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dolce-cavill · 1 year

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wish you were here

captain syverson x fem!oc

12.8k words

summary: after an unexpected phone call from her best friends brother, not even thousands of miles of separation can stop new feelings from developing

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warnings: mentions of war/deployment (idk if that needs a warning), language, fem!oc but no physical description given, small age gap (6 years), use of pet names (mostly darlin), mentions of alcohol/drinking, angst, implied smut, if i missed anything let me know!

i headcanon his first name to be travis so that is the name i will be using

closing my book and tossing it onto the nightstand, i rubbed my eyes as i flopped backwards onto the bed. glancing to the left, the red glow of the clock stared back at me displaying 1:57 am. i’d always been a night owl, but i’d recently fallen into the habit of staying up far later than usual, sometimes being chased by the sunrise by the time i finally got ready to sleep.

swinging my stiff legs over the edge of the bed, i padded down the hall to the bathroom. after brushing my teeth and washing my face, i switched off the light and began to walk back to my bedroom, when i heard my phone ringing. i thought it was odd, as it was seldom that anyone ever actually called me rather than just texting, nevermind the fact that it was two in the morning, and immediately worried that the strange occurrence meant something was wrong. moving faster towards the ringing phone, i noticed the number wasn’t saved in my contacts as i picked up the call, bringing the phone up to my ear.

“hello?” i greeted the unknown caller, pacing nervously around my room.

“hey…layla?” the voice was familiar, but not one i had heard in years, nor expected to be on the other end of the call.

“…travis?” i asked. travis syverson was my best friend beths older brother, who was currently (at least as far as i knew) stationed in iraq; perhaps one of the last people i would’ve guessed to be calling me at this hour, if at all.

“yeah,” he laughed. “sorry- i …. beth didn’t answer and yours is the only other number i could remember, ya know, from you an’ her always hanging out,” he explained. it had been about six months since i had last seen him, at one of the going away parties beth insisted on throwing every time travis was deployed.

“no need to apologize,” i assured. we had never been super close but we did spend a lot of time together considering how growing up i basically lived at their house with how much i hung out with beth. “it’s nice to hear from you.” i admitted. “how are you? is everything okay- i mean all things considered.”

“i’m alright- you know me. same old same old here; we’re tryna help and we’re getting shot at for it,” he sighed heavily. “sorry, i don’t need’a scare you with that crap.” the anger in his voice leaving as he spoke. “what did you get up to today?” i laughed lightly.

“i’m gonna bore you ta death,” i teased, thinking of how mundane my day had been.

“darlin’ lemme tell you somethin’- i am surrounded by nothing but sand for fuckin miles,” he insisted, and i laughed again.

“okay okay,” i surrendered. the nickname probably would’ve made me blush if we weren’t from the south; it was just something i’d gotten used to him calling me. “i did the dishes, i went to the grocery store-“

“what’d ya buy at the store?” he asked.

“uhh just cereal.. coffee creamer… fruit. do you regret asking yet?”

“no- over here things are so crazy it’s kinda nice just to hear about everyday things ya know?” i smiled sadly.

“i hadn’t thought of it like that.” i admitted. there was a comfortable silence for a moment before he spoke again.

“shit i didn’t wake you up- did i?” he asked, as if he had just considered the almost ten hour time difference between us. “what time is it where you are?”

“it’s around two in the morning,” i laughed. “but no you didn’t wake me up; “remember beth used to always fall asleep first at sleepovers and i’d just be stuck sitting awake by myself.”

“yeah i remember- you’d come bother me, wanting to see what i was doin,” he laughed.

“you make me sound like an annoying little kid,” i replied, and he laughed again. i pictured him in my mind, at least how he had looked when i had last seen him, his hair cut short since he was shipping out but his beard still intact. i thought about how his blue eyes crinkled when he laughed, and imagined they were doing that now.

“you were; you and beth,” he snickered. “you grew up to be tolerable at least,” he teased, and i could tell he meant nothing mean by it.

“yeah well you’d stopped bein’ fun to bother when you stopped playing video games and started working out all the time,” i countered.

“yeah but ain’t i more fun to look at now?” travis had always had an aura of confidence to him that i admired, and i had to admit; he was damn good looking. around the time i was 17 i had started developing a little crush on him. nothing too serious, but i definitely noticed that he had been putting more work in at the gym. however, if the fact that he was my best friend's brother wasn’t enough for me to never mention it, the fact that he was 23 at the time and probably thought of me as his little sisters friend and nothing else was.

before i could agree or disagree, he spoke again.

“hey i gotta go- other people gotta use the phone, but it was nice talking to you, layla.” i found myself feeling slightly disappointed that he had to go so soon, but i understood.

“yeah; it was nice to hear from you,” i admitted. it wasn’t a long conversation, but i enjoyed it nonetheless. “if beth ever doesn’t answer again…”

“i’ll call you,” with that the line cut off, leaving me wishing i could’ve told him to be safe at least, although kind of redundant considering where he was.

i sighed contently as i set my phone down, switching off the light and crawled under the covers. thoughts of travis flooded my mind as i tried to fall asleep, secretly hoping that i would hear from him again soon.

it was only a week or so before i heard from travis again, this time around 9pm as i was getting ready to leave work. there were only about 15 minutes left in my shift when my cell phone started to ring in my pocket, and i glanced at my coworker who was stood at the counter next to me. she nodded as if to say “take the call,” and i gave her a smile as i walked to the break room so customers wouldn’t see my on the phone.

“hello?” i answered as i shut the door and sat down at the small table.

“hey darlin,” travis’s voice drawled through the phone, and a smile spread across my face. “how was your day?”

“it was alright, i’m just finishing up at work. how about you? are you having any luck winning over the locals yet?” i teased lightheartedly, knowing he wouldn’t take offence to it. he laughed deeply on the other end of the line.

“na- no such luck just yet,” he admitted. “we’re tryin though, that's what matters. is now a bad time? if you’re at work i don’t wanna keep you-“

“no it’s okay- you’re more important. we’re just about closed up anyway.” i answered honestly.

“i’m flattered,” he chuckled. “you still working at that cafe- the one on main street?” i was a little surprised he’d remembered.

“yeah- it pays the bills. they’ve expanded the menu since you left to have some deli sandwiches and stuff so i even got a pretty good raise earlier this year.”

“i’ll have to try them when i come home,” he replied.

“you talk to beth lately?” i asked, wondering if she ever answered his call after last week. i hadn’t told her that i had talked to travis; there was no specific reason- it just hadn’t come up when i saw her last.

“yeah i called her yesterday and she actually answered,” i could hear the smile in his voice as he teased his little sister. “you see her recently?”

“i saw her the other day- she’s picking me up from work any minute now actually,” i explained.

“she doing okay? i mean- she tells me she’s fine, but i know it’s always been hard for her when i leave,” he asked, in a sincere manner; as her older brother he had always been protective of beth, and me as well by association.

“she sure does know how to worry. but she’s good-honestly. she got her hair dyed the other day; it’s kinda of a copper colour now,” i smiled. “and we both worry about you when you’re gone.”

“you worry about me?” he teased mischievously. i felt heat rise to my cheeks.

“of course i do.”

“i appreciate it but i’ll be fine- always am.” he said, trying to reassure me; but as much as i wanted to believe him i couldn’t shake the anxious feeling in my chest. i thought of how last time we spoke he had to hang up rather quickly, so i decided to say what i wanted to say before i missed the opportunity again.

“just- stay safe okay? as much as that’s possible i mean?” i pleaded. he chuckled softly.

“i will darlin’ - since you asked so nicely.” he promised, and my chest tightened again knowing that it wasn’t something he could really guarantee. i didn’t have many people in my life that i cared about, or that cared about me, and i couldn’t bare the thought of losing any of them. “i gotta go- i’ll call you soon.” he said, and once again i found myself wishing we had more time to talk.

“i’ll look forward to it,” i replied.

“goodnight darlin,” he said, before hanging up the phone. i set my phone down on the table and ran my hands over my face, letting out a sigh. my eyes snapped open at a knock on the door, and my coworker lisa, peeked her head in.

“i’m locking up- can you come count the till?” she asked. i nodded, putting my phone in my pocket and following her back to the front of the store. she locked the front door and closed the blinds as i counted the cash in the till, making sure it had the correct amount and taking out any cash we received today.

“not that it’s any of my business, are you seeing someone and you haven’t told me?” lisa asked playfully. she was one of the nicest people i knew, and wasn’t someone to pry, so i knew she was only trying to make friendly conversation. i shook my head, slightly confused.

“no- what makes you think that?” i asked, curious as to what gave her the idea that i, who had been single the entire time i had known her, was dating someone.

“i was just wondering, since your eyes lit up when you got that phone call earlier. i thought maybe it was someone special,” she explained. i blushed- had i really seemed that excited? of course i was happy to hear from travis, but i hadn’t realized it had been written all over my face.

“just an old friend. we reconnected recently,” i answered truthfully.

“mhm.” she hummed teasingly. “if you say so.”

“lisa-“ i protested, although i knew she was only joking. “he’s just a friend.”

“i’m sure he is.” she smiled. somehow, even though she was only a few years older than me, lisa always seemed to know more than me, her few years of seniority she had over me making her wiser than i was. “it’s nice to see you happy though.”

“you say that like i’m usually not,” i laughed.

“i didn’t mean it like that.” she defended, and i think she was worried she had offended me. “i just meant i’m happy for you if you’ve found someone, and even if they’re just a friend, they must be something pretty special for you to look that happy just to hear from them.”

“i know- it’s okay lees.” i smiled. “and yeah- he is pretty special.” deciding that i needed to stop thinking about him, i tucked the now counted cash into an envelope and carried it back to the office. when i returned to the front of the shop, i saw beth’s car outside, and glanced at the clock- 9:02pm; perfectly on time. i grabbed her a muffin from the display case (they would be thrown out tomorrow anyway) and said goodnight to lisa, as we both left the shop.

“you can tell me more about this mystery man tomorrow!” lisa called as i opened the passenger door to beth’s car. i silently wished she hadn’t said that, since i knew beth would ask me about it if she heard, which to my dismay, she indeed had.

“hey- how was work!” she asked enthusiastically as i shut the car door and did my seatbelt.

“it was good- not too busy but not slow enough to be boring. the last hour was pretty quiet though,” i answered. it had been a pretty good day, even if i wasn’t sure i wanted to tell her what made the last 10 minutes so enjoyable. i knew she wouldn’t mind me talking to travis- that wasn’t the issue, since deep down i knew lisa was right- and my teenage crush had never truly gone away. how was i supposed to explain to my best friend that i thought i might have a crush on her brother? and that he had been calling me from across the world instead of her?

“what’s this i hear about a mystery man?” she teased, and gone was any false hope i had that she hadn’t heard was gone. i shook my head.

“nothing- i was texting my cousin and lisa got the wrong idea,” i lied, and she seemed to believe me.

“nathan? is he asking for money again?” i laughed at her. it would not be unusual for my cousin to ask for money, but i didn’t want to throw him under the bus and have her call him out; i would get too caught up in the lie and not be able to dig myself out.

“no, not this time actually.” thankfully she didn’t ask anymore questions, and the rest of the car ride was spent listening to her talk about her day. i didn’t mind, but beth tended to talk more than she listened. i tried to pay attention, but as i stared out the window, looking at the stars whizzing by as we sped down the road, my mind couldn’t help but wander, thinking of a different syverson sibling than the one sat next to me.

three months went by, with travis calling me almost once a week, as he still called beth as well. a few weeks after he first called, it came up that i hadn’t told beth that we had been talking.

“i haven’t mentioned it either, now that i think about it.,” he replied when i told him it hadn’t come up. “maybe for the best- she might think i’m tryna steal you from ‘er.” i wasn’t sure what he had meant by it, but regardless, it made my stomach flip with butterflies, and i was grateful he couldn’t see that i was blushing.

“are you trying to steal me from her?” i decided to tease him a little, our conversations having become perhaps the slightest bit flirty recently.

“if i wanted to i think i could, don’t you darlin’?” i laughed. yes, you could, i thought, feeling slightly guilty that i had spent more time lately talking to him than i had my best friend.

“i don’t know, you know how protective she is,” i argued.

“you think i’m not? i’m worse than she is.” that shouldn’t have made the blush on my face darken, but it did. “remember when you were dating that guy- what was his name?”

“ben?” i groaned, remembering my first boyfriend from high school. he ended up being a total arse who dumped me after i wouldn’t sleep with him.

~ flashback ~

beth and travis had been throwing a party since their parents were away, and i had brought ben as my date. we had been together for about a year, and when i wouldn’t go with him to one of the bedrooms upstairs he flipped. the alcohol in his system made things worse, and when travis heard him yelling at me, he had threatened to kick his ass.

“oh look, layla, your boyfriends here!” ben yelled, shoving travis, which didn’t even make him stumble.

“what are you talking about?” i asked, tears threatening to fall from my eyes, the liquor making me a little more emotional.

“oh come on, i’m not stupid, you’ve obviously got a crush on him.” ben spat. “i bet you’d fuck him if he asked, or maybe you already-“ travis swung his fist into bens face before he could finish his sentence, sending the smaller man crumpling to the floor.

“travis what the hell?!” beth yelled, not having heard the conversation, only coming in from the backyard in time to see the fists start flying. travis picked ben up off the floor by the front of his shirt, slamming his back into the wall.

“you shut the fuck up- you don’t talk to her like that. get out of my house before i really kick your ass,” travis threatened, and ben sniffled, a trickle of blood coming from his nose as he huffed, before turning and leaving with his ego bruised to match the one that he would surely have on his face tomorrow.

“are you alright? what happened?” beth asked, coming over and wrapping her arms around me. i nodded, looking at travis who still stared towards the door after ben.

“thank you,” i said, and travis finally looked at me, with an anger in his eyes i had never seen before. his gaze softened when his eyes met mine.

“i’m gonna get some air,” he said, before walking out of the house, the door slamming behind him.

“what happened?” beth asked again. i sighed.

“ben was being a dick, and travis punched him,” i explained, leaving out some of the details since i was embarrassed. “i’m okay beth- i promise. i’m just gonna go check on him.” she let me out of her grip, quickly getting pulled away by some of the other guests as i went after her older brother. i found him sitting on the front step, and cautiously sat beside him. he glanced toward me to see who it was, and seemed to relax a tiny bit. his eyes locked on something down the street, and i looked to see ben drunkenly stumbling down the sidewalk, not having made it very far from the house yet, but far enough that any conversation had wouldn’t be heard.

“what are you thinking about?” i asked. travis sipped the beer he was holding before speaking.

“i’m thinkin’ about whether or not i should go after him and beat the shit out of him for what he said to you,” he answered, and i appreciated his brutal honesty.

“he’s not worth it,” i said, trying to convince him not to get himself in trouble, especially on my behalf. “is your hand okay?” i asked, gently grabbing his large hand in mine and inspecting his knuckles, a layer of red forming over them already.

“you’re worried about my hand?” he laughed. i couldn’t help but laugh with him. “are you okay?” he asked more seriously. i nodded, placing his hand back in his lap and tiredly leaning my head against his shoulder.

“thank you,” i hummed, my eyes closing, suddenly exhausted, and the alcohol starting to give me a slight headache. his arm pulled me closer and i felt his press a kiss to the top of my head.

“anytime.”

~ flashback end ~

“yeah i remember- he turned out to be a dud, huh,” i joked.

“i’ll say.” there was a hint of anger in his voice, as if he was remembering the same night you were.

“i’ve never seen you as angry as you were that time you punched him in the face.”

“he deserved it,” he said, defensively.

“i don’t disagree, travis.” i assured him, worried i had given him the wrong idea. i’m not sure if i was just feeling vulnerable, but what i said next was something i never thought i would share. “he was right though- i did actually kinda have a thing for you back then.” that seemed to change his demeanour for the better, his voice no longer angry, now more surprised.

“you did?” he asked. “shit, that would’ve been nice to know at the time,” he mumble the last part, so quiet i barely heard him, and assumed i heard him wrong, and decided not to ask him to repeat it.

“yeah, i mean i was like 16 and you were my friends cool older brother,” my face was red as a started to regret mentioning it, but thankfully he didn’t make a big deal of it.

“are you saying i ain’t cool anymore?” he laughed. “oh shit, times up darlin’- i’ll call you soon,”

“okay- stay safe, travis.” i said. it had become a habit of saying it every time he had to hang up, as pointless as it was to say.

“will do.”

as i set my phone down on my dresser, i realized just how deep of shit i was in. i was falling head over heels for my best friends brother, who was halfway across the world; with no idea when (or if) he would be home again. the thought of travis never coming home, of getting the news from beth that something bad had happened to him kept me up at night. what made it worse was that no one knew how much i had grown to care for him in the last few months. what had started as friendly conversation had quickly developed into playful flirtation, or at least i thought it had. maybe i was delusional or maybe he was just bored, and he would come home and pretend it had never happened, or he’d tell me i got the wrong idea all along.

these thoughts kept me up most of the night, and i surely had dark circles under my eyes when i walked into work the next morning. lisa, never one to miss anything noticed right away and gave me a worried look.

“honey, have you been sleeping alright?” she asked, pouring me a coffee from the pot she had already made for the morning rush. i knew it would be useless to try to lie, as it was quite literally written all over my face.

“not really. i’ve just had a lot on my mind lately,” i answered honestly, just leaving out any details. i sipped the coffee, clocking in on the till and tying my apron around my waist.

“i won’t pry, but if you want to talk about anything you know i’m here for you,” she offered. usually i would’ve brushed her off, but considering the person i would usually talk to about this kind of thing was beth, and i couldn’t tell her, i actually thought about asking for lisa’s advice.

“thank you. i really appreciate it, lees. maybe after work?” i think she was surprised i actually wanted to talk about it, but she smiled and nodded.

after we closed down the store, the door locked and the blinds closed, lisa took off her apron and carried two coffees over to the table i was sat down at. i thanked her as she placed one in front of me and sat down.

“what’s on your mind, layla?” she asked. i took a deep breath.

“you remember a few months ago, i said i had reconnected with an old friend?” i asked, not sure if she would’ve remembered. she nodded, paying close attention.

“well, we’ve still been talking all this time, and i think maybe it’s becoming more than just friendly,” i explained, omitting details once again. she didn’t know a ton about my friends outside of work, but i didn’t want to reveal too much and have her figure out who i was talking about; it was unlikely but i wanted to be careful nonetheless.

“is that a bad thing?” she asked.

“not necessarily, except we have a mutual friend who … i’m not sure how they would react if things became romantic between us,” i explained. “and this person is also far away, so it would be long distance, at least for now.” lisa nodded, considering what i had said.

“i see. this mutual friend- don’t you think they would want the two of you to be happy?” she asked. i thought about it. beth was one of the most understanding people i knew, she could be feisty at times, but she always seemed to want the best for others around her. however, i still wasn’t sure if she would like the idea of me being romantically involved with her brother, especially after we’d been talking behind her back for months.

“i do- but the circumstances make it… difficult. this friend doesn’t know we’ve been talking again.”

“did the person you’re talking to do something to hurt your friend?”

“no- nothing like that,” i sighed. “i don’t know how to properly explain without you knowing all the details.” i admitted.

“you can tell me as much or as little as you want, i promise i won’t judge you and it won’t leave this room. i won’t pressure you for more details but i agree- it is difficult for me to understand the situation completely without knowing more.” as much as i didn’t want her to be right, i appreciated her honesty.

“you swear you won’t tell anyone?” i pleaded. she promised again, and i took a deep breath.

“okay. so the guy, he’s… beth’s older brother,” i admitted, my eyebrows scrunching together as i winced, saying it out loud made it worse i decided.

“i see,” she replied. “is that all?” i laughed audibly.

“isn’t that enough? i’ve known beth since we were 5, and now i maybe have feelings for her brother.”

“did you ever have feelings for him before now? or is this completely new?” lisa asked.

“i mean i had a crush on him as a teenager but it was nothing serious- he was too old for me at the time. but things are different now and - ugh i don’t know talking to him just makes me feel so warm inside. is that weird?” she giggled.

“no, it’s not weird. how did you two start talking again? you said he’s far away?”

“he’s stationed in iraq,” i explained. “which means that i worry about something happening to him all the time,” i sighed for the millionth time; it did feel good to finally get some of this off my chest. “he called me one night a few months ago. he said beth didn’t answer and my phone number was the only other one he could think of - from when beth and i would hang out all the time and call each other. that was about a week before he called me here that day and you asked about it.” i felt a weight off my shoulders, now that i wasn’t keeping all of this inside, and i knew that i could trust lisa not to tell anyone. she seemed to be taking in all the information for a moment before she spoke.

“layla, i think you’re worrying too much about this. worrying about his safety is understandable, and unfortunately there’s not much i can say to make you feel better in that regard. however, i will say- i don’t know beth very well but from what i’ve seen and from what you’ve told me about her, she loves you very much, and i think she would be happy for you. can you think of any reason she wouldn’t want you to be with him, other than the fact that he is her brother?” i considered what she said.

“no, i can’t. if he was just a guy i’m sure she would be happy for me. he’s funny, protective- and i think i’m really falling for him, lees.” i admitted.

“does he know you feel this way about him? and does he know you’re so worried about beth finding out?”

“no- i mean maybe he knows i’m interested. the last few weeks we have definitely been a little more flirty when we talk, but we can never talk for very long, usually just 5 minutes or so. i told him last night that i used to have a thing for him and i thought he said something like it would’ve been nice to know at the time but i may have just heard him wrong,” i sipped my coffee again. “then after we got off the phone i couldn’t stop thinking about the likely possibility of him never coming home-“ i choke on the words as i said them, and tears fell from my eyes.

“oh honey,” lisa said, getting up and coming to my side of the table, wrapping her arms around me in a hug. i cried into her shoulder, as she held me in her arms. “i can’t imagine how hard this is, but i think you need to tell him how you feel. keeping this inside isn’t good for you, and as much as i appreciate you trusting me enough to tell me, there isn’t much i can do to help, that’s up to you and him; and beth.” i nodded.

“you’re right, of course.” i laughed, as she once again proved she was wise beyond her years. “what if he doesn’t feel the same way?”

“that’s unfortunately a risk you have to take, but from the little bit you’ve told me, he sounds like a great guy, and i’m sure even if he didn’t feel the same way, he wouldn’t be a dick about it.” that didn’t make me feel a whole lot better, but i knew she was right; if travis thought it was weird for me to have a crush on him, he probably would’ve said something last night when i mentioned that i had a thing for him before. at least, that’s what i was telling myself.

“thank you lisa, i feel better now that i’ve talked to you about it,” i admitted.

“you’re so welcome, layla. feel free to keep me updated if you want, but i think you’ve got this.” she smiled. “do you need a ride home?” she asked. i shook my head.

“no, i drove today. i’m supposed to hang out with beth tomorrow; maybe i’ll work up the courage to tell her. i think it might be better to wait until i know for sure what’s going on between travis and i though.”

“he has a name!” lisa teased playfully. i giggled.

“if you ever need to talk, i’m here for you layla.”

“thank you. the same goes for you- but i think you’ve got your life together way more than i do.” we both laughed, and i hugged her one more time before heading out to my car and driving home.

three weeks went by with no word from travis, and it was safe to say i was losing my mind. the endless possibilities of why he hadn’t called had me pulling my hair out; had something happened to him? did i freak him out when i said i used to have a thing for him and now he didn’t wanna talk to me? any confidence i had gained from talking to lisa had dwindled away as i sat waiting for the phone to ring every night.

beth had invited me for dinner tonight, and as much as i didn’t want to go, i knew i needed to get out of the house. i finished getting ready, not putting too much effort into my appearance, but enough that it looked like i had been sleeping like a normal human. i drove the short distance to her apartment, and after she buzzed me into the building, ai took the elevator up and knocked on the door, a bottle of wine in my hand.

“hey! come in,” she greeted with a smile on her face. i shut the door behind me as beth took the wine from my hand so i wouldn’t drop it. she pulled me into a hug, as she always did, and i reciprocated it happily. “how have you been?” she asked.

“i’ve been okay,” i answered. i couldn’t really tell her that i’d been stressed about her brother for the last few weeks, so i decided not to elaborate. “how about you!”

“i’ve been good- just working as usual. i finally got a huge project finished at work this week, so we’re gonna celebrate!” i smiled as she opened the bottle of wine and poured each of us a glass. “the project at work was a nightmare- i’m so glad it’s finally over. what’s new with you?” she asked, sipping her drink. i shook my head.

“nothing, just working as well. there’s one regular who keeps trying to ask me out, he won’t get the message that i’m not interested.” i rolled my eyes. he wasn’t an unattractive guy, just not my type; besides the fact that i was interested in someone else already.

“maybe a date wouldn’t be a bad idea,” beth said, which took me by surprise.

“he’s not my type-“

“no i didn’t mean with him- but when was the last time you went out with someone? or were even interested in somebody?” she asked. she was right, i had been single for a while. there were a few guys i had dated in my early twenties, but never anything really serious, all of the relationships fizzling out after just a few months, if not less.

“i don’t know- i don’t know if i’m really looking for that kind of commitment right now,” i tried to brush off the subject.

“i didn’t say you had to marry someone, i just thought it might be nice for you to meet someone,” beth clarified.

“i know. i’m just not really looking right now.” i answered honestly, leaving out the tiny detail that the reason i wasn’t looking is because i had already found someone i wanted.

“what about you? how are things with you and jacob?” i asked, once again thing to change the subject from me to her; which with beth, always worked.

“things are going well actually. he’s really sweet, and he’s a good listener, which we both know you need to be to put up with me,” she laughed at herself and i smiled, happy that my best friend had seemingly found a good guy. they had been seeing each other for months now, and i had met him once or twice before, but never had any extended conversations with him. “i’m gonna order pizza- i think i have a coupon somewhere,” she said, as she got up and began to dig through one of the kitchen drawers.

“sounds good,” i sipped my wine again, not wanting to rush through the glass as i still had to drive home and i didn’t plan on drinking more than one.

it was around 20 minutes later when the phone rang, and beth got up to grab it off the counter.

“it’s probably the pizza- i told the guy to buzz this suite when he gets here,” she explained before greeting the person on the other line with a simple “hello,” a surprised look came over her face, before she spoke more cheerfully. “hey! god it’s really good to hear from you, i was starting to worry,” she said, and my heat skipped a beat. “i’ve been good, how about you?” i couldn’t hear the person on the other side of the call, but i was pretty sure it wasn’t the pizza delivery guy. whoever she was talking to, they carried on a short conversation before beth’s phone buzzed in her hand, signaling that she’s received a text. “oh shit, i ordered pizza and the guy just texted that he can’t buzz up to get in the building since the line is busy- i’ll have to run down and grab it.” she said, after glancing at the message she had received. “sorry to run away on you travis- i would make him wait out there but it’s cold outside. layla is here, i know you guys aren’t close but do you wanna talk to her?” suddenly i was being handed the phone as beth called over her shoulder that she’d be right back, before running out the door with her keys in hand.

“hello?” i answered, putting the phone to my ear.

“hey darlin.” travis’s voice sounded through the phone, and i felt the butterflies in my stomach again.

“hey travis. it’s really good to hear your voice,” i said honestly.

“yours too. i’m really sorry i haven’t called, baby, things got a little crazy over here and we had to go silent for a few weeks.” he explained, and i was so in shock to hear from him i almost didn’t catch the nickname.

“i’m just really glad you’re not hurt… or-“ i trailed off, not wanting to say it.

“i’m sorry to put you through all this. i hope you haven’t been too worried,” he sighed. “what have you been up to?”

“just working mostly, nothing too exciting. beth and i were just having a girls night to celebrate a project she finished at work, but i’ll let her tell you about it when you talk to her next.” i didn’t want to steal her thunder, since i knew how excited she was to have done it.

“is she back yet?” he asked, lowering his voice a little.

“not yet, but i’m sure she will be any minute now- why do you ask?”

“does she know about us yet?” he asked, and i froze.

“us?” i asked hesitantly, not sure if i was reading too much into his choice of words.

“layla, i really like you. i’m sorry if that’s weird but-“

“it’s not weird.” i assured him, feeling like i was on cloud nine. “i really like you too, travis.”

“that’s a relief.” he said, laughing slightly. “believe me, i am so happy to hear you say that, but i don’t think we should tell beth, for now at least.”

“i agree- i don’t know what she would think,”

“i think she would tear me a new one, for stealing you from ‘er and all, but i think eventually she’d come around,” he joked. i could see that, but i still worried about how she would react. “i mean it though, layla- i wanna give this a try,” he said seriously.

“so do i, travis,” i heard the door opening down the hall, and beth walked in with the pizzas. “your sister is back, i’ll let you say hi to her again.” i said, getting up to trade the phone off to her. she was still far enough away that she wouldn’t hear travis on the other end of the call, which i was grateful for as he spoke softly.

“alright, darlin’. i’ll try to call you tomorrow,”

“okay,” i smiled, as beth turned the corner into the kitchen and i handed her the phone, taking the food from her as she used up the last minute or two travis had with the phone.

“i hope you didn’t bore her while i was gone.” i smiled to myself as beth teased her older brother, my back thankfully turned to her so she couldn’t see the blush creeping over my face. i tuned out the rest of their conversation, before she said goodbye and set the phone on the counter again, as i turned around with plates from the cupboard.

“sorry to leave you stuck talking to him, but he doesn’t get to call very often, so i didn’t want to just hang up.” she joked, and i couldn’t help but feel extremely guilty. i was part of the reason he didn’t call her as often, and i wondered what he had told her if she had asked why his calls were less frequent. i knew he used to call her almost every week, but now that usually i heard from him once a week, i wondered if he still got to talk to her as well.

“it’s okay- it was nice to hear from him actually,” i said honestly, although she didn’t know just how happy i really was to talk to him.

“it’s been a few weeks since i heard from him actually, i was starting to worry a little.” she admitted, putting a slice of pizza on her plate. i felt the guilty feeling again, wishing i could tell her i knew how she felt. it was kind of funny, in a sad way; here i was sat next to my friend, both missing the same person, and i couldn’t talk to her about it. i wanted to comfort her, and tell her i understood, but i knew that it was for the best to keep what travis and i had a secret, at least for now.

“i’m glad he’s okay,” i agreed. “do you have any idea when he’ll be back?” i asked, but she shook her head.

“not really. when he left they said anywhere from six to eighteen months, so it could be tomorrow or it could be a while longer. i guess we’ll just have to wait and see. he’s been gone almost a year now.”

“that’s a long time,” i commented, not knowing what else to say. she nodded.

“enough talk about travis though- i don’t wanna be bummed out all night. i’m just glad i finally heard from him. and it’s nice he got to talk to you- i think he gets bored of talking to me sometimes, which is fair. sometimes we don’t have anything to update each other on when he calls.” she laughed. i smiled, feeling a little better knowing that she was happy with the idea of us talking; without the romantic feelings at least.

we both finished eating our pizza and chatted about our lives, just catching up and joking around, until i had to get going.

“you’re sure you don’t wanna just stay over? i don’t mind.” beth offered, and i considered it, but eventually shook my head.

“i would, but i have to work early tomorrow and my uniform and stuff is at home. next time.” i promised. she smiled and hugged me goodbye. i drove home, feeling conflicted. i was very happy with how things were between travis and i, but i felt even worse now about lying to beth, since i had now done it straight to her face. i sighed heavily as i pulled into the garage of my apartment building before heading up to my suite.

i crawled into my bed, still in my jeans and sweater, and started to cry. i cried because i missed travis, and i cried for my best friend, who was also missing her big brother, and for how awful i felt for keeping secrets from her.

my eyes were puffy when i looked in the mirror the next morning, my makeup from last night in streaks down my face. i hopped in the shower, the hot water helping me relax a little. i washed off the traces of makeup that the shower didn’t, the cool cloth thankfully taking down the swelling of my eyelids at least a little. i managed to cover the rest of it up with some concealer and mascara, before grabbing my gab and heading out the door.

lisa thankfully didn’t comment on my appearance when i arrived, just said a friendly hello as i walked to the back to get my apron on and wash my hands to start working.

it was pretty steady with customers for the first few hours, and i didn’t notice one of the regulars lingering around the counter even after getting his order. i looked up to see that it was the guy who kept asking for my number, and i sighed.

“was there anything else i could get for you today?” i asked, in my best cheerful customer service voice.

“actually, i really want to order your number, but i don’t see it on the menu….” he trailed off, and i had to fight the urge to roll my eyes.

“i guess you’ll have to order something else then,” i would usually politely decline, but i particularly wasn’t in the middle to entertain his advances today.

“damn… i was really craving a date with you.”

“i’m flattered really. but i’m not interested.” i said finely but still polite enough to hopefully not piss him off too much. lisa seemed to notice him not leaving, but was with a customer and couldn’t come check on me, so she gave me a glance as if to ask if i was okay. i nodded at her, and turned back to the customer, who was still trying to convince me to go out with him.

“again i’m really flattered, but i’m just trying to do my job. and not that it’s any of your business but i have a boyfriend.” i told him, getting annoyed with him at this point. he looked a little shocked at how stern my voice was.

“you could’ve just said that at the start.”

“me saying no should be a valid reason, i shouldn’t need to be with someone for you to accept that i’m not interested.” i defended. he seemed to finally get the message, and took his coffee and left, shaking his head as he walked out. the store was basically empty now, as lisa wrapped up the transaction with her customer, who thanked her and dropped a small handful of change into the tip jar.

“why don’t you go on your break? the store’s quiet enough and you deserve a breather after having to deal with that guy,” lisa suggested, walking over to me. i nodded, grabbing a cookie out of the display and heading to the break room, sighing heavily as i sat down. with impeccable timing, my phone started to ring in my pocket, and i saw travis’s name flash across the screen.

“hey!” i answered cheerfully, my mood improving greatly just from his call.

“hey baby, how is your day goin?” he asked. i smiled at the nickname once again, deciding that i liked the way it sounded coming from him a lot. my smile faltered slightly as i thought of how my day had been so far.

“it’s alright; i’m just on my break at work after one of our regulars kept asking for my number.” i sighed.

“do i need to come back home and kick his ass for you? because i will if you ask me to,” he said, and he almost sounded serious.

“no- it’s okay. i told him i had a boyfriend and he finally got the memo that i wasn’t interested.”

“boyfriend huh? what’s he like?” he joked, and i could tell he knew damn well that i had meant him, and i was grateful he didn’t make it weird that i had called him that. we hadn’t officially put a label on things yet after all, having only confessed our feelings last night, but i don’t think he minded.

“he’s tall, very handsome, built like a tank- but he’s very far away right now,” i replied, and travis laughed.

“he sounds like a keeper,” i could hear the smile in his voice. “and i’m sure he can’t wait to get home to see you. did you have fun at beth’s last night?”

“i did. i definitely didn’t expect to hear from you while i was there. we talked about you afterwards- she really misses you. i wish i could tell her i miss you too.” i admitted. i didn’t want to make him feel bad for keeping our blossoming relationship a secret, but i also didn’t want to lie to him and give him the impression that i enjoyed lying to her.

“i know darlin’- i want to tell her about us too, i just don’t know how or when. i hate lying to her too.” he said, and i felt a little better knowing he felt the same way i did. “i have some news- and i don’t know anything for sure yet so i don’t want to get your hopes up, but it sounds like we might be finishing things up here soon. maybe just a few more weeks to fix the pump station and then the village’ll have water again.”

“that’s great, travis!” i exclaimed. “does that mean you might be coming home soon?” i asked hesitantly.

“it’s possible- i don’t know anything for sure yet, though.”

“keep me updated?” i asked.

“i will, baby,” he assured me. “i really miss seeing your face. i know things were different before- i mean things are different now, but…”

“i really miss you too,” i confessed.

“i gotta give up the phone now, but i’ll try to call soon, okay? and if that guy gives you anymore trouble you tell me okay?” he added, causing me to laugh.

“i will, i promise.”

“good girl,” he said, before hanging up. i couldn’t help the smile that was plastered to my face. travis had a habit of calling when i needed to talk to him most, and he definitely cheered me up. i quickly ate the cookie i had grabbed before heading back out into the store, which was still pretty quiet thankfully; i would’ve hated to leave lisa on her own during a rush.

“hey, you look like you’re having a better day already- was the cookie really that good?” she asked as i joined her behind the counter again.

“i talked to travis-“

“that explains it,” she smiled. “you finally heard from him?” she asked, knowing that i hadn’t heard from him for a few weeks.

“yeah, i actually talked to him last night too. i was at beth’s and he called her, but she had to run out so she passed him off to me. she had no idea how happy i was to talk to him, and we kinda confessed our feelings for eachother.” i admitted.

“that’s great- does beth know yet?” she asked, and i shook my head. “that’s okay; one step at a time, right?”

“exactly. and travis knows how i feel about lying to beth, he feels the same way i do. i’m sure we’ll tell her soon,” i explained. “i called him my boyfriend,” i blushed.

“what did he say!” lisa prodded excitedly.

“he didn’t seem upset about it,” i smiled, and she hugged me.

“oh layla, i’m so happy for you,” she insisted, and i couldn’t stop smiling. i felt like a teenager again, talking to her friend about her crush at a sleepover or something, and i had to admit, it was kinda fun. “now hopefully he comes home soon, so you can introduce me to him.”

“yeah, hopefully he does.”

two more weeks went by, and i was counting the days obsessively, since i had received the news from travis that he would be coming home in a month. that meant i would only have to wait three more weeks until i would get to see him. he had told beth as well, and she had told me, not knowing that i was already aware.

“what kind of cake do you think we should get for the party this time?” beth asked. i was at her apartment, helping her plan the welcome home party.

“hmmm - what kind is travis’s favourite?” i asked.

“i think just vanilla- he kinda stopped eating junk food and stuff when he started working out to join the military,” she recalled. i remembered when he had first mentioned it, beth and i had thought he was joking, or at least wouldn’t actually go through with it; we realized pretty quickly he was actually serious about it. we were about 19 when he actually left for the first time, and it was really hard for beth, and it was difficult for me, even back then.

“i think that’s a pretty safe choice. there won’t be too many people, right?” i asked. usually when beth threw going away / homecoming parties it was only a few close friends, and i was hopeful that would be the case again this time. i was nervous about having to hide the fact that travis and i were dating from more people, and i knew that the fact that i would have to act like we weren’t together was going to be a little difficult. regardless, i was still looking forward to the party, and i had offered to help beth with it this time around. thankfully she was happy to have my help, and wasn’t suspicious of why i was interested.

“no, the same as usual. i’m considering inviting jacob, but travis doesn’t know him, so i’m not sure if it would be awkward,” she admitted.

“i don’t think he would mind. have you told travis about him yet?” i asked, knowing that i had mentioned that beth was seeing someone to him, but i wasn’t sure if she had told him herself.

“yeah- he gave me the whole ‘if he hurts you i’ll kill him’ speech,” she laughed. “i swear i’ve never met anyone as protective as he is. i wonder what he would do if you started dating someone,” she said. i puzzled look crossed my face.

“what do you mean?” i asked her.

“well he’s always been just a protective of you as he is of me, maybe even more. he never punched any of my boyfriends in the face to defend my honour.” she said lightheartedly.

“i’m sure he would’ve if they deserved it,” i laughed, kind of surprised she remembered that.

“ya know, i actually kinda thought maybe he had a crush on you after that night, but i guess not; i’m sure he would’ve said something about it if he had.” my heart was beating incredible fast, and once again i was happy to be turned away from her so she could see how warm my face was getting.

“i doubt it- i’m sure he was just being a good friend,” i tried to brush it off.

“regardless, i know he cares about you.” she said. “and i hope he finds someone someday, i know his job makes things complicated, but i want him to be happy, you know?”she said genuinely, and i smiled at her.

“i’m sure he will; he’s a great guy. any girl would be lucky to have him.” i replied.

“you will find someone too, layla. i know you said you’re not looking right now, but one day i mean, when you’re ready,” she assured me, and i pulled her into a hug.

“thanks, beth. i hope you’re right.” she wiggled out of my grip and continued looking at the website of the bakery she had found online, at the various cake options.

“hey, if you both get really desperate, maybe you and travis could get together,” she teased, and i tried to just laugh it off. “you guys might actually be a good couple, now that i think about it.” i was more than relieved to hear her say that, and at that moment i really did think about telling her about travis and i. i ultimately decided against it, not wanting to let the secret out without asking travis first. i’m sure he wouldn’t have been mad, since we both wanted to finally tell her, but i figured better to be safe than sorry.

“you think so?” i laughed.

“yeah actually,” she said, more serious now. “oh! look how pretty this cake is!” she said, thankfully changing the subject as she pointed to a cake on her laptop screen.

“that is really pretty- wow,” i agreed. it was a white cake with plain white frosting, but there were cherries on top and space to add writing if you wanted to.

“i think i’m gonna order it,” beth stated, and i nodded.

“i can help you pay for everything- i’m sure with all the food and everything these parties can get quite expensive.”

“you don’t have to do that-“

“i want to, beth. what can i pay for?” i insisted. she seemed to think for a moment.

“actually, there is something you could do.”

“for sure-“

“my boss wasn’t able to give me the day off for when travis gets home, so would you be able to pick him up from the airport? i know it’s a lot to ask-“

“it’s not a lot to ask beth. i’ll do it.” i smiled.

“thank you so much, layla. it’s only about an hour drive so it shouldn’t be too bad.” she explained, although secretly i was happy that i would be getting at least a little bit of time alone with travis. it would maybe make it easier to pretend we were just friends if i got to see him one on one first.

“i’m sure it will be fine,” i assured her.

“you’re the best,” she smiled.

“anything for you,” i replied. little did she know how happy i was with the task i had been given.

it was a few days before i heard from travis again, and i got to tell him that i would be picking him up at the airport. i would’ve kept it a surprise, but i hate surprises, so i decided not to just show up when he was expecting his sister.

“hey baby,” travis’ voice sounded through the phone, bringing a smile to my face.

“hey you,” i replied, sitting down on my bed.

“what are you up to?” he asked. i always appreciated how he was interested in my day.

“i was just looking through my closet for something to wear for when you come home.” i answered honestly. i wasn’t planning on dressing too fancy or anything, but i obviously wanted to look nice.

“yeah? whatever you choose you’ll look great, darlin’. what are the options so far?” he asked, and i was surprised that he sounded genuinely interested.

“i’m trying to decide between a dress or jeans and a sweater. did beth tell you the slight change in plans?”

“she didn’t; should i be nervous?” he laughed.

“no need to be nervous. she wasn’t able to get the day off when you come home so she asked me if i could pick you up from the airport,” i explained. “if that’s okay with you- i mean.”

“of course that’s okay, darlin’. in that case, as much as i’d love to see you in a pretty dress, you’d probably be more comfortable driving in jeans, yeah?” i blushed, and agreed.

“you’re right. thank you,” i replied. “beth and i had an interesting conversation the other day actually.”

“you’re scaring me again, layla,” he teased.

“we were talking about relationships and stuff; she’s worried about bringing her boyfriend to the party when you get home- since you don’t know him,” i explained.

“i’ll have to ask her if she’s bringin’ him, then she won’t feel weird about it.” he noted. he really was a good big brother, and i could tell he really cared about beth having jacob there if she wanted to. “was that all?” he asked.

“no, actually. she started talking about how she hopes both you and i find someone someday, and then said if we don’t we should just get together- she’s decided we’d make a good couple,” i smiled.

“that’s great- maybe she won’t be too upset when we tell her we’re already together then. unless you already told her?” he asked.

“no, i thought about it, but i didn’t want to without asking you first. i didn’t think it would be fair.”

“i appreciate that. she’ll find out soon enough; i don’t know how i’m gonna keep may hands off you when i get home,” he admitted, and i felt my face getting warm.

“yeah? well, we’ll have an hour in the car on the way from the airport….” i trailed off.

“you’re killin’ me, baby. i don’t want you to get the idea that that’s all i care about, but you’re not making it easy to not think about,”

“don’t worry, i’m thinking about it too.” i confessed. i wanted more than anything to be able to kiss him, to touch him, just to have him close to me.

“how many days we got left?” he asked.

“seventeen,” i said. “sixteen if you don’t count today,”

“the longest sixteen days of my life,”

“i know,” i sighed. “i can’t believe it’s almost been five months since you first called me,” i admitted.

“has it? best decision i ever made. in a way it feels like longer, but shorter at the same time,” he said.

“yeah, i know what you mean.”

“but hey, if four months can fly by, so can two weeks,” he said, and i tried to be as optimistic as he was.

“you’re right. i just really miss you,” i admitted.

“i miss you too baby,” he said; and i decided i would never get tired of hearing him call me that. “i gotta go, i’ll call you soon, okay?”

“yes, sir,” i replied, to which he was silent for a moment.

“lord, you really are tryna kill me,” he groaned, and it sent a shiver up my spine.

it was gonna be a very long two weeks.

it was finally the day, travis was coming home. i had talked to him the night before, and he let me know when and where to meet him at the airport. his flight was supposed to arrive at noon, so i was out the door by 10:30 in the morning to make sure i was on time to pick him up.

getting dressed in a pair of comfy jeans and a dark red sweater, and just doing some casual hair and makeup, i had breakfast and got on the road. i had spent the majority of yesterday stress cleaning my apartment; as travis and i had decided that after the party we would sneak back here, since his house had been empty the whole time he was away, and wouldn’t be in a state to host guests; not that i cared.

my hands hurt from gripping the steering wheel so tight as i parked at the airport, about 30 minutes before travis’ flight was supposed to arrive. i sat down outside the baggage claim area and checked my phone to see a text from beth.

let me know when you’ve picked him up! and thank you again! 💖

i smiled, replying to let her know that i would, and that once again, i didn’t mind. i tried to calm my nerves as the minutes ticked by, travis’ flight now only supposed to be 10 minutes away. i had to remind myself that while things were different between us now, he was still the same travis i had known almost my whole life, and i didn’t need to be nervous around him. it helped a little bit, and i managed to turn my nerves back into excitement; finally i was seeing the person i dreamed of being near for months.

when finally about 20 minutes later he came into view, his large backpack over his shoulder, i felt my eyes start to water. i had promised myself i would try not to make a big scene in public, and i intended on keeping that one. when he was finally within reach, he set his bag down and pulled me into his arms, picking me up off the ground, and my arms looped behind his neck.

“hey baby,” he said softly, and i found it incredibly hard not to cry; finally being in his arms after so long. it felt like home.

“hey,” i replied, not letting go of him for a solid minute. he finally set my feet back down on the ground, and pulled away to look at me. i’m sure i looked like a mess by now, my eyes wet with tears that i was trying desperately to keep in. his hands went to the sides of my face and the pads of his thumbs gently wiped the droplets from my eyes.

“don’t cry darlin’- im here.”

“im just really happy to see you,” i confessed, hugging him again, this time my arms around his torso. his large biceps almost fully encased me against his chest, as he kissed the top of my head.

“i love you, layla,” he said softly into my hair, and i could’ve melted on the spot.

“i love you too, travis,” i spoke, my voice muffled by his muscular chest, but i could tell he heard me, since his arms tightened around me. he loosened his grip on me enough that i could look up at his face. his eyes were even more blue than i remembered. his beard was longer than when he left, but it looked like he had trimmed it recently, probably before flying home. his hair starting to grow out as well, no longer buzzed short, and i could start to see the start of his curls coming back in. “can i kiss you?” i asked timidly, and a smile broke out on his face.

“of course you can, baby,” he answered, and tilted my chin upward with his finger gently, until my lips met his. i had kissed people before, but it was never like this, and i realized that i had never felt for anyone the way that i felt for travis. when he kissed me it felt like i was breathing air for the first time, like our lips were perfectly molded to fit together. when we separated, travis placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.

“ready to go?” i asked. he nodded, swinging his backpack over his broad shoulders and taking my hand in his. “i have to text beth and let her know i found you.” i said remembering that i told her i would message her once i had picked him up.

“any chance you could tell her we can’t make it to the party?” he joked, and i smiled, hitting his chest playfully. “i’m only joking- sorta.”

“there will be plenty of time for just us later. your sister and your friends missed you too, ya know,” i teased. the guest list for the party included beth, jacob, and a couple of guys travis had been close with in high school and stayed in touch with after graduation.

“i know, darlin’,” he said, dropping my hand as we got to the car in the lot. “can i drive?” he asked.

“you don’t wanna just relax? i don’t mind driving.” i assured him.

“i haven’t gotten to drive a normal car in over a year, and you already drove all the way up here. you get to be the passenger princess from now on,” he smiled, extending his hand for me to give him the keys. i smiled, placing them in his hand and letting him open the passenger door for me to get in, making sure i had all my limbs in the vehicle before shutting the door. he adjusted the seat to accommodate his height and got in the driver seat, quickly adjusting the mirrors before placing the key in the ignition. “ready?” he asked, to which i nodded.

the drive was nice, an old lynyrd skynyrd cd playing quietly through the speakers, as travis drove with one hand on the wheel, the other placed on my thigh just above my knee, occasionally giving it a gentle squeeze.

“have you thought up a lie for why you need to take me home yet?” i asked him. “do you think people will be suspicious if we leave together?”

“not since you picked me up, no. we could just say you’re driving me to my own place. no one’s gonna check if i’m actually there or not.” he suggested.

“we run the risk of beth offering for you to spend the night at her place though.”

“that’s true. we could tell them the truth,” he suggested. that was always an option.

“it’s up to you. i’m fine with what you want to do, but if we tell them there’s gonna be a million questions… meaning we’ll have to stay longer…” i let my sentence trail off. “which seems like a shame, when there’s other things we could be doing instead.”

“fuck- yeah we can’t tell them-“ he decided quickly, and i giggled. “that’s the most beautiful sound i ever heard.” he stated, looking at me and smiling. i kissed him quickly, so he could turn his eyes back to the road. we were nearing beth’s apartment now, and i realized it meant for the next few hours, travis and i would have to act like we were just friends. it was definitely doable but that didn’t mean it was gonna be easy, especially since now he was looking at me like he was about to pull over and tear my clothes off, which i honestly wouldn’t have minded.

“ready to pretend to be platonically acquainted?” he teased, as if reading my mind, and i sighed.

“yes- but not looking forward to it.” i admitted.

“we’ll tell them soon, i promise. okay?” he said, i knew he wasn’t happy about it either.

“okay,” i said, defeated. i finally had him and now i had to act like i wasn’t head over heels for him.

“good girl,” he hummed, squeezing my thigh again. okay, that definitely didn’t help, i thought. we pulled into the parking lot at beth’s apartment complex, and travis kissed me softly before we got out of the car and headed inside.

the party was now nearing an end, and as happy as i was to see beth and travis reunite, it had been as anticipated; very difficult to act like we weren’t together. the food and cake had been great, and i was feeling the tiniest buzz after the wine cooler i had earlier, but i had to pretend i was too drunk to drive home so travis had an excuse to give me a ride. we had decided that was the best option to get us both out of here.

“you okay, layla?” travis asked, walking over to me, where i pretended to sway a tiny bit where i stood. i nodded.

“yeah, i’m okay. i think i’m gonna head home though. it’s really nice to have you back,” i said, which was the truth. he gave me a friendly looking hug, and i walked toward the kitchen to say goodbye to beth. i found her tidying up some of the snacks left on the counter.

“hey beth, i think i’m gonna head home - it’s been a long day,” i said. she smiled.

“thank you for coming! and for picking travis up for me, you’re a life saver.” she pulled me into a hug, which i returned; i truly loved my best friend.

“it was no big deal,” i assured her. i turned around to see travis walk into the kitchen from the other entrance and leant against the doorframe, smiling. “he insisted on driving on the way back here anyway, so i only did half the work.”

“i appreciate it regardless, darlin’,” he laughed. i said goodnight to the siblings, and pretended to stumble a little as i walked toward the front door to put my shoes on.

“are you okay to drive, lay?” beth asked, and i assured her i was, but bumped into the wall lightly to sell that fact that i was supposedly a little tipsy.

“let me drive you home, layla.” travis offered. i started to protest, but he interrupted me. “it’s the least i could do, after you picked me up today.”

“thanks travis,” beth said, deciding for me that it was a good idea; thankfully she didn’t suggest me staying the night like i worried she might.

“ready to go?” travis asked, sliding his boots on and taking the keys from my hand. i nodded, saying goodbye to beth as travis led me out of the apartment, a gentle grip on my shoulder as we walked down the hallway. once we got in the elevator, travis barely waited for the door to shut before pressing his lips to mine, and i returned the kiss eagerly. my back hit the wall with a soft thud as he stepped toward me, effectively pinning me in the corner of the small elevator car.

“i swear, that was the longest 6 hours of my life,” he breathed, forehead resting on mine as his hands fiddled with the bottom hem of my shirt. “you’re a pretty good actress, you actually looked tipsy for a minute there,”

“i’m motivated,” i answered, pressing my lips to his again, only separating when the elevator beeped to say the we had arrived at the main floor. the door opened and he led me to the car, before driving to my apartment with the help of my directions, his hand on my thigh once again, this time higher than before, causing my heart to beat quickly. after the longest 15 minute drive ever, we pulled into the parking lot of my apartment building, and travis parked the car before walking around to open my door for me. taking my hand, we walked to the front door, his lips dancing across my neck and shoulders as i fumbled with the keys trying to unlock the front door.

“you’re very distracting,” i chastised, finally unlocking the door and leading him inside. it was just a single flight of stairs up to my unit, and i quickly unlocked that door as well, before we tumbled inside. i dropped my purse to the floor and travis shut the door, my body positioned between him and it as he locked the door and kissed me again. my hands found his chest, sliding his jacket off his shoulders and letting it fall to the floor, and pulling him closer by the belt loops of his pants. he groaned into the kiss, before pulling away slightly.

“you’re not actually drunk, right? i don’t want to-“

“no, i’m not. i only had one when we got to the party.” he nodded, before his lips found my neck, leaving lazy kisses up to my ear, as he toyed with the bottom of my sweater again, silently asking to remove it.

“travis…” i whined as he gently nipped at the skin on my jaw, his tongue soothing the sting of his teeth.

“are you sure? it’s been a while, darlin’- i can’t promise i’ll last very long..” he hesitated, his hands at the button of my jeans, waiting for permission to go further.

“i’m sure travis,” i reassured him. “i need this.” with that he kissed my lips again, and let me guide him to my bedroom.

i laid next to travis, our legs entwined under the sheets keeping our bodies covered, my head on his chest that rose and fell quickly as we both caught our breath. his arms wrapped around my waist as i moved to face him, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.

“i love you,” i said softly.

“say that again darlin’” he smiled, his eyes closed.

“i love you,” i repeated, and he looked at me, before kissing me deeply. i laid my head back down on his chest, and one hand gently caressed my hair, the other delicately drawing patterns on the bare skin on my hip.

“i love you too baby,” he replied, and i felt more content than i ever had; in the arms of the person i loved most in the world after being apart for so long. a thought crossed my mind, which made a sinking feeling grow in my chest.

“do you know how long you’re home for?” i asked him quietly, afraid of what the answer might be. he sighed.

“you really want to talk about that right now?” he asked.

“i knew going into this that your job wasn’t gonna make this easy. i want us to be honest with each other. and i want you; that means everything that comes with you,” i explained. he held me tighter.

“i don’t know for sure, but usually 3-6 months.” he said. i obviously wished it could be longer, but i was just happy to have him home with me for any amount of time. “we can worry about that later though. we gotta worry about something a lot scarier first-“ i looked at him, my eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, not sure what he meant, but he just smiled.

“we have to tell beth about us.” he said, his tone serious as if he had said we had to climb a mountain.

“i think that’s doable,” i laughed, the happiest i had been in a very long time. “but not tonight; i want you all to myself for one night.” travis kissed me, and i smiled against his lips as his arms held me close to him, and i could feel his heart beating against mine.

“you’ll have me for as long as you want, darlin’”

#henry cavill #henry cavill characters #captain syverson #sand castle netflix #sand castle #captain syverson playlist #syverson imagine #syverson fic #captain syverson imagine #captain syverson fic #henry cavill fic #henry cavill imagine

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rmtndew · 2 years

Text

Chapter 15

Summary: The Great Depression took its toll on a lot of people and some had to get creative to survive. Seraphina’s father decides his solution is to sell his only daughter to a much older man. But when Sy overhears a conversation about the young woman, he makes a decision that will change his life - and Seraphina’s - forever.

(An arranged marriage AU with Captain Syverson)

Pairing: Sy and OFC Seraphina

Word count: 4,200+

Warnings: Mentions of violence, mentions of abuse, implied smut.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16

. .

Time had an odd way of passing. In one way it seemed slower than molasses in winter, barely trudging on. But then again, it felt like I just turned around and Hazel Mae was already five months old. I couldn’t believe it. It felt like she was going to be small enough for me to hold in the crook of my arm forever, but it wasn’t long before she was big enough to sit up. She still needed help or she’d fall backwards, but when she had it, she loved to move and wriggle around all she could. Which was why she couldn’t be left in her bassinet while I did chores no more; she’d tump it plumb over trying to get out. Mrs. Anderson had shown me how to make a sling out of fabric to wrap around me for her to fit in so I could carry her with me, and once she started moving, she had to be with me or Sy all the time.

She didn’t like doing the laundry with me none and I couldn’t blame her. She was always trying to grab hold of the dirty clothes and I was constantly pulling things out of her bitty fists or her mouth. And I wasn’t a big woman, so holding a baby while bent over a scrub board washing took its toll on me. So one morning, me and Hazel Mae decided to take a break from all the washing and sit on the porch swing together. That’s where we were when Sy joined us. He called out as he was coming up the steps and she started turning her head around like a little owl, searching for him, as her legs got to moving.

I smiled. “Somebody hears her Papa.”

He came and sat next to me and she tried everything she could to get to him. I finally took her out of the sling and handed her over to Sy. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said. “Did you miss your Papa?”

“Ba-ba-ba-ba,” she babbled, then stuck out her tongue and blew bubbles.

“I missed you, too.” He bent forward and kissed her cheek and she grabbed hold of his beard and pulled. He hissed but didn’t say anything. She gave it a few good tugs and then let it go.

I leaned my head over on his shoulder and watched her jump up and down in his lap. “She’s been going strong all morning. I hope she tuckers herself out and has a good nap soon.”

“Maybe we could have a little time for Momma and Papa if she does,” he said, then gave me a sly look.

I laughed. “Depends on how tired I am by the time she goes down. I might be taking a nap with her.”

“Then maybe Momma and Papa time is us taking a nap, too.” He smiled at me. “How’s that?”

“You just want to get your hands on me, is all,” I teased.

His smile grew bigger as Hazel Mae started chewing on her fingers, causing drool to drip down the front of Sy’s shirt. He didn’t pay it no mind. “Yes, ma’am, I do want to get my hands on you. I like holding you. Like having you tucked right up against me, feeling your soft skin against mine. There’s nothing wrong with that and I’m not going to apologize for it.”

“I didn’t ask you to apologize. I like it, too.”

“And what do you like, exactly?” he whispered, leaning his head closer to mine. “Because it ain’t my soft skin.”

“You know good and well that I like your muscles and how strong you are and all that hair,” I said quietly. “I ain’t ever seen no one as manly as you.” I looked up at him. “But it’s not just all how you look and feel. You know that right? No one’s ever made me feel as safe or loved as you. And that’s what I like about being tucked up in your arms the most.” I felt my face flush. “But the hair and muscles are good, too.”

He laughed and Hazel Mae started giggling around her fingers, more drool dribbling out and down Sy’s shirt. “That’s good to know, Mrs. Syverson.” He kissed the top of my head and Little Bit took her hand that wasn’t in her mouth and walloped Sy’s face, getting his attention. When he turned back towards her, she tugged on his beard again. “What? You need a kiss, too?”

He lifted her up and kissed her cheek again then rubbed his nose against hers. She thought that was funny and started giggling even harder than before. He did it again and her giggle turned into a right belly laugh that made Sy and me both start laughing with her. He kept at it, making her cackle, and I smiled so hard my face hurt. There wasn’t nothing better than that feeling right there with the three of us happy as clams. It didn’t matter what was going on in the world, as long as we had each other, we was going to be alright.

The next day I was sitting on my tree swing with Hazel Mae strapped to me and we were swinging while Sy worked a little bit aways from us. She liked being close enough to Papa to talk to him and see him, but it vexed her something awful that he wasn’t playing with her, so he’d have to keep taking breaks to come pay her some attention. Other than that, though, she enjoyed swinging.

That’s where we were when Reverend Anderson pulled up. Sy waved him over and he let himself in through the gate. I stayed sitting as Sy moved over to my side and the Reverend joined us. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” Sy joked.

Reverend Anderson smiled a little but it didn’t last long. “I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”

Sy’s face turned real serious. “Alright. What do you need?”

“The church is having a little ice cream shindig for the kids up at McCoy farm today and we sent some of the older ones to go see if any of the kids in the community wanted to come and join us. Edward and Dinah went up to invite the Bailey kids to come over and apparently it don’t look too good up there.”

“What do you mean?” Sy asked.

“They said all them kids looked spooked and the young’uns were dirty head to toe, few of the older ones had some bruises but the momma looked like she’d taken a right bad beating. Eye swoll shut and everything. Meanwhile H.C. Bailey just sitting piled up, yelling at the kids to wait on him hand and foot,” Reverend Anderson said. “Me and a couple of fellas are gonna go have a talk with H.C. about it. Thought you might wanna come along. Men like H.C. tend to listen better when men like you are there with me.”

Sy nodded. “I remember you taking Pa with you to have talks when I was younger.”

“Most times he just had to be there with me. A few times I had to excuse myself and your Pa had some...private words with them. Either way, I don’t know of a single man that didn’t stick to the straight and narrow and look after his wife and kids once we left their house,” Reverend Anderson said. “Everybody’s struggling right now, can’t argue with that, but men have a duty to take care of their families. If you’re out of work, that’s one thing. But that don’t mean you take it out on them.”

“I agree,” Sy said. “I’ll go with you.”

Reverend Anderson clapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you.”

Hazel Mae started babbling and reaching for Sy. She caught hold of his shirt and started tugging on it. He wiped his hands on his pants, getting off whatever dirt he had on them, and bent down to get her loose from the sling on my chest. Happy to be held, she rested her head on his shoulder and he hugged her close.

Reverend Anderson smiled at her. “Why don’t all three of y’all come on over to McCoy farm?” he suggested. “We sent someone after Dr. Bradford so he could take a look at Mrs. Bailey and the kids while we talk to H.C. but I don’t know when he’ll get there and I wouldn’t want you leaving Seraphina and the baby behind. She can come and socialize with the ladies and enjoy some ice cream while we’re off doing business.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” I said.

He shook his head at me. “Nonsense. My wife would be mighty glad to have you there. If you weren’t already married to Sy, I think she would’ve gone and adopted you for a daughter herself.”

I smiled. “It would be awful nice to see her and the other ladies. It’s been a while.” I looked up at Sy. “I think me and Little Bit will tag along with you.”

“Alright,” he said as Hazel Mae tried sticking her fingers in his mouth. He carefully pulled them away and looked at Reverend Anderson. “We’ll get loaded up and see y’all over there.” While he was talking, she managed to stick her hand in just enough to grab his bottom lip. He pulled his head back and her hand fell away. He was real gentle as he took hold of her hand, keeping it against his chest as he looked at her face. “Hey, Papa’s talking.” She shook her head, rubbing it against his shoulder. “Yes, he is. Be good.”

“I’ll leave y’all to it and let you finish up whatever you’ve got to do and I’ll see yuns over at the McCoy’s in a bit.”

Reverend Anderson left and me and Sy got ready to follow after. When we were in the truck, I looked over at him. “Are you really going to hurt that man?”

“Who? H.C. Bailey?” he asked. I nodded. “If he’s been putting his hands on his wife and kids and he won’t listen to reason, then…yeah. I will.”

“And your Pa used to do that?”

“Occasionally.” He glanced down at me. “Why? Do you not want me to?”

“No, it ain’t that…”

He put his hand on my knee. “What is it, honey bee?”

“Just wondering what Daddy would’ve done if somebody like you or your Pa would’ve come and had a talk to him when I was younger. I wonder if it would have changed anything or if he’d kept on being cruel.”

“I don’t know, baby. I wish somebody had been there to give him a talking to. I wish I would have. It breaks my heart thinking about anybody being mean to you, but especially your own daddy. I just…” He looked over at Hazel Mae sitting in my lap. “I don’t get it.”

I kissed his shoulder. “That’s ‘cause you’re a good man and a good Papa,” I said. “And you saved me when it really mattered.”

He returned my kiss to the top of my head then lifted his right arm out. “C’mere,” he said. “Let me love on you while I drive.”

I scootched over and got tucked right under his arm that he wrapped around my shoulders. I could feel how hot his skin was through the light cotton of his shirt as I rested my head against his chest. Hazel Mae liked that and did the same to me, resting her little bitty head on my chest as her toes squished against Sy’s leg. She liked being in bed with us when we were all cuddled up and loving on her and I reckon she thought that’s what we was doing.

The farm wasn’t too far away and when we got there, me and Hazel Mae were welcomed by Mrs. Anderson. She came and gave me a big ol’ hug and led me over to the shade where some of the women were talking. It wasn’t long before Dr. Bradford arrived. Ruth was with him and she came and joined us ladies as he left with Sy, Reverend Anderson, and two other menfolk up the road towards the Bailey house.

“I hope it doesn’t resort to violence but if it does and a brute like Hoyt can’t make Mr. Bailey see reason, then there’s no hope to be had for him,” Ruth said.

I didn’t like nobody calling Sy a ‘brute’, ‘specially not her, but she was right in a way. I’d seen Sy put Jud Boswell in his place before. I knew he could get right feral when he was fighting. And the day of our wedding, he’d stood up to Daddy and told him off for selling me like cattle. So if it came down to it and he needed to get physical with H.C. Bailey, I knew he would. That’s why I bit my tongue and didn’t say nothing, bad as I didn’t want to.

“All men have hope, Mrs. Bradford,” one of the ladies said.

But I thought about Daddy and I wasn’t so sure that was true.

The men had been gone for close to an hour when Hazel Mae started bouncing like crazy on my hip, her hands reaching out as she babbled something. I looked over and saw Sy and the other men heading down the lane. Hazel Mae had seen her Papa and wanted him to get her. I tried to soothe her while we waited but when he saw her reaching for him, he jumped plumb over a ditch and cut across the yard, making a beeline right for us.

“Come here, sweetheart,” he said, holding out his arms. “Let Papa get you.”

I handed her to him and he hugged her real close, kissing her head as she hugged him back. He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath while he cradled her.

“Are you alright?” I asked him.

He didn’t say nothing for a second, then finally he nodded before opening his eyes to look at me. “Yeah,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “I just…” He let out a shaking breath. “How in the world could anybody hurt their babies? How could you ever put your hand on them and not feel so rotten you’d want to kill yourself?”

I reached up and touched his forearm. “Was it bad?” The look he gave me was all the answer I needed. “Do you think he’s going to listen to y’all?”

“I’ll make sure he does, ‘cause if he lays another hand on his wife or those kids, I’ll do a whole lot more to him than what I did today.”

“Sy…” I didn’t know what to say. I just gripped his arm a little tighter.

I could tell he was near crying. He sniffled and tried to hide it, then pulled Hazel Mae back so he could see her face. “Why don’t we give Momma a break and you come with Papa to see some baby animals, how’s that?” he asked her. She didn’t know what he was talking about but she seemed happy all the same. He glanced at me. “Did y’all already go look at ‘em?”

“No. I was a mite scared of the goose they got back there.”

He smiled. “With good reason. Geese can be mean.”

“I know it. I got bit by one when I was little.”

His smile grew. “So last week?”

“You hush now,” I said, smiling back.

He moved Hazel Mae into the crook of his arm so she could see while they were walking and she started bouncing again. She may not have known what they was going to do but she knew her Papa was taking her somewhere and that’s all that mattered.

I caught Ruth looking after him as he held our baby in his arms and I knew she wouldn’t dare admit it, but she knew right well that he wasn’t just a brute. She knew it from her time courting him, I was sure of it. There was no way Sy would’ve been anything other than a gentleman during their time together. But he was even softer once he became a father and I knew without a doubt she saw that in him.

We didn’t stay too much longer at the McCoy’s because we still had work to do back at home. Sy really put his all into the chores once we got there and I knew he was trying to get all his anger at Mr. Bailey out. He wouldn’t tell me just how bad it had been there with the kids but he told me that he’d broken Mr. Bailey’s hand. Dr. Bradford bandaged it up some but Sy said he made sure he wouldn’t be able to take his fist or belt to none of them for a good long while.

That evening when it was time for his bath, me and Hazel Mae sat in there with him. He wanted us right close so I sat beside the tub and she was in my lap. She held onto the side of it and pulled up, then bounced up and down. Sy was washing his head with the soap when she reached out and smacked his shoulder. He looked over at her and laughed.

“Can I help you, missy?” he asked. She babbled out something that didn’t make no sense but he nodded solemnly. “Is that right?”

She growled at him and I got tickled. “You sound like a little bear,” I told her, kissing the back of her head. She blew her tongue out at Sy and then fell down hard in my lap.

“Little Bit the little bear,” Sy said. He leaned his head over so he could peek down at her in my lap. “Momma calls Papa a bull.”

“You are my big bull.”

He smiled. “And I’m mighty glad of it.”

“What am I?”

He shook his head. “Nope. I ain’t falling for that.”

“Falling for what?”

“You don’t like no animal name I call you so I ain’t going to say you’re anything. You get to pick,” he said, then put the soap away. “I don’t got no intentions of making you cry or get upset with me tonight.”

“But you had intentions of it before?”

He laughed. “No, ma’am I did not,” he said. “But I’ve learned my lesson.”

“You always called me something crazy, though. Like a monkey or a possum or hog or -”

“Nope. I never called you a hog.” He bent his head down and rinsed the soap from it. “I distinctly remember saying I was going to fatten you up like a hog but I didn’t ever say you were one. I may say a lot of things without thinking but I wouldn’t ever call a woman a hog - ‘specially not you.”

“Daddy used to call me little lamb,” I said. “I thought it was sweet ‘til I got older. Then I realized lambs get led to slaughter and they’re expected to stay quiet all the while.” I looked at Sy and saw him watching me, water clinging to his pretty eyelashes. “Some quiet helpless thing. That’s what he wanted me to be. I didn’t like that.”

“You ain’t a helpless thing.” Hazel Mae started fussing some and he reached his hand out to lay over mine. She settled down a little from feeling him. “It might not be an animal but you are my little honey bee,” he said. “You’re sweet and you work hard but you’re willing to fight back against anybody that says something about your family. You’re fiercer than anyone I know, Seraphina. You were like that when it was just me.” He smiled. “Little bitty ol’ thing like you smacked Jud Boswell when he was bad mouthing me. Nobody else would’ve done that for me. And now with Little Bit?” She took his finger and started gnawing on it. “You’d light up anyone that even so much as looked at our baby sideways.” He lowered his head to look me in the eye. “Your daddy had everything wrong. Everything. You hear?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I hear.”

Hazel Mae kept chewing on Sy’s finger but in a few moments started fussing. He moved his eyes from mine to look down at her. “You mad ‘cause there ain’t nothing coming out of there?” he asked.

I smiled. “I think that’s what it is. It’s time for her to eat and go to sleep.”

He carefully pulled his hand away from her. “Why don’t you take her on then? I’ll be out in a minute. I’m just going to finish up in here and empty out this bath water and I’ll join you.”

“Alright.” I leaned forward and he gave me a kiss. Hazel Mae wriggled in my lap and whined until I held her up so that Sy could kiss her, too. Once she got hers, we got up and I carried her out of the bathroom.

We’d been sleeping on the back porch because of the heat. Sy had Hazel Mae’s crib out there with us. So I took her outside and we got settled down onto the bed. She was getting tired and hungry, so I opened my nightgown and helped her get latched on. She was already sweating just being so close to me, her short hair curling up from it, so I blew on her head to try to cool it down while she ate. It made her close her eyes and it wasn’t long before I felt her unlatch from me. I looked down and saw her smack her lips in her sleep, milk beading up at the corner. I wiped it off and held her, contemplating whether I should wake her up to keep feeding or not. I knew she was tired but I hadn’t meant to put her to sleep before I was empty, and that’s exactly what I’d done. Looking at her sweet little face, though, I knew I couldn’t wake her. I’d have to go to bed uncomfortable, but I weren’t going to disturb her right then.

I held her until Sy joined us. He came and squatted down next to me, his hand going to my back, rubbing it gently as he looked at Hazel Mae. “She good and asleep or you want me to wait a little before putting her down in her crib?” he whispered.

I sighed. “No, she’s been asleep long enough. You can put her down.”

He looked at me, his eyebrows creasing together. “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing. She just fell asleep a little earlier than I needed her to. I’m still pretty full.”

“I’m sorry, baby.” He pressed a kiss to my temple. “Tell her goodnight and I’ll take her for you.”

I pressed a kiss to both of her fat cheeks and one to the top of her head. “Goodnight, sweet girl. I love you.”

I held her up to Sy and he took her from me. She waved her fists in the air, startled by the sudden movement, but he patted her bottom and rocked her enough to get her settled down again. Then he kissed the top of her head. “Papa loves you, Little Bit. Sleep tight now,” he said before carefully easing her down into her crib next to us, then covering her up with her thin blanket. He turned back to me as I was trying to pull my gown back together. “How bad is it?”

I looked up at him as I scooted over so he could have his spot on the bed. “How bad’s what?” I asked. He nodded to my chest. “Oh. They’re still pretty full and a little sore. I ain’t ever hoped for her to wake up in the middle of the night but goodness I hope she needs to feed later,” I said, finally covering myself.

He sat down next to me and put his hand on my knee. “What if you let me help?”

I laughed. “What are you going to do? Milk me like one of the cows?”

“No,” he said, his voice all husky. “Not at all like one of the cows.”

I felt my cheeks grow warmer than they already were. “Sy…”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t,” he said. “But don’t turn it down on account of me.” His thumb stroked my skin. “‘Cause to be honest with you…this ain’t the first time I’ve wanted to try it.”

“I mean you’ve kind’ve tried it already. When I leak when we’re coupled up…”

“I have but I don’t want no couple of drops. I want everything you’ll let me take,” he said and I didn’t know how in the world those words could ever set a flame under my skin but they did. He kept stroking my knee. “But like I said, if it makes you uncomfortable, I won’t push it.”

“It don’t make me uncomfortable,” I whispered. “I trust you.”

“Yeah?” he asked, his eyes going dark in the moonlight. All I could do was nod. “Lay on down, then. Let me take care of you, baby.”

#Henry Cavill #Henry Cavill fan fiction #Captain Syverson #Captain Syverson fan fiction #Sand Castle Netflix #Sand Castle fan fiction #Henry Cavill fan fic #Captain Sy fan fiction #Where Kindness Grows

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ignis-writes · 2 years

Text

Giggles

Summary: This man might as well be stripping on a pole but that watch ain't going nowhere.

Pairing: Captain Syverson × female! reader

Word count: around 650

Warnings: Giggles, Watches, Swear words and fluffy Sy (anything else?)

A/N: I typed this up cuz I had 20 mins between classes. So it's a collection of mistakes and shit that doesn't make sense. Not beta'd like everything else on this page.

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Giggles

A sweet wave of breeze whiffed away the flimsy layer of sweat formed on his tanned skin. The hard muscles flexed as the man pushed himself up on his hands and rolled over to lay by my side with his fingers weaved with mine. Sex was good, but it was these moments of blissful closeness that made us feel more connected and familiar with each other. We stayed almost motionless except for his fingers feeling up and down the engagement ring on my finger. I shifted my head gently over his chest, I almost dozed off in silence until the ebony-strapped military issue watch snapped my attention. I couldn't help but ask...

"Why don't you take off that watch, sy?"

To be honest this isn't the first time I noticed. My man can be down butt naked but still have that watch on. I've wondered if the captain ever walked into the shower with his beloved wrist whore, I've never seen that watch left on the dressing table or bathroom stands in my near memory.

"Why, you don't like it?" He wondered

"Nah, I'm just curious…that watch held your hands more than I did”

“Yeah, but did the watch get my heart and the ring?”

His feeble attempt to wink which ended up miserably cute gave me the inevitable urge to seize a love bite on his coarse cheek.

“the fuck, woman?”

harmless rage dressed his nose in pink as I fell into a fit of giggles, quietly overshadowing my fate as the bull moved in the speed of the wind to have me pressed on the mattress with his breath mere inches from my face, the azure of his eyes clouding with tell-tale mischief.

“Wanna have a good laugh lil girl?” oh no, I won't be breathing for some time and that dirty drawl said so.

“No, no, so I'm tired” I tried to make it out, except the syllables ditched me between breaths and goosebumps

Laughter took over the better of my words as the man kneeled above me with his big arms digging pearls of laughter outta my ribs. Sy knew I was a bit too ticklish, the mere thought of being tickled sent me off the cliff. No matter how hard I tried to cover it up and deny he saw how I liked the weird bolts of dopamine pumping through my veins chaperoned by chuckles.

“Nnooeehho…staph Skyy..y sthop”

round one, round two, round three. The tickles went on

I kept trying to hold away his wrist but all I could hold was that damm watch. New tactics, I went for his bare neck and armpit with my wiggly fingers only to get my hands pinned above my head in an instant. I was laughing, crying and trying to breathe in between.

When he finally took his slippery fingers off me it still took me some time to get it together and comprehend words and take in air. All while my man was giggling like a schoolboy near me. Who among us got tickled? It didn't matter though, seeing Sy burst out with laughter was rare, i savored every moment of it. Under the scary beard and the cold blue eyes, the captain had a heart of butter.

Shifting to face me he yawned again catching up with the conversation we abandoned mere minutes ago.

“Want me to get rid of it?” he asked nodding at the watch

“let it stay. sexy”

“The watch?”

“Nah your hand”

“would you like another orgasm straight outta Mr sexy hands? 😉”

agh that cheesy drawl and half-assed wink. There goes me giggling again

--------------------

Reblog and comment if u enjoyed

tags: @cynic-spirit @evansabove1981 @angelmather1 @calwitch

#captain syverson #captain syverson fanfics #sand castle netflix #henry cavill #geralt of rivia #walter marshall #august walker #sherlock holmes

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poledancingdinos · 11 months

Text

Hostile Territory - Chapter 13

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Leah Coleman)

Word count: 3.2K

Warnings: Nothing new but references to the harassment/injuries from previous chapters

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @elizabetharegina @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @geralts-yenn @peaches1958 @avengersfan25 @sillyrabbit81 @summersong69 @identity2212 @liecastillo @lena-banena @mrsevans90 @confessionbrain-writings @eclecticfashionbookszipper @happydistraction

Masterlist

Day 175:

Leah spent the better part of three weeks on bedrest. She didn't bother protesting for the simple reason that, as much as she hated being still that long, she didn’t want to face Sy.

For the first week, the boys brought MREs to her room three times a day, but when she got sick of the prepackaged food, she made the effort to go down for chow time. She couldn’t stay very long, the noise quickly becoming too much and making her head pound, but she soaked in all the social time she could.

It was a good thing the boys always had something to catch her up on during those ten to fifteen minutes together because it kept her from glancing over at Sy. He no longer sat in his normal spot, instead having moved to a seat facing away from Leah. The only time he had dared to look at her was when Aika ran to greet her on her first day down. Once the shock wore off and he knew Aika wasn’t going to wander off, he’d turned back to his meal.

On the tenth day after the incident, Leah managed to take on a few clerical tasks and by day fourteen, she had gone back to weight training. Her bruises had still been in the late healing stages but they’d no longer caused her any discomfort. Now though, she needed to step up and prove she was fit for duty because they had a big op coming up and Leah was not going to be benched.

There were rumors around base that an army platoon was going to be assisting but Sy had not confirmed anything. He’d apparently been in a particularly sour mood since the incident but there was no telling whether that was because of what happened between the two of them or the rumored newcomers. Or so she told herself.

Leah was headed back inside after a workout and a shower when she bumped into BJ.

“You might wanna go lock up your panties.”

Leah snorted, stopping to shake out her still wet hair to let it dry in the hot sun.

“I take it that means we’ll have some guests soon?”

BJ shifted his rifle around to pull his sunglasses out of his pocket.

“Yeah, we just got confirmation that they’ll be here before sunset. We’ve been ordered to move shit around to free up a couple of rooms for ‘em.”

A wet nose nudged the back of Leah’s hand, making her look down. She immediately smiled, kneeling to ruffle the fur around Aika’s neck. She was growing so fast.

They’d started painting her green a while back. It had been Jer’s idea—well, more like a joke that Sy took seriously—to paint her camo. They were still afraid she would be shot if she ever escaped since they couldn’t give her any sort of army K9 vest and Jer thought the idea of a camo print dog was hilarious. Not that Aika would run away with how attached she was to Sy but he was equally attached to her and he was not willing to take any chances. It was a good thing the only color spray paint they had on hand was green or Jer would most certainly have gone through on his original plan.

“We could probably fit someone on the floor in my room and my top bunk is still free.”

“Shouldn’t be necessary, we’ve got it mostly figured out.”

Leah nodded, standing and patting Aika on her rump to send her back inside.

“Sy asked me how you were healing up.”

Leah whipped her head down, collecting her hair to begin forming a regulation bun. “You better have told him I was in perfect shape,” she said as she straightened. “I better not get fucking benched before the big op.”

BJ just rolled his eyes. “What I wanna know is why he didn’t just check in with you himself.”

Leah schooled her face to stay neutral as she shrugged. “I don’t know.” Maybe if she kept her cool BJ would drop that line of questioning. “He probably figures I’ll just lie and say I’m fine.” She finished smoothing her hair back and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“So it has nothing to do with why you’ve been avoiding each other lately?”

Leah averted her gaze, chewing on her inner cheek. Shit.

“Yeah, I’ve noticed and so have the guys.” Double shit. “They think he feels guilty because he’s the one who made the call to put Hall with your team.”

Hall, the poor guy, was on thin ice with the Captain. He was basically on probation after the op and the slightest hiccup could make or break everything he’d worked for. The guys had been a little distant with him after Leah got out of medical but she’d made them promise not to let his mistake dictate how they treated him.

“I think that’s bullshit and something happened between you two.”

Leah unconsciously looked around to make sure no one was within earshot.

“I didn’t take you for the gossiping type, BJ.”

“It’s not gossiping if you go straight to the source.”

Leah glared at BJ but he just glared right back. When she refused to be the first to break, BJ wrapped a hand around Leah’s arm and pulled her around the corner away from any potential prying eyes.

“Look, if you want to sleep with the boss, that’s on you. It’s your ass on the line.” He paused, his tongue darting out to lick his lips before leaning closer to Leah.

Had it been anyone else, she might have thought he was trying to make a pass at her. He was nervous, there was something uncertain written all over his face.

“I want to think I know what kind of guy Sy is,” he said in a low voice, “but I still gotta ask…”

“I never slept with Sy, okay?” Leah hissed in a low tone. She needed him to drop the subject. Even if she trusted BJ, these kinds of things had a tendency to spread like wildfire as soon as anyone so much as the suggestion that two people were sleeping together.

BJ straightened, taking a deep breath. His expression morphed from worry to anger. “So, what then? Did he do som—”

“Why does everyone keep asking if he tried something?”

Did they all think that little of Sy? Or had she been completely wrong about him?

“Because we care, Leah!” BJ caught himself, looking over his shoulder before he continued. “We fucking care about your infuriatingly stubborn ass even if you try your goddamn hardest to drive us all away. Which, by the way, makes me even more worried that you’re trying to hide something even if I don’t want to believe he’s capable of something like that.”

Leah had the decency to feel ashamed about that. She cared about all of them too even if she tried to deny it at times. The last thing she wanted was to worry the few people who always had her back. Or lead them to believe that Sy had abused his position.

“It’s not like that, I swear,” she said so low it was almost a whisper. She didn’t want to lie to BJ, but she also didn’t really know how much she could safely admit. “He seemed to take my injuries really hard after he saw my ribs in medical. I think it drove home how much of a close call it was.”

BJ nodded, finally relaxing his stance and leaning his shoulder against the wall with a sigh. “Yeah, I saw your plates. Half an inch and it would have been going through your heart.”

That was true. Yet her heart had still been shattered that night.

“I’ll talk to him,” she promised. “He needs to know I’m not taking a back seat on that shared op. Maybe it’ll help him shake out of that mood you think he’s in.”

BJ seemed satisfied with her answer because he changed the subject, dragging Leah up to help the others get the rooms ready for their guests.

Sy hated working on a deadline. Normally, they would gather intel, devise a plan and strike when the moment was right. Now, the right moment had to come within the next twenty-five days.

He’d been informed that they were being sent an army platoon as “support”. Sy didn’t appreciate his higher ups’ way of telling him they were dissatisfied with the speed of his progress but the extra man power—and the accompanying supply truck—would be put to good use all the same.

“Are you Captain Syverson?”

Sy turned away from Aika to find a tall, lean man walking towards him with confident strides. He looked tanned, though unlike Sy, it appeared to be the natural tone of his skin rather than damage from hours upon hours in the scorching Iraqi sun. He hoped this kid had at least some field experience.

“Yessir. I’m guessin’ you’re the man in charge?”

The other officer nodded. “Lieutenant Stroubakis.” The Lieutenant, who Sy guessed was a few years younger than him, extended his hand. “The men tend to just call me LT.”

Sy could easily see why. It seemed that full titles were rarely used when last names had more than two syllables which was why nearly everyone on base called him Sy. Well, everyone except the one person he really wished would call him that.

“I hope you and your men know what y’all are gettin’ into,” Sy said by way of greeting, shaking the man’s hand more forcefully than strictly necessary. “It may be quiet out there right now but don’t make the mistake of takin’ their silence for acceptance. Our presence is barely tolerated by the locals as it is and seeing four new humvees rollin’ in is bound to stir up some shit. Y’all need to keep your heads on a swivel.”

Sensing the slight hostility in the words, the Lieutenant lifted his chin. “Then let’s talk about what it is we are here to do so that we can all get out of your hair.”

The slight tipping of Sy’s head was the only indication for the Lieutenant to follow him as he walked into the building. “From what I heard, you’re gunnin’ for a promotion.”

“Is that all they told you about why we’re here?”

It wasn’t, but it may as well have been. He didn’t want some hotshot putting his men at risk while trying to impress the higher ups. Officers made all kinds of rash or reckless decisions in the name of advancing their careers and they were rarely the ones to pay for them with their lives.

Sy paused outside his office door, turning to face the Lieutenant. “I was told that your men respect you and that ya get the job done but I tend to reserve judgment until I see for my—.”

“Niki?”

Sy immediately looked down the hall towards the source of the sweet voice he’d missed hearing in the last month.

“Oh my god, it is you!”

The young man barely had time to brace himself before a small body slammed into his chest. There was no hesitation as he wrapped his arms around Leah’s waist and pressed his nose into her hair.

“Hey, Killer,” he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment and basking in the unexpected comfort of a familiar embrace.

Leah was perched on the very tip of her toes, gripping the collar of the Lieutenant’s—Niki’s—uniform in both hands.

Sy’s entire body flushed white-hot, not so much at the nerve of the guy for indulging Leah in her arguably inappropriate behavior, but for the fact that he got to touch her the way Sy would only wished he could. She’d been avoiding him since the night in the infirmary and it was slowly killing him inside. He’d crossed a line and now Leah was uncomfortable around him. Any trust he’d managed to build was gone in a heartbeat because of his own mistake.

Sy cleared his throat, causing Leah’s eyes to shoot open as she remembered where she stood. She pulled away, taking three steps back and straightening to stand at attention, staring at a spot on the Lieutenant’s chest as she saluted him. “I mean…” She shifted her weight, her eyes flickering to the collar of the man’s jacket. “Lieutenant Stroubakis, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” She looked at Sy only long enough to give him a short greeting.

Leah kept her gaze downturned as she scurried away. She couldn’t believe that she had just jumped on another soldier in front of her commanding officer. Not just a soldier but an officer.

If anyone else had witnessed her little indiscretion, she was fucked. There was no way people would believe that she’d made it where she was on merit alone if they thought she’d slept with not one, but two different officers.

She also couldn’t get Sy’s face out of her head. He’d been furious. It would be hypocritical of him to punish her for a hug when they’d shared a kiss just under a month ago. A kiss which he initiated. A kiss so heated she’d begun to reconsider every decision she’d ever made in her life.

Leah had agonized over what to do with her life after high school. Against her father’s wishes, she’d enlisted with her only objective being to make it into Special Forces. As much as she was interested in Sy, she couldn’t act on it without risking everything.

Sy had been more than fair to her since her arrival. What would he think of her now? Would he think that she’d used Niki’s status to get ahead like Nielsen had accused her of doing with Sy? Would he assume the affinity they’d developed was just about her trying to get in his pants? Was that what led him to look so angry? Or was he angry because he was jealous?

She passed by the men from Niki’s unit, ignoring the interested stares from the newcomers.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Princess! Come greet our guests!” Of course, Connors would waste no time in sharing her lovely little nickname with them. At least the words out of his mouth hadn’t been “come blow our guests”. Suddenly, the wave of hope brought on by the sight of Niki was replaced with insurmountable dread.

Sy shut the door behind Lieutenant Stroubakis and moved around to stand behind his desk. The younger man stood stock-still with his shoulders back and eyes focused forward. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, betraying his worry regarding whatever was going to be said next.

“Is there anything I need to know about you two, Lieutenant?”

Like the reason why he had his fucking paws on Leah.

At least he’d posed it as a question and not an accusation. Look at him keeping his head on straight.

“I know her brother, Sir.”

“Cut the shit,” he barked. Okay, maybe his head wasn’t on so straight. “We both know that was not the reaction of a girl who happened to bump into one of her brother’s friends.”

Sy’s older sisters could barely remember the names of his best friends in high school. They would never have touched any of them, much less give them a hug.

“There is nothing to disclose, Sir.”

Sy dropped into his chair. “Forgive me if I’m reluctant to take you at your word.”

“Then ask her about it.” The Lieutenant’s mouth snapped shut, catching his momentary slip in composure. He didn’t want to piss off Sy by being insubordinate but there was something about the Captain’s demeanor that made Niki question his motives. “Sir, I am not going to divulge personal information about another soldier without their knowledge unless I feel like their safety or the safety of someone else is in jeopardy. My answer won’t change. You have nothing to worry about. That is, assuming your motivations for asking are related to the safety of your subordinates during my stay here and not for some personal agenda.”

The punk had balls. Sy could respect that. He could also respect that he was protecting Leah’s privacy. That was typically one of the first things you gave up when you went through basic training.

Sy carefully considered his next words, trying to convince himself as much as the young man before him. “Corporal Coleman is the only woman here at Warhorse. I don’t need a jealous ex exploding on the first hothead who catcalls her.”

Or worse, a current boyfriend.

“Why the fuck is she being catcalled at all?”

Sy rubbed his hand over his beard, letting out a deep sigh.

“Because the military is a sexist fuckin’ institution and if I write up too many of my men for what my superiors consider minor infractions they will gladly replace me with someone who will just look the other way. Or worse, someone who will get rid of the ‘problem’ at the source. I have no doubt she’s worked twice as hard as any other soldier just to get where she is, I won’t let them take it away from her. I also won’t let them get rid of her for an inappropriate relationship with a superior.”

Nikolas’ eyes widened before he looked off to the side. The muscles in his jaw clenched as he mulled over Sy’s words.

The candor of Sy’s statement was surprising. Whatever the reason, this man wanted to protect Leah. As a sign of good faith, Niki offered up some honesty of his own.

“Leah’s family to me. If you need the specifics then you can ask her directly.”

Sy took a moment to consider whether it was enough of an answer for him to drop the subject. He knew it should be, that it was just his curiosity—and maybe a little jealousy—getting the best of him, but he needed to play this smart.

“I am the only one who gives her direct orders, you make no decisions about her work and you don’t discipline any of my men for their behavior towards her.”

It was hypocritical of him to be saying those words, he knew so. He’d done his best since Leah’s arrival to walk the line between protecting her and giving her preferential treatment, but he was very aware that it was so much more complicated than that now.

“How bad is it?” Niki asked after a moment of silence.

Things were definitely better than they had once been. Nielsen and Connors didn’t try to pick fights with her anymore. They made the occasional comment but Leah didn’t really pay any attention to them.

Sy gestured for Niki to take a seat, finally allowing him to relax a bit. Niki dropped his helmet and weapon on the table and pulled a folding chair closer to the desk.

“For the most part, she keeps ‘em in line herself.”

Niki tried to conceal his smirk but he broke, huffing a laugh. “She broke someone’s nose, didn’t she?”

Sy allowed himself to match the other man’s smile. “Is that a habit of hers?”

“Only when someone deserves it.”

Though Sy still wasn’t sure what to think of Niki, he couldn’t deny there was something to like about the man.

“Let’s get this shit planned out so we can get all our boys home safe.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Chapter 14

#captain syverson #captain syverson fanfiction #captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson fic #cpt syverson fic #cpt syverson #cpt syverson fanfiction #henry cavill #cpt syverson x ofc #cpt syverson fanfic #captain syverson x ofc #netflix sand castle

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seizethenightagain2 · 2 years

Text

Vibes and thoughts right now are too explicit to express 😱😱😱

#henry cavill #sand castle #captain syverson #handsome #military #netflix #wow

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sllhouettedreams · 2 years

Text

I bet dream builds just the best fucking sand castles man

#morpheus #the sandman #the sandman netflix #like just the most intricate fucking sand castle youve ever seen

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glossytommo · 2 years

Text

if top gun maverick has made you love glen powell, you must must MUST watch sand castle on netflix.

#top gun: maverick #glen powell #sand castle: netflix #he has a texas tattoo on his chest.#he wears a bandana.#his dog tags are backwards so they look like a chain.#he’s the hottest he’s ever been ever.#dylan chutsky

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genjv4rse · 11 months

Text

𖥻 THINGS — enhypen ◌ ִ ۫ ּ

syn ; things enha reminds me of !

heeseung !

dangly earrings, pendent chains, skinny ripped jeans, rock guitar, clubbing, late studio night, concerts, rainy empty street, love songs, specs, ice cream, deers, rainforest, going over the speed limit, long drive, polaroids, balcony, tattoos, collage campus, basketball, getting into fist fights, breaking rules, warm breeze, kisses, sharing earphones, untied shoelaces, sleeveless tops, cross jewelries, chase atlantic songs

jay !

red wine, ball dance, guitar, empty kitchen, champagne bubbles, tuxedo suits, runaway, black cat, fashion magazines, gold jewelries, camping, eucalyptus, biking, biker jackets, street racing, late night walks, city lights, porsche, cologne, the weeknd songs, loose tie, fancy restaurant, chanel bags, iced americano, home, long hugs, words of affirmation, eye contact, autumn, posh music, v necks, opera, musical recital, marriage, ancient churches

jake !

pancakes, golden retrievers, empty parks, cardigans, picnic, wolf pups, landscapes, abstract art, lip piercings, makeout sessions, mornings, cream, sheets, swimming, sand castles, tree houses, venus, varsity player, rings, clashing waves, sun shinning through curtains, backyard, champagne, sparkly eyes, netflix and chill, forehead kisses, caramel fudge, winter, jb songs, garden, lilies, lipstick stains

sunghoon !

sculptures, greek mythology, snow, ice skating, pointe shoes, swan lake, ice rinks, rhinestones, vampires, sharp canines, royalty, huskies, novels, cruise, 90s songs, ear muffs, moon phase, poetry, dandelions, maple leaves, vanilla shake, pearls, penguins, blush, lucid dreams, confessions, lullaby, archangels, romance movies, boyfriend coats, monsoon, hair blowing because of the wind, moles, tears, old love, unrequited love, ribbons, weddings

sunoo !

sun, tulip field, solar system, marshmallows, tteobokki, street food, shopping, karaoke, smiles, cute stationeries, stickers, secret diary, cheek kisses, mufflers, red foxes, bratz doll, playdate, selfies, carnations, easter, boba tea, bestfriends to lovers, cherry blossoms, lip gloss, skincare, disney shows, late night face timing, gossiping, watching kdramas, sanrio stuffs, blowing bubbles, photo booths, texts, horizon

jungwon !

kittens, valleys, teenage dream, gold fish, aquariums, subways, cds, headphones, empty bus rides, babybreaths, holding hands, first love, taylor swift songs, messy hair, vacation, countryside, group study, constellations, piggyback ride, dimples, converse, empty classroom, sheep cubs, indoor plants, mini cactus, namsan tower, han river, late fall, vintage hand written letters , young love, romcom, kitties

ni-ki !

graffiti, sunsets, baggy pants, late night dance jam, empty beach, bicycling, sea shore, ear piercings, watermelon, summer, slow dancing, grass field, bungeoppangs, duck chicks, disneyland, ps5, arcade, puma cubs, eskimo kisses, bracelets, youth, climbing fences, skipping school, skateboarding, mangas, school festivals, footsies, cute band aids, oversized attires, j-rock, night sky, laughters, slice of life, teenage, playfulness, photo booths, anime, shoujo manga

taglist ; @solarwoniii @shiningstar-byulxx @wtfhyuck @ichiibunztwt @enhawhoreist

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dolce-cavill · 11 months

Text

captain syverson

#captain syverson #syverson #sand castle #sand castle netflix

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rmtndew · 2 years

Text

Chapter 16

(An arranged marriage AU with Captain Syverson)

Pairing: Sy and OFC Seraphina

Word count: 3,500+

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16

. .

It was early in the morning, everything still dark out, when Sy woke me up by kissing my neck and shoulders. His beard rubbed against my skin, the familiar scratch enough to bring me out of sleep. I reached behind me and put my hand on the back of his head, running my fingers against the soft fuzz of his hair.

“Happy anniversary, honey bee,” he rasped in my ear.

I smiled. “Happy anniversary,” I whispered back.

“I can’t believe you’ve been mine for three whole years.” He pulled me to him tighter. “I knew you was something special when I first met you but I had no idea I’d be marrying my best friend.”

“Best day of my life.”

“Shh. We got our baby sleeping over there. Don’t let her hear you say that,” he whispered teasingly.

“Well, she wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for us getting married so I stand by it.”

He pressed his mouth to my shoulder and let his warm lips linger for a bit. “Alright. That’s fair.”

My eyes had adjusted to the dark and I turned my head to look at him. More had happened in our first year together than had happened in my whole life. We’d gone from total strangers to husband and wife to best friends to sweethearts to parents. But none of it would’ve happened if Daddy hadn’t sold me. I moved my hand to his jaw and stroked it gently. “Was I worth all that money you paid Daddy?”

He smiled and bent his head to kiss my mouth. “Every penny, baby. Every penny.”

We laid there together for a bit just holding each other but once I started drifting back to sleep, he let go of me and tucked me back in after he got up. I slept a little longer but once the sun started peeping through the window, I knew it was time to get up and start my day.

I got dressed and was putting on the bee locket that Sy had given me when Hazel Mae woke up. I smiled as she sat up in her little bed that wasn’t far from ours. She looked so serious as she brushed her messy curls away from her rosy cheeks. “Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep good?” I asked her.

She nodded and looked around the room. “Papa with the animals?”

“He is. He’s taking care of all the animals and then he’ll come have breakfast with us.”

“Can my have oatmeal?”

Hazel Mae had a habit of sometimes saying ‘my’ instead of ‘I’ and even though I knew I should’ve corrected her, I thought it was too sweet to stop. Sy thought so, too, although his favorite was when she’d say ‘lellow’ for ‘yellow’. He’d point out every single yellow thing he could find and ask her what color it was just to hear her say it. We both decided we’d teach her right as she got older but she’d only be little once.

“Yes, Momma can make you some oatmeal. That sounds mighty good,” I said. “I bet Papa would like a big bowl, too.”

Me and Hazel Mae went out to the kitchen and I got her settled down at the table with her dolly who she started rocking and singing to, as I went to the stove to get the oatmeal started. I’d just finished up when Sy came in.

He immediately came over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist then kissed my neck. “Good morning, Mrs. Syverson.”

I smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Syverson. How’s the farm?”

“Noisy and smelly as always.”

I laughed. “Breakfast is done. Go wash up and I’ll fix you a bowl.”

He let go of me, his hand rubbing sweetly on my hip as he stepped away. Then he went and told Hazel Mae good morning and gave her a kiss before going to wash up.

I put Hazel Mae’s oatmeal on a plate to cool off faster and left it on the counter so she wouldn’t be tempted to stick her little hands in it, then gave her half a piece of toast to eat while she was waiting. I put Sy’s in a bowl and set it on the table for him along with a cup of coffee.

“Momma, Papa’s oatmeal hot?” Hazel Mae asked as I was getting a bowl of my own.

“Yeah, sweetheart. It’s hot. Don’t touch it.”

“My blow on it for him,” she said.

“What?” I turned around and saw Hazel Mae standing up on her chair, leaning over Sy’s bowl of oatmeal, and watched her blow, spitting bits of her toast all over it. “Oh, honey, no!”

She stopped and looked up at me. Her little lip trembled for a moment and then she started crying. Sy came rushing out of the bathroom and when she saw him, she reached out for him. “Papa!” she cried.

He made it over to her in about three long steps and picked her up. She threw her arms around his neck and cried into the crook of it. He patted her back, trying to calm her down. “What’s wrong, sweetie? What happened?” he asked. She was wailing and wouldn’t answer him. He looked at me, his eyebrow raised in question.

“She wanted to cool your oatmeal down so she was blowing on it for you,” I said. “She’s upset ‘cause I stopped her.”

He peeked down at his bowl and I reckon he saw all the little bits of toast because he started laughing and tried holding it back. “Aw, sweetie, Momma isn’t being mean, she just didn’t want you to get hurt is all,” he said, his body shaking as he fought back his laugh. “That was mighty sweet of you to try to help Papa out like that.”

I went over to the table and picked up his bowl. “You can have mine and I’ll make you some more,” I told him.

He shook his head. “Just scrape the top off. I’ll eat it.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.” He sat down at the table in his seat still holding Hazel Mae. He rocked her until her crying let up some. “Let me look at you, Little Bit. Let me see your face.”

I watched from where I was scraping the top of his oatmeal into the scrap bucket as she pulled away from his neck and sat down on his lap, then looked up at him. Her face was red and wet and her little lip just kept wobbling. Sy wiped her tears away and dried off her cheeks with a napkin from the table.

“There’s my girl.” He lowered his face to meet her eyes. “I know you were trying to help by cooling off my breakfast and that was mighty sweet of you, but it’s very hot and Momma didn’t want you to get burnt, alright? She didn’t mean to upset you.”

Sy calmly tried to reason with her and I apologized for hollering out like I did, but she still wanted to stick right with him all through breakfast and even afterwards. So once we were done eating, he took her down to the barn with him while I tidied up the kitchen.

While I was cleaning, I kept stopping to adjust my brassiere under my dress. I knew it was crude to do it out in the open but the only people that should have been coming in the house were Sy and Hazel Mae and it was pestering me something awful. Even though I knew it hadn’t, it felt like it had shrunk somehow. Like it was digging into my skin. Once I was done cleaning up, I decided to go put on my other brassiere. It wasn’t as comfortable, I saved it for when we’d go to church or go into town, but it was better than the one I had on. As I was taking it off, I noticed my breasts were more tender than usual. Sometimes it happened before I had my monthly blood and for a moment, I thought that’s what it was. But once I started thinking about it, I realized I hadn’t bled in a while. We’d been so busy, I hadn’t even thought about it. I knew there could be a few reasons for it but only one was sticking out in my mind right then.

I put on the other brassiere and sure enough, it was tight, too, so I decided to forego wearing one and put on a top slip under my dress instead. It would work for being on the farm but I’d have to order a new one soon. Once I’s changed, I left the house and went out to the barn. Sy was brushing down Betsy while Hazel Mae was a few feet away playing with the baby chicks. She had one scooped up in her hands giving it kisses. I hadn’t ever seen chicks let someone love on them the way ours let Hazel Mae do but they sure seemed to enjoy it. They were the most spoilt chickens in the whole state.

When Sy saw me walking towards him, he smiled. “Have I told you how pretty you look?” he asked, running the brush across Betsy’s neck.

I shook my head but smiled back. “Not today.”

“Well, you’re the prettiest thing I ever seen.”

“Ain’t you ever gonna get tired of me?” I asked, stopping next to him.

“No, ma’am. I don’t reckon so.” He paused his brushing to look down at me. “You gonna get tired of me?”

I shook my head. “Never.”

“Good.”

He smiled as he bent down to kiss me. I put my hand on his neck, drawing him closer as our lips touched. I kissed him harder and he growled into my mouth as I tangled my other hand up in the front of his shirt. I felt like I couldn’t get him close enough. When Sy pulled away he chuckled as I tried to follow his lips. But all he had to do was raise his head and he was out of my reach.

“That was a mighty good anniversary present,” he said, grinning.

“I got an even better one.”

He laughed and dropped his hand down to my hip. “I’m looking forward to that.”

“Me, too. Although it might take a bit to get here.”

“It’ll be night time before you know it. Then you can give me whatever present you want,” he said, giving me a cocky smirk.

“You are something else, Hoyt Syverson,” I said with a laugh. “But that’s not the present I was talking about.”

His brows pinched together. “Then what are you talking about? You didn’t actually buy me something did you? Because you made me promise I wouldn’t spend a dime this year and I behaved myself.”

“No. I didn’t spend no money. It’s a…homemade gift.”

His confusion grew even further. “Then how’s it going to take a bit to get here, woma -” I grabbed his hand and moved it from my hip, placing it on my belly instead. His eyes moved from confusion to excitement in just a few seconds. Then his whole dang face lit up like a kid’s. “Are you joking with me?”

I shook my head. “No. I might be wrong but I ain’t joshing you,” I said. “My breasts are tender and swollen to the point I’m already outgrowing my under things and when I was thinking back on it, I realized I haven’t had my cycle in a while. We’ll have to wait and see to know for sure but…I think it’s safe to say we’re going to have another baby.”

He dropped Betsy’s brush and swept me up in his arms as he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him back. He was holding me so tight it hurt my chest but I wasn’t about to make him stop for nothing. He twirled me around in that barn like I was a princess or something and I couldn’t help but giggle. He started smiling so wide that between the two of us, we had a hard time kissing because our lips were too distracted by how happy we were.

“Best present ever, honey bee,” he whispered.

“What you doin’, Papa?” Hazel Mae asked. She was knelt down on the barn floor, setting the little chick back on the ground with its brothers and sisters.

“I’m giving your momma a great big bear hug to show her how much I love her,” Sy said.

She pushed a curl out of her eye. “Can my have a bear hug?”

“Yes, ma’am. Come on over here.”

Sy set me down and I let go of his neck. When Little Bit got to us, I picked her up and held her in my arms, then Sy hugged us both, putting her right between us. She lay her head against my shoulder and Sy kissed her temple. Our sweet daughter was the light of our lives and I couldn’t wait to see how much brighter it could get with another baby.

That night me and Sy laid in bed listening to the rainstorm outside. His hand just kept rubbing my belly. “What do you think it’ll be?” he asked quietly, trying not to wake Hazel Mae.

“I don’t know.” I looked at him. He seemed so contented. “You think we might get our little Isaac this time?”

“Maybe,” he said. “But if we don’t, that’s alright. We could end up with all girls and I’d be happy.”

I put my hand on his cheek. “What if it’s not a baby causing all this? What if it’s something else?”

“I’d still be happy,” he said. “You make me happy.”

“You make me happy, too,” I said, brushing my thumb across the bristles of his cheek.

“I know I told you this all before but…before we got married, I thought I’d be alone my whole life. I thought when I lost Ma that was it. I didn’t have no more family. I thought I’d work myself to death here on this farm and that would be the end of it,” he said. “I just stayed here living in my own hurt and anger. Then I met you and…” He blew out a breath. “Golly-bum, Seraphina, you were like an angel to me when I saw you standing at the top of the steps on your daddy’s porch.

“I knew that making sure you didn’t get married to Jud was the right thing to do and I had hoped you would learn to trust me enough to make friends with each other, but I didn’t think for a second that it would ever lead to anything more. And it broke my heart, honey bee, absolutely broke it, when you thought I was going to force you to lay with me on our wedding night. Knowing how scared you must’ve been thinking that someone as big as me was just going to take what they wanted from you and you wouldn’t have no say in it. I took marrying you seriously but that night…I vowed I’d do everything I could to give you a safe and happy life.”

I had tears welling up in my eyes as I cupped my hand to his face. “You did, Sy. You’ve made me feel safe and taken care of ever since I got here,” I told him. “Even the first time you told me you loved me, you let me stay with you because I was scared and you didn’t touch me no way you thought I might not want to be touched, you were just sweet to me and told me you loved me. And from then on, I ain’t had a second of doubt in my mind. You tell me every day but even if you didn’t, you say it in everything you do to take care of me and Hazel Mae. And I know if we get blessed with another baby, you’ll do it for them, too. It’s hard to say that what Daddy did to me was the right thing, ‘cause I don’t think it was, but it let me find you and that’s the most right thing that’s ever happened in my life.”

A big streak of lightning flashed outside our window and I could see that Sy had tears in his eyes, too. He pressed his forehead to mine. “You’re the most right thing that’s ever happened to me, too, honey bee.”

I kissed him as thunder sounded overhead, shaking the house along with it. I knew it was just the storm but it felt like it was every bit of Sy’s love calling out for me as it did. His love was strong enough to make the house shudder and rattle my bones. I truly believed that. Another clap rang out as he slipped his tongue into my mouth. A second later, Hazel Mae started crying and we both broke apart quick as could be.

“Momma! Papa!” she cried.

I sat up in bed and Sy followed right after me. He turned, swinging his feet down to the floor, just as she came running to him in the dark. He scooped her up and held her tight to him while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Did that loud storm wake you up?” he asked, patting her back. She nodded her little head. He kissed the side of it. “It’s alright, sweetheart. Papa’s got you.”

I moved closer and brushed my hand over her hair. “It was awfully loud, wasn’t it?” I asked, and same as she did with Sy, she just nodded her head as she continued to cry. “It’s only the sky making noise, though. It can’t hurt you.”

“Can my -” Her breath hitched, hurting my heart. “Can my sleep with you?”

“Of course you can, sweet girl.”

I scooted back, giving Sy room to turn and lay down. Hazel Mae let go of his neck and he put her between us. He dried the tears from her face with his thumb then we both kissed her big round cheeks until she stopped crying and was giggling instead.

“That’s what I like to see. My little ladybug happy,” Sy said.

She pushed the curls off her forehead then she looked at Sy. “My dolly,” she said, reaching towards her bed.

“I’ll get it,” he told her.

He got out of bed and went over to her little one, searching through the blankets for her dolly. It took him a few seconds to find it in the dark but finally he did and brought it back to her. She clutched it tight and kissed its head. But there was another loud clap of thunder and she whimpered, curling up to me.

“It’s alright, sweetheart,” I told her, hugging her close.

Sy scooched over, throwing his arm across my hip so we had Little Bit snuggled up between us. “You tell that sky it needs to go to bed. It’s up past its bedtime and keeping the rest of us awake.”

“Go to sleep sky!” Hazel Mae said, looking up at the ceiling. “It’s past bedtime!”

“That’s right,” Sy told her. “It’s not kind to be noisy and wake people up.”

“It’s not nice sky!” she hollered up. It thundered again. She didn’t seem scared that time but she looked at Sy. “It’s not listening, Papa.”

“That mean ol’ sky being naughty.”

“Maybe Papa could sing it a song, see if that’ll make it go to sleep,” I said.

He grinned at me. “You just wanna hear me sing.”

“I sure do,” I said, grinning back. “What do you think, Hazel Mae? Do we want Papa to sing for us?”

She nodded and turned towards Sy. “Sing a song. Please?”

“Alright,” he said. “Let me think of one.”

I looked at him as a flash of lightning lit up the whole bedroom. Hazel Mae sunk back against me and clutched her dolly tight. His hand on my hip gave me a soft squeeze, and then he started singing.

“I am dreaming dear of you, day by day. Dreaming when the skies are blue, when they’re gray. When the silvery moonlight gleams, still I wander on in dreams, in a land of love, it seems, just with you. Let me call you ‘sweetheart’, I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true. Let me call you ‘sweetheart’, I'm in love with you. Longing for you all the while, more and more. Longing for the sunny smile, I adore. Birds are singing far and near, roses blooming everywhere. You, alone, my heart can cheer; you, just you. Let me call you ‘sweetheart’, I'm in love with you. Let me hear you whisper that you love me too. Keep the love-light glowing in your eyes so true. Let me call you ‘sweetheart’, I'm in love with you.”

The storm had passed over enough by the time he finished singing that it wasn’t loud no more. Just quiet rumbles in the distance and rain gently falling. And Hazel Mae was sound asleep.

I brushed my hand over her head, running my fingers through her curls. “You ready to have another baby to sing to?” I whispered to Sy.

He smiled. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “More than ready.”

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miathesevikakitty · 7 months

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Oh, um, hi! English is not my first language so sorry for all the mistakes, and I just wanted to say some cute things i saw in "The Sea Beast" the movie on Netflix. I know it's a little late but I just rewatched it and couldn't live without telling someone about those things I just noticed.

First of all, I'm a little obsessed with Sarah Sharpe so this will be most about her.

Ok, let's go, do y'all remember this scene? Where they all go down on that city before going to the castle? (I forgot the English name for the city since I watched it in Portuguese)

Well, look, Sarah goes first than anyone. (I couldn't find the specific scene but y'know) even tho there are part of the tripulation carrying those heavy horns from the beasts, she still goes first. Before Captain Crow and before Jacob, so, in my little mind I saw this as a way of them to be caring, since she clearly has some problems walking due to the leg.

Cus, like, imagine all the times she would be left behind cus she can't run properly? She probably can, obviously, but it won't be that easy. So, I'm pretty sure its like a unspoken rule to let Sarah go first anywhere.

Also, just imagine the trouble this woman has walking on sand, grass, and anything that would make her leg sink? Poor baby. Y'know, in heels, the heels keep sinking in the sand and grass and breaking and stuff. A easy way to protect yourself from that horror is to step on your toes, but Sarah's leg is only heel, do you get it? I hope it makes sense.

Anyway, one more thing I noticed.

She is like, "the fuck this b* gonna catch me slipping" on that scene. I don't know where she specifically is but, I'm sure this woman is doing her best to not fall. Cus, y'know, her leg doesn't seem to move (I forgot the verb in english) and it is probably complicated for her to get up by her own. And they're being attacked my woman doesn't wants to die today.

Also, funny thing that I had to watch 2-3 times to notice: she also uses swords and knifes, not only the guns. Everytime I though about her, I absolutely believed that she only used shotguns. But watching this scene, I can see she clearly using this sword. (There is any other name for it?)

And, oh, look at her model! It isn't rendered but we can see clearly some important things here: just like I said before, this leg would be the absolutely worst to walk on grass. It has this spikes thing and would easily get stuck, which would cause trouble. also, look! She wears more blue-green than others colors.

If you look well, you'll notice that every important character has its own pallette, and Sarah's is blue-green centered.

Comparing her to Captain Crow, his pallette is more Black-ish with golden.

He has mostly black in his coat, hat, shirt, pants and stuff while my woman wears this pretty blue.

Like, look (sorry for the BAD quality) Miss Merino is more red-ish. While Jacob is more yellow, even with the hints of red. She's blue and green.

Also, talking about Jacob, look.

My man's works out, just look and these arms that could easily carry me to death. It isn't a surprise that there are so much people simping for him he's absolutely playing on both sides.

Also, I'm pretty sure he "cuts to both sides" (it's a expression we use here to say someone likes both women and men) cus there's no damn way my man's haven't got his bitches.

Just look at him, I'm sure that he only arrives at the city's so he can talk to his girlies.

Learned with his mother figure Sarah.

Anyway, I'll stop simping (for now.).

Do y'all notice that his clothing are simpler? Even tho he's clearly the captains favorite, he goes with this white common shirt while everybody has its complicated and cool looks?

It is because he's the protagonist, he has to call attention to him. And everyone has its super cool design with all those textures and details and stuff, it would be hard for him to shine. So, instead of giving him a super cool clothing, he's wearing something plane and simple that's easier to remember about.

Same for Maisie, but I'll be talking about her later wait there.

Anyway, giving him a simpler design and clothing made him appear more in the scenes, specially the dark ones. Since his blouse is white, it appears a lot.

Ok, coming to maisie.

Diferente from Jacob, that has only his white shirt on top, she has three layers of clothing.

And yet, it is still simpler.

Why? Because it doesn't folds, doesn't has much detail and doesn't has much texture. What calls attention in her is specifically her hair and how her brighter colors doesn't mix with the rest of the tripulation BUT these who have a similar spirit!

Look at old Jack, who also has his little white shirt on, and that boy who Jacob saved in the start of the movie. Both of them have a lighter pallete, which goes just right with Jacob's and Maisie's pallete.

And also, notice that Maisie's also goes for blue-green colors. Just like Sarah, but her's are lighter tones.

No more, just noticed those cute details that I had to talk about.

#sarah sharpe #the sea beast #captain crow #jacob holland #maisie brumble

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poledancingdinos · 1 year

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You’ve Got Me Hooked - Chapter 13

Pairing: Captain Syverson x OFC (Riley McKenzie)

Word count: 2.6K

Warnings: Sex work, Stripper, OnlyFans, general horniness

Catch up: Series Masterlist

Taglist: @amberangel112 @utterlyhopeful-fics @marantha @kebabgirl67 @littleone65 @omgkatinka @luclittlepond @marytudorbrandon @enchantedbytomandhenry @narnianaos @foxyjwls007 @peaches1958 @identity2212 @summersong69 @liecastillo @islacharlotte @evansabove1981 @eskiix @lilacwineandthesinkingsunmain @tryingtoliveonmywishes

A/N: If you want to be added or removed from my taglist, let me know! If your name is crossed out, I can’t tag you for some reason.

Masterlist

Riley is a fucking sight in that dress. It's youthful and cute but with those heels she looks anything but innocent. I don't know what to call them other than fuck me heels because that’s what they make me want to do. Her legs go on for days and all I want is to sink my teeth into the flesh of her tight little ass.

My plan for the evening is simple. I want to give Riley a night away from home to get all dolled up and let me worry about everything else. I want her to have the opportunity to let go and feel careless for once.

I change the radio to play low classic rock music for the drive and I can tell the plan is already working by the way she’s wiggling in her seat. Riley secretly loves to dance. That’s probably what makes her good at her job. She loves to sing too but never when someone might hear.

I'm taking her to a place owned by someone I went through basic training with years ago. At the time, he was just looking to make a bit of money while he figured out his next move. Turns out his next move was investing everything he saved in a restaurant. I originally made tonight's reservation with the hostess not knowing he even owned the place but I guess he recognized my name because he called me back the next day to catch up. He also said he’d save us a booth in a quiet corner where we would have a bit of privacy.

As soon as I park the truck, I hurry around to open Riley’s door. She clearly doesn’t need my help, seeing how easily she climbed in but she takes my hand and lets me help her out all the same.

The restaurant is dimly lit, the soft warm glow from the rustic, low-hanging lamps giving the whole place an intimate feeling. Some of the tables are occupied by couples but most of them look like groups of businessmen. It makes sense, after all, since it’s the middle of the week. It’s no surprise they’d take the opportunity to dine here and put it on the company credit card. This place is well known for steak and even wild game.

After I give my name to the hostess, she leads us through the tables to the back of the room like my buddy promised. Riley moves ahead of me in the narrow space but my hand stays on her waist and I immediately notice a few of the men turning their heads. She’s oblivious to the attention, mostly keeping her eyes forwards rather than studying the room. Maybe I should be jealous but I only feel pride that she’s mine.

Our waiter comes by a few minutes after we settle into our seats to take our drink order. I ask for a beer but Riley declines, saying that water is fine to start off. I assume she’s waiting to see what she wants to eat before picking a drink but when Riley winces as she looks over the menu, it all clicks.

“Sweetheart.” Riley looks up from the menu, biting her lip. “Are you uncomfortable bein’ in a place like this?”

“A little.”

My head tilts to the side as I study her. “You know I’m payin’ for everything right?”

“I figured you’d want to. You do like to talk about southern hospitality and such.”

I can’t help but smirk. “You were gonna argue for the check weren’t ya?”

She bats her eyelashes at me with a coy smile. “Maybe.”

Her exaggerated flirtiness makes me laugh and she does the same.

“One meal,” I eventually say. “I’m askin’ ya to let me treat ya to one meal. If this kind of restaurant makes ya uneasy then we won’t make it a habit. Do we got a deal?”

“Okay, I can do one meal.”

“Good. Close the menu.” She squints at me skeptically but does as I request with a curious smile.

“Red meat, fish or poultry?” My question takes her off guard but she answers quickly without too much trouble.

I proceed to ask her a series of this or that questions until I have enough information to order something she would like off the menu without her having to see the price. We repeat the process until we settle on her having a glass of white wine to go with her meal.

When our waiter comes back, I order for the both of us and Riley perks up when she hears what she’s going to be eating. The mood instantly feels lighter and for the rest of the meal, I talk about my family and my time in the army and she in turn talks about her childhood.

Apparently Riley had a bit of a wild streak when she was younger and decided to dye some of her hair with Kool-Aid while she was at a sleepover with some friend’s. She made it a full two weeks before her parents noticed but as soon as they did, they dragged her to a salon and had them bleach it out only for it to turn bright green instead, nearly giving her mother a heart attack.

“What about you? You must have a few crazy stories from your high school days. I’ve never known a football player who didn’t.”

I move my empty plate aside and lean on the table with my arms crossed. “I mean, you’ve seen the town, there’s not much to get up to around there.”

“Oh, exactly. Which means you must have been extra creative to pass the time during your summer breaks.”

She’s got me there. Not that I expected her to let me off that easily.

“When we were fifteen Jared and I got lost in the forest after the stolen motorbikes we were using died on us and we had to cuddle to stay warm through the night until we could find our way back on foot the next morning."

“Oh my god, that’s even better than I was expecting.” She drains the final sip of her wine and sets the glass back on the table. “Okay, spill.”

“The property Jared’s parents bought had an old barn filled with junk from the previous owners. They found some old dirt bikes while diggin’ through everything and both our parents gave us strict orders not to go near them. They didn’t run but other than that they were in decent enough shape so his dad planned to sell ‘em off with whatever else was worth salvagin’. I told Jared that I could probably fix ‘em up myself with all I’d learn in my summers around Don’s. It took a few weeks of sneakin’ in and out of the barn. We learned how to drive from the computer in the local library and waited for his parents to be out of town to try them out.”

Riley leans back against the booth, looking rather shocked at what I’ve just said.

“You fixed up motorcycles on your own at fifteen?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been around Don’s since as far back as I remember. My dad used to take me to work with him a lot. When I got to an age where I was always lookin’ for trouble they put a sponge in my hand and had me wash the cars. After a few years I traded the sponge for a wrench.”

“That’s really impressive, Sy.” It’s funny how for Riley, especially since she grew up in the city with a white-collar family, fixing up a bike seems like this massive accomplishment. To me it was just something I did to kill time. “So what happened to leave you stranded in the forest?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. When I got home, covered in dirt and shiverin’ from head to toe, to where my mama was fixin’ to have a fit ‘cause I broke curfew for the first time, my pop caught on real quick and we never saw ‘em again.”

I still remember the way my mama hugged my neck when I walked through the door. Then she proceeded to threaten to tan my hide for worrying her so much and sent me off for a much needed shower.

I always thought she worried too much when I was a kid. I often wished I’d had siblings to take a bit of the heat off of me. I’d do absolutely anything to have her fussing over me now.

“Can I get anything else for the two of you this evening?”

I look up to find our waiter staring at me as he waits for an answer. I turn my eyes back to Riley with a raised brow. I’m more than ready to head home and see where the night takes us. Since neither Riley or I have to go in to work until Monday there’s no need to end this thing early.

Riley pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she considers what to do. “I think we’re ready to head out,” she finally says.

I pull my wallet from my back pocket and the waiter rushes away to get the bill.

A half hour later, we’re back at the apartment. I took Aika out for a quick walk while Riley picked out a movie. When I got back she had the movie set up and two beers waiting for us on the table.

“Alright, what are we watchin’?”

She holds up the DVD case for me to see. The name is familiar from when I looked through her ridiculously well stocked shelves but I have no idea what it’s about.

“It’s a comedy,” she hopefully informs me. I should have guessed that from the cast but for some reason I expected her to pick something more… date night-y. “Haven’t watched it in ages so I have no idea if adult me will like it as much as I did when it first came out.”

“Works for me.”

She narrows her eyes at me with a small smile. “Don’t look so disappointed, there’s plenty of time to introduce you to the Nicholas Sparks portion of my collection. I just thought that making you watch ‘The Lucky One’ might be a bit too on the nose for tonight.”

I dump my phone, keys and wallet on the island and drop down next to Riley. A part of me wishes I could change out of these clothes. These pants were not made for lounging on the couch but I can suck it up for her sake.

Riley curls her legs up on the couch, smoothing out the skirt of her dress and leans into my side. I put my arm around her and get as comfortable as I can.

As I shift throughout the first half of the movie, my shirt gets untucked and Riley takes the opportunity to slide her hand under it. I’ve been shirtless around her quite a bit in the last week, including last night in her bed, but she’s never dared to actually touch or explore my body.

I’ve been randomly tracing circles over her arm just to enjoy the little goosebumps breaking out across her skin. I look down every so often when I feel her shiver and I have to hold back a groan when I see the outline of her nipples through the fabric of her dress. I figured she wasn’t wearing a bra but now that I know she isn’t, it’s fucking killing me.

I can picture her so clearly in my mind. What she’d look like without that dress. Without anything. I can imagine the sounds she would make for me. How her body would feel under mine.

The fact that the movie is indeed pretty funny helps pull my mind back when I start thinking about all the things I’d like to do to her tonight. I’m not sure what all she’ll be comfortable with but I can be very creative when the situation calls for it. I’ll find a way to make her see stars while staying within her boundaries.

Where my touch can pass as innocent, hers is anything but. I pretend not to notice or to appear bothered as her fingers trail the edge of my pants, threatening to dip below the waistband. I want her hands to stray but that doesn’t mean I intend to let her know that.

Riley changes her position for the second time in the span of a few minutes and her thighs rub together. I hoped that as the movie got closer to its end that the anticipation would start to build and that is exactly what’s happening. She’s picturing what comes next — or what she thinks will come next — and it’s making her all hot and bothered.

She moves again and this time she settles with her body facing mine, one leg over my lap. The hand on my stomach moves up my chest and she presses her lips to my neck. The touch lingers for a moment before she looks back at the movie. Her focus shifts between me and the screen, or at least, she pretends like it does. I’m pretty sure at this point she’s only pretending to watch the car dangling off the side of a skyscraper.

I can feel her heart beating where her chest is pressed against my arm. Getting more eager to catch my attention, Riley captures my neck with one hand and begins to suck a hickey into my skin. Her hips move ever so slightly, pressing against my thigh and letting me know that whatever she is doing isn’t just for my benefit.

When she reaches to unbutton my shirt, though, I’m forced to put an end to my air of indifference. “Slow down,” I tell her as I wrap my hand around her wrist, stilling her movements. “I told ya we weren’t doin’ anything until you were beggin’.”

“But—”

I take her hand and put it over my cock. Her eyes go wide when she feels the result of her teasing. Truth be told, I think I’ve been hard since I saw her come out of her room in that dress.

“I want ya. There is absolutely no doubt. Now be a good girl and watch the rest of the movie.”

Something flashes in her when I call her that. I know from the club and from what she’s said that when she performs, she acts like a dominatrix. Acts. But I can see what she really is. My girl secretly wants someone to take back control. She wants to be good for me.

“Stand up for me.” She does as I ask immediately. Oh yeah, she’s desperate to obey. I shift around so my legs are spread and pull her down to sit between my thighs. My arms wrap around her, keeping her back flush to my chest. She squirms a little when she once again gets a feel of my throbbing erection but eventually she settles with her head under my chin.

Every now the gets fidgety again though she stills on her own without needing me to intervene. She knows what I want. It feels like a lifetime has passed when finally, the credits begin to play.

Riley’s head tilts back, resting against my shoulder. “Please, take me to bed.”

I place a kiss right behind her ear. “Yours or mine?” I whisper.

“Mine. Please, Sy. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Chapter 14

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cg-saturn · 1 year

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as someone with a hard time voluntarily regressing, do you have advice?

the last time i tried it took me three hours and five coloring pages and a whole season of bluey </3

all the websites i looked at were like "get your paci" a=but i don't have any gear to make me feel small

Hey kiddo!

I know it can be hard to regress sometimes for whatever reason- maybe you've been too stressed, too busy, or just having a little block the same way artists or writers sometimes have. But I promise, you are still a valid little even if you struggle with regression at times.

Regression can come in so many different ways for people that it can be hard to give a definitive answer of how to make regression easier for you specifically, but I do know for some people who don't have the ability to own gear for any reason (living or financial situations) it can be even harder. So Star and I decided to come up with a little list of activities that can help with both! If anyone has any ideas or questions, please reblog and we'll add/answer what we can!

For kiddos who don't have gear because of living situations-

Legos- these are a great toys that can be bought in "adult" type sets, and many people don't question having Legos as a hobby no matter what age you are! Make yourself a little castle, or your own creations!

Magnets- I've always loved playing with magnets! You can get packs of bead magnets for fidgits and sounds, or even just play with the invisible force between two refrigerator magnets!

Playdough/slime - you can buy it or look up some easy at home recipes! Make it your favorite color, and add some glitter or beads to it for a textured play!

Tangles/figdgit toys- I've always loved fidgit toys, but some of them can secretly act as chewies/pacis too depending on textures!

Childhood movies- now that streaming is more avalible, it's pretty easy to access some movies from our childhoods! Personally I love the old animation of Disney movies, but there's also Scooby-Doo and all sorts of other cartoon network shows on hbo and Netflix!

Stuffie party- gather all of your pals and make a big circle on your bed or the floor, and enjoy their company! Ask them about their days, what did they get up to while you were out?

Kids apps- im planning to make a larger post about these in the future, but there are tons of apps that can help the regression process, and it's easier to hide if you're scared of people finding out.

Agere blogs- this one is kind of silly, but I think sometimes it can help a lot to scroll through some blogs that post outfit boards and soft little things! It can help to know you're not alone in your regression too, and maybe you can meet some friends who will help you in the future!

For kiddos who don't have gear because of financials-

Baby Einstein YouTube- if you don't remember Baby Einstein, it used to be a DVD series on learning for kids! They've moved to YouTube, and you can listen to various songs and watch different shapes and colors, it's very relaxing! You can do the same with clips from shows like sesame street.

Tell a story / madlibs- making things up and being creative is a great way to open your little mind. Telling a story about the unicorn who lives in the woods, or making up a silly madlib about the purple horse who jumped the tree. Make up the silliest story you can, don't worry about it making any sense, that's the whole fun of it!

Kids music- you can find playlists on YouTube and spotify for kids music! You can go from instrumental to learning songs like "wheels on the bus"!

Play with textures- at work we have sensory buckets for the kids. Put sand or rice or glitter in a bowl, mix in some beads, bells, cotton balls, or whatever other fun textured things you have around. Just put your hands in it and explore! Take time to touch every texture, try to focus on objects like it was your very first time seeing it!

Blanket fort- take the pillows off the couch, move your kitchen chairs around, take off your sheet if you need to! Make yourself a little oasis, snuggle up, and enjoy the small feelings!

I spy / where's Waldo games- you can play with books, apps, or even just with a friend in real life! I love to play with Star, it puts them in little space almost immediately as they frantically search for "something orange"!

Wear mismatched clothes- I've always believed that matching socks are bad luck in general, but I also think there's something about not having high fashion can help regression tons! Don't worry about the stereotypes of pigtails and overalls, wear those silly leggings and the oversized t-shirt with holes in it! Wear a sock up to your knee and one down to your ankle if that's what feels right! Clothes deserve to be a comfortable reflection of how you feel!

Remember, Littlespace is just like any other mindset. It doesn't matter what you do or don't have, as long as you're enjoying some childlike wonder again. You're just a lil kiddo! That's all it comes down to. Remind yourself that you're valid for healing your inner child and letting yourself enjoy things, you deserve to be a little angel again. Do things just because you want to, just because you're curious, just because it looks good, soft, whatever. Being a kid is learning everything for what feels like the first time no matter how many times you've learned it before. You deserve to experience things for the first time again, to relax, and to heal.

Sending love and always wishing you the best!

Pippi Saturn 💕

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honeybeezgobzzzzz · 10 months

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𓅨 Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Chapter Twelve

Your Fate is Sealed With Mine: Y/N Burgess is the granddaughter of Alex and Paul, and after having spent so many summers at their manor and always wondering why she was forbidden from entering the basement, she descends the steps into the world of the Order. She broke out the being that had been trapped in that glass cage, but what does he want with her now that he is free?

Warnings: Language, Peril, Violence, Blood, Demon Dogs, Gore, Reader Once Again Woke Up And Chose Violence, Thoughts of Giving Up and Dying, Morpheus to the Rescue, Talking Bird Takes Book to Face, Morpheus Monologue.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x Female!GranddaughterReader, based on Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’, Reader now has long-ish hair for plot reasons (Just so Morpheus can tug on it later).

Word Count: ~3.0k

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Seven days had passed since I was freed from my glass cage. Seven days since I had returned to my realm only to find it crumbled to ruins and deserted. A king without his tools, a king without his castle, a king without his subjects. But I was not without help. I had visited the Three-In-One and received their answers, and know where to look for my sand. Now it was time to put an end to the hell beasts hunting my consort, for they have done the unforgivable by opening her skin.

Sitting in the library dressed in a nightgown, you rested your chin on your palm as you read from a book in your free hand. The last few days since you returned from your trip to London you had been on the down low, resting and recovering, and most definitely trying not to think about a silver blue-eyed devil that for some ungodly reason, you could not get out of your head. You were alone in Fawny Rig, Paul having gone to London to settle Alex in a hospice home there. To be honest the old manor was more spooky lately without their presence. The eaves groaned. The floors croaked. The walls whispered. It was like the house was alive and it freaked the hell out of you.

You let out another breath, trying to focus on the book you were reading. Or at least trying to read. You were more running your eyes over words than actually absorbing what was written. It was fruitless, you weren’t going to actually manage to read this book no matter how much you tried. Your mind was far too distracted, far too chaotic. Closing the book, you set it aside and rubbed your face with a tired groan. Spiraling. You were spiraling deep. Placing your hands on your thighs, you looked down at the nightgown covering your body. Your grandmother from your mother's side was a seamstress and tailor, and had gotten her hands on a vintage silk nightgown. A little elbow grease and some hemming later and you had a luxurious nightgown as a birthday present. The thing was the most comfortable piece of clothing you had ever worn. Albeit a little on the fancy side, but still. The silk felt like heaven against your skin.

Maybe a change in scenery would help your restlessness? You rose to your feet and grabbed the book once more, tucking it against your side as you departed the library and headed for the stairs. Before heading upstairs, you made sure to turn off the lights that were still on, leaving the hall lanterns at a low setting so you could see where you were walking. You were turning down a hall when you caught sight of a black mass in one of the grand mirrors hanging on a nearby wall. Freezing in your step, you twirled around to look behind you. Nothing. Was your mind playing tricks once more? Bored of nightmare-free dreams? You heard a deep, guttural growl.

Nope, most definitely not imagining what you saw. In front of you, the air twisted into a gray cloud, growing larger and darker until red eyes appeared and a beast emerged. The wounds on your arm, which had finally crusted over, burst into fire. You let out a pain-filled gasp and grasped the cuts as the lines reopened, blood spilling down your arm and quickly staining the skirt of your beloved nightgown. You gaped at the flood of crimson for a second before looking back to the beast. It snarled at you and prowled forwards.

Yeah, you should probably start running.

You turned tail and bolted for the stairs. From behind you the hell beast's claws scratch the worn wood floor as it gave chase. Terror rushed through your veins, you felt your heart start to race in your chest while you flew across the manor, tugging and yanking on decorations and antiques. Anything to slow it down from ripping into your real body. You were surely leaving behind a trail of blood, smearing the crimson liquid on walls, lights, and anything you touched. The adrenaline was keeping you from feeling the excruciating pain emanating from your arm but it did little to mitigate the woozy feeling that flushed through your body. You made it to the grand stairs.

Nearly tripping on the first step, you half crawled up the steps, clawing blood across the worn wood and sinking your nails in for purchase. Your nails broke from the force at which you scrambled, but from the sounds behind you, your haste was essential. A glance over your shoulder saw the hell beast slam into an alcove with a bust of Roderick. It shattered to dust and broken bits of rock. You didn’t stay to see the total damage. Lurching to the top of the stairs, you stumbled down the hall, another bout of wooziness hitting you suddenly. You crashed into a decorative table, breaking the delicate lamp that had been resting on it. Shards of ceramic dug into your skin, opening new sources of red. You cried out in pain.

Your hands twitched and trembled against the table and for a moment, you thought about not running anymore. To simply give up the chase and surrender to what seemed like your fate. They had been after you for so long and you were tired of running. You were tired of hurting. Giving up would be so easy, the pain would only last so long and then you would be free of it. But then the memories of the friends you had made in your dreams surfaced in rapid fashion. You remembered how much those memories were worth living for because you wanted to see their smiles once more and you could. But not if you were dead. Your bloody fingers closed around a broken piece of the lamp, gripping it so hard that it bit into your flesh once more. When the growls and snarls approached you, you whipped back around, swinging as you went.

A claw caught you in the chin, but not before you slammed the piece of the broken lamp into the thick neck of the hell beast. Fresh waves of pain erupted along your jaw bone and you were crying out yet again. Your fingers automatically reached for the broken and torn skin. At the same time, the hell beast let out a howl of pain and took a step back in surprise as if it never expected you, a menial human, to fight back. You reached behind you and grabbed another piece, raising it to strike once more as the hell beast pawed at the chunk of lamp already in its neck.

“Go back to hell you poor excuse of a mangy mutt!” You snarled, going straight for its eye this time. You didn’t manage to lodge the chunk where you wanted to, but you did manage to scratch it’s eye hard enough in the process that it wouldn’t be seeing out of it any time soon. The best part? You made it bleed. Dropping the shard of lamp, you turned tail and lurched back in the direction of your room, hoping that you could somehow barricade yourself long enough to come up with another plan. Whimpering from the agonizing pain that rippled from your arm and face, you crashed into your door and reached for the handle. Blood-covered fingers proved to be slippery, but you eventually managed to rip the door open and slip into your room.

Slamming the door behind you, you locked it and tripped forwards, your eyes frantically searching for something you could protect yourself with or use as a weapon. You couldn’t find much in your sitting room so you ran for your bedroom. Behind you, the door splintered open and with one glance over your shoulder, you could see that your stabs had only made it that much angrier. Its eye was out of commission, dripping black liquid down its snout to the floor. The wound on its neck still held the shard you had rammed there. Most definitely not pleased with you at the moment. You took a few more steps and crashed into something.

A pain-filled grunt left your lips and you staggered about, splattering the carpet with blood. Arms steadied you and in less than a second, a gentle calm seeped into your veins, chasing off the harsh high of adrenaline. Wheezing on your next breath, you tilted your head back and stared up into the dark, star-filled eyes of Dream. How was he here? Your thoughts were diverted as you took in his facial expression.His eyes smoldered with an unadulterated rage you could feel coming off his body in waves. The hands that were trapped against his black jacket twitched as the urge to grip the material floated into your mind. You took no further action, completely enraptured but storming silver-blue eyes.

Your attention was diverted to the vicious growl behind you combined with echoes of howls. The hell beast had called in reinforcements. Twisting your head, you looked at the hell beast that had ripped you up and the two others that now flanked it. You could maybe handle one, just barely… but three? That wasn’t going to happen. Your vision wavered while the snarling hell beasts advanced. But by some miracle, their growls and snarls turned to whines and they backed away, disappearing into a void. You shuddered in place, the feeling of relief flooding into your body so fast you were nearly overwhelmed.

“Y/N,” When the being spoke, you were pulled from your trance. Returning your eyes to his, you stared at him, watching as his face doubled for a moment. You saw that his lips were moving but what registered in your brain wasn’t full sentences. Your head tilted to the side in confusion while you struggled to understand what he was saying. You thought you heard him mention venom, but his words all blended in a nonsensical mess. His hand landed on the non-injured shoulder as you swayed in his arms.

“I don’t feel well,” You whispered, your body buzzing with lightness.

Catching your crumpling body, Morpheus tried to rein in his anger at the sight of the wounds scattered across your body. To set hounds on you was an unspeakable atrocity he would have to take up with Lucifer, but the mere fact that they had poisoned you with their venom? That was unforgivable. No human was meant to survive the venom of hell beast and if not for your soul bind, you would have long since succumbed to poison within your veins. To attack you was to attack Morpheus. Gently cradling you in his arms, Morpheus manipulated the minuscule grasp of his sand once more and transported you both away from the bloodied Fawny Rig. As much as he wished to send you to The Dreaming, Morpheus felt you were far too vulnerable to stray from his side. Certainly with the hell beasts on the loose.

Reappearing in a hotel room in London, Morpheus ignored Matthew who fluttered his wings and hopped closer to his arrival, his black eyes examine you in his masters arms.

“Wow, sir, is that— is that fixable?” Matthew asked, his head cocking to the side as he took in the numerous injuries you had. “It looks really bad.”

“Her fate is bound to mine, as long as I exist, she shall too,” Morpheus replied, setting you down on the hotel bed and gathering his meager power once more. “You needn’t worry about her, she will recover.”

“How did she get like that? I know that you said that she was being hunted by hell beasts, but I would have thought that if they got their claws on her…” Morpheus’s lips twitched at the corner as he commanded his remaining sand to purge the blood clinging to your skin and heal the wounds that still wept crimson.

“The little troublemaker put up a fight, as expected.” Morpheus picked up one of your torn-up hands and watched as the wounds and cuts on your palm, slowly meshed together to form beautiful, unbroken skin. “I’ve never met a being who managed to wound a hell beast while being attacked, let alone a human.”

Matthew fluttered to the bed and waddled his way up to your side, watching fascination as the scratch marks on your arm closed up and disappeared as if they had never existed. It even erased the stains on your lovely silk nightgown.

“So they’ve got her scent in this world too, how do we protect her if they have it? Cause if she managed to bang one up, I have a feeling that it’ll want revenge.” Matthew observed, his eyes lifting to Morpheus. Morpheus reached into his jacket with his free hand and pulled out a ruby necklace.

“This necklace will hide her scent so long as she wears it,” Morpheus explained, letting the gem drape in his spindle fingers, the red hues sparkling in the light.

“That’s a pretty piece, I’m sure she’ll love it, Sir,” Matthew said encouragingly. Morpheus’s lips twitched again.

“Love it or not, it is her safety I care about.” Morpheus’s eyes returned to your body, now devoid of any evidence of the events that took place at Fawny Rig. Morpheus brought the hand he held up to his nose and brushed his lips against the pulse that lay beating beneath skin, beating strong. A sign of life and humanity. A very beautiful thing. “She’s going to be difficult at first.”

“I’m no pushover, Sir,” Matthew replied, puffing his chest out and ruffling his feathers to make his small body bigger. Morpheus set your wrist back down and gently clipped the ruby around your neck.

“Her life has been hard, she does not trust easily… and getting her to believe what she sees will be difficult. Her mind has been twisted since childhood. She doesn’t trust it, nor trust her dreams.” Morpheus explained, his eyes fading to darkness in memory of what you suffered during your childhood and teenage years.

“Are you saying she won’t trust us? She won’t trust you?” Morpheus pressed his lips together, not wanting to say the words out loud, but knowing that Matthew needed to know and understand.

“Yes, she isn’t going to trust us at all.”

Your body ached unpleasantly, but the sharp prickling pain you were used to feeling in your arm was gone. Neither did you hurt from the fresh wounds that you knew marred your body. Whatever did happen to that hell beast? You groaned and shifted where you lay, digging your hands into the soft sheets beneath your body and sinking your nails into the fabric. Your nails, fingers, and hands didn’t hurt, they should given the state you last knew them to be. Nose wrinkling as you sluggishly pushed your body into a sitting position, you flickered your eyes open. You were greeted by a room you didn’t recognize and a window across the bed you were laying on showed the London skyline. What the bloody hell? Where was the hell beast?

“How the bloody hell did I end up in London?” You questioned, tilting your head to the side in confusion.

“Oh! That’s because Lord Morpheus brought you!” An uplifting, cheerful voice spoke from your left. Cue more confusion on your part and slowly turning to look at who had spoken, your eyes caught sight of a large bird, possibly a raven, perched on the headboard. Your eyes went bulged, the bird couldn’t possibly be the one who had spoken. The bird cocked its head to the side and ruffled its wings before hopping down to the mattress. “Also, you don’t need to worry about that hell-hound-looking thing. They won’t be back any time soon. ”

Good God the bird was talking! Your right hand searched the space to your right, looking for something to hit it with. You found a book and grabbed it. Then you swung it around and nailed the bird right in the side. The bird let out a squawk as it went flying. You kept your eyes trained on it as it tumbled through the air before righting itself. It landed on the back of a chair nearby.

“That was totally uncalled for!” The bird shrieked, its feathers ruffled. If a bird could look entirely gobsmacked, this one certainly did.

“You’re a talking bird!” You exclaimed, your voice a pitch or two higher than normal as you brandished the book in hand once more. The bird moved its head and flapped its wing.

“Talking raven, thank you very much!” The voice squawked back, insult clear in its tone.

“Like that makes a difference!” You shouted at it, your eyes wild in fear. This was an all-new low for your brain. A talking bird? How ridiculous!

“It’s a big difference!” The bird defended itself, still very much outraged. “Do you know the difference in intelligence between me and a pigeon? It’s big! Like comparing me to a fish!”

“You’re. A. Talking. Bird!” You enunciated, pointing out the major fact that despite some bird species being able to speak and mimic human speech, none of them were smart enough to hold well-constructed sentences like this one. It let out another screech of annoyance. “A bird!!”

“I have a name and it’s Matthew!” Matthew, the talking raven, cried out, hopping on the back of the chair and flapping his wings. You glared at each other for a few moments, and while you were sure the bird wasn’t a threat, you still held the book at the ready.

“Are you two finished?” A smooth and calm voice spoke with a touch of amusement. You let out a screech of your own and this time threw the book in the direction of whoever spoke. The book flew fast and sharp through the air only to be caught by a pale hand, inches from an all too familiar face. His eyebrow was raised elegantly. He was entirely amused by the conversation you had just had with the raven. If your eyes weren’t already bulging, they were now.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” You said before letting out an overly dramatic moan and flopping back against the bed. What was worse, getting torn apart by a hell beast or tormented by your mind?

Date Published: 9/23/22

Last Edit: 7/2/23

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#morpheus x reader #dream of the endless x reader #dream the endless x reader #morpheus #sandman x reader #the sandman netflix #lord morpheus #dream of the endless #dream the endless #the sandman

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