline was the first one that popped up, sixteen hours old.
SEASIDE SLASHER EXECUTED
The article wasn’t very long, but you read through it twice just in case. Pretty to the point. No stay of execution was ordered, so the execution had been scheduled. Some of the family members of the victims were present, noticeably absent was the family of the last victims but you and your dad’s names weren’t listed at least. His last words were quoted near the bottom of the article.
“You have no idea. I’ll be back.”
You closed your eyes and took a few breaths until you were regulated once more. When you opened your eyes, Karen was standing beside you and obviously reading the screen because her hand went to your shoulder to give you an encouraging squeeze.
“I guess it’s over,” you said as you covered her hand with yours.
“I guess so,” your dad said back.
For some reason, neither of you sounded convinced.
It had been Frank’s idea to leave the city for a few days. While his reasoning was different from yours, you had to admit that you weren’t against the idea. It was around Halloween and while that holiday had not always been an issue for you, sometime over the last few years you just started to react differently. 
Even though the man that had killed multiple people in your town, including your mom and brother, had been executed a few years ago, you still felt like you couldn’t fully breathe and be at ease. You didn’t know how to explain it, but that’s just how you felt. Halloween in the city meant seeing people dressed in costumes and a majority of that wasn’t a problem. It just put you more on edge.
Not that your apartment ever got trick or treaters.Still.
“My friend is gonna come out to join us,” Frank said as he carried your bags into the little cabin. “Before you say anything, it’s not a setup kind of thing. Billy is just like a brother to me, I want him to meet the girl that’s like a sister to Karen.”
“Karen already told me. Plus I’ve heard a lot about this Billy guy over the years, it’d be nice to actually meet him.”
Frank was a great guy and had been great to Karen since the two of them had gotten their shit together to start dating. You hadn’t known that Frank was military when the two of them first met, but they made it work. In fact you couldn’t think of any couple that was as in love as the two of them.
So no, you knew that Frank wasn’t the type to try to push a blind date on you. You’d heard a hundred stories about Billy Russo but whenever they were back in the city, you weren’t able to meet up. Sometimes it was for legitimate reasons, deadlines for work or that one memorable Thanksgiving you had the stomach flu. Sometimes it was just because your anxiety and fear had gotten triggered by other situations and you couldn’t leave your house.
This was good though. You were out in the world which always made Karen happy, you were going to meet Frank’s best friend which would make him happy, and you were secluded from any potential jumpscares that Halloween might provide which made you happy. It was a win-win-win. 
Two frozen pizzas were popped into the oven and the three of you settled into the living room to watch a movie. Frank got updates from Billy on his own travel out from the city to a remote cabin that you all had rented for the long weekend. When you’d asked why he hadn’t met up with you all to head out together, Frank revealed that Billy liked to do things on his own.
You understood that. 
The movie was some actiony Blockbuster that you only vaguely recognized the name of, but it wasn’t really meant to keep everyone’s attention. It was more background noise while the three of you talked. Karen was in the middle of a story from her work at the law office when what sounded like a car pulling up had all of you looking over to the door.
“Bill said he still had an hour left,” Frank said as he checked his phone again. Then he stood up and approached the door and looked through the glass. “Huh. I don’t see a car besides ours.”
Karen frowned and got up to move over to the large glass windows that you had pulled the curtains closed on. She opened them just a bit and looked around.
“Think they drove around to the back? The driveway wraps around the house.”
Frank walked out of the living room and into the kitchen to check back there, but called that there wasn’t a car there either. 
“Maybe someone just turned around in the driveway and was gone before you got up?” you offered as you tried not to let yourself get swept away in worry and fear.
“That…is a good possibility,” Karen agreed as she let go of the curtains and moved to sit next to you once more. “Out here away from the city you can hear everything like that. It didn’t sound too close, now that I’m thinking about it.”
Frank came back into the living room with another piece of pizza halfway eaten already as he nodded in agreement. He sat down on the chair closest to the television and put his feet back up on the coffee table.
“I always forget you both are from small towns,” he said as he wiped his hands on a napkin before he crumpled it and tossed it with the rest of the dinner’s debris on the coffee table. “I’m used to cities.”
You stretched your legs out and then moved so that you were sitting criss cross on the couch cushion.
“My town was tiny. The kind of place where everyone knew everyone, secrets were nearly impossible to have, people felt comfortable going to anyone’s house and asking for something if they needed it. It was…it was a great place to grow up.”
You waved off Frank’s look of concern with a small laugh.
“It’s okay, I’m okay. The last therapist said that I needed to get better about talking about the good things from my past. It wasn’t all…bad.”
Karen reached over and squeezed your hand in support which just made your chest swell with a bitter happiness. How bad off were you that you could be praised for doing something as simple as talking about the good days of your past?
Knock knock.
All three of you looked over at the door. Frank glanced over at his phone once more and then stood up. He went to the door and looked out of the small window, but didn’t seem to see anyone. When his hand went to the bolt, you opened your mouth but immediately closed it.
This was just a normal situation. It wasn’t anything to get worked up about. If you gave into your fear every time something happened that was out of your hands, you’d never get to have a normal life.
He opened the door just a few inches and looked out, the light from the house flooding out onto the porch. He flicked on the overhead light but didn’t open the glass door to step out and check.
Tap tap tap.
All of you looked over to the window that was in front of you, angled so that someone standing in front of it wouldn’t be visible from the front door. You opened your mouth and looked over at Karen who was frowning. Frank held a hand out, but Karen stood up and marched over to the window. She didn’t pull the curtains wide, but she didn’t have to. The moment she pulled them even partially open, the sight made her scream and jump backwards.
There was someone just outside of the window dressed in a black hoodie with a Halloween mask on their face. You recognized the mask from some horror film or other that had come out years and years ago, but that didn’t really click. Instead you found yourself staring at the mask, mouth open as if to scream, but nothing coming out.
Things happened very quickly after that. Karen had turned to Frank who was already out of the house in the blink of an eye. You were up and launching yourself to the kitchen, hands fumbling as you pulled open drawer after drawer before you found the knives. You grabbed the largest one and swung around, but then you jumped back as you saw the person with the mask was in the living room.
Except the mask was in his hand and you recognized him. It was Frank’s friend Billy. Frank’s friend Billy who was being yelled at by Karen as she yanked the mask out of his hand.
Your body was still in fight or flight, the knife held aloft as if to ward off anyone from coming closer. When someone did move closer to you, you recognized that it was Frank but still couldn’t lower your arm. You heard your name being called, heard Karen say your name as well, but you still couldn’t move. 
You were safe as long as you stayed right where you were. Your back was to a solid wall, the knife was in front of you. You would be safe, you would be…
“It’s alright, you’re alright,” a voice softly called to you from your left. You turned your head and saw Karen, a few feet away with her hands up, her face paler than you’d ever seen it. “It was just a mistake, a stupid prank. Everything is okay.”
Your eyes looked past Karen and Frank to where Billy stood, his eyes wide as he stared back at you. He raised his hands slowly and showed his palms. Then he spoke, or maybe just mouthed the words.
You are safe.
Safe. You shut your eyes for a moment and then when you opened them back up, the haze you had gone under when everything had happened was lifted. You dropped the knife and shrank back into the wall so that you wouldn’t crumple. 
“Oh god,” you whimpered as you looked over at Karen, “I’m sorry. I didn’t hurt anyone, did I?”
“No, of course not,” Frank answered as he grabbed the knife and put it on the counter. 
Karen swooshed in and wrapped you in a hug. You held on as tight as you could and buried your face in her shoulder. You weren’t crying, no tears and no body wracking sobs. Just shook as adrenaline fled your body.
“I am so sorry,” a new voice said a few feet away. When you glanced up, you met Billy’s dark eyes as he stared at you and Karen. “I didn’t…I didn’t know. I thought it would be a funny prank, I didn’t know.”
Didn’t know what? You remembered seeing Karen yell at him as she pulled the mask from his hand and you assumed that maybe she had said something. Something to let him know that he just traumatized you a bit.
You sniffled and pulled away from Karen. Then you stepped a little closer to Billy.
“We haven’t been formally introduced. Hi, I’m…a survivor of a masked serial killer.”
Billy let out a shocked laugh and held his hand out to you.
“Nice to meet you.”
Karen and Frank had gone to bed around midnight and although you should have done the same, you found yourself still sitting in the living room with Billy at almost two in the morning. Once everything had settled down and Billy had apologized again for scaring you, you all had gone into the living room to talk and try to recoup from the events that had happened. 
Once the couple had gone to bed, the comfortable silence had made you say something you hadn’t expected.
“It was my senior year. In total, nine people were killed. Including my mom and my brother. I think I was going to be number ten if my dad hadn’t arrived.”
With that, you spilled the whole story in a way you’d only done with Karen and with a few therapists. You told Billy everything that had happened and how it made you feel. 
“I don’t leave my apartment much,” you admitted as you stared down at where your fingers were picking at the thread on the blanket over your lap. “Karen has helped a lot with that, and Frank too now. They help me get out and feel…safe. Halloween is a hard time because of the masks. It’s like I go right back to the den that night, feel like I’m going to die.”
“I’m really sorry about everything. I had no idea.”
“I know,” you whispered softly as you looked over to where Billy was watching you. “To be honest, that’s the scariest thing that’s happened to me since…since the attack. As messed up as it is, I think…I think it helped me.”
Billy tilted his head to show that he was listening, but he didn’t say anything. As if he knew him speaking would make you not say what was on your mind.
“I’ve been in a holding pattern since it all happened. I moved to the city for college and then I got an apartment and a job and somewhat of a life, but there’s a part of me that never left my hometown. A part of me that is still running around that room, thinking I was going to die. Tonight, when I was scared for my life again, I didn’t run. Or well, I did, but I was going to fight. I was going to…I wasn’t going to be caught unprepared again. I was going to fight.”
You bit your bottom lip as you looked down at your hands. Then slowly you grabbed your shirt and pulled up the hem to show your scar. It was the first time you’d voluntarily shown anyone besides doctors or Karen.
“This is just one of them, but...I was always ashamed. That I came out of that terrible night with just some scars. It never felt right that I was alive with just scars, when everyone else was gone.”
Billy’s eyes had moved down to the scar along your stomach, but the way they lingered didn’t make you feel hideous or like he thought you were a freak. In fact, the way his eyes moved along the skin made butterflies appear in your stomach.
“Survivor’s guilt is a difficult thing,” he said as he finally raised his eyes to meet yours. “You have that fear, but you also feel guilty. Like you shouldn’t get to be carefree because you don’t think you should have survived.”
You lowered your shirt and thought about that, let it sit for a while. Then you closed your eyes and laughed.
“Six therapists. I’ve seen six therapists and no one has put it so perfectly.”
Billy leaned his head back against the couch for a moment and then looked over at you.
“Every tour that Frankie and I do, I always tell myself that I probably won’t make it back. I make smart decisions and I do what I can to survive, but I accepted a long time ago that no one would notice if I was gone.”
“Frank would,” you said softly, your eyes darting over to the hallway where Karen and Frank’s room was. “He said that you’re like a brother to him.”
When you looked back at Billy, he was staring at you with an emotion you couldn’t name.
“The guy. What happened to him?”
The jump from topics made you confused for a moment before you shook your head to clear it a bit.
“He was sentenced to death and a few years ago, he was executed.”
Billy nodded as he stood up, stretching a bit until his back popped.
“Good. That’s…good.”
He moved into the kitchen and you didn’t follow or try to speak to him while he was in there. You had a feeling that Billy was going through his own journey with the things that weighed on him, but you weren’t going to push.
When he came back into the living room, he gestured to the hall.
“Should probably head to bed. It’s late.”
You nodded and stood up. To extend the time with Billy, you grabbed the trash from the coffee table and moved into the kitchen to throw it away. When you opened the trash can, you stared down at the mask that had started it all.
“Here,” Billy said as he took the trash from you and pushed it into the can, burying the mask completely. “Like it never happened.”
You glanced up at Billy’s face and then nodded, even though you knew that wasn’t what you felt like at all. Just like you had said to Billy, you felt like the whole ordeal pushed you into the healing part of your journey. Now you honestly felt like you could breathe again.
It had been a long time coming, but you were starting to feel whole once more.
“I have a box of picture frames. Where do you want it?”
Karen looked over at you and then glanced at the messy living room. 
“Put them on the coffee table for now? Honestly I have no idea what I want to do with this place.”
You laughed when you placed the heavy box on the coffee table. Honestly you didn’t blame Karen for being a bit overwhelmed. Frank and Billy and Curtis had moved the furniture into the house over the weekend so you and Karen took it on yourself to unpack as much as you could.
Karen and Frank’s new house was very nice and as everything was unloaded, it slowly became more and more like a home. You were happy for the two of them, even if you were a little envious.
Since that Halloween cabin trip, you had made a lot of strides with getting over your past. Even so, you were just starting to get your life back together.
Including going on a few dates over the last few weeks. Still nothing serious, but casual dating isn’t bad every now and then. 
As you unpacked books for the bookshelf, you let your mind wander to Billy. Since that trip, all of you had gotten together a few times for other trips or just for a meal and a laugh. When Frank and Billy were deployed again, you and Karen sent care packages and kept in touch with them. It felt natural. 
Karen got your attention as she came through with a box.
“I’m taking these clothes upstairs. Wanna stop for lunch soon?”
You agreed as you broke down the box you had been pulling stuff out of for the bookshelf. As you opened the next box, your phone started to ring in your pocket. When you looked at the screen, you saw Billy’s contact on there and answered immediately.
“Hey Billy,” you greeted as you started to pull the books out for the bookshelf.
When his voice came through, it was obvious he was calling from his car.
“Hey, uh, you and Karen unpacking?”
“Yeah, about to stop for lunch though. What’s up?”
He didn’t say anything at first which made you stop unloading the box. You stood up and turned as if you expected to see him behind you, even though you could still hear the car in the background.
“Have you seen the news? From your old town.”
Your chest felt like it became a bit too tight at those words. The last time you’d heard a version of that, it was your dad calling to tell you about the execution.
“No.”
He sighed a bit which made you tense to the point where you had to turn to sit down on the chair nearest you.
“There was an attack in your town two nights ago. From what I know, it was…your childhood home.”
There was a moment where you were really glad you sat down because otherwise you think your legs would have given out. As your mind swirled, you tried to think of what to ask first.
You knew that Billy had looked into your story after you told him about it. Hearing your version of events made him want to see it from start to finish so he’d looked it up. There was still a lot of information on it, including the lack of any real motive.
“An attack?”
“The police were called to the house when they heard screams. The mom and a son were on an overnight field trip so it was just the dad and daughter in the house. By the time they got there, the dad and daughter had both been brutally murdered.”
You closed your eyes and remembered what it felt like to have someone break into your house with the intention of killing you.
“They were found in the finished basement on the floor.”
Suddenly it felt like you couldn’t catch your breath. Your mouth went dry as you thought about stepping into the basement den and finding your mom and brother. The healed scars felt like they were bleeding and even though it was impossible, you still reached into your shirt to see if there was any blood from the scar.
Nothing.
“Did they find who did it?”
“They were gone, but there was a note stabbed to the door. It just had a date on it.”
“What date?”
When Billy said the date that was on the note, you half expected it to be the date you had been attacked, but it wasn’t. It was only from a few years ago, so you didn’t think it had anything to do with what had happened, just a coincidence.
Until…
“Wasn’t that the date he was executed?”
You closed your eyes as you realized that Billy was right. It had been a while since you’d thought about the date, but thinking about it you were pretty sure that Billy was right.
“His uh, his last words were that he’d be back.”
“That’s impossible. He’s dead, there’s no way he can be back.”
You almost laughed because yes, you knew that. You knew that it was impossible, but that’s what he said either way. Instead you felt tears start to gather in your eyes as you settled more into the chair.
“I’d come by but I’m out of town. Maybe stay with Karen and Frankie tonight, okay? Just…I don’t think you’re in danger, but I still don’t think you should be alone.”
You nodded and wiped at your eyes.
“Thanks Billy. I’ll talk to Karen when she comes downstairs. I’ll uh, I’ll talk to you later? Drive safely.”
“It’s all going to be okay. I promise.”
You hoped he was right but you didn’t know. Nothing felt right at the moment.
All you knew was as the call with Billy ended, you needed to call your dad to let him know about it. Once upon a time you thought that things were over, but not anymore. Now you were thinking things were just about to begin.
It was dark out as you made your way through the parking lot to where your car was parked. In the background you could hear your coworkers laughing as they headed to their own cars. A shouted invitation to join them at the bar came over, but you waved them off and promised next time.
Which you’d actually follow through with. It wasn’t like it had been before, where you kept to yourself at all times. You’d branched out, made friends, started working from the office just as much as you worked from home. You still kept certain things to yourself of course, a habit you were unable to break anytime soon, but you opened yourself up to people.
The car chirped as you unlocked it and slid into the front seat, immediately locking the doors again. As you started the car, you noticed something on your windshield. A folded piece of paper tucked under your windshield wiper. 
Carefully you leaned forward and leaned out of the window to pull the paper out of the wiper. It came free after a tug. Once settled back in the seat, you rolled the window back up and looked at the paper. You unfolded it and stared at it.
Did you miss me?
Your hands shook as you dropped the paper into your passenger seat. Then, without hesitation, you started towards the entrance to the parking lot. Your headlights went across someone in the distance but you didn’t even focus on them, just stepped on the gas to get out of the parking lot.
The person didn’t move at least, seen from the corner of your eye as you sped out. It was possible it wasn’t anyone to worry about, someone from the office or just someone passing by. 
As you headed to the freeway, you connected your bluetooth and dialed Karen’s number. It went to voicemail and you swore as you hung up. You were about to call her again when you hesitated. 
For some reason, you wanted to call Billy. So that’s what you did.
He answered after a few rings.
“Hey, what’s up? Leaving work?”
Your hands shook a bit as you navigated through the traffic on the street.
“I came out of work and there was a note on my windshield.”
“Okay. Did you…”
“I grabbed it,” you admitted as you drove around a slow driver in the fast lane. “I realize now that I shouldn’t have, that it could have been…but I grabbed it.”
“It sounds like you’re driving so at least nothing happened. What did it say?”
You glanced down at the paper in your passenger seat and then immediately back up to the road. 
“Did you miss me?”
“Fuck,” Billy breathed out, the connection distorting a bit from the force. “This isn’t good. I thought that whoever it was wouldn’t come all this way, but it sounds like maybe he did. Maybe you’re a target.”
Your chest felt tight as you pulled onto the street where you lived.
“I need to call to check on my dad. I’m almost home so I’ll call him when I get inside.”
“You don’t need to go to your place, not alone. Do you think Karen is home yet?”
“I tried to call Karen first,” you said as you drove past your house, your eyes on your rearview mirror just to check. “She didn’t answer so I called you.”
“That’s okay, never hesitate to call me if you need me. But for now, come to Anvil. Frank is there, I’ll let him know what’s going on. We’re gonna make sure you’re never alone until this guy is caught, okay?”
You nodded even though he couldn’t see you. You knew the way to Anvil easily enough, but that didn’t stop your heart from thudding in your chest. Whether this guy was connected to the man who had done the original attacks or it was a copycat, it didn’t matter. Right now all that mattered was that you could be in danger.
“I need to call my dad,” you said again.
“I know, but stay on the phone with me for right now, okay? I don’t want something to happen to you while you’re out.”
You wished that you could close your eyes or burrow into yourself, but you had to focus on the road. Instead you lowered your voice a bit.
“I’m scared Billy.”
His sigh came through the phone so clear that it felt like he was in the car with you.
“I know. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
He couldn’t promise that, not really, but you didn’t say that. Instead you simply listened to the ambient noise of the connection all the way to Anvil. 
Your dad’s cell phone rang to the voicemail twice, but you didn’t stop. As you clicked it again, you looked over to where Frank and Billy were talking. Billy had gotten to Anvil a little bit before you did and had filled Frank in by time you got there. The two of them were discussing a plan, although you weren’t sure what for just yet.
All you cared about was getting in touch with your dad. He didn’t normally miss a call, not like this.
On the third time you called, the line was finally answered but it wasn’t your dad’s voice that greeted you.
“Hello?”
“Uh, hello...you have my dad’s phone. Who is this?”
The men turned to you when they heard what you had asked, both with concern on their faces.
“Hello miss. My name is Dr Roberts. Your father was brought in earlier this evening. He had been in a car accident.”
As he explained what had happened, you felt yourself sway. If you hadn’t already been sitting, you would have fallen over. Instead, as you were obviously struggling to focus on the words the doctor was saying, Frank came over and took the phone from you. He didn’t go far as he spoke, asking the questions you should have been asking.
“Hey. I’m right here.”
You blinked a few times and looked over to where Billy had knelt down in front of you, his hand in yours. You didn’t even notice him coming to your side or touching you. With a shake of your head, you looked over to where Frank was giving you a comforting head nod as he asked about hospital security.
“Oh god,” you breathed as you finally let yourself shake a bit. “My dad, he was in a car accident.”
“I know, but he’s okay. He’s in recovery and he’s going to be okay.”
Your eyes slammed shut as you tried to remember what the doctor had said before Frank had taken over.
“Earlier this evening. He had been in a car accident earlier this evening.”
Billy stared up at you. Then, with a glance over to Frank, he moved to sit next to you on the couch.
“He lives about thirty minutes away, right? Be enough time for the copycat to leave the note on your car and then go after your dad.”
Your hand contracted around Billy’s as you looked at the note that was on the table where you’d left it.
“There was someone in the parking lot when I got in the car. I didn’t see them very well, too far away and too desperate to leave. What if that was him? It’s not like he can be in two places at once.”
Saying that made your heart stutter in your chest as you remembered something. Something from so long ago that it had been buried.
“What is it?”
You looked over at Billy and then back to the note.
“The murders. The original murders. The only other night where two people died on the same night besides…” You let your words trail off, unable to mention your mom and brother right then. “It was never investigated and as much as I can remember, it was never talked about in the trial, but there had been speculation back then. The first murder that night was on the mainland and the second murder was on a little island. The newspapers said it should have been impossible for one person to cross that distance on the ferry in the time between murders, so they were looking for a boat that might have been used. But what if there wasn’t a boat? What if there were two murderers this whole time?”
Billy looked at the note and then over to Frank who was nodding as if he had heard. You caught a quick snippet of him telling the doctor that one of Anvil’s men would be there as soon as possible to provide extra security.
“If there were two murderers back then, then it isn’t a copycat. It’s a continuation.”
Your hands went around your stomach as if to hold you together, fingers seeking out those rigid scars under your top.
“Why me? Why my family? We never did anything to anyone.”
“It can be a fixation of finishing what was started. It can be the chase because you got away. Revenge because you got his partner killed. There’s a lot of reasons someone might keep going after you.”
You wanted to laugh, but the logic was important. You needed the reality of this before you lost yourself.
“I don’t know what to do,” you whispered as you stared down at your hands with tears in your eyes. “I want to see my dad.”
“We’ll take you,” Frank said as he passed you the phone, the screen showing the call had ended. “I’m going to pick up Karen and tell her what’s going on. Then we’ll take you to your dad.”
“Maybe we should wait,” Billy said as he stood up to face Frank. “Get Karen, get someone from Anvil to sit on her dad, but if we drag her out of the city, we can’t be sure that he won’t follow us and more people will get hurt. Here, we’re on our turf.”
As the men discussed the pros and cons of both plans, you let your hand go back to the scar. The fear that had gone through you that night in the basement den of your childhood home had started to come back, but as it rose, so did something else. A strength you never knew you had.
The strength to survive.
“I’m staying,” you said finally, cutting off their conversation. “If he wants to finish what he started, he can start with me. I’m not running again.”
Both men looked at you and you saw the pride in their eyes. Frank pulled out his phone.
“I’m going to get Karen. We’ll stick together. You and Bill should stick together too. We’ll come up with a plan to draw him out and we’ll end this.”
Your eyes went to Billy’s and found those dark eyes were already on yours.
“I’ll take you to my place. We’ll be safe there.”
This was it. The final standoff.
For years you’d thought you were safe, that the danger had been left behind you. Now, whatever happened, you knew it would really be over.
“Here, this will be more comfortable,” Billy explained as he handed you some of his clothes.
You hadn’t gone back to your place, unwilling to take the chance. Instead Billy had brought you straight to his over the top apartment and told you to make yourself at home.
You went into the bathroom to change, placing your clothes on the side of the sink where you could change back into them in the morning. As you stared at yourself in the mirror in Billy’s clothes, you felt your throat catch a bit.
Inch by inch you raised the shirt and looked at the scar on your stomach. Then, even though you had just put the shirt on, you pulled it off and held it to your chest as you turned. With your back facing the mirror, you looked over your shoulder and looked at the scars there.
You had felt the knife tear through your skin. The stitches hadn’t been nearly enough to keep the scars from being ugly, but you didn’t care anymore. Once upon a time they made you ashamed, but why should they? They meant you were a survivor.
A survivor.
“Hey, are you…”
Billy had knocked on the door and it came open fully since you hadn’t shut it all the way in your daze. He looked at your back in the mirror for a long moment before he met your eyes.
“Are you hungry? I was going to make dinner.”
You swallowed thickly as you looked down from his gaze in the mirror to the scars.
“They don’t bother you.”
It wasn’t asked, it was stated. When his gaze flickered away from the mirror, you turned to face him in the doorway. His eyes went down the scars on your stomach. The ones you had showed him that first night in the cabin after he had scared you. He walked towards you and reached out, slowly as if to let you move away if you wanted to.
You didn’t want to.
When those fingers touched your scar, you shivered but didn’t pull away. His eyes moved from the scar and landed on your face.
“We all have scars,” he said softly as his eyes dropped to your mouth. “Shows that you’re a survivor.”
A survivor. He had echoed the words you had thought right before he’d walked in.
“Billy,” you began but he shook his head.
“Later,” he promised as he leaned in and captured your lips with his.
Since you were going to ask if you could kiss him, you found yourself happy with this change of pace. The shirt was dropped to the floor. Chest bared, you leaned in and wrapped your arms around his neck to hold him closer. Even as his hand skimmed up your back and slowly touched the scars there, you didn’t pull away.
You were done pulling away.
Billy led you to the bedroom. As you pulled your pants and underwear off, Billy beat the record to pull his clothes off as well. His shirt was already on the floor and while he worked on his pants, you caught the scars on his shoulder and side. 
Your fingers went to the ones on his shoulder first, tracing over them. Then you touched the one low on his side.
“What are these from?”
Billy placed his hand over yours as you touched the one on his side.
“I’ll tell you all about them. After,” he added as he leaned in to kiss you again. 
You smiled against his lips, unable to help yourself. It wasn’t like you’d never thought about kissing Billy. In fact you’d thought about it a lot, even that first night when he’d scared you nearly to death. There had always been some sort of attraction between the two of you, something you never dwelled on because you hadn’t been interested in making things awkward between the two of you.
Although now you didn’t think that it would be very awkward. Something told you that Billy was just as interested as you were. 
Instead of focusing on the scars on either of you, you decided to focus on Billy and the way he was making you feel. 
There’d be time to talk later.
Billy wasn’t in the apartment when you woke up, but a note on the table said that he had to run to Anvil and would pick up breakfast on his way back. You had smiled at the note and folded it to put into your pocket. You were stupidly enamored by that man.
As you went over to the coffee pot that looked like it belonged in a spaceship, you heard your phone ring from your purse on the coffee table. With the reminder that your dad was in the hospital, you rushed over and grabbed it.
It was him. You immediately answered.
“Dad? Are you okay?”
“Hey kiddo,” your dad answered, his voice drowsy and laced with pain. “Finally awake enough to call. Wanted to hear your voice. The goon at the door said you’d called and talked to the doctor.”
“Dad.” Your voice broke as you slumped onto the couch. “Dad, you…do you remember what happened? Who did it?”
There was silence for a long moment before your dad sighed, the noise a bit strangled as he wheezed.
“I only saw him for a split second, but I’d recognize it anywhere. I thought I was seeing things.” You listened as he shifted, the bed crinkling him under him loud enough for you to hear over the phone. “He came by when I was in the car. I think he thought I was dead or maybe unconscious, but I heard his voice. I heard him tell me it was about time.”
You closed your eyes and wrapped your arms around you as tight as you could. 
“I had a letter on my windshield last night. It asked me if I missed him. I don’t think it’s a copycat dad. I think that he was involved in the original murders.”
The slow beeps from the phone was the only way you knew the call hadn’t failed. Then your dad finally spoke.
“I think you’re right. I don’t know why, but I agree.”
At least you were all on the same page with that.
Your phone buzzed with an incoming call and you checked it to see that it was Billy. After you told your dad you’d call him back in a bit, you switched over to talk to him.
“Hey, is everything okay at Anvil?”
“You’re still at the apartment, right? You didn’t leave.”
You looked around for some reason and then sat up a bit straighter.
“Yeah, I’m still here. What happened?”
There was a lot going on in the background in the call and you strained your ears enough to pick up a few words. By things you could hear, Billy was near a bunch of cops.
“There was another murder. Your next door neighbor, Melinda Geillis.”
You knew Melinda well enough, the two of you often talked in the elevators or hallway. You closed your eyes tightly and shook your head.
“Are we sure it was him?”
Billy said something quietly to someone nearby and then it was quiet on the other side of the phone.
“Her throat was slit and then she was dragged into your apartment and propped up on your couch like she was watching television.”
The memory of your brother’s body flashed before your eyes. Yeah, that was him. 
“There’s a note here too. It says ‘sorry I missed you’.”
You flinched at that. Then your hand went to your pocket where Billy’s note was. The feel of the paper comforted you a bit.
“Dad said he saw him, recognized the outfit from the night of the attack. He also said he heard his voice. The guy came by after the accident and was taunting my dad, either because he thought he was dead or thought he wouldn’t hear. He said it was about time.”
Billy swore through his teeth. You could almost picture his face as he absorbed that information.
“We’re gonna catch this guy, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you or to your dad. Not again.”
You let out a breath and then slumped against the couch a bit.
“How’d you find out anyway? I mean, if it was in my apartment, you’d think I would have heard about it first.”
“I was driving by and saw the police presence,” Billy explained softly as someone came through the room he was in, talking about taking pictures. “I asked what happened and they let me know. I’ve worked with enough local law enforcement so they let me up. The detective in charge is going to call you, but…I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
You laughed a bit as you reached up to rub at your eyes.
“Thank you Billy. Really.”
“I’ll come pick you up and bring you to the station so we can coordinate with the locals. Just stay inside and keep the door locked, okay? There’s a spare gun in the safe; the combination is 7895.”
You looked over at the safe, but didn’t make moves to go get it. You weren’t big on guns.
“I’ll see you shortly Billy. Thanks again.”
When the call was over, you leaned back and wrapped your arms around your legs. It had been such a long morning already and you’d only been awake for an hour. 
At some point this would be over, wouldn’t it? One way or another.
The police station wasn’t a place you’d spent a lot of time since you’d come to the city. Once upon a time, in the little seaside town you’d grown up in, you’d been in the police station a lot. Not for any nefarious reasons of course, simply because your dad had worked for the force. You’d gotten comfortable in police stations.
Now though? You had to admit that you were very uneasy. It wasn’t the people themselves of course, they were just your run of the mill law enforcement officers. No, you were uneasy because of the reason you were there.
Billy had suggested that you not see the pictures from the crime scene, but you reminded him that you had lived through it once. 
It was like seeing a ghost. Your neighbor’s body was propped up in a mirror of your brother’s, down to the television being on in front of her and playing the news. You tried not to stare into her lifeless eyes, but in the close up picture your only other option was to look at the gash across her neck.
There had been a struggle. She had fought hard.
After some questions and rehashing the details with the police, you were led to the front lobby to leave, but Billy doubled back to coordinate coverage at your dad’s hospital room. While he did that, you called your dad to let him know what was going on.
“You gotta leave the city,” your dad said sternly. “I don’t want to lose you. You need to leave, you need to get somewhere this maniac will never find you.”
“Dad, I can’t leave. Look what happened when I stayed somewhere else for one night? Who knows what will happen if–”
“Hey, they said we can head out whenever,” Billy called as he approached. He nodded to where your phone was against your ear, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just my dad. Hey dad, I’ve got to–”
Your name from your dad made you pause what you were saying, only slightly annoyed by being interrupted again. Something in your dad’s voice made you stop speaking, stop breathing. There was terror in his voice.
“Who is that? With you right now. Who is with you?”
You looked over at Billy who was frowning in concern.
“It’s my friend Billy, the one I’ve told you about? He’s the one that brought me to the police station after what happened at my apartment.”
There was a long pause that made you a little antsy.
“You need to get away from him right now. You need to get out of there. Immediately.”
“Dad–”
“Stop. Don’t let him know, but leave. Go back into the station, stay with them. Get away from him. That’s the voice I heard after my accident.”
You swallowed thickly as you heard those words, your eyes going from Billy to the door he had just come through. You could see police officers moving around through the glass door. From the peripheral you could see Billy watching you, barely making out the concern still on his face as you stood a little straighter.
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t be one hundred percent sure, not over a phone, but it sounds just like him. Please, get away from him.”
With your eyes closed, you listened to your dad plead with you while you remembered the way that Billy had touched you the night before. Was it possible? Was it possible that Billy was this person that was tormenting you? Killing people?
The things you knew about Billy told you that anything was possible. 
You nodded and then made a noise like you were listening to your dad as you reached and patted yourself, as if looking for something.
“Billy, can you check and see if I left my wallet in the interview room,” you said with a glance over at him. “I don’t want to see the pictures again but I think I left my wallet in there.”
“Sure,” he said with a nod and a brief touch to your arm.
When he disappeared behind the door to head back to the interview room, you grabbed your wallet out of your pocket and nearly ran from the police station. On the road you found a cab that was thankfully letting someone out of the door at the same time that you’d gotten there, so you simply slid right in. Then you thought about where to go.
After you gave the address to the hospital your dad was at, you glanced over your shoulder to the door of the police station. Right as the cab started to pull away from the curb, you saw Billy step out and look around. You didn’t know if he saw you or not, but you settled back into your seat and let out a sigh.
“I’m headed to you dad,” you said softly. “I don’t know if you’re right, I don’t see how Billy could…but I’m on my way.”
You had no idea how to explain what your dad may or may not have heard. You couldn’t imagine that Billy was the one that had done those things. How would he have even been involved?
But you remembered that every time something had happened, Billy had been gone. He’d been on the road after the attacks back home, he’d been out when the note had been left on your car and your dad had been hit, he’d been out when your neighbor was attacked.
Was it possible that billy wasn’t who you thought he was? Was it possible that you’d slept with someone you shouldn’t have trusted?
The mere thought made your stomach turn.
The officer at the door was a bit confused when you told him not to let an Anvil employee watch the door alone, but he reluctantly agreed without you explaining why. He was agreeable otherwise.
Your dad looked rough, but he smiled tightly when you came into the room. His eyes cut to the door and then back to you as you shut it behind you.
“His men were out there, weren’t they? Are they still?”
“Not right now,” you said as you went over to his side to grab his hand. “I still don’t know for sure, but if that’s what you heard, then I have to trust you.”
Your dad winced as he leaned closer to you, his hand tight on yours. 
“We can’t stay here. From what I’ve been able to tell, he has a lot of pull with the locals.”
“Dad, you can’t go anywhere. Look at you, you’re barely able to sit up right now. I can’t lug you around, I’m not strong enough for that.”
Your dad closed his eyes and nodded slowly. 
“So you need to go somewhere else. Somewhere without telling anyone. Once you’re gone, I’ll talk to a detective about my theory and we’ll have him looked into.”
You shook your head as he spoke.
“No, I can’t leave without you,” you cried as you hugged him, gently to keep from hurting him. “If something happened to you while I was gone, it would kill me. I can’t lose you.”
“I’ll be safe here until I’m able to get out myself. I’ll call a friend to come sit with me for a while. You’re my only concern, you’re my priority.”
You wiped your tears off your cheeks as you pulled back a bit. With a sniffle you glanced over at the door to see the back of the cop’s head as he pulled his phone to his ear. As he nodded and looked over his shoulder at you, you felt something cold wash over you.
“I have to go now. I think Billy’s trying to find out if I’m here.”
“Then go sweetheart. Do you remember the plan for Tallahassee?”
The codeword made you shake a bit. It was picked after your mom and brother had been killed as it’s where your mom had originally been from. If something ever happened and you and your dad had to run off, you’d go to a location that was a secret between the two of you. Far away from Tallahassee, but it was a word that could be used even in front of others without being discovered.
You really hoped you never had to use it.
“One week and then I’ll head to Tallahassee,” you said as you stood up and wiped tears from your eyes again. “Then when you’re better, you can join me.”
“One week for us both, whether or not I’m feeling better.” 
The old man was stubborn. You laughed a bit as you leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Then the forehead.
“I love you dad,” you said as you placed another kiss on his forehead.
“I love you too kiddo,” he repeated as he squeezed your hand. “Go. Get out of here and be safe.”
That’s all that there was to it. And now you needed to figure out where to go to wait out the week.
You’d need to stop at some ATMs to get money out so that you wouldn’t leave a trail. Something told you that Billy would use whatever resources he had to find you and you weren’t going to give him that chance.
The man at the front desk of the motel didn’t even look at your ID or anything else as you pushed the cash over for the week. He simply counted the bills and then handed you the key.
“Ice machine doesn’t work, vending machines are on the first floor, pool is closed for now.”
You tucked the rest of your money into your waller and palmed the key, mumbling a thanks to him as you turned and walked out of the office. Your room was on the second floor so you made it up the stairs with the crinkle of the grocery bags you carried your freshly bought clothes in. At room 17, you put the key into the lock and turned it. It stuck a bit but came open after that.
“Home sweet home,” you muttered as you dropped the grocery bags onto the bed. 
You’d bought some clothes and some other necessities on your way out of the city. Here you were, about six hours from the city, settling into a motel that didn’t even have a sign to tell you the name.
At some point you’d need to go to the vending machines and get a few snacks. Maybe try to find a local grocery store where you could get some nonperishable items. There was a microwave in the room and a mini-fridge. More like a mini-mini-fridge, but whatever.
You felt naked without your cell phone, but you definitely knew that you could be tracked with that, so you’d left it at the hospital. 
With a sigh you sat on the bed and grimaced a bit at the hardness of the mattress. Not exactly comfortable, but you’d make do. If it meant not losing your life, you’d lose some comfort. The remote was next to the bed so you grabbed it and turned the television on, turning the volume down a good deal just in case. You never trusted these places. 
One channel surf later you landed on the news. It touched on a bunch of national stuff before it narrowed in to local and you waited to see if anything would come up about the killer. It never came.
After the news cycled over to some infomercials, you grabbed some money and left your room, locking it behind you. You checked your surroundings carefully before you headed down the stairs to the vending machine.
There were only about five cars in the parking lot besides yours. You looked over each and tried to commit them to memory before you stepped into the alcove where the vending machines were. You grabbed a bottle of water and an energy drink from one and then some chips and some chocolate from the other. Hands full, you stepped out of the alcove and looked around on your way to the stairs.
Six cars.
You stopped where you were and stared at the new car, a nondescript dark colored sedan. Between the distance and the darkness, you couldn’t tell if there was anyone in the car. They were parked in front of the office though, so it was possible that it was another person here just to get a room. It wasn’t far off the beaten track from the interstate so maybe they found it the same way you did.
With a deep inhale, you held your breath and ran up the stairs. You had to juggle the items in your hands to get your key back out and back into the room. It didn’t stick this time so you were able to get in and shut it behind you in mere seconds, locking it and the chain behind you.
Then you pulled the chair from the corner and pushed it in front of the door.
Once that was done you put your items down on the dresser and moved further into the room. The bathroom was open so you could see into it clearly, but you turned on the light and looked around just in case. Even checked behind the shower curtain. Then you checked the half closet which wasn’t really big enough to hold a grown man.
You looked under the bed but there was a trundle bed so not enough room for someone to fit.
Satisfied that the room was empty besides yourself, you went over to the window and peered out. The angle you had didn’t allow you to see much, but you could see your car at least. 
Tomorrow you’d head out to a nearby grocery or convenience store to get what you needed for the rest of the week. Once you were through the week and could head to the meeting place with your dad, things would be fine. You’d be safe again.
You still couldn’t believe that Billy was the one doing this to you. Part of you refused to believe it, the part that had had sex with him and laid in his arms the whole night. The rest of you had more questions than you had answers and when faced with the unknown, you had to rely on what you could put together. Your dad had said he couldn’t be certain but felt it was a close enough similarity to demand you leave and save yourself.
That night when you curled up on the hard as hell mattress, the thin blanket pulled over your body and the television providing light into the room, you weren’t sure you’d ever fall asleep. Not with how your brain was on turbo mode.
But you were able to finally fall asleep somewhere after two in the morning.
The third night at the motel had been as uneventful as the other two. You had gotten some food at a nearby convenience store so you didn’t have to rely on vending machine snacks. You also got a deck of cards so you could play solitaire with yourself to waste time.
The news still didn’t say anything about what was happening, but you had to imagine there were constant murders in the city so maybe it didn’t make the radar yet. You didn’t know how many more deaths it would take for it to hit the news cycle but you hoped it didn’t get to that.
As you crossed the room to do your hourly check of the window, you wondered what everyone else was doing. Your dad, Karen, Frank…even Billy.
Since you’d been in the motel, you’d spent a lot of time thinking about Billy. Thinking about him being the killer, thinking about it all being a miscommunication. The more you thought about him, the less you felt certain one way or another.
As you stared out the window, you checked the parts of the parking lot that you could see and then looked over to where your car was parked. As you looked at it, you noticed someone walking past your car and towards the office. It was dark so you couldn’t make out who the person was, but you traced their steps back to see if there was another car nearby that they had come out of.
There was a truck not far from your car that was in line with the path they were taking, but it had been there since yesterday. 
You looked at the chair in front of your door and made sure it was still pressed against the door. This way at least you knew you would have a warning if someone tried to get into the room while you were there.
Back on the bed you grabbed the cards and shuffled them a bit. It was time for more solitaire. You really wished you’d grabbed something else, anything else at this point. It was hard to go without a phone to spend your time, but you were making do. 
A noise outside made you look over to the window with the blinds down. A streetlight let a little light in and you stared at it for a long time until you watched a little darkness move over the window. Someone was walking past your window towards your door.
You held your breath and waited. When you heard the door beside yours open, you let it out with a sigh. It was another person staying in the hotel.
Without winning the current game of solitaire, you turned off the light and stacked the cards on the bedside table. You had a flashlight that you’d gotten at the convenience store that you kept nearby as you curled up on the bed, your eyes on the window and door. When no sounds came to you, no change in the minimal light that trickled through, you felt yourself drift off to sleep.
A dream came to you then, while you dozed in and out. A darkness seemed to pour into the room from the ceiling, like a shadow but more solid. The darkness seemed to melt and shift along the lines of the ceiling, never fully there as you stared up at it.When you woke up, it was with your back to the window and door, a blank wall in front of you. The first thing you did was look up to the ceiling but there were no shadows moving around.
You rolled over to your other side and immediately checked the window, but nothing had changed. It was still dark out there, still a slight amount of light pouring through the window. You blinked lazily and rubbed your eyes before you looked at the door to check that the chair was still there.
It wasn’t. It was in the corner now and someone was in it.
You sat up and opened your mouth to scream, but it didn’t come out as the occupant leaned forward and was lit up by the incoming light stream.
Billy.
“How’d you find me?”
There was a beat of silence as he nodded then sat back so that he disappeared a bit from your sight. 
“It wasn’t easy. You really tried to drop off the grid. It’s my job to be able to find people though.”
“Yeah,” you said uneasily as you shrank back in the bed a bit, your legs pulling to your chest and bracing just in case you needed to jump up. “How’d you get in here without making a noise? The chair…”
“Took some maneuvering. I figured you’d do something like that.”
You blinked and tried to nod a bit. Of course he’d know how to get through your defenses. You should have known.
“What are you going to do to me?”
It was quiet for a long moment before Billy leaned forward again to look at you. You wished you could see whatever emotions were in those dark eyes, but from this distance the dark brown was pitch black and it made you feel hunted.
“Why would I do anything to you? I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”
Safe. You’d heard the word a lot, but it had been a long time since you felt it. And right then, with Billy sitting in a chair across the room, you didn’t know if safe is what you felt at all.
What was the next step? Did you confront him for who you suspected he was? Did you wait for him to prove you right or wrong? 
“Why didn’t you let me protect you? I could have gotten you and your dad somewhere safe. Then maybe…”
You watched as he looked away from you, his eyebrows furrowed. 
“Maybe what?”
He looked over at you and shook his head.
“You left your phone at the hospital so you hadn’t heard. The killer broke into the hospital, somehow got through the security we had on your dad. He survived, got a few stab wounds, but the killer took down two of my men and a police officer.”
You felt sick. Your body bowed in and you pressed your face into your knees as you thought about it. At least your dad was alive, but being stabbed on top of already suffering from the car accident couldn’t be good. 
“He’s alive. He’ll stay alive,” Billy said as a hand came down to rest on your shoulder.
You jerked backwards as he touched you, body nearly falling off the bed as you tried to get away from the touch. When you looked up and met his concerned gaze, you couldn’t help the pitiful laugh that came from you.
“What will it take? What do I have to do?”
Your stomach rolled as you thought about what he might say.
“What are you talking about?”
At some point tears had started to flow down your cheeks as you stared up at Billy. His hand on your shoulder, the scent of the cologne that he always wore, it made you feel lost in memories you couldn’t afford to be lost in.
“He heard your voice. The day of his accident, he heard the killer and when he heard your voice at the police station, he said it was you.”
Billy’s hand fell to his side as he stared down at your crumpled form.
“My voice? So you…what, think I’m the other murderer? This whole time. Even from when you were in high school?”
You closed your eyes for a long moment and then shook your head.
“I don’t…I don’t know Billy. He said he heard you. And every time there was a murder, you weren’t with someone who could account for your whereabouts. What am I supposed to think?”
He crossed his arms and took a few steps back to lean against the wall across from you.
“I’ve killed before. More than a few times and not all of them deserved it. But I never killed anyone stateside that I didn’t have to.”
You wrapped your arms around yourself as you stared at Billy.
“He heard you Billy. He recognized your voice.”
“He had a concussion. Maybe he heard something, someone, but how could he be sure it was me? Especially since the second time was just over the phone.”
You wiped the tears out of your eyes as you stared up at him.
“I can’t take the chance Billy. I can’t take the chance that you’re someone who wants to hurt me.”
“I could never hurt you,” Billy swore as he walked closer to you. Then he shook his head as he turned away. “But you’re right. You can’t take the chance. If I’d known this was your worry, I never would have come here.”
He got to the door and right as you thought about telling him not to leave, to ask him to talk the rest of this through with you, he opened the door and things happened so quickly after that.
A masked man stood on the other side of the door. The moment it came open, he raised his knife and brought it down hard into Billy’s shoulder. You screamed and shoved yourself up and off the bed, body stuck between going to the door and further away. 
You grabbed Billy and pulled him back, body slamming against the door to try to close it. Billy threw his body weight into it too, wincing as the shoulder with the blood pouring through it slammed against the wood. The two of you got the door slammed shut but you still didn’t move.
“Believe me now?” Billy asked through gritted teeth as he moved around you to peer through the peephole. “He’s not there. He’ll come back though.”
You nodded as you tried to get your brain to get back on path. While Billy kept his body against the door, you grabbed a washcloth from the dresser and pressed it hard against his shoulder to stem the blood flow.
“What are we going to do?”
Billy accepted the cloth and held it against his shoulder. With his free hand he reached into his jacket and pulled out a knife which he pressed into your hands. As you were about to ask what he was going to use, he pulled a gun out of the waistband of his jeans and checked that it was ready..
“We need to make a run for the car. We can call the cops once we’re on the road.”
You nodded and grabbed your wallet from the dresser and shoved it into the pocket of your sweats. There was nothing else here that you needed to make sure you had. Prepared, you grabbed Billy’s uninjured shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“I should go first.”
“I don’t care if I was missing an arm. You’re not going first,” Billy said through gritted teeth as he shoved the cloth under his jacket. Then he moved to tuck you behind him. “You stay at my back, okay? Keep the knife up and let me know if I need to turn and shoot. Are you ready?”
No. 
“Yeah,” you breathed as you stood at his side.
He went out first and looked both directions a few times before he motioned for you to follow him. He gestured to keep you close to him. You stepped out and didn’t bother shutting the door as the two of you headed to the stairs. As you made your way past the front office, you noticed blood sprayed on the wall behind where the man had sat at the computer.
“Oh god,” you whimpered as you kept as close to Billy as you could.
“Eyes forward baby, we can’t wait. We’re almost there.”
He was leading you to his car, not yours. You looked behind the two of you to see if someone was out there, aware of what was going on, but you saw nothing. Heard nothing but the pounding of your heart between your ears.
At the car, Billy unlocked it and tugged you to go to the passenger door. As you reached out, you saw something from the corner of your eye.
“BILLY!”
He spun you around and thrust himself between the two of you, his gun raised at the man that had been running at you. He stopped, his knife still raised. The eerie black mask tilted this way and that as he stared at the two of you.
“You can’t win. Gun beats knife.”
“I don’t have to win. I just have to take one of you down with me.”
That voice. It sounded similar to Billy’s, enough that if you’d heard it you might think the same thing. But you didn’t dwell on that as you watched the man launch himself forward at the two of you. The gun went off and the attacker faltered, but he kept on running. When his body ran into Billy’s and shoved you against the car, you heard the gun skitter to the asphalt. 
As the attacker stabbed the knife into Billy’s side again, the moan of pain coming from the man you were trying to hold up, you realized that you didn’t have a choice. You had to lean around Billy to do what you needed to.
The knife went straight into the attacker’s bicep first. Then you pulled it out and swung out, harder this time. As it went into the attacker’s neck, Billy reached up and took hold of your wrist and thrusted it in harder. The attacker’s scream echoed through the emptyish parking lot, you stepped around Billy and pulled the knife out before you plunged it in again. 
Billy’s hand didn’t leave your wrist as you thrusted the knife into the man’s neck and chest, over and over. When the attacker fell, you almost went with him just to keep going, but Billy wrapped an arm around your waist to keep you up.
“He’s gone,” Billy said into your ear as he held you tight. “He’s gone. You can stop.”
You closed your eyes for a long moment before you looked at the body slumped at your feet. He was gone. He was gone and this was over.
The knife fell to the ground next, clattering loudly as it bounced a bit. Your eyes burned as you stared at the man who had tried once more to end your life.
“Who…”
Billy squeezed your hip and then bent down. You shook your head because you didn’t know where Billy’s wounds were but you were worried he would hurt himself worse than he already was. You followed him down, hands immediately on his sides to check his injuries.
“No, no, stop,” he said as he pushed your hands away for a second. “We need to…”
He reached out for the man’s mask but you grabbed his wrist and stopped him. When he pulled his hand away, you reached out for the mask yourself.
The man under it was completely nondescript. You weren’t sure that you’d ever seen him before in your life, not here or back home. He looked like any man you may have passed on the street a thousand times.
“I don’t know who that is,” you said as you stared at him.
“He’s dead. That’s who he is.”
You slumped on the ground next to the car. When Billy passed his cell phone to you, you immediately dialed 911. Billy needed an ambulance. And this needed to be put to an end immediately.
As the dispatcher answered, you remembered the first time you’d made this call. Instead of staring at the death of your mom and brother, you were staring at Billy’s bleeding body and his tired eyes.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“I need an ambulance and a lot of cops. We were just attacked by a known serial killer and we had to kill him to defend ourselves.”
Billy smiled with pride at you as he reached out to grab your hand in his.
The room your dad was in was a different one this time, but you found it easily enough. When you walked in, your dad was talking to the nurse quietly. She smiled and waved at you as she turned to leave, giving you the space to nearly climb into your dad’s bed to hug him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” you mumbled softly as you tucked your face into his neck.
His arms went around you and you noticed one arm didn’t have the same strength as the other. Still, he didn’t let you go for a long time.
“I’m sorry sweetheart,” your dad finally said as you pulled away. “If I hadn’t accused Billy, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“We can’t think about what might have happened,” you said as you grabbed his hand to hold it tight in yours.
The injuries from the accident were mostly healed but now your dad had the knife wounds to heal from. The doctors promised that he would make a full recovery and that it wouldn’t hold him back any. 
“I’m just glad it’s over. That you’re safe.”
You sat with that for a long moment. As terrified as you had been for so long, even before you knew there was someone out to get you, it had been so hard to feel safe. Your memories and nightmares kept you on the edge, even when you were supposed to be safe.
The only times those memories and nightmares stopped were when you were with Billy. 
“When he’s better, I want to meet Billy. I want to apologize in person. He deserves that much.”
You glanced at your dad and then back down to your clasped hands. 
“If I hadn’t left, he wouldn’t have been hurt. I should have talked to him, heard him out instead of just running.”
Your dad squeezed your hand until you looked up at him.
“It’s not your fault. I told you to leave. You listened to me.” 
“I’m an adult dad, I could have stood up for myself at any point. I believed you because I think part of me didn’t trust Billy but I should have.”
You knew things about Billy and Frank, things that made it a little easier to believe that he would. Although knowing those things, you shouldn’t have assumed anything. You knew Billy better than that. At least you should have.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he told me he never wanted to see me again.”
You tugged on the fabric of your scrub pants, provided by a nurse at some point. The police had gathered your clothes for evidence since they had been drenched in blood. Mostly Billy’s.
“Kiddo, from what I’ve seen and heard since all of this happened, that man isn’t going to turn away just because of some stabs. He moved heaven and earth to find you when you ran off. The only other reason for him to do that besides being the killer is because he cares.”
You laughed and shook your head, but didn’t say anything. Instead you moved to lean into your dad’s arms once more.
“It’s all going to be okay sweetheart. It’s over.”
He was right, it was all over. It was going to be okay.
Somehow.
The room Billy was in was on a different floor. When you knocked on the door, his voice called out that you could enter. He was sitting up on the bed, a tablet in his hands as he looked through it. When he looked up, he seemed surprised to see you. 
“Hey,” you said slowly, drawing the word out a lot longer than it needed to. “I don’t have to stay or anything, I just wanted to check on you.”
His eyebrows furrowed as he put the tablet down to the side.
“Why wouldn’t you stay?”
You shifted a bit before you took two steps into the room.
“You wouldn’t be in that bed if it wasn’t for me. Plus the whole, you know, thinking you were a serial killer thing.”
Billy laughed which surprised you. He gestured you over to him and after you glanced over at the chair a few feet away, he made a soft ‘tsk’ sound before he patted the bed beside him. 
As you sat down on the very edge of the bed, Billy made that noise again and tugged you to him. You immediately froze and checked to make sure you hadn’t landed on any of the bandages on his chest, but he shook his head when he could tell what you were looking for.
“I’ve had worse,” he said as he put his hand over the bandage on his side.
“Billy, I–”
“Unless the next words out of your mouth are ‘understand that this wasn’t my fault’ then I’m not sure I want to hear them.”
“It was my fault though. If I hadn’t left without even talking to you, hadn’t thought you were the killer, you wouldn’t have had to come find me. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”
Fingers under your chin made you move your head until you met Billy’s dark eyes. 
“Given the chance, I would always put my body between you and danger. Whether or not you thought I was the danger. And in the end, you know I wasn’t involved.” After a beat of silence, he narrowed his eyes and gave you a small smirk. “You do know that I wasn’t involved, don’t you?”
You laughed and leaned into the hand on your face a little.
“If this was a movie or something, it might not mean that you were uninvolved. But this isn’t a movie, it’s real life. So no, I don’t still think you were involved.”
Billy laughed and released your chin but only so that he could reach down and run his fingers over your wrist a bit.
“I’m just glad that nothing happened to you. It would have…I don’t think I could have handled it if something would have happened to you while you were running from me.”
You didn’t want to think about that either. Billy being there had been a fluke, it should have just been you against him. That made you look at his bandages once more.
“It feels wrong somehow that you and dad got hurt this time but I didn’t. I’m glad that Frank and Karen had gotten out of town and were safe, but I came out of this without a scratch on me and both of you had been attacked.”
“I like to think of it as cosmic karma.” At your confused look, Billy explained. “The last time, you were the one that went through it all. You saw the dead bodies of your mom and brother, you got chased around the basement, you’re the one that had to fight for your life, you’re the one that still wears the scars. In more ways than one. So this time, we were able to take that for you. We can bear those for you.”
You didn’t even realize you were crying until he wiped the tears away. You sniffled and wiped at your face as you looked away from a long moment, gathering your thoughts.
“Do you think…”
You didn’t know how to continue the thought. When you didn’t, Billy called your name. As you looked up, he leaned forward until he could press his mouth against yours.
“Karen and Frank will be happy about this development at least,” he said as he pressed his forehead against yours. “They’ve been telling me to get over my hesitation and ask you out for a while. I just wanted to give you space until you were ready.”
With a laugh you raised your hand and pulled Billy back in for another kiss.
It had been a tough few years since the original murders. Safety had been hard to come by. Since then you had kept yourself caged and terrified the whole time. It had been hard to make connections with people over the last few years. But now? Even before the encounter in the parking lot with you killing the man who had tormented you.
Now you were thinking it was time for you to live your life once more. You smiled and leaned back between kisses to mutter two words to Billy.
“I’m ready.”
X
Thank you for reading this year's Halloween fic! I hope you enjoyed!
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Title: Never Gonna Happen
Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x Reader
Word Count: 904
Warning: bit of angst, pretty on par with episodes
A/N: Saw these photos and gifs, wanted to see what I could do with them. Enjoy!
The SUV hadn’t stopped when Hotchner jumped out of the vehicle, immediately sprinting towards the other agents running.
“Hotch!” Morgan yelled out as he chased after him. “Hotch stop!”
The agents turned the corner into an open lot, Hotchner and Morgan immediately behind them. One of the agents tackled him, taking him down hard onto the pavement.
Hotchner drew his weapon. “Move!” He yelled at the agent. They rolled off the unsub and Hotchner's foot was immediately on the man’s throat, gun aimed at his face.
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“Hotch!” Morgan yelled again as he came up behind him. “Stop! We need him,” he grabbed Hotchner’s arm. “We need him…alive. You know that.”
Hotchner looked over his shoulder at Morgan. “Fine. Watch him. He needs at least four men on him at all times. We can’t fuck this up. Y/N needs us to not fuck this up.”
Walking back to the other SUVs that were rolling up, Rossi got out of the passenger side of one, waiving Hotchner over to him.
“You look like hell. We got him. Get yourself together, Aaron. We got him.”
Hotchner gave him a nod as he walked past him to another car.
“And shave,” Rossi yelled after him.
-
Hotchner had just finished wiping off his face with a towel when he saw Emily’s name on his caller ID.
“Tell me he didn’t get away.”
“He’s in the wind,” Emily paused. “We have a lead bu-“
Hotchner hung up. He threw on a shirt, grabbed his vest, and left his apartment. He caught a look of himself in his mirror in his front hallway. The man he saw was the one he knew he needed to be. Focused. Disciplined. Methodical, so Y/N could survive this. She deserved his best.
Rolling up to the command center he got out of the car and crossed to where the team was standing.
“That’s the unit chief we know,” Rossi clasped his hand on his shoulder. “You ready?”
“I have to be.” Hotchner crossed his arms, looking at the SWAT team leader. “Explain yourself.”
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“I know we fucked up, you don’t need to remind me. He had three men posing as guards. They released him once we gave them temporary custody of him while we changed over our men.”
“Reid, review the tapes. Emily and Rossi, get Garcia to review all traffic cameras in the area and get a description from the agents. Morgan…you’re with me.”
Morgan followed him as he walked towards the SUV. “You need to focus.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Hotchner spun on his heels. “You think I don’t know that every moment I was held up getting here, he was holding her?”
“Hey, you were overseas. He knew that. That’s why he timed it like this. You know that. He wants you hurting. He’s done that. Now make him pay for it.”
“You drive.” Hotchner tossed Morgan the keys.
-
“Garcia,” Emily walked into her office. “Please tell me we have something. We’ve been out all night. We need something so Hotch can calm down for even a minute.”
“I’m trying I swear. There’s just…nothing. They were good. I’m looking at it in every possible angle.”
Emily’s phone rang. “JJ please have news.”
“We have a plan.”
Hotchner tightened his tie, pulled on his blazer, and walked out of his office.
“You sure about this?” Morgan gave him a long look. “You think this will work?”
“He wants to show us what he can do. He wants to push through every boundary possible. What better than the defenses of the FBI headquarters?”
Rossi walked over. “So business as semi-usual. Go to the conference room. Pull up the case. Work it, or appear to work it, like we need a new angle. And Aaron, you’re with me.”
The team moved to the conference room as Rossi and Hotchner headed to his office. Halfway up the stairs the doors to the unit opened.
“Hotchner! You forget I got your bitch? Or do you not care?” Everyone’s eyes took in the sight of him holding you against his body, gun to your head.
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Hotchner drew his weapon and moved around the desks. “Let her go.”
“No. You don’t get to order everyone around. Especially me.”
“You’re going to lose.”
“Nah, you are. She means nothing to me, why should I hesitate.”
“Aaron, please.” You locked eyes with him. “I know I’ve let you down, I’ve let you down in so many ways. Just let me go, let me fall out of your life.”
“See,” the unsub sneered. “She wants out. Right?” He pushed the muzzle deeper into your head. “She wants you to drop her.”
“No.” Hotchner paused. “She wants me to drop you….Y/N now!”
You let your body go limp as you slipped out of his grasp. As you fell to the floor Hotchner unloaded his clip into the unsub.
As soon as you heard his body drop, and the gunshots stopped, you looked up.
“I knew you’d understand.”
Hotchner ran over to you, dropping to his knees as he pulled you into his grasp.
“I’ll always understand. I will never stop looking for you. I will always save you.”
“You won’t let me go?” You whispered, hugging him as tightly as possible.
“Never gonna happen, Y/N. I’m never letting you go.”
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